Overview

• Operation Akhal began on August 1 when the Army’s Chinar Corps, CRPF, J&K Police and SOG launched a targeted cordon-and-search in the Akhal forest following specific intelligence inputs
• As the operation entered its third consecutive day, officials reported two militants killed and one soldier wounded during intermittent but intense overnight exchanges of fire
• Security forces have reinforced the cordon with additional troops, drones and thermal‐imaging support to navigate the rugged terrain and prevent militant escape
• The mission escalated when hiding suspects opened fire, prompting calibrated retaliatory strikes from alert troops conducting the search
• This action builds on recent intelligence-driven campaigns in South Kashmir, including Operation Mahadev, aimed at dismantling militant networks after the Pahalgam terror attack