Pahalgam attack: How gunfight in Kulgam between TRF top commander and security forces is unfolding

At least one top commander of The Resistance Front (TRF) is trapped in a gunfight in Kulgam with security forces.

The development comes a day after 26 people were killed in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

The TRF, which is an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, has taken responsibility for the attack.

But what happened? What do we know?

Let’s take a closer look:

What we know?

As per The Times of India, the encounter is on in the Tangmarg area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district.

An official said security forces are acting after receiving specific inputs about the presence of terrorists.

As per Financial Express, the gunbattle began after police came under heavy fire during the operation.

Reinforcements have reportedly been rushed to Kulgam.

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As per India Today, the development comes after the Indian Army foiled an infiltration attempt by two terrorists earlier today.

The army killed the terrorists in Baramulla after a heavy exchange of fire. Security forces found a huge cache of arms and ammunition as well as Pakistani currency in the aftermath of the encounter.

That operation began after “two to three UI terrorists tried to infiltrate through general area Sarjeevan at Uri Nala”.

“The alert tps on LC challenged and intercepted them resulting in a firefight…Heavy exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists, two terrorists have been eliminated, infiltration bid foiled by the security forces in the ongoing operation. Large quantity of weapons, ammunition and other war-like stores have been recovered from the terrorists. Operation is in progress,” the Indian Army handle wrote on X.

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Sources told NDTV around 1,500 people have been taken into preventive detention in Jammu & Kashmir for questioning in connection with the Pahalgam terror attack.

As per Financial Express, security has been beefed up across the Valley.

The Indian Army, CRPF, and J&K Police are conducting a joint operation.

Security forces have established additional checkpoints highways and other sensitive areas.

Quick reaction teams have been placed near key installation teams and tourist hotspots.

PM Modi chairs Cabinet Committee on Security meet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who cut short his visit to Saudi Arabia, met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in the morning at the airport itself. In the evening, he chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security to formulate India’s response. “People responsible for such acts will get a strong response in the near future,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said.

Reflecting the government’s resolve in the face of the deadliest terror attack since the Pulwama strike and the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, he added, “We will not only trace those who perpetrated the attack but also trace those who conspired to commit this nefarious act on our soil.”

Singh also reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir with Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, the three service chiefs, defence secretary and the director general of military operations.

It is learnt that Singh directed the armed forces to enhance their combat readiness and increase intensity of anti-terror operations.

Shah, who visited Baisaran, met the injured in hospital and chaired security review meetings, also signalled the intent of the government.

“Bharat will not bow to terror. The culprits of this dastardly terror attack will not be spared,” he said. Those behind the Pahalgam atrocity will face severe consequences, Shah added.

Giving a face to the terrorists behind the massacre, security agencies released the sketches of three of the five men suspected to be involved in the terror attack. They are all Pakistanis, officials said, identifying them as Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah and Abu Talha.

They had code names – Moosa, Yunus and Asif – and were involved in terror-related incidents in Poonch.

With inputs from agencies