KULGAM (Kashmir), August 12: The high-intensity, 11-day encounter in Akhal — a remote forest-side village in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district — was called off on Monday, 11 days after it began on August 1, 2025. Akhal, located about 12 kilometres from Kulgam town, is home to around 1,900 residents.
It was one of the most prolonged encounters in recent years in Jammu and Kashmir. The operation began on August 1 after security forces received intelligence about the presence of militants hiding in the high-altitude mountain forests above Akhal village. Drones, helicopters, and a tight security cordon were deployed to neutralize the militants.
According to official sources, two Army personnel — Lance Naik Pritpal Singh (28) and Sepoy Harminder Singh (26), both from the Sikh Light Infantry’s 19 Rashtriya Rifles — were killed in action during the encounter. One local militant, identified as Haris Nazir Dar, a resident of Rajpora in Pulwama district, was also neutralized. According to sources, an AK-47 rifle, along with arms and ammunition, was recovered from the site.
The prolonged operation involved hundreds of personnel from the Army, paratroopers, CRPF, and Jammu and Kashmir Police. Around ten security forces personnel sustained injuries during the encounter.
“This is the longest operation we have ever witnessed here,” said Showkat Ahmad, a farmer in his late fifties. “Every night, the forest echoed with gunfire. We would lie awake, wondering who would live to see the morning.”
For Showkat, the scale and duration of the mission made it one of the most drawn-out encounters the Valley has seen in recent memory.
“We are glad the guns have fallen silent,” said Hajra, a local resident, her eyes betraying days of sleeplessness. “But we haven’t had a single peaceful moment. The nights were filled with firing, and our children cried through the darkness.”
Standing outside the shuttered door of her home, Hajra explained that her family had been taking turns to sleep, too fearful to all rest at once in case the firing moved closer.
According to another resident, Javied Ahmad, the prolonged standoff forced many villagers to leave with only what they could carry. “Those who stayed behind were running out of food, water, and medicine,” he said quietly. “There was no ration left in our homes… only fear.”
Children have been among the worst affected. With schools closed and playgrounds deserted, their days are spent indoors, peering from windows or clinging to their parents. “My daughter used to run outside the moment she finished breakfast. Now she won’t leave my side,” said Haleema, a mother of two. “Even during the day, she asks if it’s safe.”
For some, leaving was the only option. Ghulam Mohammad, a farmer, moved his family to his cousin’s home in another village. “I left behind my orchard, my animals… everything,” he said. “But what could I do? My children were trembing with fear. I couldn’t keep them here.”
“We are thankful it’s over, but the fear will take much longer to go,” said Aijaz, a cousin brother of a shopkeeper whose small grocery store remained shut throughout the 11 days. “He had to throw away all the fresh vegetables and milk. His shelves are empty, and so is his pocket. But at least we are alive.”
For young mother Jameela Bano, the biggest pain was watching her children suffer. “Every night they would cling to me, asking if the bullets would come inside our home,” she recalled, holding her five-year-old son close. “We had no electricity for several nights. The children couldn’t sleep, and even I forgot what sleep feels like.”
Khalil Ahmad, a farmer in his sixties, said that he had never seen anything like it in his life. “The sound of helicopters, the shouting of soldiers, the crack of gunfire—it was all around us,” he said.
Teenager Aadil Ahmad described the feeling of helplessness. “We stayed indoors all the time. No school, no phone signal, no games. My friends and I just stared at each other, wondering when it would end,” he said. “Even now, when I hear a loud sound, I feel my heart jump.”
Many families had already fled during the operation, moving in with relatives in neighbouring villages. Those who stayed behind speak of nights without sleep, listening to the constant crack of gunfire and the thud of explosions in the hills above.
The Gujjar families living on the edge of the forest were among the hardest hit. Cut off from the village centre, they had no way to get supplies. “They called us saying they have no flour, no rice,” Suhail recalled. “We could not reach them to help.”
Another resident Sabzar Ahmad said even the basic necessity of clean drinking water became scarce. “PHE water tankers could not come here because of the firing. People had to walk to distant springs, risking their lives,” he said. “The elderly especially suffered.”
Medical needs were another pressing concern. For several days, residents say, no doctor could enter the area. An ambulance arranged by the district administration provided some help, but it could not reach everyone. “We are thankful to the DC and SSP for that ambulance,” Sabzar said, “but more was needed.”
Gulzar Ahmad, a resident of Devsar area of Kulgam, described a darker side of the days that followed. “In the nearby villages, many young men were picked up by the police and the army,” he said quietly. “Some were taken deep into the forests for searches, others were summoned to army camps. We heard stories of beatings, of long hours of questioning.”
According to him, the fear spread quickly across the area. “People stopped letting their children step out, even during the daytime. If a soldier pointed towards a youth, it was enough to send waves of panic through a family,” he said. “Mothers kept their sons inside, fathers avoided walking in groups. We could hear the sound of jack boots on the roads, but no one dared to look out from their windows.”
Villagers say the tension was not only in Akhal but also in neighbouring hamlets. “The atmosphere was heavy,” the resident continued. “You could feel it in the silence. Everyone was just… waiting. Even now, after the encounter has ended, the memory of those days has left a wound in the heart of this place.”
According to sources, the militants are believed to have escaped during the initial phase of the operation, when two army personnel were killed. Later, as there was no further exchange of fire, the encounter was eventually called off.
(The identity of the author has been withheld due to security concerns.)
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