Gunfight in Kulgam day after Pahalgam attack, TRF terrorist trapped

A day after 26 people were killed in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, a gunfight broke out in Kulgam during which a top TRF commander was trapped.

In Short

• Gunfight broke out between terrorists, security forces in J&K's Kulgam
• Encounter came a day after 26 people died in Pahalgam terror attack
• Earlier today, Army foiled infiltration attempt and killed 2 terrorists in Baramulla

A top commander of The Resistance Front (TRF) was trapped during a gunfight that broke out between terrorists and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam on Wednesday. The encounter came a day after 26 people were killed in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which was claimed by the TRF, an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The gunbattle is going on in the Tangmarg area of the south Kashmir district.

Earlier today, the Indian Army foiled an infiltration attempt by two terrorists and gunned them down in Baramulla following a heavy exchange of fire. Security forces recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition as well as Pakistani currency after the encounter.

On Tuesday afternoon, five to six terrorists opened fire on a group of tourists in the Baisaran meadow, which is around 5 kms from Pahalgam. The area is accessible only by foot or by horseback. The Pahalgam carnage was one of the deadliest civilian attacks in the Kashmir Valley in recent years.

Eyewitnesses said the terrorists emerged from the surrounding pine forests and fired at people picnicking, riding ponies, or eating at food stalls. Most of the victims were tourists, including two foreigners from the UAE and Nepal, and two locals.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Saudi Arabia when the attack occurred, cut short his visit and held a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting in Delhi to review Jammu and Kashmir's security situation.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah landed in Srinagar within hours of the terror attack and held a high-level security review with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Jammu and Kashmir's Director General of Police. He also visited the attack site in Pahalgam and met with the families of the victims and survivors.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called the attack "much larger than anything we've seen directed at civilians in recent years".

Several top leaders have strongly condemned the attack, expressing their grief and solidarity with the victims and their families. Security forces have intensified their search operations in the region, aiming to track down the perpetrators.