4 Counter Terror Ops Underway In Kashmir A Week After Pahalgam Attack

Four counter-terrorism operations are underway in Kashmir today, officials said, amid an intensified security crackdown across the region, days after the Pahalgam terrorist attack, which left 26 people dead. Two of the operations are a continuation of earlier encounters.. Two of today's operations are taking place in South Kashmir, including a major effort in the Yarwan forest area of Shopian district.

The joint operations involve units of the Indian Army and the Jammu and Kashmir Police. According to army sources, multiple counter-terror activities have been ramped up across Kashmir, with particular focus on the southern districts. The security presence in Shopian and Pulwama has been significantly strengthened, where searches and combing operations are being conducted in densely forested and rural zones.

As part of sweeping security measures, nearly 50 public parks and gardens located in vulnerable areas have been shut down. Gates have been locked at 48 out of 87 public parks and gardens identified as sensitive. 

The tourist sites that have been closed to the public include Dooshpathri, Kokernag, Duksum, Sinthan Top, Acchabal, Bangus Valley, Margan Top, and Tosamaidan. These locations, many of which had been promoted as alternative tourist circuits in recent years, are now considered at higher risk.

The decision to shut down public spaces and tourist destinations comes exactly a week after the deadly terrorist attack at Baisaran meadows near Pahalgam, a popular tourist spot in south Kashmir's Anantnag district. On that day, gunmen opened fire at visitors, killing 26 people and injuring dozens more. Most of the victims were tourists who had arrived in the valley to take advantage of the spring season, which is traditionally seen as a safer time for travel.

Following the Pahalgam killings, security forces have been under significant pressure to dismantle terrorist networks believed to be active in southern Kashmir.