SRINAGAR: As the anti-terror operation in Kulgam’s Akhal village entered its seventh consecutive day on Thursday, local residents are pleading for relocation, citing extreme distress and deteriorating living conditions.
Villagers say they’ve endured sleepless nights due to continuous gunfire and explosions, and are now facing acute shortages of food and medicine.
“We’ve been suffering for seven days. Firing and bomb blasts continue through the night. Our homes are running out of rations,” said Mubarak Khanday, a resident living near the encounter site.
Khanday described the psychological toll on families, especially women and children, who are terrified and unable to sleep. “Children are awake and crying. There’s no medicine, no food. Even the Gujjar nomads nearby have run out of supplies,” he added.
Despite the hardships, locals expressed gratitude to village officials like the numberdar and chowkidar, who have been distributing food from their own homes. “The numberdar helped as much as he could, but now even he is facing shortages,” Khanday said.
Sheikh Mehboob, a village official, urged authorities to address the crisis. “We need water, medicine, and food. The elderly and children are suffering. The Public Health Engineering department must step in to provide drinking water,” he said, while thanking the deputy commissioner and SSP for arranging an ambulance.
Another resident, Sheeraza Akhtar, made a heartfelt appeal to the Kulgam deputy commissioner: “We are poor and struggling. Many families have already left, and some homes are abandoned. Please relocate us—we are in desperate need.”
The counter-terror operation began on August 1 after intelligence reports indicated the presence of militants in the forested Akhal area. So far, two terrorists have been killed, and several security personnel injured. Forces are using drones, helicopters, and other surveillance tools to track down remaining suspects.
This marks the longest-running anti-terror operation in the Kashmir Valley this year.
