Operation Akhal is a significant anti-terrorist operation conducted by Indian security forces in the Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir. The operation took place in the dense Akhal forests of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district, and as of August 4, 2025, had entered its fourth day. Amidst the operation a claim is going viral on the internet. A Pakistan-based account ‘TacticalTribun’ on X, claimed “The 4-day Kulgam encounter is ongoing, 3 Indian soldiers have been killed. Indian Army deployed gunship helicopters” on 4 August 2025.
Another account on X ‘Himat75’ claimed “3 Indian army soldiers are killed and 4 injured during an encounter with Kashmir freedom fighters in Kulgam occupied JammuKashmir.”
Fact check
DFRAC searched for the viral claim on the internet and found it to be misleading. The keywords from the viral claim were searched on the internet and no similar news was found to have been reported or published by any reputed media channel. No such information was released on the social media channels of the Indian Army as well.
However we came across a post by ‘Chinar Corps’ from 1 August 2025 on X. Where they officially announced the launch of Operation Akhal, stating “OP AKHAL, Kulgam
Contact established in General Area Akhal, Kulgam. Joint Operation in progress.”
In a follow up post on the same, on 2 August 2025. They posted “Update: OP AKHAL, Kulgam Intermittent and Intense fire fight continued through the night. Alert troops responded with calibrated fire and tightened the noose while maintaining contact. One terrorist has been neutralised by the security forces so far.
Operation continues.”
A video was also posted on the official Youtube channel of ‘India today’ on 4 August 2025. The caption of the video says “Operation Akhal Day 4: 3 Terrorists Killed, 4 Soldiers Hurt in Kulgam Forest”. The description of the video informs that “The engagement, which started on Friday (1 August) evening, has resulted in the deaths of three terrorists and injuries to four soldiers.”
Conclusion
Hence, we can conclude that the viral claim is misleading. No such official statement was released in the mainstream media or on the official social media handles of the Indian Army. The X post of Chinar corps and the video of India Today confirm that 3 terrorists were killed; Indian soldiers only got injured.
