Six Terrorists Killed in Joint Army-Police Operations in Kashmir

Security forces killed six terrorists in two different encounters in Jammu and Kashmir. These joint operations took place in Kelar (Shopian) and Tral. The Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and CRPF carried out the missions together. IGP Kashmir, VK Birdi, confirmed the operations during a press briefing on Friday.

Forces Act After Reviewing Strategy

Terror activities in the Kashmir Valley have increased recently. In response, security agencies reviewed their strategy. Based on this review, they launched focused operations. IGP VK Birdi said, “In the wake of heightened terror activities in Kashmir Valley, all the security forces deployed here reviewed their strategies. Following this review, there was an intensified focus on operations. On the basis of this intensified focus and coordination, we conducted two successful operations in the last 48 hours during which we had significant achievement. These two operations were conducted in the Kelar in Shopian and Tral areas, which resulted in the neutralisation of a total of six terrorists. We are committed to finish the terror ecosystem in Kashmir Valley.”

Encounter in Kelar: Three Terrorists Gunned Down

According to Major General Dhananjay Joshi, GOC of Victor Force, the first encounter happened in Kelar. On May 12, the Army received information about terrorists hiding in the higher areas. On the morning of May 13, they spotted movement and challenged the group. The terrorists opened fire, and the forces retaliated. They successfully killed three terrorists.

The second operation happened in Tral, a border village. As troops began a cordon search, terrorists hid in different houses and opened fire. Security forces faced the challenge of saving civilians first. After evacuating the residents, they gunned down three more terrorists.

Major General Joshi said, “On May 12, we got information on the possible presence of a terrorist group in the higher reaches in Kelar. On the morning of May 13, on detection of some movement, our parties challenged the terrorists, who retaliated with fire. Our parties neutralised them. The second operation in Tral area was conducted in a border village. As we were laying a cordon at this village, the terrorists positioned themselves in different houses and fired at us. At this time, the challenge we faced was rescuing the civilian villagers. After this, three terrorists were neutralised.”

Key Terrorist Identified

One of the six killed terrorists was Shahid Kuttay. He played a role in two major attacks. He also helped fund terror activities. Joshi said,
“One of the 6 terrorists neutralised, namely Shahid Kuttay was involved in two major attacks, including an attack on a German tourist. He also a hand in funding activities.” These operations followed the recent terror strike in Pahalgam. In that attack, 26 people, including a Nepali national, lost their lives. Soon after, India intensified its counter-terror push.

Operation Sindoor

As part of the retaliation, Indian forces launched Operation Sindoor. They used precision strikes to destroy terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). Nearly 100 terrorists were killed. Key targets included Bhawalpur, the main base of Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Muridke, a major Lashkar-e-Taiba training center.