Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, May 13: Three local terrorists affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Shukro Keller area of south Kashmir’s Shopian district, officials confirmed on Tuesday.
An official said that a joint team of police, Army, and CRPF launched a search operation in the forested Shukro area after receiving intelligence about terrorists’ presence. As forces intensified the search, terrorists fired upon them, which was retaliated, leading to the gunfight, he said.
“During the encounter, three terrorists were killed and arms and ammunition were recovered from the site,” the official said, adding, “The slain terrorists have been identified as Shahid Ah Kuttay of Chotipora Keller Shopian, Adnan Shafi Dar of Zainapora Shopian, and Ehsan Ul Haq Sheikh of Murran Pulwama.”
It is noteworthy that the houses of all three terrorists were demolished last month following the killing of 26 tourists in Pahalgam.
According to the official, Shahid Kuttay, son of Mohammad Yousuf Kuttay from Chotipora Heerpora, had reportedly joined LeT on March 8, 2023, and was classified as a Category-A terrorist. “He was a key figure in several high-profile terror incidents in south Kashmir, including the firing at Danish Resort on April 8, 2024, which injured two German tourists and their driver. He was also accused of the targeted killing of a BJP Sarpanch in Heerpora on May 18, 2024, and is suspected to have been involved in the killing of a Territorial Army personnel in Behibagh, Kulgam, on February 3, 2025,” he said.
The second terrorist, Adnan Shafi Dar, son of Mohammad Shafi Dar from Wanduna Melhora, Shopian, had joined LeT on October 18, 2024, and was classified as a Category-C terrorist. He was involved in the killing of a non-local labourer at Wachi, Shopian, on the same day he joined the group, the official said.
The third terrorist, Ehsan from Murran, who reportedly joined in September 2023, was involved in multiple terror cases, according to police sources.
Security forces are continuing search and sanitisation operations in the area.
An official said the elimination of terrorists and the recovery of arms and ammunition from the encounter site mark a blow to LeT’s operational capabilities in the region. (KNO)
