Srinagar, May 16: Six terrorists were killed in two separate operations conducted by Jammu and Kashmir Police, Indian Army, and CRPF in the Kelar area of Shopian and in Tral Pulwama, officials said on Friday. They also termed it as significant success in the ongoing counter-terrorism efforts in the Valley.
In a joint press briefing held in Awantipora, IGP VK Birdi said that the security forces carried out two highly successful operations in the last 48 hours.
“In response to heightened terror activities in the Kashmir Valley, all security forces reviewed their strategies and intensified operational focus,” he said.
IGP Birdi said as a result of enhanced coordination and this renewed emphasis, two successful anti terror operations were conducted in the Kelar area of Shopian and Tral, leading to the neutralization of six terrorists in total.
“We remain committed to dismantling the terror ecosystem in the Kashmir Valley,” the IGP said.
Major General Dhananjay Joshi, General Officer Commanding (GOC) Victor Force, provided further details about the anti-terror operations in Kelar and Tral.
He highlighted that a major challenge during these operations was ensuring the safety of civilian villagers.
“On May 12, we received intelligence about the possible presence of a terrorist group in the higher reaches of Kelar. On the morning of May 13, after detecting suspicious movement, our teams engaged the terrorists, who retaliated with gunfire. Our forces successfully neutralized them,” he said.
GOC Joshi further said that the second operation took place in a border village in the Tral area. While establishing a cordon, terrorists entrenched themselves in various houses and opened fire.
“The challenge then was to safely evacuate the civilian villagers. Ultimately, three terrorists were neutralized during this encounter,” he said.
He added that one of the six terrorists killed, identified as Shahid Kuttay, was involved in two major attacks, including an assault on a German tourist, and was also linked to terror funding activities.
These encounters come in the wake of the brutal Pahalgam terror attack, where 26 civilians including a Nepali national were killed. Following this attack, security forces have intensified operations against terrorist groups in Jammu and Kashmir.
The recent operations occurred weeks after the Pahalgam attack, which triggered India to carry out ‘Operation Sindoor, targeting and destroying terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK, eliminated nearly 100 terror operatives at key bases, including Bhawalpur—the headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammed—and Muridke, a major Lashkar-e-Taiba training facility.
