Indian Army guns down 3 terrorists during encounter in J&K's Shopian

A top militant commander was killed in an encounter with security forces on Tuesday, May 13, in the Shukroo Keller forest area of Shopian district in Jammu and Kashmir. The encounter began after a joint team of the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a cordon and search operation in the area based on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists.

Officials said the search operation turned into an encounter when the terrorists opened fire on the security personnel. The forces retaliated, leading to a gunfight. One top militant was neutralised during the exchange of fire. Security forces suspect that at least two more terrorists are still trapped in the area. The operation is still in progress, and no casualties have been reported among the security personnel so far.

The operation is part of a larger combing effort being carried out in South Kashmir and parts of Kishtwar since the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which resulted in 26 deaths and several injuries. Forces have intensified anti-terror operations in forest belts and remote regions of the Valley following that attack.

Posters featuring three Pakistani terrorists — Adil Hussain Thoker, Ali Bhai, and Hashim Musa — suspected of involvement in the Pahalgam incident have been circulated in various areas of South Kashmir, including Shopian. Each carries a reward of ₹20 lakh for information leading to their neutralisation. Earlier, sketches of three other suspects — Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah, and Abu Talha — were also released by security agencies.

As per latest reports, Three Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district, officials confirmed. One of the slain militants has been identified as a local resident. Separately, posters of three terrorists suspected to be linked with the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack were displayed across Shopian.