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First Post
16-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
6 terrorists killed in 48 hours: Inside Kashmir's anti-terror ops
Indian forces, this week, killed six terrorists in two anti-terror operations in the Valley in 48 hours. Three terrorists were killed in each operation, including three from the Jaish-e-Mohammad identified as Asif Ahmed Sheikh, Amir Nazir Wani, and Yawar Ahmed Bhat read more This week, Indian forces killed six terrorists in the Valley in 48 hours. The Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force neutralised half a dozen terrorists including three from the Jaish-e-Mohammad in two separate operations. The anti-terror ops, which occurred in south Kashmir, were called Operation Keller and Operation Nader. Each operation saw three terrorists killed. The development comes after security forces began a crackdown in the Valley in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack by The Resistance Force – an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba – in which 26 were left dead. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'The security agencies reviewed their strategy according to the situation in the wake of terror activities in the last one month and our intensified focus was on operations,' VK Birdi, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, said on Friday. Birdi was addressing a press conference at the headquarters of the Victor Force in south Kashmir's Pulwama district alongside General Officer Commanding, Victor Force, Major General Dhananjay Joshi. But what do we know about the anti-terror ops? Let's take a closer look: Operation Keller As per Business Standard, the first anti-terror operation was nicknamed Operation Keller . The operation began in the Shukroo Keller area in Shopian district on May 13. As per NDTV, the forces on May 12 got inputs about a terror group potentially being in Shukroo Keller. Joshi said the forces head narrowed down several areas on which to focus in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. However, in this case, they had intelligence. 'We had intelligence inputs that terrorists had moved to the higher reaches after the melting of snow. Keeping that in mind, our domination parties had continuously been deployed in the higher reaches, mountainous areas and forests,' Joshi said. This operation occurred on higher ground in a forest area. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As per Indian Express, the Indian forces sent out a search party which found the terrorists the next morning. An Indian Army soldier looks out from an armoured vehicle on a highway leading to south Kashmir's Pahalgam, in Marhama village, in Kashmir. Reuters The terrorists, on being identified, opened fire on the troops. The Indian forces responded in kind – killing three terrorists. 'So the domination party that was deployed there for some time, relocated itself and in a focused way closed in on the area. They challenged the terrorists who fired at them, leading to an encounter in which three terrorists were neutralised,' Joshi added. As per NDTV, the terrorists killed in were all from the JeM. They were identified as Asif Ahmed Sheikh, Amir Nazir Wani, and Yawar Ahmed Bhat. Operation Nader The second operation, entitled Nader, was carried out at a border village in Pulwama's Tral on May 15. As per NDTV, this operation occurred on flat terrain. It included officers from the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) As per Indian Express, this occurred after forces were tipped off about the presence of terrorists in the area. The forces first evacuated the village before engaging the terrorists. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'We had inputs and cordoned off the village. The terrorists took positions in different houses and fired. Our challenge was the safe evacuation of innocent civilians including children,' Major General Joshi said. VK Birdi, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, and Major General Dhananjay Joshi, General Officer Commanding, Victor Force. ANI '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. One of the six terrorists neutralised, namely Shahid Kutte, was involved in two major attacks, including an attack on a German tourist. He also had a hand in funding activities,' Major General Joshi was quoted as saying by NDTV. The attacks Kutte were involved in included one on a sarpanch in Shopian's Heerpora on May 18 last year. Kutte was also involved in a firing at Danish Resort on April 8 last year in which two German tourists and a driver were injured. The successful conduct of both the operations shows that the security forces will find terrorists wherever they are and neutralise them, Major General Joshi said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Neutralisation of both the modules has dealt a blow to terror outfits and will help in stopping terror activities here and bring peace, he added. Indian Express quoted IGP Birdi as saying that they were 'committed to ending the terror ecosystem here.' IGP Birdi added that the terrorists were killed due to the intensified focus and coordination between various security agencies He called the operations 'significant achievements'. 'These successful operations were possible because of the coordination and synergy among the security and intelligence agencies. We are duty-bound to end any terror activity in Kashmir and we are always ready to stop such acts,' IGP Birdi said. With inputs from agencies
United News of India
16-05-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
Recalibrated strategy post-Pahalgam led to killing of 6 militants: Forces
Srinagar, May 16 (UNI) After Pahalgam terror attack, security forces recalibrated their counter-terrorism strategy that helped them to eliminate six local militants, including two commanders, in south Kashmir in 48 hours. Since Tuesday, three militants each of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad were killed in two separate encounters in south Kashmir's Shopian and Awantipora. In a joint media briefing by the police, Army and the CRPF, the officers said the success of these two operations was due to the 'seamless coordination' between the security and intelligence agencies. Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Vidhi Kumar Birdi said the Pahalgam terror attack prompted a comprehensive review of the existing security strategy. "In the wake of heightened terror activities in Kashmir Valley, all the security forces deployed here reviewed their strategies. Following the 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. Six terrorists were neutralised in both the operations,' said Birdhi who was flanked by General Officer Commanding of Army's Victor Force, Major General Dhananjay Joshi and IG CRPF Mitesh Jain. Birdhi said the operations -- one in Shopian and another in Tral Awantopora -- were due to the seamless coordination among the CRPF, the Indian Army, and the Jammu and Kashmir Police. He also acknowledged the vital role played by intelligence agencies. IGP Kashmir said all security agencies were determined here to end the terror ecosystem or any terrorist activity. GOC, Victor Force, Major General Joshi said while briefing on Operation Naddar Tral and Keller Shopian said after the Pahalgam terror attack security forces targeted certain areas in a focused way. He said both operations were carried out in different terrains — one in the dense high-altitude forests of Shopian, and the other in the populated village of Tral in Pulwama district. 'As we were receiving intelligence inputs that the terrorist groups have now shifted to higher reaches in the jungles after the melting of the snow. And keeping this in mind, our domination parties were continuously deployed there,' the Army officer said in the press conference. He said on the night of the May 12, they got an input about the presence of a terrorist group in the upper reaches of Kellar , in Shopian. 'Parties were already deployed in these areas repositioned themselves. On the morning of May 13, our troops noticed suspicious movement in the high-altitude forests of Kailar. When challenged, the terrorists opened fire, triggering an encounter," the officer said. Despite the treacherous terrain and difficult operating conditions, the troops successfully neutralized the militants after a fierce gunfight, he said. In the second operation in Tral, the officer said the challenge was different. 'Acting on specific intelligence that a group of terrorists was hiding in a village, security forces quickly cordoned off the area. The terrorist tried to exploit the presence of civilians by taking up positions inside multiple houses. Our primary concern was to evacuate the villagers, including women, children, and elderly, without any harm," the officer said. 'After ensuring the safe evacuation of civilians, security forces conducted a systematic house-to-house search, ultimately neutralizing the hiding terrorists in separate locations within the village,' he added. He said the two operations underline the adaptability and resolve of troops, whether in challenging high-altitude forests or densely populated villages He said one of the slain militants, Shahid Kuttay, a local commander of the Lashkar, was involved in multiple attacks, including the killing of a sarpanch and an attack on a foreign tourist at a resort. His associate, killed alongside him in the Shopian operation, was also wanted for the killing of a local non-migrant civilian, the officer added. The Army officer said that the elimination of these two terror modules will severely dent the operational capabilities of militant groups active in the region. The IG CRPF said these two operations have been possible because of the coordination and professional execution of security forces. 'I would like to assure you all that this coordination will remain the same in the future and, through this, we will be able to eradicate the terrorism completely from Jammu and Kashmir. I would also like to thank the public for its support, which proves that people want terrorism to be eradicated from Jammu and Kashmir," he said.
The Print
25-04-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Army chief in Kashmir, ops intensified with search on for 7 LeT terrorists
He will be meeting with the operational commanders on the field and review the inputs that have come in and the ongoing operation. Defence sources told ThePrint that the first place the Army chief is visiting is the headquarters of the Victor Force in Awantipora, a Division of the Army in-charge of operations in South Kashmir. New Delhi: Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi reached Srinagar Friday to take a full security review of the situation and the ongoing operation by the security forces to track down seven LeT terrorists believed to have been behind the Pahalgam terror attack, ThePrint has learnt. Sources said that according to inputs received so far, it was a group of seven terrorists that carried out the attack, which included at least four Pakistani terrorists and three local terrorists. As reported by ThePrint, four terrorists, including two Pakistani nationals, carried out the actually killings. It is now learnt that three other terrorists were positioned in the higher reaches on look out. Sources said that two Sectors (Brigade level formation) of the Rashtriya Rifles have been put on the job to track down the group of terrorists besides those from the Special Forces. On Friday Pakistan Army fired small arms at some places along the Line of Control (LoC), prompting an effective retaliation from the Indian Army. No casualties have been reported so far. Further details are awaited. Sources said that the Army chief would be briefed on the status of operations and the security net that is being thrown. According to them, the Army is for offensive operations and the overall security arrangements is the responsibility of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the CRPF which operates under it. Gen Dwivedi will also visit the headquarters of the Chinar Corps in Srinagar where he will meet with the Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Suchendra Kumar and 15 corps Commander Lt Gen Prashant Srivastava. At this meeting, a larger security review is to be undertaken and certain plans and changes will be discussed, the sources said. At the All Party Meeting held Thursday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah admitted to lapses in the security apparatus. Shah informed the meeting that local tour operators had opened up the route without informing the administration. 'The government told us that the route usually opens in June during the Amarnath Yatra as pilgrims headed to the holy site take rest at this location. However, this time, local tour operators started accepting bookings for tourists interested in going to the spot in April itself. From 20 April, tourists started going there. The local authorities were not aware of this development and, as a result, there was virtually no security deployment there,' Aam Aadmi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh told ThePrint. However, a Jammu and Kashmir Police post is located at the start of the route to the meadows, leading sources to question the claims of unawareness. 'It is sad that Jammu and Kashmir Police claim that they are not aware. Kashmir is a terror zone and police are saying they were unaware that hundreds of tourists were going to a particular zone,' a source said. The J&K Police have released details about three of the four LeT terrorists. On Thursday, J&K Police confirmed that one of the four terrorists involved in the Pahalgam massacre is Adil Hussain Thoker, as ThePrint reported the previous day. Thoker is a resident of Anantnag. The other two terrorists identified by police are Ali Bhai alias Talha Bhai and Hashim Musa alias Suleman—both referred to as 'Pak national LeT' terrorists. (Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri) Also read: Pakistan issues NOTAM for Arabian Sea, puts its military on alert after India's first reaction to Pahalgam
