Srinagar: A Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist was killed in a prolonged anti-terror operation in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Wednesday, even as Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi reviewed the prevailing security situation in the Valley and security forces busted a terrorist hideout in Kathua district, recovering hand grenades following the interrogation of an overground worker (OGW).
The developments come amid intensified counter-terror operations and heightened security arrangements across Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in view of the ongoing Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra.
According to officials, Zakir Ganai (26), a Category ‘C’ Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist and resident of Motalhama in Kulgam district, was killed during a joint operation conducted by the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the Chanapora area of Shopian.
In a post on X, the Army’s Chinar Corps said, “During the joint search operation being conducted by the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF in Chanapora, one LeT terrorist, identified as Zakir Ganai, has been eliminated in the firefight. Arms, ammunition and other war-like stores were recovered.”
Officials said the operation, based on a specific input from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, began on July 3 after surveillance cameras detected the movement of two terrorists hiding in dense orchards in the Meemandar area of Shopian.
A joint team comprising personnel from the Army’s 55 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and 44 RR, Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF established a tight cordon around the area, leading to intermittent exchanges of fire over the next six days.
The Army’s specialised counter-insurgency formation, Victor Force, deployed additional troops and sealed all possible escape routes through the thick orchard cover, while illuminating the area during the night to prevent any escape attempts.
Officials said Ganai had sustained bullet injuries to his left lung and leg during an earlier exchange of fire and had crawled into a shed within the orchard, where he was finally neutralised during the concluding phase of the operation.
Another terrorist, believed to be Latif, who reportedly joined the outfit last year, is suspected to have been trapped during the operation.
Officials said Ganai had gone missing on September 27, 2023, after leaving home for Dialgam, where he had reportedly gone for shuttering work. When he failed to return, his family lodged a missing person report at Kulgam Police Station on October 3, 2023.
Subsequently, he joined The Resistance Front (TRF), considered a proxy outfit of Lashkar-e-Taiba, and was later booked under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The Jammu and Kashmir Police also confirmed the operation in a post on X, stating: “You can run but you can’t hide. One Lashkar terrorist neutralised by SOG Shopian in a joint operation with RR and CRPF.”
Officials noted that Shopian continues to be a strategically significant transit corridor linking south Kashmir with central Kashmir and the Pir Panjal region, making it a frequent focus of counter-insurgency operations.
Meanwhile, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi on Wednesday visited the headquarters of the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps to review the prevailing security situation, operational preparedness and combat readiness along the Line of Control (LoC) and in the hinterland.
According to the Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI), the Army Chief was briefed on operational deployments, counter-terrorism operations, inter-agency coordination, evolving security dynamics and arrangements for the ongoing Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra.
The COAS also reviewed initiatives related to technology absorption, capability enhancement and integrated combat readiness across the full spectrum of military operations.
General Dwivedi commended officers and soldiers for their professionalism, dedication and steadfast commitment under challenging operational conditions and appreciated their relentless efforts in maintaining peace and stability in the region.
In another major development, security forces busted a terrorist hideout in the upper reaches of Billawar in Kathua district and recovered two hand grenades.
Officials said the recovery was made on the disclosure of Haji Latief, an overground worker (OGW) arrested on July 2.
Latief, a resident of Rabagh, is accused of facilitating the infiltration of more than a dozen terrorists from across the International Border over the years and is currently being jointly interrogated by the police and other security agencies.
During questioning, officials said it emerged that Latief had remained in constant contact with terror handlers based across the border, leading investigators to the hideout where the grenades were recovered.
Meanwhile, Border Security Force (BSF) personnel detained a suspicious individual from Bobiya village in the Hiranagar sector of Kathua district.
The man, identified as Prem (45), was subsequently handed over to the local police for sustained questioning to ascertain his identity and activities, officials said.
Security agencies have intensified surveillance and search operations across the Union Territory amid continued efforts to dismantle terrorist networks, prevent infiltration attempts and ensure the peaceful conduct of the ongoing Amarnath Yatra.
