In a recent operation in Tral, Jammu and Kashmir, three terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces. The armed forces launched the operation early Thursday morning in Nader village of Tral, located in the Pulwama district of South Kashmir, after receiving specific intelligence about the presence of terrorists in the area.
As the joint team of the army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and CRPF closed in on the suspected location, the terrorists opened fire, attempting to break the security cordon. The security forces retaliated, leading to a fierce gunfight. Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir V. K. Birdi confirmed that the three terrorists were killed during the operation, and their bodies were being retrieved from the site. However, the identities of the slain terrorists are still being ascertained.
Videos have emerged on social media purportedly showing the terrorists hiding in a shed before being neutralized by the security forces. Drone footage also captured the moments before the terrorists, identified as belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), were killed in the gunfight. The video shows them cornered in what appears to be the basement of an under-construction building, armed with rifles.
The terrorists killed in the encounter have been identified as Asif Ahmed Sheikh, Amir Nazir Wani, and Yawar Ahmad Bhat, all residents of the Pulwama district.
The operation in Tral comes shortly after another successful encounter in the Shopian district of South Kashmir, where security forces killed three Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists. According to officials, prior to the Shopian encounter, only 14 local terrorists were listed in the Valley.
Security forces have been on high alert following a recent terror attack in Pahalgam. In response to the attack, authorities had razed the house of Shahid Kuttay, one of the terrorists killed in the Shopian encounter. Kuttay was involved in the killing of a BJP sarpanch in Heerpora, Shopian, in May of the previous year. Another terrorist, Shafi, who joined Lashkar in 2024, was involved in the killing of a migrant laborer in Wachi, Shopian.
