Shopian: Security forces have launched a massive counter-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district, where two op suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists are believed to be hiding inside an orchard.
The Army, CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police have launched a cordon-and-search operation after surveillance cameras spotted the two moving through the orchard. Escape routes have been sealed off.
The area covered by this operation consists of seven villages, officials said. Four of them have been cleared and movement in the rest is being restricted.
The two trapped terrorists have been identified as Zakir from Kulgam, who joined the LeT in 2024, and Latif, who joined the outfit in 2025, as reported by PTI.
Zakir, who has been involved in several acts of terror in the Valley, is designated a A++ terrorist by security agencies.
A fierce exchange of gunfire has already taken place after the terrorists opened fire on the security forces. The two suspects are believed to be trapped inside a residential house.
Shopian continues to be a sensitive district because of its central location that acts as the transit hub from south to central Kashmir, including the Pir Panjal mountain range. Because of thick foliage in the orchards and forests in the summer, terrorists have been using it to their advantage to dodge the cordon and search operations, officials told PTI.
While it is increasingly being observed that Pakistan-based foreign terrorists are being deployed to execute attacks, the elimination of local militants like Latif and Zakir is equally crucial to undermine the supply chains and prevent local recruitment into terrorist groups, officials said.
