Two terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district, officials said on Saturday, with sources indicating that a top Lashkar-e-Taiba operative could be among the dead.
According to sources, the gunfight broke out around 7:45 pm in Chanpora village after security forces launched a coordinated anti-terror operation in the area.
The terrorists were identified by sources as Zakir Ahmad Ganie, a suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba operative, and his associate Latif Bhatt.
The operation was carried out jointly by the Army’s 44, 20 and 34 Rashtriya Rifles units, along with 3 Para and the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
Security agencies had also accessed recent CCTV footage believed to show Ganie with another unidentified terrorist in the Shopian area, which investigators were using to corroborate their presence at the encounter site.
WHO IS ZAKIR GANIE?
Ganie, a resident of Kulgam district in south Kashmir, is a suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba operative and is classified as an A++ category terrorist by security agencies.
He is wanted in multiple terror-related cases and was the subject of a proclamation notice issued by an NIA court in Kulgam in October 2025.
In April this year, investigators identified Ganie among the local terrorists allegedly linked to the probe into the Pahalgam terror attack. Security agencies have also accused him of involvement in attacks on security personnel and targeted killings in the Valley.
Article source: indiatoday.in
