Local militant killed in Shopian military operation after 5-day Op, say officials

Shopian: One local militant affiliated with the proscribed outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba was killed on Wednesday during a joint operation by security forces in the Meemandar area of south Kashmir’s Shopian district, officials said.

The operation, which began on July 3, was launched after armed forces received inputs about the presence of armed militants in a dense orchard spread across seven villages in the Meemandar area.

A joint team comprising the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police, the Army’s 55 Rashtriya Rifles and 44 Rashtriya Rifles, and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) laid a tight cordon around the area and carried out sustained search operations over the past five days.

Officials said there were intermittent exchanges of fire between the security forces and the hiding militants during the operation.

In a post on X, Jammu and Kashmir Police said one Lashkar-e-Taiba militant was killed in the joint operation conducted by the SOG, Army and CRPF.

The slain militant was identified as one of the two individuals earlier believed to be trapped during the operation. Officials had identified them as Latif and Zakir. The identity of the deceased was being ascertained officially.

Searches in the area were continuing at the time of filing this report. [KNT]