Two out of three LeT terrorists identified in Shopian encounter linked to past attacks

Shopian (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], May 13 (ANI): Three terrorist with affliation to the Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed in an encounter in Shopian, South Kashmir on Tuesday. The confirmation of the identification of two out of three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)-affiliated terrorists has been made, sources told ANI.
Three of the terrorists were killed in the Shukroo forest area of Keller in the Shopian district.
According to sources, one of the terrorists was identified as Shahid Kuttay, son of Mohd Yousuf Kuttay and a resident of Chotipora Heerpora in Shopian.
He was a Category A, LeT operative who was involved in the firing incident at the Danish Resort in Srinagar on April 8, 2024, in which two German tourists and one driver were injured. He joined the terror outfit on March 8, 2023.
Kuttay was involved in the killing of a BJP Sarpanch at Heerpora on May 18, 2024 and was suspect involved in the killing of Territorial Army Personnel at Behibagh in Kulgam on February 3, 2025.
The other identified terrorist was Adnan Shafi Dar, son of Mohd Shafi Dar, who was a resident of Wanduna Melhora in Shopian. He joined the terror outfit on October 18, 2024 and was a category C LeT operative. He was involved in the killing of non-local labourers at Wachi in Shopian on October 18, 2024.
However, the identity of the last terrorist is yet to be confirmed.
According to the source, the terrorists were encountered around 8:00 am today following specific intelligence related to terrorists hiding in the Shukroo forest area of Keller.
This came following a massive cordon-and-search operation launched in the forests of Kellar after receiving specific input about the presence of some terrorists in the region, as per a top police official.
Meanwhile, posters were seen in different parts of Pulwama District, announcing Rs 20 lakh reward for information on terrorists involved in the Pahalgam terror attack.
Earlier, the Jammu and Kashmir Police released sketches and identities of three terrorists said to be involved in the terror attack in Pahalgam.
All three terrorists are affiliated with the Lashkar-e-Taiba and a bounty of Rs 20 lakh for each of the three terrorists was announced by the Police.
The terror operatives were identified as Hussain Thoker, a native of Anantnag; Ali Bhai, also known as Talha Bhai; and Hasim Musa, also known as Suleiman. Of the three LeT operatives, Musa and Talha are suspected to be Pakistani terrorists, while Thokar is a Kashmiri local.
The operation comes on the heels of India achieving stupendous success in Operation Sindoor, where precision strikes saw the elimination of nearly 100 terror operatives at key bases in Pakistan. Among the targets were Bhawalpur, the Headquarters of the Jaish and Muridke, a key training base of the Lashkar. (ANI)