Militant Behind Attack on German Tourists, BJP Leader Neutralized
Diplomat Correspondent
Srinagar,(DD):A top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander was among three terrorists killed in a fierce encounter with security forces in the Keller area of South Kashmir’s Shopian district today morning.
According to senior police officials, one of the slain militants has been identified as Shahid Kuttay, son of Mohammad Yousuf Kuttay, a resident of Chotipora Heerpora in Shopian. Shahid had joined LeT on March 8, 2023, and was categorized as an ‘A’ grade terrorist due to his involvement in several high-profile attacks.
He was reportedly behind the April 8, firing incident at Danish Resort in Pahalgam, which injured two German tourists and their driver. He was also involved in the May 18, 2024, targeted killing of a BJP sarpanch in Heerpora, and is suspected in the February 3, 2025, killing of a Territorial Army (TA) personnel in Kulgam.
The second terrorist has been identified as Adnan Shafi Dar, son of Mohammad Shafi Dar, a resident of Wanduna Melhora, Shopian. He joined LeT on October 18, 2024, and was involved in the same-day killing of a non-local labourer in Wachi, Shopian.
The identity of the third slain terrorist is being ascertained, officials said.
The operation was launched after specific intelligence inputs indicated the presence of terrorists in the area. A cordon-and-search operation was initiated, and during the process, security forces came under fire, leading to a gunfight in which all three terrorists were neutralized(DD)
