Operation Keller: Two LeT terrorists killed in Shopian encounter identified, third yet to be named

Three Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists were killed in an encounter in Shopian’s Keller area; two have been identified while the identity of the third is being verified.

In a significant breakthrough for security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, three terrorists affiliated with the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit were killed in a gunfight in the Shukroo forest area of Keller in South Kashmir’s Shopian district on Tuesday. Police have identified two of the slain terrorists, while the identity of the third is yet to be ascertained.

According to officials, the encounter broke out after security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation based on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists in the area. As the joint team of police and army personnel began combing the dense forest region, they came under fire, triggering a fierce exchange of gunfire that resulted in the elimination of three LeT operatives.

Police sources confirmed the identities of two slain terrorists:

1. Shahid Kuttay, son of Mohd Yousuf Kuttay, a resident of Chotipora Heerpora, Shopian. He had joined the LeT on March 8, 2023, and was categorised as an 'A' category terrorist. Kuttay was involved in multiple high-profile attacks, including the April 8, 2024 firing incident at Danish Resort in which two German tourists and a local driver were injured. He also played a key role in the assassination of a BJP Sarpanch in Heerpora on May 18, 2024, and is suspected to be behind the killing of a Territorial Army personnel in Behibagh, Kulgam on February 3, 2025.
2. Adnan Shafi Dar, son of Mohd Shafi Dar, a resident of Wanduna Melhora, Shopian. He joined the LeT on October 18, 2024, and was listed as a 'C' category terrorist. Dar was involved in the murder of a non-local labourer at Wachi, Shopian on the very day he joined the group.

The identity of the third slain terrorist is currently being verified.

Meanwhile, in a separate development, posters announcing a Rs 20 lakh reward for information on the terrorists involved in the recent Pahalgam terror attack were spotted across Pulwama district. The J&K Police had earlier released sketches and identified the three attackers—Hussain Thoker from Anantnag, and two suspected Pakistani nationals, Ali Bhai alias Talha Bhai and Hasim Musa alias Suleiman.

This latest Operation Keller in Shopian comes on the heels of Operation Sindoor, in which nearly 100 terror operatives were reportedly eliminated in precision strikes on terror hubs in Pakistan, including Lashkar’s Muridke training base and Jaish’s headquarters in Bahawalpur.