A self-styled commander of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was killed in an anti-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district on Wednesday, while security forces continued operations to track another trapped militant, police said.
The slain militant was identified as Zakir Ahmad Ganie (26), a resident of Motalhama in neighbouring Kulgam district.
"You Can Run But You Can't Hide ! One Lashkar terrorist neutralised by SOG Shopian, in a Jt Op, along with RR and CRPF," the J-K Police said in a post on X.
A senior police official said Ganie was a self-styled LeT commander. According to officials, he left his home on September 27, 2023, for shuttering work in Dialgam but never returned. After his family failed to trace him, a missing person report was filed at Kulgam police station on October 3, 2023.
Officials said Ganie later joined The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the LeT, and was subsequently named in a case registered under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The operation began on July 3 after surveillance cameras detected the movement of two militants in a dense orchard in the Meemandar area of Shopian.
A joint team of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the Army's 55 Rashtriya Rifles and 44 Rashtriya Rifles, and the CRPF established a tight cordon around the area, leading to intermittent exchanges of fire over the past five days.
The Army's Victor Force deployed additional personnel to block possible escape routes through the thick orchard, while the area was illuminated to prevent the militants from using the dense foliage as cover.
Officials said the second trapped militant is believed to be Latif, who joined the outfit last year. The search operation was continuing at the time of filing.
(With inputs from PTI)
