Three terrorists killed by security forces in J&K's Pulwama

Three unidentified terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, police said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Nader Tral area of Awantipora in the south Kashmir district after receiving specific inputs about the presence of terrorists there, a police official said.

The search operation turned into an encounter after the terrorists opened fire at the forces, who retaliated, he said.

This marks the second encounter in the union territory within 48 hours, following Tuesday's operation in Shopian district where security forces killed three Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists.

As per reports by India Today, in the earlier Shopian encounter, two of the slain terrorists were identified as Shahid Kuttay and Adnan Shafi, both local residents. According to sources, Kuttay joined Lashkar in 2023 and was implicated in multiple attacks, including a shooting at a Danish resort that injured two German tourists and a driver. He was also reportedly involved in the killing of a BJP Sarpanch in Shopian last year.

Shafi, who reportedly joined the terror group in 2024, was linked to the killing of a non-local labourer in Wachi, Shopian.

Authorities recovered three AK-47 rifles along with additional arms and ammunition from the Shopian operation. (PTI)