Shopian, July 04: An encounter is underway between security forces and two suspected terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district, with security officials suspecting that a top Lashkar-e-Taiba operative is among those trapped.
According to sources, the gunfight broke out at around 7:45 pm on Saturday in Chanpora village in Shopian after security forces launched an anti-terror operation in the area.
Sources identified the trapped terrorists as Zakir Ahmad Ganie, a suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba operative, and his associate Latif Bhatt.
The operation is being carried out jointly by the Army’s 44 Rashtriya Rifles, 20 Rashtriya Rifles, 34 Rashtriya Rifles, 3 Para, along with the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
Security agencies have also accessed recent CCTV footage believed to show Ganie along with another unidentified terrorist in the Shopian area. Investigators are examining the footage to corroborate their presence at the encounter site.
WHO IS ZAKIR GANIE?
Ganie, a resident of Kulgam district in south Kashmir, is a suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba operative and is classified as an A++ category terrorist by security agencies.
He is wanted in multiple terror-related cases and was the subject of a proclamation notice issued by an NIA court in Kulgam in October 2025.
In April this year, investigators identified Ganie among the local terrorists allegedly linked to the probe into the Pahalgam terror attack. Security agencies have also accused him of involvement in attacks on security personnel and targeted killings in the Valley. (India Today)
