Security forces successfully eliminated three members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) during an encounter in the Shukroo forest area of Keller, South Kashmir’s Shopian district on May 13. The operation, dubbed “Operation Keller,” led to the recovery of a substantial cache of arms and ammunition from the killed terrorists.
The recovered arsenal includes two AK-47 rifles, ten magazines for the AK, two Soviet-designed MPI KMS 72 assault rifles, three grenades, and various other items such as pouches, identity cards, medicines, food supplies, and clothing.
The three slain terrorists have been identified as:
- Shahid Ahmad Kuttay, son of Mohammad Yousuf, a resident of Chotipora Shopian.
- Adnan Shafi Dar, son of Mohammad Shafi Dar, hailing from Vanduna Melhura Shopian.
- Ahsan ul Haq Sheikh, son of Abdul Rashid Sheikh, from Murran Pulwama.
Shahid Kuttay was recognized as an operational commander for LeT and was among the most wanted terrorists in the Kashmir. According to a senior police official, Kuttay had joined terrorist ranks on March 8, 2023, and was implicated in several terror-related incidents. Notably, he was involved in a shooting at the Danish Resort on April 8, 2024, which resulted in injuries to two German tourists and their driver. He also had a hand in the assassination of a BJP Sarpanch and a Territorial Army personnel in Kulgam.
Adnan Shafi Dar, who joined LeT on October 18, 2024, was classified as a C-grade terrorist and was linked to the killing of a non-local laborer in Wachi, Shopian.
