6 terrorists killed in 48 hours: How India is turning up heat on terrorists after successful Operation Sindoor

At a briefing on Friday, Kashmir Zone Inspector General of Police (IGP) VK Birdi said that due to the intensified focus and coordination between various security agencies, two successful operations were conducted in which six terrorists were killed

Based on intelligence inputs, security forces eliminated six terrorists in two separate encounters in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian and Pulwama within 48 hours –intensifying anti-terror operations just days after Operation Sindoor.

Of the six terrorists neutralised -- Shahid Kuttay was a prominent name. He was behind several high-profile attacks including the assassination of a sarpanch in Heerpora in May last year and the firing incident at Danish Resort -- which left two German tourists and a driver injured in April last year.

At a briefing on Friday, Kashmir Zone Inspector General of Police (IGP) VK Birdi said that due to the intensified focus and coordination between various security agencies, two successful operations were conducted in which six terrorists were killed. He termed their elimination "significant achievements".

Three terrorists were killed each in two encounters—one in the Keller area of Shopian on Tuesday and the other in Tral’s Nader area in Pulwama on Thursday.

How did the security forces attack the terrorists?

Giving details of the operations Keller and Nader (as they are termed by the Indian Army), Major General Dhananjay Joshi, GOC Victor Force, revealed that after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, several areas in the region were designated as focus areas.

"We had intelligence inputs that terrorists had moved to the higher reaches after the melting of snow. Keeping that in mind, our domination parties had continuously been deployed in the higher reaches, mountainous areas and forests," he said.

On the night of May 12, security forces were alerted to terrorist activity in Shopian’s Keller area, based on intelligence inputs, Joshi said.

"So the domination party that was deployed there for some time, relocated itself and in a focused way closed in on the area. They challenged the terrorists who fired at them, leading to an encounter in which three terrorists were neutralised," he said.

Speaking about the Tral encounter, he revealed that the operation took place in a different terrain.

"We had inputs and cordoned off the village. The terrorists took positions in different houses and fired. Our challenge was the safe evacuation of innocent civilians including children. Then systematically searches were conducted one by one in the houses and the three terrorists were neutralised in separate places," he added.

The encounters took place days after the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 civilians dead. India responded with strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and PoK in what it called as Operation Sindoor -- escalating India-Pakistan tensions until a temporary halt in military operations was declared.