Two terrorists killed in Poonch encounter, days after Pahalgam suspects gunned down in Dachigam

Two terrorists were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on  Wednesday morning.

 

According to the Army’s White Knight Corps, troops noticed suspicious movement near the Line of Control in the Poonch sector early today. 

 

“Suspected movement of two individuals was observed by own troops along the fence in the general area of Poonch Sector. Gunfire exchanged. Operation under progress,” the Army posted on X.

 

This encounter comes just two days after security forces carried out Operation Mahadev in the Dachigam forest area near Srinagar and killed the three Pakistani terrorists linked to the Pahalgam attack, which left 26 people, including 25 tourists, dead.

 

The Dachigam operation followed a July 11 intercept of a suspicious communication in the Harwan area. After 17 days of intensive search and surveillance, a joint team of the 24 Rashtriya Rifles and 4 Para Commandos located and neutralised the terrorists around 11:30 am on Monday.

 

Among those believed to be killed is Suleiman Shah, suspected to be a former Pakistan Army commando and mastermind of the Pahalgam attack. Confirmation of his identity is pending. Arms, ammunition, and food supplies were recovered from the hideout.

 

The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of LeT, had claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam massacre. The NIA said the terrorists selectively targeted tourists based on their religious identity.

 

In retaliation, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, striking terror camps across Pakistan and PoK, reportedly killing over 100 militants. The Indian Air Force also targeted 13 Pakistani military installations before a ceasefire was enforced on May 10. The IAF sparked a four-hour conflict between India and Pakistan in which 26 civilians were killed in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir, mostly in Rajouri and Poonch, including an additional district development commissioner.

 

After the Pahagam attack, security forces have intensified operations against terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. 

India