Top Lashkar militant among 3 neutralised in Shopian encounter

Top Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) commander Shahid Kuttay was among three militants killed in a gunbattle with security forces in South Kashmir’s Shopian district on Tuesday.

The encounter — the first since last month’s terror attack in Pahalgam — took place even as security forces intensified a massive search operation across South Kashmir’s forests to track down those involved in the earlier strike.

The Srinagar-based Chinar Corps said the operation was initiated based on specific inputs from a Rashtriya Rifles unit. “During the operation, terrorists opened heavy fire and a fierce firefight ensued, resulting in the elimination of three hardcore terrorists,” the Army said on X.

Police sources said that of the three slain militants, two were locals — Kuttay and Adnan Shafi Dar. The identity of the third was being ascertained. A senior official confirmed that Kuttay and Dar were from Shopian.

Sources said Kuttay, affiliated with LeT/The Resistance Front (TRF), had joined the outfit on March 8, 2023, and was classified as a category “A” militant. Dar, also linked to LeT/TRF, had been missing since November 2024 and was listed as a category “C” militant. Security forces categorise militants into A++, A+, A, B and C, with A++ denoting the most dangerous.

According to security officials, the two identified militants were involved in multiple terror activities and their killing marks a significant blow to LeT/TRF’s operations. Following the Pahalgam attack, security forces had demolished the houses of several militants’ families, including of Kuttay and Dar.