'You can run but you can't hide': Lashkar terrorist killed in joint operation in J&K's Shopian

A Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist was killed in a joint security operation in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Wednesday.

The operation was conducted jointly by the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Shopian, the Army’s Rashtriya Rifles (RR), and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), officials said.

While providing details of the action, Jammu and Kashmir Police said in a post on X, “One Lashkar terrorist neutralised by SOG Shopian, in a Jt Op, along with RR and CRPF.”

You Can Run But You Can't Hide !

One Lashkar terrorist neutralised by SOG Shopian, in a Jt Op, along with RR and CRPF.

— J&K Police (@JmuKmrPolice) July 8, 2026

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Police also recovered arms and ammunition from the location.

According to sources and local residents, the deceased is believed to be a local terrorist who was trapped inside the security cordon, most likely Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Zakir Ganaie. However, officials have not yet confirmed the identity of the deceased, and formal identification is awaited.

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The joint anti-terrorist operation was launched five days ago based on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists in the area.

Security forces had reported that two local Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists were believed to be trapped inside the cordoned-off zone. The two trapped terrorists, identified as Latif and Zakir, opened fire on approaching Army personnel, triggering a gunfight last Saturday.

Officials said the Army’s specialised counter-insurgency unit, Victor Force, deployed additional troops to seal all possible escape routes through the dense orchard foliage and illuminated the area. During summer, the thick foliage provides natural cover, making surveillance challenging and allowing trapped terrorists to exploit blind spots to break the cordon.

According to security records, both terrorists are residents of Kulgam district in South Kashmir. Zakir has been associated with LeT since 2024, while Latif joined the outfit last year. Shopian in South Kashmir has long been a hotspot for terrorism.

Earlier this month, a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist named Kamran Bhai was killed in the Kamran area of Shopian, while a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist, Bilal Ahmed Bhat, was killed in Chotigam. Bilal was allegedly involved in multiple killings, including those of Army personnel, migrant labourers, and a Kashmiri Pandit.

In May 2025, three The Resistance Front (TRF) terrorists, including commander Shahid Kuttay, were neutralised in Shopian.

Shopian has long served as a major transit corridor linking South Kashmir with central Kashmir and the Pir Panjal range, and has remained a persistent hotspot for terrorism. The area’s dense apple orchards and thick foliage provide natural cover for militants, making surveillance difficult. Reports also indicate that terrorists have been constructing underground bunkers in the orchards to evade security forces.

Intelligence agencies emphasise that neutralising local operatives in Shopian is crucial to disrupting logistics networks and breaking the cycle of local recruitment.