Security forces kill 2 terrorists, including a foreign national in Jammu and Kashmir

In a recent encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district, two terrorists were killed by security forces on Saturday. The encounter took place near Halkan Gali in the Shangus-Larnoo area of South Kashmir. According to reports, one of the terrorists killed was a foreigner, while the other was a local, though their exact group affiliation is still unknown. The operation is ongoing, with additional details expected as security forces continue their mission.

At the same time, another encounter was reported in the Khanyar area of Srinagar. Security personnel initiated a cordon and search operation there, which soon led to an exchange of fire. Currently, there are no reports of casualties on either side, and Kashmir Zone Police shared updates on the situation through their X account (formerly Twitter), noting that police and security forces remain engaged in the area.

In another recent development, on Friday night, an encounter between terrorists and security forces broke out in the Bandipora district. The Indian Army reported seeing suspicious activity in the Panar area of Bandipora late on November 1. When challenged, terrorists responded with gunfire and escaped into a nearby jungle. Search operations are still underway in that area, as the Indian Army’s Chinar Corps shared through their social media updates.

These encounters come after a series of incidents in Jammu and Kashmir. Just a day earlier, on Friday, two laborers from Uttar Pradesh, identified as Sufiyan and Usman, were injured in a terror attack in the Budgam district’s Mazhama area. The two were hospitalized and reported to be in stable condition. The attack on the laborers marked the fifth incident of its kind since a new government was established in the Union Territory.

Political leaders, including former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah, condemned the Budgam attack. NC MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi questioned the recent surge in such attacks following the elections, and other leaders, like Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra and Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari, expressed similar sentiments, strongly condemning the violence and praying for the speedy recovery of the injured.

This latest string of attacks and encounters follows earlier violent incidents across the region. On October 24, terrorists ambushed an Army vehicle close to Gulmarg, killing two soldiers and two Army porters and injuring another porter and a soldier. Further incidents in the weeks prior included attacks on laborers from other states, such as the October 18 killing of a Bihari laborer in Shopian and a deadly attack on six non-local laborers at a tunnel construction site in Ganderbal on October 20.

This surge in violence has put the region on high alert, with security forces actively working to track down and neutralize terrorist threats across Jammu and Kashmir.