At a joint press conference on Friday, top officials of the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and CRPF informed that six terrorists were killed in two operations carried out within the last 48 hours in the Kashmir Valley.
IGP (Kashmir) V.K. Birdi Kumar, GoC Victor Force Major General Dhananjay Joshi, and IG CRPF Mitesh Jain spoke at the briefing.
IGP Kashmir V.K. Birdi Kumar described the operations in Kelar (Shopian) and Tral as an indication of a stepped-up emphasis on anti-terror operations after a strategic review of security forces in the region.
Major General Dhananjay Joshi outlined the difficulties encountered during the operations. On May 12 and 13, joint troops engaged terrorists in Kelar after noticing suspicious activity, successfully neutralizing them in the face of armed resistance. In Tral, terrorists had fortified themselves in homes of civilians, making it a complicated situation with attempts needed to evacuate villagers in the encounter. Three terrorists were neutralized in this operation, with Shahid Kuttay among those, who was associated with several attacks and terror activities fundings.
These military operations follow the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 innocent civilians were massacred by Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists, triggering intense counter-terror operations.
India retaliated with 'Operation Sindoor,' conducting precision strikes against terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and killing close to 100 terror operatives and targeting major terror hubs like Bhawalpur and Muridke.
In spite of an India-Pakistan ceasefire announcement, India continued suspension of the Indus Water Treaty and bilateral trade with Pakistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated that talks with Pakistan would be only on terrorism and PoK and made it clear, "Water and blood cannot flow together."
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh again made it clear that the ceasefire will remain in force only if Pakistan stops terror attacks on India.
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