Dramatic drone footage has surfaced showing the final moments of three terrorists killed in a fierce gunbattle with security forces in the Tral area of Awantipora, South Kashmir. The video clips, recorded shortly before the encounter, show the militants hiding inside a dilapidated shed and one crouching behind a concrete pillar with an assault rifle in hand.
The encounter began early Thursday morning when a joint operation by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police targeted a residential house in Nader, Tral, based on specific intelligence inputs. The three terrorists, who initially took shelter in a house, later tried to evade capture by hiding in the nearby shed. All three were eliminated in the exchange of fire.
This marks the second major encounter in Kashmir within 48 hours. Earlier this week, another operation in the Kulgam-Shopian belt resulted in the death of three more terrorists after they were tracked to a forested area.
According to the Army’s Chinar Corps, the terrorists neutralised in the Awantipora operation have been identified as Asif Ahmed Sheikh, Amir Nazir Wani, and Yawar Ahmed Bhat. Security forces recovered three AK-series rifles, 12 magazines, three grenades, and other war-like stores from the site of the encounter.
These back-to-back operations are part of intensified security measures following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, where 26 individuals, most of them civilians, lost their lives. The attack was claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy outfit linked to Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba. Indian intelligence has identified four to five operatives responsible for the attack, and a nationwide manhunt is currently underway.
In response to the Pahalgam massacre, India initially took several non-military steps, including suspending select visas to Pakistani citizens and activating provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty, a crucial agreement for Pakistan’s agricultural water supply.
However, on May 7, the government launched Operation Sindoor, a precision airstrike campaign targeting nine terror camps — including four in Pakistan — one of which was identified as the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters and training base. The strikes prompted a military reaction from Pakistan, including drone and missile launches, all of which were neutralized by India’s advanced air defence systems.
After four nights of intense cross-border action, a ceasefire agreement — brokered by the United States — was reached on May 10. Despite this, Pakistan was reported to have violated the agreement within hours of its implementation.
In his recent address to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded Operation Sindoor as a defining moment in India’s counter-terrorism efforts, calling it a “new normal” in the country’s security doctrine.
As the security grid tightens across the Kashmir Valley, more such coordinated operations are expected, signaling India’s firm stance against terrorism in the region.
Sources By Agencies
