Army Plugs Escape Routes At J&K Orchard Where Camera Detected 2 Lashkar Terrorists

The army has been carrying out a major counter-terrorist operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district to neutralise two terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Taiba. The two were seen on camera in an orchard, following which the operation began on Friday, sources said.

There are seven villages in the area. A joint team of the army, police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) laid a tight cordon around the area and cleared four villages by evening.

The two trapped terrorists have been identified as Latif and Zakir. They opened fire on the security forces, after which a fierce gunfight began as the forces fired back. Officials said they have plugged all possible escape routes from the orchard.

Records show the two terrorists are residents of Kulgam district. Zakir is believed to have joined Lashkar in 2024 and Latif in 2025.

Shopian has historically served as a critical transit corridor connecting south Kashmir to central Kashmir and the Pir Panjal range. During the summer months, the heavy foliage offers a natural cover and terrorists exploit that to escape from cordon and search operations.

Officials said that while foreign terrorists - those trained and supported by Pakistan - have increasingly been used for attacks, containing local operatives like Latif and Zakir remains vital to disrupting the logistics networks and breaking the cycle of local recruitment.