Kulgam: Indian Army Says 3 Terrorists Killed, 40-Hour-Long Encounter Concludes

Three terrorists, including a wanted terrorist of Lashkar-e-Taiba Basit Dar, have been killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, the Indian Army said, adding that the gunfight that began on Monday night concluded after almost 40 hours on Thursday morning.

The army officials also recovered several arms and ammunition from the terrorists.

“A Joint Operation, that commenced on the intervening night of 06-07 May in general area Redwani Payeen, Kulgam, has been concluded after a relentless vigil of approximately 40 hours. 03xTerrorists have been eliminated along with recovery of war-like stores, inflicting yet another hit on the terror ecosystem,” the Indian Army wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

It added, “The Chinar Corps remains committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity in Kashmir.”

On the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, a fierce exchange of fire broke out between terrorists and security forces in the Redwani Payeen area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam. Following this, the Indian army and the Jammu and Kashmir police launched a joint operation.

One of the eliminated terrorists – Basit Dar – e was involved in more than 18 cases, including killings of police and innocent civilians and planning of attacks on minorities. Last year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had announced a cash reward of ₹10 lakh on Basit Dar in a case of civilian killing and also issued a non-bailable warrant against him as he was accused of killing two non-local labourers in Kulgam in 2021.

Meanwhile, earlier this month, terrorists targeted an Indian Air Force (IAF) convoy in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, killing one IAF personnel and injuring four others. According to media reports, the convoy was the last of three vehicles moving from Jaranwalli Gali to Shahistar Top – where the IAF has a base.

Reportedly, around 200 bullets were fired upon the vehicle within a span of 15 minutes.

While no terror organisation claimed responsibility for the attack on the IAF convoy, it is reportedly suspected that those involved appear to be well-versed with the topography of the area.