Two individuals have been arrested — their names are Irfan Basir and Uzair Salam. The arrested individuals are members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group. They primarily worked as Over Ground Workers (OGWs). Authorities recovered two AK-56 rifles, two magazines with 102 rounds, two grenades, and explosives from them.
Sanjana Lahiri, Reporter – Following the incident in Pahalgam, several militants have been neutralized by the Indian Army. Now, two Lashkar terrorists have been arrested in Shopian, near the Jammu and Kashmir border, by joint security forces. An anti-militancy operation is currently underway in the valley. During this operation, the Army and Police received intelligence about two armed militants spotted in Shopian. A search operation was launched immediately after the tip-off.
The operation was carried out jointly by the 44 Rashtriya Rifles of the Indian Army, the 178th Battalion of CRPF, and the local police. The two militants were arrested with weapons from the Baskuchan Imam Sahib area of Shopian district. The suspects were trying to go into hiding in that area. The search team cordoned off the entire locality. Upon sensing the presence of the forces, the two militants tried to flee, but they were completely surrounded by the joint forces, leaving them with no escape. Eventually, the two militants surrendered.
The arrested militants — Irfan Basir and Uzair Salam — are known Lashkar operatives and were functioning mainly as over ground workers. Recovered from them were:
- 2 AK-56 rifles
- 2 magazines (102 rounds)
- 2 grenades
- Explosives
Authorities are currently investigating whether they were secretly planning any acts of sabotage. The police are interrogating the suspects.
Just a couple of weeks ago, the Army launched Operation Keller in Shopian to target militants. In that operation, three Lashkar militants were killed, including two locals — Shahid Kutte and Adnan Safi Dar. These two had been named on a list of local militants prepared by the Army after the Pahalgam incident. Following the Pahalgam attack, their houses were also demolished by security forces.
About The Author
