J&K: Terror associate arrested, hideout busted in Shopian
Srinagar (The Uttam Hindu): A terror associate was arrested by the security forces in J&K’s Baramulla district while a terrorist hideout was busted in the Shopian district on Sunday. Officials said that a terrorist associate identified as Showkat Ahmad Bhat of Naganad D. H. Pora of Kulgam district was arrested with arms and ammunition at Janbazpora-Binner road in Baramulla. “One AK-47 rifle, one AK magazine, 20 live rounds and other ammunition were recovered from the arrested terrorist associate. Security forces also busted a hideout of terrorists in the forest area of the Shopian district. The operation was jointly carried out by the army, police and the CRPF which led to the recovery of ration supplies and utensils from the hideout, indicating its possible use as a shelter by the terrorists,” officials said. Security forces have been directed by the J&K L-G to go for hot pursuit of terrorists and their ecosystem in the aftermath of a number of dastardly attacks carried out across J&K by the terrorists.
Terrorists have carried out a number of attacks across J&K during the recent days and in a disturbing development, the terrorists have made their presence felt in areas believed to have been completely cleared of any terrorist footprint. One of the most serious terrorist attacks was carried out on October 20 in the Gagangir area of Ganderbal district where an infrastructure project company is building a tunnel to make Srinagar-Sonamarg an all-weather road. Two terrorists, a foreign mercenary and a local, entered the workers' camp in Gagangir and fired indiscriminately killing six non-local workers and a local doctor. Four non-local workers of the company were injured in that attack.
Sonamarg and the entire Ganderbal district had been claimed to have been completely cleared of any terrorist presence for over five years before the dastardly attack took place at Gagangir. On October 24, terrorists attacked an army vehicle in the Botapathri area of Gulmarg ski resort killing three army soldiers and two civilian porters. Security forces said the group of terrorists responsible for the Botapathri attack had entered the higher reaches of Gulmarg after crossing the line of control (LoC) in August 2024 and had now been ordered to start attacks against the army and civilians by terror handlers in Pakistan. In another terrorist attack on November 10 in the Kishtwar district of the Jammu division, terrorists killed a junior commissioned officer (JCO) of the elite Para commando force during an anti-terrorist operation in the Chaas area of Kishtwar. Terrorists killed a 41-year-old woman and injured 11 other persons on November 3 when they hurled a grenade at the busy Sunday pavement market in the tourist reception centre area of Srinagar city. A 41-year-old woman, Abida, mother of three children, injured in this grenade attack, later succumbed to critical splinter injuries in the hospital. Police later claimed to have apprehended three locals responsible for the grenade attack from the Ikhrajpora locality of Srinagar city.
