Srinagar, May 15: An encounter broke out on Thursday between security forces and terrorists hiding in the Nader area of Tral in Jammu and Kashmir’s Awantipora sub-division. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, security personnel cordoned off the village to conduct a search operation, which soon escalated into a gunfight.
J&K Police confirmed the operation in a post on X (formerly Twitter): “Encounter has started at Nader, Tral area of #Awantipora. Police and security forces are on the job. Further details shall follow.”
As forces approached the suspected hideout, the terrorists opened fire, leading to an ongoing exchange of gunfire. This is the second major encounter in Kashmir this week. On May 13, three Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists, including the outfit’s operational chief Shahid Kuttay, were killed in a separate encounter in Shopian district.
The recent surge in violence comes despite the ceasefire understanding announced by India and Pakistan on May 10, which took effect at 5 p.m. That same evening, terrorists targeted a sentry post outside the White Knight Corps headquarters in Nagrota, Jammu—just two hours after the ceasefire commenced.
India has reiterated its firm stance that any act of terrorism on its soil will be considered an act of war. On April 22, LeT terrorists killed 26 civilians—25 of them tourists—at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam. In retaliation, Indian forces conducted precision strikes on terror camps across the Line of Control in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Although a ceasefire agreement is in place, India has kept the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and has ruled out any resumption of trade with Pakistan. Meanwhile, hundreds of border residents remain displaced, awaiting demining operations and restoration of peace.
