J&K: Two Hybrid Terrorists Nabbed with Arms in Shopian

In a significant counter-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district, security forces arrested two hybrid terrorists along with a cache of weapons. The arrests were made by the Army’s 44 Rashtriya Rifles, local police, and the CRPF’s 178 Battalion at Baskuchan Imam Sahib.

Authorities recovered two 5.56 rifles, four AK-47 magazines, 102 AK rounds, and two hand grenades. A formal FIR has been registered, and investigations are ongoing.

The crackdown follows a brutal April 22 attack in Baisaran, Pahalgam, where Pakistan-backed Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists killed 26 civilians, including 25 tourists and a local pony owner, Syed Adil Hussain. Hussain died heroically after confronting the terrorists and attempting to disarm one of them, reportedly telling them that no faith allows such violence.

Following the massacre, the Indian Army conducted precise, targeted strikes on terror infrastructure in Muridke, Bahawalpur, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad across the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). In response, Pakistan launched mortar shelling on Indian civilians, resulting in 28 Indian deaths—13 of them in Poonch district.

The shelling also affected Rajouri, Baramulla, Kupwara, and Bandipora, but Poonch bore the brunt of the civilian damage.

During a visit on April 23, Union Home Minister Amit Shah instructed the Army and paramilitary forces to intensify their efforts and ensure the perpetrators of the Pahalgam killings are brought to justice.

The arrests in Shopian mark a continued escalation in anti-terror operations and reflect India’s firm stance on countering cross-border terrorism in the region.