Bandipora (Jammu and Kashmir), April 25: A Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist associate was gunned down by security forces during an ongoing encounter in the Kulnar area of Ajas in Bandipora district, Jammu and Kashmir, on Friday. The slain individual has been identified as Altaf Lalli, affiliated with the LeT outfit.
According to police officials, two policemen were also injured in the firefight after sustaining gunshot wounds. Both have been admitted to a nearby hospital, and their condition is reported to be stable.
The encounter broke out after the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a joint search operation based on specific intelligence inputs regarding the presence of terrorists in the area.
“On 25 April 2025, based on specific intelligence input regarding the presence of terrorists, a Joint Search Operation was launched by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police in the general area of Kolnar Ajas, Bandipora. Contact was established, and a firefight ensued,” the Indian Army’s Chinar Corps said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).
The operation remains ongoing as security forces continue to comb the area.
This development comes a day after an Army jawan succumbed to injuries during a separate encounter in Basantgarh, Udhampur district. That operation also stemmed from specific intelligence inputs and involved intense gunfire with terrorists.
The recent escalation in terror activity in Jammu and Kashmir follows the deadly Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, where 26 people — including 25 Indian tourists and one Nepali citizen — were killed in a brutal assault by terrorists at Baisaran meadow, sparking nationwide outrage and security clampdowns.