Three terrorists killed during encounter with security forces in J&K's Pulwama

NEW DELHI: Armed forces on Thursday gunned down three terrorists in an encounter in Tral area of Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama."Three terrorists killed in encounter in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir," officials told.This comes days after three Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists were killed in an encounter with the armed forces under Operation Keller in ShopianThe killed terrorists were associated with the Pakistan-supported banned group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Among them, Shahid Kuttay and Adnan Shafi Dar were locals from Shopian, and their family homes had been demolished after the April 22 attack in Pahalgam that left 26 people dead, most of whom were tourists.Following the elimination of the three LeT operatives in Operation Keller, security forces recovered a large cache of weapons and ammunition, including rifles, grenades, and bullets.These arms are believed to have been in possession of the terrorists killed on Tuesday in a joint operation conducted in the dense forests of Shoekal Keller.Operation Keller was initiated based on intelligence provided by the Rashtriya Rifles regarding the presence of terrorists in the area. This encounter represents the second significant counterterrorism achievement in Kashmir this year, the first being the killing of a Pakistani terrorist in Handwara on March 16.Security forces remain vigilant amid a temporary lull in tensions between India and Pakistan, following India's May 7 airstrikes on nine terror launchpads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as part of Operation Sindoor.