The Indian Army launched Operation Keller in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district, killing three Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists on May 13, 2025.
In a significant counter-terrorism operation, the Indian Army neutralised three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists in the Keller area of Shopian district, Jammu and Kashmir. This operation, codenamed Operation Keller, was launched on May 13, 2025.
A top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander was among three terrorists killed in an encounter with security forces in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, officials said. Based on a specific input about the presence of terrorists in Shukroo Keller area of the south Kashmir district, security forces launched a cordon and search operation there.
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What is Operation Keller?
Operation Keller was announced at around 12:50 pm on Tuesday. The operation was launched based on the specific intelligence of a Rashtriya Rifles Unit about the presence of terrorists in the general area of Shoekal Keller and is currently underway, the Indian Army said.
Who are the terrorists killed in Operation Keller?
A senior police official said the terrorists belonged to LeT. He identified the two as LeT commander Shahid Kuttay and Adnan Shafi. The identity of the third terrorist is being ascertained. Kuttay, a resident of Chotipora Heerpora area of Shopian, joined the terror ranks in March 2023. He was a category “A” terrorist and a top commander of the outfit, the official said.
He said Kuttay was involved in several terror incidents and anti-national activities, including the killing of a BJP sarpanch at Heerpora on May 18, 2024. On April 26, days after the Pahalgam attack, authorities razed the house belonging to Kuttay. Shafi, a resident of Wanduna Melhora area of Shopian, joined the terror ranks in October 2024 and was a category “C” terrorist. He was involved in the killing of a non-local labourer at Wachi, Shopian on October 18, 2024, the official said.
Operation Keller follows ‘Sindoor’
The encounter took place amid rising cross-border tensions, following India’s bold cross-border counterterrorism offensive, ‘Operation Sindoor’ on May 7, during which nine terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) were targeted. That operation was a retaliatory measure for the brutal killing of 26 civilians, including tourists, in the Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam on April 22.
Published – May 14, 2025 12:06 pm IST
