Security forces on Wednesday killed a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Commander, suspected to be Zakir Ahmad Ganie of Kulgam district, during an ongoing anti-terror operation in the Saidapora area of Shopian district, Jammu and Kashmir police said.
Jammu and Kashmir Police posted on X that the Special Operations Group (SOG) Shopian, operating jointly with the Army's Rashtriya Rifles and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), neutralised the LeT terrorist. 'You can run but you can't hide!' the police wrote.
The operation, launched four days earlier on Saturday following specific intelligence about the presence of terrorists in the area, entered its fifth consecutive day on Wednesday. Security personnel conducting extensive searches heard gunfire from the encounter site and returned fire, officials said. The body of the slain terrorist was recovered from the site, and arms and ammunition were seized.
Zakir Ahmad Ganie, a resident of Kulgam, had joined terrorists in the year 2024 and was a wanted A+++ category terrorist linked to multiple terror-related cases, including involvement in the conspiracy connected to the Pahalgam attack. He was the subject of legal action, and an NIA court in Kulgam had issued a proclamation notice against him in October 2025. Security agencies have also accused him of being involved in attacks on security forces and targeted killings; his name surfaced in investigations earlier in 2025.
Security forces continue search and sanitisation operations to ensure no other terrorist remain in the cordoned area. Officials said further operational details, including a full inventory of recovered arms and any additional developments, will be released after the operation is formally concluded and the site declared secure.