2024 Image of Terrorists Killed in Udhampur Falsely Linked to Operation Keller
This image dates back to September 2024 when the armed forces gunned down terrorists in Udhampur.
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An image showing two people on the ground, covered in blood, is being shared to claim that it shows the terrorists killed in Shopian, Jammu and Kashmir, in the Indian Army's latest, Operation Keller.
Some users have also claimed that the alleged 'mastermind' of the Pahalgam terror attack, named Shahid Kuttay, was also killed in this operation.
(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)
Is the claim true?: While, the Indian army has launched Operation Keller where it killed three terrorists in Shopian, this image is old from 2024.
This image dates back to September 2024 when two terrorists were killed by armed forces in Udhampur, JK.
What we found: We ran a Google reverse image search on the image and came across a report from Dainik Bhaskar from September 2024.
The report noted that two terrorists had been killed in an encounter with security forces in Udhampur.
The army said that it received information that some terrorists hid in the forests of Khandra in Udhampur.
After this, a search operation was conducted in collaboration with the police. Later, the terrorists opened fire on the soldiers. After an encounter that lasted for about four hours, the security forces killed them.
We also found the same image on some social media posts from September 2024.
A post by a Facebook page named 'Basantgarh Jammu And Kashmir India' from 11 September 2024 noted that 'three' allegedly from Jaish-e-Mohammad were killed in Udhampur.
Similarly, another post on Facebook from September 2024 carried the viral image. You can view the post here.
Indian Army on Operation Keller: The official X handle of the Indian Army noted, "On 13 May, based on specific intelligence of a Rashtriya Rifles Unit, about presence of terrorists in general area Shoekal Keller in Shopian, the Indian Army launched a search and destroy operation. During the operation, terrorists opened heavy fire and fierce firefight ensued, which resulted in elimination of three hardcore terrorists. Operation is in progress." (sic.)
The Indian Army have not confirmed if any of the assassinated terrorists were involved in the Pahalgam attack.
Additionally, they have not revealed any images of the assassinated terrorists.
News agency, PTI (citing officials) reported that Kuttay, a top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander was killed in the Shopian encounter. This report did not mention anything about the involvement of the assassinated terrorists allegedly in the deadly attack in Pahalgam.
However, it should be noted that after the 22 April terror attack, Kuttay's residence in Chotipora in Shopian was razed by the authorities just days later on 26 April, reported the Hindustan Times.
About the assassinated terrorists: As per a post on X by ANI (citing sources), Kuttay became a member of the LeT in March 2023. He was part of the shooting incident at Danish Resort that left two German tourists and one driver injured in April 2024
Kuttay was implicated in the murder of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sarpanch in Shopian in May 2024.
His participation is believed to be linked to the murder of a Territorial Army (TA) member in Kulgam in February 2025.
The second terrorist has been recognised as Adnan Shafi Dar from Shopian. He became a member of the terrorist organisation in October 2024. Dar was implicated in the murder of a non-local worker in Shopian in October 2024.
The identity of the third is yet to be revealed.
Conclusion: An old image from 2024 has gone viral to falsely claim that it shows the three terrorists killed by the Indian army in Shopian as a part of Operation Keller.
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