Kashmir razes two militants' homes after police killing

Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir demolished the family homes of two alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba militants in Anantnag district on July 23, 2026, as part of a massive security crackdown following the fatal shooting of a police officer. The officer, India Reserve Police Head Constable Ashiq Hussain Qureshi, was killed in a "shoot-and-scoot" attack by a lone gunman in the busy Lal Chowk area of Anantnag on July 22.

The militant group The Resistance Front (TRF), described by security agencies as a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack. In response, security forces jointly razed the newly constructed house of Adil Ahmed Thokar in Guri village and the single-story residence of Haroon Rashid Ganai in Hassanpora Tawella. Officials identified both men as active militants associated with LeT.

Concurrently, police and security agencies launched widespread raids across the Kashmir Valley, detaining more than 2,000 individuals described as suspected Over Ground Workers or former militants for questioning and verification. The operations, which began hours after the attack and continued through the night, aimed to dismantle militant support networks and gather...