Fact Check: Kupwara encounter - two terrorists killed are ex-Pak Army officers? Here are the facts

Hyderabad: Indian Army gunned down two terrorists in an infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir.

On the night of October 13, in the Machhal Sector, the troops spotted suspicious activity. After a brief exchange of fire, two terrorists were killed, said the Army in a statement released on X.

“Based on specific intelligence input by JKP & corroborated by sources and agencies, regarding a likely infiltration attempt, a joint operation was launched by #IndianArmy and @JmuKmrPolice…” read the post shared from the X account of Chinar Corps – Indian Army.

In this context, a video is circulating on social media with claims that it shows the encounter at Kupwara. The claim also states that the two terrorists are former Pakistan Army commandos. In the video, two gunshots can be heard. The video has a black overlay, obscuring some details.

Sharing the video on X, a user wrote, “BREAKING: Two Pakistani terrorists eliminated by the Indian Army along the LoC in the Machil Sector of Kupwara are Ex Pakistan Army SSG commandos from Gujaawala & Shahkot. (Sources) (sic)” (Archive)

Posts making similar claims can be seen here and here. (Archive 1 and Archive 2)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the viral claim is false. The video is from an Indian fire exchange with terrorists at the Akhnoor sector on October 28, 2024. The identity of the terrorists killed in the Kupwara encounter is unknown at the time of reporting.

Identity of the terrorists in the Kupwara encounter

The X post by the Indian Army Chinar Corps does not reveal the identity of the two terrorists shot at the LoC in Kupwara.

A news report published by Press Trust of India on October 14 regarding the Kupwara encounter termed it as, ‘Two unidentified terrorists were killed’.

At the time of the reporting, their identities are still unknown. The claims that the two terrorists are former Pakistan Army Special Services Group (SSG) commandos are unsubstantiated.

Origin of the viral video

There are no news reports or credible social media posts sharing the viral video, stating that it shows the encounter of terrorists at Kupwara.

Using reverse image searches of the viral video keyframes, we found the same footage uploaded to Instagram on October 28, 2024. This video does not contain any black overlay. A comparison of the screenshots from the videos can be found here.

The text on the video states that an encounter has commenced in the Battal area of the Akhnoor sector in Jammu district.

We found another Instagram post by Rajouri News sharing the footage on the same day. The caption states that terrorists were believed to be spotted near the Assan temple in the Battal area.

Sharing the viral video, a Divya Marathi report from a year ago, stated that security forces on October 28, 2024, killed three terrorists in the Akhnoor district of Jammu and Kashmir.

According to the details of the incident published by NDTV and The Times of India, at 7:26 am, terrorists opened fire on an army ambulance in the Bhattal area along the Line of Control (LoC). By evening, one attacker was neutralised, while two others were eliminated on the next day during a final assault near the Assan temple in Jogwan village.

The viral video is from the fire exchange between the Indian Army and terrorists near the Bhattal area, Akhnoor sector of Jammu and Kashmir on October 28, 2024.

Therefore, NewsMeter concludes that the viral claim is false. The video is from October 28, 2024, and the identity of the terrorists killed in the Kupwara encounter is unknown at the time of reporting.