Two terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Nowpora area of Sopore in North Kashmir's Baramulla District on Friday (Apr 26).

According to security officials, two bodies of terrorists are lying at the operation site&nbsp;and their identities&nbsp;are yet to be ascertained.

Security forces had earlier said that they had an intel about the presence of two terrorists in the area after which a cordon and search operation was launched. During the search operation, terrorists opened fire on security forces resulting in a gun battle. The operation was halted during the night hours and with the first light, operation was started again resulting in the killing of two terrorists.&nbsp;

Officials also said that two soldiers and one civilian were injured in the crossfire and all the injured were rushed to the hospital where all of them are said to be stable.&nbsp;

Security forces also said that they had kept a strong vigil and cordon the whole night. All the entry and exit points leading to the village were completely blocked. All the locals of the vicinity were also taken out before the final operation was conducted.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, as a precautionary measure,&nbsp;all government and private educational institutions, including colleges falling within Sopore tehsil's jurisdiction, will remain closed today. This decision comes in the aftermath of the encounter that erupted on Thursday evening at Nowpora in Sopore.&nbsp;

The operation is still on as security forces suspect there could be more terrorists hiding in the area.

Two terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Nowpora area of Sopore in North Kashmir's Baramulla District on Friday (Apr 26). According to security officials, two bodies of terrorists are lying at the operation site and their identities are yet to be ascertained.

Two terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Nowpora area of Sopore in North Kashmir's Baramulla District on Friday (Apr 26). According to security officials, two bodies of terrorists are lying at the operation site and their identities are yet to be ascertained. Security forces had earlier said that they had an intel about the presence of two terrorists in the area after which a cordon and search operation was launched. During the search operation, terrorists opened fire on security forces resulting in a gun battle. The operation was halted during the night hours and with the first light, operation was started again resulting in the killing of two terrorists. Officials also said that two soldiers and one civilian were injured in the crossfire and all the injured were rushed to the hospital where all of them are said to be stable. Security forces also said that they had kept a strong vigil and cordon the whole night. All the entry and exit points leading to the village were completely blocked. All the locals of the vicinity were also taken out before the final operation was conducted. Meanwhile, as a precautionary measure, all government and private educational institutions, including colleges falling within Sopore tehsil's jurisdiction, will remain closed today. This decision comes in the aftermath of the encounter that erupted on Thursday evening at Nowpora in Sopore. The operation is still on as security forces suspect there could be more terrorists hiding in the area.

Two terrorists killed in encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Sopore

A journalist was shot dead during riots in Northern Ireland in what police Friday were treating as a terrorist incident following the latest upsurge in violence to shake the troubled region.

"Lyra McKee was murdered during orchestrated violence in Creggan last night," Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said in a statement.

McKee had earlier posted an image that appeared to be from the riots in the Creggan housing estate in the city of Londonderry, also known as Derry, accompanied by the words "Derry tonight. Absolute madness."&nbsp;

Images of the unrest posted on social media showed a car and van ablaze and hooded individuals throwing petrol bombs and fireworks at police vehicles.

"A single gunman fired shots in a residential area of the city and as a result wounded Ms McKee," said Hamilton, adding that police believed the gunman was a "violent dissident republican."

"We are treating this as a terrorist incident and we have launched a murder enquiry," he added.

Journalist Matthew Hughes earlier identified the dead woman as one of his friends.

"I just received the heartbreaking news that my friend @LyraMcKee was murdered tonight in a terrorist incident in Derry," he wrote on Twitter.

McKee had written for The Atlantic magazine and Buzzfeed News and was named by Forbes Magazine in 2016 as one of their "30 under 30" outstanding figures in media, according to her literary agent Janklow &amp; Nesbit.

Leona O'Neill, a reporter with the Belfast Telegraph, said she had been next to McKee when she was shot.

"I was standing beside this young woman when she fell beside a police Land Rover tonight in Creggan #Derry. I called an ambulance for her but police put her in the back of their vehicle and rushed her to the hospital where she died. Just 29 years old. Sick to my stomach tonight," she tweeted.

Good Friday Agreement&nbsp;

The violence came in the run-up to the Easter weekend, when Republicans opposed to the British presence in Northern Ireland mark the anniversary of a 1916 uprising against British rule.

A car-bombing and the hijacking of two vans in Londonderry earlier this year were also blamed on a dissident paramilitary group.

Michelle O'Neill, the deputy leader of Irish republican party Sinn Fein, condemned the killing.

"My heart goes out to the family of the young woman shot dead by so-called dissidents," she wrote on Twitter.

"This was an attack on the community, an attack on the peace process and an attack on the Good Friday Agreement," the peace deal that largely brought an end to violence on the island exactly 21 years ago, she added, calling for calm.

Arlene Foster, leader of the Democratic Union Party, which is in favour of Britain's presence in Northern Ireland, described the death as "heartbreaking news".

"A senseless act. A family has been torn apart. Those who brought guns onto our streets in the 70s, 80s &amp; 90s were wrong. It is equally wrong in 2019. No one wants to go back," she wrote on Twitter.

The Good Friday Agreement in 1998 largely brought an end to three decades of sectarian bloodshed in Northern Ireland between republican and unionist paramilitaries, as well as British armed forces, in a period known as "the Troubles".

Some 3,500 people were killed in the conflict -- many at the hands of the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

Police have blamed a group called the New IRA for the flare-up in violence in recent months.

Some have expressed fears that recent attacks could be a sign that paramilitaries are seeking to exploit the current political turbulence over Northern Ireland and its border with the Republic of Ireland caused by Brexit.

Londonderry was the scene of one of the darkest episodes in the Troubles in 1972, known as Bloody Sunday, when British troops opened fire on a civil rights demonstration and killed 13 people. A 14th victim later died of his wounds.

A former British soldier was charged with murder last month over the killings.&nbsp;

A journalist was shot dead during riots in Northern Ireland in what police Friday were treating as a terrorist incident following the latest upsurge in violence to shake the troubled region.

A journalist was shot dead during riots in Northern Ireland in what police Friday were treating as a terrorist incident following the latest upsurge in violence to shake the troubled region. "Lyra McKee was murdered during orchestrated violence in Creggan last night," Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said in a statement. McKee had earlier posted an image that appeared to be from the riots in the Creggan housing estate in the city of Londonderry, also known as Derry, accompanied by the words "Derry tonight. Absolute madness." Images of the unrest posted on social media showed a car and van ablaze and hooded individuals throwing petrol bombs and fireworks at police vehicles. "A single gunman fired shots in a residential area of the city and as a result wounded Ms McKee," said Hamilton, adding that police believed the gunman was a "violent dissident republican." "We are treating this as a terrorist incident and we have launched a murder enquiry," he added. Journalist Matthew Hughes earlier identified the dead woman as one of his friends. "I just received the heartbreaking news that my friend @LyraMcKee was murdered tonight in a terrorist incident in Derry," he wrote on Twitter. McKee had written for The Atlantic magazine and Buzzfeed News and was named by Forbes Magazine in 2016 as one of their "30 under 30" outstanding figures in media, according to her literary agent Janklow & Nesbit. Leona O'Neill, a reporter with the Belfast Telegraph, said she had been next to McKee when she was shot. "I was standing beside this young woman when she fell beside a police Land Rover tonight in Creggan #Derry. I called an ambulance for her but police put her in the back of their vehicle and rushed her to the hospital where she died. Just 29 years old. Sick to my stomach tonight," she tweeted. Good Friday Agreement The violence came in the run-up to the Easter weekend, when Republicans opposed to the British presence in Northern Ireland mark the anniversary of a 1916 uprising against British rule. A car-bombing and the hijacking of two vans in Londonderry earlier this year were also blamed on a dissident paramilitary group. Michelle O'Neill, the deputy leader of Irish republican party Sinn Fein, condemned the killing. "My heart goes out to the family of the young woman shot dead by so-called dissidents," she wrote on Twitter. "This was an attack on the community, an attack on the peace process and an attack on the Good Friday Agreement," the peace deal that largely brought an end to violence on the island exactly 21 years ago, she added, calling for calm. Arlene Foster, leader of the Democratic Union Party, which is in favour of Britain's presence in Northern Ireland, described the death as "heartbreaking news". "A senseless act. A family has been torn apart. Those who brought guns onto our streets in the 70s, 80s & 90s were wrong. It is equally wrong in 2019. No one wants to go back," she wrote on Twitter. The Good Friday Agreement in 1998 largely brought an end to three decades of sectarian bloodshed in Northern Ireland between republican and unionist paramilitaries, as well as British armed forces, in a period known as "the Troubles". Some 3,500 people were killed in the conflict -- many at the hands of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Police have blamed a group called the New IRA for the flare-up in violence in recent months. Some have expressed fears that recent attacks could be a sign that paramilitaries are seeking to exploit the current political turbulence over Northern Ireland and its border with the Republic of Ireland caused by Brexit. Londonderry was the scene of one of the darkest episodes in the Troubles in 1972, known as Bloody Sunday, when British troops opened fire on a civil rights demonstration and killed 13 people. A 14th victim later died of his wounds. A former British soldier was charged with murder last month over the killings.

Journalist shot dead in Northern Ireland in 'terrorist incident'

India has been the target of terrorist groups for decades. The issue of Maoist and North East extremist groups are local. But bigger threats have emanated from Pakistan-sponsored attacks. And our neighbouring country remains the biggest source of trouble.

Pakistan had fought four wars against India, without winning a single one. &nbsp;After former military dictator General Zia ul Haq came to power, the policy was changed and Pakistan’s army and ISI resorted to proxy war to “bleed India by a thousand cuts”. A low-cost but potentially expensive war to inflict on an enemy, without openly challenging him in a battle field because Pakistan has seen many failures there. &nbsp; &nbsp;

The first major terrorist attack was in 1993, commonly known as the Mumbai blasts in which ISI used the smugglers’ network and Dawood Ibrahim’s gang to deadly effect. &nbsp;

In subsequent years, various terrorist attacks were organised on Indian soil and no major city in the hinterland was left untouched. Investigating agencies found out that the ISI used Indian youth and motivated workers of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) to execute these attacks. The young men, who went for Haj were scouted; vulnerable youth were targeted and lured, were taken to Pakistan and radicalised. They became easy meat for Pakistani handlers.&nbsp;

From time to time, their handlers from Pakistan provided them with explosives, improved explosive devices (IED) and other logistic support to carry out bomb blasts in Mumbai, Delhi Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Benares, Bangalore, Surat, and Pune. They were trained extensively in the use of fire arms.&nbsp;

The biggest advantage in these attacks was that the perpetrator could place the bomb at identified places and escape. He could continue to live his normal lifestyle without arousing the suspicion of his neighbours and sometimes even family members.&nbsp;

But the disadvantage was that it left a long trail of evidence and with the arrest of one culprit, the whole chain of events could be unearthed.&nbsp;

The 26/11 attacks in Mumbai were of a different magnitude and it was like a full-fledged foreign attack on Indian soil as the perpetrators came heavily armed from Pakistan.

Post 26/11, a new threat is looming large: ISIS and Syria. From India, several youths (according to some estimates, about 100) had left the country and joined the ISIS. Such has been the impact of ISIS that it was able to penetrate the radicalised minds through the Internet. Without any physical contact, there was enough vile propaganda on the net to impress gullible minds. Sitting thousands of miles away, ISIS theorists could cause a big impression on young men, sitting in several Indian cities, completely unaware of the place where their propagandists were operating in.&nbsp;

In such a situation, proxies are not too difficult to find. Many cases came to light where ISIS had recruiters sitting in Jaipur, Bangalore, and Hyderabad and many other Indian cities and everything, from recruiting to indoctrination, was happening online. &nbsp;

Though about a hundred eventually left the country to fight the war, we have no way of knowing how many got radicalised and are planning to go to Syria and other terror-hit areas of the world, presumably to meet their handlers.&nbsp;

Now that the ISIS is losing ground, can we believe that these radicalised minds will now return to a normal life? It is difficult to say and it calls for deep scrutiny and a close watch on such elements.&nbsp;

ISIS has discovered the cheapest way of carrying out terrorist attacks, which do not require big money or sophisticated weapons or explosives.&nbsp;

The terror attacks at Nice in France and other European cities are prime examples. The modus operandi is very simple. The perpetrator knows he is likely to lose his life during the attack. This is a very big deviation from earlier attacks in which the attackers would conduct recce of any targeted place and plan an escape. The new generation of terrorists are willing to take extreme risks and make the attacks look simple - and deadly.&nbsp;

When it comes to a lone wolf attacker, not much information is available. Israel has conducted some studies and some traits have been identified: such people are loners, feel victimised, frustrated, disillusioned and imbued with radical ideology, coupled with perceived injustice towards people of certain communities.&nbsp;

India is the third most terrorism-hit country in the world. But we lack any counter-terrorism policy. And it’s totally left to intelligence and security forces to deal with such threats. It is not a very sound policy.

Terrorism is also fast evolving and new and sophisticated attacks, as well as old tried and tested methods, are being adopted. Security forces prepare a response based on past attacks, but terrorists adopt and discover newer methods of carrying out destruction.&nbsp;

Therefore, there is a need to “think out of the box”. For this, we need to have a policy to fight radicalisation and terrorism. Fighting terrorism cannot be left to security forces alone; not, at least in our country. We must involve various sections of society. We also need to assign active roles to some ministries like social welfare and minority affairs to make all-out efforts to address the issue of perceived religious persecution. For potential recruiters, grouse, real or imagined, is the perfect mindset to tap young recruits. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

To counter the false propaganda of terrorist groups, the involvement of religious leaders can be very effective.&nbsp;

(This article was originally published on DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-preventing-new-terrorists-2699952">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

India has been the target of terrorist groups for decades. The issue of Maoist and North East extremist groups are local. But bigger threats have emanated from Pakistan-sponsored attacks.

India has been the target of terrorist groups for decades. The issue of Maoist and North East extremist groups are local. But bigger threats have emanated from Pakistan-sponsored attacks. And our neighbouring country remains the biggest source of trouble. Pakistan had fought four wars against India, without winning a single one. After former military dictator General Zia ul Haq came to power, the policy was changed and Pakistan’s army and ISI resorted to proxy war to “bleed India by a thousand cuts”. A low-cost but potentially expensive war to inflict on an enemy, without openly challenging him in a battle field because Pakistan has seen many failures there. The first major terrorist attack was in 1993, commonly known as the Mumbai blasts in which ISI used the smugglers’ network and Dawood Ibrahim’s gang to deadly effect. In subsequent years, various terrorist attacks were organised on Indian soil and no major city in the hinterland was left untouched. Investigating agencies found out that the ISI used Indian youth and motivated workers of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) to execute these attacks. The young men, who went for Haj were scouted; vulnerable youth were targeted and lured, were taken to Pakistan and radicalised. They became easy meat for Pakistani handlers. From time to time, their handlers from Pakistan provided them with explosives, improved explosive devices (IED) and other logistic support to carry out bomb blasts in Mumbai, Delhi Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Benares, Bangalore, Surat, and Pune. They were trained extensively in the use of fire arms. The biggest advantage in these attacks was that the perpetrator could place the bomb at identified places and escape. He could continue to live his normal lifestyle without arousing the suspicion of his neighbours and sometimes even family members. But the disadvantage was that it left a long trail of evidence and with the arrest of one culprit, the whole chain of events could be unearthed. The 26/11 attacks in Mumbai were of a different magnitude and it was like a full-fledged foreign attack on Indian soil as the perpetrators came heavily armed from Pakistan. Post 26/11, a new threat is looming large: ISIS and Syria. From India, several youths (according to some estimates, about 100) had left the country and joined the ISIS. Such has been the impact of ISIS that it was able to penetrate the radicalised minds through the Internet. Without any physical contact, there was enough vile propaganda on the net to impress gullible minds. Sitting thousands of miles away, ISIS theorists could cause a big impression on young men, sitting in several Indian cities, completely unaware of the place where their propagandists were operating in. In such a situation, proxies are not too difficult to find. Many cases came to light where ISIS had recruiters sitting in Jaipur, Bangalore, and Hyderabad and many other Indian cities and everything, from recruiting to indoctrination, was happening online. Though about a hundred eventually left the country to fight the war, we have no way of knowing how many got radicalised and are planning to go to Syria and other terror-hit areas of the world, presumably to meet their handlers. Now that the ISIS is losing ground, can we believe that these radicalised minds will now return to a normal life? It is difficult to say and it calls for deep scrutiny and a close watch on such elements. ISIS has discovered the cheapest way of carrying out terrorist attacks, which do not require big money or sophisticated weapons or explosives. The terror attacks at Nice in France and other European cities are prime examples. The modus operandi is very simple. The perpetrator knows he is likely to lose his life during the attack. This is a very big deviation from earlier attacks in which the attackers would conduct recce of any targeted place and plan an escape. The new generation of terrorists are willing to take extreme risks and make the attacks look simple - and deadly. When it comes to a lone wolf attacker, not much information is available. Israel has conducted some studies and some traits have been identified: such people are loners, feel victimised, frustrated, disillusioned and imbued with radical ideology, coupled with perceived injustice towards people of certain communities. India is the third most terrorism-hit country in the world. But we lack any counter-terrorism policy. And it’s totally left to intelligence and security forces to deal with such threats. It is not a very sound policy. Terrorism is also fast evolving and new and sophisticated attacks, as well as old tried and tested methods, are being adopted. Security forces prepare a response based on past attacks, but terrorists adopt and discover newer methods of carrying out destruction. Therefore, there is a need to “think out of the box”. For this, we need to have a policy to fight radicalisation and terrorism. Fighting terrorism cannot be left to security forces alone; not, at least in our country. We must involve various sections of society. We also need to assign active roles to some ministries like social welfare and minority affairs to make all-out efforts to address the issue of perceived religious persecution. For potential recruiters, grouse, real or imagined, is the perfect mindset to tap young recruits. To counter the false propaganda of terrorist groups, the involvement of religious leaders can be very effective. (This article was originally published on DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

With ISIS threat looming large, we need a policy to fight radicalisation