Two Village Defence Guards (VDGs) were abducted and executed by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Thursday. The victims, Nazir Ahmad and Kuldeep Kumar were members of a village defence committee set up by the Jammu and Kashmir Police to protect local communities from terrorist threats.The two men had gone to graze cattle in the Munzla Dhar forest in Adhwari area but failed to return, prompting immediate concerns of a kidnapping. Family members of the victims had confirmed the abductions, with Kuldeep Kumar’s brother, Prithvi, stating that his brother and Ahmad were taken by terrorists. “We have received information that my brother along with Ahmad was abducted and killed by terrorists. They were VDGs and had gone for grazing cattle as usual,” Prithvi told news agency PTI.A large-scale joint search operation was launched by the police and the Army across a dense forest area. The Kashmir Tigers, an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror group, later claimed responsibility for the killings. They released photos of the victims’ bodies, reportedly showing them with their eyes blindfolded.The brutal killings come days after a grenade attack in Srinagar’s Sunday market, which injured at least 12 people. The authorities are continuing their efforts to locate the perpetrators of the Kishtwar attack, with local police intensifying operations to track down the terrorists responsible.The Jammu and Kashmir administration has condemned the attack, with the Office of the Lieutenant Governor (LG) calling it a “heinous terrorist act.” A statement shared on X formerly Twitter read, “No words are strong enough to condemn the heinous terrorist attack on VDG members in Kishtwar. I convey my heartfelt condolences to the families of brave sons martyred in this cowardly attack. We are firmly resolved to destroy all terror outfits & avenge this barbaric act.”
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