JAMMU JAN 08 : Security forces resumed their search operation Thursday morning to track down terrorists hiding in the forests of Kathua district, where one security personnel sustained a minor leg injury during an encounter the previous evening.
The joint operation involving the Special Operations Group (SOG) of J&K Police, CRPF, and other security forces was launched at Kahog village in Billawar on Wednesday evening after receiving intelligence about the presence of two to three terrorists in the area. The engagement led to a fierce gunfight that lasted over an hour before the firing subsided.
“The search operation to track down the hiding terrorists has been resumed after a night-long cordon,” a senior security official confirmed. The searches are concentrated in the Dhanu Parole-Kamadh nallah area, where additional forces and aerial surveillance have been deployed to locate the militants concealed in the dense forest terrain.
IGP Jammu Zone Bhim Sen Tuti highlighted the challenging operational conditions faced by the forces. “Despite darkness, thick vegetation and treacherous terrain, the SOG is relentlessly engaging the terrorists. Teams of the CRPF are also participating in the joint operation,” he stated on social media platform X.
During the Wednesday evening encounter, one security personnel was hit by a bullet in his leg and has been hospitalized with minor injuries. It remains unclear whether any terrorists were hit during the exchange of fire, officials said.
Reports indicate the movement of three groups of infiltrating terrorists in the region, prompting heightened security measures across multiple districts. The Army, BSF, Police, and CRPF have been conducting continuous search operations, identifying border residents, and intensifying patrols along the International Border in Samba and Kathua districts, as well as adjoining areas of Punjab over the past month.
A multi-tier security grid comprising the BSF, border police, and Village Defence Guards has been placed on high alert ahead of Republic Day celebrations on January 26.
Kathua district has witnessed multiple encounters between security forces and terrorists over the past two years, claiming 16 lives—11 security personnel and five terrorists. In 2024 alone, seven security personnel and two militants were killed as terrorist activities revived in the district after more than a decade of relative calm. The previous year saw four security personnel and three terrorists killed in separate incidents.
Additionally, four civilians died under mysterious circumstances during this period, with locals suspecting terrorist involvement in their deaths. The recent surge in terrorist activities has kept security forces on constant alert in the border district.
