JAMMU, SEPTEMBER 17: Two terrorists suspected to be affiliated with the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) were killed in a joint security operation in the forested areas of Udhampur district, while a local youth suspected of being an over-ground worker (OGW) was detained for questioning, officials said.
The operation was launched by the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF in the Brattal Sohan and Khubban forest areas of Majalta, close to the Kathua border, following intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists.
According to the Army’s White Knight Corps, the operation began during the intervening night of September 16 and 17. Despite heavy rain, difficult terrain and poor visibility, security forces conducted a targeted counter-terrorism operation and killed two terrorists.
“The operation is still in progress,” the White Knight Corps said, adding that search and surveillance activities were continuing to detect any remaining threat.
Officials said security forces had been tracking the movement of a suspected terrorist group in the area for several days. The area was cordoned off around 9 pm on Wednesday following fresh intelligence inputs, leading to an initial exchange of fire.
After a period of relative calm during the night, firing resumed on Thursday morning when the terrorists allegedly attempted to break the security cordon. Reinforcements were subsequently deployed, and search operations continued in the surrounding forests.
The two slain terrorists are suspected to be Pakistani nationals. Security forces recovered an M4 carbine, an AK-series assault rifle and a substantial quantity of ammunition from the encounter site.
A local youth suspected of providing support to the terrorists was detained for questioning as security agencies continued their investigation.
The encounter is the second major counter-terrorism operation in Udhampur this year. In February, two Pakistani terrorists, including a self-styled JeM commander identified as Rubani alias Abu Mavia, were killed in the Ramnagar forests.
The Kathua-Udhampur-Doda belt has remained an area of security concern due to its difficult mountainous terrain and dense forests, which officials say have previously been used by infiltrating terrorists to establish hideouts and evade security forces.
Security agencies continue to conduct intelligence-based searches and surveillance operations across remote forest areas to track possible terrorist movements and prevent the re-establishment of militant networks.
