Jammu: One terrorist was killed Friday in an encounter with security forces in Kishtwar district, while a separate operation to track down a group of three militants is underway in Udhampur district, Army officials said.
The security agencies have expanded the scope of surveillance to the Bhaderwah area of Doda district to keep a track on terrorists potentially moving between different locations in the hilly districts of the Jammu region.
The officials said the encounter in Kishtwar broke out during an intelligence-based search-and-destroy operation launched jointly by the Army and the Jammu and Kashmir Police in the Chatru forest area of the district.
During the operation, the forces established contact with the terrorists. “The terrorists were effectively engaged, and a firefight ensued. One terrorist has been neutralized so far,” the Army’s White Knight Corps, or 16 Corps, said in a post on X.
“Despite hostile terrain and adverse weather, our brave soldiers continue relentless operations,” it added.
Special forces braved high-snow areas and treacherous terrains to track down one terrorist, while a few others are still on the move under significant pressure from security forces, the officials quoted above said.
A brief exchange of fire with terrorists occurred in the Naidgam area of Chatru on Wednesday resulting in the launch of a massive combing operation.
The slain terrorist reportedly was a part of the “Saifullah module of Pakistan”, but it has not been officially confirmed. This is the module that ambushed an army team in Doda on July 15, 2024, resulting in the death of an officer and a rifleman.
Security forces have intensified surveillance in the high-altitude areas of the Bhaderwah area of Doda district, considering the melting snow in the higher meadows, a major factor contributing to infiltration during summer months.
Supported by helicopters and drones, troops are maintaining a high degree of surveillance in high-altitude areas connecting Kishtwar, Udhampur, and Kathua districts, they said.
There have been five encounters in the past 19 days in the mountainous terrains of Kathua-Udhampur-Kishtwar, in which three terrorists were killed. Four police personnel were also killed, while three other police personnel and a girl sustained injuries.
Search operations resumed Friday in the Jopher-Marta forests in Udhampur district, officials said.
Equipped with sniffer dogs and aerial surveillance, multiple security agencies are combing the entire forest area to track down three terrorists hiding in the area, they added.
The areas have been placed under night cordons to prevent terrorists from escaping, the officials said.
On Wednesday, during a search operation by police and other security forces, contact was established with terrorists in the Jopher-Marta belt in the Ramnagar police station area of Udhampur, leading to an encounter. “Two to three terrorists are believed to be trapped,” said Senior Superintendent of Police Amod Ashok Nagpure.
While three encounters occurred in Kathua district, one took place in Udhampur district, and one in Kishtwar district.
The security was beefed up along Jammu-Srinagar national highway and people are being frisked and vehicles being checked as a part of this measure, they said.
