JAMMU, September 12: Security forces on Saturday recovered the highly decomposed body of a suspected Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant from the higher reaches of Doda district, along with a US-made M4 carbine and ammunition, officials said.
The remains were found in the remote Divshetar area of Seojdhar forest during a joint operation by the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police, the Army and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
Officials said the advanced state of decomposition suggested that the militant may have died several months ago. Investigators suspect he could have been injured during an earlier encounter with security forces and later succumbed to his injuries while hiding in the dense forest area, although the exact circumstances of his death are yet to be established.
The recovery of an M4 carbine, a weapon frequently used by infiltrating militants, has led security agencies to believe that the deceased may have been a senior operative of the Pakistan-based outfit, officials said. The identity of the militant has not yet been established.
In a post on X, Jammu and Kashmir Police said the remains of a Pakistani Jaish-e-Mohammad militant who had been “neutralised earlier” were recovered during a joint operation by the SOG, Rashtriya Rifles and CRPF. Police said a night-enabled M4 rifle was also seized from the site.
The Seojdhar area and adjoining higher reaches have long been considered operationally significant because militants infiltrating from across the border have used the rugged terrain and dense forests to establish hideouts and move between Doda, Udhampur and Kathua districts.
Security forces have intensified counter-terror operations across the Doda-Kishtwar-Udhampur-Kathua belt in recent years, targeting militant networks operating in the mountainous region. Officials said regular search and area-domination operations continue to be conducted based on intelligence inputs to prevent militants from using remote forest areas as safe havens.
The recovery comes two days after Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat visited a joint operational base at the Doda-Kathua-Udhampur tri-junction to review security arrangements and counter-terror operations in the region. Officials said security forces would continue coordinated operations to consolidate gains against militancy in the hilly districts.
