Jammu: Three terrorist killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Friday while a separate operation to track down a group of three terrorists is underway in Udhampur district, Army officials said.
One of the terrorists killed was identified as Saifullah, a top Jaish-e-Mohammad commander who had been active in the region for several months. However, there was no official confirmation about the killing of two terrorists until the reports came in.
The security agencies have expanded the scope of surveillance to the Bhaderwah area of Doda district to track the terrorists potentially moving between different locations in the hilly districts of the Jammu region.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Kishtwar-Doda-Ramban Range, Shridhar Patil said the operations in the region have been going on for the past three days.
“One terrorist was eliminated this morning”, he told reporters in Kishtwar.
Other terrorists in the region are trapped and the operation will continue until they are all eliminated, he added.
According to the officials, the encounter in Kishtwar broke out during an intelligence-based search-and-destroy operation launched jointly by Army and 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 neutralised 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 said.
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 the security forces, the officials quoted above said.
A brief exchange of fire with terrorists occurred in the Naidgam area of Chatru on Wednesday, following which a massive combing operation was launched.
The slain terrorist was reportedly part of the Saifullah module of Pakistan. However, an official confirmation is awaited.
The Saifullah module ambushed an Army team in Doda on July 15, 2024, resulting in the death of an officer and a rifleman.
Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General M V Suchindra Kumar complimented the troops for their swift action in neutralising the terrorist and reiterated the Army’s commitment to keeping the region free of terror.
“Lt Gen M V Suchindra Kumar, Army Commander, Northern Command, commends the White Knight Corps for their swift action and precise execution in neutralising one terrorist in the ongoing operation in Kishtwar,” the Northern Command said in a post on X.
The 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 is a major factor contributing to infiltration during summer months, the officials said.
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 terrain of Kathua-Udhampur-Kishtwar. Three terrorists and four police personnel were killed in the encounters while three police personnel and a girl were injured.
Search operations resumed on Friday in the Jopher-Marta forests in Udhampur district, the officials said.
Multiple security agencies are combing the entire forest area with sniffer dogs and conducting aerial surveillance to track down three terrorists hiding in the area, they added.
The areas have been placed under night cordons to prevent the 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 the Jammu-Srinagar national highway and people are being frisked and vehicles being checked, the officials said.
