Udhampur, June 26, KNT: A Pakistani militant of Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM), who had been on the radar of security agencies for nearly a year, was killed on Thursday during a fierce gunfight in the Basantgarh area of Jammu’s Udhampur district. Three other militants of the same group are believed to be holed up in the higher reaches of the forested terrain, even as bad weather hampers the combing operation.
Police said that the encounter erupted in the early hours when a joint team of the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a search operation in the remote Bihali area of Basantgarh following specific intelligence inputs. Around 8:30 am, contact was established with the group of militants near Karoor nallah, triggering an intense exchange of fire.
Inspector General of Police, Jammu range, Bhim Sen Tuti, confirmed that the slain militant was part of a four-member JeM group that had infiltrated last year and was being tracked closely. “There are believed to be four militants, and we have been tracking this group for the last one year,” he told reporters, adding that the operation continues despite heavy fog and rough terrain.
“Real-time updates and a clearer picture will emerge once weather conditions improve,” the IGP said.
The army’s elite para commandos are leading the ground operation, with reinforcements deployed to prevent any escape from the thickly forested belt. Officials said the group was attempting to hide in the upper belts amid rocky gorges and dense vegetation, making the task of flushing them out particularly challenging.
Earlier, the Army’s White Knight Corps confirmed the ongoing engagement via a post on X stating:
“Based on specific intelligence, a joint operation was launched by Indian Army and J&K Police in the Bihali area of Basantgarh. Contact has been established with terrorists. The operation is currently in progress.” Later they confirmed the killing of one militant in another social media post.
Codenamed Operation Bihali, the counter-militancy mission comes just a week ahead of the start of the annual Amarnath Yatra, for which security across Jammu and Kashmir has already been intensified.
In a separate but related development, security forces also carried out a search operation in the Purmandal area of Samba district late Wednesday night following reports of suspicious movement. However, the operation ended peacefully as no trace of militants was found on the ground. [KNT]
