J&K police, army intensify joint operation to hunt terrorists in Kathua

The search operation against a group of infiltrating terrorists in the dense jungles of Kathua district of Jammu region entered the second day on Monday, officials said.

The operation led by Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat was intensified with additional deployment of commandos, drones and sniffer dogs this morning as security forces carried out searches in the dense nursery where the terrorists are believed hiding after infiltrating from across the border, they said.

The operation was launched following an intelligence input regarding the presence of terrorists inside a 'dhok' a local term for an enclosure located within the nursery in Sanyal village, approximately five km from the International Border with Pakistan.

A police team from the Special Operations Group initiated the search operation after receiving the input and when the personnel entered the area, they came under heavy fire from the terrorists, leading to an intense gunfight which lasted for more than half-an-hour.

Reinforcements were swiftly dispatched to aid in the operation, as a manhunt was launched to apprehend the terrorists, believed to have infiltrated on Saturday via either the ravine route or through a newly created tunnel.

There has been no report of any casualty in the initial firing and the area was kept under tight security cordon throughout the night before the security forces moved in from different directions with the first light of the day on Monday, the officials said. They said there was no fresh contact with the terrorists so far.

One of the inputs also suggested that two groups of five-six terrorists each infiltrated on Saturday.

According to the officials, some village women collecting firewood reported seeing around five terrorists who had sought refuge in the expansive nursery area.

A seven-year-old girl sustained minor injuries when a stray bullet passed close to her arm and was shifted to a local hospital.

A villager identified as Anita Devi (48) said heavily-armed terrorists caught hold of her husband when they had gone to the nursery to collect firewood.

The terrorists were holding my husband at gun-point and also asked me to come near. But my husband signalled me to escape and I started running away. One of the terrorists vainly tried to stop me but I started shouting, which attracted the attention of two more persons who were cutting grass, Devi told PTI.

She said the incident occurred around 4.30 pm on Sunday and all of them returned home and informed the police. They were five in number and were wearing beards and commando dress, Devi said.

District Development Councillor Karan Kumar also said heavy gunfire was heard in the region.

An atmosphere of fear has gripped the village by the terrorist presence. We heard around 250 rounds of intense gunfire, Kumar said, adding security forces have encircled the entire area to flush out the terrorists.

Kathua has emerged as a major infiltrating route for Pakistan-based terrorists to reach the higher reaches of Udhampur, Doda and Kishtwar districts and further to Kashmir over the past year, which is evident from a series of terror incidents.

After carrying out deadly attacks in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch over the past four years, terror activities spread to six other districts in the Jammu region in 2024, leaving a total of 44 people, including 18 security personnel and 13 terrorists, dead.

Though the Pir Panjal districts of Rajouri and Poonch witnessed a considerable drop in terror activities in 2024 compared to the previous years, the series of incidents in Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar, Kathua, Udhampur and Jammu from April-May onwards last year came as a concern for the security agencies.

To counter the threat and thwart the attempts of Pakistan-based terror handlers to spread terrorism to peaceful areas, the officials said, the security forces have started relentless operations.

According to official data, Doda, Kathua and Reasi districts recorded nine killings each followed by Kishtwar (five), Udhampur (four), Jammu and Rajouri (three each) and Poonch (two) in 2024. Those killed included 18 security personnel and 13 terrorists.

This year, Kathua was also rocked by protests after the mysterious death of five people in the remote Billawar tehsil.

The bodies of 15-year-old Varun Singh, his paternal uncle Yogesh Singh (32) and maternal uncle Darshan Singh (40) were found in the Ishu nullah in the remote Malhar area in the higher reaches of Kathua on March 8. They had gone missing on March 5 while attending a wedding ceremony.

On February 16, the bodies of Shamsher (37) and Roshan (45) were found in Kohag village in Billawar. The post-mortem examination revealed that they were strangulated.