Jaish terrorist killed in J&K's Udhampur, operation underway

A Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorist was killed on Thursday (June 26) in a gunfight with security personnel in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district, and three of his associates remain stuck in the dense Bihali forest of Basantgarh. The gunfight started early morning after a combined team of the Indian Army and J&K Police conducted an operation on the basis of intelligence reports that terrorists were present in the area. The group had been under watch for almost a year, officials said.

A terrorist has been neutralised in the joint operation by Army and Police. Operation is still on," a defence spokesperson said. Security forces have ramped up efforts amid poor weather and fog to drive out the remaining terrorists, suspected to be hiding near Karoor nullah. Para commandos are conducting the search on the ground, officials said.

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The operation comes just a week ahead of the annual Amarnath Yatra, heightening security concerns across the region. Inspector general of police (IGP), Jammu range, Bhim Sen Tuti, said the contact was made with the terrorists around 8.30 am. “There are four terrorists. We’ve been tracking this group for the last year,” he said, adding that more details are expected once visibility improves.

Earlier in the day, the Army's White Knight Corps tweeted on X, “Based on reliable intelligence, a joint operation was undertaken by the Indian Army and J&K Police in the Bihali sector of Basantgarh. Contact has been established with terrorists. The operation is underway now.” Meanwhile, a search operation was also conducted late Wednesday night in the Purmandal sector of Samba district after suspicious movement was reported. But no threat was found and the operation was carried out without incident, officials said.