Operation Resumes in Kathua to Track Down Terrorists; One Security Personnel Injured
Jammu, Jan 8: Security forces on Thursday morning resumed a search operation to track down terrorists hiding in a forested area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, where one security personnel sustained a minor injury during an encounter, officials said.
The joint operation, involving the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police along with other security forces, was launched on Wednesday evening at Kahog village in the Billawar area following specific intelligence inputs. The operation led to a brief gunfight with the terrorists, officials said.
“The search operation to track down the hiding terrorists has been resumed after a night-long cordon,” a senior security official said.
Searches are being carried out in the Dhanu Parole–Kamadh nallah area, with additional forces deployed and aerial surveillance pressed into service to pin down the terrorists hiding in dense forest cover.
“Despite darkness, thick vegetation and treacherous terrain, the SOG is relentlessly engaging the terrorists. Teams of the CRPF are also participating in the joint operation,” Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu Zone, Bhim Sen Tuti said in a post on X.
The encounter broke out on Wednesday evening after security forces launched a search operation based on information about the presence of two to three terrorists in the area. During the exchange of fire, one security personnel suffered a minor leg injury and was hospitalised.
“The SOG has engaged the terrorists in the forest area of Kamadh nallah, Kathua,” the IGP said in another post.
According to officials, the firing between the two sides lasted for over an hour before it subsided. It was not immediately clear whether any terrorist was injured in the gunfight.
Officials also reported possible movement of three groups of infiltrating terrorists in the region.
Over the past month, the Army, BSF, police and CRPF have been conducting continuous search operations, verification of border residents and intensified patrols along the International Border in Samba and Kathua districts, as well as adjoining areas of Punjab.
Ahead of Republic Day celebrations on January 26, a multi-tier security grid involving the BSF, border police and Village Defence Guards (VDGs) has been put on high alert.
Kathua district has witnessed multiple encounters over the last two years, resulting in the deaths of 16 people—11 security personnel and five terrorists. In 2024, seven security personnel and two terrorists were killed after militant activities resurfaced in the district following a gap of more than a decade. In 2023, four security personnel and three terrorists lost their lives.
Additionally, four civilians have died under mysterious circumstances, with locals suspecting terrorist involvement.
