SRINAGAR: Two Jaish-e-Mohammad militants, who were hiding in a natural cave in the Jaffer forest area of Ramnagar in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir, were killed in an encounter with security forces on Tuesday morning.
Sources said the militants were neutralised after security forces launched a final assault following an overnight cordon.
One of those killed was a top Jaish commander who had been on the radar of security agencies for a long time. The Army confirmed the killings.
“Based on specific intelligence input provided by @jmukmrpolice, troops of CIF Delta, #WhiteKnightCorps planned and executed a focused joint counter-terror operation in the general area of Jophar Forest, Basantgarh (J&K) in coordination with #JKP and #CRPF reinforcing the cordon, ensuring effective area domination to prevent escape of terrorists,” the Army’s White Knight Corps said in a post on X.
It said contact with the militants was established on Monday and security forces prevented them from breaking contact.
“Following a calibrated and coordinated response, two terrorists have been successfully neutralised. The operation highlighted seamless inter-agency coordination, tactical precision and high standards of professionalism. Operation concluded successfully. Area remains under surveillance,” the Army added.
Sources said the encounter followed a search operation launched after a brief exchange of fire on Monday between a joint contingent of the Army, police and CRPF and the militants, who later moved deeper into the dense forest to evade capture.
Security forces deployed drones, UAVs and other surveillance equipment to track their movement.
“The drones captured the movement of militants. They were spotted hiding in a natural cave in the forest area,” sources said.
A video grab showing the militants near the cave later surfaced on social media. When they attempted to flee, security personnel opened fire, forcing them back into the cave.
Sources said the cordon was tightened through the night before security forces launched the final assault at daybreak, resulting in the killing of both militants. Elite para commandos were also part of the operation.
They said a search operation in the forest area was still underway.
Meanwhile, security forces are also conducting a massive search operation against three Jaish-e-Mohammad militants trapped in the forest area of Chatroo in the mountainous Kishtwar district, where mobile internet services were temporarily suspended.
The Army, police and CRPF have been carrying out searches in the Chatroo, Singhpora and Chingum areas since the January 18 encounter in which a para commando was killed and eight other personnel were injured.
Although there have been a few brief exchanges of fire, the militants have so far managed to evade the security forces. Officials believe they are trained in jungle warfare.
Security forces have launched a winter offensive in the upper reaches of Kathua, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur, Doda and Kishtwar districts to track down militants hiding in dense forest areas, where several encounters and militant attacks in recent years have claimed the lives of security personnel and militants.