Two Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists killed, one suspect nabbed in Jammu and Kashmir operation in Udhampur | Today’s news
Two suspected members of the banned Pakistan-based group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) were killed during a security operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district, officials said on Thursday. The alleged overhead worker was detained.
The operation was carried out jointly by the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF in Brattal Sohan and Khubban hill forest areas of Majalta, near the Kathua district border.
The operation took place despite heavy rainfall in the region.
The army separately confirmed that two terrorists were killed during the operation.
The Jammu-based White Knight Corps said in a post on X: “In a joint intelligence operation during the night of September 16-17, confirmed inputs indicated the presence of terrorists in the general area of Brattal in Udhampur.”
“Despite hostile weather, difficult terrain and poor visibility, troops of the White Knight Corps, Police and CRPF launched a targeted counter-terrorism operation which resulted in the neutralization of two terrorists,” it added.
Read also | Vande Bharat crosses the iconic Chenab Bridge in J&K | Watch the breathtaking video
“The operation is ongoing, search and surveillance continues in the area. Security forces remain deployed to monitor and neutralize any remaining threat,” he concluded.
Officials said security forces were tracking a group of terrorists after their presence was detected in a forested area last week.
Acting on fresh intelligence, the forces set up a cordon around a specific area around 9:00 pm on Wednesday, sparking the first exchange of gunfire.
Sporadic gunshots and explosions were heard soon after the operation began, officials said. The area then remained largely calm overnight before firing resumed on Thursday morning when terrorists reportedly opened heavy fire in an attempt to escape the security cordon.
Reinforcements rushed to the area and the search operation continued when the latest reports were received, they said.
Officials said both the slain terrorists are believed to be Pakistani nationals, adding that a US-made M4 carbine and an AK assault rifle along with a large quantity of ammunition were recovered from the gunfight site.
A local youth, believed to be an Overground Worker (OGW), has been detained for questioning, they said.
Read also | India rejects references to J&K in Sino-Pakistani statement
It was the second big meet in Udhampur district this year. In February, two Pakistani terrorists, including a self-proclaimed commander – Rubani alias Abu Mavia, who had been operating in the area for the past few years, were killed in Ramnagar forests.
Over the past few years, the difficult mountainous terrain in the Kathua-Udhampur-Doda belt has been used by JeM terrorists to create hideouts and evade security forces after infiltrating from across the border.
However, security forces dismantled these nets to deny the terrorists safe passage and shelter upstream, officials said.
They said the relentless operations led to the elimination of a large number of active terrorists operating in the region, many of whom were identified as Pakistani nationals.
Read also | Drought and flood: J&K’s new climate reality
Security agencies are also maintaining heightened surveillance and launching searches in remote forest areas based on intelligence inputs and assessment of possible terrorist movement.
Doda, Kishtwar, Udhampur and Kathua have recorded varying numbers of casualties in the last three years
Doda recorded the deaths of nine people in separate encounters in 2025, including four suspected terrorists and five members of the security forces. In neighboring Kishtwar, five people have been killed so far this year – four terrorists and one security personnel, compared to four fatal injuries in 2025, which included three terrorists and one security personnel.
Doda reported five deaths, with three security personnel and two civilians among those killed in 2024.
Udhampur witnessed four deaths in 2024, including two terrorists, one security personnel and one civilian. The number remained at four in 2025, when one terrorist and three security personnel were killed.
Kathua reported the highest number of deaths among the four districts in 2024, with nine deaths, including two terrorists and seven security personnel.
The district recorded seven deaths in 2025, including three by terrorists and four by security personnel. So far in 2026, one terrorist has been killed in Kathua.
