J&K: Search on to track down three Jaish terrorists in Udhampur
After an overnight cordon, security forces resumed their search operations to track down three Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists in Basantgarh area of Udhampur district on Friday morning, said officials. On Thursday, security forces had gunned down Jaish commander Haider, alias Maulvi, hailing from Pakistan. A Jaish terrorist was killed in an encounter in Udhampur on Thursday. (PTI)
'Three of his associates remain trapped in a forest in Basantgarh. Security forces launched a fresh search operation with the first light this morning,' said a senior police officer. He informed that the forces were using drones and sniffer dogs to trace the three terrorists.
Jammu zone's inspector general of police (IGP) Bhim Sen Tuti, while talking to mediapersons, said, 'The search operation faced challenges due to poor weather on Thursday. The weather has now improved in the area. An operation is underway. This group consisted of four terrorists. One of them has been neutralised and the search is on to track down the remaining ones,' he said.
On Thursday, the IGP had said that the security forces had been tracking this Jaish group for the past year. The four terrorists were found hiding near Karur Nullah and were engaged by the joint search party led by the army's para commandos, resulting in the encounter.
Basantgarh has been a transit route for Pakistani terrorists, who crossed the international border from Kathua-Samba sector to move into Doda region and further to Kashmir. These terrorists are helped with logistics, food and shelter by the overground workers (OGWs). Five OGWs have been arrested in the past few months in the belt for providing food and shelter to terrorists. The area has witnessed several encounters and terror incidents in the past.
On April 25, havaldar Jhantu Ali Shaikh of the army's 6 PARA was killed in an encounter with terrorists in the Basantgarh area. On April 9, an encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists in the Jopher-Marta belt of Basantgarh. On September 11 last year, two terrorists affiliated with the JeM were killed in an encounter in the upper reaches of Basantgarh. A CRPF inspector was killed in another encounter with terrorists at Dudu on August 19, 2024. On July 11, 2024, the Sang police post in Udhampur's Basantgarh came under attack by terrorists but was foiled by alert cops. On April 28, 2024, a village defence guard, Mohammad Sharief, was killed in an encounter with terrorists in Basantgarh.
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