Security forces killed two Pakistani terrorists of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit and detained a man allegedly working for them in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district in the intervening night of September 16-17, the Army said on Thursday, September 17.
This was the second major encounter in Udhampur district this year. Two Pakistani terrorists were killed in the Ramnagar forests in February. One of them was Rubani alias Abu Mavia, a self-styled commander who was active in the area for years.
The two dead Pakistani JeM terrorists killed on September 16-17 night were identified as Saddam and Mustafa, both Pakistani nationals, said Jammu and Kashmir Police in post on X. A US-made M4 carbine and an AK-series assault rifle, along with a large quantity of ammunition, were seized from the scene of the operation, a remote high-altitude area in the dense Brattal Sohan and Khubban forests of Majalta, bordering Kathua district, officials said.
The local man detained by the security forces is suspected to be an over-ground worker (OGW) of JeM, and he is being questioned, they said. The military operation was carried out amid heavy rain jointly by the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
“In a joint intelligence-based operation during the intervening night of September 16-17, confirmed inputs indicated the presence of terrorists in the general area of Brattal, Udhampur. Despite hostile weather, difficult terrain and poor visibility, troops of White Knight Corps, Police and CRPF launched a targeted counter-terrorism operation, resulting in the neutralisation of two terrorists,” said White Knight Corps of the Army said in a post on X.
Also read and WATCH: Headmaster assaulted by students at a school in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri; midday meal dispute behind incident
The Jammu-based section of the Army also said that the operation was “still in progress, with search and surveillance continuing in the area. Security forces remain deployed to track and neutralise any remaining threat”.
Police and security forces were looking for a group of terrorists after their movement was noticed in a forest area last week, and they cordoned off a particular area around 9 pm on Wednesday, September 16, following fresh inputs, said officials. They heard a few rounds of firing and blasts, and the terrorists opened heavy fire on Thursday morning as they tried to break the cordon.
Also read: Sanjay Dutt says he failed to learn Marathi despite spending 6 years in a jail in Maharashtra
In 2025, four terrorists and five security personnel were killed in separate encounters in Doda. Four terrorists and a security personnel were killed in the neighbouring Kishtwar district this year. Three terrorists and a security personnel were killed in Kishtwar district last year. Three security personnel and two civilians were killed there in 2024.
