Intense Anti-Terror Operation in Kathua, J

In an intense and ongoing anti-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, a police officer sustained injuries during a fresh gunfight on Thursday with suspected militants. The area has been the focus of security forces for the past four days as an intensive search operation continues, officials have confirmed. The latest encounter broke out early Thursday when security forces encountered the terrorists near Jakhole village in Ghati Juthana, Rajbagh, approximately 30 kilometers from the site of a previous skirmish in the Hiranagar sector on Sunday. According to officials, additional forces were quickly deployed, and the exchange of fire persisted as of the latest reports. Authorities suspect these militants belong to the same group that managed to escape after a brief, yet intense, firefight in Hiranagar on Sunday evening. This encounter occurred when a Special Operations Group (SOG) of the police initiated action based on intelligence inputs suggesting the presence of terrorists sheltering in a 'dhok'—an enclosure common to nurseries in Sanyal village near the border with Pakistan. Deploying substantial manpower and resources, including the police, army, NSG, BSF, CRPF, as well as various surveillance assets like helicopters, UAVs, drones, and sniffer dogs, security forces are focusing their efforts on locating the militants who purportedly entered Indian territory last Saturday, possibly through a ravine route or an illicit tunnel from Pakistan. The ongoing search has expanded, with particular emphasis on paths leading to the Billawar forest. Security forces have recently achieved a breakthrough by tracing the militants, authorities reported. On Monday, search teams recovered four loaded magazines of an M4 carbine, two grenades, a bulletproof jacket, sleeping bags, tracksuits, consumables, and components for improvised explosive devices at the Hiranagar encounter site. Jammu and Kashmir’s Director General of Police, Nalin Prabhat, has been on the ground in Kathua, actively directing the anti-terror operations alongside Inspector General of Police (Jammu Zone), Bhim Sen Tuti, over these past activities indicating strong leadership and coordination in this critical security situation.