After eliminating one Pakistani terrorist on Friday morning, security forces took down two more in the Naidgam forests of Chatroo, Web Press Global. The deceased terrorists were identified as Saifullah, a commander of Jaish-e-Mohammad, along with Farman and Basha.

Each of the terrorists had a reward of ₹5 lakh on their heads. “An operation commenced in the area on April 9, where we first took out one terrorist in the morning, followed by two others later that day,” said a senior police officer as quoted in the Hindustan Times report.

Commando units from the elite 2, 5, and 9 Para of the Army, CRPF, and the Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police participated in the operation.

The anti-terror operations took place in the snow-laden mountains with thick forest cover. “The Army deployed helicopters to locate the fleeing terrorists,” added the officer.

A significant amount of arms, ammunition, and explosives was seized from the site of the encounter.

Brigadier JVS Rathi, the commander of the 5 Sector Assam Rifles, along with DIG Shridhar Patil of the Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban range, will update the media about the entire operation at the 5 Assam Rifles headquarters on Saturday.

Simultaneous anti-terror operations have also been initiated in Udhampur and Kishtwar districts to track down terrorists thought to be part of a larger group that has infiltrated through the international border in the Hiranagar sector of Kathua district recently.

During ongoing anti-terror operations, a trio of armed terrorists, believed to be from the Jaish-e-Mohammad group, intruded into a villager’s home in Basantgarh, Udhampur district, late Wednesday. The terrorists consumed food, took a mobile phone, clothing, shoes, a bag, and an umbrella prior to departing.

Earlier, on April 3, two terrorists had entered a residence in Udhampur’s Chore Panjwa-Khabbal area in Majalta block, held a family hostage, and forcibly took a mobile phone and food before leaving around 10 PM.

This is the same region where security forces had observed terrorists on April 3. The terrorists were first detected in a forest in Saniyal village of the Hiranagar sector on March 23.

Police and security forces have been monitoring the movements of the terrorists since that time. Two terrorists and four policemen lost their lives in an encounter on March 27 in the Sufain forest near Jakhole village, Kathua district.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Army breached the ceasefire along the Line of Control in the Keri Battal sector of Akhnoor in an effort to smuggle armed terrorists across the border. Alert troops thwarted the attempt.

During the heavy exchange of fire, a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) was severely injured. He was airlifted to a garrison hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

“At around 2115 hours (9:15 PM), the Pakistani Army fired small arms towards an Indian forward post in the Keri-Battal sector under Police Station Khour, Akhnoor, Jammu & Kashmir.

In response, the Indian Army retaliated by firing small arms towards the source of aggression,” officials reported.

During the exchange, JCO Kuldeep Singh received a bullet wound and subsequently lost his life due to his injuries.