Search operation to track down the three remaining militants in Udhampur forests continued on day two after Thursday’s fierce encounter in which a top JeM commander was killed, officials said on Friday.
A Pakistan-based JeM commander was killed while his three associates remain trapped in the forest belt of the Basantgarh area.
More reinforcements have been rushed to the spot, including the deployment of the Sniffer dogs, drones to further strengthen the grid, they said.
This particular group had been tracked for more than a year by the security forces.
The contact was established after a joint search operation was launched by the army and Jammu and Kashmir police, along with the Central reserve police forces, on Thursday near the remote Bihali area of Basantgarh on Thursday morning, they said.
The group was hiding near Karoor Nallah and was fiercely engaged by the Army’s Para Commandos, who had closed in on the location from various positions.
The militant killed in the encounter has been identified as Haider, alias Moulvi, from Pakistan.
Meanwhile, on April 25, Ali Sheikh of the Army’s 6 Para was killed in an encounter in the same Basantgarh area. Before that, on April 9, militants and security forces had an engagement in a fierce confrontation in the Jopher-Marta belt of Basantgarh in Udhampur district.
The militants on April 28, 2024, shot dead village defence guard Mohammad Sharief during a brief exchange as he tried to confront the militants.
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