Udhampur encounter: 1 dead and search for 3 other terrorists underway
In an encounter with security forces on Thursday, a JeM terrorist from Pakistan was killed and three of the other terrorists are still stranded in the Basantgarh belt's forested area.
Aadrika Tayal 
New Delhi (India) June 27: In the Udhampur district's forested Basantgarh area, security forces began a new search operation on Friday in an attempt to find three Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists who are said to be hiding after one of their companions was killed in an encounter on Thursday.
Officials reported that extra security forces, drones and sniffer dogs joined the operation when it restarted early this morning. The Army's Para Commandos encountered the terrorists after they were discovered hiding close to Karoor Nallah. They are still looking for the other three terrorists.
The White Knight Corps of the Army claimed that the terrorists were using caves and travelling through wooded areas to avoid discovery. According to officials, overground workers (OGWs) provided months of help to the gang. Recently, at least five OGWs were arrested for providing them with food and shelter.
According to sources, one of the JeM agents under suspicion is a local man who returned from Pakistan and is now thought to be helping infiltrators.
The Army's Para Commandos led a joint search mission that encountered the four terrorists who were hiding close to Karoor Nallah.
Haider, a Pakistani terrorist known by his code name Maulvi, was one of the terrorists killed in the incident.
Sources claim that security forces have been using drones and other surveillance devices to conduct overhead surveillance of the area in order to monitor militant movements. The militants have been constantly shifting their positions in an attempt to escape out of the security forces' zone.
According to Bhim Sen Tuti, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for the Jammu zone, the operation was started in response to certain intelligence information.
He said, “The search operation is still on. The situation will become clear after the weather clears. It is a group of four terrorists. We had been monitoring these terrorists for the past year.”
Since the yearly Amarnath Yatra is scheduled to start on July 3, security in the area has increased. According to Tuti, sufficient preparations are in place. He cautioned pilgrims to only go in official convoys from the Yatri Niwas base camp in Jammu.
Before the Yatra, which has historically been a top target for Pakistani terrorist organisations, security forces have practiced mock drills on the Jammu-Srinagar national route.
J&K Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha has announced that pilgrim registration for this year's Amarnath Yatra had decreased by more than 10% after the Pahalgam terror attack. This year, 180 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces 30 more than in prior years have been sent to secure the annual Amarnath Yatra in the Jammu division because of the ongoing danger.
The military forces on Thursday confronted the gang of four JeM militants from Pakistan in the Bihali district of Basantgarh. Terrorists are known to use Basantgarh as an infiltration route when they enter India from the Kathua International Border.
Aadrika Tayal
