Top JeM terrorist killed in Kathua encounter as security forces intensify operations

A top Pakistani terrorist affiliated with the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) was killed in an encounter with security forces in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir on January 23 , marking a significant breakthrough in counter-terror operations in the Jammu region.

Police identified the slain militant as Usman alias Abu Maviya , a senior JeM commander who had been active in the Udhampur–Kathua belt for nearly two years after infiltrating from across the border.

Inspector General of Police, Jammu range, Bhim Sen Tuti , said the terrorist was neutralised during a joint operation by the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the Army and the CRPF in the general area of Billawar .

“Acting on specific intelligence inputs, a joint operation was launched in the Parhetar area. During the search, contact was established and one foreign terrorist was eliminated in a precise strike,” the Army’s Rising Star Corps said.

A large cache of arms and ammunition, including an M4 automatic rifle , was recovered from the encounter site. Officials said the terrorist had escaped several earlier operations, including encounters on January 7 and 13 in the Kahog and Najote forest areas.

The encounter occurred when a joint search party raided a suspected hideout in a remote village of the Parhetar area and came under fire from the hiding militant. The forces retaliated swiftly, killing him in close combat. The exchange of fire lasted only a few minutes, officials said.

Meanwhile, security forces continued their anti-terror operation in the Chatroo forest belt of Kishtwar district for the sixth consecutive day, where three JeM terrorists are believed to be hiding. The operation, codenamed Operation Trashi-I , has continued despite snowfall and extremely difficult terrain.

The latest encounter follows a broader counter-terror drive launched across forest belts of the Jammu region in December last year to flush out nearly three dozen holed-up terrorists.

Security agencies said that apart from JeM and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) , several other terrorist outfits and their proxy fronts remain active in the Union Territory. These include older groups such as Hizbul Mujahideen and Al-Badr , as well as smaller global jihadist-linked organisations like Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Islamic State–Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK) .

In recent years, Pakistan-based handlers have increasingly relied on front organisations including The Resistance Front (TRF) , People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF) , United Liberation Front J&K (ULFJ) , Ghaznavi Force and Lashkar-e-Jabbar to mask involvement and evade international scrutiny.

Security forces have further intensified surveillance and area domination in the run-up to Republic Day to ensure peaceful celebrations and prevent any attempts at disruption.