Renewed Clashes Erupt Between Security Forces and Militants in Kathua, J&K

Jammu, March 27 (NationPress) Following extensive search operations over the past four days, renewed firing broke out on Thursday between joint security forces and militants in the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Officials reported, “Contact has been re-established with the militants in the forested region of Sufain under Police Station Rajbagh in Kathua. Security forces initiated a search operation early in the morning. Initial assessments indicate that firing continues.”

Initial searches began in the village of Sanyal, located in Hiranagar Tehsil, and subsequently expanded to nearby areas as the militants had not responded to the speculative firing from security personnel after the initial gunfire exchange on Sunday.

A local woman informed authorities on Tuesday that two individuals in Army attire requested water while dining in the vicinity.

This led to a lockdown of the area. Security was heightened along the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway within the Samba-Kathua segment, with increased surveillance on border routes, as reported by officials.

The search operation spanned multiple locations from Sanyal to Ding Amb and beyond, covering several kilometers.

This operation, which involves the Army, NSG, BSF, police, Special Operation Group, and CRPF, is equipped with advanced technical and surveillance gear, supported by helicopters, UAVs, drones, bulletproof vehicles, and sniffer dogs.

Security agencies have interviewed several individuals in various locations and detained three suspects for questioning, officials noted.

During the Tuesday operation, security forces uncovered two grenades. The tracksuits discovered among a large cache of ammunition and other materials in the Sanyal forests matched those worn by the four Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) terrorists eliminated in the Assar forests and Doda in June and August of the previous year.

Local residents have joined the operation alongside security forces, urging those in other regions to remain alert and report any sightings of suspicious individuals.

Many village leaders have called on the community to provide information regarding the movement of terrorists in their vicinity.

The operation, directed by the Director General of J&K Police Nalin Prabhat, commenced on Sunday evening in the Hiranagar sector following a confrontation between security forces and militants hiding in a nursery.

The police's Special Operations Group initiated the mission after receiving intelligence about terrorists hiding inside a 'dhok' (local enclosure) in a nursery located in Sanyal village, approximately five kilometers from the International Border with Pakistan, officials stated.

The concealed militants fired upon the police team, triggering a gunfight that lasted over thirty minutes. Additional support was quickly dispatched as a manhunt commenced for the terrorists believed to have infiltrated on Saturday via a ravine route or a newly constructed tunnel. Initial exchanges of fire resulted in no casualties, and the area remained under strict security overnight before forces moved in at dawn, officials reported.

Although no further engagements with the militants occurred, search teams on Monday discovered four loaded M4 carbine magazines, two grenades, a bulletproof vest, sleeping bags, tracksuits, and several food packets.

The International Border between India and Pakistan runs through the district, and historically, terrorists have attempted to cross into India from this side.

Recently in Kathua, three civilians—Darshan Singh, 40, Yogesh Singh, 32, and Varun Singh, 14—went missing on March 5 while returning from a wedding in Marhoon village.

Their remains were found on March 8 near a waterfall's edge in a wooded area after a comprehensive search involving the Army, police, drones, and sniffer dogs.

“The heinous killing of three relatives by terrorists in the Bani area of Kathua is profoundly tragic and concerning,” stated Union Minister Jitendra Singh in a post on X.

In response to the incident, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan visited Jammu on March 9 to chair a high-level security meeting regarding the safety and security of the upcoming Amarnath Yatra beginning on July 3 and the inauguration of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL).

The Home Secretary emphasized the security landscape in the Jammu division, providing detailed directives on the overall security situation in the Union Territory.

Initially limited to the Poonch and Rajouri districts, terrorist activity has expanded to other regions of Jammu, including areas that were previously less affected, such as the Chenab Valley, once declared free of militancy, along with Udhampur and Kathua. Highly trained terrorists have previously ambushed vehicles and utilized grenades and armor-piercing ammunition, as well as M4 assault rifles.

Sources indicate that the sophisticated weaponry employed by terrorists signifies a considerable escalation in the level of threat.

Analysts observe that the Pir Panjal region, which separates the Kashmir Valley from Jammu, has experienced a rise in militancy over the past few years, as counter-terror operations in Kashmir have driven militants to the mountains, where they await the opportune moment to launch attacks on security forces.