Security forces on Wednesday stepped up an ongoing search operation by extending the cordon to track down and neutralise terrorists in the remote forested areas of Kathua district, officials said.
The operation was launched on Tuesday in the Najote forest area of Billawar tehsil following specific inputs about the presence of a terrorist. Several gunshots were heard when security forces moved in to sanitise the area.
However, there was no direct contact between the terrorist and the security forces. Fresh intelligence inputs suggest that the suspect managed to escape the initial cordon by taking advantage of the treacherous terrain and darkness, officials said.
According to officials, the terrorist allegedly took food from a shepherd in a nearby area around midnight before moving deeper into the forest.
Reinforcements have since been deployed in multiple directions, and more than a dozen villages around Najote have been cordoned off as part of the expanded operation to track down the terrorist and any possible associates.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) also launched a separate cordon-and-search operation in Jakhole Baira and adjoining villages in the Rajbagh area after a local resident reported suspicious movement of two persons near his cattle shed.
“No trace of the suspicious persons has been found so far,” officials said.
With Republic Day approaching, security has been tightened across the Jammu region, particularly in border villages and high-altitude areas, to thwart any terrorist activity.
Officials said frequent drone intrusions from across the border over the past few days have emerged as a major security concern, prompting the deployment of additional forces at vulnerable locations.
Intensified patrolling, area domination exercises and night surveillance are being conducted to prevent infiltration attempts or airdropping of arms and narcotics, officials added.
