Although three back-to-back encounters took place in different parts of Jammu over the past week, the first terrorist of 2026 was killed in a brief gun battle in the Billawar area of Kathua district on Friday.
The slain terrorist, identified as Usman of the proscribed terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad, was a Pakistani national and was part of a group of terrorists spotted in the area last week, when three hideouts were busted.
The killed terrorist Usman had managed to sneak into this side of the border in the year 2020 and was active in the higher Kathua, Udhampur, and Doda districts of Jammu province.
During recent encounters in Udhampur, Kishtwar, and Kathua districts, terrorists managed to escape after brief gun battles with security forces.
Reports said that, acting on specific intelligence inputs, a small team of the Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP), in coordination with the Army and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), launched a targeted operation in the area. During the operation, the terrorist, who was moving alone with his weapon, was engaged and eliminated.
T-106
— IGP Jammu (@igp_jammu) January 23, 2026
A Pakistani Jaish terrorist has been neutralised by a small JKP team in a joint operation with the Army and CRPF in the general area of Billawar, Kathua district.
Sources said one terrorist has been neutralised and an M4 rifle has been recovered from the site of the encounter. The slain terrorist was reportedly roaming alone in the area, carrying the weapon.
"A Pakistani Jaish terrorist has been neutralised by a small JKP team in a joint operation with the Army and CRPF in the general area of Billawar, Kathua district," IGP Jammu Bhim Sen Tuti posted on his official social media handle.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs, Joint Operation was launched by Army, Police and CRPF on 23 Jan 26 in general area Parhetar, #Kathua. Area was Cordoned and contact established. In a precise strike by the joint forces, 1 Foreign Terrorist has been eliminated. Search… pic.twitter.com/n4Xn2GihKH
— Rising Star Corps_IA (@RisingStarCorps) January 23, 2026
According to the Army's Rising Star Corps, one foreign terrorist was eliminated during a joint operation by the security forces in Kathua district.
"Acting on specific intelligence inputs, a joint operation was launched by the Army, Police and CRPF on January 23, 2026, in the general area of Parhetar in Kathua. The area was cordoned off and contact was established. In a precise strike by the joint forces, one foreign terrorist has been eliminated. Search operations are continuing," the Rising Star Corps posted on its official social media handle.
Three hideouts were busted last week
It is important to mention that three terrorist hideouts of the Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit were busted by police and other security forces in Kathua district last week.
Acting on intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorist elements in the forest regions of Kamaad Nallah, Kalaban, and Dhanu Parole in the Billawar area, joint teams had launched search operations.
During these operations, terrorists opened fire on the security forces, leading to exchanges of fire that lasted throughout the night.
Police said two empty M4 cartridges, a plastic box containing desi ghee, a polythene packet of almonds, gloves, a cap, a blanket, a tarpaulin sheet, a small pouch and a polythene bag were recovered from the first hideout.
From the other two hideouts, security forces recovered a cooking gas cylinder, cooking oil, charger wire, gloves, cooking and eating utensils, an empty oil gallon, large plastic bags, a torch, blankets, a container, and wrappers of eatables, among other miscellaneous items, police said.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kathua, Mohita Sharma, confirmed that the search operation is ongoing.
Sources said a group of Pakistani terrorists affiliated with the Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit is roaming in the Billawar forest belt.
