Two Pakistani JeM Terrorists Killed in Udhampur Encounter in J&K; Search Operation Continues

Two Pakistani terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Majalta area of Udhampur district in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Thursday. Arms and ammunition were recovered from the slain terrorists.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday said that the two Pakistani Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists killed during Operation Soan had been identified as Saddam and Mustafa.

In a post on X, the J&K Police said, "You can run but you can't hide! Op Soan: The two neutralised Pakistani Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists have been identified as Saddam and Mustafa."

Police said arms and ammunition recovered from the terrorists included an AK assault rifle with four magazines, an M4 carbine with three magazines, a Glock pistol with two magazines and four grenades.

The encounter began late Wednesday evening after gunfire was heard in the Majalta area. Acting on specific intelligence regarding the presence of terrorists, security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.

The Indian Army's White Knight Corps said that two terrorists were killed in Brattal, Udhampur, during a joint operation conducted on the night of September 16-17 based on intelligence inputs. The operation remained ongoing, with search and surveillance activities continuing in the area.

Additional security forces have been deployed, and the search and cordon operation has been intensified. A joint team of the J&K Police and the Army's Para (Special Forces) is conducting search and surveillance operations to ascertain whether any other terrorists are present in the area.

Meanwhile, sources said the Army, Special Operations Group (SOG) and CRPF had been conducting continuous surveillance and search operations for the past few days following reports of the presence of a group of seven to eight terrorists in the area.

Three terrorists were reportedly trapped during a cordon-and-search operation in the Khuban area on Wednesday night.

During the ensuing encounter, security forces also used rocket launchers. Sources said two to three terrorists were suspected to have been killed during the operation that night.

Local Inputs Helped Security Forces

Meanwhile, Udhampur East MLA R.S. Pathania described the operation as a major success for the security forces and congratulated the Army, J&K Police, paramilitary forces, intelligence agencies and local residents.

Pathania said information provided by local residents regarding suspicious activities had also played an important role in the operation.

According to the MLA, security forces had received information about the presence of three terrorists in the area, and a search operation was underway to trace the third terrorist.

Further details are awaited as the search and surveillance operation continues.