Security forces on Tuesday launched cordon-and-search operations across the upper reaches of Kishtwar, Doda and Poonch districts in Jammu and Kashmir after intelligence inputs flagged the possible movement of terror suspects, according to a report by Times of India.
Official sources told Times of India that two groups of Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists, each comprising two to three ultras, were believed to be moving through forested areas that have seen multiple encounters in recent months.
Drones, sniffer dogs deployed in forest belts
“Acting on inputs about the presence of suspected terrorists in Doda–Kishtwar forests, security forces launched an anti-terror operation in the Keshwan–Chatroo valley. Drones were roped in for aerial surveillance,” an official source told Times of India.
Army personnel also carried out search operations at Khanetar Top along the Line of Control in Poonch and adjoining areas after suspicious movements were reported. The troops were supported by aerial surveillance assets and sniffer dogs, officials said.
Why the region remains sensitive
The fresh operations come against the backdrop of sustained militant activity in the Kishtwar–Chatroo belt, which has emerged as a recurring flashpoint despite intensified counter-terror measures. On November 5, a gun battle broke out between troops and terrorists in the Kalaban forests of Chatroo in Kishtwar.
The district has recorded as many as six encounters in the past seven months, underlining the persistence of militant networks in difficult, heavily forested terrain. On December 15, an SOG jawan was killed in a gunfight in Udhampur district’s Sohan village.
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