JeM commander holed up in Kathua house, took family hostage before being shot after week-long hunt

On Friday afternoon, security agencies received fresh intelligence indicating Usman’s presence inside a house in Parhetar village.

• JeM commander Usman killed after week-long manhunt in Kathua, J&K
• Security forces rescued civilians used as human shields during the operation
• Three hideouts busted; M4 rifle recovered from slain terrorist

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A week-long manhunt in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district ended on Friday after a commander-level Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist was killed in a fierce gunbattle with security forces.

The slain terrorist, identified as Usman, a Pakistani national affiliated with JeM, had taken shelter inside a house in the village and used civilians as human shields before being neutralised by a joint team of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Indian Army and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

Providing details of the operation, Kathua Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mohita Sharma, on Friday, said the joint operation had been underway for over a week following multiple encounters and search operations in the forested areas of the district.

“The joint operation of J&K Police, Indian Army and CRPF was started. Today, the situation turned into a hostage situation, but our brave police jawans rescued the civilians, and a fierce gunbattle took place,” Sharma said.

#WATCH | Kathua, J&K | On a terrorist eliminated following a joint operation by J&K Police and the Indian army in the area of Parhetar, Kathua, SSP Kathua Mohita Sharma says, "After the encounter on the 7th, when he escaped, our search operation continued in this entire forest… pic.twitter.com/FCZJ0yL6FW

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According to the SSP, Usman had been active in the region since 2024 and was involved in at least six terror incidents, including the killing of civilians and security personnel. “He is a very dreaded terrorist, a commander-level operative of Jaish-e-Mohammed,” she said, adding that an M4 assault rifle was recovered from him.

Sharma said the terrorist had earlier managed to escape during an encounter earlier this month, prompting an extensive search operation across the forest belt. “After the encounter, when he escaped, our search operation continued in the entire forest area. During this operation, there was a major contact with him, and three hideouts were busted,” she said.

The hideouts included natural caves and one man-made structure, all of which were used by the terrorist to evade security forces.

On Friday afternoon, security agencies received fresh intelligence indicating Usman’s presence inside a house in Parhetar village.

"We received another specific input around 1 pm stating that he was in a house and had taken some civilians hostage. We immediately moved our party there, and our CRPF and Army personnel were also with us, forming a cordon," Sharma said.

A small team of Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel was then tasked with entering the house after safely evacuating the civilians. "Our party first evacuated the civilians and then went straight into the house. It turned into a full-blown combat situation, and he fired first from inside," the SSP said.

“As soon as we entered, our party displayed exceptional bravery, the kind of bravery for which the JKP is famous throughout the country and the world, in snatching his weapon and shooting him,” she added.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Jammu-Samba-Kathua (JSK) Range, Shiv Kumar Sharma, described the operation as a major success and credited local residents for sharing timely intelligence.

“This is a great achievement for the Kathua police. The most important thing is that the people of the Bilawar area are becoming more alert. They are providing information, and this action was taken based on timely input,” the DIG said, speaking to reporters on Saturday.

He said Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed modules have been attempting to step up activities in the Jammu region. “The Jaish group operating from the enemy country is carrying out activities in Jammu, Kathua and Samba....whether drone activity or infiltration attempts. Our coordination is aimed at thwarting all such efforts,” he said.

“All our forces are working in coordination so that any such incident can be neutralised. If we receive information about terrorists, we are fully capable and prepared to deal with it,” the DIG added.