Operation underway in J&K's Kathua to neutralise terrorists found hiding in nursery

Jammu: An encounter ensued on Sunday after security forces confronted a group of terrorists hiding in a dense nursery after infiltrating from across the border in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

The intense firing between the two sides lasted for over half an hour in the evening, they said.

The officials said the operation was launched following an intelligence input regarding the presence of terrorists inside a 'dhok' — a local term for an enclosure — located within the nursery in Sanyal village, approximately five kilometres from the International Border with Pakistan.

A police team from the Special Operations Group initiated a search operation after receiving the input and when the personnel entered the area, they came under heavy fire from the terrorists, leading to a gunfight.

Reinforcements were swiftly dispatched to aid in the operation, as a manhunt was launched to apprehend the terrorists, believed to have infiltrated on Saturday via either the ravine route or through a newly created tunnel.

Despite the intense exchange of fire lasting nearly half an hour, there has been no report of any casualty, the officials said, adding that the cordon has been strengthened with the help of the additional forces.

One of the inputs also suggested that two groups of 5-6 terrorists each infiltrated on Saturday.

According to the officials, some village women collecting firewood reported seeing around five terrorists who had sought refuge in the expansive nursery area.

A seven-year-old girl sustained minor injuries and was shifted to a local hospital. However, the circumstances leading to her injury were not clear immediately.

Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat is personally monitoring the operations, the officials said.

Army's Rising Star Corps (IX Corps) said in a post on X that a joint operation involving police forces and Army troops is currently in progress in the Sanyal Hiranagar area based on the intelligence input regarding the presence of terrorists.

Anita Devi (48) said heavily armed terrorists caught hold of her husband when they had gone to the nursery to collect firewood.

"The terrorists were holding my husband at gunpoint and also asked me to come near. But my husband signalled me to escape and I started running away. One of the terrorists tried to stop me but in vain as I started shouting, which attracted the attention of two more persons who were cutting grass," Devi told PTI.

She said the incident occurred around 4.30 pm and all of them returned home and informed police.

There were five of them and they had beards, Devi said.

District Development Councillor Karan Kumar also said heavy gunfire was heard in the region.

"An atmosphere of fear has gripped the village due to the presence of terrorists. We heard around 250 rounds of intense gunfire," Kumar said, adding security forces have encircled the area to flush out the terrorists.

Kathua has emerged as a major infiltrating route for Pakistan-based terrorists to reach the higher reaches of Udhampur, Doda and Kishtwar districts and further to Kashmir over the past year, which is evident from a series of terror incidents.

After carrying out deadly attacks in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch over the past four years, terror activities spread to six other districts in the Jammu region in 2024, leaving a total of 44 people, including 18 security personnel and 13 terrorists, dead.

Though the Pir Panjal districts of Rajouri and Poonch witnessed a considerable drop in terror activities in 2024 compared to the previous years, the series of incidents in Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar, Kathua, Udhampur and Jammu from April-May onwards last year came as a concern for the security agencies.

To counter the threat and thwart the attempts of Pakistan-based terror handlers to spread terrorism to peaceful areas, the officials said, the security forces have started relentless operations.

According to official data, Doda, Kathua and Reasi districts recorded nine killings each followed by Kishtwar (five), Udhampur (four), Jammu and Rajouri (three each), and Poonch (two) in 2024. Those killed included 18 security personnel and 13 terrorists.

Earlier this month, Kathua was rocked by protests after the mysterious death of five people in the remote Billawar tehsil.

The bodies of 15-year-old Varun Singh, his paternal uncle Yogesh Singh (32) and maternal uncle Darshan Singh (40) were found in the Ishu nullah in the remote Malhar area in the higher reaches of Kathua on March 8. They had gone missing on March 5 while attending a wedding ceremony.

On February 16, the bodies of Shamsher (37) and Roshan (45) were found in Kohag village in Billawar. The post-mortem examination revealed that they were strangulated.