Bodies retrieved; M4 carbine, AK-47, pistol, grenades recovered
Udhampur, Sep 17: Two Pakistani Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists were killed and a suspected over-ground worker was detained during a joint intelligence-based counter-terrorism operation in the Brattal area of Udhampur district on Thursday.
An official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the ‘Operation Sohan,’ was launched jointly by the Army, Jammu & Kashmir Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the Brattal-Sohan and Khubban areas of Majalta this morning amid heavy rainfall, difficult mountainous terrain and poor visibility.
He said, “Security forces had been tracking the movement of a suspected terrorist group in the dense forest belt for the past several days. Following fresh intelligence inputs, the area was cordoned off around 9 pm on Wednesday, after which contact was established with the terrorists. Intermittent firing and explosions were heard after the operation began. Following a lull during the night, the encounter resumed on Thursday morning when the terrorists opened fire while attempting to break the security cordon.”
Jammu and Kashmir Police in a post on X said, “You can run but you can’t hide!” “The two Pakistani terrorists of Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit have been neutralised during Op Sohan and identified as Saddam and Mustafa,” it posted. “An AK Assault Rifle (with 4 magazines); M4 Carbine (with 3 magazines); a Glock Pistol (with 2 magazines) and four grenades have been recovered from them,” the post added.
The official said the bodies of both terrorists were subsequently retrieved from an area covered with thick vegetation and difficult hilly terrain.
Meanwhile, security forces also detained a local youth, suspected of being an over-ground worker. “He is being questioned in connection with the operation,” said an official.
In a post on X, the White Knight Corps said, that the operation, code-named “Operation Sohan,” was launched during the intervening night of September 16 and 17 after confirmed inputs about the presence of terrorists in the general area of Brattal.
“Despite hostile weather, difficult terrain and poor visibility, troops of White Knight Corps, Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF launched a targeted counter-terrorism operation, resulting in the neutralisation of two terrorists,” it said.
It said the operation is still in progress, with search and surveillance operations underway in the area to track any remaining threat.
Security forces have maintained their deployment in the area and are conducting searches of the surrounding forest and mountainous terrain to rule out the presence of any other terrorists, the official added. (KNO)
