Two Jaish Terrorists, Holed Up in Cave, Neutralised by Security Forces in J&K's Udhampur

BREAKING News: Two terrorists, suspected to be associated with the banned terror organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), were neutralised in an ongoing encounter in the Basantgarh area of Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district on Wednesday, February 4. A joint operation by security forces is still underway. The two terrorists were holed up inside a natural cave in the Udhampur district, with no exchange of fire reported during the night, officials said on Wednesday.The terrorists were located inside the cave by joint search teams of the Army, police and the CRPF in the Jaffer forest area of Ramnagar around 4 pm on Tuesday, triggering an intense gunfight that lasted for more than an hour. According to them, one of the terrorists was hit during the encounter but

managed to retreat into the natural cave along with his accomplice.A fresh exchange of fire and deafening explosions rocked the area around 7.30 pm when the terrorists attempted to flee under the cover of darkness, the officials said, adding Army reinforcements, including paratroopers and dog squads, were rushed in to further tighten the cordon.The night passed without any firing, and the security forces maintained a tight vigil over the area, particularly around the cave, using drones for surveillance, the officials said.Earlier today, they started preparation to launch the final assault on the cave to flush out the hiding terrorists who refused to come out and surrender.The operation in the vast forest area started early Monday following information about movement of suspected terrorists affiliated with Pakistan-based JeM, they said.The officials said the cordon around the location was strengthened further to ensure that the terrorists are not able to flee the area by taking advantage of the darkness and thick foliage.This was the second encounter in Udhampur since December 15 when a policeman was killed at Soan village. However, the terrorists had managed to escape taking advantage of thick foliage and darkness.A series of encounters – three in Kathua district and four in Chatroo forest belt in Kishtwar – also occurred in January, resulting in the killing of JeM terrorist Usman of Pakistan in Kathua and a paratrooper in Kishtwar amid intensified operations to hunt down terrorists hiding in the upper reaches of Jammu region.(This is a breaking news. More details are awaited)