Daijiworld Media Network - Jammu
Jammu, Jan 7: An encounter erupted on Wednesday evening between security forces and suspected terrorists in the hilly terrain of Billawar in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, officials said.
The exchange of fire began in Kahog village of Billawar tehsil after security forces launched a search operation based on specific intelligence inputs suggesting the presence of two to three terrorists in the area. As the forces closed in, the operation escalated into an encounter.
Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone, Bhim Sen Tuti, confirmed the development through a post on X, stating that the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Kathua had engaged terrorists in the forested stretch of Kamadh Nullah.
Officials said preliminary inputs indicate that the militants involved could include the same terrorist who was reportedly spotted earlier in the day in a nearby area. To prevent any escape, additional security personnel have been rushed to the location, and the cordon has been strengthened.
The situation remains fluid, and further details are awaited as the operation continues.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to chair a high-level security review meeting on Jammu and Kashmir in New Delhi on January 8. The meeting will focus on counter-terror operations in higher reaches, maintaining zero infiltration along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB), along with other key security concerns.
Security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir have intensified coordinated operations against terrorists, their overground workers (OGWs), sympathisers, drug traffickers, and those involved in hawala networks. The strategy aims to dismantle the entire terror ecosystem by targeting logistical, financial, and support structures, not just armed militants.
As part of this crackdown, police have also been attaching properties belonging to terrorists, OGWs, and their associates under legal provisions, including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Such properties are seized after court approval, once they are established to have been acquired through terror-linked funding.