Violence in J & K

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

Eight soldiers injured in encounter with terrorists in J-K​

Source: PTI
January 18, 2026 23:21 IST
Eight soldiers of the Army were injured in a gunfight with terrorists in a remote forested area in the upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district on Sunday, officials said.

IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted only for representational image. Photograph: ANI Photo
The intense exchange of fire between the two sides lasted several hours before the guns fell silent. Reinforcements have been deployed to strengthen the cordon and neutralise the terrorists, the officials said.

The operation, which the Army's Jammu-based White Knight Corps has named 'Operation Trashi-I,' began around noon.
In a post on X, the White Knight Corps said the security forces came in contact with the terrorists in the general area of Sonnar, northeast of Chatroo, during a search operation conducted as part of ongoing joint counter-terror exercises along with the Jammu and Kashmir Police.

Who fired indiscriminately and also lobbed a few grenades in an attempt to break the cordon.
The troops retaliated, and reinforcements from the army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and police were rushed to further tighten the cordon. There was intermittent firing between the two sides till 5.40 pm, the officials said.
Eight soldiers were injured and evacuated to the hospital. Most of them suffered splinter injuries in the grenade blast, the officials said, adding that a massive search operation is on to track and neutralise the terrorists.
Advanced surveillance equipment, including drones and sniffer dogs, has been deployed to speed up the operation.
This is the third encounter between the security forces and terrorists in the Jammu region this year. Encounters broke out in Kahog and Najote forests in the Billawar area of Kathua district on January 7 and 13, respectively.
On December 15 last year, a police officer was killed in an encounter with terrorists at Soan village in the Majalta area of Udhampur district. The terrorists managed to escape, taking advantage of thick foliage and darkness.
The encounters followed a major counter-terrorist operation launched in the forest belts of the Jammu region in December last year to flush out nearly three dozen holed-up terrorists.
Operations have been further intensified in the run-up to Republic Day to ensure peaceful celebrations amid intelligence inputs about desperate attempts by Pakistan-based handlers to push more terrorists, the officials said.
Source: PTI -

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

In a significant breakthrough in counter-terror operations, security forces on Friday eliminated a top Pakistani terrorist linked to the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit in an encounter in the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, the police said.

IMAGE: Security personnel conduct a search operation ahead of the 77th Republic Day in Kathua near Jammu, in Jammu and Kashmir, January 22, 2026. Photograph: ANI Photo
Inspector General of Police, Jammu Range, Bhim Sen Tuti, said the terrorist was gunned down during a joint operation in the general area of Billawar.
"A Pakistani Jaish terrorist has been neutralised by a small JKP (J-K police) team in a joint operation with the Army and CRPF in the general area of Billawar," the Jammu police chief said in a post on X.

Officials identified the deceased terrorist as JeM commander Usman, alias "Abu Maviya." They said that a large quantity of arms and ammunition, including an M4 automatic rifle, was recovered from him during the operation in a remote village in the Parhetar area.

Key Points

• The slain terrorist has been identified as Jaish commander Usman alias 'Abu Maviya.'
• Usman had escaped several encounters in the past, the latest being on January 7 and 13 in Kahog and Najote forests, respectively
• Security forces continued their anti-terror operation to hunt down three Jaish terrorists in Sonnar, Mandral-Singhpora, and adjoining forest areas the Chatroo belt of Kistwar

"Acting on specific intelligence inputs, Joint Operation was launched by the Army and Police on 23 Jan in the general area of Parhetar. The area was cordoned, and contact was established. In a precise strike by the joint forces, 1 (one) foreign terrorist has been eliminated," the Army's Rising Star Corps said in a separate post on X.
It said the search operations are continuing when the last reports were received.
The officials said Usman was one of the most wanted JeM terrorists active in the Udhampur-Kathua belt for the last couple of years after infiltrating into this side from across the border.
He had escaped several encounters in the past, the latest being on January 7 and 13 in Kahog and Najote forests, respectively, they said.
The officials said that the joint search party raided a house but came under fire from a hiding terrorist late this afternoon. The search parties reacted swiftly and shot him dead in close combat.
The encounter lasted for a few minutes only, the officials said, terming the killing of the dreaded terrorist a major breakthrough for the security forces.
Meanwhile, security forces continued their anti-terror operation to hunt down three JeM terrorists in Sonnar, Mandral-Singhpora, and adjoining forest areas in the Chatroo belt of Kistwar district for the sixth day on Friday.
The operation was continued despite snowfall in the area, the officials said.
Named by the Army as 'Operation Trashi-I,' the operation was launched in the area on Sunday, leading to a gunfight that left one paratrooper dead and seven soldiers injured, primarily due to splinter injuries caused by a sudden grenade attack from the hiding terrorists.
After four days of lull, another encounter took place between the holed-up terrorists and security forces on Thursday, but success eluded the forces as the terrorists managed their escape, taking advantage of thick vegetation and challenging topography.
A major terrorist hideout was busted during the operation on Monday.
The encounters followed a major counter-terrorist operation launched in the forest belts of the Jammu region in December last year to flush out nearly three dozen holed-up terrorists.
Operations have been further intensified in the run-up to Republic Day to ensure peaceful celebrations, amid intelligence inputs about desperate attempts by Pakistan-based handlers to push more terrorists, the officials said.
Source: PTI 24-01-2026

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

Operation Trashi-I: After days of pursuit, security forces kill a Jaish man in Kishtwar. The hunt is on for 2 others; rugged terrain, the terrorists’ reliance on human intel, and villages that take days to reach are among the challenges security forces are navigating.​

Feb 5, 2026 05:50 PM IST

Of the 10 districts in the Jammu region, Kishtwar was never declared militancy-free and is believed to be home to Jammu and Kashmir's longest surviving militant, Mohammad Amin alias Jahangir Saroori.(Express File Photo)
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On January 18, an Army Havildar was killed and seven soldiers were injured when terrorists, taking positions at a height in dense forests, opened fire on approaching search parties and fled. Since then, security forces, the J&K Police, and the CRPF have been running Operation Trashi-I to look for at least three JeM men.
In a significant success, security forces had also smashed a meticulously built underground hideout and seized a huge quantity of ration stores—a cooking gas cylinder, packets of instant noodles, rice, and vegetables—though the terrorists managed to escape at the time.
At 5:45 pm on Wednesday, security forces once again established contact in Dichhar and this time managed to kill one of the terrorists in an encounter.
The three-member Jaish module led by a Pakistani national, Saifullah, has been on the radar of the security forces for more than a year now.
Security officials say that Kishtwar’s rugged topography and hard-to-reach villages make the operation challenging. Commenting on the recent findings inside the fortified high-altitude hideout, a senior police officer said, “It was not the rice or Maggi packets found inside the hideout that surprised us. What alarmed us was the presence of fresh vegetables. It indicates an elaborate network of sympathizers, supplying them with daily essentials.”
Kishtwar is a vast district marked by rugged, steep terrain, dense forests, and deep gorges. Half as large as the Kashmir Valley, it connects with the Anantnag district in the Valley on one side and the Doda district of Jammu on the other.
In the northeast, it borders the Zanskar region of Kargil, and on the other side, the Chamb area of Himachal Pradesh. The regions are linked by mountainous routes, cutting through high-altitude dense forests that span nearly 2,000 square kilometers of the district.

“Some of the villages are so far off that it takes two days to reach on foot,” said an army officer. “These terrorists don’t use cell phones and hence leave no digital footprints. We have to rely on human intelligence. By the time it reaches us and we launch the operation, they often slip out of the area.”

Kishtwar’s history​

Of the 10 districts in the Jammu region, Kishtwar was never declared militancy-free and is believed to be home to Jammu and Kashmir’s longest surviving militant, Mohammad Amin, alias Jahangir Saroori. Saroori has escaped the security radar for almost three and a half decades, and security officials attribute it to his large network of overground workers (OGWs) and his hideouts in the thick, forested, mountainous caves of Kishtwar.
Police officials say that while there are no concrete inputs that the Saifullah group is in contact with Saroori, access to his vast network of hideouts can’t be ruled out.
Police officials say two groups of Pakistani insurgents—each having three to four members—moved into Kishtwar in the middle of 2024. While three of them were killed after a year’s pursuit in the Chatroo area in April 2025, the other group has dodged the security forces so far.

In January, security forces launched a major offensive on both sides of the Pir Panjal mountains that connect the Kashmir Valley to Poonch and Rajouri on one side and Kishtwar and Doda on the other to dislodge the Jaish group. The administration also banned trekking in the mountainous regions connecting the valley with Kishtwar.
On January 18, the joint team of forces established contact with the Jaish group at Sonnar village in Chatroo. A special forces paratrooper was killed and six soldiers were injured in the gunfight, while the Jaish insurgents managed to escape. Over the next 12 days, the security forces continued to chase the terrorist group, establishing contact with them three more times. On January 31, the last time the contact was established in the snow-bound dense forests, three soldiers were injured.
A senior police officer said that since the Pakistani terrorists stay away from the urban populations and mostly in the jungles, there is little information coming out. “In jungle warfare, it is an advantage for the one who is stationary, and that is always the terrorist,” he explained.

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

UN report links JeM to Red Fort blast, warns of women-only terror wing​

Source: PTI
February 13, 2026 15:30 IST
A new UN report reveals a potential link between the Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed and a deadly attack on the Red Fort in New Delhi, raising concerns about regional security and cross-border terrorism.

IMAGE: Emergency personnel work at the site of the November 10, 2025 near Gate 1 of the Red Fort metro station in Delhi. Photograph: Reuters/ANI Photo

Key Points​

• The UN report highlights JeM's establishment of a women-only wing, Jamaat ul-Muminat, to support terrorist attacks.
• Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) remains active in Afghanistan, with concerns about its focus on external operations.
• ISIS-K is active in northern Afghanistan and is expanding its reach through propaganda in Central Asian languages.
• India has acknowledged the UN report and its concerns regarding cross-border terrorism, emphasizing the need to strengthen the global fight against terrorism.

A report by the United Nations Security Council sanctions monitoring team has noted that Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed was reported to be linked to a terror attack on the Red Fort in New Delhi last November that killed 15 people.
"One member state noted that Jaish-i-Mohammed had claimed responsibility for a series of attacks. It was also reported to be linked to an attack on the Red Fort in New Delhi on November 9 that killed 15 people," the 37th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted to the Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee concerning ISIL and Al-Qaida said.
The report added that on October 8, JeM leader Mohammed Masood Azhar Alvi "formally announced the establishment of a women-only wing, Jamaat ul-Muminat, which was aimed at supporting terrorist attacks."
Even as another member state reported that Jaish-e-Mohammed was defunct, the report added that "Separately, it was reported that on July 28, three individuals allegedly involved in the attack perpetrated in Pahalgam, in Jammu and Kashmir, were killed."
A deadly and high-intensity explosion had rocked the Red Fort area in New Delhi, killing about 15 people and injuring many more. The explosion had ripped through a slow-moving car at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station.

India's Response to the UN Report​

At his weekly briefing in New Delhi on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked for a comment on the UNSC report.
"This particular report that you refer to, it is available in the public domain. It is online. This was the 37th Report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team. This was published on February 4, 2026," he said.
"And, we have seen that they have taken on board our inputs, India's inputs, in regard to our concern on cross-border terrorism, and also as to how we can strengthen the global fight against terrorism," the MEA spokesperson said.

Al-Qaeda and ISIS-K Activities​

The UNSC report further said that Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) remained active in southeastern Afghanistan, where the Haqqani Network exerts considerable influence. Osama Mahmoud, the "emir" of AQIS, and Yahya Ghauri, his deputy, were reported to be in Kabul, with the media cell of AQIS based in Herat.
"There were concerns that AQIS was increasingly focused on external operations. Such operations would likely be unclaimed or deniable operations, perhaps as part of the umbrella group Ittihad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistanâ¦so as not to create difficulties for the Taliban as hosts of AQIS," it said.
The report added that ISIL-K was active mainly in northern Afghanistan, particularly Badakhshan, and areas close to the Pakistani border. It continued to develop its network of cells to project a threat regionally and beyond.
"Aggressive propaganda by ISIL-K in Central Asian languages expanded its target audience. It sought to exploit issues such as the Gaza and Israel conflict to promote recruitment and financing," it added.