Kathua Forest Fury! Two More Terrorist Bodies Found As Operation Rolls On

The death toll in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district climbed higher on Friday as security forces recovered two additional terrorist bodies from the dense forest near Jakhole village in the Ghati Juthana area of Rajbagh, bringing the total to five militants killed in an ongoing anti-terror operation.

The discovery, made during resumed searches at first light, follows Thursday’s brutal gunfight that also claimed three policemen and injured seven others, including a Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO).

The operation, launched at 8 AM Thursday by the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) with Army and CRPF support, targeted a group of five suspected Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists believed to have infiltrated from Pakistan via the Hiranagar sector.

After halting overnight, forces—reinforced by airdropped Army special troops—spotted the latest bodies via drones, confirming the elimination of the entire cell. Three terrorist corpses were sighted Thursday, with the two new finds solidifying the toll.

The clash, marked by intense gunfire and explosions, left SgCt Tariq Ahmad, SgCt Jaswant Singh, and SgCt Balwinder Singh Chib dead, while the SDPO and others were evacuated, some in stable condition at Kathua hospital. The People’s Anti-Fascist Front, a JeM proxy, claimed the attack, tied to a Saturday infiltration evidenced by carbines, grenades, and IED materials found earlier near Hiranagar.

Under DGP Nalin Prabhat and IG Bhim Sen Tuti’s watch, the operation persists to secure the volatile border zone, with all threats now believed neutralized.