Terrorist Manhunt in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua Enters Fourth Day

A relentless multi-agency search operation to hunt down infiltrating terrorists stretched into its fourth day on Wednesday in the dense forests of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, showcasing a robust response to heightened security threats.

The operation, spanning from Sanyal to Ding Amb and beyond, was bolstered by a tip from local woman Darshana Devi, who reported on Tuesday that two men in army uniforms requested water from her in the Ding Amb belt before vanishing into the nearby woods. “They took water and headed towards the forest,” Devi told police, triggering an immediate cordon of the area.

Launched Sunday evening in the Hiranagar sector after a fierce gunfight, the operation pits a combined force of the Army, National Security Guard (NSG), Border Security Force (BSF), police, Special Operation Group (SOG), and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) against a group of terrorists believed to have slipped across the International Border from Pakistan on Saturday.

The effort, spearheaded by Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, began when the SOG acted on intelligence pinpointing terrorists hiding in a ‘dhok’—a local enclosure—within a nursery in Sanyal village, just five kilometers from the border. The terrorists fired on the approaching team, sparking a half-hour exchange, though no casualties were reported in the initial clash.

Security has tightened along the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway’s Samba-Kathua stretch and border roads, with helicopters, UAVs, drones, bulletproof vehicles, and sniffer dogs aiding the high-tech sweep.

On Tuesday, forces recovered two grenades, adding to Monday’s haul of four M4 carbine magazines, a bulletproof jacket, tracksuits, sleeping bags, and food packets—items eerily similar to those linked to four Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists killed in Doda’s Assar forests last year. Three suspects are now in custody for questioning, as the operation probes deeper.

Local villagers have rallied alongside security teams, urging vigilance and setting up community kitchens to support personnel. Despite no fresh encounters since Sunday, the relentless manhunt—covering several kilometers—reflects a determined bid to neutralize the threat, suspected to have entered via a ravine or new tunnel.

As reinforcements scour the rugged terrain, Kathua remains on edge, with authorities appealing for public tips to close in on the elusive infiltrators.