Five terrorists were cornered in dual gunbattles across Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur and Kishtwar districts on Wednesday, officials said, as security forces unleashed a relentless offensive. The clashes, erupting in Jopher village (Udhampur) and Chatroo village (Kishtwar), followed precise intelligence tips, with operations still underway.

In Udhampur’s Ramnagar area, a joint team of police and security forces engaged two terrorists midmorning after being fired upon in Jopher. “Three are trapped in the cordon; the encounter’s ongoing,” an official stated. Hours later, a second firefight broke out in Kishtwar’s Chatroo forest, pinning down two more. “Both sites are locked down,” the official added, with forces tightening the net in rugged terrain.

The flare-ups echo recent violence. On March 23, a deadly clash in Kathua’s Sanyal village—near Pakistan’s border—spilled into Safiyan Jakhole, claiming two terrorists and four policemen. Reports suggest five infiltrators crossed over, with two neutralized and three still hunted in Kathua and Rajouri’s highlands. Wednesday’s trapped quintet may tie back to this group, though officials haven’t confirmed.

The operations follow Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s Tuesday review in Srinagar, where he ordered terrorism’s “complete eradication” in J&K. Attended by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, and top brass, the meeting underscored a zero-tolerance push. With polls nearing and militancy simmering, these twin encounters signal J&K’s volatile edge—and a security apparatus determined to crush it.