Jammu, Jan 31: Security forces have narrowed down the search area for three Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists holed up in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district after fresh contact was established during an encounter early Saturday, officials said.

The gunfight broke out when Army troops re-established contact with the terrorists in the early hours of the day. The encounter took place in the general area of Dolgam in Kishtwar district.
“During the ongoing joint Operation Trashi-I, contact with terrorists was re-established in the early hours of January 31 in the general area of Dolgam by troops of the White Knight Corps, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and the CRPF,” the White Knight Corps said in a post on X. It added that intelligence inputs from multiple sources were coordinated to plan and execute the operation.
“A cordon has been established and operations are in progress,” the Army said.
According to reports, the joint security forces team sighted three JeM terrorists in the snowbound, high-altitude Dolgam area, triggering an exchange of fire. One terrorist is believed to have been injured, with drone surveillance reportedly indicating bloodstains at the site. This marks the fourth instance in the past two weeks that contact has been established with the terrorists in the area.
The anti-terror operation has been underway for several days in the snowbound Chatroo–Dolgam–Dichhar belt to track down and neutralise the group of three terrorists.
To prevent misuse of communication services by anti-national elements during the operation, mobile internet services have been temporarily suspended since Friday within a six-kilometre radius covering Singhpora, Chingam, and Chatroo.
The operation was launched on January 18 following a fierce gunbattle in the Sonnar forest near Mandral-Singhpora, which resulted in the killing of a paratrooper and injuries to seven soldiers. Although the terrorists managed to escape at the time, taking advantage of dense vegetation and difficult terrain, security forces continued their pursuit despite heavy snowfall exceeding two feet.
Subsequently, two more encounters took place at Mali Dana Top on January 22 and Janseer-Kandiwar on January 25, but the terrorists again managed to slip deeper into the forested areas.
Kishtwar district has witnessed six encounters in the past seven months as security forces continue intensified counter-terrorism operations in the region.
Meanwhile, Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Pratik Sharma visited Kishtwar on Saturday to review the counter-terrorism grid and operational preparedness. He interacted with ground commanders and troops, commending them for their unwavering resolve in ongoing operations.
“Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, Army Commander Northern Command, visited Kishtwar today to review the counter-terrorism grid and operational preparedness,” the Northern Command Headquarters said in a post on X.
The visit follows a high-level security review chaired by Lt Gen Sharma in Jammu on Thursday, where the evolving security situation in the Jammu region was assessed with a focus on strengthening the counter-terrorism grid, officials said.