A search operation by a joint team of security forces is underway to track down three Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists in a forested area of Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district on Friday, officials said.

A Pakistan-based JeM terrorist was killed in an encounter with security forces on Thursday and three of his associates remain trapped in the forested area of the Basantgarh belt.

Backed by drones and sniffer dogs, the operation resumed afresh this morning, with the cordon further strengthened with additional reinforcements to eliminate the remaining terrorists of the group, they added.

"In the ongoing operation at Basantgarh, we had an encounter with terrorists around 8:30 am yesterday. Due to poor weather, the operation faced challenges. This group consisted of four terrorists," Inspector General of Police Bhim Sen Tuti told reporters here.

He further said that one terrorist has been successfully neutralised and the search is on to track down the remaining three.

"The weather has now improved in the area. An operation is underway," he added.

The group of four terrorists had been tracked for a year. They were confronted by a joint search party of the Army and police in the remote Bihali area of Basantgarh on Thursday morning, the officials said.

The four terrorists were found hiding near Karoor Nallah and were engaged by the joint search party led by the Army’s Para Commandos, resulting in an encounter.

One of the terrorists killed in the encounter has been identified as Haider alais Jabbar code-named Maulvi from Pakistan.

Supported by over ground workers (OGWs), they had been moving from one area to another using forests and natural caves to hide, the officials said.

Five OGWs have been arrested during last several months in the belt for providing food and shelter to terrorists.

It is also believed that a local terrorist, who had returned from Pakistan after several years, is actively supporting terrorists.

The search by troops led to retrieval of the body of killed terrorist along arms and ammunition besides cash, they said.

Basantgarh lies on a traditional infiltration route of Pakistani terrorists, who enter from the International Border in Kathua and move via higher reaches to Doda and Kishtwar districts in Jammu region and further into the Kashmir Valley. It has witnessed several encounters and terror incidents in the past.

Earlier on April 25, Havaldar Jhantu Ali Shaikh of the Army’s 6 PARA was killed in an encounter with terrorists in the Basantgarh area.

An encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists in the Jopher-Marta belt of Basantgarh in Udhampur district on April 9.

On September 11 last year, two terrorists affiliated with the JeM were killed in an encounter in the upper reaches of Basantgarh.

A CRPF inspector was killed in another encounter with terrorists at Dudu on August 19, 2024.

On July 11, 2024, the Sang police post in Udhampur's Basantgarh came under attack by terrorists but was foiled by alert cops.

Mohammad Sharief, a village defence guard, was killed in an encounter with terrorists in Basantgarh on April 28, 2024.

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