One of the prime Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists, who had been under watch for a year, was eliminated today in a fierce encounter with security personnel in the Basantgarh sector of Udhampur district, Jammu and Kashmir. The operation, code-named “Operation Bihali,” is continuing as the security forces comb the area to track down three other terrorists who are suspected to be taking refuge in the upper reaches under difficult weather conditions.

The gunfight broke out at about 8:30 AM when an intelligence-based joint search operation by the Indian Army, para commandos, and Jammu and Kashmir Police was carried out in Bihali, close to Karoor nallah. Reinforcements have been dispatched to the inaccessible, hilly area.

Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu range, Bhim Sen Tuti confirmed the development to the media. “Contact was made with the terrorists at about 8:30 AM. There are estimated to be four terrorists, and we have been following [this group] for the past one year,” IGP Tuti said, adding that search operation continues even in foggy conditions, with more details to follow once the weather clears.

The officials identified the militants trapped as belonging to the Pakistan-based JeM group. The White Knight Corps of the Army based in Jammu had previously tweeted on X, affirming the operation: “Op BIHALI. On the basis of certain intelligence, an Indian Army and J&K Police joint operation was conducted in the area of Bihali in Basantgarh. Contact has been made with terrorists. The operation is under way.”

This meeting is just a week shy of the beginning of the annual Amarnath Yatra, a significant pilgrimage in the Himalayas of Kashmir, on July 3. Security forces throughout the region are on heightened alert, carrying out stepped-up anti-terror operations to guarantee the security of the pilgrimage.

In a separate operation, security personnel carried out a search operation in Purmandal in Samba district late on Wednesday after receiving intelligence of suspicious movements. Officials, however, asserted that the operation was completed peacefully as no suspicious material was found on ground.