Militant’s Body Recovered as Anti-Terror Grid Tightens Across J&K’s Doda-Kishtwar Belt
“The body of the terrorist, neutralised during an earlier encounter, was found in the rugged high-altitude stretch connecting Bhaderwah valley with Udhampur and Kathua,” a police officials said.
Srinagar: In what officials termed as a major breakthrough amid intensified counter‑terror operations in Jammu’s upper districts, security forces on Saturday recovered the decomposed body of a Pakistani Jaish‑e‑Mohammed (JeM) militant from the remote Seojdhar forest in eastern Doda district.
“The body of the terrorist, neutralised during an earlier encounter, was found in the rugged high-altitude stretch connecting Bhaderwah valley with Udhampur and Kathua,” a police officials said.
The joint team—comprising the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s counterinsurgency Special Operations Group (SOG) Doda, the Army’s Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)—also recovered a night‑enabled US‑made M4 rifle from the site, adding to the cache of weapons seized in recent operations. Officials confirmed that the remains belonged to a Pakistani national affiliated with the proscribed JeM, though his exact identity has not yet been publicly disclosed.
The recovery comes at a time when the Doda–Kishtwar belt has witnessed a series of high‑intensity anti‑terror operations aimed at dismantling Pakistan‑backed militant networks attempting to revive their presence in the hilly region. Over the past months, security forces have neutralised several key operatives, including Pakistani national Adil, a senior JeM militant killed in Kishtwar’s Chhatroo area after evading capture nearly 20 times over 18 months. Adil, known for exploiting dense forests and steep terrain to escape cordons, was finally cornered and eliminated in a coordinated Army–Police–CRPF operation.
Another major success came during Operation Trashi, a month‑long multi‑agency offensive that culminated in the killing of three top JeM commanders in Kishtwar’s forested Trashi belt. The slain militants included Saifullah Baloch, a senior JeM commander, and Pakistani nationals Farmaan Ali and Basha (Huraira)—each carrying a ₹5 lakh bounty. Their elimination effectively dismantled one of JeM’s oldest operational modules active across Doda, Kishtwar, Kathua and Udhampur districts for nearly three years. The encounter involved precise intelligence inputs, deployment of surveillance assets and a final strike using a rocket launcher to destroy the militants’ hideout.
These sustained operations reflect a heightened security posture across the vulnerable mountainous belt, where forces continue to conduct search operations, deploy drones and strengthen surveillance to prevent infiltration and re‑grouping attempts by Pakistan‑based outfits, the officials said. The recovery of the militant’s remains in Doda—along with the night‑enabled M4 rifle—is being viewed as yet another operational success in the ongoing crackdown.
Further details on the identity and background of the militant recovered in Seoj Dhar, as well as additional findings from the site, are awaited as security forces continue sanitisation and follow‑up operations in the area.
