New Delhi: In a significant development, a joint anti-militancy operation by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police was launched on Saturday afternoon in the Dhanuparole, Machhedi area of Jammu’s Kathua region.
The operation, based on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists, saw heavy exchanges of gunfire between the security forces and the militants. Tragically, a police head constable lost his life, and an assistant sub-inspector was injured during the encounter.
The Rising Star Corps, also known as the Indian Army’s 9 Corps, confirmed the operation, which was launched in the afternoon and intensified throughout the evening as forces trapped 3-4 terrorists inside a house. After an initial brief exchange of gunfire, both sides engaged in heavy gunfire later in the day.
This operation is part of the broader, intensified efforts by security forces to curb militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, especially in the run-up to critical political events and the ongoing Assembly elections—the first in over a decade.
Earlier in the month, two terrorists were neutralised in a joint operation in Kathua, launched on September 11, which also led to the recovery of a large cache of weapons. Around the same period, security forces engaged militants in Kishtwar, resulting in additional militant casualties.
In a parallel operation in the Gadole forest area of Anantnag, security forces utilised drones and helicopters to target high-profile Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants following an ambush that killed two senior Army officers and a J&K Police officer. These operations form part of a larger campaign to ensure security across the region and safeguard upcoming political events, including a rally by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Doda.