Two terrorists were killed in a late-night encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district, officials said on Thursday. The slain terrorists are suspected to be linked to the Kashmir Tigers, a proxy group of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), while efforts are underway to establish their identities.
The encounter occurred in the Majalta area after security forces launched an extensive cordon-and-search operation based on intelligence about suspicious terrorist movement in the forested region.
Sources said the terrorists' movements had been monitored in the forest, which has been used as a preferred transit route by groups associated with JeM. A fierce exchange of fire broke out after security personnel moved in to intercept them.
The bodies of two terrorists, believed to be foreign nationals, were recovered in the early hours of Thursday. Security forces also recovered arms and ammunition from the site.
The joint operation involved the Rashtriya Rifles, Para (Special Forces) and the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
Search and combing operations are continuing in the area, while additional troops have been deployed to locate any other terrorists who could be hiding in the forests.
"In a joint intelligence-based operation during the intervening night of 16/17 Sep 2026, confirmed inputs indicated the presence of terrorists in the general area of Brattal, Udhampur. Despite hostile weather, difficult terrain and poor visibility, troops of #WhiteKnightCorps, @JmuKmrPolice and CRPF launched a targeted counter-terrorism operation, resulting in the neutralisation of two terrorists," White Knight Corps said in a post on X.
"The operation is still in progress, with search and surveillance operations continuing in the area. Security forces remain deployed to track and neutralise any remaining threat," it added.
The Majalta region has seen multiple anti-terror operations in recent years. In February this year, two suspected JeM terrorists were killed during a similar operation in the area.
DAYS BEFORE, LET COMMANDER KILLED
The Udhampur encounter took place days after a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander from Pakistan was killed in a gunfight with security forces in central Kashmir's Budgam district on September 5.
The terrorist, identified as Yasir, was reportedly associated with the larger Sulaiman Musa faction of Lashkar-e-Taiba. Sources said he had broken away from the group nearly a year earlier and had been operating independently.
Security agencies had been monitoring Yasir's movements and activities in the Yousmarg area of Budgam before the encounter.
