Jammu, Jan 23: In a major counter-terrorism success, security forces on Thursday neutralised a dreaded Pakistani terrorist and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) commander, Usmaan alias Abu Maviya, during a brief encounter in the upper reaches of Billawar in Kathua district.
Usmaan, who had been active in the hilly terrains of Kathua and Udhampur for a considerable period, was gunned down at village Parhetar after being tactically trapped inside a house by joint teams of the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and CRPF. He was part of a three-member JeM group, the other two being Zubair and Maavi, both Pakistani nationals.
Officials said the recovery of an M4 rifle and ammunition from the slain terrorist confirmed his rank as a commander. Acting on specific intelligence inputs indicating that the group was running short of food, security forces anticipated that the commander would descend to collect cooked ration from the village. A discreet cordon was laid in the area.
“As soon as the terrorist entered a house, he was surrounded. He opened fire with his M4 rifle but was eliminated in swift retaliatory action,” officials said, adding that the encounter lasted only a few minutes and there were no casualties on the security forces’ side.
Inspector General of Police, Jammu range, Bhim Sen Tuti, confirmed the development, stating that a Pakistani JeM terrorist was neutralised by a small J&K Police team in a joint operation with the Army and CRPF in the Billawar area.
The Army’s Rising Star Corps, in a separate post on X, said the operation was launched on January 23 following precise intelligence inputs. “The area was cordoned and contact established. In a precise strike by the joint forces, one foreign terrorist has been eliminated,” it said, adding that search operations were continuing.
Officials described Usmaan as one of the most wanted JeM terrorists in the Udhampur–Kathua belt, involved in multiple attacks on security forces. He had earlier managed to escape during several encounters, including those on January 7 and 13 in the Kahog and Najote forests of Billawar.
“The focus has now shifted to neutralising his associates Zubair and Maavi, who continue to operate in the Billawar forests. The terrorists keep moving between the Kathua and Udhampur mountains to evade forces,” officials said, adding that strict surveillance has been put in place across the upper reaches of both districts.
Meanwhile, security forces continued their anti-terror operation in the Chatroo belt of Kishtwar district for the sixth consecutive day, despite snowfall. The operation, codenamed Operation Trashi-I, is aimed at tracking down another group of JeM terrorists hiding in the Sonnar, Mandral-Singhpora and adjoining forest areas.
The operation was launched on Sunday and had earlier led to a gunfight in which one paratrooper was martyred and seven soldiers were injured, mostly due to splinter injuries from a grenade attack by the terrorists. After a brief lull, another encounter occurred on Thursday, though the terrorists managed to escape, taking advantage of dense vegetation and difficult terrain. A major terrorist hideout was also busted during the operation earlier this week.
Officials said counter-terror operations across the hilly forest belts of the Jammu region have been intensified since December and further stepped up ahead of Republic Day, amid intelligence inputs about renewed attempts by Pakistan-based handlers to push more terrorists into the region. (Courtesy Daily Exclesior)
