Operation resumes in Kathua to hunt down terrorists; one security person injured

Security forces on Thursday morning (January 8, 2026) resumed a search operation to track down terrorists hiding in a forest in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, where a security personnel suffered minor injuries.

The joint operation of the Special Operations Group (SOG) of J&K Police and other security forces was launched at Kahog village in Billawar on Wednesday evening (January 7, 2026), leading to an encounter, officials said.

“The search operation to trace the absconding terrorists has resumed after an overnight cordon,” a senior security official said.

The searches are being conducted in Dhanu Parole-Kamadh nallah area. Additional forces have been deployed, along with aerial surveillance, to track down the terrorists hiding in the dense forest, they said.

“Despite darkness, dense vegetation and treacherous terrain, the SOG is ruthlessly attacking the terrorists. CRPF teams are also participating in the joint operation,” Bhim Sen Tuti, IGP, Jammu Zone, said in a message on

The gunfight broke out in Kahog village on Wednesday evening (Jan 7, 2026) after security forces launched a search operation based on information about the presence of two to three terrorists in the area, officials said.

During the firefight, one security guard was slightly injured after a bullet hit his leg. He has been hospitalized, they said.

“The SOG has attacked the terrorists in the forest area of ​​Kamadh nallah, Kathua,” the IGP said in another post on X.

According to officials, the firing between the two sides lasted for more than an hour before the guns fell silent. It was not immediately known if a terrorist was hit during the firefight, officials said.

The Army, BSF, police and CRPF have been conducting continuous search operations, identifying border residents and intensifying patrols along the international border in Samba and Kathua districts and adjoining areas of Punjab for the past one month, the officials said.

A multi-layered security network comprising the BSF, Border Police and Village Defense Guards (VDGs) has been put on alert ahead of Republic Day on January 26.

Kathua district has witnessed several encounters between security forces and terrorists in the past two years, resulting in the death of sixteen people: eleven security personnel and five terrorists.

While seven security personnel and two militants were killed in 2024 when terrorists resumed their activities in the district after more than a decade, seven persons – four security men and three terrorists – were killed in 2023, officials said.

In addition, four civilians died under mysterious circumstances, with locals suspecting the involvement of terrorists in their killings.