Udhampur op: Forces hunt for 3 trapped ultras in Basantgarh forests

JAMMU: A day after gunning down a Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist in Basantgarh in J&K’s Udhampur district, a joint team of security forces continued combing the rain-soaked forests of Bihali in the upper reaches Friday to track the slain ultra’s three trapped associates.

“After a night’s pause, the search operation resumed on Friday morning, with the cordon further strengthened by additional reinforcements to cut off escape routes. Aerial surveillance using drones is underway. Sniffer dogs have also been roped in to assist the search,” an official said.

Monsoon rain, while slowing troop movement, is helping forces restrict the terrorists’ range and pin them within the forest. “The weather is bad in Basantgarh. Once it clears, the situation will become more evident,” Jammu range IG Bhim Sen Tuti had said on Thursday, adding that the four terrorists were likely part of a group that police had been tracking in the Jammu region for nearly a year.

Basantgarh falls on the traditional infiltration route for Pakistani terrorists, who cross over the international border in Kathua, and travel to Udhampur via higher reaches to proceed towards Doda and Kishtwar districts in Jammu region, to further move into Kashmir Valley. With help from overground workers affiliated with numerous proscribed outfits, these infiltrators move from one place to another, taking cover in forests and natural caves. The belt has witnessed several encounters and terror attacks in the past, and security forces have arrested many overground workers for providing logistic support to ultras.