Kathua : Security forces initiated a Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district on Friday, responding to intelligence reports indicating militant presence in the Billawar area. The operation involves a coordinated effort between Army Special Forces, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), with the area under strict cordon as forces conduct thorough searches for suspected terrorists. The operation reflects the intensified counter-terrorism campaign in the union territory, aimed at dismantling the terror ecosystem. Local residents have been instructed to stay indoors and cooperate with authorities while additional reinforcements have been deployed to support the operation.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha has been actively leading the security response through high-level meetings, directing security forces to take decisive action against terror networks. This renewed security focus comes in response to recent terrorist attacks that followed the successful conduct of Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections in J&K, which were observed by international diplomats. Intelligence agencies suggest these peaceful elections have frustrated terror handlers operating from Pakistan.
Intelligence reports indicate that terror operators across the border have instructed militants in Jammu and Kashmir to intensify their activities in a final push. Security forces have heightened vigilance along the border and Line of Control (LoC) following reports of terrorists waiting at launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to infiltrate Indian territory.
In a recent development, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, speaking at the ninth Armed Forces Veterans’ Day rally in Jammu’s Akhnoor, called out Pakistan’s role in supporting terrorism. He emphasized that India has concrete evidence of operational terrorist training camps and launch pads in PoK, demanding Pakistan dismantle this terror infrastructure. “Pakistan must eliminate this,” Singh stated firmly, highlighting the ongoing security challenges in the region.
