Big Blow To Jaish Revival Strategy In Eastern Jammu After 3 Operatives Killed Ahead Of Amit Shah's Visit

Last Updated:February 04, 2026, 21:33 IST

Sources said JeM's eastward expansion plan has been effectively dismantled, as the key module intended to spread fear in a region the group was attempting to "quietly reclaim"

A security officer during a search operation to track down and neutralise terrorists, in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district. (Image: PTI)

Security forces dealt a major blow to the Jaish-e-Mohammed’s revival strategy in eastern Jammu after three Pakistani operatives were killed in the Doda-Kishtwar-Udhampur belt in the last 48 hours.

In the latest operation on Wednesday, one terrorist was killed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district. This comes ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit this week.

According to sources, the operations are being hailed as a major blow to the Jaish-e-Mohammed’s (JeM) strategic push to revive militancy in eastern Jammu — a region that was relatively peaceful and stable until a recent influx of foreign fighters in 2024.

Top intelligence sources told News18 that the operation is a strategic disruption of JeM’s eastward expansion plan, effectively dismantling a key module intended to spread fear in a region the group was attempting to “quietly reclaim". Security officials described this as one of the most substantial counter-terrorism successes in the area in recent years, noting it sends a “strong message" that the security grid in the Jammu region remains highly active.

Officials said the high-value status of the neutralised operatives was underscored by the recovery of M4 assault rifles and AK-47s. Intelligence agencies said M4 carbines are issued exclusively to senior, mission-critical JeM operatives indicating the elite status of these individuals and the direct backing they received from Pakistani handlers.

The sources said the three terrorists, identified as Pakistani nationals from Rawalakot in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), infiltrated the region in April 2024 as part of a larger batch of 35 to 40 militants. Despite multiple search operations, the cell managed to survive undetected for months by adopting sophisticated evasion tactics, they said.

They said they operated entirely without electronic communication, eschewing mobile phones and wireless sets to avoid technical interception. Instead, they relied on human couriers, coded movements, and an intimate familiarity with the terrain making them difficult to be detected by security forces.

The operatives, the sources said, were responsible for multiple killings in the Kishtwar region, including targeted attacks on civilians and the security force network. The area of the operation was historically considered a stronghold corridor for the JeM, they added.

“This encounter is a game changer for eastern Jammu where terrorism is suddenly back," said one source, adding that the operation will serve to restore confidence in a peaceful region.

The operation was successful as security forces acted on pinpoint intelligence developed over several months, the sources said. Security forces had been conducting extensive searches in the egion for several weeks, tracking militants through dense forests and difficult mountainous terrain.

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