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JAMMU: Security forces on Wednesday intensified the ongoing anti-terror operation in Najote village in J&K’s Kathua district by extending the cordon to at least a dozen surrounding villages, officials said. Yet another such operation was launched in Rajbagh, also in Kathua, after a resident reported sighting two terror suspects.The cordon-and-search operation in Najote was launched Tuesday based on intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists in the area, and intermittent firing took place between security personnel and ultras. The region lies near Kamadh Nallah in Kahog forest belt, where an encounter had erupted on Jan 7.Officials said no further contact was established with the terrorists in Najote after Tuesday’s brief fire exchange, and it was suspected that the ultras may have managed to escape the cordon by taking advantage of treacherous terrain and darkness.Later, locals reported a terror suspect taking food from a shepherd in the area around midnight before vanishing into the deep forest. “Following this, additional forces were rushed to the site to strengthen the cordon, which has now been expanded to over a dozen villages surrounding Najote to track and kill the terrorists,” an official said. J&K Police’s SOG initiated a fresh cordon-and-search operation in Rajbagh’s Jakhole Baira and adjoining villages Wednesday after a villager reported spotting two suspected terrorists near his cattle shed. However, the suspects could not be traced so far, officials said.On March 28, 2025, four policemen were killed in a fierce gun battle with terrorists in Safiyan-Jakhole village, while two Pakistani ultras were gunned down.
