Overview
- Police identified the slain militant as Usman, a Pakistan-origin Jaish-e-Mohammed commander killed on January 23 in Parhetar village, Kathua, after officers evacuated hostages from a house.
- Officials said a small team entered the building, snatched his weapon during close combat, and recovered an M4 rifle along with other arms and ammunition from the site.
- Security forces described Usman as active since 2024 across higher reaches of Kathua, Udhampur and Doda, with six terror cases linked to killings of civilians and security personnel.
- Prior searches had busted three of his hideouts, including two natural caves and one man-made shelter, following earlier contacts on January 7 and 13.
- A separate encounter in Kishtwar’s Singhpora area on January 25 left two to three JeM militants trapped as part of ongoing operations in which one Havildar was earlier killed and seven soldiers injured.