• US-Made M4 Carbine, Ammunition Recovered Alongside Body
• Security Forces Intensify Operations Across Doda-Kishtwar-Udhampur-Kathua Belt
Srinagar| Sept, 12: The highly decomposed body of a suspected Pakistani terrorist affiliated with the proscribed Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit was recovered from the higher reaches of Doda district of Jammu division on Saturday, officials said.
A US-made M4 carbine and ammunition were recovered alongside the unidentified body, suggesting that the deceased was likely a senior commander of the Pakistan-based terror outfit.
A senior official told Kashmir Horizon that they suspect that the terrorist may have suffered injuries during an encounter with security forces last year and later succumbed to those injuries while hiding in the dense forested terrain, officials said.
“The body was recovered from the remote Divshetar area of Seojdhar forest during a joint operation involving the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the local police, the Army and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF),” he said.
The difficult and densely forested Seojdhar area connects the Bhaderwah valley of Doda with the adjoining districts of Udhampur and Kathua.
“You Can Run But You Can’t Hide! SOG Doda, RR (Rashtriya Rifles) and CRPF retrieved the remains of a Pakistani Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist, who was neutralised earlier in a Joint Op (operation). A night-enabled M4 has also been recovered,” the Jammu and Kashmir Police said in a post on X.
The advanced stage of decomposition indicates that the death could have occurred considerably earlier, officials said, adding that the exact circumstances and timing of the death are being ascertained.
The Seoj Dhar and adjoining higher reaches have remained operationally significant as JeM terrorists have used the area after infiltrating from across the border and moving through difficult mountainous terrain to establish hideouts and evade security forces.
Security forces have been carrying out sustained counter-terror operations across the Doda-Kishtwar-Udhampur-Kathua belt for the past several years to dismantle such networks and deny terrorists safe passage and shelter in the upper reaches.
Officials said relentless operations have resulted in the elimination of a large number of active terrorists operating in the region, many of them identified as Pakistani nationals. Security agencies have also maintained heightened surveillance and launched searches in remote forest areas based on intelligence inputs and assessments of possible terrorist movement.
According to official figures, four terrorists and five security personnel were killed in separate encounters in Doda district in 2025. In adjoining Kishtwar district, five people, including four terrorists and one security personnel, have been killed this year, compared to four deaths in 2025, including three terrorists and one security personnel.
In 2024, Doda recorded five deaths, including three security personnel and two civilians.
In Udhampur, four people were killed in 2024, including two terrorists, one security personnel and one civilian. In 2025, four people were killed, comprising one terrorist and three security personnel. The district has so far recorded two terrorist deaths in 2026.
Kathua recorded the highest casualties among the four districts in 2024, with nine deaths, including two terrorists and seven security personnel. In 2025, seven people were killed, including three terrorists and four security personnel, while 2026 has so far witnessed the death of one terrorist.
The recovery of the body from Seojdhar forest came days after Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat visited a joint temporary operating base at the Doda-Kathua-Udhampur trijunction on September 10 to review the security situation and operational preparedness in the strategically important belt.
He was accompanied by Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone, Tejinder Singh; DIG Doda-Ramban-Kishtwar Range Sargun Shukla; DIG Udhampur-Reasi Range Shiv Kumar Sharma; and SSP Doda Kartik Shrotriya.
Security forces continue to maintain a strong presence across the mountainous areas and conduct coordinated search and area-domination operations to prevent terrorists from exploiting dense forests and difficult terrain.
Officials said such operations will continue to consolidate the gains made against terrorism in the hilly belt and ensure that the region remains peaceful.
