Operation Sohan: Five J&K Districts Placed on High Alert as Injured JeM Militant Remains at Large

Days after Army, J&K Police and CRPF killed two Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists (identified as Saddam and Mustafa) in the Brattal Sohan/Khubban forest encounter near Udhampur's Majalta tehsil on the night of September 16-17, security agencies placed five J&K districts — Kathua, Samba, Udhampur, Doda and Kishtwar — on high alert, reported September 20, over concern that a third militant, believed injured in the initial exchange of fire, escaped into the forest and remains at large. Forces expanded the search beyond the original encounter site using drones, sniffer dogs and helicopters fitted with thermal surveillance to cover the difficult, densely forested terrain. Mobile phones and other equipment recovered from the two slain terrorists were sent for forensic examination to establish possible local support networks, and forensic teams examined blood traces along the injured militant's suspected escape route. No further casualties were reported as of September 20.