In a major breakthrough, security forces on Wednesday evening neutralised one terrorist during the ongoing Operation Trashi-I, one of the biggest anti-terror operations in recent times, in the Trashi–I area of the Chatroo belt in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district. The terrorist, affiliated with the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfit, was killed after fresh contact was established with terrorists hiding in the dense, snow-bound forests of the Dichhar area in Chatroo subdivision. The terrorist killed in Chatroo area of Kishtwar has been identified as Adil. It is noteworthy that Adil was a top commander of Jaish-e-Mohammed, and the police had announced a reward of ₹10 lakh on his head. He is said to be a close aide of Jaish-e-Mohammed Commander Saiffullah. The operation, launched on January 18, has witnessed at least five encounters in the last 15 days in the same belt, as the terrorists continued to flee from one ridge to another amid harsh terrain and heavy snowfall. Despite adverse weather conditions, security forces pressed on with sustained search operations, resulting in the elimination of one terrorist and injuries to others. The operation remains underway. According to the Indian Army, a joint team comprising 2 Para (Special Forces), Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, SOG and CRPF re-established contact with a group of terrorists at around 5:45 pm on Wednesday during an ongoing search and cordon operation. “In the continuing search and elimination of terrorists in the Kishtwar region, contact was re-established with terrorists on the run during the ongoing joint Operation Trashi-I in the general area of Dichhar, Kishtwar. One terrorist has been successfully neutralised. The operation is in progress,” the Army said in a statement. Massive surveillance has been underway in the area for the past 15 days, involving helicopters, drones and sniffer dogs. Heavy reinforcements have also been rushed to strengthen the operation. Intelligence inputs suggest that two to three foreign terrorists of Jaish-e-Mohammed were hiding in the forested terrain. One has been neutralised, while another is believed to be injured. The group is reportedly linked to JeM commander Saifullah. It may be recalled that the encounter initially began on January 18 in the Singhpora area of Kishtwar, during which an Indian Army Special Forces soldier, Havaldar Gajendra Singh, laid down his life. Following the incident, security forces significantly intensified anti-terror operations across the belt. A second firefight took place on January 22 at a nearby location, but the terrorists once again managed to evade capture. Despite more than two feet of snowfall in the area, operations have continued uninterrupted in the high-altitude terrain, during which 3rd exchange of fire was erupted on the intervening night of January 25 & 26 in the Janseer–Kandiwar forest, terrorists allegedly fired heavy weapons, including rocket launchers. After continuous and massive CASO launched by security forces, on 31st January 4th contact was established with the hiding terrorists. After that security forces continue hunt for JeM terrorists and yesterday again a contact was established with hiding terrorists, which marks 5th encounter in last two weeks and finally security forces succeeded in neutralizing in a terrorist. Meanwhile, in a separate encounter in Udhampur district, security forces neutralised two JeM terrorists after an operation that began on Tuesday and lasted nearly 24 hours, officials said. Both operations underline seamless inter-agency coordination, tactical precision and high levels of professionalism displayed by the security forces. According to official data, there are around 135–150 active terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, with over 90 per cent being foreign nationals, mainly from Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. While a few infiltration attempts succeeded in 2025, local recruitment remains at its lowest, with only one local individual joining terrorist ranks this year—a development security agencies view as a major success and a reflection of diminishing local support for terror outfits. Security has been further tightened across the Jammu region as Operation Trashi-I continues in the forests of Kishtwar.