Pakistani terrorist Usman was one of the senior-most Jaish-e-Mohammed commanders and was described as one of the region’s most-wanted insurgents. He had been active in the Udhampur–Kathua forest belt for several years after infiltrating from across the border. Usman was neutralised in a 10-minute operation by the Indian army. Usman had evaded multiple earlier encounters, including two this month, on January 7 and January 13 in the Kahog and Najote forests. Know the operation details here..
Various news reports state that he was tracked and neutralised by the Indian Army after a 20-day operation, with the final action lasting just 10 minutes. A Republic report says that the intelligence was generated four hours prior to the operation in the area, and senior officials were given real-time updates.
“A Pakistani Jaish terrorist has been neutralised..”
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A Pakistani Jaish terrorist has been neutralised by a small JKP team in a joint operation with the Army and CRPF in the general area of Billawar, Kathua district.— Jammu Zone Police (@igp_jammu) January 23, 2026
How the army neutralised JeM terrorist Usman
A Republic report, quoting an officer involved in the mission, said that the first small team to reach the dhok where Usman was hiding was from the Billawar Police, which had been keeping watch on his movements. Real-time updates were then shared with other officers, who acted accordingly.
Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat had been monitoring the situation since the first contact with terror commander Usman on January 7 in the Kahog area and had directed that the terrorist be eliminated.
What the Army Recovered from Pakistani JeM Terrorist Usman
Security forces recovered many weapons from the site, including an M4 automatic rifle and a large amount of ammunition. The Army’s Rising Star Corps confirmed the precise operation in a separate statement and said the area was sealed off based on specific intelligence inputs.
Who was JeM Terrorist Usman Killed by the Army?
Usman was known as one of the most-wanted militants in the region. After crossing the border, he had been active for several years in the forests of Udhampur and Kathua. He had managed to escape earlier encounters, including two this month on January 7 and January 13 in the Kahog and Najote forests.
The final encounter happened when a search team raided the house where Usman was hiding. He fired at the troops, and the forces shot him dead in the brief gunfight that followed.
“Operation Trashi-I” in Kishtwar
Even after the encounter in Kathua ended, a large anti-terror operation continued on Friday for the sixth day in Kishtwar district. The mission, called Operation Trashi-I, is aimed at three more JeM militants believed to be hiding in the difficult Chatroo forest area.
The operation in Kishtwar has been challenging due to recent snowfall and dense forest cover. It began on Sunday, when a grenade attack killed one Army paratrooper and injured seven others. Although troops briefly came into contact with the militants again on Thursday, they managed to escape into the thick जंगल.
