Overview

• Security forces have combed the Kanzal Mandu sector on July 4, marking the third day of a tip-driven cordon-and-search mission
• Officials believe two to three Jaish-e-Mohammed militants remain trapped in the densely forested Kuchal-Chatroo belt
• Aerial surveillance by helicopters and drones, backed by sniffer dogs, is being used to seal off escape routes through Kishtwar’s rugged terrain
• Despite reinforcements from the Army, CRPF and local police, search teams have made no fresh contact with the suspects
• This stand-off follows a June 26 Basantgarh encounter and highlights a rising trend of militant infiltration into Jammu’s peripheral valleys