Overview
- Security teams under Operation Trashi-I established contact on January 18 in the Sonnar area near Chhatru during a deliberate search based on intelligence inputs.
- Terrorists reportedly opened fire and hurled grenades, with officials attributing the group to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad.
- Reports say eight soldiers were injured and evacuated to hospitals, with several suffering splinter wounds, though some outlets carried lower figures.
- After an overnight pause, the search resumed on January 19 with Army, CRPF, police and SOG units tightening the cordon using drones, helicopters and sniffer dogs, and no fresh contact reported so far.
- The encounter is part of an intensified winter campaign across Jammu’s forested belts, where security sources believe roughly 30–35 Pakistan-linked militants are sheltering following recent clashes in Kathua and Udhampur.