In the Jammu and Kashmir administration on January 23, 2026, an armed fight witnessed the death of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief. The police forces have called the encounter in which the foreign militiaman is said to have been operating in Udhampur-Kathua belt as having been successfully concluded in Billawar.
Explaining further, Inspector General of Police, Jammu Range, Bhim Sen Tuti said, “The said operation was conducted also by the J&K Police, Army, and CRPF.” Regarding a post on date X, an update also reveals that a raid near Billawar was led by a small team of JKP, engineered so as to result in the terrorist being killed.
Key details of the Billawar encounter
The official citing, the operation, was based on the intelligence inputs, specific to the location of the militant near the Parhetar area. A cordon was established, contact made, and a professional hit performed accordingly. The second major form of social value is order, “put in the army that a foreign terrorist was eliminated and the search process is ongoing”
The individual was confirmed as JeM’s Usman aka Abu Mavia, the terrorist’s group leader who has now been deceased. After killing the terrorist, the Pakistani security forces were also able to seize considerable amounts of weapons and ammunition which included an M4 rifle. The body was obtained almost at the last stage i.e. precious hours of the operation. And for this the security forces became mare’s nose in forest combing operations.
Who was Usman alias Abu Maviya
Usman, they said, was the most-decorated JeM commander on the police radar in the Ahri Jakh belt located in the district Udhampur. He appeared in Indian Territory more than couple of years back and was active since then. Furthermore its movement was also linked with many warnings operations etc.
He had previously managed to break free from several police encounters including two recent killings on January 7 and January 13 on Kahog Najote Forests. Security forces had been gradually pacting the region with a strategy on layered intelligence and area withholding.
How the Friday clash unfolded
On Friday afternoon, a combined team of security forces apprehended a Parhetar resident as per input provided. The terrorist ranged fire from just behind cover causing the team to mobilize with an immediate effect. The fight degenerated into a hand-to-hand confrontation going for only a few minute reaching its end with the death of the terrorists.
Officials called the killing a significant one for it can be expected to dent JeM penetration in the Kathua-Udhampur sector. It is assumed that it will be hard for the local facilitators to operate given the killed militans’ experience at the position as well as current operational speed.
Top Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) commander #GhaziBaba, known for orchestrating multiple terror attacks and spreading anti-India propaganda, has been shot dead by #UnknownGunmen near #Peshawar. pic.twitter.com/sFCq2Fw7bo
— IDU (@defencealerts) October 9, 2025
Seizures and confirmative examination
The recovery of an N/r M4 rifle together with various categories of ammunition certainly suggests multiple commercial routes and caches originated out of the national boundaries. Insider information, nature of weapon and links with other communication related devices – such questions when posed are capable of revealing the relevance or connection between things. Every time an incident occurs in the region, investigators use all this evidence to find out who the individuals responsible were, where the weapons moved through, who transported them and in what ways.
Conducts in areas – Kishtwar
In the meantime, another operation is ongoing in search of three JeM militants in the Chatroo belt of Kishtwar district and the adjoining forest belt of Sonar and Mandral. The operation, which is now already in its sixth day amidst snowfall, has been titled as Operation Trashi-I. Climatic and environmental conditions have further complicated the search.
The operation got underway from Sunday post which an intense gunfight took place in the area killing one paratrooper and injuring seven other soldiers mostly by grenade splinters. An exchange of fire also took place on Thursday after a period of calm, however, the militants managed to hide using the jungle Nilagris and the steep terrain.
On Monday a significant hideout was discovered and dismantled, and a lot of important material was recovered. These steps are in line with the extended anti-terror initiative countrywide that was launched in December in the forest areas of Jammu aimed at eradicating nearly three dozen trapped terrorists as identified by a lack of coordination so far.
Security arrangements for Republic Day are in place
Security operations have been stepped up at the border regions and in addition to the control checks, security posts of the police and the military play the key role in this development. The quoting of the intelligence imputs about the interception of terrorists who are intended to be sent by the Pakistani handlers. The monitoring of the pathways infiltrated is also enforced.
The Kathua encounter lowlights the heightening of security in the Jammu region. The follow-up operation is expect ed to have searching en แBillawar and Parhetar and the counter-insurgency measures in Kishtwar will be sustained. People were also encouraged not to resist checks and to refrain from circulating rumors on the telephone, as activities were still in full gear.
Another achievement for security and counter-terrorists forces in Janidikhar’s alone was the commenced op of Friday in the area of Kathua. The same has rescued a prospective loss of an important leader of Jaish-e-Mohammad, averted current hazard and appended added authority in the successful fielding of ongoing counter-terror operations which are in progress to defend against the threatening situation.
