Udhampur Encounter: Two Pakistani Jaish Terrorists Killed in Operation Sohan, Suspected OGW Detained
Security forces identified the slain militants as Saddam and Mustafa, both Pakistani nationals associated with Jaish-e-Mohammad. An AK-series rifle, M4 carbine, Glock pistol, grenades and ammunition were recovered after the overnight operation in the Brattal-Sohan forests of Majalta.
Two Pakistani Jaish-e-Mohammad militants were killed and a suspected local over-ground worker was detained after an overnight counter-terrorism operation in the forested Majalta area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district, according to the Army, police and security officials.
The joint operation began at around 9 pm on September 16 after intelligence inputs indicated the presence of militants in the Brattal-Sohan and Khubban forests, a remote belt near the boundary with Kathua district.
The Army’s Jammu-based White Knight Corps said confirmed intelligence had led the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and Central Reserve Police Force to launch the operation despite heavy rain, difficult terrain and poor visibility. The military referred to the mission as Operation Sohan.
After intermittent firing through the night, a heavier exchange took place on the morning of September 17 as the trapped militants allegedly attempted to break through the security cordon.
Both were killed during the gunfight.
Jammu and Kashmir Police later identified the slain men as Saddam and Mustafa, describing them as Pakistani nationals linked to the proscribed Jaish-e-Mohammad organisation.
Key Takeaways
Recommended Reading
Related Stories & In-Depth Guides
Curated editorial perspectives matching this topic.
Ukraine has confirmed striking the Moscow Oil Refinery during an extraordinary long-range drone and missile operation against Russia, while Russian authorities say hundreds of drones targeted the capital and more than 1,000 were intercepted across the country. At least three people were reported kil
At least nine passengers died after an AC sleeper bus caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway near Jewar in Greater Noida. Police are investigating the cause, while a survivor’s complaint alleges warnings about a burning smell were ignored.
Two militants were killed during a joint counter-terrorism operation in Udhampur district during the intervening night of September 16-17.
Jammu and Kashmir Police subsequently identified them as Saddam and Mustafa, describing both as Pakistani nationals affiliated with the proscribed Jaish-e-Mohammad.
The operation, referred to by the Army as Operation Sohan, involved the Army’s White Knight Corps, Jammu and Kashmir Police and the CRPF.
The encounter took place in the Brattal-Sohan and Khubban forest belt of Majalta, close to the Kathua district boundary.
A local man suspected of functioning as an over-ground worker was detained for questioning. Officials allege he may have supplied food, shelter or other logistical support; that allegation remains under investigation.
Security forces recovered an AK-series rifle, an M4 carbine, a Glock pistol, magazines, ammunition and grenades.
Search and surveillance operations continued after the encounter to determine whether any additional militants remained in the forest area.
Jaish Link Is Now More Than an Initial Suspicion
Early reports described the two men only as militants suspected of being associated with Jaish-e-Mohammad.
That was appropriate while their identities were still being established.
Later police information, however, identified Saddam and Mustafa as Pakistani JeM militants. Hindustan Times and The Tribune both reported that identification on September 18.
The updated evidence therefore supports describing the two as Jaish-e-Mohammad militants according to Jammu and Kashmir Police, rather than merely saying they were “reportedly” linked to the organisation.
At the same time, attribution remains useful because the identification comes from the security investigation rather than an independent judicial proceeding.
Operation Began After Week-Long Tracking
Security officials said suspicious militant movement had been detected in the forest belt in the days before the encounter.
Fresh intelligence then narrowed the suspected location to the Brattal-Sohan and Khubban area.
Forces established a cordon on Wednesday night.
Officials said initial firing and explosions were heard shortly after the operation began. The area then became relatively quiet before the militants allegedly opened heavier fire on Thursday morning while attempting to escape.
The security forces returned fire, killing both men.
The operation was conducted in difficult conditions, with persistent rain, forest cover, mountainous terrain and limited visibility complicating movement.
Army, Police and CRPF Conduct Joint Operation
The operation involved personnel from:
Indian Army’s White Knight Corps
Jammu and Kashmir Police
Central Reserve Police Force
Specialised Army personnel were also reported to have participated in the operation.
The White Knight Corps said after the encounter that search and surveillance activity was continuing to identify or respond to any remaining threat in the area.
Drones, ground teams and other surveillance assets were reported to have been used during the follow-up search.
Weapons Recovered From Encounter Site
Security forces recovered a substantial quantity of weapons and ammunition after the gunfight.
Current police and security reporting lists the recovered arms as:
One AK-series assault rifle
Four AK magazines
One M4 carbine
Three M4 magazines
One Glock pistol
Two Glock magazines
Four grenades
Additional ammunition
The presence of an M4 carbine and Glock pistol is among the details investigators are expected to examine as they reconstruct the militants’ movements, supply chain and possible support network.
Recovery of weapons from an encounter site does not by itself establish where those weapons originated or how they reached the militants. Those questions require further investigation.
Suspected Over-Ground Worker Detained
Security forces also detained a local man suspected of having helped the two militants.
Officials have described him as a suspected over-ground worker, or OGW.
Security agencies use that term for people alleged to provide non-combat assistance to militants, which may include shelter, food, transport, information, communications or other logistical support.
Officials in this case allege that the detained man may have provided food and shelter to Saddam and Mustafa. His identity has not been publicly disclosed in the most authoritative current reports.
Importantly, detention and suspicion do not establish guilt.
The man’s alleged role must still be investigated, and any criminal charges would have to be supported by evidence through the legal process.
For that reason, describing him at this stage as a suspected OGW detained for questioning is more accurate than stating that he was a proven militant associate.
‘Arrested’ or ‘Detained’?
Reports have used both terms.
Some local reports described the suspected OGW as having been arrested, while PTI-based reporting and later national reports say he was detained for questioning.
Until authorities clarify whether a formal arrest was recorded in a criminal case, “detained” is the safer formulation.
This distinction matters in criminal and national-security reporting because detention for questioning is not necessarily equivalent to formal arrest and charge.
Pakistani Nationality Confirmed by Police Account
Initial reporting on September 17 said the two militants were believed to be foreign nationals.
Police later identified Saddam and Mustafa as Pakistani nationals associated with JeM.
That updated identification should replace the more tentative early formulation that the two “may have been Pakistani”.
No detailed public biographies of the two men have yet been released.
Authorities have also not publicly disclosed, in the material reviewed, when they entered Jammu and Kashmir, their precise infiltration route or all operations they may previously have been involved in.
Those details should therefore not be inferred.
Search Continued After Gunfight
The deaths of the two militants did not immediately end the security operation.
Army and police teams continued cordon, search and surveillance activity in the surrounding forest because authorities were examining whether other militants might be present.
Security officials had originally been monitoring the movement of a group in the forest belt.
That does not mean a third militant has been confirmed.
Reports referring to a search for additional militants describe an ongoing precautionary operation, not proof that another armed person was definitely present.
Udhampur’s Forest Belt Has Seen Earlier Operations
The Majalta-Basantgarh region and the wider Udhampur-Kathua belt have been the focus of repeated counter-terrorism operations because of their dense forests, mountainous terrain and proximity to routes linking different parts of the Jammu division.
In February 2026, two Pakistani JeM militants, including a man identified by security agencies as Rubani alias Abu Mavia, were killed in an operation in the Ramnagar-Basantgarh forest region of Udhampur.
That earlier encounter provides regional security context.
It does not by itself prove that the militants killed in the latest operation belonged to exactly the same cell or infiltration group.
Such organisational connections require specific investigative evidence.
Operation Comes Amid Wider Counter-Terror Activity
The Udhampur encounter follows several recent security operations in Jammu and Kashmir.
On September 5, security forces killed a militant identified by authorities as Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Yasir during an operation in Budgam.
Security agencies also reported dismantling a suspected Lashkar-linked module in the Pir Panjal region earlier this month and recovering an improvised explosive device.
The incidents reflect sustained counter-terrorism activity across different parts of the Union Territory, but they should not automatically be presented as a single connected conspiracy unless investigators establish such links.
No Confirmed Security-Force Casualties Reported
Current official and major news reports reviewed for the Udhampur operation do not report the death of any member of the security forces during the encounter.
The operation was conducted in difficult weather and terrain, but authorities have not announced any security-force fatality connected with the firefight in the material available as of September 18.
If authorities later issue casualty or injury information, that should supersede the current position.
Bottom Line
The central claim is confirmed and can now be stated more precisely.
Two militants identified by Jammu and Kashmir Police as Saddam and Mustafa, both Pakistani nationals affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammad, were killed in an overnight counter-terrorism operation in the Brattal-Sohan and Khubban forests of Majalta, Udhampur, during September 16-17.
The operation was conducted jointly by the Army’s White Knight Corps, Jammu and Kashmir Police and the CRPF under Operation Sohan, following intelligence about militant presence in the forest belt.
Security forces recovered an AK-series assault rifle, an M4 carbine, a Glock pistol, grenades, magazines and ammunition from the encounter site.
A local man suspected of acting as an over-ground worker was also detained. Officials allege he may have provided logistical assistance, but his role remains under investigation and should not yet be presented as a proven fact.
Search and surveillance operations continued in the forest area following the encounter to rule out any remaining threat.
Key Takeaway
Two Pakistani Jaish-e-Mohammad militants killed in Udhampur encounter.
Identified as Saddam and Mustafa under Operation Sohan.
Suspected over-ground worker detained for questioning.
The Rajatheertha Team publishes news, explainers, guides and updates across India and the world. Our coverage follows Rajatheertha's editorial, verification and corrections standards.
The Home Ministry has formally added the Shahzad Bhatti Network to the First Schedule of the UAPA, citing alleged cross-border arms, explosives and narcotics smuggling, recruitment of local criminals and the use of digital platforms for terror-related activity. The designation follows a multi-state
Revenue authorities are examining survey records and government-land classifications around former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao’s Erravalli property after Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy raised allegations in the Assembly. The BRS rejects the allegations and has demanded an independent judge-
The Jagdalpur court imposed capital punishment on all 10 people convicted in the 2013 Maoist ambush on a Congress convoy in Chhattisgarh. Two women are among those sentenced. The death sentences must still go through the High Court confirmation process, and the defence can appeal.
The Supreme Court has reaffirmed that arrested persons must receive the grounds of arrest in writing and in a language they understand, holding that Article 22(1) applies across criminal laws, including special statutes such as PMLA and UAPA.
The Pentagon says all U.S. bombers deployed to RAF Fairford have returned to the United States following a suspected terrorism incident near the UK base. British investigators are examining possible foreign-state involvement, while Iran denies any role.
Hurricane Polo has rapidly intensified into a powerful Category 4 storm off southwestern Mexico and is approaching Category 5 strength. Heavy rain, flooding, landslides and dangerous coastal conditions remain the main threats even if the storm's core stays offshore.
0 Comments