Security forces bust terror hideout in dense Rajouri forest in J&K

Jammu: Security forces said on Friday that they have busted a terror hideout in the forest area of Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, recovering stored rations, cooking utensils, etc.

Officials said the hideout was found on Thursday evening during an area domination search operation in the Bangai forest area of Thanamandi in the district.

The officials said the hideout had been constructed in a densely forested area, amid thick vegetation, and was not visible. It was only on close inspection that the hideout was detected.

The seized items included two packets of rice, instant noodles, a knife, a lighter, a plastic sheet, an old blanket, a gas stove nozzle, two candles, and a plastic bottle, they said.

Search operations are still going on in the area.

More details are awaited.

Hideouts have been busted by the security forces in Rajouri district in the past as well. The recent incidents of hideout busting include Chamrer Forest (Thanamandi) when security forces unearthed a remote hideout containing a ready-to-use Improvised Explosive Device (IED), clothes, and eatables.

In Darra Barachara (Thanamandi), during an earlier joint operation, security forces recovered 10 Under Barrel Grenade Launchers (UBGLs), a damaged ammunition box, and medical supplies from an unearthed underground spot.

In Gambhir Mughlan, search operations on May 23 led to heavy recoveries of automatic weapons, AK-47 rifles, pistols, and kilograms of explosive materials hidden in natural caves and dense vegetation.

In Sagrawat Forest (Darhal), where an underground hideout was found in August 2024, cooking gas, blankets, and daily-use utilities were found.

In 2023, a search operation was conducted in Kalakote, wherein weapons were found.

Security forces and the Army are maintaining high alert along the International Border and the Line of Control (LoC) and in the areas close to these border districts of Rajouri, Poonch, Samba, Kathua and Jammu to ensure that the terrorists are prevented from getting a foothold in such areas.

Intelligence agencies believe that as long as the terrorists are on the run, there is a high probability of them getting trapped in CASOs (Cordon and Search Operations) carried out by the security forces from time to time.

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