Jaish Commander Saifullah Among 2 Killed During Kishtwar Encounter In J&K

Last Updated:February 22, 2026, 15:29 IST

Security forces identified one of the two terrorists killed as Pakistani national and Jaish commander Saifullah, responsible for several attacks in the Doda-Kishtwar belt

In a big win for security forces, Jaish-e-Mohammed commander Saifullah was one of the two terrorists gunned down during an intense encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar region on Sunday.

Security forces identified one of the two terrorists killed in the encounter as Jaish commander Saifullah, who was responsible for several attacks in the Doda-Kishtwar belt.

According to security forces, Saifullah was a Pakistani national and infiltrated Jammu and Kashmir a few years ago. He was instrumental in recruiting youth in the area and had proven to be highly evasive over past encounters.

The Indian Army said both Saifullah and the other terrorist were affiliated with the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). They were killed in a remote area in Kishtwar district during the ‘Trashi-I’ operation in the general area of Passerkut in Chatroo belt, while arms and ammunition that, including two AK-47 rifles, were also recovered.

“Pursuant to credible intelligence inputs collated from J-K Police, IB (Intelligence Bureau) and own intelligence sources, a deliberate joint operation was launched in the Kishtwar region under operation Trashi-I to track and neutralise terrorists operating in the area. Following successful contact established earlier, troops of CIF (Counter-Intelligence Force) Delta, in close coordination with police and CRPF, re-engaged the terrorists today at approximately 11 am in challenging terrain," the Army’s White Knight Corps said in a post on X.

The army said the security forces displayed tactical precision, seamless synergy and resolute aggression, and dominated the encounter site wherein two terrorists have been successfully neutralised.

“The hunt continues – those who seek to disturb peace will find no sanctuary," it said.

The officials said the terrorists were found hiding inside a mud house on the foothills of a hill and opened fire on the approaching search parties, leading to an intense gunfight. The search operation in the area is still on.

The Chatroo forest belt witnessed nearly half a dozen gunfights between terrorists and security forces last month, resulting in the killing of a soldier and a terrorist. With this encounter, a total of six JeM terrorists have been eliminated by security forces in separate encounters in Jammu region this year. Earlier, two terrorists were killed in Udhampur and one in Kathua district.

(With PTI inputs)

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