A Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist was neutralised by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district after he used civilians as human shields. The Pakistani-origin commander, identified as Usman, took a family hostage when cornered in a village house. Police said personnel rescued the civilians and killed him during the operation. Usman was linked to multiple terror attacks in the region.
A Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorist who was neutralised by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district on Friday afternoon had used civilians as a human shield when he was cornered by the armed forces.
After being tracked by security forces, Usman, a JeM commander of Pakistani origin, took the inmates of the house where he had taken shelter hostage, attempting to exploit the situation and evade capture. However, police personnel outsmarted him, rescuing the hostages and neutralising the terrorist, according to the police.
Usman entered India in 2024 and operated in the Bani–Bhillawar belt, carving out hideouts in dense forests and steep mountains. He was involved in six terror incidents, leading to the deaths of both civilians and security personnel.
Usman frequently used natural caves as hideouts to evade detection and plan attacks. Security forces had been conducting relentless searches in the Bani and Bhillawar areas of Kathua district for days, but Usman kept escaping. However, on 7 January, the forces busted three of his hideouts in the mountainous Bhillawar region.
Reportedly, his hideouts were busted, which compelled him to take shelter in villagers’ homes, a move he had avoided in the past.