Army, police bust suspected militant hideout in J&K's Poonch; AK-47, six grenades seized

Security forces busted a suspected militant hideout inside a natural cave in the Surankote area of Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday (October 13, 2026), recovering an automatic rifle, six hand grenades and ammunition, officials said.

The cache was found during a joint operation by the Army and the police at Satharban forest, officials said, following reports of suspicious movement in the area. The recoveries included an AK-47 rifle, one magazine, 30 rounds of ammunition, six hand grenades and some medical supplies.

No one was arrested during the operation. Officials did not name any group in connection with the recovery, and said no contact had been established with anyone who may have used the cave. The identity or affiliation of those who may have used the hideout has not been established.

In a separate development, a search operation was under way in the higher reaches of Majalta and Billawar, spanning the Udhampur and Kathua districts, following reports of suspicious movement, officials said.

The joint operation involves Army personnel, including para commandos, and the police, and has been under way since Monday (October 12, 2026) evening. The searches are focused on the forest areas of Soan, Khuban, Chore and Nagan in Udhampur's Majalta, and Sadrouta, Bhed and Balore in Kathua district. No contact had been established with the suspects so far, officials added.

Also on Tuesday morning, Army troops detected two rusted landmines near the border fence in the Basoni area of the Mendhar sector in Poonch. The devices were spotted during ongoing track construction, officials said. Both were later destroyed by Army experts in a controlled explosion. More than a dozen landmines have been detected and defused by the Army in the area over the past week.

Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur and Kathua lie along or close to the Line of Control and the international border, and their forested hills have been the focus of repeated searches over the years. Officials have said the terrain is difficult to monitor. No casualties were reported in any of the operations described on Tuesday.

Officials said the searches would continue, and appealed to residents to report any suspicious movement to the police or the nearest Army post. They also advised people to stay away from the forest belts where operations are under way and to avoid touching any suspicious object, in view of the rusted landmines recovered in the Mendhar sector.

The Army and the police carry out such combing operations in the region periodically, and recoveries of weapons and explosives are reported from time to time. Details in this report are based on official statements; no independent confirmation of the affiliation of the suspects was available.