Security forces launch “Operation Bihali” in Basantgarh, Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir, amid intensified efforts to target terrorists following the deadly April 22 Pahalgam attack.

Terrorists and security personnel battled early on Thursday in the Basantgarh region of the Udhampur district of J&K, according to security officials. The Army's White Knight Corps posted on social media that Operation Bihali is underway.

The J&K Police and Indian Army conducted an integrated raid in the Basantgarh area of Bihali in answer to specific intelligence. The terrorists have been in contact with them. The procedure is in progress, it said.

In response to the April 22 attack on tourists in Pahalgam, security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have intensified operations against terrorists and the network of those who support them in the Union Territory. On April 22, Pakistani terrorists killed 25 visitors and one resident when they opened fire on a meadow in the popular tourist area in south Kashmir.

In the two months afterward, there have been several run-ins in J&K as security forces have attempted to crack down on militant activity and hunt down the culprits. Two local males who allegedly provided sanctuary to the terrorists involved in the attack were arrested on Sunday, marking a significant development in the Pahalgam probe. The three gunmen in Pahalgam were all Pakistani, the NIA also found out.