Army, JKP clash over credit for killing terrorist

A top-ranking Army Officer of the Chandigarh base Western Command on Wednesday contradicted tall claims made by the Jammu and Kashmir police soon after eliminating a dreaded Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorist in the Parhetar village, Kathua, on January 23, by congratulating a braveheart of the SIKH LI Regiment who had risked his own life to eliminate the terrorist inside a civilian house.

The Inspector General of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Jammu Zone, and SSP Kathua had claimed on January 23 that a JeM terrorist, Usman, was “neutralised by a small JKP team in a joint operation with the Army and CRPF in the general area of Billawar, Kathua district.”

However, the Indian Army’s Western Command on Wednesday credited a sepoy of the Sikh LI btn claiming he eliminated the JeM at about 5 pm on Jan 23. Interestingly, the Western Command had made no mention of joint operations.

In a post on X, the Western Command on Wednesday wrote, “Lt Gen Manoj Kumar Katiyar, Army Commander Western Command, visited the Bani-Macchedi Sector, Kathua, and congratulated Sep XXX of the SIKH LI Regiment who had eliminated a dreaded JeM terrorist in a close encounter risking his own life. He complimented the whole team for the relentless pursuit of the terrorist over several days and the surgical execution of the operation. The Army Commander was briefed by the Brigade Commander on plans for continued domination of the area. JeM terrorist Usman was eliminated by the Indian Army at Parhetar in Kathua District on 23 Jan 2026 at around 5 PM during the conduct of Op #PARHETAR”.

On January 23, Rising Star Corps in a post on X said, “Acting on specific intelligence inputs, Joint Operation was launched by the Army and Police on 23 Jan 26 in the general area Parhetar, Kathua. The area was cordoned, and the contact was established. In a precise strike by the joint forces, one foreign terrorist has been eliminated. Search operations are continuing.”

Earlier, Senior Superintendent of Police, Kathua range, Mohita Sharma, had claimed on camera, “On Friday, we received specific input around 1 PM. It was from Parhetar village stating that the JeM Commander was in a house and had taken some civilians hostage.

Sharma said, “We immediately moved our party there, and our CRPF and Army personnel were also with us, forming a cordon. Then, a small police party, setting a great example of bravery, first evacuated the civilians from there and then went straight into the house. They snatched his weapon. and shot him. It did come to a full-blown combat situation, and he fired first from inside. As soon as we entered, our party displayed exceptional bravery - the kind of bravery for which the JKP is famous throughout the country and the world - in snatching his weapon and shooting him. SSP Kathua claimed the JeM Commander had been active in the area since 2024. He was on the run for a long time. SSP Mohita Sharma also claimed that the JeM Commander carried out six terrorist attacks since 2024, in which civilians died, and our forces’ personnel have also sacrificed their lives.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Jammu-Samba-Kathua (JSK) Range, Shiv Kumar Sharma, said, “This is a great achievement for the Kathua police. The most important thing is that the people of our Bilawar area are becoming more alert, they are providing information, and this action was taken based on timely information. The terrorist, named Usman, was killed in the operation. As I mentioned, the Jaish group, operating from the enemy country, Pakistan, is carrying out a lot of activities in our area, in Jammu, Kathua, and Samba.