Only a week prior to the commencement of the annual Amarnath Yatra, an encounter erupted between terrorists and security personnel in the Kuru area of Basantgarh in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district on Thursday.
The continuing gun battle, code-named Operation Bihali, was initiated based on precise intelligence inputs, officials added. The combined operation includes troops of the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police.
Giving an update on the events, White Knight Corps of the Army reported on X, “Op BIHALI. On the basis of specific intel, #IndianArmy and @JmuKmrPolice conducted a joint operation in the Bihali region of #Basantgarh. Contact has been made with #terrorists. The #operation is ongoing.”
Op BIHALI
Based on specific intelligence, a joint operation was launched by #IndianArmy and @JmuKmrPolice in the Bihali area of #Basantgarh.Contact has been established with #terrorists. The #operation is currently in progress.@adgpi@NorthernComd_IA pic.twitter.com/bEbi8O0bu1
— White Knight Corps (@Whiteknight_IA) June 26, 2025
The operation is going on in a region from which the mission derives its name: ‘Bihali’.
The meeting is in the backdrop of increased security measures for the Amarnath Yatra, which will begin on July 3 and run until August 9. Thousands of pilgrims are likely to take up the pilgrimage to the holy Amarnath cave throughout this time.
This new move also comes on the heels of Operation Sindoor, which was executed on May 7 and targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Punjab province. That cross-border exercise led to the demolition of nine terror centers and the killing of more than 100 terrorists.
Further, the present encounter in Udhampur is close to two months after the horrific Pahalgam terror attack in April when 26 tourists lost their lives.
