New Delhi, Jan 30 : Anti-terror operations have been intensified in Jammu and Kashmir following inputs about the presence of Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists in the region.

This is part of the ongoing operation to flush out terrorists in the Kashmir Valley, an official said, stressing that flushing out these terrorists is important as they are highly trained and are capable of carrying out a massive strike.

This comes at a time when terrorists of both the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad are finding it impossible to infiltrate terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir.

Since Operation Sindoor, the infiltrations have come down to almost nil owing to heavy security and patrolling along the borders with Pakistan.

Intelligence Bureau officials say that hunting down the terrorists within the Valley is harder as they are hiding in the dense forests in Sonar and other areas.

In recent times, terrorists have been taking cover in dense forests and this has made operations challenging for the security forces.

Currently, the hunt is on for three terrorists, but official assessments suggest that there could be more.

Pakistan is desperate to carry out an attack in Jammu and Kashmir after they lost face during Operation Sindoor. These existing terrorists in the Valley are capable of carrying out a major attack, and they are showing a sense of urgency to do so. The idea is to strike big and divert the attention of the security forces, so that the terrorists waiting at the launch pads can infiltrate into the Valley.

The infiltration of terrorists and the need to carry out a major strike have become a big necessity for both the Lashkar and the Jaish. This, according to these groups, will help boost recruitment.

Intelligence Bureau officials say that the recruitments are down, and hence there is a need for a big strike in India. Many who were set to join these outfits are holding back as they do not have confidence in the leadership, an official said.

The ISI is desperate to have these groups up and running so that they can strike hard in India.

While this would further their Kashmir agenda, it would also serve as a distraction from the existing problems within Pakistan. The army is losing its grip over the people, and many are questioning its capabilities post Operation Sindoor. Further, many possible recruits have lost hope in the leadership of the terror groups.

Leaders of these terror groups, such as Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar, had promised the cadres the moon and even convinced them that India would not be able to shake Pakistan. All that, however, changed since Operation Sindoor and both the Jaish and the Lashkar were hit in a big way.

Looking at the desperation that has set in, officials warn that the terrorists of the Jaish, who are hiding in the Valley, have been instructed to carry out a major attack as soon as possible.

The security forces had launched a search operation on January 18. This had led to a gun battle in the Sonnar forest near the Mandral-Singhpora area. The encounter, however, resulted in the death of a paratrooper and injuries to seven soldiers. The terrorists managed to escape, taking advantage of the challenging terrain and thick vegetation.

Officials say that the hunt is ongoing and add that the security forces are confident of nabbing these terrorists. On January 22 and 25, two more encounters took place at the Mali Dana top and Janseer-Kandiwar. However, the terrorists managed to escape into the dense forest area.

"This is an ongoing operation, and today we have intensified the same," an official said.

Nabbing or eliminating these terrorists is very important as Intelligence reports state that they are highly trained and dangerous. If they manage to get away, they are capable of striking big, the official also added.

/IANS