JAMMU: Security forces have busted three terror hideouts during an ongoing joint operation in J&K’s Kathua district, officials said Friday. The first hideout was busted in Kamad Nallah area on Jan 8, while two more were discovered in Billawar, about 80km away, on Friday.A massive cordon-and-search operation has been underway in the region — spanning Kamad Nallah, Kalaban, Dhanu Parole, and Billawar — since Jan 7 to track and kill fleeing terrorists, based on intelligence inputs and reported sightings of terror suspects. A brief gunfight had erupted between troops and ultras in the forested belt of Najote on Jan 7, following which the operation was intensified over the past week.“During the searches in Kamad Nallah, holed-up terrorists opened fire at the troops, triggering a gun battle that lasted through the night. Subsequently, one terrorist hideout was detected early on Jan 8, from where security forces recovered two empty M4 cartridges, a plastic box containing desi ghee, a polythene packet of almonds, hand gloves, a cap, a blanket, a tarpaulin sheet, a small pouch and a polythene bag,” a police spokesperson said.The operation continued, and the cordon was expanded to cover over a dozen villages and surrounding areas, with additional troops and reinforcements rushed in.On Friday, two more hideouts were busted in Billawar’s Kalikhad and Kalaban areas. “The recovery included a cooking gas cylinder, cooking oil, charger wire, hand gloves, cooking and eating utensils, an empty oil gallon, large plastic bags, a torch, blankets, containers and wrappers of eatables, along with other miscellaneous items,” the spokesperson said.Kathua SSP Mohita Sharma said the operation was still underway.