Three terrorists killed in Op Mahadev, suspected role in Pahalgam attack

Three Pakistani terrorists believed to be connected to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack were killed on Monday during a gunfight with security forces in the Dachigam area of Srinagar.

The joint operation, code-named Operation Mahadev, was conducted by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police based on sustained surveillance and intelligence inputs.

The encounter began late Monday morning after actionable intelligence indicated the presence of terrorists between the Zabarwan and Mahadev ridgelines. Security officials said the group had been under close watch for two weeks after a suspicious communication was intercepted in the Dachigam forest earlier this month.

Confirming the development, senior sources said the three terrorists were affiliated with Pakistan-based outfits, likely Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. Weapons recovered from the site included an M4 carbine, two AK-47 rifles, and 17 grenades.

One of the killed terrorists has been identified to be the mastermind of the Pahalgam attack.

A top security official had earlier told India Today there is a “high probability” that the men killed were directly involved in the Pahalgam attack in which several security personnel were targeted in Baisaran Valley.

Nomadic locals in the area reportedly played a role in identifying suspicious movements, which aided tracking efforts. On Monday, around 11:30 am, troops from 24 Rashtriya Rifles and 4 PARA spotted the terrorists and launched a swift tactical strike. All three were killed in the exchange of fire.