Srinagar, July 28: Security forces achieved a major success when they killed three top terrorists, including the mastermind of the Pahalgam terror attack, in an encounter at Harwan in Srinagar.
Identified as Suleiman Shah alias Hashim Musa, a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist, he was the mastermind of the April 22 terror attack that shook the nation. Two other terrorists have been identified as Abu Hamza and Yasir. Yasir, who are also believed to be involved in the Pahalgam attack.
Security sources have confirmed that Shah was among the terrorists killed in the encounter this morning. Suleiman served in the Pakistan Army and was also known as Hashim Moosa. In the aftermath of the terror attack at Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley, the Jammu and Kashmir Police had announced a Rs 20 lakh reward for anyone providing information about Suleiman.
“Three terrorists have been neutralised in an intense firefight. Operation Continues,” the Indian Army’s Chinar Corps wrote on X.
Early security forces launched Operation Mahadev in Lidwas after receiving a tip-off about the terrorists hiding in the area. According to reports, the security forces acted on an intelligence input and launched the operation in the Mulnar area of Harwan.
The encounter began around 11 am after specific intelligence inputs indicated the presence of foreign terrorists in the region. The joint action, codenamed Operation Mahadev, was carried out by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police in the rugged Lidwas area near Dara, close to Dachigam National Park.
“The operation is ongoing. There was an exchange of fire. As per reports, three bodies have been observed. Can’t say more right now. We will take some time for clarity, identification, and we can’t say anything. We will let you know at the right time,” VK Birdi, IGP Kashmir, told reporters.
The visuals show multiple guns in the hideout located deep inside a forest area. According to sources, Carbine and AK-47 rifles, 17 rifle grenades, and other arms and ammunition were recovered during the encounter. Security forces suspect that the terrorists were planning a big action in Jammu and Kashmir.
A key breakthrough in tracing the Dachigam hideout came from a communication device that had been under surveillance since the April 22 Pahalgam attack. CNN-News18, quoting top security sources, said that a suspicious call made from this device two days ago triggered immediate red flags within the security grid.
The device, believed to be a Huawei satellite phone reportedly used by the terrorists during the Pahalgam attack, had remained inactive since then. However, when intelligence agencies detected renewed activity on the device, they quickly narrowed down its location to a remote part of the Dachigam forest, far from any human habitation. The input was swiftly developed, and based on the coordinates, a full-scale operation was launched in the area on Monday.
Besides that, the sources said, the operation was on for more than a month. They had received human intelligence input about the movement of the terrorists, but that was not specific. Special forces teams were deployed at several axes to track them down, and nomads in these areas were thoroughly questioned about their presence, they added.