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Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir successfully neutralised three terrorists in the Mahadev Peaks of Zabarwan range after a 95-day-long manhunt across the Kashmir region.
A team of National Investigative Agency members has reached Kashmir Valley to identify the bodies of the killed terrorists in the operation Mahadev, according to the sources in security. The sources also said that the two arrested men who had harboured the terrorists in Baisaran before the Pahalgam attack might be brought to identify the terrorists as well.
Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir successfully neutralised three terrorists in the Mahadev Peaks of Zabarwan range after a 95-day-long manhunt across the Kashmir region. Sources in the security said that the elimination of three foreign terrorists responsible for the brutal killings of 26 innocent civilians at Baisaran, Pahalgam, on April 22 has finally been avenged.
The operation started after a tip-off on July 27, after which security forces launched a massive search operation in the steep and dense mountain ranges of Lidwas. On July 28th, the terrorists were cordoned off, and a gunfight started from both sides resulting in the killing of three terrorists including Suleiman alias Hashim Musa, Yasir @ Jibran, and Abu Hamza Afghani—terrorists linked to the Pakistan-based group 'The Resistance Front' (TRF), a shadow organization of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Suleiman, a Pakistani national and former Pakistani Special Services Group (SSG) commando, was identified as the mastermind behind the Pahalgam attack. Suleiman was trained at LeT's Muridke headquarters in Pakistan and operated under multiple names. He was also involved in the Sonamarg tunnel attack in October 2024, in which seven labourers were killed on the Srinagar-Sonamarg highway.
The second terrorist killed in the operation was Yasir alias Jibran. He was also a Pakistani terrorist and was involved in the Sonamarg Tunnel attack. He was located multiple times in the forest area of Dachigam. Although his name had not been listed among the Pahalgam attackers.
The third terrorist killed in the operation was Hamza Afghani alias Abu Hamza. He was a foreign terrorist, and according to the sources in security, he is possibly of Afghan origin and was associated with the Lashkar-e-Taiba module.
The operation also shows the perfect coordination among multiple security agencies, including the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the Indian Army, and the Paramilitary forces. These terrorists were holed up multiple times at different locations, but they had managed to escape from those areas. Around five instances where brief encounters were observed in areas like HapatNaar Pahalgam, Tral, Dachigam, and other remote forested areas. Security forces have intensified their operations after Operation Mahadev all across the higher reaches of the Kashmir Valley.