The terrorists, who unleashed the dastardly attack on unarmed, innocent civilians at the picturesque Baisaran Valley and brutally killed 26 people on April 22, had travelled through harsh terrain for 22 hours from Kokernag to Pahalgam and then perpetrated the killings, reveal the findings of the ongoing investigations into the terror attack, says an India Today report, citing sources.

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The terrorists had walked through the rugged terrain from the Kokernag forests to the Baisaran valley in Pahalgam to execute the horrific attack.

The terrorists had also snatched two mobile phones, one from a tourist and the other belonging to a local resident during the attack, sources added.

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As per the report, the forensic analysis has confirmed that AK-47 and M4 assault rifles were used by the terrorists during the attack.

In a boost to the investigation, a photographer has emerged as a key witness in the case. The lensman, who had scaled a tree, recorded critical footage during the attack, capturing the sequence of events as they unfolded. His videos and images will be extremely crucial for the investigators in determining the sequence of events and timeline of the attack, said the report.

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Sources say that in all, four attackers were involved in the killings, including three Pakistani terrorists and one local terrorist, Adil Thokar, who joined the Hizbul Mujahideen group in 2018 after getting radicalised.
He crossed over to Pakistan legally using valid documents, where he received battle-hardened training with the Lashkar-e-Taiba before returning in 2024 to Kashmir.
Subsequently, Thokar had been helping Pakistani terrorists by providing them logistics and acting as a guide through the region’s rugged terrain.

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Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has initiated the process of taking over the Pahalgam terror attack case probe following orders from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

NIA teams have been camping at the terror attack site since Wednesday (April 23) and have intensified the search for evidence.

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They are examining eyewitnesses to reconstruct the events and closely scrutinising the entry and exit points in the valley to understand the terrorists’ modus operandi.
Along with forensic experts, the NIA officials are combing the entire Baisaran Valley for clues to expose the terror conspiracy.