‘Three terrorists killed in Dachigam forests’
Identification underway: Police
Three ‘terrorists’ were killed on Monday in an intense gunfight with security forces in the Dachigam forest area, located on the outskirts of Srinagar and linking with parts of South Kashmir.
The operation, codenamed ‘Operation Mahadev’, was launched early in the morning after receiving intelligence about the presence of terrorists in Lidwas meadow, a high-altitude area in Dachigam National Park, Harwan.
According to the Army’s Chinar Corps, the encounter turned intense, resulting in the killing of three heavily armed terrorists.
“OP MAHADEV Update: Three terrorists have been neutralised in an intense firefight. Operation continues,” the Army posted on social media platform X.
Police as per news agency KINS, said the identities of the slain terrorists is being done, but sources suspect that one of them may be Suleman Musa, a Pakistani terrorist believed to be behind the deadly Pahalgam attack on April 22, in which 25 tourists and a pony handler were killed.
The group TRF (The Resistance Front), an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, was blamed for that attack and was declared a foreign terrorist group by the United States earlier this month.
The sketches of Suleman Musa, along with those of Adil Bhai (alias Talha Bhai, also from Pakistan) and Adil Hussain Thoker (a local), had been released by the J&K Police soon after the Pahalgam attack.
Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Pratik Sharma praised the Army and police for the swift and precise action. The operation is still ongoing in the forested terrain.
The encounter took place more than three months after the Pahalgam terror attack, which had escalated tensions between India and Pakistan. In response, India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’, targeting nine major terror hubs across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including those of LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammad. The military operation lasted four days and ended only after a ceasefire on May 10.
Security agencies believe that the same TRF group was involved in multiple terror attacks since 2023 — from Poonch to Gulmarg — using forests to move stealthily and carry out ambushes, but any official confirmation was awaited.
Authorities say the latest encounter marks a major success in the ongoing crackdown against foreign terrorists operating in the Valley.(KINS)
