Op Mahadev: Terrorist believed to be Pahalgam attack mastermind, 2 others killed in encounter near Srinagar

Srinagar: In a major counter-terrorism breakthrough, security forces have gunned down Hashim Musa aka Suleman — believed to be the mastermind of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack — along with two of his associates in a fierce encounter on the outskirts of Srinagar.

“Three terrorists have been neutralised in an intense firefight. Operation continues,” the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps of the Indian Army confirmed in a post on X.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar, GV Sundeep Chakravarty confirmed that the slain terrorists were Pakistani nationals and belonged to the banned Lashkar-e-Toiba. He, however, did not confirm if they had a role in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

“We are identifying them and ascertaining that (their role in the Baisaran meadow),” he said.

However, sources identified the slain terrorists as Hashim Musa, Yasir and Abu Hamza, all Pakistani nationals and members of the LeT.

Musa, a highly trained and tactically adept operative is believed to be directly linked to the Pahalgam massacre that left 25 tourists and a local resident dead in the Baisaran Valley of south Kashmir. The cold-blooded attack shocked the nation and triggered a major counter-terror crackdown across Jammu and Kashmir.

Top security officials said Musa had been under surveillance for several weeks. In a bid to evade capture, he had significantly altered his appearance — losing weight and changing his hairstyle and beard — but was ultimately tracked down through precise intelligence inputs.

The joint operation, codenamed “Operation Mahadev,” was launched during the intervening night of Sunday and Monday by the Indian Army’s Special Forces and the Jammu and Kashmir Police, based on pinpoint intelligence regarding terrorist movement in the Mulnar area of Harwan, located within the Dachigam forest belt.

A substantial cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from the encounter site, including two AK-series rifles, one American-origin M4 carbine, and 17 under-barrel grenades — indicating the group’s capability and preparedness for a large-scale strike.

The killing of Musa is being seen as a strategic blow to the cross-border terror infrastructure. The April 22 attack had also escalated tensions between India and Pakistan, culminating in a brief military confrontation on May 7, when Indian forces launched precision missile strikes on terror infrastructure across the border in a retaliatory operation codenamed “Operation Sindoor.”

Monday’s successful strike on Musa and his group is being described by security officials as a “high-value” operation, both in terms of the threat neutralised and the symbolism of striking a major terror commander operating near the Union Territory’s capital.

Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) — which has been probing the Pahalgam massacre — is expected to take over the case to further investigate Musa’s role, his cross-border links, and the involvement of local sleeper cells.

Security has been heightened in and around Srinagar following the operation, as intelligence agencies assess the fallout and monitor potential retaliatory threats from terror outfits operating in the region.