Three Pakistani terrorists were killed in an encounter in Srinagar’s Dachigam area during a joint operation by the Indian Army and the Jammu and Kashmir Police, sources told India Today. The action, called Operation Mahadev, was launched after inputs about the presence of armed militants in the region.

According to officials, the name “Mahadev” was likely chosen because the encounter took place between the Zabarwan and Mahadev mountain ridges.

The security forces recovered 17 grenades, one M4 carbine, and two AK-47 rifles from the terrorists’ hideout."There is a high probability that the militants killed in this encounter may have been involved in the brutal Pahalgam terror attack that took place on April 22 in the Baisaran Valley area," a top source told India Today.

Earlier in July, the Army reportedly intercepted suspicious communications in the Dachigam jungle, which led them to track a joint group of Lashkar and Jaish terrorists for about 14 days.

The information was also confirmed by local nomads, who shared sightings of suspicious movement in the area.

On Monday at 11:30 am, a joint team from 24 Rashtriya Rifles and 4 PARA spotted and engaged the terrorists. The team managed to eliminate the militants using stealth tactics and superior manoeuvres.

Sources said the process of identifying the bodies is underway, which will help confirm whether the terrorists were directly involved in the Pahalgam attack.

Links to April 22 Pahalgam attack

This encounter is connected to the broader investigation into the April 22 Pahalgam massacre, where 26 civilians were brutally killed in Baisaran Valley, a popular tourist spot often called “mini Switzerland.”

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is leading the probe, had earlier arrested two locals, Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad, for allegedly providing shelter to the attackers.

The group behind the attack, The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, reportedly targeted only men during the incident and executed those identified as non-Muslims, according to eyewitnesses and investigators.

One of the suspects, Suleiman Shah, is believed to have also been involved in last year’s killing of seven workers at the Z-Morh tunnel project on the Srinagar-Sonmarg highway.

The operation comes at a time when Parliament is discussing both the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, India’s military response to cross-border terrorism.

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