Operation Mahadev: How forces tracked, eliminated 3 terrorists in J&K

India Today

a day ago

The Indian Army, along with J&K Police and CRPF, launched an anti-terror operation under the codename Operation Mahadev and successfully eliminated three terrorists suspected to be behind the Pahalgam attack. The operation was launched by the Chinar Corps in the general area of Lidwas in Jammu and Kashmir.At 12:37 PM, the Chinar Corps said that a contact was established with the terrorists in General Area Lidwas and in less than an hour drone footage showed three bodies, confirming that three terrorists were neutralised.advertisementThe anti-terror operation had been in progress for two days, following the interception of suspicious communication from deep inside the Dachigam forests. Local nomads also provided crucial inputs, helping the forces narrow down the location of the suspects, sources said.
Intelligence indicated that the terrorists were affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the group that had claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack.
The bodies of the three terrorists killed in encounter on Monday
HOW ARMY TRAPPED TERRORISTSA suspected terrorist communication was detected in general area of Dachigaon and it was suspected that the user of the communication device had link with the Pahalgam attack, sources said.Following this lead, multiple Army teams were deployed to dominate and search the region over the past two days.At around 11:30 AM today, a joint team of 24 Rashtriya Rifles and 4 PARA located a group of three terrorists and swiftly neutralised them using the element of surprise and superior tactical manoeuvres.Sources said the terrorists belonged to a joint Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed module that had been under surveillance by security forces for the past 14 days. The group is estimated to comprise 5 to 7 members.Early this morning, a splinter group of three terrorists was tracked and neutralised by the Army. The trio had been camping in a makeshift trench hideout under a tree, concealed by dense foliage in the forest.THE PAHALGAM LINKA top level source confirmed to India today '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, 2025, in the Baisaran Valley area of Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 innocent civilians.'Search operations are currently underway to locate the remaining members, who are believed to be scattered across the larger forested area. The identification of the neutralised terrorists is in progress, after which their suspected involvement in the Pahalgam attack can be confirmed or ruled out.advertisementThe operation was carried out by the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The process is underway to ascertain the identity of the terrorists and to establish whether they were the three attackers behind the Pahalgam attack.The Pahalgam massacre had sent shockwaves across the nation. In a horrifying act of violence, 26 tourists were gunned down in front of their families, with women and children pleading in vain for their lives.In response to the barbaric terrorist attack, India launched Operation Sindoor and destroyed nine terror camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) and Pakistan, killing over 100 terrorists.While Operation Sindoor delivered a strong response, the hunt for the terrorists directly involved in the Pahalgam massacre continued.Operation Mahadev continues, Chinar Corps said, confirming that three terrorists were neutralised.- Ends