In a major breakthrough under Operation Mahadev, security forces gunned down three terrorists, including the mastermind of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, during a high-altitude encounter in the Dachigam forest area near Srinagar on Monday. India Today has accessed the first photos of two of the slain militants—Habib Tahir and Jibran, both Pakistani nationals. The third killed was Hashim Musa, a top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander, who was identified as the key conspirator and executor of the deadly attack.
Operation Mahadev: A Surprise Strike in Dachigam Forest
According to official sources, the encounter was unplanned and triggered by a chance spotting. Personnel from 4 Para forces identified the terrorists hiding in a tent and immediately opened fire. The militants, reportedly caught off-guard while napping, were neutralised on the spot.
ALSO READ: Operation Mahadev: Amit Shah confirms all Pahalgam attackers killed, proof links terrorists to Pakistan
A senior official confirmed that the terrorists were in a resting position when the operation began—a rare vulnerability in their otherwise mobile tactics. Forces had been conducting intensive surveillance ever since a Chinese satellite phone was detected active in the Baisaran area on July 11. This prompted a multi-day cordon-and-search operation, culminating in the gunfight that killed all three terrorists.
Shah Confirms Pakistani Links, NIA Cracks Down on Local Aides
Speaking in the Lok Sabha during a debate on Operation Sindoor, Union Home Minister Amit Shah confirmed that the three terrorists were Pakistani nationals. “We have irrefutable proof,” he stated, revealing that two of them had Pakistani voter identity numbers. Even the chocolates recovered from the scene were manufactured in Pakistan.
Shah disclosed that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had earlier arrested two locals, Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad, for allegedly harbouring the terrorists. “The people who used to supply food to them were detained earlier. Once the bodies of these terrorists were brought to Srinagar, they were identified by those who were kept detained by our agencies,” he said.
The Home Minister detailed how actionable intelligence received on May 22 about terrorist presence in the Dachigam forests led to sustained surveillance. Success came on July 22, when sensor data confirmed their location.
To conclusively establish their identity, Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) reports of cartridges used in the Pahalgam attack were matched with the rifles recovered—one US-made M4 carbine and two AK-47 rifles—from the hideout. A total of 17 grenades were also seized, further reinforcing the militants’ Pakistan-backed credentials.
