Op Mahadev: 3 suspected Pahalgam terrorists killed in encounter on Srinagar outskirts

Mangalore Today News Network

Srinagar, July 28, 2025:  Three foreign terrorists, believed to be involved in the deadly April 22 Pahalgam attack, were reportedly killed on Monday in an ongoing encounter with security forces in the Lidwas forest area near Dachigam National Park on the outskirts of Srinagar.

The joint operation, codenamed “Op Mahadev,” was launched early morning by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police after specific intelligence inputs about terrorist presence in the Mulnar area of Harwan. “OP MAHADEV – Contact established in General Area Lidwas. Operation in progress,” the Army’s Chinar Corps posted on X.

OP MAHADEV

Contact established in General Area Lidwas. Operation in progress.#Kashmir@adgpi@NorthernComd_IA pic.twitter.com/xSjEegVxra

— Chinar Corps🍁 - Indian Army (@ChinarcorpsIA) July 28, 2025

Initial reports suggest that the terrorists killed are foreign nationals, likely affiliated with the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba. A senior police official said, “There is a high probability that these terrorists were part of the group responsible for the April 22 Pahalgam attack. We are verifying the identities and their involvement.”

Reports said gunfire was first heard during the initial search operation, after which additional forces were rushed in and the cordon tightened. The combing operation is still underway and official confirmation of the number of terrorists killed and their identities is awaited.

If confirmed, the killing of those behind the Pahalgam attack would mark a significant breakthrough for security forces. The April 22 attack had left the nation in shock when 25 tourists and a local resident were gunned down in in cold blood in Baisaran Valley of Pahalgam. in south Kashmir. The brutal assault triggered widespread condemnation and prompted a massive counter-terror grid across the Valley.

The incident also led to a brief armed conflict between India and Pakistan that began on 7 May 2025, after New Delhi launched missile strikes on terror infrastructure across the border, in a military campaign codenamed Operation Sindoor.

Monday’s encounter in the Dachigam forest belt is being seen as a high-value counter-terrorism operation, both for its possible link to the Pahalgam massacre and the successful neutralisation of foreign militants operating close to Srinagar.

A police official said the identification process is ongoing and a formal statement will be issued once the operation concludes. The area remains under tight security as the joint forces continue search operations to rule out the presence of any additional militants