Para SF eliminates Pahalgam attack terrorists in Operation Mahadev

On 28 July 2025 National Investigation Agency (NIA) team arrived at the Police Control Room (PCR) in Srinagar for the identification of the bodies of the three terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam attack. The terrorists were neutralised by Indian Army para commandos in the Harwan area near Dachigam Forest on the outskirts of Srinagar. Among those eliminated was Hashim Musa, also known as Suleman or Sulieman, the mastermind behind the Pahalgam attack in April. The other terrorists terminated have been identified as Jibran, who was responsible for the Sonamarg Tunnel attack in 2024 and Hamza Afghani. Hamza Afghani, is believed to be a foreign fighter. According to reports, the terrorists were being tracked for 2 weeks. Hashim Musa, also known as Suleiman or Suleiman Shah, was a core commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). He was a former para-commando of the Pakistan Army’s elite Special Service Group (SSG). According to reports he later joined LeT after being discharged from the military, possibly to bolster the terror outfit’s operational capabilities in Kashmir on behest of ISI. Given Musa’s SSG background, it was evident that he was trained in unconventional warfare, covert operations, survival tactics, and mountain combat. Apart from being known for his role in Pahalgam attack, he was also implicated in various attacks on security forces and civilians in Kashmir Such as the October 2024 Gagangir (Ganderbal) attack, attack in Baramulla in which two Indian Army personnel and two Army porters were martyred and the killing of seven workers at the Z-Morh tunnel site.

The NIA team is currently speaking with witnesses “for ensuring a cent per cent confirmation that the slain terrorists include Sulieman Shah”. Meanwhile, the operation is ongoing as intelligence inputs have hinted at the presence of another group of terrorists in the area. Operation Mahadev Operation Mahadev, was launched soon after the security forces picked up a satellite phone signal. The same device was utilized by the terrorists who orchestrated the Pahalgam attack on 22 April 2025. The operation comprised of personnel from the Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and Jammu and Kashmir Police. Soon after the terrorists were neutralized, the Chinar Corps taking to on X, (formerly known as Twitter) reported “Three terrorists have been neutralised in an intense firefight. The operation continues.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X (formerly Twitter) to praise the armed forces for their successful execution of Operation Mahadev. The Prime Minister's message on X followed after Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s speech in the Lok Sabha, detailing the operations and the neutralization of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack.