Indian Army’s Chinar Corps said that contact has been established with suspected militants under the ongoing “Operation Mahadev” near Dara region in J&K.
Security forces on Monday launched a major anti-terror operation in the Lidwas area near Dara in Jammu and Kashmir, following inputs about suspected terrorist movement in the region.
According to a statement from the Indian Army’s Chinar Corps, “Three terrorists have been neutralised in an intense firefight. Operation Continues.” Defence sources said the encounter began at 11 AM.
On the identity of the slain terrorists, SSP Srinagar GV Sundeep Chakravarty said that all three were Pakistani and belonged to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). However, he did not confirm that they had a role in Pahalgam attack. “We are identifying them and ascertaining that,” Chakravarty added.
Earlier, the security forces updated when contact was established with suspected militants under the ongoing ‘Operation Mahadev’. The Army said, “The operation is currently underway,” adding that additional reinforcements have been deployed to support the action on the ground.
The Dara region of Jammu and Kashmir is a known trekking destination in difficult and rugged terrain.
Operation Mahadev: Top updates
- An encounter broke out between terrorists and security forces in the Harwan area near Dachigam National Park on Monday, as the Indian Army launched a major anti-militancy operation codenamed ‘Operation Mahadev’.
- “OP MAHADEV – Contact established in General Area Lidwas. Operation in progress,” the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps of the Army posted on its official X handle.
- Acting on intelligence inputs, officials said that security forces initiated a search operation in the Mulnar area of Harwan. Along with the Indian Army, teams from the CRPF and J&K Police are also involved in the operation.
- “Three terrorists have been neutralised in an intense firefight. Operation continues,” the Chinar Corps said in an update later in the day.
- Officials said additional reinforcements were rushed to the area to support the ongoing operation.
- The three terrorists killed in the ongoing anti-militancy ‘Operation Mahadev’ were Pakistani and belonged to Lasjkar-e-Taibe (LeT), said SSP Srinagar.
- Earlier, security forces had launched a large-scale operation to trace those responsible for the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives.
- According to news agency PTI, intelligence inputs over the past month have indicated that Pahalgam attack perpetrators may have shifted base towards the Dachigam area, located about 20 km from Srinagar city.
- However, it was not immediately clear that the three terrorists neutralised during Monday’s operations were directly linked to the Pahalgam attack.
- Army officials said that three terrorists had been neutralised in an intense firefight, adding that the operation continues. To aid in the search, drones had also been deployed for surveillance.
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