Three Pakistani militants killed in Dachigam encounter: Army

The Army on Tuesday (July 29, 2025) said that three Pakistani militants, allegedly involved in the Pahalgam attack, were killed in a joint, coordinated, and protracted operation carried out by the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on Monday (July 28, 2025).

The militants have been identified as Suleman Shah alias Faisal Jaat, Hamza Afgani, and Jibran Bhai, the Army said.

Two AK-series rifles, one M4 rifle, and a large quantity of ammunition and warlike stores were recovered from the encounter site, the Army spokesperson said.

“The mission marks a critical step in restoring security in Kashmir and commitment of Indian Army towards establishing peace and development. The operation continues,” the Army spokesperson said.

The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Northern Command, said that search operations had been ongoing in south Kashmir’s Dachigam forest areas for the past few months. On April 22, twenty-six civilians, mostly tourists, were killed by a group of militants at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, Anantnag district. The attack prompted extensive search operations in several mountainous terrains surrounding the region.

The Lieutenant Governor was briefed about the operation by Lt. General Upendra Dwivedi, who was accompanied by Lt. General Prashant Srivastava, General Officer Commanding (GOC), 15 Corps.

“A joint operation was then launched by the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and CRPF, with the significant assistance of intelligence agencies, leading to the elimination of Pakistani terrorists,” a Raj Bhawan spokesperson said.

The Raj Bhawan spokesperson also said that the Lieutenant Governor congratulated the security forces for the successful execution of Operation Mahadev. The operation, carried out in the difficult terrain of the Dachigam forest, resulted in the killing of the three Pakistani militants allegedly responsible for the Pahalgam attack, the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference president Dr. Farooq Abdullah said, “I haven’t seen them and cannot say who they were. Only eyewitnesses can make that identification. The message is clear, such actions of terrorists will never succeed. If they’ve been neutralised, they’ve got the lesson they deserved.”