Srinagar, July 29 (IANS) General officer commanding-in-Chief (GOC-n-C) northern command, Lt General Pratik Sharma, on Tuesday called on J&K Lt Governor (L-G), Manoj Sinha and briefed him on Operation Mahadev in which all three terrorists involved in the April 22 Pahalgam killings of 26 civilians have been eliminated.

Army’s Udhampur headquartered northern command said on X, “Three Pakistani hardcore terrorists involved in orchestrating the dastardly Pahalgam attack were neutralised in a joint, coordinated and protracted operation by the army, J&K police and CRPF on July 28.

It said that the terrorists have been identified as Suleman Shah alias Faisal Jaat, Hamza Afghani and Jibran Bhai.

“Two AK series rifles, one M4 rifle and a large quantity of ammunition and warlike stores were recovered from the spot. The mission marks a critical step in restoring security in Kashmir and the commitment of the IA towards establishing peace and development. The operation continues,” it said.

Earlier today, Lt General Pratik Sharma, GOC-n-C Northern Command, called on J&K L-G, Manoj Sinha and briefed him on Operation Mahadev.

He was accompanied by Lt. Gen. Prashant Srivastava, General Officer Commanding (GOC)Srinagar headquartered 15 Corps.

The L-G congratulated the Army, CRPF, and J&K Police for the successful Operation Mahadev. This crucial operation, executed in the challenging Dachigam forest, resulted in the elimination of three Pakistani terrorists responsible for the heinous Pahalgam terror attack.

GOC-in-C Northern Command informed that search operations had been ongoing in the Dachigam forest areas for the past few months.

There were persistent reports about terrorists hiding in this area. Recently, based on specific intelligence inputs, special teams were activated.

A joint operation was then launched by the Army, Jammu & Kashmir Police and Central Reserve Police Force, with the significant assistance of intelligence agencies, leading to the elimination of Pakistani terrorists.

–IANS

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