Over three months after the brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, three suspected Pakistani terrorists believed to be involved in the carnage were gunned down in a high-stakes encounter with security forces near Mount Mahadev in Srinagar.

The gunfight broke out in the Lidwas area after intelligence inputs suggested the presence of foreign terrorists in the region. A joint counter-terrorism operation — codenamed Operation Mahadev — was launched by the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

According to security sources, the operation was triggered by a suspicious communication intercepted two days ago by the Army in the dense Dachigam forest. This lead was further corroborated by local nomadic communities who reported the movement of armed strangers, confirming the presence of militants.

Once the terrorists were located, a brief but intense exchange of gunfire ensued. All three heavily armed suspects were neutralised by the forces, bringing a significant breakthrough in the case that had stirred nationwide outrage.

The timing of this development is crucial, coming just hours before Parliament was scheduled to discuss the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, India’s broader counter-offensive against cross-border terrorism.

The Pahalgam massacre, carried out in Baisaran Valley, had left 26 civilians dead and scores injured — making it one of the bloodiest terrorist strikes in Kashmir in recent years. The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy group of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), had claimed responsibility for the attack.