During a debate on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah confirmed that all three terrorists involved in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack were killed in a high-level security operation dubbed Operation Mahadev.
"All three terrorists—Suleman, Afghan, and Jibran—were neutralized in yesterday’s joint operation by the Indian Army, CRPF, and Jammu & Kashmir Police," Shah announced in Parliament. “Those who used to supply them with food had been detained earlier, and they later confirmed the identities of the terrorists once the bodies were brought to Srinagar.”
Shah further revealed that all three were A-category operatives of the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Suleman alias Faizal, identified as the mastermind of the Pahalgam attack, was also known by the alias Hashim Musa. The other two, Hamza Afghani and Jibran, were confirmed to be Pakistani nationals affiliated with LeT.
The April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam claimed 26 lives, including that of a Nepali citizen. The three terrorists responsible had reportedly received shelter from local collaborators, two of whom were arrested by central agencies prior to the operation. Their testimony played a critical role in confirming the identities of the slain militants.
According to reports by News18, the intelligence-led Operation Mahadev was a precision strike backed by both human and technical surveillance. The attackers were placed under close watch before being engaged in an encounter in Dachigam, near Srinagar, on July 28.
Officials also stated that the identification of the terrorists was cross-verified using photographs and existing intelligence inputs. The weapons recovered from the encounter site are now being forensically examined to determine if they were used in the April attack.
Government sources underscored that the success of Operation Mahadev not only avenged the Pahalgam killings but also dealt a significant blow to Lashkar-e-Taiba’s presence in the region.