In a significant counter-terrorism operation, security forces neutralized three foreign terrorists in a gunfight near Srinagar's Dachigam National Park. The operation, dubbed "Operation Mahadev," was launched based on specific intelligence inputs regarding the presence of militants in the Mulnar area of Harwan.
The Srinagar-based Chinar Corps of the Army confirmed the ongoing operation on social media. Reports indicate that the gunfight took place in a densely forested and mountainous area, presenting challenging terrain for the joint operation involving the Army, CRPF, and police.
Sources suggest that the three foreign militants were identified through intercepted suspicious communications in the Dachigam forest area two days prior to the operation. The operation is seen as a major success in the ongoing efforts to combat terrorism in the region. There are reports that the slain terrorists were sponsored by Pakistan.
The operation occurred against the backdrop of Pakistan's strategy of employing proxy outfits like The Resistance Front (TRF), a front for Lashkar-e-Mohammad or Jaish-e-Mohammad, to portray terrorism as an indigenous resistance. Security forces have intensified efforts to disrupt terror financing since the abrogation of Article 370.
The army chief has directed soldiers to prioritize their own safety during these operations, emphasizing that the lives of the terrorists are insignificant compared to the safety of the security personnel.
In related news, in December 2024, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) 'commander' allegedly behind an attack on workers at a tunnel construction site in Ganderbal in October, was killed in an overnight anti-militancy operation in the Harwan area of Srinagar. The LeT 'commander', Junaid Ahmed Bhat, was said to be the mastermind of the attack at a tunnel construction site in Ganderbal in October that left seven civilians dead.
