3 LeT terrorists killed in ‘Operation Mahadev’ encounter near Srinagar’s Dara region

Three Pakistani terrorists affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were killed in an encounter with security forces on Monday in the Lidwas area near Dara, located close to Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. The operation, codenamed ‘Operation Mahadev’, was launched by the Indian Army along with CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police based on intelligence inputs about suspected militant movement in the Harwan region.

The encounter began around 11 AM when contact was established with the terrorists in the rugged Lidwas terrain, which falls near Dachigam National Park. According to the Indian Army’s Chinar Corps, “Three terrorists have been neutralised in an intense firefight. Operation continues.” Additional reinforcements and aerial surveillance support through drones were brought in to assist ground forces in the area.

SSP Srinagar GV Sundeep Chakravarty confirmed that the slain militants were Pakistani nationals and members of Lashkar-e-Taiba. “We are identifying them and ascertaining that,” he said, adding that their involvement in the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam was yet to be confirmed. That attack had claimed the lives of 26 people.

Security officials said intelligence reports over the past month indicated that some perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack may have moved toward the Dachigam area, approximately 20 kilometres from Srinagar. Based on these inputs, a coordinated search operation was launched in the Mulnar region of Harwan, which led to the encounter in Lidwas.

The terrain in Lidwas and the greater Dara region is known for its difficult topography, often used by militants for movement and concealment. Security forces remain on high alert in the area, with the operation still ongoing to ensure no other militant presence remains undetected.