Srinagar: As Defence Minister Rajnath Singh began the Operation Sindoor debate in Parliament, security forces scored a massive win today by gunning down three Pakistani terrorists in an encounter near Srinagar, two of them involved in the Pahalgam attack in which 26 innocents were murdered in cold blood. 

Suleiman Shah, a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist, was identified as the mastermind of the April 22 terror attack that shook the nation. Security sources have confirmed that he was among the terrorists killed in the encounter this morning. Today's operation, named Operation Mahadev, neutralised two other terrorists: Abu Hamza and Yasir. Yasir, too, is believed to be among the Pahalgam killers. Security forces from the Army, CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police were part of today's joint operation.

Suleiman served in the Pakistan Army and was also known as Hashim Moosa. In the aftermath of the terror attack at Pahalgam's Baisaran Valley, the Jammu and Kashmir Police had announced a Rs 20 lakh reward on anyone providing information about Suleiman. 

The official X account of the Indian Army's Chinar Corps earlier posted that the security forces have launched Operation Mahadev in Lidwas. "Three terrorists have been neutralised in an intense firefight. Operation Continues," the Army said in an update, adding that the operation is not over yet.

All the terrorists, it is learnt, were "high-value" targets. According to reports, the security forces acted on an intelligence input and launched the operation in the Mulnar area of Harwan. Reinforcements have been rushed to the area and a combing exercise is on.

NDTV has also accessed a photo of the terrorist hideout that was targeted in Operation Mahadev. The visuals show multiple guns in the hideout located deep inside a forest area. According to sources, Carbine and AK-47 rifles, 17 rifle grenades and other arms and ammunition were recovered during the encounter. Security forces suspect that the terrorists were planning a big action in Jammu and Kashmir.

Source: NDTV