In a joint military operation, the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF gunned down three militants, believed to be of foreign origin, in the forests of Harwan near Dachigam in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.
Srinagar-based Chinar Corps of the Indian Army, which, in an earlier social media post, announced the launch of 'Operation Mahadev' saying "Contact established in General Area Lidwas. Operation in progress," later confirmed that three terrorists have been neutralised in an intense firefight.
Although it was not immediately clear if the three slain terrorists were involved in the April 22 Pahalgam attack that left 26 people dead, the security agencies had launched a major operation to track down the militants responsible for the April terror attack that led to Operation Sindoor and the intense four-day military stand-off between India and Pakistan.
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According to news agency PTI, intelligence inputs over the past month had suggested that some militants may have moved towards the Dachigam area, which is around 20 km from Srinagar's city centre. Media reports suggest that two days ago, the Indian Army tracked a suspicious communication in the forests of Dachigam.
Acting on an intelligence input, the security forces launched a massive anti-militancy operation in the Mulnar area of Harwan on Monday morning.
Two rounds of gunshots were heard from a distance as security forces were carrying out searches of the area, the news agency reported.
Soon, reinforcements were rushed to the area, and the combing operations intensified. In the gun battle that ensued, three militants were killed.
The identity of the militants and if they were affiliated to any militant outfits are yet to be confirmed, although media reports have suggested that these terrorists could have been involved in the the April 22 terror attack.
