Abu Hamza, also known as "Afghan," Yasir, also known as "Jibran," and Suleman Shah, also known as Faizal Jatt, are the terrorists who were killed. (Image: Social Media)
In a breakthrough, Indian security forces have confirmed that the three terrorists killed in Operation Mahadev in Jammu and Kashmir’s Dachigam forest on July 28 were Pakistani nationals and senior commanders of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
The men, responsible for the brutal Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians on April 22, were identified through a combination of biometric data, recovered Pakistani documents, and forensic evidence.
Abu Hamza, also known as "Afghan," Yasir, also known as "Jibran," and Suleman Shah, also known as Faizal Jatt, are the terrorists who were killed. All three were seasoned LeT leaders who entered Kashmir along the Line of Control close to Gurez in May 2022 and spent more than two years underground in the Dachigam-Harwan forest belt.
According to intelligence agencies, Suleman Shah was an A++ category Lashkar commander and the mastermind of the Pahalgam attack, where gunmen opened fire on civilians in Baisaran valley. Hamza and Yasir were classified as A-grade operatives, with Hamza serving as the second shooter and Yasir handling rear security.
ALSO READ: Amit Shah Confirms 3 Pahalgam Attackers Killed in Operation Mahadev
Security forces recovered a cache of damning material that directly links the attackers to Pakistan. From the terrorists' bodies, officials found Pakistani voter slips issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan. Suleman Shah’s slip linked him to Lahore’s NA-125 constituency, while Abu Hamza’s matched Gujranwala’s NA-79.
A damaged satellite phone taken from the scene of the encounter included a memory card containing NADRA biometric data. Included were the fingerprints and facial recognition data of all three guys, confirming their identities and linking them to Changa Manga in Kasur district and Koiyan village close to Rawalakot in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The terrorists' suitcase also included extra ammo and chocolate wrappers from the Karachi-based brands "Candyland" and "Chocomax," whose batch numbers matched consignments sent to Muzaffarabad in May 2024.
ALSO READ: Operation Mahadev Success: Amit Shah Declares Killing of 3 Pahalgam Attackers in LS
The operation’s forensic analysis proved to be equally conclusive. A Garmin GPS device recovered from Suleman Shah held waypoints that matched eyewitness accounts and known firing positions from the April 22 massacre.
Shell casings collected from the Baisaran valley site were later test-fired and matched to the three AK-103 rifles seized during the July 28 encounter. Intelligence agencies confirmed a 100% striation mark match.
Moreover, a mitochondrial DNA profile extracted from a bloodstained shirt at the Pahalgam crime scene matched the DNA of the slain terrorists, further confirming their involvement.
The usage of an Inmarsat-4 F1 satellite, which captured pings from a communication device the three of them used every night from April 22 to July 25, was one of the most important discoveries. The search area was reduced, and Operation Mahadev was successfully carried out when the signals' position was determined to be inside a 4 sq. km. area of the Harwan forest.
The attackers' direct connection to LeT's Pakistan-based command is also confirmed by intelligence reports. The handler of the gang was determined to be Sajid Saifullah Jatt, the head of LeT operations in south Kashmir.
His voice samples from the recovered satellite phone matched previously intercepted communications.
On July 29, Rizwan Anees, LeT’s PoK-based commander, reportedly visited the families of the dead attackers in Pakistan to lead “Ghibana Namaz” (funeral prayers without bodies), with footage captured by locals now included in India’s intelligence dossier.
Initial sketches released by Jammu and Kashmir Police on April 24 had identified suspects as Hashim Musa, Talha, and local man Adil Hussain Thoker.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has since clarified that these were based on an unrelated phone image from a December 2024 shootout. The actual perpetrators were different men, now confirmed as the three Pakistani nationals killed in Operation Mahadev
