Operation Mahadev
Security personnel killed three Lashkar-e-Taiba foreign terrorists in a fierce shootout in the higher reaches of Dachigam forest, close to Srinagar, on Monday. The operation was conducted under a joint effort by the Indian Army and the Jammu & Kashmir Police, after receiving a tip-off and hearing gunshots within the region earlier in the day.
The shootout started at around 11 am when an Indian Army area domination patrol detected suspicious activity in the forest. The vigilant soldiers quickly launched a search, resulting in a direct encounter with militants.
Senior intelligence sources confirmed that the three killed were foreign nationals and members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group. They explained that Tuesday's Dachigam encounter is distinct from the recent terror attack in Pahalgam.
"The encounter was a culmination of a one-month-long intelligence-based operation," explained a senior intelligence officer.
Security personnel are now carrying out combing and search operations to recover weapons and obtain additional evidence. The process of identification is on, with the assistance of drone photography to identify the bodies. The photographs taken will be presented before two harbourers who were arrested in a recent NIA raid for identification.
This positive encounter is in line with the new counter-terror strategy of the Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir. Shifting away from static deployment on the basis of tip-offs, soldiers are now holding key high-altitude positions for lengthy durations to control terrain with possible militant infiltration.
This change in tactics has seen increased contact with infiltrators, with up to 150 terrorists said to be present in the area.
At the same time, the Army has also initiated a concurrent operation in Lidwas, strengthening its extended counter-terror presence in the Valley.
