Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday announced in the Lok Sabha that three terrorists in the April 22 Pahalgam attack, have been eliminated. The statement was made during a debate on Operation Sindoor, where Shah confirmed the success of Operation Mahadev, conducted on 28 July in Jammu and Kashmir.
“In a joint Operation Mahadev, the Indian Army, CRPF, and J\&K Police have neutralised three terrorists who were involved in the Pahalgam terror attack,” Shah stated.
The Home Minister named the three terrorists as Suleman alias Faizal, Afghan, and Jibran, all of whom were identified as A-category operatives of the terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. “Suleman was an A-category commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba. Afghan was also an A-category terrorist, and Jibran was similarly ranked. All three terrorists who killed our citizens in the Baisaran valley have been eliminated,” he added.
The Pahalgam terror attack had left 26 civilians dead, sending shockwaves across the nation. The perpetrators reportedly asked victims about their religion before opening fire. “Innocent civilians were killed in front of their families by asking their religion. I condemn this barbaric act. I express my sympathies to the families who lost their loved ones,” Shah told Parliament.
The Union Home Minister detailed the sequence of the investigation that followed the attack. Several individuals suspected of aiding the terrorists by supplying food were detained early in the probe. Their testimonies proved vital in identifying the terrorists once their bodies were recovered after the operation.
“All three terrorists – Suleman, Afghan, and Jibran – were killed in yesterday’s operation. The people who used to supply food to them were detained earlier. Once the bodies of these terrorists were brought to Srinagar, they were identified by those who were kept in custody by our agencies,” said Amit Shah.
He further stated that the National Investigation Agency had already apprehended those who provided shelter to the terrorists. The identification process was backed by forensic evidence, with weapons recovered from the scene being matched to ballistic reports of the April attack. “NIA had already arrested those who gave them shelter. Those who fed them were detained. When the terrorists’ dead bodies reached Srinagar, they were identified as the same people who carried out the Pahalgam attack. The FSL report of the cartridges used in the attack was already prepared. The rifles recovered yesterday matched the ballistic findings. Further tests were conducted in Chandigarh, which confirmed the identification,” Shah explained.
Taking aim at the Opposition, Shah expressed disappointment at their reaction to the successful operation. “I was expecting that when they hear this news of the killing of the Pahalgam terrorists, they will be happy, but instead, they don’t seem happy about it,” he remarked.
