Joint Search Operation initiated by Indian Army

On Friday morning, responding to specific intelligence regarding the presence of terrorists, a joint search operation was initiated by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police in Bandipora. Contact was made with the terrorists, resulting in a shootout. India made its initial move in the effort to identify and remove those responsible for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, as prominent Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Altaf Lalli was killed in a clash in Bandipora. The operation is a component of a broader security initiative aimed at locating LeT terrorists believed to be connected to the assault that resulted in 26 deaths.

In the meantime, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi reached Srinagar, where he received a briefing on the current operation in Bandipora. He is set to carry out an extensive security assessment of the circumstances and evaluate the advancement of the mission focused on locating LeT terrorists believed to be responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack.

In a separate incident, the homes of two militants thought to be linked to the Pahalgam assault were demolished by security forces and J&K officials on Friday. The home of Lashkar terrorist Adil Hussain Thoker in Bijbehara was destroyed with IEDs, while Asif Sheikh’s house in Tral was taken down by a bulldozer. Adil Thoker is thought to have been instrumental in assisting the Pakistani terrorists in orchestrating and executing the assault in the picturesque Baisaran Valley that resulted in 26 fatalities.

The Anantnag Police has offered a reward of Rs 20 lakh for any information regarding Thoker and two Pakistani citizens – Ali Bhai and Hashim Musa – involved in the attack. The drawings of the three individuals have been made public as law enforcement initiated an extensive search for the assailants.

The assailants, thought to be 4-5 in total, appeared from the thick pine woods encircling the Baisaran valley on Tuesday and began shooting wildly with AK-47 rifles at visitors. Several survivors reported that the terrorists, dressed in military uniforms, examined the IDs to confirm religious affiliation and shot those marked as non-Muslims at close range.