Defence Ministry Debunks ‘Fake' Viral Report On Pahalgam Terrorists' Identities
Three terrorists, who were involved in the Pahalgam terror attack, were killed in an encounter code-named 'Operation Mahadev' on the outskirts of Srinagar
The Ministry of Defence on Monday clarified that no report on the identities and background of the Pahalgam attackers has been prepared by the Indian armed forces.
The defence ministry's statement came after some social media accounts put out a report on the 'Identities and Background of the Pahalgam Attackers."
The ministry said the report appears to be a compilation of information on post-encounter findings, collated from open sources.
'A report on identities and background of the Pahalgam attackers is being circulated through media/social media handles and attributed to the Services. No authorised media handle of the Indian Armed Forces has prepared or issued any such document. Neither have any remarks of this nature been made by the Armed Forces Public Relations Offices/nominated spokespersons," read the statement.
Last week, three terrorists, who were involved in the Pahalgam terror attack, were killed in an encounter code-named 'Operation Mahadev' on the outskirts of Srinagar. The three senior Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commanders had been hiding in the Dachigam-Harwan forest belt since the April 22 attack, news agency PTI reported, citing officials.
The terror attack in Pahalgam's Baisaran meadow had claimed 26 lives, mainly tourists.
The slain terrorists were identified as Suleman Shah alias 'Faizal Jatt", an A++ category terrorist, mastermind and lead shooter; his close associate Abu Hamza alias 'Afghan', an A-grade commander and the second gunman; and Yasir alias 'Jibran', also an A-grade commander and the third gunman, the officials said.
The evidence collected by security agencies leaves no doubt about the terrorists' nationality, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah detailing key findings in Parliament.
Forensic, documentary and testimonial evidence collected during and after 'Operation Mahadev' conclusively shows that all three attackers were Pakistani nationals and hardcore terrorists of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba who had been hiding in the Dachigam-Harwan forest belt since the day of the attack.
Biometric records of Pakistan's National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), voter identity slips and digital satellite phone data, including logs and GPS waypoints, are among the evidence gathered by the security agencies confirming the Pakistani nationality of the three terrorists, the officials said.
The terrorists crossed the Line of Control (LoC) through north Kashmir's Gurez sector in May 2022, when the intelligence intercepts placed their radio check-in from the Pakistani side, the officials said.
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