Pahalgam attack mastermind Hashim Musa reportedly killed in Operation Mahadev. Who was he?

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Main: Indian forces have reportedly killed three terrorists, including Hashim Musa aka Suleman Shah, the mastermind of the Pahalgam terror attack. Security forces had launched Operation Mahadev, a combined effort of the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), after a device authorities had been tracking since the Pahalgam terror attack made a suspicious call. Here's what we know about Musa and how it all went down read more
Jammu and Kashmir Police had released sketches of Pahalgam attackers. X/@AnantnagPolice
Indian forces have reportedly killed Hashim Musa, the mastermind of the Pahalgam terror attack.
Musa, aka Suleman Shah, is said to be one of three terrorists killed in a gunbattle on Monday in Operation Mahadev.
The encounter is said to have occurred near Srinagar.
While the identities of the terrorist are yet to be confirmed, sources said they could be Musa, Yasir aka Harris and Abu Hamza.
But who was Musa? How did security forces reportedly kill him?
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Who was Musa?
Musa was previously a para-commando of the Pakistan Army's Special Service Group (SSG).
He is believed to be in his late 20s.
He joined the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) after being dismissed from his army post.
The Pakistan Army is said to have recruited Musa to bolster the LeT's Kashmir operations.
Musa is said to have been a top LeT commander.
He is rumoured to have been proficient in unconventional warfare and covert operations.
He is also believed to be able to use complex weapons, excel in hand-to-hand combat, as well as have navigation and survival skills.
He was sent to target civilians and security forces.
'It is possible that he was loaned by Pakistan special forces, like Special Service Group (SSG), to LeT,' an officer was quoted as saying by Times of India.
His use of advanced weapons, including M4 carbines, is another indicator of his special training.
The officer said Musa's background shows that the ISI was involved in the Pahalgam terror attack.
Indian security officers inspect the site in Pahalgam where militants indiscriminately opened fired at tourists at Pahalgam. AP
He is said to have been involved in several other terror attacks in Kashmir including the incidents in Gagangir and Baramulla.
The first incident, which occurred in October 2024, left seven dead including a doctor.
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The second claimed the lives of two army personnel and two army porters.
Musa is said to have lost weight in an attempt to change his appearance and stay ahead of the authorities.
He is believed to have entered India sometime in the past two years.
'We believe he [Musa] entered from the Samba and Kathua side and then moved towards Kishtwar. There is no local support for these terrorists so they mostly live in tents in the dense forests and caves and keep moving, which is also why Musa hasn't been arrested earlier,' a source earlier told ThePrint.
Musa is said to have operated mainly in Kashmir's Budgam district, which is near Srinagar.
He is said to have been coordinating with other Pakistan-backed terror outfits in the Valley.
His background is believed to have been revealed by one of the LeT's Over Ground Workers in Kashmir.
Indian authorities had arrested more than a dozen of these OGWs in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.
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These individuals played a critical link in organising the supplies that the Pakistani terrorists needed.
They are also have said to have scouted the site of the terror attack.
How did security forces reportedly kill Musa?
Now, let's take a look at Operation Mahadev.
It was a combined effort from the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
It was named after Mahadev Peak in Srinagar.
The firefight occurred in the upper reaches of Dachigam Forest, which is in Srinagar's Harwan area.
The army is said to have been keeping a watchful eye on that area.
(File) Indian Army personnel during a counterterror operation following a terrorist attack on an army convoy, in Kathua district, on July 9, 2024. PTI File
The army in early July received a communication it deemed suspicious.
The security forces are said to have been trying to tracking the movements of the terrorists.
The 24 Rashtriya Rifles, 4 Para, J&K Police, and CRPF had been sweeping Dachegam for the past two weeks.
Then, two days ago, a device security forces had been tracking since the Pahalgam terror attack made a suspicious call.
The LeT often uses Chinese-made equipment to send encrypted messages.
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The device is believed to be a Huawei satellite phone.
This development set off alarm bells in the security establishment.
Security forces quickly narrowed the location of the device to the Dachigam forests, where it suspected the terrorists were hiding.
A full-scale operation was quickly launched on Monday in Harwan's Mulnar area.
Information from the nomads also helped security forces track down the terrorists.
A joint team of 24 Rashtriya Rifles and 4 PARA found the terrorists.
Sources said the terrorists were caught off guard as they were napping inside the tent – a common tactic they use to keep their energy up.
The elite unit opened fire immediately.
Musa and the others were gunned down during the operation.
Visuals of the hideout of the terrorists deep in the forests shows a large green sheet between trees.
Clothes, blankets, plastic bags, food, and plates can scattered underneath this.
'There is a high probability that the militants killed in this encounter may have been involved in the brutal Pahalgam terror attack that took place on April 22, 2025, in the Baisaran Valley area of Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 innocent civilians', a high-level source told India Today.
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The operation to find other possible terrorists continues.
'Three terrorists have been neutralised in an intense firefight. Operation continues," Chinar Corps wrote on X.
At least 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed and several others were injured after terrorists opened fire on a popular meadow near Pahalgam in Kashmir on April 22. The terror attack was the deadliest incident in the region since the 2019 Pulwama strike.
With inputs from agencies