Operation Mahadev was a high-intensity counterterrorism operation methodically planned and carried out by Indian security personnel in response to the Pahalgam incident in Jammu & Kashmir.
For several days, intelligence and surveillance teams pursued a gang of suspected terrorists, ending in a quick, three-hour operation to assassinate the incident’s claimed mastermind and his collaborators.
The squad, led by Suleiman Shah (alias Hashim Musa), a former commando of the Pakistan Army’s elite Special Service squad (SSG) who later joined Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), was tracked down deep in the Dachigam forests using advanced surveillance techniques. Evidence suggests that the terrorists were preparing for a large operation in the region.
The turning moment occurred at 2 a.m., when Shah’s squad activated a T82 Ultraset communications device, a highly encrypted platform that compromised their position. By 8 a.m., Indian soldiers had launched a drone to verify visuals of their targets.
The Army’s Rashtriya Rifles (RR) counter-insurgency unit, along with their elite Para Special Forces, mobilized at 9:30 a.m. and began mounting the Mahadev hill feature at 10 a.m. Within 30 minutes, the highly trained Para commandos had successfully visually identified the terrorists.
At 11 a.m., the standoff erupted into a firefight, in which all three terrorists were killed. At 11:45 a.m., an injured terrorist attempted to flee but was shot down.
The cordon was tightened during a subsequent scan of the area, which included a 2km radius surrounding the encounter site. By 12:45pm, the terrorists’ names had been confirmed, and photographic proof had been gathered.
Security forces discovered the bunker, which was well-stocked with weapons including Carbine and AK-47 rifles, 17 rifle grenades, and a quantity of ammo. These discoveries fueled speculation that a massive attack was imminent. Suleiman Shah and his group were quickly neutralized, avenging the Pahalgam attack while also destroying a broader terror operation.
Parallel to Operation Mahadev, India carried out Operation Sindoor during the night of May 6-7, 2025. At after 1 a.m., a series of precision airstrikes were launched, targeting militant infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Nine locations having a history of enabling terrorist activity, including Lashkar-e-Taiba’s headquarters in Muridke and Jaish-e-Mohammad’s stronghold in Bahawalpur, were targeted. These locations were linked to critical logistical, training, and operational support for the LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizbul Mujahideen, and other factions.
Operation Sindoor paid tribute to the women who lost their spouses in the Pahalgam incident by demolishing infrastructure critical to the execution and planning of cross-border operations and infiltration efforts against India.
These twin operations demonstrated a coordinated and rapid response to terrorism, integrating real-time intelligence, enhanced surveillance, special operations, and targeted airstrikes, and set an important precedent for India’s counterterrorism efforts.
