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Suleiman Shah alias Hashim Musa, a former Pakistani special forces soldier and top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander behind the brutal Pahalgam tourist killings, was eliminated during Operation Mahadev while napping in his Dachigam hideout.
Pahalgam attack mastermind Hashim Musa killed in J&K encounter
The man who singled out Hindu men and shot them at point-blank range in front of their crying wives and children while they were holidaying in Pahalgam was killed while he was having a nap in his hideout on Monday. Suleiman Shah alias Hashim Musa, top Lashkar commander, was a key conspirator and executor of the barbaric attack in which 26 tourists were killed.
Musa was also involved in the killing of seven people involved in the construction of the Z-Morh tunnel on the Srinagar-Sonmarg highway last year.
He was among the three terrorists killed during Operation Mahadev in Jammu and Kashmir's Dachigam area near Mount Mahadev. The operation was led by a joint team of the Army and J&K Police. Around 17 grenades, one M4 carbine and two AK-47 rifles were recovered from the hideout of the terrorists.
MUSA'S PAKISTAN LINK
Musa, a former soldier in the Pakistani army's special forces, is believed to have received elite para-commando training in Pakistan, which effectively aided his terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir, according to sources in the security establishment.
Musa, believed to be in his late 20s, infiltrated Indian territory through the Kathua and Samba sectors. After infiltration, he became active in the Dera Ki Gali area of Rajouri-Poonch, where his Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) module is suspected of orchestrating numerous attacks on security forces over the past year.
Pakistani para-commandos, particularly those trained by the Special Services Group (SSG), are renowned for their expertise in unconventional warfare, survival tactics, and mountain combat. Their training includes high-endurance operations, close-quarters battle (CQB), navigation through difficult terrain, and advanced evasion techniques, all of which appear to be reflected in Musa’s operations.
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Published By:
Priya Pareek
Published On:
Jul 28, 2025