India reports that it has eliminated militants responsible for killing of tourists in Kashmir

India recently announced that its security forces have eliminated three militants believed to be responsible for the tragic killing of 26 civilians near a popular tourist destination in Indian-administered Kashmir back in April. This incident had escalated tensions between India and Pakistan, leading to a brief military confrontation.

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During a parliamentary session, Home Minister Amit Shah stated that the militants were neutralized by Indian forces close to Srinagar, the region's main city. He asserted that these attackers were Pakistani nationals, a claim that Pakistan has denied. The identities of the militants were reportedly confirmed through forensic and ballistic analyses, as Shah informed Members of Parliament. As of now, Pakistan has refrained from responding to these allegations, which haven't been verified independently. This development arrives amid increasing scrutiny of the Indian government's handling of security in Kashmir. On April 22, a tragic incident unfolded near the picturesque town of Pahalgam, where twenty-six men, primarily Hindu tourists, lost their lives to gunmen in one of the region's deadliest attacks in recent years.

The attack was ruthless, with victims shot in front of their families. A local Muslim pony handler who attempted to assist them was also killed in the violence. In response, Delhi accused Islamabad of backing the militant groups responsible for the attack—a claim Pakistan has consistently refuted. Following the incident, India carried out a series of strikes on various locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan retaliated with drones, missiles, and fighter jets, resulting in four days of intense military engagement between the two nations.

This flare-up led to numerous casualties and marked one of the most violent confrontations between India and Pakistan in decades, culminating in a ceasefire announcement brokered by US President Donald Trump. India's opposition leaders have raised concerns about significant security failures, questioning the lengthy timeline for capturing the attackers. During a parliamentary session on Monday, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi called for Home Minister Amit Shah to take personal accountability for the incident. "The country deserves to know why the government has failed to apprehend the terrorists even after 100 days since the attack," he stated. In response on Tuesday, Shah announced that security forces had successfully "neutralised the three terrorists" linked to the incident in a mission dubbed "Operation Mahadev." According to the Indian army, the three were killed in a gunfight at a wildlife reserve in the Dachigam mountains, approximately 30 kilometers from Srinagar. However, the BBC was unable to independently verify the details, and the army did not disclose the identities of the deceased immediately.

Shah later identified the men as Suleiman Shah and Afghan, both purportedly Pakistani nationals. "When the terrorists were eliminated [on Monday], we discovered three rifles: one M9 American rifle and two AK-47s. The cartridges collected were also from these weapons. We sent the rifles to a central forensics lab in Chandigarh, where they were fired and subsequently confirmed to be the exact ones used in the attack on our innocent citizens," Shah explained. "I have the ballistic report," he added, displaying documents in the assembly. "Six scientists have verified it. They confirmed to me this morning via video call that these bullets are undeniably the ones fired during the attack." Initially, at the investigation's outset in May, Indian police released sketches of three suspects, noting that two were believed to be Pakistani while one was local. However, in June, authorities stated that all three militants were indeed Pakistani nationals affiliated with the UN-sanctioned group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), following the arrest of two locals accused of providing shelter to the militants before the attack. On Tuesday, Shah clarified that only Suleiman Shah and Afghan were suspected LeT members, omitting details about which group the third militant, Jibran, was thought to belong to. The locals who sheltered the militants have identified them, according to Shah.

"We possess the voter ID numbers of both suspects, along with weapons that were seized from them. The chocolates we found are also manufactured in Pakistan," he stated. "They took the lives of our tourists, and now they have met their end." Shah also responded to concerns regarding the pace of the investigation, as some questioned how the three individuals eluded detection for three months. "Immediately following the attack, we handed over the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA)," he explained. "We coordinated with the security and border forces to ensure the perpetrators could not escape the country." However, some opposition leaders expressed skepticism and raised concerns about the absence of security in Pahalgam at the time of the attack. "Why was not a single security personnel present there?" Congress party leader Priyanka Gandhi questioned. "Isn’t it the responsibility of the prime minister, home minister, and defense minister to ensure the safety and security of our citizens?" she asked.