India, July 28 -- The mastermind of the Pahalgam terror attack, Suleman Shah, was among the three terrorists killed on Monday during an encounter in Srinagar, according to top security officials. The joint action, codenamed Operation Mahadev, was carried out by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police in the rugged Lidwas area near Dara, close to Dachigam National Park.

The encounter began around 11 am after specific intelligence inputs indicated the presence of foreign terrorists in the region. The firefight unfolded in the dense forest terrain between the Zabarwan and Mahadev ridges, giving the operation its name.

"Three terrorists have been neutralised in an intense firefight. Operation continues," the Army's Chinar Corps said in...