Despite Operation Sindoor, Terror Lurks in Kashmir’s Forests: Satellite Phone Slip Exposes Lashkar-e-Taiba Hideout
Even after the strategic success of Operation Sindoor, the fight against terrorism in Kashmir is far from over. The dense forests that stretch along the India-Pakistan border continue to serve as dangerous hideouts for terrorists, allowing them to operate in the shadows, often beyond the reach of conventional surveillance.
The latest example of this emerged with a breakthrough just days ago, when a brief satellite phone call pierced through months of silence and led Indian security forces straight to a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) module, believed to be responsible for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 25 tourists and a resident in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
For months, the Huawei-manufactured satellite phone, believed to have been used by the attackers, had remained off the grid — completely silent after the horrific massacre.
Indian intelligence agencies, however, never stopped tracking it. Their patience paid off when, two days ago, the device was briefly reactivated, likely by a surviving member of the terrorist module.
That one call, likely made in desperation, instantly triggered alerts across the intelligence network. It was traced to the remote and inhospitable Dachigam forest, a rugged terrain devoid of habitation and outside the coverage of standard mobile networks — ideal for a terrorist hideout.
Using this critical input, a joint strike team comprising the Indian Army’s Special Forces and the Jammu & Kashmir Police launched Operation Mahadev early Monday morning. What followed was an intense encounter, resulting in the killing of three terrorists holed up in the forest.
Among the slain was Hashim Musa, also known by the alias Suleman, believed to be the mastermind of the Pahalgam attack. Alongside him were two foreign militants, identified preliminarily as Yasir and Abu Hamza, both Pakistani nationals whose names surfaced earlier during interrogations of NIA-held harbourers Parvez and Bashir Ahmed.
According to intelligence officers, the Dachigam forest hideout may have been a carefully prepared fallback base — possibly set up months ago with logistical assistance from across the border.
Such isolated bases, deep within Kashmir’s forested terrain, remain one of the biggest challenges for counter-terror operations, as they exploit geography to avoid detection.
“The satellite phone had been cold for months. It was the only thread we had, and they slipped. Even the most disciplined blackout can crack under pressure. One call was all it took,” said a senior intelligence official.
Although this successful strike has likely crippled a major segment of the Pahalgam terror module, agencies are now intensifying their surveillance and combing operations.
Digital forensics, communication intercepts, and satellite scans are being used to track potential surviving members of the group who may still be hiding in similar forested zones.
Security experts caution that even after high-impact operations like Sindoor or Mahadev, terror networks adapt quickly, often shifting to less accessible, heavily wooded terrain across Jammu and Kashmir.
These locations — sometimes just a few kilometers from the Line of Control — offer natural protection and an escape from aerial surveillance.
The incident also raises alarms about the use of satellite phones by terrorist operatives. These devices, harder to intercept and trace compared to conventional communication methods, present a tech-driven evolution in how militant groups are operating in the region.
Even as India maintains a firm and aggressive counter-terror posture, the events unfolding in Dachigam serve as a stark reminder: the battle is ongoing, and remnants of Pakistan-backed terror modules continue to pose a serious threat.
The terrain may be unforgiving, but so is the resolve of India’s security forces — determined to eliminate every last haven.
#PahalgamAttack #OperationMahadev #OperationSindoor #LashkarModule #KashmirTerror #DachigamForest #IndiaPakistanBorder #CounterTerrorism #SatellitePhone #HashimMusa #IndianArmy #JammuAndKashmir #SecurityForces #LeT #PakistanBackedTerror #KashmirNews #NationalSecurity #TerrorismAlert #NIA #JandKPolice
