In a significant development, security forces are closing in on the two Pakistani terrorists suspected of carrying out the deadly Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which claimed the lives of 26 people. The terrorists, believed to have entered Jammu and Kashmir about a year and a half ago, are thought to have infiltrated through the Samba-Kathua region by cutting through the fence. This group has been linked to several other terror incidents in the Valley. According to officials, teams from the Army, Rashtriya Rifles, and paramilitary forces are conducting extensive searches in the upper reaches of Anantnag, where the terrorists are suspected to be hiding. The Jammu and Kashmir Police are utilizing technical evidence and inputs from local tribal communities to aid in their manhunt. The two Pakistani terrorists have been identified by Anantnag Police as Ali Bhai, alias Talha, and Hashim Musa, alias Suleiman. Police have released sketches of the suspects, along with that of local Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) recruit Adil Hussain Thoker, believed to be the third Pahalgam attacker. A reward of Rs 20 lakh has been announced for any information leading to their arrest. Musa is also suspected of involvement in the Z-morh tunnel attack in Sonmarg on October 20 last year, which resulted in the deaths of seven construction firm employees. Sources reveal that the identities of the three attackers were confirmed by piecing together information from eyewitness accounts, video footage recorded by tourists and local guides, and data available with security forces about active terrorists in the Valley. “Several photographs of active terrorists were shown to eyewitnesses. They identified Musa from one of the photographs. From there, the identity of other attackers was confirmed based on all the available information,” a security establishment officer said. The photograph that confirmed Musa’s identity was recovered from the phone of slain local LeT terrorist Junaid Ahmed Bhat, who was killed last December in the Dachigam forests. Bhat’s phone contained photographs of him with other terrorists, including Musa. Sources indicate that Ali Bhai was also part of the same group. Based on eyewitness accounts, police have identified Thoker as the local LeT recruit involved in the attack. A resident of Bijbehara in Anantnag, Thoker had traveled to Pakistan on a student visa in 2018 and later joined an LeT terror training camp. He returned to India with the two Pakistani terrorists a year and a half ago. Before going to Pakistan, Thoker had worked as a teacher at a private school in Kashmir. Sources suggest that the terrorists have been operating in the Poonch-Rajouri, Baramulla, and South Kashmir regions. Investigators are also probing their possible involvement in the October 24, 2024, Boot Pathari attack, which killed three Army personnel and two porters in an ambush. Although the attack was claimed by the People’s Anti Fascist Front, an offshoot of Jaish-e-Mohammed, the involvement of Musa’s group is being investigated. Musa is considered highly trained and adept at surviving in the jungle. He is suspected to be part of the same group of infiltrators who have terrorized Jammu over the past three years, killing more than 50 Army personnel with precision firing and stealthy movements. Investigators are also examining whether the same group was involved in the killing of three Army personnel in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district in August 2023 and an attack in Jammu’s Poonch district in May last year, which resulted in the death of an Air Force personnel and injuries to four others. The National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) investigation has indicated that during the Pahalgam attack, the terrorists urged their accomplices to hurry up so they could leave. Preliminary autopsy reports suggest that 12 of the victims sustained gunshot injuries to the head. As the manhunt intensifies, security forces are determined to bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure the safety of the region.