Pahalgam terror attack probe: 14 terrorists identified, agencies compile list with details | Check who they are here

Intelligence agencies have identified 14 local terrorists actively operating in Jammu and Kashmir, amid heightened security concerns following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians, an ANI report said on Saturday.

According to the report, which cited sources, the individuals have been identified as aged between 20 to 40 years, and are actively aiding terrorists from Pakistan by providing logistical and ground-level support.

Who are these terrorists?

Sources revealed the names of these individuals as: Adil Rehman Dentoo (21), Asif Ahmed Sheikh (28), Ahsan Ahmed Sheikh (23), Haris Nazir (20), Aamir Nazir Wani (20), Yawar Ahmed Bhat, Asif Ahmed Khanday (24), Naseer Ahmed Wani (21), Shahid Ahmed Kutay (27), Aamir Ahmed Dar, Adnan Safi Dar, Zubair Ahmed Wani (39), Haroon Rashid Ganai (32), and Zakir Ahmed Ganie (29), the ANI report said.

These 14 identified operatives are reportedly affiliated with three major Pakistan-backed terror outfits: Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Three of these terrorists are associated with Hizbul Mujahideen, eight with LeT, and three with JeM.

Adil Rehman Dentoo joined the LeT in 2021 and is active in Sopore, as the the banned outfit's district commander. Asif Ahmed Sheikh, affiliated with JeM, has been actively involved in terrorist activities since 2022, and is the JeM district commander of Awantipora.

Ahsan Ahmed Sheikh, affiliated with LeT and active in Pulwama, has been involved in terrorist activities since 2023. Haris Nazir, another LeT terrorist from Pulwama, has also been active since 2023. Aamir Nazir Wani, a terrorist active in Pulwama since 2024 is associated with JeM, along with Yawar Ahmed Bhat, another JeM terrorist active since 2024, according to the ANI report.

Identified men help Pakistani terrorists

Asif Ahmed Khanday is a terrorist from Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district. He joined Hizbul Mujahideen in July 2015, and is currently an active member of the terror group aiding Pakistani terrorists. Naseer Ahmed Wani is also actively involved in terrorist activities in Shopian since 2019 as an active member of LeT, significantly aiding Pakistani terrorists. Shahid Ahmed Kutay, another active terrorist in Shopian, is linked with LeT and its proxy group The Resistance Front (TRF) since 2023.

Aamir Ahmed Dar, also active in Shopian since 2023, is working with LeT and plays a major role as an aide to foreign terrorists. Adnan Safi Dar, who is another active terrorist from Shopian district, is working jointly for LeT and TRF since 2024, and acts as a conduit for information from Pakistani handlers to terrorists, the report added.

Categorised as an active terrorist, Zubair Ahmed Wani alias Abu Ubaida alias Usman is the Chief Operational Commander of Hizbul Mujahideen in the Union Territory's Anantnag district. He aids other terrorists and has been implicated multiple times in attacks on security forces since 2018.

Haroon Rashid Ganai, an active Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist also from Anantnag, is on the search radar of security forces . He had earlier traveled to Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) where he received training in 2018. He reportedly came back to South Kashmir recently.

However, Zubair Ahmed Ganie, a terrorist from Kulgam district in Jammu and Kashmir, is associated with LeT and is continuously involved in attacks on security forces and targeted killings, the ANI report said.

Coordinated operations by security forces across South Kashmir

In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, which has reignited concerns over the growing nexus between foreign terrorists and local recruits, security forces have launched coordinated operations across South Kashmir, particularly in Anantnag and Pulwama districts, the report said.

Senior officials indicate that these names are part of a larger intelligence dossier being used to pre-empt further attacks and disrupt terror logistics in the Valley. The agencies are also engaged in finding links of these 14 terrorists with the five terrorists who attacked the tourists in Pahalgam, the ANI report added.

Three of five Pahalgam terrorists were Pakistanis

Five terrorists were involved in the Pahalgam attack, out of which three were identified as Pakistani nationals, the report said. The authorities had earlier also released three sketches of these Pakistani terrorists – Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah and Abu Talha. The other two Valley-based operatives were identified as Adil Guri and Ahsan. A bounty of ₹20 lakh on each has also been announced.

The NIA, along with other security agencies, is currently assisting Jammu and Kashmir Police probe the deadly attack. The NIA team is expected to conduct an assessment of the attack site, and collect forensic evidence, the ANI report said.