Jammu & Kashmir 2025: Major Strikes Against Terror Networks

Historic Counter-Terror Action in J&K Ends Pahalgam Attackers.

In 2025, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed one of the most intense and strategically significant counter-terrorism campaigns in recent memory following the horrific Pahalgam massacre in April, where 26 tourists were brutally killed by the The Resistance Front (TRF). In response, India launched a dual-track approach, combining both external and internal operations that would redefine its security posture in the region. 

Operation Sindoor, initiated on May 7, 2025, was a large-scale tri-service military campaign targeting nine major terror launch pads and infrastructure deep inside Pakistan and PoJK, reportedly eliminating over 100 terrorists and signalling India’s willingness to leverage not only kinetic action but also economic and diplomatic tools, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.

Simultaneously, Operation Mahadev, a meticulous two-month internal manhunt within J&K, culminated on July 22 with the neutralization of the three primary perpetrators—Suleman (alias Faizal Jatt), Hamza Afghani, and Zibran—whose weapons were later matched via forensic evidence to the cartridges recovered at the Pahalgam site.

Across the year, heightened vigilance along the Line of Control (LoC) led to the killing of 13 infiltrating terrorists, while security forces neutralized a total of 46 militants, sustaining the loss of three brave soldiers. Beyond traditional military measures, 2025 saw a strategic evolution in India’s counter-terrorism doctrine, including unprecedented digital surveillance to counter cross-border misinformation, tighter inter-service coordination between the Army, Air Force, and Navy, and a broader integration of economic and diplomatic pressure as part of a “zero-tolerance” approach to terrorism, marking the year as a defining moment in the country’s fight against militancy and its resolve to secure the Himalayan region.