Inside the Pahalgam plot: Terrorists operated under code names Moosa, Yunus and Asif

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Security agencies have identified the three terrorists behind the deadly Pahalgam attack as Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah, and Abu Talha, believed to be TRF operatives using code names Moosa, Yunus, and Asif. Sketches of the suspects, based on survivor accounts, have been released as a search operation intensifies. According to officials, the trio was previously active in Poonch and had a history of orchestrating terror strikes in the region.

NEW DELHI: Security agencies on Wednesday revealed that the three terrorists suspected to have carried out the deadly Pahalgam attack used specific code names, Moosa, Yunus, and Asif, to mask their identities during the operation that killed 28 people, mostly tourists.

The suspects have been identified as Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah, and Abu Talha, all of whom are believed to be operatives of The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar-e-Taiba proxy.

According to officials, the trio was previously active in Poonch and had a history of orchestrating terror strikes in the region.

The use of aliases by terrorists is not new, but security experts say the names appear to be part of an effort to create confusion, avoid detection, and establish interchangeable identities within militant networks.

Meanwhile, the sketches of the three suspects were drawn based on inputs from survivors of the Pahalgam assault and released publicly. Black-and-white pencil sketches suggest the men are young and bearded.

One grainy photograph also surfaced showing a man running with an AK-47, believed to match the survivors’ descriptions, though its authenticity is still being verified.

The attack took place at 1:30 pm on Tuesday in the lush Baisaran meadows near Pahalgam. Survivors recalled the attackers, dressed in Indian Army fatigues, demanded victims reveal their religion and recite Islamic verses before opening fire.

The Indian Army’s Chinar Corps confirmed that a “search operation is currently in progress, with all efforts focused on bringing the attackers to justice.”

Union home minister Amit Shah, who visited the site, said, “This attack was not just on tourists but on Kashmir’s peace and progress. The response will be decisive.”

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