States » NorthPosted at: Sep 30 2026 5:34PM


Top Pakistani LeT commander killed in Budgam encounter; entire four-member group eliminated

Srinagar, Sep 30 (UNI) In a major success security forces shot dead a top Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist, identified as Musa aka Asif Fauji, in an encounter in the upper reaches of Yousmarg in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district, officials said.
Musa had allegedly escaped during an encounter in Budgam earlier this month and was subsequently tracked by security forces in the mountainous forests of central Kashmir after an extensive search.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in a statement, said that with the killing of Musa, the entire group of four senior LeT commanders who had been operating in Jammu and Kashmir since 2022 and were responsible for a series of major attacks has been eliminated.
The three other top members of the group were also eliminated by security forces in separate encounters. Junaid Bhat, the only local commander of the group- was killed on December 3, 2024, during an encounter in Dachigam Srinagar; Suleman Shah- the mastermind behind the Pahalgam attack- was neutralised on July 28, 2025, during Operation Mahadev in Srinagar; and Yasir was killed on September 4, 2026, during Operation Asdhar in Budgam district.
The group of the four top LeT men were linked to several high profile strikes over the past three years. These included the Kandi attack in Rajouri in May 2023, in which five Army personnel were killed, and the December 2023 ambush at Dera Ki Gali (DKG) in the Rajouri-Poonch sector, where terrorists targeted two Army vehicles, killing several soldiers and injuring others.
In May 2024, terrorists carried out an ambush on an Army vehicle near the Doba ridge in the Shahsitar area, while in June 2024, a bus carrying pilgrims returning from Shiv Khori in Reasi was attacked, causing it to plunge into a gorge and resulting in the deaths of at least nine people.
The group was also linked to the October 2024 Gagangir attack in Ganderbal, in which seven people, including a local doctor, were killed, and the Butapathri attack near Gulmarg later that month, in which two soldiers and two civilian porters lost their lives.
The series of attacks culminated in the April 22, 2025, Baisaran attack in Pahalgam, where terrorists opened fire on tourists, killing 26 people and injuring several others.
MHA said Musa was killed in an intelligence-led joint operation by security forces at Gurwatkalan in Khansahib area of Budgam district.
It added that security forces had been tracking Musa for a long time and had recently put in place a specific, coordinated plan for his neutralisation after receiving technical and human intelligence inputs regarding his movement and presence in the area.
“The encounter to neutralize Musa was part of an ongoing long-sustained operation. Over the past few years, all security agencies—such as the Jammu & Kashmir Police, the Indian Army, and the CAPF—have been conducting counter-terrorism operations in close coordination, yielding positive results,” MHA said.
Officials described Musa's killing as a significant setback to the LeT network operating in Jammu and Kashmir.
The encounter broke out on Wednesday evening in Budgam forest after the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and the CRPF launched a joint search operation.
“Vigilant troops observed suspicious activity and, upon being challenged, terrorists opened fire, prompting a fierce exchange of gunfire during which one terrorist was neutralised. Operation is in progress,” the Army’s Srinagar-based Chinar Corps said in a post on X.
Army said they also recovered along with war-like stores.
Security officials said Musa had managed to escape during the September 4 encounter in the high-altitude Ashdar Gali area of Budgam, where his associate and another Pakistani LeT terrorist, Yasir, was killed. According to the officials, Yasir and Musa were crossing from the Poonch region into Kashmir when they were intercepted by security forces, triggering an exchange of fire in which Yasir was killed, while Musa managed to flee.
Security officials said Yasir and Musa had been operating together in the dense forest areas of central Kashmir and the Pir Panjal region since last few years.
Following the September 4 encounter, security forces intensified searches across the mountainous terrain to track the movement of the remaining militant.
Officials said additional forces, including Army Special Forces personnel, were subsequently deployed in high-altitude areas following technical inputs indicating the presence of another terrorist in the region.
UNI MJR BM
Tags: #Top Pakistani LeT commander killed in Budgam encounter; entire four-member group eliminated
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