Top Lashkar commander killed in Budgam encounter

Budgam, Sep 30: A top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander, identified as Musa alias Asif Fauji, was killed by security forces during an intelligence-led anti-terror operation in the upper reaches of Budgam district, officials said on Wednesday.
The encounter broke out late Tuesday after security forces launched a joint search operation in the Gurwatkalan area of Khansahib following specific intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists.
Officials said that the operation was conducted jointly by the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
According to the Army’s Chinar Corps, troops observed suspicious activity during the operation. When challenged, the terrorists opened fire, triggering an exchange of gunfire in which one terrorist was killed.
In a post on X, the Chinar Corps said the body of a Pakistan-based LeT terrorist, identified as Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Musa, was recovered during a search operation in the Palmaidan area early Wednesday. Arms, ammunition and other war-like stores were also seized. The operation was continuing, it said.
Meanwhile, the MHA said Musa had been under surveillance for a long time and that security agencies recently put in place a coordinated plan for his neutralisation after receiving technical and human intelligence inputs about his movements.
Describing his killing as a major setback to the LeT network in Jammu and Kashmir, the Ministry said Musa was part of a four-member group of top LeT commanders active in the region since 2022 and allegedly involved in several major terror attacks.
According to the MHA, the other three members of the group were killed in separate operations: Junaid Bhat in Dachigam on December 3, 2024; Suleman during Operation Mahadev on July 28, 2025; and Yasir during Operation Asdhar on September 4, 2026.
The Ministry said the group was allegedly linked to several attacks, including those at Halan (August 2023), Kandi (May 2023), DKG (December 2023), Shahsitar (May 2024), Shiv Khori (June 2024), Gagangir and Bootapathri (October 2024), and Baisaran (April 2025).
Musa’s killing comes weeks after Yasir was eliminated in the Ashdar Gali area of Budgam. Musa had reportedly escaped during that operation, prompting security forces to intensify searches across the mountainous and forested Pir Panjal region.
The MHA said the latest action was part of Operation Sheruwali, an ongoing counter-terrorism campaign launched in May 2026.
It added that the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Army and Central Armed Police Forces have been conducting coordinated anti-terror operations across the Union Territory.
Search operations in the Korag-Palmaidan-Gurwatkalan area were continuing at the time of filing. (KNO)