5-Year-Long Terror Fugitive Killed In Budgam

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Srinagar- A top Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist was killed in an encounter with security forces in the higher reaches of Budgam district, officials said on Wednesday.

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The slain terrorist was identified as Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Moosa, who also operated under the aliases Sulaiman Shah and Fauji. Officials said he was a retired havildar of the Pakistan Army's elite Special Services Group (SSG) and had served in the security detail of former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf.

Asif was killed during a joint operation launched by the Army and other security forces in the higher reaches of Korag, Yousmarg, on Tuesday.

The Army's Chinar Corps said troops observed suspicious movement in the area and, upon being challenged, came under fire, triggering an exchange of fire in which a terrorist was neutralised.

During a search operation early Wednesday, the body of the Pakistan-based LeT terrorist was recovered along with war-like stores from the general area of Palmaidan. The operation was still underway, the Army said.

Officials said Asif had infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir in 2021 and was serving as the LeT's chief operations commander in the region. His killing, they said, ended an intensive hunt for him and dealt a major blow to the outfit's operations in J&K.

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According to officials, Asif had served in the Pakistani military for 23 years, including around 18 years with the SSG. Between 2006 and 2008, he was deputed to the security detail of Musharraf. Officials also said he underwent specialised VVIP protection training in the United States and completed medical courses with US Special Forces.

After retiring from the Pakistani Army, officials said, Asif was recruited by terror networks to train cadres before being infiltrated into J&K to lead LeT operations.

'Linked to Multiple Attacks'

Security officials attributed Asif's involvement to several major attacks on security forces and civilians across the Pir Panjal region and Kashmir.

These include the April 2023 attack on an Army vehicle in Bhatta Duriyan in Poonch, in which five soldiers were killed and another was critically injured, and the May 2023 Kandi forest blast in Rajouri that killed five Army personnel and injured another.

Officials also linked him to the December 2023 Dera Ki Gali ambush in Poonch, in which four Army personnel were killed and three injured.

In 2024, he was allegedly involved in the attack on an Indian Air Force convoy near Shasitar in Poonch, in which one IAF personnel was killed and four injured.

He was also linked to the October 2024 attack on an Army vehicle in Buta Pathri near Gulmarg, in which two soldiers and two civilian defence porters were killed and three troops injured.

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Officials further attributed to him a role in the October 2024 attack on a private construction camp at Gagangir in Ganderbal, in which seven people, including a local doctor, were killed.

The officials also said Asif was among those involved in planning the April 2025 Pahalgam attack, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed.

Associate Killed Earlier

Asif had earlier escaped an encounter in the Yousmarg heights on September 5, during which his close associate Yasir was killed.

Officials said Asif was subsequently tracked to the higher reaches of Budgam, where he was finally neutralised during Tuesday night's operation.

The security forces have described the killing as a significant setback to the LeT's operational network in Jammu and Kashmir.

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