BUDGAM ENCOUNTER ENDS WITH DEATH OF PAKISTAN-BASED LeT OPERATIVE

September 30, 2026

A Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative, Mohammad Asif, alias Hashim Moosa, was killed during a security operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district on Wednesday. Security forces subsequently recovered his body along with weapons and other materials described as war-like stores.

The operation, codenamed Operation Korag, was launched in the Yousmarg area following intelligence inputs regarding the presence of suspected militants. According to security officials, troops detected suspicious movement and challenged those present, prompting militants to open fire and triggering an exchange of gunfire.

The encounter took place in the forested terrain of the Korag area, with a subsequent search operation leading to the recovery of Moosa’s body in the Palmaidan area. Security personnel continued combing operations in the surrounding region as part of efforts to establish whether other militants were present.

Moosa had been identified by investigating agencies as a key suspect in the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed. Jammu and Kashmir Police had earlier announced a reward of ₹20 lakh for information leading to the arrest of Moosa and other Pakistan-based LeT operatives wanted in connection with the case.

The National Investigation Agency had previously filed a chargesheet in the Pahalgam attack investigation, naming individuals allegedly associated with LeT and its affiliated organisation, The Resistance Front. Moosa was among the operatives identified by security agencies in connection with the wider investigation.

The latest operation adds to ongoing security efforts against militant networks in Jammu and Kashmir. Authorities have continued search operations in Budgam, while further details regarding the recovered materials and the broader circumstances of the encounter remain subject to official investigation.