Hashim Moosa Killed in Budgam Encounter as Security Forces Close In on LeT Network

Hashim Moosa, identified as Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Mohammad Asif, was killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district, bringing to an end a prolonged search for an operative linked by investigators to several major attacks in the region. His body was recovered from the Palmaidan area along with war-like stores following a joint operation near Yousmarg.

The operation, codenamed Operation Korag, was launched after security forces received specific intelligence regarding the presence of terrorists in the Korag area. The Indian Army’s Chinar Corps, Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) participated in the search. According to the Army, troops noticed suspicious movement and challenged the suspected terrorists. The militants responded with gunfire, resulting in an exchange of fire in which one terrorist was neutralised.

The subsequent search in the early hours of Wednesday led to the recovery of Hashim Moosa’s body. The Chinar Corps said the search also resulted in the recovery of war-like stores, while the operation remained underway. Security personnel continued combing the surrounding forested terrain, reflecting the difficult conditions in which counter-terror operations are frequently conducted in the Pir Panjal and adjoining areas.

Moosa had remained on the radar of security agencies for his alleged involvement in a series of attacks across Jammu and Kashmir. Reports indicate that the group with which he was associated had been linked to attacks in the Poonch and other areas between 2021 and 2024. These included the Dera Ki Gali ambush in December 2023 and an attack on an Indian Air Force convoy in Poonch in May 2024.

The name Hashim Moosa also figured prominently in investigations into the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed. Investigating agencies had identified him among the Pakistan-based terrorists wanted in connection with the case. Jammu and Kashmir Police had announced a reward of ₹20 lakh for information leading to the arrest of Pakistan nationals and LeT terrorists named in connection with the attack.

According to reports citing security officials and previous investigations, Hashim Moosa had military-style training and was believed to have served as a para-commando in Pakistan’s Special Service Group before becoming associated with the LeT. Reports have also said that he infiltrated into India in September 2023 and subsequently operated in parts of Kashmir. These details have been attributed to security sources and investigative reporting rather than independently established through a public judicial finding.

The operation also followed an earlier security action in the Yousmarg hills in September. One of Moosa’s associates, identified as Yasir, was killed during that operation, while Moosa reportedly escaped. Security forces subsequently intensified searches across the rugged forest belt, where difficult terrain can provide militants with opportunities to evade detection and move between areas.

The death of Hashim Moosa comes against the backdrop of continuing counter-terror operations across Jammu and Kashmir. Security forces have maintained heightened surveillance in the Pir Panjal region, particularly across forested areas connecting the Jammu division with the Kashmir Valley. Officials have said such operations are aimed at locating remaining militants and preventing them from establishing bases from which attacks could be planned.

For investigators examining the Pahalgam attack and other incidents, Hashim Moosa had represented a significant target because of the allegations connecting him with a wider Pakistan-based militant network. The National Investigation Agency has previously detailed alleged links involving Pakistan-based operatives, Lashkar-e-Taiba and its claimed offshoot, The Resistance Front, in the Pahalgam case. The agency’s findings form part of the ongoing legal investigation into the attack.

The recovery of the terrorist’s body and weapons has now given security agencies an opportunity to examine material recovered from the encounter site for possible intelligence leads. While the immediate operation was focused on the suspected hideout, the larger objective remains tracing support networks, movement routes and other operatives connected with militant activity in the region. Authorities have indicated that searches in the area will continue as the operation progresses.

The Budgam encounter therefore represents another chapter in the security forces’ continuing effort to dismantle militant networks operating across the mountains and forests of Jammu and Kashmir. The investigation into the recovered material, along with intelligence gathered during the operation, could determine whether the encounter yields further information about the networks behind attacks that have kept the region under sustained security pressure.