Army Guns Down Pakistani LeT Terrorist Linked to 2024 J&K Attacks

A Pakistani national affiliated with the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was killed by the Indian Army in an encounter in the higher reaches of Yusmarg in central Kashmir, officials said on Saturday. The terrorist was identified as Yasir, who was allegedly involved in several major terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir in 2024.

Security forces are continuing a search for a second terrorist, identified as Musa, who is believed to be hiding among large boulders and natural caves near the encounter site. The area, located at an altitude of 12,000 to 15,500 feet in the Pir Panjal range, has witnessed incessant rainfall and extremely poor visibility, at times falling to around five metres.

Officials said Yasir's presence was first detected in 2024. Intelligence inputs indicated his involvement in the May 4, 2024, ambush on an IAF convoy in Poonch, in which one Air Force personnel was killed and four others were injured.

He was also allegedly part of the group that attacked construction workers near Gagangir in Sonamarg on October 20, killing seven people, including a local doctor. Yasir was reportedly associated with LeT commander Junai Ahmed Bhat, who was killed by security forces in Dachigam forest in December 2024.

On October 24, Yasir and other terrorists allegedly ambushed an Army vehicle in Bota Pathri near Gulmarg, killing three soldiers and two civilian porters.

Officials said Yasir and Musa had been hiding in the Yusmarg and Pulwama belts after returning to the Valley earlier this month. The Army launched the current operation after tracking their movement from Ashdar Gali in Poonch towards Pakherpora in Pulwama via Yusmarg.

A joint operation involving the Army, J&K Police and CRPF was launched following specific intelligence inputs. Reinforcements have been deployed along both sides of the Pir Panjal to prevent any escape as combing operations continue.