Big Blow To LeT In Kashmir As Top Terrorist Musa Killed In J&K's Budgam

A most-wanted Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist was killed in an encounter with security forces in the higher reaches of Budgam district in central Kashmir on Tuesday, officials said.

The slain terrorist was identified by security officials as Sulaiman Shah alias Musa, although the Army's Chinar Corps did not officially disclose his identity.

The operation was launched by the Rashtriya Rifles and other security forces in the general area of Korag in Yousmarg, following inputs about the presence of terrorists in the remote forested terrain.

According to the Army, troops noticed suspicious movement during the operation and challenged those involved. The terrorists responded by opening fire, triggering a fierce exchange of gunfire.

“One terrorist was neutralised” during the encounter, the Army said in a post on X.

Officials said Musa was killed in the Dudhpathri forest area, where the operation continued amid difficult terrain. Further details about the operation and the identity of other terrorists, if any, were awaited.

Musa was wanted in connection with several attacks across the Pir Panjal range over the past several years, according to security officials. He had also managed to escape during an encounter in the Yousmarg hills earlier this month.

His close associate Yasir was killed during that operation on September 5, officials said.

Security officials described Musa's killing as a significant setback to the LeT's operational network in Jammu and Kashmir, given his alleged involvement in multiple attacks and his ability to evade security forces.

The latest operation comes amid continued counter-terror operations in the region, particularly in forested and mountainous areas where security forces have been conducting searches based on intelligence inputs.

Further details regarding the operation, including the recovery of weapons or other material from the site, are awaited.