SRINAGAR: The Indian Army on September 30, Wednesday confirmed that Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Moosa, who was active across the Pir Panjal Valley, Central Kashmir and South Kashmir, was killed in an ongoing counter-terror operation in Budgam district. The militant was eliminated during a joint operation by the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the forested upper reaches of Yousmarg.
Korag encounter in J&K | Body of Pak-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist, identified as Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Musa, who was wanted in the Pahalgam terror attack, recovered along with war-like stores
Following the 22nd April Pahalgam terror attack, J&K Police had released a… https://t.co/q39FcEr1Pq pic.twitter.com/tm10s2YAeV
— ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2026
Joint operation launched on specific intelligence inputs
The security operation was launched on the night of September 29 in the general area of Korag, Yousmarg, after security forces received specific intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists in the area. The Army, J&K Police and CRPF jointly launched a search and combing operation in the difficult forested terrain. During the operation, troops observed suspicious movement and challenged the suspected terrorists.
“Vigilant troops observed suspicious activity and upon being challenged, terrorists opened fire, prompting a fierce exchange of gunfire during which one terrorist [was] neutralised”, the Army said. The encounter continued through the night, with security forces maintaining a cordon and conducting searches across the surrounding forest areas.
At the initial stage of the operation, the identity and affiliation of the slain terrorist could not immediately be established. However, during a search early Wednesday morning, security forces recovered the body and subsequently identified the slain militant as Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Moosa, a Pakistan-based LeT terrorist.
Moosa’s body recovered in Palmaidan
The Army said that the body of Moosa was recovered from the Palmaidan area during an early-morning search, along with war-like stores. “During the search early morning in Palmaidan, the body of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist, identified as Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Moosa [was] recovered along with war like stores”, the Army said.
The Army further said that the combing operation remained underway in the area as security forces continued to search the surrounding terrain for possible threats and additional militant presence.
LeT commander was active across Pir Panjal and Kashmir valley
According to the security officials, Moosa had remained active across the Pir Panjal Valley, Central Kashmir and South Kashmir for several years. Officials described his killing as a significant breakthrough for the security forces, as he had coordinated several attacks in the region as part of a larger LeT network operating in Jammu and Kashmir.
Moosa was reportedly wanted for his involvement in a series of attacks targeting security forces and civilians across the Pir Panjal region. The militant network with which he was associated had allegedly been involved in attacks in the Jammu region, including the Dera Ki Gali ambush in Poonch, in which four Army personnel were killed, as well as an attack on an Indian Air Force convoy.
Links to major terror attacks
Moosa was an associate of LeT commander Sulaiman Shah, who was killed along with two other terrorists in an operation in the forests on the outskirts of Srinagar in July 2025. Following that operation, Union Home Minister Amit Shah told the Lok Sabha that the three terrorists killed were involved in the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 25 tourists and a local resident were killed.
Security agencies had also linked members of the same broader militant network to other attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. Sulaiman Shah and another terrorist, Junaid Ahmed Bhat, were involved in the Ganderbal tunnel attack in October 2024. Junaid was subsequently killed in a security operation in the Harwan area on the outskirts of Srinagar in December 2024.
Moosa and another militant identified as Yasir were involved in the Butapathri attack near Gulmarg in 2024, in which two soldiers and two civilian porters were killed. Yasir was later killed in another security operation in the same forest region.
Security forces continue counter-terrorism operation
With Moosa’s elimination, security forces have continued the operation in Korag-Yousmarg area to eliminate other militants and terrorists in the vicinity. The operation highlights the continuing and persistent efforts of India to completely uproot cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan, that affects India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
