A Pakistani terrorist linked to the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was killed by security forces during an anti-terror operation in the higher reaches of Yousmarg in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district, officials said.
The terrorist, identified as Yasir, was killed in a gunfight in the Ashdar Gali area after a two-day operation in the dense forest region. Security forces are continuing searches for one or two other terrorists who were reportedly part of the same group.
According to security officials, elite special forces were assisting the operation, while drones and other surveillance equipment were being used to monitor the forest area from the air.
Sources described Yasir’s killing as a major setback for the LeT and said he was allegedly involved in several attacks targeting security personnel and civilians in Jammu and Kashmir over the past few years.
Yasir was reportedly linked to the May 4, 2024, attack on an Indian Air Force convoy at Shahsitar in Poonch. One IAF personnel was killed and four others were injured in the attack.
He was also allegedly involved in the October 24, 2024, attack on Army personnel in the Buta Pathri area of the Gulmarg sector in Baramulla, where two soldiers and two porters were killed.
Security sources further linked Yasir to the April 20, 2023, attack on an Army convoy at Buta Durian in Poonch, in which five soldiers lost their lives. He was also allegedly involved in an ambush at Dera Ki Gali in Surankote on December 21, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of four soldiers.
Another major attack attributed to Yasir was the October 20, 2024, assault on construction workers in Gagangir near Sonamarg. Six workers and a local doctor were killed in that incident.
Officials said Yasir had been operating in the upper reaches of Rajouri and Poonch with another LeT commander, identified as Musa, for several years. Following intensified counter-terror operations and increased security measures, the two reportedly crossed the Pir Panjal range and moved towards the Kashmir Valley.
Security agencies had been tracking the duo and eventually located them in the forested areas of Budgam and Pulwama. On Thursday, Yasir and his associates were trapped in the Yousmarg forests, leading to the encounter.
The search operation for the remaining terrorists is continuing.
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