Lashkar Commander Killed in Budgam Encounter
Security forces killed Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Moosa during a joint operation in the Yousmarg area of Budgam.
A Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist was killed during an overnight encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district, officials said on Wednesday. The operation took place in the Korag area near Yousmarg and involved the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
The terrorist was identified as Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Moosa. According to the Indian Army, his body was recovered during a search operation in the Palmaidan area early Wednesday along with war-like stores. The operation followed a joint search launched on Tuesday based on specific intelligence inputs.
KEY HIGHLIGHT
Security forces recovered the body of Pakistan-based LeT terrorist Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Moosa along with war-like stores after the encounter in Budgam.
According to the Army's Chinar Corps, troops conducting the search operation observed suspicious activity and challenged those present. The terrorists opened fire, triggering an exchange of gunfire in which one terrorist was neutralised.
The operation was conducted under Operation Korag in the forested Yousmarg area. Security forces continued search operations after the exchange of fire, with the body subsequently recovered during the early-morning search.
OPERATION DETAILS
The joint operation involved the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF and was launched following specific intelligence about terrorist presence in the Korag area.
Reports identified Moosa as a senior LeT operative who had previously escaped a September 5 encounter in the Yousmarg hills. His close associate Yasir was killed in that earlier operation, according to reports.
The security operation in the area remains underway, with forces continuing searches in the surrounding forests. Authorities are expected to establish further details about the recovered stores and the militant's activities as the operation and investigation progress.