BUDGAM — A Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist was killed in an encounter with the Rashtriya Rifles in the higher reaches of Budgam district in central Kashmir on Tuesday, security officials said.
While the Army’s Chinar Corps did not disclose the identity of the slain terrorist, a senior police official identified him as Asif Fauji alias “Moosa”, according to news agency KDC.
The police official said Moosa had been active in Jammu and Kashmir for around three years after allegedly infiltrating into the territory in September 2023.
According to the official, during 2024-26, Moosa established bases and operated across both sides of the Pir Panjal range. He reportedly moved through the dense forests of Poonch before shifting his focus to the central Kashmir areas of Budgam and Yousmarg.
His close aide Yasir alias Abu Talha was killed on September 5 in Operation Ashdar in the Budgam forests by security forces, the police official said.
Officials described Moosa’s killing as a major setback to the LeT’s activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
Further details about the encounter, including its exact location and the circumstances leading to the terrorist’s death, were not immediately available.
