A top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist wanted in connection with several attacks was killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district on Tuesday, officials said.
Security forces launched Tuesday’s operation in the higher reaches of Yousmarg after detecting suspicious movement in the Korag area. Security officials identified the slain terrorist as Sulaiman Shah, alias ‘Musa’. The Rashtriya Rifles and other security personnel were involved in the operation. The militants responded by opening fire, leading to a gunbattle. Musa was killed in the remote forest area of Dudhpathri during the operation. Musa was wanted for his alleged involvement in a series of attacks on security forces in the Pir Panjal region.
The group he was associated with was linked to attacks in Poonch and other parts of Jammu and Kashmir that killed several Army and security personnel between 2021 and 2024, according to security officials. Sulaiman Shah as a LeT commander and linking him to the April 2025 Pahalgam attack, as well as the 2023 Dera Ki Gali attack and the 2024 Ganderbal tunnel attack.
Musa was wanted for his alleged involvement in attacks on both sides of the Pir Panjal range over several years, officials said. Troops challenged the suspected terrorists after noticing their movement, according to the Army. “Vigilant troops observed suspicious activity, and upon being challenged, the terrorists opened fire, prompting a fierce exchange of gunfire during which one terrorist was neutralised,” the Army said in a post on X.
He had also reportedly escaped a security operation in the Yousmarg hills earlier this month.
