Srinagar, Sept 2026 : A top commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), identified by security officials as Fauzi Musa, was killed in an encounter with joint security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district, officials said. The operation was launched in the Korag area near Yousmarg following specific intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists.
The encounter began late Tuesday evening after a joint search operation was launched by the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and the CRPF in the general area of Korag. According to the Army’s Chinar Corps, troops detected suspicious movement and challenged the suspected terrorists.
The terrorists responded by opening fire, triggering an exchange of gunfire in which one terrorist was killed. The Army said the operation was continuing as security forces carried out searches in the area.
Officials identified the slain terrorist as Fauzi Musa, who was wanted in connection with several attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. Reports also said he had escaped an encounter in the Yousmarg hills on September 5, during which his close associate Yasir was killed.
The latest operation comes amid heightened security across Jammu and Kashmir following reports of terrorist movement in the Pir Panjal mountain range, which connects several hilly districts of the Jammu division with the Kashmir Valley.
Security forces have continued counter-terrorism operations in forested areas of districts including Poonch, Rajouri, Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban. Similar vigilance has been maintained in the forested and mountainous areas of the Kashmir Valley, including Shopian, Kulgam, Anantnag, Baramulla, Kupwara and Budgam.
Officials said such operations are aimed not only at locating and eliminating terrorists hiding in remote areas but also at preventing them from establishing new hideouts or logistical networks that could facilitate attacks against security personnel or civilians.
The Budgam operation is part of the continuing intelligence-led searches being conducted by multiple security agencies across difficult mountainous and forested terrain. Security forces have been maintaining heightened surveillance in areas considered vulnerable to terrorist infiltration and movement.
While the Army confirmed that one terrorist was neutralised, further details regarding the operation and any recovery from the site were awaited as searches continued.
