Hashim Moosa, last man linked to Pahalgam attack, killed in J&K
A Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander, Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Moosa, was killed late Tuesday night central Kashmir’s Budgam district, ending a months-long hunt that intensified after the April 2025 Pahalgam attack. He was a former Special Service Group (SSG) commando and also served as a member of the security detail of former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, officials said.
Officials said Moosa was the last surviving member of a four-man LeT group whose photograph circulated widely after the Pahalgam massacre, in which 26 people were killed. Apart from Moosa, the other three were identified as Junaid Ahmed Bhat, Abu Talha, and Suleman Shah (alias Faisal Jatt) — an ‘A’ category commander of LeT.
With Moosa’s death, all four men in that image have now been killed in separate operations.
“Hashim Moosa was a highly trained commando, specialised in ambushes and guerrilla-type attacks... he is considered a mastermind behind the Pahalgam attack... his footprints are seen in various guerrilla-type attacks in the Poonch area, in the Gulmarg attack, and various other attacks, including Reasi’s attack on yatris and the Pahalgam attack,” said GP SP Vaid, former Director General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir. He added that the killing is a major setback for the LeT network in the Pir Panjal region.
During his 23-year tenure with the Pakistani military, Asif spent 18 years in the Special Operations Command of the Pakistan Armed Forces. During his service, he underwent specialised VVIP protection training in the US and completed medical courses with US Special Forces.
Following his retirement from the army, Asif, was handpicked by terror handler networks initially to train cadres before he infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir in 2021 to lead LeT operations.
The officials said that Asif was the fifth Pakistani terrorist eliminated by security forces during separate high-altitude operations across Budgam, Udhampur, and Doda districts in September, dealing a severe blow to terror infrastructure in the Valley.
Security officials said his death not only concluded an intensive five-year hunt but also rendered the Pakistan-based terror group leaderless in the region.
“Further to the ongoing operation, during the search early morning in General Area Palmaidan, body of Pak based LeT terrorist, identified as Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Moosa recovered along with war like stores. Operation under progress,” the Army posted on X this morning.
Terming the operation a major breakthrough, officials said that Asif was directly involved in over a dozen major strikes against security personnel and civilians. These included the Hallan attack in Kulgam on August 4, 2023, the Dera Ki Gali ambush in Poonch on December 21, 2023, the Indian Air Force convoy attack on May 4, 2024, in Shastar, Poonch, and the Army convoy attack on October 24, 2024, in Buta Pathri, Gulmarg, which claimed the lives of 12 soldiers.
Jammu and Kashmir Police had earlier announced a reward for information leading to his arrest after the Pahalgam investigation named him among key suspects.
