Pakistani LeT terrorist killed in Yusmarg encounter
A Pakistani national affiliated with the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba was killed by the Indian Army in an encounter in the higher reaches of Yusmarg in central Kashmir, officials said on Saturday. The terrorist was identified as Yasir, who was allegedly involved in several major attacks in Jammu and Kashmir in 2024.
Security forces are continuing operations to locate a second terrorist, identified as Musa, who is believed to be hiding among boulders and natural caves in the mountainous terrain. The encounter site lies at an altitude of around 12,000 to 15,500 feet in the Pir Panjal range.
Officials said Yasir had allegedly been involved in the May 2024 ambush on an Indian Air Force convoy in Poonch, the October attack on workers and a doctor in Sonamarg, and the October 24 ambush on an Army vehicle in Bota Pathri near Gulmarg, in which five people were killed.
The operation was launched after security forces received intelligence about the movement of a Lashkar-e-Taiba group from Ashdar Gali in Poonch towards Pakherpora in Pulwama through Yusmarg.
A joint team of the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF established a cordon in the area on September 1, with contact established on September 3. The Army said one terrorist was subsequently neutralised and an AK rifle recovered.
Heavy rain and extremely poor visibility have hampered the operation. Additional troops and Special Forces have been deployed across the higher reaches and along the Jammu side of the Pir Panjal to prevent the second terrorist from escaping.
with inputs from PTI
