Pahalgam massacre mastermind Musa killed; entire LeT commander group wiped out

In a joint operation involving the Army, police, and security forces, a key Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba operative, known as Mohammad Asif, alias Hashim Musa, was killed in an overnight encounter near Yousmarg, located approximately 60 kilometers from Srinagar. This elimination marks the end of a four-member LeT commander group that had been active in Jammu and Kashmir since 2022 and was responsible for the Pahalgam massacre.

The Home Ministry hailed this as a significant victory, stating that intelligence agencies had been monitoring Musa's whereabouts for two years after he infiltrated the Valley. The neutralization of Musa dealt a significant blow to the LeT network in the region. The group, led by Musa, was behind several high-profile attacks, including the Kandi attack in Rajouri in May 2023, where five Army personnel were killed; the Halan attack in August 2023; the Dera Ki Gali ambush in December 2023, during which terrorists targeted two Army vehicles, resulting in multiple soldier fatalities; the June 9, 2024 bus attack on Hindu pilgrims in Reasi, which killed nine and injured 40; the October 2024 Gagangir attack in Ganderbal, resulting in seven deaths; and the Bootapathri attack near Gulmarg in April 2025, which claimed the lives of two soldiers and two civilians.

The final and most devastating incident was the Baisaran Valley attack in Pahalgam on April 2025, where the terrorists massacred 26 tourists and a local horseman.