Who Was Hashim Moosa? Pakistani LeT Terrorist Linked To Pahalgam Attack Killed In Budgam Encounter

Hashim Moosa, also known as Suleiman Shah, was identified by Indian security agencies as a Pakistani national and alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist. He came under the security agencies’ radar in connection with militant activities in Jammu and Kashmir and was subsequently linked to the Pahalgam terror attack. According to officials, Moosa was killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district on Tuesday night. He was actively involved in terrorist activities and attacks across the Poonch-Rajouri belt and the Kashmir Valley.

Hashim Moosa killed in encounter

A Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist was being tracked by security agencies for his alleged involvement in multiple attacks in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, including the recent Pahalgam attack. Officials told on Wednesday that he was killed in an encounter in the higher reaches of Budgam district. According to the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps, security forces recovered Moosa's body along with war-like stores during a search operation in the Palmaidan area early in the morning.

What was Operation Korag about?

The Indian Army launched Operation Korag with the Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF after receiving strong intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists in the forested terrain. The forces went into action after troops detected suspicious movement and challenged the suspected terrorists. The encounter broke out in the Korag area near Yousmarg. When security forces launched the search operation, the hiding terrorists opened fire, triggering a fierce gun battle in which Hashim Moosa was neutralised.

Linked to Pahalgam terror attack

The Pahalgam terror attack took place in April 2025 in the Baisaran Valley. In the terror attack, Moosa emerged as a key LeT operative. Moosa was named among the three terrorists involved in the April terror attack in which 26 people were targeted on the basis of their religious identity and killed by terrorists. While the other two terrorists were subsequently killed by security forces, Moosa remained hidden. Earlier, the Jammu and Kashmir Police had announced a reward of Rs 20 lakh for information and strong leads to his arrest.

Who was Hashim Moosa?

According to reports, Moosa was a highly trained militant who previously served as a para-commando in Pakistan's Special Service Group. However, he left the military and is believed to have joined the LeT and infiltrated into India in September 2023. His area of terror activities was highly focused in Kashmir's Budgam district.

According to sources, Moosa was a resident of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), and his father served in the Pakistani Army. Over the years, he was allegedly involved in several attacks targeting security forces in the Poonch-Rajouri region. He was part of a larger LeT group that was active across the Pir Panjal region and was linked by security agencies to multiple attacks. The group included Yasir, Musa, Junaid Ahmed Bhat and Sulaiman Shah.