Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Yasir killed by security forces in Kashmir

Lashkar terrorist Yasir, a Pakistani national linked to Hafiz Saeed's outift, was killed by security forces in the higher reaches of Yusmarg in central Kashmir, on Saturday. He was suspected of being involved in several major terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir in 2024, including the ambush of an Indian Air Force convoy in Poonch and the killing of soldiers and civilian workers near Gulmarg. Yasir was gunned down on Friday during Operation Ashdar, launched after security forces received intelligence about the movement of a group of terrorists through the Pir Panjal mountains. Jammu and Kashmir Police identified the slain terrorist as Yasir and said he was affiliated with the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The police also posted a message on X after the operation, saying, "You Can Run But You Can't Hide!"

Yasir's role in the 2024 attacks

Security agencies had first detected Yasir's presence in the region in 2024. Officials said intelligence inputs pointed to his involvement in at least three major terror attacks that year. The first was the ambush of an IAF convoy in Poonch on May 4, 2024. Terrorists opened fire on the convoy near Shahsitar in the Surankote area as the personnel were returning to their base at Sanai Top. One IAF member was killed and four others were injured. Yasir was also suspected of involvement in the October 20 attack at Gangangir near Sonamarg, where terrorists killed seven people, including a local doctor. Four days later, on October 24, terrorists attacked an Army vehicle in Bota Pathri near Gulmarg. The attack killed five people, including three soldiers and two civilian porters. Officials said Yasir was part of the group behind the attack.

Link to Lashkar

Yasir was reportedly operating with a Lashkar-e-Taiba group led by commander Junai Ahmed Bhat. Bhat was killed by security forces in the Dachigam forest on the outskirts of Srinagar on December 3, 2024. After the Bota Pathri attack, Yasir and another Lashkar terrorist, identified as Musa, are believed to have remained hidden in the Yusmarg and Pulwama areas. Officials said they later crossed to the Jammu side of the Pir Panjal range before returning to the Valley earlier this month.

How Yasir was tracked down

The latest operation began after security forces tracked the movement of the terrorist group from Ashdar Gali in Poonch towards Pakherpora in Pulwama through Yusmarg. The Army, J&K Police and CRPF established a cordon in the area on September 1. They made contact with the terrorists on September 3 at Ashdar Gali, a remote mountain ridge. Yasir was eventually killed in the exchange of fire. An AK rifle was recovered from the site. The operation is still continuing as security forces search for Musa, who is believed to be hiding among large boulders and natural caves. The encounter site lies between 12,000 and 15,500 feet in the Pir Panjal range, where heavy rain and visibility of as little as five metres have made the operation particularly difficult.