Srinagar: In a significant success for security forces, a top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander, Altaf Lalli, was killed in a fierce gunbattle on Friday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Bandipora district. The encounter is being hailed as a major breakthrough in the intensified counter-terror operations following the deadly Pahalgam attack earlier this week.
The encounter broke out in the Kulnar Bazipora area after joint teams of the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a cordon-and-search operation based on pinpoint intelligence about the presence of terrorists in the area. As security personnel closed in, militants opened fire, triggering an intense exchange of gunfire. Two police personnel, part of a senior officer’s security team, sustained injuries in the operation.
Security agencies believe Lalli was a key figure involved in orchestrating the April 22 Pahalgam massacre, in which 26 tourists—mostly Hindus—were killed in a brutal ambush.
Earlier in the day, authorities carried out demolition operations targeting properties linked to suspects in the Pahalgam attack. The residence of Lashkar operative Adil Hussain Thoker in Bijbehara was destroyed using explosives, while the house of another accused, Asif Sheikh in Tral, was razed with a bulldozer.
Meanwhile, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi arrived in Srinagar to review the security situation in the Kashmir Valley. He was briefed by the Commander of the Army’s 15 Corps on the ongoing operations, including the Bandipora encounter and the broader counter-terror strategy.
Discussions during the high-level security review also touched on internal security measures and recent ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC), with officials highlighting increased infiltration attempts backed by Pakistani forces.
The crackdown reflects a renewed push by Indian forces to eliminate key terrorist leadership and dismantle support networks operating within Jammu and Kashmir.
