Pahalgam's last terrorist down: Why Hashim Moosa, ex-Pak SSG commando, was India's top target

Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Moosa, a Pakistan-based LeT terrorist wanted over attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and linked by investigators to the Pahalgam terror attack, has been killed in Operation Korag. 

Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Moosa, a Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist wanted in connection with the 2025 Pahalgam attack and several other attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, was killed in Budgam on Wednesday. As per reports, Moosa was a former Pakistan Army Special Service Group commando, whose military training made him skilled in jungle warfare, ambushes and guerrilla operations.

Moosa was killed during Operation Korag, a joint operation by the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF in the Yousmarg area. Police had announced a Rs 20 lakh reward for information leading to him as security forces searched for him across the forested belt.

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Who was Hashim Moosa and why was he most wanted?

Moosa was identified by security agencies as one of the suspects in the April 22, 2025, attack at Baisaran near Pahalgam, where 26 innocent people were killed. Former Jammu and Kashmir DGP SP Vaid has described him as one of the masterminds of the attack and linked his activities to several other strikes in the Union Territory.

Vaid said Moosa's footprints had surfaced in attacks in Poonch, DKG, Bhimber Gali, Gulmarg and Reasi. He described him as a trained commando who knew how to operate in forests and carry out ambushes and guerrilla-style attacks.

Security agency sources cited by ANI said Moosa had served as a para-commando in Pakistan's Special Service Group and held the rank of Havildar. According to their account, he retired from the military in 2023, joined LeT and later infiltrated into India.

What is known about Moosa's Pakistan Army background?

As per reports Moosa's real name is Mohammad Asif and said he was born on March 7, 1980. Reports claim he joined the Pakistan Army in 2000 and was inducted into the SSG in 2005.

According to reports, Asif served with 4 Commando "Yalgar" Battalion and was posted in Balochistan from 2006. The reports also claim he took part in counter-insurgency operations there and served on the VVIP security team of former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf between 2006 and 2009.

As per reports, a Pakistani CNIC (Computerised National Identity Card) issued by NADRA bears the name Mohammad Asif and the same date of birth March 7, 1980. The detailed claims about his military career have not been independently verified through Pakistani military records.

How the viral photo connects Moosa to three other LeT terrorists

Moosa was also one of four armed men seen together in a photograph that circulated widely after the Pahalgam attack. The other three were identified as Junaid Ahmed Bhat, Abu Talha and Suleman Shah alias Faisal Jatt. All three were killed in separate security operations before Moosa.

The photograph itself predates the Pahalgam attack. Bhat had already been killed in Dachigam in December 2024 after being linked by security agencies to the Gagangir attack, which killed seven civilians.

Suleman Shah was killed along with two other terrorists during Operation Mahadev on July 28, 2025. Security agencies identified the three as the attackers involved in the Pahalgam killings. Union Home Minister Amit Shah later told Parliament that weapons recovered from them had been matched with those used in the attack.

Abu Talha, also known as Yasir, was killed during Operation Ashdar in the higher reaches of Yousmarg in September 2026. His death left Moosa as the last surviving man from the photograph.

How Hashim Moosa was killed in Operation Korag

Security forces continued searching for Moosa in the Korag-Yousmarg belt after Abu Talha's death. Acting on specific intelligence, the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF launched Operation Korag.

According to the Army, troops noticed suspicious movement and challenged the terrorists. The terrorists opened fire and an encounter followed. Moosa was killed during the exchange.

The Army's Chinar Corps said his body was recovered from the Palmaidan area early Wednesday along with "war-like stores". Security personnel continued searching the surrounding area after the encounter.

Pahalgam victim's daughter says 'one chapter' has ended

Asavari Jagdale, whose father Santosh Jagdale was among the 26 people killed in the Pahalgam attack, thanked the Army and intelligence agencies after Moosa's death.

"I would say that one chapter of the case has ended," she said. Jagdale said the families would consider the case fully closed only after the legal proceedings were completed.

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