Yusuf Azhar, who was also known as Mohammad Salim, was reportedly killed in Operation Sindoor on May 7, under which India targeted nine terror sites in PoK and Pakistan. At least five dreaded terrorists have been eliminated in Operation Sindoor, as per reports. The terrorists killed were: Mudassar Khadian Khas, Hafiz Muhammed Jameel, Mohammad Yusuf Azhar, Khalid, and Mohammad Hassan Khan. 

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Also read: Where is Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar? Is he hiding in an ISI safehouse?

Yusuf was a senior leader of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and was heading the terror complex in Pakistan's Balakot. 

Who was Yusuf Azhar? 

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Also read: Operation Sindoor likely killed Masood Azhar's brother Abdul Rauf: IC814 hijack and attacks he planned in India - LIST

Yusuf was the brother-in-law of the JeM chief Masood Azhar. Masood was the terrorist who led the hijack of Indian Airlines Flight IC 814 in 1999. Six other terrorists: Ibrahim Athar, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Ibrahim, Shahid Akhter, Sayed Shakir and Abdul Rauf were also involved with him in hijacking. Azhar also handled weapons training for JeM.  

In 2002, the government handed over a list of 20 fugitives to Islamabad, and it had Yusuf's name, who is also identified as "Ustaad Ghouri".

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Also read: US journalist reacts to India’s Operation Sindoor in Bahawalpur, where Masood Azhar’s brother Rauf beheaded her colleague Daniel Pearl

In 2000, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had received an Interpol red notice against Yusuf. The charges against him were: hijacking, kidnapping and murder. But still, Pakistan never captured the Karachi-born terrorist. 

Details of other terrorists killed

Mudassar Khadian Khas aka Mudassar and Abu Jundal, who was affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba, has been killed. He was in-charge of Markaz Taiba, Muridke. 

Hafiz Muhammed Jameel, who was affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammed and the eldest brother-in-law of Maulana Masood Azhar, has also been eliminated.

Also read: When Rauf Azhar, killed in India's Operation Sindoor, kidnapped and beheaded Jewish-American journalist Daniel Pearl

Khalid, aka Abu Akasha, affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba, who was involved in multiple terrorist attacks in Jammu & Kashmir, has also been reportedly eliminated.

Mohammad Hassan Khan, affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammed, son of Mufti Asghar Khan Kashmiri, operational commander of JeM in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), has also been eliminated.