LeT’s shrinking footprint in Jammu and Kashmir: What the killing of Hashim Moosa means

The killing of Hashim Moosa, a Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative, is being described by security forces as a significant setback to the group’s remaining network in Jammu and Kashmir, for several reasons. According to security forces, the operative was among the most-wanted Pakistan-based LeT operatives active in Jammu and Kashmir. His group had operated on both sides of the Pir Panjal range, giving it the ability to move between the Jammu region and the Kashmir Valley.

He was also operating a small group of foreign terrorists in the region, with limited support from the local terrorist network. Security officials believe his elimination could significantly disrupt the group’s ability to coordinate, recruit, maintain logistical support and plan attacks. Security forces have said that Musa was associated with the LeT network operating in the region between 2021 and 2024. He has also been accused of involvement in attacks during that period.

The LeT has shrunk massively in the last few years, with its structure in 2026 markedly different from what it was in the mid-2010s. At that time, the group was able to maintain prominent local commanders, relatively large groups of armed cadres and substantial territorial influence in parts of South Kashmir. The successive killings of commanders including Abu Qasim, Abu Dujana, Abu Ismail and Bashir Lashkari progressively weakened that structure. Over time, the conventional commander-and-cadre model that allowed the group to maintain a visible and sustained presence across parts of the Valley has been substantially degraded.

What remains, however, is the Pakistan-based command and support structure. According to security forces, infiltration, cross-border communication and logistics continue to pose a challenge, even as the local terror infrastructure has been significantly reduced. According to security data, terrorists and terrorist handlers that are still active and pose a challenge for the forces include: One of the Pakistan-based LeT handlers identified in the investigation into the Pahalgam attack is Sajid Jatt.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), in its chargesheet, has specifically alleged that Saifullah, alias Sajid Jatt, operated from Lahore and communicated with the attackers involved in the Pahalgam incident. Another name identified by investigators is that of local commander Mohammed Latif, who is believed to be operating from within the Valley. Jammu and Kashmir authorities announced a reward of ₹15 lakh for information leading to his capture in August 2026 and circulated wanted posters bearing his details. Investigators have accused Latif of involvement in targeted killings and of working with the Lashkar-e-Taiba network.

The broader picture, therefore, is of a LeT network that has lost much of the local commander-led structure it possessed a decade ago but has not disappeared. Its remaining footprint is increasingly characterised by smaller groups, foreign terrorists, Pakistan-based handlers and efforts to sustain infiltration, communication and logistics links into Jammu and Kashmir.