Top LeT Commander Altaf Lalli Killed in Bandipora Encounter Amid Crackdown After Pahalgam Attack

Top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Altaf Lalli was gunned down in a joint operation in Bandipora on Friday, marking a breakthrough in India’s response to the deadly April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

Security forces launched a joint operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Bandipora district early Friday, acting on intelligence inputs about terrorist movement. During the search, contact was established with militants, triggering a gunfight that led to the death of Altaf Lalli, a top LeT operative.

Two police personnel, part of a senior officer’s security detail, were also injured in the firefight. Officials confirmed that one terrorist was injured in the initial exchange and may have escaped into the surrounding forest.

The operation is part of a broader security crackdown in the Valley after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley that left 26 civilians dead. Security agencies suspect Lashkar involvement in the massacre, which targeted tourists and involved religious profiling.

Eyewitnesses from the Pahalgam attack recounted that the terrorists, dressed in military fatigues, checked IDs and executed victims identified as non-Muslims.

Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi arrived in Srinagar on Friday to review the ongoing security operations. He was briefed on the Bandipora encounter and is expected to conduct a detailed assessment of the counterterrorism strategy in south Kashmir.

Authorities also intensified punitive actions by demolishing the homes of two local terrorists believed to be involved in the Pahalgam massacre. Lashkar’s Adil Hussain Thoker’s home in Bijbehara was blown up using IEDs, while Asif Sheikh’s residence in Tral was brought down with bulldozers.

Thoker is believed to have assisted Pakistani terrorists in planning the attack. His last known location was traced near Kulgam.

Police have announced a reward of ₹20 lakh for information leading to the capture of Thoker and two Pakistani nationals — Ali Bhai and Hashim Musa. Their sketches have been released and circulated across checkpoints in Kashmir.

According to intelligence, the group consisted of 4–5 heavily armed militants, who fled into the dense forests post-attack.

On April 22, terrorists opened fire on tourists in the Baisaran Valley, a scenic location near Pahalgam. Survivors described a brutal, religiously targeted massacre. The attack has been widely condemned and sparked a multi-agency counterterrorism response.