Hashim Musa Support Network Under Scanner After Bag With Medicines, Food Found Near Encounter Site

October 5, 2026

Srinagar: The search for the suspected logistical support network of slain Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Musa has intensified after Budgam Police recovered a bag containing medicines and food items near the encounter site, days after he was killed in an encounter.

The bag was recovered near Palmaidan in the Kawan forest area of Budgam district in central Kashmir. Police believe the items were intended for the use of the slain terrorist and are investigating who supplied the material and how it reached the location.

Bag Recovery Offers Clues to Suspected Local Network

The recovery is considered significant in the investigation into the local network that may have helped Hashim Musa survive for an extended period in the forests.

Investigators are examining the source of the consignment, when and how the bag was placed at the location, and the possible involvement of overground workers, conspirators or other accomplices.

Police are also investigating the wider logistical support network that may be helping terrorists hiding in the forest areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

According to police, around 35-40 foreign terrorists are currently active in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in the Pir Panjal forest areas. Security forces suspect that an organised local network could be providing logistical assistance to terrorists hiding in these difficult-to-access areas.

Officials believe that identifying and dismantling such support networks could help security forces locate and eliminate terrorists operating in the forests.

The recovery is part of the ongoing investigation into the September 29 encounter and the suspected local network that may have provided logistical assistance to Hashim Musa.

Hashim Musa Killed in Budgam Encounter

The encounter took place on the night of September 29-30, 2026, in a densely forested area near Palmaidan in the Kawan forests of Budgam district.

The operation was jointly conducted by the Special Operations Group (SOG) Budgam, Indian Army and CRPF, based on specific technical and human intelligence regarding the presence of terrorists in the area.

Security forces launched the operation and killed Musa. His body and combat equipment were subsequently recovered.

Officials described Mohammad Asif alias Hashim Musa, also known as Asif Fauji and Musa Fauji, as a Pakistan-based LeT commander and one of the most wanted terrorists operating in Jammu and Kashmir.

He had entered Jammu and Kashmir around 2022 and operated for several years in the high-altitude forests, particularly the Pir Panjal Range covering the Poonch-Rajouri belt, before moving to the Kashmir Valley.

Musa was reportedly the last remaining member of a four-member group of top LeT commanders active in Jammu and Kashmir since 2022.

The recovery of the bag is being investigated under an FIR registered at Khansahib Police Station. Further investigation is underway to identify those involved in the suspected logistical support network.