( File photo )
Unidentified assailants shot down Abu Qatal, a prominent Lashkar-e-Taiba ( LeT ) operative and one of the most wanted terrorists, on Saturday night in Jhelum Sindh, Pakistan.
He was a high-priority target for Indian security forces, including the National Investigation Agency ( NIA ) and the Indian Army, because of his involvement in the 2024 Reasi bus attack and other deadly attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.
Who was Abu Qatal?
- He was a key LeT officer and the leader of numerous problems in Jammu and Kashmir.
- Felipe Nadeem was also used to describe him.
- Qatal had close ties to Hafiz Saeed, the architect behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes.
- His involvement in terrorism dates back to 2002-2003, when he founded the Poonch-Rajouri location and joined India.
- He founded terror organizations like People’s Anti-Fascist Force ( PAFF ) and The Resistant Force ( TRF ) to cover LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed’s ( JeM ) activities.
- played a significant part in the June 9 Reasi strike, when jihadists opened fire on a vehicle carrying travellers from the Shiv Khori church, killing nine people and injuring 41.
- The ministry of home affairs designated PAFF, one of his proxies, as a criminal firm on January 7, 2023.
