Abu Qatal, a top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative and one of the most wanted terrorists, was gunned down by unidentified assailants in Pakistan’s Jhelum Sindh on Saturday night.
He was a high-priority target for Indian security agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Indian Army, for his involvement in the 2023 Rajouri attack and the 2024 Reasi bus attack, along with other deadly assaults in Jammu and Kashmir.
Who was Abu Qatal?
- A key operative of LeT, he was involved in planning and executing multiple attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.
- He was also known as
Faisal Nadeem .
- Qatal had strong ties with
Hafiz Saeed , the mastermind behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
- His terror activities date back to 2002-03 when he infiltrated India and operated in the Poonch-Rajouri region.
- He founded terror outfits like
People’s Anti-Fascist Force (PAFF) andThe Resistant Force (TRF) to hide LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed’s (JeM) activities.
- Played a key role in the June 9 Reasi attack, where terrorists opened fire on a bus carrying pilgrims from Shiv Khori temple, killing nine and injuring 41.
- PAFF, one of his proxy groups, was designated a terrorist organization by ministry of home affairs on January 7, 2023.