J&K Down to One Active Local Terrorist, Security Forces Intensify Hunt for Mohammed Lateef Bhat

Jammu and Kashmir now has just one active local terrorist, according to security records maintained by agencies including the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), a Hindustan Times report said.

Security forces are intensifying efforts to trace Mohammed Lateef Bhat, a Kulgam resident who investigators suspect was behind the killing of two migrant workers from Chhattisgarh, the July 22 shooting of a police head constable, and a plot to target the ongoing Amarnath Yatra, the report said.

Only One Active Local Terrorist Left in J&K

According to security officials, the number of active local terrorists has declined sharply over the past five years.

Officials told Hindustan Times that while there is now only one active local terrorist, an estimated 40-50 foreign terrorists continue to operate across the Union Territory.

Around five years ago, security agencies estimated there were 50-60 active local terrorists. As recently as May 2025, official records showed 17 active local terrorists—14 in Kashmir and three in Jammu—alongside nearly 60 foreign terrorists.

Officials also said that the sharp decline in local recruitment is the result of sustained counter-terror operations and investigations into terror financing.

They further added that crackdowns by security forces, coupled with National Investigation Agency (NIA) probes over the past few years, have disrupted networks allegedly involved in funding terrorism.

The NIA has also intensified action against terror financing and narco-terrorism over the past two years, officials said.

Who Is Mohammed Lateef Bhat?

Investigators believe Mohammed Lateef Bhat escaped during a joint operation by the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and the CRPF on July 8, when security forces killed Zakir Ahmed Ganei, a Category A Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist, in a forested area of Anantnag district.

Officials said Bhat and Ganei were moving through the area when security forces intercepted them.

According to a senior security officer quoted by Hindustan Times, the operation was launched after intelligence inputs suggested the duo planned to disrupt the ongoing Amarnath Yatra as part of Operation Sheruwali.

While Ganei was killed, Bhat allegedly managed to escape the security cordon.

Security agencies have since linked Bhat to the July 22 killing of Head Constable Ashiq Hussain Qureshi and the recent murder of two migrant workers from Chhattisgarh.

Officials said eyewitness accounts in both cases described the attacker as wearing a cap, carrying a weapon concealed inside a gunny bag and firing at point-blank range.

Investigators believe the similarities indicate the same assailant may have carried out both attacks.

Officials described Bhat as one of the most wanted militants currently active in Jammu and Kashmir and said he is believed to be receiving logistical support from local associates.

Linked to Lashkar Offshoot

According to security agencies, little is publicly known about Bhat's radicalisation.

Officials told Hindustan Times that a poster circulated on social media by unidentified accounts claimed Bhat joined the Kashmir Revolution Army (KRA) on November 17, 2025.

Investigators believe he later worked alongside Lashkar commander Zakir Ahmed Ganei.

Officials said Bhat had disappeared from his home for several months in early 2025, a period they suspect coincided with his alleged radicalisation and induction into the KRA.

According to security agencies, the KRA functions as an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, similar to The Resistance Front (TRF), which investigators say was created by the Pakistan-based terror group to mask its involvement in attacks.