In a significant development amid heightened security concerns following the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, intelligence agencies have compiled a list of 14 local terrorists actively operating in the Union Territory.
According to sources, these individuals, aged between 20 to 40 years, are actively aiding foreign terrorists from Pakistan by providing logistical and ground-level support.
The identified operatives are reportedly affiliated with three major Pakistan-backed terror outfits: Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Among them, three are associated with Hizbul Mujahideen, eight with LeT, and three with JeM.
Sources revealed the names of these individuals as: Adil Rehman Dentoo (21), Asif Ahmed Sheikh (28), Ahsan Ahmed Sheikh (23), Haris Nazir (20), Aamir Nazir Wani (20), Yawar Ahmed Bhat, Asif Ahmed Khanday (24), Naseer Ahmed Wani (21), Shahid Ahmed Kutay (27), Aamir Ahmed Dar, Adnan Safi Dar, Zubair Ahmed Wani (39), Haroon Rashid Ganai (32), and Zakir Ahmed Ganie (29).
Dentoo joined LeT in 2021 and is actively working as the Sopore district commander of the banned outfit. Asif Ahmed Sheikh, a terrorist of JeM, is the district commander of Awantipora and has been continuously involved in terrorist activities since 2022. Ahsan Ahmed Sheikh is active in Pulwama as a LeT terrorist and has been involved in terrorist activities continuously since 2023. Haris Nazir is a terrorist from Pulwama and active in LeT since 2023, while Aamir Nazir Wani is also an active terrorist in Pulwama linked to JeM since 2024. Yawar Ahmed Bhat is also completely active in Pulwama and is associated with JeM since 2024.
Asif Ahmed Khanday is a terrorist from Shopian district in Jammu and Kashmir, and he joined Hizbul Mujahideen in July 2015, and is currently an active member of the terror group aiding Pakistani terrorists. Naseer Ahmed Wani has also been actively involved in terrorist activities in Shopian since 2019 as an active member of LeT, significantly aiding Pakistani terrorists. Shahid Ahmed Kutay, another active terrorist in Shopian, is linked with LeT and its proxy group, The Resistance Front (TRF), since 2023.
Aamir Ahmed Dar, also active in Shopian since 2023, is working with LeT and plays a major role as an aide to foreign terrorists. Adnan Safi Dar, who is another active terrorist from Shopian district, has been working jointly for LeT and TRF since 2024, and acts as a conduit for information from Pakistani handlers to terrorists.
Zubair Ahmed Wani alias Abu Ubaida alias Usman is the Chief Operational Commander of Hizbul Mujahideen in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. He is categorized as an A+ active terrorist and significantly aids other terrorists and has been implicated multiple times in attacks on security forces since 2018.
Haroon Rashid Ganai, an active Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist also from Anantnag, is on the search radar of security forces. He had earlier traveled to Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) where he received training in 2018. He reportedly came back to South Kashmir recently. However, Zubair Ahmed Gani, a major terrorist from Kulgam district in Jammu and Kashmir, is associated with LeT and continuously involved in attacks on security forces and targeted killings.
The identification of these local terror aides comes as agencies intensify efforts to dismantle the support networks facilitating cross-border terrorism. The April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 tourists were gunned down by terrorists, including three belonged to Pakistan, has reignited concerns over the growing nexus between foreign terrorists and local recruits.
Security forces have launched coordinated operations across South Kashmir, particularly in Anantnag and Pulwama districts, where many of the listed individuals are believed to be operating. Senior officials indicate that these names are part of a larger intelligence dossier being used to pre-empt further attacks and disrupt terror logistics in the Valley.
The agencies are engaged in finding links between these 14 terrorists with the five terrorists who attacked the 26 tourists in the Baisaran picturesque meadow, near the popular tourist town of Pahalgam, around 2 PM on April 22.
The release of the list of these 14 local active terrorists is a move followed by investigators who identified five terrorists involved in the deadly attack, including three Pakistani nationals. The authorities had earlier also released three sketches of these Pakistani terrorists–Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah, and Abu Talha. The other two Valley-based operatives were identified as Adil Guri and Ahsan. A bounty of Rs 20 lakh on each has also been announced.
The NIA, along with other agencies, is currently assisting to Jammu and Kashmir Police in the overall investigation as Pakistan-based terror outfit LeT’s proxy TRF has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The NIA team is expected to conduct a thorough assessment of the attack site, collect forensic evidence, and help in identifying those responsible for the carnage.