Top LeT terrorist Abu Qatal, Hafiz Saeed’s aide, shot dead in Pakistan’s Jhelum

Top LeT commander Abu Qatal, mastermind of Rajouri and Reasi attacks, shot dead in Pakistan’s Jhelum
Unknown gunmen fired 15-20 rounds, killing Qatal and his security guard, leaving another guard critical
NIA had charge-sheeted him for Rajouri attack, and he was a key link between LeT and PoK operations

Lashkar-e-Taiba’s (LeT) top terrorist and Hafiz Saeed’s trusted aide, Abu Qatal, was shot dead in Pakistan’s Jhelum district on Saturday night, sources confirmed. Qatal, whose real name was Zia-ur-Rehman, played a crucial role in orchestrating multiple terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, including the June 9 Reasi attack and the 2023 Rajouri killings.

According to reports, Qatal was ambushed near Zeenat Hotel, close to Dina Punjab University, around 7 pm while traveling with his security team. Unidentified gunmen fired 15 to 20 rounds, instantly killing Abu Qatal and one of his security guards, while another guard was critically injured.

Abu Qatal was under heavy protection from the Pakistan Army, with LeT terrorists and Pakistani military personnel assigned to his security. However, despite these measures, he was successfully targeted in what appears to be a well-planned execution.

A close associate of 26/11 Mumbai terror mastermind Hafiz Saeed, Abu Qatal was LeT’s Chief Operational Commander and directly executed orders from Saeed. He was instrumental in planning and executing terror strikes in India, including the Rajouri terror attack on January 1, 2023, which killed seven civilians, including two children. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had named him in its chargesheet for orchestrating this attack.

Abu Qatal was also linked to the Bhatta-Duria attack in Poonch on April 20, 2023, in which five Indian Army personnel were killed and mutilated. He served as the main handler for LeT operatives in the Poonch-Rajouri region, working alongside Saifullah Sajid Jutt from the Khuiratta Detachment of LeT in Kotli, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Security agencies had been tracking Abu Qatal for years, given his role in facilitating terrorist recruitment, infiltration, and logistics between PoK and Sindh province. He had infiltrated Jammu in the early 2000s and exfiltrated back to Pakistan in 2005. While the identity of his killers remains unknown, his elimination marks a significant blow to LeT’s operations in the region.

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