LeT's Saifullah Khalid, mastermind of terror attacks in India, killed in Pakistan

Saifullah Khalid, a key Lashkar-e-Taiba handler linked to major terror attacks in India, has been shot dead in Pakistan's Sindh province. His death follows a security crackdown on LeT commanders in Kashmir last week.

A senior Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative, Saifullah Khalid, believed to be behind multiple deadly terror attacks in India, has been killed in Pakistan’s Sindh province, according to sources quoted by several media reports.

Khalid was reportedly shot dead by unidentified assailants in Matli, located in the Badin district of Sindh. The circumstances of the attack remain unclear, and there has been no official statement yet from Pakistani authorities.

Key role in major Indian terror attacks

Khalid is accused of masterminding several high-profile terror attacks on Indian soil. These include 2005 attack on the Indian Science Congress (ISC) in Bangalore, The 2006 strike on the RSS headquarters in Nagpur and 2008 assault on a CRPF camp in Rampur.

Together, these attacks resulted in multiple casualties and were seen as a major escalation in LeT’s terror operations within India.

Lived under alias in Nepal

Operating under the fake identity “Vinode Kumar,” Khalid had reportedly lived in Nepal for several years. He is believed to have married a local woman, Nagma Banu, while maintaining a low profile.

During his time in Nepal, Khalid served as a key LeT coordinator, overseeing logistics and recruitment activities across the region.

Active till the end in Sindh

In recent years, Khalid had moved to Matli in Sindh, where he resumed working for LeT and its front organisation, Jamaat-ud-Dawa—both banned by the United Nations. His focus was on recruitment and fund-raising for future operations.

Linked crackdown in Kashmir

His death comes close on the heels of a major security operation in Jammu and Kashmir, where three LeT terrorists, including the group’s South Kashmir ‘Operations Commander’ Shahid Kuttay, were killed last week.

The gunfight took place in the Shukroo Keller area of Shopian. Two other terrorists—Adnan Shafi from Shopian and Ahsan ul Haq Sheikh from Pulwama—were also neutralised. Security forces recovered two AK-series rifles, grenades, and large quantities of ammunition from the site.

Officials said Kuttay was instrumental in recruiting youth into terrorism and had killed several innocent civilians in the region.