Intel Agencies issue list of 14 local militants in J&k amid ongoing Pahalgam attack probe

New Delhi|April, 26 : Aamid heightened security concerns following the recent militant attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam area of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district the intelligence agencies have compiled a list of 14 local militants actively operating in Jammu & Kashmir.
Quoting sources a national new gathering agency reported that these individuals, aged between 20 to 40 years, are actively aiding foreign militants from Pakistan by providing logistical and ground-level support. The identified operatives are reportedly affiliated with three major Pakistan-backed militant 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, according to reports, 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 militant of JeM, is the district commander of Awantipora and has been continuously involved in militant activities since 2022. Ahsan Ahmed Sheikh is active in Pulwama as an LeT militant and has been involved in militant activities continuously since 2023. Haris Nazir is militant 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 militant 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 militants . Naseer Ahmed Wani is also actively involved in militancy related activities in Shopian since 2019 as an active member of LeT significantly aiding Pakistani militants. Shahid Ahmed Kutay, another active militant 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 play a major role as an aide to foreign terrorists. Adnan Safi Dar, who is another active terrorist from Shopian district, is working jointly for LeT and TRF since 2024, and acts as a conduit for information from Pakistani handlers to militants. 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 militant and significantly aids other militants and has been implicated multiple times in attacks on security forces since 2018.
Haroon Rashid Ganai, an active Hizbul Mujahideen militant also from Anantnag, is on the search radar of security forces . He had earlier traveled to Pakistan-Administered-Kashmir (PaK) where he received training during 2018. He reportedly came back to South Kashmir recently. However, Zubair Ahmed Gani, a major militant attack 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 militant aides comes as agencies intensify efforts to dismantle the support networks facilitating cross-border militancy. The April 22 Pahalgam militant attack, in which 26 tourists were gunned down by militants, including three belongs to Pakistan, has reignited concerns over the growing nexus between foreign militants 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 of these 14 militants with the five militants who attacked on 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 militants is a move followed as investigators identified five militants involved in the deadly attack, including three Pakistani nationals. The authorities had earlier also released three sketches of these Pakistani militants–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 aso been announced.
The NIA along with other agencies are currently assisting to Jammu and Kashmir Police in the overall investigation as Pakistan-based militant 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.