J&K Police zero in on LeT operative, two foreigners in Kulgam CRPF attack

The Jammu and Kashmir Police have identified Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Mohammad Lateef Bhat, 22, and two foreign accomplices as the group behind an attack on the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Kulgam on Wednesday (November 11, 2026) that left three personnel injured.

Senior police officials said they have “credible leads” pointing to the involvement of Bhat, a carpenter from Kulgam. He is also wanted for two attacks in Anantnag and Kulgam last July that left a police officer and two workers from Chhattisgarh dead.

Officials said they are examining Bhat’s digital footprint, and multiple leads point to two foreigners being involved in the attack. The police have ruled out the use of a motorbike in the attack as evidence suggests “the attackers ran through a marshy area to escape”.

They also used AK-47 rifles and fired from close range. The “prompt and effective response of the security forces prevented the attackers from inflicting casualties and damage on the scale they had intended”. The retaliation by the CRPF personnel “forced the group to retreat from the spot without achieving their desired objectives,” officials said.

The security agencies said Bhat made a daring escape after the Anantnag attack in July this year. He kept his automatic weapon in a sack (usually used by labourers) and boarded a passenger bus from the main Anantnag town to escape after killing the police officer.

Meanwhile, security agencies have questioned three suspected LeT workers. The police are investigating whether an LeT worker “provided shelter and recced the attack site” for the group. A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team visited the Kulgam site on Friday (November 13, 2026) to gather evidence and establish the attackers’ mode of operation.