Kathmandu: A top commander of Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Saifullah—also known by multiple aliases including Vinod Kumar, Mohammed Salim Khalid, Vaniyal Wajid, and Salim Bhai—was shot dead in Pakistan’s Sindh province, in Matli Tehsil of Badin district.

Saifullah was a key operative in several terror plots against India and is believed to have masterminded the 2006 attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur. He also allegedly played crucial roles in the 2001 CRPF camp attack in Rampur and the 2005 IISc Bangalore attack conspiracy.

Indian intelligence sources claim that Saifullah operated under multiple identities, including within Nepal, where he reportedly took control of Lashkar-e-Taiba’s entire network. His primary responsibilities included recruiting operatives and managing financial logistics for LeT's terrorist activities in South Asia. During his time in Nepal, he went by the name Vinod Kumar and was married to a local woman, Nagma Banu.

According to Indian media, Saifullah maintained close ties with Azam Cheema alias Babajika Najik, Lashkar's operational commander and one of India’s most wanted terrorists.

The killing of Saifullah comes in the wake of India’s intensified counter-terrorism drive under "Operation Sindoor." The operation was launched after a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, on April 22, which left 26 Hindus, including one Nepali national, dead. In retaliation, India reportedly targeted and dismantled nine major terrorist bases across Pakistan, including Lashkar-e-Taiba’s headquarters.

Indian officials have described Saifullah's death as a significant breakthrough. Though the exact circumstances of his killing remain unclear, intelligence sources consider it a direct outcome of India’s extended counter-terror strategy.

Reacting to the development, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated his government's firm stance against terrorism. “Wherever the enemies of the country may hide, they will not be spared,” Modi said in an earlier statement.

The killing of Saifullah is seen not only as a blow to Lashkar-e-Taiba’s command structure but also as a signal of India’s growing reach in pursuing those behind attacks on its soil.