New Delhi, May 2019 — A meticulously planned 10-hour military operation in South Kashmir has brought a definitive end to the notorious “Burhan Brigade.” Security forces have neutralized Mohammad Lateef Dar, alias Lateef Tiger, the last surviving member of the 11-man militant core group once led by Hizbul Mujahideen poster boy Burhan Wani.
The Masterplan: Operation Jackboot The high-stakes crackdown, codenamed Operation Jackboot, was spearheaded by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval. Modeled after global counter-terrorism strategies, the operation relied heavily on Doval’s network of private intelligence assets. These assets bypassed traditional channels to provide real-time, live coordinates of top-tier targets, leading forces directly to a fortified concrete house in Adkhara village, Shopian.
The Midnight Cordon Acting on precise intelligence, a joint task force comprising the Indian Army’s 34 Rashtriya Rifles, the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG), and the CRPF surrounded the village at 2:30 AM. By 4:30 AM, as search parties closed in, the trapped militants opened heavy automatic fire, severely injuring an army jawan and triggering a fierce gunbattle.
Shielded by Stone-Pelting Crowds As news of the encounter spread, a massive local crowd gathered by 5:00 AM to disrupt the operation. Handlers attempted to use intense stone-pelting and clashes to create an escape window for the trapped militants. Security forces had to deploy tear gas and rubber pellets to manage the hostile crowd, injuring 19 protesters while maintaining the perimeter.
Blasting the Stronghold By 8:00 AM, security forces had shot and neutralized Tiger’s two close associates: Tariq Ahmed Sheikh (alias Tariq Moulvi) and Shariq Ahmad Nengroo. However, Tiger—an expert in IEDs and precise shooting who had evaded capture five times before—refused to yield from a blind spot inside the house. To end the hours-long standoff, military engineers rigged the concrete structure with high-explosive IED charges and leveled it.
The End of the Brigade Thermal and physical sweeps of the debris at 11:30 AM confirmed Tiger’s death alongside his associates. A heavy cache of AK-47 rifles, explosives, and ammunition was recovered from the site. Tiger had risen to become the second-in-command to Hizbul’s operational chief, Riyaz Naikoo, running a brutal campaign that kidnapped and executed local informers.
Bottom Line The elimination of Lateef Tiger marks the total dismantling of the original Burhan Wani gang that heavily radicalized South Kashmir through social media. With the last “Tiger” gone, Operation Jackboot has closed a major chapter of militancy in the valley.
