Stories
Nalin Prabhat's Counter-Terror Record in J&K: From Usman to Moosa, Terrorists Can't Hide
- •DGP Nalin Prabhat's tenure in Jammu and Kashmir is marked by an aggressive counter-terror strategy, emphasizing intelligence-led, coordinated operations against high-value targets.
- •The J&K Police's motto, "You can run, but you cannot hide," reflects the operational philosophy of relentlessly tracking terrorists across diverse terrains.
- •Key successes include the elimination of Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Usman in Srinagar, Jaish-e-Mohammed commander Haider in Udhampur, and the recent killing of senior Lashkar commander Musa alias Asif Fauji in Budgam.
- •The neutralization of Musa completed the dismantling of a four-member Lashkar-e-Taiba group responsible for multiple major attacks in J&K since 2022.
- •The strategy relies on strong inter-agency coordination between J&K Police, the Indian Army, and Central Armed Police Forces, leveraging human and technical intelligence to dismantle terror networks and leadership.
Key Questions Answered
The killing of senior Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Musa, also known as Asif Fauji, on September 30, 2026, successfully neutralised the final surviving member of a four-member Lashkar group operating in Jammu and Kashmir since 2022. The Ministry of Home Affairs noted that Musa's elimination dealt a serious blow to the Lashkar-e-Taiba ecosystem after an intelligence-led operation under Operation Sheruwali.
The Ministry of Home Affairs linked the four-member Lashkar-e-Taiba group to several major attacks across Jammu and Kashmir, including the Halan and Kandi attacks in 2023, the Gagangir, Bootapathri, and Shahsitar attacks in 2024, and the Baisaran attack in April 2025.
Local youth recruitment into terrorism dropped significantly from approximately 194 in 2020 down to one in 2025, with no local recruitment reported in 2026. Furthermore, NITI Aayog figures indicated a 99 percent drop in youth recruitment between 2018 and 2025.
