Latest news with #Harkat-ul-Mujahideen
Hindustan Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Who was Rauf Azhar, JeM chief's brother killed in ‘Operation Sindoor' strike?
Abdul Rauf Azhar, brother of the Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist Masood Azhar, was killed during a missile strike conducted by India in Bahawalpur on Wednesday under Operation Sindoor, along with nine other members of his family. Also Read: Operation Sindoor: Who all from Masood Azhar's family were killed in Indian strike? Under Operation Sindoor, the Indian military destroyed nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK). The strikes were carried out in retaliation for the Pahalagam attack, which claimed 26 lives. Mufti Abdul Rauf Azhar, along with Masood Azhar, was behind the hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane IC-814 in December 1999 when it was en route from Kathmandu to Delhi. The flight was taken over by five terrorists of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and taken to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Masood Azhar, later went on to head the Jaish-e-Mohammad. Also Read: Remembering IC-814 hijacking and birth of Pak terror monster Masood Azhar Though better known as the brother of Masood Azhar, Abdul Rauf Azhar was designated as a terrorist by the United States Treasury on December 2, 2010. The US treasury department cited his involvement in 'recruiting operatives and planning attacks in India and Afghanistan," and categorised him as a global threat. Also Read: India slams China's Global Times on false info on Operation Sindoor: 'Verify your facts' After Masood Azhar went underground, Rauf Azhar became the de-facto leader of the Jaish-e-Mohammed on 21 April 2007. Since it was founded in 2000, the Jaish-e-Mohammad under the control of the two brothers was implicated in several terrorist attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2002 murder of US journalist Daniel Pearl, 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, 2016 Pathankot attack and the 2019 Pulwama attack. India pushed to have Rauf Azhar blacklisted by the United Nations Security Council's 1267 Sanctions Committee in 2022, but the move was blocked by China, citing the need for 'further evidence."
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First Post
07-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Operation Sindoor: How India targeted Masood Azhar, India's most wanted terrorist
Maulana Masood Azhar's 10 family members and four close associates have reportedly been killed in the Indian overnight strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Once jailed in India, the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror outfit's founder is behind major terror attacks in the country, including the 2001 attack on Parliament read more India's Operation Sindoor has reportedly killed 10 members of terrorist Maulana Masood Azhar's family in Pakistan. The Indian armed forces launched overnight strikes on nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on early Wednesday (May 7). One of the sites struck by India was a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Bahawalpur, a city in Pakistan's Punjab. JeM, a terror organisation led by Masood Azhar, has carried out many attacks in India. India's missile strikes come two weeks after 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But who is Masood Azhar, India's most wanted terrorist? Let's take a closer look. The 'gifted' orator poisoning minds with hate Masood Azhar, a short and portly Pakistani cleric, has been promoting terrorism for decades. The son of a government schoolteacher, he studied in a seminary in Karachi. Azhar joined the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), a Pakistan-based terrorist outfit, in his 20s. After he was found physically unfit for jihadi training, Azhar started writing for the organisation's monthly magazine called Sadai-e-Mujahid (Voice of the Mujahid), as per a New York Times (NYT) report. As the magazine gained popularity, Azhar rose to the leadership ranks of the terror group. His speeches at mosques and seminaries in foreign countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), instigating his listeners to pursue jihad against India to 'liberate' Kashmir, proved his oratory skills. They also brought funds for the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. Azhar intensified efforts to 'free' Kashmir, even travelling to Srinagar in 1994. It was then that he got arrested while meeting Harkat-ul-Ansar (HuA) Sajjad Afghani by the Indian security forces. Both were sent to a prison in Jammu. Even in jail, Azhar continued to radicalise fellow prisoners. In June 1999, Afghani and other inmates tried to escape, along with Azhar, by digging a tunnel. However, their plan failed and Afghani was killed. Catch live updates on . The founding of Jaish-e-Mohammad After the failed bid to escape from prison, Masood Azhar did not have to wait long for his freedom. On December 24, 1999, five masked terrorists hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC 814, about 40 minutes after it took off from the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, en route to Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Captain Devi Sharan, the pilot on board, was forced to fly the hijacked plane to Lahore. However, Pakistan denied permission for the flight, which was carrying 180 passengers, including the crew, to land. The plane, running low on fuel, was then diverted to Amritsar for refuelling. The hijacked flight landed in Amritsar and there are claims that the Indian government did not act fast enough to stop it from leaving Indian soil. As there was no fuel truck in sight, the hijackers grew suspicious of the time it was taking for refuelling and threatened to kill hostages if the pilot did not take off. After a few stops, the aircraft eventually ended up landing in Kandahar in Afghanistan, which was ruled by the Taliban. The hijacking resulted in India releasing three jailed terrorists: Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Mushtaq Zargar and Masood Azhar. 'The main objective was to secure Masood Azhar, that was nonnegotiable,' CD Sahay, a senior officer from the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), told NYT in 2022. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India later learnt that one of the hijackers was Azhar's brother, Ibrahim. Azhar's release and return made him a popular figure in Pakistan. Soon, he started giving speeches endorsing jihad in Kashmir. In March 2000, Azhar founded Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), which is behind several major terror attacks in India. Jaish-e-Mohammad spreads terror in India In October 2001, a JeM terrorist drove an explosives-laden vehicle to the gates of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly and blew it up. Two terrorists entered the Assembly and opened fire. As many as 38 people died in the attack. India was struck with terror again in December of that year. Five JeM terrorists breached the Parliament's security and started shooting indiscriminately. Seven people were killed in the attack, which Indian investigators found was plotted by Azhar's terror group, along with another Pakistani terrorist outfit, the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) of Hafiz Saeed. The 2001 Parliament attack brought global attention to JeM, forcing Pakistan to ban the organisation and put Azhar under house arrest. He was released just a year later. Jaish remained out of the news cycle after an attack in Srinagar in 2006. However, Azhar continued to radicalise through his speeches. David Headley, a Pakistani-American who helped plan the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, reportedly told Indian investigators that he was inspired by Azhar's speeches at a mosque in Pakistan. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In 2016, Jaish members carried out an attack at the Indian Air Force (IAF) base at Punjab's Pathankot, killing six security personnel. The same year, JeM terrorists donning Indian police uniforms attacked the Indian Army soldiers in the town of Nagrota, near Jammu city. Four soldiers, including an officer, were killed. Four JeM militants attacked an Indian Army Brigade headquarters in Uri near the Line of Control (LoC) in 2016, lobbing 17 grenades. As many as 17 Army personnel died in the attack. On February 14, 2019, an IED-laden vehicle driven by a JeM suicide bomber rammed his vehicle into a bus with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy at Lethpora in Pulwama. Over 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives. India retaliated by carrying out strikes at a Jaish terrorist-training camp in Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Just two days after the Pulwama attack, Azhar threatened India with violence, asking it to 'surrender' Kashmir. 'He's the epitome of a violent extremist, instigating terrorism by words,' Syed Akbaruddin, India's then ambassador to the United Nations, told NYT. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In May 2019, Azhar was designated a terrorist by the UN Security Council (UNSC). People burn pictures of Masood Azhar, the head of a Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad, as they celebrate the UN Security Council committee's decision to blacklist Azhar, in Ahmedabad, India May 1, 2019. File Photo/Reuters Pervez Musharraf, former Pakistan president, has previously admitted that Pakistan's spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), used Jaish to carry out attacks in India. Azhar, 56, is India's most-wanted terrorist. He has remained out of the public eye since April 2019. The JeM founder is believed to be hiding in a 'safe place' in Bahawalpur. Masood Azhar's family killed in Operation Sindoor As per a PTI report, Masood Azhar's 10 family members and four close aides were killed as Indian strikes targeted the JeM's headquarters in Bahawalpur. A statement attributed to the terrorist claims that the strikes on Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur killed his elder sister and her husband, a nephew and his wife, another niece, and five children from his extended family. 'This act of brutality has broken all boundaries. There should be no expectation of mercy now,' the statement read. With inputs from agencies
News18
07-05-2025
- News18
Who Is Masood Azhar, Jaish-e-Mohammed Chief Who Was Let Off After IC-814 Hijacking?
Last Updated: Masood Azhar, the founder of Jaish-e-Mohammed, was released by India in 1999 after the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814. The JeM is responsible for several terror attacks. Operation Sindoor: India carried out military strikes as part of 'Operation Sindoor' against terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which killed 10 family members of Jaish-e-Mohammed Chief Masood Azhar. Masood Azhar released a statement, admitting that 10 of his family members were killed in the Indian strikes. Their funeral will take place at Bahawalpur in Pakistan's Punjab. Terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba's headquarters in Muridke and designated terrorist and Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar's madrassa were among the nine sites India struck on Wednesday as India retaliated to Pahalgam attacks by launching Operation Sindoor. Who Is Masood Azhar? Masood Azhar is a UN-proscribed terrorist who is the founder and leader of the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which was responsible for the Pulwama terror attack where 40 Indian soldiers were killed, bringing the neighbours to the brink of war. Azhar was born in Bahawalpur in 1968 and was sent to a madrasa in Karachi after completing his Standard 8 examination. The madrasa was affiliated with Pakistani jihadist groups, from where Azhar graduated in 1989. He joined the Soviet-Afghan war and also enlisted to fight for Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, but failed to complete his training due to 'poor physique". As militancy grew in Jammu and Kashmir, Azhar was tasked with merging two jihadist groups – Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen into the Harkat-ul-Ansar (HuA). He became the general secretary of the group and recruited followers from several countries, including the United Kingdom. Azhar arrived in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir in 1994 under a fake identity to meet with the cadre, when Indian security forces arrested him. He was imprisoned in Tihar Jail in Delhi and was later taken to Kot Balwal Jail in Jammu. HuA commander Sajjad Afghani was killed in a failed attempt to help Azhar out of prison. Four years later, in December 1999, an Indian Airlines Flight 814 (IC-814) carrying 179 passengers and 11 crew members was en route from Kathmandu to Delhi, when it was hijacked by five members of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and taken to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The plane which was hijacked was then rerouted towards Pakistan, instead of Delhi. Since it did not have enough fuel, it landed at Amritsar. When there was delay in Amritsar, the hijackers stabbed two people with knives. One of them succumbed to his injuries inside the plane. Though the hijackers were ready to release some women and children, the Pakistani authorities did not give permission. The plane was refueled at Lahore and then took off for Kabul. Since there was no facility to land at Kabul at night, the plane was again diverted towards Dubai. A total of 27 passengers, which included children and women, were released in exchange for fuel. The Harkat-ul-Mujahideen demanded the then-Atal Bihari Vajpayee government to release Mazood Azhar, Ahmed Zargar, and Sheikh Ahmed Umar in exchange for the hostages. The then Foreign Minister, Jaswant Singh, escorted these terrorists to Kandahar, bringing an end to the eight-day hijack. After his release, Azhar founded JeM, which was responsible for several attacks, including the Parliament bombing in 2001 and the Pathankot attack in 2016. JeM was officially banned in Pakistan after the 2001 attack, but it is still operating under the shadows. The group even attempted to assassinate then-Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in 2003. First Published: May 07, 2025, 13:27 IST
India Today
06-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Why was Bahawalpur hit? Its link with Masood Azhar and Jaish
The Indian armed forces struck terror bases in Pakistan in overnight operations. Pakistan acknowledged strikes on nine sites in Kotli, Muridke and Bahawalpur. The main targets of the strikes, called Operation Sindoor, were the jihadist structures of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba, the two terrorist organisations responsible for major attacks on Indian soil over the past three decades. WHY BAHAWALPUR? The 12th largest city in Pakistan is the home of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). Located about 400 km from Lahore, it hosts the group's operational base at the Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah complex, also known as the Usman-o-Ali campus. The Jamia Masjid was among the sites targeted by India. The campus is said to be spread over 18 acres and serves as JeM's hub for recruitment, fundraising, and indoctrination. The founder of JeM, Maulana Masood Azhar, was born in Bahawalpur and lives there in a heavily-guarded complex. The JeM was officially banned in 2002, but the punitive measure was implemented only on paper, with the JeM allowed full operational freedom to run its camp. The JeM camp, incidentally, is just a few miles from an army cantonment – the headquarters of Pakistan's 31 Corps. Bahawalpur also reportedly has a secret nuclear facility. The proximity to the cantonment has been seen as proof of the ISI's support and protection to the JeM. Jaish headquarters in Bahawalpur Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah: The mosque, disguised as a seminary, was funded through the Al-Rahmat Trust, a frontal organisation of the JeM. The mosque was a basic structure until 2011 but was turned into a large complex with training facilities by 2012. Satellite imagery of Bahawalpur shows a 18-acre facility with intermittent construction and development. The complex has a grand central mosque and a madrassa for over 600 students (trainees). It also has a swimming pool, stables for horses and a gymnasium. The JeM: On December 24, 1999, five Harkat-ul-Mujahideen terrorists hijacked an Indian Airlines flight. Carrying 190 passengers and crew from Kathmandu to Delhi, the plane was diverted to Amritsar, Lahore, Dubai, and finally Kandahar, Afghanistan, under Taliban control. On October 31, after intense negotiations, India complied with their demand to release three terrorists — Masood Azhar, Omar Sheikh, and Mushtaq Zargar — in exchange for the hostages. Masood Azhar: Born in 1968, Masood Azhar, a stocky man with a short beard, was arrested in 1994 in India for terrorism. Prior to his arrest, he was a cleric and member of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) based in Afghanistan. He founded the JeM soon after being released. Inspired by the Deobandi school of radical Islam, the JeM has collaborated with other active terror groups to conduct several attacks in India since 2000, including the attack on the J&K Assembly and Parliament. The JeM, meaning "army of Muhammad", dreams of integrating Kashmir into Pakistan under a radical interpretation of Sharia law. According to several reports, JeM was launched on January 31, 2000, in Karachi. Before launching his terror ops, Azhar is believed to have travelled to Afghanistan to seek the blessings of Osama bin Laden, the erstwhile al-Qaeda chief. His organisation was helped by the ISI, not just with infrastructure but also by funding tours. The first few recruits of the group came from the HuM cadres. While the Bahawalpur headquarters is primarily used for recruitment, fundraising, and ideological training, JeM's actual terror training camps are reportedly located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). In 2019, following the Pulwama attack, the Pakistani government, under international pressure, announced it had taken administrative control of the Bahawalpur headquarters. The Punjab government appointed an administrator to manage the campus, but Indian observers and intelligence sources dismissed this as a cosmetic move, noting that Masood Azhar had reportedly left Bahawalpur and was under the protection of the Pakistani military. JAISH AND ITS ATTACKS April 2000: JeM launched the first suicide bombing in Jammu and Kashmir when a 17-year-old recruit, Afaq Ahmad Shah, detonated an explosives-laden car outside the Indian Army's 15 Corps headquarters in Badami Bagh, Srinagar, killing four soldiers. October 2001: Over 30 people killed in a suicide bombing at the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly in Srinagar. December: JeM and the Lashkar terrorists launched a combined attack on the Indian Parliament in New Delhi, killing 14 people, including eight security personnel. This attack led to a major military standoff between India and Pakistan in 2001. January 2016: Three security personnel were killed in an attack on the Pathankot airbase in India. September 2016: JeM killed 19 Indian soldiers in an attack on the Uri brigade headquarters. In response, India conducted "surgical strikes" on JeM camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. February 2019: An attack on a CRPF convoy killed 40 Indian soldiers. JeM claimed responsibility for the attack. Tension between India and Pakistan escalated after India conducted air raids on Balakot, striking terror camps in Pakistan. The recent attack on Pahalgam is believed to have been launched by an affiliate of the JeM, with help from the LeT. The group has been using proxies like the Kashmir Tigers and Kashmir Freedom Army to evade sanctions. JAISH LEADERSHIP Masood Azhar: Founder and nominal leader. He was designated a global terrorist by the UN in May 2019. He is said to be suffering from kidney ailments, limiting his public appearances. He was last seen in June 2024 at a wedding. His brother, Abdul Rauf Azhar, is also an important leader of the JeM. Shah Nawaz Khan (Sajjid Jihadi) and Maulana Mufti Mohammad Asghar are the group's other leaders. They reportedly oversee the training of over 300 recruits in Pakistan, Muzaffarabad and some areas of Kashmir.
India Today
05-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Who controls Pak terror networks? Dossier maps leadership, funding, front wings
Intelligence agencies have compiled a detailed dossier on Pakistan-based terrorist groups Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as the country remains on high alert following the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack. Exclusively accessed by India Today, the dossier outlines the command hierarchy and funding channels of these outfits, offering critical insights into their top leadership, launch commanders, and sources of financial detailed intelligence report maps key figures and their specific roles, operational structure, pinpointing individuals responsible for crucial activities such as recruitment, training, and the execution of terror attacks, as well as the financial arteries that sustain these to the dossier, while Maulana Masood Azhar holds the supreme position (Emir) within Jaish-e-Mohammed, directly overseeing key figures, Mohammad Hasan serves as the organisation's spokesperson. A look at important individuals identified in the dossier:Maulana Masood Azhar - Emir (Organisation chief)Mohammad Hasan - SpokespersonMaulana Qari Masood Ahmed - Chief, Propaganda WingMufti Asghar - Chief Commander, OperationsIbrahim Rather - Chief, Milli AffairsMaulana Sajjad Usman - Finance Incharge (Formerly with Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HUM))Saifullah Shakir - Nazim RMC (Former in-charge of Al Rehmat Trust)Maulana Mufti Mohammad Asghar alias Saad Baba - Launch Commander (Former Harkat-ul-Mujahideen member)advertisementThe dossier highlights the operational bases of these terror groups in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK), where strategies for anti-India activities are formulated. The role of the launch commander is very important in these organisations, which are responsible for infiltration into India and the training of terrorists. Maulana Mufti Mohammad Asghar alias Saad Baba has been described as the main launch commander of Jaish, who has previously been associated with OF LASHKAR-E-TAIBA Chief: Hafiz Mohammad Saeed - The Lashkar-e-Taiba Chief has gradually begun transferring the leadership responsibilities of the organisation to his son, Talha Saeed, who is now playing a key role in its of Operations: Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi - The operational commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba and the key mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks. He was arrested following the attacks but was released on bail in 2015. In 2021, he was sentenced to 15 years in is responsible for overseeing military operations, managing terrorist training camps, and planning attacks. He also coordinates field commanders and handles logistical TERRORIST LEADERSadvertisementSajid Mir alias Saifullah Sajid Jat - The principal mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Mir remains absconding and is on the FBI's most-wanted list. He primarily focuses on international operations and Yahya Mujahid - The head of Lashkar-e-Taiba's media department and its spokesperson. He is responsible for managing the organisation's propaganda strategies and public Mohammad Ashraf - The finance head of Lashkar-e-Taiba, overseeing fundraising and financial operations. He coordinates funding through Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and other affiliated Qasmani - The coordinator of external contacts, tasked with establishing links with other terrorist organizations, including Iqbal - A co-founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Iqbal has been involved in the group's ideological and training activities, although recent reports indicate a decline in his ORGANISATIONSThe dossier also sheds light on LeT's supporting organisations and front wings:Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) - The public face of Lashkar-e-Taiba, led by Hafiz Saeed. JuD has gained a foothold in society by operating schools, hospitals, and conducting relief work, using these initiatives as a means to recruit and radicalise individuals. Both the United Nations and the United States have designated it a terrorist Foundation (FIF), Al Madina, and Aiser Foundation - These groups were established to circumvent sanctions imposed on JuD. They continue to carry out the same activities previously handled by Muslim League (MML)- The political wing of Lashkar-e-Taiba, created to expand its influence within Pakistan's political sphere. The United States has also banned MML, labelling it a front organisation for FUNDING NETWORKThe funding network is detailed, revealing that Jamaat-e-Islami's hawala network facilitates fund transfers across the subcontinent to support LeT's operations in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri agencies have identified individuals like Maulana Sajjad Usman, previously linked to HUM, as being responsible for funding. Funds are reportedly raised under the guise of Al Rehmat Trust and utilised for terrorist training, infiltration, weapons supply, and comprehensive dossier is anticipated to be a significant asset for security forces and agencies in their efforts to dismantle these terrorist networks operating from Pakistani soil and posing a threat to India. It underscores the systematic nature of these InMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Pakistan
