|
|
Incidents and Statements involving Jaish-e-Mohammed:
2017, 2016, 2015,
2014, 2013,
1999-2012
The Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has been
held responsible for the December 13, 2001 terrorist attack on the Indian
Parliament in New Delhi. The outfit has been banned by the Indian government
under provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA)
on October 25, 2001. The US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, in a notification
on December 26, 2001, designated the outfit as a foreign terrorist organistation.
1. Formation
The Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) is a relatively
new terrorist outfit, compared to other major outfits active in Jammu
and Kashmir (J&K). Like the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT),
the JeM too is an outfit formed, controlled and manned by Pakistan.
The outfit was launched on January 31, 2000, by Maulana Masood Azhar
in Karachi after he was released from an Indian jail during the terrorists
for hostage swap of December 31, 1999, following the hijacking of the
Indian Airlines Flight IC 814.
The formation of the outfit was endorsed
by three religious school chiefs, Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai of the Majlis-e-Tawan-e-Islami
(MT), Maulana Mufti Rashid Ahmed of the Dar-ul Ifta-e-wal-Irshad and
Maulana Sher Ali of the Sheikh-ul-Hadith Dar-ul Haqqania.
The outfit’s creation can be linked
to the popularity surrounding Masood Azhar after his release from India.
Maulana Masood Azhar was the general secretary of the newly established
Harkat-ul-Ansar (HuA)
in 1994 and was on a 'mission' in J&K when he was arrested on February
11. When he was released, the HuA had been included in the US list of
Foreign Terrorist Organisations which had compelled the outfit to rename
itself as the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM).
However, Masood Azhar decided to float the new outfit JeM rather than
rejoin his old outfit. He was also reported to have received assistance
in setting up the JeM from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI),
the then Taliban regime
in Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden
and several Sunni sectarian outfits of Pakistan.
2. Objectives
The Jaish-e-Mohammed is part of the
Islamist terror network with its base in Pakistan and active in the
terrorist violence in J&K. The outfit, like other terrorist outfits
in J&K, claims to using violence to force a withdrawal of Indian
security forces from J&K. The outfit claims that each of its offices
in Pakistan would serve as schools of jihad. Delivering speeches at
various cities and towns in Pakistan after his release, Masood Azhar
threatened that the outfit would eliminate Indian Prime Minister Atal
Behari Vajpayee who he termed as 'Abu Jahl’ (Father of Ignorance). In
its fight against India, he added that the outfit would not only "liberate"
Kashmir, but also would take control of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya,
Amritsar and Delhi.
3. Leadership and Command Structure
Masood Azhar, the Amir (chief)
of the outfit was arrested by Pakistani security forces on December
29, 2001, after pressure from India and other foreign countries following
the December 13, 2001 attack on India’s parliament. However, a three-member
Review Board of Lahore High Court ordered on December 14, 2002, that
Azhar be released.
There are no reports of any formal governing
bodies or councils within the outfit. Unconfirmed reports indicate that
the prominent office bearers of the organisation include
-
Maulana Masood Azhar – Amir
-
Maulana Qari Mansoor Ahmed – Nazim
Propaganda Wing (he is a resident of Bhurewala, Punjab)
-
Maulana Abdul Jabbar – Nazim, Military
Affairs (Former Nazim military affairs, (HuM)
-
Maulana Sajjad Usman – incharge,
Finance (Former HuM Nazim Finance)
-
Shah Nawaz Khan alias Sajjid Jehadi
& Gazi Baba – Chief Commander J&K (Former Supreme Commander
HuM, J&K)
-
Maulana Mufti Mohd. Asghar – Launching
Commander (Former Launching Commander of HuM)
4. Operational Strategies
Most Jaish-e-Mohammed attacks have
been described as fidayeen (suicide terrorist) attacks. In this
mode, terrorists of the outfit storm a high security target, including
security forces' bases, camps and convoys. After storming, they either
fortify themselves within the target, killing as many security force
personnel and civilians as possible before they are killed by retaliatory
action. In other cases, they kill and injure as many as possible before
attempting to escape.
5. Area of Operation
The Jaish-e-Mohammed has largely confined
its operations within J&K. The only recorded instance of its operations
outside J&K has been the December 13, 2001, Parliament attack in
New Delhi. However, several of its cadre have, on occasions been arrested
or killed by security forces in states other than J&K.
6. External Linkages
The outfit is closely linked, through
the Binoria Madrassah in Karachi, with the former Taliban
regime of Afghanistan and its Portege,Osama
bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda.
JeM chief, Masood Azhar was released by Indian authorities in Kandahar
and has reportedly met Taliban and Al Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan on
various occasions.
The JeM is also reported to have links
with Sunni terrorist outfits operating in Pakistan such as the Sipah-e-Sahaba
Pakistan (SSP)and
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ).
Incidents and Statements involving Jaish-e-Mohammed:
2016, 2015,
2014, 2013,
1999-2012
|