Lashkar-e-Taiba also known as Lashkar-e-Toiba, Army of the Good, translated as Army of the Righteous, or Army of the Pure.
Operates out of the region of Lahore, Pakistan and run numerous training camps in the disputed region of Kashmir. The main goal of Lashkar is not only to gain control over Kashmir, which is a major area of dispute between Pakistan and India, but to establish a Muslim state that unites Muslim populations throughout South Asia.” LeT” was founded more than 20 years ago with the help of Pakistani intelligence officers as a proxy force to challenge Indian control of Jammu and Kashmir. The Lashkar-e-Taiba group has repeatedly claimed through its journals and websites that its main aim is to destroy the Indian republic and to annihilate Hinduism and Judaism. LeT has declared Hindus and Jews to be the “enemies of Islam”, as well as India and Israel to be the “enemies of Pakistan”.

Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) And The ISI
It appears that Lashkar-e-Taiba has a close relationship with the Pakistan Intelligence Agency known as the ISI. The Lashkar-e-Taiba has gained strength in recent years to become a more effective militant outfit with the help of Pakistans main spy agency, the ISI. Lashkar-e-Taiba, also simply known as LeT, according to a 2008 New York Times piece has been helped by the ISI while other terrorist groups have been clampeded down on as a result of 911 and other world wide attacks by terrorist groups operating out of the troubled Pakistan. The ISI has enabled LeT to raise money as well as continue to train militants in the Kashmir territory. The Pakistan Intelligence agency (ISI) has always been considered a conduit in the world of terrorism. Corruption in the organization has linked insiders to the Taliban, al Qaeda, Lashkar and a host of other Islamic terrorist groups. Lashkar-e-Taiba may be special to many in the intelligence agency because of their resistance in the Kashmir Region they provide against Pakistan’s key enemy India. In March 2010, “The LeT is a deadly serious group of fanatics. They are well financed, ambitious, and most disturbingly, both tolerated by, and connected to, the Pakistani military,” said Gary L Ackerman, chairman of the House subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia of the House committee on international relations.

And it is the same Pakistani military, to which the Obama administration is selling advanced arms, he pointed out. Testifying before the Congressional committee, Marvin G Weinbaum, from the Middle East Institute — a Washington-based think tank, said despite the government official ban of LeT, ISI continued to consider the organisation as an asset. The Mumbai attacks and subsequent Headley investigations reveal that the LeT has the international capabilities and ideological inclination to attack western targets whether they are located in South Asia or elsewhere.

On September 12, 2006 the propaganda arm of the Lashkar-e-Taiba issued a fatwa against Pope Benedict XVI demanding that Muslims assassinate him for his controversial statements about the prophet Muhammad. During this period the clash in cultures throughout Europe and the Middle East are at a boiling point.

Origins of a Movement
Lashkar-e-Taiba, meaning “army of the pure” has been active since 1993. It is the military wing of the well-funded Pakistani Islamist organization Markaz-ad-Dawa-wal-Irshad, which was founded in 1989 and recruited volunteers to fight alongside the Taliban. During the 1990s, experts say LeT received instruction and funding from Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), in exchange for a pledge to target Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir and to train Muslim extremists on Indian soil. Pakistan’s government has repeatedly denied allegations of supporting terrorism.

Leadership of Lashkar-e-Taiba
The group has its headquarters in Muridke near Lahore in Pakistan, say experts, and is headed by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, a former Islamic-studies professor. In December 2008, New Delhi demanded that Islamabad hand over Saeed as a suspect wanted for terrorism in India, including the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. In February 2009, Pakistani officials admitted that the attacks had been planned in Pakistan, and in November, a Pakistani court charged seven men for planning the attacks, including LeT’s chief of operations Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi. Pakistan says it does not have evidence to charge Saeed.

Al Qaeda Connection
In this part of the world things are seen differently than in the West. The West attempts to put everything into specific boxes with labels attached to them. In reality that concept does not work when attempting to connect the dots in Pakistan and Afghanistan. These groups will work together or assist one another in a type of blend where it is difficult to tie down who was involved and who was not. While Al Qaeda has provided financing and other support to Lashkar in the past, their links today remain murky. Senior al  Qaeda figures have used Lashkar safe houses as hide-outs, but Lashkar has not merged its operations with Al Qaeda or adopted the Qaeda brand, American officials said.

In April 2008 an Indian newsource stated that there was an interesting development that was picked up on the radar screen in India that predicted a new troublesome blend of radical Islam when The merger of Dawood Ibrahim’s gang with the Lashkar-e-Toiba at the behest of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI). This led to Indian security agencies becoming more concerned since the extremists ties will expand the ISI’s reach into India. In Novemeber of 2008 Lashkar-e-Taiba carried out the deadly attacks in Mumbai, India that led to the deaths of over 170 individuals in one of the most brazen and deadliest terrorist attacks since the September 11 attacks in New York.

Lashkar-e-Taiba Major Terrorist Attacks
Though there are many other LeT associated attacks, particular in Kashmir and other India provinces, below are the most deadly and significant attacks by the organization

The Chittisinghpura massacre: March 20, 2000. Wearing Indian Army fatigues to avoid detection, members of LeT came into the village in two groups at separate ends of the village of Chittisinghura in the region of Kashmir. They first lined up the rounded up Sikhs, who had been celebrating the Holi and Hola Mahalla Festival, in front of their Gurdwaras and opened fire. 36 people were killed.

2002 Kaluchak Massacre 14 May 2002 The terrorist attack which took place near the town of Kaluchak in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir began when three terrorists attacked a tourist bus from the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh and killed 31 people. The terrorists who were dressed in Indian army fatigues, while returning fire, attempted to escape in the direction of the Army’s family quarters, located on the main road. They also threw grenades on some vehicles parked in the vicinity. Upon entering the family quarters they again fired on Army family members present in the premises.The terrorists were eventually cordoned off and killed.

2003 Nadimarg Massacre 23 March 2003. Once again LeT utilized Indian army fatiques while entering the village of Nadimarg in the Kahmir province in a late night attack. They gathered together Hindus including elderly, women and children and lined them up against a wall before emptying their Ak-47’s into them. Afterwards the terrorists went onto dismember the bodies of the dead and loot the village. Victims included 11 men, 11 women, and two small boys who were lined up and shot and killed by the gunmen.

2005 Delhi bombings 29 October 2005 Lashkar-e-Taiba also was connected to a series of bombings in Delhi that resulted in the deaths of 62 people. The attacks were on two different market places and one bus. The attack coincided with the beginning of a major Hindu, Sikh and Jain holiday known as the festival of Diwali that would begin two days later. At this point Lashkar is becoming a growing and very active threat in the region.

2006 Varanasi bombings 7 March 2006 Two separate blasts resulted in the death of 28 people and injuring over a hundred others. The two bombings were planned and carried out almost simultaneusly at a temple and rail station at approximately 6:20 p.m. local time. The first attack was carried out at the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple near the Banaras Hindu University. Hundreds of pilgrims were worshipping at the temple as it was a Tuesday, believed to be particularly holy by the devotees of Hanuman, a deity at the temple. The bomb was placed in a container near a gate at the temple where women usually sit. The second blast occurred at the waiting area of the travel office at the Varanasi Cantonment Railway Station. Both attacks were set up for maximum damage and loss of life. Six other explosive devices were loacted and destroyed throughtout the city before they could be detonated.

2006 Doda massacre 30 April 2006. Lashkar once again utilized fake or stolen Indian military fatigues in two separate attacks that result in the slaughter of 35 Hindus in the Jammu and Kashmir region. In the first attack twenty two unarmed Hindu villagers, mostly shepherds or their families, were lined up and gunned down by Lashkar Islamic terrorists in Thawa village in Kulhand area of Doda district in the late hours of April 30th. The second attack, a few hours later in the neighbouring Lalon Galla village where 13 Hindu shepherds kidnapped by suspected terrorists were shot dead on the same day. Victims included a small child the age of 3.

2006 Mumbai train bombings: 11 July, 2006 A deadly attack carried out by Lashkar-e- Taiba in Mumbai. A series of seven bomb blasts took place over a period of 11 minutes on a Suburban Railway in Mumbai. In a deadly display of coordinated terrorism 211 lives are lost and the carnage maimed about 407 people and seriously injured another 768. This attack shows the growing deadly progress that Lashkar had been making in coordinating attacks for maximum damage and loss of life.

2006 Malegaon bombings 8 September 2006 A series of bomb blasts took place on 8 September 2006 in Malegaon. The explosions, which caused the deaths of at least 37 people and injured over 125 more, took place in a Muslim cemetery, adjacent to a mosque, at around 3:15 p.m. local time after Friday prayers on the Shab e Bara’at holy day. Most of the blast victims were Muslim pilgrims. Security forces spoke of “two bombs attached to bicycles”, but other reports indicated that three devices had exploded.

2008 Mumbai attacks November 26 lasting until November 29, 2008
Of all the terror attacks since the September 11, 2001 attacks this one was the one that sent shivers up my spine. The brazen act symbolizes the deadliness of simplicity in the world of terrorism. Lightly armed men with very little military training were able to hold one of the world’s largest cities in a terroristic siege. The plan was simple. Send 10 young radicalized young men to kill as many people as possible before they themselves are killed and martyered. Lashkar-e-Taiba was set on getting the world’s attention by orchestrating how deadly and cruel they can be. They were wanting to steal the spotlight from al Qaeda as the world’s most feared terrorist group. In the end 9 of the ten terrorists were killed and one that was injured was taken captive.

The reason that this is so chilling is because this “blueprint” could easily be carried out anywhere in the modern world, even occurring in the streets of the United States.

The crew of ten arrived in the piers in the South section around 10p.m. local time after sailing from Karachi across the Arabian Sea. They sailed in an Indian fishing boat that they hijacked and killed the crew immediately except for the captain who piloted the boat to Mumbai. At this point they slit his throat. They arrived on shore in inflatable boats and were seen by bewildered fishermen that watched them arrive and suspiciously removed their cargo of backpacks carrying their weapons, ammo, explosives and a small amount of dried fruits. The young men had cell phones that were connected at the other end to older handlers in Pakistan that provided orders and constant contact on what their next move was in order to follow a plan set forth many miles away to be carried out that day in Mumbai.

The group took a taxi from the fishing slums to the inner city and left a bomb in the taxi that was scheduled to explode an hour later. They threw a grenade into a bar and began firing their automatic weapons into the patrons. A second group went to the rail station where once again a bomb was left in the taxi that they rode in set to explode an hour later. The terrorists arrived and settled in before they opened up their back packs and brandished their assault rifles and began opening fire throughout the station. Minutes prior it was reported that the men were actually talking with other travellers before they began the attack. People that were shot relied on playing dead just to survive the ordeal as anything that grabbed their attention also drew their fire.

The police were outgunned and many even ran away from the scene. For fifteen minutes the terrorists were able to select who lived and died that day. The group killed 52 people at this train station and wounded scores more. Many of the victims were from the same family as they were planning to travel together. Chaos was created without a decisive plan on how to stop them. They had no idea what the next target could be. The bombs placed in the taxis exploded and killed the drivers and the passengers that were unfortunate enough to hail those taxis..

An interesting aspect of this crime was that Indian intelligence were able to pick up the phone conversations that were carried out between the controllers in Pakistan and the terrorists in Mumbai. The controllers were able to keep a tight noose on the young men and made sure that they carried out their plan to the tee. They were constantly encouraged to finish their job.

As the attack at the train station was being carried out by two terrorist, two more youths armed blasted their way into the Trident Oberoi Hotel, one of Mumbai’s biggest. Staff was killed as well as patrons waiting in the lobby. The two gunmen then turned their attention to a restaurant in the hotel and began killing diners. Visitors inside the hotel locked themselves in their room to avoid the gunfire. Ten were killed on a narrow landing in one of the most gruesome events of the attack. The two gunmen were eventually killed by Indian Special Forces. The last one was killed in the bathroom where he was hiding after his partner was killed.

Two more militants about that same time walked into the Taj Hotel and began opening fire as they were later joined by two more that had previously attacked a cafe a few blocks away killing 11 patrons. At this point there were four gunmen in the Taj Hotel. The controllers ordered the gunmen to start fires in the hotel to create an atmosphere of fear. After accomplishing this they began going from room to room looking for more people to kill. The fire blazed aout the windows of one of the wings of the hotel that created a picture for headlines acrosee the world. Indian special forces eventually arrived killing the gunmen.

The two gunmen from the train station went into a neighborhood and killed a man in his home while eating dinner. The Gunmen then went to a hospital and looked for hostages they shot and killed a police commander. The two men eventually left the hospital and were confronted by police killing the driver and overtaking the vehicle and eventually driving away.

Keep in mind that at this point there are still gunmen killing people at the Trident Oberoi hotel and holding hostages. The next target that the terrorists hit was the Nariman House a Jewish owned establishment that served as an a religious outreach house. This is where they killed a Rabi and his guests. The gunmen ramained after killing a total of nine Jewish people. On Friday after approximately 36 hours special forces rushed the historic landmark and killed them. The gunmen that carried out the attacks at the train station crashed into a police roadblock and were shot by police ending their reign of terror hours prior to this event.

In the end the 9 of the ten terrorist were killed and one was in custody. The little over 36 hours of terrorism came to an end and resulted in the killing of 173 civilians and wounding of at least 308 more. This type of attack is not that complicated and yet it’s efficiency in the violence that it is able to produce is mindnumbing. The India police were quoted as saying that they were prepared for a terrorist attack but not for 5 simultaneously occuring throughout the city. In the future local and government authorities has to keep this type of attack in the back of their minds. Coordinated lightly armed men attacking major cities anywhere would be a tough test for authorities.    See Also:  Deadly Attacks In Mumbai, India (November 2008)

Where Does Lashkar-e-Toiba go from here?
After the Mumbai attacks Lashkar continued to operate and it took some time before Pakistan would even admit that the attack was planned inside their country. They arrested some members of the group but left the top echelon in place. Lashkar-e-Toiba is a dangerous group that has benefitted greatly from the war on terror. They received funding for their cause but did not get all the negative attention that al Qaeda harbored. Their amnitions are high and their support in the world of radical Islam has grown over the years well into the Middle East. They are a group that probably doesn’t fall under the al Qaeda umbrella of control. however it is likely that they would be capable of carrying out an attack abroad especially since their rhetoric has become more international in nature when making their threat. The blueprint for Mumbai is one that America has to take notice of when preparing for the next terrorist attack that more than likely will happen one day. This was a lesson for the whole world community of how simple and deadly terrorists can be. It appears that ar least since the Mumbai attacks that Lashkar has not reached past their regional targets in Kashmir and Jammu.

Unthinkable? No. Is the deadly attacks in Mumbai a new form of terrorism? No, but it did show that terrorists are willing to plan large scale attacks that do not need airplanes, large trucks filled with explosives parked in a lower level parking garage or in front of an embassy. The deadly attacks in Mumbai, India shows that even with the simplest weapons that included AK-47s, hand grenades and a few improvised explosives that terror can be displayed in shocking awe. This should be a huge wake up call for the rest of the world that is being subjected to the constant threats of terrorism from radical Islam. It could have been Chechnya, London, or even New York. This is a lesson into the minds of terrorist. We can monitor our planes. We can monitor our rail ways. In the end however the Islamic terrorists that want to create a new world order will take whatever we leave unsecured and expose it. If given the time. Many may say these thoughts are an overreaction to the events in India. I beg to differ and say that the events of India are of major importance.

It was a test to see the amount of carnage a simple rudimentary attack can cause. It is an attempt to draw two nations, India and Pakistan, with a bitter history to the brink of war  After the chaos, radical Islam expects to be in control of the aftermath regardless of the winner. The current count of 175 dead will in the end trace back to Pakistan and will have it’s roots with al Qaeda linked extremists. This time it was in India. In the past India has warned the world that the conflict in the disputed area of Kashmir was ratcheting up and attracting militants from outside of Kashmir. The area is once again a possible flash point for the next war between India and Pakistan. The connection to these radical groups now in Kashmir with al Qaeda is evident in that they all trained together in the same terrorist training camps that were sponsored and more than likely still being sponsored by the Pakistan Intelligence agency since the Soviet-Afghanistan conflict decades ago. Pakistan is a broken country. It makes no sense that they are not willing to allow outside forces into their territory to assist them in defeating this common enemy. They say they can stop the Islamists themselves. Yet, Pakistan itself is in jeopardy to losing control to groups such as the Taliban. You see, in the new world of terrorism you can call them al Qaeda, Taliban, or any other creative “scary” name that we or they want. In the end however, they are all one in the same. a few organizational difference but still the same. How long does Pakistan expect to be able to continue their charade of posing as a governing entity in control of it’s lands? They do not at this point even control their intelligence agencies who sway back and forth between government and terrorist demands.

What happened in Mumbai, India

2008 Mumbai attacks November 26 lasting until November 29, 2008
Of all the terror attacks since the September 11, 2001 attacks this one was the one that sent shivers up my spine. The brazen act symbolizes the deadliness of simplicity in the world of terrorism. Lightly armed men with very little military training were able to hold one of the world’s largest cities in a terroristic siege. The plan was simple. Send 10 young radicalized young men to kill as many people as possible before they themselves are killed and martyered. Lashkar-e-Taiba was set on getting the world’s attention by orchestrating how deadly and cruel they can be. They were wanting to steal the spotlight from al Qaeda as the world’s most feared terrorist group. In the end 9 of the ten terrorists were killed and one that was injured was taken captive.

The reason that this is so chilling is because this “blueprint” could easily be carried out anywhere in the modern world, even occurring in the streets of the United States.

The crew of ten arrived in the piers in the South section around 10p.m. local time after sailing from Karachi across the Arabian Sea. They sailed in an Indian fishing boat that they hijacked and killed the crew immediately except for the captain who piloted the boat to Mumbai. At this point they slit his throat. They arrived on shore in inflatable boats and were seen by bewildered fishermen that watched them arrive and suspiciously removed their cargo of backpacks carrying their weapons, ammo, explosives and a small amount of dried fruits. The young men had cell phones that were connected at the other end to older handlers in Pakistan that provided orders and constant contact on what their next move was in order to follow a plan set forth many miles away to be carried out that day in Mumbai.

The group took a taxi from the fishing slums to the inner city and left a bomb in the taxi that was scheduled to explode an hour later. They threw a grenade into a bar and began firing their automatic weapons into the patrons. A second group went to the rail station where once again a bomb was left in the taxi that they rode in set to explode an hour later. The terrorists arrived and settled in before they opened up their back packs and brandished their assault rifles and began opening fire throughout the station. Minutes prior it was reported that the men were actually talking with other travellers before they began the attack. People that were shot relied on playing dead just to survive the ordeal as anything that grabbed their attention also drew their fire.

The police were outgunned and many even ran away from the scene. For fifteen minutes the terrorists were able to select who lived and died that day. The group killed 52 people at this train station and wounded scores more. Many of the victims were from the same family as they were planning to travel together. Chaos was created without a decisive plan on how to stop them. They had no idea what the next target could be. The bombs placed in the taxis exploded and killed the drivers and the passengers that were unfortunate enough to hail those taxis..

An interesting aspect of this crime was that Indian intelligence were able to pick up the phone conversations that were carried out between the controllers in Pakistan and the terrorists in Mumbai. The controllers were able to keep a tight noose on the young men and made sure that they carried out their plan to the tee. They were constantly encouraged to finish their job.

As the attack at the train station was being carried out by two terrorist, two more youths armed blasted their way into the Trident Oberoi Hotel, one of Mumbai’s biggest. Staff was killed as well as patrons waiting in the lobby. The two gunmen then turned their attention to a restaurant in the hotel and began killing diners. Visitors inside the hotel locked themselves in their room to avoid the gunfire. Ten were killed on a narrow landing in one of the most gruesome events of the attack. The two gunmen were eventually killed by Indian Special Forces. The last one was killed in the bathroom where he was hiding after his partner was killed.

Two more militants about that same time walked into the Taj Hotel and began opening fire as they were later joined by two more that had previously attacked a cafe a few blocks away killing 11 patrons. At this point there were four gunmen in the Taj Hotel. The controllers ordered the gunmen to start fires in the hotel to create an atmosphere of fear. After accomplishing this they began going from room to room looking for more people to kill. The fire blazed aout the windows of one of the wings of the hotel that created a picture for headlines acrosee the world. Indian special forces eventually arrived killing the gunmen.

The two gunmen from the train station went into a neighborhood and killed a man in his home while eating dinner. The Gunmen then went to a hospital and looked for hostages they shot and killed a police commander. The two men eventually left the hospital and were confronted by police killing the driver and overtaking the vehicle and eventually driving away.

Keep in mind that at this point there are still gunmen killing people at the Trident Oberoi hotel and holding hostages. The next target that the terrorists hit was the Nariman House a Jewish owned establishment that served as an a religious outreach house. This is where they killed a Rabi and his guests. The gunmen ramained after killing a total of nine Jewish people. On Friday after approximately 36 hours special forces rushed the historic landmark and killed them. The gunmen that carried out the attacks at the train station crashed into a police roadblock and were shot by police ending their reign of terror hours prior to this event.

In the end the 9 of the ten terrorist were killed and one was in custody. The little over 36 hours of terrorism came to an end and resulted in the killing of 173 civilians and wounding of at least 308 more. This type of attack is not that complicated and yet it’s efficiency in the violence that it is able to produce is mindnumbing. The India police were quoted as saying that they were prepared for a terrorist attack but not for 5 simultaneously occuring throughout the city. In the future local and government authorities has to keep this type of attack in the back of their minds. Coordinated lightly armed men attacking major cities anywhere would be a tough test for authorities.

Lashkar-i-tayyaba, the group accused by India of organizing the Mumbai attacks, was formed in 1991 in the Kunar province of Afghanistan, mainly to recruit and train volunteers to fight the jihad, or holy war, in Afghanistan and the Indian-administered Kashmir region. Members of the group, known as the LT, have a track record of carrying out attacks in India, prompting calls from New Delhi for Pakistan to crack down on its operations. The LT is also known to have had past links with the ISI, Pakistan’s intelligence agency.

The LT’s sponsors, notably its founder, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, a Pakistani cleric, are followers of the Ahle Hadith Sunni tradition of Islam, which bears close resemblance to the Wahabi Sunni traditions practiced in Saudi Arabia. In 2002, LT was banned by Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan’s former president, following Pakistan’s decision to join the US-led “war on terror”. The ban prompted the LT to move its volunteers from its centre near Lahore. Intelligence officials say members are believed to have migrated to Afghanistan’s border region near Pakistan.  See Also:  Terrorist Group: Lashkar-e-Taiba

The attacks, which drew widespread condemnation across the world, began on 26 November 2008 and lasted until 29 November, killing at least 173 people and wounding at least 308

Back Ground Information: Terrorists or Freedom Fighters?

Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) is one of the largest terrorist groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir and seeks for the territories to become part of Pakistan as well as the islamization of Kashmir. Formed in 1989 in Kashmir with Master Ahsan Dar as its leader. Dar was later arrested by security forces in mid-December 1993. It was organized as the militant wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) in large part due to the influence of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan’s external intelligence agency. The purpose of this militant wing was to counter the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, which sought complete independence of the State.

In 1990 the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen adopted their charter that appointed Mohammed Yusuf Shah, better known as Syed Salahuddin, as it’s leader. He left the democratic political system in 1989 when polls according to him were rigged by the Indian government to stop the election of an opposition party to power. Hizbul Mujahideen is headquartered at Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Hibul Mujahideen is closely linked to the Jamaat-e-Islami, both in the Kashmir Valley and in Pakistan. Overseas, it is allegedly backed by Ghulam Nabi Fai’s Kashmir American Council and Ayub Thakur’s World Kashmir Freedom Movement in the USA. Early in its history, the Hizbul Mujahideen had established contacts with Afghan Mujahideen groups such as Hizb-e-Islami, under which some of its cadre is alleged to have received arms training. Seyed Salahuddin as well as Pakistan denounce that they have been labeled as a terrorist organization by India, the European Union and the United States. They contest that they are freedom fighters for the Kashmir cause that is centered around Muslims being under Muslim rule and not any other religion. Separation of state and church in this part of the world is non-negotiable.

Seyed Salahuddin:  Leader of Hizbul Mujahideen as well as the United Jehad Council

“Lots of things have changed after the attacks on America. We have seen the fall of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. We have witnessed the way Saddam Hussein’s rule in Iraq ended. But the relationship between Pakistan and the mujahideen is of a different nature. Ours is an indigenous movement, not a terrorist movement. It is a struggle for freedom. Pakistan has always extended [the Kashmir struggle] its moral and diplomatic support, and will continue to do so. But it has never helped us cross the LoC which we do not consider a border – Kashmir is our territory, our land. With the blessings of Allah, the mujahideen are self-sufficient. We know how to make explosives. This is evident in the recent increasing attacks against Indian security forces in Kashmir” Salahuddin in June 2003 interview.

Leadership and Organization

Hizb-ul-Mujahideen , as mentioned earlier is led by Syed Salahuddin. Estimated strength of membership is at least 1500 militants. Ghazi Nasiruddin is the commander of operations’ in the Kashmir. He succeeded Saif-ul-Islam who was killed in a major counter-insurgency operation on April 2, 2003. Saleem Hashmi is the spokesperson of the organization. Hizbul Mujahideen is organized into five divisions: central division for Srinagar, northern division for Kupwara-Bandipora-Baramulla, southern division for Anantnag and Pulwama districts, Chenab division for Doda district and Gool in the Udhampur district, and Pir Panjal Division for the Rajouri and Poonch districts. Hizbul Mujahideen is reported to have a close association with the Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence and the United Jehad Council, and other terrorist organizations operating out of Pakistan and other overseas supporters. Hizbul’s chief, Syed Salahuddin, is also the head of the United Jehad Council.

Major Acts of Terrorism

The Hizbul Mujahideen has conducted a number of operations against Indian military targets in Jammu and Kashmir. The group also occasionally strikes at civilian targets in Jammu and Kashmir but has not engaged in terrorist acts elsewhere. It appears that this organization has a very narrow agenda that only uses it’s resources for the total control of Kashmir. Foreign mujahideen fighters have also enlisted in this cause as they have in Islamic confrontations elsewhere around the globe.

Kashmir refers to a larger area that includes the Indian administered regions of Kashmir valley, Jammu and Ladakh, the Pakistani administered regions Northern Areas and Azad Kashmir, and the Chinese administered region of Aksai Chin.