Jaish-e-Mohammed Information & Jaish-e-Mohammed Links at HealthHaven.com

The flag of the Army of Mohammed.

Jaish-e-Mohammed (Urdu: جيش محمد, literally The Army of Mohammad, transliterated as Jaish-e-Muhammed, Jaish-e-Mohammad or Jaish-e-Muhammad, often abbreviated as JeM) is a major Islamic mujahedeen organization in South Asia. Jaish-e-Mohammed was formed in 2000 and is based in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.^[1] The group's primary motive is to separate Kashmir from India and it has carried out a series of attacks primarily in Indian-administered Kashmir.^[2]^[3] It has also been implicated in an attack on the 2001 Indian Parliament attack in New Delhi, and the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl in Karachi.^[4]

The group is regarded as a terrorist organization by several countries including India, United States^[1] and United Kingdom. It has been banned in Pakistan since 2002, yet continues to operate several facilities in Bahawalpur, Punjab.^[4]

[edit] Evolution of group

[edit] Formation

The group was formed after supporters of Maulana Masood Azhar split from Harkut-ul-Mujahideen.^[1]

The Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) is a relatively new islamic arm with weapons, 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 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, Mulana 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.

[edit] Objectives

The Jaish-e-Mohammed is part of the Islamist network with its base in Pakistan and active in in J&K, against Indian Army. The outfit, like other 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,Mulana 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.

[edit] Leadership and Command Structure

Mulana 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 Mulana 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

[edit] Maulana Masood Azhar

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, islamists 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 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 mujahids have, on occasions been arrested or killed by indian 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 protégé, Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda. JeM chief, Mulana Masood Azhar was released by Indian authorities in Kandahar and has reportedly met Taliban and Al Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan on various occasions.

An informant, posing as a member of Jaish-e-Mohammed, helped police to arrest four people allegedly plotting to bomb a New York City synagogue as well as to shoot Stinger missiles at military aircraft in the United States. The arrest of the four took place in May 2009. One of the four, by the name of James Cromitie, allegedly expressed the desire to join Jaish-e-Mohammed. This expression allegedly took place approximately a year prior to this arrest.^[5]^[6]^[7]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

[edit] See also

[autogenerated1-0] ttp://www.fas.org/irp/crs/RL32223.pdf

[1] BBC News | SOUTH ASIA | Jaish-e-Mohammad: A profile

[2] Attack May Spoil Kashmir Summit

[mcclatchy4.5acre-3] Terror group builds big base under Pakistani officials' noses, Saeed Shah, McClatchy Newspapers, 13 Sep 2009

[4] ttp://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/longisland/ny-nybomb2212791308may21,0,141551.story

[5] ttp://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN20523965

[6] ttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/05/200952144536467973.html

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