Jaish-e-Mohammed announces first women wing after Operation Sindoor losses; to be led by Masood Azhar’s sister

Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has announced its first all-women wing namely “Jamaat-ul-Mominaat”, reports said. Operated by UN-designated terrorist Masood Azhar,JeM’s women wing began recruiting on Wednesday (Oct 8) at Markaz Usman-o-Ali in Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

The development came to light through a letter issued in the name of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar. As per the letter, Jamaat-ul-Mominaat will function as the women’s brigade of the outfit, a report in Hindustan Times mentioned. 

India destroyed several terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) during Operation Sindoor May in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Among the targets was JeM’s headquarters in Bahawalpur, southern Punjab.

Days after the strikes, JeM commander Ilyas Kashmiri claimed in a video Azhar lost several members of his family in the attack. 

Sadiya Azhar to lead JeM’s women wing

The women’s wing of the JeM would be led by Masood Azhar‘s sister, Sadiya Azhar, reported WION and India Today citing sources. Notably, Sadiya’s husband Yusuf Azhar was killed during Operation Sindoor strikes in May when IAF hit JeM’s Markaz Subhanallah base.

As of now, the group is reportedly recruiting the wives of JeM commanders, economically vulnerable women at the group’s centres in Bahawalpur, Karachi, Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Haripur, and Mansehra.

The terror group traditionally barred women from joining armed jihad, but the same seems to have changed after Operation Sindoor. HT stated that both Masood Azhar and his brother Talha al-Saif gave a go ahead for JeM’s new female brigade.

Jamaat-ul-Mominaat’s begins active recruitment

The terror groups have had a long habit of recruiting people through social media and the same is being done by Jamaat-ul-Mominaat. The India Today report stated the group has become active on social media, WhatsApp groups, and is connected with some madrasas in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and other regions in the country.

A female brigade in the terror group, however, is not news as ISIS, Boko Haram, Hamas, and LTTE have a history of deploying women as suicide attackers. On the other hand, JeM, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Hizbul Mujahideen have avoided involving women in armed acts.