Jaish announces first women's unit, to be led by Masood Azhar's sister

After suffering a massive blow in India's Operation Sindoor, which destroyed its headquarters at Markaz Subhanallah in Pakistan's Bahawalpur, terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) appears to be shifting tactics as it has announced the formation of its first-ever women's unit named 'Jamaat-ul-Mominaat'. The decision was made public through a letter issued under the name of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar.

Recruitment for the unit began in Bahawalpur on October 8.

According to sources, the JeM's women wing will be led by Sadiya Azhar, the sister of Masood Azhar. Her husband, Yusuf Azhar, was among the family members of Azhar who were eliminated by strikes as part of Operation Sindoor on May 7.

Sources said that the terrorist outfit has begun enlisting wives of its members as well as economically weaker women studying at its centres in Bahawalpur, Karachi, Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Haripur, and Mansehra.

The JeM's women unit is aimed at carrying out psychological warfare, which is propaganda and ground-level recruitment. As per sources, the activities of 'Jamaat-ul-Mominaat' are spreading through social media, WhatsApp groups, and the network of some madrasas. It has become active via online networks in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, and some areas of south India.

The latest move by the JeM, which has traditionally barred women from participating in armed jihad or combat missions, appears a revised stance on their part following India's fitting reply in the form of Operation Sindoor. Sources suggest that Masood Azhar and his brother Talha al-Saif jointly approved the decision to incorporate women into the JeM's operational framework, leading to the establishment of this exclusive female brigade.

While terrorist groups such as ISIS, Boko Haram, Hamas, and LTTE have a history of deploying women as suicide attackers, outfits like the JeM, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen have largely avoided doing so.

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