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United Jihad Council Groups
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| 20 September 2001 |
Group
Includes: Harakat-ul Mujahideen (HuM); Jaish-e Mohammad (JeM); Lashkar-e Tayyiba (LeT); Hizb-ul Mujahideen (HM); Al Badr. In the past, Harakat ul-Ansar (HUA) acted as an umbrella organisation, although after the formation of JeM an estimated three quarters of HUA members defected to the new group.
Alias/front organisations
Numerous; small groups attached to HUA and HuM include Convoy of Mercy, Al Hadid, Muslim Brotherhood, Al Faran, Al Jihad.
Aims/objectives
The groups fight for the "liberation" of Jammu and Kashmir. There is some difference of opinion, although many of these groups also seek the unification of Kashmir with Pakistan.
Political/religious affiliation
Mostly Sunni (Wahhabi) radicals.
Date of founding
Most radical groups began operations in Kashmir, where there was a long-standing insurgency, in the early 1990s. HUA and HuM were founded in 1993, while JeM was founded in early 2000, following the release of Maulana Masood Azhar from an Indian prison in late 1999 during a hijacking crisis. Al Badr was founded in 1999.
Status
Active.
Insurgent alliances
There are links between the groups, although there are inevitability some rivalries. There are also alliances with the Taliban, al-Qaida, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and other international Islamist organisations. There are also some links with Sikh organisations, which Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency has brokered in the past.
Rival insurgent groups
These radical groups are critical of the more moderate Kashmiri guerrilla organisations, such as the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). They also fight Hindu self-defence groups and Village Defence Forces (VDF).
Method of funding
India accuses Pakistan of heavily subsidising UJC groups, and also of providing the groups with training and equipment. However, the dependency of each group on Islambad varies. HuM and HM receive much of their income from religious charities, for instance, while JeM is almost wholly dependent upon Pakistan. Other funds for militants arrive from al-Qaida, sympathetic individual Pakistanis, Kashmiris who live overseas, drug trafficking, and religious foundations based in countries around the world.
Membership and support
The number of militant Kashmiri and Pakistani fighters in Kashmir varies according to intensity of operations and climate. Usually there are between 2,500 and 5,000 guerrillas, many of whom rotate between operational tours in Kashmir, Afghanistan, Central Asia, as well as training and periods of rest in Pakistan. The Al Badr group was established with the express purpose of serving as an organisation for foreign volunteers fighting in Kashmir.
Area of operation
The UJC groups operate in Jammu and Kashmir State, and in cells in some of the larger cities in India. Training occurs mainly in Azad Kashmir in Pakistan, and in Afghanistan.
Foreign bases/supply lines
There are foreign bases in Pakistan and Afghanistan, other operations in Central Asia, Myanmar, and suspected involvement in the Balkans.
Weaponry/arsenal
The UJC groups have machine guns, assault rifles, mortars, explosives, mines, and rockets. They also field some sophisticated military equipment, supplied by the Pakistani military, including night-vision equipment.
Sources of weapons
UJC weapons come from Pakistan, although the government of Pakistan has denied this charge.
Tactics/methodology
There have been incidents of large-scale guerrilla infiltration of Kashmir from Pakistan, as well as tactics designed to pin down Indian regular forces.
Command structure
The command structures varies between the individual groups. Pakistani officers lead some groups. Most guerrillas receive a high level of training in Azad Kashmir or Afghanistan.
Leadership
HuM - Fazlur Rahman. HM - Syed Salahuddin, with military command in the Kashmir valley under Abdul Majid Dar. Al Badr - Bakht Zamin.
Political Wing
The militant, pro-Pakistani groups act under the United Jihad Council (UJC). The LeT is the armed wing of Markaz Da'wa wa'I-Irshad, based near Lahore. HM is the armed wing of Jamaat-i-Islami, although the group tries to distance itself from the violence in Kashmir.