‘Jamaat-ul-Mominaat’: JeM forms first women’s wing; Masood Azhar’s sister Sadiya Azhar to head unit

Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has announced the formation of its first-ever women’s wing, named ‘Jamaat-ul-Mominaat’, according to media reports.The announcement was made through a letter issued under the name of JeM chief and UN-designated terrorist Maulana Masood Azhar. According to the letter, recruitment for the new unit began on October 8 at Markaz Usman-o-Ali in Bahawalpur, Pakistan.The women’s brigade will reportedly be led by Sadiya Azhar, the sister of Masood Azhar. Her husband, Yusuf Azhar was killed during Operation Sindoor on May 7, when Indian armed forces struck JeM’s headquarters at Markaz Subhanallah in Bahawalpur.According to sources, the organization is recruiting wives of JeM commanders as well as economically vulnerable women studying at its centers in Bahawalpur, Karachi, Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Haripur and Mansehra. Traditionally, JeM had barred women from armed operations. Analysts suggest that the recent Pahalgam terror attack, which resulted in the killing of 26 civilians and the successful Operation Sindoor by the Indian Army have prompted a shift in strategy.Intelligence sources indicate that Masood Azhar and his brother Talha al-Saif approved the incorporation of women into JeM’s operational framework. The move is seen as a signal that JeM may now train and deploy female suicide attackers, aligning it with groups like ISIS, Boko Haram, Hamas and LTTE, which have previously used women in combat roles.Following Operation Sindoor, JeM, along with Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has reportedly relocated operations to Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province. Reports suggest that Pakistan is actively attempting to rebuild destroyed terror infrastructures and has launched fundraising drives, including an online fundraising campaign via EasyPaisa, aiming to collect Rs 3.91 billion for 313 new markaz across the country.