Pakistan-based terror organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has announced the formation of its first-ever women’s wing, named “Jamaat-ul-Mominaat”, according to sources.
The decision was made public through a letter issued under the name of JeM chief and UN-designated terrorist Maulana Masood Azhar.
The letter states that the recruitment drive for the newly created unit commenced at Markaz Usman-o-Ali in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, on October 8.
During Operation Sindoor, Indian security forces targeted the headquarters of JeM in Bahawalpur, southern Punjab, Pakistan. Last month, JeM commander Ilyas Kashmiri, in a video, claimed that the attack killed family members of Masood Azhar during Operation Sindoor.
According to the latest letter circulated by JeM’s propaganda platform Al-Qalam Media, the women’s brigade will be named ‘Jamaat-ul-Mominaat’, with recruitment beginning on October 8, 2025.
Sources said the Women Brigade of JeM will be led by Sadiya Azhar, the sister of Masood Azhar. Her husband, Yusuf Azhar, was killed in Operation Sindoor on May 7 when Indian forces struck JeM’s headquarters at Markaz Subhanallah.
The terror outfit has reportedly begun enlisting wives of its commanders as well as economically vulnerable women studying at its centres in Bahawalpur, Karachi, Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Haripur and Mansehra.
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The Deobandi-rooted outfit, which has traditionally barred women from participating in armed jihad or combat missions, appears to have revised its stance following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.
Intelligence sources suggest that Masood Azhar and his brother Talha al-Saif have jointly approved the decision to incorporate women into 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 Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen have largely avoided doing so.
Sources now believe JeM’s latest move signals its intent to train and use female suicide bombers in future terror operations.
Following Operation Sindoor, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizbul Mujahideen (HM,) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) have strategically relocated into Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Pakistan is reportedly making concerted efforts to rebuild these terror infrastructures destroyed during Operation Sindoor and has been seeking donations from the public.
As per the reports in the month of August, JeM has also launched an online fundraising campaign through EasyPaisa to collect ₹3.91 billion for constructing 313 new markaz across Pakistan.
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