Elimination of nine terror infrastructure in Pakistan during Operation Sindoor has led major Pakistan-sponsored terrorist groups, particularly Jaish-e-Muhammed and Hizbul Mujahideen, to move deep inside Pakistan, closer to the Afghanistan border. The intelligence establishment has received credible visual confirmation that the two outfits are shifting their bases to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (KPK).JeM has been aggressively expanding its training facility – Markaz Shohada-e-Islam – at Mansehra in the Khyber region. Photographs have confirmed construction activity and an increase in logistical inflows at the site.
On the other hand, Hizb, under the command of ex-SSG commando Khalid Khan, is constructing a new training facility named “HM-313” in Bandai, KPK. While the land was purchased in Aug 2024, construction there started only in mid-May. Boundary walls and initial training infrastructure have been completed, photographs show. The “313” nomenclature is a symbolic tribute to the Badr Ghazwa (a historic Islamic battle) and al-Qaida‘s Brigade 313, reflecting Hizb’s intent to attract global jihadi legitimacy.On Sept 25, JeM is planning a recruitment drive in Peshawar’s Markaz Shaheed Maksudabad to commemorate Yusuf Azhar – Masood Azhar’s brother who was killed in Operation Sindoor. It is there that a new alias for the outfit – al-Murabitun (defenders of land of Islam) similar to an al-Qaida group of Western Africa – will be announced.The decision to relocate reflects a significant tactical adaptation by the groups, which now view traditional locations as vulnerable to Indian precision strikes. KPK offers greater depth due to its geography, proximity to Afghan frontier, and existing jihadi safe havens dating back to the Afghan war, an intelligence note reads. This movement is being conducted with full knowledge and direct facilitation of Pakistan’s state structures, as evidenced by overt JeM gatherings held under police protection and the tacit involvement of political-religious outfits like Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), the note added.KPK is now being repositioned as a rear command zone for JeM, while PoK continues to serve as a forward operating platform for infiltration.The intelligence establishment has flagged the Jaish-led event at Garhi Habibullah in Mansehra, where a public recruitment drive kicked off barely seven hours before the start of the India-Pakistan cricket match on Sept 14. The event, ostensibly organised as part of a Deobandi religious gathering, was in fact a coordinated mobilisation effort led jointly by JeM and JUI in the presence of Mulana Mufti Masood Ilyas Kashmiri alias Abu Mohammad, JeM’s chief for KPK and Kashmir.“His presence at a public rally guarded by both JeM cadre armed with M4 rifles and local police officers, including inspector Liaqat Shah of Garhi Habibullah police station, reflects both state complicity and the boldness of JeM’s revivalist strategy,” an intelligence officer said. For over 30 minutes, Kashmiri glorified Osama bin Laden, calling him the Shohada-e-Islam and “Prince of Arab”, directly linking JeM’s ideological line with al-Qaida’s legacy.
