Jaish-e-Mohammed forms first-ever women’s wing ‘Jamaat-ul-Mominaat’ after heavy losses in Op Sindoor

The women’s brigade is reportedly to be led by Sadiya Azhar, the sister of Jaish-e-Mohammed’s chief Maulana Masood Azhar.

Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which suffered a crippling blow during India’s Operation Sindoor, has reportedly stepped up efforts to revive its footprint, including in India, and has announced the formation of its first-ever women’s wing, named Jamaat-ul-Mominaat, according to media reports.

The announcement was reportedly made through a letter issued in the name of JeM chief and UN-designated terrorist Maulana Masood Azhar. Recruitment for the new unit is said to have begun on October 8 at Markaz Usman-o-Ali in Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

The women’s brigade is reportedly to be led by Sadiya Azhar, the sister of Masood Azhar. Her husband, Yusuf Azhar, was reportedly killed during Operation Sindoor on May 7, when Indian armed forces struck JeM’s headquarters at Markaz Subhanallah in Bahawalpur, located around 100 km inside Pakistan’s southern Punjab province.

Sources indicate that the group has started enlisting 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 participating in armed or combat operations. Analysts suggest that the recent Pahalgam terror attack, which resulted in the killing of 26 civilians, along with the successful Operation Sindoor by the Indian Army, may have prompted a strategic shift in the organization.

Intelligence sources reportedly indicate that Masood Azhar and his brother, Talha al-Saif, approved the inclusion of women into JeM’s operational framework, leading to the establishment of the exclusive female brigade.

The move is widely seen as a signal that JeM may now train and deploy female suicide attackers, bringing it closer to operational methods used by groups such as ISIS and Boko Haram, which have historically used women in combat or suicide attacks.

Following Operation Sindoor, JeM, along with allied groups Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), is said to have relocated parts of its operations to Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province.

Reports also suggest that Pakistan is actively attempting to rebuild terror infrastructure that was destroyed during military operations. Fundraising drives, including an online campaign via EasyPaisa, are reportedly underway with a target of collecting around Rs 3.91 billion to establish 313 new markaz (training and operational centers) across the country.

Intelligence sources have reportedly indicated that Jamaat-ul-Mominaat may also seek to expand its operations in India through online networks in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, and parts of southern India. The group is believed to be targeting women through social media platforms and messaging apps such as WhatsApp, using religious imagery and content designed to appeal to educated and urban Muslim women.