Husband killed in Operation Sindoor, Masood Azhar’s sister to lead Jaish-e-Mohammed's first women’s wing in Pakistan

Jaish-e-Mohammed has formed its first women's wing, Jamaat-ul-Mominaat, led by Sadiya Azhar. Recruitment began on October 8, targeting wives of commanders.

Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a Pakistan-based terror group, has announced the launch of its first women’s wing, “Jamaat-ul-Mominaat". The move was revealed through a letter issued in the name of JeM chief and UN-designated terrorist Maulana Masood Azhar. Recruitment for the new unit reportedly began on Wednesday, October 8, at Markaz Usman-o-Ali in Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

The move was revealed through a letter issued in the name of JeM chief and UN-designated terrorist Maulana Masood Azhar. (File)

According to the letter shared by JeM’s propaganda outlet Al-Qalam Media, Jamaat-ul-Mominaat will function as the women’s brigade of the outfit.

WION, citing unnamed sources, reported that the wing will be led by Sadiya Azhar, the sister of Masood Azhar, whose husband Yusuf Azhar was killed during Operation Sindoor on May 7 when Indian forces targeted JeM’s Markaz Subhanallah base.

Recruitment drives are reportedly focusing on the wives of JeM commanders and economically vulnerable women studying at the group’s centres in Bahawalpur, Karachi, Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Haripur, and Mansehra.

Notably, the Indian military had targeted JeM's headquarters in Bahawalpur, southern Punjab, during Operation Sindoor. Following the strike, JeM commander Ilyas Kashmiri claimed in a video released last month that several members of Masood Azhar’s family were killed in the attack.

Traditionally, JeM, a Deobandi-rooted terror organisation, had barred women from joining armed jihad or participating in combat roles. However, after the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, the group appears to have revised its policy.

Intelligence inputs indicate that Masood Azhar and his brother Talha al-Saif jointly approved the inclusion of women in JeM’s operational structure, paving the way for this new female brigade.

Similar women's wings

While groups such as Islamic State or ISIS, Boko Haram, Hamas, and LTTE have a history of deploying female suicide bombers, organisations such as JeM, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) had largely avoided this approach.

Post-Operation Sindoor, terror organisations, including JeM, HM, and LeT, have reportedly shifted base to Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province. In a desperate bid to rebuild their destroyed infrastructure, Pakistan-based handlers are reportedly seeking public donations.