THE INDIAN Army on Sunday said at least five key operatives of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) were among on terror camps in Pakistan and PoK on May 7, the first day of Operation Sindoor.
These five terrorists were identified as Mudassar Khadian Khas and Khalid alias Abu Akasha of the LeT; and Mohammed Yusuf Azhar, Hafiz Mohammed Jaleel, and Mohammad Hassan Khan of the JeM.
Mohammed Yusuf Azhar
Also known by aliases such as Ustad Ji, Mohammad Salim and Ghosi Sahab, Azhar is the most important kill during Operation Sindoor. A senior operative of the JeM, he was JeM founder ’s brother-in-law, and a wanted accused in the 1999 IC-814 hijacking case. Following the hijacking, Yusuf Azhar became a prominent figure in JeM’s operations and was listed among India’s most wanted terrorists. He was also on Interpol’s Red Notice list since 2000.
He was leading the JeM’s largest training camp in , Pakistan, when the IAF carried out airstrikes on it in 2019 as a response to the Pulwama terror attack. The camp was involved in training terrorists for suicide attacks.
Yusuf Azhar played a significant role in the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 which was diverted to Kandahar in Afghanistan and led to the release of Masood Azhar from an Indian prison. Although he was not physically present on the plane, Yusuf Azhar was one of the key masterminds and coordinators of the hijacking operation. He also provided logistical and operational support to the hijackers, ensuring they had the necessary resources, weapons, and a escape plan once the plane landed in Kandahar.
While the hijackers held the hostages, Yusuf Azhar acted as a key figure coordinating with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and managing communication between JeM operatives and the hijackers. His influence and connections with the Taliban were critical in facilitating the safe haven for the hijackers and the hostages during the standoff.
Mudassar Khadian Khas
Khas managed the affairs of Markaz Taiba, considered to be the LeT headquarters, in Pakistan’s Muridke. It is here that LeT chief Hafiz Mohammed Saeed delivers his key sermons and oversees the planning of big terror attacks. It was at this facility that 26/11 terrorists Ajmal Kasab and David Coleman Headley were trained.
Khas, who is also known by the aliases Mudassar and Abu Jundal, was recruited by LeT deputy chief Saifullah Khalid Kasuri. Earlier, he worked with Hafiz Abdul Rauf (chairman of Al Khidmat Committee) as his security in-charge. He had also worked with Hafiz Saeed’s son-in-law Hafiz Khalid Waleed, the general secretary of political party PMML in Lahore.
The facility that Khas managed was set up in the early 1980s by Hafiz Saeed and his associates after the formation of LeT as an offshoot of the Markaz Dawa wal Irshad. Spread over 200 acres, it has extensive training grounds, dormitories for recruits, and logistical hubs. It serves as the ideological and recruitment centre offering military training in phases.
Videos of Khas’s funeral showed a guard of honour by the Pakistan Army, and wreaths being laid on behalf of the Pak Army Chief as well as the Punjab CM (Maryam Nawaz). A serving Lt. General of the Pak Army and the IG of Punjab Police attended the prayer ceremony. His funeral prayer was held in a government school, led by JuD’s Hafiz Abdul Rauf, a designated global terrorist.
Hafiz Muhammed Jameel
A senior JeM operative, he was the eldest brother-in-law of the terror group’s founder Masood Azhar. Sources said he was in-charge of Markaz Subhan Allah, the headquarters of the JeM in Bahawalpur, Pakistan Punjab.
According to the Army, Jameel was a member of the JeM Shura (its highest decision-making body) and a confidante of Masood Azhar. Jameel, the Army said, often visited PoK to recruit for the JeM as well as to raise funds for the group.
Sources said Jameel’s family members are also suspected to have died in the airstrike.
Established in 1999 by Masood Azhar, the JeM developed the Bahawalpur facility by 2009. A 6.5-acre walled complex, the facility was used for terror training. This complex, known as Jamia Masjid Subhanallah, is situated around 8 km from the headquarters of Pakistan Army’s 31 Corps. Sources said the facility has been associated with the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.
Mohammad Hassan Khan
The son of JeM’s operational commander for PoK, Mufti Asghar Khan Kashmiri, he was also associated with Indian fugitive Ashiq Nengroo, who is wanted for the 2019 Pulwama attack. “He also coordinated with Shakargarh-based JeM operatives, viz Mohammad Adnan Ali alias Doctor Mussadiq, Ali Kashif Jaan alias Usman Haider and Mohammad Yasir,” an Army statement said.
The Army said Khan used to accompany his father to attend shura meetings. Kashmiri oversees key JeM training facilities, including the Markaz Syedna Bilal camp in Muzaffarabad that functions as a transit and training centre for terrorists prior to their infiltration into J&K.
Khalid alias Abu Akasha
Involved in multiple terror attacks in J&K, Khalid played a key role in smuggling weapons from Afghanistan for the LeT. His importance in the state-backed anti-India terror infrastructure in Pakistan is underlined by the fact that his funeral in Faisalabad was attended by senior officers of the Pakistan Army and the Deputy Commissioner of Faisalabad, said sources.
The Indian Army said Sunday that Khalid was a trained LeT terrorist who operated in J&K and exfiltrated back to Pakistan where he operated from Peshawar. He recently shifted to the LeT HQ in Muridke and was part of the group’s Central Committee. “He worked closely with Central LeT/JuD entities: Yahya Mujahid, Qari Yakub Sheikh, Abdul Rehman, Khalid Waleed, Engineer Haris Dar and Abdul Rehman Abid,” an Army statement said.
