Lashkar-e-Taiba

Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT;  ; literally Army of the Pure, translated as Army of the Righteous, or Army of the Good and alternatively spelled as Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Lashkar-i-Taiba, Lashkar-i-Tayyeba) is a Pakistani Islamist Salafi jihadist organization. Its primary stated goal is to integrate all of Kashmir into Pakistan.The evolution of Islamic Terrorism  by John Moore, PBS Founded in 1985–1986 by Hafiz Saeed, Zafar Iqbal Shehbaz, Abdullah Azzam, and other Islamist mujahideen with financial support from Osama bin Laden during the Soviet–Afghan War, it is designated as a terrorist group by multiple countries.

Affiliated groups sharing its ideology include the Milli Muslim League, a political party, and Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD), its "charity wing," which serves as a front for LeT. Unlike many Pakistani militant groups, LeT adheres to the Ahl-i Hadith Islamic interpretation (akin to Wahhabism and Salafism) and avoids attacking Pakistan’s government or engaging in sectarian violence against Pakistanis who profess Islam.

 Objectives 
LeT’s primary operational focus is the Kashmir Valley, but its ambitions extend beyond challenging India’s control over Jammu and Kashmir. The group views the Kashmir issue as part of a broader global struggle. It aims to liberate Kashmir to use it as a base for conquering India and imposing Muslim rule across the subcontinent.

LeT’s ideology is deeply anti-Western, blaming the British Raj for the decline of the Mughal Empire. It opposes Western influence in Pakistan and South Asia, advocating the destruction of India, Hinduism, and Judaism. LeT considers jihad a religious obligation for all Muslims, with the establishment of a caliphate as its ultimate goal.

According to C. Christine Fair, who has studied LeT’s propaganda since 1995, the group consistently denounces a perceived "Brahmanic-Talmudic-Crusader" alliance of Hindus, Jews, and Christians, which it claims seeks to undermine the Ummah.

LeT follows the South Asian Ahl-e-Hadith (AeH) tradition, considered Salafist. It pursues a maximalist global jihad agenda, including civilian attacks, justifying its actions with Quran verse 2:216:

LeT interprets this verse to assert that military jihad is a mandatory duty for Muslims under various conditions. In its pamphlet "Why Are We Waging Jihad?", LeT claims that India and other regions once under Muslim rule are Muslim lands they must reclaim. It labels the United States, India, and Israel as "existential enemies of Islam".Who are the Kashmir militants , BBC News, 6 April 2005 LeT’s goals include establishing Islam globally, enforcing jizya on non-Muslims, avenging Muslim deaths, punishing treaty violations, defending Muslim states, and reclaiming lost Muslim territories. It views all lands once ruled by Muslims as rightfully Muslim, advocating a pan-Islamist approach to military action.

Post-2008 Mumbai attacks, investigations uncovered a list of 320 global locations as potential targets, interpreted as a statement of intent rather than confirmed operational sites.

Unlike other Pakistan-based Salafi-jihadist groups, LeT publicly rejects sectarian violence against other Islamic sects. Within Pakistan, it focuses on preaching and social welfare rather than violence. This, along with its stance against attacking professed Muslims (despite sectarian violence killing thousands), has earned it goodwill among Pakistanis, particularly the devout and poor, shielding it from foreign pressure on Pakistan’s government to curb its anti-foreign activities. While viewing Pakistan’s rulers as hypocritical Muslims, LeT avoids revolutionary jihad domestically, arguing that Pakistan’s struggle is not between Islam and disbelief. Its pamphlet "Why do we do Jihad?" states, "If we declare war against those who have professed Faith, we cannot do war with those who haven’t." Instead, it seeks to reform Muslims through dawa, aiming to align Pakistani society with its Ahl-e-Hadith interpretation.

LeT’s leadership highlights Indian-administered Kashmir as a priority due to its proximity and high ratio of occupying forces to civilians, deeming it a critical Muslim land to liberate. While fighters may volunteer elsewhere, Kashmir remains their primary obligation.

In January 2009, LeT claimed to seek a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir issue and denied global jihadist ambitions, but it is still believed to engage in anti-Indian terrorism. Revelations from Abu Jundal, extradited to India by Saudi Arabia, suggest LeT plans to revive militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and execute major terror attacks in India.

Leadership

Hafiz Muhammad Saeed – LeT founder and amir of its political wing, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD). After the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Saeed denied ties between JuD and LeT, stating: "No Lashkar-e-Taiba man is in Jamaat-ud-Dawa, and I have never been a chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba." On 25 June 2014, the U.S. designated JuD as an LeT affiliate.

Abdul Rehman Makki – LeT’s second-in-command and brother-in-law of Hafiz Muhammad Saeed until his death. The U.S. offered a $2 million reward for information on Makki’s whereabouts.

Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi – senior LeT member, released on bail from Pakistani military custody. Identified as a key planner of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. On 18 December 2014, two days after the Peshawar school attack, a Pakistani anti-terrorism court granted Lakhvi bail against surety bonds of Rs. 500,000.
Yusuf Muzammil – senior LeT operative, named by surviving Mumbai attacker Ajmal Kasab as a mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Zarrar Shah – in Pakistani custody, served as a key LeT liaison to the ISI. A U.S. official described him as a "central character" in orchestrating the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Shah reportedly boasted to Pakistani investigators about his role in the attacks.
Muhammad Ashraf – LeT’s top financial officer. Though not directly linked to the Mumbai attacks, he was added to the UN list of terrorism sponsors post-attacks. Geo TV reported that Ashraf fell seriously ill in custody and died on 11 June 2002 at Civil Hospital.

Mahmoud Mohamed Ahmed Bahaziq – LeT’s leader in Saudi Arabia and a financier. While not directly tied to the Mumbai plot, he was added to the UN list of terrorism sponsors after the attacks.

Nasr Javed – a senior Kashmiri operative, banned from entering the UK for "engaging in unacceptable behaviour by seeking to foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence in furtherance of particular beliefs."

Abu Nasir – Srinagar commander.

Zafar Iqbal – co-founder and senior LeT leader. Born into the prosperous landlord family of Sardar Ali Khan in Gujrat, Pakistan, Iqbal had five brothers, the eldest, Allah Bakhsh Khan Khichi, now deceased. Amir Hamza announced his death in a newspaper article, describing him as a 'golden tree.' Iqbal co-founded LeT in the late 1980s with Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and Mahmoud Mohammad Bahaziq. He held various senior roles in LeT/JuD, including fundraising, traveling to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to seek funds from Osama bin Laden. By late 2010, Iqbal led LeT/JuD’s finance department. In early 2010, he served as director of LeT/JuD’s education wing, president of its medical wing, and secretary of a university trust established by LeT/JuD for unspecified activities.
History

Formation
In 1985, Hafiz Mohammed Saeed and Zafar Iqbal established Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), a small missionary group promoting an Ahl-e-Hadith version of Islam. In 1986, Zaki-ur Rehman Lakvi merged his anti-Soviet jihadist group with JuD, forming the Markaz-ud Dawa-wal-Irshad (MDI). The MDI initially had 17 founders, including Abdullah Azzam, who was killed in a 1989 car bombing orchestrated by Khad.

LeT was established in 1990 in Afghanistan’s Kunar province as a military offshoot of MDI, gaining prominence in the early 1990s. MDI focused on dawah, while LeT prioritized jihad, though members viewed both roles as intertwined. Hafiz Saeed stated, “Islam propounds both dawa[h] and jihad. Both are equally important and inseparable. Since our life revolves around Islam, therefore both dawa and jihad are essential; we cannot prefer one over the other.”

Most LeT training camps were located in North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), with many later moved to Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir to train volunteers for terrorism in Indian-administered Kashmir. From 1991, LeT intensified militancy in Kashmir, infiltrating volunteers from Pakistan-administered areas with support from the Pakistan Army and ISI. As of 2010, the extent of Pakistani intelligence’s control over LeT operations remains unclear.

Designation as Terrorist Group
On 28 March 2001, UK Home Secretary Jack Straw listed LeT as a Proscribed Terrorist Organization under Statutory Instrument 2001 No. 1261.

On 5 December 2001, LeT was added to the U.S. Terrorist Exclusion List. On 26 December 2001, United States Secretary of State Colin Powell designated LeT a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

Pakistan banned LeT on 12 January 2002.

India lists LeT as a terrorist group under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Australia designated LeT a terrorist organization under the Security Legislation Amendment (Terrorism) Act 2002 on 11 April 2003, with renewals on 11 April 2005 and 31 March 2007.

On 2 May 2008, the UN Security Council Resolution 1267 committee added LeT to its Consolidated List as an al-Qaeda-associated entity, also proscribing JuD as an LeT front.UN declares Jamaat-ud-Dawa a terrorist front group  Long War Journal – 11 December 2008 Terrorism expert Bruce Riedel argues that LeT, with Pakistani backing, poses a greater threat than al-Qaeda.

Aftermath of Mumbai Attacks
The U.S. identified JuD as a front for LeT, the primary suspect in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which involved training the 10 gunmen.

On 7 December 2008, under U.S. and Indian pressure, the Pakistani army raided an LeT markaz at Shawai Nullah, 5 km from Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir, arresting over 20 LeT members, including Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the alleged Mumbai attacks mastermind. The facility, including a madrasah, mosque, and LeT offices, was sealed.

On 10 December 2008, India requested the UN Security Council to designate JuD a terrorist organization. Pakistan’s UN ambassador, Abdullah Hussain, assured that upon the Security Council’s designation under Resolution 1267, Pakistan would proscribe JuD, freeze its assets, and take other required actions. In 2002, Pakistan had similarly restricted LeT, but covertly allowed it to operate as JuD. Despite arrests, Pakistan has denied foreign investigators access to Hafiz Muhammad Saeed.

On 11 December 2008, the UN Security Council imposed sanctions on JuD, declaring it a global terrorist group. Saeed vowed to challenge the sanctions. Pakistan banned JuD the same day, ordering its offices sealed across all four provinces and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Prior to the ban, JuD published a weekly newspaper, Ghazwah, two monthly magazines, Majalla Tud Dawaa and Zarb e Taiba, and a fortnightly children’s magazine, Nanhe Mujahid, all of which were subsequently banned. JuD’s websites were also shut down.

After the UNSC ban, Hindu minority groups in Hyderabad rallied in support of JuD, citing its charity work like establishing water wells and providing food to the poor. However, the BBC questioned the rally’s authenticity, noting protesters were handed JuD support signs en route to what they believed was a protest against price hikes. The JuD ban faced criticism in Pakistan, as JuD was among the first to respond to the Kashmir and Ziarat earthquakes, running over 160 schools and providing hospital aid. JuD has been accused of using fake welfare trusts to mask terrorist activities.

In January 2009, JuD spokesperson Abdullah Muntazir claimed the group had no global jihadist ambitions and supported a peaceful Kashmir resolution, disowning LeT commanders Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Zarrar Shah, accused of orchestrating the Mumbai attacks.

Post-UN resolution and ban, JuD reorganized as Tehreek-e-Tahafuz Qibla Awal (TTQA).

On 25 June 2014, the U.S. added JuD, Al-Anfal Trust, Tehrik-e-Hurmat-e-Rasool, and Tehrik-e-Tahafuz Qibla Awwal to its foreign terrorist organizations list.

According to Stephen Tankel in 2011, Pakistan resists dismantling LeT because it refrains from attacking within Pakistan, preserving domestic stability. Additionally, the Pakistani army and ISI view LeT as a reliable proxy against India, providing strategic leverage. Tankel notes that dismantling LeT would primarily benefit India, leaving Pakistan to bear the costs.

Milli Muslim League
On 7 August 2017, JuD members announced the formation of the political party Milli Muslim League. Spokesman Tabish Qayoum stated they filed registration papers with Pakistan’s electoral commission. In August, JuD, under the party’s banner, fielded Muhammad Yaqoob Sheikh as an independent candidate for the 2017 by-election in Constituency NA-120.

The party’s registration was rejected by the ECP on 12 October. Hafiz Saeed, released from house arrest on 24 November, announced in December that his organization would contest the 2018 elections.

Name Changes
Following the Pulwama attack in February 2019, Pakistan reimposed a ban on JuD and its charity arm, Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF). To circumvent the ban, they rebranded as Al Madina and Aisar Foundation, continuing their operations.

The Resistance Front
The Resistance Front (TRF) emerged after the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. LeT leaders form TRF’s core. TRF claimed responsibility for several 2020 attacks in Kashmir, including the deaths of five Indian Army para commandos. In June 2020, Lt General B. S. Raju of the Army’s XV Corps dismissed TRF as a “social media entity” taking credit for Valley incidents, existing primarily online.

People’s Anti-Fascist Front
Indian officials initially considered the People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF) a faction of LeT. Indian police later identified it as an offshoot of Jaish-e-Muhammad. Formed during the 2019 Kashmir Protests following the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s autonomy, PAFF has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks on Indian forces in Kashmir.

Influence in Kashmir
After the Mujahideen victory in the Soviet Union’s occupation of Afghanistan, LeT and Mujahideen fighters, with Pakistan’s support, infiltrated Kashmir to promote a radical Islamist ideology and wage Jihad against Indian administration in Jammu and Kashmir.

Activities
LeT operates terrorist training camps and conducts humanitarian work. According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, it runs 16 Islamic institutions, 135 secondary schools, an ambulance service, mobile clinics, blood banks, and seminaries across Pakistan.

The group has carried out suicide attacks on Indian Armed Forces in Jammu and Kashmir.

Some breakaway LeT members have been accused of attacks in Pakistan, particularly in Karachi, to oppose former president Pervez Musharraf’s policies.Indians in Pak ready to work for LeT: Headley , Press Trust of India, 18 June 2011Some Karachi-based Indians willing to work with LeT: Headley, Agencies, Sat 18 June 2011

Publications
Christine Fair notes that LeT, through its publishing house Dar al Andalus, is likely Pakistan’s most prolific producer of jihadi literature. By the late 1990s, its Urdu monthly Mujallah al-Dawah had a circulation of 100,000, and another monthly, Ghazwa, reached 20,000. Other publications include weekly and monthly titles for students (Zarb-e-Tayyaba), women (Tayyabaat), children, and English (Voice of Islam and Invite) and Arabic (al-Ribat) readers. LeT publishes around 100 booklets annually in multiple languages, described as a “profitable department” selling lacs of books yearly.C. Christine Fair, In Their Own Words: Understanding Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Oxford University Press (2018), pp. 86–87Muḥammad ʻĀmir Rānā & Amir Mir, A to Z of Jehadi Organizations in Pakistan, Mashal Books (2004), p. 327

Training Camps
LeT’s terrorist training camps are located across Pakistan, including the base camp, Markaz-e-Taiba, in Muridke near Lahore, and another near Manshera. These camps train militants in:

A 21-day religious course (Daura-e-Sufa)
A 21-day basic combat course (Daura-e-Aam)

A three-month advanced combat course (Daura-e-Khaas)

Zabiuddin Ansari, alias Abu Jundal, a 26/11 conspirator arrested in 2012, revealed that LeT’s camps in Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad, included paragliding training for cadres.

Since their inception, these camps have been tolerated by Pakistan’s ISI due to their utility against India and in Afghanistan, though by 2006, they were instructed to halt operations. French anti-terrorism expert Jean-Louis Bruguière, in Some Things that I Wasn’t Able to Say, stated that Pakistani army officers trained LeT militants until recently, based many on interrogations of Willy Brigitte, a French militant trained by LeT and arrested in Australia in 2003.

Markaz-e-Taiba
Located in Nangal Saday, 5 km north of Muridke on the eastern side of the G.T. road, about 30 km from Lahore, the Markaz-e-Taiba base camp was established in 1988. Spanning , it includes a madrasa, hospital, market, residences, a fish farm, and agricultural lands. The initial sectarian religious training, Daura-e-Sufa, is conducted here.

Other Training Camps
In 1987, LeT established two camps in Afghanistan: Muaskar-e-Taiba in Jaji, Paktia Province, and Muaskar-e-Aqsa in Kunar Province.Rao, Aparna, Michael Bollig & Monika Böck. (ed.). (2008) The Practice of War: Production, Reproduction and Communication of Armed Violence, Oxford: Berghahn Books, , pp. 136–137 U.S. intelligence analysts justified the extrajudicial detention of Bader Al Bakri Al Samiri at Guantanamo, alleging he attended an LeT camp in Afghanistan.

Mariam Abou Zahab and Olivier Roy in Islamist Networks: The Afghan-Pakistan Connection (2004) identified three LeT camps in Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir, with the main one, Umm-al-Qura, in Muzaffarabad, training 500 militants monthly. Muhammad Amir Rana’s A to Z of Jehadi Organizations in Pakistan (2004) listed five camps: Muaskar-e-Taiba, Muaskar-e-Aqsa, Muaskar Umm-al-Qura, and Muaskar Abdullah bin Masood in Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir, and Markaz Mohammed bin Qasim in Sanghar District, Sindh. By 2004, 10,000 militants had been trained in these camps.

Funding
Pakistan’s government began funding LeT in the early 1990s, with significant increases by 1995, when the army and ISI helped build its military structure for use against India. The LeT also raised funds through MDI’s Department of Finance.

Until 2002, LeT collected funds via public events, charity boxes in shops, donations at MDI offices, contributions at martyrdom celebrations, and its website. It also received funds from the Pakistani diaspora in the Persian Gulf and UK, Islamic NGOs, and Pakistani and Kashmiri businessmen.Lashkar-e-Taiba , Federation of American Scientists Intelligence Resource Program LeT operatives have been caught in India raising funds from Muslim communities.

While much of the funding supported legitimate ventures like factories, a significant portion fueled military activities. By 2009, U.S. intelligence estimated LeT’s military budget exceeded $5 million.

Use of Charity Aid to Fund Relief Operations

LeT provided aid after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, often arriving before the army or civilians.

Funds collected from the Pakistani diaspora in Britain for earthquake relief were partly diverted to LeT activities. Approximately £5 million was raised, but over half was used for LeT operations, including preparations for the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot. Some funds also supported fighter recruitment.

Notable Incidents

1998 Wandhama massacre: On 25 January 1998, 23 Kashmiri pandits were killed.

Chittisinghpura massacre: In March 2000, LeT militants allegedly killed 35 Sikhs in Chittisinghpura, Kashmir. An 18-year-old arrested in December 2000 admitted LeT’s involvement in a New York Times interview, showing no remorse. Hafiz Saeed denied knowing the individual or LeT’s role. In 2010, LeT associate David Headley, arrested for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, reportedly confessed to the National Investigation Agency that LeT executed the massacre, naming militant Muzzamil as a participant aiming to stoke communal tensions before Clinton’s visit.

2000 terrorist attack on Red Fort: The Indian government attributed the attack to LeT, which confirmed its involvement. LeT claimed responsibility for an attack on Srinagar Airport, killing five Indians and six militants.

LeT claimed an attack on Indian security forces along the border.

2001 Indian Parliament attack: The Indian government blamed LeT, alongside Jaish-e-Mohammed, for the 13 December 2001 assault on parliament in Delhi.

2002 Kaluchak massacre: On 14 May 2002, 31 were killed; Australia attributed this to LeT when designating it a terrorist group. 2003 Nadimarg Massacre: On 23 March 2003, 24 Kashmiri pandits were gunned down.

2005 Delhi bombings: LeT bombed festive Delhi markets during Diwali, killing 60 and injuring 527, claiming the attack as "Islami Inqilabi Mahaz" on a jihadist website.

2006 Varanasi bombings: LeT conducted serial blasts in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, killing 37 and seriously injuring 89.[16] 2006 Doda massacre: On 30 April 2006, 34 Hindus were killed in Kashmir.

2006 Mumbai train bombings: Investigations by Indian and U.S. officials linked LeT to the 11 July 2006 serial blasts, which killed 211, maimed 407, and seriously injured 768.

On 12 September 2006, LeT’s propaganda arm issued a fatwa against Pope Benedict XVI, demanding Muslims assassinate him for controversial remarks about Muhammad.

On 16 September 2006, LeT militant Abu Saad, area commander in Gul Gulabhgash, was killed by 9-Rashtriya Rifles in Nandi Marg forest, Kulgam. Arms, ammunition, and high-denomination Indian and Pakistani currency were recovered.

2008 Mumbai attacks: From 26–29 November 2008, LeT was the prime suspect in Mumbai attacks involving hostage-taking, bombing, and shootouts, though it denied involvement. Captured gunman Ajmal Amir Kasab admitted LeT, with Pakistan Army and ISI support, planned and executed the attacks. U.S. intelligence confirmed LeT’s role. A July 2009 Pakistani investigation confirmed LeT’s involvement.

On 7 December 2008, Pakistan’s army, under U.S. and Indian pressure, raided LeT and JuD facilities, arresting suspects linked to the 26/11 attacks.

In August 2009, LeT issued an ultimatum to enforce Islamic dress code in Jammu and Kashmir colleges, raising fears in the region.

In September and October 2009, Israeli and Indian intelligence warned of LeT plans to attack Jewish sites in Pune and other locations frequented by Western and Israeli tourists in India. Mumbai attackers targeting the Chabad Lubavitch center were reportedly told, “Every person you kill where you are is worth 50 of the ones killed elsewhere.”

In November 2009, reports indicated LeT members planned attacks on U.S. and Indian embassies in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on the first anniversary of the Mumbai attacks. Seven men, including a senior LeT member, were arrested.

The Resistance Front (TRF)

The Resistance Front (TRF), allegedly a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba, was formed in 2019. The Indian government accuses TRF of threatening Jammu and Kashmir’s security through attacks on security forces and civilians, weapon transport, militant recruitment, border infiltration, and smuggling weapons and narcotics. In January 2023, TRF was banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and its commander, Sheikh Sajjad Gul, was designated a terrorist, following suspicions of TRF’s role in the June 2018 assassination conspiracy of Kashmiri journalist Shujaat Bukhari. In April 2025, the 2025 Pahalgam attack killed 28 tourists, mostly Hindu, after gunmen checked their religious identity. Initial investigations pointed to TRF as responsible for the deadliest attack in a decade.

Notes

 References 

Category:Islamist militant groups
Category:Organizations based in Pakistan
Category:Kashmir
Category:Separatist movements of Pakistan