How Jaish And Lashkar Are Gaining Ground By Recruiting Women

Pakistan-based terror groups Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) are amplifying their influence through women's networks to disseminate radical ideologies. These groups will now train and deploy female suicide attackers, positioning them with groups like ISIS, Boko Haram, Hamas and LTTE, which already utilise women in combat roles.

Intelligence reports indicate that Lashkar is expanding its women's wing, ostensibly under the guise of an Islamic educational institute, following Jaish's lead.

Jamaat-ul-Muminaat is Jaish's first women's wing that was founded last year in October. Now Lashkar's women's wing, Taiyabbat, is increasingly gaining traction.

Read | Masood Azhar Forms Jaish's Women Brigade Months After Loss In Op Sindoor

How Terrorist Groups Lure Women

Jaish's brigade seeks to lure women in the name of religion and use them for carrying out the terror group's activities. A JeM circular on the brigade features images of Mecca and Medina and contains emotional content, targeting educated and urban Muslim women.

Maulana Masood Azhar, head of the Jaish-e-Mohammed
Photo Credit: AFP

A recent Lahore gathering on February 9, led by Iffat Saeed, of Taiyabbat, featured jihad glorification and anti-non-Muslim rhetoric, exemplifying the groups' efforts to infiltrate communities and perpetuate extremism. Wives of many Lashkar commanders also participated in this programme. 

"There's a saying that educating women educates an entire community. Similarly, poisoning women's minds with radical thoughts sows seeds of extremism across society. This is precisely why terror outfits are investing in women's networks," said a senior security force officer.

"Women's involvement ensures a sustained ideological legacy, rendering extremism more elusive," said a senior police officer.

Read | UN Report Flags Jaish-e-Mohammed Link To Red Fort Attack, Warns of New Women's Terror Wing

Recently, the United Nations' (UN) monitoring report flagged JeM's evolving strategy, institutionalising women's participation through Jamaat ul-Muminaat, aimed at supporting terrorist operations.

How Women's Terrorist Networks Work

Women cadres' job is to provide logistical support, community outreach, ideological dissemination and recruitment. This marks a tactical shift for Lashkar & Jaish, historically reliant on male operatives. 

Hafiz Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba
Photo Credit: AFP

The overt operation of these groups in Pakistan severely undermines counter-terrorism efforts. 

"Women's involvement in propagating radical ideologies adds a complex layer, making detection and disruption increasingly challenging," explains Capt Anil Gour (retd), a security analyst.

The JeM is linked to several high-profile attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing, and the Lashkar orchestrated the Pahalgam terror attack and Mumbai's 26/11 attack.