AI Generated Summary
- Intelligence agencies have flagged a new and dangerous evolution in militant activity in Jammu and Kashmir, warning that Pakistan’s security establishment is attempting to blur the lines between established terror outfits and global jihadist brands to evade international scrutiny.
- Intelligence officials also point to the presence of a younger recruit, Abu Dujana, who is said to have crossed into India in 2024 after years of early indoctrination and training, underlining the group’s continued use of young cadres for high-risk suicide missions.
- Investigators note that Abu Dujana had undergone training as early as 2018 alongside Umar Lone of Baramulla, a militant who remained active until he was killed in a security forces’ encounter in Bandipora in mid-2024.
Intelligence agencies have flagged a new and dangerous evolution in militant activity in Jammu and Kashmir, warning that Pakistan’s security establishment is attempting to blur the lines between established terror outfits and global jihadist brands to evade international scrutiny.
According to senior intelligence officials, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence has instructed Lashkar-e-Taiba to position a 12-member fidayeen unit within Islamic State Khorasan Province for a planned future attack in Jammu and Kashmir. Assessments suggest that this hybrid module is already operational on the ground, with footprints detected in parts of central Kashmir, including Budgam, Kishtwar and Srinagar.
Security officials say the planning and supervision of terror activities in the region are being handled at the highest levels of Pakistan’s military-intelligence hierarchy. This, they add, reflects a calibrated strategy to keep violence simmering in Kashmir while ensuring that Islamabad can publicly deny direct involvement. Authorisation has reportedly also been given to Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba to rework their operational playbooks, with explicit emphasis on masking Pakistan’s role.
At the operational level, the newly formed unit is believed to be commanded by Abu Hurraira, a seasoned Lashkar operative who has been active in India for several years. His second-in-command, Mohammad Umar—also known by the alias “Khargosh”—has been involved in militant activity since at least 2022. Intelligence officials also point to the presence of a younger recruit, Abu Dujana, who is said to have crossed into India in 2024 after years of early indoctrination and training, underlining the group’s continued use of young cadres for high-risk suicide missions.
Investigators note that Abu Dujana had undergone training as early as 2018 alongside Umar Lone of Baramulla, a militant who remained active until he was killed in a security forces’ encounter in Bandipora in mid-2024. This linkage, officials say, has helped agencies piece together the longer-term grooming and deployment patterns being followed by Lashkar handlers.
To avoid detection, the hybrid Lashkar–ISKP structure has reportedly been broken into smaller, compartmentalised cells, each operating independently under separate leadership. Indian security agencies have since stepped up surveillance and counter-terror measures across central and south Kashmir.
Officials view the Lashkar–ISKP convergence as a deliberate attempt to cloak Pakistan-backed militancy under the banner of the Islamic State, thereby complicating attribution and diluting accountability at international forums. “The objective is not just violence on the ground,” an intelligence source said, “but confusion abroad.”
