Surge of Lashkar, Jaish terrorists in Taliban ominous sign for India

The latest surge in Taliban activity in Afghanistan has dangerous implications for India as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-i-Mohammed serve as recruiters of mainly Pakistani fighters for the Taliban besides being trainers in explosives, writes senior journalist Sanjib Kr Baruah.

New Delhi:The reported increasing numbers of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-i-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists in the Taliban set-up is all the more disconcerting because these two Pakistan-based and India-focused outfits facilitate the induction of foreign fighters, mainly from Pakistan’s Punjab into the Taliban.

“We have been noticing this trend for some time now. We are keeping a close eye on the developments and its implications on India. Definitely it is a concern,” said a source in India’s security establishment. India is the only major country in the region without any relationship with the Taliban.

Firmly entrenched in the rank and file of the Taliban in Afghanistan, thousands of militants belonging to the LeT and JeM operate jointly in operations against the Afghanistan government and are reported to have been spotted in various recent Taliban operations across the conflict-ridden country where the Afghan government is on the back-foot.

A UN Security Council document says the Let and JeM “facilitate the trafficking of terrorist fighters into Afghanistan, who act as advisers, trainers and specialists in improvised explosive devices. Both groups are responsible for carrying out targeted assassinations against government officials and others”.

According to the document, in just Nangarhar Province, the LeT has about 800 fighters and the JeM has around 200 fighters in the Taliban in the areas of Mohmand Darah, Dur Baba and Sherzad districts. Another important province where these two outfits have a major presence is Kunar.

The UNSC document also adds that based on the information available, “it is clear that the Taliban are not struggling with respect to recruitment, funding, weapons or ammunition”.

In a surprise raid on April 13-14, 2020, a team of commandos from the National Directorate of Security (NDS) in Afghanistan had stumbled upon JeM terrorists in a Taliban camp located in Momand dara in Nangarhar bordering Pakistan.

Of the 15 terrorists shot dead, only five were Afghans, the other 10 were JeM militants from Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) being trained by the Taliban to fight in Kashmir.

The training modules were specifically tailored to meet requirements in Kashmir even as structures within the Nangarhar training camp had been erected to resemble terrain and spots on the Line of Control (LoC) usually favoured by militants to cross over to India.

Both the LeT and JeM operate in Kashmir and have the separation of Kashmir from India and its merging with Pakistan as their primary aims.

While the LeT is based in Pakistan’s Muridke, it is led by Hafiz Saeed, infamous for spewing vitriol against India in his hate-speeches and organizing terror attacks against Indian targets.

Headquartered in Pakistan’s Bahawalpur, the JeM was founded by Masood Azhar, who was released by the Indian government that gave in to the demands of the hijackers of the Indian Airlines Kathmandu-Delhi Flight 814 in December 1999.

Over the years, both the LeT and the JeM have mounted a series of terror attacks in India including the attack on Indian Parliament in 2001 and the Mumbai attack of 2008.

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