Al-Badr

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For the East Pakistani militant group, see Al-Badr (East Pakistan)

Al-Badr (Arabic: البدر‎, al-Badr Mujahideen) (created 1998) is an Islamic militant group operating in the Jammu Kashmir region.[1][2][3][4][5] The group was allegedly formed by the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in June 1998.[1][2][3][4]It is believed the group was encouraged by the ISI to operate independently from their previous umbrella group, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM).[1][2][3][4] Prior to the groups separation from HM, they participated in the fighting in Afghanistan in 1990 as part of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hizb-l-Islami (HIG) alongside other anti-Soviet Afghan mujihadeen.[3][4][5]

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[edit] Foundation/separation

The group was originally led by Arfeen Bhai, also known as Jannisar or Lukmaan, when it separated in 1998 and is currently led by Bahkt Zameen Khan.[1][2][3][5]Bakht Zameen has expressed support for Osama bin Laden and the Taliban.[5] In 2002, Zameen declared jihad against the U.S. forces in Afghanistan after being responsible for prior attacks against coalition forces there beginning in 2001.[5] Al-Badr went on further in 2002 to order all women police in the Rajouri District of Kashmir to quit their jobs by mid-January the next year.[6] The group has stated membership in the United Jihad Council (UJC), a coalition of Pakistan-based militants who are active in the Jammu Kashmir region.[1] They have been linked to Jamaat-e-Islami and alleged to have connection with al-Qaeda.[1][2][3] The groups stated purpose is to liberate the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir to be merged with Pakistan. Al-Badr opposes negotiations to end the violence in Kashmir and opposes the Line of Control (LoC) and calls for the strengthening of the jihad. Al-Badr was banned by India under The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 2004.[7]Al-Badr is currently on the U.S. State Department list of Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations.[8]

[edit] Recent activity

It is believed the group has been weakened in recent years due to increased presence of Indian security forces along the Line of Control (LoC) that separates India from Pakistan. Indian security forces gauge the strength of al-Badr to be between 200-300 strong with 30% of those forces being foreign mercenaries.[3][1] Al-Badr is currently one of only two Kashmiri separatist groups that employ suicide squads as a tactic, the other being Lashkar-e-Tayyeba.[1][2]

On October 27, 2006, two members of al-Badr were apprehended in Mysore in what Indian police are calling a foiled terror attack. Mohd Ali Hussain and Mohd Fahad were captured carrying a laptop, chemicals often used for creating improvised explosive devices (IEDs), detonators, an AK-47 rifle, a pistol, a cell phone, a digital camera and passports as well as sketches of the state legislature building, 'Vidhan Soudha'.[7][9][10]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h al-Badr. South Asia Terrorism Portal.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Al-Badr / Al-Badr Mujahideen. Global Security.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Group Profile: AL-BADR. MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base.
  4. ^ a b c d Al-badhr Mujahidin (Al-Badr). Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC).
  5. ^ a b c d e Chapter 8: Foreign Terrorist Organizations. U.S. State Department.
  6. ^ India - Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: 2002. U.S. State Department.
  7. ^ a b "Two militants of Pak. based Al Badr arrested in Mysore", The Hindu News Update Service, October 27, 2006. 
  8. ^ State Department Identifies 40 Foreign Terrorist Organizations. U.S. State Department.
  9. ^ "Report: Police arrest 2 suspected militants plotting attack in India's technology hub", International Herald Tribune, October 27, 2006. 
  10. ^ "2 Pak terrorists nabbed in Mysore", IBNLive, October 27, 2006. 

[edit] See also