New Delhi: In a major shift in strategy, Pakistan-based terror organization Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has announced the formation of its first-ever women’s wing, named “Jamaat-ul-Mominaat.” The decision was made public through a letter issued under the name of JeM chief and UN-designated terrorist Maulana Masood Azhar. Recruitment for this newly created unit has commenced at Markaz Usman-o-Ali in Bahawalpur, Pakistan on October 8 2025.
According to the letter circulated by JeM’s propaganda platform Al-Qalam Media, the women’s brigade of JeM will be named as Jamaat-ul-Mominaat and its recruitment began on October 8 2025. According to sources this ‘Women Brigade of JeM’ will be led by Sadiya Azhar, the sister of Masood Azhar whose husband Yusuf Azhar was killed in Operation Sindoor on May 7 when Indian forces struck JeM’s headquarters at Markaz Subhanallah. Sources reveal that the outfit has started enlisting wives of its commanders as well as economically vulnerable women studying at its centers in Bahawalpur, Karachi, Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Haripur, and Mansehra.
The Deobandi-rooted outfit which has traditionally barred women from participating in armed jihad or combat missions appears to have revised its stance following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. Sources suggest that Masood Azhar and his brother Talha al-Saif jointly approved the decision to incorporate women into JeM’s operational framework, leading to the establishment of this exclusive female brigade.
While terrorist groups such as ISIS, Boko Haram, Hamas, and LTTE have a history of deploying women as suicide attackers, outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen had largely avoided doing so but sources now believe JeM’s latest move signals its intent to train and use female suicide bombers in future terror operations.