The Global Reach of the Lashkar-e-Taiba
India’s Primary Terrorist Treat Operates Internationally
Dec 14, 2008
India has officially named the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a Pakistani militant group active in India’s Kashmir and Jammu region, the organization responsible for the coordinated terrorist attack in Mumbai, which left 179 dead and over 300 injured. India and the U.S. have demanded Pakistani cooperation in dismantling the LeT, which is headquartered outside of Lahore, and has a long history of support from Pakistani military and intelligence personnel. The LeT, however, has an international presence, and an ideology that extends its struggle from India and Pakistan’s border regions to the heart of Western countries.
The Lashkar-e-Taiba was formed in 1990 in Kunar, Afghanistan as the militant wing of the Sunni Islamic organization Markaz Dawa-ul-Ishrad (MDI), which follows the Wahabi tradition, and has close ties to Saudi Arabia. Its first operation, conducted by Pakistani and Afghan operatives, was in the Kashmir region in 1993. It has since grown into one of the largest and most active militant groups in the region. (http://www.ag.gov.au/agd/WWW/nationalsecurity.nsf/Page/What_Governments_are_doing_Listing_of_Terrorism_Organisations_Lashkar-e-Tayyiba) On December 26, 2001 Lashkar-e-Taiba was officially labeled a terrorist organization by the U.S., due to its December 13 raid on India’s parliament, which brought Pakistan and India to the brink of war. The Lashkar-e-Taiba’s latest operation has again provoked tensions between two countries with nuclear arsenals.
In 2002, under intense diplomatic pressure, Pakistan outlawed the LeT, and placed its leader, Hafiz Muhammed Saeed, under house arrest. Saeed was released after 6 months, publicly resigned from the LeT after appointing Maulana Wahid Kashmiri as his successor, and continued his work as the leader of the newly formed Jama’t-ud-Da’wa. The Jama’t-ud-Da’wa describes itself as a movement, founded in 1985 in Lahore, Pakistan by Islamic scholars and reformers, that is dedicated to establishing a society built on the true teachings of Islam. (Jama’t-ud-Da’wa official website) It is strongly supported by Pakistani civil society, due to its humanitarian and relief work, and, while it claims to be funded by internal Pakistani sources, it is purported to have a strong and decentralized fundraising network that extends from Britain to Africa, and the Persian Gulf.
The Jama’t-ud-Da’wa has been simultaneously described as a front, or alias for Lashkar-e-Taiba, and its political wing. Hafiz Saeed vehemently denies any connection of the Jama’t-ud-Da’wa to the military operations of the Lashkar-e-Taiba; however, they share the same ideological framework, which calls for the re-establishment of an Islamic caliphate, and jihad in areas of the world where Muslims are subjected to the laws of non-Muslims. On December 10, 2008, the U.N. declared the Jama’t-ud-Da’wa a terrorist organization that supports al-Queda, solidifying its interchangeability with the LeT. (“UN declares Jamaat-ud-Dawa a terrorist front group” by Bill Roggio. The Long War Journal. 12/11/08.)
The true force strength of the Lashkar-e-Taiba is unknown. In 2001, the South Asia Terrorism Portal estimated its forces in the Kashmir region at 750; however, its leaders claim to have 10,000 trained operatives, 7,000 of which are active in the Kashmir. (“The Two Faces of Lashkar-e-Taiba” by Umer Farooq. Asharq Alawsat 6/12/08) The LeT has been known to augment its force strength through collaboration with fellow terrorist organizations, and in 2003, took over coordination of the International Islamic Front from al-Queda. (“Split in LeT: A Charade” by B. Raman South Asia Analysis Group 7/19/04) The LeT has an international presence, and has been connected to terrorist activity in Chechnya, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Two individuals are currently facing charges in Atlanta, GA for conspiring with the LeT in 2005 to plot a terrorist attack inside the U.S.
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