Mapping Militant Organizations
Formed | 1990 |
---|---|
Disbanded | Group is active. |
Last Attack | February 13, 2010: Indian authorities speculate that LeT may have contributed surveillance and planning for the bombing of a German bakery in Pune. (9 killed). [1] |
Updated | January 30, 2016 |
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), also known as Army of the Pure or Army of the Righteous, is an Islamic militant organization based in Pakistan. It was founded in 1990 by Hafiz Mohammed Saeed as the military wing of Pakistani Islamist organization Markaz-ad-Dawa-wal-Irshad (MDI), which promotes the Ahl-e-Hadith (AeH) interpretation of Islam, until it ostensibly split from the group in 2002. [2] LeT was first active in the fight against the Soviet presence in Afghanistan but changed its focus to the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir when the state rebelled against Indian control in the early 1990s. LeT has reportedly been supported by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) since the early 1990s as one of many paramilitary groups used by Pakistan as proxy forces to create instability in India. [3] LeT sees the fight against Indian control over Jammu and Kashmir as part of a global struggle against the oppression of Muslims, and ultimately seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate in the Indian subcontinent. [4]
The first known LeT operation in India was the ambush of a small group of Indian Air Force personnel in 1990. The group proved its strength in 1993 in a successful attack on a heavily guarded Indian army base in Poonch. [5] Until the mid 1990’s, LeT exclusively targeted Indian military presence in Jammu and Kashmir. On January 5, 1996, however, the group gained notoriety for the first of many massacres targeting minorities in Kashmir, killing 16 Hindus in Barshalla, Doda . [6] The most notable massacre, known as the Chattisinghpora attack, occurred on March 20, 2000, when LeT terrorists killed 35 Sikhs in Anantnag on the eve of President Bill Clinton’s official state visit to India. [7]
Despite LeT’s operational focus on Jammu and Kashmir, eliminating Indian power in the entire region has always been the larger goal. Hafez Saeed exploited Hindu-Muslim tensions to recruit Indian Muslims to carry out LeT attacks across India. [8] One of the first of these attacks was the Red Fort attack in New Delhi on December 22, 2000. The attack is considered symbolic, as the Red Fort was the palace of the last Muslim rulers of the Indian sub-continent. [9] Although not one of LeT’s most destructive attacks, it established the group as a militant threat to India.
On December 13, 2001, gunmen attacked India’s parliament, killing seven. Although LeT denied responsibility, the attack sparked renewed confrontation between India and Pakistan and led to the United States listing LeT an official Foreign Terrorist Organization. [10] Pakistan followed suit shortly after and formally banned the group on January 13, 2002. In response, Hafez Saeed announced a split between LeT and MDI, and that he was no longer affiliated with LeT. MDI changed its name to Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), but the split and rebranding were superficial. JuD and LeT continued to operate together throughout Pakistan, even retaining most of their joint offices, after the announced split. FBI reports indicate overlap between the two groups as late as 2009. [11] [12]
While violence in Kashmir peaked in the mid-2000s and has since decreased, LeT has remained active. The group’s most recent large-scale attack took place in Mumbai in November 2008, known as the 26/11 attacks. The attack employed common LeT tactics but on a much larger scale than any previous incident. Ten attackers killed 166 people over 60 hours at five landmarks and establishments popular with foreigners across the city. The focus on Westerners- Jews and Israelis in particular- in this attack evidenced LeT’s global agenda. Hafez Saeed once again denied his organization was responsible for the attack, but investigations and intelligence confirmed that it was an LeT operation. Testimony of a surviving attacker and another arrested LeT operative underscored the depth of Pakistani ISI involvement in both the 26/11 attacks as well as general LeT operations. [13]
In addition to direct attacks, LeT supports proxy Islamist groups inside India with training, weapons, and funding. The Indian Mujahideen (IM), founded by Mohammed Sadiq Israr Sheikh, is LeT’s primary ally in the country. [14] Analysts disagree on the degree of linkage between LeT and IM, with some arguing the latter is an independent organization, and some suggesting it is a direct product of LeT and ISI cooperation, established when Pakistan, reduced its support for armed operations in Kashmir under international pressure, but redirected that support to groups operating inside India. [15] [16]
Since 2003, it has often been difficult for investigators to determine whether an attack was a LeT operation supported by IM or an IM operation supported by LeT. In November 2007, however, IM declared its presence as an independent organization seeking to revenge violence against Indian Muslims with attack in the Indian province of Uttar Pradesh. Then in February 2010, IM and LeT launched a joint attack deliberately targeting foreigners at a German Bakery in Pune. This attack was the start of renewed operational cooperation between the groups and they have since killed more than 50 people in India. [17] [18]
LeT has significant ties to the global militant Islamist organizations. LeT has assisted with training, transport, and protection many notable Al Qaeda (AQ) figures including Ramzi Yusuf, mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. [19] Several Pakistani raids of LeT safe houses and schools have led to the arrest of AQ and AQ-affiliated operatives. Many high-profile militants have reportedly trained with LeT including Richard Reid, the terrorist who attempted to detonate his shoes on an airplane, and two of the 2005 London subway bombers. [20]
Despite a focus on India for most of its existence, LeT has become increasingly involved in the fight against NATO and the United States in Afghanistan. At first, these attacks were in support of the Afghan Taliban. Beginning in 2008, however, attacks in Afghanistan have targeted Indian interests in the country, demonstrating Pakistan’s alledged use of LeT as a proxy force. [21] [22]
Lashkar-e-Taiba continues to be loyal to the Pakistani state but government support for the group and other proxy militant groups, is dwindling. The Mumbai terror attacks in November of 2011 brought international notoriety to the group but also increased vigilance. Increasingly, Saudi Arabia and India have been working together on counterterrorism, which has lead to the arrests of several high-profile LeT members. [23] Despite international scrutiny, LeT continues to operate openly in Pakistan. The group actively holds rallies to protest political issues such as U.S. military cooperation with Pakistan, Indian water policies, and NATO agreements. In 2011, LeT founded Difa-e-Pakistan Council, a coalition of Islamist groups opposed to these efforts. [24] Analysts consider LeT to be in a period of restraint, but believe the organization will attempt to launch terrorist attacks in the future. LeT remains ideologically committed to violence and is still a well-resourced and networked organization capable of carrying out major terror attacks. [25]
Lashkar-e-Taiba is a Sunni group, which follows the Ahle-Haith
interpretation of Islam. The Ahle-Hadith interpretation is similar to Salafism
and Wahhabism and has roots in both the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent. LeT's
declared goals include conducting jihad in the way of Allah, preaching the true
religion, and training a new generation along true Islamic lines. [29] Unlike Deoband
groups operating in Pakistan, LeT aligns its ideological goals with the
interests of the Pakistani state. It seeks to liberate Kashmir, the main source
of conflict with India, and merge it with Pakistan using any means necessary. In January of 2009, however, LeT announced that
it would consider accepting a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict. [30] The group does not believe
in attacking Muslims in its struggle against aggression and oppression. It aims
to change the regional and geopolitical dynamic of Afghanistan, Pakistan and
India by attacking non-Muslim civilian and government targets. [31] LeT is
unique among the Ahle-Hadith
groups because unlike other groups, it holds da’wa (preaching) and jihad
(fighting) as equal and essential components of Islam. [32]
In 2001, the U.S. Department of State designated Lashkar-e-Taiba
as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The Government of Pakistan banned LeT in
2002. In 2008 the U.S. Department of
Treasury imposed sanctions on four LeT leaders. In April 2012 two senior LeT leaders were
placed on the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice list. [34] In 2014,
the U.S. amended LeT’s designations to include Jama’at-ud-Dawa as an alias
organization. [35]
Lashkar-e-Taiba is diverse and systematic in its
fundraising efforts. Donation boxes for the group are common in Pakistani
markets throughout the country. LeT publications include calls for donations.
LeT also has benefactors in the Arabian Peninsula and from the Pakistani
expatriates around the world. Some donations come from international Islamist
charities, like the International Islamic Relief Organization. A fundraising
method unique to LeT is collecting animal skins from religious sacrifices
selling them to tanneries. In 2010, JUD reportedly collected $1.2 million by
selling these skins. [36]
In addition to ISI support, LeT also receives funds
from the Pakistani civilian government. This money is usually directed through
LeT-run schools and hospitals. [37] LeT’s
international draw has allowed it to open fundraising and recruitment offices
in Bangladesh, Nepal, the Maldives, and the Gulf region. There is evidence that
LeT has fundraising and recruitment campaigns in the U.S., Canada, Australia,
and Europe as well. [38]
While LeT’s goals are based on its interpretation of
Islam and global events, the group’s actions are heavily influenced by
Pakistani ISI and aligned with the Pakistani state’s interests. There is little
direct evidence of official Pakistani direction or support of LeT, but
analysts, intelligence services, and international organizations regularly make
links between the two. [39]
Lashkar-e-Taiba is based near Lahore, Pakistan, but
targets India-controlled Kashmir. LeT maintains several facilities such as
training camps, medical clinics, and schools in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir,
Afghanistan, and Pakistan’s Sindh province. [40] LeT’s
international draw has allowed it to open fundraising and recruitment offices
in Bangladesh, Nepal, the Maldives, and the Gulf region. There is evidence that
LeT has fundraising and recruitment campaigns in the U.S., Canada, Australia,
and Europe as well. [41]
Until the mid-2000s, Lashkar-e-Taiba primarily
targeted Indian security forces with bombings and shootings. Attacks started
becoming more deadly and less discriminatory around 2006, when LeT adopted
tactics including serial bombings, marketplace attacks, hostage holding and
train bombings. [42] Before being
outlawed by Pakistan in 2002, LeT readily accepted credit for its attacks, but
has since denied responsibility for its actions, including the 2008 Mumbai
attacks.
A tactic unique to LeT known as fidayeen (translated as “those who sacrifice themselves in order to redeem themselves”), involve heavily armed small squads of gunmen or bombers who strike symbolic targets in an attempt to cause mass casualties. These attacks are distinct from suicide bombings, which LeT has refrained from using, as the attacker can survive a successful attack. This type of attack is an important recruiting tool for LeT, as many Islamic scholars argue that the deliberate taking of one’s own life is not permitted under Islam. [43]
Lashkar-e-Taiba has significant ties to the global
militant Islamist organizations. LeT has assisted with the training, transport,
and protection of many notable Al Qaeda (AQ) figures including Ramzi Yusuf, the
mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. [53] Several
Pakistani raids of LeT safe houses and schools have led to the arrest of AQ and
AQ-affiliated operatives. Many
high-profile militants have reportedly trained with LeT including Richard Reid,
the terrorist who attempted to detonate his shoes on an airplane, and two of
the 2005 London subway bombers. [54] Lashkar-e-Taiba’s links to Al Qaeda date back
to LeT’s predecessor organization, MDI. Osama bin Laden is believed to have
provided funding for MDI and even attended some of LeT’s first
conferences. [55]
LeT became part of the United Jihad Council in 1993, an umbrella group for militant Islamist organizations operating in Kashmir. As part of the organization, it formed alliances with Harkatul Mujhaideen (HM), Hizb ul Mujhaideen (HuM), Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi-Islami (HuJI) against Indian military assets in India controlled Kashmir. HuJI and JeM broke ties with LeT in 2004 when ISI launched a crackdown against the members of their groups because of suspicions that they were involved in attacks on then President General Pervez Musharraf. [56]
In addition to its militant activities, LeT provides extensive social services in Pakistan. The hospitals, schools, and community services provided are used as a method for proselytization of LeT’s Ahl-e-Hadith interpretation of Islam and to counter the influence of Christian NGOs and missionaries. LeT runs a network of schools that serve more than 18,000 students. Over 2,000 doctors volunteer their services for the group. In many areas, the services LeT provides are not available or affordable by other means. [63] These services target impoverished communities that state services do not reach, fostering support for LeT among Pakistanis. [64] LeT also consistently responds to humanitarian disasters like the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the 2010 floods. [65]