Maulana Masood Azhar, leader of Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad (Jem), admitted that 10 of his own family members and 4 associates have been killed in India’s military strikes.
India conducted the navy strikes under ‘Operation Sindoor’ two weeks after the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians. 9 terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) centered in the operation. It consists Bahawalpur, where Azhar’s family individuals have been reportedly killed.
10 family members of JeM chief Masood Azhar killed in strikes
A announcement attributed to Azhar stated those killed in the attacks on Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur includes the JeM chief’s elder sister and her husband, a nephew and his spouse, every other niece, and five childrens from his family. The statement mentioned that the attack also claimed the lives of one of Azhar’s near associates and his mom, along with two close partners.
Bahawalpur, Pakistan’s 12th biggest city, serves as centre for Jaish-e-Mohammad, the terrorist group responsible for several attacks in India. The town is located almost 400 km from Lahore. The homes JeM’s operational headquarters at the Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah, also referred to as the Usman-o-Ali campus.
About JeM chief
Maulana Masood Azhar has been a central part in the records of terrorism in South Asia. Born in 1968 in Bahawalpur, Azhar served as a cleric in Harkat-ul-Mujahideen before his arrest in 1994. He designated as international terrorist by the United Nations Security Council in May 2019.
Azhar has been responsible for a number of terror attacks in India after the establishment of Jaish-e-Mohammad in 2000. Some of those attacks consists the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2019 Pulwama attack targeting Indian infantrymen, and the 2016 attack at the Pathankot airbase.
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