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Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami

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FoundersFazlur Rehman Khalil
Qari Saifullah Akhtar
LeaderIlyas Kashmiri †
Shah Sahib
Dates of operation1985–present
Active regions
IdeologyIslamism
Islamic fundamentalism
Islamist extremism
StatusActive
Size>400+ (claimed)[1]
Allies
Battles and warsSoviet–Afghan War
Kashmir insurgency
Internal conflict in Bangladesh
Bangladesh drug war
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Designated as a terrorist group by

Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (Arabic: حركة الجهاد الإسلامي, romanized: Ḥarkat al-Jihād al-Islāmiyah, lit. 'Islamic Jihad Movement"', HuJI) is a Pakistani Islamist extremist,[3] fundamentalist and terrorist[4] organization affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.[3][5]

It has been the most active in the South Asian countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh and India since the early 1990s. The militant organisation has been designated as a terrorist group by India, Israel, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States and Bangladesh when its Bangladesh branch was banned in 2005.

The operational commander of HuJI, Ilyas Kashmiri, was killed in a US drone strike in South Waziristan on 4 June 2011.[6] He was linked to the 13 February 2010 bombing of a German bakery in Pune. A statement was released soon after the attack which claimed to be from Kashmiri; it threatened other cities and major sporting events in India.[7] A local Taliban commander named Shah Sahib was named as Kashmiri's successor.[8]

History

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HuJI or HJI was formed in 1984, during the Soviet–Afghan War, by Fazlur Rehman Khalil and Qari Saifullah Akhtar. Khalil later broke away to form his own group, Harkat-ul-Ansar (HuA), which became a highly feared militant organisation in Kashmir.[9] This group would later re-form as Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), when HuA was blacklisted by the United States in 1997.[10]

HuJI first mainly operated in Afghanistan to fight the Soviets, but after the Soviets retreated, the organisation also started operating in Jammu and Kashmir. HuJI's influence expanded into Bangladesh when the Bangladeshi branch of the organisation was established in 1992, with direct assistance from Osama bin Laden.[11]

Ideology

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The organisation along with other jihadist terrorist groups such as Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Al-Qaeda & Lashkar-e-Taiba had similar motivations and goals. Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen were both strongly backed by the Taliban, Al-Qaeda & therefore the group professed Taliban-style fundamentalist Islamist ideology. The organisation aims to spread Radical Islamist ideology, to take over Kashmir, Afghanistan, Palestine & the rest of Muslim majority lands from what they claim to be "enemies of Islam" and enforce their extremist interpretations of Sharia in all of the mentioned regions.[3]

Activities in Bangladesh

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In the 1990s, HuJI gave recruitment training near the hilly areas of Chittagong and Cox's Bazar.[11][12] Later on, members of the organisation committed an attack on Shamsur Rahman, a Bangladeshi poet in January 1999.[13] The organisation claimed responsibility for the 2001 Ramna Batamul bombings, where 10 people were killed.[14] The organisation was also the prime suspect in a plot to assassinate the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina in the year 2000.[15] In October 2005, it was officially banned by the government of Bangladesh.[16] The group has been condemned by various Islamist groups such as the Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh.[17][18]

Activities in India

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Government of India has declared and banned it as a terrorist organisation.[19] In April 2006, the state police Special Task Force in India uncovered a plot by six HuJI terrorists, including the mastermind behind the 2006 Varanasi bombings, involving the destruction of two Hindu temples in the Indian city of Varanasi. Maps of their plans were recovered during their arrest. The organisation has claimed responsibility for blasts at the Delhi High Court which claimed the lives of 10 and injured around 60.[20] Vikar Ahmed, a member of an Islamist group, and connected to HuJI, has been accused of murdering police officers in Hyderabad. He is also a suspect in the Mecca Masjid bombing.[21]

HuJI has claimed responsibility for the 2011 Delhi bombing. However, this has not been confirmed by the National Investigation Agency.[22][23]

14 people were killed and 94 people were injured in the bomb blast. Police have released two sketches of the suspects.[24][25][26] The organisation has also made threats to target other Indian cities.

Designation as a terrorist organisation

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Country Date References
United Kingdom 14 October 2005 [27]
India 29 December 2004 [28]
Bangladesh 17 October 2005 [29]
Israel 2005 [30]
New Zealand 15 December 2010 [31]
United States 6 August 2010 [4]

On 6 August 2010, the United Nations designated Harakat-ul Jihad al-Islami as a foreign terror group and blacklisted its commander Ilyas Kashmiri. State Department counterterrorism coordinator Daniel Benjamin asserted that the actions taken demonstrated the global community's resolve to counter the group's threat. "The linkages between HUJI and Al-Qaeda are clear, and today's designations convey the operational relationship between these organizations," Benjamin said.[32][33]

Militant attacks claimed by or attributed to HuJI

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Date Country Description
1999 Bangladesh Failed attempt to assassinate the humanist poet Shamsur Rahman
2000 Bangladesh Alleged failed scheme to assassinate the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina
14 April 2001 Bangladesh Pahela Baishakh attack on Ramna Batamul
2003 India Role in assassination of the former Gujarat Home Minister Haren Pandya.
2002 January India Terror attack near the American Centre in Kolkata, executed in collaboration with the Dawood-linked mafioso Aftab Ansari
2004 Bangladesh 2004 Dhaka grenade attack attempt to assassinate Sheikh Hasina
2005 June India Bombing of the Delhi-Patna Shramjeevi Express at Jaunpur
2005 India Suicide bombing of the headquarters of the Andhra Pradesh Police's counter-terrorism Special Task Force. A Bangladeshi national, Mohatasin Bilal, had carried out the bombing
March 2006 Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India Bombing of the Sankat Mochan temple, which was traced to HuJI's Bangladesh-based cells
25 August 2007 Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India 25 August 2007 Hyderabad bombings (suspected, but no evidence revealed as of early September)
13 May 2008 Jaipur, Rajasthan, India 13 May 2008 Jaipur bombings (suspected; evidence pending.)
25 July 2008 Bangalore, India 2008 Bengaluru serial blasts (suspected; evidence pending.)
26 July 2008 Ahmadabad, India 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts (suspected; evidence pending.)
13 September 2008 Delhi, India 2008 Delhi serial blasts (suspected; evidence pending.)
20 September 2008 Islamabad, Pakistan 2008 Marriott Hotel bombing (claimed by HuJI; evidence pending.)
1 October 2008 Agartala, Tripura, India 2008 Agartala bombings (HuJI suspected; evidence pending.)
30 October 2008 Guwahati, Barpeta, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, India 2008 Assam bombings (HuJI suspected; evidence pending.)
13 February 2010 Pune, India 2010 Pune bombing (HuJI suspected)[34]
7 September 2011 New Delhi, India 2011 Delhi bombing (claimed by HuJI; evidence pending.)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Chapter 6. Foreign Terrorist Organizations". state.gov. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  2. ^ Indian Mujahideen. Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism.
  3. ^ a b c Hussain, Zahid (2007). Frontline Pakistan: The Struggle with Militant Islam. Columbia University Press. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-231-14224-3. The first Pakistani jihadist group emerged in 1980 ... By 2002, Pakistan had become home to 24 militant groups ... among them were LeT, JeM, Harakat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) and Harkat-al-Jihad-al-Islami (HJI). All these paramilitary groups, originally from the same source, had similar motivations and goals ... HuM and HJI were both strongly linked with the Taliban.
  4. ^ a b "Foreign Terrorist Organizations". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  5. ^ Pakistan – Mapping Militants. Stanford University.
  6. ^ M Ilyas Khan (4 June 2011). "US strike 'kills' key Pakistan militant Ilyas Kashmiri". BBC News. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  7. ^ "Asia Times Online :: South Asia news, business and economy from India and Pakistan". Asia Times. 13 February 2010. Archived from the original on 19 February 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ "Shah Sahib new chief of 313 Brigade". Pakistan Today. 13 August 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
  9. ^ Hussain, Zahid (2007). Frontline Pakistan: The Struggle with Militant Islam. Columbia University Press. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-231-14224-3. In 1984 Khalil, along with another militant leader Saifullah Akhtar, founded Harkat-al-Jihad-al-Islami (HJI) ... A few years later he broke away to form his own group, Harkat-ul-Ansar (HuA). By 1990, HuA had emerged as one of the most feared militant groups fighting in Kashmir.
  10. ^ Hussain, Zahid (2007). Frontline Pakistan: The Struggle with Militant Islam. Columbia University Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-231-14224-3. HuA was one of the groups on the [1997 list of terrorist organizations]. After being blacklisted by the US administration it resurfaced under a new banner, HuM.
  11. ^ a b Sudha Ramachandran. 'PART 2: Behind the Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami' Asia Times Online, 10 December 2004
  12. ^ John Wilson. 'The Roots of Extremism in Bangladesh' Archived 16 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine Terrorism Monitor, January 2005 issue, published by the Jamestown Foundation
  13. ^ "Shamsur Rahman, Bangladeshi Poet, Dies". The New York Times. 19 August 2006. Archived from the original on 23 April 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  14. ^ Sudha Ramachandran. 'The Threat of Islamic Extremism to Bangladesh' Archived 6 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine PINR – Power and Interest News Report, 27 July 2005
  15. ^ "Assassination Attempt on Hasina: Ten Huji men get death by shooting". The Daily Star. 21 August 2017. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017.
  16. ^ "Bangladesh Nabs Five Suspected HuJI Militants". Benar News. 8 December 2016. Archived from the original on 9 December 2016.
  17. ^ Azam, Kawsar (4 September 2014). "Al Qaeda won't gain ground in Bangladesh: Politicians". English24.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  18. ^ Mirsab, A (7 September 2014). "Condemnation continues to pour from all corners against Al-Qaeda establishment in South Asia". Indian Muslim Relief and Charities. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  19. ^ "List of Banned Organisations". Ministry of Home Affairs, GoI. Government of India. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  20. ^ "NIA team of 20 to probe Delhi blast". Firstpost. 7 September 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  21. ^ Islamist extremism related incidents in Andhra Pradesh since 2007 South Asia Terrorism Portal
  22. ^ "11 dead, 76 injured in terror strike". Hindustan Times. 7 September 2011. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  23. ^ Vishwa Mohan (7 September 2011). "HuJI claims responsibility for Delhi high court blast". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  24. ^ "Briefcase bomb at Delhi high court kills 11, injures 62". The Times of India. New Delhi. TNN. 7 September 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2011.
  25. ^ "Another e-mail claims responsibility for Delhi blasts". YouTube. 9 September 2011. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  26. ^ "Delhi Police Releases Sketches of Two Blast Suspects" (in Hindi). YouTube. 7 September 2011. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  27. ^ Terrorism Act 2000 (11, Schedule 2). 2000.
  28. ^ "The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2004" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 30 December 2004. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  29. ^ Rahman, Waliur (17 October 2005). "Dhaka outlaws third Islamic group". BBC News. Archived from the original on 11 March 2008. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  30. ^ "The Proclamation & Orders List". Ministry of Justice (Israel). Archived from the original (DOC) on 10 August 2014.
  31. ^ "Lists associated with Resolution 1373". New Zealand Police. 20 July 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  32. ^ "US, UN declare HuJI a terrorist organisation". Hindustan Times. PTI. 7 August 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  33. ^ "Designations of Harakat-ul Jihad Islami (HUJI) and its Leader Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri" (Press release). US Department of State. 6 August 2010. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  34. ^ "Pune blast probe: Maha ATS detains suspected HuJI member". Zee News. 23 February 2010.
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