Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which suffered heavy losses during Operation Sindoor, has announced a major shift in its strategy by forming its first-ever women’s wing.

The new unit, named “Jamaat-ul-Mominaat,” was unveiled on Wednesday at Markaz Usman-o-Ali in Bahawalpur, where recruitment has already begun. The group is led by United Nations-designated terrorist Masood Azhar, who traditionally kept women away from combat roles.

According to sources, the new wing will be headed by Sadiya Azhar, Masood Azhar’s sister. Her husband, Yusuf Azhar, was killed when Indian forces hit JeM’s headquarters at Markaz Subhanallah in Bahawalpur during Operation Sindoor.

JeM has reportedly started recruiting the wives of its commanders and financially vulnerable women from Bahawalpur, Karachi, Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Haripur, and Mansehra.

While terror groups like ISIS, Boko Haram, Hamas, and LTTE have a history of deploying women in suicide missions, organisations such as JeM and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) have generally avoided doing so.

Sources said the inclusion of women in JeM’s framework was jointly approved by Masood Azhar and his brother Talha al-Saif, signaling a new operational approach. The creation of this women’s brigade suggests that JeM could be preparing to use female operatives in future missions, the sources added.

The “Jamaat-ul-Mominaat” is also expected to expand its reach into India, particularly through online networks in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, and parts of southern India.

Sources said the group plans to use social media and WhatsApp to spread its ideology, targeting educated and urban Muslim women with emotional content framed around religion.

A JeM circular promoting the brigade reportedly features images of Mecca and Medina, aiming to attract recruits through emotional and religious appeal.

JeM’s history of deadly attacks

The JeM, founded by Masood Azhar, is responsible for several major terror attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing.

Following Operation Sindoor, Azhar claimed that 10 of his family members and four aides were killed. In a statement, he said the casualties included his elder sister, her husband, a nephew and his wife, a niece, and five children from the extended family.

Azhar, who was arrested in India in 1994 and released after the Air India IC-814 hijacking, remains one of India’s most wanted terrorists.