Pak-backed terror groups moving to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after Op Sindoor blow
The move reflects a significant tactical adaptation by these groups that now view PoK as vulnerable to Indian precision strikes
NEW DELHI: Pakistan-backed terror groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) have begun relocating to its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province after Indian forces bombed nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and killed at least 100 terrorists in the early hours of May 7 when Operation Sindoor was launched, people familiar with the development said on Friday citing intelligence inputs.
The move reflects a significant tactical adaptation by these groups that now view PoK as vulnerable to Indian precision strikes, the people said, adding that KPK offers greater depth due to its geography, proximity to the Afghan frontier, and existing jihadi safe havens dating back to the Afghan war.
On May 7, the Indian Air Force struck two terror sites at Markaz Subhanallah in Bahawalpur and Markaz Taiba near Muridke, while the army hit targets at seven places including Mehmoona Joya in Sialkot, Sawai Nala and Syed Na Bilal in Muzaffarabad, Gulpur and Abbas in Kotli, Barnala in Bhimber, and Sarjal.
The Markaz Subhanallah camp was the farthest target for the Indian forces. Located around 100 Km from the international border, it was the headquarters of the JeM and was used for recruitment, training and indoctrinating terrorists. Markaz Taiba was the headquarters of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) led by Hafiz Saeed. Terrorists trained at this camp were associated with many strikes in India, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Ajmal Kasab, the only terrorist then captured alive, received training here and so did David Coleman Headley. It was located 25 km inside Pakistan.
The movement of the terror groups is being facilitated by Pakistan’s state structures, as shown by overt JeM gatherings held under police protection and the tacit involvement of political-religious outfits like Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), the people said.
Between the launch of the operation on May 7 and the ceasefire on May 10, Indian forces also struck targets at 13 Pakistani airbases and military installations.
A major development related to the relocation of the terror groups, the people said, took place at Garhi Habibullah in KPK’s Mansehra district where JeM staged a public recruitment drive a few hours before the start of the India-Pakistan cricket match on September 14, 2025.
“The event, ostensibly organised as part of a ‘Deobandi religious gathering,’ was a coordinated mobilisation effort led jointly by JeM and JUI in the presence of Masood Ilyas Kashmiri alias Abu Mohammad, JeM’s Amir for KPK, who personally addressed the gathering. He is a high-value target wanted in India, closely connected to JeM founder Maulana Masood Azhar, and one of the principal figures in JeM’s operational restructuring after Operation Sindoor,” one of the people said.
An assessment indicates that the rally’s real purpose was recruitment for JeM’s training facility at Mansehra, known as Markaz Shohada-e-Islam, which has been undergoing expansion since Operation Sindoor, said another person, adding that the timing and location of the rally point to an attempt to normalise recruitment in the guise of religious-political gatherings.
