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Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan
تحریک جہاد پاکستان
Also known asTJP
FoundersMaulana Abdullah Yaghistani
LeaderMaulana Abdullah Yaghistani
Dates of operation2023–present
MotivesEstablish an Islamic system in Pakistan through armed jihad
HeadquartersKhyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
IdeologyDeobandi jihadism
Sectarianism
Islamic fundamentalism
Major actionsAttacks on police, security, and military targets in Pakistan
StatusActive. Designated as a terrorist organization by
AlliesPakistani Taliban (alleged)

Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (Urdu: تحریک جہاد پاکستان, lit. 'Pakistani Jihad Movement'; abbr. TJP)[a] is an insurgent Deobandi jihadist group in Pakistan that has gained notoriety for its involvement in attacks on Pakistani military and police targets. The group is believed to have been founded in February 2023 and has claimed violent attacks against Pakistani police, security, and military installations in various provinces of Pakistan.[1][2][3]

History

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Founding manifesto

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Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP) first appeared in February 2023 when it created an official Twitter account 'TehreekJ Pakistan' and, on 24 February, posted its first tweet announcing the group's formal establishment. In the tweet, the group wrote "#TJP" and "ہمارا منشور", Urdu for "Our manifesto",[b] as well as an Urdu-language image titled "Announcement of the Establishment of Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan". The proclamation, signed in Urdu as "Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan Spokesman", begins with the announcement of a decision reached by "long consultations of the great scholars of Sami-ul-Haqq" (referring to the famous Deobandi jihadist scholar named Father of the Taliban) to found a group dedicated towards continuing the movement of Sheikh al-Hind (Mahmund Hasan Deobandi). In the charter's second paragraph, TJP explains its purported previous reluctance to emerge from silence into armed struggle against the Pakistani state, which TJP understands to be dominated by a lobby of 'secular classes'.[4]

Despite the passage of more than 75 years [since Creation], we have not seen any practical implementation of the ideology of Pakistan while the secular lobby continues to dig its claws into the society, so we consider further waiting and silence as an expectation of crime and divine punishment. But we have come to the conclusion that is not possible to implement the Islamic system in Pakistan without armed jihad, and it is in this context we are guided by the great scholars of Deoband. Maulana Abdullah announces a new organization under the leadership of Pakistani for the establishment of Islamic system: Tehreek Jihad Pakistan in the name of "Pakistan".

The manifesto concludes with an invitation to political supporters of Deobandi political parties, likely most directed at followers of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, to abandon political solutions for the Islamization of Pakistan in favor of TJP's armed struggle (jihad) against Pakistani military and security forces, targets TJP sees as defenders of a secular institution.[4]

To achieve this goal, hundreds of mujahideen and tens of devotees of Islam are ready to sacrifice their lives at all times, God willing. We also invite other religious and political parties in Pakistan that have learned through the last 75 years that no results are obtained through political means. You gentlemen should stand by our side for the implementation of Islamic system in Pakistan. Among our targets are the security institutions imposed on Pakistan, who are the real defenders of this illegitimate system. May God bless you.

In the first three months, the published manifesto received thirteen likes and over 4,600 views on the Twitter (now X) platform.[4]

Operations

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Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan is located in Pakistan
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Locations of attacks claimed by TJP

TJP claimed its first attack on 6 March 2023 and claimed the attack by tweet the same day. In Kachhi District (formerly Bolan) of Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan Province, a suicide bomber mounted on a motorcycle rammed into a police van carrying officers from the city of Sibi to the provincial capital of Quetta and detonated his explosives, killing at least 9 and injuring 13.[5][6][7] Both TJP and the Islamic State's Pakistan Province (Wilayah Pakistan) issued claims for the attack.[4][8] In Issue #381 of the Islamic State's Arabic-language an-Naba newsletter, the attack made front page and the corresponding article claimed responsibility for the attack. In the article, the Islamic State published a picture of purported attacker and his alias, Abdul Rahman al-Pakistani, in front of the group's flag.[8]

On 25 April, TJP claimed via a tweet that it was responsible for an attack in Kabal Tehsil, Swat District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.[4] The day prior, an explosion struck a Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) building, killing 17 and injuring more than 50 others.[9][10][11]

Days later, on 28 April, a motorcycle-mounted suicide bomber detonated his explosives at a security post in Lakki Marwat District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa occupied by the Pakistani Frontier Corps and Army forces which triggered an hour-long firefight between three more attackers and military forces, killing three Pakistani Army soldiers.[12][13][14] That day, TJP issued a claim of responsibility for the attack and named three "martyrdom seekers": Abuzar Shaheed,[c] Muhammad Ilyas, Sanaullah, and Shakirullh.[4]

On 12 May 2023, a group of six attackers attacked a Frontier Corps camp in the town of Muslim Bagh in Killa Saifullah District, Balochistan with rifles and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), reportedly holding hostages, until a rescue operation was conducted by the Pakistani military. A retaliatory clearance operation the next day killed four remaining attackers at the cost of seven soldiers and one civilian killed as well as six others wounded.[15][16][17] TJP claimed the attack and named the attackers as Hamza, Zakariya, Abu Bakr, Maulana Hazala, Mustaghfir, and Mutassim Billah.[4]

Two months later, on 12 July 2023, seven militants stormed a Pakistani Army garrison in Zhob District, Balochistan, killing five soldiers and a civilian as well as wounding at least five others. Four of the militants were killed in the attack with the remaining two reportedly killed later. TJP claimed responsibility for the attack.[18][19][20]

On 4 November 2023, nine militants attacked the Pakistani Air Force (PAF) Base M.M. Alam in the city of Mianwali in the country's northeastern province of Punjab. The militants reportedly scaled the perimeter walls around 3:00 AM and caused significant damage to three supposedly-grounded (nonoperational) aircraft and destroyed a fuel tank.[21][22][23] Challenging the quickly-issued press release by Pakistani's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), India Today, one of the most widely-circulated magazines in India, published an analytic review of satellite imagery obtained from Planet Labs showing multiple aircraft hangars either partially or wholly destroyed during the attack.[24] TJP claimed responsibility for the attack.[21][22][23]

On 12 December 2023, a militants rammed a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) into the main gate of a police station in Daraban Tehsil, Dera Ismail Khan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, detonating a 264-pound (120-kilogram) explosive charge. Subsequently, five other attackers initiated an hours-long firefight, killing at least 23 and injuring another 34. TJP claimed responsibility for the attack.[4][25][26] In video of attack released by TJP, the organization claimed its attackers came from Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan, Swat, and Mardan districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa[27]

List of attacks

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List of attacks claimed by Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan
Date Country Province Location Target Assailants Means Killed Wounded Article Cites
6 March 2023  Pakistan Balochistan Kachhi Police 1 Motorcycle-borne SVIED 9 13 Bolan suicide bombing [5][6][7]
25 April 2023  Pakistan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Kabal Counter-Terrorism Department Unknown Unknown 17 50 2023 Kabal explosions [9][10][11]
28 April 2023  Pakistan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Lakki Marwat Frontier Corps 4 Motorcycle-borne SVIED 3 Unknown None [12][13][14]
12 May 2023  Pakistan Balochistan Muslim Bagh Frontier Corps 6 Rifles, RPGs 7 12 2023 Muslim Bagh attack [15][16][17]
12 July 2023  Pakistan Balochistan Zhob Army 6 Rifles, grenades, RPGs 5 5 None [18][19][20]
4 November 2023  Pakistan Punjab Mianwali Air Force 9 Rifles, RPGs 3 aircraft damaged Mianwali air base attack [21][22][23]
12 December 2023  Pakistan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Daraban Police 6 VBIED, Rifles 23 34 Daraban police station attack [4][25][26]

Membership

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According to an interview with The Khorasan Diary, an independent, English-language research group based in Islamabad, Mullah Mohammad Qasim claimed to be the groups spokesperson and named Maulana Abdullah Yaghistani as the group's founder and current emir.[28] Qasim explained that the organization comprised veteran mujahideen who had fought against both the Soviet Union and United States in Afghanistan and sought "a continuation of the Silk Letter Movement", referencing a Deobandi-led independence movement against British Colonial rule in India between 1913 and 1920.[28] Also in the interview, Qaism rejected a fatwa issued by Pakistan's chief Deobandi scholar, Mufti Taqi Usmani, which rejected armed struggle against Pakistan outright under Islamic law, musing the decree appeared to be motivated more by personal reasoning than Islamic law.[28]

Maulana Abdullah Yaghistani's name refers to the historical region of Yaghirstan, a broad term encompassing Pashtun tribal areas on the western frontier of British India that resisted annexation. According to Anatol Lieven, renowned for his authorship on the Taliban and Pakistan, the name 'Yaghistan' can be translated to the land of lawlessness, rebellion, or dissent.[29]

Alleged connections with Pakistani Taliban

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See also: Pakistani Taliban

Though Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan claims to be an independent militant organization, Pakistani security officials allege the group is a cover for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (known as TTP or Pakistani Taliban), to avoid public condemnation.[30][28][31] Others allege that TJP is a TTP ploy to continue attacks in Pakistan without fanning of the flames of Pakistani accusations that the Afghan Taliban government is providing safe haven for TTP militants conducting attacks into Pakistan.[28][32][33] The TTP deny any relationship with TJP, adding instead "most likely they consist of people who either we know or are former affiliates who might have formed a group of their own. However we are trying to find out more about them."[28] TTP has historically undergone a number of fractures, creating various splinter groups.[34]

A January 2024 report from the monitoring team of the United Nations Security Council's ISIL & Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee noted the emergence of TJP and explained that it, along with the TTP, operated from within Afghanistan's borders to conduct attacks in Pakistan. The report acknowledged that TJP was "reported to be a front for TTP, possibly with support from Al-Qaida, providing plausibility." The sanctions monitoring team did not take a position on the validity of such reports.[35]

Notes

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  1. ^ Tehreek is alternatively Romanized as 'Tehrik' and the possessive '-e-' variably as '-i-'
  2. ^ 'منشور' can be translated as 'charter', 'declaration', or 'manifesto'
  3. ^ 'Shaheed' is the Arabic term for a religious martyr

References

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  1. ^ Padmanabhan, Keshav (4 November 2023). "Who are Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan — militant group claiming responsibility for Mianwali air base attack". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  2. ^ "Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, The 'New Kid On The Block' Emerges As A Big Threat To China's CPEC: OPED". 25 July 2023. Archived from the original on 25 July 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  3. ^ "Pakistan Airbase In Mianwali Under Attack By Tehreek-e-Jihad; Loud Explosions And Smoke..." 4 November 2023. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Review Of Twitter Account Of New Jihadi Group Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP), Which Warns Pakistani Army: 'Hundreds Of Mujahideen And Dozens Of Islam's Martyrdom-Seekers Are Ever Ready For Sacrifices With Money And Body'". MEMRI. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Suspected suicide attack kills at least nine police officers in southwestern Pakistan". CNN. 6 March 2023.
  6. ^ a b Shahid, Saleem (7 March 2023). "Nine security men martyred in Bolan suicide attack". Dawn.
  7. ^ a b "9 Balochistan Constabulary personnel martyred in Bolan suicide blast". www.geo.tv.
  8. ^ a b Islamic State an-Naba Newsletter; Issue #381 (in Arabic)
  9. ^ a b Khaliq, Fazal (25 April 2023). "Death toll from Swat police station explosions rises to 17; fact-finding committee formed". Dawn. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  10. ^ a b "7 killed, 45 injured in blast at CTD PS Kabal area of Swat". www.radio.gov.pk.
  11. ^ a b Ali, Mehboob (24 April 2023). "12 policemen martyred in blasts at Swat CTD police station". Geo News.
  12. ^ a b Marwat, Ghulam Mursalin (28 April 2023). "Explosions, gunfire rock Lakki amid reports of more attacks". Dawn.
  13. ^ a b "Seven terrorists killed in Lakki Marwat attacks". The Express Tribune. 28 April 2023.
  14. ^ a b "On night 27/28 Apr 23, Security Forces, while fighting gallantly, repulsed three attacks by terrorists on different locations within a span of short time in Lakki Marwat District". Inter-Services Public Relations. 28 April 2023.
  15. ^ a b Shirazi, Iftikhar (13 May 2023). "6 terrorists killed, 7 including soldiers martyred as clearance operation in Balochistan concludes: ISPR". Dawn.
  16. ^ a b "More than a dozen dead in Balochistan attack in Pakistan". Al Jazeera. 13 May 2023.
  17. ^ a b "Three soldiers martyred in Muslim Bagh attack laid to rest". The Express Tribune. 13 May 2023.
  18. ^ a b Gul, Ayaz (12 July 2023). "Militants Raid Pakistan Army Base; 12 Soldiers, Civilian Die in Clashes". Voice of America.
  19. ^ a b Yousafzai, Gul (12 July 2023). "Pakistan army says it lost 12 soldiers in militant attacks". Reuters.
  20. ^ a b "Pakistan's military chief warns Afghan Taliban against harboring militants as attacks spike". NBC News. 12 July 2023.
  21. ^ a b c Shirazi, Iftikhar; Khan, Tahir (4 November 2023). "9 terrorists killed as operation to clear PAF's Mianwali air base concludes: ISPR". Dawn.
  22. ^ a b c Peshimam, Gibran Naiyyar (4 November 2023). "Militants attack air force base in central Pakistan, says military". Reuters.
  23. ^ a b c Massod, Salman (4 November 2023). "Militant Attack on Air Base Is Latest Episode to Unnerve Pakistan". The New York Times.
  24. ^ Kumar, Ankit (7 November 2023). "Satellite images show more damage at Pakistan's airbase than officially stated". India Today.
  25. ^ a b Zaman, Sarah (12 December 2023). "Pakistan: Militant Attack Kills 23 Troops". Voice of America.
  26. ^ a b "Police and soldiers killed as more violence flares in northwest Pakistan". Al Jazeera. 15 December 2023.
  27. ^ Mughal, Muhammad Irfan; Syed, Baqir Sajjad (13 December 2023). "23 troops martyred in year's deadliest attack". Dawn.
  28. ^ a b c d e f Firdous, Iftikhar (29 April 2023). "Does Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP) Actually Exist?". The Khorasan Diary.
  29. ^ Lieven, Analtol (3 June 2021). "An Afghan tragedy: the Pashtuns, the Taliban and the state". International Institute for Strategic Studies.
  30. ^ "KP CTD denies existence of Tehreek-i-Jihad, claims it is another name for TTP". Dawn. 10 August 2023.
  31. ^ Ahmad, Tufail; Carmon, Yigal (1 March 2024). "Looking Ahead In 2024 – The Taliban Factor In The Afghanistan-Pakistan Region". MEMRI.
  32. ^ Report, Bureau (10 August 2023). "KP CTD denies existence of Tehreek-i-Jihad, claims it is another name for TTP". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 6 November 2023. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  33. ^ Rana, Muhammad Amir (17 December 2023). "Why does the threat persist?". Dawn.
  34. ^ Babar, Majeed (1 October 2011). "Why Are Pakistan's Militant Groups Splintering?". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  35. ^ Frazier, Vanessa (29 January 2024). "Thirty-third report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant to resolution 2610 (2021) concerning ISIL (Da'esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities" (PDF). United Nations Security Council. p. 6.
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