OVERVIEW

Hizbul Mujahideen FLAG

Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), which was founded in 1989, is one of the oldest Islamist separatist groups fighting against Indian rule in Jammu and Kashmir, with the goal of merging the state with Pakistan. HM is the militant wing of Jamaat-e Islami, one of Pakistan’s major political parties, and leads the United Jihad Council, an umbrella organization of anti-India terrorist groups based in Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir and other parts of the country. During the 1990s, HM members trained alongside Afghan mujahidin groups, including Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin, maintaining as many as 10,000 fighters at its peak. Between the late 1990s and late 2010s, internal splintering and the elimination of several key HM leaders probably disrupted the group’s internal structure and membership, resulting in a notable decline in the frequency and scale of its attacks.

OPERATING AREAS
Headquartered in Pakistan; conducts operations primarily in India, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir

MEMBERS
At most 1,500 fighters, as of 2020

TACTICS AND TARGETS
HM has used small arms, grenades, and IEDs to attack Indian security forces, government officials, politicians, and occasionally civilians in Jammu and Kashmir. The group operates in small, loosely connected networks and cells, sometimes alongside other militants in Kashmir.

TERRORIST GROUP DESIGNATION
The Department of State designated HM as a foreign terrorist organization on 17 August 2017. The group’s current leader, Syed Salahuddin, was listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on 26 June 2017.

KEY LEADERS

NOTABLE ATTACKS