New Delhi, March 16 – There has been a concerted effort by terrorist groups to recruit women and form an organization exclusively for them.
Both Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad have established all-women modules, and intelligence agencies have learned that Jamaat-ul-Mujahiddeen, Bangladesh (JMB), is reviving an old plan to establish an all-women’s module known as the "Sister Wing."
The JMB first considered establishing such a module in 2016. However, the plan was put on hold after agencies in Bangladesh cracked down on the module.
Details about the women’s module emerged following the arrests of Asmani Khatun, alias Asma, and Shirine Khatun in February and March 2020, respectively.
Various intelligence assessments have found that the JMB has been actively trying to expand its influence in South India, alongside the Islamic State. These groups have made some inroads in South India, but this has largely been limited to Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
These groups are now focusing on states such as Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh.
An official stated that the JMB and the Islamic State are attempting to revive the women’s module and recruit in all southern states.
The investigations following the arrest of Asma and Shirine revealed that they were instructed to spearhead recruitment and engage in propaganda campaigns.
In recent months, women within the JMB network have been instructed to contact their contacts in South India and launch a massive recruitment drive.
Another official stated that the JMB may not be planning attacks in South India in the immediate present. The information from the agencies suggests that the focus is more on recruiting women and then engaging in a massive propaganda campaign.
Establishing the "Sister Wing" in South India would be a significant step forward for the JMB. An Intelligence Bureau official stated that the confidence to establish such a wing stems from the fact that there have been many women recruits in Kerala, who have left the state and joined the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) in Afghanistan. The official stated that the 2016 exodus, in which 21 people from Kerala left the state and joined the ISKP, involved many women.
All of them were brainwashed for several years before they could be convinced to join the ISKP in Afghanistan. These women were married to the men who travelled with them.
Another official stated that the JMB and the Islamic State would not look to send the women they recruit to other countries. Their plan suggests that they are more interested in creating a large army, with the focus being more on recruitment rather than propaganda. A 2016-like exodus may not be easy, as the agencies are on high alert. Furthermore, stories that came out from Afghanistan about the plight of the 21 recruits and the poor conditions they lived in have acted as a deterrent to many.
However, officials say that there are a large number of people in the Southern states who still subscribe to the ideology of these terrorist groups. They would be more keen on joining the JMB-Islamic State’s "Sister Wing," and indulge in propaganda sitting in their own state, the official said.
The agencies are keeping a close tab on social media activity. The women members have been told to create multiple accounts on social media and then hunt for women recruits in South India.
This would be the first part of the plan, and once they manage to recruit a substantial number of women, then the outfit would pick a head and train her. The job of the head would be to train the women recruits in South India.
The JMB has realised that propaganda is a better tool in the initial stages when compared to an attack. It is the mind that they are looking to capture, and once they are successful in doing so, the next processes become relatively easy. Officials say that while remaining on alert and keeping a track of such activity is important, it is also necessary to have many de-radicalisation camps. There are already many camps that are present, but looking at the changed tactics that the JMB is indulging in, more would need to be done, the official added.