United Jihad Council
Encyclopedia
Also known as the Muttahida Jihad Council (MJC), this Jehadi fighters group was formed in the summer of 1994 by the amalgamation of several Islamic Armed terrorist organizations. It is currently headed by Syed Salahuddin, the leader of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, the largest Jihad
group operating in the Indian administered part of Jammu and Kashmir
. This organization was created to unify and focus efforts of various armed resistance groups fighting against the Indian rule in Kashmir. This made distribution of resources like arms, ammunition, propaganda materials and communications more streamlined. It also made it easier to coordinate and pool resources of various Jihadi groups to collect information, plan operations and strike at targets of military importance inside Indian administered Kashmir
.
Among the member organizations are: Harakat-ul-Ansar, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen, Al-Jihad, Al-Barq, Al-Badr, Ikhwan-ul-Mussalmin, Tehrik-ul-Mujahideen. By early 1999, as many as fifteen organizations were affiliated with the Council, though of these only five were considered influential: Lashkar-e-Toiba
, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen
, Al-Badr and Tehrik-i-Jihad. Many of these organizations are recognized as freedom fighting organizations by the Pakistan and the Islamic World.
The United Jihad Council emerged as the primary public voice of the Mujahideen
in the Kargil
offensive. The United Jihad Council, including four other units fighting in the Kargil mountains said the guerrillas would not leave the area because it was their homeland. However they agreed to back up after the then US President Bill Clinton
personally mediated in the situation.
It is fairly common now for UJC/MJC members to frequently address public gatherings, publish materials and recruit new fighters inside Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. State patronage from the autonomous Kashmiri government and protection from Pakistani security forces helps the free movement of men, materials and resources. UJC announced several unilateral ceasefires in the Kashmir region and subsequently withdrew because they were not reciprocated from the Indian side. In view of the recent mass unarmed uprising in Kashmir against the Indian rule, UJC has imposed moratorium on strikes on military targets in civilian areas.
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
group operating in the Indian administered part of Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
. This organization was created to unify and focus efforts of various armed resistance groups fighting against the Indian rule in Kashmir. This made distribution of resources like arms, ammunition, propaganda materials and communications more streamlined. It also made it easier to coordinate and pool resources of various Jihadi groups to collect information, plan operations and strike at targets of military importance inside Indian administered Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
.
Among the member organizations are: Harakat-ul-Ansar, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen, Al-Jihad, Al-Barq, Al-Badr, Ikhwan-ul-Mussalmin, Tehrik-ul-Mujahideen. By early 1999, as many as fifteen organizations were affiliated with the Council, though of these only five were considered influential: Lashkar-e-Toiba
Lashkar-e-Toiba
Lashkar-e-Taiba – also transliterated as Lashkar-i-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Lashkar-i-Taiba, Lashkar Taiba or LeT – is one of the largest and most active militant Islamist terrorist organizations in South Asia, operating mainly from Pakistan.It was founded by Hafiz Muhammad...
, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen
Harkat-ul-Mujahideen
Harkat-ul-Mujahideen- al-Islami is a Pakistan-based Islamic militant group operating primarily in Kashmir. In 1997, the United States designated Harakat al-Ansar a foreign terrorist organization for links to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda, and in response the organization changed its name to...
, Al-Badr and Tehrik-i-Jihad. Many of these organizations are recognized as freedom fighting organizations by the Pakistan and the Islamic World.
The United Jihad Council emerged as the primary public voice of the Mujahideen
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
in the Kargil
Kargil War
The Kargil War ,, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control...
offensive. The United Jihad Council, including four other units fighting in the Kargil mountains said the guerrillas would not leave the area because it was their homeland. However they agreed to back up after the then US President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
personally mediated in the situation.
It is fairly common now for UJC/MJC members to frequently address public gatherings, publish materials and recruit new fighters inside Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. State patronage from the autonomous Kashmiri government and protection from Pakistani security forces helps the free movement of men, materials and resources. UJC announced several unilateral ceasefires in the Kashmir region and subsequently withdrew because they were not reciprocated from the Indian side. In view of the recent mass unarmed uprising in Kashmir against the Indian rule, UJC has imposed moratorium on strikes on military targets in civilian areas.