Country Reports on Terrorism 2016 - Foreign Terrorist Organizations: Harakat ul-Mujahideen (HUM)

aka HUM; Harakat ul-Ansar; HUA; Jamiat ul-Ansar; JUA; al-Faran; al-Hadid; al-Hadith; Harakat ul-Mujahidin; Ansar ul Ummah

Description: Designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on October 8, 1997, Harakat ul-Mujahideen (HUM) seeks the annexation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and the expulsion of Coalition Forces from Afghanistan. In January 2005, HUM's long-time leader Fazlur Rehman Khalil stepped down and was replaced by Dr. Badr Munir. HUM operated terrorist training camps in eastern Afghanistan until Coalition air strikes destroyed them in 2001. In 2003, HUM began using the name Jamiat ul-Ansar; Pakistan banned the group in November 2003.

Activities: HUM has conducted a number of operations against Indian troops and civilian targets in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is linked to the Kashmiri terrorist group al-Faran, which kidnapped, and later killed, five Western tourists in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in July 1995. HUM was also responsible for the hijacking of an Indian airliner in December 1999. The attack led to the release of Masood Azhar, an important leader of the former Harakat ul-Ansar (HUA), who was imprisoned by India in 1994; after his release, Azhar founded Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). India also released former HUA member Ahmed Omar Sheik as a result of the hijacking. Sheik was later convicted of the 2002 abduction and murder of U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl.

The group has conducted numerous attacks targeting Indian interests including the late December 2015 strikes in Handwor and Poonch, which resulted in the deaths of five Indian army personnel. In January 2016, Indian security forces arrested five HUM militants planning assaults on VIPs and security forces. Four of the militants arrested were involved in grenade-throwing incidents in downtown Srinagar and all five were planning an attack on the Srinagar-Baramulla highway on Republic Day.

Strength: HUM has a few hundred armed supporters. After 2000, however, a significant portion of HUM's membership defected to JeM and only a small number of cadres are reported to be active.

Location/Area of Operation: HUM conducts operations primarily in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and Afghanistan. It operates from Muzaffarabad in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as well as several cities in Pakistan.

Funding and External Aid: HUM collects donations from wealthy and grassroots donors in Pakistan.

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