Week after Jaish and Hizb, LeT shifts terror camps to Pak's Khaiber Pakhtunkhwa

According to intelligence inputs, the shifting, which happened in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, was done to avoid future Indian strikes.

Intelligence agencies have acquired videos and pictures dated September 22, confirming that LeT is constructing a new terror training and residential centre, Markaz Jihad-e-Aqsa, in the Kumban Maidan area of Lower Dir district in KPK, approximately 47 km from the Afghan border.

The construction of the new facilities began in July 2025, two months after Operation Sindoor, and imagery indicates that the first-floor frame is in place, with work underway to lay an RCC roof as of September 22.

The facility occupies approximately 4,600 square feet of vacant land adjacent to LeT’s recently built Jamia Ahle Sunnah mosque, reflecting LeT’s historical practice of operating training infrastructure under the cover of religious institutions to avoid scrutiny, intelligence sources said.

Command of the new centre has been entrusted to Nasr Javed, co-mastermind of the 2006 Hyderabad blasts in India, who previously ran LeT’s Dulai training camp in PoK from 2004 to 2015 and is currently associated with LeT’s fundraising arm Khidmat-e-Khalq (formerly Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation, banned by the UN).

Muhammad Yasin (alias Bilal Bhai) has been tasked with doctrinal instruction in jihad at the new facility, while overall operational weapon training responsibilities have been assigned to Anas Ullah Khan, who received training at LeT’s Garhi Habibullah camp in 2016, intelligence sources said.

The camp’s placement near LeT’s newly constructed and existing religious seminary Markaz Jamia Ahle Sunnah appears deliberate, providing cover for recruitment, logistical support, and the concealment of terror movement under the guise of religious activity, they added.

According to information, once operational, Markaz Jihad-e-Aqsa is expected to run two primary training programmes, Daura-e-Khas and Daura-e-Lashkar, and serve as the replacement hub for LeT’s Jaan-e-Fidai Fidayeen unit following the destruction of the Markaz Ahle Hadith facility at Bhimber-Barnala by the Indian Army on May 7 under Operation Sindoor, which previously specialised in Fidayeen preparation.

Sources, however, said that despite LeT shifting its facilities deeper into KPK, the Indian armed forces have the capability to hit such distant locations if required, based on any future involvement of such facilities in harming the national interests and security of the country and its citizens.

The relocation and expansion of LeT, JeM, and HM facilities suggest either coordinated or parallel initiatives in the future, likely under the guidance of Pakistan’s ISI Special Operations Directorate, to evade Indian intelligence monitoring.

In addition to Markaz Jihad-e-Aqsa, sources say LeT is planning to expand its existing camps at Markaz-e-Khyber Garhi Habibullah and Batrasi, aiming to restore its recruitment, training, and residential operations after the destruction of its previous facilities in PoK and Punjab, including Gulpur Kotli, Shwai Nala, Bhimber-Barnala, and the Muridke headquarters.

Lower Dir in KPK has historically been a hotspot for anti-India militant activity, hosting groups such as Al Badr.

Apart from Al Badr, historically, Lower Dir has served as a strong operational base for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), sources informed.