Jaish-e-Mohammed releases audio clip of Masood Azar threatening India
Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed has once again tried to flex its muscle through propaganda, with the outfit releasing an audio message purportedly in the voice of its chief, Maulana Masood Azhar. The audio, which has surfaced on social media platforms, claims that the outfit has “thousands” of suicide bombers ready to carry out attacks. Azhar is a UN-designated terrorist who has long been accused of plotting attacks against India while operating from Pakistan.
The clip surfaced at a time when Pahalgam mastermind and Lashkar-e-Taiba's deputy chief Saifullah Kasuri was captured on video claiming that the Pakistan army invited him to lead funeral prayers of its own soldiers after Operation Sindoor last May. Both clips were posted on Telegram and X by pro-ISI accounts.
In the recording, Azhar is heard saying that more than a thousand suicide bombers are ready and pressing him to allow them to infiltrate India. He suggests that the sheer number of his group's fighters would shock the world if made public.
In his own words, he says, "Ye (suicide bombers) ek nahi, do nahi, 100 nahi, ye 1000 bhi nahi, agar poori taadat bata doon, toh kal duniya ki media par hungama mach jayega..." (These suicide bombers are not one, not two, not 100, not even 1,000. If I tell you the full number, there will be an uproar in the world's media tomorrow...)
He also claimed that these individuals are highly motivated to carry out attacks and achieve what he calls martyrdom for their cause. However, the date and authenticity of the audio recording could not be independently verified.
The messages are being viewed as a desperate propaganda attempt to revitalise a group reeling from devastating losses inflicted by Indian security forces during Operation Sindoor. Kasuri's speech was made from a school, with hundreds of children visible in the audience, while Azhar too seemingly addressed a public gathering, sources said.
Azhar has not appeared publicly since 2019. That year, his hideout in Bahawalpur was hit by a powerful blast by unknown attackers, which he survived. Since then, he has largely been out of public view.
Delhi Police sources have also linked Umar Mohammad, a suspect in a Delhi blast that killed at least 15 people and injured around 20 others, to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed.
