One of Pakistan's Most Wanted Terrorists Found Dead in Abbottabad

Sheikh Jameel-ur-Rehman, a notorious Pakistan-based terrorist commander, was discovered deceased under mysterious circumstances in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, sources reported on Saturday.

Rehman, known as the self-styled secretary general of the United Jihad Council (UJC) and emir of Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TuM), hailed from Pulwama in Kashmir. He had been designated as a terrorist by the home ministry in October 2022.

The circumstances surrounding his demise remain unclear. Officials revealed that Rehman was implicated in numerous terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and was closely linked with Pakistan's intelligence agency, ISI.

In recent times, a string of high-profile terrorists have either been killed or found dead under enigmatic circumstances in Pakistan.

TuM was established with the aim of integrating Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan while advocating for a pan-Islamist identity. The group faced a significant setback in its formative years with the demise of its founder, Yunus Khan, in a 1991 encounter.

UJC served as a conglomerate of Pakistani-based Jihadi outfits, aiming to unite all terrorist factions active in Jammu and Kashmir under a single platform. It included organizations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Al Badr, Hizbul Mujahideen, among others. Rehman had been instrumental in coordinating their activities, including training and infiltration.

In 2018, Rehman had urged Kashmiri students to only take up arms after receiving proper training to avoid being targeted by security forces, according to an officer's recollection. He noted, "Rehman's original outfit, TuM, was a staunch proponent of the Ahl al-Hadith school of thought."

Rehman's TuM primarily consisted of Pakistani-based cadres, supplemented by a few foot soldiers from Jammu and Kashmir. Intelligence sources disclosed that TuM received funding from various sources, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, the UK, the US, and Gulf countries, primarily from organizations adhering to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition.

"Terrorist organizations started to refrain from taking credit for attacks due to pressure from abroad on Pakistan; instead, groups like TuM and, more recently, TRF (The Resistance Front) were encouraged to  claim responsibility as part of ISI's operational strategy," a source revealed.

UJC found itself at odds with factions like JK-IS, inspired by the Islamic State, and Ansar Ghajwat-ul-Hind, an al-Qaeda offshoot. Rehman's demise marks another significant development in the ongoing battle against terrorism in the region.

The circumstances surrounding Rehman's death remain shrouded in mystery, leaving authorities and analysts to speculate on its implications for the complex landscape of terrorism in South Asia.