Terror groups including LeT, JeM exploiting COVID-19 for recruitment: Report

As COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted ecomic activities impacting employments, several terror groups including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohamm (JeM) are reportedly exploiting crisis to ramp up its recruitment. Western anti-terror observers have indicated towards disturbing signs of heightened terror activities as world remains focussed on fighting pandemic.

Dr Siegfried Wolf, director of research at South Asia Democratic Front, opined that thousands of youth lose ir livelihoods due to pandemic and can become easy prey for terrorist organisations like LeT, JeM, and Hizbul Mujahideen. Speaking to ANI, Dr Wolf said that Jihi groups have a long trition of exploiting crisis situations for ir activities, especially in Afghanistan-Pakistan region.

“Alrey facing an extraordinary challenge, like current COVID-19 pandemic, states and ir societies are in particular vulnerable in all aspects of daily life. Being aware of this, terrorists try to exploit se conditions to produce maximum fear and to furr escalate crisis with ir violent and verbal assaults,” said Dr Wolf.

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Experts have warned against infodemic that is being used by extremist groups for ir nefarious nda. Junaid Qureshi, director of European Foundation for South Asian Studies, said that while it is horrific to learn about terrorists vancing ir nda during turbulent times, it t surprising since terrorist groups have an embedded character of exploitation in ir modus operandi.

"y exist because y exploit; religion, uneducated people, poor people, political instabilities in regions, caste, colour, and in this case, a global pandemic," opined Qureshi.

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Major breakthrough

On April 11, Jammu and Kashmir police exposed conspiracy hatched by JeM in a surprise raid conducted inside Central Jail Kot Balwal. During raid, which lasted for almost four hours, police recovered 3 mobile phones, 2 sim cards, 1 charger, 1 hephone and 1 memory card each from possession of Pakistan terrorists Abdul Rehman Mughal and two of his associates.

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(With ANI Inputs)