Top Pakistani terrorist commander Sheikh Jameel-ur-Rehman found dead under mysterious circumstances

Sheikh Jameel-ur-Rehman, the self-proclaimed secretary-general of the United Jihad Council (UJC) and emir of Tahreek-ul-Mujahdeen (TuM), hailed from Pulwama in Kashmir. He was officially designated as a terrorist by the Home Ministry in October 2022.

Sheikh Jameel-ur-Rehman, one of the most sought-after terrorist commanders based in Pakistan, has reportedly been discovered dead under mysterious circumstances in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to reports on Saturday. Rehman, the self-proclaimed secretary-general of the United Jihad Council (UJC) and emir of Tahreek-ul-Mujahdeen (TuM), hailed from Pulwama in Kashmir. He was officially designated as a terrorist by the Home Ministry in October 2022.

The circumstances surrounding his demise remain unclear. An official stated that Rehman was implicated in numerous terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and maintained close ties with Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI.

In recent months, a number of high-profile terrorists have either been killed or found dead in mysterious circumstances in Pakistan.

Tahreek-ul-Mujahdeen (TuM) was established with the goal of merging Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan and promoting a pan-Islamist identity. The group faced a significant setback in its early years when its founder, Yunus Khan, was killed in an encounter in 1991.

The United Jihad Council (UJC) served as a conglomerate for Pakistan-based jihadist outfits, aiming to unite all terrorist organizations active in Jammu and Kashmir under a single platform. It included groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Al Badr, Hizbul Mujahideen, and others. Sheikh Jameel-ur-Rehman had been coordinating their activities, including training and infiltration.

In 2018, Rehman advised Kashmiri students to only take up arms after receiving proper training to avoid confrontation with security forces, an officer told TOI. "Rehman's original outfit, TuM, was a strong proponent of the Ahl al-Hadith school of thought," he told the publication.

The United Jihad Council (UJC) is in conflict with groups like JK-IS, influenced by the Islamic State, and Ansar Ghajwat-ul-Hind, an offshoot of al-Qaida.

Rehman's Tahreek-ul-Mujahdeen (TuM) predominantly consisted of cadres from Pakistan, supplemented by a few foot soldiers from Jammu and Kashmir. Intelligence sources revealed that TuM received financial support from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, UK, US, and Gulf countries, primarily from organizations adhering to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition.

"Due to international pressure on Pakistan, terrorist groups started refraining from claiming responsibilities for attacks and instead outfits like TuM and lately TRF (The Resistance Front) were encouraged to claim responsibility as part of ISI’s operational strategy," a source was quoted as saying in a TOI report.