Name of Organization

313 Brigade Pakistan

Formation

While no clear information regarding formation of the organization is given, it is believed to be formed in 2008. [1]

 

Leadership

Ilyas Kashmiri, Shah Sahib

Ilyas Kashmiri was a former SSG commando of Pakistan army. He was deputed by the Pakistan army to train the Afghan Mujahideen fighting against the Russian army in mid 1980s. He was an expert of mines supplied to Afghan Mujahideen by the US. He lost one eye during the Jihad against Russian invaders. After the withdrawal of the Russian army from Afghanistan Ilyas Kashmiri was asked by the Pakistani establishment to work with Kashmiri militants, he joined the Kashmir chapter of Harkat ul Jihad Islami in 1991. Ilyas Kashmiri after a few years developed differences with the head of Harkat ul Jihad Islami and later on created his own organization 313 Brigade.[2]  Ilyas Kashmiri was killed in a drone strike in July 2011.[3]  After Ilyas Kashmiri’s death Shah Sahib became the new leader of the Brigade. [4] No information regarding Shah Sahib is available

 

School of Thought

There have been no official pronouncements on what school of thought the group follows.

 

Structure of the organization

No information is available.

 

Financial Sources

The organization has links with Al Qaeda, so it is assumed they receive funding from them.[5]

 

Status

Proscribed on 15 March 2013[6]

Recruitment Tools and Demographics

Significant Information regarding the recruitment tools is unavailable;

 

Ideology

313 Brigade’s ideology is aligned towards Al Qaeda and has carried out attacks at Pakistani state assets.[7]

 

Linkages

313 Brigade Pakistan has links with Al Qaeda[8]

 

Areas of Operation

313 Brigade is a militant group operating in Pakistan.[9]

Tools

Print Media

 Not Available

 Publications

 Not Available

 Audio/Video:

 Not Available

 Social Media:

 Not active on Social Media

Name Variations

None


 

Who they are

313 Brigade is a terrorist organization which has links with Al Qaeda and operates in Pakistan. The members of the organization also include groups like Lashkar e Jhangvi, Harkat ul Jihad Islami. The group is believed to be involved in assassination attempts on General Musharraf and Yusuf Raza Gillani. It is also involved in attacks on military buildings and Pakistani state assets.[1]

History

313 Brigade was founded by Ilyas Kashmiri after he developed differences with Harkat ul Jihad Islami chief Qari Saifullah Akhtar.[2]Ilyas Kashmiri trained the Afghan Mujahideen in the Soviet war in Afghanistan.[3] The organization is linked to Al Qaeda and has been involved in an assassination attempt on General Musharraf and also with attacks on military headquarters in Rawalpindi and Karachi naval base. Ilyas Kashmiri was killed in a drone strike in 2011 in Waziristan. [4] The group is now headed by Shah Sahib.[5] No information regarding Shah Sahib is available.

Organization’s Message

Information regarding the organization’s message is not available

 

Target Audience

Information regarding target audience is not available

 

Tools

N/A

Splinter Groups

No information is available         

Annexure

 

Harkat ul Jihad Islami

Harkat ul Jihad Islami was formed by the Jamaat ul Ulema Islami and Tablighi Jamaat in the 1980s to fight against the Soviet forces in Afghanistan. Qari Saifullah Akhtar is the founder of Harkat ul Jihad Islami.[6]

Al Qaeda

Al Qaeda is an international terrorist network founded by Osama Bin Laden in 1988. Al Qaeda helped in recruiting, financing and training thousands of fighters from different parts of the world to be part of an Afghan resistance to defeat the Soviet Union. Al Qaeda’s goal is to establish Islamic Caliphate throughout the world by working with Islamic extremist groups to overthrow regimes they consider to be non Islamic. Al Qaeda’s activities include bombing, assassination, hijacking, kidnapping and suicide attacks. Al Qaeda is responsible for the attacks on the US embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 1998 and also the hijacking attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.[7]    

 

Lashkar e Jhangvi

Lashkar e Jhangvi was formed in 1996 by a group of extremists of Sipah e Sahaba Pakistan Akram Lahori and Riaz Basra. LEJ is a Sunni militant organization which aims to transform Pakistan into a Sunni state mainly through violence. [8]

Qari Saifullah Akhtar

Qari Saifullah Akhtar is a militant leader and the founder of Harkat ul Jihad Islami.[9]Qari Saifullah was arrested in Lahore in 2008 for his alleged involvement in the attempted assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Karachi in 2007. He was later released because of lack of evidence. Qari Saifullah was again arrested for suspicions of being involved in the Marriot bombing in September 2008 but again was released due to lack of evidence.[10]


 

[1] 313 Brigade. Mapping Militant Organizations. Retrieved on 30th June. Retrieved from  http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/453?highlight=taliban

[2] Mir, Hamid 20th September 2009. How an ex army commando became a terrorist. The News International. Retrieved on 30th June 2015. Retrieved  from http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=24626&Cat=13&dt=9/20/2009

[3] Ibid

[4] Dawn. (2011).Drone strike kills Ilyas Kashmiri. Retrieved on June 30th 2015. Retrieved from  http://www.dawn.com/news/634299/ilyas-kashmiri-killed-in-us-drone-strike

[5] Ameer, Hamza. August 31s t   2011. New leader plans on attack in Pakistan. Asia Times. Retrieved on 30th June 2015. Retrieved from http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/MH31Df01.html

[6] Harkat ul Jihad Islami. Mapping Militant Organizations. Retrieved on 30th June 2015. Retrieved from http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/217 

[7] Al Qaeda. Retrieved on June 26th 2015. Retrieved from http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/al-qaida.htm

[8] Lashkar e Jhangvi. South Asia Terrorism Portal. Retrieved on 30th June 2015.Retrieved from http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/terroristoutfits/lej.htm

[9] Harkat ul Jihad Islami. Mapping Militant Organizations. Retrieved on 30th June 2015. Retrieved from http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/217  

[10] Qari Saifullah Akhtar. Global Jihad. Retrieved on June 30th 2015. Retrieved from http://www.globaljihad.net/?p=3393


[1] 313 Brigade. Mapping Militant Organizations. Retrieved on 30th June. Retrieved from  http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/453?highlight=taliban 

[2] Mir, Hamid 20th September 2009. How an ex army commando became a terrorist. The News International. Retrieved on 30th June 2015. Retrieved  from http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=24626&Cat=13&dt=9/20/2009

[3] Dawn. (2011).Drone strike kills Ilyas Kashmiri. Retrieved on June 30th 2015. Retrieved from  http://www.dawn.com/news/634299/ilyas-kashmiri-killed-in-us-drone-strike

[4] Ameer, Hamza. August 31s t   2011. New leader plans on attack in Pakistan. Asia Times. Retrieved on 30th June 2015. Retrieved from http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/MH31Df01.html

[5] Ibid

[6] List of Terrorist Organizations. Government of Pakistan National Crisis Management Cell, Ministry of Interior. Retrieved on 30th June 2015.Retrieved from http://nacta.gov.pk/Download_s/__bannedOrgs.pdf

[7] 313 Brigade. Mapping Militant Organizations. Retrieved on 30th June. Retrieved from  http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/453?highlight=taliban

[8] Ibid

[9] Ibid