Operation Sindoor: Who is Masood Azhar, whose 10 family members were killed in Indian airstrikes

In the early hours of May 7, the Indian Armed Forces launched 'Operation Sindoor', striking nine terror hubs across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir post death of 26 innocent civilians in the Pahalgam terror attack. Among the most significant hits was the Subhan Allah complex in Bahawalpur, a key base of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Jaish chief Masood Azhar later confirmed the death of 14 people, including 10 family members and 4 close associates according to BBC Urdu.

The Markaz Subhan Allah campus, spread over 18 acres, served as JeM’s main recruitment and indoctrination centre. Let's understand who really is Masood Azhar.

Maulana Masood Azhar, a globally designated terrorist is also the founder of the Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Masood, born in Pakistan's Bahawalpur, in 1968, rose to prominence in the early 1990s as a leader in Harkat-ul-Ansar, later transitioning to JeM, which he later founded in 2000.

Azhar is connected to several deadly terror attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot Airbase attack and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing. JeM became one of the most lethal anti-Indian terrorist groups operating out of Pakistan after these attacks.

Azhar was released from Indian custody in 1999 in return for hostages on Indian Airlines Flight IC-814, which was taken over and transported to Kandahar by terrorists from Pakistan. Azhar started JeM after being freed.

Azhar was added to the Al-Qaeda Sanctions List as a global terrorist by the UN Security Council on May 1, 2019. This was because of his involvement in financing, organising, and carrying out acts of terrorism. The US, UK, EU, and India have also imposed sanctions on him.

Masood Azhar remains to be one of South Asia’s most dangerous terror masterminds, responsible for the death of hundreds of civilian and military personnels, as he remains hidden in plain sight on Pakistani soil.

In the early hours of May 7, the Indian Armed Forces launched 'Operation Sindoor', striking nine terror hubs across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir post death of 26 innocent civilians in the Pahalgam terror attack. Among the most significant hits was the Subhan Allah complex in Bahawalpur, a key base of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Jaish chief Masood Azhar later confirmed the death of 14 people, including 10 family members and 4 close associates according to BBC Urdu.

The Markaz Subhan Allah campus, spread over 18 acres, served as JeM’s main recruitment and indoctrination centre. Let's understand who really is Masood Azhar.

Maulana Masood Azhar, a globally designated terrorist is also the founder of the Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Masood, born in Pakistan's Bahawalpur, in 1968, rose to prominence in the early 1990s as a leader in Harkat-ul-Ansar, later transitioning to JeM, which he later founded in 2000.

Azhar is connected to several deadly terror attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot Airbase attack and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing. JeM became one of the most lethal anti-Indian terrorist groups operating out of Pakistan after these attacks.

Azhar was released from Indian custody in 1999 in return for hostages on Indian Airlines Flight IC-814, which was taken over and transported to Kandahar by terrorists from Pakistan. Azhar started JeM after being freed.

Azhar was added to the Al-Qaeda Sanctions List as a global terrorist by the UN Security Council on May 1, 2019. This was because of his involvement in financing, organising, and carrying out acts of terrorism. The US, UK, EU, and India have also imposed sanctions on him.

Masood Azhar remains to be one of South Asia’s most dangerous terror masterminds, responsible for the death of hundreds of civilian and military personnels, as he remains hidden in plain sight on Pakistani soil.