New Delhi – A United Nations Security Council report released this week links Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) to a suspected suicide car bombing near the Red Fort in New Delhi on November 9, 2025, which killed 15 people. The report, made public on February 11, 2026, details how the attack occurred less than a month after JeM chief Masood Azhar announced the creation of a women-only wing, Jamaat ul-Muminat, aimed at supporting terrorist operations.
The biannual report by the Security Council’s monitoring team for sanctions on al-Qaeda and Islamic State stated JeM “was reported to be linked to an attack on the Red Fort in New Delhi” according to the Hindustan Times. The announcement of Jamaat ul-Muminat on October 8, 2025, signaled a potential shift in JeM’s operational strategy, expanding its recruitment and operational capabilities.
Masood Azhar, the founder and current leader of JeM, is a UN-designated terrorist. According to his Wikipedia entry, Azhar was born in Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan, either on July 10 or August 7, 1968. He initially gained prominence through his involvement with Harkat-ul-Ansar, participating in the Soviet-Afghan War before establishing JeM. His organization, a Pakistan-based Islamic Deobandi jihadist group, has been implicated in numerous attacks, and Azhar himself was described by the BBC as “the man who brought jihad to Britain.”
The UN report also noted that one member state reported JeM had “claimed responsibility for a series of attacks,” while another member state assessed the group as “defunct.” This assessment, reportedly from Pakistan, contradicts broader international concerns about JeM’s continued activity and its ability to orchestrate attacks, despite being banned under domestic anti-terror laws. The conflicting assessments highlight ongoing disagreements regarding the true extent of Pakistan’s efforts to dismantle terrorist groups operating within its borders.
The report’s findings reach amidst a broader regional security context. It also detailed a July 28, 2025, incident where “three individuals allegedly involved in the attack perpetrated in Pahalgam, in Jammu and Kashmir, were killed.” This followed a terror attack in Pahalgam last April, carried out by LeT proxy The Resistance Front (TRF), which resulted in 26 civilian deaths and prompted retaliatory action by India against terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan in May.
Beyond JeM, the report highlighted the continued presence and activity of other terrorist groups in the region. The Taliban regime in Afghanistan was cited as providing a “permissive environment” for groups like Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), leading to increased attacks in Pakistan and strained regional relations. Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIL-K), despite facing counter-terrorism pressure, retains a “potent capability” and intent to conduct external operations. Al-Qaeda, the report noted, continues to operate within Afghanistan with the support of the Taliban, acting as a “service provider and multiplier” for other terrorist groups.
The UN monitoring team also flagged a “discernible increase in the effective use of new technology” by terrorist groups, including the exploitation of commercial satellite communication systems and the growing use of artificial intelligence for propaganda and recruitment. While not representing a “step change in capability,” the report cautioned that these technological advancements pose an increasing challenge to international counter-terrorism efforts.
The Security Council’s report does not indicate any immediate action planned in response to its findings, leaving regional governments to assess the implications of JeM’s continued activity and the evolving technological capabilities of terrorist organizations.