UN Report Flags Jaish-E-Mohammed Link to Red Fort Attack, Warns of New Women’s Terror Wing

By R Anil Kumar

• JeM, designated by the UN as an Al-Qaida-associated entity, has a long history of terrorist activity focused primarily on India

• JeM was also linked to the assault outside the Red Fort, which killed 15 people

UNITED NATIONS. United Nations links Jaish-e-Mohammed to deadly Red Fort attack in New Delhi in November. JeM leader Masood Azhar announced a women-only wing to support terrorist operations in October. Jaish-e-Mohammed is designated as an Al-Qaida-associated group targeting India.

A United Nations counter-terrorism monitoring team has named Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) as being linked to a deadly attack at Delhi’s historic Red Fort and raised fresh concern over the outfit’s evolving organisational tactics, including the creation of a women-only wing to support terrorist operations.

In its latest report to the UN Security Council, the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team said one Member State had reported that JeM claimed responsibility for a series of attacks and was also linked to the assault on the Red Fort in New Delhi on 9 November, which killed 15 people. The Red Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a symbol of Indian sovereignty, has long been considered a high-value target, making the reported link particularly significant in the regional security context.

The report further noted that on 8 October, JeM leader Masood Azhar formally announced the establishment of a women-only wing named Jamaat ul-Muminat. According to the UN team, the new body was explicitly aimed at supporting terrorist attacks, marking a shift in recruitment and facilitation strategies by the group. Analysts say such moves mirror trends seen among other extremist organisations seeking to broaden their support base, expand logistics networks and evade security scrutiny by involving women in auxiliary and operational roles.

JeM, designated by the UN as an Al-Qaida-associated entity, has a long history of terrorist activity focused primarily on India, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir. Founded in 2000, the group has been blamed for several high-profile attacks, including strikes on security forces and civilian targets. Its leader, Masood Azhar, has been under UN sanctions for years, including travel bans and asset freezes.

However, the Monitoring Team also highlighted divergent assessments among Member States regarding the group’s current status. While some governments continue to flag JeM as active and operationally dangerous, another Member State reported that the organisation was defunct, underscoring persistent gaps in intelligence assessments and enforcement on the ground. Such discrepancies have long complicated international counter-terrorism cooperation in South Asia.

The UN report places the JeM developments within a broader picture of a complex and evolving terrorist threat landscape across Central and South Asia, where multiple extremist groups exploit regional instability, permissive environments and cross-border networks. The Monitoring Team warned that despite sustained counter-terrorism pressure, groups like JeM continue to demonstrate adaptability, whether through new recruitment models or symbolic, high-impact attacks.

Separately, the report noted that three individuals allegedly involved in a separate attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, were killed in July, reflecting ongoing security operations against militant networks in the region.

Taken together, the findings underscore the UN’s concern that even as some terror outfits are weakened or fragmented, their ability to rebrand, reorganise and strike high-profile targets remains a serious threat to regional and international security.