Times of Ahmad: REUTERS: FACTBOX-Major militant groups in Pakistan

the TTP claimed responsibility for the attacks in Lahore in May that killed between 80 and 95 members of the minority Ahmadi sect. A spokesman said they worked with agents in eastern Punjab, illustrating the group's growing links, influence and reach.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Staff | Int'l Desk
Source & Credit: Thomson Reuters Foundation
Reuters | July 1, 2010

(Reuters) - Three suicide bombers struck a Sufi shrine in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore on Thursday, killing at least 35 people and wounding more than 100, officials said.

It was the second major attack in Lahore, capital of Pakistan's Punjab province, in just over a month.

Militants from outlawed groups in Punjab are developing closer ties with the Taliban in the northwest.

Here are facts about some of the major militant groups in Punjab and in the tribal regions.

LASHKAR-E-JHANGVI

Sunni Muslim Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) is one of the most notorious al Qaeda-linked groups with roots in Punjab. It has also forged strong ties with the Pakistani Taliban groups operating in the tribal areas on the Afghan border.

LeJ emerged as a sectarian group in the 1990s, targeting minority Shi'ite Muslims, but graduated to more audacious attacks, like the truck bombing of Islamabad's Marriott Hotel in 2008 in which 55 people were killed. It is also blamed for an assault on Sri Lanka's cricket team in which seven Pakistanis were killed. Six team members and a British coach were wounded.

LeJ was outlawed in Pakistan in August 2001. Members are also involved in violence in Afghanistan.

It is believed to be behind last year's attack on the army headquarters in Rawalpindi, in which more than 20 people were killed.

SIPAH-E-SAHABA PAKISTAN (SSP)

SSP is a pro-Taliban, anti-Shi'ite militant group based in central Punjab. The group was banned in 2002, but officials say its members were suspected of involvement in attacks in the province, including the burning to death of eight Christians on suspicions of blasphemy last year.

JAISH-E-MOHAMMAD

Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), or Army of the Prophet Mohammad, is a major militant group with links to the Taliban and al Qaeda and based in Punjab. It was banned in Pakistan in 2002 after it was blamed for an attack on the Indian parliament in December 2001.

The group initially focused its fighting on the Indian part of divided Kashmir, but forged links with al Qaeda and the Taliban and is suspected of involvement in high profile attacks, including the murder of U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002.

Faisal Shahzad, the main suspect behind the failed New York bombing in May, reportedly had links with the JeM.

According to reports, Shahzad also visited South Waziristan, highlighting the JeM's links with the Taliban in the northwest.

JeM fighters are also involved in violence in northwest Pakistan and across the border in Afghanistan.

LASHKAR-E-TAIBA

Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) is a Punjab-based group focused on fighting Indian rule in Kashmir. It was founded in 1990 and began operations in Kashmir in 1993.

It was blamed for the coordinated attacks on the Indian financial capital, Mumbai, in November in 2008 that killed 166 people. LeT was also blamed for the late 2001 Indian parliament attack and was banned in Pakistan in 2002.

It has not been blamed for attacks inside Pakistan.

TEHRIK-E-TALIBAN PAKISTAN (TTP)

TTP, or Taliban Movement of Pakistan, is the main Pakistani militant alliance which operates from Pakistan's northwest. It has links with al Qaeda as well as the Punjabi groups and is suspected of being behind most bomb and suicide attacks across Pakistan. Led by Hakimullah Mehsud, a brutal militant commander, Pakistani Taliban insurgents are also fighting the Pakistan army in the northwest. TTP also claimed responsibility for being behind the botched New York bomb plot.

Most recently, the TTP claimed responsibility for the attacks in Lahore in May that killed between 80 and 95 members of the minority Ahmadi sect. A spokesman said they worked with agents in eastern Punjab, illustrating the group's growing links, influence and reach.

AL QAEDA-LINKED MILITANTS

A large number of non-Afghan foreign militants, including Arabs, Chechens, Uzbeks and Chinese, as well as Muslim militants from the West, are also based in Pakistan's northwest, mainly in North Waziristan. (Editing by Chris Allbritton and Myra MacDonald) (E-mail: chris.allbritton@thomsonreuters.com; Reuters Messaging: chris.allbritton.reuters.com@reuters.net; Islamabad newsroom: +92-51 2810 014) (If you have a query or comment about this story, send an e-mail to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com)