islamabad, Sept 26
Afew days after intelligence reports indicated that terror groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) relocated their bases from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) to Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) to avoid potential Indian strikes, a new report suggests that the UN-designated terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has reportedly followed suit.
The information, along with photos and videos dated 22 September, confirmed that the LeT is constructing a new terror training and residential center, Markaz Jihad-e-Aqsa, in the Kumban Maidan area of Lower Dir district, just approximately 47 kilometers from the Afghan border.
Sources, familiar with the development, report that the construction of the facility began in July 2025, roughly two months after Operation Sindoor.
Satellite imagery as of 22 September 2025 shows that the first-floor frame is complete, with work progressing on laying an RCC roof.
The center spans approximately 4,643 square feet of vacant land located adjacent to the LeT recently established Jamia Ahle Sunnah Mosque, consistent with the group’s longstanding strategy of operating training sites under the cover of religious institutions to evade detection.
Leadership of the new center has reportedly been assigned to Nasr Javed, co-architect of the 2006 Hyderabad blast in India, who previously managed LeT’s Dulai training camp in PoK between 2004 and 2015. He is currently associated with LeT’s fundraising wing, Khidmat-e-Khalq (formerly the UN-banned Falah-e- Insaniyat Foundation).
Doctrinal instruction in jihad is said to be under Muhammad Yasin, also known as Bilal Bhai, while operational weapons training responsibilities have been given to Anas Ullah Khan, a former trainee of LeT’s Garhi Habibullah camp in 2016.
The location of the camp, near both newly-constructed and existing LeT religious seminaries such as Markaz Jamia Ahle Sunnah, appears intentional, offering cover for recruitment, logistics, and clandestine terror operations disguised as religious activity.
Visual shows steady flow of materials and labour, consistent with a deliberate plan to reconstitute 6 LeT’s training capacity away from the Jammu & Kashmir border.
As per information, once operational, Markaz Jihad-e-Aqsa is expected to run two primary training programs, Daura-e-Khas and Daura-e-Lashkar, and serve as the replacement hub for LeT’ s Jaan-e-Fidai Fidayeen unit following the destruction of the Markaz Ahle Hadith facility at Bhimber-Barnala by the Indian Army on 7 May, which previously specialized in Fidayeen preparation.
Recent imagery and visuals, as reported last week, indicate concurrent establishment of HM camp HM-313 in Bandaai Maidan of Lower Dir and JeM extension of Markaz e Shaudha in Mansehra, highlighting a broader trend of terror infrastructure development in the region.
The relocation and expansion of LeT, JeM, and HM facilities suggest in KPK either coordinated or parallel initiatives likely under the guidance of Pakistan’s ISI Special Operations Directorate, to evade Indian intelligence monitoring.
In addition to Markaz Jihad-e-Aqsa, as per Source LeT is planning to expand existing camps at Markaz e Khyber Garhi Habibullah and Batrasi aiming to restore its recruitment, training, and residential operations after the destruction of its previous facilities in PoK and Punjab, including Gulpur Kotli, Shwai Nala, Bhimber-Barnala, and the Muridke headquarters.
