Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami

HuJI or HJI was formed in 1984, during the Soviet–Afghan War, by Fazlur Rehman Khalil and Qari Saifullah Akhtar. Khalil later broke away to form his own group, Harkat-ul-Ansar (HuA), which became the most feared militant organisation in Kashmir.[5] This group would later re-form as Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), when HuA was banned by the United States in 1997.[6]

HuJI first limited its operations in Afghanistan to defeat the Communists, but after the Soviets retreated, the organisation exported jihad to the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. HuJI's influence expanded into Bangladesh when the Bangladesh unit was established in 1992, with direct assistance from Osama bin Laden.[7]

HuJI, along with other jihadists groups such as HuM, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), had similar motivations and goals. HuJI and HuM were both strongly backed by the Taliban, and therefore the group professed Taliban-style fundamentalist Islam.[8]

In the 1990s, the training for these recruits was given in the hilly areas of Chittagong and Cox's Bazar.[7][9] Later on, members of the group made an attempt on the life of Shamsur Rahman, the liberal poet in January 1999.[10] HuJi claimed responsibility for the 2001 Ramna Batamul bombings, which killed 10 people. A member of the suicide squad of HuJi also died. Committed to establishing an Islamic rule,[11] HuJI was the prime suspect in a scheme to assassinate the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina in the year 2000.[12] In October 2005, it was officially banned by the government of Bangladesh.[13] The group has been condemned by Islamist groups such as the Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh.[14][15]

Government of India has declared and banned it as a terrorist organisation.[16] In April 2006, the state police Special Task Force in India uncovered a plot by six HuJI terrorists, including the mastermind behind the 2006 Varanasi bombings, involving the destruction of two Hindu temples in the Indian city of Varanasi. Maps of their plans were recovered during their arrest. Huji has claimed responsibility for blasts at the Delhi High Court which claimed the lives of 10 and injured around 60.[17] Vikar Ahmed, a member of an Islamist group, and connected to HuJI, has been accused of murdering police officers in Hyderabad. He is also a suspect in the Mecca Masjid bombing.[18]

Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami has claimed responsibility for the 2011 Delhi bombing. However, this has not been confirmed by the National Investigation Agency.[19][20]

14 people were killed and 94 people were injured in the bomb blast. Police have released two sketches of the suspects.[21] Here is the Embedded video link for this latest attack. This link has English news video clip.[22] This is in Hindi Language.[23] Also as clear in the video links, they have also made threats to target other Indian cities.

Countries and organisations below have officially listed Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HUJI) as a terrorist organisation.

On 6 August 2010, the United Nations designated Harakat-ul Jihad al-Islami as a foreign terror group and blacklisted its commander Ilyas Kashmiri. State Department counterterrorism coordinator Daniel Benjamin asserted that the actions taken demonstrated the global community's resolve to counter the group's threat. "The linkages between HUJI and Al-Qaeda are clear, and today's designations convey the operational relationship between these organizations," Benjamin said.[30][31]

• Profile of HuJI-Bangladesh (HuJI-B)
• HuJI Profile on FAS.org