New Delhi: Four months after the Operation Sindoor brought down Pakistan’s terror infrastructure to its knees, sources and visuals confirm that after Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) -- now Pakistan’s largest state-sponsored and UN-designated terrorist organisation -- Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has begun a deliberate strategic relocation into Pakistan’s restive region Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province.  

As reported by IANS last week about the strategic relocation of JeM and Hizbul to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, now LeT, founded by terrorist and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed, is strategically shifting its large operational and training infrastructure deeper into KPK, moving away from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Punjab, likely to avoid future Indian strikes.

Information, along with photos and videos shared exclusively with IANS, dated September 22, 2025, confirms that LeT is constructing a new terror training and residential centre, 'Markaz Jihad-e-Aqsa', in the Kumban Maidan area of Lower Dir district, just approximately 47 kilometres from the Afghan border.

According to top sources, its construction began in July 2025, just two months after Operation Sindoor, and the graphics and videos shared with this reporter indicate that the first-floor frame is in place, with the rest work underway.

The facility occupies approximately 4,643 square feet of vacant land adjacent to the LeT’s recently built 'Jamia Ahle Sunnah mosque', reflecting LeT’s historical practice of operating training infrastructure under the cover of religious institutions to avoid scrutiny.

Notably, the command of the new centre has been entrusted to Nasr Javed, who is the co-mastermind of the 2006 Hyderabad blast in India, who previously ran LeT’s Dulai training camp in PoK from 2004 to 2015 and is currently operational with the LeT’s fundraising arm Khidmat-e-Khalq (formerly Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation, banned by the UN).

Similarly, Muhammad Yasin (alias Bilal Bhai) has been tasked with doctrinal instruction in jihad, while overall operational weapon training responsibilities have been assigned to Anas ullah Khan, who received training at LeT’s Garhi Habibullah camp in 2016.

The camp’s placement near LeT’s newly constructed and existing religious seminary, Markaz Jamia Ahle Sunnah, appears deliberate, providing cover for recruitment, logistical support, and the concealment of the terror movement under the guise of religious activity.

According to a dossier prepared by the concerned agencies, once operational, 'Markaz Jihad-e-Aqsa' is expected to run two primary training programmes- 'Daura-e-Khas' and 'Daura-e-Lashkar', and will 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 May 7, which previously specialised in Fidayeen preparations.

Due to this targeting by the Indian Army during Operation Sindoor, the camp has now been shifted to Lower Dir to avoid targeting by Indian Forces in future.

However, top sources from the Indian Army have claimed that the security infrastructure has the capability and potential to "hit such distant locations if there is a requirement to do so."

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 in KPK suggest 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 sources, "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."

While LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) are known to coordinate and share training facilities in PoK, in Lower Dir, the distance between the new under-construction camps of LeT and HM is just 4 kilometres, suggesting potential operational coordination or strategic co-location.

This development comes days after the Pakistani Air Force dropped eight LS-6 bombs on the Matre Dara village located in the Tirah Valley in KPK, which led to the death of 30 people, including children and women.

It is ironic that on one side, Pakistan, in the name of neutralising terror in KPK, kills its own citizens, while on the other hand, Pakistan's all-powerful ISI allows the relocation of terror outfits- JeM, HM and LeT into KPK.

Operationally, the LeT’s new training centre is expected to be completed by December 2025.

While still under construction, it is already emerging as a fresh hub for recruitment, radicalisation, and large-unit terrorist training.

Notably, construction of the adjacent Markaz Jamia Ahle Sunnah is only about 80 per cent complete, yet instead of finishing that project, LeT has diverted all its energy, resources, and funds towards building the Jihad-e-Aqsa training centre.

This shift underscores the urgency and priority LeT places on establishing the new facility.

(IANS)