Masood Azhar’s Brother & Kandahar Hijack Mastermind Rauf Azhar Killed In Operation Sindoor

<p>Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist and Kandahar hijack mastermind Rauf Azhar was killed in Indian airstrikes at terror camps in Pakistan.</p>
<p>Rauf Azhar was injured in the attack on terror camps early Wednesday morning. He is the brother of Jaish chief Masood Azhar and was the mastermind of Kandahar IC-814 hijack and many other terrorist attacks in India.</p>
<p>Masood Azhar on Wednesday said his 10 family members and four close associates were killed in India’s missile attack on Jaish-e-Mohammed headquarters in Bahawalpur.</p>
<p>As per a statement attributed to Azhar, he lost his elder sister and her husband, a nephew and his wife, another niece, and five children from his extended family in the attack on Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur.</p>
<p>The attack also claimed the lives of one of Azhar’s close associates and his mother, along with two other close companions.</p>
<p>”This act of brutality has broken all boundaries. There should be no expectation of mercy now,” the statement added.</p>
<p>Bahawalpur became the hub of the JeM after the release of Azhar in exchange for the hijacked passengers of IC-814 in 1999.</p>
<p>The United Nations designated Azhar a “global terrorist” in 2019 after China lifted its hold on a proposal to blacklist the JeM chief. Masood Azhar has not been seen in public since April 2019 and is is believed to be hiding in a “safe place” in Bahawalpur.</p>
<p>The group has been involved in a series of terror attacks in India, including the Parliament attack in 2001, the strike on the Jammu and Kashmir assembly in 2000, the attack on the IAF base in Pathankot in 2016 and the Pulwama suicide bombing in 2019.</p>