Database: Identifiers of Designated Islamic Terrorist Organizations

Harkat-ul-Mujahideen

Designated as terrorist by: Australia, Canada, European Union, United Kingdom, United Nations, United States

Base of operations: Pakistan

Background: Mapping Militant Organizations (Stanford)
Background: South Asia Terrorism Portal

Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM; "Movement of the Holy Warriors") is a Pakistan-based militant group founded in 1985 as a faction of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) during the height of the Afghan jihad against the Soviets. With that conflict's end, HuM turned its attention to fighting Indian forces in Jammu and Kashmir, striving to bring the region under Islamic rule. HuM eventually reconciled with HuJI to form Harkat-ul-Ansar, a segment of which soon renamed itself HuM. The organization carried out the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814, winning the release of three top HuM figures. One of them, Ahmed Omar Sheikh, would go on to participate in the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl. HuM has connections to both the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Its longtime leader Fazlur Rehman Khalil signed Osama bin Laden's 1998 declaration of war against the U.S. and later proclaimed, "God has ordered us to build nuclear weapons." After 9/11, HuM began calling itself Jamiat-ul-Ansar to avoid the authorities. By that point, the group had already lost much of its rank and file to an offshoot, Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Harkat-ul-Ansar Flag	Harkat-ul-Mujahideen Flag