Key Points

Initially, the LeT had decided to launch the all-women's outfit DeT with the intention of grooming women suicide bombers. However, the outfit never took off and the plan was shelved.

Now, the LeT has decided to re-activate its women's wing, but the intention is not for them to carry out attacks, but involve them in recruitment drives as well as radicalisation.

Currently the recruitments are on in Pakistan, Intelligence Bureau reports state. The strength of the outfit at the moment is around 25 and the LeT may be planning on adding 25 more in the first phase. The terror group however does not want the cadres of the DeT to indulge in terror attacks.

Their job currently is to scout for women in India and radicalise them. After the radicalisation is completed, attempts would be made to move them to Pakistan briefly where they could be trained.

The LeT is also trying to engage its local modules to scout for women and train them. While some of them may be used to radicalise and recruit, in the long run, those trained women may be used as suicide bombers. The ISI is constantly re-strategising and wants to throw all that is has got to battle against the Indian state.

Following the destruction of terror camps and infrastructure during Operation Sindoor, the ISI has been helping terror groups especially the LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammad regroup.

In addition to the DeT, which is a wing of the LeT, the ISI has also re-activated two other women based terror groups, the Duktharam-e-Millat (DeM) and the Daur-e-Sofa (DeS). The DeM and DeS are both under the direct command of the ISI. Eventually, the ISI would merge these two outfits with the DeT. The DeS has dedicated training camps in Pakistan. The DeM on the other hand only has cadres who indulge in scouting, radicalisation and recruitment.

On being asked as to how effective these women centric terror groups would be, the Indian agencies are taking no chances. These groups would not function like their men counterparts. They would not be aggressive, brash and indulge in gunfights like the terrorists of the LeT or Jaish-e-Mohammad would do.

The strategy by these groups would be to gradually infiltrate into the society and then indulge in large scale radicalisation. The women have been found to be better at brainwashing as they are relatively patient and are willing to spend more time while trying to trap their target. They are like the women spies which many countries use, who have found to be more effective when compared to their male counterparts.

Many terror groups have tried their hand with grooming terror groups which comprise only women. The Indian Mujahideen too had a similar group called the Shaheen Force. However, the Shaheen Force never took off and similar groups under the LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammad are still at a nascent stage, although such ideas have been in the making since 2008.

Most of the women who were recruited and trained never were allowed to launch terror operations. They then were told to indulge in moral policing until the orders came. The men were not happy that their jobs were being handed over to the women and hence there has been resistance.

However, with India acting tough post the Pahalgam attack, the ISI and the terror groups have been forced to change strategy. The all men's terror groups are under the scanner by the Indian agencies and hence are finding it hard to operate. This has led the ISI to re-strategising and attempt to launch the women forces in India.

Despite failed attempts in the past, the Indian agencies are taking no chances against these new groups. One witnessed a very successful women's group operating in Burdwan.

The Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) is the only terror group in the region to have found success in grooming a women's terror group.

The JMB had appointed a lady by the Fatima to head this group. She managed to recruit women who then went on to prepare bombs in Burdwan in 2014. Fatima was in fact the wife of Sajid, the mastermind of the Burdwan module.

- IANS