Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), reeling from the heavy damage inflicted during India’s Operation Sindoor in May 2025, has shifted significant parts of its operational network deeper into Pakistan, especially within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This relocation marks a strategic change in the terror outfit’s survival approach as it seeks to insulate its hubs from Indian precision strikes while retaining proximity to infiltration routes into Kashmir through the LoC and Afghan borderlands.

Establishment of Markaz Jihad-e-Aqsa

Satellite imagery and intelligence reports confirm that LeT has begun constructing a new command facility named Markaz Jihad-e-Aqsa in Lower Dir district, just 47 kilometres from the Afghan border. Work started in July 2025, two months after the destruction of the group’s Markaz Ahle Hadith at Bhimber-Barnala by Indian forces. The new base, spread across over 4,600 square feet, is adjacent to the Jamia Ahle Sunnah mosque—offering both a cover of religious legitimacy and a recruitment funnel under the garb of religious education.

New Chain of Command At Lower Dir

The Indian intelligence dossier attributes the leadership of the new base to Nasr Javed, a veteran LeT operative believed to have masterminded the 2006 Hyderabad blasts. Javed is tasked with overseeing the relocation and revival of LeT’s critical Jaan-e-Fidai suicide unit. Supporting him are senior operatives: Muhammad Yasin alias Bilal Bhai, charged with doctrinal indoctrination and jihadist coursework, and Anasullah Khan, who has been allocated responsibility for advanced weapons training. This indicates the camp’s dual role—both ideological and operational.

Strategic Expansion And Networking

LeT is not only rebuilding a central hub but also reinforcing its wider network. Existing camps at Markaz-e-Khyber, Garhi Habibullah, and Batrasi are undergoing expansion, signalling a decentralized spread of infrastructure to deter total decapitation in case of future Indian strikes. Intelligence sources point to modular construction, where small cells are trained at compartmentalized facilities, making surveillance and strikes more challenging.

Clustering With Other Pakistan-Based Groups

Perhaps most significant is the geographic positioning of these new LeT camps. The under-construction facilities at Lower Dir are barely four kilometres away from camps belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). This clustering suggests not only resource-sharing and security cooperation but also the possibility of operational synergy between Pakistan’s three most notorious anti-India outfits. Intelligence analysts assess that the proximity may allow ISI, Pakistan’s intelligence agency, to exercise closer coordination and crisis management among these groups.

Implications For India And The Region

The shift of LeT into the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa belt underscores an adaptive insurgent strategy. By relocating closer to the Afghan frontier, the group seeks backup safe havens and recruitment bases through cross-border flow, while maintaining the ability to channel cadres into Jammu and Kashmir. For India, this means the threat of renewed infiltration backed by fresh recruitment and more resilient logistical chains. Additionally, the presence of senior figures like Nasr Javed indicates that LeT leadership is determined to preserve its operational core despite repeated decimation of bases by Indian strikes.

Based On ET News Report