In a major crackdown on cross-border terrorism, the Union Government on Saturday designated 23 individuals as terrorists under anti-terror laws. Among those named is an operative involved in conducting reconnaissance on the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and the RSS headquarters in Nagpur.

The operative has been identified as Mohammad Musadik, a close relative of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed. While official sources confirmed Musadik's involvement in the recce of these high-profile targets, details regarding the exact timeline and whether he executed the surveillance himself or orchestrated it through local modules remain undisclosed.

Links to Banned Terror Outfits

According to the government, all 23 individuals on the updated list are associated with banned Pakistan-backed terrorist organizations, including:

• Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)

• Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)

• The Resistance Front (TRF)

• Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD)

These individuals have been actively involved in recruiting youth for terror cells, facilitating illegal infiltrations into India, plotting high-value attacks, terror funding, and smuggling arms and ammunition across the border.

Demographic Breakdown of the Terrorists

Of the 23 newly designated terrorists:

• 6 are natives of Jammu and Kashmir.

• 17 are Pakistani nationals (with 7 operating from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and 10 based in mainland Pakistan).

With the inclusion of these 23 names, the total number of individuals officially designated as terrorists by the Government of India has risen to 80.

Connections to Major Terror Attacks

Official sources revealed that several newly listed Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists were key conspirators behind major strikes in Jammu & Kashmir, specifically the 2016 Nagrota Army Camp attack and the 2022 Sunjwan attack.

The Nagrota Attack (2016): On November 29, 2016, three heavily armed terrorists disguised in military uniforms stormed an army camp in Nagrota, Jammu. Seven Indian Army personnel lost their lives before all three terrorists were neutralized. Investigative agencies later traced the handlers back to JeM.

The Sunjwan Attack (2022): On April 22, 2022, terrorists ambushed a bus carrying CISF personnel in the Sunjwan area of Jammu. A CISF ASI was martyred, and several others were injured. While TRF initially claimed responsibility, subsequent investigations exposed a deeper cross-border network operating from Pakistan.