UK channel traces jihadist content to Muridke site destroyed in Operation Sindoor

LONDON: Sky News has traced social media accounts expressing support for jihadist terrorist groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and al-Qaida to the exact location of the building in Muridke, Pakistan, which was struck by India last week in retaliation for the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

A Sky News forensics and data team geolocated to Markaz Taiba in Muridke multiple videos on TikTok, YouTube and Google which express support for the LeT and "313", referring to the 313 Brigade, al-Qaida's military wing in Pakistan.

The videos were posted before India blew the complex up last week. The channel confirmed the video locations using satellite imagery in and around the complex.

According to Stanford University's mapping militants project, members of 313 Brigade include Taliban and allied jihadist groups, such as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, LeT and Jaish-e-Muhammed . 313 Brigade has been behind many high-profile attacks and bombings inside Pakistan.

Captions, hashtags and usernames posting these videos express support for either or both the LeT and "313". One video shows a man with a gun and the username states: "Lashkar Taiba - Markaz Taiba Muridke - 313 Bhai Group - Mujahid Force PK".

A TikTok video with the text "313" is captioned "bring your arms and ammunition and go to war".

Muskan Sangwan, senior intelligence analyst at TRAC, a terrorism research consortium, said: "These young men posing with rifles are using 313 label as a badge for jihadist identity," which, she said, would help with recruitment.

One video with the hashtag "313 jihad" shows children practising sword-fighting inside the mosque, with the caption "We are little soldiers, and we fight the non-believers". The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) told Sky News: "It has been known for decades that LeT has its headquarters in Muridke."

Pakistan-based Resistance Front, an LeT proxy, initially claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack. Khawaja Asif, Pakistan's defence minister, said: "This appears to be a random video with background music added later - consistent with how TikTok trends often function. If this is to be considered credible evidence, we could produce millions of similar clips ourselves." Any suggestion that the mosque was used as a base by terrorists was a "completely false social media made up hoax," he added.