Jaish chief Masood Azhar's brother confirms IAF strikes on Balakot terror camp

The Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar's younger brother Maulana Ammar on Saturday confirmed an attack by Indian fighter jets on Jaish e Muhammad Markaz inside Pakistan, according to reports. Maulana Ammar, brother of JeM chief Masood Azhar has also admitted that the madrassa was a training centre for jihadis.

It is learnt that Ammar was speaking at a seminary in Peshawar on Feb 28th and is associated with Afghan and Kashmir Operations of Jaish.

In an audio clip, where Masood Azhar's brother can be heard saying that Indian fighter planes didn't bomb ISI or Pakistan army, but its centre in Balakot. He also criticised Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for releasing Wing Commander Abhinandan. "Indian aircraft did not bomb the safe house of any agency or its headquarters or where agency officials held their meetings, they bombed the centre where students were trained to understand the concept of Jihad," Ammar can be heard saying. There were reports that Ammar and Yousuz Azhar, the JeM chief's brother-in-law, were killed in 26 February Balakot air strike. Azhar runs madrassa Taleem-ul-Quran, which is at the top of mount Jaba, around 100 kilometres from Islamabad, the country's capital. Ammar, who heads the JeM's operations in Afghanistan and Kashmir, was last seen in Peshawar in December 2018, where he vowed to continue attacks against USA and India. Two days after the air strikes, the intelligence agencies have prepared a detailed note on the manner in which the Balakot camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammad functioned. The note makes a mention of the propaganda material being used at the camp and also added that videos of the Babri Masjid demolition and Kandahar hijack were being used. Further the note speaks about an extensive training programme of the Jaish-e-Mohammad, which included both military and religious training.

Earlier in the day, it was reported that Masood Azhar is suspected to be afflicted with renal failure and is under regular dialysis at an army hospital in Rawalpindi in Pakistan, officials said on Saturday. This suggestion of security officials came after Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the JeM chief is "unwell".