Supporters of terror organizations disseminated content on TikTok, YouTube, and Google, originating from sites hit in Indian air raids.
Rewritten Article:
Social Media Exposé: Lashkar-e-Taiba Supporters Post from Pakistani Terror Stronghold
Pakistan-linked accounts have been posting disturbing videos from the Markaz Taiba Mosque in Muridke, believed to be a hub for the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its proxy, The Resistance Front. These accounts on TikTok, YouTube, and Google show men brandishing weapons in the streets and children training as "little soldiers" for battle. Some of these videos have been geolocated to the area around the mosque, with captions featuring support for the LeT and the group '313'.
The '313' moniker appears to reference the 313 Brigade, a proscribed terrorist organization in Pakistan. According to senior intelligence analyst Muskan Sangwan of the terrorism research and analysis consortium TRAC, '313' symbolises the number of companions who fought with the Prophet Mohammed during the Battle of Badr. TRAC has observed a surge in TikTok videos and other social media posts that refer to '313', with many of the accounts seemingly linked.
One particularly concerning TikTok video shows a man walking down a street with a gun, while another video, posted to the Google page for the Markaz Taiba Mosque in Muridke, features children performing martial arts training inside the mosque, captioned: "We are little soldiers, and we fight the non-believers".
Asia correspondent Cordelia Lynch reported on the ground in Muridke and found that local residents in the area have become comfortable promoting this extremist propaganda online, generating potential recruits and gaining support among the local populace. However, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has dismissed these allegations as "completely false, social media made-up hoaxes" and insisted that any suggestion of the mosque being used as a base by terrorists is baseless.
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These developments come in the aftermath of India's retaliatory airstrikes in Pakistani-administered Kashmir in response to a deadly terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that claimed the lives of 26 tourists. LeT was accused by India of orchestrating the attack through their proxy The Resistance Front.
LeT, a UN Security Council-designated terrorist group, is known for its focus on fighting Indian control in Kashmir and is based in the Punjab region of Pakistan. However, Pakistan continues to deny allegations of terror camps operating within its borders.
This article’s data and investigation team is a multidisciplinary group dedicated to delivering transparent journalism. We collect, analyze, and visualize data to produce data-driven stories. By combining traditional reporting techniques with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media, and other open-source intelligence, we aim to provide a better understanding of global events and offer insights into our research process.
- Jihad advocates on social media have been posting troubling videos from the Markaz Taiba Mosque in Muridke, Pakistan, which is suspected to be a stronghold for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and The Resistance Front.
- The LeT supporters on TikTok, YouTube, and Google have been sharing clips of men brandishing weapons in the streets and children training as "little soldiers" for battle, with some videos geolocated near the mosque and featuring captions expressing support for LeT and '313'.
- The '313' moniker seems to be a reference to the 313 Brigade, a proscribed terrorist organization in Pakistan, symbolizing the number of companions who fought alongside Prophet Mohammed during the Battle of Badr, according to intelligence analyst Muskan Sangwan of terrorism research and analysis consortium TRAC.
- A TikTok video shows a man casually strolling on a street with a gun, while another Google-posted video from the Markaz Taiba Mosque in Muridke displays children participating in martial arts training, with the caption praising them as "little soldiers" who fight non-believers.
