‘Little Soldiers’ Backing Pak Terror Groups Posted Videos From Muridke Mosque Hit In Op Sindoor: Report
Supporters of a Pakistan-based terror group posted TikTok videos from the Markaz Taiba Mosque in Muridke, targeted by Indian airstrikes, revealing their online propaganda efforts.
Recent social media activity has revealed that accounts supporting a Pakistan-based terror group linked to al Qaeda have been sharing videos from a mosque targeted by Indian airstrikes. These videos, found on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Google, appear to have been filmed at the Markaz Taiba Mosque in Muridke, Pakistan – a site long suspected by Indian intelligence of being a terrorist training hub for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
According to Sky News, these videos have been geolocated to the Markaz Taiba Mosque, which India claims it targeted during its retaliatory strikes on May 7. The strikes came in response to a April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that left 26 tourists dead near Pahalgam. The Resistance Front, a suspected proxy of LeT, claimed responsibility for the attack, which sparked a swift Indian response.
The videos feature men in the streets carrying guns and children performing martial arts inside the mosque, accompanied by captions like "we are little soldiers, and we fight the non-believers" and hashtags such as #جہاد313, translating to '313 jihad'. The 313 Brigade, a proscribed terror organization in Pakistan, is often referenced in these posts. According to Muskan Sangwan, a senior intelligence analyst at the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC), '313' refers to the number of companions who fought alongside the Prophet Mohammed in the Battle of Badr, a significant event in Islamic history.
Ms. Sangwan told Sky News that Brigade 313 is "an umbrella organisation for members of several groups like Taliban, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Haqqat ul-Jihad-al-Islami, Jaish-e Muhammad, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Jundullah." She noted that this network has been increasingly active online, using hashtags like '313' to amplify their reach and draw in recruits.
One of the videos which got viral in a few days in which a Pakistan minister was seen calling the Madarasa students as their “Second line of Defence.” He made this remark in the parliament and said, “As far as the students of Madaras are concerned, there is no doubt that they are a second defence line. By the grace of Allah, the youth who study there are familiar with the religion. And with that, their time and needs, as they said, can be used 100% for their city defence or other needs.”
In one TikTok post, a man is seen walking along a street with a gun, his account openly declaring support for "Lashkar Taiba, Mujahid Force, '313' and Markaz Taiba Muridke." Another video, captioned "bring your arms and ammunition and go to war", was posted shortly after the Indian strikes.
While the Punjab government in Pakistan has condemned the airstrikes and declared a state of emergency across the province, Pakistan's Ministry of Defence dismissed the videos as "random clips with background music added later". In a statement to Sky News, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif denied the existence of terror camps at the mosque, calling the claims a "completely false, social media made up hoax."
However, multiple verification efforts, including analysis by MEMRI, a US-based research group that monitors extremist activities, have confirmed the presence of LeT elements in the area for decades.
As tensions between India and Pakistan remain high, the internet has become a key battleground for spreading propaganda, recruiting followers, and promoting radical ideas, adding to the region's instability.
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