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Muslim United Army

Formation

Although the exact formation date of the Muslim United Army (MuA) is not known, it came into prominence on October 16, 2002, in connection with a series of parcel-bomb attacks in Karachi that left nine persons injured, including eight police personnel. These letters were sent to the offices of the provincial Home Secretary and some front ranking police officials connected with the operations against sectarian and terrorists groups in Pakistan. Reports of June 2003 quoting Pakistani security agencies have indicated the MuA is an alliance of a number of terrorist outfits, including the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen al Aalmi and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.

Ideology and Objectives

In an email message sent on October 16, 2002, Asif Ramzi, the then self-styled supreme commander of his own faction of the proscribed Sunni group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), wrote: "…all the rightwing organisations, including the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, have formed the Muslim United Army to organise the groups against the United States. We are going to launch a war against…anti-Islam forces, police and other non-Muslims on [sic] the platform of the MUA." The message also reportedly made an appeal to Muslims living in the United States to leave that country since "the Mujahideen have completed preparations to strike the United States again in which more than 3.5 million people could be killed".

Another MuA letter refers to Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist Sheikh Omar (convicted in the Daniel Pearl murder case), Mohammad Imran, chief of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen al Aalmi, his deputy Hanif, Akram Lahori, supreme commander of his own faction of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, as the "greatest leaders of the Ummah".

Leadership

Asif Ramzi, self-styled supreme commander of his own faction of LeJ, is reported to have been one of the key leaders of the MuA till his death on December 19, 2002, along with three accomplices in a bomb blast at a warehouse in Karachi’s Korangi area.

A hitherto unknown Sheikh Ahmed currently leads the MuA, according to Pakistani reports of June 2003.

The Harkat-ul-Mujahideen al Aalmi, a splinter group of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) is reportedly part of the Muslim United Army.

Incidents

2003

June 14: Police in Karachi arrest five MuA terrorists allegedly involved in planning strikes on US and other foreign establishments in the city.

May 15: Five persons are injured during serial bomb blasts at 21 British and US gas stations in Karachi. A day after the blasts, the MuA claimed responsibility for the explosions and reportedly warned that major attacks could follow if the government did not stop ongoing operations against the Mujahideen. The group described the explosions at the Shell Company’s stations as a "small glimpse" of its capability.

2002

October 16: Three-parcel bomb explosions cause injuries to eight police personnel and a civilian in Karachi.

 

 

 

 

 

 
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