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Lashkar-e-Toiba or Lashkar-i-Taiba (the Army of the Pure) (formed 1990) is a terrorist [1] Islamist group based in Muzaffarabad (Kashmir) [2] and active in carrying out attacks on Indian armed forces and civilians in Kashmir. It is considered the armed wing of Pakistan based Markaz Dawa-Wal-Irshad (the Centre for Religious Learning and Propagation), an organisation with Islamist views of the Wahabi sect of Islam. US Secretary of State Colin Powell in a notification on December 26, 2001 designated the outfit as a foreign terrorist organisation.

Lashkar's professed ideology goes beyond merely challenging Indian rule in Jammu and Kashmir. In a pamphlet entitled "Why Are We Waging Jihad?" the group defined its agenda as the restoration of Islamic rule over all parts of India. It seems that in their view, the restoration of Secularism in India after the collapse of the Islamic rule of the Islamic Mughal Emperor of Aurangzeb was a historic wrong they seek to set right. Lashkar-e-Toiba is believed responsible for the series of massacres on August 1-2,2000, in which more than 100 people, most of who were unarmed civilians, were killed.

Lashkar-e-Toiba has an estimated strength of 300 combatants and is believed to be headed by Mohammed Latif. It operates in the Srinagar valley and the districts of Poonch, Rajauri and Doda. It is active in other parts of India, especially New Delhi, and northen states. It is believed to run training camps at Kotli, Sialkot and Samani in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (Azad Kashmir).

Lashkar-e-Toiba has accomplished some suicide bombing against Indian military and civilian targets. The first suicide attacks was targeted at a residential complex of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) in Bandipore near Srinagar. The most spectacular of these missions was the attack on the headquarters of the Special Operations Group (SOG) on December 27, 1999. By 2002 an estimated 250 Indian troops have been killed in these attacks.

India accuses Lashkar-e-Toiba of practising ethnic cleansing directed against Hindu residents of Kashmir, particularly in the Jammu Valley. There is independent evidence to support this allegation. On March 20, 2000, for example, Lashkar-e-Toiba killed 35 Hindu civilians at Chattisinghpora, and there have been other similar incidents.

Pakistan denies responsibility for Lashkar-e-Toiba's activities, but India alleges evidence relating to its non-military wing's fund raising activities in Pakistan indicates otherwise. Recent peace efforts by the Musharaf administration have led to a crackdown of operations by the group, reduced operations and a change in name to Tehrik-e-Furqan.

It has been accused by India of involvement in the December 13, 2001 attack on the Parliament of India in New Delhi.

On January 16 2004, Randall Todd Royer, age 30, of Falls Church, Virginia, pleaded guilty to federal weapons and explosives charges in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia. Royer is one of 11 men originally charged in the case. Another is Ibrahim Ahmed al-Hamdi, age 26, of Alexandria, Virginia. Both were said to be members of Lashkar-e-Toiba and were part of a group of men who played paintball in the Virginia countryside to prepare for training that could have targeted the United States, according to government prosecutors.

In 2005, Lashkar-e-Toiba was "banned" by the United Nations "for its links with Al Qaida".

External links

Institute for Conflict Management's page on Lashkar-e-Toiba
South Asia Terrorism Portal's page on Lashkar-e-Toiba
Lashkar-e-Toiba dictionary definition from Webster's Online Dictionary
Profile of Laskar-e-Toiba on BBC
Center for Defense Information article
Banning Lashkar-e-Toiba raises more questions than it answers
BBC Profile: Lashkar-e-Toiba
[3] US Navy Terror Group Profiles

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 '''Lashkar-e-Toiba''' or '''Lashkar-i-Taiba''' (the Army of the Pure) (formed [[1990]]) is a terrorist [http://library.nps.navy.mil/home/tgp/lt.htm] [[Islamist]] group based in [[Muzaffarabad]] ([[Kashmir]])  [http://library.nps.navy.mil/home/tgp/lt.htm] and active in carrying out attacks on [[India|Indian]] armed forces and civilians in Kashmir. It is considered the armed wing of Pakistan based [[Markaz Dawa-Wal-Irshad]] (the Centre for Religious Learning and Propagation), an organisation with [[Islamist]] views of the [[Wahabi]] sect of [[Islam]]. [[US]] [[Secretary of State]] [[Colin Powell]] in a notification on [[December 26]], [[2001]] designated the outfit as a foreign terrorist organisation.
-Lashkar-e-Toiba is believed responsible for the series of massacres on [[August 1]]-[[August 2|2]],[[ 2000]], in which more than 100 people, most of who were unarmed civilians, were killed.
+Lashkar's professed ideology goes beyond merely challenging Indian rule in [[Jammu and Kashmir]]. In a pamphlet entitled "Why Are We Waging Jihad?" the group defined its agenda as the restoration of Islamic rule over all parts of India. It seems that in their view, the restoration of [[Secularism]] in India after the collapse of the Islamic rule of the Islamic [[Mughal Emperor]] of [[Aurangzeb]] was a historic wrong they seek to set right. Lashkar-e-Toiba is believed responsible for the series of massacres on [[August 1]]-[[August 2|2]],[[ 2000]], in which more than 100 people, most of who were unarmed civilians, were killed.
 Lashkar-e-Toiba has an estimated strength of 300 combatants and is believed to be headed by [[Mohammed Latif]]. It operates in the [[Srinagar]] valley and the districts of Poonch, Rajauri and Doda. It is active in other parts of India, especially [[New Delhi]], and northen states. It is believed to run training camps at Kotli, Sialkot and Samani in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir ([[Azad Kashmir]]).