Recent investigations into terrorist activities in Kashmir have uncovered disturbing connections between Pakistan’s elite Special Service Group (SSG) and banned terrorist organizations, particularly Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). A key figure, Musa, a former SSG commando, has emerged as a central player in the deadly Pahalgam terror attack and other violent incidents in the region. This definitely not the first time an SSG commando has been directly linked to Pakistan backed terror group. There’s a long list, albeit we have posted a few with proven history.

Musa, once a member of Pakistan’s prestigious SSG, was dismissed from the army before joining LeT, a banned terrorist outfit. According to reports, he infiltrated India in September 2023, operating primarily in Budgam district near Srinagar, Kashmir. His involvement in the Pahalgam attack came to light through the interrogation of one of 14 Kashmiri Over Ground Workers (OGWs) arrested in connection with the incident. Alongside Musa, two Pakistani terrorists, Ali Bhai and two local operatives, Adil Thoker and Asif Shaikh, were directly linked to the attack.

Musa’s SSG background suggests he may have been strategically placed within LeT by the Pakistan Army to bolster the group’s operations in Kashmir. His training and expertise likely enhanced the group’s ability to carry out sophisticated attacks, including the Pahalgam incident and three other attacks in 2024, one of which, in October 2024, claimed the lives of six non-locals, a doctor, two Indian Army personnel, and two Army porters.

Historical SSG-Terrorist Connections

The nexus between Pakistan’s SSG and terrorist groups is not a new phenomenon. Historical cases reveal a pattern of SSG personnel, both serving and retired, engaging with terror organizations. In 2003, Hizb-ul-Tahrir successfully recruited 13 SSG soldiers, unbelievable but true.

Other prominent examples include:

• Ilyas Kashmiri: A former SSG officer who joined LeT before becoming the Amir of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HUJI) in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. Kashmiri was implicated in orchestrating high-profile attacks, including the 2008 assassination of Maj. Gen. Amir Faisal Alvi, a former SSG head.
• Maj. Haroon Ashique: After meeting LeT chief Hafeez Mohammad Sayeed in 2001, Haroon took premature retirement from the Pakistan Army and rose to prominence within LeT. He later led a group of retired army officers supporting Al Qaeda and the Taliban, and was found to be the mastermind behind Alvi’s assassination and the kidnapping of Karachi-based film distributor Satish Anand in 2008.
• Capt. Khurram: Haroon’s younger brother, Khurram, left the SSG in 2003, joined LeT, and later aligned with the Afghan Taliban. He was killed in Afghanistan in 2007.

These cases bring to fore a recurring trend of SSG personnel gravitating toward terrorist organizations, often with devastating consequences.

The 2008 assassination of Maj. Gen. Amir Faisal Alvi in Islamabad brought renewed scrutiny to the SSG’s ties to terrorism. Alvi, who led the SSG until 2005, was sacked by then-President Pervez Musharraf for “unworthy conduct.” Speculation in Pakistan suggested Alvi had discussed the links between Pakistani army officers and Baitullah Mehsud, the head of the Pakistani Taliban, during a visit to the UK. His disclosures reportedly led to his dismissal. Alvi’s assassination, orchestrated by Haroon Ashique under Ilyas Kashmiri’s instructions, further exposed the deep connections between rogue SSG elements and jihadi groups.

The Pahalgam attack and similar incidents demonstrate the terrorist-like psyche of SSG operatives like Musa, whose military training amplifies the destructive potential of terror groups like LeT. The historical precedent of SSG officers joining terrorist ranks, combined with ongoing allegations of Pakistan’s military complicity, raises serious concerns about the country’s commitment to countering terrorism. But the world has turned a blind eye to this… often