Maulana Masood Azhar, the leader of the Pakistan-based terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed, was in Kandahar in the third week of August after the Taliban gained control of Afghanistan to seek their help in fomenting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, according to reports. Masood Azhar met with Taliban leaders, including the chairman of the political committee, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. Masood Azhar wanted Taliban assistance in the Kashmir Valley for JeM operations.

Earlier, Masood Azhar had expressed happiness over the Taliban's "victory" after they captured Kabul on August 15 praising the terror group for enforcing the collapse of "US-backed Afghanistan government". In his write-up titled "Manzil Ki Taraf" (towards the destination) on August 16, the JeM chief applauded the "success of mujahideen" in Afghanistan. A message is also being circulated among JeM functionaries at its markaz (headquarters) at Bahawalpur in Pakistan greeting each other on the victory of the Taliban.

Following the Deobandi school of Sunni Islam, the Taliban and Jaish-e-Mohammed are regarded ideological brothers in interpreting sharia, Islamic law. Since Masood Azhar's release in 1999, Jaish-e-Mohammed has been engaged in carrying out terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. Masood Azhar was released from an Indian prison in return for the safety of passengers on the hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC 814. On its route from Kathmandu to Lucknow, the plane was hijacked.

The flight was then taken to Kandahar in Afghanistan, where the Taliban were in power back then. Soon after the hijacked plane landed in Kandahar, the Taliban formed a circle around the airbus making sure that they remain in control of the situation till terrorists including Masood Azhar were released by the Indian government.

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