Al-Badr is the name of an Islamist militant group with several distinct iterations operating in different countries in the South Asian region.  <P><br />Al-Badr first emerged in 1971 and was reportedly formed by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).  The group was accused of participating in the massacre of 10,000 ethnic Bengali intellectuals in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) during the Pakistani Civil War.  After the war ended, al-Badr essentially disappeared for the next two decades. <P><br />A group bearing the same name reappeared in the late 1980s in Afghanistan, operating as part of Hizb-e-Islami, the party of former Afghan Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Hizb-e-Islami was the most radical among the seven parties that made up the anti-Soviet Afghan mujihadeen as well as a key ally of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). In 1989, the ISI helped al-Badr become a new organization under the leadership of Ahsan Dar, the leader of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM).  It is unknown if the Afghan version of al-Badr had any ties to the group's first iteration.  The battle of Badr was a famous victory in the history of early Islam and is often invoked by militants throughout the Islamic world. <P><br />The name al-Badr reemerged for a third time in 1998 as a smaller group under the leadership of a Pakistani Kashmiri known as Lukmaan. The stated goal of this new iteration of al-Badr is the strengthening of the 'Kashmiri freedom struggle' and to liberate Kashmir and merge it with Pakistan.  The current leaders and members are made up of Pakistanis that received training in Afghanistan and Waziristan and have now begun jihad in Kashmir.  The present chief commander of al-Badr is Bakht Zamin (Khan), a staunch militant opposed to any cessation in violence in Kashmir.  Of the approximately three hundred suspec<P>ted members of al-Badr one-third are estimated to be foreign born mercenaries.    <br />One of only two groups in the region to use suicide squads, al-Badr has traditionally utilized explosives and suicide squads to carry out attacks against the Indian military and politicians in both Kashmir and India.  However, in recent years the group has suffered operational setbacks as an increasing number of al-Badr militants have been killed while attempting to cross from Pakistan into Kashmir.  In 2005 alone nine top al-Badr commanders were either captured or killed by Indian security forces. <P><br />Al-Badr is viewed as one the more hard-line terrorist organizations operating in Kashmir and Jammu.  In the past they have killed women for being enrolled in college, posted notices about women's place in Muslim society with threats of violence for disobedience, attacked news sources that they viewed as inappropriate, and most recently threatened to bomb cable outlets for their content.  This stance is also seen in the current sit-in by chief Zamin to protest negotiations to end violence in Kashmir.  The group has stated that Pakistan needs to "concentrate upon strengthening jihad instead of wasting further time seeking a negotiated settlement." <P><br />Al-Badr has found it increasingly difficult to raise funds and many of its training camps have been closed.  However, some Indian intelligence officials believe that Pakistan's ISI is still feeding funds and logistical support to the group.  In addition, Indian intelligence services are currently investigating links between al-Badr and al-Qaeda.  <br />