The Lashkar al-Zil (

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

: لشکر الضل; the Shadow Army), also known as Jaish al-Usrah, or the Army of the Protective Shield, is a paramilitary organization linked to

al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

and descended from the 055 Brigade. According to Syed Saleem Shahzad, it "comprises the

Pakistani Taliban The Pakistani Taliban, officially the Tehreek-i-Taliban-e-Pakistan (TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani border. Formed in 2007 by Baitullah Mehsud, its current ...

, 313 Brigade, the Afghan

Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

, Hezb-e-Islami Afghanistan and former Iraqi Republican Guards". Lashkar al-Zil has reportedly been led by Khalid Habib al Shami, Abdullah Said al Libi, and

Ilyas Kashmiri Ilyas Kashmiri (10 February 1964– 3 June 2011) was a Pakistani ex-Special Forces Islamist turned militant who fought against Indian troops in Kashmir. NBC News said that United States officials had mentioned him as a possible successor to O ...

. The Lashkar al-Zil has been involved in attacks in Afghanistan's eastern and southern provinces. News reports have linked it to several specific attacks, including the Camp Chapman attack and the Sudhnati suicide bombing.

References

Al-Qaeda activities Terrorism in Afghanistan Military units and formations of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) {{Afghanistan-stub