Terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad was quick to take responsibility for the suicide bomb attack in Jammu& Kashmir on February 14, which killed more than 40 soldiers. The Pakistan-based terror group's attack sent tensions soaring between India and Pakistan. The claim by the militant group caused India to launch a pre-emptive strike against Jaish-e-Mohammad inside Pakistan.

Here's an explanation of the militant organization, its origins and agenda:

THE GROUP's FOUNDATION

Jaish-e-Mohammad was formed in 2000 by Masood Azhar, originally a member of an al-Qaida affiliate. Azhar was arrested by Indian authorities in the late 1990s when he returned to Jammu& Kashmir after reportedly fighting with the al-Qaida affiliate in Somalia. His militant compatriots tried unsuccessfully to free him from jail until they hijacked an Indian Airline aircraft with 176 passengers on board in December 1999. They held the aircraft and its passengers hostage in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar during the rule of the Taliban, which lasted for five years until 2001. On December 31, 1999 India agreed to free Azhar and two other prisoners who would also become members of Jaish-e-Mohammad. They are Omer Saeed Sheikh, a British national who is now on death row in Pakistan for his part in the killing in 2002 of American journalist Daniel Pearl in southern Pakistan, and Mushtaq Ahmed Zarghar who was released in exchange for the hijacked plane but was killed later in Jammu& Kashmir by Indian troops.

THE GROUP'S AGENDA

Jaish-e-Mohammad's activities are focused almost exclusively on Jammu& Kashmir and the group has been linked to Pakistan's powerful intelligence agency, known as InterServices Intelligence, or ISI. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US and the decision of Pakistan's president and military dictator at the time, Pervez Musharraf, to join with the United States in it anti-terrorism war, the ISI outwardly distanced itself from the militant group, although they were accused of providing covert assistance. Jaish-e-Mohammad was declared a terrorist group by the United Nations and outlawed in 2002 but Azhar remained untouched. After 2002, the organization's leadership became unclear and some elements turned against Pakistan, with the group taking credit for two assassination attempts against Musharraf.

ATTACKS BLAMED ON JAISH-E-MOHAMMAD

The militant group was involved in a 2000 suicide bombing at an Indian army camp outside Srinagar, the capital of Jammu& Kashmir and in December 2001 was blamed for an attack on India's Parliament in New Delhi that also resulted in a tense standoff between the neighbouring countries. In 2002, Jaish members were blamed for trying to assassinate Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. Attacks in 2013 and 2014 in Jammu& Kashmir were blamed on members of Jaish-e-Mohammad, including a 2013 attack on an Indian military base. Members of the organisation have also been implicated in assassinations and attempted assassinations of Kashmiri leaders.