Khudamul Furqan, headed by Maulana Abdul Jabbar, has merged with Maulana Fazalur Rehman Khalil's Jamiatul Ansar, which was earlier known as Harkatul Mujahideen.

The merger of the two groups -- both from Deobandi school of thought - took place in February. Common friends had been trying to resolve differences between the two militant commanders over the last three months.

Jabbar would be offered a key position in Jamiatul Ansar, currently headed by Maulana Badar Munir, Daily Times reported.

Jabbar was arrested some three years ago for his alleged involvement in an unsuccessful attempt on President Pervez Musharraf's life in Rawalpindi, but he was released in October 2006. His outfit, Khudamul Furqan, is also suspected of involvement in terrorist attacks on churches.

Jabbar got involved in militant activities in the early 1980s after joining Harkat-ul Ansar and stayed in Afghanistan till Taliban supremo Mulla Omar's ouster.

He later joined the militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad, founded by Maulana Masood Azhar, but formed Khudamul Furqan following differences with Azhar. Jabbar later alleged that the top leadership of Jaish-e-Mohammad had been facilitating law-enforcement agencies for his arrest, the newspaper reported.