09-08-2006, 10:32 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->http://www.stratfor.com/products/premium/r...e.php?id=274699
<b>Bombings in India </b>
September 08, 2006 11 00 GMT
Summary
Twenty-five people were killed and at least 100 wounded Sept. 8 when four bombs exploded in the Indian town of Malegaon, about 150 miles northeast of Mumbai in Maharashtra state. The attacks were likely staged by militant Hindu groups seeking retaliation for the July 11 Mumbai bombings.
Analysis
Four bombs exploded Sept. 8 in the town of Malegaon, about 150 miles northeast of Mumbai in India's Maharashtra state, killing 25 people and injuring at least 100. Two bombs went off outside of Bajju Khana eatery, one exploded in the Musharia market and the fourth targeted a Muslim mosque, Maani Masjid. The blasts occurred after Friday prayers on local Islamic holiday Shab-e-barat. Malegaon is roughly 75 percent Muslim.
The attacks were likely staged by militant Hindu groups seeking retaliation for the July 11 Mumbai bombings. Similarly, Hindu militants attacked the 17th century Jamia Masjid mosque in New Delhi on April 14 following a series of bombings March 17 by militant Islamist group Lashkar-e-Qahar, a branch of the group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), in the holy Hindu city of Varanasi.
Communal tensions between Hindus and Muslims run dangerously high in the state of Maharashtra. The attack in Malegaon is sure to invite riots by Hindu groups and a major retaliatory strike by Islamist militant groups already operating in the state.
In recent weeks, Mumbai police have picked up a number of LeT cells that have revealed intentions to target religious sites. Two Pakistani militants involved in an Aug. 21 encounter with Mumbai law enforcement had five targets in mind, including the Bhabha Atomic Research Center and the Siddhivinayak Temple, Indian security officials said. The surviving militant revealed during interrogation that the city's Western Railway line, hit during the July 11 attacks, also was among the targets.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I told you. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>Bombings in India </b>
September 08, 2006 11 00 GMT
Summary
Twenty-five people were killed and at least 100 wounded Sept. 8 when four bombs exploded in the Indian town of Malegaon, about 150 miles northeast of Mumbai in Maharashtra state. The attacks were likely staged by militant Hindu groups seeking retaliation for the July 11 Mumbai bombings.
Analysis
Four bombs exploded Sept. 8 in the town of Malegaon, about 150 miles northeast of Mumbai in India's Maharashtra state, killing 25 people and injuring at least 100. Two bombs went off outside of Bajju Khana eatery, one exploded in the Musharia market and the fourth targeted a Muslim mosque, Maani Masjid. The blasts occurred after Friday prayers on local Islamic holiday Shab-e-barat. Malegaon is roughly 75 percent Muslim.
The attacks were likely staged by militant Hindu groups seeking retaliation for the July 11 Mumbai bombings. Similarly, Hindu militants attacked the 17th century Jamia Masjid mosque in New Delhi on April 14 following a series of bombings March 17 by militant Islamist group Lashkar-e-Qahar, a branch of the group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), in the holy Hindu city of Varanasi.
Communal tensions between Hindus and Muslims run dangerously high in the state of Maharashtra. The attack in Malegaon is sure to invite riots by Hindu groups and a major retaliatory strike by Islamist militant groups already operating in the state.
In recent weeks, Mumbai police have picked up a number of LeT cells that have revealed intentions to target religious sites. Two Pakistani militants involved in an Aug. 21 encounter with Mumbai law enforcement had five targets in mind, including the Bhabha Atomic Research Center and the Siddhivinayak Temple, Indian security officials said. The surviving militant revealed during interrogation that the city's Western Railway line, hit during the July 11 attacks, also was among the targets.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I told you. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->