11-26-2006, 03:05 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Terror at its fiercest </b>
Pioneer.com
Yogesh Vajpeyi | New Delhi
Marine jihadis, Bangladesh main worry
Al-Qaeda creeps in as master trainer in N-E
Surfacing of marine jihadis on India's terror-scope has given a new sense of urgency to creation of a nodal co-ordination agency at the Centre, top security officials attending the Conference of Director Generals of Police ending here on Friday said. But they saw the export of Muslim fundamentalism and terrorism through Jihadis trained in Bangladesh as a more sinister development of recent origin.
<b>"Pakistan is our known enemy and we have to keep enhancing our capabilities to guard ourselves from cross-border terrorism from it. But our porous border with Bangladesh and the fact that we can't dub it an enemy nation makes the challenge from our eastern neighbour much more formidable," </b>said a senior official.
Reports reaching Indian security agencies also say the<b> Harkat ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI), widely regarded as al-Qaeda's operating arm in South Asia, is operating with impunity despite the US listing it as a terrorist group</b>.
"<b>HuJI has been consolidating its position in Bangladesh where it boasts a membership of more than 25,000 activists, of whom at least 3,000 are hardcore. It is running over a dozen training camps in Bangladesh," </b>the official said. Intelligence agencies say its original mission might have been to set up Islamic rule in Bangladesh, but, over the years, its ambitions and geographical spread of its role have grown substantially.
Bangladesh has nearly two-dozen Muslim fundamentalists groups, some of which have increased their operation in India perceptibly. These elements, who triggered a series of blasts on August 17 last year in Bangladesh, are now working under the umbrella of Jamatul Mujahideen that has the responsibility of operational control of jihadis in the northeast. Two of these activists arrested recently-- Badrul Alam in West Bengal and Habibur Rahman Assam-- have reportedly confirmed this.
A distinct evidence of this can be seen in Assam, where Muslim Liberation Tiger of Assam (MULTA) is gaining strength. Security agencies see it as one of the most potent threats to national security.
With illegal migrant Muslims from Bangladesh as its main support base, <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>MULTA is demanding a separate homeland in Assam comprising the districts of Nagaon, Dhubri, Kamrup, Karimganj and Hailakandi to carve out "rightful place for Muslims". </span>The organisation has been linked to ISI, Jamaat-e-Islami, Islamic Chhatra Shibir, Sipahi-e-Sahiba and al-Qaeda.
Another report has indicated that al-Qaeda is training MULTA in Bangladesh, and is channelling arms to the MFO from a temporary HQ that has been set up by the ISI in a mosque at Hathijan in Cox's Bazaar.
<b>The MULTA is also a member of the BIM</b>, a grouping of Muslim fundamentalists whose declared objective is to create a Brihot Bangladesh by merging areas of Assam and Myanmar's Arakan province.
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<b>The BIM has been convened at the initiative of the HUJI and is reportedly being chaperoned by the ISI and al-Qaeda. Islamic Security Force of India (ISFI</b>)
Among other Indian Muslim fundamentalist groups backed by Bangladesh in north-east <b>Harkat-ul-Mujahideen is operating in Goalpara, Dhubri, Barpeta districts of Assam while Islamic Security Force of India is engaged in the recruitment of Muslims in Lower Assam.</b>
What has given a much darker twist to this export of terror from Bangladesh is the penetration of the jihadi groups deeper into India, intelligence agencies admit.
Three Bangladesh nationals, who were living under assumed names and arrested by UP Police Terror Cell last month, have reportedly admitted their connection with HuJI.
Investigations have revealed the hand of exported Jehadis in the Hyderabad explosion in 2005 and later in Varanasi blasts. Some security experts suspect their hand in recent Mumbai train blasts also.
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Pioneer.com
Yogesh Vajpeyi | New Delhi
Marine jihadis, Bangladesh main worry
Al-Qaeda creeps in as master trainer in N-E
Surfacing of marine jihadis on India's terror-scope has given a new sense of urgency to creation of a nodal co-ordination agency at the Centre, top security officials attending the Conference of Director Generals of Police ending here on Friday said. But they saw the export of Muslim fundamentalism and terrorism through Jihadis trained in Bangladesh as a more sinister development of recent origin.
<b>"Pakistan is our known enemy and we have to keep enhancing our capabilities to guard ourselves from cross-border terrorism from it. But our porous border with Bangladesh and the fact that we can't dub it an enemy nation makes the challenge from our eastern neighbour much more formidable," </b>said a senior official.
Reports reaching Indian security agencies also say the<b> Harkat ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI), widely regarded as al-Qaeda's operating arm in South Asia, is operating with impunity despite the US listing it as a terrorist group</b>.
"<b>HuJI has been consolidating its position in Bangladesh where it boasts a membership of more than 25,000 activists, of whom at least 3,000 are hardcore. It is running over a dozen training camps in Bangladesh," </b>the official said. Intelligence agencies say its original mission might have been to set up Islamic rule in Bangladesh, but, over the years, its ambitions and geographical spread of its role have grown substantially.
Bangladesh has nearly two-dozen Muslim fundamentalists groups, some of which have increased their operation in India perceptibly. These elements, who triggered a series of blasts on August 17 last year in Bangladesh, are now working under the umbrella of Jamatul Mujahideen that has the responsibility of operational control of jihadis in the northeast. Two of these activists arrested recently-- Badrul Alam in West Bengal and Habibur Rahman Assam-- have reportedly confirmed this.
A distinct evidence of this can be seen in Assam, where Muslim Liberation Tiger of Assam (MULTA) is gaining strength. Security agencies see it as one of the most potent threats to national security.
With illegal migrant Muslims from Bangladesh as its main support base, <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>MULTA is demanding a separate homeland in Assam comprising the districts of Nagaon, Dhubri, Kamrup, Karimganj and Hailakandi to carve out "rightful place for Muslims". </span>The organisation has been linked to ISI, Jamaat-e-Islami, Islamic Chhatra Shibir, Sipahi-e-Sahiba and al-Qaeda.
Another report has indicated that al-Qaeda is training MULTA in Bangladesh, and is channelling arms to the MFO from a temporary HQ that has been set up by the ISI in a mosque at Hathijan in Cox's Bazaar.
<b>The MULTA is also a member of the BIM</b>, a grouping of Muslim fundamentalists whose declared objective is to create a Brihot Bangladesh by merging areas of Assam and Myanmar's Arakan province.
Â
<b>The BIM has been convened at the initiative of the HUJI and is reportedly being chaperoned by the ISI and al-Qaeda. Islamic Security Force of India (ISFI</b>)
Among other Indian Muslim fundamentalist groups backed by Bangladesh in north-east <b>Harkat-ul-Mujahideen is operating in Goalpara, Dhubri, Barpeta districts of Assam while Islamic Security Force of India is engaged in the recruitment of Muslims in Lower Assam.</b>
What has given a much darker twist to this export of terror from Bangladesh is the penetration of the jihadi groups deeper into India, intelligence agencies admit.
Three Bangladesh nationals, who were living under assumed names and arrested by UP Police Terror Cell last month, have reportedly admitted their connection with HuJI.
Investigations have revealed the hand of exported Jehadis in the Hyderabad explosion in 2005 and later in Varanasi blasts. Some security experts suspect their hand in recent Mumbai train blasts also.
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