Islamic State planning Sri Lanka-style attacks in India using foreign operatives
New Delhi, May 11 (IANS) The Islamic State has devised a new strategy whereby it would use its radicalised elements from various countries around India to carry out both propaganda and attacks.
When the Islamic State announced itself on the world stage in late 2013, there were plenty of people from India who left the country to join the outfit. However over the years, the agencies have managed to prevent many from leaving the country to join the Islamic State in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
There have been successful de-radicalisation campaigns, which ensured that many who had plans of joining the outfit returned to the mainstream.
An Intelligence Bureau official says that while the problem is largely in check in India, there are attempts now being made to push in recruits from other countries.
The Islamic State has dedicated wings in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka.
The effects of the Islamic State’s Sri Lankan module was seen in Tamil Nadu and Mangaluru. In both these places, a radicalised individual part of the Islamic State attempted to carry out attacks. However both failed.
The common angle in these incidents is that the accused persons Jamesha Mubin and Mohammad Sharique were radicalised by the same individual from Sri Lanka. Zahran Hashim, the mastermind of the ‘Easter Bombings’ in Sri Lanka was the leader of the Islamic State in the country. He had visited South India and stayed for a considerable period of time, during which both Mubin and Sharique were radicalised.
Officials say that the Islamic State is planning on pushing its recruits from Maldives, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh into India. Travel into India from these countries is relatively easier and the outfit is looking to take advantage of that.
The official added that the modules in Bangladesh are focussing heavily on pushing in recruits into West Bengal and Bihar. On the other hand, the push into the southern states would be made by Sri Lanka and Maldives, the official added.
Assessing the threat perception, another official said that the push that is being attempted from Bangladesh is the highest. A recent edition of Dabiq, the mouthpiece of the Islamic State had an article titled, ‘The Revival of Jihad in Bengal,’ aimed at calling the youth to dedicate themselves to Jihad.
Officials say that this was the first time that the Islamic State module in Bangladesh was attempting to push its agenda in India.
Another official said that the threat from Sri Lanka is the least. Post the Easter Bombings, a large part of the outfit has been eliminated, although it would be wrong to assume that the group has shut shop in the country. This explains why a major push is being attempted from Maldives into South India, the official added.
The official further stated that the intended cause is to carry out attacks in India on the scale of which was carried out in Sri Lanka. The Islamic State wants foreign players to carry out these attacks. There are two reasons for this, the official added. There is hardly any information on foreign fighters. Moreover, it has also been noticed that the radicalisation of a foreign fighter is much higher when compared to an operative from India.
The Intelligence agencies say that while the aim is to strike big in India, the other plan is to use this as a recruitment tool.
The Islamic State has been pushing some of its India operatives to carry out strikes in India, but they have failed many times. Attacks by foreign operatives could set an example for the Indian operatives, the Islamic State feels.
Such attacks could become a benchmark and the Indian operatives could inspiration from them and carry out strikes within the country, an official said.
–IANS
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