It'll be nothing short of a recipe of disaster when dreaded Indian Mujahideen gets linked up with international terror outfits like Palestine-based Hizbut Tahrir, reports Vicky Nanjappa.
The fact that Indian Mujahideen is sympathetic towards the Palestine cause is no secret. The Palestine cause is often mentioned in the mails sent out by the dreaded terror outfit following the blasts.
Today the police is looking into a possible link between the Indian Mujahideen and an outfit named Hizbut Tahrir which has been termed as a radical outfit operating in Palestine since 1953. Although there is no concrete evidence that has been found about the activities of the Hizbut Tahrir in India, officials in the Intelligence Bureau say that it is an angle worth exploring since the IM has been trying to link itself with international organisations.
The IM, which has its primary focus in India, would look to expand through such international terror outfits. In exchange for funds and arms, they would help carry out their agenda in India.
There have been traces to indicate that Palestine-based groups are trying to get in contact with local groups across the world in order to target Israeli nationals.
These groups do realise that they would need local support in order to carry forward their agenda since it is difficult to carry out an individual operation in a foreign land due to logistical difficulties.
For the IM such links would only be helpful to their cause. They have been choked for funds as a result of which they are unable to plan bigger terror operations, and if they decide to help such international groups, they could become self sufficient in terms of money and also arms.
Such international outfits would not look to recruit men in India for their outfit. The plan however would be to coordinate with local groups and carry out attacks.
For the Indian Mujahideen, on the other hand, not only will such a tie up dish out funds, but would also further their cause. Moreover, the Palestine cause is something that evokes a lot of sympathy among a section of people in India and if the IM is seen fighting for that cause not only will they boost their recruitment drive, but also get a lot of attention internationally.
A tie up with the Hizbut Tahrir does not restrict IM to operations supporting the Palestine cause alone. Hizbut Tahrir does have a presence in Bangladesh as well, and the IM has been using this country for its operations. IM cadres would be sent to Bangladesh to train alongside such international groups after which they would be sent back to India to carry out subversive activities, sources in the IB point out.
For the Indian agencies this is worrisome since the IM does not show any signs of going down. The fact that they have been operating with a great deal of success in India despite so many crackdowns itself is worrying, and now to add to their problems is the various tie ups this group is getting into.
With such tie ups, the IM would have more man power, better ammunition and also sufficient funds. International groups would rely heavily on the IM who are well versed with the local jurisdiction.
An operation would be planned by the international outfit and the IM cadres would be the foot soldiers in this operation, hence making it a recipe for disaster, officials also point out.
Image: The IM logo
