US boosts India's anti-terror efforts By Siddharth Srivastava
NEW DELHI - It could be fortuitous or India's security agencies may be getting
something right, but nearly one year after the attack on Mumbai - one of
India's worst ever terrorist atrocities - there have been no more significant
strikes.
Government officials say structural changes in the intelligence and security
services since last November 26 have helped prevent terror attacks. They say
that carrying out such a large terrorist attack now - including the organizing
of arms, ammunition and personnel - would be much more difficult.
At least 15 terror strikes planned on India have been thwarted so far this
year, say the security officials. However, they say there is no room for
complacency or reason to believe the terrorists will
not succeed again in breaching the lines of defense.
A series of devastating terrorist attacks in neighboring Pakistan - where the
Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operatives that carried out the Mumbai attack were
trained - are further proof of the ever-present threat of future attacks.
One challenge facing Indian security agencies is tracing the links between
international operatives and home-grown Indian terrorist organizations.
Multiple attacks by such domestic outfits caused havoc in Indian cities between
2006 and 2008, with crude bombs often placed in crowded area to maximize loss
of life.
Similar to the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United
States, the deadly strike on Mumbai - which killed at least 173 people and
injured at least 308 - has left India's security apparatus and political
leadership more aware of the threat of terror. This has led to increases in
funding, quicker decision-making and the improvement of anti-terror
infrastructure, including the establishment of new intelligence services such
as the National Investigation Agency.
At the insistence of Home Minister P Chidambaram, funds allocated to internal
security for 2009-2010 were raised by one-third to more than 360 billion rupees
(US$7.6 billion).
Role of America
India has also increased its sharing of information and operational details
with US intelligence agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Officials say this cooperation
has gone a long way towards boosting domestic expertise. CIA director Leon E
Panetta is due to visit India in November.
The close relationship of the US with Pakistan gives the Americans access to
classified information that is valuable to India. Activities such as phone
calls, meetings, travel, and e-mails by dozens of Pakistan-based LeT operatives
are monitored by US agencies, information that that is now accessible to India.
One recent example highlights the benefits of India and the US sharing
information.
Earlier this month, the FBI shared with India knowledge of LeT plots to attack
the National Defence College in New Delhi, two elite boarding schools in
Uttarakhand, and India's most famous monument, the Taj Mahal.
The revelations followed the arrest at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport
of two Pakistan-born US citizens, David Headley and Tahawwur Rana, who were
allegedly planning the attacks while in the US with help from LeT handlers in
Pakistan.
Chidambaram said last week that Indian intelligence officials visited the US in
connection with the probe and returned with "good information".
Headley is now being touted as a possible mastermind of the Mumbai attack,
since he visited Pakistan a number of times, and during trips to Mumbai he
stayed at the Trident and Taj Mahal hotels - both of which were stormed by LeT
terrorists last November.
Investigation of Headley's movements have revealed stays in Delhi and south
India, including near potential terrorist targets such as the strategic port
area of Kochi and the information technology hub of Bangalore.
It is also suspected that Headley and Rana were looking to enlist the help of
home-grown Indian terror outfits, such as the banned Students Islamic Movement
of India. An FBI team is scheduled to visit India this week with more details
of the LeT's foiled plots.
Officials say that Headley, a third-generation American, seems to have struck a
friendship with Rahul Bhatt, the son of prominent Indian filmmaker Mahesh
Bhatt, possibly for cover. It has also emerged that "Rahul'' was the codeword
being used for "Mumbai", where the junior Bhatt is based.
E-mail exchanges between LeT operatives and Headley indicate that the militant
group was happy with the progress made by their US-based contacts. With people
such as Headley lurking and the methodical planning, Indian security agencies
cannot take matters easy.
Siddharth Srivastava is a New-Delhi-based correspondent.
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