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Business News/ News / India/  Islamic State has gained toehold in S Asia, warn intelligence agencies
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Islamic State has gained toehold in S Asia, warn intelligence agencies

Indian intelligence officials warned that South Asia can no longer afford to ignore the toehold that the IS terrorist group was gaining in region
  • Experts tracking growth, proliferation and disintegration of IS said there is enough evidence to believe that group had launched operations in South Asia
  • Crosses cast shadows at the site of a mass burial for victims of the suicide attacks on churches and luxury hotels in Negombo, Sri Lanka. (Reuters)Premium
    Crosses cast shadows at the site of a mass burial for victims of the suicide attacks on churches and luxury hotels in Negombo, Sri Lanka. (Reuters)

    NEW DELHI : Militants from South Asia who had gone to Syria to join the Islamic State (IS) are returning home to pursue their stated aim of setting up Caliphates in their home countries, Indian intelligence agencies warned in the aftermath of the Easter Day bombings in Sri Lanka.

    As Sri Lanka comes to grips with the loss of at least 359 lives and 500 injuries in the bombings, Indian intelligence officials warned that South Asia can no longer afford to ignore the toehold that the IS terrorist group was gaining in the region.

    Experts tracking the growth, proliferation and disintegration of the IS said there is enough evidence to believe that the group had launched operations in South Asia. The fighters who had gone to Syria and are now on the run after the collapse of the Caliphate, are in the process of returning to their countries of origin.

    “The IS was the only terrorist group which had a marked territory in Syria. They held control, collected taxes, etc. Then eventually, they got cornered and were forced to flee. They can’t make a comeback there. So, all these breakaway fighters and groups are now returning to other areas with a Muslim population—Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka—and these regions are their next focus," said an intelligence official, requesting anonymity.

    The sophistication of the synchronized blasts in Sri Lanka, as the sequence of events unfolded after the bombings are indicative of a “much more sinister design by the group", Indian security officials warned.

    “The extent of planning and calculation that went into planting the right amount of explosives so as to inflict the kind of damage that was done, plus the level of sophistication in the use of detonators and fuses, as well as the extent of radicalization, should clear all doubts over whether or not the Islamic State had spread its wings to South Asia," said a senior security official, also seeking anonymity.

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    Militants from South Asia who had gone to Syria to join the Islamic State (IS) are returning home to pursue their stated aim of setting up Caliphates in their home countries, Indian intelligence agencies warned in the aftermath of the Easter Day bombings in Sri Lanka.

    As Sri Lanka comes to grips with the loss of at least 359 lives and 500 injuries in the bombings, Indian intelligence officials warned that South Asia can no longer afford to ignore the toehold that the IS terrorist group was gaining in the region.

    Experts tracking the growth, proliferation and disintegration of the IS said there is enough evidence to believe that the group had launched operations in South Asia. The fighters who had gone to Syria and are now on the run after the collapse of the Caliphate, are in the process of returning to their countries of origin.

    “The IS was the only terrorist group which had a marked territory in Syria. They held control, collected taxes, etc. Then eventually, they got cornered and were forced to flee. They can’t make a comeback there. So, all these breakaway fighters and groups are now returning to other areas with a Muslim population—Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka—and these regions are their next focus," said an intelligence official, requesting anonymity.

    The sophistication of the synchronized blasts in Sri Lanka, as the sequence of events unfolded after the bombings are indicative of a “much more sinister design by the group", Indian security officials warned.

    “The extent of planning and calculation that went into planting the right amount of explosives so as to inflict the kind of damage that was done, plus the level of sophistication in the use of detonators and fuses, as well as the extent of radicalization, should clear all doubts over whether or not the Islamic State had spread its wings to South Asia," said a senior security official, also seeking anonymity.


    The group, a senior home ministry official added, has long been specifically looking at recruiting young engineers, computer professionals and other qualified individuals “so as not to go wrong in either planning or execution of attacks". Furthermore, the group—now having employed explosive experts and trained armed personnel—has done away with any form of satellite communication to avoid being tracked.

    Experts, however, warned that India and other neighbouring nations had a lot to worry about, given the reality of the Islamic State in the region. “Recruitment for the IS has happened in the past in Sri Lanka, India and the Maldives. What is now a cause for concern is the pattern of lethal, coordinated explosive vector attacks, which can’t be traced. So, you don’t know who is responsible," said Maj. Gen (retd) G.D. Bakshi, a defence expert.

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    Published: 25 Apr 2019, 11:57 AM IST
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