Bangladesh terror groups adopting proxy model in India: Intelligence agencies

Intelligence agencies have warned that Bangladesh-based terror outfits HuJI and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh are increasingly using proxy groups and aliases to operate in India, aiming to create deniability and expand recruitment across multiple States

New Delhi: Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami (HuJI) and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, Bangladesh (JMB), the two top terror groups in Bangladesh, are increasingly going to use their proxies while carrying out activities in India, Intelligence agencies have said.

These groups are also looking to create home-grown outfits in India, so that Bangladesh has the deniability factor.

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This is similar to what the Lashkar-e-Tayiba or Jaish-e-Mohammad have been doing in India. The Lashkar-e-Tayiba uses groups such as The Resistance Front for operations in Jammu and Kashmir.

In the case of Jaish-e-Mohammad, the proxies are People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAAF) and Kashmir Tigers (KT). While these groups are just proxies, both the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad try and pass them off as home-grown outfits.

The emphasis that the ISI and Jamaat-e-Islami have been giving these terror groups is immense. Most of its cadres who were in jail were released without any explanation following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina. They have been given a free hand to operate in the country, but the message is that all attacks should be focussed on India.

While the immediate threat persists in bordering States, officials say that these groups are capable of operating in both North and South India.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that they have been witnessing a new trend where the HuJi and JMB are concerned. Their modules across India are operating under different aliases and this is a clear strategy to dodge the security agencies, the official added.

The Assam and Tripura police in a joint operation busted a module that was called Imam Mahamude Kafila (IMK). This is a proxy of the JMB, the probe found. Officials say that this module has been around, but was re-activated recently to carry out attacks in India. The JMB also has other Indian affiliates namely the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen India and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Hindustan.

The HuJI, too, has several proxies that are in the process of being activated in India ahead of the West Bengal elections, officials say.

The HuJI had in the past operated alongside the Indian Mujahideen. It also has proxies such as Harkat-ul-Ansar (HuL) and the Asif Reza Commando Force (ARCF). This is the same group that claimed responsibility for the 2002 attack on the American Centre in Kolkata.

Proxies such as the IMK and ARCF largely comprise Indians and illegal migrants from Bangladesh. Both the HuJI and JMB have activated these proxies. The agencies are keeping a close watch not only at the borders but also within the country for the movement of illegal immigrants. A massive push is being made to rope in more migrants into these terror groups. The aim is to create modules across the country, with the focus largely being on the northeast, West Bengal and the southern States, an official explained.

This is a strategy that has been used most by terror groups based out of Pakistan. The main hurdle that the agencies face is the delay in the probe once the module is busted. The idea of operating under a different name is with the intention to confuse. It takes some time before the trail reaches up to the actual terror group, an officer said.

Having multiple proxies for each terror group is something that the ISI suggested, so that no trail leads up to Bangladesh in case a terror attack is carried out.

Pakistan has resorted to similar tactics to avoid the blame. It wants the same in Bangladesh as well, so that the country does not come under scrutiny from international organisations such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

Another official said that the implementation of all these tactics is a clear indicator that there is a sense of urgency to carry out something major in India.

The security agencies, especially at the states that border Bangladesh are on their toes as there is a surge in terror related activity.

On the borders major attempts are being made to push in illegal immigrants into the country. According to officials these terror groups are trying to push more illegal immigrants with the intention of recruiting them into the proxy groups that are operating in India.