Mumbai Attacks – Terrorism Ascending to another Level of Audacity

"The possibility that States hostile to India’s emergence as a regional power are providing the funds for Indian Mujahideen to hire the violent actors can never be ruled out. It raises the possibility that should there be a dearth of motivated activists willing to carry out the action more and more outfits, having the requisite funds or being provided with funds by hostile States may find it convenient to be paymasters to trained hired actors of violence." [A National Security Guard commandoes provides cover fire as commandoes get down from a chopper to the roof of a house owned by Israelis in Colaba, Mumbai, India, Friday, Nov. 28, 2008. Security forces assaulted a Jewish center in Mumbai where Muslim militants were believed holed up with possible hostages Friday, with black-clad commandos dropping from a Indian helicopter as sharpshooters opened fire on the five-story building. ]

by Dr. Geeta Madhavan

(November 28, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) The nation is still watching the horrific images being beamed on the television as the most macabre and tragic drama unfolds .It is not over yet and one shudders think what will be the indelible damage to the national psyche when climax is eventually reached. There is a guessing game by the media as to the perpetrators of the horrific and violent act and the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has spoken to the nation alluding to foreign involvement in the attack. Theories abound about the perpetrators of this most virulent attack and seizure of hostages and conjectures are being offered in the media. Fuelled by each new development different rationale are being forth but the underlying truth remains that nothing can be ascertained unless the composite picture emerges. Quick reactions and conjectures played out by the media to satisfy the avid viewer does not offer any clear answers.

The initial claim of responsibility was made by an outfit that called itself the Deccan Mujahideen but it was apparent that it was a title conjured up as the action unfolded. The suspicion quickly turned towards the recently more vocal Indian Muhjahideen. The Indian Muhjahideen (the so called Deccan Mujahideen may be an affiliated member of this main organisation) is itself a loose factor. The Indian Mujahideen has been consistently claiming responsibility: for the Jaipur blasts in May 2008 and the July serial blasts in Ahmedabad in November 2008 as well the multiple blasts in Uttar Pradesh. Indian Mujahedeen is suspected to comprise of activists from banned outfits like Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami (HuJI) and the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) with connections with the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT).

It is imperative to understand at this juncture that the attacks carried out by the Indian Mujahideen so far were of low intensity and although there were causalities, they cannot be considered as major incidents of terrorist activity .Although they achieved their purpose of creating fear and panic there was no use of sophisticated weapons. They resembled hit and run incidents and not major attacks. If indeed they are the perpetrators of the assault in Mumbai then their strength and sophistication will be the greatest challenge ever faced by the Indian intelligence. However, the structure of the organization and the ideology it upholds belies such speculation. Besides, the Indian Mujahideen till now has strived to be seen as an essentially Indian outfit than as one consisting of foreign elements.

This essentially raises some questions about the Indian Mujahideen capabilities to carry out the audacious attack we are witnessing.

The Most pertinent question to confound one , however, is : does the Indian Mujahideen really have the capacity to plan a co ordinated act of such sophistication, move trained personnel into the targeted locations unobtrusively and perpetrate brazen acts of such violent intensity by itself. If they have indeed increased their capabilities to this level it is indeed a grave risk that the nation faces in future if it does not take cognizance of this fact immediately; for they can strike at will and with deadly ruthlessness . However, more disconcerting and perhaps more fearsome is the possibility that the Indian Mujahideen opted to draft well trained mercenaries to conduct the operations on its behalf instead of its own militant and trained activists; it is obvious then that terrorism has ascended to an entirely new level in India.

This also raises two other question ; one regarding the capability of the Indian Mujahideen to network with other organizations to provide it with logistic support and provide it with the requisite information and funding to draft paid actors of violence and the other , the emergence of the long suspected nexus between terrorism and the criminal world.

The possibility that States hostile to India’s emergence as a regional power are providing the funds for Indian Mujahideen to hire the violent actors can never be ruled out. It raises the possibility that should there be a dearth of motivated activists willing to carry out the action more and more outfits, having the requisite funds or being provided with funds by hostile States may find it convenient to be paymasters to trained hired actors of violence. This trend need not be confined to terrorism in India but can be adopted by any terrorist organization anywhere.

Loose elements from banned and disbanded organizations or criminal hard liners of organizations that have opted for moderate means may be available as paid actors for such operations. It is an extremely disturbing possibility but not one that should be ruled out, instead it should be approached with gravity and great urgency.

- Dr. Geeta Madhavan is an analyst working in areas related to international security and Terrorism. She can be reached at: geeta.madhavan@gmail.com) . - Sri Lanka Guardian