The Lashkar-e-Tayiba may have gone quiet for sometime now, but Indian intelligence agencies say that this is just their strategy to regroup. A few months ago, a top ranking US official had warned that they had specific inputs that the Lashkar was setting up a base in Sri Lanka in a bid to encircle India.
Confirming this development, Indian intelligence agencies told rediff.com that there has been a very slow build up of Lashkar cadres in Sri Lanka which is worrying.
Latest inputs suggest that there is a mix of old and new recruits in the Sri Lanka operations and the fall of the Liberation Tigers of the Tamil Eelam has led them to slowly set up base on the island. Today the Lashkar boasts of about 100 cadres in its Lankan operations. The foot soldiers have not been sent in as yet, but the cadres in Lanka are planners, who can set up cells and modules, to pave the way for future attacks.
The IB says that the Lashkar may take over two years before it is fully functional in Sri Lanka. Inputs show that the new recruits who are sent to Pakistan are trained by the Lashkar and more recruitments are taking place for the Sri Lanka operations.
There was an understanding between the Lashkar and the LTTE, when the latter was dominant in Sri Lanka. The Lashkar deliberately did not make an entry into this country at that point of time. However with the LTTE gone, the Lashkar has seized this opportunity to gain a foothold in Sri Lanka.
As part of the plan, they are relying very heavily on some LTTE old timers, who have been forced to drop arms after their outfit was wiped out. These persons will provide logistical support and help them set up cells and modules in Lanka.
The IB says if the LeT manages to set up a strong base in Lanka then India will be completely encircled by this terror group. The LeT already has set up modules in Bangladesh, Nepal and Maldives.
The Inter Services Intelligence has been specifically helping this group set up bases all around India since they would have a better chance on carrying out attacks. Moreover it becomes a nuisance for security agencies since the LeT could use multiple routes to strike at India. Earlier it was only the Kashmir route through which the Lashkar could enter India. Today they have modules in Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Pakistan. The Sri Lankan module is expected to focus on the southern part of India.
The US has expressed fears over this new development and says that it needs to work closely with India to contain this threat. Indian intelligence agencies too are sharing data with the American agencies since this is considered to be a huge development which not only threatens India, but other South Asian nations.
According to Indian agencies, the Sri Lankan agencies too have expressed concerns over this development and have sought their help to fight the Lashkar threat. The Lankans have realised that if the Lashkar is allowed to grow, they could turn into a menace for the Lankan security agencies as well.
