'Bangladesh-based terror groups using proxies, planning home-grown outfits'

Bangladeshbased terror groups HarkatulJihad Islami HuJI and JamaatulMujahideen are increasingly using their proxies while carrying out activities in India news agency IANS reported citing intelligence agenciesThe two terror groups are also looking to create homegrown outfits in India so that Bangladesh has the deniability factorThe terrorism by Bangladeshi agencies is similar to what the LashkareTayiba or JaisheMohammad have been doing in India IANS reported citing intelligence agencies The LashkareTayiba uses groups such as lsquoThe Resistance Frontrsquo for operations in Jammu and KashmirIn the case of the JaisheMohammad the proxies are the Peoplersquos AntiFascist Front PAAF and the Kashmir Tigers KT While these terror groups are allegedly just proxies both the LashkareTayiba and JaisheMohammad are trying to pass them off as homegrown outfitsISI and JamaateIslamiIntelligence agencies said the ISI and JamaateIslami have significantly increased their focus on these terror groups Most of its cadres who were in jail were released without any explanation following the ouster of exBangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina IANS reportedReports also indicate that they have been given a free hand to operate in the country but the message is that all the attacks should be focused on India While the immediate threat persists in bordering states officer say that these groups are capable of operating in both north and south IndiaAn Intelligence Bureau officer said 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 agenciesAssam and Tripura police bust Imam Mahamude Kafila IMK terror moduleAssam and Tripura police in a joint operation busted a module that was called the Imam Mahamude Kafila IMK This is a proxy of the JMB revealed the probe by the police Officers said that this module has been around but was reactivated recently to carry out attacks in India JMB also has other Indian affiliates namely the JamaatulMujahideen India and JamaatulMujahideen HindustanThe HuJI too has several proxies that are in the process of being activated in India ahead of the West Bengal elections stated officersThe terror outfit had in the past operated alongside the Indian Mujahideen It also has proxies such as HarkatulAnsar HuL and the Asif Reza Commando Force ARCF This is the same group that claimed responsibility for the 2002 attack on the American Center in KolkataThis is a strategy that has been used by terror groups based out of Pakistan in the past Officers said one of the main challenges for agencies is the delay in investigations after a module is busted Operating under different names is intended to confuse security agencies as it takes time for the trail to lead back to the parent terror groupOfficers also said that having multiple proxies for each terror group was a tactic suggested by the ISI to ensure no direct trail leads back to Bangladesh in the event of a terror attackThey also stated that Pakistan has resorted to similar tactics in the past to deflect blame and a comparable approach is now being pushed in Bangladesh to ensure the country does not come under scrutiny from international bodies such as the Financial Action Task Force FATFWith inputs from IANS