Pakistan-based terror group lashkar-e-Tayyeba has embarked on a massive recruitment and training drive to induct jehadis for subversive activities in India, Afghanistan and Syria.
The terror group has plans to train 5,000 jehadis in the coming months with the first batch started undergoing training in the last week of February this year. During the 45-day training, the recruits are imparted modules on use of sophisticated weapons, assembly of IEDs and suicide bombings.
The Intelligence inputs with the agencies has rattled the security establishment here even as they are trying to estimate the number of jehadis to be recruited from India and the motivations behind the latest terror move.
Preliminary estimates suggest that a large part of the trained jehadis will be used to strengthen the Indian Mujahideen (IM) that has, of late, suffered setbacks with the arrest of key operatives of the outfit. The Pak groups are grooming the IM to attain higher capacity, including carrying out suicide bombing missions.
The inputs are also being viewed seriously here as the lashkar's designs for Afghanistan will hurt India's strategic interests there. India has undertaken a number of reconstruction measures in the war-torn country that will witness de-induction of allied forces later this year.
Pakistan’s ISI is already playing a double game by supporting the ruling elite and the revolutionary groups that are engaged in a bitter struggle to attain supremacy in Syria, sources said.
Apart from targeting Indian, Afghan and Syrian interests, the lashkar is estimated to hit American and Jews’ assets in these countries, an intelligence source said.
The agencies are expected to grill the IM operatives, Waqas and Tehseen Akhtar alias Monu, to arrive at an estimate of the recruits to be inducted by leT from India and the high-value targets identified by the Pak-based group and its affiliate IM.
According to Intelligence estimates, Pakistan has already trained over 2,600 jehadis, who are waiting at the launch pads there to infiltrate into India and carry our terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.
As part of further diversification of its terror agenda, the top lashkar leadership is believed to be holding confabulations with the Uyghur fundamentalists of Xinjiang province of China. The leT aims to provide training and logistic support to fuel secessionist agenda in the Chinese province with significant presence of Muslims, the official added.
At a high level internal meeting of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) earlier this month, the officials estimated that terrorist activities are likely to increase in Jammu and Kashmir in view of the forthcoming general elections. “Heavy snowfall had to an extent checked infiltration from across the border but with melting of snow, we will see a definite surge in terror attacks,” said an official, who attended the meeting.
In his closing remarks at the conference, Director General of CRPF, Dileep Trivedi underscored providing VIP security for the peaceful conduct of General Elections in view of the impending threat from terror and insurgent groups across Jammu and Kashmir, North-east and the Naxal-affected areas as major challenges.
The CRPF is engaged in internal security duties and counter-insurgency roles in Jammu and Kashmir, besides being the nodal force for the conduct of the Parliamentary polls.