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2008-08-14 India-Pakistan
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800 terror cells in India, says Narayanan
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In a revelation that exposes deep roots of terror in India, national security advisor M K Narayanan confirmed the unearthing of 800 terror cells by intelligence agencies. These terror units, he said, were operating with external support -- an apparent reference to ISI-backed terror outfits like the LeT, Jaish e Mohammad and Huji (Bangladesh). "We are concerned that there is a great deal of external inspiration and support, we are also concerned and are looking at a mastermind within the country," Mr Narayanan is quoted as having told a Singapore newspaper in an interview. The reference to the 'local mastermind' is significant in the backdrop of investigations into the recent Bangalore and Ahmedabad blasts pointing to the role of home-grown jihadi organisations like Simi.
The assessment that the blasts may have been carried out by a local terror module is based on findings pointing to the use of locally-sourced and assembled explosives and absence of any radio intercepts of conversations between bombers and their possible handlers in Pakistan or Bangladesh.
Mr Narayanan said intelligence agents had disrupted several modules, some of which are "not entirely foreign." "Clearly, there is some kind of organisation we have to find out if that organisation is localised or there is an external group or module operating," he said.
Although he did not elaborate, the security agencies believe that Indian Mujahideen, the outfit that owned up to the blasts in Ahmedabad and Jaipur, may just be another name for Simi. Simi, banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, has a trackrecord of having extended logistical support to LeT, Jaish and Huji for several terror attacks over the last few years, including the 7/11 Mumbai local train blasts.
Though agency reports on Mr Naryanan's interview were silent on the time- period over which these 800 terror modules were busted, the figure is nevertheless shocking as even the NDA government, which had tougher laws to deal with terror, had busted no more than 300 ISI-backed terror modules during its rule between 1996 and 2004.
On February 8, 2008, this year, minister of home for state Sriprakash Jaiswal had, in reply to a question raised in Parliament, put the number of total terror modules busted across the country over the last 3 years at 30. Of this, 10 were busted in his home state of UP.
Speaking on the new trends in terror acts here, Mr Naryanan pointed to bombing of a hospital in Ahmedabad during the serial blasts that rocked the city last month. 
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Posted by Fred 2008-08-14 00:00||
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