Once again, Indian cities are under terrorist radar and vulnerable to lethal attacks. In a matter of 24 hours, two big cities -Bangalore, in the south and Ahmadabad, in the western part of the country were targeted. This shows the entrenched capability of the terrorists to carry out attacks on urban centres and create mayhem by killing innocent people.
The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, resulted in a historic partnership between the U.S. and Pakistan. Pakistan emerged as a vital ally of the U.S. in the global war to counter-terrorism. Though barely realized, in February 2008, this war entered a new phase. The U.S. had thus far fought the war against terrorism with the support of the dictatorial regime of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. The parliamentary elections in Pakistan in February 2008 transferred political authority in favour of the democratically elected government.
The involvement of a number of Indians in the foiled UK terror plots of early July this year rang alarm bells in India. Are Indian Muslims being lured into al-Qaida's global jihad? Britons of Indian origin have been tied to al-Qaida in the past, including the Muslim convert Dhiren Barot and Haroon Aswat, the alleged mastermind of the 21/7 bomb attacks. Unlike these Qaida predecessors, Kafeel Ahmed, one of the Glasgow car bombers, was born and raised in large part in India, in the booming hi-tech city of Bangalore.
One of the most dreaded terrorist groups in Southeast Asia, Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) is presently facing a leadership crisis. The arrest of two of its most prominent leaders, Abu Dujana and Zarkasih (also known as Yusron Mahmudi and Abu Irsyad respectively) has jeopardized JI’s future plans in the region. Of late, JI has faced the wrath of the anti-terrorist initiatives by the Indonesian government duly supported by other Southeast Asian neighbours as well as Australia.
May 18 (Friday) terror blast at Mecca Mosque in Hyderabad reveals the persistent challenge of terrorist groups to foment violence and communal acrimony in India. The explosion, which took nine lives and injured more than 50 people, occurred during Friday prayers inside the historical Mecca Mosque located near the well-known Charminar, a major landmark of the City that attracts several tourists from India and abroad. The police also recovered three more bombs in the mosque and defused it.