The Hindu : New Delhi News : Indo-Nepal border the new den of militants

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 08, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Indo-Nepal border the new den of militants

By Devesh K. Pandey

NEW DELHI, MARCH 7. Interrogation of two alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives who were arrested with a huge RDX consignment this past Saturday, coupled with fresh intelligence inputs, has revealed that while militants are very much active in Nepal, there has also been a substantial increase in their activities in areas along the Indo-Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Indian intelligence agencies believe that several groups, clandestinely operating from Nepal, provide logistics support to the militants taking shelter there. Some of these organisations have been identified as Nepal Islamic Yuva Sangh, Kashmir Jama Masjid Democratic Muslim Association and Nepal World Islamic Council. In certain cases, such groups have been found receiving funds from their sympathisers based in Jeddah and other Central Asian cities. One of these outfits is believed to have links with Islamic Youth Organisation based in Jakarta.

Among others in the watch list of Indian intelligence are Jamat-e-Ahal-e-Hadis, Millat-e-Islamic (which has links with Jamat-e-Islami) and Jam Seraj-e-ul-Alam, which is based in Kapilvastu.

On the issue of infiltration, reports indicate that militants have been coming into and going out of the country through the porous Indo-Nepal border via Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. For their part, those based in Bangladesh go to Nepal through the same route by crossing into the country from West Bengal. "Young men from Kashmir Valley, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other places, who are initiated into terrorism, often use the same route to reach the training camps apparently being run in the neighbouring countries," said a police officer.

The revelation by the police that the two Lashkar militants, Shahnawaz, an alleged Pakistani national, and Shams, who were killed in the encounter on Saturday, had based themselves in Patna for the past two years has also laid credence to inputs that extremist outfits have penetrated deep in Bihar and have been spreading their "message" in places like Purnea, Champaran, Muzzaffarpur, Darbhanga and Saharsa districts for roping in more and more young blood. All these districts are along the Indo-Nepal border.

Further, sources said that since Purnea shares borders with two districts of West Bengal, Murshidabad and Malda, it was being used as transit point for the militants shuttling between Nepal and Bangladesh.

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