ITBP cover for Indians may be expanded

In the aftermath of Fridays terror attacks,Indian security agencies are now assessing the possibility of extending the Indo-Tibetan Border Police....

In the aftermath of Fridays terror attacks,Indian security agencies are now assessing the possibility of extending the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) cover to private establishments in Kabul which either house or are visited by Indians on a regular basis,sources said.

Both the guesthouses that were attacked Noor and Park Residence housed Indian nationals,including Indian Army personnel,embassy staff and Indians working with private companies. Obviously,these places became soft targets since the terrorists could not target the Indian embassy directly, a government official said.

However,whether an Indian force is allowed to provide security cover to private establishments in a foreign land is a matter that has to be dealt at top government-to-government level, the official added.

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In case Afghanistan does allow an Indian security force to guard select private establishments on its soil,India could also consider deploying the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF),sources said. The ITBP is currently mandated with only guarding the Indian embassy at Kabul in addition to the Indian consulates in Herat,Mazar-e-Sharif,Jalalabad and Kandahar.

Following the July 7,2008 suicide car bombing at the Indian embassy in Kabul,the overall security cover was upgraded by several notches. On October 8,2009,another suicide attack outside the embassy killed 17 persons. The fact that both these attacks failed to penetrate the embassy gates indicates the efficacy of the security apparatus in place there. But since Indians are now being targeted in private establishments,there is a case for an overall threat analysis of areas close to the embassy, an official said.