Beyond the Blacklist

SOON after the Lashkar began its rise into prominence as the most ‘‘effective’’ and ‘‘well-trained’’ Jihadi outfit operating in J&K with ‘‘increasing capability to expand their operations across India’’, the group was banned by the Centre under the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) on October 25, 2001.

Then the US Secretary of State Colin Powell, in a notification on December 26, 2001, designated the outfit as a foreign terrorist organisation.

However, the biggest blow to Lashkar came when Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf ordered a ban on it along with four other Islamist groups in January 2002, under severe post-9/11 pressure from the United States and the threat of an Indo-Pak war after the Parliament attack on December 13, 2001.

Till the ban, Lashkar was able to operate openly inside Pakistan, raising funds and recruiting new cadre because of its role in the fight in Kashmir. In fact, neither Lashkar nor its parent group Markaz had ever been involved in sectarian violence inside Pakistan.

According to the Herald, a leading Pakistani magazine, the Lashkar would provide two types of military training to its cadre—a 21-day basic course called ‘Daura Aam’ and a three-month advanced course called ‘Daura Khas’. The advanced course prepares the cadre for full-fledged guerrilla war with in-depth training in arms, bomb-making (especially improvised explosive devices), surprise ambushes and also techniques for survival in difficult living conditions.

The Fidayeens—a special group—however, receive ideological training as well, which is generally based on the Islamic belief of ‘‘life after death’’.

Standing Apart

IN fact, Lashkar’s fidayeen or suicide operations, too, are different from all other suicide militancy across the world, be it the LTTE’s Black Tigers, who consume cyanide to avoid being captured alive, or even Islamist groups like the Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Palestine, who strap explosives around their bodies or ram an explosive-laden vehicle on the target.

The reason seems to be the clear prohibition against suicide in Islam. Thus Lashkar’s Fidayeen do not go on missions where death is certain, but select assaults where they do have chance, however slim, of returning alive. And Lashkar Fidayeen have managed to escape alive in several such missions, such as the one when one of their cadre, Abu Talha, sneaked into the Army’s 15 Corps headquarters on November 3, 1999, and killed nine army personnel—including Public Relations Officer Major Purshottam—in Badamibagh Cantt.

According to the security agencies, Lashkar is an extremely secretive organisation which takes great care to conceal the real identities of its cadre. Apart from its topmost leadership, everyone is known only through aliases.

The group uses Kuniats, an Arabic pseudonym adopted from the names of Islamic historical heroes, after a trend introduced by Palestinian groups. But unlike Palestinians, Lashkar allots the Kuniats of a slain cadre to the one who takes over his place, thus making it extremely difficult for the security agencies to keep track of its militants and commanders.

STRIKE RATE

Maharashtra police kills three suspected LeT militants during an abortive attempt to storm the RSS headquarters in Nagpur

May 21, 2006

Two LeT militants, in police uniform, storm a Youth Congress rally at Sher-e-Kashmir Park in Srinagar minutes before Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is scheduled to arrive. Three political activists and two police personnel are killed and 25, including IGP K Rajendra, injured. Police kill both militants

May 1, 2006

Police claim LeT militants kill 22 Hindus at Kulhand and Tharva in Doda district and 13 at Lalon Galla of Udhampur district

March 7, 2006

Hours after serial blasts in a Varanasi temple claim 21, Uttar Pradesh police say suspected LeT militant Salar, alias Doctor, died in an encounter. Six others allegedly involved in temple blasts are arrested on April 4

Militants storm the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) at Bangalore and kill a scientist, Professor Emeritus M C Puri of IIT, New Delhi. LeT is the main suspect

January 7, 2005

Militants of Al-Mansooran, believed to be a front for the LeT, storm the Income Tax office in Barbarshah, Srinagar. A deputy commandant of the BSF, a soldier and one police personnel are killed and four others injured in the attack. One militant is also killed in the attack

June 15, 2004

Gujarat police claim to kill four suspected LeT militants. Police say they planned to assassinate Chief Minister Narendra Modi

July 22, 2003

A three-member suicide squad storms an army camp at Bangti in Akhnoor. Eight security personnel, including a brigadier, are killed and 12 others injured. Police say Al Shuhda Brigade, which claims responsibility, is a front for the Lashkar

November 24, 2002

Militants simultaneously storm two Hindu temples—Raghunath Mandir and Panjbakhtar—in Jammu and kill 13, injure 45. Police kills all four militants, say they belonged to LeT

September 24, 2002

Two suspected LeT men storm the Akshardham temple complex in Gandhinagar. After hours of terror, both are shot dead

May 19, 2002

LeT militants attack a security force camp at Chasana in Udhampur in J&K killing four security personnel

December 13, 2001

Six gunmen, allied to LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed sneak into the Parliament House complex. Though they are unable to make their way to the building, six policemen die

July 15, 2001

Four LeT Fidayeen attack a Security Force base at Shahlal, Kupwara. Five security force personnel were killed and eight others injured in the attack. The LeT fidayeen manage to escape after the attack

April 14, 2001

LeT militants attack an Army base at Lassipora, Kupwara. Six Army personnel are killed and seven others injured in the attack

March 2, 2001

Fifteen security force personnel and two civilians are killed and nine injured when militants ambush a security force patrol at Marha Chatru in Jammu division. Police says Lashkar is responsible

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