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: As an ancient civilisation but a young nation-state, India is still engaged in the process of nation building. This process has been mostly tumultuous and has been marked by communal riots, unending insurgencies in most of the north-eastern states, Pakistan-supported militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and left-wing extremism in large parts of Central India. However, the phenomenon of urban terrorism is of more recent vintage and is more diabolical in nature. By striking terror into the hearts of the work force living and working in the most productive metros and larger cities of India and frequently paralysing economic activity, urban terrorism is tending to undermine India’s booming economy and is vitiating the investment climate.

While urban terrorism is relatively new to India, it has a long history in the international arena. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) had successfully fought British forces in Northern Ireland for several decades before a political settlement was finally negotiated with the Sinn Fein. Members of the IRA had well-established links with the FARC narco-terrorists in Colombia. The Baader-Meinhof gang, a communist urban guerrilla group, was responsible for several acts of terrorism in Germany in the 1960s and 1970s. Palestinian militants have managed to launch numerous terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians despite Israel’s vigorous pre-emptive measures and a pro-active response strategy. In May 1980, Arab gunmen had seized the Iranian Embassy in London and held about 20 people hostage. Members of Aum Shinrikyo, a cult group, carried out five coordinated sarin gas attacks on several lines of the Tokyo metro in March 1995. In September 2004, Chechen rebels seized a school building in Beslan, Russia, and held more than 1,000 students and teachers hostage; over 350 hostages died in the botched up rescue attempt.

Urban terrorism reached India’s shores with the serial bomb blasts in Mumbai in 1993. Since then the list of the targeted cities includes Delhi (2005), Jammu, Ayodhya (2005), Varanasi (2006), Bangalore (2005) and Mumbai (2006). More recent cases include serial blasts and suicide bombings in Malegaon (September 2006), the Samjhauta Express (February 2007), Mecca Masjid, Hyderabad (May 2007), Gokul Chat and Lumbini Park, Hyderabad (August 2007) and the serial bombings in UP courts (November 2007). In 2008 Jaipur was targeted in May, Ahmedabad in July, New Delhi in September, Kanpur in October and Mumbai in November — the most perfidious attack of them all. All of these attacks led to large-scale casualties, material damage and disruption.

Urban terrorism that is gradually gaining ground in Indian cities is driven mainly by religious fundamentalists operating from across India’s borders, often with the support of sections of the government machinery. The most active foreign terrorist organisations are the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayebba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and the Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI). All three organisations are affiliated with Osama bin Laden’s International Islamic Front whose ultimate aim is to establish an Islamic Caliphate with India as an integral part of it. Of late, these terrorist organisations have been known to receive local support from the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), which wishes to liberate India from the materialistic cultural influence of the West and to create an Islamic society.

The aim of the terrorist organisations planning strikes in Indian cities is to create an environment of panic leading to a majority community backlash against the minority so that India’s secular credentials are undermined. They also seek to force the government machinery to react with repression and violence. The tools of terror are car and scooter bombs, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) placed in trains and buses and, occasionally, suicide bombings. Assassination attempts and kidnappings are bound to follow. Heavily armed gunmen launched terror attacks in Mumbai last month for the first time. The tactics, techniques and procedures adopted by them clearly indicate that they had been given commando training either by the Special Services Group (SSG), the elite Special Forces of the Pakistan army, or by retired Pakistani mercenary commandos who have joined the LeT.

As the Mumbai experience has shown, well-armed terrorists are not easy to fight in urban terrain as tall buildings and narrow lanes and alleys provide inherent protection to them and make the security forces easy targets. The presence of hostages further complicates military or police operations. Similarly, IED attacks and suicide bombings are extremely difficult to detect or prevent in time. The key to success in fighting urban terrorism lies in obtaining accurate intelligence about impending attacks and the neutralisation of the terrorists before they can launch their planned attacks. While electronic surveillance, including the interception of communications, is no doubt useful, it is of critical important to penetrate the networks and sleeper cells of the terrorist organisations so as to gain what has come to be called actionable intelligence.

It has repeatedly emerged that the intelligence gathering machinery of the Central Government, notably the Intelligence Bureau (IB), is inadequately staffed and has for long been engaged in gaining political intelligence for the government of the day. The Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) has virtually no capability for covert operations in Pakistan as its capabilities were ordered to be wound down by the Prime Minister in 1997. The state governments have simply not invested sufficient time, effort and funds for intelligence acquisition. The fact that various inputs about a terrorist attack form the sea were available with different agencies proves that India lacks a coherent assessment system for the collation, analysis, synthesis and effective dissemination of intelligence. Hopefully, the National Investigative Agency now proposed to be established by the government will be able to coordinate the entire intelligence gathering process and arrive at accurate deductions for action by concerned agencies.

The success of counter-terrorism operations depends to a considerable extent on a speedy response with operations being executed by the right force that is trained, armed and equipped suitably for the job at hand. As the National Security Guard (NSG) is India’s primary strike force for counter-terrorist operations, it must be given the wherewithal to respond swiftly to terrorist attacks to minimise casualties and deny the perpetrators the ability to consolidate. The NSG’s response time of nine hours to reach Mumbai gave the terrorists sufficient time to kill many hostages, plant bombs and enhance their defences before the commandos reached the buildings under siege. The government’s recent decision to locate NSG echelons in the cities that have been targeted frequently will enable the force to respond in a timelier manner. The NSG must also be equipped with state-of-the-art technology & equipment to enable the commandos to enhance their operational performance and minimise their own casualties.

Finally, urban terrorism is not a phenomenon that India can fight alone. The government must enter into extensive cooperative arrangements with friendly countries to maximise the advantages of intelligence sharing, seek training assistance and acquire expertise available with countries like Israel and the United States that have had a head start in this field. It is only through a concerted international approach that the adverse impact of growing urban terrorism can be minimised. Also, should the government of Pakistan continue to drag its feet in bringing the terrorist organisations and the leaders that planned the Mumbai attacks to justice, India will have no choice other than to exercise available military options and undertake covert operations to root out the perpetrators of terrorist attacks on Indian soil while simultaneously ensuring that the situation is not allowed to escalate into a larger conflict.

The writer is Director, Centre for Land Warfare Studies, New Delhi

Under seige in 2008

Mumbai, November 26

Several killed and many more injured in seven terror attacks targetting mostly foreigners' hangout places.

Assam, October 30

The 2008 Assam bombings occurred on October 30, 2008, in markets in Guwahati city and the surrounding area of western Assam. Reports indicated as many as 18 bombs went off, causing at least 84 deaths and 470 injuries.

Imphal, October 21

17 killed in a powerful blast near Manipur Police Commando complex. The blast came just two days after an explosion near the Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh’s official residence in the capital.

Kanpur, October 14

Eight people injured after low-intensity bomb planted on a rented bicycle went off Colonelganj market.

Malegaon, September 29

Five people died after a bomb kept in a motorbike went off in a crowded market. Investigations revealed the alleged involvement of Sadhvi Pragya and Lt Col SP Purohit and were arrested along with the other accused by the Anti-Terrorism Squad.

Modasa, Gujarat, September 29

One killed and several injured after a low-intensity bomb kept on a motorcycle went off near a mosque, in the minority dominated area of Sukha Bazar

New Delhi, September 27

Three people killed after a crude bomb was thrown in a busy market in Mehrauli. According to eyewitness account, two men on a motorcycle had dropped a tiffin box at the market, known as Phoolwalon ki Sairwala Market, near Aulia Masjid. When the boy picked up the tiffin box, a loud explosion took place, killing him & injuring many people.

New Delhi, September 13

A series of five synchronised bomb blasts took place within a span of few minutes at various locations in Delhi. The terror strikes killed more than 20 people and left more than 100 injured.

Ahmedabad, July 26

57 people killed and over 200 injured after 20-odd synchronised bombs went off within two hours.

Bangalore, July 25

A series of nine low-intensity crude bombs, triggered by timers exploded in which two people were killed and 20 injured.

Jaipur, May 13

A series of nine synchronised bomb blasts happened within a span of fifteen minutes at various locations, killing 68 people.

January

Terrorist attack on CRPF camp in Rampur kills eight.