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“India among worst hit by terror”

U.S. State Department report says over 2,300 lives lost in 2007

Washington: India was among the countries worst affected by terror with militant attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and in the northeast, strikes by naxalites and attacks elsewhere in the country taking a toll of more than 2,300 lives in 2007, the U.S. State Department said.

The State Department, in its annual report on terrorism, said terrorist activities along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir are on the decline but Pakistan-based militant outfits such as the Lashkar-e-Toiba and other groups continue attacks in the valley.

“Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba and other Kashmir-focused groups continued regional attack planning. In 2007, Kashmir-focused groups continued to support attacks in Afghanistan, and operatives trained by the groups continued to feature in Al-Qaeda trans-national attack planning,” it said.

Outdated system

The report said the Indian government’s counter-terrorism efforts remained hampered by outdated and overburdened law enforcement system.

The attack on the Samjhauta Express in February last, the report said, was carried out by extremists who tried to incite anger among the Hindus and Muslims.

“Indian officials claim that the perpetrators of these attacks have links to groups based in Pakistan and Bangladesh, particularly the Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, and Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami, among others,” the report said.

These groups also have links to terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir. The number of civilians killed were approximately half of that in the previous year.

In May, the Indian government acknowledged that the level of infiltration across the Line of Control had fallen, but noted that insurgents had in some cases shifted routes to enter India through Bangladesh and Nepal.

The report also took note of the formation of the anti-terrorism mechanism between India and Pakistan to coordinate and exchange information on terrorists.

“Pakistan’s leaders took steps to prevent support to the Kashmiri militancy, and the number of violent attacks in Kashmir was down by approximately 50 per cent from 2006, according to public statements made by the Indian Defence Minister,” it said.

The report also took note of the U.S.-India Joint Working Group on Terrorism (CTJWG) which had so far met nine times since its formation in 2000. — PTI

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