Multi-city, multiple attacks on India “more than a possibility”: NSG

NSG commandos march during the 30th raising day of National Security Guard at Manesar, Gurgaon in Haryana on Thursday. Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

The country’s elite counter-terror force NSG on Thursday said global terror outfits like ISIS and al-Qaeda joining hands to launch and perpetrate a “multi-city multiple attack” on India “is more than a possibility”.

The Director General (DG) of the ‘black cat’ commandos force J N Choudhury said “it is more than a possibility” now that these terror groups may find “allies” in similar organisations like Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Indian Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba which already have a presence and activity in India.

“Now that they (international terror outfits like al-Qaeda) have declared their intention of attacking India, they will obviously align with known groups that we have (active in the country). Whether it is Laskhar (Lashkar-e-Taiba), Jaish (Jaish-e-Mohammad), Harkat (Harkat-ul-Mujahideen) or IM (Indian Mujahideen).

“So the apprehension we have is that if they do have a combined kind of strategy or combined operations, we have to prepared and be alert if a combined (terrorist) group takes action. Then there is a threat and possibility of a multi-city multiple attacks. That is what we are preparing for and hence we are also working with anti-terrorist forces and state police forces (in this context),” the National Security Guard DG told reporters in Manesar.

He was speaking on the occasion of the 30th Raising Day of the force that was set up in 1984 for special combat tasks.

Mr. Choudhury said he remembers from his earlier stint in the Intelligence Bureau that al-Qaeda operatives had done a “reconnisance of Goa, Bangalore and Amritsar” about a decade ago.

“This (recce of vulnerable spots in India) is not a new thing for al-Qaeda,” the NSG chief said adding they looked at Goa as it was visited by a number of foreign and domestic tourists.