Terrorism expert says India must revise counter-terrorism policy
By Augustine Anthuvan, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 27 November 2008 2342 hrs

	Photos  of
	Related News • Fire breaks out at Mumbai hostage hotel • Mumbai landmarks targeted in attacks • 200 still trapped at Trident/Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai • Indian PM says Mumbai militants based "outside country" • Singaporean among hostages held in Mumbai Special Report • Mumbai Attacks

SINGAPORE: International terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna said the multiple assaults on Mumbai late Wednesday are "watershed attacks".

Professor Gunaratna, who heads the Singapore-based International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said that unless the Indian government takes this threat seriously and takes decisive action, the threat of terrorism will definitely grow in India.

Gunmen from the little-known Deccan Mujahedeen group had claimed responsibility for the attacks, which have killed at least 100 people.

Professor Gunaratna said 'Deccan Mujahideen' is simply a front name that the Indian Mujahideen uses. Indian Mujahideen originates from a group called SIMI – Student Islamic Movement of India – and its members are Indian nationals who have been inspired and influenced by the Al-Qaeda.

He said: "The quality of this attack showed that the Indian Mujahideen is a very capable organisation. Certainly, it has planned this attack very carefully and attacks of this scale will mount in the future.

"The only way to prevent that, the only way to reduce the threat is to develop high-quality, high-grade intelligence on these groups, on the individuals, and to detect and disrupt those organisations – either to incarcerate or kill those individual leaders.

"Unless that is done, the threat of terrorism will grow in India. So India must rethink, must totally revise its counter terrorism policy and strategy as a result of this attack."

On the group's mode of operation, Professor Gunaratna said: "The terrorist attack was exceptionally well planned. They would have studied their targets very carefully. And in fact, what we are seeing is that the terrorists have invested very significant amount of time planning and preparing the attack.

"It is an Al-Qaeda style attack... the timing was perfect. And in many ways, the group is being inspired by Al-Qaeda, in terms of methodology and also in terms of target selection because they selected high-profile, symbolic and strategic targets."

The professor said the terrorists are out to instil fear within the Indian government and the Indian society. By selecting a range of targets from hospital to luxury hotels, they showed that they could attack multiple targets at any given time.

Reports have said that the Deccan or Indian Mujahideen wanted to end the persecution of Indian Muslims whom they think are being ill treated, and in extreme cases killed by the Indian government and by the Hindus.

The professor said there is no truth in that as the Indian people have treated their minorities reasonably well. He added that the Indian Mujahideen members have been driven by a misperception – a deviant and heretical doctrine.

Professor Gunaratna also believes that the Indian forces are capable enough to handle the situation and the international community should allow the country to resolve the crisis on its own.


- CNA/so