TIWN
AGARTALA / NEW YORK, April 27 (TIWN): ISIS, HUJI terrorist groups expansion and new bases in Bangladesh, Tripura's Sonamura, Kailashahar, Belonia progressing in alarming proportion.The Islamic State (IS) jihadist group wants to expand its operations in Bangladesh to boost its image among local radicals, US-based intelligence assessment company Stratfor said in a report on Tuesday. "The Islamic State will attempt more sensational attacks in Bangladesh,North East India to gain the support of extremists in the country," the report stated, according to Sputnik News.The IS militants have published their goals for expansion in the latest edition of their magazine Dabiq, according to Stratfor. IS head of operations in Bangladesh Sheikh Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif said the group wants to target Christian missionaries and foreigners, along with Hindu and Shiite figures. Bangadesh extremists already set up bases in various cities in Bangaldesh, in addition to Assam's Silchar, Cacher region, Tripura's Sonamura,. Terrorist leader Al-Hanif also noted that Bangladesh is strategically important due to its proximity to eastern, northeastern India and Myanmar."Bangladeshi nationals and foreign extremists of Bangladeshi descent fighting in Iraq and Syria will provide the Islamic State with skilled bombmakers and operational planners in Bangladesh," the report added.
The Islamic State ISIS, also known as Daesh, has been designated as a terrorist group and is outlawed in the United States, Russia and numerous other countries. The infamous group has seized large areas in Iraq and Syria, and declared a caliphate on territories under its control.
Tripura is being increasingly used as a corridor by Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jihad-i-Islami (Huji) militants BSF has intensified vigil along Tripura’s 856-km-long border with Bangladesh. “We have been directed by our higher authorities in Delhi to intensify vigil along the border in the wake of reports that Tripura is being used as a corridor or transit point for entry of fundamentalist and terrorist elements like Huji into India”, said a high level BSF official.
The BSF authorities are at present trying to strengthen the intelligence network to get proper feedback on developments along the border including information on what is happening inside Bangladesh, at least in areas close to the border. We do receive feedback from other intelligence agencies but at present our priority is to strengthen our own intelligence network so that we can face any eventuality in a better way, the BSF official mentioned.
According to a report, global terrorist networks, including Pakistan-based ISI, Al-Qaida and Bangladesh-based HUJI activists were using Sonamura, Agartala and Kailashahar of Tripura and Karimganj and towns of upper Assam to enter India and most of them did not possess valid passports.
Intelligence agencies here had always suspected that Tripura, especially Akhaura (Agartala), Sonamura in West Tripura districts, Dharmanagar and Kailashahar borders in North Tripura districts, were being used by Bangladeshi terrorists, criminals as well as DGFI and ISI recruits to enter other states in the country's heartland for carrying out anti-Indian activities.