‘Lone wolf’ attacks feared, MHA tells all to watch out

A revised assessment of the global threat posed by Islamic State by Indian security agencies following the horrific Paris attack indicates that ISIS is the largest and fastest-growing terror outfit, which has spread its wings far in a very short time. There are real fears about the role played by Indians in it, whose extent is largely unknown, but the intelligence agencies also warned the government about the involvement of Chinese and Pakistanis in ISIS.

The agencies believe there are around 300 Chinese ISIS fighters, drawn from different regions, now fighting in Syria. While Pakistan has never shared figures about the involvement of its citizens, it is known to contribute the highest number of ISIS cadres from South Asia.

As India’s entire neighbourhood, as well as Pakistan and China, reels under the ISIS threat, the Indian agencies still claim there are only around 18-20 Indian ISIS recruits now fighting in Syria. However, with the large number of the Indian diaspora in Gulf countries, the figure could well be a lot more. There is no information on how many more may have actually slipped out to join ISIS’ ranks.

Within India, states like Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh are under the intelligence agencies’ scanner, as they have tracked a number of ISIS sympathisers in these states after monitoring social media traffic. The worry is that the growing radicalisation increases the threat from “individual” radicalised elements, who may not travel to ISIS hotbeds like Syria to join it, but carry out “lone wolf attacks” within India to establish their allegiance.

India’s global assessment indicates that ISIS is spreading its tentacles from the Arab nations, Europe (and Britain in particular), North Africa, South Asia and elsewhere. France and Bulgaria stand second among the suppliers of fighters to ISIS in Syria.

It is learnt that around 4,000-5,000 ISIS fighters in Syria are from European countries, with France and Bulgaria contributing around half that number. The largest number of course comes from the Arab nations. Then comes Britain, followed by Spain, Germany and parts of North Africa. It is clear that the outfit has deeply entrenched itself all over the globe. “Using social media, the outfit has radicalised and indoctrinated youth across the globe and is growing at a rate faster than any intelligence agency can track,” a senior Indian official said.

On Sunday, the home ministry did a comprehensive review of the security situation in India in light of the ISIS threat. Security at all French establishments in the country, including the embassy and consulates in all cities, as well as academic institutions and places often visited by French citizens, is being beefed up.

The MHA is taking stock of the progress of its counter-radicalisation strategy, which was recently rolled out in different states to wean the youth away from ISIS’ influence. With the help of state governments and police forces, the strategy includes counselling by families and elders, monitoring potential ISIS handlers and recruits and scanning areas prone to radical influences.