Expert says radical terrorists are changing tactics to nurture home grown jihadists

London, Nov.28 : An Iranian-born journalist and author based in Europe has claimed that radical Islamists may be changing their tactics to inspire home-grown jihadists

Amir Taheri, the author of the book 'Holy Terror: Inside the World of Islamic Terrorism', writes in the Telegraph that the perpetrators were trying to imitate the tactic of "Ghazwa", used by the Prophet Mohamad against Meccan caravans during his decade-long campaign to seize control of the city.

He says that the Mumbai attacks differed from previous terror operations in India in a number of ways.

"In the past, one approach had been to place explosive-packed devices in crowded places with the aim of killing large numbers at random. Another was suicide attacks on specific targets by lone "volunteers for martyrdom. This time, however, the approach was "symphonic", in the sense that it involved different types of operations blended together," Taheri says in his article.

He further goes on to say that "whoever designed the operations had another important Islamic tactic in mind: tabarra or exoneration."

The loud message was that a small group of individuals could turn a megalopolis of almost 15 million inhabitants into a battlefield for at least a day, he says, adding that terrorism is a beast with an extraordinary ability to mutate.

He also says that the Mumbai attacks could be a message to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari that, though he may be uninterested in Kashmir, the issue is still central to many in Pakistan.

ANI