HuJI- al-Qaeda merger is bad news for India

Bangladesh has arrested two key members of the al-Qaeda in the Sub Continent (AQIS). While these can be termed as important arrests, there is a larger message that one gets to witness.

The men arrested have been named as Mawlana Zafar Alim‎ and Maniul Islam. While Alim was the head of the AQIS in Bangladesh, Islam is a former chief of the radical Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami or the HuJI.

What one needs to bear in mind is that the merger of the HuJI into the al-Qaeda in the sub-continent is not good news for India as this outfit has a considerable presence in the country.

Why the merger of HuJI and AQIS is bad news?

The HuJI was originally created by the ISI. It was known as the sister concern of the Lashkar-e-Taiba. HuJI was specifically created in Bangladesh with an aim of creating a wave of terror in West Bengal, the North Eastern states and also in Bihar.

Strongest module of HuJI in Hyderabad

However, the strongest module of the HuJI was found in Hyderabad. The module was headed by an operative by the name Shahid Bilal who operated from an area called Moosarambagh.

Bilal had managed to create a strong network of youth who worshipped him as a demi God. He was the man who was the answer to a lot of their problems.

However, after the attack at Lumbini Park and Gokul Chats, he fled the country. As he had become too hot for the ISI to handle, it is alleged that they killed him in an encounter.

The Intelligence Bureau says that the merger of the AQIS and the HuJI would give birth to many such persons. There are several modules in West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, North East and Hyderabad which are in sleep mode.

The AQIS in its bid to bring into its fold regional forces could end up activating these HuJI modules in India as well.

The problem in North East:

The HuJI has also been one of the closest partners of the ULFA. Recently the Assam Chief Minister had said that there was specific intelligence to suggest that the al-Qaeda had been making considerable ground in various parts of the state.

There is clear indication to suggest that the al-Qaeda through the HuJI has been making contact with the North Eastern terrorist groups.

To add to the problem is that most of the North Eastern terrorist groups like the ULFA(I) and the NSCN(K) among others have come under one umbrella.

This would mean that they would have the same sources and the al-Qaeda would be more than happy to partner with them.

Bangladesh holds the key:

Bangladesh has been taking very strong action against the HuJI and AQIS. The recent raid conducted by the Rapid Action Battalion in Bangladesh nabbed important members of the AQIS.

In the raid they managed to nab Mawlana Mainul Islam, a former HuJI operative now the AQIS chief coordinator in Bangladesh, and his top advisor Mawlana Zafar Amin , along with ten others.

The RAB during the raid also managed to recover a huge amount of explosives, bomb making material, sharp weapons and training manuals. It was the AQIS which had claimed responsibility for the murder of bloggers Avijit Roy and Ananta Bijoy Das.