Myanmar most crucial for India's war on terror

Ties with Myanmar are extremely crucial for India when it comes to fighting terrorism. The recent Assam massacre by the NFDB (S) was planned in Myanmar and the cadres were sent down from there to carry out the ghastly attack.

Not just the menace of the NFDB (S), but Myanmar has been witnessing several other groups such as the Lashkar-e-Tayiab too setting up camp over there. It has become a problematic zone not just for India but for Myanmar as well says an officer with the Intelligence Bureau.

The threat of the Lashkar-e-Taiba:

The Lashkar has set up shop in Myanmar since the early part of 2013 in a bid to take advantage of the Rohingya Muslim issue. There is an ongoing battle with the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar which has prompted terror groups to jump into the arena and act as their protectors.

The Funding:

In Myanmar the Lashkar has largely been funded by the Saudi-based groups. Money has been raised in Saudi Arabia and pumped into Myanmar to fund the Lashkar battle.

Further there are also sympathizers from other parts of the globe who are under the scanner of the agencies for funding the Lashkar.

The weapons trail:

When the Lashkar decided that it would take up the cause of the Rohingya Muslims, it ensured that there was a free flow of weapons into Myanmar. A large part of the weapons have flown in from Thailand over the past two years.

It is said that the Lashkar has its own set of operatives in Thailand which also includes the arms wing of the D Company which has facilitated the supply of arms in Myanmar.

Exploiting financial conditions:

The Lashkar when it made its entry into Myanmar exploited the Rohingya Muslims. They capitalized on the clash between this group of people and also locals.

Further the economic conditions of the Rohingya Muslims were taken advantage of. They were repeatedly told to raise arms to fight their cause.

The Jaish-e-Mohammad:

Further the agencies have also found that the Jaish-e-Mohammad too has been carrying out some activity along the border areas. A lot of activity by the Jaish has been reported along the Cox Bazaar and the Teknaf sub-division bordering Myanmar.

The Jaish made its entry along with the Lashkar and took advantage of the Rakhine riots. It drilled into the Rohingya Muslims that they need to raise arms for their own safety.

The Jaish and the Lashkar even went up to the extent of creating an outfit called the Difa-e-Musalman Arakan-Burma Conference to rope in the Rohingya Muslims.

The NFDB (S) and ULFA:

Looking at the various intelligence bureau reports it becomes clear that even the ULFA and the NFDB (S) have taken shelter in Myanmar. They have found to be operating both in Myanmar and Bangladesh with the help of the JMB.

Offcers say that all these terrorist organizations work under the banner of different causes, but have just one motive. Cornering India through the formation of a Greater Bangladesh is their agenda.

The ULFA and the NFDB (S) will ensure that peace never returns to Assam while the JMB, Lashkar and the Jaish will keep the agenda moving in Bangladesh, Myanmar and India.

India affected:

After the riots in Myanmar several Rohingya Muslims infiltrated into India. While there are many who have genuinely come in search of food and employment, there is no ruling out the black sheep too.

A large settlement of the Rohingya Muslims has been found in Hyderabad. While speaking to some of them all they say is that they want to get back home. The culture, the food and the living conditions is something that they are unable to adapt to. After the Bangladesh immigration problem India faces this issue in a bid way.

They are spread across the country although they need to be at Jammu where there is a dedicated refugee camp for the Rohingya Muslims. However most of them are illegal immigrants and prefer to squat illegally rather than go through the process and obtain a refugee status from the government of India.

Incidents of terror:

With such a huge population of Rohingya Muslims in India, it is obvious that terror groups would want to win them over in a bid to disrupt peace in India. The first attempt to win them over was by carrying out the blast at Bodhgaya.

This according to the SIMI was done to win the confidence of the Rohingya Muslims and also express solidarity with them.

The next incident that we got to witness was when Khalid a Rohingya Muslim was arrested from Hdyerabad in connection with the Burdhwan blasts. During his questioning he revealed that he had trained with the Lashkar in Myanmar before being sent to India. He was tapped by the JMB which also subscribes to the Lashkar. His job was to oversee the inflow of the Rohingya Muslims and then rope them into the terror network of the JMB.

India's next move:

India realizes that it needs the support of both Bangladesh and Myanmar in order to counter this problem. The problem is not just one, but several say the agencies.

All three countries need to work together and in tandem and if the same is not done soon then the problem could only worsen, the officials say. Yesterday the Indian government appealed to Myanmar and Bangladesh to help tackle the problem. The response has been positive and both countries will extend all cooperation, an external affairs ministry official informed.