IB WARNS of highway strikes near Delhi ahead of 26 January

The Intelligence Bureau has warned of highway strikes near the national capital ahead of the Republic Day celebrations

Ahead of the Republic Day celebrations, the Intelligence Bureau has issued three terror alerts. The threat perception is high from the Hizbul Mujahideen-Lashkar-e-Tayiba combine, the Babbar Khalsa International and a possible lone-wolf attack by an Islamic State inspired operative, the IB has said.

"The alert is general in nature," says an Intelligence Bureau official. Security has been stepped up as is done every year, the officer added. Authorities however say that while it may be hard to hit in the main areas of the national capital, one should not rule out the highway styled attacks that have been carried out in Jammu and Kashmir.

Security is normally lax on the highways and terror groups may try and hit there. A recent meeting of the Hizbul Mujahideen and the LeT decided that they would need to go beyond Jammu and Kashmir. A video which was in circulation last week showed operatives of both the outfits plotting an attack outside the Valley. Both these terror groups have highway squads which particular target army vehicles in the Valley. They may try and replicate the same on a highway close to the National Capital, the officer also informed.

A similar alert had been sounded ahead of Independence Day. The August 15, 2016 alert suggested attempts were being made by Kashmir-based groups to target vehicles along the highway close to the National Capital. Security had been stepped up and officials managed to ensure that the Independence Day celebrations passed off incident free.

OneIndia News