Islamic Resistance Council or Islamic State: It is the same difference

An unknown group called the Islamic Resistance Council is taking responsibility for the Mangalore blast. This name-changing is, however, an age-old diversionary tactic that has been used by terror groups across the world.

New Delhi, Nov 25: Following the blast in Mangaluru that was carried out by Mohammad Shariq, a post claiming responsibility for the incident was made by an unknown group called the Islamic Resistance Council.

"We, the Islamic Resistance Council (IRC), would like to convey this message: One of our Mujahid brother Mohammed Shariq attempted to attack the Hindutva Temple in Kadri (in Dakshina Kannada district), a bastion of the Saffron terrorists in Mangaluru," the claim made on the social media read.

The police is trying to verify this claim, but sources tell OneIndia that this is an age-old diversionary tactic that has been used by terror groups across the world. The name is changed to take the heat of the mother organisation based on whose ideology the attacks are carried out. The more closely one looks at either the Mangaluru or Coimbatore blasts, the more clear it becomes that it is textbook Islamic State, the role of a lone wolf and an unconventional weapon of choice.

The derivative tactic:

General M M Naravane, when he was the Army Chief of the Indian Army, had commented on a new outfit in Jammu and Kashmir that called it 'The Resistance Front'. While terming it as the Terror Revival Front, he had said that this is a proxy group which had its roots in Pakistan.

It was at that time when Pakistan was desperately trying to get out of the Grey List of the Financial Action Task Force and hence it went on to rebrand the Lashkar-e-Tayiba as The Resistance Front.

This clearly was a new tactic adopted by Pakistan and taking note of the same, Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a high-level meeting directed (https://www.oneindia.com/india/how-pak-is-fooling-the-world-by-using-its-derivatives-the-resistence-front-lashkar-e-khalsa-3409265.html) the police and the security agencies to refrain from using names of new terror groups in the Union Territory. These are only derivatives of Pakistan-based globally designated terror groups which have been created by the ISI to spread the narrative of home grown terror in Jammu and Kashmir, it was noted.

Let us go South:

In southern India, groups such as the Students Islamic Movement of India operated under different names. Post the ban of such outfits, they come out with various names to either stay off the radar or divert the attention of the investigating agencies.

In Kerala, the National Investigation Agency had found back in 2012 that not just terror groups, but even political outfits were using different names while furthering their Islamist ideology. Such groups using different names, but following the ideology of the Students Islamic Movement of India which later went on to become the Indian Mujahideen had their strongholds in Mallapuram, Kasargod, Kozhikode and Kannur.

The Intelligence Bureau had found that in these strongholds groups such as the SIMI were operating under 30 different names. Further some of these groups were closely associated with local politicians due to which they got the required protection.

On the face of it, all these groups looked legitimate. But in reality they were only carrying out the cause of the radical Islamists.

The bigger groups:

Kerala and Tamil Nadu have also seen many groups that are operating under different banners. For instance in Tamil Nadu, the Islamic State operates as the Ansarullah.

The Al-Qaeda, on the other hand, operates as the Base Movement. There is also the Al-Ummah which follows the ideology of the Islamic State. In the Coimbatore blast, the name of the outfit cropped up as the main accused, Jameesha Mubin had links with one of the accused in the earlier Coimbatore blast aimed at targeting BJP leader L K Advani.

The agencies have also found another group called as the Manitha Neeti Pasarai following the arrest of one Sathik Batcha who follows the ideology of the Islamic State.

In a nutshell, the official quoted above said that the investigation agencies are aware of such tactics and they would rather focus on the ideology, modus-operandi rather than getting too much in these new names which are nothing but diversionary tactics.