Jihad Beyond Jammu & Kashmir

Shanthie Mariet D’Souza

Archive data: Person was Associate Fellow at IDSA Joined IDSA March 2006 Expertise United States Counter Terrorism policy towards Afghanistan, Pakistan, India; Terrorism; Non State Armed Groups; Conflict Management; International… Continue reading Jihad Beyond Jammu & Kashmir read more

Despite the instant denial issued by the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) of its involvement in the November 26 Mumbai terrorist attacks, it is clear that the attacks were the latest manifestation of the terrorist grouping’s engorged war – the extension of Jihad much beyond its traditional hunting ground of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) to the Indian heartland. Abdullah Ghaznavi, speaking on behalf of the Lashkar, told TV channels in the early hours of November 27: ‘LeT condemns such acts and we have no link with those responsible for such acts’. Several terrorist strikes across Indian urban areas before the Mumbai attacks have proved that the ‘holy war’ now encompasses the whole of India.