The deadly car blast near the Red Fort in New Delhi serves to be a stark reminder of the persistent threat of terrorism, making national security a heightened focus. It is all the more concerning since the modus operandi employed by terror operators this time shows a marked departure from the normal. These deviations make it more difficult for the security agencies to anticipate and prevent attacks using ‘predictive profiling’ methods based on older behavioural patterns. But if reports are to be believed, India battled fifteen days of thwarted terror threats before the Red Fort attack.
“The Red Fort explosion did not happen in isolation. For fifteen days India’s security grid was uncovering one terror link after another, from North to South, and from East to West. This is the timeline of dots that may well be connected.”
Indian security agencies have been relentlessly conducting a fervent and widespread crackdown on terror modules across the country. But, they are like the heads of the proverbial Hydra – chop off one, another two take its place! It is no secret that Pakistan-sponsored terrorist groups targeting India have evolved from traditional infiltration and bomb blasts to a more complex ‘hybrid warfare’ model that integrates advanced technology, digital propaganda and local radicalisation.
The rise of ‘hybrid terrorists’, who are seemingly normal civilians with no prior police records or links to known terror groups, is indeed alarming! They carry out attacks and then return to their everyday lives, making them difficult to identify and track.
The crackdown operations leading to the busting of a ‘white-collar’ Kashmir- Haryana-Uttar Pradesh terror module has awakened the Indian security agencies to the possibilities of Pakistan exploring new vistas in terror plotting. The emerging trend of ‘white collar’ radicalisation where highly educated professionals are being targeted and recruited by terror outfits is the latest in the series of terror plots employed. These individuals use their expertise, professional legitimacy and access to resources to plan and execute sophisticated terror operations, making them a more dangerous and harder-to-detect threat than traditional militant outfits.
Shockingly, investigations into the Red Fort car explosion have unearthed a recent trend where women are being recruited by extremists groups through specific and organised online radicalisation and dedicated propaganda, effectively making them a ‘force multiplier’ within their communities. This move is considered a significant and disturbing strategic shift, aimed at expanding their terror campaign by using female members for propaganda, logistics and potentially, suicide missions.
It is widely reported that the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has formed its first female ‘Jihadi’ brigade, named ‘Jamaat-ul-Mominaat’! For that matter, our hostile neighbour has always sought to unveil new fronts in its terror campaign.
Akin to a terror-churning factory, Pakistan has been revelling in its role as a benefactor of militant organisations proliferating within its territory and immediate neighbourhood. It is, however, the ‘ingenuity’ of these organisations at infusing novel ideas in their cadres which has posed substantial problems for India.
Terrorist tactics have been changing with rapidity as groups adapt to counterterrorism measures, societal conditions and technological advancements to maximise their psychological and physical impact. In the context of the evolving nature of cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan, the contention that the ‘battlefield has shifted from the mountains to the mind’ assumes a greater significance.
The new phase of conflict, where traditional militant activities in geographical areas are being augmented by efforts to radicalise individuals online and within urban environments, presents new security challenges beyond conventional military threats. The evolving nature of this threat requires a proactive approach that focuses on ideological and digital fronts to safeguard professional and social institutions.
“Of course, it is the job of intelligence agencies to keep a watch on terrorist organisations, but no agency is omnipresent or omniscient. If spy services were so good, then there would never be any terror attacks anywhere in the world, because intelligence agencies would have foiled them!” (Vir Sanghvi)
Nevertheless, significant gaps in intelligence sharing and coordination between different central and state security agencies have often been blamed for the failure to prevent major terror attacks and security lapses in the country. However, the dynamic and clandestine nature of terrorist groups, the diversity of motivations, the random and evolving patterns of attacks and exceptional intelligence-gathering challenges make it difficult or get a precise idea of terrorist acts.
Despite global counterterrorism efforts, India continues to experience determined terror threats and the emergence of new radical ideologies characterised by a shift towards homegrown, technologically-enabled and decentralised terror modules. The focus on urban and ‘white-collar’ terrorism with a distinct thrust on the exploitation of modern communication technologies by extremist groups appears to be a key characteristic of new-age terrorism.
Terror tactics have evolved significantly over time and, with ‘innovations’ coming into the trade, modern terror operations have eclipsed the earlier ones to pose more challenges. However, it is indeed encouraging to know that security agencies are embracing multifaceted strategies, aiming to create a more resilient security framework that is both, proactive and adaptive to the evolving nature of modern terrorism.
(Pachu Menon is a senior columnist and author based in Goa.)
