LeT operatives planning attacks in Delhi: Police
The Delhi Police is searching for two Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists who are planning to carry out suicide attacks in Delhi on high profile targets. The police have identified the two as Dujana and Ukasha and claim that they infiltrated into India through Jammu and Kashmir. The special cell of Delhi Police unearthed the plot and filed an FIR on December 1.
What is the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)?
The LeT is one of the largest Kashmir focused terrorist groups in South-Asia. It is led by Hafeez Sayeed, the mastermind of the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai and is based out of Pakistan.
The LeT: A few facts
The LeT's presence in Jammu and Kashmir was first recorded in 1993. Experts estimate that LeT has thousands of members, predominantly Pakistanis, and seeks a united Kashmir under Pakistani rule. Gen Musharraf banned the LeT in Pakistan in January 2002. LeT coordinates its charitable activities through its front organization, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JUD). The JUD was added to the US terror watch list in June 2014.
Objectives and Ideologies
The primary objective of the LeT is to bring Jammu and Kashmir under Pakistani rule. Among their other objectives, the LeT also seeks the restoration of Islamic rule over all parts of India. The LeT also seeks to unite all Muslim majority nations in Pakistan's vicinity and to that end, it is active in India, Chechnya and parts of Central Asia.
ISIS dismisses LeT as Pakistan's stooge
In November 2013, the ISIS dismissed the Lashkar-e-Taiba as an ineffective force who are incapable of sustaining a war. They also called them mere puppets in the hands of the Pakistani army.
LeT attacks in India
The LeT has conducted several attacks in Kashmir against Pandits and Sikhs in the 1990s. In 2000, it claimed responsibility for the Red Fort attack in Delhi. LeT has also been held responsible for the 2001 Parliament attack in India. In 2005, they killed 60 civilians and injured over 300 in the Delhi bombings. Their most prominent attack was in Mumbai in November 2008.
