Author:
Publication: Zee News
Date: September 1, 2007
URL: http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=392203&sid=NAT&sname=
The arrest of a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant
in Kathua, who belongs to Manipur suggests that banned militant outfit has
spread its tentacles in the country's North-east region.
According to the sources, Mohammed Sadeeq
is the first Bangladesh-trained militant from the northeast to be arrested
in the State. The arrest of the Manipuri youth shows how deep terrorist organisations
have penetrated inside the country.
It is yet another example of infiltration
and the first direct instance of north-east youths working for the al Qaeda,
the Daily Excelsior, a local Jammu and Kashmir daily reported.
" Sadeeq, a resident of Foibal in Manipur,
was arrested in Dudu-Basantgarh belt of Kathua district last week," Director
General of Police (DGP) Kuldeep Khuda said.
Sadeeq, who was initially assumed to be a
Pakistani militant, was also suspected of operating in upper reaches of Kathua,
Udhampur and Doda, Khuda said.
"As per the investigations, he was found
to be an LeT militant and not an al-Qaeda militant," he said. As reported,
the militant was nabbed along with an AK Rifle and grenades.
Sadeeq, who had been given the code name of
Abu Waqar by LeT top brass, and had crossed over to Bangladesh from Silchar,
Assam early last year after being lured into militancy by local agents.
He was given arms training at Chittagong in
Bangaladesh where, according to him, officials of ISI and Bangladesh Intelligence
agencies used to come jointly to monitor training and pick up hardcore militants
for al Qaeda.
Sadeeq was initially picked-up for al Qaeda
but was later told that he had to be pushed to Jammu and Kashmir immediately
along with a group of 10 to 15 militants, as the LeT was facing shortage of
cadre.
He disclosed that he along with 10 to 15 other
militants was shifted from Chittagong to Karachi through sea route.
From Karachi, he was shifted to Muzafarrabad
from where he infiltrated into Kupwara district of Kashmir valley along with
his group.
He operated in Kupwara district and was instrumental
in attacks on security Forces and planting IEDs. About three months back,
he shifted to upper reaches of Udhampur as a part of three to four militants
of LeT outfit and was operating there since then.
Mohd Sadeeq has also disclosed that a number
of youths from Manipur have been inducted in militancy by local agents of
the ISI by exploiting their poor economic condition.
According to him, a number of youths from
North East were undergoing training in militancy in training camps of Bangadesh
with full backing of Pakistan and Bangladesh intelligence agencies.
The arrest has reaffirmed the suspicion of
presence of militant training camps in Bangladesh, and al-Qaeda operatives
receiving training there.
Meanwhile, intelligence sources said Sadeeq
was initially picked up for al-Qaeda outfit, but was later told to go to Jammu
and Kashmir along with a group of 10 to 15 militants, as the LeT was facing
a shortage of cadre there.
However the State Government is yet to receive
an official report about the arrest from the Jammu police. Significantly two
LeT operatives, from Manipur were among three cadres of the terrorist outfit
arrested at Delhi some time back.
