Author: Vinay Jha
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: September 2, 2007
WHAT IS HUJI?
The Harkat-ul Jihadi al-Islami (HUJI) was set up in Pakistan in 1980 as an
organised militia to fight the Soviet troops in Afghanistan. Once the Soviets
pulled out, many militia members turned their attention elsewhere. And some
began looking at Bangladesh as a safe base. Over the years, the original HUJI
declined in power and influence. 1992 saw the birth of HUJI (Bangladesh),
reportedly on the instructions of Osama bin Laden. With its slogan, Amra Sobai
Hobo Taliban, Bangla Hobe Afghanistan, the group's primary aim was to establish
Islamic rule in Bangladesh. Later, HUJI Bangladesh became part of the International
Islamic Front (IIF) set up by bin Laden in 1998.
WHERE IS IT BASED?
The organisation operates out of Bangladesh and Pakistan. Over the years,
operatives have developed a network across India as well. Several alleged
HUJI members and sympathisers have been arrested from West Bengal and Uttar
Pradesh in the past few years. In Bangladesh, it has bases and camps in areas
around Chittagong and Cox's Bazaar, stretching all the way to Myanmar in a
belt known for smuggling and arms running.
WHO ARE ITS LEADERS?
In Bangladesh, the group came up under the leadership of Shawkat Osman alias
Sheikh Farid. Another senior leader Mufti Abdul Hannan is currently in jail,
facing charges under the Arms Act.
In India, the outfit has three dreaded faces.
Abdul Sahil Mohammad alias Shahid Bilal, who is believed to have built the
organisation in the south and is suspected to have masterminded three terror
attacks in Hyderabad in the past two years-the twin blasts, the Mecca Masjid
attack and the strike on STF. He is believed to be in Pakistan now.
Jalaluddin Mullah alias Babu Bhai, known to
be the commander for north India, was arrested by the Special Task Force of
Uttar Pradesh Police in June this year. He confessed to having delivered explosives
including RDX across the country since 2004, including a consignment to Delhi
before the Sarojini Nagar blasts. Babu Bhai is also an accused in the abduction
of Khadim Shoe chief Partha Roy Burman from Kolkata in 2001.
Rasool Khan "Party" from Gujarat
is said to be the head of the outfit's Maharashtra operations. He had recruited
Bilal into the HUJI.
WHERE DO THE CADRES COME FROM?
The group has trained a large number of Muslim Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.
When Harkat ul Ansar was outlawed, the Bangladeshi remnants returned home
and became part of HUJI. After 9/11, more militants left Pakistan and moved
to "safer" Bangladesh. "It is said that there were three groups
within the TalibanArabic speakers, Urdu speakers and Bengali speakers,"
says E N Rammohan, former BSF DG, who has followed the HUJI and other militant
groups closely over the years.
In Bangladesh, the outfit is believed to have
about 15,000 men and many sympathisers.
IS IT LINKED TO OTHER GROUPS?
"HUJI is the cat's paw of ISI and DGFI," says Ajai Sahni of the
Institute for Conflict Management, referring to the military intelligence
wings of Pakistan and Bangladesh. LeT and JeM chip in with help from Pakistan
and cadres of the outlawed SIMI provide local support. The recent strikes
should not be seen as pure HUJI operations but "multi-group affairs",
Sahni maintains. A significant change over the past few years is the nature
of operations. Earlier, militant groups operated in cells. Now, points out
Sahni, there is "operational discontinuity". Individuals work without
knowing the other operative. Anonymous contacts and PCO to PCO calls at fixed
times mean that even if one person is nabbed, the link ends and the conspiracy
cannot be cracked.
WHAT HAS IT DONE?
Security agencies believe HUJI (Bangladesh) has been involved in the Sankatmochan
temple attack in Varanasi, the Mumbai blasts, the Malegaon blasts in September
2006, the Mecca Masjid blasts in May this year and now the twin blasts. The
outfit's name also figured in the attack on the US consulate in Kolkata in
January 2002. However, the LeT and JeM also suspected to be involved in these.
In Bangladesh, it was allegedly involved in
two unsuccessful attempts to assassinate Sheikh Hasina in 2000 and a plot
to finish off progressive intellectuals, including writers.
AND FUNDING?
HUJI is believed to have received direct funding from al-Qaeda. It receives
money from charities, mainly based in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. In India,
the organisation has enough funds. Intelligence agencies believe its operations
are funded through fake currency notes, narcotics and cattle smuggling. Incidentally,
a fake currency racket was busted in Hyderabad shortly before the twin blasts.
As for cattle, these are illegally transported from Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana,
Delhi and Madhya Pradesh to Bangladesh through Bihar, West Bengal and Assam.
The magnitude ranges from a conservative 15-20 lakh animals per year to a
more alarming figure of 50-60 lakh. The trucks return with arms and ammunition.
