Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 8: The Lucknow encounter should send a clear cut message to those who so far have been unwilling to acknowledge the threat to India from ISIS according to Brig Anil Gupta, a veteran and Jammu-based security and strategic analyst.
In a statement issued here today, he said ISIS is not only knocking at our doors but has made a successful entry due to the ostrich-like approach of our political leadership. Any further delay in smelling the coffee and accepting the presence of elephant in the room will be at the peril of national security warned Brig Gupta.
He said both the MP and UP police deserve kudos for timely sharing of the intelligence and the professionalism displayed by the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) of the UP Police is praiseworthy.
He said having suffered defeat at the hand of Allied Forces in Iraq ISIS has given up the dream of establishing an Islamic Caliphate but is determined to enforce its ideology of radical Wahabi Islam. To achieve this it has divided its cadre and deployed them in Europe and South Asia for spreading terror Brig Gupta, added.
He said ISIS cadre has been trained to eliminate those who do not subscribe and submit to their ideology of radical Islam. All those who oppose their ideology are their enemies irrespective of their religious belief according to the ISIS chief Baghdadi. Therefore, the presence of ISIS cadre amongst us is a matter of grave concern Brig Gupta, added.
He said so far, NIA was successful only in exposing the ISIS network of sleeper cells in the country. Lucknow encounter is the first of its kind wherein the ISIS cadre has been involved in a live encounter. The Government needs to further strengthen the intelligence network before the cadre is able to spread its tentacles to the other parts of the country and spread the arc of terrorism to Central and South India, he added.
Follow our WhatsApp channel