What is the issue?
- Our security discourse is focused primarily on special squads, better weaponry, satellite imagery, radars and transponders.
- While these are indeed relevant, our counter-terrorist architecture needs to be flexible enough adapt to changing terror tactics.
- A rational analysis of whether our preventive machinery is able to match the changing terrorist methodology is required.
How has Terror Tactics Changed?
- Lone Wolf - a helplessness is growing in countering the vehicle-mowing-down tactics of Islamic State (IS).
- Starting in Nice (France), similar tactics were employed for attacks in Berlin, London, Stockholm, Barcelona and New York.
- It is dreaded as it is more innovative as “low cost terror tactics” as compared to earlier ones ‘Al Qaeda’s on 9/11”.
- Notably, Over 100 people from Kerala are suspected to have joined the IS and many have moved to Syria.
- Cyber Propaganda – Counter Terror (CT) agencies are struggling to prevent the growing online terror propaganda.
- Notably, none of the Western agencies or private watch groups could detect from where the IS sends their “online” messages.
What are the challenges globally?
- Prevention – Even stopping people already on the “Counter Terror (CT)” radar from committing carnage hasn’t been possible.
- A majority of the lone-wolfs (solo uncoordinated attackers) were n the radars of law enforcement for some or the other reason.
- This signifies that merely intercepting data in bulks is no guarantee to prevent attacks.
- This is because analysing the collected data is not catching up with the wide scope of collection.
- Prosecution - Yet another problem is the inability of national investigating agencies to successfully secure evidence.
- Notably, thousands of IS fighters who had returned voluntarily or were forcibly repatriated from abroad haven’t been prosecuted yet.
How is the scene in Indian?
- Linear Thinking - Mumbai’s law enforcement was focused on commando style attacks in the aftermath of 26/11 attacks in 2008.
- But IED attacks (timed devices) restarted - which was seen in Pune Bakery blast of 2010 and later in the Mumbai serial blasts of 2011.
- Lacking Coordination - Notably, our air defence capabilities were exposed in the air balloon episode at Ahmadabad airport.
- While it was merely an advertisement, it wasn’t coordinated with Air Traffic Control – and was mistaken for a spy drones.
- Significantly, none of our security institutions took charge of the situation, which could’ve been a potential attack.
- Missing Focus – We don’t have any reliable record of our overseas workers who are the source for terror recruitment.
- Notably, the former Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), which was trying to collect such data during the UPA government.
- But MOIA has been merged with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) after the present NDA government took over.
- This has relegated the high-level attention that our overseas workers had to a minor wing of our vast MEA.
Source: Indian Express
