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India: ULFA blasts leave at least 7dead and 50 injured
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by Mritunjay | November 22, 2009 at 08:32 am
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In a series of two blasts triggered in the Lower Assam town of Nalbari, at around 9.45 am on Sunday, at least 7 people have been killed and more than 50 have been reported injured. Police sources have named the terrorist organization, United Liberation Front of Asom, (ULFA) to be behind the blasts.
The militants used Improvised Explosive Device (IED), which they had strapped to two bicycles parked within 50 meters of the blast sites. The first blast at 9.55 am, was of low intensity and did not cause any casualty. The second blast came nearly 15 minutes later near a police station which led to casualties and injuries.
Police sources said that they had intelligence inputs that the militant organization is likely to carry out violent activities prior to what ULFA calls the Protest Day on November 27. The banned militant organization observes the Protest Day to mark the launch of military operations on it and declaration of ULFA as banned outfit by the Indian government in 1991. ULFA is also looking to avenge the arrest of two of its senior leaders, self-styled foreign secretary Sasha Choudhury and finance secretary Chitrabon Hazarika.
Earlier this week ULFA militants blew up wagons of a tanker train carrying high-speed diesel (HSD) and petrol.
Meanwhile Hira Saraniya, commander of ULFA’s 709 battalion, called up local newspapers and claimed that ULFA has no role in the explosions. He said that some elements are trying to derail the proposed peace talks between government and ULFA.
ULFA's history of terrorizing the region is not new and spans over two decades. They have claimed responsibility in bombing military as well as civilians locations. They have also been known to attack soft-targets like railway tracks and oil-pipelines which has often left the area economically as well as logistically crippled. Situated in the North-Eastern hilly regions of India, operations against these outlaws and several other such armed outfits has been a challenge for security forces.
Previously, neighboring Bangladesh used to be a safe haven for these armed terrorist groups but with the current Bangladeshi government launching an offensive against them, their desperation has aggravated. The recent capture of the two prominent ULFA leaders was a result of Bangladesh pushing them out of their territory.
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Mritunjay
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (5)
at 09:48 on November 22nd, 2009
Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi issued an statement after the blasts saying that after Banladesh has started acting against ULFA they are now trying to shift base to China.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
After finding itself squeezed out of space from Myanmmar and Bangladesh, ULFA has agreed to resume peace talks with India. In 2005 the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) had signed a ceasefire agreement with the Centre and the state government, leaving its chairman, Ranjan Daimary, out of the talks. Security strategists believe that ULFA may also initiate peace negotiations without its "commander-in-chief", Paresh Baruah who is hiding in an unknown location. It is expected that the ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa would jump on the talks wagon soon. He is reportedly still holed up in Bangladesh but under surveillance.
NDFB had agreed to talks after almost all of its top leaders had been caputured by security forces. ULFA is also in a similar turmoil. Most of its 15 central executive committee members have been arrested or killed. After Bhutan now Bangladesh has also started taking action against the outfit leaving now safe havens for the militants.
at 11:01 on November 22nd, 2009
A brief history and current situation of ULFA:
United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) was formed on April 7, 1979 by Bhimakanta Buragohain, Rajiv Rajkonwar alias Arabinda Rajkhowa, Golap Baruah alias Anup Chetia, Samiran Gogoi alias Pradip Gogoi, Bhadreshwar Gohain and Paresh Baruah at the Rang Ghar in Sibsagar to establish a "sovereign socialist Assam" through an armed struggle. The organization is said to be under heavy influence/support of the Pakistani intelligence agency- ISI as revealed by a Bangladeshi ex-intelligence chief who was arrested by Bangladeshi authorities in connection with a arms cache recovery.
Source: news.outlookindia.com
They are also reported to be drawing support from terror organization HuJI. Last year the Assam police had claimed to foil a joint hijack bid by operatives of ULFA and HuJI.
Source: ibnlive.in.com
Arabinda Rajkhowa is the ‘Chairman’ of ULFA. ‘Vice Chairman’ Pradip Gogoi was arrested on April 8, 1998, and is currently in judicial custody at Guwahati. ‘General Secretary’ Anup Chetia is under detention in the Dhaka (Bangladesh) after being arrested on December 21, 1997. The outfit’s founding member and ideologue Bhimakanta Buragohain, ‘Publicity Secretary’ Mithinga Daimary and ‘Assistant Secretary’ Bolin Das were arrested during the military operations in Bhutan in December 2003. Earlier, ‘Cultural Secretary’ Pranati Deka was arrested at Phulbari in the West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya. The self-styled foreign secretary Sasha Choudhury and finance secretary Chitrabon Hazarika were arrested recently this year.
Starting from 1990s, the group started more aggressive campaign to further its goal by targeting security forces, blasting rail links, killing political opponents and weakening basic infrastructures. The front was banned by the government in 1991 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
Following this, there have been numerous incidents of attacks that have led to death and destruction in the area. They have a full fledged military style organizational structure with separete battalions to target distinct locations.
Source: satp.org
One of the major strategies that helped government to counter these terrorists was the use of surrendered ULFA (SULFA) cadres in armed forces. Currently many of the SULFA members have joined the security forces and are working in the state and central forces. The combined onslaught of the SULFA and the security forces took their toll on a already-weaken ULFA. The SULFA has become an effective fighting machine and served as a important tool for counter insurgency in the state.
More Details here:
at 15:29 on November 22nd, 2009
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at 17:30 on November 22nd, 2009
Yes, thank you Mritunjay.
Is ULFA a muslim group?
I see they are getting Pakistani help.
at 08:40 on November 23rd, 2009
No Hugh. They are not.
But there goals are aligned in a way that both want to break India in parts. HuJI is a Bangladesh based Islamic terrorist group, while ISI seems to be the common thread between the HuJI-ULFA nexus.