New Delhi: Terrorism in India has shifted towards attacks on civilians and a greater reliance on Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), said a recent report by the US Department of State. Throughout the year, there were 153 terrorist attacks in J&K, causing 274 deaths, which included 45 security personnel, 34 civilians and 193 terrorists, the report published by the US bureau of counterterrorism noted.
In 2021, terrorism affected the Union Territory of Jammu Kashmir, North Eastern states as well as parts of central India, it observed. "Terrorist groups active in India include Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Hijbul Mujahideen, ISIS, al-Qaida, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh," it said.
"Other notable attacks included an attack on November 1 in Manipur, in which the People's Liberation Army of Manipur and Manipur Naga People's Front killed seven persons in an ambush, including an Indian army officer and his wife and minor son," the report said. It said that in 2021, terrorism affected the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), the Northeastern States, and parts of central India.
Notably, the report added that there existed improvements in patrolling and securing the country's vast maritime and land borders, adding, however, that it faced limitations owing to budgetary, staffing and other constraints. "Capacity to patrol and secure extensive maritime and land borders is improving, but not adequate, given India's extensive coastline," it also added. The Government of India does not use the category of racial and ethnically motivated violent extremism and opposes labelling terrorism based on "the motivation behind such acts", the report said.
