The New Delhi death toll from the terrorist attacks is at 61 as mentioned by Times of India (see my previous posting). However, the injured has climbed to 188, several of whom are on the critical list. This may add on to the death toll eventually.
The Islami Inqilabi Mahaz (Islamic Revolutionary Group) has claimed responsibility for the triple blasts, engineered to cause max effect by exploiting the presence of commercial flammables at the market place. However, as mentioned in my earlier posting, security forces believe it’s the Lashkar-e-Taiba using another front to disguise its involvement. That seems to be its modus operandi whenever high civilian casualties have been involved.
Lashkar-e-Taiba or Jaish-e-Mohammed (Army of Mohammed) are radical Pakistani groups who were responsible for the 2001 attack of India’s Federal Parliament in New Delhi. The New Delhi's Institute for Conflict Management said that the culprits for the marketplace triple blasts were members of a Pakistani group, fronting for Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism expert, whom we know very well because we keep seeing him on TV, said:
"I am certain these attacks were carried out by groups from the subcontinent, although the operational method and modus operandi was inspired by al-Qaeda. The only groups who have the infrastructure and operational history to mount attacks like this are Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. It is very likely the attacks were meant to affect the peace process between Pakistan and India."
Though Lashkar and Jaish are both banned in Pakistan, you can gather that they have sympathisers deep in Pakistani Administration ranks. Very often, Pakistan’s military plays a double-headed game. Islamabad has of course condemned the bombings.
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