Terror in region on their minds, Spy chiefs flock to India

[Rage]

Panning this off the: India's War Against Terror - Bulletins and Briefs thread



Terror clouding region, spy chiefs flock to India

New Delhi: Spy chiefs of three countries have dropped in within a month of each other in New Delhi, amid concerns among the international community of the impact a major terror strike in India could have on regional stability.

Director of National Intelligence, US, Dennis C Blair​

On Thursday, US Director for National Intelligence Dennis C Blair met Home Minister P Chidambaram, with the two discussing the security scenario in the region, particularly Afghanistan. Barely a week ago John Sawers, the chief of the British secret service MI6, had visited India to acquaint himself with the new intelligence set-up in the country and to take forward cooperation in combating terror.

Before that, in February, the head of Russia's foreign intelligence service (SVR), Mikhail Fradkov, an old India hand, had met top intelligence officials and National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon in New Delhi on his first visit after taking command.

CIA Director Leon Panetta​

In November, CIA director Leon Panetta had flown down to India at a time when Indian and US officials were working closely on the David Headley case.

The visits come at a time where there are growing concerns in the internationalcommunity about the situation in Afghanistan and about a terror attack in India worsening it. India has been receiving intelligence inputs about possible terror strikes.

Blair's visit signifies the growing cooperation between India and the US on combating terror, that includes extensive sharing of information as well as coordination in investigating attacks. As part of this, the US has helped India get cutting-edge technology to beat the latest `spoofing' systems being used by militants in Jammu and Kashmir to hide their electronic footprints. India had raised the matter during talks, saying spoofing was being done with the help of fixed transmitters on Pakistani soil -a charge denied by Islamabad.

National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon​

With anti-spoofing devices acquired with US help, India can track militants while they are talking to their Pakistani handlers. During his India visit, MI6 head Sawers had met NSA Menon, besides Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officials. His visit had followed the London donors' conference on Afghanistan and was seen as an exploratory mission to gauge the mood in New Delhi.

Britain, which wants to cut down its presence in Afghanistan, has been pushing for dialogue between India and Pakistan, which it believes will help resolve the situation in the war-torn country.

The donors' conference had not gone down well with India, particularly as it endorsed the distinction being made between different Taliban groups. India is against any such distinction.

To drive home its point, India shared worries with Britain over reports of two groups of suicide attackers being active in Afghanistan and planning a high-profile strike. Besides the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Indian officials and installations are believed to be on their hit list.

Head of Foreign Intelligence Service, Russia, Mikhail Fradkhov​

Earlier this month,the head of Russia's foreign intelligence service (SVR), Mikhail Fradkov, caught up with Menon and other top intelligence officials. Fradkov worked at the economic section of the Russian Embassy in New Delhi in the 1970s.

While Iran and its nuclear programme came up for discussion, talks on the situation in Afghanistan again held centre stage. Russia has kept its distance from the US Af-Pak policy but has a keen interest in the stability of the region. With the US planning to start pulling out its troops from the country in two years, Russia and the former Soviet republics that border Afghanistan will have an increasing role to play in regional security.

Russia, of course, remains one of India's key military partners and is vital to India's fight against terror. The country still supplies India a major chunk of its anti-terror hardware and its importance as a key partner in the fight against terror was reaffirmed during Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit recently.

Source: The Indian Express


An MSNBC Special

 

[ajtr]

Spy chiefs of three countries have dropped in within a month of each other in New Delhi, amid concerns among the international community of the impact a major terror strike in India could have on regional stability.

Its just their way to restrain india in case another terror attack occurs.they cant restain their puppet pakistan gone rogue from taking action action against L-E-T.so better restrain india so that india dont throw spanner into their afghan WOT.This all nonsense that terrorist want to cause fight between india and pak when pak establishment is itself supporting those terror groups.so,terrorist want to cause fight between india and pak ==>pak establishment themselves want to cause war as they always do in case of all previous wars.

 

[Yusuf]

I now think russia will come into indian scheme of things in Astan as it decides what next to do there. It will go back to the old alliance which had iran and russia on board. india has no gauge what the anti Taliban Afghans capability is. India has to see if they are capable of fighting the Taliban or not. If not, then we have a problem. if yes, then the game begins once again.

Intel chiefs of different countries may be visiting india just to see that. India has done it in the past. So if the west needs to keep a couple of options open to speed up its withdrawal then it will have to get india in. All this talk of resolving indo-pak issues to help resolve Astan doesn't cut ice when the situation is the other way round. Resolve afpak and you have resolved international terror

 

[Agantrope]

I now think russia will come into indian scheme of things in Astan as it decides what next to do there. It will go back to the old alliance which had iran and russia on board. india has no gauge what the anti Taliban Afghans capability is. India has to see if they are capable of fighting the Taliban or not. If not, then we have a problem. if yes, then the game begins once again.

Intel chiefs of different countries may be visiting india just to see that. India has done it in the past. So if the west needs to keep a couple of options open to speed up its withdrawal then it will have to get india in. All this talk of resolving indo-pak issues to help resolve Astan doesn't cut ice when the situation is the other way round. Resolve afpak and you have resolved international terror

Now this thing will make Iran, India and Russia more closer. Resolving Af-Pak is not that easy. When a Super-Power is figting for more than 10 Years and nothing can be done and they are ready to leave means, there is something fishy that some other nation is helping the militants with the intelligence inputs. (It is world known secret that whihc country im talking abt ). Iran has a important role to play in the A'stan.

 

[Yusuf]

Our intelligence agencies actual work begins only now and will increase after the west leaves that country. Like I said before it all depends on Afghan army that has been readied. How capable it is to fight Taliban and what resolve it has. But all that could change if their is a reconciliation govt installed though I think it will not come out because the Taliban don't know the meaning of that word.

India will have to be ready to pump in weapons and money and keep pakistan jittery on its western front so that the eastern front it shares with india is relatively peaceful.

Terror attacks against india will only increase if afpak is resolved according to pak interests.

 

[Soham]

The only way out is re-strengthening the Northern Alliance. Unless that is done on a huge scale, Afghanistan cannot be saved from Talib domination. If India, Russia and Iran manage to do that, covertly or overtly, Afghanistan can still have hopes of being sorted out. We also messed up big time by supporting Karzai's rival in the polls, and the growing closeness between India and A'stan seems to be dwindling.

For a powerful Northern Alliance, Bases in Iran would be a necessity which is why Iran is critical to its success.

Its just their way to restrain india in case another terror attack occurs.they cant restain their puppet pakistan gone rogue from taking action action against L-E-T.so better restrain india so that india dont throw spanner into their afghan WOT.This all nonsense that terrorist want to cause fight between india and pak when pak establishment is itself supporting those terror groups.so,terrorist want to cause fight between india and pak ==>pak establishment themselves want to cause war as they always do in case of all previous wars.

Not really. Engineering restraint doesn't need intelligence chiefs. For that, political biggies would be a more sensible bet. You don't send your Head of Intelligence for telling another country to put on their seatbelts.