LeT an "independent constellation in jihad galaxy": US study

New York, Jan 19 (PTI) Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba(LeT)
has emerged as an "independent constellation in the global
jihad galaxy" after the Mumbai terror attacks, says a leading
US think-tank in a study.

The 22-page study by the RAND Corporation, a non-profit
research organisation, focusses on the operational and
tactical capabilities displayed by the 10 terrorists,
evaluates the response of the Indian security forces and lists
the implications of the attack for India, Pakistan and the
international community.

"The attack put into actual practice LeT's previous
rhetoric about making the Kashmir dispute part of the
international jihad. In so doing, LeT has emerged, not as a
subsidiary of al Qaeda, but as an independent constellation in
the global jihad galaxy...the Mumbai attack makes LeT a global
contender on its own," it said.

The study warned that India can expect more terror attacks
like the Mumbai carnage from Pakistan-based terrorist groups
with high body counts and symbolic targets in an escalating
terror campaign in South Asia.

"India will continue to face a serious jihadist threat
from Pakistan-based terrorist groups, and neitheer Indian nor
US policy is likely to reduce that threat in the near future,"
said Angel Rabasa, lead author of the study. Former US
ambassador to India Robert Blackwill, now a senior fellow at
RAND, was also associated with the study.

The study said LeT's role in the attack raises the issue
of Pakistan's own involvement.

"We do not know for certain whether LeT carried out this
operation without the knowledge or approval of Pakistan's army
or intelligence services, or whether the attack was instigated
or encouraged by sectors of the Pakistani military or
intelligence service to change the course of Pakistan's own
government," it said. (MORE) PTI G