Terror clouding region, spy chiefs flock to India
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. 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 Russias 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.
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 international community about the situation in Afghanistan and about a terror attack in India worsening it. India has been receiving intelligence inputs about possible terror strikes.
Blairs 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.
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.
Earlier this month, the head of Russias 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 centrestage. Russia has kept its distance from the US ****** 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 Indias key military partners and is vital to Indias 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 Putins visit recently.
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. 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 Russias 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.
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 international community about the situation in Afghanistan and about a terror attack in India worsening it. India has been receiving intelligence inputs about possible terror strikes.
Blairs 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.
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.
Earlier this month, the head of Russias 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 centrestage. Russia has kept its distance from the US ****** 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 Indias key military partners and is vital to Indias 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 Putins visit recently.
