The revelation by a European Union-commissioned study that seven Indian companies during the UPA’s rule, supplied explosives and components that were used by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) for fabricating Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) clearly shows that the terror group has now graduated from the first stage of its movement entailing “sympathy and recruitment” to the second stage involving “networking” in India, say top Intelligence sources.The third stage of such a movement is establishment of “leadership” in the targeted area, which is yet to be identified by the agencies here.
Meanwhile, the terror group has now moved from recruitment phase to logistics and supply by successfully hoodwinking the agencies here. The networking phase entails organisational aspects like human resources and tie-ups with like-minded entities, logistics, finances and media management for furtherance of the inimical agenda.
Supply of these materials in huge quantities to entities abroad without an iota of suspicion points to multiple-agency failure and existence of weak links in the regulatory framework, said an Intelligence source, adding ISIS procured the explosives from Rajasthan Explosives and Chemicals Ltd which was under the scanner of Central agencies as its promoters were convicted for supplying 163 truckloads of explosives to Maoists.
Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh Governments had also sought an enquiry against the company by the NIA but the Union Home Ministry under the UPA regime did not even answer to their requests, the sources said.
The company had to store the manufactured explosives in different locations but the Intelligence agencies did not keep a tab on them after they were sealed following court orders. A part of the explosives could have been exported even after operations of the company were suspended.
The top leadership of ISIS might have hired the D-Company for procurement of the raw materials from India for manufacturing IEDs, an Intelligence official said.
Intelligence sources said there is a possibility that the ISIS could have tied up with D-Company for exploiting the loopholes in the export mechanism here for supply of the explosive materials in white collar manner to the companies in the Middle East where Dawood Ibrahim has a considerable influence. The gangster also has a significant network for carrying out illicit trade in India.
The period of the explosive supply to the ISIS was mostly during 2012 to 2014 when Syred Asif Ibrahim was director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the UPA Government was busy in countering corruption charges, helping Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) operative Ishrat Jahan’s cause and creating the façade of Hindu terror.
According to the Conflict Armament Research (CAR) report on “Tracing the Supply of Components used in Islamic State IEDs”, the seven Indian companies that supplied these materials in a lawful manner to firms in Lebanon and Turkey include Gulf Oil Corporation (detonating cord), Solar Industries (detonating cord), Premier Explosives (detonating cord and detonators), Rajasthan Explosives and Chemicals (detonating cord and detonators), Chamundi Explosives (safety fuse), Economic Explosives (detonators) and IDEAL Industrial Explosive (detonators).
This besides, as many as 30,000 mobile phone handsets were supplied by Nokia Solutions and Networks India to entities in the Middle East that were ultimately used by the ISIS for triggering the blasts.
“In some instances, the chain of custody from the acquisition by the client to the use by ISIS forces covered a very short time period (1-6 months), the CAR report noted.
Seven Indian companies manufactured most of the detonators, detonating cord, and safety fuses documented by CAR’s filed investigation teams. Under Indian law, transfer of this material requires a licence. “All components documented by CAR were legally exported under Government-issued licences from India to entities in Lebanon and Turkey,” the report said.
Evidence gathered by CAR suggests that ISIS forces, or intermediaries acting on their behalf, acquired the components in Turkey and subsequently transferred them to Iraq and Syria.
CAR, an independent organisation was mandated by the EU to investigate the supply of weapons into armed conflicts, has worked since July 2014 in concert with Iraqi and Syrian forces to document material recovered in military action against ISIS forces. The After a 20-month study, the CAR came out with its report “Tracing the supply of components used in Islamic State IEDs.”
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