Wide tentacles ensure SIMI's plans go on

National Security Adviser M K Narayanan recently told The Strait Times in Singapore that at least 800 terror cells had been uncovered and disrupted in the country. While this is no doubt good news, the repeated terror strikes conducted with apparent ease suggest that the terrorists have a robust recruitment network in place that ensures the ranks of committed foot soldiers is never depleted.

Intelligence Bureau reports say the Students Islamic Movement of India, which was renamed the Islamic Movement by its detained chief Safdar Nagori, manages to recruit at least 20 people daily into its various wings spread across the country.

Nagori, who is currently in the custody of the Indore police, had in his various meetings held at Hubli, Kolkata and New Delhi, urged his cadres to give equal importance to recruitment. IB sources told rediff.com that after every terror strike there is bound to be a major crackdown on cadres, and Nagori knew only fresh recruitments will ensure his plan goes on uninterrupted.

SIMI chief's shocking revelations!

An IB report on SIMI's recruitments says the outfit has at least 150 frontal organisations. While the terror strikes and planning is conducted by its primary cadres, providing logistics and ensuring recruitment is taken care of by the frontal organisations.

The IB report says on the national level, SIMI has four frontal outfits. At the state-level there are nearly 146 units. Apart from recruitment, members of these outfits are actively involved in raising funds and spreading SIMI's message.

The IB says these frontal outfits play a crucial role since they recruit two men for every one person arrested. Not only do these frontal outfits recruit a large number of cadres in India but so strong is their network that SIMI is capable of outsourcing some of its cadres to other countries to carry out terror strikes.

Although all the frontal outfits are under watch, IB sources say none of them has been banned as yet./P>

Why SIMI recruited techies

One of SIMI's deadliest offshoots is the all-women Shaheen Force, Nagori's creation. This outfit, which has elderly women as members, has been given the responsibility of brainwashing youth to join the movement since, according to Nagori, mothers are the best persons to convince youngsters.