US adds 4 Indian outfits to terror list

Stepping up its war against terror, the United States has designated as terrorist organisations four more outfits operating in India, including two Naxalite groups and Babbar Khalsa International.

The Naxalite groups brought under the terrorist list are the Maoist Communist Centre of India and People's War Group, whose activists are mainly operating in Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

Besides Babbar Khalsa International, International Sikh Youth Federation has also been added to the Terrorist Exclusion List, the State Department, which released its annual report on Patterns of Global Terrorism, said on Thursday.

Being listed as a terrorist group means that the State Department has identified the group as practicing, or it has significant subgroups that practice international terrorism.

Members of such outfits, if found in the US, would be deported.

The US has already designated as terrorist groups Al-Badr Mujahideen, Harkt-ul-Jihad-e-Islami, Hizbul Mujahideen and Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen, the outfits active in Jammu and Kashmir.

The terrorism report also retained Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Tayiba, all active in Jammu and Kashmir, in the list of Foreign Terrorist Organisations.

Pakistan-based groups like Hizbul Majahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammed, and other Kashmiri outfits operating in Jammu and Kashmir continued to carry out attacks in the state  even as India remained an important US partner in the global war on terror, the report said.

"India continues to be the object of attacks by foreign-based and Kashmiri groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir," said the report.

"Nevertheless," it said, "Indian counter-terrorism authorities could point to significant progress in areas of legislation, finance and investigation."

The report said that India remained an important US partner in the global war on terror, and 'the US hopes to continue to strengthen this relationship'.

It said the Indian government stepped up its efforts to counter the activities of various groups.

"In Jammu and Kashmir, killings of civilians by foreign-based and Kashmiri militant groups continued, including the murder of numerous political leaders and party  workers," the report said.