The Inside Straight

"Bangalore Torpedo" Torpedoed by Police

Police report they have foiled a bomb plot in Bangalore,and have arrested the members of a 4 man gang : seizing explosives, detonators, and a revolver.

There have been a number of explosive stories in the news of late: a man targeted in Georgia by a truck bomb-(It went off, but he is still alive.)-small explosive devices planted in a wide variety of US locations-(all, IMHO,the work of bored young people,and/or disturbed older ones.)

Overseas there have been a large number of rather serious terror bombings, which did not make it to the front page because there was no Iraqi War angle to be exploited.(One-a train bombing- occurred in Russia-and came very close to becoming a major catastrophe, as the train was crossing a bridge.)

There have also been a sizeable number of foiled bombings : prevented by observant people.

We in the United States have been privileged to have been spared much of the bombing that goes on around the world on a daily basis - BUT - having been lucky so far does not mean we are immune !

India - Israel Parallels

AP: BOMBAY, India - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Friday that Pakistan must rein in terrorists on its own soil before the peace process can continue. Officials in India have said they believe the bombings on Bombay's commuter rail network earlier this week were the work of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, a Pakistan-based Islamic militant group that operates in Kashmir, the Himalayan region at the center of the long-running India-Pakistan conflict.

Full story from Associated Press here.

It's interesting to compare the parallels between India/Pakistan and Israel/Lebanon.

In both cases,"cross-border" terrorism is being used to goad a targeted government into violent military reaction - and, in the process,probe and evaluate the target's defenses.

• If the reaction is "mild" , the reaction force can be ambushed and possibly wiped out-yielding a propaganda victory.
• If the reaction is "strong", the response can be criticized in the world media as "over-reaction".

The parallels to Pakistan's HM and LET are the Iran/Syria-funded and directed Hamas and Hezbollah,and, looked at carefully,the operations and motives are essentially the same.

HM and LET want the entire Indian sub-continent to be under Sunni Islamic control ; Hamas and Hezbollah want the total removal of Israel from the Middle East , and the establishment of Shi'ite Islamic control.

Either set of "predators" is capable of triggering World War.

Real Rage in India Over Railroad Bombing

I have been in touch with several correspondents from India today over the July 11 commuter train bombing in Mumbai (formerly Bombay),and can tell you the mood there is not fear - but rage.

The bombing is being viewed there as " yet another cross-border incident " : conceived,planned,nurtured,and equipped in Pakistan by organizations that have long-standing ties to Pakistan's ISI security services.

Casualties from the Mumbai attack are staggering: at least 200 dead,and over 600 injured.(One of my correspondents stepped out on the street after the blasts and saw at least 15 mutilated corpses within yards of his doorway.)

Police have determined the explosive used was RDX -usually,but not always a military product- and that timers were used to delay the explosions until the perpetrators could leave the crowded commuter train.

Over 350 people have been detained and questioned, and two suspects have been identified, so far.

The names of two groups have come to the forefront:

Lashkar -e- Taiba (LET) -whose name, loosely translated,means "Army of the Righteous" ; and

Hizb-ul-Mujahadeen (HM) "The Holy Warriors";

Both are based in Pakistan, and are said to operate with the support and assistance of Pakistan's Intelligence Services. LET operatives have turned up in Baghdad, and Indian Intelligence believes there may be a handful of members in the United States.

The Mumbai train bombing is viewed as a cross-border incident : in part because of intercepted "congratulatory" phone messages between Pakistan and the Mumbai vicinity ; and in part because there has been a history of such incidents in the not-so-distant past.

In 1999, guerrillas wearing "army" uniforms crossed from Pakistan into India:catching Indian troops off guard,and inflicting heavy casualties before they were killed or driven off. Some of the dead "guerrillas" were found to be wearing Pakistani Army dog tags, and their weapons were all standard Pakistani issue.

On December 13,2001,LET terrorists launched a violent attack-with rifles,grenades,and other explosives  on India's Parliament House: causing serious casualties.The incident came close to triggering all-out war between India and Pakistan.

It's quite understandable that the world (and the sensation-hungry media) are all caught up in the Israel/Lebanon crisis : which could- in very short order turn into something fightening;but it is well to remember another potential bomb is ticking on the Indian sub-continent : one in which nuclear-armed protagonists are standing toe to toe.

There is little we can do but rely on the common-sense of both nations.