The Union home ministry has cautioned the governments of Bengal and Assam about a new extremist outfit by the name of Muslim Security Force (MSF) taking shape in the areas bordering the two states.
The department of border management at the Union home ministry sent separate missives to the Bengal and Assam governments last week, saying the new militant outfit has already set up base in the fringe areas that fall on the India-Bhutan border and is luring Muslim youths for arms training. In his letter to state chief secretary Sanjay Mitra, T Narasimha, under secretary at the Union home ministry, has also warned of the new extremist force trying to forge links with local insurgent outfits in Bengal and Assam.
Narasimha, in his letter, said Mohammad Shamsher Ali, the commander- in-chief of the new militant outfit, recently held a meeting at Gosaingaon near Cooch Behar. The meeting featured several leaders from local extremist outfits in Bengal and Assam.
The letter said the meeting took place near Munnai market at Didinga in the Gosaingaon police station area. The meeting focussed on recruiting and training Muslim youths in the use of sophisticated weapons.
{{/usCountry}}The letter said the meeting took place near Munnai market at Didinga in the Gosaingaon police station area. The meeting focussed on recruiting and training Muslim youths in the use of sophisticated weapons.
{{/usCountry}}Among the extremist leaders who attended the meeting were Md. Zakir Hossain, MA Azid, Mosharaf, Md. Okaluddin and Md. Faizul Haque. All are residents of Gosaingaon and are known to move between Bengal and Assam through Cooch Behar.
The letter said the attendees at the meet were clad in uniforms of the Indian Army and were equipped with such sophisticated combat hardware as AK-47 rifles and 9 mm pistols.
The missive further states that the outfit has fostered close ties with the Assambased Sangbijit faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and Bhutan-based Bhutan United Social Democratic Party (BUSDP) and is jointly working towards increasing the cadre base in the fringe areas. Sources said the home ministry has traced extortion calls by the militant outfits to traders in the fringe areas between Bengal and Assam.
Sources at Writers’ said they have inputs from the Intelligence Branch (IB) that the separatist Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) is seeking to repair connect with other insurgent forces in the border areas.