New Delhi: The ongoing unrest in Bangladesh has provided a cover for the terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) to target the minority Hindu communities in the country. According to intelligence sources, while the turmoil may have originated with student movements, LeT has seized the opportunity to execute its own agenda. The Hindu minority in Bangladesh has become the soft target of this extremist group, raising serious concerns about the potential spread of terrorism into Indias northeastern states.LeT and ABT join forcesIntelligence reports reveal that Lashkar-e-Taiba has collaborated with Bangladeshs Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) to orchestrate attacks in Indias northeastern regions. This alliance is believed to have been facilitated by Pakistans intelligence agency, ISI, which has been instrumental in supporting banned groups like ABT and Jamaat-e-Islami in their campaign against Bangladeshs Sheikh Hasina government. The growing collaboration between these organizations poses a significant threat to regional stability.Rising terror threat in northeast IndiaThe alliance between LeT and ABT is not a recent development. In 2022, these groups established a base camp in Bengal with the intent of launching attacks on northeastern India. Following incidents of mosque vandalism in Tripura, the two groups intensified their cooperation, allegedly planning bombings in Hindu-dominated areas. Intelligence agencies had previously intercepted plans for over 100 ABT cadres to infiltrate Tripura, underscoring the seriousness of the threat.Understanding Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT)The Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) is a notorious Islamic terrorist organization in Bangladesh, originally formed as Jamaat ul-Muslimeen in 2007. After facing financial difficulties and going defunct, it resurfaced in 2013 under its current name. Despite being banned multiple times, ABT has evolved into Ansar al-Islam, the Bangladeshi branch of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). This group has been implicated in numerous killings of individuals promoting progressive and secular views in Bangladesh. Since 2013, over 425 members of ABT/Ansar al-Islam have been arrested, illustrating the deep roots this organization has established within the country.
