Terrorists are being trained for terror attacks through the sea route

Indian Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba has warned that terrorists are being trained to carry out attacks through the sea route, even as both New Delhi and Islamabad engaged in a war of words over a video of a purported Indian submarine off the Gwadar (Pakistan) coast.

Speaking at the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue-2019 in the Capital on Tuesday, Lanba said: “We have reports of terrorists being trained to carry out attacks with varying modus operandi, including through the medium of the sea.”

Intelligence inputs in the past have hinted at Jaish-e-Mohammad operatives, trained as deep sea divers, planning to attack the Navy’s strategic assets. There are also inputs that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) is training its cadre in water-combat skills. The Mumbai terror attacks of 2008 were executed by seaborne LeT terrorists.

“You have all witnessed the horrific scale of the extremist attack in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir just three weeks ago. This violence was perpetrated by extremists aided and abetted by a state which seeks to destabilise India,” Lanba said, in a clear reference to Pakistan.

Lanba said that for the regional maritime security, the Navy would continue to enhance situational awareness for all stakeholders, adding that the Navy was deployed in the region’s key areas and was mission-ready for different contingencies.

The Pakistan Navy claimed on Tuesday that it prevented an Indian submarine from entering Pakistani waters. However, the Indian Navy later in a statement called it ‘propaganda’.

“The Indian Navy remains deployed as necessary to protect national maritime interests. Over the past several days, we have witnessed Pakistan indulging in false propaganda and spread of misinformation. The Indian Navy does not take cognizance of such propaganda. Our deployments remain undeterred,” it said.

Source: India Times