Union home minister P Chidambaram’s assertion that the naxalites are acquiring arms from abroad is only the tip of the iceberg, as central intelligence agencies have found fresh evidence of joint training camps and meetings conducted by the Maoists with Tamil Tigers in the forests of south and central India.
In fact, the central intelligence top brass has warned Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and Orissa on the alleged intrusion of Tamil Tigers into Indian territorial waters. According to the sources, a well-trained 12-member group of Tamil Tigers has recently sneaked into India to join hands with the Maoists.
“They entered north coastal Andhra Pradesh via Kerala and after splitting into three groups, one of which is suspected to have found a safe haven in Vizianagaram Agency area,” sources said. This comes close on the heels of an intelligence alert to the coastal states on the East Coast about a possible LTTE cadre intrusion.
But what is bothering the security establishments is the prowess of Tamil Tigers in triggering explosives and suicide bombing. “Imagine the expertise of Tigers coupled with Maoists’ jungle warfare. It will be a deadly combination for the security agencies to tackle with,” analysts said.
Will the Maoists stand to gain? “Of course, the Tigers have made sizable gains in guerrilla warfare fighting Lankan forces and they would pass on the expertise to the Maoists,” a security analyst said.
Security wings suspect that the Maoists could take the help of Tamil Tigers to prepare themselves to defend the all-out central forces’ attack codenamed ‘Operation Green Hunt’ on Abujmad, their strategic base and stronghold in the Dandakaranya in Chhattisgarh. With Chidambaram avowing that the operation is aimed at defeating the top Maoist leadership, sources said the focus is on to nab or kill AP’s naxal leaders, who constitute 80 per cent of the Maoist top brass.
“It will be again AP commandos versus top Maoist leaders in Abujmad as and when the central forces corner the area. So, the chances of Maoists relying on Tigers cannot be ruled out,” a source said. Sources also said the Maoists could take the help of LTTE militants for training their military wing, People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA).
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