Crossfire War – TEHRAN WATCH – South Asia Theatre: Tehran – Islamabad- Dhaka/Delhi; Series of Explosions in Malegaon, Nasik District – 160m NE of Mumbai – Tehran Timed Explosions for End of Friday Prayers for the Dead – Eve of Ramadan War
Night Watch: MALEGAON – Reuters reports that a series of three explosions in the town of Malegaon killed 35 people and wounded 125. The explosions were timed for the end of Friday mid-day prayers. Malegaon is in Nasik district in the western state of Maharashtra just 160 miles (260km) northeast of Mumbai, the site of the July 11 explosions that killed nearly 200 people. The Home Ministry has rushed units of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) to prevent riots breaking out in an area that has a history of religious violence between Muslim and Hindu. Malegaon has a population of 800,000 75% of it Muslim. It also has several old mosques and Muslim religious schools, madrassas. [SWISSINFO]
Tehran chose this area due to its religious importance and on a significant day of the Muslim calendar. The prayers on this particular Friday were on what the Muslims call “Shab-e-Barat”, “night of forgiveness-atonement” when Muslims pray for their dead. It is also near the holy month of Ramadan. Tehran could not have chosen a more spiritually active time to cause the political-religious tensions and instability required to set off the next major war between India/Pakistan, one that Iran intends to join as well as Bangladesh. September is also the month the monsoon season ends, which provides the best weather for military operations. And Pakistan has just signed a peace agreement with militant tribal groups in North Waziristan province that frees 80,000 Pakistani troops-two corps, for action against India.
These explosions occurred just days after India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stated warnings from intelligence reports of possible terrorist attacks taking place all over the country. Maharashtra state has been on heightened alert ever since the July bombings and in May security forces uncovered an arms cache in Malegaon that contained explosives and automatic rifles. P. K. Jain, Inspector General of Police in Nasik stated to IANS “The blasts occurred near the Noorani mosque near the Bada Kabritan (cemetery) area in the heart of Malegaon soon after Friday prayers. The first blast occurred at 1:50pm followed by a second explosion after an interval of two minutes.” They were timed to cause maximum death.[WEBINDIA]
A police official was quoted as saying, “Whether any terror sleeper cells are involved in the blasts is being looked into. The region has become a hot-bed for Islamist groups and is also very communally sensitive.” In other words Nasik district, Maharashtra state, has a long history of Muslim/Hindu violence which is precisely why Tehran is targeting it. And also since it is the location of India’s financial center Mumbai, part of Iran and the Jihad’s economic agenda. Delhi’s investigation into the July bombings revealed not only Islamic groups based in Pakistan were involved but also groups in Bangladesh. I doubt if their investigation into these bombings will reveal anything different. I suspect what the attacks in Mumbai signified is the beginning of a series of terrorists incidents, directed by Tehran, through Pakistan-Bangladesh, with the express purpose of causing the next major war with India.
Delhi will be left with no other choice but to attack the Islamic militant camps in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Political parties like the BJP will demand it not to mention a large amount of public support, across political lines, to demand India retaliate. India’s military and security forces will also recommend strikes against terror bases in both Pakistan and Bangladesh. This is very similar to how the previous wars got started, India responding to Islamic fighters infilitrating the country. But Tehran is the difference this time. It is not just between Pakistan and India anymore. It will be Delhi’s response to Tehran’s campaign of destabilization. This is a natural extension of the Khomeini revolution in Iran 1979 that has established Iran’s current government and has shifted the balance in Pakistan’s favor. That is why Iran is in the middle of its five week wargames. [IRNA]
Other than Mahrashtra state, there are heightened states of alert in Delhi, Aurangabad and Gujarat state, bordering Pakistan along the Arabian Sea.
www.crossfirewar.com
