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Kashmir militants claim Delhi blasts
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-10-31 07:20
An obscure Kashmiri militant group claimed responsibility on Sunday for bomb
blasts in India's capital which killed at least 57 people, but analysts said it
was probably a front for a larger Pakistan-based group.
People stand around the site of an explosion
in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2005. A series of explosions shook
the city on Saturday evening, with blasts tearing through markets jammed
with shoppers ahead of an upcoming Hindu festival, officials
said. [AP] |
New Delhi has so far refused to blame anyone for Saturday's trio of blasts,
but security experts see the hand of Lashkar-e-Taiba (Force of the Pure) behind
the attacks, in an attempt to derail the peace process between India and
Pakistan.
Indian police have detained at least 20 people, media reported, and are
continuing to comb the bomb sites for clues.
The explosions took place within half an hour in markets packed with shoppers
just days before major Hindu and Muslim festivals. Many of the victims were
women and children.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh blamed terrorists, but
said it was too early to say who was behind the attacks.
On Sunday, the Islami Inqilabi Mahaz (Islamic Revolutionary Group),
telephoned local newspapers in Indian Kashmir to claim responsibility for the
blasts and warned of more to come.
"This is a Pakistani group and is a front organization
of Lashkar," said Ajai Sahni of New Delhi's Institute for Conflict Management.
These front organisations are often used to muddy the waters and deflect blame
from their parent groups, especially when civilian casualties are high, he said.
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