The influence of Indian Naxalites has so far been limited to rural areas, but over a large area Naxals, i.e. the underground Maoist militants who are spread across several central, northern, and north-eastern states of India, are increasingly mounting attacks on Indian security forces in various states. However, the Indian government has so far resisted demands to deploy the Indian Army against them.
According to a report in an Indian magazine, the Naxals (or Naxalites), who are generally limited in their support base to the country's rural areas and forests, are now seeking to connect with Pakistani jihadist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in order to gain training in urban warfare.
There are media reports that several operatives of Lashkar-e-Taiba have attended the meetings of the Naxal groups as observers in recent years. While the Naxalites, who fight for enforcing socialism in India, do not share the LeT's ideological jihad against India on the Kashmir issue, their connections with LeT operatives is becoming a cause of serious worry for the Indian security establishment.
