In the insurgency-infested northeast, a number of terrorist groups have been active. The government of India has been trying to bring normalcy to the region by engaging some of these groups in peace talks. In some cases these talks have been successful, resulting in a ceasefire. On the other hand, talks have failed, forcing the security agencies to rely on the use of force to contain their terror activities. The problem of security agencies has got compounded because some of these terror groups are colluding among themselves. Probably, due to this reason, operations against ULFA have been less successful and this outfit has managed to continue its disruptive activities.

ULFA has intensified its terror activities in Assam after the breakdown of talks with the government of India in September 2006. It has killed nearly 80 people in the month of January 2007, out of which 61 were minority Hindi-speaking migrants. This violence prompted the security forces to act against this group. But, when pressure increased inside Assam, the ULFA cadres escaped to Myanmar, where it has been sharing training camps with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland- Khaplang (NSCN-K). This fact was highlighted when the Myanmar army acted against some of these camps. The Assam Rifles has warned the Nagaland based insurgent outfits - the National Socialist Council of Nagalim-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) and NSCN-K not to aid the ULFA in the wake of offensive operation against the latter.

The link among terror groups was once again highlighted, when the Executive Director of Food Corporation of India P C Ram was abducted in Assam on April 17. It was suspected that in this operation ULFA was helped by the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB).

One of the reasons for suspecting the NDFB's hand in the abduction was the confirmation that Ram's abductors whisked him away to a Bodo-dominated area of Lower Assam. However, the issue was handled with caution because Delhi and Dispur's ceasefire with the NDFB expires in a month's time.

Collaboration between militant groups, irrespective of their goals, is as old as militancy itself. The nexus between the United National Liberation Front of Manipur and the NSCN (Khaplang) or the proximity between the Dima Halam Daoga (Jewel Gorlosa) and the NSCN (Isak-Muivah) have long been known.

While an Assam-based outfit may approach the Achik National Volunteers' Council - active in the Garo Hills of Meghalaya - for help in transit to Bangladesh, the NSCN (K) comes into play when the same group requires access to Myanmar or a base in that country.

In some cases, an outfit that dominates a particular area grants "extortion rights" to an armed group from another state. The NSCN (I-M), for instance, has been accused of allowing the Manipur-based People's United Liberation Front to collect "tax" from Muslim traders in Dimapur.

It is in this light that security agencies are investigating the NDFB's probable nexus with ULFA. The NDFB's ceasefire agreement with Delhi is due for an extension on May 31, but the general feeling is that the outfit has been breaching its commitment to the truce far too often. The outfit was asked to keep its members confined to designated camps.

It is believed that some disgruntled members of the NDFB are being used by ULFA to make forays into Bodo-dominated areas. According to Assam police a section of the NDFB rank and file was frustrated over the tardy progress in the peace process between the outfit and the Centre. ULFA is trying to take advantage of the situation to strengthen its presence in these areas.

The Indian army admits that ULFA's activities have escalated in Chirang, Baksa, Udalguri and Darrang, bordering Bhutan. Barring Darrang, the rest of the districts are under the jurisdiction of the Bodoland Territorial Area District. ULFA thinks that its presence in the BTAD will not only facilitate the movement of its rebels to and from Bhutan, but also serve as a safe haven when counter-insurgency operations are intensified in its traditional strongholds.

Since counter-insurgency operations are currently concentrated in Upper Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, ULFA is trying to regain lost ground in Lower Assam areas. The problem has been compounded by the fact that several NDFB militants do not live in designated camps, set up after the ceasefire agreement with the Centre. Moreover, since the rebels have not been able to carry out extortions, they face a financial crunch. Therefore, it is not very difficult for ULFA to lure such militants to work for them.

Assam police have decided to launch counter-insurgency operations in Lower Assam to rein in a section of the NDFB, believed to be helping ULFA gain a foothold in the Bodo-dominated areas. At the same time, it does not want the move to disturb the peace process with the Bodo group. Tactical associations, including financial transactions, between militant groups of the Northeast are common. This collusion among the terrorist groups has increased the challenges for Indian security forces fighting insurgency in the northeast. The security establishment in the northeast will have to work to weaken this link among the terror outfits to ultimately weaken insurgency in the region.