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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 13, No. 1, July 7, 2014

Data and assessments from SAIR can be freely published in any form with credit to the South Asia Intelligence Review of the
South Asia Terrorism Portal


ASSESSMENT

PAKISTAN
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Uzbek Challenge
Tushar Ranjan Mohanty
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management

Security Forces (SFs) involved in the ongoing military operation, Zarb-e-Azb [Sword of the Prophet], in the North Waziristan Agency (NWA) of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), have so far killed a total of 391 alleged terrorists. 19 troopers have also lost their lives during the Operation that began at 01:30am [PST] on June 15, 2014. A total of 61 terrorist hideouts have been neutralized.

Reports suggest that the Operation has primarily targeted the Hafiz Gul Bahadur faction of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP-Hafiz Faction), which has just come out of the truce pact with the Government signed back in 2006, and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). While the TTP-Hafiz Faction has been targeted because it has turned renegade, the IMU is being targeted because of its blatant claim to having attacked the Karachi Airport on June 8-9, 2014, in which at least 33 persons, including all ten attackers, were killed, as well as its recent record.

Claiming responsibility for the attack, the IMU posted a statement that read, “...This is revenge for the killing of civilians, migrant women and their children. This is revenge for the violence of the corrupt Pakistani Government.” The statement signed by Usman Ghazi, IMU emir, concludes, “The jihad already in place in Afghanistan should be extended to Pakistan’s territory as well. Jihad in Pakistan should be fought by the entire Muslim Ummah and not just a few people or groups.” Pakistani Major General Rizvan Akhtar, speaking on the day of the attack, had claimed that there were Uzbeks among the suicide fighters in Karachi, and some reports claimed that most of the slain terrorists were Uzbeks. TTP had also claimed responsibility for the attack.

It was claimed that the attack on Karachi Airport was retaliation against the May 21, 2014, aerial attack by the military in NWA. At least 60 terrorists, mostly Uzbek, were killed in those attacks.

The Karachi Airport attack was not first of its kind in which direct involvement of Uzbek terrorists had been established. Prominent among such attacks were the following:

July 30, 2013: At least 24 persons, including 12 Policeman and four prisoners, were killed and nine others were injured when around 150 terrorists, including Uzbeks, stormed the Central Prison at Dera Ismail Khan in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province. More than 243 prisoners were set free. Police later re-arrested 48 prisoners.

December 15, 2012: Nine persons, including five terrorists and four civilians, were killed and another 40 were injured, when a group of terrorists, including Uzbeks, attacked Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar, KP.

April 15, 2012: Around 200 terrorists, including Uzbeks, stormed a prison in Bannu town in Bannu District of KP and freed 384 inmates, including one on death row for trying to assassinate former President General (Retd.) Pervez Musharraf. KP Home Secretary Azam Khan later disclosed that, out of the 384 prisoners who had fled the jail, 108 had voluntarily returned while another 35 had been arrested by law enforcement agencies. 

May 22, 2011: 18 SF personnel were killed when four Uzbek terrorists orchestrated a suicide attack on the PNS Mehran at Shahrah-e-Faisal in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh. Two P3C-Orion surveillance aircraft of the Pakistan Navy were destroyed, while a third was damaged in the attack.

Though the IMU has declared no particular ideological hostility towards the Pakistan Army or Government, their continuous association with the TTP and al Qaeda fraternity, and the losses they have suffered during military operations, have pitted them against the state.

Even as Operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched, Pakistani authorities began to proclaim its 'success'. On June 16, 2014, an unnamed Pakistan intelligence official stated, “Up to 150 people were killed during the strikes early Sunday [June 15]. These strikes were carried out based on confirmed reports about the presence of Uzbek and other terrorists in the area.” An Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Press Release asserted that terrorists linked to the attack on Karachi Airport were present in the hideouts that had been bombed. Abu Abdur Rehman Almani, a key ‘Uzbek commander’, and alleged mastermind of the Karachi Attack, was killed in the first day of Operation Zarb-e-Azb. There has been no independent verification of these claims.

According to the Foreign Military Studies Office, a research and analysis centre for the US Army, the IMU was established by Tahir Yuldashev and Juma Namangani in 1998 in Uzbekistan, and declared jihad against the Governments of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Their ultimate goal was to overthrow the secular government of President Islam Karimov and establish an Islamic caliphate in Uzbekistan. The IMU later established links with the Afghan Taliban as well as al Qaeda. After moving to Northern Afghanistan, following Uzbek Army raids on their bases, Yuldashev took an ‘oath of allegiance’ to Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Omar. Juma Namangani was killed in Afghanistan in November 19, 2001, while fighting for Kunduz town. His death left Yuldashev solely in command. The IMU managed to survive US air strikes after 9/11, although it was considerably weakened. Tahir Yuldashev successfully re-organised the group in the tribal areas of North and South Waziristan over subsequent years.

Having initially settled in South Waziristan, Yuldashev became "a star speaker" in local mosques. He adopted al Qaeda's agenda and turned the IMU into one of the strongest non-Arab al Qaeda groups. The IMU also established close ties with the TTP.

In 2007-08, with the backing of the Pakistan Army, pro-government TTP leader Mullah Nazir (the then South Waziristan TTP chief) started fight against IMU militants in South Waziristan Agency. During the period, at least 250 Uzbeks were killed and hundreds fled to NWA and Afghanistan.

On August 27, 2009, Tahir Yuldashev was killed in a US drone attack in South Waziristan. His ‘deputy’ Abu Usman Adil became new IMU head, but was also killed in a drone attack on April 29, 2012, in Miranshah, NWA. According to The Long War Journal, Adil augmented IMU’s profile in Pakistan and Northern Afghanistan after Yuldashev’s death and developed strong ties with TTP. After Adil's elimination, his ‘second-in-command’, Usman Ghazi took control of IMU, and currently heads the outfit.

After Mullah Nazir was killed in a US drone attack on January 2, 2013, Uzbek terrorists once again started regaining strength in SWA.

Based on its relations with TTP, IMU now has sanctuaries in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan. Both terrorist groups have joined hands to launch deadly attacks in Pakistan. Worryingly, media reports indicate, more than 5,000 Uzbek terrorists from the IMU have taken shelter in the North and South Waziristan Agencies. Indeed, former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) official, Asad Munir, tweeted on June 25: "Mosakai, a village in Mir Ali area of NWA had so many Uzbek, that the village was known as Uzbekistan."

As with past military operations against terrorist formations in Pakistan, sufficient prior warning was available, and a mass exodus of foreign, especially Uzbek, terrorists began before the start of Operation Zarb-e-Azb, creating the danger of these terrorists simply shifting to other parts of the country. Balochistan, which shares a porous border with the region, is under imminent threat.  Naveed Khalid, a senior intelligence official based in Islamabad, conceded, "Our internal security wing … revealed that a large number of IMU terrorists have fled [North Waziristan] and reportedly entered Balochistan to hide among traders, merchants and labourers in Zhob and adjacent areas in the Province... We have intercepted several calls … which disclosed that the IMU has provided suicide bombers to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)-linked terrorists in Balochistan and they had planned new attacks on their targets." Another intelligence official, Ahed Khan, stated, "The TTP and the IMU have long been collaborating with each other and conducting joint terrorist operations. … They have carried out several attacks in Balochistan, targeting security forces, [other] Muslims and top government officials."

Balochistan Home and Tribal Affairs Secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani, however claimed, “Our forces are highly able to combat foreign terrorists in the region. All law enforcement agencies have been directed to keep an eye on those areas [containing a number of Tajiks and Uzbeks] to foil any expected terrorist activity. We have also deployed additional troops on the entry points in Balochistan close to ... Waziristan, and our bordering districts are under strict surveillance to ensure the checking of each individual crossing into the province.” "As wth Quetta is a hub for Uzbeks and Tajiks, and thousands of these foreigners are living in and around the city," he informed. There are an estimated 70,000 Uzbeks in Pakistan.

Characteristic of past counter-terrorist operations in Pakistan, the present Operation Zarb-e-Azb has displaced large civilian populations, with Pakistan's Army relying overwhelmingly on aerial attacks, and using long range weapons, rather than genuinely engaging on the ground. The operations also left wide open spaces for terrorists to escape the area in the guise of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), with a belated 'ground offensive' commencing on June 30, a full fifteen days after the start of the Operation. Reports indicate that, by July 4, the number of people displaced from NWA as a result of Operation Zarb-e-Azb had crossed 570,000, including 240,000 children. Meanwhile, a report titled, ‘An Eyewitness Account of Pakistan's War in North Waziristan’, published on June 26, 2014, observed, “We tried hard to probe the impact of Pakistani air strikes. In interviews with dozens of North Waziristan residents, including those in villages targeted by sorties, it became apparent that few militants were killed in the aerial bombing strikes, and most victims were civilians.”

The IMU is another of Pakistan's favoured terrorist formations, at one time, integral to Islamabad's Afghan strategy, as were an array of other foreign terrorist groups. It has now gone renegade and turned on its one-time masters. While it may be forced to shift location from time to time as a result of the Army's reluctant Counter Terrorism (CT) operations, it has now demonstrated its capacities to strike with devastating impact virtually across the country, and has created a complex web of linkages with other terrorist formations across the AfPak region.

INDIA
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J&K: Trails of Death
Anurag Tripathi
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management

On July 3, 2014, Security Forces (SFs) foiled an infiltration bid across the Line of Control (LoC), killing at least three terrorists. The incident took place in the Balnoi area of the Mendhar Sector in Poonch District, along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).

Earlier, on July 1, 2014, the Army foiled an infiltration attempt by militants in the Langiot forward area of the Mendhar Sector in Poonch District. An estimated four or five terrorists, who were trying to sneak into Indian Territory, were forced to retreat. Pakistani Rangers opened fire to facilitate the infiltration attempt, in another violation of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) of November 2003.

According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), the first six months and six days of the current year have, thus far, witnessed a total of 19 infiltration bids – 18 along the LoC and one along the International Border (IB). At least five terrorists have been killed in retaliatory action by the SFs.

The same period in year 2013 had witnessed a total of 18 infiltration bids –16 along the LoC and another two at the IB – in J&K. At least seven militants were killed in retaliatory action by SFs. The last six months of 2013 recorded another 25 infiltration attempts - 23 along the LoC, and two on the IB. At least 44 terrorists were killed in these incidents.

Clearly, while infiltration attempts by heavily armed militants continue relentlessly, the number of successful infiltrations has gone down considerably. According to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA), very few militants have been successful in sneaking into J&K, as most of their attempts have been foiled by SFs deployed along the border. This, among a range of other factors, has led to dramatic improvements in the security situation in J&K, where fatalities have gone down considerably since 2001, notwithstanding a couple of spikes, including a marginal escalation in 2013, as against the preceding year. Terrorism-related fatalities in J&K declined from a peak of 4,507 in 2001, to just 117 in 2012, to spike again to 181 in 2013.

The CFA held fairly well between its signing in November 2003 and the end of the Pervez Musharraf regime in August 2008, but violations have been continuing regularly since. There were 92 CFA violations in 2012, and 116 in 2013. 20 CFA violations have been recorded in the first six months of 2014, with at least two Indian troopers killed in the current year.

There is also some evidence that Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), which oversees the export of Islamist extremist terrorism into India, has also started a search for new routes to infiltrate militants into J&K and also to re-activate some of the older routes that had fallen into disuse with the progressive decline in terrorism. SATP data indicates that there are at least 24 major infiltration routes active since 2003, along the LoC and IB in J&K. The Poonch District accounts for 10 such routes, followed by Kupwara with four, Samba with three, Jammu and Rajouri  two each, and Baramulla, Bandipora and Kathua one each. The major infiltration routes include, Sangiot, Balnoi, Sona Gali, Pathri Gali, Sabjian area, Bhimber Gali, Peeli Pama Village, Sobra Gali, Chajal and Yunus Nallah in Poonch; Nowgam area, Tangdher, Nawahar and Keran in Kupwara; Ramgarh, Rajpura and Ballarh post in Samba; Abdulian and Gargrian in Jammu; Tarkundi and Nowshera in Rajouri; Trikanjan in Baramulla; Baktur in Bandipora; and Bobiya in Kathua.

Most of these routes fall along the 776 kilometer long LoC. However, as a result of the active domination of the LoC by the Indian Army, routes along the IB are now being activated for infiltration by the Pakistan Army and ISI. According to SATP data, though there was no infiltration related incident along the IB till May 9, 2008, J&K has recorded 28 such incidents thereafter. Recently, on March 28, 2014, terrorists infiltrated from the Hiranagar area, along the IB, and carried out an attack in which at least six persons, including three terrorists, two civilians and one soldier were killed in the Kathua District.

In another such incident, on September 26, 2013, a total of 10 people, in addition to three Pakistani terrorists from the Pakistani Punjab province, were killed in twin suicide attacks in Kathua and Samba District. According reports, the terrorists crossed the IB to mount the attack. Commenting on the incident Border Security Force (BSF) Additional Director General (ADG) R. D. Singh noted, "The fence has not been cut anywhere. I have seen the terrain. There are so many nullahs (streams or crevasses) along the International Border, may be infiltration is from these nullahs.”

Infiltration attempts along the 190-kilometer long IB are evidently witnessing a surge and, in response, on December 15, 2013, the BSF introduced a state-of-the-art Communication and Surveillance System, backed by bullet-proof bunkers and high-end infrared cameras, along the IB, to arrest cross-border infiltration. BSF has identified 19 sensitive and riverine areas and gaps along the IB on the Jammu frontier for installation of the high-end infrared cameras and surveillance systems.

Significantly, Indian intelligence estimates that 2,500 terrorists, training in 42 camps in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan, are being held in readiness for operationalisation in J&K, even as border disturbances to cover infiltration attempts escalate. The Pakistan Army is reported to have activated the launch pads for infiltrating terrorists from these camps, to boost the waning strength and morale of cadres active in J&K. The terrorists are reported to have gone hi-tech, and are being provided special training to negotiate the electrified border fence, as well as to handle modern means of navigation and communication. Infiltrators sneaking into the Indian side are increasingly using global positioning systems (GPS) and maps, as evidenced from the recovery of sophisticated GPS devices.  In an incident, on April 16, 2014, the Indian Army recovered a cache of arms and ammunition from the Lampathri Forest in Bandipora District. The recovery included a GPS device, as well as one AK 47 along with three magazines, three Chinese pistols, 3 pistol magazines, 28 Under Barrel Grenade Launchers (UBGL), 8 hand grenades, 4 Chinese hand grenades, one radio set, and other administrative stores.

Meanwhile, the Union and State Governments have announced a multi-pronged approach to contain cross border  infiltration which, inter-alia, includes strengthening of border management and multi-tiered and multi-modal deployment along the IB / LoC and near the ever changing infiltration routes; construction of border fencing; improved technology, weapons and equipments for SFs; improved intelligence and operational coordination; synergized intelligence flows to check infiltration; and pre-emptive action against terrorists within the State.

It is abundantly clear that Pakistan will continue its policy of supporting cross border terrorism in J&K, and enveloping regional trends suggest that a sharp escalation is possible in future. If the impact is to be contained, and in the absence of effective instrumentalities to force Pakistan to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism on its soil, the strongest possible measures will be required to prevent infiltration across the LoC/IB and to track and neutralise terrorists who manage to cross into Indian territory.


NEWS BRIEFS

Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia
June 30- July 6, 2014

 

Civilians

Security Force Personnel

Terrorists/Insurgents

Total

BANGLADESH

 

Left-wing Extremism

0
0
1
1

INDIA

 

Assam

0
0
2
2

Jammu and Kashmir

0
0
4
4

Manipur

0
0
1
1

Meghalaya

0
0
2
2

Left-wing Extremism

 

Bihar

0
1
1
2

Chhattisgarh

0
0
1
1

Jharkhand

0
0
2
2

Total (INDIA)

0
1
13
14

PAKISTAN

 

Balochistan

4
0
0
4

FATA

6
2
30
38

KP

0
0
1
1

Sindh

11
7
10
28

Total (PAKISTAN)

21
9
41
71
Provisional data compiled from English language media sources.


BANGLADESH

'Nation would never forget BNP-JeI's atrocities in the name of resisting the January 5 elections', says Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed on July 3 said the nation would never forget the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI)'s atrocities in the name of resisting the January 5 elections. She further said, "After failing to resist the elections, BNP is now giving threat to overthrow the Government by waging a movement. But, we don't want recurrence of their brutal acts." New Age, July 5, 2014.

50,000 more manpower for the Police Force to root out terrorism, says Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed on July 2 said her Government has taken a decision in principle to recruit 50,000 more manpower for the Police Force. She said a total of 30,474 new manpower have been added to the Police Force by creating new specialized units in the organizational structures of the force to maintain law and order. Creation for 1,557 new posts is under process. Moreover, a process for constituting a special counter-intelligence unit is going on to contain terrorism. New Nation, July 3, 2014.


INDIA

98 people abducted for ransom in the past six months in Meghalaya: 98 people were abducted for ransom in the past six months till June 2014, while a total of 175 people were abducted since June 2013. The number of abduction cases reported during this period was 135, which means that in many of these cases more than one person was abducted in a single kidnapping case. The month of May recorded the highest number of people being kidnapping at 26 with as many as 15 abduction cases reported from Garo Hills. Nagaland Post, July 5, 2014.

Hafiz Saeed sets up terrorist camps in Pakistan villages across Rajasthan IB, according to BSF: Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) 'founder' and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) 'chief' Hafiz Muhammad Saeed has set up terrorist camps in Islamkot and Mithi areas in Pakistan opposite Tanot and Kishangarh areas of Jaisalmer District in Rajasthan, according to Border Security Force (BSF). On June 29, he was seen in Islamkot, Meerpur Khas, Mithi and Kherpur in Sindh Province of Pakistan opposite south west Tanot area of Jaisalmer border. The BSF was given directions to be on alert and it believes that Saeed would try to push in terrorists via the Rajasthan border. Times of India, July 1, 2014.

New Garo militant outfit UPRA surfaces in Meghalaya: Another Garo militant outfit, United People's Revolutionary Alliance (UPRA), has emerged in the State and has started issuing quit notices to 'illegal encroachers' from outside especially in the plain belt areas of Garo Hills. The new militant outfit which has its headquarters in an undisclosed location called 'Chusimra' claimed that Garo Hills was being overrun by 'illegal encroachers' from outside which was due to the 'special favours' being given by Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and politicians in their respective constituencies by enabling them to get hold of job cards, ration cards, election IDs etc. Shillong Times, July 2, 2014.

ISIS 'chief' confirms Indians part of insurgent group: The first-ever audio message of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), released on July 1 confirmed suspicions that Indians could well be part of his organisation's ranks. While enumerating the nationalities of fighters who constitute ISIS, Al-Baghdadi's 20-second-long audio titled 'A message to the Mujahideen and the Muslim Ummah in the month of Ramadan' mentions that Indians, among a host of other nationalities including Chinese, American, French, German, Australian, etc. figure in the ISIS squad. Hindustan Times, July 3, 2014.

Naxals using children as human shields a worry, says UN report: The UN has expressed concern over the killing and maiming of children who continue to be recruited and used as human shields by Naxals [Left-Wing Extremists (LWEs)] in India and over the threat of sexual violence against girls within Naxal ranks. The Annual Report of the UN Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, released on July 1, said the recruitment and use of children, as young as six-years-old, by Naxals, continued in 2013. While no disaggregated data on the number of children associated with armed groups in India was available with the UN, it said independent estimates indicate at least 2,500 children are associated with armed groups in Naxal-affected areas. Outlook, July 3, 2014.

Sri Lanka and Maldives new places of FICN origin, states IB report: According to Intelligence Bureau (IB) reports, Sri Lanka and Maldives have been named as Fake Indian Currency Note's (FICN's) two new places of origin, and Chennai in Tamil Nadu as the point of arrival. An IB official stated, "Until now, FICN was known to come from Bangladesh and Nepal. The addition of two more neighbours to this list is rather worrying". Once the notes are offloaded at Chennai, they make their way to other states. The mafia operate in a syndicated manner, using local racketeers to put the currency into circulation in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Maharashtra, besides Tamil Nadu. Pune Mirror, July 2, 2014.

Union Government starts informal talks with insurgents in northeast: The Union Government started informal talks with insurgent groups in the northeast to find a lasting solution to the militancy in the region. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju stated, "I have full charge of the NE division and have been informally meeting representatives of some of these outfits. I have conveyed to them: 'See, here is your man in Delhi, and this is your best chance to come on board and shun violence'. Times of India, June 30, 2014.


NEPAL

First round of deliberation concludes: The first round of deliberations in the full House of Constituent Assembly (CA) in Kathmandu completed on June 30. The top leaders having the responsibility of settling the issues proposed in a new Constitution that are still in contention, said the Constitution drafting process has entered a difficult phase, and only a proactive role from the top leaders of major political parties can take the process ahead. During one and a half months of deliberations on disputed issues, the CA approached each subject on the basis of the progress made by the previous CA. eKantipur, July 2, 2014.


PAKISTAN

40 percent area in Miranshah cleared from militants, claims military: About 40 percent area of Miranshah, the main town of the North Waziristan Agency (NWA) in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), has been cleared from terrorists during the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb. A military official told that 40 percent area had been cleared in Miranshah. However, he did not give any deadline for the completion of the ground operation in the area. The Army is facing some firing incidents, rocket attacks and explosives, but so far it has not faced any major resistance during the operation. The News, July 4, 2014.

Government will enforce its writ in FATA, says Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif: Assigning political ownership to the ongoing military Operation Zarb-e-Azb in the North Waziristan Agency (NWA), Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on July 1 stated that Pakistan will enforce its writ in the tribal areas. He stated that the decision pertaining to the Operation was taken after careful deliberations and weighing all options. He further said that all the foreign fighters and local terrorists would be wiped out without any exception and no sanctuary would be spared by the Armed Forces. The News, July 2, 2014.

National Assembly empowers Police to shoot down terror suspects under the Protection of Pakistan Bill 2014: The National Assembly (NA) on July 2 passed the Protection of Pakistan Bill 2014, which allows the Police to shoot down a suspect, arrest them without warrant or keep them in custody for 60 days. The Bill was earlier passed by the Senate on June 30. The majority approved it in the NA. However, the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) opposed the legislation while the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) abstained from voting. The Bill would become an Act of Parliament once it is signed by the President. It will remain in force for two years after it comes into force. The News, July 4, 2014.

Either extradite or eliminate TTP 'chief' Mullah Fazlullah, Pakistan asks Afghanistan: Pakistan on July 1 asked the Afghanistan Government to either eliminate Pakistan Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) 'chief' Mullah Fazlullah or extradite him to Pakistan. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Asim Bajwa said that the Army will eliminate Fazlullah whenever he comes to Pakistan. Bajwa urged Afghanistan to do more to track down Fazlullah, who took over the TTP leadership in 2013 after previous 'chief' Hakimullah Mehsud was killed by a US drone. Daily Times, July 2, 2014.

Extortionists and target killers operating freely in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to report: The bombing of houses, rocket attacks, extortion calls and the target killings are taking place all over the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly in the provincial capital of Peshawar in the absence of proactive policing. Peshawar has been under attack from extortionists, target killers and kidnappers for the last many months. Robbers and street criminals are taking advantage of the situation as the Police force seems to be struggling hard against extortionists and militants, mostly carrying out attacks from the tribal areas or the adjacent settled towns. The News, July 2, 2014.


SRI LANKA

Sri Lankan Government reiterates its stance on UN investigation: The Sri Lankan Government on July 3 reiterated its stance on the United Nations (UN) investigation that it is not ready to accept an investigation mandated by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Government spokesman and Media Minister, Keheliya Rambukwella said Sri Lanka is ready to hold discussions at acceptable conditions but the Government which has been ascended to power by the people is not ready to be made equal with a terrorist organization. The Government has refused to cooperate with the UNHRC mandated international investigation despite the calls from the UN, US, United Kingdom and European Union to do so. Colombo Page, July 4, 2014.

Investigations show that jihadist groups targeting India were using Sri Lanka as a transit point, says report: Sri Lanka banned visas on arrival for Pakistanis after investigations showed that jihadist groups targeting India were using Sri Lanka as a transit point. A bomb blast in a train stationed at Chennai Railway Station train on May 1 revealed new plots against India by Pakistan-based jihadist groups using Sri Lanka and Maldives as transit points.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on July 1 ruled out any possibility that its soil could be used for terror attacks against India, after the recent discovery of an alleged terrorist plot to attack foreign missions in south India. He said, "The Indian intelligence agencies have told me that there is a possibility of Islamic terrorism being based in Sri Lanka to act against India. However, we investigated these concerns and found that there is no merit in these concerns or claims.". Times of India, June 30, 2014; Network 24, July 2, 2014.


The South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) is a weekly service that brings you regular data, assessments and news briefs on terrorism, insurgencies and sub-conventional warfare, on counter-terrorism responses and policies, as well as on related economic, political, and social issues, in the South Asian region.

SAIR is a project of the Institute for Conflict Management and the South Asia Terrorism Portal.

South Asia Intelligence Review [SAIR]

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Editor
Dr. Ajai Sahni


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