| |
SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 13, No. 40, April 6, 2015
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
|
SIMI:
Jolt to 'Revival'
Ajit
Kumar Singh
Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management
Two cadres
of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI)
were killed in an encounter with the Police near Janakipuram
in Nalgonda District of the newly constituted Telangana
State, on April 4, 2015. One Police Constable was killed
while another Policeman was injured during the encounter.
Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Sharma
in an April 5 release, stated that the slain duo were
identified as Mohammed Aijazuddeen, a native of Kareli
in the Narsinghpur District of Madhya Pradesh (MP) and
Mohammed Aslam alias Bilal, who hailed from Ganesh
Talai in the Khandwa District of MP. Sharma added, "Aijajuddeen
and Aslam have been the active members of Students Islamic
Movement of India (SIMI) in Madhya Pradesh and were involved
in acts of terror in India."
According
to the release, the duo were on the run since they opened
fire and killed a Police Constable and a Home Guard, who
were part of a police team that was checking vehicles
for suspicious passengers at the Suryapet Bus Stand in
Nalgonda District, in the intervening night of April 1
and 2. A circle inspector and another Home Guard were
injured in the firing. The duo had also tried to stop
a car at gunpoint and injured one civilian when the driver
of the car sped on.
Significantly,
the slain SIMI cadres were part of the six member SIMI
gang, led by Abu Fazal alias Doctor, which had
escaped
from Tantya Bheel Jail in Khandwa District on October
1, 2013. While Abu Fazal was arrested from Barwani District
in MP on December 23, 2013, another three, identified
as Zakir Hussain alias Sadiq, Mehboob alias
Guddu, and Amjad Ramzan, are still on run. These SIMI
cadres had escaped from jail along with another inmate,
Abid Mirza Beg (all housed in barrack No. 2 of the jail
from August 2013). Abid Mirza Beg was arrested from Sarvodaya
Colony in Khandwa within four hours of the jailbreak.
According
to reports, after their escape from the jail, these SIMI
cadres had carried out several attacks across India, including
the following:
July 10,
2014: Five people, including a Policeman, were injured
in a low intensity bomb blast near Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati
temple in Pune in Maharashtra. The bomb was placed on
a motorcycle in the parking area of Faraskhana and Vishrambaug
Police Stations, located about 200 metres from the temple.
May 1,
2014: One passenger, identified as Swathi, died and another
nine were injured in a bomb blast in the Guwahati-Bangalore
Express train stationed at the Chennai Central Station
in Chennai (Tamil Nadu).
It was,
however, the September 12, 2014, low-intensity blast inside
a house in the Jalan locality under the Kotwali Police
Station area of Bijnor District in Uttar Pradesh, which
brought the group once again under the radar of the intelligence
agencies. Though no casualty was reported, Police recovered
some explosives, remains of a half-assembled bomb, seven
kilograms of matchsticks kept in cartons, another four
large packs of matchboxes, one .32 bore pistol and a laptop.
Subsequently,
it was found that the group had close linkages with members
of the Burdwan
module of the Bangladeshi terror outfit,
Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).
An accidental explosion took place in a rented two-storey
house at Khagragarh under the Burdwan Police Station in
West Bengal, on October 2, 2014. Two persons were killed
and another sustained injuries in the blast.
The Abu
Fazal-led gang was also suspected to be involved in several
cases of dacoity and bank robberies in different parts
of MP, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Telangana. In one such
operation, the group had looted an SBI [State Bank of
India] branch in Karimnagar District in Telangana on February
1, 2014, and had decamped with INR 4.6 million.
Significantly,
the six escapees were among eight SIMI/IM (Indian Mujahideen)
suspects arrested by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of
MP Police from Jabalpur and Bhopal on June 5, 2011, in
connection with the November 29, 2009, triple murder of
MP ATS trooper Sitaram Yadav, lawyer Sanjay Pal and bank
officer Ravi Shankar Pare in Khandwa. They were also reportedly
involved in the June 2011 killing of another ATS trooper,
Bharat Singh Raghuvanshi, in Ratlam District in MP, as
well as the August 23, 2010, INR 25 million gold robbery
in Bhopal, MP. Other banks in Itarsi city, Hoshangabad
District, and the Dewas District of MP had also been looted
by them.
The killing
of the SIMI cadres is a big success for the Security Forces
(SFs) and intelligence agencies, as this group of SIMI
cadres had been extremely active and planned to create
havoc. Earlier interrogation reports of the two slain
SIMI cadres, obtained while they were in Khandawa jail,
and of their chief Abu Fazal, indicated that they sought
to be the real face of home-grown terror, swearing allegiance
to Taliban and al Qaeda and looking beyond the patronage
of Pakistan’s external intelligence agency, the Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI), under which IM had been operating.
The threat
of this particular group continues to loom large, as three
other escapees remain at large. The recovery of a railway
ticket, dated April 2, 2014, for travel between New Delhi
and Hyderabad, from the latest encounter site, hinted
at the possible role of a third suspect, and it seems
that the other three escapees remain active. An unnamed
senior Police officer was quoted as stating, "The
slain Aslam Ayub and Mohammed Aijazuddeen were in Nalgonda
District on April 2 and 3 (while they were on the run).
So, there is no question of any of the two purchasing
a train ticket in Delhi. We suspect that someone came
from Delhi and met them on the night of April 3.”
The challenge
of neutralizing the remaining cadres of this SIMI gang
in particular, and dismantling the wider SIMI network,
at large, remains significant, despite the successful
onslaught
against the IM and its subsequent ‘loss of power’. SIMI,
IM’s parent organization, has been attempting to ‘fill
the vacuum’ created by the losses inflicted on IM cadres
and leadership. Indeed, SFs have so far arrested a total
of 36 SIMI cadres over the past two years, resulting in
dramatic losses of operational capabilities and widespread
demoralization, particularly in IM. Security and intelligence
agencies are likely to capitalize on present successes
and information gleaned, to suppress any attempts at revival
by SIMI. There is, moreover, a growing sense of urgency
in this task, with the increasing visibility and international
presence of global jihadi formation such as al
Qaeda and Islamic State (IS). India’s security apparatus
appears to have adopted an extremely proactive operational
posture, and has succeeded in neutralizing several Islamist
extremist cells, and in interdicting several youth who
planned to travel to Iraq-Syria to join up with IS. It
remains to be seen whether surviving elements within the
SIMI/IM complex are able to inflict significant future
damage before the agencies discover and neutralize their
networks.
|
J&K:
Steady Escalation
Sanchita
Bhattacharya
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
On March
21, 2015, two terrorists dressed in Indian Army fatigue
were killed during an attack at an Army camp on the Jammu-Pathankote
National Highway in the Samba District of Jammu Division.
Three persons, including a civilian, an Army Major and
an Army jawan (trooper), were injured during the
attack.
Just a
day earlier, on March 20, a fidayeen (suicide)
squad of terrorists in Army fatigues stormed a Police
Station in the Kathua District of Jammu Division, resulting
in the death of six persons, including three Security
Force (SF) personnel, two civilians and two terrorists.
12 persons were injured in the attack, including eight
Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, three Policemen
and a civilian. Two AK-47 rifles with 21 magazines and
156 rounds, 19 live grenades, two wire cutters, two pistols
and 61 rounds, were recovered from the possession of the
slain attackers.
On November
27-28, 2014, 12 persons, including five civilians, three
Army soldiers and four members of a terrorist suicide
squad, were killed in an encounter at border village of
Kathaar in the Arnia Sector, close to the International
Border (IB) in the Jammu District.
According
to reports the attackers had infiltrated from across the
border just before carrying out the attacks on all the
three occasions.
According
to partial data collated by the South Asia Terrorism
Portal (SATP), a total of 91 persons, including 23
civilians, 27 SF personnel and 41 terrorists, have been
killed in seven Districts of the Jammu Division of the
State since 2012 (data till April 2, 2015). These Districts
included Jammu, Kathua, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Ramban
and Samba. The total number of fatalities across J&K
during this period stands at 521. In the current year,
2015, 30 people have been killed in J&K, including
two civilians, six SF personnel and 22 terrorists. In
the Jammu Division alone, eight persons have been killed
in 2015, including two civilians, three SF personnel and
three terrorists. J&K is administratively divided
into three parts – Jammu Division, with 10 Districts;
Kashmir Division (also known as the Valley), accounting
for another 10 Districts; and Ladakh Division, with two
Districts.
Significantly,
according to the State Home Ministry, by the end of 2011,
at least seven Districts in the State had been declared
completely free of militancy. These included five in the
Jammu Division - Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Reasi and Doda;
and Leh and Kargil in the Ladakh Division, which had never
seen significant terrorism. Another five Districts in
the Jammu Division - Kishtwar, Ramban, Poonch, Rajouri
and Udhampur - had reported terrorism-related incidents
‘in single digits’.
Buoyed
by this success, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA)
had asked the State Government, in January 2012, to take
measures to free more Districts from militancy. Regrettably,
however, current trends suggest, the opposite has happened.
Meanwhile,
as reported on March 29, 2015, the Border Security Force
(BSF) has submitted a report to UMHA stating that terrorist
launch pads have been activated within three kilometers
from the Jammu border. Bada Bhai Masroor, Abhial Dogra,
Sukhmal and Charkbhura in the Narowal District and Chaprar
in the Sialkot District of the Punjab Province in Pakistan,
close to the Jammu border, have been identified as the
launch pads that are being controlled by Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT).
Terrorists who have undergone training in camps in Pakistan
occupied Kashmir (PoK) have been brought to these forward
areas and are on standby to strike at short notice.
Moreover,
according to an April 1, 2015, report, the Intelligence
Bureau has warned that at least six terrorist outfits,
including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM),
LeT, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM),
Tahreek-e-Jehad (Movement for Holy War), Al Badar and
another unnamed terror outfit, backed by Pakistan, are
on standby mode, waiting to launch attacks, primarily
in Jammu Division. According to the report, the militants
are planning attacks on security installations inside
Rajouri and Poonch Districts.
A design
to widen the arc of terror appears to be crystallizing.
Indeed, as a result of the active domination of the Line
of Control (LoC) by the Indian Army, routes along the
IB are now being activated for infiltration by the Pakistan
Army and its spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence
(ISI). According to SATP data available since March 1,
2000, though there were no infiltration related incidents
along the IB till May 9, 2008, at least 40 such incidents
have been recorded thereafter (data till April 2, 2015).
Moreover,
intelligence reports indicate that the heavy shelling
by the Pakistani side along the IB in recent past was
being carried out to support terrorist infiltration bids.
According to a March 29, 2015, report, an unnamed BSF
officer observed, "Low-scale firing across the border
has been going on almost every day for the past few months.
There has been a pattern. When there is heavy shelling
in an area, apparently to divert our attention, it is
noticed that infiltration is being planned from an adjoining
area." Arnia, Paharpur, Samba, Kathua and Akhnoor
in Jammu have been the vulnerable spots in the terror
groups' plans to infiltrate into the Indian side.
Talking
about ceasefire violations, Army Chief General Dalbir
Singh Suhag noted, on January 13, 2015, that the action
has slowly moved to the IB from the LoC: “That is probably,
likely to be because our counter infiltration grid is
stronger on LoC.” Partial data compiled by SATP confirms
the trend: out of 42 incidents of ceasefire violation
reported in 2015, 41 were recorded along the IB. In fact,
incidents of Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) violations at
the IB have been on constant increase since 2009, except
for year 2011. According to SATP’s partial data, the number
of CFA violations along the IB stood at 7 in 2009, 26
in 2010, 11 in 2011, 23 in 2012, 24 in 2013 and 38 in
2014.
These trends
also coincide with a recent escalation in terrorist violence
in the State. It is significant that terrorist violence
in J&K dropped consistently and dramatically from
a peak in 2001, when 4,507 fatalities were recorded, to
just 117 fatalities in 2012. 2013 and 2014, however, have
registered a spike, with 181 and 193 fatalities, respectively.
Recognizing
the rising threat of terrorism and Pakistan-backed infiltration,
the Centre has reportedly released INR 100 million as
the first installment for land acquisition and construction
of a protective shield all along the 198 kilometer-long
IB in the Jammu region to save civilians from firing by
the Pakistani Rangers and to curb infiltration by terrorists
from across the border. UMHA has assured the State Government
that the funds would be no problem as the proposed defences
would not only check infiltration of militants but also
serve as protective shield for the civilians from small
arms’ fire, though not from mortars and rocket launchers.
The most
recent attack in the Kathua-Samba sector demands a review
of existing security procedures and Force responsibility.
The IB and the LoC have very different security topographies
and related intelligence grids. While a determined group
of terrorists from across the border could breach the
IB in a matter of a few hours, a similar action across
the more heavily defended LoC could take as many days.
Improving the cordon along the IB must, consequently,
rank high in any holistic security review that Delhi and
Srinagar may undertake.
On March
22, 2015, the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the
Home Ministry advised that, while various aspects of terrorism
in J&K have been well documented, all these facts
should still be brought out in the form of a White Paper
as part of a single document for public information –
and hopefully, an objective debate in the legislature.
India’s J&K policy has long been hobbled by incoherence
and drift, and a focused effort to bring it in line with
a consistent and clearly articulated strategy is now an
imperative. The relative decline in violence since the
peak
of 2001 and the political mandate
that high
participation rates in the Assembly
elections of November-December 2014 provide a window of
opportunity to secure the necessary clarity of strategy
and response, and it would be an unforgivable failure
on the part of the Government if this is not capitalized
on.
|
Weekly Fatalities:
Major Conflicts in South Asia
March 30 - April 5, 2015
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
BANGLADESH
|
|
Islamist
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
INDIA
|
|
Arunachal
Pradesh
|
0
|
3
|
0
|
3
|
Assam
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
3
|
Jammu and
Kashmir
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
Manipur
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
5
|
Meghalaya
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Nagaland
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Telangana
|
0
|
3
|
2
|
5
|
Left-wing
Extremism
|
|
Bihar
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Chhattisgarh
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
Jharkhand
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
Total (INDIA)
|
3
|
10
|
12
|
25
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
Balochistan
|
9
|
1
|
6
|
16
|
FATA
|
0
|
8
|
27
|
35
|
KP
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
5
|
Sindh
|
6
|
2
|
9
|
17
|
PAKISTAN
(Total)
|
|
|
|
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
|
BANGLADESH
Buffer
cell
of
ABT
murdered
blogger
Mohamad
Oyasiqur
Rahman
Babu,
say
Police:
Police
on
April
1
said
that
a
buffer
cell
of
Ansarullah
Bangla
Team
(ABT)
murdered
blogger
Mohamad
Oyasiqur
Rahman
Babu
(27)
on
March
30
in
Dhaka
city
and
had
been
planned
at
least
15
days
prior.
ABT
had
used
similar
buffer
cells,
that
they
call
"sleeper
cell",
for
murdering
Avijit
Roy,
another
liberal
blogger
with
atheist
views,
on
February
27.
The
sleeper
cells
are
managed
by
one
field
commander
who
recruits,
trains
and
indoctrinates
suitable
candidates
to
carry
out
their
plots.
The
cell
members
can
only
name
that
field
commander
and
it
becomes
impossible
to
connect
these
plots
to
the
larger
organization
or
its
leadership.
Dhaka Tribune,
April
2,
2015.
INDIA
JeM
and
LeT
men
waiting
to
enter
Jammu
and
Kashmir,
say
Intelligence
inputs:
Various
inputs
from
Central
intelligence
agencies
point
towards
the
presence
of
groups
of
both
Jaish-e-Mohammed
(JeM)
and
Lashkar-e-Toiba
(LeT)
terrorists
waiting
to
infiltrate
at
various
locations
along
the
Line
of
Control
(LoC)
and
International
Border
(IB)
in
Jammu
and
Kashmir.
The
inputs
warn
that
LeT
militants,
led
by
one
Mohammed
Hussain
alias
Mani,
are
waiting
to
infiltrate
from
Derinala,
while
another
group
of
five
JeM
terrorists
has
arrived
from
Kotli
in
Pakistan-occupied
Kashmir
(PoK)
and
has
been
camping
at
Shahbaz
post.
Asian
Age,
April
4,
2015.
IB
warns
of
suicide
attack
in
Delhi:
Intelligence
Bureau
(IB)
warned
of
Pakistan-based
terror
groups,
led
by
the
Jaish-e-Mohammed
(JeM),
planning
to
carry
out
fidayeen
(suicide)
strikes
in
Delhi.
Meanwhile,
the
IB
has
also
warned
of
the
JeM
planning
to
target
Communist
Party
of
India-Marxist
(CPM)
workers
in
Jammu
and
Kashmir
(J&K),
particularly
in
Kulgam
District.
The
IB
has
drawn
up
a
list
of
CPM
workers
who
contested
Assembly
elections
in
2014
and
may
be
on
the
Hizbul
Mujahideen
(HM)
hit
list
as
well.
Decan
Chronicle,
April
4,
2015.
LeT
and
JeM
using
'Afzal
Guru
squad'
to
launch
attacks
in
Jammu
and
Kashmir,
says
report:
The
recent
fidayeen
(suicide)
attacks
in
Kathua
and
Samba
in
Jammu
and
Kashmir
were
allegedly
carried
out
by
the
newly
formed
terror
outfit,
'Afzal
Guru
squad'.
According
to
the
reports,
the
outfit,
which
was
formed
after
the
hanging
of
the
2001
Parliament
attack
convict,
has
become
a
cause
of
concern
for
Indian
Security
Forces
(SFs).
Afzal
Guru's
hanging
at
New
Delhi's
Tihar
Jail
in
February
9,
2013
had
triggered
widespread
protests
in
the
Valley,
and
militants
had
vowed
to
avenge
the
execution.
Banglore
Mirror,
April
3,
2015.
India
and
Thailand
agree
to
strengthen
security
cooperation:
India
and
Thailand
have
agreed
to
strengthen
their
defence
and
strategic
cooperation,
maritime
security
and
counter-terrorism,
with
top
Thai
leaders
strongly
supporting
the
new
government's
"Act
East"
policy.
Ajit
Doval,
National
Security
Advisor
(NSA)
to
Prime
Minister
stated,
"The
overall
kinetics
was
very
positive.
We
discussed
a
range
of
issues,
including
terrorist
activities,
defence
production,
keeping
the
sea
lanes
safe,
piracy,
human
trafficking
and
terrorism".
New
Indian
Express,
April
3,
2015.
Ten
sarpanches
killed
in
Kashmir
in
last
four
years,
says
Jammu
and
Kashmir
Government:
The
Jammu
and
Kashmir
Government
on
April
1
said
ten
sarpanches
(elected
head
of
village
level
local
self
government
institution)
have
been
killed
and
three
injured
by
militants
in
the
Valley
in
the
last
four
years
while
20
resigned
following
threats
from
militant
outfits.
In
a
written
reply
in
the
State
Assembly,
Minister
for
Rural
Development
and
Panchayati
Raj,
Abdul
Haq
Khan
also
said
that
the
State
Government
was
sensitive
to
the
issue
of
safety
of
panchayat
(village
level
local
self
Government
institution)
representatives
in
Kashmir
and
was
taking
various
measures
to
instill
confidence
in
them.
Times
of
India,
April
3,
2015.
Chinese
arms
being
supplied
to
North
East
insurgents
through
Manipur,
reports
NIA:
National
Investigation
Agency
(NIA)
interrogation
of
IK
Songbijit
faction
of
National
Democratic
Front
of
Bodoland
(NDFB-IKS)
has
revealed
that
Chinese
made
weapons
come
to
Manipur
through
the
China-Myanmar-India
border.
According
to
the
interrogation
report,
arms
consignments
are
smuggled
from
the
China
border
to
South
Myanmar
by
the
Kachin
rebels
who
hand
over
the
weapons
to
Isak-Muivah
faction
of
National
Socialist
Council
of
Nagaland
(NSCN-IM)
in
Myanmar.
NSCN-IM
then
passes
on
the
weapons
to
NDFB-IKS
in
Manipur
which
are
taken
to
Assam's
Bodoland
area,
where
NDFB
operates.
Forty
six
NDFB-IKS
militants
have
been
arrested
so
far
by
the
NIA
after
December
2014
massacre
of
tribals.
Sangai
Express,
April
2,
2015.
30
Nations
including
India
join
hands
against
terrorism:
India,
Pakistan
as
well
as
the
five
permanent
members
of
the
United
Nations
Security
Council
(UNSC)
are
among
the
30
Nations
who
have
joined
hands
for
a
group,
'Group
of
Friends
Against
Terrorism'
launched
on
April
1
at
the
initiative
of
Morocco
at
the
United
Nations
(UN).
In
addition
to
China,
France,
Russia,
United
Kingdom
(UK)
and
the
United
States
(US),
the
group
has
representation
from
the
five
continents.
Morocco's
Permanent
Representative
to
the
UN
Ambassador
Omar
Hilale
presided
over
the
launch
of
the
group,
which
aims
to
"create
synergies
between
all
initiatives"
implemented
within
the
UN,
promoting
international
cooperation
in
combating
terrorism,
share
and
exchange
good
practices
in
the
fight
against
this
scourge
that
threatens
international
peace
and
security.
Economic
Times,
April
2,
2015.
Over
250
NDFB-IKS
militants
arrested
in
Assam
since
December
2014
massacre:
Over
250
militants
of
IK
Songbijit
faction
of
National
Democratic
Front
of
Bodoland
(NDFB-IKS)
have
been
apprehended,
and
four
killed,
in
an
operation
launched
by
the
Unified
Command
(UC)
after
the
Adivasi
massacre
in
the
State
on
December
23,
2014.
The
forces
have
also
recovered
huge
cache
of
arms
and
ammunition.
Times
of
India
April
1,
2015.
Prime
Minister
Modi
assures
solution
to
Indo-Naga
peace
talks
in
18
months:
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
has
assured
a
solution
to
the
Indo-Naga
peace
talk
within
the
next
18
months.
According
to
a
well
placed
source,
the
Government
of
India
(GoI)
assured
Isak-Muivah
faction
of
National
Socialist
Council
of
Nagaland
(NSCN-IM)
leadership
in
December
last
year
that
the
political
dialogue
would
be
brought
to
a
logical
conclusion
within
the
next
18
months.
Sangai
Express,
April
1,
2015.
NEPAL
Rectify
nine-point
joint
proposal,
says
UCPN-M
to
ruling
parties:
Unified
Communist
Party
of
Nepal-Maoist
(UCPN-M)
on
April
2,
sought
revision
of
the
nine-point
joint
proposal
forwarded
by
Nepali
Congress
(NC)
and
Communist
Party
of
Nepal-Unified
Marxist
Leninist
(CPN-UML)
in
line
with
the
January19
understanding
between
parties
as
a
way
out
of
the
current
political
stalemate.
Talking
to
journalists
at
the
parliamentary
party
office
in
Singha
Durbar,
Kathmandu,
and
UCPN-M
Chief
Whip
Giri
Raj
Mani
Pokhrel
said
consensus
has
become
illusive
as
ruling
parties
continue
to
stick
to
their
nine-point
proposal.
Republica,
April
3,
2015.
PAKISTAN
27
militants
and
eight
SF
among
35
persons
killed
during
the
week
in
FATA:
At
least
16
people
including
12
militants
and
four
soldiers
were
killed
during
fierce
fighting
in
Utmela
area
of
the
Orakzai
Agency
in
Federally
Administered
Tribal
Areas
(FATA)
on
April
5.
Meanwhile,
10
militants
were
killed
and
several
others
injured
when
fighter
jets
bombed
their
hideouts
in
Dwa
Toi
and
Takhtakai
areas
of
Kukikhel
in
Khyber
Agency
on
April
5.
Helicopter
gunships
conducted
several
air
sorties,
as
part
of
the
ongoing
Khyber-II
operation
,
killing
at
least
five
suspected
Lashkar-i-Islam
(LI)
militants
and
destroying
hideouts
in
Nangrosa,
Spin
Drand
and
Thor
Khel
areas
of
Sipah
of
Tirah
valley
on
April
4
morning.
Daily
Times;
Dawn;
The
News;
Tribune;
Central
Asia
Online;
The
Nation;
The
Frontier
Post;
Pakistan
Today;
Pakistan
Observer,
March
31-April
6,
2015.
Army
will
accomplish
mission
to
eliminate
terrorism
irrespective
of
cost,
says
CoAS
General
Raheel
Sharif:
According
to
a
press
release
issued
by
the
Inter-Services
Public
Relations
(ISPR)
on
April
1,
the
Chief
of
Army
Staff
(CoAS)
General
Raheel
Sharif
said
that
the
Pakistan
Army
would
not
stop
short
of
accomplishing
its
mission
to
eliminate
terrorism,
irrespective
of
the
cost.
He
said
that
the
military
is
fully
prepared
to
deter
and
defeat
any
form
of
aggression.
Tribune,
April
2,
2015.
Sindh
IGP
says
targeted
operation
be
made
effective,
successful:
Inspector
General
of
Police
(IGP)
Sindh
Ghulam
Haider
Jamali
presided
over
a
meeting
on
security
at
Central
Police
Office
in
Karachi
on
March
30
and
said
that
the
ongoing
targeted
operation
should
also
be
made
effective
and
successful
besides
bring
criminals
to
their
logical
end.
The
meeting
reviewed
the
performance
of
Police,
Counter
Terrorism
Department,
Crime
Branch
Sindh
and
National
Action
Plan.
It
was
decided
to
smash
drug
and
gambling
dens
in
the
city
through
effective
Police
crackdown.
Daily Times,
April
1,
2015.
Karachi
operation
a
'debt'
Government
has
paid
off,
says
Defence
Minister
Khawaja
Asif:
The
Defence
Minister
Khawaja
Asif
on
March
30
said
the
Karachi
operation
was
a
'debt'
that
the
Pakistan
Muslim
League
-
Nawaz
(PML-N)-led
Government
had
paid
off.
Addressing
a
seminar
at
the
WAPDA
House,
he
said
that
the
Government
took
major
decisions
like
the
Operation
Zarb-e-Azb
in
North
Waziristan
and
also
launched
a
targeted
operation
in
Karachi
to
eliminate
terrorism
and
crime.
The News,
March
31,
2015.
SRI
LANKA
Army
not
to
withdraw
troops,
camps
from
North,
says
Army
Commander
Lieutenant
General
Krishantha
de
Silva:
The
newly-appointed
Commander
of
the
Army,
Lieutenant
General
Krishantha
de
Silva
said
that
Sri
Lanka
Army
has
not
withdrawn
the
troops
or
camps
in
the
North.
In
an
interview,
the
Army
Commander
has
stressed
that
safeguarding
territorial
sovereignty
was
of
paramount
importance
and
assured
to
take
all
measures
to
prevent
the
resurgence
of
militancy
in
the
North.
The
Commander
added
that
the
President,
who
is
Commander-In-Chief,
and
he,
himself
are
committed
to
achieving
national
security.
Colombo
Page,
April
1,
2015.
There
is
a
real
danger
that
LTTE
could
regroup,
warns
Deputy
Foreign
Minister
Ajith
P
Perera:
Deputy
Foreign
Minister
Ajith
P
Perera
on
March
30
warned
that
there
is
a
real
danger
that
the
Liberation
Tigers
of
Tamil
Eelam
(LTTE)
could
regroup
and
wage
another
war
for
an
independent
Tamil
homeland,
six
years
after
they
were
militarily
defeated.
Perera
said
that
"Their
front
organisations
operate
businesses
abroad,
they
run
petrol
stations,
supermarkets
and
have
shipping
companies."
"Even
though
they
have
been
defeated
on
the
ground,
there
is
a
real
danger
of
their
trying
to
regroup,"
he
said.
His
comments
came
after
the
Sri
Lankan
government
pushed
the
European
Union
(EU)
to
again
blacklist
the
LTTE.
Colombo
Page,
April
1,
2015.
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.
|
|
|