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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 14, No. 11, September 14, 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
|
Chhattisgarh:
Speed Breakers
Fakir
Mohan Pradhan
Research
Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
On September
10, 2015, a Police constable was injured when a pressure
bomb laid by Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)
exploded in Bijapur Valley, some five kilometres from
Bijapur town towards Bhopalpattanam, as a squad of Security
Force (SF) personnel was patrolling an under-construction
road. Following the blast, the Maoists also opened fire
on the SF personnel.
On August
23, 2015, an assistant platoon commander of the Chhattisgarh
Special Task Force (STF), K.P. Singh, was killed and a
constable, Santosh Yadav, was injured, when Maoists ambushed
an STF patrol team deployed to secure a stretch of the
newly laid National Highway 30 in the Darbha region of
Bastar District. After the ambush, the Maoists damaged
the highway and traffic was affected.
Earlier,
on May 29, 2015, a day before Union Home Minister (UHM)
Rajnath Singh's visit to Chhattisgarh, one trooper of
the Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) was killed and another
two were critically injured in an IED blast triggered
by the Maoists in Sukma District. The CAF personnel were
deployed on duty for protection of workers at a construction
site near Dharampenta village at Kistaram.
The Maoists
are using every tactic in the book to put speed breakers
in the construction of roads in areas under their disruptive
dominance. According to South Asia Terrorism Portal
(SATP), Maoists in Chhattisgarh have attacked a construction
site or SFs deployed to provide security to road construction
activities at least seven times in 2015, and had done
so at least six times in 2014; on five occasions in 2013;
nine in 2012; and at least three in 2011. In the worst
such attack on March
11, 2014, 15 SF personnel were killed
in an ambush by Maoists in the Darbha Valley area of Bastar
District, where Maoists had earlier killed Mahendra Karma
and others (part of a Congress Party convoy) on May
25, 2013. The team was engaged in
an area domination exercise to sanitise the area for troop
movements and also to provide security to road construction
workers.
Not surprisingly,
the performance of the Road Requirement Plan (RRP) in
Chhattisgarh is the worst among all Maoist-affected States.
RRP is now being mostly referred to as RRP phase one,
with the Union Government coming up with a second phase.
RRP-I was approved in February, 2009 for improvement of
road connectivity in 34 extremely Left Wing Extremism
(LWE)-affected Districts in 8 States: Andhra Pradesh,
Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Odisha and Uttar Pradesh. RRP-I envisaged the development
of 1,126 kilometres of National Highways and 4,351 kilometres
of State Roads (total 5,477 kilometres), at a cost of
INR 7,300 crore by March 2015. As of July 31, 2015, only
3,765 kilometres of road under the Plan had been completed.
Chhattisgarh has been the worst performer under the plan,
completing under 49 per cent of the 2,019 kilometres sanctioned.
The delay has primarily been ascribed to Maoist violence.
According to the Ministry of State for Road Transport
& Highways (MORTH), RRP–I is likely to be substantially
completed by March 2016, with the exception of about 500
kilometres, which are yet to be awarded in the States
of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
State
wise details of RRP-I:
State
|
Length
of Road (in km)
|
Sanctioned
Cost (Rs. in crore)
|
Length
completed upto 31.07.2015 (in km)
|
Length
Completed (in %)
|
Telangana*
|
620
|
1245
|
573
|
92.42
|
Bihar
|
674
|
616
|
657
|
97.48
|
Chhattisgarh
|
2019
|
3045
|
985
|
48.79
|
Jharkhand
|
760
|
1219
|
460
|
60.53
|
Madhya
Pradesh
|
237
|
237
|
191
|
80.59
|
Maharashtra
|
470
|
996
|
338
|
71.91
|
Odisha
|
615
|
949
|
494
|
80.33
|
Uttar
Pradesh
|
74
|
131
|
67
|
90.54
|
Total
|
5469
|
8438
|
3765
|
68.84
|
Source:
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
*Telangana was earlier part of Andhra Pradesh
|
On August
7, 2015, Chief Minister Raman Singh stated that Naxalism
(Left Wing Extremism) was putting a huge dent into Chhattisgarh’s
GDP, as the Government had to spend a huge amount of money
towards rebuilding infrastructure and inducting Police
personnel:
Naxal problem left
a huge impact on our GDP. When I took over as
the CM, there were around 23,000 policemen in
our force. We had to invest a huge amount in recruiting
new force, which now stands at around 67,000 personnel...
In Chhattisgarh, it is a monumental task for us
to build infrastructure (due to Naxalism). For
example, to build a 17-kilometre long road, it
took two years and lives of five jawans
[troopers]. It takes too much of money to rebuild
roads and bridges, which Naxals frequently blow
up.
|
Given the
security situation in Chhattisgarh, it is nobody’s case
that road construction is not difficult. The difficulty
levels, however, are not the same in all areas where roads
are to be constructed. The Comptroller and Auditor General’s
(CAG’s) report released on July 26, 2015, notes that the
Public Works Department (PWD) of Chhattisgarh [RRP is
implemented by MORTH through PWDs of respective States],
had completed only 31per cent of the work undertaken between
2009-14 under RRP [till March 2014, not to be confused
with MORTH data as it is till July 31, 2015]. Under this
special programme, 53 works comprising length of 2021.73
kilometres were sanctioned for 2897.09 crore in Chhattisgarh
during 2009-14. The development of the roads under the
programme was scheduled to be completed by March 2015.
However, till March 2014, the physical progress was 618.34
km (31 per cent) and financial progress was 805.04 crore
(27 per cent). The works under RRP were divided into three
categories: Category-I: Roads where the agencies
may be able to carry out the construction without
much security arrangement; Category-II: Roads where agencies
may face some sort of problem and need some protection
for carrying out the work; Category-III: Roads where there
is high risk of security and execution activities need
special protection from the State Government.
Table
2.6.2: Category wise status of selected work
Type
of category
|
Total
Roadworks proposed
|
Roadworks
completed
|
Roadworks
in progress
|
Road
works in tender stage
|
Balance
road work where no "Process yet started
|
Category-
I
|
19
|
12
|
7
|
--
|
--
|
Category-
II
|
9
|
2
|
7
|
--
|
--
|
Category-Ill
|
25
|
--
|
11
|
11
|
3
|
Total
|
53
|
14
|
25
|
11
|
3
|
(Source:
Information furnished by Engineer-in Chief)
|
Regarding
the slow pace of work on the project, CAG
observed:
...out of total
number of 19 road works selected under Category-I,
only 12 works could be completed by the department.
Balance seven works which were to be completed
by 2011-12 remained incomplete even after two-three
years of commencement. The percentage of progress
of these seven works ranged between 21 and 97
per cent.
Out of these, in
two works (Wadrafnagar-Janakpur-Balangi road and
Bishunpur-Surajpur-Odgi road) the delay was due
to slow progress by the contractor, in one case
(Balarampur-Chando-Samri Road) the slow progress
was due to burning of plant and machinery by the
Naxalites and in case of other work (High
level bridge at Balrampur-Chando-Samri road) work
order was issued in March 2014, which was 40 months
after receipt of sanction (November 2010), as
the finalisation of tender could be done after
twelve bids. No specific reason for delay could
be ascertained in remaining three works.
In Category-II,
out of nine road works, two road works were completed
and seven works are under progress. These seven
works were to be completed by 2012-13, however,
the progress as of March 2014 ranged between 16
and 48 per cent. The reason for slow progress
in respect of three works was due to burning of
plant and machinery by Naxalites. In one
case (ChotebetiaRengawahi-Tarawaki Road) the
delay was due to pending forest clearance. Out
of remaining three, in case of two roads the delay
was due to slow progress by the contractor and
in one case (Jagdalpur-Konta Road, New NH-30 JeeramTongpal)
no reason for delay could be ascertained from
the records.
In Category-III
road works, the progress in respect of nine roads
ranged from five to 51 per cent and progress
of two other roads was more than 80 per cent.
Eleven works were at the tender stage as no agency
participated in the bidding process even after
issue of several bids and in respect of three
other road works, the tenders was not yet finalised.
Thus, the department
could not complete the roads selected under Category-I
and II within the stipulated period of contract
even though security perception was not of higher
risk. The progress of Category-III road works
was slow, which resulted in failure to improve
connectivity in the LWE affected areas.
|
Officials
in Chhattisgarh, however, insist that things are likely
to change for better. R.K. Vij, Additional Director-General
of Police (Anti-Maoist Operations), disclosed, "We
are now deploying our companies only to provide dedicated
security to road construction. That wasn't so earlier."
In the most sensitive zones, where private contractors
or public works department officials may fear to take
up projects, the security forces will themselves do most
of the construction under the supervision of government
engineers, sources added. Thus, it is the Police who will
be building an all-weather road connecting Injaram with
Bhejji and Chintagupha in the rebel heartland of Sukma.
News reports indicate that camps housing one company each
have been set up every 5 kilometres along the 56 kilometre
Dornapal-Chintalnar-Jagargunda route. The Sukma-Konta
stretch of NH221 is to have the heaviest deployment -
one company every two or three kilometres, to patrol the
area and oversee the completion of the road.
Among other
infrastructure development projects, Chhattisgarh is set
to complete the process of constructing 50 'fortified'
Police Stations in the Bastar region by December this
year, out of the total of 75 such Police Stations sanctioned
in Chhattisgarh. The State Police Housing Corporation
Managing Director, D.M. Awasthy, on August 30, 2015, disclosed
that work on 25 fortified Police Stations had been completed,
while 15 Police Stations were nearing completion.
Further,
to strengthen the communication network in Maoist areas,
the Union Telecom Ministry has approved 497 mobile towers
for Naxalite-affected areas. According to State Chief
Secretary Vivek Dhand, 465 mobile towers have already
been erected out of which 415 have also started operating,
while the installation of the remaining 32 towers is in
progress, and would be completed by November 2015.
As the
campaign against the Maoists continues, the development
and protection of critical infrastructure, especially
road connectivity and communications, is of vital importance,
both for the viability of anti-Naxalite operations and
to bridge the development gap with other regions. Chhattisgarh
has lagged behind for too long. The current
reversals that the Maoists have suffered
are an unprecedented opportunity to address the gigantic
security and developmental deficits in the areas worst
afflicted by the Left Wing insurgency in India.
|
NSCN-K:
Unsettled Equations
Nijeesh
N
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management
At least
five militants of the Khaplang faction of the National
Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K)
and three civilians were killed when troops of 23 Assam
Rifles (AR) and 21 Para (Special Forces) Commandos reportedly
laid an ambush along the Pangsha International Trade Centre,
bordering Myanmar, in Tuensang District of Nagaland on
August 28, 2015. NSCN-K later confirmed that among those
killed were 'captain' Medoneizo Nakhro (Medo), 'lieutenant'
Joseph Sumi, 'Chaplin' Robin Sumi, 'sergeant' Seipu Kuki,
and 'under secretary of the civil wing’, Kukhavi Sumi.
The three civilians killed in the incident were identified
as Tokani, wife of ‘lieutenant’ Joseph Sumi; Enso Konyak
and Anten Konyak, both from Yongkhao village in Mon District
of Nagaland. They were accompanying the group. Two women
and an Army trooper were also injured in the incident.
According to unconfirmed reports, one of the injured women
was the wife of the new ‘finance secretary’ of the NSCN-K,
Isak Sumi. The AR Public Relations Officer (PRO) claimed
that the militants were from the NSCN-K camp located at
Ponyu Village inside Myanmar and belonged to the group
headed by the ‘military commander’ and head of NSCN-K’s
armed wing, ‘lieutenant general’ Niki Sumi.
Earlier,
on August 13, two NSCN-K militants, identified as Azheto
Sumi and Khekato Chophy, were killed in an encounter with
31 AR personnel in the Tamatai area near Longsa village
in the Mokokchung District of Nagaland. The SFs recovered
one AK-56 rifle along with 42 live rounds; one .22 pistol
(country made) and one live round; three Chinese grenades;
as well as other items from the possession of the slain
militants.
On July
21, 2015, a NSCN-K militant, identified as ‘2nd lieutenant’
Tokihe Yepthomi was killed in the jungle of Puliebadze
in the Kohima District of Nagaland. The Security Forces
(SFs) recovered a 9mm sub-machine-carbine, one .32 pistol,
four assorted gun & pistol magazines, 81 rounds of
assorted ammunition, three Chinese grenades, two Improvised
Explosive Device (IED) and two Military Grade Anti-Tank
(AT) Mines from the incident site.
On June
9, 2015, in retaliation to the June 4, 2015, Chandel
attack, Indian troops carried out
surgical strike ‘inside’ Myanmar, inflicting ‘significant
damage and casualties’ to militant outfits, purportedly
the NSCN-K. Though no official figure was released about
the number of militants killed in the operation, credible
media reports put the number anywhere between seven and
18 (though some of the more fanciful suggest 100 militant
fatalities in the operation).
The NSCN-K
along with the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL)
and Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP)
had claimed the June 4, 2015, Chandel attack, the worst
single attack targeting SFs, in terms of fatalities, in
the entire Northeast region since 1982. In the June 4
attack, 18 Army personnel were killed and another 11 were
injured when militants ambushed a convoy of 46 troopers
of the 6 Dogra Regiment of the Army, at Moltuk, near the
India-Myanmar border, in the Paralong area of the Chandel
District of Manipur.
The SFs
launched an offensive against the NSCN-K soon after the
June 4, 2015, Chandel
attack. Since then, according to
partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal
(SATP), SFs have killed at least 12 NSCN-K militants (all
data till September 13, 2015), excluding the indeterminate
number killed during the June 9 operation ‘inside Myanmar’.
Among those neutralized were ‘captain’ Wangchuk and ‘2nd
lieutenant’ Tokihe Yepthomi. SFs also arrested 16 NSCN-K
militants, including 'health minister-cum-political advisor'
Ngamsinlung Panmei and ‘captain’ Atoka alias Kughahoto
Sema.
The NSCN-K
militants have, however, failed to inflict a single casualty
among SFs since the launch of the offensive, although
they have carried out 10 attacks on SF personnel. However,
the outfit was responsible for the killing of 27 SF personnel
between March 27, 2015, when the outfit unilaterally withdrew
from the 2001 ceasefire, and June 4, 2015. The worst
attack targeting SFs during this period,
on May 3, 2015, was the twin ambush by NSCN-K militants
resulted in the death of eight SF personnel – seven of
them from the ‘C’ company of 23 AR and another from the
164 Naga Territorial Army (TA) Battalion – about three
kilometres from Changlangshu village in the Tobu Subdivision,
near the India-Myanmar border, in the Mon District of
Nagaland. Another nine troopers were injured in the incident.
Although
the outfit has not been involved in any incident of killing
of civilian population since the abrogation of the ceasefire
in March 27, 2015, it was reported that two school students
were killed in crossfire between AR and NSCN-K cadres
at Phor village in Meluri subdivision in the Phek District
of Nagaland on July 16, 2015.
The NSCN-K
along with the Isak-Muivah faction of National Socialist
Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM)
was formed on April 30, 1988, when the principle split
within the parent National Socialist Council of Nagaland
(NSCN) took place. Clannish divisions among the Nagas
(Konyak and Tangkhul) were the primary reason behind the
split. The Konyak and Pangmei (Naga tribes largely found
in Myanmar) formed the NSCN-K under the leadership of
Khole Konyak and ‘Chairman’ S.S. Khaplang. NSCN-IM constituted
the mainly Tangkhul faction, and was led by ‘president’
Isak Chisi Swu and T. Muivah. Other leaders of the undivided
NSCN-K were ‘general secretary’ N. Kitovi Zhimomi and
‘publicity secretary’ Akaho Asumi. The NSCN-K split
further in 2011 when two senior founding
leaders of the outfit N. Kitovi Zhimoni, the Ato Kilonser
(Prime Minister) and Khole Konyak, broke away to form
a new group called Khole-Kitovi faction of NSCN (NSCN-KK).
On April
28, 2001, NSCN-K had signed a ceasefire with the Government
of India (GoI). The NSCN-KK signed a ceasefire agreement
with GoI on April 27, 2012 and on April 27, 2015, this
was extended for another year.
Significantly,
on March 27, 2015, NSCN-K unilaterally exited the ceasefire,
declaring that “any ‘meaningful peace and political interaction’
between the two entities (NSCN-K and GoI) should be premised
on the concept that Nagas were sovereign people”. Soon
after, the Reformation faction of NSCN (NSCN-R) was formed
on April 6, 2015, by two senior 'kilonsers' (ministers),
Wangtin Konyak, also known as Y. Wangtin Naga, and T.
Tikhak. The duo had attended the ceasefire supervisory
board (CFSB) meeting at Chumukedima (Dimapur) on March
27, 2015, defying S.S. Khaplang’s diktat and was consequently
‘expelled’. A ceasefire agreement with NSCN-R was signed
on April 27, 2015.
The ceasefire
with NSCN-K, which was only enforceable within Nagaland,
had hardly been peaceful. According to partial data compiled
by SATP, the outfit was involved in at least 282
fatalities (25 civilian, eight SF personnel and 249 militants)
between April 28, 2001, (the date of signing of the ceasefire
agreement) and March 27, 2015, (the date of abrogation
of the ceasefire) in Nagaland, Assam, Manipur, and Arunachal
Pradesh.
Though
SFs have succeeded in minimizing the immediate threat
from NSCN-K, the danger remains very much alive. Indeed,
almost all the fatalities and arrests since March 27,
2015, have been reported from three northeastern States:
Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh (barring the fatalities
in the June 9 operation which was reportedly carried out
inside Myanmar territory). These three states border Myanmar,
where the top NSCN-K leadership and overwhelming proportion
of cadres are reported to have taken shelter.
On April
9, 2012, NSCN-K had signed a ceasefire
agreement with the Myanmar Government.
The agreement provided NSCN-K members with the freedom
to move 'unarmed' across the country. On July 22, 2015,
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju
told Rajya Sabha, “As per inputs received, NSCN
(K) has stationed small groups of its cadres at various
strategic locations in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
Most of these groups have sneaked into Indian Territory
from across the Indo-Myanmar Border.” The present strength
of NSCN-K is estimated at about 1,500. According to reports,
around 1,000 of these cadres are in Myanmar. In a worrying
development, an AR communiqué stated that 15 youths from
Phek District in Nagaland were forcefully taken away by
cadres of NSCN-K’s ‘Mobile-V’ group. The group operates
between Phek in Nagaland and Tsera in Myanmar, under ‘brigadier’
Kurichu Pochury. The AR PRO stated, “These youths have
been taken to Tsera camp in Myanmar, from where they are
being sent to Ngiakching camp (Myanmar) for basic military
training.”
Significantly,
on July 16, during the first India-Myanmar Joint Consultative
Commission (JCC) Meeting held in New Delhi, India reportedly
asked Myanmar to hand over four top NSCN-K leaders, including
its chief S.S. Khaplang, ‘military commander’ Niki Sumi,
‘brigadier’ Kurichu Pochury, and ‘kilonser’ Y.
Asang. Meanwhile, on September 10, 2015, the National
Investigation Agency (NIA) investigating the June 4, 2015,
Chandel attack, announced a cash reward of INR 700,000
and INR one million for any information about the whereabouts
of S.S. Khaplang and Niki Sumi respectively.
Moreover,
NSCN-K has joined hands with three of the most active
terror outfits in the Northeast: the United Liberation
Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I);
IK Songbijit faction of the National Democratic Front
of Bodoland (NDFB-IKS);
and Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO),
to form the United National Liberation Front of Western
South East Asia (UNLFWESEA). The Front, created on April
17, 2015, and headed by S. S. Khaplang, was formed with
the aim to set up a ‘northeast government-in-exile’, reportedly
to be based in Myanmar.
Worryingly,
just two days after the August 28, 2015, Pangsha incident,
NSCN-K’s ‘ministry of information and publicity (MIP)’
had warned that “’August 28 Pangsha massacre’ of unarmed
NSCN/GPRN [Government of People's Republic of Nagaland]
members and ‘innocent civilians’ by Indian Army shall
bear testimony before the world for generations to come”
and warned the “enemy agents that the worst fate awaits
them to face judgments and NSCN-K would leave no stones
unturned to prosecute them under anti-national act (sic).”
According to a September 10, 2015, report, intelligence
agencies have issued an alert that 48 highly trained NSCN-K
militants, led by Chailai Pansa and Bopa Wangnao, were
presently camping in the Lahu village of Tirap District
in Arunachal Pradesh to carry out attacks on Indian Forces
in retaliation against the August 28, 2015, Pangsha incident.
An AR medical team was fired upon by NSCN-K militants
on September 10, 2015, on the way to organizing medical
camps at Pongkhungri and Avangkhu in the Phek District
of Nagaland. The team escaped unharmed.
The situation
is compounded by a measure of ambiguity in the Government’s
strategy to deal with the NSCN-K. On July 11, 2015, Union
Home Minister Rajnath Singh had categorically dismissed
any move to re-initiate negotiation with the group, declaring,
“The Government will not talk to criminal groups… It was
not the Government but the [NSCN-K] which had unilaterally
withdrawn itself from the ceasefire. It was unfortunate.
It should not have done so. Now the Government is doing
what is required to do (sic).” However, on August
21, 2015, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren
Rijiju stated, "Some other groups also requested
the Centre and me that they may be permitted to go to
Myanmar to talk to the NSCN (K). We said if there are
efforts being made from the civil society to impress upon
any militant group, including the NSCN (K), to cease violence,
we have no objection." Finally, a delegation of Naga
Mothers’ Association (NMA) met with the top leaders of
NSCN-K on August 31, 2015, at an NSCN-K camp situated
a few kilometres inside Myanmar and appealed to NSCN-K
leaders to renew the cease fire. According to NMA, NSCN-K
responded ‘positively’, saying they were not averse to
the resumption of the ceasefire.
An early
stabilization of the situation is, however, unlikely.
The peace
accord signed between GoI and NSCN-IM
on August 3, 2015, has unsettled long-established equations
of power between the various Naga militant formations,
and the Government has failed to project a formulation
that could bring the NSCN-K back to the table with the
prominence that its leadership believes it deserves. Escalating
violence and seeking to bring diverse extremist formations
in the Northeast under a single umbrella are initiatives
evidently intended to improve the NSCN-K’s negotiating
strength. Further, since the organisation’s principle
infrastructure and cadre base lies in safe havens in Myanmar
and is under no urgent threat – notwithstanding the showcasing
of the June 9 operation ‘inside Myanmar’, a few kilometers
beyond a non-existent border – the incentive to intensify
the spiral of violence certainly remains.
|
Weekly Fatalities:
Major Conflicts in South Asia
September 7-13, 2015
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
INDIA
|
|
Assam
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
3
|
Jammu and
Kashmir
|
0
|
2
|
3
|
5
|
Nagaland
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Left-Wing
Extremism
|
|
Chhattisgarh
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Maharashtra
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Total (INDIA)
|
1
|
2
|
8
|
11
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
Balochistan
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
FATA
|
14
|
2
|
30
|
46
|
KP
|
4
|
2
|
4
|
10
|
Punjab
|
10
|
0
|
1
|
11
|
Sindh
|
6
|
0
|
7
|
13
|
PAKISTAN
(Total)
|
|
|
|
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
|
BANGLADESH
BNP
chief
Khaleda
Zia
and
JeI
lobbyists
behind
Bangladesh
losing
GSP
facility
in
US
market,
asserts
Prime
Minister
Sheikh
Hasina
Wajed:
Prime
Minister
(PM)
Sheikh
Hasina
Wajed
on
September
9
told
the
Parliament
that
the
Bangladesh
Nationalist
Party
(BNP)
chief,
Khaleda
Zia,
and
Jamaat-e-Islami
(JeI)
were
spreading
propaganda
abroad
through
lobbyists
resulting
in
losing
the
GSP
(Generalised
System
of
Preferences)
facilities
in
US
market.
The
PM,
however,
expressed
her
hope
that
Bangladesh
would
get
the
GSP
saying
the
US
has
to
remember
that
they
also
have
around
USD
2
billion
investment
in
Bangladesh.
Daily
Star,
September
10,
2015.
INDIA
HM
module
tasked
to
target
retired
Police
officers
and
Army
convoys,
reveals
interrogation
report
of
Physiotherapist
Shaheen
Ahmad
Baba:
A
militant
module
of
Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM)
busted
by
the
Jammu
and
Kashmir
Police
in
August
was
planning
to
target
retired
Police
officers
who
had
worked
in
counter-insurgency
operations
besides
carrying
out
Improvised
Explosive
Device
(IED)
blast
against
Army
convoys
in
remote
areas
of
Kashmir
valley.
As
per
the
interrogation
report
of
the
recently
arrested
United
Kingdom
(UK)
based
Kashmiri
Physiotherapist,
Shaheen
Ahmad
Baba,
militants
have
been
told
to
target
the
former
Police
officers
who
were
with
the
Special
Operations
Group
(SOG)
of
Jammu
and
Kashmir
Police.
Daily
Excelsior,
September
11,
2015.
Sustained
military
operations
helping
drive
against
militant
groups
in
Assam,
says
report:
According
to
sources,
the
tough
stand
adopted
by
the
Government
of
India
(GoI)
against
the
militants
involved
in
December
23,
2014,
massacre
has
brought
down
the
level
of
violence
in
Assam.
Though
initially,
the
operation
was
aimed
against
the
IK
Songbijit
faction
of
the
National
Democratic
Front
of
Bodoland
(NDFB-IKS),
which
was
involved
in
the
massacre,
the
operations
seriously
affected
the
other
militant
groups
active
in
the
State.
Assam
Tribune,
September
12,
2015.
NSCN-K
recruiting
child
soldiers,
states
AR:
Assam
Rifles
(AR)
on
September
9
stated
that
Khaplang
faction
of
National
Socialist
Council
of
Nagaland
(NSCN-K)
has
been
continuing
with
its
drive
to
recruit
school
children
at
gunpoint.
In
a
communiqué
AR
stated
that
in
the
latest
recruitment
drive,
15
youths
from
Phek
District
were
forcefully
taken
away
by
cadres
of
Mobile-V
group
under
'brigadier'
Kurichu
which
operates
between
Phek
in
Nagaland
and
Tsera
in
Myanmar.
Nagland
Post,
September
10,
2015.
NEPAL
10
protesters
killed
and
another
129
others
injured
in
Nepal
during
September
7-13:
On
September
11,
two
protestors
and
one
Policeman
were
killed
in
Jaleshwor
area
of
Mahottari
District.
Three
more
protestors
were
killed
in
Janakpur
area
of
Dhanusha.
Fifty
three
others
were
injured
during
protests
in
several
areas.
On
September
9,
three
protesters
were
killed
in
Jaleshwar
area
of
Mahottari
District
and
another
one
was
killed
in
Bhardaha
area
of
Saptari
District
during
clashes
with
Police.
50
others
also
were
injured
during
the
clashes
with
Police
in
Mahottari.
On
September
8,
at
least
26
protesters
were
injured
when
Security
Force
(SF)
personnel
used
force
during
demonstration
staged
by
Madhesi
parties
at
Bhanu
Chowk
in
Janakapurdham
in
Janakpur.
My
Republica;
Himlayan
Times,
September
8-14,
2015.
Three
major
parties
pause
process
to
draft
constitution:
Three
major
parties
-
the
Nepali
Congress
(NC),
Communist
Party
of
Nepal-Unified
Marxist
Leninist
(CPN-UML)
and
Unified
Communist
Party
of
Nepal-Maoist
(UCPN-M)
-
on
September
11
decided
to
halt
the
constitution-making
process
for
two
days
and
invite
the
protesting
forces
to
sit
for
talks.
The
protesting
forces,
the
United
Democratic
Madhesi
Front
(UDMF)
and
Tharuwan/Tharuhat
Joint
Struggle
Committee,
however,
rejected
the
talks
offer
again,
saying
they
were
not
against
talks
but
they
could
not
hold
dialogue
without
the
government
withdrawing
the
Nepali
Army,
normalizing
situation
in
the
Tarai
Districts,
providing
compensation
to
the
kin
of
those
killed
in
Police
firing
and
free
treatment
to
the
injured
persons.
Himlayan
Times,
September
12,
2015.
PAKISTAN
30
militants
and
14
civilians
among
46
persons
killed
during
the
week
in
FATA:
At
least
17
suspected
militants
were
killed
in
air
strikes
on
militant
hideouts
at
Gurbaz
and
Zoi
in
Shawal
tehsil
(revenue
unit)
of
North
Waziristan
Agency
(NWA)
in
Federally
Administered
Tribal
Areas
(FATA)
near
the
Afghan
border
on
September
13.
At
least
four
Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan
(TTP)
militants,
including
a
'commander'
Habib,
were
killed
in
a
drone
strike
in
Lalpura
near
Pak-Afghan
border
in
Khyber
Agency
on
September
13.
Five
militants
were
killed
and
several
others
were
injured
in
air
strikes
by
Pakistan
Air
Force
(PAF)
jet
fighters
in
Kurram
Agency
on
September
9.
Six
Tauheedul
Islam
(TI)
members,
a
pro-Government
Zakhakhel
peace
committee,
were
killed
by
Lashkar-e-Islam
(LI)
militants
in
Khyber
Agency
on
September
8.
At
least
five
members
of
TI
were
shot
dead
by
LI
militants
in
Qambarkhel
area
of
Khyber
Agency
on
September
7.
At
least
three
suspected
militants
were
killed
and
a
militant
hideout
was
destroyed
in
Shawal
Valley
of
NWA
in
the
first
ever
air
strike
by
a
Pakistan
made
drone
Burraq
(lightening)
on
September
7.
Daily
Times;
Dawn;
The
News;
Tribune;
The
Nation;
The
Frontier
Post;
Pakistan
Today;
Pakistan
Observer,
September
8-14,
2015.
Ten
persons
killed
and
59
injured
in
suicide
blast
in
Punjab:
At
least
10
persons
were
killed
and
59
others
injured
in
a
suicide
blast
at
Vehari
Chowk
in
Multan
District
of
Punjab
in
the
night
of
September
13.
District
Coordination
Officer
(DCO)
Salim
Zahid
Gondal
told
reporters
that
it
was
a
suicide
attack,
not
a
cylinder
blast
as
reported
earlier.
The News,
September
14,
2015.
BLF
'chief'
Dr
Allah
Nazar
Baloch
killed
in
operation,
discloses
Balochistan
Home
Minister
Safraz
Bugti:
'Chief'
of
the
Baloch
Liberation
Front
(BLF)
Dr
Allah
Nazar
Baloch
was
killed
in
an
operation
by
Security
Forces
(SFs)
in
Awaran
District,
according
to
unverified
reports,
Balochistan
Home
Minister
Safraz
Bugti
disclosed
during
a
press
conference
at
Civil
Secretariat
Quetta
on
September
8.
Bugti
said,
"According
to
unverified
reports
Dr
Allah
Nazar
has
been
killed
...
I
say
unverified
because
we
have
not
yet
received
any
evidence
of
his
being
alive
ever
since
the
Frontier
Corps
conducted
a
series
of
operations.
There
has
been
no
human
intelligence,
no
sign
of
life."
Dawn,
September
9,
2015.
Balochistan
demography
secretly
changed
by
the
Government,
reveals
BNP-M
Senator
Jehanzeb
Jamaldini:
Balochistan
National
Party-Mengal
(BNP-M)
Senator
Jehanzeb
Jamaldini
during
a
meeting
of
the
Senate's
Standing
Committee
on
Interior
on
September
8
revealed
that
the
Government
had
secretly
brought
some
demographic
changes
in
various
Districts
of
Balochistan.
"The
Government
settled
four
million
people
in
various
parts
of
Balochistan
in
the
past
three
decades,"
Senator
Jehanzeb
said,
adding,
"With
broader
demographic
changes
in
the
province,
the
government
is
converting
the
majority
into
a
minority.
A
new
settlement
is
being
established
by
bringing
in
people
from
other
provinces."
Tribune,
September
9,
2015.
Waziristan
and
Khyber
Agency
safer
after
Zarb-e-Azb,
says
US:
Jonathan
Carpenter,
Special
Representative
of
the
US
for
Afghanistan
and
Pakistan,
while
appreciating
Pakistan's
war
against
terrorism,
said
on
September
13
that
because
of
the
Zarb-e-Azb
Operation,
Waziristan
and
Khyber
Agency
have
become
safer.
He
said
that
provision
of
the
Coalition
Support
Fund
(CSF)
to
Pakistan
will
continue
for
the
current
fiscal.
Carpenter
said
that
he
held
extensive
talks
with
Prime
Minister
Nawaz
Sharif
and
the
Government
of
Pakistan
had
assured
an
indiscriminate
operation
against
all
the
terrorist
groups.
The News,
September
14,
2015.
Full-scale
crackdown
on
sectarianism
approved,
say
report:
In
a
high-level
meeting
to
review
progress
of
the
implementation
of
National
Action
Plan
(NAP)
on
September
10
in
Islamabad,
Prime
Minister
Nawaz
Sharif
and
Chief
of
Army
Staff
(CoAS)
General
Raheel
Sharif
approved
a
countrywide
crackdown
against
sectarianism.
"It
was
unanimously
decided
during
today's
meeting
of
the
country's
top
civil-military
leadership
that
elements
challenging
the
writ
of
the
state
would
be
eliminated,"
said
Federal
Minister
of
Interior
Choudhry
Nisar
Ali
Khan,
adding,
"There
will
be
no
tolerance
for
calling
each
other
infidel
or
liable
to
be
killed.
There
is
a
very
thin
line
between
sectarianism
and
terrorism.
They
both
go
hand-in-hand."
Daily Times,
September
11,
2015.
Terrorists
will
not
be
allowed
to
return
to
Swat
Valley,
says
CoAS
General
Raheel
Sharif:
Chief
of
Army
Staff
(CoAS)
General
Raheel
Sharif
on
September
7
said
that
terrorists
will
not
be
allowed
to
return
to
the
Swat
Valley
from
where
they
have
been
driven
out
by
the
soldiers
of
the
Pakistan
Army.
"Holding
a
tourism
festival
in
Swat
is
an
open
message
to
the
world
that
peace
and
normalcy
have
returned
to
the
Valley
and
it
has
become
possible
because
of
joint
efforts
and
sacrifices
of
the
people
of
Swat,
security
forces
and
civil
forces,"
said
the
CoAS.
Dawn,
September
8,
2015.
SRI
LANKA
No
clean
chit
to
KP
in
terror
cases,
clarifies
Sri
Lankan
AG:
Sri
Lanka's
Attorney
General
(AG)
Y
J
W
Wijayatilake
clarified
that
the
former
Liberation
Tigers
of
Tamil
Eelam
(LTTE)
international
wing
leader,
Kumaran
Pathmanathan
alias
KP,
has
not
been
exonerated
of
charges
of
terrorism,
though,
investigations
into
46
of
the
193
cases
against
him
had
revealed
that
he
had
no
role
to
play
in
those
acts
of
terrorism.
In
a
statement
published
in
the
state-owned
Daily
News,
Wijayatilake
said
in
a
Writ
Application
filed
in
the
Court
of
Appeal,
193
cases
of
terrorism
in
which
KP
was
allegedly
involved
were
cited.
Colombo Page,
September
11,
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.
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