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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


ASSESSMENT

INDIA
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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.

INDIA
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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.


NEWS BRIEFS

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)

39
4
42
85
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.

South Asia Intelligence Review [SAIR]

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Dr. Ajai Sahni


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