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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 9, No. 46, May 23, 2011
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
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Jharkhand:
War without Plan
Ajit Kumar Singh
Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management
In a daring
attack, Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)
cadres killed at least 11 Security Force (SF) personnel
and injured 54 in the forested terrain of the Dhardharia
Hills under Senha Police Station of Lohardaga District
in Jharkhand, on May 3, 2011. Unconfirmed reports indicate
that nearly 500 landmines, planted in a serial circuit
over a stretch of nearly two kilometers, were exploded
during the nearly two hours attack, in which the Maoists
also sprayed gunfire at the bewildered SF contingent.
No casualties were reported among the Maoists.
A 150-strong
SF squad, comprising Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF),
Jharkhand Jaguar, Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP) and District
Armed Police personnel, were returning to base after a
combing operation in Senha at around 10:15 AM, when they
were waylaid at Urusake Road. In a complete role reversal,
the Maoists used a public address system to ask the SF
personnel to lay down arms. When the SF men refused to
accede to the demand, the Maoists opened fire and simultaneously
exploded landmines. Sources in the Police disclosed that
the Maoist contingent was as strong as the SF squad, and
used advanced firearms, such as INSAS [Indian Small Arms
System] rifles and AK-47s. More than a thousand rounds
were fired from both sides.
In another
ambush in the State the same morning, a CRPF patrol had
a close shave in Jhumra, about 113 kilometres from Bokaro.
More than 1,100 rounds were exchanged between the CRPF
personnel and some 50 rebels for over three hours. However,
no casualties were reported in the incident.
Earlier,
during the night of May 2, Deputy Superintendent of Police
(DSP) Anand Joseph Tigga, leading a 100-strong Special
Operations Group (SOG), was injured during a 15-minute
encounter with 10 Maoists at Kankatta, a tribal village
50 kilometers from the State capital Ranchi. The Maoists
retreated when the SOG retaliated.
These are
only the most recent incidents in a continuous chain of
Maoist attacks on SF personnel in Jharkhand. According
to data compiled by the Institute for Conflict Management,
351 SF personnel have been killed in Jharkhand since March
11, 2001, out of a total of 1269 fatalities related to
Maoist violence. Of these, 245 were killed in 35 major
attacks (involving killings of three or more SF personnel)
directly targeting the SFs. The numbers are more alarming
in view of the escalation since 2004, after the creation
of the CPI-Maoist, with a total of . 234 SF fatalities
between 2005 and 2011.
Some of
the most significant attacks on SFs in the state include:
February
28, 2011: Three Policemen, including an Assistant Sub
Inspector, a Head Constable and a Home Guard, were killed
and four others injured in a landmine blast triggered
by the CPI-Maoist cadres in Chatra District.
July 16,
2010: Five Police personnel were killed and five were
injured when CPI-Maoist cadres triggered a landmine, blowing
up a patrol van carrying Jharkhand Jaguar Force personnel
at Kutmu More in Latehar District.
June 12,
2009: CPI-Maoist cadres detonated a landmine in the Nawadih
area of the Bokaro District, killing at least 11 SF personnel
and injuring eight.
June 10,
2009: 11 Policemen, including a CRPF Inspector, were killed
and another six were injured when CPI-Maoist cadres triggered
a landmine explosion targeting their vehicle in West Singhbhum
District.
August
30, 2008: 12 Police personnel were killed when the vehicle
they were travelling in was blown up by a landmine in
the East Singhbhum District.
December
2, 2006: 14 Police personnel were killed and another three
injured in a landmine blast detonated by suspected CPI-Maoist
cadres at Kanchkir in the Bokaro District.
June 1,
2006: At least 12 Police personnel were killed when CPI-Maoist
cadres triggered a landmine in the West Singhbhum District.
October
8, 2005: 13 SF personnel were killed in a bomb blast triggered
by the CPI-Maoist near Baniadih village in the Chatra
District.
April 7,
2004: Naxalites triggered a landmine blast in the Saranda
Forest area of Chaibasa in the West Singhbhum District
killing 20 Policemen.
December
20, 2002: Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) cadres laid an
ambush on a convoy of Police personnel at Bitkilsoya in
the Saranda Forest under Manoharpur Police Station limits
in West Singhbhum District, killing 18 Policemen and injuring
20 others.
May 7,
2002: 15 Police personnel were killed and another 10 were
injured when MCC cadres blasted a landmine destroying
a Police patrol van in Mthadih village under Satgawan
Police Station limits in Koderma District. In the firing
that followed, an MCC cadre was also killed. It was the
second day of the three-day economic blockade called by
the Naxalites to protest the Prevention of Terrorism Act
(POTA).
October
31, 2001: MCC cadres killed 13 Police personnel at Topchanchi,
35 kilometers from Dhanbad. The Naxalites opened fire
at the Police picket housed in the Topchanchi block office
premises when the Police personnel were taking lunch.
October
4, 2001: Four Police personnel, including a DSP, were
killed and four were seriously injured in a landmine blast
triggered by Naxalites near Bargarh in Garhwa District.
September
23, 2001: 12 CRPF personnel were killed and another 15
were injured in a landmine blast triggered by the MCC
in Hazaribagh District.
Despite
innumerable attacks and significant loss of personnel,
the SFs’ top brass appears to be failing to learn from
past mistakes. Speaking about the Lohardaga incident,
Jharkhand Director General of Police (DGP) Gauri Shanker
Rath stated, on May 4, 2011, “The jawans (troopers)
were trapped. The area is known to be highly mined. I
don’t know what compelled them to venture into the forests.”
He also expressed concern over intelligence gathering
and cross verification of the intelligence. On May 9,
he admitted that Operation Prahar (assault)
had been poorly planned and that, "Due to poor planning
on part of the officers leading the operation, we had
to suffer major casualties." CRPF Inspector General
(IG) (Operations) Alok Raj conceded that the operation
had been planned at the lower ranks and that there had
been a ‘communication gap’.
Worse,
while only four SF personnel died on location during the
Lohardaga incident, the remaining seven SF fatalities
occurred due to delays in evacuation and medical treatment.
One Police constable, Jamshed Khan, complained, “Dukh
iss baat ka hai ki char ghante jungle mein marne ke liye
mereko chor diya gaya (I am sad because I was left
unattended in the jungle for four hours).” “The helicopter
reached as late as 4:00 PM. So, many lives were lost [due
to this],” an unnamed CRPF trooper added. The DGP admitted,
“At least six succumbed to their injuries as they didn’t
get medical aid on time.” Though he blamed the delay on
the remote location, the reality was that the helicopter
stationed in Jharkhand was on a sortie in West Bengal's
Midnapore District during the operation. The lack of operational
planning and co-ordination could not be more obvious.
However,
despite this clear failure, CRPF Director General K. Vijay
Kumar, insisted, “There was no lapse in the coordination
and planning part and the jawans fought till the
end and did not allow them [Maoists] to take away any
weapons.” As is repeated after every debacle in different
theatres of the struggle against Naxalism, including the
disaster at Chintalnad,
Kumar argued, “Every incident is a learning process and
we will work out on the failures but we will bounce back."
Unfortunately, there appears to be no end to this sanguinary
‘learning process’.
Meanwhile,
a May 19, 2011, report indicated that the Maoists have
been trying hard to bring the four Districts of Dumka,
Pakur, Godda and Sahebganj in the Santhal Parganas region
under their control, which could give them access to West
Bengal, Bihar and Bangladesh. Bangladesh is approximately
50 kilometers from Sahebganj. Intelligence sources also
disclosed that the Maoists were keen to develop the Santhal
Parganas Division as their gateway to India’s Northeast,
where they are developing a nexus with other insurgent
groups to source smuggled weapons and secure locations
for training. Deputy Inspector General of Police (Dumka
Zone) Vinay Kumar Pandey noted that the Maoists in the
Santhal Parganas Division were presently in a ‘gestation
period’.
A May 20,
2011, report indicated that the Maoists were exerting
efforts to regain lost ground in the Dumaria, Dalma, Patamda
and Bodam Blocks of East Singhbhum District. The IG (Kolhan
Division) Naveen Kumar Singh noted, “The rebels are trying
to gain a foothold in areas where they have suffered losses
at the hands of security personnel. Our intelligence suggests
that the Maoists are getting ready for a big operation
in Dumaria, where they are terrorising villagers to join
their fold.” Sharing the IG’s concern, the Commanding
Officer of CRPF’s 7th Battalion, Sanjay Kumar
Singh, stated, “According to our sources, the rebels have
gathered in large groups on the Bengal border and are
looking for an opportunity to enter the State. They have
also held several meetings at villages like Koira, Chamta
and Jhunjhka… This shows how desperate they are to terrorise
people and regain lost territory.”
The DGP
Rath continues to insist that "Operations are on and will
continue till we are able to check extremism in the State
and there is no question of slowing down of anti-Maoist
operations." He adds, further, "Jharkhand is in a war-like
situation. It is not a one day battle. I am sure we will
win the war."
Unfortunately,
the state's operational responses have remained rudderless
and ill planned, and unless there is a tremendous qualitative
shift in strategic and tactical orientations, the SFs
will continue to be effectively targeted by the Maoists,
and future catastrophes will be inevitable.
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Balochistan:
Running out of Gas
Tushar Ranjan Mohanty
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management
In a report
presented to the Supreme Court of Pakistan on May 16,
2011, Balochistan Chief Secretary Ahmed Bux Lehri stated
that 251 people had died in targeted killings over the
preceding three years in Balochistan. The Chief Justice
later remarked that law enforcement agencies had failed
to control the spiralling violence which had engulfed
the Province in the aftermath of Nawab Akbar Bugti’s killing
in August 2006, and directed the Chief Secretary to prepare
a comprehensive report detailing the security situation
in Balochistan over the last three years.
The targeted
killings are blamed on Pakistan’s military intelligence
setup, and have included several notable Baloch leaders
and activists, most prominently including Nawab Akbar
Bugti [August 26, 2006], Ghulam Muhammad Baloch [April
9, 2009], Lala Munir [May 25, 2010].
Human Rights
Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Chairperson Asma Jahangir,
on October 5, 2010, had disclosed an HRCP listing of 198
missing persons, of whom 99 had been traced till that
date.The people traced were either dead or in prison or
found living 'freely'. However, there were no specific
details available about the number of dead, imprisoned
or 'free' people. On November 23, 2010, the US had expressed
serious concern over allegations of extra-judicial killings
and human rights violations in the Province. The unclassified
version of the Congressional-mandated report, dated November
23, stated:
The
State Department remains concerned about allegations
of gross violations of human rights, including extra-judicial
killings, by Pakistani Security Forces; humanitarian
organisations' access to detainees and displaced
persons, and cases of disappearances in Balochistan,
the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA),
and other conflict zones in Pakistan.
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Unsurprisingly,
banned groups such as the Baloch Republican Army (BRA)
and Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), have repeatedly claimed
responsibility for sabotaging economic infrastructure,
mostly gas pipelines, as a reaction to the recovery of
bullet-riddled bodies of Baloch youth, activists and leaders.
According to partial data compiled by the Institute
for Conflict Management, a total of 165 incidents
of attack targeting Gas Pipelines have been recorded since
January 1, 2005. While the number of these attacks was
as low as five in 2005, it has spiralled over succeeding
years, with the previous high being recorded in 2007,
at 37 incidents. Alarmingly, the first four and a half
months of 2011 have already witnessed 38 such incidents.
Significantly, the insurgents involved in these attacks
focus on targeting the economic interests of the Provincial
and Federal Governments, rather than causing loss of life,
though some fatalities have also resulted. There have
been no deaths in the 38 incidents already recorded this
year.
Attacks
on Gas Pipelines: 2005-2011
Years
|
Incidents
|
Killed
|
Injured
|
2005
|
5
|
8
|
16
|
2006
|
20
|
0
|
1
|
2007
|
37
|
1
|
1
|
2008
|
33
|
2
|
1
|
2009
|
30
|
0
|
0
|
2010
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
2011*
|
38
|
0
|
0
|
Total
|
165
|
11
|
19
|
Source:
South Asia Terrorism Portal [*Data till May 22, 2011]
John C.
K. Daly of the Jamestown Foundation observed, in March
2011,
While
most of the world's media remains focused on insurgent
attacks on oil facilities in Iraq and Saudi Arabia,
Pakistan is experiencing a rising tide of violence
against its Sui natural gas installations located
in the country's volatile Balochistan Province,
where the majority of the energy-starved country's
natural gas facilities are located.
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The attacks
on Government installations, particularly in the Bugti
tribal territory, Nasirabad and Sibi Divisions, picked
up in 2006, after a military operation that was carried
out in Dera Bugti against the former Governor and Chief
Minister of Balochistan, Nawab Akbar Bugti. The Balochistan
Economic Report (September 20, 2009), conceded that the
law and order situation had hampered the exploration of
gas and production activity in Balochistan over preceding
years. The Report noted that the security situation in
Balochistan had worsened after 2006, with ‘terrorist attacks’
in 2006 almost twice as high as cumulative total for the
period between 2002 and 2005. The Report also observed
that gas pipelines, security checkpoints and camps, government
offices, rail tracks and bridges were the principal targets
in these attacks. Gas fields of Sui, Uch, Pirkoh and Loti
are all located in Dera Bugti, which is at the heart of
the conflict, the Report said, and the precarious security
situation in Dera Bugti was the main reason behind the
decline in gas output – with the financial impact felt
throughout the Province. The Report also observed that
Kohlu District – a stronghold of the BLA – along with
Quetta and Sibi, represented over one quarter of the ‘terrorist
attacks’. Moreover, with the exhaustion of gas fields,
worsening security, declines in fiscal receipts, and doubts
over community support, Balochistan's gas economy was
in urgent need of reforms.
These attacks
have dented the economy severely. On December 17, 2008,
the Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources,
Syed Naveed Qamar, in a written statement to the National
Assembly, disclosed that 80 attacks on the Sui Gas Pipelines
in the preceding five years had caused a loss of PKR 526.923
million to the Government. The Sui Southern Gas Company
(SSGC) Balochistan General Manager Mohammad Haroon further
noted, on February 14, 2011, “Last year [2010], the SSGC
suffered a loss of over PKR 100 million due to targeted
attacks on gas pipelines. The company has suffered an
equivalent loss this year [2011] too, as attacks have
picked up.”
Natural
gas accounts for about 50 per cent of Pakistan’s total
energy consumption and is currently the country’s principal
energy source. Indeed, Pakistan’s economy is one of the
world’s most natural gas dependent. Of Pakistan’s proven
natural gas reserves of about 28 trillion cubic feet in
2006, an estimated at 19 trillion cubic feet (68 per cent)
were located in Balochistan. Balochistan accounts for
between 36 and 45 per cent of Pakistan’s present natural
gas production, but consumes only a modest 17 per cent
of this. Of particular note is the fact that the largest
share of the Province’s contribution to the nation’s natural
gas production comes from the long operating Sui gas fields
in the Bugti tribal domain, located among the parts most
seriously afflicted by Baloch militancy. The Sui gas field
in the Bugti tribal area produces approximately 45 per
cent of the Provincial gas production, with Pakistan Petroleum
Limited producing 720-750 million cubic feet of gas daily
from more than 80 wells in the field. Other natural gas
fields in the Province include Uch, Pirkoh, Loti, Gundran
and Zarghoon near Quetta. Despite Balochistan’s natural
resource wealth (including the country’s largest deposits
of coal and copper, as well as copious quantities of other
minerals), Balochistan is Pakistan's poorest province,
with 45 per cent of the population living below the poverty
line. There is rising resentment in the Province over
the fact that, despite the annual revenue of USD 1.4 billion
that the Province’s gas output generates, the Federal
Government remits only USD 116 million in royalties back
to the Province.
In the
Annual Planning Coordination Committee meeting in Islamabad
on May 13, 2011, Provincial Industries Minister Ehsan
Shah noted, “Of the PKR 29 billion allocated under the
Federal development budget, only PKR seven billion have
been released so far. Of the PKR 10 billion that were
meant to be given to the National Highway Authority (NHA)
for projects to connect Gwadar to Punjab and Sindh, only
PKR 2.5 billion have been released to the NHA. All this
has been a focal point of sharp controversy between Islamabad
and Baloch nationalists.”
Meanwhile,
the gas pipelines, which are up to an estimated eight
thousand kilometres long and supply gas to 12 Districts
and 29 small townships of Balochistan, are guarded by
a private security company, the National Police Foundation
Security Company (NPFC), and not by Federal or Provincial
Security Forces.
The SSGC
and the Provincial Government blame each other for ‘security
lapses’. SSGC Balochistan General Manager Mohammad Haroon
argues, “It is the responsibility of Government as well
to provide security to the gas pipelines because the company
alone cannot afford to depute security guards on the entire
network.” On the other hand, Balochistan Home Secretary
Akbar Hussain Durrani declared, “NPFC is responsible for
security because it is being paid for this purpose by
the SSGC,” adding that most of the personnel in NPFC were
aged and retired employees, and some had been arrested
recently because they were not even present on duty at
the time of the attacks. Durrani argued, further, “It
is extremely difficult to attach explosive materials along
a buried pipeline without the help of the locals in tribal
areas. We have suggested that companies recruit local
people as security guards. It helps when locals themselves
are responsible for security.” He also stated that the
Provincial Government has beefed up security for the main
gas pipelines, while Balochistan Constabulary personnel
had also been deployed in areas under the control of the
Balochistan Levies in view of the rising frequency of
attacks.
Despite
these “beefed up” security measures, however, the Government
has failed to either block or disrupt the attacks on natural
gas industry, or to address the rising
popular concerns that have fuelled
these attacks, including the relentless slew of targeted
killings and ‘disappearances’ engineered by the state’s
secret agencies. Indeed, military operations in Balochistan
have only compounded past and enormous public anger, and
the Federal Government’s apathy and direct oppression
in the State gives little cause to believe that the insurgency
in the Province – and the tremendous financial costs it
is inflicting on the gas economy – will be brought to
an end any time soon.
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Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in
South Asia
May 16-22, 2011
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
INDIA
|
|
Jammu &
Kashmir
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
Left-wing
Extremism
|
|
Andhra Pradesh
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Chhattisgarh
|
1
|
10
|
1
|
12
|
Jharkhand
|
6
|
0
|
0
|
6
|
Maharashtra
|
0
|
4
|
20
|
24
|
Total (INDIA)
|
10
|
16
|
22
|
48
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
Balochistan
|
11
|
6
|
5
|
22
|
FATA
|
21
|
2
|
37
|
60
|
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
|
3
|
2
|
15
|
20
|
Sindh
|
4
|
4
|
7
|
15
|
Total (PAKISTAN)
|
39
|
14
|
64
|
117
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
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BANGLADESH
JeI
following strategy of not involving in anti-Government
movement: Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) is following the
strategy of not involving itself in anti-Government
movement right now to avoid further arrest of its leaders
and disaster in the party. Instead, it is encouraging
other Islamist parties, including Fazlul Haq Amini-led
Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ), and like-minded Islamic leaders
to launch an anti-Government movement. A top IOJ leader
admitted that several JeI leaders are giving them full
support for the movement, especially on the Women Development
Policy issue. Daily
Star, May 21, 2011.
INDIA
"Bad
Guys" in contact with Pakistan and not ISI could have
bombed Indian Embassy in Kabul, claims Pakistan's National
Security Adviser Mahmud Ali Durrani: While denying
that Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) had a hand in
the bombing of the Indian Embassy in Kabul (July 7,
2008), Mahmud Ali Durrani, Pakistan's National Security
Adviser to the Prime Minister, on October 13, 2008,
admitted to his Indian counterpart M. K. Narayanan that
Pakistan had contacts with "bad guys" and "one of them"
could have carried out the attack. This news came via
a leaked cable revealed by the Wikileaks.
The
Hindu, May 20, 2011.
CPI-Maoist
revive international forum to take on Indian security
forces: Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)
has revived all the international Maoist fora to regroup
after the massive onslaught from the Indian Security
Forces over the past year. Months ago, the CPI-Maoist
revived the South Asian Maoist forum -Co-ordination
Committee of Maoist Parties and Organisations of South
Asia (CCOMPOSA) after five years. CCOMPOSA, which was
formed in 2001 by Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists] and
Nepali Maoists for ideological and strategic exchange,
turned defunct after Maoists in Nepal stepped into parliamentary
democracy. It led to a rift between Maoist parties in
Nepal and India. The forum has now gained relevance
once again following major damage to Maoists in India.
Times
of India, May 18, 2011.
Osama
bin Laden's killing will have a "ripple effect", says
Defense Minister A. K. Antony: Defence Minister
AK Antony on May 20 termed the killing of Osama bin
Laden by the US Forces in Pakistan a "watershed" event
which would have a "ripple effect" in the India's "strategic
neighbourhood" and asked the Armed Forces to be prepared
for any eventuality. He also observed that China continued
to be the strategic partner of Pakistan despite the
latter's position being "internationally stamped" as
core of terrorist activities in the region. PTI,
May 21, 2011.
Maoist
backed-PCPA wants to resume talks with new West Bengal
Chief Minister: Communist Party of India-Maoist
(CPI-Maoist)-backed People's Committee against Police
Atrocities (PCPA) wants to resume the dialogue process
with the State Government. Manoj Mahato, former PCPA
secretary said he trusts Mamata Banerjee, the new Chief
Minister of the State, and wants to resume the dialogue
process. Times
of India, May 19, 2011.
NEPAL
Cases
against Maoists being fast withdrawn, says impunity
watch: The Ministry of Home Affairs is working
in full swing to withdraw registered criminal cases
against Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M)
cadres charged with various offences - including serious
charges dating back to the period of insurgency. According
to some senior Home Ministry officials, since taking
charge of the Home Ministry, Krishna Bahadur Mahara
has been asking them to expedite compilation of a list
of cases registered against Maoist cadres from courts
across the country.
ekantipur, May 18, 2011
Politically
motivated cases will be withdrawn, says Minister for
Home Affairs Krishna Bahadur Mahara: Minister for
Home Affairs Krishna Bahadur Mahara said on May 20 that
politically motivated cases registered against the Unified
Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) cadres during
the insurgency period would be withdrawn. Mahara said
withdrawal of such cases will not breach the Comprehensive
Peace Accord.
ekantipur, May 21, 2011.
PLA
agrees to Army's proposal on integration: A day
after Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M)
Standing Committee decided to accept the modality proposed
by Nepal Army on integration of People's Liberation
Army (PLA) combatants, the General Staff meeting of
PLA on May 20 put its stamp of approval to the party's
decision. PLA Chief Nanda Kishore Pun, his deputy Chandra
Parkash Khanal and commanders of the seven divisions
of the PLA concluded that the party had made a "correct
decision" on May 19.
ekantipur, May 21, 2011.
New
constitution to be named 'Constitution of Nepal':
The sub-committee formed under the Constitutional Committee
on May 19 resolved eight disputes surrounding the upcoming
constitution including its name. A meeting of the sub-committee
decided to name the statute as 'Constitution of Nepal'.
There were six disputes over the name of the upcoming
constitution.
Nepal News, May 20, 2011.
Opposition
parties put seven-point condition for CA term extension:
Opposition parties led by main opposition Nepali
Congress (NC) on May 16 submitted a seven-point memorandum
on concluding peace and constitution drafting process
to Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal. The parties submitted
the memorandum with conditions for support for the extension
of Constituent Assembly (CA) term.
Nepal
News, May 17, 2011.
PAKISTAN
37
militants and 21 civilians among 60 persons killed during
the week in FATA: Eight
militants were killed when helicopter gunships pounded
their positions in Khadezai and Saigel Darra areas of
Orakzai Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas
(FATA) on May 22.
16 persons,
including eight members of a family, were killed when
NATO oil tankers were set ablaze in two separate incidents
at Landikotal and Torkham areas of Khyber Agency on
May 20.
Six persons
were killed when missiles fired by a US drone hit their
car near Esha Check post in the North Waziristan Agency
(NWA). Sources said that two missiles were fired at
the vehicle going from Miramshah to Spalga village.
Security
Forces (SFs) targeted militant positions in Khadezai
area of Orakzai Agency with artillery fire, killing
six suspected militants.
Five
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants were killed
when a double-cabin vehicle on its way to Sadda in Kurram
Agency from Mamozai, went off near the border area of
Ghunza in Orakzai Agency.
At least
12 militants were killed and another four injured in
twin US drone attack in Mir Ali Town, some 40 kilometres
east of Miranshah, in NWA on May 16.
Dawn;
Daily
Times; The
News, Tribune;
May 17-23, 2011.
10
persons killed and two planes destroyed in TTP attack
on naval air base in Karachi: In an attack targeting
Karachi's naval air station the militants reportedly
killed five navy personnel. Five militants have also
been killed. The attack was carried out in the night
of May 22 and after a lull resumed in the morning of
May 23. Claiming responsibility for the attack the Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP) said it was revenge for Osama bin Laden's
killing. NDTV,
May 23, 2011.
Afghan
Taliban leader Mullah Omar killed, says unconfirmed
report: According to media reports, Afghan Taliban
leader Mullah Omar has been killed in Pakistan, although
there is no official confirmation yet. Omar was shot
dead as he was being moved from Quetta in Balochistan
to North Waziristan Agency in Federally administered
Tribal Areas (FATA) two days ago, according to Afghan
news outlet TOLOnews. The Taliban have, however,
denied reports that Mullah Omar has been killed. NDTV,
May 23, 2011.
TTP
vows to continue fight: The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan
(TTP) vowed to fight with "new zeal" in the wake of
Osama bin Laden's death to complete the al Qaeda chief's
mission of waging holy war against the West, the 'deputy
commander' of TTP Waliur Rehman said on May 16. Rehman
said that terrorists would continue to stage attacks
in the coming days. Daily
Times, May 19, 2011.
Saif
al-Adel named new al Qaeda leader, says CNN report:
Al Qaeda has chosen a former Egyptian Special Forces
officer as its leader in the wake of Osama bin Laden's
death on May 2. Saif al-Adel, a top al-Qaeda strategist
and senior military leader, has been tapped as caretaker
'chief' of the group, CNN reported, citing former Libyan
militant Noman Benotman, who has renounced al Qaeda's
ideology. Times
of India, May 18, 2011.
Will
repeat action in Pakistan if needed, asserts U.S. President
Barack Obama: U.S. President Barack Obama on May
22 said America would not hesitate to launch another
unilateral military operation on Pakistani soil to flush
out other al Qaeda figures if it had information that
they were hiding there. He said while his government
respected Pakistan's sovereignty its first priority
was to "secure the United States'' and this had been
"made clear to the Pakistanis''. A day earlier, Pakistan's
National Assembly adopted a strongly-worded resolution
warning against any action similar to the Abbottabad
without informing the Pakistani Government. The
Hindu, May 23, 2011.
Army
General Chief Ashfaq Kayani had demanded drone strikes
in Waziristan, reveals WikiLeaks: One of
the secret internal American Government cables, accessed
by Dawn through WikiLeaks, provide confirmation
that the United States (US) military drone strikes programme
within Pakistan had more than just tacit acceptance
of the country's top military brass, despite public
posturing to the contrary. In fact, as long ago as January
2008, the country's military was requesting the US for
greater drone back-up for its own military operations.
Dawn,
May 20, 2011.
Islamabad
submitting exaggerated bills of terror expenditure to
US, reports Wall Street Journal: Pakistan
has been submitting exaggerated and inaccurate bills
for the billions of dollars US pays to fight militants
along the Afghanistan border and the Pentagon has been
rejecting 40 per cent of its claims, a Wall Street
Journal report said on May 18. "The billing spat
has exacerbated tensions between the countries, which
reached a nadir after the US raided the compound of
Osama bin Laden without informing Pakistani authorities,"
the report said. There was no immediate comment from
the Pentagon. Indian
Express, May 18, 2011.
General
Elections in PoK to be held on June 26: Pakistan
occupied Kashmir (PoK) Chief Election Commissioner Justice
Khawaja Mohammad Saeed on May 16 fixed June 26 as the
polling day for the General Election to 41 direct seats
of PoK Legislative Assembly. According to the polls'
schedule, nomination papers will be filed by May 26.
Dawn,
May 17, 2011.
SRI LANKA
Government
to probe delay in prosecuting former LTTE members:
Sri Lanka's Justice Minister
Rauf Hakeem said on May 15 that the Government was looking
into the delay in taking legal action against former
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres, two
years after the war had ended. Hakeem said that several
committees have been appointed to find out the reasons
for the inability of authorities to take legal action
against LTTE cadres.
Colombo
Page, May 17, 2011.
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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