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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 11, No. 8, August 27, 2012
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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Widening
Polarisation
Fakir Mohan Pradhan
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
The uncertain
calm in Nepal, disturbed by no more than occasional rumblings
for the ouster of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, received
a jolt when at least 20 Political parties, mostly from
the ruling coalition, announced the formation of an alliance
– the Federal Democratic Republican Alliance (FDRA) –
at a press conference at Hotel Radisson in the capital,
on August 17, 2012. Led by the Unified Communist Party
of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M)
Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda and its
constituents, the alliance includes the UCPN-M, Terai
Madhesh Democratic Party (TMDP), TMDP-Nepal, Madheshi
People’s Rights Forum–Democratic (MPRF-D), Madhesi People's
Rights Forum-Republican (MPRF-R), Rastriya Janamukti Party,
Sadhbhwana Party and the Nepal Rastriya Party, among others.
Samajbadi Janata Party Chairman Prem Bahadur Singh was
declared the spokesperson of the alliance.
On August
9, 2012, top leaders of the constituent parties of the
FDRA had agreed on the proposal to constitute an alliance
named the Federal Democratic Alliance (FDA). However,
on August 13, leaders of 26 political parties decided
to change the name from FDA to FDRA, and to make the formal
announcement on August 17.
The alliance,
declaring itself in favour of federalist principles, aims
to work towards ethnic-based federalism and the promulgation
of a new constitution through the now dissolved Constituent
Assembly (CA). Prachanda said the alliance has “long-term”
and “strategic” importance and that it would continue
until another election. He further stated that the alliance
was prepared to hit the streets if a “conspiracy is hatched
against identity-based federalism.”
The major
opposition parties - Nepali Congress (NC) and the Communist
Party of Nepal – Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) –
and the newly formed Mohan Baidya-led CPN-Maoist (CPN-Maoist-Baidya)
have come down heavily against the alliance, seeing it
as an attempt to vitiate the political atmosphere by working
against the politics of consensus. NC and CPN-UML see
it as an attempt to prolong the life span of the care
taker government and demand immediate resignation of the
Prime Minister Bhattarai to pave the way for consensus
government which would further the peace process.
The alliance
was established because of a felt need to forge national
consensus in favour of ethnic-based federalism and the
promulgation of a new constitution through the CA. Prachanda
argued that the alliance would negotiate from a position
of strength, urging the NC and the CPN-UML to agree to
identity-based federalism. The veiled threat in this argument
was made more openly by Prachanda when he declared that
political confrontation in the country in the days to
come would be “between alliances”. Daring NC and CPN-UML
to forge an alliance, Prachanda declared, on August 18,
2012, in Lahan, "Whether it is a fight or a deal,
it will now be between alliances."
The FDRA
has put forward two options to end the current political
impasse – either to hold election to the CA or to revive
the dissolved CA.
Complicating
issues, the CPN-Maoist-Baidya, created an alliance of
nine fringe political parties – the Nepal Federal People's
Republic Front – on August 10, 2012, to unseat the Bhattarai
Government. Baidya slammed the UCPN-M led FDRA, describing
it as "a desperate attempt of the present Government
to cling to power".
In another
development, marking the World Indigenous Day on August
9, 2012, Janjati and indigenous leaders unveiled
the manifesto of a proposed indigenous people’s party
– the Social Democratic Pluri-National Party – and vowed
to complete the task of party formation within the next
two months. The proposed party manifesto advocates single
identity-based federalism. The party is expected to join
the FDRA.
Meanwhile,
on August 17, 2012, President Ram Baran Yadav rejected
two election-related ordinances —Election to Member of
the CA and Ordinance to Amend Some Existing Electoral
Laws — recommended by the caretaker Government on July
27, sending a message that he would not approve ordinances
that did not "satisfy" him or that lacked a
minimal consensus among parties. The President's office
argued that the recommendation for the ordinance was rejected
as they were not "relevant" in light of the
formal announcement by the election Commission on July
31 to the effect that polls to CA on November 22 cannot
be held.
Visibly
dismayed by these developments, the Bhattarai Government
was mulling over the prospects of resending the ordinances
to the President on the grounds that it was within the
constitutional powers of the Government to issue ordinances.
However, better sense prevailed, and, on August 25, the
Government decided not to bring any ordinance without
political consensus. This has helped avoid a confrontation
between the President and the Prime Minister, which has
long been expected, but has been averted till now.
The FDRA
is increasingly being regarded as an attempt to prolong
the life of the UCPN–M-led caretaker Government, as well
as muscle flexing by the UCPN-M. The political deadlock
continues as NC and CPN-UML continue to demand the immediate
resignation of Prime Minister Bhattarai, and the formation
of a ‘consensus government’ under which the next election
would take place. The UCPN-M, however, remains adamant
that, before the resignation of the Prime Minister, contentious
issues – especially that of identity-based federalism
– must be solved. However, the demand for the ouster of
the PM is getting louder, despite a defiant Prachanda’s
declaration that the Caretaker Government would continue
for 20 or 30 years, and even longer, if there was no consensus
on identity-based federalism.
The FDRA
is expected to be a prelude to come in handy for the UCPN-M,
in case opposition parties take to streets to oust the
Bhattarai Government. In the event of elections, moreover,
the FDRA is expected to boost the chances of the coalition.
The alliance is now trying to project the NC and CPN-UML
as ‘anti-federalist’, though these parties contest such
a projection. The CPN-UML has stated that it is ready
for identity-based, but not single-identity based, federalism.
It remains to be seen what the position of the Madhesh-based
parties will be; these parties have been pressing for
‘One Madhesh, One Province’. They have, however, entered
an alliance which is demanding single-identity based federalism,
which militates against their ‘One Province’ demand.
Amidst
the continuing deadlock , another crisis appears to be
brewing. The ‘special budget’ that was brought by the
Government through an ordinance, and approved by the President,
provided funds for a third of the current year’s expenditure.
If the political impasse is not cleared by then, a major
crisis is likely, as the NC and CPN-UML are expected to
oppose any further grants, to put pressure on Bhattarai
to make way for a consensus government.
As a consequence
of the current political crisis, one of the most contentious
issues that had almost been resolved – the integration
of People's Liberation Army (PLA) combatants with the
Nepal Army – has gone into limbo because of disagreements
over meeting the Army’s selection criteria.
As the
war of words continues, the major political parties reached
an understanding on August 25, 2012, to refrain from a
blame game and to hold a ‘serious dialogue’ to find a
way out of the current political deadlock. Considering
the belligerent positions of the major political formations
and the UCPN-M’s present initiatives, both in the formation
of the FDRA and to push through several ordinances, however,
no early resolution appears likely. The NC and CPN-UML’s
attempts to secure the dismissal of the Bhattarai Government
through the President also militate against any negotiations
in good faith. The grounds appear to be prepared for street
mobilization – and the spectre of street violence cannot
be far behind.
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Targeting
Stabilization
Sanchita Bhattacharya
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
A spike
in targeted killing in Afghanistan has seen Anti-Government
Elements (AGEs) hitting critics and opponents with increasing
frequency. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
(UNAMA), in its Mid Year Report of 2012, noted
that casualties resulting from targeted killings of civilians
by AGEs increased by 53 per cent in the first six months
of 2012 in comparison to the corresponding period of 2011.
UNAMA documented the killing of 255 civilians between
January 1 and June 30, 2012, as compared to 190 civilian
fatalities during the corresponding period of 2011. A
total of 495 persons were killed in targeted killings
in 2011, up from 461 in 2010; 225 in 2009; and 293 in
2008. AGEs have targeted community leaders, governmental
authorities and civilians whom they suspect of supporting
the government or military forces.
Significantly,
on May 2, 2012, the Taliban had announced that their Spring
Offensive of 2012, codenamed Al-Farooq, would specifically
aim to kill civilian targets, including high ranking government
officials, members of Parliament, High Peace Council (HPC)
members, contractors and “all those people who work against
the Mujahideen”.
International
humanitarian and human rights laws prohibit the deliberate
and systematic targeting of civilians, categorized as
a war crime and the violation of the right to life.
In 2011,
the Taliban had claimed responsibility for numerous targeted
killings of civilian government officials, tribal elders,
government workers, contractors, drivers, translators
and other civilians, and also included civilians in their
public lists of targets to kill or capture. In an October
2011 statement, responding to the Government’s convening
of a Loya Jirga (Grand Assembly), the Taliban identified
a broad range of civilians participating in the Jirga
or associated with the Government as ‘lawful targets’,
declaring:
The
Islamic Emirate wants to warn every person who wants
to participate in this so-called Loya Jirga that
such traitors will be pursued by Mujahideen of Islamic
Emirate in every corner of the country and will
face severe repercussions. The country's trustworthy
scholars have passed a decree in this regard and
every participant of this convention shall be charged
with treason if caught. The Islamic Emirate also
calls on its brave and courageous Mujahideen to
target every security guard, person with intention,
participant and every follower of this convention.
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A variety
of methods have been employed to execute targeted killings,
including shootings, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)
and suicide attacks. The Taliban often publicly broadcast
names of intended targets over mobile radio stations before
the killing. In a number of cases where AGEs use remote-controlled
IEDs (RCIEDs) targeting Pro-Government Forces, civilians
have been disproportionately harmed, particularly when
AGEs target military objectives in civilian populated
areas.
Targets
have included civil servants at all levels, tribal and
religious elders, humanitarian aid workers, civil society
members, political figures, individuals who joined the
Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Program and their
relatives, and family members of AGEs who sought to re-integrate
into Afghan communities.
On another
plane, the insurgents systematically target the educational
infrastructure, destroying schools. According to partial
data collected by Institute for Conflict Management,
1,178 targeted incidents on schools have taken place
in Afghanistan since 2008. The more bizarre attacks have
included poisonings, either by contamination of drinking
water or by the release of unknown substances into the
air, at schools. Ironically, in a statement, issued on
March 7, 2012, the Taliban identified the promotion of
education as one of their main objectives, declaring that
education was the “need of the new generation”.
Some of
the most significant targeted incidents include:
August
13, 2012: Ishkamesh District Mayor, Abdul Aziz, Takhar
HPC member Haji Hashim and three others were killed in
a roadside-bomb attack in Takhar Province. Local officials
blamed the bombing on the Taliban.
August
12, 2012: The Governor of Alishing District of Laghman
Province, Faridullah Neyazi, was killed, along with three
of his bodyguards, when his vehicle was hit by RCIED.
May 13,
2012: Arsala Rahmani, a close adviser to President Hamid
Karzai, and former HPC member was killed by a gunman in
Kabul city.
March
24, 2012: Haji Khairo Jan, a former Afghan senator, was
killed along with four persons, when their vehicle was
targeted with a RCIED near Tiran Kot, capital of Uruzgan
Province.
December
6, 2011: A suicide attacker targeted civilians by detonating
his explosives at the entrance to the Abulfazl mosque,
belonging to Shia sect, in Kabul, killing 56 civilians
and injuring 195 others. The Shias have frequently been
targeted in sectarian attacks by the Taliban.
September
20, 2011: Former Afghanistan President and head of the
HPC Burhanuddin Rabbani was killed in a suicide bomb attack
at his home, close to the American Embassy in Kabul.
July 17,
2011: Jan Mohammad Khan, a senior advisor to President
Hamid Karzai, and Hashim Watanwal, a Member of the Afghan
Parliament, were killed when two assailants stormed Khan's
house in Kabul city.
July 12,
2011: Ahmad Wali Karzai head of the Provincial Council
of the Kandahar Province and younger brother of President
Hamid Karzai was assassinated by one of his guards at
his residence. The Taliban claimed responsibility for
the incident.
February
22, 2010: Mohammad Zaman, prominent military and political
leader was killed in a suicide bombing, while addressing
refugees in Khogyani District of Nangarhar Province.
September
2, 2009: An attack in Mehterlam city of Laghman Province
targeted and killed the Deputy Head of National Directorate
of Security (NDS), Abdullah Laghmani and four other NDS
staff. 18 civilians were also killed. The Taliban claimed
responsibility for the attack.
August
25, 2009: At least 46 civilians were killed and more than
60 injured when a truck bomb exploded in Kandahar city
of Kandahar Province. The target was National Directorate
of Security building.
April 28,
2008: An attack targeting President Hamid Karzai was carried
out during a military parade in Kabul. A Member of Parliament,
Fazel Rahman Samkanai, and two others were killed.
February
17, 2008: A suicide bomber blew himself up in the Nagahan
Rudkhana area of Arghandab District in Kandahar Province
killing Abdul Hakim Jan, a prominent leader of the Alokozai
tribe and the commander of the District’s contingent of
the [now disbanded] Afghan National Auxiliary Police (ANAP)
force and another 12 ANAP personnel. The attack also killed
at least 67 civilians and wounded some 90 others.
Targeted
killings have destroyed tremendous potential of creating
an independent political culture in the country, creating
a chilling effect on those who seek to participate in
democratic processes and structures. The Afghan Independent
Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), notes, moreover,
“There is often no clear delineation between where intimidation
ends and violence begins. The insurgents specifically
use targeted assassinations as a form of intimidation,
to impact on the population far beyond the individual
victim(s).”
The social
and political order in Afghanistan remains extremely fragile,
and targeted killings have undermined the emergence of
any effective alternative to the current regime of dominance
by the International Security Assistance Force. The incipient
democratic and national security institutions in the country
are reeling under the impact of the Taliban violence,
and the tentative consolidation of the structures of stable
governance in Afghanistan is put at extreme risk by targeted
attacks that impose a pall of terror on the wider population
and on those involved in the tasks of administration.
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Karachi:
Banking for Terror
Tushar Ranjan Mohanty
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
On July
27, 2012, a local ‘commander’ of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP),
identified as Umer Khattab, was shot dead in a Police
encounter in the Manghopir Police Station area in Karachi,
the provincial capital of Sindh. Khattab was wanted by
the Police in more than 25 cases of target killings as
well as a number of bank robberies in the West District
area of Karachi to generate funds for the TTP.
Khattab’s
elimination is a major success for the city Police. 3,129
lives have been lost to target killings since January
2010 (data till August 26, 2012), and Khattab was a significant
player in this bloody business. Crucially, Khatab was
connected with a wider campaign of bank robberies in Karachi,
engineered by the TTP to secure finances for their terrorist
operations.
Terrorist
formations were involved in at least 28 bank robberies
in Karachi between 2009 and 2011. In 2011, TTP cadres
robbed banks of about PKR 500 million, according to an
internal report of the Karachi Police obtained by Central
Asia Online. That total included Karachi’s biggest
bank robbery of that year, a heist of more than PKR 90
million, from a Muslim Commercial Bank (MCB) branch at
Jodia Bazaar in the jurisdiction of the Kharadar Police
Station on April 12, 2012. Khurram Bari, Superintendent
of Police (SP) of Special Interrogation Unit (SIU), which
interrogates suspects linked to terrorism or terror-financing
cases, disclosed, on May 12, 2012, “Several activists
of TTP ... have confessed to police that they have committed
bank robberies to provide money to the organisation.”
According
to official data, nine bank robberies have been recorded
in Karachi between January and June 15, 2012. A June 19,
2012, media report noted that over PKR 33.55 million had
been looted in these robberies, the biggest among which
was committed on April 24, 2012, in which PKR 9.5 million
was looted from a private bank situated at Tipu Sultan
Road in the Gulshan-e-Iqbal Township. In the most recent
incidents, two back to back bank robberies were reported
on June 14 and June 15, 2012, in which the robbers looted
PKR 2.35 million from a private bank located in Gulberg
Block No. 10 and PKR 4.5 million from a bank situated
in the Nazimabad area, both in Karachi.
Police
arrested 42 TTP activists in 2010 and 2011 in connection
with various robberies, and recovered PKR 110 million,
as well as a range of weapons, from the suspects.
Karachi-based
security expert Raees Ahmed stating that TTP extremists
rob banks to raise money for the group’s terrorist activities,
noted, in December 2011, that the group was “facing a
severe financial crisis and a shortage of funds in wake
of the measures taken by Pakistani authorities to cut
off their main source of income abroad, especially from
Gulf States.” Interrogation of some of the arrested robbers
disclosed associations with the TTP and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
(LeJ),
and Ahmed noted, further, “Their involvement in organised
crime had increased recently, following a Government ban
on jihadi groups and the seizure of their bank
accounts.”
Meanwhile,
SP SIU Shahjahan claimed, on June 19, 2012, that it was
impossible for the Police Department to provide proper
security to all bank branches of the city, due to extreme
paucity of personnel and resources. Shahjahan added, “We
suggested to all bank managements to establish at least
one bunker outside its branches for security purpose,
but they do not take the suggestion seriously.”
Significantly,
Karachi, with a population of 18 million, has only 31,861
Policemen, yielding a meagre 177 Policemen per 100,000
people, an abysmal ratio for a major urban concentration,
particularly the financial capital of the country, with
overwhelming problems of security. Indeed, the overall
Police population ratio for Sindh stands at a substantially
higher 263 per 100,000. The Police population ratio for
Lahore, to take an urban comparison, is 343/100,000.
The shortage
of Police personnel in Karachi has resulted in increasing
reliance on private security agencies, the benefits are
dubious. Major (Retd) Munir Ahmed, a leader of the All
Pakistan Security Agencies Association (APSAA), notes,
“Karachi alone has more than 250 security companies with
about 45,000 to 50,000 guards.” Bank authorities, among
others who are hiring private security guards, do so without
any significant verification of backgrounds, opening the
door for terrorists and criminals to infiltrate the security
structure. The Government is now reported to be working
on ways to monitor the hiring process in private security
agencies to ensure that they do not give jobs to criminals
and extremists.
While Karachi
is currently among the worst affected cities, an August
23, 2012, confidential report of the National Crisis Management
Cell of the Ministry of the Interior, claimed that the
TTP was planning more terrorist activities in the country’s
major cities – including Islamabad, Lahore and Multan
in Punjab and Peshawar and Bannu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
– which included bank robberies to generate funds. TTP
‘commander’ Qari Shafiullah Moavia has assigned the task
to Nauman Moavia, who has been authorised to rob banks
and jewellery shops and to execute abductions in order
to raise funds for the purchase of transport, arms and
ammunition.
With the
pressure on direct terrorist financing increasing, even
as the operational capacities of the terrorist groups
augment, alternative efforts for fundraising to support
the terrorist infrastructure, including robberies, abductions,
extortion and other organized criminal activities, can
only widen. The country’s financial capital, with its
already degraded security environment, is a natural target
for an escalating campaign of terrorist fundraising. Given
the current capacities for Policing, and the visible disinclination
on the part of the political establishment to radically
augment these in the foreseeable future, Karachi can only
expect much worse to come.
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Weekly Fatalities: Major
Conflicts in South Asia
August 20-26,
2012
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Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
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Total
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INDIA
|
|
Nagaland
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
Left-wing
Extremism
|
|
Bihar
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Chhattisgarh
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
Maharashtra
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
Odisha
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Total (INDIA)
|
4
|
0
|
4
|
8
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
Balochistan
|
8
|
0
|
0
|
8
|
FATA
|
17
|
0
|
85
|
102
|
PoK
|
|
Gilgit-Baltistan
|
3
|
2
|
0
|
5
|
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
|
2
|
4
|
6
|
12
|
Sindh
|
17
|
2
|
2
|
21
|
Total (PAKISTAN)
|
47
|
8
|
93
|
148
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
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INDIA
Pakistan
might plan bigger cyber attack, says Government report:
A classified Government report on the recent incidents
[incidents after Assam Riots], described as the worst
cyber attack on the country, has said that it should not
be treated as an 'isolated incident'. According to the
report, this exercise was not merely aimed at spreading
communal hatred, but also to test the effectiveness of
network of 'modules and sleeper cells' of subversive outfits
in states like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra
and Kerala. Deccan
Chronicle, August 25, 2012.
115
designated NE terror groups high on IB radar, says report:
Out of the 115 terrorist organisations of Northeast (NE),
there are many who have been fighting for a 'homeland',
while there are many more who have been fuelling the fire
from across the borders. Intelligence Bureau officials
point out that they suspect that terrorist groups from
Bangladesh funded by the Pakistan establishment are looking
to strike. KanglaOnline,
August 25, 2012.
Terrorists
reviving outfits in Tripura, says State DGP Sanjay Sinha:
Terrorists have been trying to strengthen their base in
Tripura ahead of the assembly polls early next year but
Security Forces are ready to tackle them, the State's
Director General of Police (DGP) said on August 21. "Even
though the outlawed guerillas have been trying to create
troubles before next year's assembly polls, the security
forces are also getting ready to hit back with a befitting
manner," DGP Sanjay Sinha said . The
Sentinel, August 22, 2012.
Maoist
organisations backing Maruti Suzuki workers' agitation,
says Union Government: The Union government on August
22 said several frontal organisations of the Communist
Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) and their sympathisers
had been supporting the Maruti Suzuki workers' agitation
and had even organised demonstrations aimed at influencing
labour unions and workers in Delhi and its adjoining industrial
belts. Minister of State for Home Jitendra Singh said
Maoists had adopted new strategies, which include using
women and children as human-shields during exchange of
fire with security forces. The
Hindu, August 24, 2012.
Funds
from LeT and JuD routed via Indian banks, IB alerts RBI:
Based on intelligence inputs, the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) has asked banks to scrub the system to spot the
transfer of funds to an account in Lahore (Pakistan).
The move is seen as a significant move to spot beneficiaries
and supporters of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) founder Hafiz
Mohammad Saeed in India. The
Times of India, August 24, 2012.
Intelligence
agencies updating sources of terrorist funding all over
the country: Intelligence and investigating agencies
are updating understanding of the financial structures
and sources of funding of terrorists' outfits all over
the country, said Minister of State of Home Affairs Jitendra
Singh on August 21. "Available inputs indicate that most
outfits receive funds through a combination of hawala,
bank accounts and Money Transfer Service Schemes, debit
cards and Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN)," Singh said
. India
Blooms, August 23, 2012.
IM founding
member Mohammed Sajjid key suspect in the August 1 Pune
serial bomb blast, say Police officials: According
to Police officials, Mohammed Sajjid, one of the founding
members of Indian Mujahideen (IM), is a key suspect in
the August 1, 2012, Pune (Maharashtra) serial bomb blasts.
A bicycle shop owner who was shown pictures of some suspects
identified Sajjid alias 'Bada Sajjid' as the man who had
purchased from him one of the cycles used in the explosions.
DNA,
August 21, 2012.
NEPAL
Deputy
Prime Minister Shrestha says Government ready to quit
if parties forge agreement on peace, statute: Deputy
Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha
on August 20 said that Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist
(UCPN-Maoist) is ready to quit Government if the parties
forge agreement on peace and constitution. Shrestha said
his party is open to discussion on a formation of a new
government if that creates an enabling atmosphere towards
forging national consensus.
Nepal News, August 21, 2012.
PAKISTAN
85 militants
and 17 civilians among 102 persons killed during the week
in FATA:Security Forces on August 26 killed at least
20 militants and injured 10 others in a clash during a
raid in Batwar area of Salarzai tehsil (revenue unit)
in Bajaur Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas
(FATA).
At least
28 militants and four members of the Salarzai Qaumi Lashkar
were killed and 10 militants and four Security Force (SF)
personnel injured as the fighting continued for the second
day on August 25 along the border area of Batwar in Bajaur
Agency. In addition, seven persons belonging to one family
were killed and eight others, including women and children,
were injured when two mortar shells hit a house in Qambarkhel
area of Bara region in Khyber Agency.
Eighteen
suspected militants were killed and another six were injured
when missiles fired by United States (US) drones slammed
into suspected militants' hideouts in Shawal area of North
Waziristan Agency (NWA) on August 24. Also, eight militants
were killed and two of their hideouts destroyed after
SFs shelling in Gawaki area of Orakzai Agency. Also, six
militants and two Lashkars (tribal militia) were killed
and five civilians were injured when at least 100 militants
from across the Afghanistan border entered Batwar village
in Salarzai tehsil (revenue unit) in Bajaur Agency and
started firing on the posts set up by Salarzai Qaumi Lashkar.
Five militants
were killed and two others injured when a US drone fired
missiles at a vehicle near Shnakhura village in NWA on
August 21. Daily
Times;
Dawn; The
News; Tribune;
Central
Asia Online; The
Nation; The
Frontier Post; Pakistan
Today;
Pakistan
Observer,
August
21-27, 2012.
There
is evidence of TTP presence in Karachi, says Interior
Minister Rehman Malik: Interior Minister Rehman Malik
on August 23 said that there was evidence of presence
of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Karachi, the provincial
capital of Sindh, and that action was being taken against
them. He asked TTP to surrender arms, saying that otherwise
the Government was determined to take the campaign against
terrorism to its logical conclusion. Daily
Times,
August 24, 2012.
Osama
bin Laden's Abbottabad hideout carved out of Pakistan
military academy, claims book: A new book, 'Leading
from Behind: The Reluctant President and the Advisors
Who Decide for Him', written by American journalist
Richard Miniter, has claimed that Abbottabad [Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]
house where al Qaeda 'chief' Osama bin Laden lived was
"carved out" from Pakistan Military Academy compound and
its Army chief may have been briefed beforehand on the
'kill Osama mission'. The Book also claims that an officer
of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) helped the CIA
track down Laden. In addition, the book said that the
US President Barack Obama put off three times operations
to kill Osama bin Laden before finally going ahead with
the mission at the insistence of Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton. The
Indian Express,
August 23, 2012.
SRI LANKA
Sri
Lanka begins final stage of resettlement process, says
Minister of Resettlement Gunaratne Weerakoon:The Minister
of Resettlement Gunaratne Weerakoon on August 20 said
that Sri Lank has begun the final stage of resettlement
process to resettle the remaining internally displaced
person (IDP) families in the Northern Province. Recently
the government has resettled 994 IDPs belonging to 300
families who had been living in Menik Farm Village in
Puthukudiyiruppu West in Mullaitivu District which had
been cleared of mines recently. ColomboPage,
August 21, 2012.
Cabinet
approval granted to amend Terrorist Financing Act, says
Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella:Cabinet approval
was granted on August 23 to a proposal by External Affairs
Minister Prof G L Peiris to instruct the Legal Draftsman
to draft amendments to the Convention on Suppression of
Terrorist Financing Act No 25 of 2005. Cabinet Spokesman
and Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said this is in
keeping with the recommendations of the Financial Action
Task Force of the G 7 countries to eliminate the remaining
deficiencies in the law. Daily
News,
August 24, 2012.
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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