| |
SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 12, No. 33, February 17, 2014
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
|
KP:
Rising Graph of Violence
Tushar Ranjan Mohanty
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
At least
13 persons were killed and another 19 were injured when
three back-to-back grenade explosions occurred inside
the Shama Cinema in the Bacha Khan Chowk area of Peshawar,
the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), on
February 11, 2013. Around 80 people were in the cinema
hall at the time of the explosions. The cinema owner had
received threatening letters from terrorists about a possible
attack, the Police said.
In a similar
incident on February 2, 2013, unidentified assailants
hurled two grenades at Picture House Cinema in the Kabuli
Bazaar area of Peshawar, killing at least five persons
and injuring 30. The Picture House Cinema had been attacked
earlier as well, on July 13, 2012, when unidentified assailants
had hurled a grenade at the Cinema Hall, injuring at least
eight persons. Though no one has taken responsibility
for these attacks, they are usually blamed on Islamist
extremists who claim that music and films are "un-Islamic".
Following
the recent attacks, the KP Home Department has directed
cinema hall owners to install CCTV cameras and metal and
explosive detectors, and to deploy uniformed and plain-clothed
Security Force (SF) personnel. There would also be a complete
ban on parking vehicles within the premises of the cinema
houses.
Meanwhile,
reversing the declining trend in terrorism-related fatalities
in KP since 2010, year 2013 recorded a rise in killings.
According to partial data compiled by the South Asia
Terrorism Portal (SATP), KP saw at least 936 fatalities,
including 603 civilians, 172 SF personnel and 161 militants,
in 210 incidents of killing in 2013, as compared 656 fatalities,
including 363 civilians, 195 militants and 98 SF personnel,
in 170 such incidents, in 2012. [Since media access is
heavily restricted in the most disturbed areas of Pakistan,
and there is only fitful release of information by Government
agencies, the actual figures could be much higher.] The
first 47 days of 2014 have already witnessed 156 killings,
including 103 civilians, 42 SF personnel and 12 militants,
in 48 incidents of killing. In the worst attack of the
current year, 26 soldiers were killed and another 24 were
injured in a targeted bomb blast on a military convoy
in the Bannu Town (Bannu District) on January 19. The
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
'spokesman' Shahidullah Shahid claiming responsibility,
said, "It was part of our fight against a secular
system. We will carry out more such attacks in future."
Fatalities
in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 2005-2014*
Years
|
Civilians
|
SFs
|
Militants
|
Total
|
2005
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
4
|
2006
|
60
|
13
|
27
|
100
|
2007
|
393
|
221
|
372
|
986
|
2008
|
868
|
255
|
1078
|
2201
|
2009
|
1229
|
471
|
3797
|
5497
|
2010
|
607
|
96
|
509
|
1212
|
2011
|
511
|
331
|
364
|
1206
|
2012
|
363
|
98
|
195
|
656
|
2013
|
603
|
172
|
161
|
936
|
2014
|
103
|
42
|
12
|
157
|
Total
|
4739
|
1699
|
6517
|
12955
|
Source:
SATP, *Data till February 16, 2014
|
While fatalities
among terrorists in 2013 declined by 17.43 per cent, as
compared to the preceding year, the number of fatalities
among SFs increased by 75.51 per cent, over the same period.
Indeed, this is the first time since 2005 that a greater
number of SF personnel has been killed as compared to
terrorists during the course of a year. The number of
terrorists killed in 2013 was the lowest since 2006, when
just 27 were killed. Evidently, there is an operational
paralysis in the SFs, working under Governments that are
unwilling to antagonise the Islamist extremists.
Inevitably,
SF inaction has contributed to rising fatalities among
civilians, who face the brunt of terrorist violence in
KP, as in the rest of the country. Civilian fatalities,
which had been declining since the peak of 2009, when
1,229 civilians were killed, increased by a disturbing
66.11 per cent between 2012 and 2013, from 363 deaths
to 603 fatalities, respectively.
A significant
proportion of the civilians were targeted in sectarian
violence. There were 10 sectarian attacks, resulting in
58 deaths and 46 injuries, in 2012. 2013 recorded nine
such incidents accounting for 51 deaths and 86 injuries.
The worsening
security scenario also saw several high profile political
killings through 2013. The then KP Law Minister, Israrullah
Gandapur, was killed with 10 others in a suicide attack
at a festive gathering at his residence in the Kolachi
area of Dera Ismail Khan District, on October 16, 2013.
Imran Mohmand, an independent Member of the Provincial
Assembly from Shergarh town of Mardan District, was killed
along with 35 others, when a suicide bomber blew himself
up at a funeral prayer in the Shah Zaman Qala village
area of Shergarh town, on June 18, 2013.
Other parameters
of violence also rose significantly. The province accounted
for 65 major incidents of violence (each involving three
or more fatalities) resulting in 694 deaths in 2013, as
against 57 such incidents accounting for 434 fatalities
in 2012. In the worst attack during the year, at least
85 persons were killed and another 145 were injured in
an explosion at the All Saints Church near Qissa Khawani
bazaar in Peshawar on September 22, 2013.
Further,
while the number of suicide attacks remained the same,
at 21, in 2012 and 2013, the resulting fatalities increased
considerably, from 140 to 350. The deadliest suicide attack
of 2013 was the All Saints Church atrocity of September
22.
Though
there was a marginal decrease in the number of explosions,
from 222 in 2012 to 189 in 2013, the resultant fatalities
increased significantly, from 268 to 598. Moreover, the
Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU) managed to foil at least 22 explosions
by recovering and diffusing explosive devices. Despite
meagre resources and staff, KP's BDU saved thousands of
innocent lives by recovering and defusing over 5,000 bombs
in the last four and a half years in KP and FATA, according
to a statement by BDU Assistant Inspector General Shafqat
Malik, on April 12, 2013.
Polio teams
remained under attack in the Province, especially in Peshawar
District, though heavy Police security was provided to
the volunteers. 20 such attacks resulting in 19 deaths
(11 SF personnel and eight polio workers) were reported
during 2013, as compared to four such attacks accounting
for seven deaths (all polio worker) in 2012. On October
5, 2013, the KP Government decided to engage the Army
to protect polio workers in five union councils of Peshawar.
The terrorists responded by killing seven persons, including
four Policemen, and injuring another eight in an attack
targeting a function called to distribute anti-polio material
among the anti polio teams in the Suleman Khel area of
the Union Council of Bazidkhel in the Badhaber area of
Peshawar, on October 7, 2013.
All 25
Districts of KP were variously affected by terrorism,
but Peshawar, was the worst, recording at least 174 terrorist
incidents, resulting in 382 fatalities through 2013, as
compared to at least 131 incidents accounting for 231
killings in 2012. Peshawar recorded eight suicide attacks
resulting in 145 deaths and 319 injuries, in 2013; as
against 10 such incidents with 86 fatalities and 169 injuries
in 2012. 73 incidents of explosion were reported in Peshawar
in 2013, as compared to 75 in 2012. Fatalities in such
explosions stood at 300 in 2013 as against 145 in the
preceding year.
Confirming
the escalation of terror across the Province, then KP
Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain admitted on
January 5, 2013,
The
strength of militants has increased so alarmingly
that now they can reach anywhere they want, to carry
out their activities. The time has come to take
the final decision on whether to hold dialogue with
militants or to begin a meaningful operation against
them.
|
Ominous
sign, the TTP, the most lethal terrorist formation within
Pakistan, is now led by Maulana Fazlullah who belongs
to the Swat District of KP, the region which, prior to
the 2007-2009
operations, was believed to be the
‘heartland’ of domestic terrorism. His ‘deputy’ Khalid
Haqqani is from Swabi District in KP. This is for the
first time that the outfit is headed by leaders from KP;
earlier TTP leaders – Baitullah and Hakimullah – belonged
to the adjoining Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)
region.
In a daring
attack on July 29, 2013, TTP had terrorists stormed the
Central Prison at Dera Ismail Khan, KP, and freed some
253 prisoners, including 45 top terrorists. 24 persons,
including 12 Policemen, five terrorists, four prisoners,
and three civilians, were killed in the attack and the
counter attack by SFs. Claiming responsibility for the
attack, TTP’s ‘central spokesman’ Shahidullah Shahid declared,
“Some 150 Taliban, including 60 suicide bombers, attacked
the Central Prison and managed to free about 300 prisoners.
They were looking in particular for two ‘commanders’ –
Sufi Mohammad and Shaikh Abdul Hakim. The TTP has achieved
its targets and their operation was successful.” An unnamed
senior Police official in Dera Ismail Khan disclosed,
on August 13, 2013, that 65 prisoners had either returned
or had been re-arrested and moved back to the prison.
The fate of remaining prisoners is not known.
Indeed,
the appointment of Fazlullah and the freeing of Sufi Mohammad
and Shaikh Abdul Hakim are two events that are bound to
impact adversely on the security situation in the Province.
On March
18, 2013, the new KP Government announced a few tentative
measures to confront the rising menace of Islamist terrorism,
including the setting up of a Strategy and Analysis Wing
(SAW) to coordinate efforts at combating crime and terrorism,
analysing data and making use of digital and internet
data to these ends. Headed by the Home and Tribal Affairs
Secretary, Azam Khan, the SAW hierarchy includes a media
analyst, a prosecution analyst, crime analyst, Geographic
Information Systems (GIS) specialist, a database supervisor
and 'data friskers'. On September 11, 2013, the KP Assembly
had passed a Bill to regulate explosives in the Province.
According to the new law, those found guilty of illegally
manufacturing explosives would be fined up to PKR 15 million
(USD 143,000) while those transporting illegal explosive
would face an PKR 1.25 million (USD 12,000) penalty. The
law also makes the illegal possession of explosives punishable
with imprisonment for a term which may extend to fourteen
years.
These initiatives
overwhelmingly represent a reluctant symbolism, rather
than any clear determination to confront the Islamist
extremists. Indeed, the Imran Khan led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
(PTI) in alliance with Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) - which formed
the Government in the Province under the Chief Ministership
of Pervez Khattak on May 31, 2013, replacing the ANP led
Government of Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti -
came to power on a platform that is deeply sympathetic
to the Islamist extremist ideology. The stated position
of the new Government on the TTP and other Islamist terrorist
formations, according to Chief Minister Khattak's declaration
of January 26, 2014, is that military operations against
the terrorist would be opposed. This, indeed, was only
a further reiteration of the position
that Imran Khan and other party leaders, both of the PTI
and the JI, had defined well before the elections that
brought them to power. Given a comparable ambivalence
in Islamabad, under the present leadership of Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif, and the general reluctance of the Army to
initiate any resolute campaign to challenge the increasing
sway of the terrorists, it is unlikely that any of fitful
measures could impact significantly on the rising graph
of terrorist violence in KP.
|
Manipur:
Tentative Calm
Veronica Khangchian
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
On February
8, 2014, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), an active
component group of the Coordination Committee (CorCom)
of six Imphal Valley-based militant outfits, killed an
Assam Rifles (AR) trooper and injured three others, near
the Nambasi village under the Chasad Police Station in
Ukhrul District. The AR personnel were on a road opening
patrol when the militants detonated a powerful bomb.
Republic
Day (January 26, 2013) celebrations in Manipur were also
marred by four bomb blasts amidst high security measures,
after CorCom called for a boycott. However, no one was
injured in the explosions. The first bomb exploded near
the deputy commissioner’s office in the eastern part of
Imphal, which is also close to the official residence
of Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh. CorCom, while claiming
responsibility for the blasts declared in a Press Statement,
that that the series of blast was executed as part of
the collective call by several outfits of the “Western
Southeast Asia” (Northeast India) region against Republic
Day celebrations.
Earlier,
on October 7, 2013, CorCom and the National Liberation
Front of Tripura (NLFT)
had also jointly called an 18 hour general strike in Manipur
and Twipra (Tripura), with effect from October 14 midnight
till 6 pm of October 15, to protest against the 'forceful
merger agreements' of October 15, 1949, by which Manipur
and Tripura was merged into the Indian Union.
Despite
a dramatic decline in fatalities in the State in 2013,
it is evident that the militants continue to execute attacks
at will. According to the South Asia Terrorism
Portal (SATP) database, total fatalities, at
110 [25 civilians, 12 Security Forces-SFs, 73 militants]
in 2012, reduced to just half, at 55, in 2013 with 21
civilians, six SFs and 28 militants killed in 10 incidents.
2013 recorded 76 incidents of bomb blast, in which 24
people were killed and 103 were injured; 107 incidents
of explosion had been recorded in 2012, though the total
fatalities were nine, and 90 persons were injured. Of
the 107 blasts in 2012, Corcom was responsible for 33;
28 of the 76 incidents in 2013 were attributed to CorCom.
2013 data also demonstrates a sharp lethality of bomb
attacks, despite their reduction in frequency.
Militant
fatalities registered a sharp decline in 2013, with 28
killed, as against 73 in 2012. There were 13 incidents
of encounters between militants and SFs, resulting in
15 militant fatalities, in 2013, while 2012 registered
a total of 33 encounters, in which 48 militants were killed.
There were no SFs fatalities in these encounters.
Fratricidal
clashes between Naga
militants also declined in frequency.
There were at least 10 clashes between the Zeliangrong
United Front (ZUF) – at times a combined force of ZUF
and Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland–Khaplang
(NSCN-K)
– and the NSCN-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), which resulted in
25 fatalities in 2012. There were just seven such incidents
and nine fatalities through 2013. In one major incident,
on November 12, 2013, three ZUF militants were killed
and one NSCN-IM cadre was injured, in a fierce five-hour
gun-battle between NSCN-IM and ZUF cadres near Bhalok
village in Tamenglong District. The injured NSCN-IM cadre
succumbed to his injuries on January 17, 2014.
According
to media reports, the ‘close
ties’ between PLA and the Communist
Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)
appear to have ruptured. On May 29, 2013, Shambhu Singh,
Joint Secretary (Northeast) in the Union Ministry of Home
Affairs (MHA), observed, "The link between Maoists
and Manipur's PLA has been broken long time ago due to
logistical problem in Myanmar and strong presence of Security
Forces along the India-Myanmar border". He added
that the relationship between these two rebel outfits
had disintegrated over the preceding year, after the PLA
shifted their training camps to Taga in the Northern part
of Myanmar. In October 2008, top CPI-Maoist leaders had
met PLA leaders in Myanmar and signed a Joint
Declaration for unified actions to
wage war against India. Noting that the Maoists had not
been able to establish themselves in the other States
of the Northeast, Singh added, "They (Maoist leaders)
have visited Manipur and Nagaland, but they have not been
able to establish themselves." Singh also disclosed
that Indian rebel groups operating from Myanmar had been
facing difficulties infiltrating into India, since most
of the routes had been blocked by the SFs. The Khaplang
faction of the NSCN (NSCN-K) had even cautioned the United
Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA)
and National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB)
not to move out of Myanmar, in view of the strong security
presence, according to Singh. Singh, conceded, nevertheless,
that there were certain areas along the international
border that needed improvement: "But the overall
troop deployment has improved."
In May
2012, the Myanmar Government had ordered militants operating
in India’s Northeast - including Manipuri groups such
as PLA and People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak
(PREPAK)
- to shut down their camps and training facilities and
leave
Myanmar.
There were
at least 23 recorded incidents of abductions through 2013,
resulting in 40 abductions; as against 30 registered incidents
involving 46 abductions in 2012 [as a large proportion
of such incidents go unreported, these are likely to be
severe underestimates]. In one incident, on August 1,
2013, seven persons, including two engineers from Kolkata,
were abducted by Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA)
militants from Imphal East District. The other five included
two senior engineers of the Manipur Irrigation and Flood
Control Department (IFCD), two drivers of the department
and a local contractor. They were all released by the
abductors on August 4, 2013. According to the abductees,
the abductors told the hostages that they had been abducted
because the IFCD always turned down their “requests.”
The hostages denied any knowledge of ransom being paid.
Engineers of the department also denied a financial exchange.
No arrests were made.
Only 14
incidents of extortion were recorded in 2013, as against
35 in 2012 [once again, this is a severely under-reported
crime]. In one incident, on November 4, 2013, the National
Investigating Agency (NIA) seized INR 11.4 million in
cash from a Bangalore businessman. According to investigators,
the money belonged to the Manipur-based PREPAK and United
People’s Party of Kangleipak (UPPK). During questioning,
the agency learnt that PREPAK-UPPK had raised the money
through extortion and that its ‘general secretary’ N.
Shanti Meitei gave the money for relocation to his childhood
friend, who is a real estate developer based in Bangalore.
The NIA refused to share the name of the businessman and
said that his statement had been recorded before a magistrate.
At least
273 militants surrendered in 2013, as against 303 in 2012.
In the most significant incident of the year, on September
9, 2013, 149 cadres belonging to three different underground
organisations laid down arms and signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) and Suspension of Operations (SoO)
pact with the Government. The groups that laid down arms
included 44 cadres of the Nongdrenkhomba faction of Kangleipak
Communist Party (KCP-Nongdrenkhomba),
50 of the Kuki National Liberation Front (KNLF) and 55
of the Kuki Revolutionary Front (KRF).
368 militants
were arrested through 2013, as compared to 609 in 2012.
Arrested militants prominently included 50 of the PLA;
46, Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL);
34, PREPAK; 30, Progressive faction of PREPAK (PREPAK-Pro);
20, United Nation Liberation Front (UNLF);
19, KCP-Military Council (KCP-MC); 13, KCP; nine, ZUF;
and five, NSCN-K.
Worryingly,
the year recorded seven incidents of attacks
on non-locals, resulting in 12 fatalities
and 39 persons injured, as against no such attack through
2012. In the worst attack, on September 13, 2013, at
least nine migrant labourers from Assam were
killed and another 11 were injured in an explosion inside
a working shed located on the slab cover put up over Naga Nullah (drain)
at Nagamapal in Imphal West District. While five persons
died on the spot, four succumbed to their injuries later.
The year also saw an intensive campaign against ‘illegal
migrants’ in the State by the Joint Committee on Inner
Line Permit System (JCILPS), a umbrella body of several
Hill and Valley based civil organizations demanding introduction
of the ILP system in the State. During the recent communal
unrest in Myanmar, sources claim that an estimated 4,200
Rohingya Muslims affected by the unrest allegedly intruded
to India illegally through Bangladesh, and that at least
400 of them entered Manipur.
2013 also
saw the Kuki State Demand Committee (KSDC) renewing its
demand for the creation of a separate ‘Kuki State’, an
area covering around 65 per cent of the whole territory
of Manipur, spread over five Hill Districts: Churachandpur,
Chandel, Senapati, Tamenglong and Ukhrul. On October
17, 2013, the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), an umbrella
body of Kuki militant formations, also reiterated its
demand for a separate Kuki State carved out of Manipur's
territory. Moreover, on September 13, 2013, a large number
of people from the Kuki community gathered at the Brigadier
Thomas Ground in the Kangpokpi area of Senapati District,
to observe 'Kuki Black Day', commemorating the death of
over 900 Kukis in the Naga-Kuki
clashes of the early nineties. Haojakhup
Lupheng, the Vice-President of the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM
- an apex body of the Kukis), complained that, instead
of taking action against the NSCN-IM, the Government has
started dialogue with them. He demanded that the Government
should deliver justice to the victims first, before reaching
any agreement with the NSCN-IM. A SoO between the Government
and the two umbrella organizations of Kuki outfits, KNO
and the United Peoples Front (UPF) has also been extended
for another one year, with effect from August 30, 2013,
at a tripartite meeting held at New Delhi.
Meanwhile,
the United Naga Council (UNC) held its seventh tripartite
talk and first round of political level talks in Senapati
District on February 6, 2014, focusing on its primary
agenda for alternative
arrangements for the Nagas in Manipur,
outside the State Government, and pending a final settlement
to the ongoing negotiations between the NSCN-IM and the
Government of India. Paul Leo, Chairman of the Committee
for Alternative Arrangements stated that the upgradation
of the talks to the political level was a positive development,
as the issue was directly discussed at this level. Meanwhile,
KIM noted that the outcome of UNC’s tripartite talk at
Senapati, in whatever form, would not be accepted by the
Kukis, since the objective behind the talks is purely
for the disintegration of Manipur, as well as for the
disturbance of peace and tranquility among the major ethnic
tribes of the State.
Significantly,
on August 15, 2013, Chief Minister O. Ibobi Singh had
declared that his Government was committed to the protection
of the State's territorial integrity. Any attempt to disintegrate
the State in the form of 'Alternative Arrangements' or
Kuki Statehood was impossible and not permissible, the
Chief Minister asserted. Also, on December 8, 2013, the
Union Home Ministry's Joint Secretary (North East), Shambhu
Singh, had observed that it is still uncertain when the
vexed Naga issue could be resolved and that, currently,
nothing was certain on what the outcome of the ongoing
peace talks with the NSCN-IM would be. Admitting that
the dialogue with the Isak-Muivah led faction of the Naga
rebel group had not seen any concrete progress, the Joint
Secretary disclosed that the outfit had submitted its
charter of demands in July 2011, after abandoning the
demands for sovereignty, unification of Naga areas and
Nagalim (Greater Nagaland). He noted that, the
involvement and consent of the Governments of Manipur,
Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland was necessary, regarding
the NSCN-IM's demands, the Centre is yet to give any reply
to the Naga rebel group.
The year
also saw the merger
of two Naga outfits, the Manipur Naga Revolutionary Front
(MNRF) and United Naga People’s Council (UNPC), to form
a new group, the Manipur Naga People’s Front (MNPF). In
a recent incident, the MNPF carried out a bomb attack
on December 20, 2013, at the residence of NSCN-IM's ‘town
commander’, Newmai Liangmei, at Bulen Colony in Senapati
District.
Despite
the visible slowdown of the surge
of violence in Manipur, the continuous
activities of the militants, the competing ethnic demands
and rivalries, and the failure of the State to resolve
the conflicts, continue to undermine peace in the State.
|
Weekly Fatalities: Major
Conflicts in South Asia
February 10-16,
2014
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
BANGLADESH
|
|
Islamist Terrorism
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Left-wing
Extremism
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Total (Bangladesh)
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
INDIA
|
|
Assam
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
Jammu and
Kashmir
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
3
|
Left-wing
Extremism
|
|
Chhattisgarh
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
4
|
Total (INDIA)
|
0
|
0
|
9
|
9
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
Balochistan
|
2
|
0
|
4
|
6
|
FATA
|
5
|
23
|
0
|
28
|
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
|
30
|
2
|
4
|
36
|
Sindh
|
19
|
13
|
12
|
44
|
Total (PAKISTAN)
|
|
|
|
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
|
INDIA
IM
recruited
Pakistan
nationals
for
India
operations,
says
report:
The
Maharashtra
Anti-Terrorism
Squad
(ATS)
officers
claim
that
wanted
accused
Waqas
Ahmed
was
not
the
only
Pakistani
roped
by
Indian
Mujahideen
(IM)
for
India
operations
as
with
most
IM
operative
being
arrested,
the
outfit
has
done
a
lot
of
recruitment
of
Pakistani
nationals.
Asadullah
Akhtar,
one
of
the
planters
in
July
13,
2011
(13/7)
Mumbai
(Maharashtra)
serial
blasts
case,
has
given
ATS
some
valuable
information
about
co-planter
Waqas
and
IM's
operation.
DNA,
February
13,
2014.
CPI-Maoist
ranked
fourth
among
top
10
most
active
non-state
armed
groups
in
2013,
says
report:
The
Communist
Party
of
India
(Maoist)
has
been
ranked
fourth
among
the
top
ten
most
active
non-state
armed
groups
in
2013,
according
to
study
released
this
week
by
the
IHS
Jane's
latest
'Global
Terrorism
and
Insurgency
Attack
Index'.
According
to
the
report
a
total
of
258
attacks
were
claimed
by,
or
attributed
to,
the
CPI-Maoist,
even
though
this
represented
a
29
per
cent
decrease
from
the
362
attacks
recorded
in
2012.
Among
other
insurgent
groups
listed
in
the
top
ten
rankings
are
the
Barisan
Revolusi
Nasional
(Thailand,
first),
Taliban
(second),
Islami
Chhatra
Shibir
(Bangladesh,
third),
al-Qaeda
in
Iraq
(fifth),
al-Shabaab
(sixth),
Colombia's
FARC
(seventh)
and
Syrian
Jabhat
al-Nusra
(ninth).
The
Hindu,
February
14,
2014;
IHS
Pressroom,
February
14,
2014.
10
Districts
are
Naxal-affected,
says
Madhya
Pradesh
Home
Minister:
Referring
to
Naxal
[Left
Wing
Extremism
(LWE)]-affected
Districts
in
the
State,
Madhya
Pradesh
Home
Minister
Babulal
Gaur
on
February
9
said
that
a
total
of
10
Districts
are
hit
by
"red-sponsored
terrorism"
which
has
hampered
development
in
these
areas.
"We
have
requested
Union
Home
ministry
to
allocate
INR
2
billion
and
two
helicopters
for
the
Naxal-affected
Districts
but
so
far
the
state
has
received
only
INR
700
million
from
the
Centre
in
this
regard",
Gaur
said.
Times
of
India,
February
13,
2014.
43
Urban
Maoists
arrested
in
state
in
last
five
years,
says
Chhattisgarh
Home
Minister
Ramsewak
Paikra:
Chhattisgarh
Government
on
February
12
said
that
43
people,
who
were
part
of
the
urban
network
of
the
Communist
Party
of
India-Maoist
(CPI-Maoist),
were
arrested
in
the
State
during
past
five
years.
In
a
written
in
the
State
Assembly,
Home
Minister
Ramsewak
Paikra
informed
the
House
that
as
many
as
43
people,
including
women,
were
arrested
from
2009
till
January
20,
2013
on
charges
of
involvement
in
urban
channel
of
Maoists.
However,
six
of
them
were
later
exonerated
while
cases
against
37
others
were
pending
in
the
court
of
the
law.
Outlook,
February
14,
2014.
New
militant
group
ASAK
formed
after
breaking
away
from
GNLA
in
Meghalaya:
A
group
of
senior
Garo
National
Liberation
Army
(GNLA)
leaders
led
by
former
'finance
secretary'
Reding
T
Sangma
have
broken
away
from
the
outfit's
military
'chief'
Sohan
D
Shira
and
formed
their
own
organization
christening
it
A'chik
Songna
An'pachakgipa
Kotok
(ASAK).
On
February
12,
the
'commander-in-chief
(C-in-C)'
of
the
new
outfit,
Reding
T
Sangma,
gave
in
detail
the
reasons
for
parting
ways
with
Sohan
D
Shira.
Shillong
Times,
February
14,
2014.
FICNs
worth
INR
1.07
billion
seized
in
over
three
years,
says
Finance
Minister
P.
Chidambaram:
Parliament
was
informed
on
February
11
that
Fake
Indian
Currency
Notes
(FICNs)
worth
INR
1.07
billion
have
been
seized
in
three-and-half
years
till
June
2013.
FICNs
with
face
value
of
INR
236.6
million
were
seized
in
2010,
INR
314.6
million
in
2011,
INR
345.7
million
in
2012
and
INR
176.4
million
until
June
2013,
Finance
Minister
P
Chidambaram
said
in
a
written
reply
to
the
Rajya
Sabha
(Upper
House
of
Indian
Parliament).
Business
Standard,
February
13,
2014.
Illegal
immigration
from
Bangladesh
a
threat
to
national
security,
says
Army
Chief
General
Bikram
Singh:
Army
Chief
General
Bikram
Singh
on
February
11
called
the
infiltration
matter
from
Bangladesh
border
a
matter
of
grave
concern
and
a
threat
to
national
security.
"The
problem
of
illegal
migration
in
Bangladesh
has
led
to
demographic
changes
in
the
northeast.
It
has
led
to
serious
internal
security
challenges
in
Assam,"
Singh
told.
Times
of
India,
February
12,
2014.
NEPAL
Sushil
Koirala
becomes
Nepal's
37th
Prime
Minister:
Nepali
Congress
(NC)
President
Sushil
Koirala
became
Nepal's
37th
Prime
Minister
securing
more
than
two-thirds
votes
in
Parliament
on
February
10
nearly
three
months
after
the
election
was
held
in
November.
His
election
as
Prime
Minister
has
ended
nearly
a
year
of
government
by
a
non-political
technocratic
council
of
ministers
led
by
Chief
Justice
Khil
Raj
Regmi
and
restored
the
country
to
a
multi-party
political
course.
Koirala
secured
405
out
of
the
total
553
votes
cast
at
the
parliament
meeting.
Altogether,
148
lawmakers
voted
against
his
candidacy.
Republica,
February
11,
2014.
Laxman
Lal
Karn
elected
as
Chairman
of
Constituent
Assembly
Regulations
Drafting
Committee:
The
first
meeting
of
the
49-member
Constituent
Assembly
(CA)
Regulations
Drafting
Committee
on
February
14
elected
CA
member
Laxman
Lal
Karn
as
its
Chairman.
Ramesh
Lekhak,
one
of
the
committee
members,
said
the
panel
also
passed
a
10-day
action
plan.
Himalyan
Times,
February
15,
2014.
Maoist
parties
regret
split
and
stress
re-unification:
Both
Maoist
parties
of
Unified
Communist
Party
of
Nepal-Maoist
(UCPN-M)
and
Mohan
Baidya
led
Communist
Party
of
Nepal-Maoist
(CPN-Maoist)
on
February
13
expressed
regret
over
their
split,
realizing
that
the
change
movement
launched
by
their
'people´s
war'
had
weekend
after
the
separation.
Commemorating
the
19th
'People´s
War'
Day
at
separate
functions
in
Kathmandu,
UCPN-M
Chairman
Pushpa
Kamal
Dahal
aka
Prachanda
and
CPN-Maoist
Chairman
Mohan
Baidya
stressed
the
need
for
unification
of
the
communist
parties
into
an
alliance.
The
CPN-Maoist
broke
away
from
the
UCPN-M
in
June
2012.
Republica,
February
14,
2014.
PAKISTAN
30
civilians
and
four
militants
among
36
persons
killed
during
the
week
in
KP:
At
least
13
persons
were
killed
and
19
others
injured
when
three
back-to-back
explosions
occurred
inside
Shama
Cinema
in
the
Bacha
Khan
Chowk
area
of
Peshawar
(Peshawar
District),
the
provincial
capital
of
Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa
(KP),
on
February
11.
Nine
persons
were
killed
on
February
11
after
unidentified
assailants
attacked
a
house
by
opening
fire
and
hurling
hand
grenades
in
the
Badhaber
area
of
Peshawar.
Three
suspected
militants
were
killed
in
an
explosion
in
the
Bacha
Khan
locality
of
Kolachi
area
in
Dera
Ismail
Khan
District.
Four
women
were
killed
and
three
others
were
injured
in
a
suicide
blast
near
a
house
in
the
Essa
Khel
Garhi
area
of
Peshawar
on
February
10.
Unidentified
motorcyclists
shot
dead
three
school
teachers
in
the
Kach
Banda
area
of
Hangu
District
when
they
were
on
their
way
home
following
school
duty
on
February
10.
Daily
Times;
Dawn;
The
News;
Tribune;
Central
Asia;
The
Nation;
Frontier
Post;
Pakistan
Today;
Pakistan
Observer,
February
11-17
2014.
19
civilians
and
13
SFs
among
44
persons
killed
during
the
week
in
Sindh:
At
least
14
persons
were
killed
in
separate
incidents
of
target
killing
and
violence
in
Karachi
on
February
16.
Four
persons,
including
a
supporter
of
the
Muttahida
Qaumi
Movement
(MQM),
were
killed
in
different
parts
of
Karachi
city
(Karachi
District)
on
February
15.
At
least
13
Policemen
were
killed
and
34
others
were
injured
in
a
suicide
blast
targeting
a
bus
carrying
50
Police
officers
near
the
gate
of
Razzakabad
Police
Training
Center
in
Shah
Latif
Town
of
Karachi.
Three
persons
were
killed
in
separate
incidents
of
violence
in
Karachi
on
February
11.
Five
persons
were
killed
in
separate
incidents
of
target
killing
and
violence
in
Karachi
on
February
10.
Daily
Times;
Dawn;
The
News;
Tribune;
Central
Asia;
The
Nation;
Frontier
Post;
Pakistan
Today;
Pakistan
Observer,
February
11-17
2014.
TTP
kills
23
kidnapped
FC
personnel:
The
Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan
on
February
16
claimed
to
have
killed
23
Frontier
Corps
(FC)
personnel
kidnapped
in
June
2010
from
Shoonkri
Post
of
Mohmand
Agency
in
Federally
Administered
Tribal
Areas
(FATA),
reports
Daily
Times.
According
to
reports,
the
TTP
Mohmand
Agency
'spokesman',
Omar
Khurasani
said
that
the
kidnapped
FC
personnel
were
killed
as
revenge
because
the
Government
was
continuously
killing
their
men
in
different
parts
of
the
country,
including
Karachi,
Peshawar
and
Swabi.
He
said
if
the
Government
does
not
stop
killing
the
TTP
supporters,
they
would
also
continue
to
kill
Security
Force
personnel.
After
the
TTP
claim,
it
was
decided
that
the
Government
committee
and
TTP
negotiators
will
not
be
meeting
on
February
17
(today).
Daily
Times;
Tribune,
February
17,
2014.
TTP
has
500
female
suicide
bombers
ready,
says
TTP
negotiator
Maulana
Abdul
Aziz:
The
Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan
(TTP)
sees
no
urgency
to
reach
an
agreement
with
Prime
Minister
Nawaz
Sharif's
Government,
Maulana
Abdul
Aziz,
one
of
the
three
negotiators
representing
the
TTP,
said
February
10.
In
an
interview
at
his
Islamabad
seminary,
where
some
1,300
female
students
are
studying,
Aziz
said,
"You
should
know
that
at
the
moment
they
(TTP)
have
at
least
400
to
500
female
suicide
bombers
in
Waziristan
and
other
tribal
areas".
Aziz
said
the
TTP
is
most
interested
in
implementing
Sharia
(Islamic
Law)
in
Pakistan.
Pakistan
Today,
February
11,
2014.
Pakistan
fourth
most
dangerous
countries
for
journalists,
says
CPJ
report:
A
report
by
the
Committee
to
Protect
Journalists
(CPJ)
said
on
February
12
that
at
least
five
journalists
were
reported
to
be
killed
for
their
work
in
Pakistan
in
2013.
According
to
the
report,
Pakistan
was
ranked
as
the
fourth
most
dangerous
country,
behind
countries
such
as
Syria,
Iraq
and
Egypt
in
terms
of
journalists
killed.
Earlier
in
2012,
seven
journalists
were
killed
for
their
work
in
Pakistan.
Tribune,
February
13,
2014.
SRI
LANKA
Presidential
Commission
on
missing
persons
begins
its
public
hearings:
The
Presidential
Commission
appointed
to
look
into
missing
persons
in
the
North
and
East
during
the
period
between
1990
and
2009
began
its
public
hearings
on
February
14
in
Jaffna
District.
The
hearings
will
continue
till
February
17,
2014,
the
Government
Information
Department
said.
The
Commission
is
investigating
the
alleged
abductions
or
disappearances
of
people
who
were
residents
in
the
Northern
and
Eastern
Provinces
during
the
period
1990-2009.
Secretary
of
the
Commission
H.
W.
Gunadasa
said
that
the
Commission
received
the
highest
number
of
missing
cases
from
Jaffna
District.
The
Commission
received
3000-4000
cases
from
the
Jaffna
District.
Daily
Mirror,
February
15,
2014.
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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