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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 8, No. 25, December 28, 2009

Data and assessments from SAIR can be freely published in any form with credit to the South Asia Intelligence Review of the
South Asia Terrorism Portal


ASSESSMENT


INDIA
Click for PrintPrint

Jharkhand: A Deepening Dark
Ajit Kumar Singh
Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict management

There is little prospect of relief for Jharkhand, as both the Maoist insurgency and the political free fall in the State deepen. The elections of November-December 2009 have yielded an unstable coalition of opportunity, led by a party that commands just 18 seats in an 81 member State Legislative Assembly, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha; backed by a long-time political and ideological adversary, the Bharatiya Janata Party; and headed by Shibu Soren, who has a slew of criminal charges against him, and two brief flirtations with the Chief Minister’s post – a nine day interregnum in 2005, and four months between August 2008 and January 2009. Jharkhand had, in fact, been under President’s rule since January 19, 2009, following Soren’s defeat in the Tamar by-elections.

A five-phase Assembly Election in November-December 2009 secured a 58 per cent voter participation, up from 57 per cent in the Parliamentary elections of April 2009, despite Naxalite (Maoist) attempts to terrorize the people into boycotting the elections. The number of violent incidents was significantly lower during the Assembly Elections, as compared to the Parliamentary polls. A total of 12 Policemen lost their lives during the Assembly elections, while 19 persons lost their lives to Maoist violence during the Parliamentary Elections.

The credit for the relatively low poll violence, however, goes more to the extraordinarily protracted phased election process, and the transient saturation of Security Forces in the State. The broader trends in Left Wing Extremist (LWE) violence in the State remain adverse. Jharkhand witnessed a total of 215 fatalities in as many as 381 incidents of Naxalites related violence, including 18 major incidents (incidents involving three or more than three killings) in 2009 (till December 25, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal database). In terms of fatalities, 2009 was the bloodiest year in the State, and Jharkhand retained the dubious distinction of being second only to Chhattisgarh among the States worst affected by Left Extremism, among a total of 20 afflicted States.

Maoist-related fatalities in Jharkhand, 2004-2008

 
Incidents
Deaths

2004

379
169

2005

312
119

2006

310
124

2007

482
157

2008

484
207
Source: Annual Report 2008-2009, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India

Maoist-related fatalities in Jharkhand, 2005-2009
Year
Civilians
SFs
Naxlites
Total
2005
49
27
20
96
2006
18
47
29
94
2007
69
6
45
120
2008
74
39
50
153
2009
72
67
76
215
South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) Database [Data till December 25]

Though the SATP database recorded 381 incidents till December 25 through open source monitoring, the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Ajay Maken, had informed the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) on July 29 that as many as 395 incidents of CPI-Maoist attacks had already been reported in the year from Jharkhand till July 23, 2009. In 2008, according to Maken, the total number of incidents was 484, and fatalities, 207. Curiously, on August 9, 2009, S. N. Pradhan, Inspector General (IG) of Police in Jharkhand claimed that the "Maoist infested State of Jharkhand has seen a fall in number of attacks as compared to the last year. There has been a decline in Maoist violence..." According to State Police statistics, there were just 228 Maoist attacks till the end of July 2009, as compared to 245 incidents recorded in 2008 in the same period.

On SATP data, a total of 72 civilians (33.48 per cent of those killed), 67 Security Force (SF) personnel (31.16 per cent) and 76 Naxalites (35.34 per cent) were among the 215 fatalities recorded in 2009. In comparison, a total of 74 civilians (48.37 per cent), 39 SFs (25.49 per cent) and 50 Maoists (32.68 per cent) were among 153 persons killed in 2008. [MHA data put the death toll in 2008 at 207].

With a decline in the number of civilians killed and the steep rise in casualties among SFs and the Naxalites, there is evidence of increasing fire contact between the SFs and the Maoists. As many as 48 encounters between the SFs and the Naxalites were reported in 2009. In one such incident, on January 4, 2009, a Special Task Force (STF) team and District Police personnel shot dead a ‘sub-zonal commander’ of the Communist party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), identified as Babulal Munda alias Marandi alias Raman, and four other cadres in the Baish Resham Forest area, nearly 30 kilometres from the Hazaribagh District headquarters. Similarly, on July 22, Police claimed that six CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter with the SFs that led to the neutralisation of three CPI-Maoist camps in the Simdega District.

Responding to the heightened State offensive, the Naxalites carried out at least 16 landmine attacks to hamper the movement of the SFs, including seven major attacks. The worst of these included the April 16 incident, when CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a Border Security Force (BSF) bus ferrying personnel from Ladhup to Arah at a place about 125 kilometres from capital Ranchi in Latehar District, killing nine – seven BSF personnel, one helper and the civilian driver of the bus. Again, on June 10, 11 Policemen, including a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Inspector, were killed and six others were injured when CPI-Maoist cadres triggered a landmine explosion targeting their vehicle in the West Singhbhum District. Two days later on June 12, CPI-Maoist cadres detonated a landmine in the Nawadih area of the Bokaro District, killing at least 11 SF personnel and injuring eight.

In addition to landmine explosions, the Naxalites also launched some audacious attacks against the SFs to demonstrate their augmenting strength. On March 23, between 50 and 100 Maoists, in four groups, launched simultaneous attacks on the Dhurki Police Station in the Garwah District, firing over 500 rounds. On April 10, the Maoists attacked a BSF camp at Furrow under the Bhandarya Police Station in the Garhwa District. However the SFs repulsed both these attacks. On September 30, the Maoists abducted Police Inspector Francis Induwar of the Special Branch, posted in the Khunti District. The Jharkhand Police later recovered Induwar’s decapitated body on a highway in the area. The Maoists had been demanding the release of three of their prominent leaders, Kobad Ghandy, Chatrodhar Mahato and Bhushan Yadav, who had been arrested by security agencies in Delhi and West Bengal, respectively, in exchange for Induwar’s release. The demand was said to have been conveyed to the authorities by the outfit’s South Chhotanagpur committee secretary Samar over the phone to a local newspaper. The Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, however, said there was no demand from Maoists for any swap of the arrested Naxalites.

Several brutal attacks on civilians were also executed by the Maoists in Jharkhand. On July 19, suspected cadres beheaded a man and took away his head, leaving the body near Koleng Nawadih village of Gumla District. On August 28, four persons, including a 12-year-old girl and a woman, were killed, and another injured, by CPI-Maoist cadres who raided a civilian's home on the outskirts of Ranchi. However, Maoist concerns regarding public opinion and support grew as Maoist brutality – including the beheading incidents – were widely reported. Consequently, on November 20, following the November 19 attack on a passenger train in Ghagra in the West Singhbhum District in which two passengers were killed and at least 47 were injured, the Maoists apologised, stating that the incident had been carried out by ‘‘overzealous new recruits’’. Samar, ‘secretary’ of the Bihar-Jharkhand-Orissa Regional Committee of the CPI-Maoist, stated on November 20, ‘‘Why should we kill the common man for no reason? They are our assets as we bank on them for our movement and the movement is also meant for them only.’’ He stated, further, that the party would ensure that the common man was not targeted in future.

Consolidating popular support is, of course, of critical importance in the Maoist strategy. On October 9, Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police Praveen Kumar noted that the people's support for the Maoists in the Bundu and Tamar areas of Ranchi District had emerged as one of the biggest stumbling blocks for anti-Naxalite (LWE) operations. "Whether it is out of fear or otherwise, the support of villagers that the sub-zonal commander, Kundan Pahan, enjoys in the area, has made him almost invincible," Kumar said.

Such ‘support’, however, is more than ambivalent. At least 14 Naxalites were lynched by civilians in nine incidents at different places of the State, demonstrating that, while the Maoists had secured some support in the State – ideologically or coercively – a large chunk of the population remained against them.

However, the Naxalites continued their efforts to establish their authority by imposing diktats on civilians through leaflets and pamphlets. On July 9, the CPI-Maoist launched a poster campaign at Chakulia town in the Ghatshila sub-division of East Singhbhum District reportedly ‘appealing’ to owners of rice mills and detergent factories to pay a minimum wage of INR 100 to daily-wage labourers. Separately, on July 26, Police at Nimdih and Chandil in Seraikela-Kharsawan found CPI-Maoist posters threatening death to those found selling liquor and marijuana in the area. Again on August 7, the CPI-Maoist put up posters in various villages warning people against joining the paramilitary India Reserve Battalions. The handwritten poster asked young people to boycott the ongoing recruitment.

In at least 93 incidents in the year, the Naxalites targeted the State's economy, striking against railway property and personnel, setting trucks ablaze, opening fire at several buses and trucks, blowing up petrol pumps, attacked construction companies and their work sites and destroying mobile phone towers. More significantly, the Naxalites called for disruptive state-wide bandhs (general shut downs) on at least 19 occasions, bringing the State to a virtual standstill. 2008 had seen just 22 incidents on economic targets and bandhs on just nine occasions. A November 6, report also disclosed that the Naxalites had blown up more than 30 school buildings in Jharkhand over the past five years.

The Naxalites also continued their campaigns of loot and extortion. While only 10 extortion cases were officially recorded, the regime of extortion was endemic across the State, targeting ordinary citizens, businesses, corporations and Government officials alike. In one daring incident, the Naxalites abducted a Government official, Alok Kumar, from the Palamau District on August 31 and demanded a ransom of INR 2,000,000. Kumar was, however, rescued later. A July 23 report indicated that Naxalites were extracting ‘levies’ from funds meant for the development of schools in Jharkhand. According to the report, Naxalites were demanding a proportion of the grants schools received from the Government. In Latehar, they demanded INR 50,000 as 'levy' from one school and threatened dire consequences in case they were not paid the amount. INR 6.3 million is allocated for construction and development of schools by the Government, and the Maoists want to ensure that a proportion of these funds flow into their coffers.

Nevertheless, the Maoist ambitions remain far from securing their own declared objectives. It is significant that the CPI-Maoist had vowed on March 19, 2007, to take the ‘revolution’ from its current ‘guerrilla warfare phase’ in Jharkhand to the stage of ‘mobile warfare’ over the succeeding months, but has since failed to carve out its projected ‘liberated areas’.

In the interim, the SFs arrested 225 Naxalites, including 14 ‘commanders’, and were able at least to hinder the relentless process of Maoist consolidation in Jharkhand. The Maoists suffered a telling blow following the arrest of their leader Ravi Sharma aka Arjun aka Mahesh aka Ashok and his wife B. Anuradha aka Rajitha on October 10. The duo, hailing from Andhra Pradesh, were responsible for the spurt in Naxalite violence in both Jharkhand and Bihar. Earlier, on August 24, 2009, the Police arrested Anil alias Amitabh Bagchi, a member of the CPI-Maoist Politburo, and Tauhild Mula alias Kartik, associated with the Maoist Central Committee. Reports indicate that Bagchi’s area of influence extended across the undivided State of Bihar since 1991. He was also charge-sheeted in a case of extremist violence at Palamu (now in Jharkhand).

The SFs also recovered huge caches of arms and ammunition, as well as support technologies and materials, in at least 31 major seizures during the year. On July 14, Police seized a consignment of sophisticated communication devices, binoculars and bullet-proof jackets, which were to be delivered to the CPI-Maoist cadres operating in Bihar and Jharkhand, from Ranchi. The consignment was to be delivered to the CPI-Maoist central committee member Sandeepji. The seized items include 60 Motorolla communication handsets, 60 headphones, chargers, 54 3.6 volt batteries, 10 Sony compact transistors, two world radio transistors, and six mini cassette recorders, most of them made in Japan and China.

There is some disarray in the LWE ranks in Jharkhand, which provides measure of relief to enforcement agencies. Apart from the CPI-Maoist, Jharkhand records the presence of at least nine of its splinter groups, prominently including the People’ Liberation Front of India (PLFI), Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC) and Jharkhand Prastuti Committee (JPC). While the PLFI was involved in 26 incidents of violence during 2009, the JPC and TPC accounted for nine and eight incidents, respectively. Several internecine clashes occurred among these groups. In at least four such clashes, four LWEs were killed. However, it is the growing differences within the CPI-Maoist itself in Jharkhand which is more worrisome for the Maoists. A Maoist ‘ideologue’, who has been associated with the Maoist movement in the region for 30 years, in an interview with IANS published on December 15, on condition of complete anonymity, admitted that acute differences had arisen within the party. While the young cadres endorsed armed action, the Maoist leadership was contemplating "whether entering the political mainstream and working in social sectors in the villages will help draw more people".

Nevertheless, as in 2008, the Naxalites made their presence felt in all but one of the 24 Districts of the State. According to the SATP Database, the Latehar District registered the highest number of incidents (43), followed by Ranchi (40), Palamu (31), Chatra (30) and East Singhbhum (27). In terms of fatalities, Latehar (34) topped the table, followed by Ranchi (30) and Bokaro (26). There were reports of Maoists infiltrating from other States. A July 9 report claimed that a CPI-Maoist squad led by Madan Mahto, which was active in the Lalgarh area of bordering West Midnapore District in West Bengal, crossed over to Ghatshila in the East Singhbhum District. Intelligence sources revealed that the 16-member squad was operating within a 20-kilometre radius of Ghatshila town. The Maoists, mostly hailing from Belpahari area in West Midnapore’s Jhargram sub-division, were reported to have taken shelter in villages such as Jhanti Jharna, Basadera and Dainmari — all in dense forests without any motorable road — under the Ghatshila Police Station area, near the Bengal border. A September 9 report, quoting intelligence sources, stated that a ‘large number’ of armed Naxalites had taken shelter in the Ghatshila sub-division. The Naxalites, reportedly from West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, were said to have assembled in the Ghurabandha Hills to attend a training camp in Jamshedpur. According to intelligence inputs, about 80 armed extremists were taking shelter at Pawadapahar which is strategically located as it borders Gorumahisani Police Station area of Mayurbhanj District in Orissa. Mayurbhanj is one of the worst Maoist affected Districts in Orissa.

To counter the Maoist menace, the State and Union Government have taken several measures.However, the Jharkhand Police continues to suffer from a dismal profile in terms of strength, weapons, transport, equipment and infrastructure. On November 28, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Ajay Maken, expressed dissatisfaction over the intelligence network in Maoist-infested Jharkhand. "There are loopholes in the intelligence network in Jharkhand. It should get more strength." He assured reporters, however, that "The Centre will provide whatever needed to put in place a strong network."

Though the relatively peaceful conduct of elections has been a major achievement for the SFs, what remains to be seen is the Naxalite response after the withdrawal of the more than 300 companies of Central Paramilitary Forces (CPMFs) sent for election duty. The fractured mandate and hotch-potch coalition will also create further impediments in the already tumulus politics of the State. The political complications and uncertainties, combined with the infirmities of the present leadership, can only weaken the political consensus and will to take on the Maoists.


NEWS BRIEFS

Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia
December 21-27, 2009

 

Civilian

Security Force Personnel

Terrorist/Insurgent

Total

BANGLADESH

 

Left-wing Extremism

0
0
1
1

INDIA

 

Assam

0
0
3
3

Jammu and Kashmir

0
2
0
2

Manipur

7
0
4
11

Meghalaya

1

0

0

1

Left-wing Extremism

 

Bihar

2
0
0
2

Chhattisgarh

0
0
3
3

Jharkhand

2
0
0
2

Maharashtra

1
0
0
1

Orissa

0
1
1
2

West Bengal

5
0
0
5

Total (INDIA)

18
3
11
32

PAKISTAN

 

Balochistan

2
0
0
2

FATA

6
1
77
84

NWFP

7
2
10
19

Pakistan occupied Kashmir

13
2
1
16

Punjab

1
0
1
2

Total (PAKISTAN)

29
5
89
123
Provisional data compiled from English language media sources.


INDIA

Nine militants killed in Manipur: The Security Forces (SFs) killed nine suspected militants in three encounters in Thoubal and Chandel Districts of Manipur in the night of December 24. Confirming the report, Assam Rifles spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Prasant W. said the first encounter took place at Waithou Chiru in the Thoubal District at 10pm (IST) in which Assam Rifles personnel shot dead three suspected militants. The second encounter took place in the Sajik Tampak area of Chandel District along the India-Myanmar border around midnight. Troops shot dead three suspected cadres of the People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK). Two hours later, the SFs again exchanged fire with another group of militants in the same area, about five kilometers away from the site of the second encounter. Three more suspected cadres of the PREPAK were shot dead. PREPAK had made Sajik Tampak near the India-Myanmar border a "liberated zone" till troops moved into the place before the 2004 Parliamentary elections and cleared the militant camps from the area. Telegraph India, December 25, 2009.

433 infiltration attempts into Jammu and Kashmir in 2009: The cross border infiltration into Jammu and Kashmir is on the rise with militants making 433 such attempts in 2009, nearly 90 more than in 2008. As many as 106 militants infiltrated during these bids in 2009. "A total of 433 infiltration attempts were made by the militants along the Line of Control and International Border in Jammu and Kashmir in 2009," the Director General of Police (DGP) of Jammu and Kashmir Kuldeep Khoda said. Admitting that there has been a surge in infiltration, he said that measures have been taken by Security Forces to foil these bids and that rising infiltration attempts were a matter of concern at a time when violence had gone down in the State. PTI News, December 23, 2009.

32 militants and 42 linkmen arrested along India-Bangladesh border in Assam and Meghalaya in 2009: The Border Security Force said that 32 militants and 42 linkmen of different militant groups were arrested during border patrolling and counter-insurgency operations, while ten others laid down arms along the India-Bangladesh border in Assam and Meghalaya in 2009. The report adds that, altogether, 479 infiltrators were arrested, while nine persons were killed due to firing by forces, along the border between January and December 22, 2009. Assam Tribune, December 26, 2009.

Maoists in West Bengal shifting base from Lalgarh to Jhargram, say sources: The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) have apparently been shifting base from their strongholds in Lalgarh and Belpahari to the Jhargram Subdivision, 40 kilometers away, in the West Midnapore District. The sources said that around 50 Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-Marxist) local leaders and supporters were killed around Jhargram over the preceding two months, while there was no casualty in Lalgarh, considered a Maoist stronghold and which had been wrested by the Joint Forces earlier in 2009. "As there are many camps of the Joint Forces in and around Belpahari and Lalgarh, Maoists are not able to operate there and are shifting to areas around Jhargram," an unnamed senior Police officer disclosed. The officer said Jhargram's proximity to Jharkhand was one of the main reasons, adding, "Maoists can slip away into Jharkhand easily after committing a crime and it involves time and legal problems for the West Bengal Police to follow them across the border." There are seven camps of the joint SFs in the Lalgarh and nine in the Belpahari area, while there are only three camps in Jhargram and one in Jamboni.

Maoist politburo member Koteswar Rao alias Kishan, however, dismissed the claim in a telephonic interview, "We are not shifting base anywhere. We are always with the people. We will stand by the people anywhere." Claiming the support of the people of Jhargram, Kishan said, "The Government should know that they cannot control us or the people through force." Challenging the Joint Forces, he said, "We are at war with the state and have our own strategy. The Government is well equipped with Police, central force and intelligence network. Let them catch us." Kishan also said that the violent incidents taking place in and around Jhargram over the preceding two weeks were "the beginning of realising a long-term goal to turn Jhargram into a liberated zone." Times of India; The Hindu, December 24, 2009.

High-level committee appointed by Maharashtra Government blames the then Mumbai Police Commissioner for lapses in the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks: A High-level Committee appointed by the Maharashtra Government to go into the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks has found serious lapses on the part of the then Mumbai Commissioner of Police (CP) Hasan Gafoor in handling the "war-like" multi-pronged attack. However, the two-member Committee did not find any serious lapses to act or react on the part of individual officers and Policemen of the Mumbai Police. "There was absence of overt leadership on the part of Hasan Gafoor, the CP, and lack of visible Command and Control at the CP's office," the Report prepared by former Governor and Union Home Secretary R. D. Pradhan, stated. The report tabled by Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil in the Assembly on December 21 found several lacunae in working, both within Mantralaya (the Ministry), the State Secretariat, and the Police establishment. "Well set out procedures for handling intelligence and 'Crisis Management' were overlooked. These require urgent attention," Pradhan said in his note to Chief Minister Ashok Chavan. The report also said the "war-like" attack was beyond the capacity of the Mumbai Police – for that matter, of any Police set up. It had to be tackled by specialised forces such as the National Security Guards. "However, we find that the CP Mumbai did not exhibit adequate initiative in handling the multi-pronged attack. He remained at one spot near Trident Hotel throughout the operations," added the report. Times of India, December 22, 2009.

12-13 terror strikes were foiled in 2009, says Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram: The Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that India was "lucky" that there had been no major terror strikes since 26/11, adding, "In 2009, 12-13 terror strikes were foiled, which had the potential of becoming another Mumbai, Delhi or Jaipur attack... Luck plays an important role in this." Speaking at the Intelligence Bureau Centenary Endowment Lecture at New Delhi on December 23 he asserted that intelligence sharing had improved and the results were beginning to show.

Eelier, on December 22, Chidambaram had pointed out that the insurgency in the Northeast, Maoists and terrorism were the three challenges to India’s internal security. Declaring 2009 to have been "a terror-free year for India, with nine days to go," Chidambaram reaffirmed his Government’s stand of zero tolerance for terrorism. He added that the perception that "terrorism was an imported phenomenon" was no longer entirely valid as there were home-grown terrorist groups in India. On the issue of armed insurgency in the northeast, he said that, while the creation of sovereign states was out of the question, the Indian Constitution was flexible enough to create forms of governance where the desires and aspirations of the people can be accommodated. Times of India; The Hindu, December 23-24, 2009.


PAKISTAN

77 militants and six civilians among 84 persons killed during the week in FATA: Terrorists on December 27 blew up the home of an official in the Kurram Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), killing him and five children as they slept, officials said. There was no claim of responsibility and it was unclear whether the Taliban, or other extremists, were behind the attack. Separately, a US missile attack that demolished a suspected Taliban compound in North Waziristan on December 26, killed 13 terrorists, security officials said on December 27. A US drone slammed two missiles into the building in Danday Saidgi village, seven kilometers north of Miranshah. One of the local commanders, Abdur Rehman, was also killed. At least three suspected US strikes have hit North Waziristan in 10 days, although the US military does not confirm drone attacks. In addition, eight terrorists were killed and 14 injured in attacks on militant hideouts and in a clash between militants and tribesmen in the Orakzai Agency.

10 Taliban militants were killed in the Orakzai and Mohmand Agencies on December 26 as Security Forces (SFs) continued operations against the Taliban militants. Six militants were killed and 11 injured when helicopter gunships bombed militant hideouts in the Orakzai Agency. In addition, a clash between the SFs and militants left at least four militants dead and seven others injured in the Chamarkand area of Mohmand Agency. Also, three Taliban militants were killed and two injured when a US drone fired two missiles at a suspected militant compound in North Waziristan. Further, five militants were killed and two others injured in a clash between two banned militants groups, Ansar-ul-Islam and Lashkar-e-Islam, in the Tirrah Valley of Khyber Agency. The armed militants of the two groups were using heavy weaponry to target rival hideouts in the valley. The SFs also fired at hideouts of Lashkar-e-Islam, neutralizing two of them.

On December 25, the SFs shot dead nine suspected Taliban militants in the Orakzai Agency. The Army also used helicopter gunships to destroy three Taliban hideouts.

Separately, the SFs killed 10 Taliban militants in the Bajaur Agency after they came under attack in the Charmang area of Nawagai tehsil (revenue unit) on December 23.

At least 17 Taliban militants were killed and another eight injured as the SFs, backed by helicopter gunships, continued their offensive against terrorists in the Orakzai Agency on December 22. Helicopter gunships pounded militant’s hideouts in the region, killing seven militants and injuring another eight. Another six militants were killed in the Ferozekhel area during an encounter with the SFs. Ihsanullah, an important Taliban ‘commander’, was among the dead. However, another report claimed that Ihsanullah’s killing was the result of a clash between two militant groups.

The SFs killed four militants in separate clashes in South Waziristan. Sources said that two militants were killed and two were injured in the Nazar Khel area near Gani Khel. The SFs killed another two militants during a search operation in Ghariom. Dawn; Daily Times; The News, December 22-28, 2009.

10 militants and seven civilians among 19 persons killed during the week in NWFP: Four persons, including three civilians and a one Policeman, were killed and 24 were injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up near a security post in Peshawar on December 24.

Three people, including a woman, were killed and 24 persons were injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the main gate of the Peshawar Press Club in Peshawar, NWFP, on December 22. The SFs killed four militants in the Karakar area of the Swat District. Two soldiers were also injured in the exchange of fire.

The SFs killed four Taliban militants in the Totakna area of Swat District in the NWFP on December 21. Dawn; Daily Times; The News, December 22-28, 2009.

15 persons killed in suicide bombing near Muzaffarabad Imambargah: At least 15 people, including mourners and Policemen, were killed and over 100 were injured, when a suicide bomber ripped through a Muharram procession near an Imambargah in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) on December 27, according to Police. A suicide bomber blew himself up when intercepted by Security Force personnel guarding a (Shia) Muharram procession. The procession was passing close to a Police barricade in front of the Imambargah on CMH Road at about 6.30 pm (PST) when the bomber struck, a senior police officer said. The gathering had attracted about 1,000 people, Police officer Tahir Qayum disclosed. Those killed included two Policemen, he said. Daily Times, December 28, 2009.

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militants have entered Karachi, indicates report: Daily Times, quoting a Senior Police Official on December 23, reported that several militants of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), who were hiding and fighting in the tribal areas of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), have reached Karachi to carry out terrorist activities during Muharram. The Police said that militants affiliated with LeJ, who were fighting against Security Forces in Dera Ismail Khan, Hangu and Waziristan, had come to Karachi to provoke sectarian violence in the city. "They plan to carry out suicide bombings and target killings," the officer said, adding, "These militants want to show their strength to the law enforcers and intelligence agencies, and they also want to take revenge for the killings of their leaders and workers in the last couple of months in the city." A source said as many as 13 high-profile militants of LeJ had been killed in different incidents. It is believed that the prime target of the militants would be the main processions and Majalis-e-Azza held in various parts of the city during the first ten days of Muharram, the source added. Daily Times, December 23, 2009.


SRI LANKA

Fonseka’s allegations lead to UN probe: The interview given by the former Army chief Sarath Fonseka to the Sunday Leader on December 13, 2009, where he alleged that three Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leaders who came to surrender with white flags during the final stages of the battle were shot dead by ground troops, has opened an United Nations (UN) probe into possible war crimes charges against the Security Forces. The UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, Philip Alston, in a letter to President Mahinda Rajapakse, has demanded an explanation regarding the allegations made by Fonseka, that the Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse had instructed the commander of the 58th Brigade of the Sri Lanka Army to shoot those surrendering. The UN is inquiring particularly into "the circumstances of the death of three representatives of the LTTE, Balasingham Nadeshan, Seevaratnam Pulidevan and Ramesh, as well as members of their families, in the night of 17 to 18 May, 2009." In his letter, Alston said that the information that he had received was based on the allegations made by Sarath Fonseka in the mentioned interview. The letter also sought information on the family members of Nadeshan, Pulidevan and Ramesh. Daily News, December 22, 2009.

 


The South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) is a weekly service that brings you regular data, assessments and news briefs on terrorism, insurgencies and sub-conventional warfare, on counter-terrorism responses and policies, as well as on related economic, political, and social issues, in the South Asian region.

SAIR is a project of the Institute for Conflict Management and the South Asia Terrorism Portal.

South Asia Intelligence Review [SAIR]

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Editor
Dr. Ajai Sahni


A Project of the
Institute For Conflict Management



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