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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 8, No. 33, February 22, 2010
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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West
Bengal: Sitting Ducks
Ajit Kumar Singh
Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management
Just
six days after Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram held
a meeting in the West Bengal capital, Kolkata, with
the officials of the four eastern States of Orissa,
Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal – the States worst
afflicted by the Maoist insurgency – to intensify inter-State
operations against the Communist Party of India-Maoist
(CPI-Maoist),
the Maoists launched their most devastating attack in
West Bengal, in terms of scale and casualties, since
1967, the year of the Naxalbari uprising in the State’s
North.
According
to reports, over 100 armed CPI-Maoist cadres attacked
the paramilitary Eastern Frontier Rifles (EFR) camp
at Sildha, just 30 kilometres from Midnapore town, in
the West Midnapore District, on February 15, killing
24 EFR personnel. One civilian who was injured in the
cross fire died later. Another seven troopers were also
injured. About 25 personnel who went missing after the
attack returned after spending the night hidden in the
forest. At least 40 firearms were looted by the Maoists
from the camp's armoury. At the time of the attack,
there were 35 EFR and 16 State Armed Police (SAP) personnel
in the camp.
Though
initial reports suggested that there were no casualties
among the Maoists, State Director General of Police
(DGP) Bhupinder Singh claimed, on February 19, that
Susen Mahato, a close confidant of CPI-Maoist politburo
member Koteswar Rao alias Kishan, died from serious
injuries sustained in the attack. "Three to five Maoist
attackers, including Susen, were killed in the encounter
as per information available with us," the DGP added.
Reports indicate that, though Madan Mahato, who leads
a squad in the Belpahari-Banspahari belt and Kundan
Pahan who operates along the Bengal-Jharkhand border,
were present during the Sildha attack, it was Jagari
Baskey, who usually operates along the borders with
Jharkhand and Orissa, who led the charge under Kishan’s
supervision. Two Maoist squads – Dalma and Ayodhya –
were deployed for the attack. According to intelligence
sources, the two squads – part of the People's Liberation
Guerrilla Army (PLGA) force – assembled at a training
camp in Belpahari days prior to the attack. The squads
had slipped into West Bengal two days prior to the attack.
The Sildha
assault was a well-planned and well-coordinated attack
by the rebels, who came in a fleet pickup trucks, white
Ambassadors (the symbol of Indian officialdom), vans
and motorcycles. As a large group of Maoists descended
on the camp in the afternoon, they triggered several
explosions and then started shooting, using AK-47s.
While this first wave of attackers diverted the attention
of the Security Force (SF) personnel towards the main
entrance, a second wave was launched from all sides.
Rebels breached and climbed over the boundary wall,
and the camp was quickly overrun after a brief initial
resistance by the EFR personnel collapsed. The Maoists
tried to cover their tracks, burning a number of their
vehicles, before escaping. The Maoists also planted
landmines on the entire stretch of the approach roads
to the camp, to prevent any reinforcements from reaching
Sildha. There was, consequently, no help for the injured
and traumatized survivors till 7.30pm (IST), hours after
the attackers had left. Police reinforcements reaching
the site discovered the bodies of their colleagues,
some in civilian clothes, burnt cots, charred utensils
and personal effects, besides some weapons destroyed
in the fire. The Maoists had also planted landmines
in the Narayanpurchak area close to Sildha, in a bid
to check any pursuit by SFs. At around 8.30pm, some
40 armed Maoists launched another attack on a Central
Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp at Dharampur in the
nearby Lalgarh area, engaging the CRPF personnel in
an exchange of fire.
The Sildha
incident suggests that the SFs in West Bengal have learnt
little from past mistakes. There have been at least
two large-scale Maoist strikes on EFR personnel in West
Midnapore over the past years. In October 2004, six
Policemen were blown up in an explosion in the Bankishole
forest of Lalgarh. Four Policemen were killed in an
attack at the market in Jamboni in November 2009. After
the November strike, State Armed Police inspector-general
Anil Kumar, who heads the Force, had accused his own
men of not following the "basic rules of a combat
zone", stating "They were too relaxed. Had
they been alert, they could have… retaliated."
Earlier, on October 20, 2009, the Maoists had raided
Sankrail Police Station in West Midnapore District and
shot dead two Police officers and kidnapped the Officer-in-Charge
(OC) of the Police Station. A total of five attacks
on Police post have taken place in the District over
the past six months, and 32 SF personnel have been killed,
several others injured, and a significant number of
arms looted, during these attacks. On the flip side,
there have been just three crackdowns on Maoist hideouts,
and three suspected cadres killed. 190 alleged Maoists
have, however, been arrested — though 23 of them were
released on October 22, 2009 to secure the freedom of
the abducted Sankrail Police Station Officer-in-Charge,
Atindranath Dutta.
Kishan,
who is heading Maoist operations in the area, remains
at large. An unnamed senior Police official has stated
that, on at least two occasions, raiding parties with
specific information on Kishan’s whereabouts have been
called off at the last minute, and there is a general
perception that the political resolve to counter the
Maoists in West Bengal is still missing. Chief Minister
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s preoccupations may, moreover,
not allow sufficient attention to be focused on details
of law and order management. The CM also holds the Home
(internal security) portfolio.
The lack
of preparedness was equally in evidence at Sildha. As
the armed Maoists barged into the camp, over 50 jawans
were either "whiling away their time in the camp or
busy in the kitchen, cooking". This may have part of
the established routine in the camp, but their weapons
were not in reach, and there was, reports suggest, only
one trooper on sentry duty. Neglect of Standard Operating
Procedures (SOPs), poor training and absence of commanding
officers in dangerous areas, were all amply in evidence
at Sildha. The incident report indicates that arms were
neither secured nor immediately accessible to the troopers.
As the Maoists attacked, the camp commander, a sub-inspector,
was absent.
This
happened despite sufficient intelligence on such an
attack, including a threat by the Maoist-backed Peoples
Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) leader Asit
Mahato. On February 14, Mahato had warned, "there
will be an assault within 24 hours as the Police made
a terrible mistake by raiding my house at Bhulageria
and attacking my ailing mother''. Earlier, on January
30, State Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen had demonstrated
extraordinary complacence, declaring, "Only Lalgarh
is of concern at the moment. Other than Lalgarh, nothing
is of concern." This was certainly bizarre under
the circumstances, since his own Police, by this time,
was conceding that all but one of 18 Districts in the
State was infected with some Maoist activity.
There
were, moreover, specific intelligence inputs preceding
the Sildha attack. Since November 16, 2009, Home Secretary
Sen and the DGP had received at least six intelligence
reports about the possibility of a "major attack" on
the Sildha camp and nearby areas. The last of these
was sent on February 13, warning against a "possible
attack in the areas around Sildha, Belpahari and Binpur."
Another report explicitly mentioned Maoist leader Jagari
Baskey’s visit to Sildha College, to mobilize support
among students. The other four reports were sent on
November 23, December 27, December 29 and January 14,
2010. Unfortunately, all these inputs were ignored,
and the DGP stated, "It was not expected that such
an attack would take place in a built-up area like Sildha."
According to new intelligence flows, a 300-400 strong
Maoist attack force, fleeing a crackdown in Chhattisgarh,
has sneaked into West Bengal and is preparing to launch
more brutal attacks than the one in Sildha.
The lapses
preceding Sildha are even more surprising, not just
because the State Police failed to anticipate the incident
despite continuous intelligence warning, but also because
it occurred in West Midnapore, a District generally
conceded to be a Maoist stronghold, where at least 266
persons have been killed in Naxalite violence since
2002. More alarmingly, 155 persons have been killed
in the District just since June 24, 2009. In a daring
attack on February 10, Maoist cadres opened fire on
a helicopter carrying the DGP while he was conducting
an aerial survey of Lalgarh and other Maoist-controlled
areas.
Admitting
that there was "some lack of alertness", Chief
Minister Bhattacharjee admitted that SF personnel had
become "sitting ducks". Union Home Secretary
G. K. Pillai reinforced this perception, declaring,
"I think the Maoists have basically selected what I
would call a soft target. Because the West Bengal Police
are possibly the least prepared for tackling such menace
as the Maoists… I think they do need far more training.
I think the preliminary indications are that there have
been quite some considerable security lapses and negligence
on the part of those who are manning the camp. That
is why they have lost this much manpower, as also weapons."
Meanwhile,
there are clear indications of a Maoist determination
to further escalate the conflict. Koteswar Rao has,
for instance, threatened that an armed movement would
be launched in capital Kolkata before the 2011 Legislative
Assembly elections. Claiming responsibility for the
Sildha attack, he warned, "If the State Governments
and the Centre do not stop this killing spree (a reference
to centrally coordinated Operations in the four worst
affected States), we are going to carry on like this.
Steer clear of the jungles of Bengal, Orissa, Bihar
and Jharkhand.'' He described the Sildha attack as a
part of the Maoists’ "Operation Peace Hunt",
an answer to Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s "Operation
Green Hunt" ("Green Hunt" is, in fact,
an operation launched by the Chhattisgarh Police, and
not a central initiative). He reiterated that the Maoists
were open to dialogue with the Centre and the State
Governments, but only if the Joint Forces suspended
operations, following which, "we will also stop
violence within 24 hours."
While
some of the Maoist-affected States are beginning to
get their act together, West Bengal seems to lack both
the necessary political will and a professional Police
Force to face as determined a foe as the reorganised
Maoists. Despite months of intense combing operations
by more than 4,000 troops in Lalgarh and its adjacent
areas, for instance, it is now evident that these operations
are nowhere near their objectives.
The State
Government has, however, now announced the raising of
a Special Battalion of 939 Police personnel to tackle
Maoists in the three western districts – West Midnapore,
Bankura and Purulia. A Special Combat Force of 3,500
personnel would also be raised by the Government. An
amount of INR 250 million has been sanctioned for the
Force. The State Government has urged for the Centre
to deploy an additional six companies of Central Para
Military Forces (CPMFs) to beef up the present strength
of 17 CPMF companies, mostly of the Border Security
Force and the Central Reserve Police Force, already
deployed in the area.
It remains
to be seen whether these projected enhancements will
help contain the Maoist menace in the State. There is
little doubt that Maoist activities have been directly
facilitated by the attitude of the State Government
in the past. Despite the resurgence of the Maoists since
2004, for instance, the Left Front Government in West
Bengal has refused to proscribe the CPI-Maoist party.
Continuing
failures, at this point of time, can only lead the State
into dire consequences. Chief Minister Bhattacharjee
has long maintained that his Government was inclined
to wage an "administrative and political" campaign against
the Maoists, and that merely banning them would not
"isolate them from the masses". There has been persistent
reluctance to use force despite a rising tide of Maoist
violence. Sildha may, however, see the beginnings of
a change of attitude, with the Chief Minister asserting
that the operation of Joint Forces would continue and
that the Maoists would be dealt with "sternly".
Given the conditions of the West Bengal Police
establishment, however, it remains
to be seen how effectively this determination can translate
into action on the ground.
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Constitutional
Deadlock
Anshuman Behera
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management
Nepal is,
once again, being pushed to the brink, as a political
gridlock stalls the drafting of her new Constitution.
With just three months to go before the May 28, 2010,
deadline which had been imposed on the Constituent Assembly
(CA), in May 2008, for the writing of the Constitution,
there appears to have been little substantive development
on a draft. As time runs out, and political polarizations
harden, there seems little hope that the Constitution
will be drafted in time. With the Unified Communist Party
of Nepal – Maoist (UCPN-M)
threatening to take to the streets if the deadline is
not met, the ongoing impasse has the potential to undermine
the fragile peace in this infant republic.
After the
fall of the Monarchy, the Seven Party Alliances (SPA)
had hammered out an agreement with the Maoists on the
drafting of the Constitution. The first meeting of the
CA was held on May 28, 2008, and 11 ‘thematic committees’
were allocated responsibilities to work on different components
of the proposed Constitution. It is important note that
the CA had been a standing demand of Nepal’s various political
parties since 1950. It was, however, during the second
(June 5, 2008) and third (June 11, 2008) meetings of the
CA that the political parties started defining their own
divergent stands on various issues, and a boycott drama
commenced. Political parties, particularly the Communist
Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), the
UCPN-M and the Nepali Congress (NC), amplified their disagreements
on even the smallest possible issues.
In a unique
process, Nepal’s CA did not engage constitutional experts
to frame a preliminary draft of the provisions of the
Constitution, with a view to subject this to focused discussions
in the CA. The result has been a free floating process,
largely of political posturing outside the formal constitution
drafting process, which has allowed little headway to
be made in over 18 months. Significantly, while violent
disputes have dominated the political discourse on various
elements of the projected constitutional structure, there
has been no significant discussion on anything important
relating to the draft Constitution since the third meeting
of the CA on June 11, 2008, and till its 28th
meeting on May 24, 2009. Indeed, between June 2008 and
May 2009, the CA appeared to focus almost exclusively
on discussions relating to the inclusion and resignation
of CA members from different parties. It was only in its
28th meeting that the CA’s National Interest
Preservation Committee (NIPC) presented its Concept Paper,
outlining the basic contours of the proposed Constitution,
to the Assembly. This development was, however, immediately
undermined when one of the members of the NIPC articulated
his opposition to the Concept Paper. As a result, the
29th meeting of the CA, held on May 27, 2009,
was wrapped up with the formation of a 15-member ‘Concept
Paper Discussion Committee’.
In what
would appear to be a positive development, all 11 Thematic
Committees had tabled their Reports by January 27, 2010,
for discussion in the CA, preliminary to the final drafting
process. However, according to CA Schedule 149, the Thematic
Committees were supposed to table their preliminary reports
by April 23, 2009, and party-wise discussions and the
revision of the Reports were to be completed by January
21, 2010. On the original schedule, the Constitutional
Drafting Committee was scheduled for ‘theoretical discussions’
on the Constitution Bill by February 23, 2010. There is
now no possible hope that these schedules will be met.
It is the
lack of consensus among the principal political parties
that has brought things to the present pass. Each political
party has sought to dominate the others, with the UCPN-M
leading the race. The CA’s processes have been stalled
or disrupted on numberless issues, some of grave significance,
others no more than trivial. There were strong disagreements
among the parties on the change of the National Flag.
The CPN-UML and NC supported the continuance of the existing
flag, while the UCPN-M and various regional parties sought
a change. The process of the finalizing the National Flag
took more than three months, between September 16, 2009,
and December 2009. There have been persistent disagreements
among the political parties over issues such as the National
Bird, National Animal and National Flower. More intractable
postures have undermined discussions on the weightier
issues of governance, and particularly the proposed nature
of the country’s Federal structure and the distribution
of State power. Small but influential regional parties
such as the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) are demanding
‘one Madhes one Pradesh’, a single ‘Madhesi’ state with
a ‘pan-Madhesi’ identity. The Tharu minority in the Madhes
region is, however, against any structure that would block
the entire Madhes region together.
The CPN-UML,
the leader of the ruling coalition, has also repeatedly
blocked the possibilities of consensual resolution, particularly
with a belligerent rhetoric towards the Maoists. Thus,
Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal declared, recently,
that "the Maoists would face the same fate of the
Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka if they continued to engage
on violence and intimidation", rhetoric that will
not push discussions forward the next time his party sits
across the party with the UCPN-M for discussions on the
niceties of the Constitution. Worse, there is little evidence
of political consensus within the CPN-UML itself, with
party President, Jhala Nath Khanal, demanding Nepal’s
resignation on February 19, 2010, for the Prime Minister’s
failure to secure a consensus among the political parties
for the smooth drafting of the Constitution.
Tensions
over the absence of consensus on provisions of the Draft
Constitution have been infinitely compounded by disruptive
behavior outside the CA. While the debate on the proposed
federal structure was going on in the CA, for instance,
the Maoists, on November 25, 2009, unveiled their plan
to declare 13 ‘Autonomous States’ based on ethnicity and
region. Soon thereafter, on December 2, 2009, Prime Minister
Nepal stated that the UCPN-M’s plan to declare autonomous
federal states was against the Comprehensive Peace Agreement
(CPA) and the Interim Constitution, and accused the Maoists
of trying to undermine the CA at a time when political
parties were holding discussions on State restructuring.
Nevertheless, ignoring widespread national and international
concerns on the issue, the UCPN-M announced the ‘formation’
of autonomous Kochila and Laimbuwan States on December
11. On December 13, the Prime Minister said the Maoist
decision to declare federal States would invite political
confrontation and urged the Maoists to withdraw their
decision, if they wanted timely drafting of constitution.
The Maoists, however, stood by their plan and declared
another 11 Autonomous States – Kirat, Sherpa, Bher-Karnali,
Tharuwan, Seti-Mahakali, Tamsaling, Newa, Bhote, Magarat,
Tamuwan and Madhesh.
The Maoists
also disrupted Parliamentary proceedings from May 6, 2009,
through December 2009, including the proceedings of the
CA, even as they continued with widespread intimidation
and sporadic violence. There have been numberless instances
of the UCPN-M and its youth wing, the Young Communist
League (YCL),
being involved in land grabs, extortion, disruption of
development projects, and unruly political demonstrations.
In one such incident, on December 29, 2009, UCPN-M cadres
assaulted Federal, CA Affairs and Culture Minister Minendra
Rijal with lathis (bamboo canes) in Udaypur District,
as he was coming out of the NC District Party office.
Maoist belligerence has variously encouraged and provoked
other political groupings to adopt violent and intimidatory
tactics to pursue their own political goals.
In a rare
positive development, however, a High Level Political
Mechanism (HLPM) was constituted, after a prolonged disruption
by the Maoists of the CA, on January 8, 2010, to end the
deadlock and to address various constitutional issues.
Within hours, however, UCPN-M Chairman, Pushpa Kamal Dahal
aka Prachanda, declared that his party would re-launch
the ‘people’s war’ if the Constitution was not drafted
on time – an eventuality that has receded from the realms
of the possible. Worse, the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Loktantrik
(MJF-L) has declared itself against the HLPM, claiming
that the Mechanism has been instituted with the objective
of furthering the interests of the larger political parties.
With just
three months to go before the deadline for the Draft Constitution
expires, the political deadlock seems to be worsening.
None of the political parties in Nepal has demonstrated
the sagacity to lead the country out of its protracted
political and constitutional logjam. As the May 28, 2010
deadline approaches, Maoist belligerence appears to be
escalating, and the country is once again at acute risk
of a spiral into disorder and violence.
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Weekly
Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia
February 15-21, 2010
|
Civilian
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorist/Insurgent
|
Total
|
INDIA
|
|
Assam
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Jammu and Kashmir
|
0
|
0
|
9
|
9
|
Manipur
|
1
|
0
|
8
|
9
|
Maharashtra
|
6
|
0
|
0
|
6
|
Left-wing Extremism
|
|
Bihar
|
12
|
0
|
0
|
12
|
Chhattisgarh
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
Jharkhand
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
Orissa
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
West Bengal
|
1
|
24
|
5
|
30
|
Total (INDIA)
|
25
|
24
|
24
|
73
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
Balochistan
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
FATA
|
3
|
0
|
97
|
100
|
NWFP
|
1
|
2
|
13
|
16
|
Punjab
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
Sindh
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Total (PAKISTAN)
|
6
|
2
|
112
|
120
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
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INDIA
Maoists
kill 24 Security Force personnel in West Bengal: At
least 24 Security Force (SF) personnel, belonging to the
Eastern Frontier Rifles (EFR), were killed and several others
injured when the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)
cadres attacked an EFR camp at Sildha in West Midnapore
District on February 15. Director-General of Police Bhupinder
Singh said that the Maoists triggered several blasts before
opening fire on the SF personnel. The Maoists
looted firearms and set ablaze the camp after spraying bullets
on the SF personnel. Before leaving the spot, the Maoists
planted several landmines on the entire stretch of road
leading to the camp. Maoist
politburo member Koteshwar Rao alias Kishan
claimed the attack. West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee
on February 18 conceded the Police forces’ lack of alertness.
The
Hindu; Times
of India, February 16-19, 2010.
Maoists
kill 12 villagers in Bihar: More
than 150 armed cadres of Communist Party of India-Maoist
(CPI-Maoist) attacked Phulwaria village in Jamui District
late on February 17 and killed 12 villagers. The incident
was reported as revenge killing by Maoists, because the
villagers were not supporting the Maoists. Police also suspect
the incident was related to the alleged killing of eight
Maoists on February 1.
The
Hindu; Times
of India, February 18-19, 2010.
New terrorist
outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba al-Almi claims responsibility for
Pune bomb blast:
An unknown Pakistan-based terrorist outfit
has claimed responsibility for the Pune (Maharashtra) bomb
blast that has so far claimed 15 lives. Identifying himself
as a spokesperson of a group calling itself the Lashkar-e-Toiba
al-Almi (LeT-al-Almi, meaning international) an individual
using the code-name ‘Abu Jindal’ said the bombing was
carried out because of India’s "refusal"
to discuss the Kashmir issue in the coming talks
with Pakistan. One so-called Indian Mujahideen Kashmir outfit
also claimed responsibility of the attack through a text
message sent to some media houses. Earlier, al-Qaeda affiliated
Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) 'commander' Muhammad Ilyas
Kashmiri was reported to have sent an e-mail to a Pakistani
journalist, claiming responsibility for the attack.
Meanwhile, Indian intelligence sources said that the claims
appeared intended to deflect attention from the LeT, which
is emerging as the principal suspect.
The
Hindu; Times
of India, February 17, 2010.
Intellectual
support stands in the way of tackling Maoists, says Union
Home Minister P. Chidambaram: Intellectual
support to the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)
has made the task of tackling Maoists very difficult as
it confused people, said Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram
in New Delhi on February 19. Chidambaram
added, "But don’t forget the bottom line — the CPI
(Maoists) believe in armed liberation struggle. Accept it
or reject it. There can be no half-way approach. Most people
still think there could be a compromise or some kind of
median approach. This is immature and foolish." He
added, "The Naxal menace was far worse than
we (the government) expected".
The
Hindu, February 17, 2010.
PAKISTAN
97 militants
and three civilians among 100 persons killed during the
week in FATA: The
Security Forces (SFs) killed at least 36 Taliban
militants during operations in the various regions of Federally
Administer Tribal Areas (FATA) on February 20. The SFs killed
at least 30 Taliban militants during operation Rah-e-Nijat
(path to salvation) in various areas of Shawal Mountains
in South Waziristan Agency. Six Taliban militants, including
a ‘commander’, were killed in clashes with the SFs at Chapri
Ferozkhel, the border area between Khyber and Orakzai Agencies.
Five Taliban
militants were killed in Banda and Ghundo areas of Nawagai
tehsil (revenue unit) in the Bajaur Agency when fighter
jets and helicopter gunships bombarded Taliban hideouts
on February 19.
At least
30 persons, including a Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) ‘commander’,
were killed and 110 others injured in a suicide attack near
a mosque in Akakhel area of Tirah valley in the Khyber Agency
on February 18. Sources in Tirah valley confirmed that the
LI ‘deputy chief’ for the area, identified as Azam Khan,
was among the dead. The sources said that around 40 kilogram’s
of explosives were used in the attack. In addition, four
Taliban militants, including a Taliban ‘commander’ Jalaluddin
Haqqani’s son Muhammad Haqqani, were killed when US drones
fired two missiles in Danday Darpakhel village near Jalaluddin
Haqqani’s madrassa (seminary), four kilometres north of
Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan. The attack
was the fourth US bombing since February 14 in North Waziristan,
and struck a stronghold of the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network.
Unidentified
assailants killed six militants allegedly to be associates
of Taliban ‘commander’ Noor Jamal alias Maulana Toofan
by ambushing their vehicle in central Kurram Agency on February
17. Also, a US drone strike killed at least three suspected
Taliban militants at a compound close to the Afghanistan
border in North Waziristan.
SFs backed
by jet fighters and gunship helicopters pounded Taliban
hideouts and killed 10 Taliban militants in the Bajaur Agency
on February 16.
Further,
a US drone attack killed at least three Taliban militants
in the North Waziristan Agency of FATA on February 15.
Dawn;
Daily
Times; The
News, February 16-22, 2010.
HuJI vows
attacks across India: The
Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) 'commander' Muhammad Ilyas
Kashmiri , whose ‘313 Brigade’ is an operational arm of
the al Qaeda, has vowed to continue attacks across India
until the Indian Army leaves Indian-held Kashmir and gives
the Kashmiris their right to self-determination. In the
message sent to Asia Times Online, early on February
15 Kashmiri said, "We warn the international community
to play its role in getting the Kashmiris their right to
self-determination and preventing India from committing
brutalities in IHK [Indian Held Kashmir], especially in
Badipuar, raping the women and behaving inhumanly with Muslim
prisoners." "We warn the international community
not to send their people to the 2010 Hockey World Cup, the
Indian Premier League and Commonwealth Games – to be held
in New Delhi later this year. Nor should their people visit
India – if they do, they will be responsible for the consequences,"
he threatened. He further said, "We assure the Muslims
of the subcontinent that we will never forget the massacre
of the Muslims in Gujarat and the demolition of the Babri
Masjid. The entire Muslim community is one body and we will
take revenge for all injustices and tyranny. We again warn
the Indian government to compensate for all its injustices,
otherwise it will see our next action."
Daily
Times, February 17, 2010.
Pakistan
will not hand over Taliban suspects to US, says Interior
Minister Rehman Malik: Pakistan
will not turn over the Afghanistan Taliban’s ‘second-in-command’
and two other terrorists captured in the month of February
to the US, but may deport them to Afghanistan, Interior
Minister Rehman Malik said on February 19. Malik said Pakistani
authorities were still questioning Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and
two other terrorists, arrested with US assistance
in separate operations in February. "First we will
see whether they have violated any law," Malik added.
"If they have done it, then the law will take its own
course against them, but at the most if they have not done
anything, then they will go back to the country of origin,
not to the US," he added further.
Daily
Times, February 20, 2010.
Pakistan
lost USD 35 billion in three years in war on terror, Minister
of State for Economic Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar says: Pakistan’s
direct and indirect cost in the war on terror has been around
USD 35 billion over the last three years, Minister of State
for Economic Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar said on February
19. Hina Rabbani Khar expressed these views during a meeting
with Giuseppe Vegas, Italian Deputy Minister for Economy
and Finance, who called on her in Islamabad. She said the
public sector development programme allocation for the next
financial year might have to be curtailed due to this rising
cost of war on terror. She said Pakistan had lost the most
in the war, as Pakistani casualties were more than the total
number of casualties of all the NATO forces combined. Vegas
said his Government would encourage Italian businessmen
and entrepreneurs to invest in Pakistan to take benefit
from its growing market. Vegas also showed interest in initiating
various development projects in Gilgit-Baltistan, particularly
in the tourism sector.
Daily
Times, February 20, 2010.
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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