|
|
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
|
The Challenge
of Peace
Veronica Khangchian
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management
In his
2011 New Year message, S. Singnya, the President of
the ‘Federal Government of Nagaland/ Naga National Council’
(FGN/NNC) declared,
|
After
several rounds of reconciliation meets and the
declaration of unconditional unity, I strongly
believe that the present peaceful Naga society
will never again be called a fratricidal society,
regardless of the past. The Naga society is now
genuinely and swiftly moving in the right direction.
|
This
hope was quickly belied, as internecine clashes among
Naga militant groups have already resulted in at least
38 fatalities since January 1, 2011. National Socialist
Council of Nagaland—Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM)
and National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang
(NSCN-K)
have been the most prominent groups involved in this
fratricidal confrontation. In one incident, intelligence
sources disclosed, over 35 cadres of these groups were
killed in the night of February 24-25, 2011, on the
Tirap (Arunachal Pradesh)-Myanmar border. The IM faction
lost 30 of its cadres when their 100-strong armed group,
trying to enter Tirap from Myanmar’s Sagiang Division,
was ambushed by the rival Khaplang faction. The Khaplang
faction lost about five of its cadres.
This
was the largest clash in the ongoing conflict between
the two groups since December 2010. The conflict in
Tirap-Changlang has been ongoing for nearly a decade,
as the rivals engage in a contest to secure dominance
over the two strategically located Districts in Eastern
Arunachal Pradesh. These Districts serve as a transit
route for militants from India’s north-east, taking
shelter in largely un-administered areas of Myanmar.
According to reports, at least two NSCN-IM cadres were
killed and another five injured when the NSCN-K cadres
uprooted the only NSCN-IM camp at Khamlang village under
Changlang District in Arunachal Pradesh on December
27, 2010.
Meanwhile,
clashes among these Naga groups crossed India’s frontiers,
when severe fighting broke out between them somewhere
inside Myanmar on February 26, 2011. At least two NSCN-K
cadres were reportedly injured in the fighting.
The bloodshed,
moreover, also reaches inwards within these factions
as well. ‘Brigadier’ Chipu Menon, the NSCN-K ‘head’
from Tirap, for instance, was killed in the Mon District
of Nagaland by another NSCN-K cadre on March 17, 2011.
Sources indicated that Menon was summoned from Tirap
to Mon by higher-ups, to sort out issues related to
‘organizational management’, which included disciplinary
and financial matters. Menon had earlier been warned
to "abide by the organizational discipline"
but "did not pay any heed."
Meanwhile,
in an indication of rising differences among the ‘champions
of the Naga community’, a new outfit, the Zeliangrong
United Front (ZUF), was floated on February 25, 2011,
with a primary aim to protect the interests of the Zeliangrong
tribe, with the slogan "Zeliangrong Ringtelo,"
meaning ‘Long live the Zeliangrong people’. Police sources
believe that the new outfit was formed by around 10
NSCN-IM cadres who deserted the group, along with arms
and ammunition, and joined up with some NSCN-K cadres.
A ZUF cadre was killed on March 5, 2011, in a clash
with suspected NSCN-IM cadres near Khoupum Khunou village
in Tamenglong District, Manipur.
Opposition
to the signing of the Shillong Accord on November 11,
1975 between the Government of India (GoI) and some
representatives of the Naga National Council (NNC),
had led to the formation of National Socialist Council
of Nagaland (NSCN) with Isak Chishi Swu as the ‘Chairman’,
S. S. Khaplang as the ‘Vice Chairman’ and Thuingaleng
Muivah as the ‘General Secretary’. No one could have
imagined, then, that this would be the beginning of
a serious fratricidal confrontation which remains unabated
till date. Factionalism began after April 30, 1988,
when a bloody clash between supporters of Muivah and
Isak Chishi Swu, on one side, and Khaplang, on the other,
resulted in the split of NSCN into two groups – NSCN-IM
and NSCN-K. At least 100 people were killed in the clash.
Since their inception, both the groups have been constantly
engaged in a violent contest to establish their hegemony.
According
to the South Asia Terrorism Portal Database,
a total of 417 Naga militants have been killed and another
97 injured in the internecine clashes since 2001. Fatalities
registered an upward trend (barring 2001), till they
peaked at 110 in 2008, but fell drastically in 2009
and 2010.
Casualties among
Naga outfits in internecine clashes: 2001-2011
|
Year
|
Killed
|
Injured
|
|
2001
|
13
|
2
|
|
2002
|
22
|
0
|
|
2003
|
14
|
0
|
|
2004
|
21
|
2
|
|
2005
|
28
|
6
|
|
2006
|
70
|
31
|
|
2007
|
82
|
29
|
|
2008
|
110
|
14
|
|
2009
|
11
|
9
|
|
2010
|
8
|
2
|
|
2011*
|
38
|
2
|
|
Total
|
417
|
97
|
Source:
SATP
*Data till April 10, 2011
The drop
in killings was the result of a ‘Covenant of Reconciliation’
(CoR) signed by the top leaders of three Naga Political
groups – NSCN-K, NSCN-IM and FGN/NNC – on June 13, 2009,
after a Naga Reconciliation meet was held in Chiang
Mai in Thailand from June 1 to June 8, 2009. The CoR,
reaffirmed again on September 18, 2010, states that
the Naga political groups, in the name of God and witnessed
by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation, declared to the
Naga people and the entire world resolving to, among
others, desist from pursuing territorial expansion so
that a conducive atmosphere is sustained for strengthening
the Naga Reconciliation Process. Since then, 45 ‘reconciliation
summits’ have taken place – 36 rounds in Nagaland and
nine in Chiang Mai. The recent ‘highest level meeting’
of the Naga Reconciliation Committee, which was to be
held during the visit of NSCN-IM leaders in March 2011,
however, could not take place due to the sudden review
of the decision by the NSCN-K.
It now
appears that the period of bonhomie is over. Unsurprisingly,
the NSCN-K accused the IM of blatantly violating the
CoR and ‘ordering military operations’ in eastern Nagaland.
On February 26, 2011, NSCN-K spokesperson P. Tikhak
stated, "What is happening in eastern Nagaland is a
unilateral abrogation of the CoR by NSCN-IM," adding
further that reconciliation among different parties
cannot happen by holding guns in the hand or by one
party considering himself or herself superior to others.
A joint statement issued on February 27, 2011, by NSCN-K
and FGN, two of the three signatories of the CoR, noted,
|
Naga
people are informed that while Mr. Isak Chishi
Swu and Th. Muivah demand sincerity from the GoI,
back home in Nagaland, despite being a signatory
of the CoR they have miserably failed to be sincere
to their own people. The ink on the documents
they signed is still wet, yet they are threatening
to throw Nagaland into further turmoil. Naga people
have the right to know why Mr. Muivah has ordered
military offensive in eastern Nagaland.
|
The NSCN-K
has now declared that the reconciliation process was
a "closed chapter because of the NSCN-IM… It is not
worthwhile to stretch on the interaction on reconciliation
if the people you approach are a confused lot and are
not prepared to reconcile in true spirit. What is the
use of holding reconciliation meetings if we cannot
abide by the resolutions adopted?" Tikhak said on February
26, 2011.
Expectedly,
the NSCN-IM, claimed that it remained "deeply committed"
to the peace process and reconciliation. On February
28, 2011, Muivah however, argued, "But while we
are deeply engaged in the works of peace and reconciliation
a number of Naga Army personnel (armed wing of the NSCN-IM)
were killed by the Khaplang party in different incidents
under their declared military offensive campaigns against
NSCN in Tirap and Changlang Districts of Arunachal Pradesh.
We will never allow ourselves to be sitting ducks when
enemies attack us… They (the rivals) are always on the
offensive."
The recent
upswing in the factional differences has also impacted
on the ongoing talks between the NSCN-IM and GoI. On
March 2, 2011, the NSCN-IM held the first round of talks
with the Government’s newly appointed interlocutor,
R.S. Pandey, at New Delhi, during which the group submitted
a list of 30 demands. The next round of talks is scheduled
to be held in April. On February 26, the NSCN-K had
conveyed to the GoI that it has no objections to the
proposed meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
and NSCN-IM ‘general secretary’ Th. Muivah in April,
since the talks were "merely a bilateral meeting between
two parties and not a political talk between GoI and
the Nagas". However, NSCN-K spokesperson P. Tikhak,
on February 28, declared, "We never supported the
peace talks nor will we ever support it." Moreover,
after the conclusion of the first meeting of the Supervisors
of the Cease Fire Monitoring Board (CFMB), Wangtin Naga,
the NSCN-K Cease Fire Monitoring Board Supervisor, insisted,
on January 6, 2011, that his group would only talk when
all factions come together under one roof.
Evidently,
the Naga reconciliation process, initiated by the Forum
for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) in 2009, has run into
a rough weather in the wake of the recent turf wars
between the rival NSCN groups in eastern Nagaland. The
Union Defense Ministry, on March 16, 2011, however,
continued to claim that "Violence levels have declined
and the inter-factional clashes between NSCN-IM and
NSCN-K have reduced."
The continuing
violence in Nagaland is the result of New Delhi’s failure
to implement the terms of its cease fire agreements
with the NSCN factions, which require their cadres to
be restricted within designated camps, and to deposit
their arms. If the peace process in the State is to
have any hopes of success, and tranquility is to prevail
in the region, these terms will have to be imposed on,
and accepted by, these armed groups. As long as the
NSCN factions – and other militant groupings in the
State – continue to build up their armed strength and
struggle for military dominance in ‘contested’ areas,
there can be little hope of peace for the Naga people.
|
Crisis
of Credibility
Srideep Biswas
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management
On the
model of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South
Africa, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, at the
end of three decades of civil war, appointed a Lessons
Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) on May 15,
2010, to examine the events covering the period between
February 21, 2002, and May 19, 2009, and their attendant
concerns and issues, and to recommend measures to ensure
that there would be no recurrence of such strife.
The mandate
of the eight member Commission, headed by former Attorney
General C. R. De Silva as Chairman, was to inquire and
report on the following matters over the period defined:
-
The
facts and circumstances which led to the failure of
the cease-fire agreement operationalized on February
21, 2002, and the sequence of events that followed
thereafter, up May 19, 2009;
-
Whether
any person, group or institution directly or indirectly
bore responsibility in this regard;
-
The
lessons that could be learnt from those events and
their attendant concerns, in order to ensure that
there would be no recurrence;
-
The
methodology whereby restitution to any person affected
by those events or their dependants or their heirs,
can be affected;
-
The
institutional administrative and legislative measured
which was needed in order to prevent any recurrence
of such concerns in the future, and to promote further
national unity and reconciliation among all communities,
and to make any such other recommendations with reference
to any of the matters that have been inquired into
under the terms of the Warrant.
The LLRC
had been constituted after rejecting calls for an international
probe into the killing of thousands of Tamils in the final
stages of the civil war and the refusal to allow the United
Nations Panel of Experts entry into Sri Lanka. Backing
the Commission, the Government argued that the LLRC, made
up of Sri Lankan veterans, with a broad mix of local and
international experience, had the advantage of "home-turf"
and had the ability to conduct business in Sinhala, Tamil
and English, to reach out to the people directly and hear
testimony from former combatants in prisons, detention
centers and rehabilitation camps. Further, it was argued,
the UN-appointed Panel ran the risk of widening the split
between the Tamil Diaspora and Tamils back home.
Sri Lankan
authorities were, in fact, never ambiguous about their
apathy towards the UN’s stand on the Eelam War. Former
Peace Secretariat Chief and United People's Freedom Alliance
(UPFA) Member of Parliament Rajiva Wijesinha, after his
testimony before the LLRC, for instance, told the media
that a thorough inquiry was needed to establish the amount
of funds received by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE)
through various UN agencies. Giving credence to the allegation,
according to Wikileaks, former US Ambassador in
Colombo Robert Blake, in a classified diplomatic cable
sent on June 12, 2007, had explained that LTTE’s fund-raising
operations targeted foreign donors, including UN agencies.
In the missive captioned "Sri Lanka: Tamil Tigers
siphon off part of international relief funds", Blake
had discussed how the LTTE forced UN agencies (UNICEF,
UNHCR and WFP) to work with its front organization.
The Government’s
strong rejection of any UN or international probe into
alleged war crimes was, consequently, understandable.
Nevertheless, international pressure has induced the Government
to conduct its own probe into the ethnic conflict. President
Rajapakse, on March 25, 2011, declared that his Government
would study the findings of the LLRC and conduct its own
investigations where necessary.
Unsurprisingly,
international agencies have sought to undermine the LLRC’s
credibility from the moment of its announcement. A major
attack on the Commission came in the form of a letter
dated October 14, 2010, jointly undersigned by the heads
of three international NGOs. The signatories, Louise Arbour,
Kenneth Roth and Salil Shetty, on behalf of London-based
Amnesty International (AI), Brussels-based International
Crisis Group and New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW),
respectively, refused an invitation of the Sri Lankan
Government to make representations before the LLRC and
unambiguously articulated their dissatisfaction with the
Commission. Describing the LLRC as a "fundamentally flawed
Commission" the letter claimed that accountability for
war crimes in Sri Lanka demanded an independent international
investigation, instead of the LLRC, many of whose members
were retired senior Government employees and therefore
pro-Government.
Another
blow to the LLRC came on March 1, 2011, when the US Senate
unanimously passed a resolution commending the UN Secretary
General (UNSG) for appointing a panel to advise UNSG on
Sri Lanka's human rights accountability and calling "on
the Government of Sri Lanka, the international community,
and the United Nations to establish an independent international
accountability mechanism to look into reports of war crimes,
crimes against humanity, and other human rights violations
committed by both sides during and after the war in Sri
Lanka and to make recommendations regarding accountability."
Though
the resolution was diplomatic enough in its content and
did not frame any direct allegations or doubts regarding
the conduct of Sri Lankan authorities, the implicit message
was far from ambiguous. The reaction was almost instantaneous.
On March 4, 2011, Sri Lanka’s Ministry of External Affairs
released an official statement noting:
|
It
is well known that motivated groups do target influential
bodies such as the Senate of the United States,
with a view to persuade those entities to adopt
ill-founded positions. It is therefore important
that an equal opportunity should be afforded for
alternate and more legitimate points of view to
be heard, before a conclusion is reached… It is
therefore all the more unfortunate that those who
framed the text of the Resolution have overlooked
the capacity and strong track record of the LLRC
as a domestic mechanism, to work for reconciliation
and the further strengthening of national amity.
|
Meanwhile,
the Tamil Diaspora, among whom the pro-LTTE sentiment
has always been high, has continuously criticized the
LLRC through the media, particularly in controlled publications.
Accusing the Rajapakse regime of butchering innocent Tamils
in the name of the war against LTTE militants, the Tamil
Mirror, for instance, questioned the very legitimacy
of the Commission appointed by the President:
|
One
could ask him or herself how it is possible to seek
justice from the butcher for killing animals. The
butcher would have his own story. The animals, which
are already dead, leave only the witnesses to seek
justice from the investigation commission appointed
by the butcher. How it is possible to get justice
from this commission? This concept applies to the…
Commission set up by Rajapakse and the Tamils who
are the victims of the genocidal war.
|
The Commission
has, moreover, become embroiled in domestic politics as
well. On March 25, 2011, the leader of the United National
Party (UNP), Sri Lanka's main Opposition party, Ranil
Wickremasinghe decided not to testify before the LLRC.
UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake attributed this
decision to LLRC’s lack of interest in fulfilling its
stated purpose of reuniting the communities and finding
a solution to the problems faced by the people. Most analysts,
however, believe the move was provoked by fears that the
LLRC would be used as a tool to discredit Wickremasinghe,
as he had signed the cease-fire agreement with the LTTE
in 2002, an initiative that has long been criticized by
Rajapakse as having conceded too much to the rebels.
The Commission,
meanwhile, has completed recording testimonies and is
to submit its final report on May 15, 2011. With the sustained
international and domestic campaign against the Commission,
however, it is unlikely that its findings will take the
process of reconciliation and political resolution significantly
forward.
|
Weekly
Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia
April 4-10, 2011
|
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
|
INDIA
|
|
|
Assam
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
4
|
|
Jammu &
Kashmir
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
|
Manipur
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
|
Meghalaya
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
|
Left-wing Extremism
|
|
|
Jharkhand
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
|
Maharashtra
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
|
Odisha
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
|
West Bengal
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
|
Total (INDIA)
|
12
|
5
|
3
|
20
|
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
|
Balochistan
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
7
|
|
FATA
|
8
|
7
|
61
|
76
|
|
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
|
13
|
0
|
14
|
27
|
|
Punjab
|
8
|
0
|
0
|
8
|
|
Sindh
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
|
Total (PAKISTAN)
|
36
|
9
|
76
|
121
|
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
|
INDIA
LeT
had
managed
to
get
forged
Cricket
World
Cup
passes,
say
sources:
Pakistan-based
terror
group
Lashkar-e-Toiba
(LeT)
had
managed
to
get
forged
passes
issued
to
journalists
and
sponsors
for
the
World
Cup
final
at
Mumbai’s
Wankhede
Stadium.
Sources
said
that
a
foreign
intelligence
agency
conveyed
to
Indian
security
agencies
that
it
had
information
that
LeT
militants
managed
some
passes
and
might
try
to
enter
the
stadium
posing
as
journalists
or
sponsors.
Daily
Excelsior,
April
5,
2011.
Many
industries
forced
to
buy
peace
with
Maoists,
admits
Union
Home
Secretary
G.
K.
Pillai:
Many
industries
located
in
Communist
Party
of
India-Maoist
(CPI-Maoist)-dominated
areas
are
forced
to
buy
peace
with
the
extremists
due
to
insecure
environment,
admitted
Union
Home
Secretary
G.
K.
Pillai.
Pillai
on
April
9
said
the
Maoists
often
serve
extortion
notices
to
many
industries
located
in
central
and
eastern
India
where
the
extremists
have
a
strong
presence.
Times
of
India,
April
10,
2011.
Meghalaya
Chief
Minister
expresses
concern
over
militant
activities
in
entire
Northeast:
A
day
after
militants
killed
five
coal
labourers
in
Garo
Hills
District,
Meghalaya
Chief
Minister
Mukul
Sangma
on
April
6
expressed
concern
at
the
militant
activities
in
the
entire
Northeast.
He
said
that
though
peace
talks
were
on
with
some
outfits,
the
existence
of
parallel
splinter
outfits
remains
a
threat.
Assam
Tribune,
April
8,
2011.
NEPAL
UCPN-M
against
extension
of
CA
deadline,
says
Deputy
Prime
Minister
Krishna
Bahadur
Mahara:
Deputy
Prime
Minister
(DPM)
and
the
Unified
Communist
Party
of
Nepal-Maoist
(UCPN-M)
leader
Krishna
Bahadur
Mahara
on
April
8
said
that
his
party
is
against
the
extension
of
the
tenure
of
the
Constituent
Assembly
(CA).
Earlier,
on
April
7,
Prime
Minister
(PM)
Jhala
Nath
Khanal
had
indicated
that
the
CA
term
will
be
further
extended
if
the
task
of
constitution
drafting
does
not
get
completed
by
May
28,
when
the
CA’s
current
term
ends.
Nepal
News,
April
8
-9,
2011.
New
'mass
movement'
would
be
launched
if
presidential
rule
is
imposed,
warns
UCPN-M:
Unified
Communist
Party
of
Nepal-Maoist
(UCPN-M)
vice
chairman
Baburam
Bhattarai
on
April
5
said
conspiracies
to
impose
presidential
rule
by
derailing
the
constitution-making
and
peace
process
are
being
hatched.
Speaking
at
a
programme,
he
said
a
new
mass
movement
would
be
launched
if
presidential
rule
is
imposed.
Nepal
News,
April
6,
2011.
Country
to
be
mine
free
by
June
2011,
says
UN
official:
Nepal
is
going
to
be
declared
a
mine-free
country
by
mid-June
this
year.
Four
platoons
of
Nepal
Army
with
the
help
of
United
Nations
Mine
Action
Team
have
cleared
45
of
the
53
mine
fields
and
plan
to
clear
the
remaining
mines
by
mid-June
2011.
eKantipur,
April
5,
2011.
PAKISTAN
61
militants
and
eight
civilians
among
76
persons
killed
during
the
week
in
FATA:
Four
Lashkar-e-Islam
(LI)
militants
including
a
‘commander’
were
killed
during
the
clash
with
the
members
of
Zakhakhel
lashkar
(tribal
militia)
in
Bazaar
Zakhakhel
area
in
Tirah
Valley
of
Khyber
Agency
in
Federally
Administered
Tribal
Areas
(FATA)
on
April
10.
Two
tribesmen
and
an
Afghan
national
were
killed
on
charges
of
spying
for
United
States
in
two
separate
places
in
North
Waziristan
Agency
on
April
8.
50
militants
and
four
Security
Force
(SF)
personnel
were
killed
in
bombings
and
clashes
in
different
areas
of
Mohmand
Agency
on
April
7.
Three
children
and
a
woman
were
killed
and
another
woman
was
injured
when
a
shell
hit
the
house
of
one
Toor
Mulla
in
Selai
area
of
Bezai
tehsil
in
Mohmand
Agency
on
April
6.
Three
LI
‘commanders’
were
killed
in
fighting
with
Zakhakhel
lashkar
in
Tirah
valley
of
Khyber
Agency
on
April
5.
Dawn;
Daily
Times;Tribune;
The
News,
April
5-11,
2011.
14
militants
and
13
civilians
among
27
persons
killed
during
the
week
in
Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa:
Security
Forces
(SFs)
killed
seven
militants
in
Matta
area
of
Swat
District
in
Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa
on
April
9.
At
least
six
militants
were
killed
when
SFs
pounded
their
hideouts
with
artillery
shelling
in
Darra
Adamkhel
town
of
Kohat
District
on
April
7.
Four
children
were
killed
and
three
others
injured
when
an
explosive
device
planted
near
a
pond
in
Jerma
village
of
Kohat
District
went
off
on
April
6.
A
teenage
suicide
bomber
killed
an
anti-Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan
(TTP)
lashkar
(militia)
leader,
Muhammad
Akbar
(55),
and
seven
other
persons
near
a
bus
terminal
in
the
Jandol
town
of
Lower
Dir
District
April
4.
Dawn;
Daily
Times;Tribune;
The
News,
April
5-11,
2011.
Over
3,100
killed
in
terror
attacks
in
Pakistan
in
three
years,
says
Interior
Minister
Rehman
Malik:
A
total
of
3,169
people
have
been
killed
and
6,540
others
injured
in
2,488
terrorist
attacks
in
Pakistan
and
Pakistan
occupied
Kashmir
(PoK)
during
the
past
three
years,
Interior
Minister
Rehman
Malik
said
in
a
written
reply
to
a
question
in
the
Senate
or
upper
house
of
Parliament
on
April
9.
Rehman
Malik
said
that
1,579
people
were
killed
in
2008-09
while
another
1,590
lost
their
lives
in
2009-10.
There
were
1,157
acts
of
terrorism
during
2008-09
and
1,331
incidents
of
terror
during
2009-10.
The
rest
of
the
incidents
occurred
2011
year.
Times
of
India,
April
10,
2011.
400
suicide
bombers
being
trained
in
North
Waziristan
Agency,
confesses
arrested
suicide
bomber:
Umar
Fidayee
(14),
the
teenage
suicide
bomber
who
was
arrested
as
an
accomplice
to
suicide
attackers
of
the
shrine
of
Sufi
saint
Ahmed
Sultan,
popularly
known
as
Sakhi
Sarwar,
in
Dera
Ghazi
Khan
District
of
Punjab
on
April
3,
confessed
that
up
to
400
suicide
bombers
are
being
trained
in
North
Waziristan
Agency
of
Federally
Administered
Tribal
Areas
(FATA)
on
April
9.
He
made
the
remarks
in
an
interview
aired
on
April
8
from
his
hospital
bedside,
where
he
is
being
treated
after
detonating
a
hand
grenade.
Daily
Times,
April
9,
2011.
ISI
using
LeT
as
a
strategic
asset
against
India,
says
US
House
of
Representative’s
Foreign
Affairs
Committee
Chairman
Steve
Chabot:
The
use
of
terror
groups
such
as
Lashkar-e-Toiba
(LeT)
by
Inter
Services
Intelligence
(ISI)
came
in
for
a
lambasting
at
the
House
of
Representatives
during
a
hearing
on
April
6
on
foreign
policy
priorities
and
needs
amidst
economic
challenges
in
South
Asia.
The
US
House
of
Representative’s
Foreign
Affairs
Committee
Chairman
Steve
Chabot
said
that
the
ISI
is
using
LeT
as
a
strategic
asset
against
India.
The
Hindu,
April
7,
2011.
Dump
Pakistan
and
go
with
India,
US
lawmakers
tell
President
Barack
Obama:
Expressing
apprehension
that
the
United
States
is
being
"taken
for
suckers"
and
"looked
at
as
patsies"
by
Pakistan,
two
American
lawmakers
on
April
6
called
for
strengthening
ties
with
India.
"After
10
years
of
hearing
the
same
sales
pitch
I
tend
to
doubt
it.
I
doubt
that
our
money
is
buying
anything
that's
deep
or
durable,"
New
York
Congressman
Gary
Ackerman
said
at
a
hearing.
Times
of
India,
April
7,
2011.
Pakistan
still
has
no
clear
path
to
triumph
over
insurgents,
says
new
White
House
report:
A
new
White
House
Report
warned
on
April
5
that
Pakistan
still
has
no
clear
path
to
triumph
over
insurgents,
and
said
Afghanistan’s
Taliban
was
turning
more
and
more
to
soft
civilian
targets.
The
semi-annual
White
House
Report
to
Congress
is
designed
to
judge
progress
or
otherwise
towards
key
objectives
of
the
war
in
Afghanistan
and
operations
against
al
Qaeda
in
Pakistan,
now
nearly
a
decade
old.
Dawn,
April
6,
2011.
Al
Qaeda
in
Pakistan
grooming
new
leadership,
says
Express
Tribune
report:
Al
Qaeda
and
its
affiliated
militant
outfits
based
in
tribal
belts
of
Pakistan
are
grooming
alternative
leaders
and
splitting
into
small
cells
to
confuse
counter-terror
agencies
and
to
survive
in
the
face
of
sudden
fatalities,
intelligence
officials
in
Islamabad
and
associates
of
the
outfit
in
South
and
North
Waziristan
Agencies
reported
on
April
5.
The
outfits,
including
the
Haqqani
network,
have
been
following
this
pattern
for
some
time
and
"unusual
changes"
are
expected
in
months
to
come.
Tribune,
April
5,
2011.
SRI
LANKA
Over
6,000
former
LTTE
cadres
rehabilitated,
claims
Prime
Minister
D.
M.
Jayaratne:
Sri
Lankan
Prime
Minister
D.
M.
Jayaratne
informed
Parliament
on
April
7
that
over
6,000
former
Liberation
Tigers
of
Tamil
Eelam
(LTTE)
cadres
had
been
handed
over
to
their
families
after
rehabilitation.
Speaking
during
the
debate
on
the
extension
of
emergency
regulations
in
the
parliament,
Jayaratne
said
that
a
few
of
the
former
LTTE
cadres
who
were
re-integrated
into
society
had
been
arrested
after
receiving
information
about
their
alleged
involvement
in
attempts
to
carry
out
terrorist
activities.
Colombo
Page,
April
8,
2011.
Government
and
TNA
hold
fourth
round
of
discussions:
The
Sri
Lankan
Government
and
the
major
Tamil
party,
Tamil
National
Alliance
(TNA),
met
on
April
7
for
the
fourth
round
of
discussions
on
resolving
issues
faced
by
the
Tamil
community
in
the
country.
The
Government
and
the
TNA
had
so
far
held
three
rounds
of
discussions
on
solving
the
ethnic
issue.
Colombo
Page,
April
8,
2011.
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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
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and the
South
Asia Terrorism Portal.
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