South Asia Terrorism Portal
Killing the Messenger S. Binodkumar Singh Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
Afghanistan, after the ouster of the Taliban in the last quarter of 2001, started developing a free and vibrant media led by a generation of brave, capable reporters, many of whom received training sponsored by Western Governments and news organizations. Today, the country has passed into a phase where media professionals are under increasing threat.
On June 3, 2021, Mina Khairi, a news presenter for Ariana Television Network, her mother as well as two other passengers were killed when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) hit the van they were travelling in, in Kabul.
On March 2, 2021, three women journalists – Shahnaz Roafi, Sadia Sadat, and Mursal Wahidi – were shot dead by unidentified gunmen on their way home from work in Jalalabad city, Nangarhar Province. All three victims worked for independent television and radio station Enikass.
According to the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC), at least five media professionals have already been killed in the current year (till July 11, 2021) so far. Eight media personnel were killed in 2020. Prominent among these were:
December 10, 2020: Malala Maiwan, a reporter for radio and television broadcaster Enikass and her driver Mohammad Tahir were killed by unidentified gunmen in Jalalabad city, Nangarhar Province. Maiwand had spoken publicly about the challenges facing female journalists in Afghanistan and was also a member of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television.
November 12, 2020: Elyas Da’ee, a reporter for Azadi Radio was killed when a sticky bomb attached to his vehicle detonated in Lashkargah, the provincial capital of Helmand Province. Three others persons, including Da’ee’s brother, a child, and another man, were wounded in the attack.
May 30, 2020: A reporter for local broadcaster Khurshid TV, Mir Wahed Shah and television technician, Shafiq Amiri, were killed when the company vehicle they were travelling in with other employees of the privately-owned broadcaster was hit by a bomb in Kabul.
Number of Media Workers killed in Afghanistan
Year
Total
110
Source: AFJC
According to AFJC data, while 29 media professionals were killed in 12 years – between 2002 and 2013 – when foreign troops were in charge of Afghanistan Security, 81 media professionals were killed in eight years (including the current year) after 2013, when responsibility for security increasingly passed on to Afghan Forces. In 2001, nine media professionals, including two women, had been killed.
Evidently, the situation for media professionals, as for all Afghans, declined alarmingly from 2014 onwards, when most foreign troops left the war-ravaged country and the country's nascent Security Forces (SFs) took charge nationwide.
Journalists in many parts of Afghanistan say they no longer feel safe amid the increased killings of fellow journalists. Sami Serat, a journalist working with a local radio station in Helmand Province said,
Similarly, Walwala, who worked as a journalist in Baghlan Province but left her job because of security concerns, stated,
She added that she would “only start working as a journalist again when the security situation gets better in the country.”
Afghanistan has more than 2,000 officially registered media outlets as of March 2021. Reports indicate that at least 100 media outlets have shut down since 2014.
On May 3, 2021, AJSC, in collaboration with United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), celebrated the World Press Freedom Day in Kabul, Afghanistan. All keynote speakers highlighted the challenges to press freedom, journalists’ safety as well as the measures needed to overcome existing challenges. AJSC President Najib Sharifi noted,
Deborah Lyons, the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan noted that “when any Afghan reporter is gagged or hurt, the media sector is wounded and Afghanistan itself is seriously damaged,” She called for violence to abate and the ‘impunity gap’ to be closed.
Earlier, on March 10, 2021, in a letter to the UNSC and UNAMA, AFJC and 40 other civil society organizations from around the globe highlighted the wave of journalists’ killings in Afghanistan and urged these organisations to stand in solidarity with Afghan journalists to help ensure their safety and media freedom. The letter emphasised the role the Afghan journalists were playing in a peaceful and democratic transition during and after the ongoing peace negotiations.
On July 1, 2020, in an open letter to President Ashraf Ghani, 204 Afghan Journalists had demanded the Government to pay due attention to journalists’ safety and security and to seriously follow up on the cases of violence against journalists and media personnel, especially the cases that resulted in deaths of journalists and media personnel since the collapse of the Taliban regime in 2001.
It is pertinent to recall here that Taliban ‘commanders’ and fighters have long targeted the media, accusing them of aligning with the Afghan Government or international military forces. If journalists report ‘unfavourably’ about Taliban actions or military operations, the Taliban often accuse them of being spies. District and provincial-level Taliban ‘commanders’ have also criticized journalists for not reporting incidents such as civilian casualties from Government airstrikes.
Journalists also point out that the role some of them play as influential and prominent figures in many communities has made them targets of the Taliban. By attacking them, the Taliban effectively threaten all local media. Between November 2020 and March 2021, Human Rights Watch (HRW) interviewed 46 members of the Afghan media, seeking information on the conditions under which they work, including threats of physical harm. Those interviewed included 42 journalists in Badghis, Ghazni, Ghor, Helmand, Kabul, Kandahar, Khost, Wardak, and Zabul Provinces, as well as four who had left Afghanistan due to threats. In a number of the cases that HRW documented, Taliban terrorists had detained journalists for a few hours or overnight. In several cases they or their colleagues were able to contact senior Taliban officials to intercede with provincial and district-level ‘commanders’ to secure their release, indicating that local ‘commanders’ are able to take decisions to target journalists on their own, without approval from senior Taliban military or political officials.
Journalists in Afghanistan face extraordinary threats, and the targeted assassination campaign against them is undoing one of the great achievements of the post-Taliban era. The killings have spread fear among Afghanistan’s media community, prompting some to stop working or flee or self-censor, to avoid angering armed fighters or Government officials. The fear is even greater because the perpetrators remain unknown and unpunished, a sign of the country’s fracturing security situation.
TPC: Eroding Strength Deepak Kumar Nayak Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
On June 29, 2021, a joint team of the Jharkhand Police and Bihar Police arrested Ganesh Sao aka Hippy, a cadre of the Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC), from Udaipur-Ankuri under the Paliganj Police Station area in Patna District, Bihar. Sao, a resident of Imamganj Jamharu in Patna District, was wanted in as many as 17 cases, including extortion. TPC is a Naxalite [Left Wing Extremist] group which, in 2002, broke away from the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC). MCC subsequently combined with the Peoples War Group (PWG) to form the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) in September 2004.
On June 21, 2021, Police arrested Kishun Ganjhu aka Sameer, a TPC ‘area commander’, from his house in Chatra District of Jharkhand. During the search, one 5.56 mm INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) assault rifle, 10 live cartridges and one INSAS magazine were recovered from his house.
On June 3, 2021, Police arrested Nath Ganjhu aka Bhagirath, a TPC ‘area commander’, from Bharkudwa village under the Lawalong Police Station area in Chatra District, Jharkhand. A US-made rifle, one .315 bore rifle, 30 cartridges of different guns, Naxalite literature and TPC pamphlets were recovered from Bhagirath’s possession.
According to partial data collated by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), at least 18 TPC cadres have been arrested in the current year, thus far (data till July 11, 2021). During the corresponding period of 2020, four TPC cadres were arrested. A total of eight TPC cadres were arrested through 2020. Since its formation in 2002, at least 198 TPC cadres have been arrested.
Mounting Security Forces (SFs) pressure led to the surrender of two TPC cadres in the current year (data till July 11, 2021), according to SATP data. During the corresponding period of 2020, one such surrender was recorded, with no more surrenders in the remaining period of 2020. At least seven TPC cadres have surrendered since 2002.
Moreover, since the formation of TPC, a total of 18 TPC cadres have been killed by SFs. The last fatality was reported on December 16, 2020, when ‘sub-zonal commander’ Vinod Yadav, was killed in an exchange of fire with SFs near Serak village under Chandwa Police Station limits in Latehar District, Jharkhand. SFs recovered the dead body along with one AK-47 rifle and a large number of live cartridges.
Another 32 TPC cadres have been killed in internecine clashes with the Maoists. Indeed, on July 8, 2007, TPC had openly declared that its main enemy was the Maoists, not the SFs. Giriji, the outfit’s ‘sub-zonal commander’ in Palamu District, Jharkhand, claimed,
TPC has not been found involved in any SF killing thus far.
TPC has also been targeted by other Naxal groups operational in Jharkhand from time to time. At peak in 2007, there were 19 Naxal groups operational in Jharkhand. TPC also lost cadres in internecine clashes and has been targeted by the local population as well.
Since its formation in 2002, TPC has lost 72 cadres – 32 killed in clashes with the CPI-Maoist, 18 killed by SFs, 12 killed by cadres of other Naxal groups, nine killed in internecine clashes and one lynched by villagers. The outfit lost (killed/arrested/surrendered) 20 cadres (18 arrested, two surrendered) in 2021, 10 cadres (one killed, eight arrested, one surrendered) in 2020, six cadres (five killed, one arrested) in 2019, 38 cadres (five killed, 29 arrested, four surrendered) in 2018, 38 cadres (13 killed, 25 arrested) in 2017, 33 cadres (three killed, 30 arrested) in 2016, 33 cadres (all arrested) in 2015, 22 cadres (15 killed, seven arrested) in 2014, six cadres (two killed, four arrested) in 2013, 15 cadres (all arrested) in 2012, eight cadres (all arrested) in 2011, 12 cadres (one killed, 11 arrested) in 2010, 12 cadres (four killed, eight arrested) in 2009, five cadres (four killed, one arrested) in 2008, and 14 cadres (all killed) in 2007.
On the other hand, the TPC has been found involved in killing of 22 civilians in 16 separate incidents thus far. The last incident of civilian killing by TPC was reported on March 1, 2017, when TPC ‘zonal commander’ Anil Kushwaha aka Rakesh Mishra and 10 others killed Jitendra Kharwar (18) over delay in serving them food in Rohtas District, Bihar.
The continuous loss of cadres has eroded the strength of the outfit. Nevertheless, the group persists in its efforts to make its presence felt. On June 5, 2021, six armed TPC cadres reached a bridge construction site located in Tokisud village in the Patratu Police Station area of Ramgarh District, Jharkhand, assaulted the workers, fired five rounds in the air, set a Joseph Cyril Bamford (JCB) machine and a tractor on fire and finally left behind pamphlets on the spot in which the outfit demanded that work be stopped and the camp be removed. An unnamed Police official disclosed that the bridge is being constructed on the Chotka river at a cost of INR 40 million and the TPC cadres attacked the construction site because of the failure of the contractor to pay ‘levy’.
On June 2, 2021, a TPC cadre who identified himself as Nagina Ji, demanded ‘levy’ from Nityanand Das, Block Development Officer (BDO) of Manatu. The BDO registered a First Information Report (FIR), on June 3, at Manatu Police Station in Palamu District, Jharkhand.
Earlier, on December 15, 2020, TPC cadres put up posters and a red banner at Ratu road junction in Ranchi District, Jharkhand, following the inauguration of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) office in the State on November 5, 2020. The posters read,
The poster also asked Central Coalfield Limited, Bharat Coking Coal Limited and National Thermal Power Corporation to stop mining on cultivable land ‘thereby making land barren’.
Meanwhile, on June 1, 2021, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) attached immovable property and land in Chatra District, Jharkhand, belonging to TPC ‘commander’ Gopal Singh Bhokta, who was involved in raising money through extortion and illegal collection of ‘levies.’ The attachment of property was done in a case dated November 23, 2017, which the NIA took over on July 9, 2018. The case pertains to the seizure of INR 500,000 along with one country made pistol, two bullets and other items from Bhokta.
However, the State’s continued failure to successfully prosecute those involved in violent acts is likely to embolden the sagging morale of TPC cadres. Recently, on June 24, 2021, the Jharkhand High Court granted bail to three TPC cadres – Rajkumar Ganjhu, Vinod Ganjhu and Naresh Ganjhu – who had filed bail pleas before the court in a case pertaining to the collection of ‘levy’ from the CCL Magadha Coal Project in the Tandwa Police Station area of Chatra District, Jharkhand.
TPC’s attempt to emerge as a formidable Naxalite force in the State has failed, but it remains as a lingering threat. Targeted and sustained SF action on the surviving stragglers of the outfit will gradually neutralize the outfit completely.
Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia July 5-11, 2021
Civilians
Security Force Personnel
NS
AFGHANISTAN
India
Assam
Jammu and Kashmir
Total (India)
PAKISTAN
Balochistan
KP
Punjab
Total (Pakistan)
Total (South Asia)
“We will not stay involved in Afghanistan militarily after August 31, 2021”, states US President Joe Biden: United States (US) President, Joe Biden, on July 8, said that the US will not stay involved in Afghanistan militarily after the mission that will end on August 31. “While we will not stay involved in Afghanistan militarily, our diplomatic and humanitarian work will continue. We’ll continue to support the government of Afghanistan. We will keep providing assistance to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces [ANDSF],” said Biden. “A diplomatic presence will continue in Afghanistan and the US will work rigorously to support the peace process,” said Biden. Tolo News, July 9, 2021.
US President Joe Biden expresses concern over Afghan Government ability to win support of Afghan people: United States (US) President Joe Biden has voiced concern over Afghanistan Government’s ability to win the support of the Afghan people. Biden, addressing reporters at the White House, said, “I think they have the capacity to be able to sustain the government. There’s going to have to be, down the road, more negotiations, I suspect. But I am concerned that they deal with the internal issues that they have to be able to generate the kind of support they need nationwide to maintain the government.” Ariana News, July 6, 2021.
Neo-JMB is training members in making IEDs, say CTTC officials: According to officials of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC), Neo-Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (Neo-JMB) is training its members in making Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Officials claimed to have learned the information while tracking some activities of Sabbir Hossain (26), the outfit's ‘military wing commander’ of Mymensingh region unit. Their plan is to make every member expert in making bombs; they have already made a manual for it and are sending to members, according to officials. Sabbir and another youth of the outfit - Forkan - are providing training about making the IEDs. Their plan is to attack law enforcers, they said. The Daily Star, July 8, 2021.
Neo-JMB forms new committee, say CTTC officials: According to sources in Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) officials, Islamic State (IS)-inspired militant outfit Neo-Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) has recently formed a 20-member committee. The committee members, all from the ‘military wing’ of the outfit, have named the committee ‘Islamic State of Bengal Province’. It also planned to train the members in Pakistan on making firearms and set up a factory in Bangladesh after collecting a firearm from Indian Kashmir as sample. The Neo-JMB's improvised explosive device (IED) expert, Sabbir Hossain (26), also the ‘military wing commander’ of the outfit's Mymensingh region unit, formed the committee. CTTC officials claimed to have collected the information about Sabbir, also known as Bamchi Barak alias Major Bamchi alias Abu Hafs al Bengali, by tracking the Neo-JMB's strategy. The Daily Star, July 6, 2021.
Interpol issues fresh red notice against LeT ‘chief’ Hafiz Saeed: Interpol, acting on Indian Government’s request, has issued a fresh red notice against Lashkar-e- Toiba (LeT) ‘chief’ Hafiz Muhammad Saeed for spearheading anti-India activities from across the border. Hindustan Times, July 9, 2021.
Telangana Government lifts ban on 16 ‘unlawful organisations’: The Telangana Government has revoked the order of declaring 16 organisations as unlawful associations for a period of one year from March 30, 2021. As per the report, a gazette notification released on June 23, stated, “The Government of Telangana hereby revokes the notification declaring the 16 new front organisations of the proscribed CPI (Maoist) [Communist Party of India-Maoist] as unlawful associations. The Director-General of Police (DGP), Telangana, shall take necessary further action accordingly.” Earlier, the State Government, in a Government Order (GO), made public, on April 23, 2021, banning 16 new front organisations of the proscribed CPI-Maoist as unlawful associations for a period of one year with effect from March 30, 2021, had stated that the activists of these organisations are moving in urban areas by adapting urban guerrilla tactics and taking different covers, to wage war against the State. The New Indian Express, July 7, 2021.
Peace talks with ULFA-I can progress if it drops sovereignty demand, states Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam Chief Minister (CM) Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that peace talks with United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) if the latter aborts the sovereignty demand and discuss other issues and grievances. CM Sarma, who on May 10 had appealed to ULFA-I to come forward for peace talks, stated that ULFA's 'commander-in-chief', Paresh Baruah's insistence on sovereignty talk will not let the peace talk progress smoothly. The Morung Express, June 25, 2021.
Male bombing inquiry report submitted to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih: The report compiled by Parliament’s Security Services Committee or the 241-committee following its inquiry into the May 6, 2021, Male bombing was submitted to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on July 11. After accepting the report, President Solih said he will look into the points highlighted in the report, and take corrective measures where possible. He also provided assurance the report will be shared with the National Security Council, and key national security related work conducted as soon as possible.
Mohamed Nasheed stated on July 5 that the police need to find not just the people who detonated the improvised explosive device (IED), but also the people who planned and funded the May 6, 2021 Male bombing. Nasheed further said, “I have told the Commissioner of Police himself that I believe we require more technical assistance in the investigation. And I asked the Commissioner to request for this with the government. The Commissioner later did not speak on the subject.” Nasheed also said that the government runs the risk of losing public trust if they fail to conduct a proper investigation into the case. Though Nasheed’s own daughter, Meera Nasheed alleges the attack to be an “inside job”, Nasheed points out he does not believe the government had been involved in the attack. “I do not believe at all, that the attack was given with the involvement of the government. The citizens know that I am the government. It is very difficult to believe that the government was involved’ he added. SunOnline International, July 11, 2021; SunOnline International, July 7, 2021.
EC releases schedule for November elections: The Election Commission (EC) on July 5 released a schedule for the November 2021 polls announced by the Government after dissolution of House of Representatives (HoR) on May 21. The EC in a press release informed that the first phase of the general elections will be held on November 12, 2021 while the second phase of the election has been scheduled for November 19, 2021. Furthermore, it has been learnt that the registration of the political parties at the commission, a prerequisite for participating in the polls, will commence on July 15 and last till July 30. The EC stated that the final voter identification list will be published on September 8, 2021. The Himalayan Times, July 6, 2021.
CPN-UML task force reaches 10-point deal for party unity: The 10-member task force of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) on July 11 reached a 10-point deal to end the ongoing intra-party feud and find a win-win situation for the warring factions led by party chair K.P. Sharma Oli and senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal. The task force, which has five members each from both factions, held marathon meetings for more than 12 hours before it announced the deal, just a day before the Supreme Court’s likely verdict on the House of Representatives (HoR) dissolution. The Kathmandu Post, July 11, 2021.
No reports on terrorist activities or such related threats in Sri Lanka, says the Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne: Defence Secretary General Kamal Gunaratne, responding to an updated travel advisory on Sri Lanka issued by the United States (US), stated that based on the assessments of the intelligence sources, no reports on terrorist activities or such related threats were reported responding to an updated travel advisory on Sri Lanka issued by the US.
US in an updated travel advice released on July 6 warned of the threat of terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka. The citizens of the US have been told to reconsider travel to Sri Lanka because the “threat of terrorism” apart from COVID. The US State Department said that terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets, shopping malls and government facilities. Daily News, July 9, 2021; Daily Mirror, July 8, 2021.
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
To receive FREE advance copies of SAIR by email Subscribe. Recommend South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) To A Friend