South Asia Terrorism Portal
Murderous Faith Tushar Ranjan Mohanty Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
On September 29, 2023, at least 60 people, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), were killed while another 100 were injured in a suicide blast targeting a 12th Rabiul Awwal procession near Madina Masjid at Alfalah Road in Mastung town (Mastung District), Balochistan. Mastung Assistant Commissioner (AC) Atta-ul-Munim said that the explosion took place when people were gathering for the procession. The target were people of Barelvi sub-sect of Sunni Muslims. No outfit has so far claimed responsibility. The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), meanwhile, has denied its involvement.
In another incident on the same day, at least five people were killed and another 12 sustained injuries, when two suicide blasts targeted a mosque located inside the premises of the Doaba Police Station in the Hangu District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). While one of the attackers was killed in a shootout with the Police outside the mosque, the other managed to penetrate the place of worship and exploded his device. Two Police officers were also injured during the exchange of fire. The target were people of Deobandi sub-sect of Sunni Muslims. No outfit has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
On July 25, 2023, one Policeman, Additional Station House Officer Adnan Afridi, was killed in a suicide blast inside Ahle-e-Hadith Masjid (mosque) in the Gharuba area of Jamrud tehsil (revenue unit) in Khyber District of KP. The Masjid belongs to the Ahle Hadees sub-sect of Sunni Muslims.
According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), Pakistan has already recorded six attacks on places of worship of different Muslim sects in the current year, resulting in 157 fatalities and 332 persons injured (data till October 1, 2023). During the corresponding period of 2022, there was only one such attack, resulting in 64 fatalities and 194 persons injured. No such attack took place in the remaining period of 2022. Year 2021 did not record any such attack.
Since March 6, 2000, 126 such attacks have been reported from across Pakistan, resulting in the death of at least 1,759 persons, and injuries to 3,897. Though 2012 was the worst year in terms of attacks, with 18 incidents, a high of 274 fatalities in such attacks, were recorded in 2010.
Attacks on religious place of worship in Pakistan: 2000*-2023**
Year
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2019
2020
2021
2023
Total
As the above table suggests, the current year has witnessed highest number of attacks since 2014, when there were seven such attacks, though there were six such attacks in 2015 as well. The pervious high of 159 fatalities were recorded 2013.
Some of the major attacks on places of worships of different sects of Muslims, involving 50 or more fatalities included:
January 30, 2023: At least 93 persons were killed and another 221 were injured in a suicide blast inside a mosque in the Police Lines area of Peshawar, the provincial capital of KP. The suicide attacker, who was in Police uniform, was present in the front row during the Zuhr prayer (the second of the daily mandatory prayers, offered at noon). The Capital City Police Officer, Peshawar, Ejaz Khan, disclosed that around 300 to 400 Policemen usually offered Zuhr prayers at the venue.
March 4, 2022: At least 57 worshippers lost their lives and another 194 were injured when a suicide attacker detonated himself inside a Shia mosque in the Koocha Risaldar area of Peshawar, KP. The Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-KP) claimed the attack.
February 16, 2017: At least 88 people were killed and 343 injured when a suicide bomber attacked the crowded Sufi shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in the Sehwan Sharif town of Jamshoro District in Sindh. The blast took place inside the premises of the shrine as a dhamaal (Sufi ritual) was taking place. A large number of women and children were said to be among the casualties. Devotees throng the shrine of the revered Sufi saint every Thursday to participate in a dhamaal and prayers. IS-KP had claimed responsibility for the attack.
November 12, 2016: At least 52 persons were killed and 102 were injured in an explosion at the shrine of Shah Norani in the Khuzdar District of Balochistan. The explosion took place at the spot where dhamaal was being performed, within the premises of the shrine. IS-KP had claimed responsibility for the attack.
January 30, 2015: At least 61 Shias were killed and 50 were injured in a bomb explosion at Karbala Maula Imambargah (Shia place of worship) in Lakhi Dar area of Shikarpur District in Sindh.
July 26, 2013: At least 50 persons were killed and 100 were injured in coordinated twin suicide attacks at Parachinar in the Kurram Agency of the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Suicide bombers on motorcycles blew themselves up within a minute of each other outside the Imambargah.
August 19, 2011: At least 56 persons were killed and 123 injured in a suicide attack during the Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid Madina in the Ghundai area of Jamrud in the Khyber Agency of erstwhile FATA.
May 28, 2010: At least 100 worshippers were killed and 92 were injured as seven assailants, including three suicide bombers, attacked an Ahmadiyya place of worship at Model Town and the Garhi Shahu areas of Lahore in Punjab.
November 5, 2010: At least 97 persons were killed and 70 injured in a suicide attack on the Friday congregation at a mosque in the Darra Adamkhel area of Kohat District in KP.
March 27, 2009: 83 persons, including 16 Security Force personnel, were killed and over 100 injured in a suicide attack on a mosque on the Peshawar-Torkham Highway in the Jamrud sub-division of Khyber Agency in erstwhile FATA.
June 5, 2009: A suicide bomber killed 50 persons, including 12 children, at a mosque in a remote village of the Upper Dir District of the erstwhile North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
December 21, 2007: At least 50 persons were killed and 80 injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the midst of worshippers offering Id-ul-Adha prayers at the Markazi Jamia Masjid Sherpao in the Charsadda District of KP.
July 4, 2003: At least 53 persons were killed and 57 injured, as three Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) terrorists, including a suspected suicide bomber, attacked a Shia mosque during Friday prayers in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan.
In the sectarianism-riddled society of Pakistan, the places of worship of every sect have come under attack. Though the places of worship of the Shias, with the second largest population (estimated 10-15 per cent of the total) in the Sunni dominated nation, are the primary targets, the places of worship of other minority sects, such as Ahmadiyya and Sufi, have also been repeatedly targeted. The Ahmadis are, by law, not considered Muslims in Pakistan. In 1974, the Government led by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto passed the Second Amendment to the Constitution, declaring the Ahmadis ‘non-Muslim’. The major players carrying out such attacks are the TTP and LeJ, which aim to transform Pakistan into a Sunni state, primarily through violence. The IS-KP is a relatively new player in the bloodbath. It has claimed some of the major sectarian attacks in the recent past. Sunni mosques have faced several attacks from Sunni extremists, who consider those who do not adhere to their own narrow interpretation of Islam as murtad (apostates or deviants).
As terrorist violence continues to surge across Pakistan in the aftermath of the Afghan Taliban’s return to power in Kabul, and the simultaneous strengthening of terrorist formations inside Pakistan – mainly the TTP and IS-KP – attacks on places of worship, like other forms of terrorism, are likely to escalate. The existing fanaticism and deep sectarian divide will also grow, pushing the country further into chaos.
Dantewada: The Remains of Rebellion Deepak Kumar Nayak Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
On September 24, 2023, a woman Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadre, Hire Sapna, who was injured in the encounter on September 20 (below), and subsequently arrested by the Security Forces (SFs), in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh, succumbed to her injuries. Sapna was a member of the CPI-Maoist’s ‘Keralapal Area Committee’.
On September 20, 2023, two women Maoists, Kumari Lakkhe and Mangli Padami, jointly carrying a reward of INR 700,000, were killed in an encounter with a joint team of Security Forces, including District Reserve Guards (DRG), carrying out an anti-Maoist operation in the forests of Aranpur in Dantewada District. The bodies of the two women, along with an INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) assault rifle, a 12-bore gun, a tiffin bomb, Improvised Explosive Device (IED) wires, ammunition, documents, and items of daily use were recovered from the incident site. Lakkhe was the ‘militia commander-in-chief’ of the ‘Malangir Area Committee’ and carried an INR 500,000 cash reward on her head, while Padami, who carried an INR 200,000 cash reward, was an active as a member of ‘Platoon 24’.
On September 16, 2023, five CPI-Maoist cadres, including two women, surrendered under the Lon Varratu (return to your home or village) campaign in the Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh. Among the surrendered Maoists, Kosru alias Kohla Alami, a resident of Orchha under the Parlanar Police Station in Narayanpur District, carrying a reward of INR 100,000, and was identified as the ‘President’ of the Kusmeli Jantana Sarkar (the Maoists’ “people's government”). Others included Badru Alami, ‘Vice President’ of Kusmeli Jantana Sarkar, Vijja Madvi, ‘Vice President’ of Jiyakonda Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Majdoor Sangathan (DAKMS); Madke Kawasi and Hadme Mandavi, both members of Jiyakodata Krantikari Adivasi Mahila Sanghathan (KAMS). All the surrendered Maoists were active in the ‘Katekalyan and Indravati Area Committees’ and were involved in incidents of digging roads, cutting trees, and putting up Maoist banners, posters and pamphlets, during bandh (general shut-down strike) calls.
On September 2, 2023, four lower-rung CPI-Maoist cadres – Rava Muka (25), Muka Kalmu (23), Hidma Rava (32), and Madvi Bheema (30) – were arrested by SFs during a search operation in a forest near Gonderas village under Aranpur Police Station limits in Dantewada District. The arrested Maoists were reportedly involved in an encounter between the SFs and the Maoists on the intervening nights of February 19 and 20, 2022, in the Aranpur area of Dantewada District, which resulted in the killing of one Maoist, Arjun alias Lakhma Sodi (34), carrying a reward of INR 500,000 on his head. While Sodi was killed, other Maoists escaped into the dense forest area.
According to partial data collated by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), at least 78 Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists] have been neutralized – three killed, 24 arrested and 51 surrendered – in Dantewada District in the current year, thus far (data till October 1, 2023). During the corresponding period of 2022, 25 Naxalites were neutralized – eight killed and 17 surrendered. Another nine Naxalites were neutralized - one killed, six arrested and two surrendered – in the remaining part of the year, taking the total number of neutralised Naxalites to 34 through 2022. Since March 6, 2000, when SATP started compiling data on Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-related incidents in India, at least 1,709 Naxalites have been neutralized – 421 killed, 615 arrested and 673 surrendered – in Dantewada, accounting for 18.91 per cent of the overall Naxalites neutralised (9,035 – 1,397 killed, 3,526 arrested and 4,112 surrendered) in the state.
Meanwhile, Maoist efforts to recover their erstwhile areas of dominance have been foiled by the SFs. Weapons have been recovered on five occasions in the current year, and there were five such incidents in 2022 as well. A total of 140 incidents of the recovery of arms have been recorded since 2000.
As the SF pressure increased, Maoist activities have declined. As against a total of 16 civilians killed in 2018 alone, a recent high, between 2019 and 2022, the number of civilians killed was 16 (2019:4, 2020: 3, 2021: 4, 2022: 5). Similarly, as against a total of 12 SF personnel killed in 2018 alone, between 2019 and 2022, the number of SFs killed was seven (2019:5, 2020: 1, 2021: 1, 2022: 0).
With their desperation increasing, the Maoists carried out a major attack targeting the SFs in April 2023. On April 26, 2023, at least 10 SF personnel of the DRG and a civilian driver were killed, when Maoists detonated a powerful 50-kilogramme IED and then fired on the injured personnel on the Aranpur Road, under Aranpur Police Station limits in Dantewada District. The DRG personnel were returning from an anti-Maoist operation. The dead included three head constables, Joga Sodi, Munna Ram Kadti, and Santosh Tamo; four constables, Dulgo Mandavi, Lakhmu Markam, Joga Kawasi, and Hariram Mandavi; three secret soldiers (Gopniya Sainik), Raju Ram Kartam, Jayram Podiyam and Jagdish Kawasi; and the civilian driver, Dhaniram Yadav.
Further, a July 15, 2023, report revealed that Maoists had recruited and trained at least 1,200 new cadres in the Dantewada, Sukma and South Bastar regions of Chhattisgarh. Disclosing the development, an unnamed senior official from the security and intelligence wing noted,
The report also divulged that the Maoists' 'technical and research' wing is said to be developing Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED), to attack Police posts, mounting them on tractors or four-wheelers used in rural areas. The Maoists are also developing drones to carry and drop up to five kilogrammes of explosives on Police Stations.
On August 27, 2023, in another worrying development, SFs seized 80 arrow bombs, one gelatine rod, two detonators, firecrackers, Maoist literature, and other incriminating materials recovered from a Maoist cadre, Hemla Nanda (41), a member of the Gumodi DAKMS, following his arrest during a search operation in the forests between Nahadi and Chhotehidma villages under Aranpur Police Station limits in Dantewada District.
Meanwhile, on August 23, 2023, quashing the undying efforts of the Maoists to regroup, the SFs neutralised two Maoist camps, one of which spread over an area of two acres and was being used for training, along the border of Sukma and Dantewada Districts. Dantewada Additional Superintendent of Police, R.K. Barman disclosing information about a Maoist training camp found on a hill between Gatta Pal and Paria villages, observed
Dantewada falls within the perilous 'Bastar Division' of Chhattisgarh, which remains the major challenge for the state. Moreover, it shares borders with Bijapur, Sukma, Bastar, and Narayanpur districts, all of which are classified among the '25 Most Affected Districts' from eight states across India. The district has been the epicentre of LWE-linked violence in Chhattisgarh. Additionally, Dantewada, along with six other districts of Chhattisgarh (Bastar, Bijapur, Sukma, Kanker, Narayanpur, and Rajnandgaon), is also included among the 70 Naxal-affected districts in 10 states across the country, covered under the Centre's Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme, which funds focused operations against the Naxalites.
Since March 6, 2000, Dantewada has recorded 1,200 fatalities (352 civilians, 421 SF personnel, 421 Naxalites, and six ‘Not Specified’ killings) in Maoist-linked violence, accounting for 33.31 per cent of such overall fatalities (3,602 – 975 civilians, 1,206 SF personnel, 1,397 Naxalites, and 24 ‘Not Specified’ killings) recorded in the state.
In view of the continued efforts to regain their supremacy in their erstwhile regions of dominance, though with little current success, sustained SF operations will be necessary to bring Maoist violence, in Dantewada in particular, and in the state at large, to an end.
Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia September 25 - October 1, 2023
Civilians
Security Force Personnel
NS
AFGHANISTAN
INDIA
Jharkhand
Madhya Pradesh
Manipur
India (Total)
PAKISTAN
Balochistan
Islamabad Capital Territory
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Punjab
Sindh
PAKISTAN (Total)
Total (South Asia)
Taliban arrests around 200 TTP terrorists involved in attacks against Pakistan, says report: The Taliban arrested at least 200 terrorists associated with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for staging cross-border attacks against Pakistan, said Voice of America (VOA) report. According to the reports, they are behind bars now. The Afghan rulers have also implemented other "concrete steps" to "neutralise" the terrorist activity. Taliban officials haven't yet commented on this incident. VOI, ARY News, September 29, 2023.
Taliban issues at least 13 directives restricting information access in last two years, says AFJC: On the occasion of the International Day for Universal Access to Information, the Afghanistan Journalists Centre (AFJC) said on September 28 that Taliban issued 13 directives systematically limiting media freedom and access to information in the country in the past two years. According to published statistics, during the two years of Taliban rule, the country has witnessed 366 violations of journalists' rights and media freedom, including the killing of media personnel, threats, detentions, and violent confrontations. Hasht e Subh, September 29, 2023.
Currently 111 active terrorists are in Jammu and Kashmir, says report: There are currently 111 active terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, comprising 40 local terrorists and 71 foreign terrorists. According to the report, 31 terrorists have been neutralized and 204 apprehended so far since January 2023. India TV, September 27, 2023.
AFSPA extended in hill Districts of Manipur for six months: On September 27, the Manipur Government extended the imposition of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in the whole State - except in the jurisdiction of 19 Police Stations in seven Districts of the Imphal Valley - for another six months. The State government's notification maintaining this "status quo" is applicable from October 1. The Hindu, September 29, 2023.
AFSPA extended in parts of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh for six months: : The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) on September 26 through a notification, extended the validity of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in parts of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh "for a further period of six months". According to a notification, the AFSPA has been extended in whole of eight Districts and in the areas of 21 Police stations in five other districts of Nagaland. In Arunachal Pradesh, the districts of Tirap, Changlang and Longding and the areas falling within the jurisdiction of Namsai, Mahadevpur and Chowkham Police stations in Namsai district along the Assam border were declared as 'disturbed area' under Section 3 of the AFSPA. The Hindu, September 27, 2023.
SFJ leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun aims to create 'democratic republic of Urduistan' to separate Kashmir from India, says NIA: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) alleged that Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Chief of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), had planned to establish a territory called the 'democratic republic of Urduistan' to separate Kashmir from India. The NIA's report stated that Pannun's agenda is aimed at dividing India along religious lines and radicalizing Kashmiri individuals to promote separation from India. The Times of india, September 25, 2023.
Myanmar-based outfits abetting violence in Manipur, says NIA: On September 23, the National Investigation Agency said that that proscribed organisations based in Myanmar are recruiting workers to carry out attacks on security forces (SFs) and members of opposing ethnic groups in Manipur. The statement from the NIA came a day after the NIA arrested a "trained operative" of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), identified as Moirangthem Anand Singh, from Imphal on September 22. Indian Express, September 25, 2023.
Efforts on to bust residual terror modules, says DGP of Jammu and Kashmir: The Director General of Police (DGP) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Dilbag Singh said that many modules, that adversaries (Pakistan and its agencies) had created to keep alive terrorism in J&K, were busted and the efforts were on to dismantle the residual modules as well. "Action is underway to dismantle the residual modules as well," he added. Greater Kashmir, September 29, 2023.
Mohamed Muizzu wins Presidential election in Maldives: On September 30, Malé City Mayor and Presidential candidate of People's National Congress (PNC) and Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Mohamed Muizzu, won the majority vote, securing the title as the next President of Maldives. Preliminary results place Muizzu in the lead with 53.8 percent of votes. Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)'s Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the incumbent President, trailed seven points behind, with 46.2 percent. Muizzu had also been the frontrunner in the first round of voting held on September 9, winning 46 percent of the votes. Avas, September 30, 2023.
At least 60 killed and 100 others injured in suicide blast near 12th Rabiul Awwal procession in Balochistan: At least 60 people, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), were killed while 100 others were injured in a suicide blast near a 12th Rabiul Awwal procession near Madina Masjid at Alfalah Road in Mastung town (Mastung District) of Balochistan on September 29. Mastung Assistant Commissioner (AC) Atta-ul-Munim said that the explosion took place when people were gathering for an Eid-i-Miladun Nabi procession near Madina Masjid. The dead DSP was identified as Nawaz Gishkori. Dawn, September 30, 2023.
Security Forces casualties in fight against terrorism hits eight-year high, says CRSS report: Close to 386 personnel - including 137 Army personnel and 208 policemen - have lost their lives in the first nine months of 2023 in the fight against terrorism, largely in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, putting it on an eight-year high, the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) report said. "With 1,087 violence-related fatalities recorded so far during the year, the outlaws suffered 368 (34%), followed by civilians with 333 (31%) fatalities", says the CRSS report - Q3 2023. The News, October 2, 2023.
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.
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