| |
SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 14, No. 25, December 21, 2015
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
|
Jharkhand:
Democracy's March
Mrinal
Kanta Das
Research
Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management
On December
17, 2015, the Jharkhand Police killed a People’s Liberation
Front of India (PLFI) ‘area commander’, identified as
Dinesh Sahu (28) in an encounter, at Bandha village under
the Tupudana Block of Ranchi District in Jharkhand. He
was wanted in at least 29 cases in the Khunti District.
Khunti Superintendent of Police (SP) Anish Gupta disclosed,
“He (Sahu) was wanted in several cases of rape, murder
and extortion. Reacting on a tip-off by one of our informers,
we found him and shot him dead.” Four of Sahu’s accomplices,
however, managed to escape. Arms and ammunition were recovered
from the encounter site. PLFI is a splinter group of the
Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist).
On December
13, 2015, a suspected CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as
Basudeo Oraon (35), was killed while planting an Improvised
Explosive Device (IED) at Anegada village under Bagru
Police Station limits, in the Lohardaga District. Police
sources disclosed that it was possible that the man was
setting up an IED to target security personnel. Describing
the incident as a ‘Maoist act’ Lohardaga Superintendent
of Police (SP) Kartik S. observed, "The blast occurred
right at the spot where Maoists put up a banner last night
urging people to boycott Monday's polls. There exists
possibility of link between the victim and the poll-boycott."
Further,
a ‘sub-zonal commander’ of Tritiya Prastuti Committee
(TPC),
identified as Sohrai Mochi aka Harinder ji aka
Birsa ji, was arrested on December 16 in Palamu's
Harya village in the Manatu Police Station area. He was
earlier with the CPI-Maoist, but left in 2008 to join
TPC and rose through the ranks to become its ‘sub-zonal
commander’. TPC is a splinter group of the CPI-Maoist.
Left-Wing
Extremist (LWE) groups are facing a tough time in Jharkhand.
Even CPI-Maoist, the most prominent LWE outfit in India,
is finding it increasingly difficult to operate in the
State, as in other theaters of LWE conflict in India.
Chhattisgarh which is considered as the nerve centre of
Maoist resistance is also crumbling
rapidly.
According
to the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) database,
LWE-related incidents have claimed 57 lives, including
16 civilians, five SF personnel and 37 extremists in 2015
(data till December 20) in Jharkhand, as against 97 killings
including 48 civilians, 12 SF personnel and 37 LWE cadres
in 2014. With just over a week remaining in 2015, we see
a 41 per cent decline in total fatality figures as against
2014. Further, civilian fatalities have fallen to a third
and the single digit SF fatality in 2015 makes it clear
that the Maoists in the State are losing steam. According
to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) data, as
of November 20, Jharkhand has recorded 287 incidents of
LWE violence in 2015, down from 338 incidents over the
same period in 2014. It is significant to note that there
are 19
LWE outfits operating in and out of
Jharkhand.
Meanwhile,
the second Panchayat (local bodies) election
was conducted in the State in four phases, from November
22 to December 12, 2015. Despite the Maoists’ poll boycott
call, the voting percentage stood at a high 72 per cent,
as against 70 per cent in 2010. The State Assembly Elections
held in 2014 also recorded a 66 per cent voter turnout,
as against 58 per cent in 2009, a clear electoral rebuff
for the Maoists. Crucially, during the Panchayat election
period, there was negligible LWE violence reported in
the State, with media reports indicating just two arson
incidents and one civilian killing. In comparison, the
2010 five phase Panchayat election conducted between
November 27 and December 24 had witnessed much higher
level of LWE violence. While the first and second phases
of the 2010 elections were peaceful, the Maoists fired
at polling party in West Singhbhum District and triggered
a landmine blast in Chhatra District during the third
phase. During the fourth phase on December 24, 2010 the
Maoists opened fire from a hill top in Baridih Kanpur
panchayat in Chakulia block of East Singhbhum District.
Further, during the final phase of elections, two Central
Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers were killed in an
encounter in Godda District and the Maoists set ablaze
three vehicles in the same District.
Adding
to current Maoist reverses, media reports citing unnamed
Intelligence Bureau (IB) sources, suggest that some LWE
cadres in Jharkhand wish to surrender, including some
at senior levels. Throwing light on the state of affairs
in the Maoist movement in the State, People’s Union for
Civil Liberties (PUCL) General Secretary Shashi Bhushan
Pathak noted, “It would be inappropriate to mention that
there is a caste war in the Maoist fold but the commitment
levels of some leaders have certainly gone down and hence
they are turning renegades.” The CPI-Maoist has acknowledged
the difficult situation the party is facing on more than
one occasion.
Despite
the downtrend, it would be wise not to write off the Maoists
in Jharkhand. During the recently concluded Lohardaga
Assembly by-election [December 14], after an IED blast
triggered by Maoists, a mere five per cent of registered
voters came out of their homes at Anegada village, the
blast site, to cast their votes, though overall voting
per cent was above 66 per cent.
Moreover
on December 9, 2015, the Maoists killed a civilian, identified
as Penubolu Venka Reddy, (52), in the forests of East
Singhbhum District. Suspected LWEs also abducted a stone
crusher plant owner on December 13 from Chowka in Seraikela-Kharsawan
District.
Though
denied by authorities, media reports suggest that Maoists
in Jharkhand have asked people in four villages in Palamu,
Garhwa, Latehar and Lohardaga District to “spare” one
child from each family to join the armed rebellion. This
diktat was reportedly issued around mid November 2015.
Last year, following similar reports of Maoists demanding
children from each village in Gumla District, the Jharkhand
High Court had taken suo moto cognizance of media
reports and subsequently directed the state to protect
the children from being exploited by LWE outfits.
Meanwhile,
efforts to further augment Jharkhand Police strength are
ongoing. The Force soon likely to get a Special Intelligence
Wing (SIW), on the lines of its Andhra Pradesh counterpart,
to be used only for the purpose of collecting intelligence
on LWEs and conducting operations against them. According
to senior Police officials, it will also act as a brain
for the Special Task Force (STF). A meeting chaired by
Director General of Police (DGP) D.K. Pandey was held
at Police Headquarters in Ranchi on December 8 where a
thorough discussion took place relating to the formation
of SIW in Jharkhand.
At this
juncture a new template seems to be emerging in Jharkhand.
Clearly the Maoists’ ability to strike at will has been
halted for the time being. Under increasing pressure from
the SFs, the Maoists have been constrained in their activities.
Sustained pressure would further squeeze the operational
space available to them. On the other hand, any complacency
would be extremely dangerous, as the Maoists have made
many a comebacks in the past.
|
Funding
Terror through Extortion
Tushar
Ranjan Mohanty
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
At least
five women were injured in a medium-intensity blast in
the Mohalla Bajauri Khord area of Sarki Gate in Peshawar,
the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), on
December 6, 2015. An unnamed Police official disclosed
that a device weighing three kilogrammes was planted near
the house of one Amjad Khan, a local contractor. “The
windows of nearby houses have been damaged and five neighbourhood
women were injured inside their houses when they were
hit by broken glass,” the official added. The official
disclosed that the contractor was constantly receiving
threats and extortion demands.
On December
4, 2015, at least two houses were damaged in separate
explosions in Yakatoot and Phandu areas of Peshawar. In
one incident, an unnamed Police official indicated, unidentified
assailants lobbed a hand grenade targeting the house of
one Ahmad Khan at Madina Colony in Panj Khat Chowk of
Yakatoot. Though there was no loss of life, the house
was damaged in the attack. According to the Police, “Unidentified
extortionists had been demanding Ahmad to cough up (sic)
Rs. 10 [PKR] million as extortion… They were constantly
threatening him.”
In another
incident on the same day, the house of a trader, Zainullah
Khan Safi, on Phandu Road was damaged when an explosive
device planted near the main gate went off. Though no
loss of life was reported in the attack, apart from the
house, four shops were also damaged in the blast. The
attack is believed to be carried out by a group of extortionists.
An Improvised
Explosive Device (IED) explosion took place near the house
of a trader, Haji Saeed Hussain, in the jurisdiction of
Yakatoot Police Station on November 15, 2015. No causality
was reported in the blast. Again, extortionists are believed
to be behind the attack.
On November
14, 2015, unidentified assailants hurled a hand grenade
targeting the house of a Customs Inspector, Muhammad Rafeeq,
at Ghari Qamaruddin in Peshawar, as he had refused to
pay extortionists. No causality was reported in the blast.
These recent
incidents exemplify a growing trend in Peshawar. According
to Peshawar Police data released on November 14, 2015,
as many as 58 cases of extortion had been reported under
separate Police Stations falling under three Police Circles
over the preceding 10 months. Of these, 38 were reported
in the Peshawar Cantonment Circle; 14 in Peshawar City
Circle; and six in the Peshawar Rural Circle. An unnamed
Police official, on the condition of anonymity, is reported
to have stated that the actual incidence would likely
be much higher, because most victims don’t contact the
Police out of fear.
Earlier
on July 16, 2015, the Peshawar Police had claimed an over
50 per cent drop in extortion cases in Peshawar during
the first six months of the current year. According to
them, 107 extortion cases were reported in Peshawar during
the first six months of 2014, but the number dropped to
43 in the corresponding period of the current year.
Data collected
from the Central Police Office, Peshawar, puts the annual
average of extortion cases registered during years 2011,
2012, and 2013 at 30 cases per year. The data shows that
while 13 cases of extortion were registered in 2011, 21
such cases were reported in 2012. 56 such cases were witnessed
in 2013. This jumped to 285 in the first three quarters
of 2014.
Though
no current data is available in the open source, a report
published in November 2013 indicated that at least 42
groups were actively involved in extortion and kidnappings
for ransom in KP: “In the provincial capital, Peshawar,
the number of such groups stand at 18, followed by 11
in Dera Ismail Khan, five in Kohat, five in Bannu and
three in Mardan.” According to the report, three types
of groups were involved in extortion and kidnapping for
ransom – militants, criminal gangs and individuals or
groups who use abduction as means to settle their business
or personal disputes with opponents. “Following abduction,
the kidnappers hand their victims over to other groups
to make the demand for ransom. In most cases, trained
gang members are used to survey the intended target before
kidnapping them at gunpoint… Sometimes police officials,
other criminals or influential people are used to finalise
the payment of the ransom with the target’s families,”
the report claimed.
Significantly,
cases of Policemen’s involvement in the extortion racket
have come to light recently. Three Police officials were
suspended on September 26, 2015, for collecting extortion
money from leather traders in the Namak Mandi area of
Peshawar. The Policemen were suspended after a video came
out that showed an old man, the leather trader, handing
over money to the Policemen and then leaving. The old
trader later had said that he had paid bribes to Policemen
on at least eight occasions because they kept giving him
trouble. The video also showed a child riding on a bicycle
being kicked by a Police constable.
Unsurprisingly,
local traders on July 15, 2015, had insisted that extortionists
continue to threaten many of them for money, and that
the situation remained far from satisfactory.
More specifically,
the Peshawar Chamber of Traders and Small Industry President
Ehtesham Haleem stated, on July 15, 2015, that while extortion
calls from local phone numbers had declined considerably,
extortion remained a worry, and that calls demanding money
originating from Afghanistan were forcing 80 to 90 per
cent of traders to pay to extortionists, as the Police
were failing to stop such demands. Significantly, the
Provincial Government and the Pakistan Telecommunications
Authority have failed to block unregistered Afghan roaming
Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), which are available
easily in the local (Peshawar) market.
Significantly,
Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) officials admitted,
on November 22, 2015, “These [extortionists] are local
groups based in Afghanistan. We know about them and are
currently investigating the matter. Our crackdown is still
under way. We are trying to target and eliminate all extortionists
but it will take time.” On December 13, 2014, Capital
City Police Officer (CCPO) Ejaz Khan had admitted that
incidents of harassment for extortion have increased and
Afghan SIM cards working on roaming were the main medium
being used. He had then demanded that these mobile networks
should be banned.
Violence
related to extortion in Peshawar in particular and KP
at large has compelled traders to move to other cities
or countries. Though no reliable data has been made available,
the KP Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in a statement
released on March 4, 2015, had revealed that around 150
professionals had left the Province due to the fear of
extortionists. Echoing the sentiment, on the same day,
Fuad Ishaq, President of the KP Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, had stated that there is a constant threat of
extortion to industrialists and traders of Peshawar: “This
is why, Peshawar has witnessed flight of capital as well
as migration of industrialists and traders to other parts
of the country.” He had also disclosed that in KP, extortion
cases were on the rise in Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan,
Nowshera, Swabi, Kohat, Lakki Marwat and Bannu Districts.
Ishaq added, “If the Government is sincere to bring back
peace to the militancy-hit Province of KP, it should work
to restore the confidence of the industrialists and traders
by providing security.” He argued, further, that this
would help fight terrorism as well, since extortion was
the principal means used by terror groups to replenish
their coffers and sustain their activities.
Regrettably,
however, the Provincial Government continues to demonstrate
helplessness in controlling terrorism. Provincial Minister
of Industries, Shaukat Yousafzai stated, on April 27,
2014, that the Government was pinning hopes on a specialised
Anti-Terrorist Force, adding, “We cannot provide a Policeman
to every man. But we are trying to solve these burning
issues.” He admitted that the Police had been assigned
the task of fighting militancy without being adequately
equipped.
Extortion
has become rampant across KP in particular, and, in fact,
across Pakistan at large. The failure of the state to
control this menace has contributed directly to the capacities
of terrorist groups to sustain their operations, undermining
the security of citizens and the state across the country.
|
Weekly Fatalities: Major
Conflicts in South Asia
December 14-20,
2015
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
BANGLADESH
|
|
Islamist Terrorism
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
INDIA
|
|
Arunachal
Pradesh
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Nagaland
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Left-Wing
Extremism
|
|
Chhattisgarh
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
3
|
Jharkhand
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Total (INDIA)
|
3
|
0
|
3
|
6
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
Balochistan
|
1
|
1
|
16
|
18
|
FATA
|
0
|
0
|
31
|
31
|
Sindh
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Total (PAKISTAN)
|
|
|
|
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
|
BANGLADESH
No
force
in
world
can
stop
Bangladesh's
war
crimes
trial,
asserts
Prime
Minister
Sheikh
Hasina
Wajed:
Prime
Minister
Sheikh
Hasina
Wajed
on
December
14
asserted
that
no
force
in
world
can
stop
Bangladesh's
war
crimes
trial.
She
said,
"Those
who
committed
such
crimes
are
now
undergoing
trial
and
their
trial
will
go
on
alongside
the
war
crimes
trial."
Meanwhile,
on
December
18,
International
War
Crimes
Mass
Trial
Committee
was
formed
with
an
aim
to
build
a
collaborators-free
Bangladesh.
Shipping
Minister
Shajahan
Khan
has
been
made
convener
of
the
501-member
committee.
The
joint
conveners
of
the
committee
are
journalist
Abed
Khan,
Shirin
Akter,
MP,
freedom
fighter
Alauddin
Miah
and
Dhaka
Union
of
Journalist
general
secretary
Quddus
Afrad.
Freedom
fighter
Osman
Ali
will
be
its
member
secretary,
while
assistant
member
secretaries
are
actress
Shomi
Kaiser
and
journalist
Anjan
Roy.
Daily
Star,
December
15;
New
Age,
December
19,
2015.
There
is
no
existence
of
IS
in
the
country
and
Government
is
trying
to
clamp
down
on
extremism,
says
Home
Minister
Asaduzzaman
Khan:
Home
Minister
Asaduzzaman
Khan
on
December
16
said
that
there
is
no
existence
of
Islamic
State
(IS)
in
the
country
and
the
Government
is
trying
to
clamp
down
on
extremism.
He
said,
"We
are
saying
always,
our
Prime
Minister
also
asserts
that
there
is
no
IS
here.
We
are
trying
to
control
such
militant
groups
that
are
trying
to
be
surfaced."
New
Age,
December
19,
2015.
INDIA
34
persons
arrested
in
India
between
2013-2015
on
charges
of
spying
for
ISI,
according
to
UMHA:
As
many
as
34
persons,
including
11
serving
and
retired
Armed
Force
personnel
and
one
serving
Border
Security
Force
(BSF)
personnel,
have
been
arrested
over
the
past
three
years
on
charges
of
spying
for
Pakistan's
Inter-Services
Intelligence
(ISI),
as
per
statistics
furnished
by
Union
Ministry
of
Home
Affairs
(UMHA)
on
December
16.
In
reply
to
a
Rajya
Sabha
(Upper
House
of
Indian
Parliament),
Union
Minister
of
State
for
Home
Affairs
Haribhai
Parathibhai
Chaudhary
told
that
14
persons
have
been
arrested
for
alleged
espionage
on
behalf
of
ISI
so
far
in
2015.
Times
of
India,
December
17,
2015.
JMB
colluding
with
terror
groups
of
India
with
Pakistan's
assistance,
says
report:
Assam
Police
and
Crime
Investigation
Department
have
claimed
that
there
is
mounting
evidence
that
Jama'atul
Mujahideen
Bangladesh
(JMB)
was
colluding
with
terror
groups
based
in
several
northern
parts
of
West
Bengal
and
north-east
region
of
the
country.
The
most
important
evidence
in
this
regard
reportedly
has
landed
with
Assam
Police
which
claim
it
has
telephonic
intercepts
that
say
jihadis
are
in
touch
with
Pakistan-sponsored
terror
groups.
Times
of
India,
December
16,
2015.
India
will
operate
under
UN
flag
against
IS
if
UN
adopts
resolution,
states
Defence
Minister
Manohar
Parrikar:
India
on
December
16
said
it
can
undertake
operations
against
the
Islamic
State
(IS)
under
a
UN
flag
if
the
global
body
adopts
a
resolution
in
this
regard.
Defence
Minister
Manohar
Parrikar
said,
"We
have
made
it
clear
that
if
there
is
a
UN
resolution
and
if
there
is
UN
flag
and
a
UN
mission,
then
as
per
India's
policy
to
operate
under
UN
flag,
we
will
participate."
Parrikar
also
stated
that
India
has
been
sharing
intelligence
on
the
IS
and
it
will
be
enhanced.
Indian
Express,
December
17,
2015.
India
and
Pakistan
join
steps
against
terrorism,
says
report:
On
December
15,
at
the
Shanghai
Co-operation
Organisation
(SCO)
meeting
in
China,
India
and
Pakistan
struck
a
rare
united
stand
to
forge
collective
action
to
curb
terrorism.
India
also
called
on
Islamabad
to
end
cross
border
terrorism
and
external
interference
in
Afghanistan.
"Many
of
the
problems
confronting
our
region,
especially
the
rising
tide
of
cross-border
terrorism
and
extremism,
require
trans-national
solutions,"
Union
Minister
of
State
for
External
Affairs
General
V.K.
Singh
(Retired)
said
while
speaking
at
the
SCO
heads
of
government
meeting
in
central
China's
Zhengzhou
city.
Asian
Age,
December
16,
2015.
PAKISTAN
23
civilians
and
five
SFs
among
33
persons
killed
during
the
week
in
FATA:
At
least
23
suspected
militants
were
killed
in
air
strikes
carried
out
by
the
Pakistan
Air
Force
(PAF)
in
the
Rajgal
area
of
Tirah
Valley
in
Khyber
Agency
of
Federally
Administered
Tribal
Areas
(FATA)
on
December
18.
At
least
eight
terrorists
were
killed
and
eight
other
terrorists
were
injured
in
Army
air
strikes
in
the
Rajgal
and
Sparee
areas
in
Tirah
Valley
on
December
15.
Daily
Times;
Dawn;
The
News;
Tribune;
The
Nation;
The
Frontier
Post;
Pakistan
Today;
Pakistan
Observer,
December
15-21,
2015.
360
schools
were
destroyed
in
FATA
during
2015:
The
Government
has
told
the
lower
house
of
parliament
that
360
schools
were
destroyed
in
three
agencies
of
the
Federally
Administered
Tribal
Areas
(FATA)
during
2015.
"The
areas
of
the
[Fata]
agencies
which
are
not
accessible
are
being
assessed/surveyed,"
Federal
Minister
for
States
and
Frontier
Regions
Lieutenant-General
(retd)
Abdul
Qadir
Baloch
told
the
National
Assembly.
According
to
the
statistics,
at
least
166
schools
were
destroyed
in
North
Waziristan
Agency,
139
in
Khyber
Agency
and
55
in
South
Waziristan
Agency.
Tribune,
December
17,
2015.
61
organisations
banned;
JuD
under
observation
since
2005,
says
Minister
of
State
for
Interior
Balighur
Rehman:
Minister
of
State
for
Interior
Balighur
Rehman
on
December
18
told
the
Senate
that
Jama'at-ud-Dawa
(JuD)
has
been
under
observation
since
December
1,
2005,
while
61
other
organisations
have
been
banned.
He
said
that
any
organisation
found
involved
in
terrorism
and
extremism
would
not
be
allowed
to
operate
in
the
country
and
that
under
the
National
Action
Plan
(NAP),
the
Ministry
and
Provincial
Governments
had
taken
appropriate
measures
to
stop
banned
outfits
from
re-emerging
with
new
names.
The
State
Minister
said
two
organisations,
Al-Akhtar
Trust
and
Al-Rashid
Trust,
were
listed
under
"UNSCR
1267".
Daily Times,
December
19,
2015.
Pakistan
not
focused
on
taking
actions
against
terror
groups
targeting
India
and
Afghanistan,
states
Special
US
Representative
for
Afghanistan
and
Pakistan
Richard
G
Olson:
Pakistan
is
not
focusing
on
taking
action
against
terror
groups
operating
on
its
soil
that
pose
a
threat
to
both
India
and
Afghanistan,
Richard
G
Olson,
Special
US
Representative
for
Afghanistan
and
Pakistan
stated.
"They
(Pakistan)
have
focused
more
on
the
Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan
[TTP]
than
they
have
on
external
terrorist
actors
that's
threatened
their
neighbours,
whether
Afghanistan
or
India,"
Richard
G
Olson,
told
members
of
the
Senate
Foreign
Relations
Committee.
Economic
Times,
December
18,
2015.
US
lawmaker
calls
for
closure
of
600
madrassas
in
Pakistan:
A
United
States
(US)
Congressman
Ed
Royce
during
a
Congressional
hearing
on
December
18
sought
the
closure
of
600
Deobandi
madrassas
(religious
seminaries)
in
Pakistan,
describing
them
as
an
"infrastructure
of
hate"
and
which
are
fanning
terrorism
and
extremism
in
the
country,
as
he
asserted
that
the
country
had
failed
in
eliminating
the
extremist
mindset.
He
alleged
that
the
madrassas
were
spewing
hate.
The News,
December
19,
2015.
Military
still
plays
bloated
role
in
Pakistan's
politics,
says
former
Foreign
Minister
Hina
Rabbani
Khar:
Former
Foreign
Minister
Hina
Rabbani
Khar
during
the
'Head
to
Head'
segment
of
on
Al
Jazeera
on
December
18
said
that
the
military
still
plays
a
bloated
role
in
Pakistan's
politics,
claiming
the
Prime
Minister
has
"much
less
freedom
than
he
ought
to
have".
Khar
also
said
Pakistan
was
'guilty
of
being
incompetent'
when
it
came
to
the
presence
of
Osama
Bin
Laden
in
Abbottabad,
while
denying
any
role
of
the
Pakistan
People's
Party
(PPP)-led
Government
in
protecting
the
global
terror
kingpin.
Tribune,
December
19,
2015.
TTP
reject
Islamic
State
leader
Abu
Bakr
al-Baghdadi's
claim
to
be
'caliph':
Tehreek-e-
Taliban
Pakistan
(TTP)
on
December
19
rejected
Islamic
State
leader
Abu
Bakr
al-Baghdadi's
claim
to
be
the
global
leader
of
all
Muslims.
"Baghdadi
is
not
Khalifa
(caliph)
because
in
Islam,
Khalifa
means
that
he
has
command
over
all
the
Muslim
world,
while
Baghdadi
has
no
such
command;
he
has
command
over
a
specific
people
and
territory,"
the
Pakistan
Taliban
said
in
a
statement.
The
TTP's
statement
comes
after
a
similar
rejection
by
the
Afghan
Taliban
following
pledges
of
allegiance
from
low-level
commanders
of
both
Islamist
movements
to
the
Middle
East-based
Islamic
State
(IS).
Times
of
India,
December
21,
2015.
SRI
LANKA
US
praises
Sri
Lanka's
success
in
rebuilding
and
reconciliation
as
an
example
to
world:
The
United
States
(US)
Under
Secretary
of
State
(Designate)
for
Political
Affairs,
Ambassador
Thomas
Shannon
on
December
15
said
that
Sri
Lanka's
success
in
rebuilding
the
country
and
reconciliation
with
people
will
be
an
example
to
the
rest
of
the
world.
Ambassador
Tom
Shannon
visited
the
port
city
of
Trincomalee
in
the
Eastern
Province
as
part
of
continued
US
engagement
with
all
of
Sri
Lanka
and
met
with
Government
officials
and
civil
society
leaders
to
discuss
the
development
and
progress
of
US
funded
projects
and
importance
of
human
rights
and
transitional
justice
for
reconciliation.
Colombo Page,
December
16,
2015.
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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