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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 14, No. 27, January 4, 2016
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
|
Odisha:
Maoists in Retreat
Mrinal
Kanta Das
Research
Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management
Communist
Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)
cadres killed a Sarpanch (village level local self-
government institution head) Jayaram Khara at Badapadar
in Malkangiri District on December 25, 2015. 10 Maoists
barged into the house of the Sarpanch, killed him
and escaped. It is suspected that he was killed as a suspected
‘Police informer’.
On the
same day, elsewhere in the District, the Maoists killed
another civilian, Sahadev Badnayak, brother of a former
Sarpanch at Raba village. According to sources,
a group of around 30 Maoists had abducted Sahadev earlier
in the day.
Though
these incidents give an impression of insecurity among
the civilian population, partial data compiled by the
South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), suggests a
contrary narrative. As against 31 civilian fatalities
in Left Wing Extremist (LWE) violence through 2014, 2015
recorded 18 such fatalities, a decline of 58 per cent.
This was, in fact, the lowest civilian fatality figure
recorded in the state since 2007, when it stood at 13.
Indeed, the security situation in Odisha has improved
dramatically.
In an attempt
to strengthen the security grid, Security Forces (SFs)
launched increasingly successful offensive operations
through 2015. 11 Maoists were killed in the year, as against
nine in 2014. In the most recent of such incidents, SFs
killed a CPI-Maoist cadre in the Chandiposh Forest area
near Rourkela in the Sundargarh District on November 12,
2015. Further, 29 Maoists were arrested in 2015 in addition
to 49 in 2014, and 84 in 2013.
There was
a transient spike in SF fatalities, with four SF fatalities
in two separate incidents in 2015, as against one in 2014.
On August 26, 2015, three Border Security Force (BSF)
personnel and a civilian were killed in a CPI-Maoist ambush
in Malkangiri District. According to the Inspector-in-Charge
of the Chitrakonda Police Station, P. Durua, the BSF team
was returning by boat after area domination and patrolling
exercises in the cut-off area of the Balimela
Reservoir. While they were alighting
from the boat, a landmine planted by the Maoists went
off. It was followed by firing by the Maoists who were
hiding nearby.
In total,
33 persons, including 18 civilians, four SF personnel
and 11 Maoists, were killed in Odisha through 2015; in
comparison to 41 persons, including 31 civilians, one
trooper and nine Maoists through 2014, registering a decline
of 24 per cent.
There were
14 exchanges of fire between SFs and CPI-Maoist through
2015 in six Districts of the State, in comparison to 25
such incidents in 13 Districts in 2014. Odisha has a total
of 30 Districts. In 2015 the Districts that reported exchange
of fire incidents included Malkangiri (4), Kalahandi (4),
Kandhamal (3), Deogarh (1), Koraput (1), and Angul (1).
In 2014 encounters were reported from Koraput (4), Malkangiri
(3), Ganjam (3), of which two were with the breakaway
Odisha Maobadi Party (OMP), Sundargarh (3), all of which
were with the People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI),
Sambalpur (2), Kandhamal (2), Balangir (2), Nabarangpur,
Nuapada, Boudh, Angul, Deogarh, and Kalahandi, 1 each.
The biggest
positive development of 2015 was the diminishing influence
of Maoists in Koraput District. Koraput recorded a single
fatality (one trooper) in 2015, as against 14 (10 civilians
and four SF personnel) in 2014.
The Maoists
were also involved in five explosions in the State: Rayagada
(1), Balangir (1), Koraput (1) and Malkangiri (2) Districts;
as against six explosions (five in Malkangiri and one
in Nuapada) in 2014.
The Maoists
in Odisha have been considerably weakened in 2015, as
in other theaters of Maoist operation, including Maharashtra,
Chhattisgarh,
and Jharkhand.
In October 2015, the Maoists recognised that their Odisha
unit had suffered huge losses after Sabyasachi
Panda parted ways and created his
own outfit in the State. Panda was expelled from the party
on August 10, 2012, for ‘ideological reasons’. Later,
he formed his own party called the Odisha Maobadi Party
(OMP). Afterwards he became the ‘general secretary’ of
the Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist-Maoist (CPI-MLM).
He was arrested on July 17, 2014, in the Ganjam District
of Odisha and is now lodged in Berhampur Jail. The Maoists
also concede that the surrender of Nachika
Linga, the head of the Chasi Mulia
Adivasi Sangha (CMAS), a Maoist front organization
that had been particularly active in mass movements in
2006-09, impacted particularly adversely on the prospects
of the organisation in the State. Linga surrendered on
October 28, 2014.
Further,
another 135 Maoist cadres surrendered in 2015. 1,787 Maoists
(overwhelmingly from CMAS) had surrendered in 2013,
followed by 94 such surrenders in 2014.
Nevertheless,
residual Maoist capacities and capabilities continue to
present a significant challenge in the State. There were
three major incidents (each resulting in three or more
fatalities) reported in 2015, as against just one in 2014.
The Maoists also engineered at least seven arson-related
incidents in 2015, in comparison to six in 2014. Further,
10 bandh (total shut down) calls were given by
the Maoists in 2015, as against two in 2014, though most
of these were unsuccessful. However, there were reports
of some ‘successful’ bandhs in the Maoist stronghold
of Malkangiri. Thus, during a bandh call
given by the Maoists across the Dandakaranya region on
November 25, 2015, normal life was paralyzed in the Mathili
Block of Malkangiri District.
Fatalities
was reported from seven of Odisha’s 30 Districts: Angul,
Bolangir, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Koraput, Malkangiri and
Sundergarh – in 2015 in comparison to five Districts –
Koraput, Malkangiri, Nuapada, Rayagada and Sundergarh
– in 2014. Malkangiri which accounted for 25 of the 33
fatalities (16 civilians, three SFs personnel and six
Maoists) recorded in the State in 2015, a staggering 72
per cent of the total, and emerged as one of the most
violent LWE-affected Districts in the country, along with
Sukma, Bijapur and Dantewada in Chhattisgarh); Gadchiroli
in Maharashtra; and Palamu in Jharkhand. These six Districts
together contributed 59 per cent of the total fatalities
violence in 2015. Fear of the Maoists is endemic across
the villages of Malkangiri District. On November 3, 2015,
at least 40 families of Kanaguda village under the Kalimela
Police Station in Malkangiri District left their homes
due to threats and harassment by CPI-Maoist cadres. However,
they returned home within three weeks, on November 22.
On August
25, 2015, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed
concern over Maoist activities, observing, "The position
continues to remain challenging in the Districts of Malkangiri,
Koraput and Nuapada."
Further,
on February 2, 2015, dispelling the idea that the Maoists
are no longer a challenge, the Odisha Government
urged Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to provide two
additional battalions of Central Reserve Police Force
(CRPF) to contain the ultras in Nuapada and Malkangiri
Districts.
Despite
suffering major losses, the Maoists remain a challenge,
particularly in Malkangiri. However, some developments
through 2015 have the potential to further undermine the
Maoist hold in the District. On April 15, 2015, for instance,
the Malkangiri Adivasi Sangha, a tribal organization,
raised a voice of protest against the Maoists for abducting
eight villagers in the Kartanpalli area of Malkangiri.
After a meeting in Malkangiri, the tribal body declared
it would resort to retaliation against the Maoists if
the eight villagers were not freed immediately and unconditionally.
The Maoists released all of them the very next day. Moreover,
in September 2015, an estimated 822 Maoists, mostly supporters,
militia members and village committee members, surrendered
in Malkangiri District, suggesting that the Maoist support
base is being rapidly eroded.
The present
reverses could well be a turning point in the Maoist movement
that has rampaged across Odisha and the so-called ‘Red
Corridor’ for years now. This is a time for vigorous efforts
for consolidation of the advantage on the part of the
state, giving the rebels no opportunity to regroup and
revive their movement.
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Arunachal
Pradesh: Towards Sustainable Peace
Nijeesh
N.
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management
On December
15, 2015, Assam Rifles (AR) personnel killed a militant
of the Khaplang faction of the National Socialist Council
of Nagaland (NSCN-K),
identified as ‘Lieutenant’ Wangmi Wangdung aka
Nyamjan Hasik, during an operation at Langka village under
the Nampong Police Station in the Changlang District of
Arunachal Pradesh. One AK 56 rifle, three magazines, 105
live rounds of ammunition, hand grenades, an ‘extortion
pad’, ration book and some cash were recovered from the
possession of the slain militant. According to reports,
AR personnel launched the operation following information
that a group of 10 to 12 NSCN-K militants were taking
shelter in a hideout located in the village. While Wangdung
was killed, the others managed to escape under the cover
of darkness.
On April
26, 2015, Security Forces (SFs) killed an unidentified
militant of the Arunachal Pradesh Depressed People’s Front
(APDPF) in the Deban area of Changlang District. SFs also
arrested six militants of the group. APDPF was formed
in 2014 by some Chakma youths principally to engage in
extortion, abduction, and other criminal activities, in
the Diyun, Miao and Namsai areas of Changlang and Namsai
Districts. The group has approximately 10 to 12 cadres
who had undergone armed training in Bangladesh in 2014.
These were
the only militant fatalities at the hands of the SFs through
2015. In 2014, SFs killed six militants in four separate
incidents.
SFs lost
four of their personnel in two separate incidents in 2015.
In a major [resulting in three or more fatalities] incident,
three Army personnel were killed and another four were
wounded in an ambush when cadres of the Isak-Muivah faction
of National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM)
fired on their convoy at Tupi village, along the Khonsa-Longding
road, in Tirap District on April 2, 2015. The ambush was
carried out by the NSCN-IM to ‘avenge’ the killing and
arrests of its cadres by SFs in Arunachal Pradesh. Four
NSCN-IM cadres were killed and another four were arrested
in the State through 2014. According to the Arunachal
Pradesh Police, NSCN-IM militants including self-styled
‘sergeant major’ Ayo Tangkhul, ‘captain’ Kapai aka
Singmayo Kapai, ‘lieutenant’ Ami Tangkhul, ‘lieutenant
colonel’ Kewang Hassik, ‘major’ Anok Wangsu and ‘sergeant
major’ Chenaye Tangkhul aka Ayo, were suspected
to have carried out the attack with the help of some local
villagers.
In another
attack targeting AR personnel, militants carried out an
Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack at Monmao village,
near the India-Myanmar border, in the Changlang District,
on February 6, 2015. Two civilian porters working for
AR were killed, while nine AR troopers were injured in
the blast. One of the injured AR trooper succumbed to
his injuries the next day. Later, NSCN-K sources claimed
that the attack was a joint operation by the NSCN-K and
the Independent faction of the United Liberation Front
of Asom (ULFA-I),
against the Indian Army.
The SFs
also had a lucky escape as two suspected NSCN-K militants,
including a Myanmar national, were killed and another
was injured, when an IED they were trying to plant exploded
accidentally at Wakka, near the Indo-Myanmar border, in
Longding District on June 9, 2015. The selection of the
spot for planting the IED suggests that the militants
had AR personnel and their assets in mind as targets,
since an AR outpost is located about eight kilometers
away. A live IED, along with a remote control, was recovered
from the site of the incident.
Earlier,
on June 7, 2015, around 30 to 35 heavily armed NSCN-K
militants had opened fire at an AR camp in the Lazu area
of Tirap District bordering Myanmar. There was no report
of any casualty, as alert AR personnel retaliated immediately
and effectively, forcing the militants to flee. Around
70 empty AK-47 cartridges and some unexploded bombs were
recovered from the incident site.
Significantly,
Arunachal Pradesh had not recorded any SF fatality through
2014. In fact, the last SF fatality dated back to October
25, 2007, when three AR personnel and a civilian were
killed and another eight were injured in an ambush carried
out by NSCN-IM militants in a remote jungle in the Tirap
District.
The State
did not witness a single attack targeting civilians through
2015. However, two civilian porters were killed in the
February 6 attack targeting AR personnel. In 2014, three
civilians had been killed in two separate incidents. In
2014, two civilians were killed in crossfire between AR
personnel and militants at Holam village in Khonsa in
the Tirap District on January 2, 2014. In the second incident,
a trader from Kerala was found dead in a jungle in the
Cheputa village in Papum Pare District on September 5,
2014, after he had been abducted a week earlier, on August
27, 2014. These civilian killings were recorded in Arunachal
Pradesh after an almost six year gap, since October 25,
2007.
According
to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism
Portal (SATP), Arunachal Pradesh has recorded a total
of 10 insurgency-related fatalities, including two civilians,
four SF personnel and four militants, through 2015 (data
till December 31), as against nine fatalities (three civilians
and six militants) in 2014. Overall security environment
in the State thus remained more or less stable. Insurgency
in Arunachal peaked in 2001, with 63 fatalities, including
40 civilians, 12 SF personnel and 11 militants.
SFs also
arrested a total of 21 militants in 10 separate incidents
in 2015, as against 19 such arrests in eight separate
incidents in 2014. 11 of the arrested militants belonged
to Arunachal Pradesh-based outfits – seven of the APDPF
and four of the National Liberation Council of Tani Land
(NLCT). Three arrested militants belonged to Nagaland-based
outfits – two of NSCN (faction not known) and one of NSCN-IM.
One militant belonged to the Assam-based National Democratic
Front of Bodoland (NDFB).
Affiliations of the remaining six militant’s arrested
remained unconfirmed.
According
to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) data, as
on September 15, 2015, abductions in the States of the
Northeast registered a significant decline in 2015, with
Arunachal Pradesh showing a nearly 50 per cent drop in
incidents of abduction, from 49 in 2014 to 24 in 2015.
NSCN-K was responsible for the maximum number of recorded
incidents, followed by NSCN-Khole Kitovi (NSCN-KK).
Arunachal
has long remained ‘an island of relative peace’ in India’s
troubled Northeast, though it has been affected, for some
years, by an ‘overflow’ of violence from neighboring States.
Crucially, all the incidents of killing through 2015 were
reported from three eastern Districts – Tirap, Changlang
and Longding – which border Nagaland and are regarded
as sanctuaries by Naga militant outfits NSCN-IM and NSCN-K.
Crucially, these three Districts are part of NSCN-IM’s
projected State of Nagalim
(Greater Nagaland).
Through
an order issued on November 4-5, 2015, UMHA further extended
the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in 16 Police
Stations of Arunachal Pradesh for six months, citing the
presence of Naga insurgent groups including NSCN-K, NSCN-KK
and the Reformation faction of NSCN (NSCN-R) besides Assam
based terror outfits ULFA-I and the IK Songbijit faction
of the NDFB (NDFB-IKS), to declare these Districts "disturbed
areas" under section 3 of AFSPA. AFSPA was first
implemented in these three Districts on September 17,
1991. Significantly, of the five incidents of killing
reported in 2015, NSCN-K was responsible for three; while
NSCN-IM and APDPF were responsible for one each, clearly
demonstrating that the preponderance of violence was coming
from neighbouring States. This ‘overflow’ is a major concern.
Assam-based
Bodo militant groups also pose a security threat to Arunachal
Pradesh, especially along the Arunachal-Assam border.
A UMHA notification of March 27, 2015 observed,
a
further review of the law and order situation in
entire districts in Assam bordering Arunachal Pradesh
reveals that areas lying within the police stations
in Arunachal Pradesh bordering Assam remain a cause
of serious concern… There is presence of NDFB-S,
NSCN-IM, NSCN-K, ULFA-I, Kamtapur Liberation Organization
(KLO),
Manipur People's Liberation Front (MPLF) along the
Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border. Outfits like Kanglei
Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL),
United National Liberation Front (UNLF),
People’s Liberation Army (PLA)
and Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP)
are helping NDFB-S and ULFA-I and KLO for movement
of men, material, infiltration and exfiltration…
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Accordingly,
AFSPA had been extended to nine new Districts of Arunachal
through the notification on March 27. However, on May
5, 2015, the Government changed its decision and AFSPA
was lifted from these Districts.
Arunachal
Pradesh also faces the problem of the illegal influx and
settlement of foreigners, especially the presence of the
53,000 strong Chakma and Hajong refugees that has created
a sense of marginalization among indigenous tribes like
the Noctes, Wangchow, Khamtis, Singphos and Tsangas in
the eastern-most part of Arunachal; while in the western
part of the State, Tibetans, Bhutanese and Nepalese are
exerting demographic dominance over the indigenous Monpas,
Sherdukpens, Akas and Mijis. Further, in central part
of the State, there is a floating population of Bangladeshis
that has created tension among Nyishi, Adi, Galo, Apatani
and Tagin tribes.
Significantly,
on September 17, 2015, the Supreme Court (SC) directed
the Union Government and the State Government to grant
citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees within three
months. The State Government filed a review petition on
October 26, 2015, aggrieved at the SC’s decision. Though
the Supreme Court rejected the State Government’s application
on November 19, 2015, the Arunachal Pradesh Government
has again decided to file a curative petition in respect
to the permanent settlement of Chakma and Hajong refugees
in the State. On November 23, 2015, Chief Minister Nabam
Tuki noted, "We are not against the grant of Indian
citizenship to the Chakma, Hajong refugees, but opposed
to their permanent settlement in Arunachal Pradesh and
the exemption from the Inner Line Permit".
While Arunachal
Pradesh has been relatively free of the widespread insurgencies
that have afflicted much of India’s Northeast, patterns
of militant overflow and demographic destabilization do
create significant security challenges in this sensitive
border State, which require enhancement of the capacity
and quality of the SFs deployed. According to a report
published on April 8, 2015, UMHA had already given an
‘in principle’ nod to raise 16 additional battalions of
the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Force, of which
8,000 personnel (about eight battalions) would be deployed
in the Northeast, mainly in Arunachal Pradesh. Also, between
the 2012-13 and 2014-15 fiscal years, Arunachal Pradesh
received INR 730 million under the Security Related Expenditure
(SRE) scheme to strengthen its Police network. In addition
to an unprecedented strengthening of SF capacities in
the State, accelerated development initiatives in the
fields of infrastructure and economy, are also necessary
if a sustainable peace is to be established.
|
Weekly Fatalities: Major
Conflicts in South Asia
December 28,
2015-January 3, 2016
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
BANGLADESH
|
|
Left Wing
Extremism
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
INDIA
|
|
Jammu and
Kashmir
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
Assam
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Nagaland
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Punjab
|
1
|
7
|
4
|
12
|
Left-Wing
Extremism
|
|
Andhra Pradesh
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Chhattisgarh
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
3
|
Total (INDIA)
|
2
|
7
|
11
|
20
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
Balochistan
|
3
|
2
|
3
|
8
|
FATA
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
4
|
KP
|
26
|
0
|
1
|
27
|
Sindh
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
Total (PAKISTAN)
|
|
|
|
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
|
BANGLADESH
183
cases
relating
to
militancy
have
been
deposed
of
with
sentencing
deaths
to
69
militants,
life
terms
to
162
and
different
jail
terms
to
239
others,
says
Police:
Police
said
that
a
total
of
183
cases
relating
to
militancy
have
been
deposed
of
with
sentencing
deaths
to
69
militants,
life
terms
to
162
and
different
jail
terms
to
239
others
while
364
more
cases
are
now
under
trial.
56,
11
and
two
members
of
the
banned
militant
outfits
Jama'atul
Mujahideen
Bangladesh
(JMB),
Harkat-ul-Jihad-al
Islami
Bangladesh
(HuJI-B)
and
Ansarullah
Bangla
Team
(ABT)
were
awarded
death
sentences
respectively.
A
total
of
2,857
operatives
of
different
militant
outfits
have
so
far
been
arrested
while
the
number
of
the
fugitives
is
660.
Dhaka
Tribune,
January
1,
2016.
Police
form
special
counter-terror
unit:
A
600-men
Police
unit
specialising
in
technology
has
been
formed
under
the
Dhaka
Metropolitan
Police
to
enhance
Police
capability
in
combating
militancy
and
terrorism.
The
"Counter
Terrorism
and
Transnational
Crime"
unit
has
been
formed
at
a
time
when
the
country
has
witnessed
a
sharp
rise
in
deadly
attacks
on
bloggers,
publishers,
different
Muslim
sects,
foreigners,
and
people
of
other
religion,
Police
sources
said.
Daily Star,
December
31,
2015.
INDIA
Seven
SF
personnel
and
four
JeM
militants
among
12
persons
killed
in
terrorist
attack
in
Punjab:
12
persons,
including
seven
Security
Force
(SF)
personnel
and
four
suspected
Jaish-e-Mohammed
(JeM)
militants
were
killed
in
a
coordinated
terror
attack
in
Punjab's
Pathankot
District,
reports
Times
of
India.
After
infiltrating
into
Indian
side
from
across
the
border,
Pakistani
militants
had
hired
a
taxi
and
later
killed
the
taxi
driver
on
January
1.
Subsequently,
they
hijacked
a
vehicle
carrying
Gurdaspur
Superintendent
of
Police
(SP,
Headquarters)
Salwinder
Singh,
his
friend
and
his
cook.
They
released
the
SP
and
his
cook
and
took
his
friend
along
with
them
towards
Indian
Air
Force
base
in
Pathankot.
They
released
the
friend
too.
In
the
morning
of
January
2,
they
entered
the
Air
Force
base.
In
the
ensuing
day
long
gun
battle,
four
militants
were
killed.
Six
Security
Force
personnel
were
also
killed.
The
operation
continued
on
January
3.
One
NSG
commando
was
killed
while
removing
an
IED
attached
to
the
body
of
one
of
the
slain
militants.
The
operation
is
still
going
on.
Times
of
India,
January
1-4,
2016.
Militants
attack
Indian
Consulate
in
Mazar-i-Sharif
in
Afghanistan:
Militants
attempted
to
storm
the
Indian
diplomatic
mission
in
Mazar-i-Sharif.
It
is
believed
that
at
least
2-3
attackers
are
still
active
out
of
the
total
of
4-5
who
attempted
to
storm
the
heavily
guarded
complex.
"Two
attackers
are
believed
to
be
killed
after
security
forces
engaged
them,"
sources
said.
"All
the
Indian
staff
is
safe,"
they
said.
Clearing
operations
were
still
on.
Indian Express,
January
4,
2016.
LeT
'founder'
and
JuD
'chief'
Hafiz
Muhammad
Saeed
creates
24-hour
cyber
cell
to
launch
attack
on
India,
according
to
report:
Reports
have
come
in
that
LeT
(Lashkar-e-Taiba)
'founder'
and
JuD
(Jama'at-ud-Dawa)
'chief'
Hafiz
Muhammad
Saeed
has
created
a
24-hour
cyber
cell
to
launch
an
attack
on
India.
The
aim
of
the
cell
is
terror
attack
on
India
and
propaganda
war,
as
per
media
reports.
He
reportedly
attended
a
two-day
conference
on
terror
on
December
26
and
27,
2015
in
Lahore
(Punjab,
Pakistan),
where
cyber
war
against
India
was
discussed.
It
was
called
the
social
media
conference
and
on
the
poster
was
written
-
Cyber
Team,
JuD.
Saeed's
son
was
also
said
to
be
present
in
the
conference.
Zee
News,
December
28,
2015.
100
militants
killed
in
Jammu
and
Kashmir
in
2015,
says
Army:
Top
Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT)
militant
Abu
Qasim,
who
was
involved
in
attack
on
Army
Convoy
in
Srinagar
two
years
ago,
was
among
100
terrorists
killed
in
encounter
with
Security
Forces
(SFs)
in
Jammu
and
Kashmir
(J&K)
in
2015,
the
Army
said
in
Jammu
on
December
29.
"During
the
2015
year
in
various
successful
operations,
over
100
terrorists
have
been
neutralised
including
some
top
terrorist
commanders
like
Abu
Qasim,
LeT,
who
was
responsible
for
Hyderpora
attack
on
Army
convoy
in
2013,"
Public
Relation
Officer
(PRO)
Defence
Northern
Command,
Colonel
S
D
Goswami
said.
Daily Excelsior,
December
30,
2015.
50
ISI
agents
arrested
in
India
since
2013,
according
to
UMHA:
According
to
the
Union
Ministry
for
Home
Affairs
(UMHA)
since
2013
there
have
been
50
arrests
of
Inter-Services
Intelligence
(ISI)
in
India.
The
note
to
UMHA
states
that
some
fake
welfare
organisations
had
been
set
up
and
most
of
these
former
army
personnel
had
joined
it
as
they
were
assured
placements.
One
India,
December
31,
2015.
Afghan
national
under
radar
for
allegedly
indoctrinating
youth
to
join
Islamic
State,
says
NIA:
An
Afghan
businessman
is
believed
to
be
allegedly
indoctrinating
youth
from
Maharashtra
to
join
Islamic
State
(IS),
claims
National
Investigation
Agency
(NIA)
which
has
sent
its
first
judicial
requests
in
the
case
to
Afghanistan
seeking
details
of
the
person.
The
Afghan
national,
whose
name
has
been
withheld,
was
running
business
of
dry
fruits
in
India
and
allegedly
approached
the
four
youths
from
Kalyan
area
neighbouring
Mumbai
and
brainwashed
them
to
join
ranks
of
IS,
official
sources
said.
New Indian
Express,
December
30,
2015.
Muslim
families
preventing
Islamic
State
influence
from
spreading,
states
UHM
Rajnath
Singh:
Appreciating
Indian
Muslim
families
for
the
important
role
they
are
playing
in
preventing
their
children
from
being
influenced
by
the
Islamic
State
(IS),
Union
Home
Minister
Rajnath
Singh
on
January
1
said
they
are
able
to
do
this
because
of
"our
family
values".
"...In
other
parts
of
the
world,
ISIS
is
growing
but
that
will
not
happen
in
India
and
that's
because
of
the
family
values
we
have
here,"
he
added.
Times
of
India,
January
2,
2016.
NEPAL
Ministry
of
Law,
Justice
and
Parliamentary
Affairs
registers
bill
to
amend
some
Nepal
Acts
in
accordance
with
new
Constitution:
Ministry
of
Law,
Justice
and
Parliamentary
Affairs
on
January
1
registered
a
bill
to
amend
some
Nepal
Acts
to
193
existing
laws
in
accordance
with
the
new
Constitution.
The
Ministry
took
the
initiative
to
bring
the
new
Constitution
into
implementation.
Altogether
193
update
existing
laws
contravene
various
provisions
of
the
new
constitution
that
was
promulgated
on
September
20.
The
Ministry
has
been
working
with
the
target
of
establishing
one
high
court
in
each
seven
provinces
within
a
year.
Myrepublica,
January
2,
2016.
PAKISTAN
26
persons
killed
in
suicide
attack
on
NADRA
office
in
Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa:
At
least
26
people
were
killed
and
50
others
injured
as
a
suicide
bomber
exploded
himself
near
a
National
Database
and
Registration
Authority
(NADRA)
office
located
on
the
link
road
in
Mardan
town
of
same
District
in
Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa
on
December
29.
The
blast
took
place
at
a
time
when
the
office
was
crowded
with
people
lining
up
to
make
applications
for
Computerised
National
Identity
Cards
(CNICs).
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar
(JuA),
a
breakaway
faction
of
the
Tehreek-i-Taliban
Pakistan
(TTP)
claimed
the
responsibility
for
the
attack.
Daily
Times,
December
30,
2015.
696
suspects
killed
in
encounters
in
Karachi
in
2015,
says
official
figures:
According
to
the
data
released
by
the
Karachi
Police
on
December
28,
Police
and
Rangers
killed
696
suspects
in
different
encounters
in
Karachi
during
2015
and
the
collective
number
of
their
personnel
who
fell
in
the
line
of
duty
during
the
same
period
is
95.
A
total
of
1,577
encounters
took
place
during
2015
and
544
suspected
militants,
gangsters,
criminals,
were
killed.
The
number
of
Policemen
who
lost
their
lives
in
armed
attacks
so
far
is
83,
while
89
were
wounded
in
the
outgoing
year.
Dawn,
December
29,
2015.
28
journalists
killed
in
Pakistan
during
2015,
says
JPC
Annual
Report:
The
Journalist
Protect
Committee
(JPC)
in
its
annual
report
stated
that
at
least
28
journalists
were
killed
and
23
others
were
injured
while
performing
their
professional
duties
in
2015
in
Pakistan.
Fifty-one
cases
were
lodged
and
only
three
killers
have
been
held
so
far.
The
report
further
said
that
six
journalists
were
killed
in
Karachi,
five
in
Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa
and
Federally
Administered
Tribal
Areas
(FATA),
four
in
Balochistan
while
remaining
journalists
were
killed
in
various
parts
of
Pakistan
in
different
incidents.
The
News,
December
30,
2015.
34.22
percent
decline
in
terror
trends
across
country,
reveals
official
data:
According
to
analysis
of
official
data
revealed
on
December
28,
the
country
faced
34.22
percent
reduction
in
the
incidents
of
terrorism
and
fatalities
this
year
as
compared
to
2014.
During
the
year
2015,
as
much
as
3,615
fatalities
were
reported
in
the
incidents
of
terrorism
as
compared
to
last
year's
5,496
fatalities.
The
base
camps
and
other
facilities
to
the
terrorist
networks
operating
in
the
North
Waziristan
as
well
as
in
other
parts
of
the
country
have
been
destroyed
during
the
military
offensive
Zarb-e-Azb
and
it
played
a
decisive
role
in
maintaining
peace
in
Pakistan.
The
News,
December
29,
2015.
Nation
would
get
rid
of
terrorism
this
year,
claims
CoAS
General
Raheel
Sharif:
Chief
of
Army
Staff
(CoAS)
General
Raheel
Sharif
while
addressing
tribal
elders
of
Gwadar,
Talar
and
Turbat
areas
of
Makran
Division
on
January
1
said
that
the
nation
would
get
rid
of
terrorism
this
year.
"The
new
year
will
be
the
year
when
terrorism
will
end,"
he
said.
He
also
said
that
the
"elements
involved
in
the
bad
practice
of
financial
misappropriation"
should
also
be
dealt
with
strictly.
Dawn,
January
2,
2016.
SRI
LANKA
Sri
Lanka
has
enormous
task
of
achieving
meaningful
solution
to
national
question,
says
TNA
leader
R.
Sampanthan:
Tamil
National
Alliance
(TNA)
leader
R.
Sampanthan
in
his
New
Year
message
said
that
Sri
Lanka
has
an
enormous
task
of
achieving
a
meaningful
solution
to
the
national
question.
He
said,
"As
a
country,
we
have
the
enormous
task
of
achieving
a
meaningful
solution
to
the
national
question,
beneficial
development
and
lasting
peace
and
reconciliation.
It
is
through
solidarity
that
we
can
build
a
prosperous
country
while
acknowledging
the
ethnic,
linguistic,
cultural,
religious
and
other
unique
features
of
each
community."
Colombo Page,
January
1,
2016.
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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