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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 14, No. 48, May 31, 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


ASSESSMENT

AFGHANISTAN
PAKISTAN
USA
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Drift into Reality
Ajai Sahni
Editor, SAIR; Executive Director, ICM & SATP

While the turmoil and bloodshed in Afghanistan continues, with some indices escalating sharply in 2015-16, Pakistan’s gameplan to restore its proxies to power in Kabul appears to be unraveling. In a development that has shaken Islamabad, a United States (US) drone targeted and killed the Pakistan-installed head of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, near Ahmed Wal in Balochistan, squarely on Pakistani soil, on May 21, 2016. While the US has long targeted al Qaeda and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) linked terrorists in Pakistan, the top Taliban leadership operated under cover of impunity till now as a result of a misconceived US policy that farmed out the ‘management’ of the Taliban to the Pakistan Army and its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The strike suggests that Washington is now losing patience with Pakistan’s protracted mischief in Afghanistan.

Indeed, US President Barack Obama, announcing the hit, observed that the US had “removed the leader of an organization that has continued to plot against and unleash attacks on American and coalition forces... He is an individual who as head of the Taliban was specifically targeting U.S. personnel and troops inside of Afghanistan who are there as part of the mission I have set to maintain a counterterrorism platform and provide assistance.”

Pakistan has continuously leveraged its ‘influence’ over the Taliban to create a rolling crisis of terrorism in Afghanistan, and has then offered its own ‘good offices’ to help find a ‘solution’ – most recently through the still-born Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) mediated peace talks. For reasons unknown, Washington played along in this charade even during the period of heightened deployment, when the Taliban inflicted daily casualties on US and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops, as well as on the Afghan National Security Forces.

In another indication of the loss of past and unwarranted patience, the US Congress blocked subsidies on the sale of eight F-16 Fighter jets on the grounds that Pakistan had failed to shut down sanctuaries of the Haqqani Network on its soil, as well as concerns regarding Islamabad’s rampaging nuclear programme. Pakistan allowed the deal to lapse once US finance was made unavailable.

There has been a rising anger in Washington over the past decade and a half against Pakistan’s two-faced approach, but till the US-ISAF ‘drawdown’ of 2014, US planners had failed to develop alternative supply routes for their troops in Afghanistan, and gave Islamabad an extraordinarily long leash as a result of their logistical dependence. Astonishingly, a delusional cluster of American and international supporters persisted with the policy of giving Pakistan, the principal purveyor of strife in the region, centrality in the purported ‘peace process’ even after the drawdown, and despite the crescendo of violence in Afghanistan orchestrated by groups manifestly operating under state protection from Pakistani soil.

The Mansour strike clearly puts Pakistan on notice, indicating that the Taliban leadership – including Mansour’s successor Haibatullah Akhundzada, as well as ‘deputy supreme leaders’ Sirajuddin Haqqani and Mullah Yaqoob (Mullah Omar’s son) – no longer enjoys impunity. A likely outcome is that this entire leadership will be pushed deeper underground. Indeed, in 2010, when the Obama Administration had shown signs of extending its campaign of drone attacks against elements of the Taliban’s Quetta Shura, the ISI had responded by shifting top leaders, including Mullah Omar, the then chief of the Afghan Taliban, to the port city of Karachi, far South. It is significant that Mullah Omar is said to have died in Karachi, in 2013 according to the official Pakistani position, but possibly earlier. While this may help temporarily secure these leaders, it is likely to create increasing challenges of command and control, and, crucially, of trust, given the ISI’s protracted fraud of keeping Mullah Omar’s death a secret, even as it continued to exercise control over the movement in his name.

Moreover, despite widening theatres of violence in Afghanistan and rising fatalities, things are not going too well for the Taliban. Since the launch of the latest summer offensive, the Taliban’s Operation Omari, on April 12, 2016, according to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), 2,884 fatalities in terrorist violence have been recorded across Afghanistan till May 30, 2016; of these, 2,599 (90.11 per cent) have been Taliban and other terrorist cadres. The Security Forces (SFs) have lost 126 personnel (4.36 per cent of total fatalities), and 159 civilians (5.82 per cent) have been killed. These numbers are broadly consistent with the trajectory of escalating violence in Afghanistan since the drawdown. Thus, 10,576 persons were killed in 2014, including 6,030 Taliban (57 per cent), 845 SF personnel (7.98 per cent), and 3,701 civilians (34.99 per cent). 2015 saw at least 15,422 fatalities, including 10,628 terrorists (68.27 per cent), 1,249 SF personnel (8.1 per cent), and 3,545 civilians (22.99 per cent). A total of 7,977 fatalities have been recorded in 2016 (till May 30), and terrorists account for 6,835 (85.68 per cent); SF personnel, 357 (4.47 per cent); and civilians, 785 (9.84 per cent). While these are likely underestimates of the actual death toll, the broad trends would be consistent with the situation on the ground. Thus, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) recorded at least 600 civilians killed in the first quarter of 2016, but noted that this was a 13 per cent decrease over the same period in 2015.

Other indices also confirm declining effectiveness of insurgent violence. Thus, in 2014, 572 persons were killed in 83 suicide attacks; in 2015, 368 persons were killed in 74 suicide attacks; and in 2016, 16 suicide attacks have resulted in 203 fatalities, including at least 64 killed in the devastating car bombing followed by small arms assault of April 19, 2016, in Kabul.

Further, while Pakistan was able to cobble together some surface unity after Mullah Mansour’s disputed succession , the Taliban is far from united. Perhaps the most visible sign of internal contestation is the defection of a number of splinters to Daesh (Islamic State). While grave apprehensions have been expressed regarding the dangers of consolidation of this extraordinarily brutal group, the immediate impact of this fragmentation favours Kabul. While the Daesh linked splinters, under the flag of the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (IS-KP) have vested dominance in significant parts of the Nangarhar Province from the parent Taliban formations, this has unleashed a fratricidal turf war between these insurgent groups. The declaration of affiliation to Daesh has, moreover, attracted a disproportionate response from US Forces, who have targeted them in an intensive and effective drone and aerial campaign, forcing to flee in fragments into across remote mountainous regions in the province.

Nevertheless, the Taliban continues to hold sway across an estimated 30 per cent of all Afghan Districts, and a violent presence in 27 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. This dominance is, however, overwhelmingly the consequence of the unqualified support and safe havens it receives from the Pakistani state and its agencies, and the cover of impunity from US attack its leadership in Pakistan has hitherto operated under. As has been remarked in the past, the problem of Afghanistan is not the Taliban; it is Pakistan.

As long as the US and the international community does not explicitly acknowledge this reality and shape strategies to deal with this enduring challenge, the carnage in Afghanistan will continue. The elimination of Mullah Mansour in a US drone attack on Pakistani soil gives at least momentary hope that future policies will not be framed in an environment of the denial of ground realities and the delusional pursuit of ‘solutions’ proposed by the principal source of Islamist terrorism in South Asia.

INDIA
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Maharashtra: Enduring Vulnerabilities
Mrinal Kanta Das
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management

A villager identified as Venkatesh Atram (31) was hacked to death by Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres at Rajaram village in the Aheri sub-division (administrative unit) area of Gadchiroli District on May 22, 2016. The Maoists went to the residence of Venkatesh Atram at the village and killed him on the suspicion of being a ‘police informer’. A note left behind by the Maoists read, “Venkatesh Atram was working as an SPO [Special Police Officer] for over six years as a result of which our PLGA [People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army] has given him death penalty.” A Police statement, meanwhile, insisted, “He was not a police informer, he was just a common villager.”

On May 10, 2016, Security Force (SF) personnel killed a woman CPI-Maoist ‘commander’, identified as Rajita Ramko Risi Usendi, in an encounter under Dhanora tehsil (revenue unit) of the Gadchiroli District.

CPI-Maoist cadres killed two of their ‘party organisers’, identified as Sheshrao Darro (52) and Devaji Atla (55), outside Masanadi village in the Pendri taluka (administrative unit) of the Gadchiroli District on April 30, 2016. The duo was whisked away from the village in the night of April 29. Police disclosed that Darro was the 'vice-president' of the Jantana Sarkar (Maoist ‘people’s government’) at the village level and Atla was an old member of the party. The Maoists alleged that Darro and Atla were not focusing on the organization, but were helping the Police, and were consequently targeted. Significantly, Darro's brother works with the special operations squad, Crack-60, of the District Police.

On April 25, 2016, Maoist cadres killed two civilians in the District. A Gadchiroli Police statement disclosed, "Matpurshaha Sanaku Holi (42), a resident of Khamtala village and Gogasu Budhu (41), a resident of Huralayadand village under Kurkheda Block of Gadchiroli District were killed by the Maoists today [April 25]... The Maoists went to the homes of both the victims and shot them dead branding them as 'Police informers'...”

On April 14, 2016, a Policeman was killed when CPI-Maoist cadres opened indiscriminate fire at him at a function in Mauje Chhallewada village in the District to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. According to reports, when former Maharashtra legislator Deepak Atram was addressing the function, his Police bodyguard, Nanaji B. Nagose, who was posted on duty near the stage, was suddenly accosted by six heavily armed Maoists who fired several rounds at the guard before fleeing into the nearby forest with his AK-47 Assault rifle and 100 rounds of ammunition. Nagose who was injured in the firing, later succumbed to his injuries. The former legislator was unhurt as the guard and his weapon were the target of the Maoists.

According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) database, Gadchiroli District has witnessed 16 killings, including seven civilians, two SF personnel and seven Maoists, thus far in 2016 (data till May 28, 2016). This compares to seven killings, including five civilians and two SF personnel, during the corresponding period of the previous year. A total of 17 fatalities were recorded through 2015, including 11 civilians, four SF personnel and two rebels. The District accounted for at least 429 Maoist-linked fatalities, including 152 civilians, 142 SF personnel and 158 Maoists, since the September 21, 2004 formation of the CPI-Maoist. During the same period, the State recorded at least 452 Maoist-linked fatalities, including 152 civilians, 142 SFs and 158 Maoists. Gadchiroli thus accounted for 94.91 per cent of total Maoist-linked fatalities recorded in the State since 2004.  

Gadchiroli had seen some respite from Maoist violence between 2012 and 2014. Significantly, the number of civilian fatalities, an important indicator of security, registered a continuous decline during this period. The number of civilian fatalities stood at 34 in 2011; came down to 18 in 2012; declined further to nine in 2013; and remained at nine in 2014. The number of civilian fatalities increased to 11 in 2015. Civilian fatalities in year 2011 were the highest recorded in the District since the formation of the CPI-Maoist in September 2004.

Problems, however, persist and the Maoists are escalating their efforts to revive influence and operations, enormously aided by the geographical vulnerabilities of the District. Gadchiroli shares borders with four Districts of Chhattisgarh [Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur and Rajnandgaon] and two Districts of Telangana [Adilabad and Karimnagar]. Moreover, three other Districts of Maharashtra, Bhandra, Chandrapur and Gondiya, share borders with Gadchiroli. With the exception of Bhandra, all the Districts with which Gadchiroli shares borders are among the 106, across 10 States, listed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) as Naxal-[Left-Wing Extremism (LWE)]-affected Districts of India. Gadchiroli thus falls in a zone which is highly Maoist-afflicted.

The reasons for the strong Maoist presence in the Gadchiroli are many. Both Telangana and Chhattisgarh are strategically crucial for the Maoists, and Gadchiroli serves as a transit between these two States. Moreover, the District has a 75.96 per cent forest cover, making the task of locating and neutralising the Maoists’ hideouts quite difficult. 

Acute backwardness is another factor that facilitates the Maoist presence in the District. According to the 2012 Maharashtra Human Development Report, Gadchiroli falls in the ‘low’ development category, securing the 33rd rank among 34 Districts assessed [Maharashtra now has 36 Districts.] In terms of literacy, Gadchiroli is the second lowest literate District in the State after Nandurbar (63 per cent) with 70.6 per cent literacy, in comparison to 90.3 per cent for Mumbai and a State average of 82.9 per cent. The infant mortality rate – at 63 per 1000 live births – is also very high in Gadchiroli, in comparison to 13 for Kolhapur and 18 for Mumbai. The number of Institutional births ranges between 93.5 per cent in Mumbai suburban, to as low as 24 per cent in Gadchiroli. Moreover, the District recorded just 34.6 per cent of safe deliveries as against the State average of 69.2 per cent. [Gadchiroli was only better than Nandurbar where the percentage of safe deliveries was found to be the lowest (34 per cent)]. In terms safe and tap drinking water facilities, wide inter-District variations exist, with households in Mumbai and Mumbai (Suburban) at the higher end (97.8 per cent and 96.5 per cent, respectively) and those in Gondia, Gadchiroli and Sindhudurg at the other extreme (less than a third of households accessing tap water). 43 per cent of the population does not have any type of bathrooms in Gadchiroli. Significantly, Gadchiroli and Nandurbar maintained the lowest HDI values in both 2001 and 2011.

A joint survey conducted by the US-India Policy Institute and the New Delhi based Centre for Research and Debates in Development Policy released on January 29, 2015, found that, among 599 Districts across India (under purview of the survey) Gadchiroli was ranked 429. The report of the survey took composite development — measured in terms of economic development and the indices of health, education and material well-being – into consideration. 

The Maoists also continue to get support from the local population because of some unfortunate actions by SFs. According to media reports, for instance, the people of Reknar village in Etapalli taluka were at the receiving end of Police wrath when a Crack-60 team of the Hedri Police Post in Gadchiroli thrashed them on May 13, 2016, in retaliation for the killing by Maoist cadres of Constable Deepak Sedmake, on March 11. Earlier, sources from Hedri indicated that the Police had rounded up several traders from the weekly market where the Constable was killed. The traders were also thrashed at the camp. Inspector General of Police, Nagpur and Naxal range, Ravindra Kadam acknowledged and condemned the incident, stating that such actions only pushed security initiatives several years back. Kadam added, "We have already called for explanation from the post in-charge and commander of the Force at Hedri holding them responsible for the high-handedness. Actions would follow after the explanations are received."

Unfortunately, the same mistake was repeated on May 16, 2016, when the District Police allegedly assaulted five youth at Milgulwancha village in Gadchiroli District, suspecting them of aiding Maoists in the area.

Meanwhile, the CPI-Maoist in Maharashtra has issued a 'hit list' of 37 persons, including senior Police officers and Police informants, vowing to eliminate them in 2016. The Maoists have roped in units of 'Company-10', trained to kill with precision, from Chhattisgarh to execute the plan. An intelligence note claimed, "This [the latest hit list] is a matter of serious concern for the State, even as inputs show new strategies are being adopted to attract youth with fresh vigour."

Regrettably, operational pressures on the Maoists in the District in particular and State at large have diminished over the recent past. Significantly, SFs had eliminated 28 Maoists in the District in 2013 while losing seven of their own personnel yielding a ratio of 1:4. The kill ratio came down to just 1: 0.90 [11 troopers, 10 Maoists killed] in 2014. It further worsened to 1:0.5 [four troopers, two Maoists killed] in 2015. In the current year, the ratio stands at 1: 2; two SF personnel, four Maoists (another three Maoists were killed in internal rivalry)]. Further, at least three out of the top nine Police positions in Gadchiroli Range were vacant as on May 29, 1016, including the top most official in the Region, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Gadchiroi; Superintendent of Police (SP), Aheri; and Additional SP, Aheri. Recurrent vacancies in this deeply vulnerable area reflect an extraordinary measure of complacency and neglect on the part of the State administration.

The Maoists are looking for opportunities to recover lost ground in Gadchiroli, in particular, and across wider areas in Maharashtra. As Gadchiroli falls in a zone that constitutes a ‘lifeline’ for the Maoists, any enduring respite from violence can only be secured by dismantling the rebel networks and decimating their leadership through intensified intelligence-based operations, both within the District as well as in the adjoining areas, simultaneously. Any loss of focus on the part of the State administration and Police can only create vulnerabilities which will result in great loss of life and treasure.


NEWS BRIEFS

Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia
May 23 - 29, 2016

 

Civilians

Security Force Personnel

Terrorists/Insurgents

Total

BANGLADESH

 

Islamist Terrorism

1
0
0
1

INDIA

 

Jammu and Kashmir

1
5
6
12

Left-Wing Extremism

 

Bihar

2
0
0
2

Chhattisgarh

2
0
1
3

Jharkhand

2
0
0
2

Maharashtra

0
0
1
1

Total (INDIA)

7
5
8
20

PAKISTAN

 

Balochistan

9
4
3
16

FATA

0
0
7
7

KP

0
3
0
3

Sindh

5
0
6
11

Total (PAKISTAN)

14
7
16
37
Provisional data compiled from English language media sources.


BANGLADESH

Bangladesh has been recognized as 33rd safest state in the world now, says Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal: Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on May 26 said that Bangladesh has been recognized as the 33rd safest state in the world now while incumbent Prime Minister of the country Sheikh Hasina Wajed stands 13th out of 100 heads of the Governments in the globe. “There is no alternative to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as a world statesman for advancement of Bangladesh. But, local and international conspirators are involved in intrigues to jeopardize progress of Bangladesh. Leaders and workers of the ruling Awami League should have to extend all possible cooperation to the administration to unitedly thwart the conspiracies,” he said. New Age, May 27, 2016.

Bangladesh will face threat of terrorism and violent extremism jointly with United States, says Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal: Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said that Bangladesh will face the threat of terrorism and violent extremism jointly with the United States (US). He said, “We always say that terrorism is a global threat. This is not only Bangladesh specific. The threat is more or less under the control of our security and intelligence forces. We want to face it unitedly with the US.” Dhaka Tribune, May 24, 2016


INDIA

Pro-Khalistan terrorists are running a terror camp in Canada plotting attacks in Punjab, says report: India Intelligence agencies have sent an alert to Canada Government, saying that pro-Khalistan terrorists are running a camp near Mission city in British Columbia to carry out strikes in Punjab. According to a report prepared by Punjab intelligence sleuths, Canadian Sikh Hardeep Nijjar has taken over as the operational head of Khalistan Terror Force (KTF) and formed a module comprising Sikh youths to carry out the attacks. Times of India, May 30, 2016.

17 militant groups under troops' radar across LoC in J&K: At least 17 groups of militants have become active across the Line of Control (LoC) opposite twin border Districts of Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region and Kupwara District of Kashmir valley with a view to infiltrate into the State to create disturbances even as the Multi Agency Centre (MAC), set up by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) has maintained that 18 militants have infiltrated this year so far. Official sources said that the credible inputs available with security and Intelligence agencies revealed that at least 17 groups of militants have been observed across the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), who were fully geared to infiltrate into the State but high alertness being displayed by the troops hasn’t allowed them to succeed in their task. Daily Excelsior, May 26, 2016.

Pakistan should completely stop support to terror to boost ties, says Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Indo-Pak ties can “truly scale great heights” if Pakistan removes the “self-imposed” obstacle of terrorism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said as he asked Islamabad to play its part by putting a complete stop to any kind of support to terrorism, “whether state or non-state”. He stated, “In my view, our ties can truly scale great heights once Pakistan removes the self-imposed obstacle of terrorism in the path of our relationship...We are ready to take the first step, but the path to peace is a two-way street". The Hindu, May 27, 2016.

China will expand counter-terror cooperation with India, says report: China on May 28 said it will expand cooperation with India to combat terrorism at the United Nations (UN) and other international fora. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, the two sides have "agreed to carry forward our fine traditions, deepen practical cooperation and elevate bilateral relations." Hua added, "The two sides will expand bilateral cooperation in counter-terrorism. Terrorism is our common enemy. We will continue to enhance our counter-terrorism efforts under the UN, the BRICS and other frameworks to jointly maintain regional peace and stability." NDTV, May 28, 2016.


NEPAL

‘I will be leading new Government after endorsement of new budget’, says UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal: Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal on May 26 said that he will be leading the new Government after endorsement of the new budget as per the nine-point understanding reached between his party and the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML). Dahal claimed that it was not a written agreement but was agreed by the two parties for the same. My Republica, May 27, 2016.

Would sit for talks if Government sent formal letter in name of Alliance, says Federal Alliance: Federal Alliance during a meeting held in Kathmandu on May 27 said that it would sit for talks if the Government sent a formal letter in the name of Alliance. The Alliance has also decided to launch Province and District-centric protests in the next phase of protest programmes. The Himalayan Times, May 28, 2016.

Nine-point agreement cannot override order issued by SC on issue of human rights violations during decade-long armed insurgency, says NHRC Chairperson Anup Raj Sharma: Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Anup Raj Sharma on May 26 said that the nine-point agreement reached between coalition partners Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) and Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) cannot override the order issued by the Supreme Court (SC) on the issue of human rights violations during the decade-long armed insurgency. My Republica, May 26, 2016.


PAKISTAN

JuD offers funeral prayer for Afghan Taliban Chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour in Peshawar: The Jama’at-ud-Dawa (JuD), the frontal organisation of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), on May 27 held funeral prayers in absentia for the deceased Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. JuD provincial ‘spokesperson’ Ghazi Inamullah said that the funeral prayers in absentia were offered at Jamia Masjid Khyber Markaz in Peshawar and attended by hundreds of JuD activists and general public. Dawn, May 28, 2016.

Banned outfits still recruiting Jihadis, reveals NAP official report: The National Action Plan (NAP) informed the security intuitions that banned outfits are still recruiting jihadis who have become a serious internal security threat to Pakistan. “Major banned outfits are still recruiting the students of madrassas to wage Jihad in the Indian-Held Kashmir and Afghanistan. Such non-state actors have become very dangerous for Pakistan,” senior security officials dealing with counter-terrorism warned the Government in a confidential document titled “Proscribed/Jihadi Organizations”. The News, May 28, 2016.

‘There would be no return to peace talks with the Afghanistan Government’, vows new Afghan Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada: Afghan Taliban’s newly appointed leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, in an audio recording on May 25 vowed that there would be no return to peace talks with the Government. “No, no we will not come to any type of peace talks,” Akhundzada said in the recording. However, the Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid denied issuing the audio message. Two Taliban ‘commanders’ had provided the audio to reporters, saying it was an official statement. Tribune, May 26, 2016.

US designates two Pakistan-based terror groups as "Specially Designated Global Terrorists": The United States (US) on May 25 designated two Pakistan-based and Taliban linked groups, Tariq Gidar Group (TGG) and the Jama’at-ul-Dawa al-Quran (JDQ), as “Specially Designated Global Terrorists”. US citizens are forbidden from associating with the TGG and the JDQ. Any assets owned by the groups in places under US jurisdiction will be frozen, and US law enforcement will be authorised to investigate their activity. Tribune, May 26, 2016.

Pakistan needs to do more to root out terrorists, says US: The United States (US) on May 24 said that it had conveyed to Pakistan that they need to pursue actively terrorist organizations that are using their soil, their territory to find refuge. In a media briefing, Mark Toner, Deputy Spokesman for the US State Department, said, “We have conveyed to the Pakistani government and authorities before that they need to pursue actively terrorist organizations that are using their soil, their territory to find refuge.” The News, May 25, 2016.

US forces will go after threats in Pakistan, says US President Barrack Obama: US President Barack Obama on May 23 confirmed the death of Afghan Taliban leader Mulla Akhtar Mansour in a US air strike and said American forces would continue to go after threats in Pakistan. “We have removed the leader of an organisation that has continued to plot against and unleash attacks on American and coalition forces, to wage war against the Afghan people, and align itself with extremist groups like Al-Qaeda,” the US president said in a statement issued by the White House. The News, May 24, 2016.

US urges Pakistan to cooperate with India to fully investigate 26/11 terror attacks: The United States (US) State Department deputy spokesperson Mark Toner on May 26 urged Pakistan to cooperate with the Indian authorities to fully investigate Mumbai 2008 (also known as 26/11) terror attacks. He said, “Mumbai attacks were terrible tragedy. We continue to urge the Pakistani government to cooperate with the Indian authorities to fully investigate these attacks. US wants to see justice done and we continue to urge Pakistani cooperation.” The News, May 27, 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.

South Asia Intelligence Review [SAIR]

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K. P. S. Gill

Editor
Dr. Ajai Sahni


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