South Asia Terrorism Portal
Ignominious Retreat Ajit Kumar Singh Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management
United States (US) Army Major General Chris Donahue, Commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, became the last US service member to leave Afghanistan, when he boarded a C-17 transport plane at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on August 30, 2021. The last US troops thus left Afghan soil exactly 12-days before the September 11, 2001, deadline originally set by the US President Joe Biden, and a day before Biden’s revised date for the mission’s end and evacuation, August 31.
Indeed, in his ‘Remarks on the Way Forward in Afghanistan’ on April 14, 2021, Biden announced that all foreign troops, including US troops “will be out of Afghanistan before we mark the 20th anniversary of that heinous attack on September 11th [2001].”
Over 12 years before this announcement, Barack Obama, the then US President, in his remarks ‘The New Way Forward – The President's Address’ on December 1, 2009, while announcing a ‘surge’ of “an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan" had declared that “after 18 months, our troops will begin to come home… I want the Afghan people to understand – America seeks an end to this era of war and suffering” and for this they would follow “a military strategy that will break the Taliban’s momentum and increase Afghanistan’s capacity over the next 18 months." Obama asserted, further, “America will have to show our strength in the way that we end wars and prevent conflict – not just how we wage wars.”
In between, the US made several announcements about the drawdown and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), constituted under US leadership under the Bonn Agreement 13 years earlier, in December 2001, officially concluded its combat mission in Afghanistan at an event held at ISAF headquarters in capital city Kabul on December 28, 2014.
Despite all the assurances and promises, the war and suffering of the people of Afghanistan continued. According to United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)’s Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict
Midyear Update: 1 January to 30 June 2021 released on July 26, 2021, UNAMA documented 5,183 civilian casualties (1,659 dead and 3,524 wounded), registering a 47 per cent increase over the corresponding period in 2020 (3,518 casualties: 1,304 killed and 2,214 injured), including a doubling of female casualties. The figures since the commencement of the US and NATO withdrawal (May and June 2021) were 783 dead and 1,609 wounded, the highest ever for these months since UNAMA started documenting civilian casualties in 2009. In fact, according to UNAMA's 2020 Annual Report, civilian fatalities which were at 2,312 in 2009 increased to 3,035 in 2020, with a high of 3,701 recorded in in 2014. Similarly, the number of injured, at 3,557 in 2009, went up to 5,785 in 2020, with a high of 7,925 recorded in 2016. The report quoted United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet as observing,
According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) another 323 civilians have been killed since July 1. Thus, a total of 4,535 civilians have been killed since 2009 (data till September 4, 2021).
Further, at least 68,713 Security Force (SF) personnel, including 4,813 in 2021 alone, have been killed during this period. The number of terrorists killed during this period stands at 115,909, including 19,776 in 2021 alone. The number of SF personnel killed in 2009 was 900 and that of terrorists at 4,610.
Moreover, an official ‘threat assessment map’ of April 2009 showed 133 of Afghanistan’s 356 districts as high-risk areas, with at least 13 under “enemy (Taliban) control.” Now, barring Panjshir Valley, the whole of Afghanistan is under the Taliban. More interestingly, several Taliban leaders, including the chief Abdul Ghani Baradar, are still under United Nations Security Council Consolidated List, last updated on September 4, 2021. Baardar, who was Deputy Minister of Defence under the Taliban’s previous regime (1996-2001), is slated to head the new Taliban Government which is to be formed soon.
Indeed, there is nothing to suggest that US has strength to "end wars and prevent conflict - not just how we wage wars" as Obama boasted. Afghanistan has been handed over to the same Taliban against which the US commenced its vaunted Operation Enduring Freedom way back on October 7, 2001. Al-Qaeda was another target. While Osama bin Laden, the leader of the group, was eventually killed in a US operation at Abottabad, Pakistan, on May 2, 2011, after a near-decade-long hunt, the outfit continues to thrive as the relation between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda remains as strong as it was in 2001. The UN 28th Monitoring Team Report released on July 21, 2021, noted,
At this time, Afghanistan is in utter disarray with the terrorist Taliban at the helm and its ‘mentor’ Al-Qaida thriving. More worryingly, the Islamic State, which lost its territory in Iraq and Syria is also experiencing a resurgence in Afghanistan, where the Islamic State Khorasan Province (IS-KP) carried out one of the deadliest attacks recorded in the country on August 26, 2021, killing at least 213 people, including 13 US servicemen.
Crucially, the growing proximity of the Inters-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan’s external intelligence agency, to IS-KP is now an open secret. The ISI, the fountainhead of terrorism in the region, has now secured a free hand to exploit Afghan territory to export terrorism to the outside world, while maintaining ‘credible deniability’ of its own involvement. Indeed, ISI’s Director General Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed arrived in Kabul to meet with Taliban representatives on September 4.
In his remarks on December 1, 2009, Obama stated: “Our success in Afghanistan is inextricably linked to our partnership with Pakistan.” The US failure is the price it has had to pay for its blind dependence on a deceitful Islamabad.
Recent developments, meanwhile, indicate that another 'super power', China is increasingly involved in Afghanistan's affair. The reason, not unlike America's declared goal to secure itself from future terrorism, is to protect its Xinjiang Province from terrorist threat. Beijing has worked with the Taliban and the Haqqani network for the past several years to track down Uighur Muslim militants in Afghanistan. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi On, after his meeting with Mullah Baradar in Tianjin, China, on July 28, 2021, observed,
Not surprisingly, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, in an interview published on September 2, 2021, declared,
At this juncture it appears that the China is essentially interested in supporting the Taliban regime economically, to stop the country's hurtling towards further chaos.
On the contrary, opposition to the Taliban is coming from the Panjshir-based National Resistance Force. Amrullah Saleh, the First Vice President of Afghanistan till August 15, has since declared himself as the Acting President of Afghanistan. Referring to the fighting in Panjshir, Saleh stated,
Significant elements in the general population continue to oppose the Taliban’s brutality. Notably, at least 17 people were killed and 41 injured during celebratory firing by the Taliban in Kabul on September 3, to mark purported ‘gains’ on the battlefields in Panjshir.
Reports continue to flow in that the ISI is moving terrorists to ‘safe ground’ in Afghanistan, to evade international pressure.
While Afghanistan appears to be securely in the Taliban’s stronghold, the situation remains unstable, with reports of factionalism within the group, and significant challengers waiting in the wings. It remains to be seen to what extent China commits itself to, or indeed, the Troika+ of China-Russia-Pakistan-US continue to meddle in, the Afghan quagmire, or whether regional and world powers will commit the even graver mistake of relying on Islamabad, a duplicitous ‘ally’ in the ‘war on terror’. Despite America’s disgrace and the disorders of the eventual evacuation, great-power rivalry on Afghan soil, and the consequent ordeals of the Afghan people, are far from over.
Neo-JMB: Latent Threat S. Binodkumar Singh Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
On September 4, 2021, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested four Neo-Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (Neo-JMB) cadres following an exchange of fire in Mymensingh District. RAB recovered arms and ammunition from their possession during the operation.
On August 10, 2021, the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit arrested three Neo-JMB cadres from the Kafrul area of Dhaka city. The arrestees were Jahid Hasan Raju aka Ismail aka Furkan, the group’s ‘military wing chief and bomb expert;’ and his two associates Saiful Islam Maruf aka Bashira and Rumman Hossain aka Fahad.
Again, on August 10, 2021, Police arrested a Neo-JMB cadre from the Khilgaon area of Dhaka city. The arrestee, identified as Nazmus Shakib, was accused in a case filed for injuring a Policeman and involvement in anti-Government activities.
On August 1, 2021, a team of the Special Action Group (SAG) arrested two Neo-JMB cadres, identified as Shafiqur Rahman Ridoy aka Baitullah Mehsud aka Captain Khattab and Khalid Hossain Bhuiyan aka Afnan, from the Jatrabari area of Dhaka city. Bomb-making manuals, explosives and materials, including remote control devices, were recovered from their possession.
On July 11, 2021, a CTTC unit arrested, ‘Major’ Osama aka Nayeem, a member of the Neo-JMB ‘military wing,’ from a house in the Madanpur area of Narayanganj District. Three bombs, four remote control devices, bomb-making materials and a large number of jihadi books were recovered during the raid.
On July 11, 2021, a CTTC unit arrested Abdullah Al Mamun aka Debit Kinara aka Akin Al Bengali, a Neo-JMB cadre from the Jatrabari area of Dhaka city. Mamun, who used to work as a muezzin (a man who calls Muslims to prayer) in a mosque in the area and also worked in an orphanage, was involved in making Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
According to partial data collected by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), a total of 27 Neo-JMB terrorists have been arrested from across Bangladesh since the beginning of the current year (data till September 5, 2021).
Neo-JMB is believed to have been established in 2014. The outfit, however, came into prominence only after it took responsibility for the July 1, 2016, Holey Artisan Bakery attack in which 20 hostages, including 17 foreigners, were slaughtered. However, the incident also proved disastrous for the outfit.
Since the Holey Artisan Bakery attack, Security Forces (SFs) have killed a total of 47 Neo-JMB terrorists, including almost all the top leaders (data till September 5, 2021). Prominent among those killed were: Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, the then ‘chief’ of Neo-JMB and ‘mastermind’ of the Gulshan attack (August 26, 2016); Murad aka Jahangir Alam aka Omar, its then ‘military commander’ (September 2, 2016); Nazmul Haque aka Abdur Rahman, its then ‘financier’ (October 8, 2016); Nurul Islam Marzan, the then ‘deputy chief’ (January 6, 2017); Aminur Islam aka Alam (23), its then ‘military chief’ (March 2, 2017).
Another 263 cadres have been arrested across Bangladesh in different raids since the Holey Artisan Bakery attack. Prominent among those arrests were: Imam Mehedi Hasan (29), ‘commander’ of Neo-JMB’s ‘Dar-e-Kutni Brigade’ (September 21, 2017); Babul Akter aka Babul Master (45), ‘military commander’ of the group’s Northern Districts (December 6, 2017); Asmani Khatun aka Asma (28), the then ‘chief’ of the female wing (February 4, 2020); Shirina Khatun aka Tahsin Abdullah (23), ‘second in command’ of the female wing (March 19, 2020); Sheikh Sultan Mohammad Naimuzzaman (26), ‘regional commander’ (August 11, 2020); Sibbir Ahmed (22), ‘fundraiser’ (August 27, 2020); Jakaria Jamil (31), ‘head of the media wing’ (November 7, 2020); Jewel Ali aka Habibullah aka Mahmud (33), ‘regional commander’ (November 19, 2020); ‘Major’ Osama aka Nayeem, ‘bomb expert’ (July 11, 2021); and Jahid Hasan Raju aka Ismail aka Furkan, ‘military wing chief and bomb expert’ (August 10, 2021).
In the meantime, according to a July 6, 2021, report, CTTC officials disclosed that Neo-JMB, an Islamic State (IS)-inspired outfit, had recently formed a 20-member committee. The committee members, all from the ‘military wing’ of the outfit, named the committee ‘Islamic State of Bengal Province.’ Neo-JMB's IED expert, Sabbir Hossain (26), also the ‘military wing commander’ of the outfit's Mymensingh region unit, formed the committee. CTTC officials claimed to have collected information about Sabbir, also known as Bamchi Barak aka ‘Major’ Bamchi aka Abu Hafs al Bengali, tracking the Neo-JMB's strategy.
Further, on July 12, 2021, CTTC officials stated that Neo-JMB tried to build a militant den in the hilly area of Bandarban District. Kawsar Hossain aka ‘Major’ Osama, a Neo-JMB explosives expert, tried to build a militant den in the hilly area of Bandarban to establish links with militants in Myanmar's nearby Arakan region. He also wanted to use the den to recruit new operatives and train them to make IEDs. They gleaned this information after Osama’s arrest on July 11.
Alarmingly, on July 30, 2021, CTTC officials revealed that Jahid Hasan Raju aka Ismail aka Furkan, dubbed 'explosives guru' by the law enforcers, had been leading three cells with 20 members each since 2018 and training them online on how to make IEDs with materials easily available in the market. According to reports, after receiving an invitation from the Neo-JMB in 2016, he opened a Facebook ID under the name Ismail Hasan. He makes manuals and videos on manufacturing IEDs and then shares these with members of the cells through end-to-end encrypted applications. Explaining Furkan's modus operandi for the IED manufacture training, a senior CTTC official, requesting anonymity, disclosed, on August 11, 2021,
On August 14, 2021, CTTC officials discovered that Furkan was also involved in the group’s plan to make ‘chloroform bombs’ for which they had conducted tests on frogs, which swelled up and died. Neo-JMB was planning to use ‘chloroform bombs’ for carrying out attacks in buses, classrooms and at public places to ‘kill silently.’ The CTTC unit claimed to have unearthed the plans following the arrests and interrogation of several Neo-JMB bomb makers, including Furkan, on August 10.
Meanwhile, according to intelligence sources, the parent JMB, formed in 1998, and which carried out synchronized blasts across the country on August 17, 2005, killing three and injuring more than 100 people, and went dormant thereafter, is working with Ansar al-Islam, which claims to be the Bangladesh chapter of Al Qaeda in Indian Sub-continent (AQIS). Militants from both outfits (JMB and Ansar Al-Islam) were involved in the assassination of Shahjahan Bachchu on June 11, 2019, in Munshiganj District. Bachchu, a publisher and writer, was killed by JMB, which used information provided by Ansar al-Islam to plan the killing. Besides, JMB operatives were also found collaborating with Neo-JMB for various activities and operations. Mohamad Enayet, a member of the parent JMB, was arrested in 2006 by RAB in an explosives case filed against him with Gazipur Police Station. He is now in Kashimpur Jail. Enayet has now connected with Neo-JMB and is working to spread radicalization and militancy inside the jail.
Indeed, describing the possibilities of the growth of overall militancy in Bangladesh, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Shafiqul Islam stated, on August 16, 2021, that the Taliban’s recapture of Afghanistan might encourage militancy in Bangladesh and other countries in the sub-continent. He added that a surge of militancy in Bangladesh had always been connected with such major international events, and that current developments in Afghanistan could encourage some youth in Bangladesh to get involved in extremism. The DMP chief also asserted that coordinated efforts by the Police and other state agencies would be essential to prevent any militant resurgence in the country.
Despite the ongoing counter-terrorism efforts in Bangladesh and the recent arrests of Neo-JMB cadres, their disclosures indicate that the group remains a key threat to Bangladesh’s internal security. While the overall capability of the group has dwindled, the residual capacity cannot be ignored, as Neo-JMB now mainly consists of tech-savvy youngsters, increasing the challenge for Bangladesh’s security forces.
Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia August 30 - September 5, 2021
Civilians
Security Force Personnel
NS
Total
Afghanistan
India
Jammu and Kashmir
India (Left-Wing Extremism)
Odisha
Total (India)
PAKISTAN
Balochistan
KP
Total (Pakistan)
Total (South Asia)
Taliban said that the head of Pakistan's ISI Lt. Gen. Faiz Hamid is visiting the country to improve bilateral relations between the two countries: Taliban on September 5 said that the head of the Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Faiz Hamid is visiting the country to improve bilateral relations between Kabul and Islamabad. ISI chief Lt. Gen. Faiz Hamid arrived in Kabul on September 4. Tolo News, September 6, 2021.
Taliban is in the process of forming an inclusive Government, says the Head of Taliban's political office Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar: The head of the Taliban's political office Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said that the group is in the process of forming an inclusive government. "I assure the people that we strive to improve their living conditions, and that the government will be responsible to everyone and will provide security because it is necessary for economic development, not just in Afghanistan but in the whole world," he said in the capital, Kabul. Aljazeera, September 6, 2021.
Russian President Vladimir Putin calls for legalizing Taliban as a political force: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on September 3 called for joint efforts to decide about "legalizing" the Taliban as a political force in the country. President Putin said, "We need to think about that the quicker the Taliban joins the family of let's say civilized nations, the easier it will be to contact, communicate, somehow influence and ask questions. And if not demand, but inquire that civilized relations demand obeying civilized rules. Ariana News, September 4, 2021.
Taliban said that they do not need cooperation from any country to fight terrorism in Afghanistan: Taliban on September 3 said they do not need cooperation from any country to fight terrorism in Afghanistan. "We are fully ready to ensure the security of the country on our own," said Anaamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban's cultural commission. "We don't need the US or other countries' support in this respect." Tolo News, September 4, 2021.
National Resistance Force is based in Panjshir Province but not limited to the province, says Acting President Amrullah Saleh: Acting President Amrullah Saleh in his Facebook post on September 1 wrote that the anti-Taliban resistance is based in Panjshir Province but is not limited to the province and added that this is for the entire Afghan nation. Saleh also wrote that the lack of civil services and the crippled economy will infuriate the people of Afghanistan and the weapon and harsh behaviour of the Taliban will never hamper people's uprising neither. The Khaama Press, September 2, 2021.
President Joe Biden confirms US military has withdrawal with last flight leaving Kabul: US President Joe Biden confirming US withdrawal said that the last flight left Kabul "with no further loss of American lives". President Biden said that US troops had over the past 17 days executed "the largest airlift in US history, evacuating over 120,000 US citizens, citizens of our allies, and Afghan allies of the United States."
Head of United States Central Command (CENTCOM), General Frank McKenzie, announced that the last planes took off from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul within the set deadline of August 31. The announcement marked the completion of America's longest war and the evacuation effort. "American soldiers left the Kabul airport, and our nation got its full independence," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. Ariana News; AP News August 31, 2021.
Ansar al Islam is aiming to strengthen its female wing, say CTTC officials: Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) officials said that Ansar al Islam is aiming to strengthen its female wing with at least 25 female members directly involved in its organisational activities. The outfit also has around 300 female supporters connected with its online social media accounts, counterterrorism officials said. The female operatives of Ansar al Islam are using fake social media accounts, pretending to be males to avoid law enforcers' vigilance, they said. The Daily Star, September 3, 2021
42 percent of all arrested members of ABT have secured bail and are moving around freely, says report: According to data from Police Headquarters and court documents, as many as 42 percent of all arrested members of Ansarullah Bangladesh Team (ABT) have secured bail and are moving around freely. Altogether 350 ABT operatives were arrested in 76 cases filed on charges of murder and militancy beginning 2013. Among them, 148 have secured bail, this correspondent has found. Ominously, 17 of the accused who secured bail have been missing since their release. Dhaka Tribune, July 20, 2021
Kashmir should also be 'liberated from enemies of Islam', al Qaeda says in congratulatory message to Taliban: Al Qaeda on September 1 congratulated the Taliban and called for the "liberation of Kashmir" as well. In a statement, the al Qaeda said, "Liberate the Levant, Somalia, Yemen, Kashmir and the rest of the Islamic lands from the clutches of the enemies of Islam. O' Allah! Grant freedom to Muslim prisoners across the world." India Today, September 3, 2021.
IS magazine 'Voice of Hind' designed in Pakistan, says report: The Islamic State (IS) propaganda magazine, 'Voice of Hind', was being designed and put together by young graduates and translators in a "call centre like setup" in Karachi and Islamabad, sources in the security establishment told. According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), three men - Umar Nisar, Tanveer Ahmad Bhat and Rameez Ahmad Lone - all residents of Achabal in Anantnag District of Jammu and Kashmir have been accused of creating a network to collect and disseminate propaganda material among the youth and recruit them, sources in the NIA claimed. The Print, September 6, 2021.
25 wanted Indians involved in terrorism believed to be in Afghanistan, says report: 25 Indian nationals wanted by India in cases of terrorism may be living in Afghanistan close to Pakistan border, according to information from intelligence and investigative agencies. Sources said these Indians were captured and jailed by Afghan forces. Security agencies are keeping a watch on these 25 Indian nationals, most of whom hail from Kerala, because the terror network they joined, Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K). The New Indian Express, September 1, 2021.
Centre signs Karbi Accord with several militant organisations in New Delhi: On September 4, the Centre signed another Karbi Accord in New Delhi with several militant organisations in the presence of Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) Chief Executive Member, Tuliram Ronghang. The central government said it will fulfil all the conditions laid out in the Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) signed on September 4 within the designated time-frame, paving the way for long-lasting peace and development in Karbi Anglong region. Northeast Now, September 6, 2021.
ULFA-I reforms its 'constitutional infrastructure': On September 5, the United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I), reformed its 'constitutional infrastructure' and appointed 'commander-in-chief' of the outfit Paresh Baruah, as the President of its Supreme Council, reports Northeast Now. Apart from Paresh Baruah, Michael Asom and Nayan Asom have also been appointed as members of the Supreme Council. Northeast Now, September 6, 2021.
India holds dialogue with Taliban in Doha: India's Ambassador to Qatar, Deepak Mittal on August 31, met with Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, head of Taliban's Political Office in Doha. The meeting took place at the request of the Taliban, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. The meeting took place at the Indian embassy in Doha. The Times of India, September 1, 2021.
Senior separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani passes away in Srinagar: All Party Hurriyat Conference-Geelani (APHC-G) leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani (92), passed away at his residence in uptown Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), in the evening of September 1. He served as the chairman of APHC-G, a conglomerate of separatist parties in Jammu and Kashmir. Geelani was also the founder of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, a constituent of APHC. Greater Kashmir, September 2, 2021.
Home Minister holds discussion with CPN-Maoist-Chand's Spokesperson to conclude peace process: Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand on September 3 held discussion with the Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist-Chand) Spokesperson Khadga Bahadur Bishwakarma. The meeting was held at the Home Minister's official residence in Pulchowk of Kathmandu. The two leaders discussed issues related to concluding the peace process. Khabar Hub, September 4, 2021.
CPN-Maoist Centre revives its youth wing YCL: The ruling Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre (CPN-Maoist Centre) on August 31 revived its much-criticized youth wing - the Young Communist League (YCL) - forming a 231-member central committee of the youth wing through a national gathering in the capital Kathmandu city. The office-bearers of the YCL, however, could not be picked due to disagreements. Khabar Hub, September 1, 2021.
Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs assures transitional justice will be brought to conclusion at the earliest: Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Gyanendra Bahadur Karki on August 30 assured that the transitional justice will be brought to a conclusion at the earliest. At an event organized by the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) on the occasion of International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances in Kathmandu, Minister Karki vowed to resolve the conflict related issues at the earliest possible time. Khabar Hub, August 31, 2021.
11 Islamic State militants killed in CTD operation in Balochistan: At least 11 Islamic State (IS) militants were killed in an encounter with the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel in Qilli Qamar area of Mastung District in Balochistan on August 30. An unnamed CTD spokesman said that the CTD personnel along with other Security Force (SF) personnel conducted a search operation in Qilli Qamar area on the basis of an intelligence about the presence of suspected terrorists in a compound." The Express Tribune, September 1, 2021.
Pak-Afghan border closed over security threats, says Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed: On September 2, the Government shut down the Chaman border with Afghanistan for security reasons, all kinds of travel across the frontier including trucks carrying goods have been stopped, said Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed. Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said that the Pak-Afghan Chaman border might be closed for some time. Daily Times, September 3, 2021.
Karachi Police officers running at least 363 narcotics dens, reveals internal report: An internal report prepared by the Sindh Police has rung alarm bells for the law-and-order situation in Karachi, as it has been found that at least 363 narcotics dens are being run by Police officers in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh. The report has identified over 100 Police officers, ranking from constables to deputy superintendents (DSPs) involved in running at least 363 narcotics dens across the seven Districts of Karachi. Geo TV, September 3, 2021.
UK will maintain ban on LTTE as terrorist organization, says Foreign Ministry: The Foreign Ministry said that the UK will maintain ban on Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as a terrorist organization under the UK Terrorism Act No. 7 of 2000. UK Home Secretary's decision, which has been taken following the judgement of the Proscribed Organizations Appeals Commission (POAC), rejects the application of a LTTE front organization to de-proscribe the LTTE in the UK. The LTTE, therefore, remains a proscribed organization in the UK, as in over 30 other countries worldwide, including in the EU region. Daily Mirror, September 3, 2021.
Government must grant freedom that Tamils in North and East have been asking for over 70 years, says TMTK leader C.V. Wigneswaran: Addressing the issue of enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka, Tamil Makkal Thesiya Kootani (TMTK) leader C.V. Wigneswaran on September 4 said that Government must grant the freedom that the Tamils in the North and East have been asking for over 70 years and allow the Tamil speaking people of the North and East to rule themselves uninterred by the Sinhalese politicians. Tamil Guardian, September 6, 2021.
The South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) is a weekly service that brings you regular data, assessments and news briefs on terrorism, insurgencies and sub-conventional warfare, on counter-terrorism responses and policies, as well as on related economic, political, and social issues, in the South Asian region.
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