South Asia Terrorism Portal

PAKISTAN

Balochistan: Bitter reprisals
Tushar Ranjan Mohanty
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management

On June 19, 2022, two Policemen, including one head constable, killed when unidentified assailants attacked a Police check post in Dera Allahyar area of Jaffarabad District in Balochistan. No outfit claimed responsibility for the attack.

On June 14, 2022, two Army personnel were killed and another two were injured when Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) cadres attack an Army post in the Shapuk Dam area of Kech District. 'Major' Gwahram Baloch, the BLF 'spokesman', claimed responsibility for the attack.

On June 7, 2022, two Army personnel were killed and another two were injured when the BLF targeted a bomb disposal and clearance team’s motorcycle convoy with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in the Dannuk area of Kech District. ‘Major’ Gwahram Baloch claimed responsibility for the attack on behalf of BLF.

On June 5, 2022, two Army personnel were killed when Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) cadres targeted an Army observation post with an IED in the Niwano area of Zamuran in Kech District. BLA ‘spokesman’ Jeehand Baloch claimed responsibility for the attack.

On June 3, 2022, six Army personnel were killed when BLF cadres detonated a landmine under a military vehicle in the Parom area of Kell Kaur in Panjgur. BLF spokesman ‘Major’ Gwahram Baloch claimed responsibility for the attack.

On June 2, 2022, eight Army personnel were killed and an unspecified number of others were injured when BLF cadres targeted a military convoy with a remote-controlled bomb in the Singani Sar area of Turbat town in Kech District. BLF ‘spokesman’ Major Gwahram Baloch claimed responsibility for the attack and warned,

During five months and nineteen days of the current year, Balochistan has recorded a surge in violence against SF personnel. While there were 103 SF fatalities in 2022, the corresponding period of 2021 recorded 42 SF fatalities. Through 2021, there was a total of 107 SF fatalities. In the current year, with 103 SF Fatalities out of a total of 180 throughout country, Balochistan leads in SF killings among all the provinces.   

According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), since March 6, 2000, when SATP started compiling data on conflict in Pakistan, Balochistan has accounted for a total of 1,793 SF fatalities. A maximum of 178 fatalities were registered in 2012.

Balochistan North-South SF Fatalities Breakup

A North-South breakup of SF fatalities over the last 20 years indicates that SF fatalities in North Balochistan are consistently higher than South Balochistan. Since, March 6, 2000, out of the total of 1,793 SF fatalities in the province, 1,223 were recorded in the North, while 570 were in the South. However, in 2022, the previous trend is being reversed. Out of the 103 SF personnel killed in the province so far (data till June 19, 2022), 81 were killed in South Balochistan, and 22 in North Balochistan. This reversal demonstrated the growing strength of the Baloch insurgent groups in the South, which is the traditional stronghold of Baloch nationalist insurgent groups. The current ceasefire between the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the Government as also dramatically pushed down SF killings in the North

The major Baloch insurgent groups include the Baloch Republican Army (BRA), Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), Balochistan Liberation Tigers (BLT) and United Baloch Army (UBA). Meanwhile, the North is afflicted by Islamist extremist groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP), Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-KP) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ).

Since January 2022, different Baloch groups have carried out at least 26 attacks out of a total 43 on SFs, in which 76 SF personnel were killed. The strengthening of the Baloch insurgent groups can be marked from the February 2, 2022, simultaneous attacks by BLA cadres on the Panjgur and Nuskhi Army camps in Balochistan, which resulted in 19 fatalities (15 terrorists and four SF personnel). Indeed, though Pakistan Government sources claimed only four SF fatalities, Radio Zrumbesh quoting BLA ‘spokesman’ Jeehand Baloch claiming that 45 SF personnel were killed in the attack, when a ‘martyred’ fidayeen (suicide attacker) rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into the main gate of the Frontier Corps headquarters at Nushki, clearing the way for other fidayeen to enter.

After the February 2 attacks, Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid, citing intelligence reports, told the media on February 3 that "Baloch militants are not capable of launching major attacks in Nuskhi and Panjgur. TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) has the capability, experience and latest NATO weapons to launch such attacks. There's some understanding between the TTP and Baloch militants. They have their hideouts in Afghanistan."

The TTP-Baloch militant alliance speculation became clearer when TTP ‘spokesperson’ Mohammad Khurasani congratulated the Baloch insurgent groups for their attack in Nuskhi and Panjgur. He stated, “The Pakistani Army is carrying out the massacre in Balochistan. We are against the massacre of Balochistan as well as in Waziristan by the Pakistani Army. Our enemy is common."

Pakistan Security analysts have been speculating that TTP has been providing military training to Baloch fighters. In exchange, the Baloch rebel groups assist TTP with logistics in Balochistan. The tactical alliance has coincided with a sharp uptick in attacks against Pakistani SFs in Balochistan in recent months. TTP has provided bases to the Baloch rebels in the Bermal District of Afghanistan's Paktika Province, which is adjacent to Pakistan's South Waziristan District, the TTP's stronghold.

Meanwhile, to vent their frustration at being targeted by Baloch groups, Pakistan’s security agencies in Balochistan continue their systematic campaign of extermination of the ethnic Baloch through enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. The Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) held a press conference at the Quetta Press Club on February 11, 2022, where VBMP General Secretary Sammi Deen Baloch addressed journalists and the public, speaking of the recent and alarming developments in the province. Sammi Baloch asserted that, after the Panjgur and Nushki attacks, “enforced disappearances” and “kill-and-dumps” had seen an alarming spike in the province, and the trend was frightening. Sammi Baloch stated that “enforced disappearances” had been a major human rights issue in Balochistan for the past two decades – the rate of disappearances has periodically increased or slowed down, but these incidents have never stopped. In the preceding two weeks, however, especially after the attacks on the FC Headquarters in Panjgur and Nushki, “enforced disappearances” had increased manifolds.

The Baloch nationalist group’s vengeance against SFs can be attributed to the ongoing ‘kill and dump’ strategy of Pakistan’s security agencies in the province. According to the SATP database, out of 4,673 civilian fatalities recorded in Balochistan since March 6, 2000 (data till June 19, 2022), at least 1,464 have been attributable to one or other terrorist/insurgent group. Of these, 486 civilian killings (303 in the South and 183 in the North) have been claimed by Baloch separatist formations, while Islamist and sectarian extremist formations – primarily Islamic State, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Ahrar-ul-Hind (Liberators of India) – claimed responsibility for another 978 civilian killings, 895 in the North (mostly in and around Quetta) and 83 in the South. The remaining 3,209 civilian fatalities – 1,769 in the South and 1,440 in the North – remain 'unattributed.' It is widely believed that these are principally victims of the security agencies’ ‘kill and dump’ operations targeting local Baloch dissidents, particularly in the Southern region. Several such killings are also executed by proxies of State agencies, prominently including the Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Aman Balochistan (TNAB, Movement for the Restoration of Peace, Balochistan). TNAB is an armed militia operating in the province, especially in Khuzdar, since 2012. The leader of TNAB is Shafique Mengal, also known as Mullah Shafique. The group’s main target is Baloch nationalists.

In its annual report, the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB), a Balochistan based human rights group, underscored the dire human rights situation of Balochistan in 2021. According to the report, the year witnessed a drastic change in the human rights situation, as students remained the main target of the military and its shadow organizations, both in Balochistan as well as in other provinces of Pakistan. A large number of Baloch students were forcibly disappeared in 2021. HRCB received reports of enforced disappearance of 442 people, of whom 170 were tortured and later released, while the whereabouts of 272 people remained unknown at the time of writing. A total of 366 people have been killed.

The Pakistani State persists with its policy of repression through armed force in the province, ignoring long-standing Baloch grievances and injustice against the population. This has entrenched a bitter and bloody cycle of retaliation that shows no signs of waning

INDIA

Assam-Bengal: KLO: Upsurge on the margins
Oyindrila Chattopadhyay
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management

On June 4, 2022, suspected militants shot and injured a businessman identified as Sunil Mondol at his house in the Narabari area under the Serfanguri Police Station in Kokrajhar District. According to Mondol’s family, the businessman had received an extortion demand of INR 200,000 from the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) a few days earlier.

On June 4, 2022, suspected militants shot at and injured another businessman, Anil Ishwari, at his house in Amtek Bazaar, Chirang District.

Subsequently, Police found this incidents linked to the KLO as well.

On June 5, 2022, Police arrested two suspected KLO militants, Uttam Rai and Mridul Rai, in Kokrajhar District.

On June 6, 2022, following the inputs received, the Police arrested four suspected KLO militants, including a female model identified as Nabaneeta Barman Bothra, along with her husband Bikash Bothra, as well as Gourchandra Ray, and Nirmal Ray, from Kokrajhar District.

According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), the last KLO-linked incident in which a civilian was killed was way back in 2014. On January 21, 2014, suspected KLO militants shot dead a businessman identified as Sudhangshu Sarkar (52), at Khukshi Bao Bazaar under Fakiragram Police Station in Kokrajhar District.

Similarly, the last militant fatality linked to KLO was in 2016. On March 4, 2016, Security Forces (SFs) killed the ‘deputy commander-in-chief’ of the group, Dibankar Barman aka Anupal aka Jabarjung aka Raghav, in the Siljan Kakrikola area of Kokrajhar District.

KLO is one of the oldest militant groups still operating in the region. It was formed on December 28, 1995, by a section of the West Bengal-based All Kamtapur Students' Union (AKSU) members Tamir Das aka Jibon Singha, Tom Adhikari, Milton Burman, Madhusudan Das aka Tarzan, Harshavardhan Burma, and Pulastya Burma, with the objective of carving out a separate Kamtapur State comprising six districts of Bengal( Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, North and South Dinajpur, and Malda) and four districts of Assam (Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Dhubri and Goalpara). No reliable estimates of the current strength of KLO cadres is available.

KLO militants were initially trained by the undivided United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). Bhutan was a safe haven for ULFA, KLO, and the undivided National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) till 2003. Royal Bhutan Army (RBA)-led Operation All Clear gave a decisive blow to these groups, including KLO.  On December 21, 2003, the RBA handed over KLO founder-members Joydeb Roy, Milton Burman, and other important leaders such as Sanjoy Adhikari alias Vicky, Bhim Dakua alias Jayanta Das and Pabitra Singha alias Biplab Singha, to the Indian authorities.

Thereafter, KLO operated in the lower Assam Districts in coordination with undivided ULFA and NDFB, and later with the Independent faction of ULFA (ULFA-I) and NDFB- I.K. Songbijit faction (NDFB-IKS). ULFA-I has now lost its foothold in these districts due to the arrest of undivided ULFA’s ‘Deputy-Commander-in-Chief’ Raju Baruah (2010); the surrender of ULFA-I’s Manoj Rabha aka Drishti Rajkhowa (2020); and the elimination of the ‘Commander of the Western Command’ Dwipen Saud aka Jishnu Asom aka Ramen Nath (2021).

KLO activities peaked between 2000 and 2006, a period when ULFA and NDFB were both very active and had not undergone a split. According to partial data by SATP, between March 1, 2000 and December 31, 2006, KLO was responsible for 40 fatalities, of which 37 (26 civilians, 1SF, 10 militants) were in West Bengal and three (all militants) in Assam.  KLO activities peaked in 2002, with 15 fatalities (six civilians, one SF trooper, and eight militants) all in West Bengal. Bangladesh’s proactive stance since 2007, and more prominently after the Awami League-led Bangladesh government took over in 2009, was a fatal blow for ULFA and NDFB. Bangladeshi authorities handed over the top ULFA and NDFB leadership that operated from their soil. Further, NDFB underwent a split on December 15, 2008, and ULFA in August 2012. All these developments affected KLO’s operational effectiveness. KLO was forced to operate from Myanmar, where it has been part of the United National Liberation Front of Western South East Asia (UNLFWESA) since 2011.

The current spate of KLO’s activities is likely linked to a desperation for funds, besides the evolving political scenario in West Bengal. Significantly, the Koch-Rajbongshi community is demographically important in both the Northern part of Bengal (where it is listed as Scheduled Caste) and Lower Assam (listed as Other Backward Caste), forming a significant chunk of potential voters for political parties. The protection of land and demographic influcnce remains the principal concern of the community in West Bengal.

Both the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) and Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) are trying to woo the Koch Rajbongshis in West Bengal. BJP was successful in consolidating Koch-Rajbongshi votes in the 2019 Parliamentary elections as well as in the 2021 Assembly elections. Now, voices from the BJP local leadership can heard backing the demand for a separate State/Union Territory of North Bengal. This endorsement converges with KLO’s main demand.

On June 7, 2022, the Jalpaiguri BJP Member of Parliament Jayanta Roy, thus observed,

Indeed, in its June 5, 2022, video KLO cites the BJP's endorsement of its demand,

Ironically, the present spate of violent incidents has surfaced at a time when KLO had expressed its willingness to join the peace process as recently as in December 2021, when KLO 'chief' Jiban Singha aka Tamir Das had sent a letter to the Assam Government. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma responded with a Tweet, declaring,

In Assam, KLO's main demand is the grant of Scheduled Tribes (ST) status to the community, which is not acceptable to the existing STs in the State. However, in order to halt the consolidation of major communities behind the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) agitation, the State Government agreed to upgrade the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) to the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) for Bodo groups and an Kamtapur Autonomous Council (consisting of villages in Dhubri, South Salmara, Bongaigaon and Goalpara District) was created to pacify Koch-Rajbongshi groups.

The West Bengal Government has, however, not responded to this development, as the AITC leadership is against any division of the existing State. Unsurprisingly, KLO has accused the west Bengal Government of not wanting the organization to take part in peace talks with the Centre. In an interview, Fidel Koch, KLO's 'operations commander' noted,

Meanwhile, in 2022, some KLO activities have also been spotted in West Bengal. Information obtained by the Police from three arrested KLO militants indicates that the militant formation is trying to regroup in North Bengal. During investigations, the Police found that KLO was trying to use technology to impart training to its latest recruits. In a March 7, 2022 report, a former police officer who had worked in the KLO operational area disclosed,

Historically, according to partial data compiled by SATP, since its inception till date West Bengal has been the focus of KLO violence, with 42 out of the total of 52 fatalities recorded in the State. The major chunk of killings occurred between 2000 and 2006, with 37 killed in West Bengal (26 civilians, one SF trooper, and 10 militants); three militants were killed in Assam. From 2007-to 2011, there were no KLO-linked fatalities. Then, from January 1, 2012 to 2022 (data till June 19), KLO violence resulted in 12 fatalities; seven in Assam (two civilians and five terrorists) and five in West Bengal (all civilians in 2014).

Most recently, on June 5, 2022, KLO 'chief' Jibon Singha, in a video, issued a direct threat to West Bengal Chief Minister (CM) Mamata Banerjee hours before her three-day visit to North Bengal, declaring,

Following this threat, the West Bengal Police tightened security for Chief Minister Banerjee during her scheduled visit (June 6-8) to Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri districts. The visit went through according to schedule without any untoward incident. The last reported incident of fatality linked to KLO in Bengal (then known as West Bengal) was in 2014. On January 9, 2014, five persons were killed in an explosion in the Paharpur area of Jalpaiguri district.

Security Forces have continued to act against KLO to keep it under check. According to partial data compiled by SATP, 202 militants (West Bengal – 109, Assam – 86, Tripura – 3. Nagaland – 2, Arunachal Pradesh – 1 and Meghalaya – 1) have been arrested since 2000, till date (June 18, 2022). While 2020, reported the highest number of arrests, at 16 in 5 incidents, two arrests were reported in 2021, in two incidents. In 2022, seven KLO members have already been arrested in two incidents.

The KLO insurgency was initially powered by ‘historical’ grievances, the relative deprivation of the community, and cultural marginalization in their own traditional homeland. Over the years, the movement has lost momentum. However, political messaging around the demand for a separate State of North Bengal has the potential to legitimize the outfit, giving it some means to regain its lost base.

AFGHANISTAN

Four persons including two militants killed in militant attack on Sikh Gurudwara in Kabul: Two civilians and two militants were killed while seven others were injured in a militant attack on a Sikh Gurudwara in the Karte Parwan area of Kabul on June 18. A member of Sikh community and one of the members of the Taliban forces were among the fatalities, according to the Taliban security officials. The attack began June 18-morning and the attackers and Taliban forces fought for several hours. Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) claims responsibility of the attack. The Khaama Press, June 19, 2022.

Pakistan, TTP conclude Kabul talks, says Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid: Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid on June 17 said that the negotiations between the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Pakistani Government concluded two days back in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Mujahid, who is the deputy of minister information and culture, told Geo News that he hopes that this time, the negotiations bear fruit - as the last round of peace talks between the two sides did not yield results". Geo TV, June 19, 2022.

India clears emergency visas for 111 Afghan Hindus and Sikhs, hours after Kabul Gurudwara attack: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) granted emergency visas to 111 Hindus and Sikhs from Afghanistan, hours after terror attack at a Gurudwara in Kabul, capital city of Afghanistan, on June 18. All had applied for the visa in September 2021, but the applications were cleared only after the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP), attacked the Gurudwara killing two people. Only 159 minorities remain in Afghanistan after the Taliban took control in August 2021, including three members who do not have any passport. The Hindu, June 20, 2022.

IS video featuring Nupur Sharma threatens attacks in India over 'Prophet Insult': Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), an affiliate of the terror outfit Islamic State (IS), or Daesh, has released an over 10-minute video focusing on India and alleged blasphemy issues involving suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma over remarks against Prophet Mohammed. In the video titled, 'The polytheists are the brothers of the polytheists', the IS has threatened to attack Hindus over the ongoing blasphemy row and demolition of a part of a mosque in the Jahangirpuri area of Delhi. Hindustan Times, June 17, 2022.

NSA Ajit Doval calls for bolstering cooperation against terrorism at BRICS meet: On June 15, Indian National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval called for bolstering cooperation against terrorism without any reservations in the virtual meeting of the five-nation grouping BRICS. While addressing National Security Advisors (NSAs) meet, hosted by China, Doval welcomed the ongoing cooperation under the framework of the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Working Group and emphasised the need for urgent reforms of the multilateral system in order to address global issues with credibility, equity and accountability. India Today, June 16, 2022.

Five-party alliance will continue even after federal election, says CPN-Maoist Center Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal: Chairperson of the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre (CPN-Maoist Center) Pushpa Kamal Dahal at an interaction organized by Bharatpur Metropolis in Chitwan on June 17, has said the five-party alliance would continue till the conclusion of the peace process. Chairperson Dahal said the five-party alliance would continue beyond the election of provincial and federal levels. My Republica, June 18, 2022.

Laws related to transitional justice will be amended, says Minister Govinda Prasad Sharma Koirala: Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Govinda Prasad Sharma Koirala, on June 15, has shared that a Bill on amending the laws related to transitional justice will be presented in the ongoing session of parliament. Responding to the queries of parliamentarians raised on the issues relating to his ministry under the Appropriation Bill-2079 BS in meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR), Minister Koirala said that the transitional justice-related laws would be revised based on the recommendations given by the representatives from the provincial Government to conclude the transitional justice and peace process. My Republica, June 16, 2022.

Pakistan will be in FATF 'grey list' till on-site verification: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) said on June 17 that Pakistan had met all 34 items on two separate action plans, adding that the FATF will now schedule an on-site visit to verify the implementation and sustainability of the country's money laundering and counter-terrorism financing measures before removing it from 'grey list'. According to a statement by FATF, Pakistan has substantially completed all items on both its action plans, which showed that necessary political commitment was in place to sustain implementation and improvement in the future. Dawn, June 18, 2022.

US stands ready to work with Sri Lanka, says US Secretary of State: Secretary of State of the United States (U.S.) Antony Blinken, on June 14, said the U.S. stands ready to work with Sri Lanka, in close coordination with the International Monetary Fund and the international community. In a twitter post he said, he had a good call with new Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Daily Mirror, June 16, 2022.

PM Ranil Wickremesinghe calls on people to unite to transform Sri Lanka back into a calm and prosperous society: Sri Lanka's Prime Minister (PM) Ranil Wickremesinghe, on June 13, called on the Sri Lankans to unite in determination to transform the State of Sri Lanka back into a calm and prosperous society. In a message to mark the Poson Poya Day, on June 13, the PM said even at this moment, the path of Dhamma endorsed by Arahant Mahinda is like a road map for a society that is looking to alleviate the political, socio-economic turmoil that has taken hold of the Sri Lankan State. Colombo Page, June 14, 2022.