| |
SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 12, No. 17, October 28 , 2013
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
|
Indian
Mujahideen: Evolving Challenge
Sanchita Bhattacharya
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
Revelations
made by Indian Mujahideen (IM) ‘India operations chief’
Yasin Bhatkal aka Mohammad Ahmed Siddibappa Zarrar
aka Imran aka Asif aka Shahrukh,
and his associate Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi,
during their ongoing interrogations by several agencies
have brought to the fore some new facts. The duo also
reconfirmed much that was already known about IM. The
revelations in their totality outline the emerging challenges
that Indian security agencies are going to face in the
foreseeable future. Bhatkal and Haddi were arrested
from Indo-Nepal border on August 28, 2013.
In the
most startling of revelations so far, Yasin Bhatkal is
reported to have told security agencies that the "IM
is trying to turn into an al Qaeda-like terror network".
An unnamed official noted, further, "Two options
were on the table - either the IM would turn an assisting
outfit of Qaeda in India or merge with it to work directly
under the command of Zawahiri [al Qaeda ‘chief’ Ayman
al-Zawahiri]."
Yasin Bhatkal
has also claimed that there has been a split within IM
ranks. According to interrogation reports, the IM structure
changed after the Batla
House (New Delhi) encounter of September
19, 2008. The entire organization split into two factions
— Azamgarh and Bhatkal. While the Azamgarh Unit was led
by Amir Reza Khan, with Shahnawaz Alam as his lieutenant,
Riyaz Bhatkal headed the Bhatkal Unit. Some reports, however,
suggest that Yasin Bhatkal has also spoken about another
unit led by Mohammad Sajid alias Bada Sajid and
Mirza Shadab Beg. Significantly, these names also appeared
in the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) First Information
Report (FIR) on allegations related to terrorist activities
of members of IM and conspiracy for waging war against
the Government of India, dated September 10, 2012, along
with seven other IM cadres.
Indeed,
an unnamed security official observed, "Our initial
assessment was that the group has weakened with (the)
arrest of so many cadres and there is division. But the
IM… has grown many folds. Each group has its men and logistics
in India.”
These two
developments, if found to be correct, are ominous.
The growing
links with al Qaeda are a very real threat, suggesting
that the global jihad has started focusing increasingly
on India, bringing new and more dangerous strategies,
tactics and resources to this theatre. Indeed, current
al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in his first specific
jihad guidelines, endorsed the right of Islamist
militants to fight "Indians in Kashmir", as
reported on September 17, 2013. Further, an al Qaeda statement
released on September 30, 2012, indicates that the terror
group is evolving its strategy on the Myanmar-Assam region.
In the statement, Ustad Ahmad Farooq, who was appointed
as al Qaeda's head of the 'preaching and media department'
for Pakistan in 2009, warned that the recent killings
of Muslims in Myanmar and Assam "provide impetus
for us to hasten our advance towards Delhi." June
2013 reports indicated that Maulana Asim Umar, a senior
al Qaeda ideologue, released a video titled “Why There
Is No Storm in Your Ocean?”, exhorting Indian Muslims
to join the global jihad. IM and al Qaeda are believed
to have discussed attacks on foreign nationals based in
India, most notably Jews. Significantly, in September
this year, New Delhi asked all Mumbai-based Jewish establishments
to step up security measures in the face of an impending
terrorist threat. India's Union Home Ministry has also
briefed Israel about a possible IM attack on Israeli nationals
visiting Rajasthan, especially in the tourist centre of
Pushkar, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur.
In this
context, the four individuals of Indian origin, who have
participated in global terror activities, offer a vital
pre-text. They are Dhiren Barot (aka Abu Musa al-Hindi),
a British citizen of Indian origin who plotted bomb attacks
against the New York Stock Exchange, International Monetary
Fund and World Bank; Haroon Rashid Aswat, another Indian
with a British passport, was a self-proclaimed hitman
for Osama bin Laden and allegedly a key figure in the
July 2005 attacks in London; Bangalore-born Kafeel Ahmed,
who was involved in the June 2007 attack on Glasgow International
Airport, and a known follower of al Qaeda; and finally,
Mohammad Niaz Raseed, a cadre of the Students' Islamic
Movement of India (SIMI),
the parent organization of the IM, who was recently sentenced
to eight years in prison by the Paris Criminal Court for
plotting a series of terrorist attacks. These important
examples demonstrate an escalating threat potential not
only in India, but of a terrorist mobilisation within
this country that could have international ramifications.
On the
home front, IM’s link or efforts to establish linkages
with other groups have also been reconfirmed. Disclosures
during interrogations of Yasin Bhatkal and Asadullah Akhtar
indicate that IM was in touch with the Communist Party
of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist),
discussing a possible tie-up with the outfit to procure
explosives and ammunition for use in terror attacks in
India. Sources claim IM offered 'handsome payments' to
the Maoists for supply of weapons and explosives. Yasin
Bhatkal also revealed that he had met CPI-Maoist leaders
in Nepal before the serial blasts that rocked Bodh Gaya
in Gaya District of Bihar on July 7, 2013. Bhatkal had
reportedly surveyed the area around the Mahabodhi temple
a year before the blasts took place. The explosive devices
used in the blasts resemble the bombs used by Maoists.
Similarly, close connections with the National Development
Front (NDF) in Kerala and the Karnataka Forum for Dignity
(KFD) also came to the fore.
Counter-intuitively,
the alleged splits within IM may actually result in a
deeper percolation of terrorist networks and activities
in India, with multiple and overlapping structures of
operation, and increasing specialization. Indeed, Beg’s
Unit, which is reported to have the backing of al Qaeda
and Taliban, is believed to be focusing only on fidayeen
(suicide squad) attacks on prominent people in India.
Akhtar revealed that, during an online chat in July 2013,
Beg told him that 15 people from five Indian States had
been called to Pakistan earlier in the year, to discuss
IM’s future operations in India. Sources indicate that
these persons underwent intensive training in Afghanistan
to carry out fidayeen attacks.
Disclosures
during interrogations also indicate that IM is planning
to target political leaders. Yasin Bhatkal admitted, "The
funds flow from our international sympathisers will increase
many times if we manage to reach Narendra Modi. Modi is
one to 10 in the list of targets. The rest of the targets
figure much below him."
IM is also
planning a series of bomb blasts across the country. Significantly,
agencies have recovered a whopping 90 Improvised Explosive
Devices (IEDs) from Zephyr Heights in Mangalore and Abdullapur
in Hyderabad, among other IM hideouts. In what can be
considered further evidence of the plan, all these devices
were almost ready for use, and had been developed at the
instance of Yasin Bhatkal and his aide, Akhtar. A top
intelligence officer disclosed to the media, "Only
the circuitry was not connected to the IEDs, otherwise
these bombs were ready to use." Several unattached
timers, batteries, detonators and shrapnel were also recovered
from various hideouts. Yasin Bhatkal is learnt to have
told interrogators that IM was experimenting with the
manufacture of hydrogen peroxide-based IEDs. On the ‘ideological’
front, Yasin Bhatkal is reported to have reconfirmed that
IM's main objective was to establish Shariah in
India, as in Afghanistan and Somalia.
IM is clearly
undergoing dynamic transformations under the direction
and guidance of the Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) which
has provided the top leaders of the group safe haven and
resources in Pakistan, and facilitated deepening linkages
with regional and global jihadi groups. With a
progressive international outreach, vertical splits and
increasingly specialization, the group and its successors
are likely to evolve more lethal capabilities that would
certainly be manifested in India, but are likely to have
reverberations across the world as well.
|
Peril
on the Tracks
Tushar Ranjan Mohanty
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
At least
seven persons, including two women - one civilian and
one Police constable - were killed and another 16 were
injured when militants triggered an Improvised Explosive
Device (IED) explosion targeting the Jaffar Express train
in the Notal area of Naseerabad District in Balochistan
Province on October 21, 2013. Reports indicated that the
train, which runs between Rawalpindi in Punjab Province
and Quetta in Balochistan, was carrying hundreds of passengers.
The passengers were returning from Punjab to Balochistan
after Eid al-Adha (festival of sacrifice) holidays.
Meanwhile, claiming responsibility for the attack, the
Baloch Republican Army (BRA) claimed that the train was
carrying Security Force (SF) personnel who were returning
to Balochistan after celebrating Eid in Punjab.
Earlier,
on August 16, 2013, the same Jaffar Express had come under
rocket attack by militants in the Dozan area of Mach in
Bolan District (Balochistan). At least three civilians
had been killed and another 32 persons had sustained injuries.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) had claimed responsibility
for that attack. On this occasion, the train was going
to Rawalpindi. Later that day, SFs killed at least eight
BLA militants during a search operation in the mountains
of Mach and Kolpur.
On January
5, 2013, five passengers had been killed and another 10
had sustained injuries when militants had opened fire
on passengers travelling in the Jaffar Express near the
Kohsar area of Kachhi in Bolan District, while it was
travelling to Quetta from Rawalpindi.
While the
Jaffar Express has been targeted repeatedly, the wider
Rail network across Pakistan has also come under recurring
attack. According to partial data compiled by the South
Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), the Railways in Pakistan
have been attacked on at least 109 occasions since March
2000 (data till October 27, 2013). Of these, 105 attacks
have been recorded in just two Provinces: Sindh (56) and
Balochistan (49). 56 fatalities have been recorded in
the total of 109 attacks, with 30 killed in Balochistan
and 20 in Sindh.
SATP data
indicates an escalation in such incidents and fatalities
since 2011, with a succession of major attacks (each involving
three or more fatalities) targeting the Railways. Of these,
in addition to the incidents mentioned above, the most
significant included:
June 27,
2012: At least seven persons were killed and another 30
were injured when a remote-controlled bomb went off at
the Sibi Railway Station in Sibi District, Balochistan.
April 24,
2012: At least three people, including a Railway Police
official, died and around 45 received injuries, when a
bomb exploded at the Lahore Railway Station, Lahore District,
Punjab.
August
28, 2011: Three persons were killed and 19 were injured
in firing and rocket attacks on the Peshawar-bound Quetta
Express in the Mach area of Bolan District, Balochistan.
However,
in terms of fatalities in such attacks, the year 2000
remains the deadliest, with 18 killed in two incidents
in that year. On July 17, 2000, ten persons were killed
in a train blast in Hyderabad city, Sindh. Earlier, on
February 5, 2000, a bomb exploded in a train in Hyderabad,
killing eight persons and injuring more than 40.
The concentration
of attacks on the Railways in two provinces – Balochistan
and Sindh – is the result of separatists operating there,
and engaging in different patterns of economic subversions.
Attacking the Railways is one of several such tactics.
Significantly, most of the attacks on Railways - as is
also the case with attacks on gas
pipelines - are non-lethal. Reports
indicate that Pakistan Railway has suffered a loss of
PKR 132 billion over just the last four years. Though
the reasons for this have not been specified, it is certain
that the series of attacks on the Rail infrastructure
will aggravate the financial crisis of the Railways, which
constitute the backbone of an already depleted Pakistan
economy.
While Baloch
nationalist groupings like BLA and BRA have been engaged
in attacks on Railways inside Balochistan, it is the relatively
little known Sindhi groups like the Sindhu Desh Liberation
Army (SDLA), a banned separatist formation, which is fighting
for the establishment of an independent Sindhu Desh, that
have led the attacks inside Sindh.
Despite
the evident hike in the frequency of such attacks, security
agencies have failed to meet the challenge because of
enveloping shortcomings. Crucially, Pakistan Railways
has a network of 11,755 kilometers of track with 558 stations.
During the year 2011-2012, the Pakistan Railways carried
41,097,192 passengers, covering a total of 16,093,350,581
passenger-kilometers. Just about 20,000 ill equipped and
ill trained personnel are there to provide safety to this
vast complex. The Pakistan Railways Police (PRP), like
other wings of the Police in Pakistan, has been facing
acute shortages of arms and communication system for decades.
Available data indicates, for instance, that PRP has just
1,625 walkie-talkie systems, 102 VHF mobile stations,
86 VHF base sets, 30 HF base sets and 300 head phones.
Document available with the media in April 2012 indicated
that the Railways had just 40 G-3A3 rifles for
its eight Divisions; no such rifles were available at
Lahore and Multan. Similarly, against the total of 10
Light Machine Guns (LMGs) in the PRP armoury, there were
no LMGs at the Lahore, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Multan, Sukkur
and Quetta Divisions. The Railways Police also have small
numbers of few revolvers, pistols, shot guns and Henry
Martin rifles. There is also a severe and persistent shortage
of anti-riot equipment, from helmet to walkthrough gates.
The entire availability is just 1,721 helmets, 2,727 polo
sticks (canes), 103 tear gas guns, 350 tear gas masks,
746 anti-riot jackets, 10 statures, 10 mega phones, 530
material detectors and three explosive detectors (with
just one available at Lahore). Police also have 22 walkthrough
gates and eight mine detecting sets.
The Department
is, moreover, facing an acute shortage of funds for purchasing
security equipment. Even the meager allocation of PKR
20 million in 2012, though approved by then Prime Minister
Yousuf Raza Gilani, has not been released by the Finance
Division under the grounds of monetary constraints.
Much of
the Railways security infrastructure, moreover, is dysfunctional.
Investigations after the April 24, 2012, attack at Lahore
Railway Station, for instance, revealed that the CCTV
cameras at the station were not working. Furthermore,
the CCTV cameras installed at the Railway Stations across
the country lack the feature of night-vision recording,
and are of little use after dark, though activity on the
Rail network continues round the clock.
Some ineffectual
measures have, of course, been initiated to 'counter'
attacks on the rail system. On May 15, 2012, the Federal
Ministry of Interior cancelled licenses and No Objection
Certificates (NOCs) for transportation of arms and ammunition
aboard trains. “All the NOCs and permissions issued for
allowing carriage of arms, weapons and ammunition through
railway carriers stand cancelled until further orders,
and those found violating this order will be dealt with
according to the law,” then Federal Minister of Interior
Rehman Malik wrote in a letter to Provincial Home Departments,
the Railways Inspector General and Pakistan Railways Divisional
Superintendents. Recently, PRP Inspector General (IG)
Ibne Hussain on October 13, 2013, disclosed that the 'latest
communication and tracking system' was being installed
to monitor Railway tracks and trains across the country.
He added that PRP had been assigned the responsibility
of operating the new tracking system, while it was the
IT department that had previously monitored it. He added,
further, that the latest weapons, including sniper guns,
G-3 7.62 mm rifles, telescopic-sighted rifles, night vision
telescopes and other weapons of various calibre, were
being purchased from the Pakistan Ordinance Factory, and
that PKR 21 million had already been approved for the
plan - though it is not clear whether the funds have been,
or will be, released. IG Hussain, however, insisted that,
“The weapons will be received within two to three months.”
He also stated that 13 railway stations – including Lahore,
Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Quetta, Karachi, Multan, Sukkur
and Gujranwala – had been declared 'high security zones'.
Other measures
have also been promised. The Minister for Railways, Khawaja
Saad Rafique, on August 29, 2013, pointed out that no
anti-terrorist training had been provided to PRP personnel,
despite the increased security threats prevailing across
the country, and claimed that Pakistan Railways was planning
an anti-terrorist training programme for PRP. In its first
phase, he added, Pakistan Railways would nominate 100
Police personnel for the training. He also disclosed that
satellite devices would also be acquired with the help
of the Ministry of Information Technology, along with
CCTV cameras and multiple scanning machines. The Minister
also stated that an additional 600 constables would be
recruited to PRP, for which special permission would be
sought from the Federal Government. Even on the face of
it, however, these proposals appear far too modest to
impact significantly on the prevailing situation.
Worse,
given the track record of the security establishment as
well as that of the leadership at the helm in Pakistan's
political spectrum, it remains highly unlikely that even
these limited proposals are going to be implemented in
full. On the other hand, discontent among the separatists
can only grow, given Islamabad's flawed
approach to the Provinces. Under the
circumstances, attacks on soft targets like the Railways
with widely dispersed and vulnerable infrastructure can
only be expected to increase.
|
Weekly Fatalities: Major
Conflicts in South Asia
October 21-27,
2013
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
BANGLADESH
|
|
Islamist Terrorism
|
5
|
0
|
4
|
9
|
INDIA
|
|
Assam
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
Bihar
|
6
|
0
|
1
|
7
|
Jammu and
Kashmir
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
Left-wing
Extremism
|
|
Andhra Pradesh
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Odisha
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Total (INDIA)
|
9
|
1
|
3
|
13
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
Balochistan
|
11
|
4
|
0
|
15
|
FATA
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
Sindh
|
8
|
2
|
23
|
33
|
Total (PAKISTAN)
|
|
|
|
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
|
BANGLADESH
Nine
persons
killed
in
street
violence
across
the
country
during
the
week:
At
least
seven
people
were
killed
in
street
violence
across
the
country
on
October
25.
Several
hundred
people
were
also
injured
in
violence
as
the
opposition
and
the
ruling
alliance
tried
to
hold
rallies
at
same
places
or
tried
to
violate
bans
on
gathering
that
had
been
ordered
by
way
of
Section
144
of
the
Code
of
Criminal
Procedure.
One
person
was
killed
and
116
others
injured
when
scores
of
crude
bombs
exploded
in
at
least
50
places
including
the
houses
of
a
Supreme
Court
judge,
law
minister,
environment
minister
and
chief
election
commissioner,
and
the
offices
of
a
Police
high-up,
a
Police
station,
and
Ekattor
TV
in
Dhaka
city
on
October
26.
71
people
were
arrested
from
different
areas
of
the
city.
In
Rajshahi
District,
Rashedul
Islam
(30),
treasurer
of
Motihar
unit
of
Islami
Chhatra
Shibir
(ICS),
the
student
wing
of
Jamaat-e-Islami
(JeI),
was
killed,
and
over
30
people
including
seven
Policemen
and
a
ward
councillor
were
injured
as
Bangladesh
Nationalist
Party
(BNP),
JeI
and
ICS
cadres
clashed
with
Police
and
hurled
around
15
homemade
bombs
in
Rajshahi
city
on
October
26.
Daily
Star;
New
Age,
October
21-28,
2013.
INDIA
Sevnen
persons
including
one
militant
killed
in
serial
explosions
in
Bihar
:
At
least
seven
persons,
including
one
militant
were
killed,
and
100
others
were
injured
in
eight
serial
bomb
blasts
near
Gandhi
Maidan,
the
venue
of
Bharatiya
Janata
Party
(BJP)
Prime
Ministerial
candidate
Narendra
Modi's
rally
in
Patna
on
October
27
minutes
before
he
reached
there
to
address
a
huge
gathering,.
Eight
explosive
devices
with
timers
went
off
between
9.30am
and
12.25pm
as
part
of
a
serial
bomb
attacks
suspected
to
be
the
handiwork
of
Indian
Mujahideen
(IM).
Times
of
India,
October
27-28,
2013.
Meanwhile,
four
alleged
operatives
of
the
IM
have
been
arrested,
one
of
whom
is
in
critical
condition
after
being
caught
in
a
blast.
"A
suspected
accused
(who
was)
seriously
injured
in
bomb
explosion
while
fitting
a
timer
at
Patna
railway
junction
died
on
late
Sunday
night,"
Patna
Senior
Superintendent
of
Police
(SSP)
Manu
Maharaj
said.
During
interrogation,
they
reportedly
told
the
Police
that
they
had
staged
the
attack
in
retaliation
for
the
Muzaffarnagar
riots.
They
are
also
said
to
have
named
the
IM
module
involved
in
the
Bodh
Gaya
blasts.
The
names
of
the
four
detained
are
Imtiaz
Ansari,
Ainul,
Akhtar
and
Kaleem.
Ansari,
a
resident
of
Ranchi,
was
apprehended
at
the
railway
station
just
after
the
first
two
bombs
went
off.
He
was
apparently
planning
to
plant
some
more
bombs
but
panicked
when
he
saw
the
Police
and
bomb
disposal
squad.
On
being
challenged,
he
tried
to
flee
but
was
arrested.
.
254
infiltration
bids
in
first
nine
months
of
2013
in
Jammu
and
Kashmir,
says
report:
Infiltration
attempts
in
Jammu
&
Kashmir
(J&K)
in
2013
have
breached
the
levels
witnessed
during
the
last
couple
of
years,
with
254
instances
being
recorded
until
September
30
as
against
233
during
the
corresponding
period
of
last
year
and
247
during
2011.
The
Security
Forces
(SFs),
however,
have
managed
to
contain
the
number
of
cases
where
the
terrorists
could
successfully
sneak
into
Indian
Territory.
Times
of
India,
October
22,
2013.
IM
might
attack
Israeli
nationals
visiting
Rajasthan,
says
report:
Israel
was
briefed
in
September
about
a
possible
Indian
Mujahideen
(IM)
attack
against
the
country's
nationals
visiting
Rajasthan,
said
Union
Ministry
of
Home
Affairs
and
Israeli
sources.
The
Israeli
Embassy
was
briefed
by
Indian
counterterrorism
officials,
but
did
not
issue
a
warning
to
tourists
"beyond
the
normal."
Hindustan
Times
October
25,
2013.
LeT
'chief'
Hafiz
Muhammad
Saeed
training
terrorists
along
borders,
says
Union
Minister
of
Home
Affairs,
Sushilkumar
Shinde:
Union
Minister
of
Home
Affairs
Sushilkumar
Shinde
on
October
22
said
that
Lashkar-e-Toiba
(LeT)
'chief'
Hafiz
Muhammad
Saeed
is
training
terrorists
along
borders.
"As
per
our
information,
it
is
possible
that
he
(Hafiz)
must
be
giving
training
to
terrorists
on
the
other
side
of
the
border
at
various
launchings
pad
and
unless
Pakistan
hands
him
to
us,
there
would
be
a
problem…Infiltration
attempts
from
across
the
border
have
increased
this
year
and
it
is
a
matter
of
concern".
Times
of
India,
October
25,
2013.
Over
15
IM
modules
have
taken
shelter
in
Pakistan,
reveals
Yasin
Bhatkal:
Arrested
Indian
Mujahideen
(IM)
'India
operation
chief'
Yasin
Bhatkal's
interrogation
has
revealed
that
more
than
15
active
IM
modules
have
taken
shelter
in
Pakistan.
The
interrogation
has
also
given
conclusive
evidence
to
the
security
agencies
in
India
on
pro-active
involvement
of
Pakistan's
Inter-Services
Intelligence
(ISI)
in
formation
and
operations
of
the
IM.
Asian
Age,
October
21,
2013.
Terror
emanating
from
'our
neighbourhood'
affects
India
and
China,
says
Indian
Prime
Minister
Manmohan
Singh:
Prime
Minister
Manmohan
Singh
on
October
24
warned
that
terrorism
and
radicalism
emanating
from
"our
neighbourhood"
had
directly
affected
both
India
and
China
and
could
lead
to
instability
across
Asia.
He
said,
"If
we
look
carefully,
many
of
our
challenges
are
common.
Terrorism,
extremism
and
radicalism
emanating
from
our
neighbourhood
affect
both
of
us
directly
and
can
create
instability
across
Asia".
Times
of
India,
October
25,
2013.
PAKISTAN
Seven
persons
killed
in
IED
explosion
on
train
in
Balochistan:
At
least
seven
persons,
including
two
women
-
one
civilian
and
one
Police
constable
-
were
killed
and
another
16
were
injured
when
militants
triggered
an
Improvised
Explosive
Device
(IED)
explosion
targeting
the
Jaffar
Express
train
in
the
Notal
area
of
Naseerabad
District
in
Balochistan
Province
on
October
21,
2013.
Reports
indicated
that
the
train,
which
runs
between
Rawalpindi
in
Punjab
Province
and
Quetta
in
Balochistan,
was
carrying
hundreds
of
passengers.
Dawn,
October
22,
2013.
27
polio
workers
killed
since
2012,
reveals
Prime
Minister's
Special
Cell
on
polio
report:
According
to
an
October
24
report
by
the
Prime
Minister's
Special
Cell
on
polio,
militant
attacks
on
Pakistan's
polio
workers
have
killed
27
vaccinators
and
Police
guards
during
the
past
year
and
a
half.
The
report,
released
in
connection
with
World
Polio
Day
(October
24,
2013),
said
16
of
those
killed
were
from
Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa.
Central
Asia
Online,
October
25,
2013.
Fatwa
threatening
media
freedom
re-issued:
Fatwa
(religious
edict)
naming
certain
Pakistani
media
and
journalists
as
"enemies
of
the
Mujahideen"
was
re-issued
on
October
19
in
the
form
of
a
post
on
social
networking
site
Twitter.
"We
condemn
this
explicit
and
targeted
threat
to
journalists,
which
greatly
increases
the
dangers
to
which
they
are
already
exposed,"
said
Reporters
without
Borders
on
October
25.
Dawn,
October
26,
2013.
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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