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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 14, No. 16, October 19, 2015

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

PAKISTAN
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Sindh: Malignant Brew
Ambreen Agha
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management

On October 13, 2015, at least four persons, including two terrorists, were killed in separate incidents of violence in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh. In one incident, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s (KMC) Additional Director, Arshad Hussain, was shot dead near Askari Park in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town. Two terrorists, identified as Zohaib and Mahmood, were killed in two separate Police encounters in the Kalari and Chakiwara areas of Lyari Town. Zohaib, affiliated with the Wasi Lakho Gang, was reportedly involved in killing of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA), Waja Kareem Dad, on August 17, 2011 in the Kharadar area of Saddar Town. Mahmood was associated with the Baba Ladla Gang. In another incident, Police recovered an unidentified dead body from Gulshan-e-Ghazi area of Baldia Town.

On October 8, 2015, two Police Officials, identified as Head Constable Abdul Ghafar and Constable Pervaiz Ali, were shot dead while they were on a routine patrol near Char Minar within the limits of the New Town Police Station in the Bahadurabad area of Gulshan Town. In another incident, a traffic Policeman identified as Rehan Sarwar was killed at his residence in the Aram Bagh area of Saddar Town.

On October 7, 2015, a ‘criminal’, identified as Amir Baloch, son of Shah Jehan Baloch, was killed in retaliatory firing by the Police that had come under attack by him and his accomplices while patrolling the Garden West Road area, adjacent to the Lyari Expressway. The Police recovered one TT pistol and five rounds of ammunition from his possession. Amir’s other accomplices, however, managed to escape. Amir was associated with the Lyari Gang.

According to partial data compiled by the Institute for Conflict Management (ICM), Karachi has recorded a total of 627 terrorism and gang-related fatalities, including 314 civilians, 45 SF personnel and 268 terrorists/criminals in the current year (all data till October 18, 2015). In the corresponding period of 2014, the number of such fatalities stood at 1,012 fatalities, including, 658 civilians, 117 SFs and 237 terrorists/criminals. 

ICM data confirms that gang and terrorism-related fatalities in the city have decreased considerably since the launch of 'targeted action' on September 5, 2013. Since then, Karachi has recorded 2,233 terrorism and target killing fatalities, including 1,296 civilians, 722 terrorists/criminals and 215 Security Force (SF) personnel (data till October 18, 2015). During the corresponding period prior to the start of the action, there were 3,259 fatalities, including 2,762 civilians, 240 terrorists/criminals and 257 SF personnel. Though there was a 31.48 per cent decline in the total, the decline in SF deaths was much smaller, at 16.34 per cent.

According to a detailed report released on July 8, 2015, by the Pakistan Rangers in Sindh, since the launch of the ‘targeted action’ on September 5, 2013, the Rangers had carried out 5,795 operations during which they had apprehended 10,353 suspects and recovered 7,312 weapons and 348,978 rounds of ammunition. The Rangers also traded fire with suspected ‘criminals’, engaging in a total of 224 ‘encounters’, in which 364 suspected criminals were killed and another 213 were arrested. The Rangers also arrested 82 abductors and in the process secured the release of 49 abducted persons from captivity. In addition, a total of 826 terrorists, 334 ‘target killers’, and 296 extortionists were arrested during this period.

On September 4, 2013, the Federal Cabinet had empowered the Rangers to lead the ‘targeted action’ with the support of the Police, against criminals involved in the “four heinous crimes of target-killing, kidnapping, extortion and terrorism”. Federal Minister of Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, laying emphasis that this was to be a ‘targeted action’ or ‘exercise’, rather than an operation, had announced that a committee headed by the provincial Chief Minister Syed Qim Ali Shah would “manage, administer and control” the action.

Despite the decline in fatalities, there is much to suggest that the ‘targeted operation’ is yet to create an environment of security in Karachi. On the completion of two years of the ‘exercises’ on September 4, 2015, Karachi Police Chief Mushtaq Mahar admitted that a significant presence of sleeper cells of terrorist groups in the provincial capital. Similarly, on October 12, 2015, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Sindh, Ghulam Hyder Jamali, had warned that "three terrorist organisations" operating in a nexus were planning to carry out attacks in Karachi in the month of Muharram (First month of the Islamic Calendar. It is the period of mourning by the Shia Muslims). Muharram started on October 15, 2015.

Though the IGP did not reveal the identities of the "three terrorist organisations", the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) anti-sectarian intelligence chief Khurram Waris stated on October 13, 2015,
…al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and LeJ [Lashkar-Jhangvi (LeJ)] which is now linked with the Middle Eastern terrorist group Daesh [known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS/Islamic State, IS)] and working together, are involved in many terrorist activities in Sindh in the recent past, including murdering Police Officials in Karachi. AQIS was now leading the other two groups. All three groups in the Province are headed by commanders known only by their code names, Umer, Mistry and Bengali. They have been accused of being involved in killings and other terrorist activities in Hyderabad and Karachi Districts. They were responsible for the recent killing of traffic Policemen in Karachi...The interrogation of the arrested militants further revealed that the groups were also generating funds for their organisations by committing robberies and kidnappings-for-ransom, extorting traders, and collecting donations using fake madrassa receipts.

Five traffic Policemen have been killed in Karachi in the current year. The first such incident was recorded on August 30, 2015, when two traffic Policemen, identified as Nizam Hussain and Shair Muhammad, were killed by unidentified militants near the Sunday Bazaar in the Metro Shopping area in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town. On September 2, 2015, a traffic Police Constable was shot dead and two others sustained injuries when unidentified militants opened fire at them in the Site-B area of SITE Town. A traffic Police Official, identified as Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Zulfiqar, was shot dead near Malir Kala Board in the Malir Town on September 30, 2015. A traffic Policeman, identified as Rehan Sarwar, was killed at his residence in the Aram Bagh area of Saddar Town on October 8, 2015.

Policemen from other divisions are also being targeted. On September 30, 2015, Lyari Superintendent of Police (SP), Aftab Nizamani, survived an attempt on his life while two attackers were killed by the Police in retaliatory firing in the Chakiwara area of Lyari Town. Karachi-West Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Azfar Mahesar, noted, on September 2, 2015, that “a new wave of targeted killing of Policemen” has begun.

The active presence of IS in the city has also been confirmed, with IGP Jamali confirming, on October 12, 2015, that the group was operating in Sindh and had established links with LeJ, and that IS and LeJ were involved in the May 13, 2015, Safoora Goth carnage in Gulshan Town, where 45 Ismaili Shias travelling in a chartered bus were killed. This incident manifested the first and sudden emergence of IS activity in Karachi.

On October 13, 2015, a list prepared by the Karachi East SSP’s office reportedly mentioned 53 suspected terrorists who were operating in a manner bearing the hallmark of Daesh. According to the report these terrorists belonged to different parts of the country and were based in Karachi.

Much earlier, confirming the presence of IS, in a 'secret information report' submitted by the Balochistan Government to the Federal Government, dated October 31, 2014, the Provincial Government had warned of increased IS footprints. The report from the Home and Tribal Affairs Department of Balochistan stated,
It has been reliably learnt that Daesh has offered some elements of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamat (ASWJ) to join hands in Pakistan. Daesh has also formed a ten-member Strategic Planning Wing.

IS is, consequently, no more a perceived threat, and has matured into a real danger. It has augmented its strength by aligning itself with splinter groups of mainstream terrorist organizations operating in Pakistan, making the situation all the more precarious.

Indeed, accepting the danger, Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Raheel Sharif in a meeting with the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on September 1, 2015, reaffirmed the resolve that the ‘targeted operation’ in Karachi would continue, irrespective of its political fallouts. Similarly, President Mamnoon Hussain stated on September 30, 2015, that the 'targeted action' in Karachi would continue till the ‘complete restoration of peace and elimination of terrorism’.

Curiously, IGP Jamali claimed, on October 4, 2015, that "peace and order has been restored in the metropolis by eliminating terrorism, target killing and extortion."

Karachi has long been known as "the most dangerous mega-city in the world", but the 'targeted action’ has clearly impacted on the will, capacity and activity of the terrorist-criminal nexus in the city. There has, moreover, been no serious terrorist attack in the metropolis since the May 13, 2015, Safoora carnage. Dangers, nevertheless, persist, and the presence of terrorist organizations and particularly the emergence of Daesh (IS), are grounds for some alarm, as is the nexus between Daesh, AQIS, TTP and LeJ. These actors, with their wider national and global networks and agendas, retain enormous potential for state destabilization.

BANGLADESH
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Lethal Remnants
S. Binodkumar Singh
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management

On October 5, 2015, three unidentified assailants tried to slit the throat of Luke Sarkar (52), Pastor of the Faith Bible Church, at his house in the Ishwardi upazila (sub-District) of Pabna District. He survived the attack with minor injuries. Later, on October 12, 2015, five Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) terrorists, including its Pabna ‘regional chief’ Rakibul Islam Rabbi aka Rakib were arrested over this murder attempt.

On October 5, 2015, Muhammad Khijir Khan (66), the former chairman of the Power Development Board (PDB), a freedom fighter and a pir (revered religious instructor, usually of Sufi orientation) was killed by seven unidentified armed men by slitting his throat at his Madhya Badda house in the national capital, Dhaka. On October 15, Tariqul Islam Tarer alias Mithu, an organizer of JMB arrested from Delduar upazila in Tangail District, in his confession to killing Khijir Khan, stated, "As Khijir Khan was a so-called pir and his activities were contradictory to religious ideology, it was our (JMB) responsibility as believers to kill him."

Shockingly, since December 2013, four pirs and six of their family members and assistants had been murdered by Islamist extremists.

On December 22, 2013, assailants slit the throats of six people, including pir Lutfur Rahman Faruk (60); Faruk’s son Monir Hossain; the house's caretaker Monju; and Faruk's followers Shaheen, Rasel, and Mojibur Rahma at Ramkrishna Mission Road in Dhaka city.

On September 5, 2015, unknown assailants slit the throat of a pir, Rahmat Ullah (60), along with an attendant inside his shrine in the Bayezid area of Chittagong city.

On September 7, 2015, assailants shot dead another pir, Hazrat Moulana Mohammad Salahuddin Khan Bishal (30), in his sleep in the Vorotpur area of Atghoria upazila in Pabna District.

Further, on August 29, 2014, the chief imam (religious teacher) of the Supreme Court mosque Shiekh Nurul Islam Faruqi (60) was killed at his East Rajabazar house in Dhaka city by 10 unidentified assailants.

Islamic extremists have been blamed for all these incidents.

Compounding the problem, foreigners in Bangladesh have become targets of Islamic extremists in recent months. On September 28, 2015, an Italian charity worker Cesare Tavella (50), a technical director working at Netherlands-based development organization Interchurch Organization for Development Cooperation (ICCO), was killed by three unidentified armed men in Dhaka city's Gulshan area. Search for International Terrorist Entities (SITE) Intelligence Group, a website that tracks online activity of Jihadi organizations, disclosed that a communiqué by Islamic State (IS) claimed that ‘a security detachment’ tracked and killed Cesare with ‘silenced weapons’ in the streets of Dhaka city. The claim was immediately denied by Bangladesh authorities.

On October 3, 2015, Japanese national Hoshi Kunio (66), researching on a new strain of grass in Bangladesh, was gunned down by three unidentified armed men when he was going by rickshaw to his two acres grass farm at Alutari in the Kaunia sub-District of Rangpur District. Reuters and Vice News quoted IS tweets declaring, "There will continue to be a series of ongoing security operations against nationals of crusader coalition countries; they will not have safety or a livelihood in Muslim lands."

Dismissing IS claims on October 4, 2015, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed stated, "I can say that no outfits like the IS can carry out their activities here. Our intelligence agencies are very much alert. We don't want to see any activities of such outfits in Bangladesh." The Prime Minister accused the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) – Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) combine of having a hand in the killings of the foreigners: "The style of the killing of the two foreign nationals is similar … These were well planned. I want to remind you of a BNP leader's remarks before and after the [Italian national's] murder. If you compare the remarks, the matter will become clear."

Significantly, on October 2, 2015, Abdul Moyeen Khan, a senior BNP leader, referring to these attacks, had stated, “Such downward trends will continue until there is some kind of political reconciliation between the two major political parties in Bangladesh.”

Also, rejecting IS involvement in the murders, Home Minster Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on October 5, asserted, “IS is not behind these murders. A vested group is seeking to create anarchy in the country. They are conducting these killings but we will track them down and bring them to justice.”

Indeed, according to an intelligence report submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs on October 4, 2015, anti-liberation forces, enraged that war criminals are being tried, convicted and executed, are murdering foreign nationals in the country to cast the Government in a bad light. The War Crimes (WC) Trials, which began on March 25, 2010, have thus far indicted 35 leaders, including 18 from JeI, six from the Muslim League (ML), five from Nezam-e-Islami (NeI), four from BNP and two from the Jatiya Party (JP). On August 11, 2015, International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) awarded the death penalty to Bagerhat District Razakar leader Sheikh Sirajul Haque alias Siraj Master (73) and life imprisonment to another Razakar leader Khan Akram Hossain, for genocide, murder, abduction and forceful conversion of Hindus to Islam during the Liberation War in 1971. Earlier, verdicts had been delivered against 22 accused, including 16 death penalties and six life sentences. Each judgment resulted in violence unleashed by fundamentalists, led by the BNP-JeI combine. According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), the country has recorded at least 471 Islamist extremist violence-related fatalities since March 25, 2010, including 263 civilians, 27 Security Force (SF) personnel and 181 extremists (data till October 18, 2015).

Islamist extremists have been targeting secular and free-thinking people, with four bloggers killed in 2015 alone. On August 7, 2015, Niladri Chattopadhyay Niloy alias Niloy Neel (28), a secular blogger and a Gonojagoron Mancha (People's Resurgence Platform) activist was hacked to death at his Goran residence in the Khilgaon area of Dhaka city; on May 12, 2015, Ananta Bijoy Das (32), a progressive writer, blogger, editor of the science fiction magazine Jukti, and an organizer of the Gonojagoron Mancha, was hacked to death with machetes by four assailants in the Subidbazar Bankolapara residential area of Sylhet city; on March 30, 2015, another blogger and online activist, Oyasiqur Rahman Babu (27), was hacked to death in broad daylight in Dhaka city for his allegedly atheist views; and on February 26, 2015, Bangladesh-born American citizen blogger Avijit Roy (42), the founder of the Mukta-mona.com blog, was hacked to death in Dhaka city.

Meanwhile, on September 23, 2015, Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT, Volunteers of Allah Bangla Team) issued a hit list of secular bloggers, writers and activists around the world, including nine bloggers based in the UK, seven in Germany, two in the US, one in Canada and one in Sweden. The statement featured a logo comprising a black flag carrying the seal of the prophet Mohammed and the phrase: “We do not forget, we do not forgive” in English. Disturbingly, the killing of bloggers in Bangladesh propelled the country onto the Global Impunity Index of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The CPJ, in a report published on October 8, 2015, observed,
At least four Bangladeshi bloggers have been hacked to death by apparent Islamic extremists this year alone, and a total of five of Bangladesh's seven victims of unsolved murders over the last decade are bloggers who criticized religious extremism. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the nominally secular ruling Awami League party have done little to speak out for justice in these crimes, allowing political interests to trump rule of law.

While sporadic incidents by Islamist extremists have raised tensions in the country and concerns across the world, the threat of conventional terrorism continues to lurk in the background. On September 6, 2015, intelligence agencies unearthed a plot to blow up over 100 Navy and Coast Guard bases and oil refineries in southeastern Chittagong city. The little-known Hilf ul Fuzul al Islami (Islamic Alliance of the Virtuous), in collaboration with several other banned Islamist groups, were responsible for the plot, which was believed to be in retaliation to the escalating security clampdown against the Islamists.

On October 6, 2015, Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Detective Branch (DB) Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Muhamad Babul Akhter disclosed that JMB was aiming to set up a stronghold in Chittagong District’s heavily forested hilly areas and claimed that there were 1,000 JMB militants in the District, discreetly working as sales persons at stationary shops, day laborers and hawkers to conceal their identity. Some have set up small shops in densely-populated areas of the city to enable contact within the group when required.

Further, on October 11, 2015, talking about JMB’s link with another outfit, Allahr Dol (Allah’s Party), TM Mujahidul Islam, Superintendent of Police (SP) of Lalmonirhat District, observed, “The people who have been organizing under the banner of Allahr Dol are all from the JMB. As JMB is banned, they are now trying to reorganize under a different umbrella and are applying new techniques.” Allahr Dol’s activities have so far spread to Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Rajshahi and Dinajpur Districts in the north; Khulna District in the south-west and Jhalakathi District in the south. The outfit also gets support, shelter and backup from the local chapter of JeI.

Referring to the current situation on October 5, 2015, Supreme Court Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha noted,
We are trying hard to combat terrorism. It is a global issue, which India and Bangladesh are facing at the same time. Terrorism has become a major problem now… In Bangladesh, terrorism has become a serious threat to our national security. It has become a threat to life, economy and political as well as religious pluralism in Bangladesh.

The recent attacks against religious figures and foreigners’ in Bangladesh are reaction to the assertiveness demonstrated by the Government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed, as a result of which the threat from Islamist terrorism in Bangladesh has been minimized. The speedy WC Trials have worried the radicals, and their response has been an escalation of such violence.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed on October 13 said that those behind the recent killing of two foreigners would be hunted down and tried: "There will be no place for terrorists and militants in Bangladesh… we'll surely find out the killers ... and bring them under the purview of law." Earlier, on October 6, 2015, Bangladesh Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Hoque had stated, “Anyone may personally believe in their (IS) ideology. But we will not let our country become a terrorist state. We will thwart all conspiracies that are being hatched for our country.”

Dhaka has acted with determination against the long established terrorist and radical Islamist formations in Bangladesh. Controlling randomized violence by their dispersed fragments, as well as incipient groups that are rising out of the wide base of a population radicalized over the decades, in some cases inspired by global Islamism, is, however, proving a difficult task.


NEWS BRIEFS

Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia
October 12-18, 2015

 

Civilians

Security Force Personnel

Terrorists/Insurgents

Total

INDIA

 

Jammu and Kashmir

0
1
3
4

Left-Wing Extremism

 

Chhattisgarh

1
0
0
1

Maharashtra

0
1
0
1

Odisha

2
0
0
2

Total (INDIA)

3
2
3
8

PAKISTAN

 

Balochistan

0
0
3
3

KP

0
0
1
1

Punjab

9
1
4
14

Sindh

2
0
11
13

PAKISTAN (Total)

11
1
19
31
Provisional data compiled from English language media sources.


BANGLADESH

JMB organizer confesses killing former PDB chairman by slitting his throat with sharp weapon: Tariqul Islam Tarer alias Mithu, an alleged organizer of Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) confessed to killing former chairman of Power Development Board (PDB) Muhamad Khijir Khan by slitting his throat with a sharp weapon. Tariqul Islam said, "As Khijir Khan was a so-called pir and his activities were contradictory to religious ideology, it was our (JMB) responsibility as believers to kill him." New Nation, October 16, 2015.

ISB threatens to kill Gonojagoron Mancha spokesperson: Gonojagoron Mancha (People's Resurgence Platform) spokesperson Imran H Sarker has been threatened with death allegedly by a member of Islamic State Bangladesh (ISB). A facebook user named 'Araf Al Islam ISB' issued the threat through Imran's facebook message box saying, 'your death is imminent. You will be killed in the way the two foreigners were killed,' said Imran in a post on his verified facebook page. New Age, October 19, 2015.

ICT-1 indicts five war crimes suspects in Kishoreganj District: The International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) indicted five war crimes suspects from Karimganj sub-District of Kishoreganj District on seven charges. Shamsuddin Ahmed (60), the lone suspect in the dock, pleaded not guilty. The other suspects - Gazi Mohamad Abdul Mannan (88), Nasir Uddin Ahmed (62), Mohamad Hafiz Uddin (66) and Mohamad Azharul Islam (66), would be tried in absentia as they are absconding. Mannan was the commander of the local Razakar force while the others were its members, according to the prosecution. New Age, October 13, 2015.


INDIA

Pakistani Army treating PoK inhabitants brutally, says Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar: Kashmiris should be made aware of the brutal atrocities committed by the Pakistan Army on civilians in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on October 11. "We need to bring it to their (Kashmiris) notice. How brutally the Pakistan army is treating the population in PoK? I don't know after that if they will ever think of Pakistan because they are proud people. They have to be told that their brothers, and sisters, who are also a part of India, are being brutally treated," he said. Times of India, October 12, 2015.

Over 300 militants waiting on launch pads, says GOC Lt Gen Dua: General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Srinagar based 15 Corps, Lt General Satish Dua, on October 13, said that over 300 militants are waiting on the launch pads near the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) to infiltrate. In an exclusive interview to Excelsior, Lt General Dua said that for past few weeks their attempts to infiltrate have increased ahead of snowfall that closes the mountain passes. "Just before snow sets in, they keep trying to push in militants. There are over 300 militants who are ahead on the launch pads waiting to be launched. But unfortunately for them, they are not finding an opening. The infiltration that happened this year is negligible and whatever does get through shallow area is being caught there", he added. Daily Excelsior, October 14, 2015.

Pakistan's ISI printing fake Indian currency in Dubai, according to NIA: A team of National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials tracked down the origin of Fake Indian Currency Note (FICN) in Dubai, being pumped into the country via Bangladesh. Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has been able to set up a production unit of FICN in Dubai. The fake currency notes are being smuggled into India via Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, NIA sources have revealed. The ISI had been running the fake currency racket from Karachi (Pakistan) previously. It changed its strategy due to growing international pressure, and are now using citizens of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka for such activities. India Today, October 13, 2015.

India calls for adoption of convention on terrorism in UN: India has called for the early adoption of a global convention on terrorism with a legal principle of "prosecute or extradite", even as it voiced concern over the United Nations (UN) appearing "ineffective" in tackling the global scourge. On the issue of terrorism, the United Nations has "appeared ineffective, though both the Security Council and General Assembly have adopted either resolutions and sanctions regimes or strategies to counter terrorism over the past 15 years," India's Ambassador to the UN Asoke Mukerji said at a General Assembly session on 'Report of the Secretary-General on the Work of the Organisation'. Times of India, October 15, 2015.

Myanmar signs peace pact with eight ethnic armed groups: The Myanmar Government on October 15 signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Accord (NCA) with eight out of the 15 ethnic armed groups involved in the peace deal, signalling an end to nearly six decades of civil conflict. The signing at the Myanmar International Convention Centre in Naypyitaw in Myanmar was witnessed by local and international observers. Among the eight groups are Kayin National Union, Kayin National Liberation Army - Peace Council, All Burma Students' Democratic Front, and Chin National Front, report said. International witnesses from the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), China, India, Thailand and Japan were present at the event. However, Khaplang faction of National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K) stayed away from signing the agreement. Sangai Express, October 16, 2015.

More North East militant outfits may join common platform, says report: The United National Liberation Front of Western South East Asia (UNLFWESEA), a newly formed platform of four militant outfits of the North-east region, is trying to rope in at least nine more outfits of the region into the platform to launch a united struggle against the Government of India. So far, four outfits of the region - Khaplang faction of National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K), Independent faction of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA-I), IK Songbijit faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB-IKS) and the Kamatapur Liberation Organization (KLO) - are the constituents of the platform and efforts are on by the leaders of the Front to rope in other militant groups of the region to increase its strength, report added. Assam Tribune, October 16, 2015.


NEPAL

Government invites UDMF to come to the negotiating table: The Government sent letters to the constituents of the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) inviting them to come to the negotiating table. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's Press Adviser Pramod Dahal said that the Tarai Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP) had already received the Government's invitation and other constituents of the UDMF would soon receive the letter. Himalayan Times, October 17, 2015.


PAKISTAN

Uighur militants eliminated from Pakistan's territory, says Federal Minister for Defense Khwaja Asif: Pakistan has eliminated all members of the Uighur militant group the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) from its territory, but must remain vigilant to ensure they don't return, claimed Federal Minister for Defense Khawaja Asif on the sidelines of a security forum in Beijing. "We believe they're all eliminated," Khawaja Asif said. "I think there (were) a small number in tribal areas, they're all gone or eliminated. There are no more there," he added. The News, October 19, 2015.

US downplays civilian drone deaths, reveal secret files: United States (US) President Barack Obama's administration has underrepresented the true number of civilians killed in drone strikes. The Intercept unveiled documents leaked by a whistleblower about America´s use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to kill terrorist targets in the Middle East and Central Asia. According to the report, Obama, after taking office in 2009, has vastly expanded the drone program, authorising many more strikes than his Republican predecessor, George W. Bush. In classified slides, the US military describes fatalities from targeted strikes as "enemy killed in action," even if their identity is unknown or they were not the intended targets. The News, October 16, 2015.

India supporting TTP to destabilise Pakistan, accuses FO spokesman Qazi Khaliullah: Pakistan warned India to refrain from using its soil for hatching conspiracies against Pakistan while supporting the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). "It is pertinent to mention here that majority of the terrorist incidents staged by the Indian side on its soil to implicate and malign Pakistan have proved to be fake. I wish to underscore that in the case of India, the international community is aware that state actors have been involved in destabilising and fomenting terrorism in neighbouring countries, including Pakistan," said Foreign Office (FO) spokesman Qazi Khaliullah. The News, October 15, 2015.

Daesh network exists in Sindh, reveals Counter Terrorism Department: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) has prepared a list of 53 terrorists who they claimed are affiliated with Daesh, commonly known as Islamic State (IS). According to CTD sources, Abdullah Yousuf alias Abdul Aziz, alias Saqib, is the amir (chief) of Daesh while another terrorist has been identified as Shahid Khokhar, who belongs to Hyderabad District. The CTD sources further said that a third terrorist, Bilal is also affiliated with Daesh and hails from Mirpurkhas District. The News, October 15, 2015.

Meanwhile, Sindh Inspector General of Police Ghulam Hyder Jamali while briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Interior said that the IS was active in the Province and it had links with the sectarian militant outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). The Sindh Police chief shared details of the arrested suspectsand said, "They [the suspects] wanted to set up a self-styled caliphate in Pakistan." He said investigations into the May 13, 2015, Safoora carnage revealed that Abdul Aziz, the kingpin of the group, had escaped to Syria and was involved in almost all the recent terror attacks along with his lieutenant Azhar Minhas. Tribune, October 14, 2015.


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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