Tribal Sacrifice,Odisha: Red Bastion in Koraput :: South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR),Vol. No. 9.36
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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 9, No. 36, March 14, 2011

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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Tribal Sacrifice
Tushar Ranjan Mohanty
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management

43 persons were killed and another 52 sustained injuries when a suicide bomber attacked the funeral prayers for the wife of a volunteer of a Qaumi Lashkar (community tribal militia) cadre in Adezai village on the outskirt of Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), on March 9, 2011. A bomb disposal official disclosed that about eight kilograms of explosives and ball bearings had been used in the attack. This was the second suicide attack targeting the Quami Lashkar, which has been fighting the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in the village, about 35 kilometres from the Peshawar Cantonment, since 2008. Peshawar District Coordination Officer Seraj Ahmed said the attack was aimed at eliminating the leadership of the Lashkar. In November 2009, the Adezai Lashkar’s founder Haji Abdul Malik and 13 others were killed in a blast in the Matni area of Peshawar.

Immediately after the March 9 suicide attack, Haji Dilawar Khan, the leader of the anti-TTP militia, warned that the Lashkar would end cooperation with the authorities if they were not provided adequate material and financial support from the Government within two days. Dilawar Khan said, "Either the Government accepts our demands within two days or they should let us join the Taliban... We are no longer capable of fighting them alone. We need the Government’s help."

Haji Dilawar Khan had issued a similar warning on March 3, 2011, when he told a Press Conference that the Government was not providing the militia promised ammunition and rations, and set a deadline of one week for the Government to respond. Khan argued that the Government was pursuing "an ambiguous policy" towards the TTP in Adezai, and accused local legislators of supporting the TTP. "The local MPA (Member of the Provincial Assembly) and MNA (Member of the National Assembly) of the Awami National Party do not support the volunteers of the Lashkar against the Taliban (TTP), as they don’t belong to their Party," he alleged. He said the tribes of Adezai formed the Lashkar in 2008 on the instruction of Government. "47 of our people, including former chief of the lashkar Haji Abdul Malik and several commanders have been killed in blasts, attacks and exchange of fire with militants so far, but the Government is yet to compensate their families," he complained. He further stated that, at the time of the Lashkar’s formation, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Dr. Muhammad Suleman and former Commissioner Azam Khan had assured them that they would be provided with ration, arms and ammunition, "but the commitment is yet to materialise." Though some weapons were provided, the volunteers were short of ammunition and rations, and "were forced to sell their properties to buy ammunition... Several houses, markets and schools have been destroyed in the area. Scores of people have sustained injuries but the Government has failed to compensate them." Further, he added, "Owing to militant attacks, our children have stopped going to schools and colleges. Agricultural fields have turned barren and the entire Adezai Bazaar is closed as people have to take arms round the clock... The Government on one hand deploys Police, anti-terrorist squads, elite force and Frontier Constabulary in the important areas of the city, but uses the Lashkar against militants in the front."

The resistance militia had been formed at a time when Adezai, Matani and other suburban localities of Peshawar had become ‘no go areas’ for the Police, owing to the increasing influence of TTP extremists. Even now, it is feared that the TTP would enter Peshawar if the Lashkars stopped fighting them. The Peshawar Police witnessed its worst time when CCPO Dr. Suleman led a heavily armed flag march on August 6, 2008, but was forced to withdraw under militant attack. The militants, Dr. Suleman disclosed, had set up their own courts and were deciding cases openly. However, the writ of the Government was partially re-established in the area after formation of the Lashkar.

The state has supported the similar militia in other parts of the Northwest, mostly to hold of retake ground from the TTP, or provide intelligence on its movements. Paying tribes to fight for the state has a long tradition in the region, dating back to British Colonial days. The need and importance of tribal militia came to fore after the failure of successive attempts to tackle the rising militancy in Pakistan’s Pashtun regions. In the aftermath of the US-led NATO campaign in, and flushing out of the Taliban from, Afghanistan in 2001, the Pakistan Government and Army fitfully encouraged local tribal people to stand up against elements of the Afghan Taliban and al Qaeda, who took refuge in the region.

One of the most noteworthy anti-TTP uprisings took place in the Buner District of KP, on August 30, 2008, when tribesmen retaliated by killing a group of six TTP extremists, who had attacked a Police Station in the Kingargalli area, killing eight Policemen. Since then, other anti-TTP militia have been encouraged to hunt for the terrorists in various parts of the Province. Lakki Marwat was the first District in KP to raise a volunteer militia to evict militants from the area.

As the tribal Lashkars succeeded in evicting the TTP from certain settled Districts of KP and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), they increasingly attracted the wrath of the extremists. An unspecified number of tribal elders and pro-Government tribal militia members has fallen victim to a sustained campaign of annihilation that have virtually destroyed the structure of traditional tribal power in these regions. The South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) database, relying on erratic reportage on the subject in the Pakistan media, records the killing of at least 90 tribal elders since 2005 in 58 incidents. At least 162 militia members were also killed and 172 injured in 38 extremist attacks over the same period. 126 militia members were abducted by militants, and their whereabouts are still unknown.

Tribal elders killed in Pakistan: 2005-2011

Year
Incidents
Killed
2005
5
7
2006
7
7
2007
4
5
2008
7
19
2009
6
7
2010
23
42
2011
6
3
Total
58
90
*Data till March 13, 2011.
Sources: SATP

Some of the major attacks (involving three or more fatalities) involving tribal militia include:

December 7, 2010: Twin suicide bombers in Police uniform killed 50 members of an anti-TTP militia and pro-Government elders in Mohmand Agency in FATA.

May 27, 2010: TTP militants armed with rockets and grenades stormed the home of a pro-Government tribal elder, killing him, his wife and son before blowing up the house in Asghar village, about 40 kilometres northwest of Khar, the main town in Bajaur Agency.

April 7, 2010: At least three persons, including a pro-Government Lashkar leader, were killed in a shootout in the Shahi Khel area of Hangu in KP.

November 15, 2009: Volunteers of a Lashkar shot dead three veil-clad militants of the TTP-linked Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) near the residence of an anti-TTP nazim (administrator) in Bazidkhel village of Peshawar District in the KP.

September 24, 2009: Taliban militants killed seven tribal heads. Their bodies were found from various parts of Bannu in KP.

July 4, 2009: 15 men of an armed tribal Lashkar and three militants were killed when fierce clashes erupted in the Fam Pokha and Kharai Darra areas of Ambar sub-division in Mohmand Agency.

These attacks on the Lashkars have repeatedly demonstrated their vulnerabilities in FATA and KP. After the December 7, 2010, suicide attack in Mohmand, the TTP 'chief' of the Mohmand Chapter, Umer Khalid, claimed responsibility and threatened death to anyone who organised or joined a Lashkar against the TTP.

With the Lashkars at the very top of the TTP hit list, the Government’s apathy and neglect remain inexplicable. There is evidently a measure of mutual distrust and ambivalent loyalties on both sides, underlining, both, the risks of employing private armies of uncertain allegiance, on the one hand, and of state agencies deeply embroiled with particular shades of extremist formations, on the other. The Government’s capacities have been successfully challenged and eroded by the TTP across KP-FATA, but concerns about ceding too much power to the Lashkars are also obviously weighing in. Despite the continuing vulnerabilities of the state, in the wake of the Adezai incident, KP Senior Minister Bashir Bilour reportedly told the media that the militias "were no longer useful". The sheer opportunism of the state, its unprincipled use, in the first instance, of private armies to fight its battles, and then its arbitrary abandonment of these elements, can only undermine the state’s own authority and legitimacy. Worse, it threatens to further strengthen an increasingly lethal TTP, with the added danger that, in the next round of decisive confrontation, it will have loose the support of tribal groups that were instrumental in recovering influence and territory in the past.

INDIA
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Odisha: Red Bastion in Koraput
Deepak Kumar Nayak
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management

On February 26, 2011, Jayaram Pangi, Member of Parliament (Koraput District) and Ramamurty Mutika, Member of Legislative Assembly (Koraput District), reportedly received threatening letters from ‘Azad’ of the Bansadhara ‘division’ of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), stating that they would receive the death penalty if they continued with their ‘anti-tribal activities’. Both Pangi and Mutika are known tribal leaders from the tribal belt of southern Odisha.

Koraput, is one of the two Districts worst affected by Maoist activities in Odisha, The other is Malkangiri, adjacent to it. Located towards the southern part of the State, Koraput shares its borders with Malkangiri, Rayagada and Nabarangpur Districts in Odisha; Bastar District in Chhattisgarh; and Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram and Vishakhapatnam Districts in Andhra Pradesh. Koraput’s geographical proximity to Chhattisgarh, the worst Maoist-affected Indian State, and Andhra Pradesh, the Left Wing Extremist (LWE) ideological and leadership base, as well as its densely forested, hilly terrain, have contributed to its consolidation as a Maoist safe-haven.

According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal database, Odisha stands fourth in terms of fatalities, after West Bengal 425, Chhattisgarh 327 and Jharkhand 147, with 108 killed – 62 civilians, 21 Security Force (SF) personnel and 25 extremists in 2010. 26 persons have already been killed in the current year – 4 civilians, 2 SFs and 20 extremists (till March 13). Koraput recorded the highest fatalities (43) in 2010; followed by Sundargarh and Malkangiri (17 each). The District witnessed 47 Maoist related incidents in 2010 and has already registered at least four incidents in 2011. Significantly, out of eight major incidents (each with three or more fatalities) in the State in 2010, Koraput accounted for four. 35 fatalities were recorded in 32 incidents in 2009, and eight out of 17 incidents in 2008, when the present spurt began. A stray incident in which two Maoist cadres were killed had been recorded in 2005.

Fatalities in Koraput District: 2005-2011

Year
Incidents
Civilians
SFs
Extremists
Total
2005
2
0
0
2
2
2006
0
0
0
0
0
2007
2
0
0
0
0
2008
17
5
0
3
8
2009
32
5
22
8
35
2010
47
18
11
14
43
2011*
4
1
0
0
1
Source: South Asia Terrorism Portal
* Data till March 13, 2011

LWEs have targeted Odisha since 1951, and, for much of the initial period, their activities were confined to the undivided Koraput District. In 1962, LWE cadres from this area – prominent among them being Bhuban Mohan Patnaik, Nagabhusan Patnaik, Purna Chandra Gomang, Purshottam Pali, and Jaganath Mishra – with the cooperation of their counterparts in Srikakulam (Andhra Pradesh), managed to start a movement called "food Liberation", from the Gunpur area of then undivided Koraput (now in the Rayagada District). However, the Naxalite (LWE) Movement in Koraput has gained momentum and strengthened its position during the last two decades.

During the 1990’s the Andhra Pradesh Government declared the Naxalite movement illegal, and this had far-reaching impact on Odisha. Initially, the Andhra Naxalites began to use Odisha’s dense forests as their hideouts. It was during this phase that a base for the then People’s War Group (PWG) was created in the rural areas of Koraput. The Naxalites attacked corrupt bureaucrats and exploitative contractors and money-lenders to win over the local tribals. Violence intensified in Odisha after the PWG formed the Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC), controlling the four north coastal Districts of Andhra Pradesh -- East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vijayanagaram and Srikakulam – and the five southern Odisha Districts – Malkangiri, Rayagada, Gajapati, Koraput and Nabarangpur.

A co-ordinated Naxalite attack on the District Headquarters and armoury at Koraput on February 6, 2004, exposed the authorities’ lack of preparedness to face the Naxalites. Initiating a pattern of ‘swarming attacks’ using armed cadres and militia in India, some 200 Maoists decamped with about 200 weapons including SLRs and carbines and 60,000 rounds of ammunition, leaving the District Headquarter without being challenged by the Police, in the first Naxalite attack of such intensity. LWE-related incidents continued to occur erratically thereafter, as the Naxalites created a transit route through the District. On November 3, 2007, for the first time, the Maoists put posters in the Bandhugaon Block (administrative division) of the District, to observe the Peoples’ Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) week. Through the posters and banners, the Maoists exhorted the people to evict landlords from the villages. The posters also asked people to bring Praja administration (people’s administration) for justice in the villages.

Through this period, with a view to bring the entire State under the 'Red Corridor,' the Maoists were targeting teen-aged tribals to join their fold. Poor tribals, frustrated with large-scale unemployment and underemployment, were easily lured, with a particular emphasis on the recruitment of girls.

The Maoists have also established a number of front organisations for focused political mobilisation and recruitment. The Chasi Muliya Adivasi Sangh (CMAS) has successfully stoked fires in the Narayanpatna Block of Koraput. CMAS ostensibly worked under the leadership of Nachika Linga to protect the land rights of the tribals. In an agitation against alleged exploitation in May-June 2009, CMAS forcibly occupied nearly 2,000 acres of land belonging to non-tribals. It was during this period that CMAS blocked the Lakshmipur-Narayanpatna road by felling trees, and nine Policemen, including eight belonging to the Odisha Special Security Force (OSSF) and one belonging to the Odisha State Armed Police (OSAP) were blown up by the Maoists during a road-opening exercise.

In a show of strength, the Maoists have executed other major attacks in the District. 11 troopers of the anti-Maoist Special Operation Group (SOG) were killed and eight others seriously injured in a landmine blast triggered by the Maoists at Tanginiguda on the Govindpalli Ghat Road in Koraput on April 4, 2010. The vehicle in which the troopers were travelling was thrown 40 feet in the air and its wreckage strewn across 100 metres. A 15-foot crater was created by the explosion.

To check the Maoist recruitment drive, the Odisha Government initiated a scheme to deploy 2,100 Special Police Officers (SPOs), recruited from the tribals, in five Maoists-afflicted Districts. An Odisha Home Department resolution of October 25, 2008, indicates that tribal men and women in the age group of 18-25 years from Maoist-infested Districts of Malkangiri, Koraput, Gajapati, Rayagada and Kandhamal would be appointed on a contractual basis for the first three years, and would undergo training like a regular Policeman. As SPOs, they would be paid INR 4,000 in the first two years and INR 4,500 in the third year after which they might be absorbed as sepoys or constables against regular Police vacancies.

In an effort to strengthen the District, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, on December 4, 2008, directed that a Counter-Insurgency Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) of the para-military Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) would be stationed in Koraput for anti-Maoist operations. In addition, on February 2, 2009, State Home Secretary Aditya Padhi told reporters in Bhubaneswar, that two counter-insurgency and anti-terrorism schools were to be set up in Odisha to train Police personnel to fight the growing threat of terrorism, of which one was to be located at Koraput. On June 2, 2009, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said that training of all the newly appointed Police personnel would be completed by November 2009 in view of the growing Maoist insurgency in the State. Patnaik also directed Police officials to expedite fortification work of the Police Stations and jails in the areas affected by Maoists.

On June 10, 2009, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, in the aftermath of attacks by the CPI-Maoist, including the blowing up of two Police Stations and an outpost in Koraput District in the night of June 7, declared, "We are trying our best to tackle Maoist extremism. But the Centre is not cooperating." Replying to an adjournment motion moved by the opposition Congress party, Patnaik asserted, "Instead of providing more force to tackle the Maoist violence, the Centre has withdrawn 48 of the 76 CRPF companies deployed in the state." The Chief Minister claimed that the Government had been successful in utilising funds provided by the Centre for security related expenditure and Police modernisation. Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, at the end of his two-day visit to the State, on June 26, 2009, responded by pointing out that combating the Naxalites was the primary duty of the State Police and the State Government should commit more forces to fight LWE. The Centre would extend support on the basis of a 1:1 ratio, Chidambaram said, "For every company of the State Police, I will commit one."

An insufficient commitment by both the Centre and the State, and endemic deficits in Police capacities across the worst affected Districts, including Koraput, has enormously facilitated the Maoists consolidation.

The State responses have unfortunately fallen into a long tradition of the Central Government’s efforts to combat the Maoists by relying principally on combing operations following any large-scale incident perpetrated by the extremists. In almost all cases, however, the Maoists successfully retreat from the incident site, and ensuing combing operations have largely been devoid of any spectacular achievement. While such combing operations may register occasional and marginal successes, they constitute no more than a temporary and insufficient measure to deal with the LWE threat and to re-establish the confidence of people.

Marginal improvements in capacity and the occasional fortification of Police Stations have not resulted in any restoration of the state’s domination in Koraput, even as a sustained strategy of consolidation extends the Maoist influence and power in this, Odisha’s worst affected District. A Maoist bastion has been established in Koraput, and it will facilitate their spread into other areas in the State, unless a coherent effort to systematically whittle away their power is not exerted. Regrettably, as demonstrated by the capitulation of the Government in the R. Vineel Krishna abduction case, when the state conceded all Maoist demands to secure the release of the Malkangiri District Collector and one Junior Engineer, there appears to be little determination or understanding in the administration to confront the challenge squarely.


NEWS BRIEFS

Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia
March 8-14, 2011

 

Civilians

Security Force Personnel

Terrorists/Insurgents

Total

INDIA

  

Jammu and Kashmir

0
0
7
7

Left-wing Extremism

  

Jharkhand

1
0
0
1

Bihar

0
0
7
7

Maharashtra

1
0
0
1

West Bengal

2
0
2
4

Total (INDIA)

4
0
16
20

PAKISTAN

  

Balochistan

12
1
0
13

FATA

0
0
40
40

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

55
0
5
60

Punjab

32
0
0
32

Sindh

27
0
0
27

Total (PAKISTAN)

126
1
45
172
Provisional data compiled from English language media sources.


BANGLADESH


International Crimes Tribunal Investigation Team collects War Crime evidence in Joypurhat and Pabna Districts: An investigation team of International Crimes Tribunal visited Joypurhat and Pabna Districts on March 9-10 and collected evidence of War Crimes and crimes against humanity committed at different places of the Districts in 1971. The team visited Karamja village in Santhia Sub-Division of Pabna District on March 9 and took statements of the witnesses. The Daily Star, March 11, 2011.


INDIA


489 militant prepared by Lashkar-e-Toiba and Hizbul Mujahideen for infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir: A Multi Agency Centre (MAC) set up by the Union Home Ministry in New Delhi has reported on March 13, that 489 top militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) and a couple of other lesser known militant outfits were in full preparedness to try and cross into Jammu and Kashmir from the Line of Control (LoC) this summer. Daily Excelsior, March 14, 2011.

Union Government and Jammu and Kashmir planning Joint strategy on summer unrest: Director General of Police (DGP) Kuldeep Khoda said on March 11 that the Union Government and the Jammu and Kashmir Government have chalked out a joint strategy to keep the upcoming summer ‘good’ in the Kashmir Valley and ensure normal activities. Police had been procuring laser guns, grenades, tear smoke shells and bullets from the Border Security Force (BSF) Academy at Tikanpur (Haryana) and Defence and Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Daily Excelsior, March 12, 2011.

667 Maoist attacks killed 590 in since 2009 Chhattisgarh, says Police: 590 persons, including 298 Security Force (SF) personnel- most of them Paramilitary troopers, have been killed in 667 Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) attacks in Chhattisgarh since 2009. "A total of 298 Security personnel were martyred while 292 civilians were also killed in the State during January 2009 till January 2011, in a total of 667 Maoist attacks," a source at the Police headquarters in Raipur said on March 9. Hindustan Times, March 10, 2011.

Maoists trying to forge links with ULFA: Highly-placed sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) revealed on March 9 that the Maoist rebel groups are making efforts to establish tactical alliance with the hard line faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) headed by the ‘commander-in-chief’ of the outfit, Paresh Baruah in the wake of the recent developments including the move of the pro-talk members of the ULFA including the outfit’s ‘chairman’ Arabinda Rajkhowa starting the process of talks with the Government of India. Assam Tribune, March 10, 2011.

Al Qaida, LeT pose threat to World Cup matches, warns foreign intelligence agency: A foreign intelligence agency conveyed to India that Islamist militant outfits al Qaida and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) may target ongoing world cup cricket matches in India and vital oil installations along the coastline. The agency further warned that some cadres of an operational cell of the al Qaida and LeT could already be in the country, having possibly entered via Nepal, and some more may arrive soon. Times of India, March 10, 2011.

Left Wing Extremist violence claims 2,632 lives in 2008-10, says Minister of State (Home Affairs) Gurudas Kamat: Over 2,600 civilians and Security Force (SF) personnel were killed between 2008 and 2010 in several incidents of Left Wing Extremist (LWE) violence across the country, says Minister of State (Home Affairs) Gurudas Kamat. According to the information given by Kamat in Lok Sabha (Lower house of Parliament), out of the total of 2,632 casualties, including 1,799 civilians and 833 SF personnel, a highest of 1,003 was in 2010, followed by 908 in 2009 and 721 in 2008. Times of India, March 9, 2011.

Chhattisgarh buys over 3,000 bullet-proof jackets for Police, says State Home Minister Nankiran Kanwar: The Chhattisgarh Government has purchased 3,065 bullet-proof jackets for its Police Force in its fight against the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres, State Home Minister Nankiran Kanwar told the Raipur Assembly on March 8. In April 2010, Chhattisgarh saw one of the worst Maoists attacks on its Security Forces in which 75 troopers were killed. Each jacket, weighing 6.3 kilograms and will cost INR 56,137.50. Sify, March 9, 2011.

Armed Forces facing shortage of over 15,004 officers, says Defence Minister AK Antony: The Armed Forces are facing a shortage of 15,004 officers and have initiated several measures, including increasing the intake of Short Service Commission (SSC) officers, to meet the shortfall, Defence Minister AK Antony informed Lok Sabha (Lower house of Parliament) on March 7. In written reply to a question, Defence Minister AK Antony said "the extent of shortage of officers is around 12,349 in the Army, 1,818 in the Navy and 837 in the Air Force. The shortage of pilots in the Air Force is about 426". Times of India, March 8, 2011.


NEPAL


Maoists obstructing Cabinet expansion: Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) Standing Committee member KP Sharma Oli on March 11 accused the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) of barring Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal from giving full shape to the Government, reports Nepal News. Inaugurating the sixth Lekhnath Municipal conference of the Youth Association Nepal, KP Sharma Oli stressed that the Maoists should not obstruct the way for national consensus in the name of two-third majority. Nepal News, March 12, 2011.

No chance of separate State Security Force comprising Maoist combatants, says UML General Secretary Ishwor Pokhrel: General Secretary of ruling Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPM-UML) Ishwor Pokhrel on March 9 denied possibility of a creation of a separate state Security Force comprising mostly of former Maoist combatants just because it is mentioned in the recent seven-point deal signed between Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal and Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Nepal News, March 10, 2011.


PAKISTAN

55 civilians and five militants among 60 persons killed during the week in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 11 passengers were killed and another six injured when unidentified militants intercepted a passenger coach in Mamo Khwar area of Hangu District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on March 13.

Four militants were killed during an encounter with Security Forces (SFs) in the border area of Dir and Swat Districts.

A suicide bomber killed 43 persons and injured another 52 others in an attack on a funeral prayer for the wife of a volunteer of Qaumi Lashkar (community tribal militia) in Adezai village on the outskirt of Peshawar on March 9. Dawn; Daily Times;Tribune; The News, March 8-14, 2011.

40 militants killed during the week in FATA: A US drone strike targeting a militant vehicle and a compound on March 13 killed six militants and injured five others in mountainous Spalga village, 15 kilometres northeast of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

Eight militants were killed and three soldiers suffered injuries during an encounter in upper tehsil (revenue unit) of Orakzai Agency on March 12.

At least 16 persons were killed in three separate US drone strikes in two different locations in the North Waziristan Agency (NWA) on March 11.

Ten militants were killed in two US drone attacks in North and South Waziristan Agency (SWA) on March 8. Official sources said that three missiles fired by a drone hit the house of Fazal Karam in Landi Dag area, about seven kilometres south of Wana bazaar (Market) of SWA. Dawn; Daily Times;Tribune; The News, March 8-14, 2011.

JUP-N supports Afghan militants: Jama’at Ulema Pakistan-Noorani (JUP-N) announced on March 10 its support for the militants fighting against the United States (US) led NATO forces in Afghanistan. JUP-N Secretary General Qari Zawwar Bahadur said his party stood with the "Mujahideen" (holy warrior) resisting US invasion of Afghanistan. Dawn, March 10, 2011.

250 clerics declare suicide attacks Haram: 250 clerics from around 18 countries have declared suicide attacks as haram (forbidden). They issued the declaration on the occasion of the three-day-long Seerat-ul-Nabi (Peace Be upon Him) conference in Lahore, which was also attended by several Pakistani clerics belonging to different schools of thought. The clerics issued a joint statement at the end of the conference, in which they termed the suicide attacks as "a plan to destroy the State’s infrastructure" and a "well planned conspiracy against Islam". Daily Times, March 10, 2011.

98 per cent terrorists released by the judiciary due to lack of evidence, says Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information Mian Iftikhar Hussain: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Minister for Information Mian Iftikhar Hussain on March 7 said that 98 per cent terrorists, arrested after hectic efforts and sacrifices of law enforcement agencies, are released by the judiciary owing to lack of evidence. He appealed to the courts to award capital punishment to all arrested terrorists as they became more dangerous for society after release. Dawn, March 8, 2011.


SRI LANKA


Prime Minister criticized for making false statements: Sri Lanka's Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne came under heavy criticism from the country's opposition parties for making a false statement before the parliament that the defeated militant outfit Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was regrouping in India. The main opposition United National Party (UNP) demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister for misleading the parliament and the Marxist party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said the premier should apologize to the parliament and the people for making a false statement. Colombo Page, March 12, 2011.

LTTE cadres are being trained in secret camps in Tamil Nadu, says Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne: Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne said in Parliament on March 9 that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres are being trained in secret training camps in Tamil Nadu in India. The Prime Minister alleged that that there are three such LTTE secret training centres. In one of the camps, cadres are given exclusive training on VIP assassinations. The Hindu, March 12, 2011.


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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