• Cabinet secy to visit Naxal-hit areas
• ULFA outsourcing suicide attachks: Report
• Bihar villagers take up arms to fight Naxals
• Army is helping Delhi fight terror
• Terror fight: India seeks Bangla help
• Threat from jehadis
• A peek into the terror den that HuJI is

• Nepal: Fears of renewed civil war as Maoists quit government
• 129 politicians, 411 officials killed by Naxals in 3 years
• India asks Bangladesh to cooperate in tackling terror
• India in touch with Dhaka on 'arrest'
• Politics comes in the way of terror probes
• Abu Hamza, the mastermind of Hyderabad twin Blast arrested in Bangladesh

With Left-wing extremists increasingly targeting mining facilities as well as power transmission and communication lines in states like Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Orissa, the Centre has now fielded its senior-most bureaucrat, Cabinet secretary KM Chandrashekhar, to take stock of the counter-Naxal strategy in these states and suggest corrective measures where necessary. Mr Chandrashekhar, moving beyond the initiative of his predecessor B K Chaturvedi, who reviewed the Naxal situation in the worst-hit states from here, will be visiting Jharkhand on September 21 and 22 to interact with the administration on the effectiveness of the existing counter-strategy and the possible changes that can produce better results on security and development fronts. His Jharkhand visit is expected to be followed by similar on-the-spot reviews in other badly-affected states like Chattisgarh and Orissa.

The Cabinet secretary will be accompanied by senior officials of the MHA, including special secretary (internal security) M L Kumawat and additional secretary (Naxal division) Vinay Kumar. They will be briefed by the Jharkhand chief secretary and the DGP on the measures initiated by the state to tackle Left-wing extremism. Concerns raised time and again by the Centre regarding shortage of young and fighting-fit SP-level officers in affected districts, under-utilisation of police modernisation funds and a large number of vacancies in the state police will be taken up and an assessment made of the corrective measures taken by the state administration. It may be recalled that Jharkhand DGP V D Ram had, soon after his appointment last month, addressed the Centre's complaints about lack of competent senior police officials in naxal-infested districts by effecting a shake-up in the force and putting young SP-level officers in at least five more affected districts. The lack of intelligence-based operations on Naxal hideouts in the state is likely to be raised by the cabinet secretary, especially in the light of adequate number of Central forces and funds having been pumped into the state. Also, a follow-up on the action taken by the state on the Centre's instructions for stepping up security arrangement at all critical infrastructure - mines, transmission towers, power stations, arterial roads, railway properties - is certain. The Centre had alerted the Naxal-hit states to step vigil over critical infrastructure in the wake of shift in Maoist strategy from hitting security forces and police to targeting industry and communications in a bid to cash in on popular sentiment against "acquisition" of tribal land by the industries without adequate compensation and rehabilitation of the locals. Jharkhand has of late witnessed a rise in Naxal violence, recording 225 incidents in the first half of 2007 against 173 till June last year. The killing of civilians too has registered a spurt, going up from 36 till June 2006 to 54 in the corresponding period of this year. In a big strike this year, Naxalites gunned down JMM MP Sunil Mahato as he watched a football match in Ranchi on Holi. In contrast, the counter-Naxal operations in the state have achieved little, resulting in neutralisation of only seven extremists in the first half of 2007, less than half of those neutralised in the corresponding period of 2006.

Courtesy: www.economictimes.indiatimes.com, September 20, 2007

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There are growing concerns in Nepal that the country could be dragged back into a civil war as former Maoist rebels quit the government on 19 September. Maoist ministers resigned from the government after most governing parties opposed Maoist demands that the monarchy be abolished by the time of the elections, scheduled for November. The Maoists had earlier warned they would disrupt the parliamentary elections if their demands were not met. Maoists joined the interim government in April 2007, a move that was seen as confirmation of the end of their armed rebellion. In November 2006 they signed a peace agreement with the government to end a decade-long armed conflict which had killed over 14,000 and internally displaced 200,000 people. "This is a serious situation and only shows that unity between the national parties is breaking up. We are closely monitoring political events," said a foreign diplomat who preferred anonymity. Foreign diplomats have appealed to the Maoists to rejoin the government so as not to jeopardise the peace process. At the same time many diplomats say there is no reason to panic as the Maoists have only quit the government and not gone underground to re-launch a war.

"Danger of conflict"
"There is a need to look for a new political consensus, failing which there is a danger of conflict," said senior Maoist leader Krishna Prasad Mahara, adding that his party wanted to see the back of "regressive elements like the royalists", but was not against the elections. The Maoists want the elections to be based on fully proportional representation but the National Election Commission and the government say that is not possible. This is a serious situation and only shows that unity between the national parties is breaking up. Maoists have announced nationwide demonstrations 22-29 September. "Our army will remain in the cantonments and will be involved in peaceful demonstrations in the streets," said deputy Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai. He said the 12-point peace agreement with other national parties was still alive and had not been ended. Analysts told IRIN that already panicking civilians were fearful of the possibility of Maoists resorting to arms.

UN concern The UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) said there was a pressing need for all eight national parties, including the Maoists, to reach a common understanding. It also urged the international community, along with national parties, to focus their energies on resolving outstanding electoral issues. "Given the potential negative implications of this step for the peace process, we urge all eight parties to intensify efforts to find a way out of the current stalemate. All parties should not only respect existing agreements, but redouble their efforts to ensure they are effectively implemented in the spirit of last year's people's movement and the aspiration of Nepal's people for both peace and democracy," said UNMIN spokesperson Kieran Dwyer. He also called on the Maoist leadership to observe its commitment to keep former combatants in cantonments and not mobilise them for political protests.

Courtesy: www.irinnews.org, September 20, 2007

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United Liberation Front of Asom has been showing a growing propensity to work with Islamist militant groups like Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami in the north-east and has begun to outsource operations, including suicide attacks, a leading US think tank has said. In its latest report 'India: ULFA Abandons Peace Talks', Stratfor said the ULFA, the most powerful separatist group in the north-east, has announced that it is giving up on the peace process and readying itself for a full-scale battle. "India received a wake-up call to this threat from the north-east on August 25, when twin bombings occurred in the city of Hyderabad in southern India," Stratfor said. "The two prime suspects in that bombing belonged to Bangladesh-based Islamist militant group HuJI, which is known to have a working relationship with ULFA and other north-eastern insurgent groups, and with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency," the think tank said. "The ULFA has begun to outsource operations, including suicide attacks, in the restive state of Assam to Islamist militant groups," it added. Assam police had announced the arrest of a top ULFA leader on Monday even as army generals said the group is raising a new battalion in Karbi Anglong district near the Bangladesh border to take advantage of reduced security in that area. Stratfor said though ULFA's militant activity is confined to the north-east, the group's financial enterprise and strong links with Islamist militant groups have made it a threat that New Delhi will not be able to ignore much longer.

The think tank accused ULFA of regularly dancing around the idea of peace talks as it is aware New Delhi is "not serious about rewarding its militant campaign with political concessions." "At the same time, ULFA prefers keeping up the militant front to maintain its financial network and its beneficial relationship with Pakistan's intelligence agency that helps keep India's hands tied. Thus, talk of negotiations does not really hold much weight," Stratfor said. With the government facing political pressure on its civil nuclear deal with the US and the entry of corporate retail firms into the country, the ULFA likely sees this as an opportune time to put pressure on New Delhi, it claimed. "India's north-eastern insurgent outfits and militant Islamist groups regularly traverse India's extremely porous border with Bangladesh. This is an area where ideology, religion and ethnicity hold little or no regard, as each militant group works with another to promote its cause," the report said. Meanwhile, defence sources claimed that a rift in the top ranks of the ULFA over the two crucial issues -- illegal migration from Bangladesh and a political solution to the insurgency problem -- is growing, leading to disintegration within its ranks. The arrest of top ULFA leader Prabal Neog is seen as a fallout of this rift. Police claim Neog is a moderate who favoured a politcal solution to the insurgency in Assam. Neog, the commander of ULFA's main strike force, the 28th battalion, had issued ultimatums to illegal migrants to leave Assam. He did this against the wishes of senior ULFA leaders living in Bangladesh, police said. Neog and his comrades in the group believe Bangladeshis should be treated as outsiders, just like the Hindi-speaking community targeted by the ULFA, sources said. However, the ULFA leadership is alleged to have a soft corner for Bangladeshi migrants as the group's top leaders have their bases and businesses in the neighbouring country.

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Naxalites have killed over 120 people`s representatives and more than 400 government officials during the last three years. As many as 129 people`s representatives and 411 government officials have been killed in Naxal violence between 2004 and 2006, minister of state for home Sriprakash Jaiswal told Rajya Sabha in a written reply today. While 45 politicians were killed by Naxals in 2004, 64 people`s representatives died in Naxal violence in 2005, the number falling to 20 in 2006. As many as 100 government officials were killed in attacks by Naxalite groups in 2004, the number going up to 153 in 2005 and further to 158 in 2006, according to the statistics provided to the house. Naxalite groups targeted 114 people`s representatives in 2004, the number going down to 111 in 2005 and further dipping to 31 in 2006. A total of 245 government officials were attacked by Naxals in 2004, 201 in 2005 and 216 in 2006.

Courtesy: www.zeenews.com, September 05, 2007

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The police are sworn in to protect the innocent and uphold the law with their lives. But that is not the case in a central Bihar village. The villagers have assembled at a deserted police station to start a daily routine. They began their own patrols ever since the police vacated the station some two months ago. "After the Naxal attacks, there were attacks in Raajpur and Baghaula too. After that we protect ourselves and our police OP Dharampura," says a villager, Markande Pande. Many parts of Naxal-hit Central Bihar have similar story to tell nowadays. And the villagers have taken up the stance after the government pulled out policemen from secluded police stations & pickets to consolidate their strength. "The miscreants should be tracked down strategically and that needs a lot of strength. We have not just let them go that way and left the villagers unprotected. To relocate the miscreants we need a lot of strength," says IG, Headquarters, Bihar Police, Anil Sinha. However, villagers left to fend for themselves are now taking up arms. "We still hear of blasts an firings in the villages nearby till now so that is why we have to take up arms and protect ourselves," says a villager, Bhupandra Singh. "The Naxals really trouble us. We have ordered for arms by selling whatever we had including our jewellery. The authorities are doing nothing to protect our families from the Naxals," adds another villager, Anita Singh. The police and the Naxals are not just battling through guns but the warfare between them is psychological too. And it is the innocent villagers whoa are suffering the most in the process. For them, taking on to guns and coming to police's help is the only way out for them to save their own lives.

Courtesy: www.naxalwatch.blogspot.com, September 04, 2007

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In the backdrop of reports that a Hyderabad blasts suspect has been held in Dhaka, India today asked Bangladesh to cooperate in tackling terrorism emanating from there. Sidestepping questions about the reported arrest of Mohd Sharifuddin in Dhaka, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Bangladesh has been told about terrorists operating in its territory, including at a recent meeting of Home Secretaries. "During the Home Secretary level meeting we suggested to them and we have given some particulars as we normally give to them about those who are indulging in all sorts of activities like insurgency and other terrorist activity," he told reporters here. "We seek their cooperation," Mukherjee said. He was responding when asked whether India has taken up with Bangladesh the issue of reported arrest of Sharifuddin, who is suspected to have a key role in the August 25 Hyderabad blasts. According to intelligence inputs from across the border, Bangladesh Police has picked up Sharifuddin alias Abu Hamza, a suspected operative of Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jehad-e- Islami (HUJI) operative. Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta had said yesterday that information was being gathered on the reported arrest. Sharrifuddin is believed to have undertaken the task as per the orders of HuJI commander Abdul Shahid Mohammed alias "Bilal", the main accused in the twin blasts in Hyderabad which left at least 40 people dead on August 25.

Courtesy: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200709041864.htm, September 04, 2007

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It was evident soon after the arrest of Sheikh Hasina that Khaleda Zia would be the next target. She realised it too, because Zia, forgetting years of bitter rivalry, came out in open support of Hasina and condemned her arrest in the harshest possible terms. Monday's action by the court was not unexpected. It is well known that the army-backed caretaker regime in Dhaka want the two ladies out of the way. They believe the two are responsible for the mess in Bangladesh. The only solution is to start for a clean slate and have responsible political formations. The army had initially hoped to get both women to live in exile like Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan. But that plan back fired. The caretaker administration's attempts to get the widely-respected Nobel laureate Mohammed Yunus to start a political party also fizzled off. The current plan is to get young middle rung leaders of the Awami League and Bangladesh National Party take over the reins and begin afresh. However, party loyalties are strong and whether the attempt at artificially creating a new leadership succeeds is yet to be tested. Authorities believe keeping both ladies behind bars may help the process. Close neighbour India is caught in a bind. New Delhi is happy with the army-backed administration because the army is delivering where both the political leaders failed. The army is providing crucial help to India in solving the Hyderabad blast case. The army is aware of India's security concerns and is willing to help. In return, India is not making much noise about the internal situation in Bangladesh. "National interests have to come first and a co-operative Bangladesh would be of great help,'' said a senior official. Zia is no friend of India's and foreign office spokesman Navtej Sarna's comments refrained from criticising the arrest but hoped democracy would soon be restored in Bangladesh.

Courtesy: http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1119599, September 04, 2007

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India is asking Bangladesh to confirm reports that Mohammad Sharifuddin alias Hamza, a suspect in the recent twin bomb blasts in Hyderabad, has been arrested. "The Interpol-Delhi is asking its counterpart in Dhaka to confirm reports of arrest of Hamza. This is being taken up on an urgent basis and only after we receive some information, we can take the next appropriate step through proper channels of seeking his deportation," Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Vijay Shanker told The Hindu on Monday. The CBI represents Interpol in India and deals with all matters pertaining to international police cooperation and takes up extradition requests through diplomatic channels. Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta told reporters that the government was yet to ascertain full facts behind the reports of arrest of Hamza. During the recent India-Bangladesh Home Secretary-level talks, the two countries decided to set up a joint mechanism to share "actionable intelligence" in matters involving terror incidents. Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma pointed out on the sidelines of a function that though there was no formal extradition treaty with Bangladesh, the SAARC nations had pledged to root out terrorism from the region. Home Ministry officials said the Ministry would wait for communication from Dhaka on Hamza, which should be routed through the Ministry of External Affairs. The Indian High Commission in Dhaka could also try to get confirmation of his arrest from the Bangladesh authorities. "Till then, it will not be proper and wise to make any further comment on it," a Ministry official said. Hamza's name had figured during the probe of the Mecca Masjid blast in Hyderabad in May, killing 11 people. The investigation of that attack was handed over to the CBI in June but in the absence of any breakthrough, the real perpetrators and mastermind behind the blast have eluded the agency's net. Though the Andhra Pradesh police have put a large number of men on the job of cracking the Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat blasts, it would take a while before it could sift through all possible leads and sleeper terror cells that are suspected to have sprouted in the city over the past few years.

Courtesy: http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/04/stories/2007090450520100.htm, September 04, 2007

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As the Bangladesh-based terrorist outfit, Harkat-ul-Jehad-e-Islami (HuJI) comes under the Indian security establishment's scanner over a string of terror attacks in the country, the external affairs minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, today said New Delhi was "seeking" Dhaka's cooperation in the investigation of the 25 August Hyderabad twin blasts and the reported arrest of a suspect in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh police reportedly picked up an alleged HuJI operative, Mohammed Sharifuddin alias Abu Hamza, from the Indo-Bangla border a couple of days ago. Hamza is suspected of being involved in three Hyderabad terror strikes, including the Mecca Masjid blasts of May 2007 and the STF office attack of October 2005. Hamza is described as a key aide of the alleged mastermind of these attacks, Mohd Shahid alias Bilal, who is said to be the Pakistan-based HuJI commander. "We are seeking their cooperation," Mr Mukherjee told reporters when as-ked whether he expected Bangladesh to hand over Hamza to Indian investigative agencies. "During the home secretary-level talks (last month), we gave them the details of individuals like this who were indulging in insurgency and all sorts of terrorist activities," the minister said. At this bilateral meeting, the two countries had decided to set up a joint mechanism to share "actionable intelligence" in matters involving terror incidents. The Union home ministry has already swung into action to ascertain the veracity of reports related to Hamza's arrest from its agencies. It would collaborate with the external affairs ministry to pursue the matter with their Bangladesh counterparts. The Centre would await the details about Hamza from Bangladesh authorities before tapping appropriate channels to seek his deportation to India. The CBI director, Mr Vijay Shanker, said yesterday that the agency, which represents Interpol in India, was asking its Dhaka counterpart to confirm reports of Hamza's arrest. He said this was being taken up on an "urgent basis" and the agency could launch necessary steps to seek his deportation through proper diplomatic channels only after getting required information from Dhaka. Apart from Pakistan-based terror groups like Lashkar-e-Tayeba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, HuJI has been charged with perpetrating a host of terror strikes in various places in India. HuJI has especially come on to Indian intelligence and security agencies' radar with regard to terror incidents in Hyderabad ~ from where it is charged with having recruited operatives for training in Pakistan to be subsequent released to mount terror strikes in India ~ and other places

Courtesy: http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=2&theme=&usrsess=1&id=168727, September 04, 2007

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After having lost thousands to terrorism, one would expect India to be engaged in a life-and-death struggle against those behind the bloodletting. One would assume that a billion-plus country, with a widely acknowledged potential to be a powerhouse, would strain every sinew and summon every ounce of its strength to beat back forces who are using terror to pursue their destabilisation agenda. After all, others faced with a challenge a fraction that of India's have not given an inch to the enemy. Unfortunately, forces which are supposed to fight the battle have been hamstrung by a political class which ranks survival ahead of national security imperatives. It has frequently interfered with anti-terror measures and, what is more serious, probes into serious attacks, helping, if unwittingly at times, the country's enemy. Far from being empowered to face the challenge, police and intelligence personnel have often operated with a hand tied behind their backs. The toll that it takes on the morale of those entrusted with the job of taking on highly-motivated terrorists is incalculable, rendering the fight all the more difficult. It emboldens the terrorist by reinforcing the reputation of India as a 'soft state' with an incapable political class. The extent to which security has been compromised is touched upon by former Joint Director of IB, Maloy Krishna Dhar in his new book "Fulcrum of Evil: ISI-CIA-Al Qaida Nexus." He has suggested that a chief minister of a North Indian state had links with ISI and that the leader had been IB's scanner "for maintaining questionable clandestine links".

Courtesy: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Politics_comes_in_the_way_of_terror_probes/articleshow/2332092.cms, September 03, 2007

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The reports of the police and intelligence agencies about the game plan of the Bangladesh based jehadi elements under the banner of the United Jehad Council to create disturbance in Assam and other parts of the North Eastern Region should be taken seriously by the Government of India and security measures along the Indo-Bangla border areas should be intensified to prevent elements of such anti-India forces from sneaking into the country. Recently police and intelligence agencies came across disturbing inputs about the plan of the jehadi elements to create disturbance in the North East and according to information, at least seven members of jehadi groups managed to take advantage of the porous international border to sneak into Assam. This is indeed a disturbing piece of information and all the forces involved in counter-insurgency operations should be put on high alert to thwart any such move by the anti-national forces. Last year also, jehadi elements reportedly tried to trigger explosions on trains in Assam but the move was foiled by the security agencies and there is no guarantee that the security agencies would be able to prevent such heinous acts of violence in the future also. It seems that the Government of India has not learnt from the incidents of the past and till date, the issue of threat posed by the jehadi groups has not received due seriousness from the Centre. In the late 1990s, four operatives of the Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) were nabbed from Guwahati city and based on their interrogation report, at least 40 activists of the Harkat Ul Mujaheedin (HUM) were arrested from different parts of Assam. The arrested ISI operatives and the HUM militants admitted that they managed to sneak into Assam by taking advantage of the porous border, but unfortunately, that did not act as an eye opener for the Government of India and no serious attempt was made to completely seal the international border. It is a fact that presence of a sizeable number of migrant population in certain districts of the State presents the jehadi groups with a population favourable to them and so far, the Government of India has not taken up the issue of infiltration of foreigners into India seriously. The process of detection and deportation of foreigners also turned into a farce as only a handful of the foreigners detected could be deported and the Government must show due seriousness on the issue before the situation goes completely out of control.

Courtesy: http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=sep0307\edit, September 03, 2007

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AThe mastermind Abu Hamja, who was behind the recent terror attack Hurkut -ul-jehad-al-Islami on Hyderabad which killed many innocent has been detained in Bangladesh. He is also alleged to have masterminded the Mecca Mosque blast. Abu Hamza is a Hyderabadi, who left India in 2004. He is a close aide of Bilal, who is supposed to be the commander of Hurkut-ul-jehad-al-Islami(HuJI). According to the sources ,the Bangladesh Police have arrested Sharifuddin nicknamed Kanchan, who is believed to operate in the code name of Hamza .Sources said that Sharifuddin supported Hurkut -ul-jehad-al-Islami(HuJI) and other militant group mainly for monetary gain. Sharifuddin is believed to have made the Bomb used in the Blast. Mecca Mosque blast killed ten people and injured many in the month of May this year. Bringing the culprit in India will be a difficult task as there is no extradition treaty with Bangladesh which is passing through a major political crisis. Sources revealed that the crackdown of various terrorist organisations in Bangladesh soil is under the pressure mounted by US Government .This organisations are believed to have a link with Al Quaeda. While Bangladesh officials are telling of no knowledge of such arrest. Securities in many cities have been tightened. India with its existing laws and mechanism is not able to fight the terrorism. Cross border terrorism is growing at a rapid rate, and it needs a mechanism to curb breeding of terrorism with the help of neighboring nation. Bangladesh has evolved as a hub for terrorism with various terrorist organisations proliferating on its ground. The blast in the cities is tagged with the involvement of foreign hand to hide inability of various agencies to combat the terrorism.

Courtesy: http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/805, September 03, 2007

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The Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami - the mysterious HuJI, apparently inspired by Osama bin Laden, has now turned its foot soldiers on India. Here's a look at what the HUJI is all about. Osama bin Laden set up the Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami or HuJI in his war against the Soviets in Afghanistan drawing Muslim fighters from all over the world. This is where the HuJI-B or HuJI Bangladesh was born and bloodied. Today, HuJI-B is headed by the Shawkat Osman and his number two Imtiaz Quddus. Shauqat Osman is known to have links with bin Laden and Ayman Zawahiri. With a cadre strength of around 15,000 HuJI's goal is to establish an Islamic state in Bangladesh. Their camps in Bangladesh are in the Chittagong hills, bordering Myanmar. Sources say HuJI also has active links with insurgent groups in the North East, especially the ULFA. Political analyst Wasbir Hussain said, "It is important to remember that North East Indian militant groups are being provided with logistic support by HuJI(B) and other element inside Bangladesh. So if the HuJI(B) demands some kind of a logistic support in return, groups within North East will be obliged to give them some kind of assistance within north east as a quid pro-quo and that itself is a dangerous situation. The Hyderabad blasts at the hometown of HuJI's India chief Shahid Bilal clearly suggest that HuJI's network has now spread to the South as well. Bangladesh's DG Forces Intelligence or DGFI, is believed to have links with HuJI, but in public, the military dominated Dhaka regime keeps its distance from HuJI, allowing it to deny Indian charges of supporting terror.

Courtesy: http://www.ibnlive.com/news/a-peek-into-the-terror-den-that-huji-is/47896-3.html, September 02, 2007

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