Dsa july 2014 by Defence and Security Alert

GLOBAL JIHAD ACTIVE ROLE OF WOMEN IN TERRORISM

FINANCIAL TERRORISM A SLOW POISON

editor-in-chief

DSA is as much yours, as it is ours!

slamic state in Iraq and Levant has spread its influence and control over parts of Iraq at a pace and with a ferocity that few expected. Its expansion from a remote provincial threat to one that could pose a challenge to Iraq as we know it is a serious issue that has ramifications well beyond regional boundaries. It is a challenge to global order as most of society would like it to be, anywhere in the world. An established government, however inefficient or corrupt it maybe, cannot be allowed to be changed by the use of force. Which is what ISIL seeks to do in Iraq, having failed in its endeavours in Syria.

This is jihad with a global agenda. They galvanised fighters for Syria, seeking to overthrow the Assad regime. The call to arms in Syria was based on a sectarian claim, cloaked in regime change language. As weeks, months and years have gone by without success the focus shifted to Iraq, where the government was perceived to be just as vulnerable. To understand what is happening in Iraq it is important to analyse what happened in Syria and why it happened. Soon after public protests began in Egypt, to remove the dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak, scattered incidents appeared in Syria as well. They were uncoordinated at first, but over time they came to be regulated by forces unseen or unheard of. There was a clear global agenda at work and this was a mobilisation of the transnational kind. Foreign fighters came in droves to Syria to fight what they perceived to be a faithless regime. Since Iran was a backer of the Syrian regime, Arab sheikhs became over active in funding and promoting their proxies in Syria. And these proxies had a clear and announced sectarian agenda. Western countries looked the other way while the Arab kingdoms promoted a distinctly divisive plot in Syria. But to their dismay the country didn’t buckle as they had expected, chiefly because even the majority realised that the option on display was far worse than the problem. So when Syria more or less handled the threat, attention turned to neighbouring Iraq. The Iraqi government is also perceived to be faithless since it is a Shi’a majority country and that is reflected in its cabinet. The agenda of ISIL is, therefore, rid the region of such governments that it believes are faithless or inspired by the wrong beliefs. It is a clear cut agenda and one that fits in with a larger global goal driven by the same millennial vision. The same is visible in Pakistan with a creeping forward of the jihadis and their latest audacious attacks, whether in Karachi or Peshawar. What is happening in the badlands of Waziristan is of course at a completely different level. The same forces are at play across the border in Afghanistan and as the recent attack on Indian interests in Herat shows they have allies in terror. Which is what makes the current phase of global jihad all that more dangerous and difficult to contain. Containing the problem is a necessity of such importance that it cannot be overstated. Groups there may be many and scattered, but the unifocal agenda is ultimately the same – the establishment of an Islamic emirate. Whether it is the Jamaat-ud-Dawa in Pakistan, the various strands of Taliban in Afghanistan, or the ISIL splintering Arab societies, they are united in their medievalism. And what propels them further is the relatively easy availability of funds. The ISIL is reported to have seized over a billion dollars and the groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan regularly rake in millions through extortion, illicit trading or simple donations. All of this funding enables the groups to recruit and pay fighters, buy information and most significantly purchase weaponry. Unless this funding trail is checked this menace cannot be overcome. Just as fish needs water to survive, terrorism and jihad need funds to function. While this fund raising cannot be stopped completely since people will still find ways to transfer illicit wealth, more needs to be done to make recalcitrant regimes accountable for the monies raised in their countries. It is a myth that funds are used only for the area they are raised for. Since the agenda is common and global, monies for jihad have a way of reaching anywhere, just as the menace does.

Manvendra Singh July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

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Volume 5 Issue 10 July 2014 Chairman Shyam Sunder Publisher and CEO Pawan Agrawal Editor-in-chief Manvendra Singh Director Shishir Bhushan Corporate consultant KJ Singh Corporate communications Mamta Jain Sales Amit Kumar Representative (USA) Steve Melito Representative (J and K) Salil Sharma Correspondent (Europe) Dominika Cosic Production Dilshad and Dabeer

Seeking The Return Of Islamic Caliphate?

his edition of Defence and Security Alert zooms in for a microscopic scrutiny of the phenomenon of global jihad and the shockingly critical role that ‘women’ and ‘money’ play in its multifaceted manifestations. We are aware that jihad has been in existence since time immemorial in small enclaves and regional expanses. But never before has it had such a wide ambiance as it does today – from the Philippines in the Paciﬁc Ocean, South East Asia, Indonesia through Han China and multi-ethnic India, Pakistan and Afghanistan where its modern day avatar gained ascendancy, Europe, West Asia and increasingly in Africa where Boko Haram has registered its murderous imprint. Its adherents dream of a return of the Muslim Caliphate far exceeding the power and authority of the Ottoman Empire.

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Defence experts from all over the world have meticulously analysed the connotation of global jihad to understand its genesis and why and how it has spread its tentacles to become a global scourge. Women, long treated as the ‘lesser kind’ in Islamic jurisprudence, have played an integral role in delivering, through suicide missions, the message of jihad. Many, like the ‘Black Widows’ of the Caucasus and the ‘White Widows’ of Africa have embraced the philosophy of jihad wholeheartedly either for monetary benefits or an unforgiving vengeance. Ironically, no terrorist activities can be conducted without the involvement of a large cache of finances. Thought-provoking disquisitions in this edition from renowned experts also dissect the menace of ‘financial terrorism’ and try to interpret and delineate how this slow poison is being injected and transmitted into the social order by terrorist groups.

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Global Jihad

For many years, the role of money in stoking terrorism was ignored largely because of the geopolitics of removing Communist Soviet troops from Afghanistan in the 70s. But since then the role of petrodollars in financing the Wahhabist interpretation of jihad has been ignored and only recently has attention been given to the massive money transfers through the ‘hawala’ transactions. If we try to assess the gamut of terrorism operations in the world today then we will realise just how badly this has been neglected by almost all the governments in all the countries. Common sense fortifies that ‘financial terrorism’ can be mercilessly handicapped by a hawk eyed monitoring and control of financial exchanges through banks and illegal procedures which will surely result in a strong counter for all terrorist activities across the world. With a barricading of easy and quick financial resources to meet the demands and requirements of cadres, no terrorist outfit will be in a position to operate or expand and diversify their activities. A nexus between some of the anti-national business class, drug mafia and arms dealers are actually the prime accused responsible for the fluidity of funds, ammunition and weapons to these terrorist groups.

SOCIAL MEDIA

AND CYBER SECURITY

It is indisputable, that for an objective of an immediate control of all terrorist activities, it is incumbent upon the United Nations Security Council to urgently introduce a road map with strict and mandatory guidelines for stringent monitoring of all financial and banking transactions around the world. I am sure that some such guidelines are already in place but I am equally sure that they are insufficiently implemented. Let all leading economies of the world unite on this ‘one point agenda’ and develop a counter-measure at the earliest. I am confident that under the leadership of the most popular Prime Minister that India is fortunate to have today and his carefully selected team for defence and security, the new government has its priorities well articulated to fight this growing phenomenon of global jihad. India’s initiative will most certainly be exemplary for the rest of the world. Jai Hind!

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

Pawan Agrawal

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Contents

GLOBAL JIHAD ACTIVE ROLE OF WOMEN IN TERRORISM

FINANCIAL TERRORISM: A SLOW POISON

An ISO 9001:2008 Certified Magazine

Vo l u m e 5 I s s u e 1 0 J u l y 2 0 1 4

A R T I C L E S Search For Lost Glory Lt Gen Karan Yadava PVSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd)

The Quiet Comeback Of Al Qaeda Dr Prem Mahadevan

The Woman Terrorist Air Marshal Anil Chopra PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM (Retd)

A Reality Check Maj Gen Dhruv C Katoch SM, VSM (Retd)

Twisted Ethos? Maj Gen Afsir Karim AVSM (Retd)

Financial Terrorism BV Kumar IRS (Retd)

Terror Transcending Territories Lt Gen Kamal Davar PVSM, AVSM (Retd)

New Challenge To World Peace And Stability Lt Gen (Dr) DB Shekatkar PVSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd)

Active Role Of Women In Terrorism Lt Gen V K Jetley PVSM, UYSM (Retd)

Talking To The Taliban Colonel US Rathore (Retd)

Women In Terrorism Subcontinental Milieu Sultana Yesmin

Financial Terrorism And Counter-operations Arjun Singh

Role Of Wahhabi Saudi Financing Sunil Kumar Giri

Pak Nukes In Jihadi Hands Cecil Victor

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F E A T U R E S Sneak Peek

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Aapo Pรถlhรถ Ambassador of Finland to India

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Mr Rajan Gupta Director General, BPR&D

Defence and Security Industry Monitor Security Round-up Get Connected

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international relations

INTERVIEW

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH HIS EXCELLENCY AAPO PÖLHÖ

Ambassador of Finland to India

ndia and Finland follow dynamic democratic and free market traditions and have always enjoyed excellent bilateral relations. Finnish Ambassador to India, His Excellency Aapo Pölhö is a senior and distinguished diplomat using his extensive experience, exceptional diplomatic skills and innovative ideas to further expand and strengthen Indo-Finnish bilateral relations. Here in an exclusive interview, His Excellency Aapo Pölhö shares his views and vision with DSA readers around the world.

Defence and Security Alert: India and Finland have enjoyed warm and cordial bilateral relations since 1949 when Finland sent its first Ambassador to India. Please share with DSA readers the highlights and interesting milestones during this mutually rewarding journey. Aapo Pölhö: Indeed, relations between India and Finland have always been excellent. Early on high level visits were not very frequent but during past several years there have been 5-6 ministerial visits annually to both directions. The President of Finland, Ms Tarja Halonen, has been a regular participant in the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit organised by TERI of the Nobel laureate Dr Pachauri. She came also this year as the former President of Finland. Finland’s Prime Minister visited India in 2010 and Indian Prime Minister visited Finland in 2006. One of the highlights of Finnish presence in India was when we opened a new Embassy compound in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi in 1985-86. The architects of the compound are Raili and Reima Pietila whose famous works one can see around the world. In the 1990’s they also designed the official Residence of the President of Finland. Both buildings share several similar features. As a nice curiosity I can also mention that one of the first pioneers of yoga in Finland was the wife of a Finnish Ambassador in New Delhi. She wrote several books in Finnish about yoga and promoted yoga by giving her own lessons and events. DSA: India is a large country and one of the fastest growing economies aspiring for global role. What kind of synergies have developed between India

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

and Finland and which are the significant areas of bilateral cooperation? Aapo Pölhö: Frankly speaking India and Finland are in many ways a lopsided partnership: India’s population is 125 crore while ours is 0.5 crore. However, there are several fields of activity where we can cooperate and share experiences on an equal basis like innovation promotion, information technology and clean technologies just to mention three. In today’s environment the bilateral cooperation is much less government led cooperation than it used to be. Government-to-government agreements or MoUs don’t really create or guide the cooperation. The real activity is based on mutual benefits to businesses, be they public sector or private sector entities, to universities and other institutes of research and higher education as well as to specialised agencies. Today there are 120 Finnish companies established in India, mainly in the New Delhi-Gurgaon-Noida area, Mumbai-Pune area and Chennai. DSA: The level of bilateral trade between India and Finland is modest in relation to its potential. What measures is your government taking to accelerate economic cooperation between India and Finland? Aapo Pölhö: Our bilateral trade according to Finnish statistics has for the past years been 1 billion Euros plus-minus 200 million. Today and especially between European Union members and third parties, the bilateral trade numbers are much less informative than what they used to be. Goods from Finland may come and are coming to India via other EU countries and are marked as exports from those countries. Finnish technology products are today manufactured in many other countries and can be imported to India from plants outside Finland. The same applies to investments. Finnish companies can invest in India from Finland or via their subsidiaries in other countries. Indian companies do the same when they invest in Finland or other European countries. The total Finnish FDI assets in India amount to more than 1 million Euros. There are several government agencies in Finland that can support both trade and investment activities of Finnish companies in India. This support can be in the form of advice, consulting services, export credits

His Excellency Aapo Pölhö, Ambassador of Finland to India

international relations

INTERVIEW

and guarantees and even venture capital. There is also an entity called Invest in Finland that can help Indian companies to ﬁnd suitable investment targets in Finland. Last but not least, I always emphasise that Finland should not only be seen as a market of 5 million afﬂuent people but as a gateway to much larger markets and regions of interest: Nordic countries are 25 million people, Baltic Sea Rim Area is 80 million, EU is 500 million, Russia is 140 million. Finland can be used as a gateway to all those markets. With Russia Finland shares the same railway gauge and Finnish ports are already widely used for transporting goods to St Petersburg and Moscow markets. The still largely undeveloped Arctic region offers numerous possibilities for Finnish and Indian researchers, innovators and businesses in developing sustainable technologies for that region. DSA: Finland follows the principle of “military non-alignment” and has not joined NATO. What kind of defence and security infrastructure and policies do you have in Finland? Aapo Pölhö: Finland has not joined NATO but cooperates closely with it as a partner country. We maintain a Mission to NATO situated in the NATO HQ in Brussels. I have personally been the Head of the Finnish Mission to NATO from 2007 to 2011. We are also actively taking part in the development of European Union’s military capabilities. Both of these activities are today geared for crisis management capabilities rather than territorial defence capabilities. In that respect a lot has happened also in NATO since the end of the cold war. Finland maintains independent defence capability that aims to cover the whole territory of the country. The rising cost of modern military technology means that we seek ways and means in cooperation with other countries, especially the Nordics, to lower those costs. The Finnish defence system is based on training highly capable reserves by conscription service which most

European countries have abandoned after the cold war. But, make no mistake, the conscripts do not form a ﬁghting force, they are there for training purposes only. It is only after the conscript service that the reservists are alloted to their ﬁghting units and then later on given rehearsal training in that format. By this way we have a pool of about one million trained reservists and, if need arises, 230,000 of them will be used as wartime troops, equipped with modern technology. Not bad in European scale.

sectors. Some of these offer already today also ample possibilities for Indian partners and actors but in case Indian investors and companies ﬁnd Finland as a gateway to much larger markets than Finland itself then those opportunities grow exponentially. On the political side we continue with excellent relations and continue to cooperate in the UN system, in peacekeeping missions and continue a fruitful exchange of views and analyses of developments in our respective regions and neighbourhoods.

Traditionally Finland has been one of the most active participants in peacekeeping and crisis management missions since Suez 1956. Earlier only in UN operations but lately more so in NATO led operations like the ones in the Balkans and Afghanistan. Applying for service in these missions is very popular among Finnish reservists and armed forces regular staff (even regular staff cannot be ordered to go, they have to apply voluntarily). Here in New Delhi I have two members of my staff who have participated in at least one mission.

DSA: The world is slowly but surely transiting from a unipolar to a multipolar world order. Do you think this will completely transform the global security environment?

DSA: As per SIPRI reports, India has emerged as one of the largest importers of defence products and technologies and offers a burgeoning market. What kind of bilateral defence cooperation do we have between India and Finland? Aapo Pölhö: So far practically non-existent. There have been some approaches but so far without results. Finnish defence industries produce some high-technology niche products that have been successful in European and world markets. Their volumes tend to be limited. DSA: How do you visualise Indo-Finnish bilateral relations developing in the coming years and decades in the light of the emerging geopolitical and geostrategic imperatives? Aapo Pölhö: On the economic side I can envision huge potential for Finnish actors in Indian markets as investors, manufacturers, traders of goods and services and in the research and development as well as in the innovations

Aapo Pölhö: Frankly, I did not notice there ever was a unipolar phase and hopefully the world is not becoming a multipolar one. The cold war era was described as a bipolar world because it was seen as two antagonistic blocs. Polarities mean that they repel each other just like the polarities of a magnet. Since the cold war I have witnessed globalisation which means that economic and political interests and their results have been merging creating prosperity and development in an unprecedented scale. I certainly do not want to see those interests and the results starting to distance themselves again and countries teaming up around some poles in antagonistic camps. The best way to prevent that from happening is to build further economic and political ties bringing prosperity and development to even wider segments of populations in the world. Prosperous countries do not want to lose that prosperity what going to war against each other would necessarily mean. Only desperate or self-isolated countries and leaders think that war can solve their problems. DSA: The world has been coping with an assertive China and now you have an assertive and covetous Russia in your neighbourhood. How does Finland see the developing scenario in Ukraine and adjoining countries? Aapo Pölhö: I see it with concern and disappointment. The annexation of Crimea by Russia was clearly against the international law and the rules agreed jointly in the European cooperation and security process. Since the end of the cold war both the European Union and NATO have endlessly tried to offer Russia possibilities to engage itself constructively with Europe, US and Canada. Take the forming of G8, strategic partnership with the EU, EU-Russia Summits, Nato-Russia Council in NATO as examples of these efforts. Actually Russia’s cooperation with NATO has had all the possibilities to be closer than that of Finland and Sweden. They also have dedicated ambassadors both to the EU and to NATO and very large Missions in Brussels for that cooperation. Now it seems that Russia has turned its back to these offers of close engagement and is heading to isolate itself again if it continues on the same path. There are visible economic repercussions already: investors are pulling their money out, investment plans are frozen etc. DSA: How do you view global jihad and terrorism spreading their tentacles around the world and disturbing peace and security? What can United Nations and global community do to get rid of these scourges?

His Excellency Aapo Pölhö in conversation with Mr Pawan Agrawal, publisher and CEO of DSA magazine

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

Aapo Pölhö: I regard terrorism and jihadism as

repulsive phenomena. They stem from totalitarian intolerance: either you follow my interpretation of religion / politics or you die. Most terrorist and jihadist leaders do not fight to get out of poverty, like many people believe. If they were then most terrorists should come from the poorest of the poor countries. However, bin Laden was a multimillionaire, Zawahiri is a pediatrician, many fighters are students or young men with university degrees. Is it for spreading hatred and indiscrimate violence that they received education? The threat is global and ultimately the solutions have to be global, too. But, vigilancy has to start from the grass-roots level, from different communities, be they villages, suburbs, schools, universities. When it comes to jihadism I would welcome strong condemnations from moderate imams, clerics and prominent political leaders to declare that jihadism is not the true face of their religion. Both the EU and UN have specific committees dealing with terrorism. DSA: Finland’s new India Action Plan is an excellent initiative. How successful has it been in identifying new areas of bilateral cooperation and expanding cooperation in the existing arenas? What is your message for the people of India and DSA readers around the world? Aapo Pölhö: In India we have two programmes that we aim to follow in our work. The more work method oriented one is called Team Finland. Team Finland thinking was initiated about a year and a half ago. It aims to combine forces of all the Finnish actors that aim to promote economic relations between Finland and other countries, in our case with India: the Embassy of Finland, Finpro (export promotion agency), Tekes (technology and innovation financing agency), Finnfund (venture capital investing agency), private sector firms. All corresponding Head Offices in Finland are involved in the team work. We, who are in India, meet regularly under my chairmanship and compare notes and make plans how we can help and support the companies. The other one is the India Action Plan. It has now been in use for about a year and we have just started the evaluation of the first year’s results. It has been a useful tool for me during my first year as Ambassador in New Delhi. The Plan itself naturally does not translate into concrete action by itself but it gives us certain avenues that we should probe and try to promote; some have been more successful than others. My message to your readers is that we have to work for the preservation of the positive results of the increased global interaction and interdependency and its benefits to all. In your questions you are hinting to negative effects to global security environment. Those negative effects we have to be able to prevent from happening. We have to work for win-win solutions. Also the strong nations have their responsibilities towards the small nations’ success. Their success rather than their suppression is beneficial also to the stronger nations.

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

global jihad

TOWARDS NEW CALIPHATE?

SEARCH FOR LOST GLORY

LT GEN KARAN YADAVA PVSM, AVSM, VSM (RETD)

The writer was commissioned in the Indian Army in November 1971 and joined the 4/3 Gorkha Riﬂes. He retired from the army as Director General Assam Riﬂes in September 2010. He is presently Vice Chancellor of YMCA University of Science and Technology at Faridabad, Haryana.

Islam is a resilient faith. Frequently in its history it has responded positively to overcome decline in the political and religious order and used these occasions constructively to gain fresh religious insights and spread the word of Islam to even greater areas. The Quran had promised that its followers could not fail and this gave them the strength to reassert themselves, even if it meant accepting an interpretation that taking up armed struggle could be justified. This gave rise to fundamentalism and fundamentalists nearly always feel assaulted by the liberal or modern establishments and their views and behaviour become more extreme as a result.

uring the 17th day of the holy month of Ramadan in 610 AD an Arab businessman had an experience that changed the history of the world. Muhammad Abdallah, who used to retire to a cave on the summit of Mount Hira, just outside Mecca, to pray, fast and look after the poor, found himself overpowered by a devastating presence which enlightened him into a new way of life.

This political and religious ﬂux resulted in a large series of crusades which saw the inﬂuence of Islam grow and spread under the Umayyads and various empires such as the Abbasid, Seljuk, Safavid, Mughal and Ottoman.

For two years, Muhammad kept to himself and it was only in 612 AD that Muhammad felt empowered to preach what he had learned and gradually gained converts. He brought the old faith into the Arab world and preached to share wealth for the betterment of the poor and for a better society. He preached that the fundamental laws of existence must not be violated. These were the core teachings of the new scripture called the Quran (recitation). The Quran was revealed to Muhammad verse by verse over the next twenty one years, often in response to a crisis or a question that had arisen in the community of the faithful. 1

Birth Of Islam

This new sect was called Islam (surrender), a Muslim was a man or woman who had made this submission of their entire being to Allah and his demand that human beings behave towards one another with justice, equity and compassion. After Muhammad and over centuries, Islam saw many changes and conﬂicts both political and religious as to how the basic teachings were to be interpreted and followed.

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

This however, faced difﬁculties with the rise of the western world from the nineteenth century onwards. The western world based its programme relying on technology in addition to agriculture which gave them greater control over the environment. The Islamic world was overtaken by the modernisation process and soon became dependent on the West. Muslims were exposed to contempt of the colonialists who colonised one Islamic country after another – starting with the British takeover of the Mughal Empire in India – and spreading to the Middle East and Africa. The will to regain the lost glory and protect their faith forced them to change to more rational and modern ways. The Quran had promised that its followers could not fail and this gave them the strength to reassert themselves, even if it meant accepting an interpretation that

Jihad reflects both the inner non-violent spiritual struggle to improve self, build a good society and convince others to convert to the faith and the physical struggle against the non-believers or enemies of Islam taking up armed struggle could be justiﬁed. This gave rise to fundamentalism and fundamentalists nearly always feel assaulted by the liberal or modern establishments and their views and behaviour become more extreme as a result. 2

Jihad

Jihad or holy war is the obligation of each Muslim, within his abilities, to spread Islam in the world and it supposes to last upto the day that the last non-Muslim human being recognises Islam as the true faith. Jihad is the religious duty of every Muslim. It refers to the struggle against those who do not believe in Allah. A person engaged in jihad is called Mujahid. Jihad reﬂects both the inner non-violent spiritual struggle to improve self, build a good society and convince others to convert to the faith

and the physical struggle against the non-believers or enemies of Islam. Initially supposed to be a peaceful means of spread of Islam but over a period of time Jihad by violence became an acceptable norm. 3 The beginnings of jihad are traced back to the words and actions of Muhammad and the Quran. It encourages the use of jihad against non-Muslims. The Quran, however, never uses the term jihad for fighting or combat in the name of Allah. As time passed new meanings were added to permit armed struggle to be a permissible part of jihad. Jihad has accrued both violent and non-violent meanings. It can mean striving to live a moral and virtuous life, spreading and defending Islam, a commitment to hard work, promoting peace and harmony and living by the principles of Islam. This is termed as the ‘greater Jihad’. It can also mean fighting injustice and oppression by armed struggle where it is considered that the best Jihad is when you are killed for the cause, an interpretation of the Quran that glorifies suicidal violence. This is termed as the ‘lesser Jihad’. Jihad is the only form of warfare permissible under Islamic law and its primary aim as warfare is not the conversion of non-Muslims to Islam by force but rather expansion and defence of the Islamic state. 4

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

global jihad

TOWARDS NEW CALIPHATE?

The beginnings of jihad are traced back to the words and actions of Muhammad and the Quran. It encourages the use of jihad against non-Muslims. The Quran, however, never uses the term jihad for fighting or combat in the name of Allah. As time passed new meanings were added to permit armed struggle to be a permissible part of jihad. Jihad has accrued both violent and non-violent meanings In Sunni Islamic tradition, Shariah law has four sources. The primary source is the Quran, the word of God revealed by the Prophet to the Muslim community – the Umma. The secondary source is the ahadith, a collection of the accounts of the life of the Prophet and his companions. Shariah as known today was constructed over a long period of time and Sunni Islam’s last two sources of Shariah law – analogy and consensus – were processes through which different Muslim authorities created new rulings to account for situations not covered in the primary and secondary sources. Naturally, those last two sources of law, as well as differing interpretations of the ﬁrst two sources, have brought variation to the body of Shariah as it is practiced by Muslim societies. 5 According to Hassan al-Banna, the founder of Muslim Brotherhood, “it is the nature of Islam to dominate, not to be dominated, to impose its law on all nations and to extend its powers to the entire planet’. He also advocated jihad as the way and dying for God as the supreme objective.

themselves with Britain establishing Israel through the Balfour Declaration. After World War II, the USA and USSR inherited the interests of the European powers. Fearing that the Muslim people might unite and become strong again, they encouraged the formation of nationalist movements. This illusion of independence, it was hoped would raise a conﬂict between the political and religious sentiments of Islam and would keep them divided and weak. It was feared that control over the economic system, control and exploitation of the natural resources and installing sympathetic rulers would permit the West to keep the Muslim world divided and under control. The promoting of democracy in the Muslim world was also seen as an assault on Islam. Global jihadis oppose secularism in any form due to the fear that it abolishes the authority of Shariah over society. They also believe that Western liberal principles and freedom contribute to the corruption of Islam. What is known as global jihad today is the result of about 40 years of struggle against the forces that they believe have corrupted their society. The jihadi view is that secular modern states, encouraged by the West, promote servitude to the human authorities while the only way forward is to follow the word of Allah. It was perceived that jihadi movements had not progressed as desired in the Muslim states due to Western pressure and interference. This view was strengthened by the events in Afghanistan and the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, encouraged by the rise of Taliban in Afghanistan and the desire to strictly follow the religious obligations of jihad, armed action became imperative.

They see this as an exercise of their right to self-defence and a move towards their political goal of forming a new state on the principles of the original caliphate. 6 Global jihad has both active and passive means to strike at the known enemies to progressively degrade their capabilities. They maintain that any attempt by the non-Islamic nations to inﬂuence or act against their interests must be countered both at home and abroad. These actions could be co-ordinated small or large attacks or even individuals who, around the globe, are encouraged to act against Western interests so that it appears to be a mass movement. Overt actions also promote the passive means of jihad as they encourage Western out-reach and thereby acting as a strain on their military and economic means. Involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kashmir in India need to be studied in this context.

Indian Paradigm

In India, the Muslim conquests were followed by conversion to Islam along with the destruction of temples and scriptures. Even after staunch resistance the number of Hindus massacred was great but the number of conversions was also very large. Those who did not convert were burdened with a heavy toleration tax. This jihad continued till 1857 when after crushing the rebellion, the British took complete control and established an effective administrative system. However, with the onset of global jihad, the issue of Kashmir has again shot into prominence. Consider the number of Kashmiri pundits who have been forced

Global Jihad

The various splinter groups within Islam have embarked on their own paths with their own interpretations on the methods to instill a stricter observance of the principles of Islam. Jihadis want to rectify what they perceive as corruption of the true interpretation of the word of God by the inﬂuence of the Western world. The collective actions of these groups have come to be termed as global jihad.

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

The spectre of jihadi on-line radicalisation is affecting everyone today. Jihadis have gained by the innovative use of information technology. They have an extensive network which permits them to discuss, organise, exchange ideas, raise finances and activate its cadres. They can function and exert influence without necessarily having a physical state. A great advantage as the adversary finds it difficult to mount a counter offensive. The global jihadis hope that a time will come when, like the Soviet Union, the USA and the Western world would also weaken, break up and be unable to interfere in the Muslim world and then they will be in a position to promote their own emirates as per the word of Allah. These will then form their own unions and encourage the new caliphate. The jihadis see the USA as an invader and occupier of the Muslim states and standing as a guarantor of the new world order and hence must be neutralised and its influence removed from the Muslim world. This cry against the USA has also been good as a rallying point to draw support from the Muslim community. The ‘global jihad’ has a great influence, already, on global economy, political stability and the very existence of a democratic way of life. Will this jihad overshadow the world in the coming years or will the world find a way and overcome and subdue this phenomenon through social, economic and possibly military means. It is the duty of every individual to keep abreast of this phenomenon and to ensure that a just moral social order is established at all times.

Kashmiri pundits

References

The Crusades

to leave Kashmir. The activities in Kashmir and in the north-eastern states of India are a part of the global jihadi strategy to bleed its enemy into submission. Force it to over-reach its limits of ﬁnancial and military capabilities and thereby engineer its collapse and assist the spread of Islam. 7

Conclusion

Global jihadis share a world view in which the Muslim world is suffering a prolonged aggressive assault from the West led by the United States. An opinion expressed by a scholar which reﬂects the mindset that Islam is under attack and says that jihad is a total, all encompassing duty to be carried out by all Muslims. All inﬁdels, without exception, are to be fought and annihilated and no weapon or types of warfare are barred. Sayyid Qutb of Egypt expressed ‘there are two parties in the entire world. The party of Allah and the party of Satan. The party of Allah which stands under the banner of Allah and bears his insignia and the party of Satan which includes every community, group, race and individual that does not stand under the banner of Allah.’ At the beginning of the 19th century European powers joined the race to colonise the Middle East and dismantled the Ottoman Empire and divided its land amongst

The global jihadis hope that a time will come when, like the Soviet Union, the USA and the Western world would also weaken, break up and be unable to interfere in the Muslim world and then they will be in a position to promote their own emirates as per the word of Allah. These will then form their own unions and encourage the new caliphate

Global jihad – Internet

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Islam – A short history by Karen Armstrong Islam – A short history by Karen Armstrong Global Jihad – Internet The History of Baghdad The military strategy of global jihad – Internet The military strategy of global jihad – Internet Rewriting Indian History (Vikas)

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

homeland security

INTERVIEW

INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS

FOR POLICE AND POLICING PROBLEMS

r Rajan Gupta is a 1978 batch IPS officer of the Punjab cadre. He successfully fought terrorism while serving in nearly all the Ranges of Punjab. As in-charge of Punjab Armed Police, he modernised the force and introduced many welfare measures. His arrangements for semi-final cricket match in the World Cup between India and Pakistan in 2011 brought lot of praise by the public and the media to the police. The Punjab Police sports teams under him were instrumental in bagging number one position in All India Police Games. His major contribution was establishment of the prestigious DAV school in the PAP campus in Jalandhar. His biggest contribution was the guarantee of 1 lakh insurance money without any cost to the individual on the death of any member of the Punjab Police (irrespective of cause of death) by HDFC Bank in a tie-up with HDFC and Punjab Police. Prior to taking charge as Director General, BPR&D, he was DGP, Punjab State Human Rights Commission. As DG, BPR&D, he is initiating many novel and innovative schemes for police modernisation and skill upgradation. He has been awarded President’s Medal for Meritorious Service in 2012. Defence and Security Alert: BPR&D was established in 1970 as the apex body mandated to find solutions to multifarious police and policing problems. How do you view the evolution of the organisation since its inception and the significant role it has come to play in the arena of national security?

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

DG, BPR&D: The Bureau of Police Research and Development was set up in August 1970 with a view to undertake systematic studies of Police problems and is responsible for promoting the application of science and technology to Police work, improving and developing training programmes of the Police Forces at the Centre and the States. It also advises the Central Government in the matters of development and modernisation of Police Forces. Training Directorate was set up in BPR&D in the year 1973 to review the process of training and identify future training needs of police personnel in the country. Responsibility for overseeing certain aspects of Correctional Administration work was entrusted to the BPR&D in 1995. In the year 2008, the Central Government created National Police Mission Directorate under the administrative control of BPR&D to transform the Police Forces in the country into effective instrument for maintaining internal security and facing the challenges in future, by equipping them with the necessary material, intellectual and organisational resources. The National Police Mission also is a laudable initiative and can substantially change the pace of Police Reforms and Modernisation. The then Union Home Minister in 2009 had stated that – “BPR&D has a mandate to promote excellence and best values in policing, invest in research and development, seek and secure appropriate technology for optimum performance and invest in human resource development and training. It has the challenging task of formulating a strategic vision for our police forces to meet future challenges and build the police as a professional service”.

Mr Rajan Gupta DG, BPR&D enjoying the latest edition of DSA magazine It is our endeavour to make the police forces strong in the country through continuous studies of various police problems, modernisation and training. DSA: Rapid industrialisation and urbanisation are transforming the Indian Society at an unprecedented pace. What are your guidelines for the central and state police forces to maintain harmony and peace in society? DG, BPR&D: It is a fact that rapid industrialisation and urbanisation are transforming the Indian society at an unprecedented pace. Like other organisations BPR&D is also serious to resolve this problem. We have approached 14th Finance Commission for additional resources for training and police infrastructure upgradation. Due to rapid industrialisation the rivalry between the major All India Trade Unions affiliated to different political parties is a cause of perpetual tension and conflict. To reduce this type of tension and conflict many suggestions have been submitted that include:  Police Stations nearby industrial areas should be equipped with sufficient striking force to control labour unrest.  Senior Officers of adjoining areas should hold frequent cooperation meetings.  Constitution of Labour-Management Liaison Committee (LMLC) in each industrial area with participation of all stakeholders.

Urbanisation also results in increasing communal tensions. In this regard Bureau has suggested (a) to take steps to develop a culture of secularism, communal harmony in the society itself through education inputs starting from schools (b) to set up committees of police-public cooperation at District and Police Station level with a view to promote communal harmony, maintenance of law and order and police-public cooperation and to take measures to prevent commission of general crime against weaker sections of the society. We are sponsoring training programmes of State Police on crime against minorities, women, SC and ST and weaker sections of the society. We also fund training programmes / workshops on gender sensitisation of male and female police personnel of States and CAPFs. DSA: Information technology is playing a critical role in almost all spheres of policing and security. How is BPR&D taking advantage of information technology to strengthen its operations and delivery systems? DG, BPR&D: All the important publications of BPR&D like Data on Police Organisations, Indian Police Journals and Model Police Manual are available on the BPR&D’s website. It also has updated information related to training calendar and nominations, events organised by BPR&D, status of projects and studies carried out by BPR&D and all other information relevant to our working. We are planning to reduce the paper work by going for e-ofﬁce. We also plan to have a Training Web-portal in place that would have all information related to training and would make the complete training process and data base more interactive, user-friendly and efﬁcient.

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

homeland security

INTERVIEW them with the latest managerial techniques. The skills of middle level police ofﬁcers are being upgraded through anti-terrorism assistance courses in collaboration with US government, Developing Specialist Investigator courses and advance courses on Investigation and Detection of Crime in CDTS’ and state police academies to equip them with the latest knowledge of advancement in forensic science and technology.

DSA: Crime against women and their safety and dignity have become national ignominy compromising age old Indian values. What can BPR&D do to salvage the situation and ensure safety, security and dignity of women in India?

Courses for capacity building in counter terrorism and insurgency skills for police and security forces are conducted in CIAT Schools. For capacity building in the area of Trafﬁc Management and Coastal Policing, training division is in the process of establishing “National Institute for Trafﬁc Management and Research” at Bhopal and “National Institute of Coastal Policing”. The training division has launched Training Intervention Schemes for capacity building and training of police and security forces.

 New projects under Micro Mission no 7 by consultations

DSA: Leading experts around the world think that training programmes for police and security forces must now include psychological stress management modules in addition to the mandatory physical, professional and combat trainings. What are your views on this?

Mr Rajan Gupta DG, BPR&D in conversation with Mr KJ Singh, corporate consultant of DSA magazine DSA: Anti-national elements and enemies of India have graduated to using hi-tech gadgets and equipment, satellite communication and digital deception devices for anti-national and disruptive activities. What is BPR&D’s road map for modernisation of police forces and proper utilisation of the allocated funds? DG, BPR&D: “Police” and “law and order” is a State subject and it is primarily the responsibility of the State Governments to modernise and adequately equip their police forces for meeting the challenges to law and order and internal security. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been supplementing their efforts and resources through Modernisation of Police Force (MPF) Scheme which has been under implementation since 1969-70. Based on the assessed deficiency in infrastructure and other requirements of the State Police Forces in a study done by BPR&D in 2000, the annual allocation under MPF was substantially enhanced from 2000-01 onwards to counter the challenges of terrorism and militancy effectively. Areas of mobility, police buildings, police housing, weaponry, communication and other equipment, forensic set up, training etc are covered under the scheme. MPF Scheme has been further extended for a period of five years from 2012-13 to 2016-17. Rs 12,379.3 crore is being allocated for Police Modernisation. Operational details cannot be shared. Modernisation Division of BPR&D also carried out a study on Impact Assessment of Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme. Under the Scheme, Naxal affected States are reimbursed the expenditure incurred by them on anti-Naxal operations. A study on proper utilisation of funds under Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS), which caters to strengthening / fortification of police stations in Naxal affected areas, is also being done.

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

BPR&D organises presentations and demonstrations on latest products and technologies to increase awareness and to bring knowledge sharing among the security forces. On MHA’s requests, BPR&D evaluates and gives recommendations on various proposals of CAPFs related to new establishments and modernisation. BPR&D is also closely associated as one of the technical members in Sub-groups for formulation of Speciﬁcations and Trial Directives of various security equipment. We update States / CAPFs on latest technology in the market through Power Point Presentations. Taking feedback from State Police Forces on deﬁciencies and their requirements for the coming years under the MPF scheme is an important step in properly equipping our security forces. BPR&D is in the process of compiling data on this which will help in framing a better road map and proper utilisation of funds.

DG, BPR&D: The job of police and security personnel is highly demanding both physically and mentally. We often see complaints reported by public of misbehaviour by police. A module on “psychological stress management” is an essential component in almost all the courses of the police training academies. DSA: Exponential growth in the number of private and commercial vehicles, indifferent attitude towards road safety etc have made travel on road a nightmare for most commuters. How can BPR&D help in making driving safe and a pleasure for all stakeholders? DG, BPR&D: BPR&D, being the nodal agency for research and development on various Policing issues, is constantly engaged in dealing with road safety management in an endeavour to define a definitive way forward in reducing the burden of road traffic injuries and deaths in the near future. Some of the efforts taken in this direction are:

Twenty Counter Insurgency and Anti-Terrorism Schools (CIAT) are already imparting specialised training for countering terrorism, insurgency and Left Wing Extremism to Police ofﬁcers of the States.

 BPR&D has taken up a research study on “Stricter laws for drunken driving and Standard Operating Procedure for the Trafﬁc Management”. The study is being carried out by the Indian Institute of Road Trafﬁc Education, Delhi.

DSA: Training of the personnel and upgradation of skills is an important and ongoing professional function in all security forces. How does your Training Division help the central and state police forces to stay motivated and ﬁghting ﬁt?

 BPR&D conducted a national level three day Workshop on “Strengthening Trafﬁc Management Systems for Improving Road Safety” in New Delhi on 5, 6 and 7 December, 2012. Recommendations and proceedings of the conference were circulated to all the States and UTs.

DG, BPR&D: Training division of BPR&D conducts training programmes for ofﬁcers of state and central police forces on contemporary issues related to police and security from time to time. The skills are being upgraded through vertical interaction courses and management programmes for IPS and senior police ofﬁcers to equip

 A research study was conducted on “Study of Pattern of Fine Collection Against Trafﬁc Related Offences and the Amount of Funds Generated” in 2010 which helped in identifying training, use of modern tools and systems, estimation of social loss due to road accidents and investment in the ﬁeld of road safety as focus areas.

DG, BPR&D: Our role in women’s safety extends to:  Sponsoring training programmes on gender sensitisation

 Organising workshops on women’s safety, empowerment and preventives on crime against women Recently, National Police Mission under BPR&D has created a new micro mission on “Gender Crimes and Gender Related Issues”. The Micro Mission is working on strategies for prevention, investigation and prosecution of crime against women. It is also proposed to undertake a performance audit of all women police stations so as to assess their functioning and suggest improvements, if any in co-operation with states. BPR&D organises National Conference for Women in Police every two years. Sixth conference was held recently at Guwahati in collaboration with Assam Police. This conference deliberated on strengthening women policing and increase their role in professional performance. DSA: As head of BPR&D, what is your vision for the organisation and what thoughts and ideas will you like to share with the people of India and DSA readers around the world? DG, BPR&D: BPR&D plans to embark on creating more specialised centres for training in subjects which are the need of the hour like Counter-Terrorism (for Investigating Officers of the police stations), Coastal and Riverine policing, Vehicular traffic management and Road Safety, specialised skills for specialised jobs apart from general skills for each police officer, schools for mountains, deserts and jungle operations, specialised training centres for horses, camel and dog squads, Cyber Forensics, Cyber Investigation and Cyber Security etc. For SAARC, it is our determination to provide more and more training inputs and updated police knowledge to SAARC countries. It is also our endeavour to update knowledge of our best police officers in specialised police operations in coordination with FBI, ATA programmes of USA and thus make Indian Police as one of the best in the world. All our efforts are directed towards fulfilling our vision of promoting excellence in Police by investing in research and development, proper training, fostering scientific temperament, modernisation and promoting best values and practices in Policing at par with advanced countries. The modernisation of Police Forces and training of Police personnel is a continuous process. We would continue to invest in research and developing relevant policies and practices for betterment of police services.

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

global jihad

NEW ROAD MAP

THE QUIET COMEBACK

OF AL QAEDA

Osama bin Laden wanted to preserve the Al Qaeda pedigree. Operationally, he also remained fixated on long-distance strikes against the West. Zawahiri played along with this policy while bin Laden was still alive, but developed a strategic vision for global jihad that was markedly different. The veteran Egyptian terrorist knew that it would take many years and much planning to overthrow Arab governments. A few massive attacks would not suffice. Accordingly, he conceptualised a 20-year road map for creating the global Caliphate that was Al Qaeda’s end-goal.

Twenty-year March

Conventional wisdom holds that Al Qaeda has failed in its efforts to strike at Western homelands. Better intelligence-sharing and border surveillance are credited with thwarting scores of terrorist plots. Yet, there is an alternative explanation for the fall in attack attempts: Al Qaeda might no longer be giving the same priority to hitting the West as it did before. Instead, the terrorist group might have shifted focus to the Middle East and North Africa, wanting to capitalise on the chaos created by the 2011 ‘Arab Spring’. This theory is buffered by the pattern of Al Qaeda behavioural changes that followed the death of bin Laden and the ascension of Ayman al-Zawahiri to the top spot. Unlike his deceased boss, Zawahiri was never primarily interested in attacking Western governments on their home turf. His priority was to overthrow pro-Western regimes in the Middle East. As a result, he was more susceptible to alliance-building with regional jihadists. Osama bin Laden on the other hand, wanted to preserve the Al Qaeda pedigree by avoiding close association with any group that would steal the international spotlight from him. Operationally, he also remained ﬁxated on long-distance strikes against the West. Zawahiri played along with this policy while bin Laden was still alive, but developed a strategic vision for global jihad that was markedly different. The veteran Egyptian terrorist knew that it would take many years and much planning to overthrow Arab governments. A few massive attacks would not sufﬁce. Accordingly, he conceptualised a 20-year road map for creating the global Caliphate that was Al Qaeda’s end-goal. The struggle would be divided into seven phases, as depicted in the table below:

uring the three years since the death of Osama bin Laden, Al Qaeda has been resurrecting itself as a serious terrorist threat. Although its operational infrastructure is in shambles and its top leadership in hiding, by exploiting conﬂict dynamics across the Greater Middle East, the group now controls more territory, funds and manpower than at any time in its 26-year history. This situation is partly the result of long-term planning and partly of happy coincidence. In this article, an effort shall be made to trace how factionalism within regional jihadist groups has strengthened, rather than weakened, Al Qaeda. The organisation founded by bin Laden and his Egyptian deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri no longer exists as

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

a paramilitary entity. It has been eviscerated by American special operations and drone strikes since 9/11. However, the Al Qaeda spirit of waging a borderless jihad has gained new adherents from West Africa to West Asia. This article shall ﬁrst outline how Al Qaeda conceptualised its global jihad, when it attacked the United States in 2001. Thereafter, it shall demonstrate how Al Qaeda has been rebuilding its operational strength through franchising with local jihadists in conﬂict-affected regions. These jihadists in turn, seek a reputational advantage over their peer competitors by aligning with Al Qaeda and adopting its operational style. The result is a growth in the indirect attack capability of Al Qaeda, which is bound to increase in the absence of a focused response from the international community.

replaced the fallen dictators proved no better at governance. Taking advantage of the political confusion and public disorder, Al Qaeda increased its regional presence in Africa and the Levant.

Competitive Terrorism

DR PREM MAHADEVAN

The writer is Senior Researcher for Intelligence, Sub-state Conﬂict and Organised Crime at the Center for Security Studies in Zurich, Switzerland. Between 2002 and 2009, he completed an undergraduate degree in War Studies and postgraduate and doctoral degrees in Intelligence Studies from King’s College, London. He has written extensively on Indian and Pakistani intelligence agencies and his articles on Indian counter-terrorism have been made recommended reading for military ofﬁcers in North America and Western Europe.

The ﬁrst sign of a new alignment in the ‘jihadosphere’ (the global jihadist community) came just six weeks after bin Laden’s death, when his envoy in Somalia was intercepted and killed by government troops. What initially looked like a case of bad luck was later suspected to be a murder orchestrated from within Al Qaeda itself. The dead man had opposed merging the Somali jihadist group, Al Shabaab, with Al Qaeda. Bin Laden had also rejected an overture from Al Shabaab’s chief to join forces, in the process overruling Zawahiri’s enthusiasm for the proposal. With bin Laden gone, his men in Somalia became vulnerable to maﬁa-style elimination. One by one, they died in mysterious circumstances over the following months, clearing the path for a merger between Al Shabaab and Al Qaeda in February 2012.

The matter did not end there. Al Shabaab itself was divided over the wisdom of merging with Al Qaeda. One faction of the group broke away to protest the decision. It is likely that this internal strain on Al Shabaab’s cohesion led

Phase

Timeline

Aim

2001

Provoke US attack, polarise inter-communal relations and ignite Muslim resentment

2002-06

Force Western governments on defensive through terrorist attacks on their homelands

2007-10

Attack Western outposts in the Middle East (Israel and Turkey) to tie them down

2010-13

Overthrow pro-Western Arab governments in oil-producing countries

2013-16

Mobilise the liberated Muslim masses for war

2016-20

Wage total war on inﬁdels

2020

Attain victory and establish the Caliphate

However ridiculous this strategy might appear to a rational mind, there seems little doubt that Al Qaeda had a huge stroke of luck in 2011. Even though the group lost bin Laden to a US commando raid, the ‘Arab Spring’ came at exactly the right moment in history to make the new boss’ (Zawahiri’s) plan appear as though it was working. Regimes which had been in power for decades were overthrown within months and those who

its leaders to plan a major attack overseas. Counterterrorism analysts believe that the September 2013 suicidal assault on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, might have been the outcome of such planning. The attack pattern closely matched the media-grabbing 2008 Mumbai raid carried out by Lashkar-e-Toiba and it is now widely known that LeT was acting under the pressure of factionalism among its mid-rank commanders. To appease their subordinates and

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

global jihad

NEW ROAD MAP

What security agencies are left with is a strategic paradigm that is disturbingly similar to the one which shaped US counterterrorism policy before 2001. In short, this paradigm imposes an extraordinarily high burden of proof on law enforcement agencies for establishing Al Qaeda culpability for an act of terrorism. Absence of such proof provides a convenient excuse for allowing the attack masterminds to escape any form of military retaliation Ayman al-Zawahiri

adopt a more selective targeting policy. Instead, Al Qaeda is now throwing its support behind a more ‘moderate’ group, known as Jabhat al-Nusra. Unlike ISIS, which is Iraqi-dominated, Jabhat al-Nusra is a homegrown Syrian organisation, which makes it more palatable to the various dissident forces that are ﬁghting the Syrian government. To build on this credibility, it is providing welfare services to local populations in the combat zone, thus adopting a kind of ‘hearts and minds’ approach among Sunni Muslims.

Osama bin Laden

Threat To Israel

also generate funds from overseas donors, who wanted a ‘bang for their bucks’, LeT and Al Shabaab leaders worked by an identical logic and authorised a cross-border attack against Western tourists and expatriates. Meanwhile, across the African continent, competition between ‘mainstream’ and ‘splinter’ factions led to another major act of Al Qaeda-related terrorism in 2013. The Algerian Group for Salaﬁst Preaching and Combat (GSPC) had already merged with Al Qaeda back in 2007, renaming itself as Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Most of its leadership was concentrated in the north of Algeria, allowing commanders in the south considerable autonomy to manage their daily affairs. One of these southern commanders was more interested in running smuggling rackets than in waging jihad.

The first sign of a new alignment in the ‘jihadosphere’ (the global jihadist community) came just six weeks after bin Laden’s death, when his envoy in Somalia was intercepted and killed by government troops. What initially looked like a case of bad luck was later suspected to be a murder orchestrated from within Al Qaeda itself. The dead man had opposed merging the Somali jihadist group, Al Shabaab, with Al Qaeda

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

In this connection, an interesting trend has been observed in Lebanon. Al Qaeda has been steadily expanding its presence in the country by capitalising on the Shia-Sunni divide. In particular, it is tapping into resentment against the Shia militia Hezbollah, which has also participated in the Syrian civil war, but on the side of the Syrian government. This is a signiﬁcant shift from Zawahiri’s non-sectarian exhortations a decade ago, when he advised Iraqi jihadists to concentrate on attacking Western troops. It seems that with the West no longer a serious player in Al Qaeda’s backyard, Zawahiri is prepared to pursue a more divisive agenda, aimed at building a mass support base among one distinct demographic segment, the Sunni Arabs. If this were to continue, there is a possibility that Al Qaeda might ﬁnally acquire a foothold on the Mediterranean Sea and close to Israel’s northern border.

In late 2012, he was ﬁnally expelled from AQIM for non-performance. His instinctive response was to organise an attack on foreign workers at the In Amenas gas facility in western Algeria, which occurred in January 2013. By executing this attack, he sought to prove his credentials as a global mujahid and shame his former bosses.

of such a connection would generate public pressure for aggressive pursuit of the perpetrators. At a time when the US is seeking to extract itself from the Middle East and focus on containing a militarily assertive China, a renewed Al Qaeda threat is an unwelcome distraction.

Blurred Organisational Boundaries

What security agencies are left with therefore is a strategic paradigm that is disturbingly similar to the one which shaped US counterterrorism policy before 2001. In short, this paradigm imposes an extraordinarily high burden of proof on law enforcement agencies for establishing Al Qaeda culpability for an act of terrorism. Absence of such proof provides a convenient excuse for allowing the attack masterminds to escape any form of military retaliation, which, since these masterminds are based in lawless or ungoverned territories, is actually the only way to bring them to justice.

As elsewhere, local disagreements between jihadist groups are not necessarily good news for counterterrorism strategists, because such disagreements might only make the jihadists more proactive. ISIS has lost the favour of Zawahiri, but being an outcast from the Al Qaeda fold did not stop the group from taking over parts of the Iraqi cities of Fallujah and Ramadi in January 2014. Both places had been heavily fought over by American forces during the Iraq War and their slide into jihadist control is a serious indictment of the loss of direction that has afﬂicted US policy towards global jihadism.

With the West’s enthusiasm for military interventions blunted after Afghanistan and Iraq, Al Qaeda can be reasonably sure that it will not have to cope with more invasions of its sanctuaries. It is already seeking new base areas in the Middle East, with Iraq and Syria high on its agenda, possibly followed by Lebanon. Having learnt from its past mistakes, the group is being careful about not endorsing indiscriminate acts of violence that alienate Sunni Muslim opinion. To this end, it has severed ties with the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), over the latter’s refusal to stay out of the Syrian civil war and generally

With reports coming in that an estimated 200 Indian youths have travelled to Syria as jihadist volunteers, there is a serious risk that Middle Eastern terrorist tactics might start to appear in the country. Our security agencies therefore need to place the highest priority on intelligence liaison with friendly Arab states and sensitise the newly-elected government in Delhi about the threat. The West is not just retreating from Afghanistan – it is retreating in the face of a resurgent jihadist movement worldwide. Over the coming years, we shall have to confront the consequences of this strategic withdrawal.

In the bin Laden days, there was a clear-cut boundary between Al Qaeda and other groups. New members of bin Laden’s organisation had to swear loyalty to him personally and accept in-house restrictions on their freedom to associate with other jihadists. Zawahiri is more of a ‘socialite’ in comparison, interested in striking up partnerships with groups that share Al Qaeda’s vision. The result is that sometimes even the regional leaders of Al Qaeda do not know if a particular organisation is part of the overall Al Qaeda franchise or not. An example is the query directed to the head of AQIM by his counterpart in Yemen, who wanted to know if AQIM was cooperating with Ansar Dine, an African Islamist militia. Western scholars estimate that since 2003, Al Qaeda has forged new links with ten regional jihadist groups and thereby increased its operational presence in 19 countries. This assertion is subject to debate, not least because unequivocal evidence of joint attack planning remains scarce. The US government in particular, is not keen to discover an Al Qaeda connection to many recent acts of terrorism. American policy makers know that evidence

Blunted Enthusiasm?

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

global jihad

MALIGNANT MALADY

Afghanistan. On December 25, 2010, a ﬁrst female suicide bomber in Pakistan detonated her explosives-laden vest, killing at least 43 people at an aid distribution centre. On December 29, 2013, a female Chechen suicide bomber detonated her vest in the Volgograd railway station killing 17 persons. In addition Malignant brain to the Red Army Faction and its sister organisation, the Second of June Movement. Women have also been central ﬁgures in Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers, Indian Naxalite movement, Italy’s Red Brigades, Spain’s Basque ETA, the Japanese Red Army, Chechen terrorism, Middle Eastern and African terrorism. Women also play other supporting roles such as acting as getaway drivers or safe house custodians, smuggling contraband for men in prison and instigating assaults and murders.

What Drives Women Terrorists?

Women of the (PKK)

henmozhi “Gayatri” Rajaratnam more famously known as ‘Dhanu’ blew herself up on 21 May 1991 in a suicide bombing attack to assassinate former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Fourteen others were also killed in the south Indian town of Sriperumbudur near Chennai. She was known to have been a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE). Female suicide bombers have been employed in many, predominantly nationalistic, conﬂicts by a variety of organisations against both military and civilian targets. Between 30 and 40 per cent of the LTTE’s suicide bombings were carried out by women. In April 1985, Sanaá Mehaidli, a member of Syrian Social National Party detonated an explosive-laden vehicle in Lebanon killing two Israeli soldiers. The Chechen Shahidkas have attacked Russian troops and civilians repeatedly and were part of the Moscow theatre hostage crisis. Women of dreaded Kurdistan Workers

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

Party (PKK) have been engaged in suicide bombings against Turkish Armed forces. They sometimes strapped explosives to their abdomen pretending pregnancy. Wafa Idris of Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade was the ﬁrst female Palestinian suicide bomber when she imploded herself in 2002 in Central Jerusalem. On February 27, 2002 Darine Abu Aisha executed a suicide bombing at a checkpoint of Israeli Army in Jerusalem. Hamas religious leader Yassin issued a fatwa the same day authorising women to participate in more suicide attacks with promise of reward in the after-life in heaven. Hamas formally deployed its ﬁrst female bomber in January 2004 when Reem Riyashi blew herself along with seven targets at a check post. Two Iraqi female terrorists attacked US troops in Iraq in August, 2003. The two Moscow Subway station incidents of March 2010 where 38 people were killed was handiwork of two Chechen female terrorists. The Taliban has used at least one female suicide bomber in

Women terrorists have had crucial impacts on history. For example, the assassination of Czar Alexander II in 1881 was organised by a woman and many nineteenth-century revolutionaries were female. More than half the suicide bombers seen around the world since 2002 have been women. In places like Chechnya and Sri Lanka, women constitute at least 30 per cent of the fighting force. By current estimates, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade has over 300 in its special unit of female suicide bombers. Terrorist groups around the world actively seek women converts (from other ethnicities) because such people can carry European passports and evade checks. Women have been involved with terrorism for a long now. What motivates their involvement? Motives for women to join terrorist groups are not significantly different from their male counterparts – hopelessness, fight for a cause and poverty are the

Criminologists call them “able” criminals – smart, proficient, versatile and eager to learn. If their excitement can be channelled toward terrorism, it delivers efficient results. Recruiting women works for the terror groups, as in most cases it is found that a woman draws less suspicion from security agencies. But the bigger plus is that women terrorists have been found to get the job done nine out of ten times

common causes. In cultures where AIR MARSHAL they are oppressed and considered ANIL CHOPRA as lower beings the chances of PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM their joining are much higher. The Chechen “Shahidkas” also (RETD) known as “Black Widows” or The writer is an ex NDA Air Force officer who was “Brides of Allah” are either young a fighter pilot in the IAF. widows of terrorists or have strong He is a Qualified Flying hatred for Russians and have Instructor and Test Pilot been trained by psychologists and who was among the initial religious preachers. On the other lot to train on Mirage 2000 extreme was rich American heiress in France. He commanded Patty Hearst who was abducted, a Mirage Squadron, two abused, raped and brainwashed operational air bases to becoming a terrorist. and the IAF’s Flight Test Ulrike Meinh was a famous German Centre ASTE. He was the Team Leader of MiG 21 terrorist with leftist values who Upgrade programme in founded Bader-Meinhof group Russia for over 4 years. and engaged in bombings against He is currently a member Americans or pro-West Germans. of Armed Forces Tribunal. Leader of the Japanese Red Army He is also a member Fusako Shifenobu has been engaged of Executive Council in attacks against American of Jawaharlal Nehru consulates. “Palestinian Woman University, New Delhi. Fighters” want to fight Israel alongside the men. Dead ‘terror heroines’ like Dalal El Mughrabois are admired by all and act as role models. Great advantage for women is that they are much less suspected. In a traditional dress they can mingle in a crowded place and commit a suicide attack. Their children are later taken care of and are taught that their proud mothers were martyrs for a ‘Great Cause’.

Easily Channelled

Criminologists call them “able” criminals – smart, proficient, versatile and eager to learn. If their excitement can be channelled toward terrorism, it delivers efficient results. “Recruiting women works for the terror groups, as in most cases it is found that a woman draws less suspicion from security agencies. But the bigger plus is that women terrorists have been found to get the job done nine out of ten times”, says analyst Vicky Nanjappa. Terrorist outfits have often deployed women to carry out strikes, as the female of the species is considered to be extremely lethal due to their dispassionate attitude towards their own lives that they display at the time of an attack. In the case of Dhanu killing Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, she was avenging her brother who was killed by the Indian Army’s military operation in Sri Lanka. Israeli Anat Berko, an authority on terrorism, says Palestinian women terrorists have quoted sex in paradise as a factor in becoming a fidayeen. Indian Intelligence officers also feel that promise of good sex has been a major factor during terrorist recruitment

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

global jihad

MALIGNANT MALADY Chhota Shakeel. Ibrahim was recently declared a “global terrorist” by the US government. Shakeel is the prime suspect in the 1993 serial bombings in Mumbai.

For the December 2003 attack on the Indian parliament, Navjot Sandhu (named Afsan after marriage) provided lodging to militants. Jammu and Kashmir terrorist outﬁt Jaish-e-Mohammed operates a camp near Kotli in PoK training women to act as human bombs. They have moved beyond women just being logistic conduits and today undergo religious indoctrination to take part in deadly strikes. Similar training is being given by Lashkar-e-Jabbar’s women cadre – Anjuman-e-Khwateen. Women are being equipped with smaller and lighter guns, such as the Israeli Uzi sub-machine gun and the 9 mm Mauser, instead of heavy machine guns. In India, women terrorists do take up cudgels on behalf of their men and the phenomenon is linked to crackdowns on male terror operatives.

Psychological Mystique

Policy Constraints And The Future

Terrorism experts say they have a huge advantage over men when it comes to infiltrating security checkpoints. “They can carry things internally and most security people aren’t going to inspect your breasts,” said Anne Speckhard, author of Talking to Terrorists, a study of suicide bombers. Most important check posts are manned by male soldiers and women are best at distracting men with conversation and by other ways. Female terrorists are definitely fascinating. Besides the sexual mystique of female terrorism, there is also a certain public fear and insecurity that surrounds their mystique. Terrorist groups know this and use it for psychological advantage. Use of women in terrorism also helps to make the group look less evil. Gender alone is enough to evoke public sympathy. In Ireland women fought more courageously than men. They stood their ground, often firing their automatic weapons in a more unflinching manner.

Educated Professionals

The majority of female suicide bombers are young, primarily between the ages of 17 and 24; however, the overall range in age for female suicide bombers is from 15-64. Female suicide bombers come from various educational, religious, social and personal backgrounds. Education places a role, with the “more educated” females such as lawyers, paramedics or students accounting for the greatest percentage of suicide attacks. Most tend to be of average economic status and are rarely impoverished. Ethno-nationalist terrorism and religious movements appears to be a common attractor for females. It may be the case that left-wing terrorism attracts more women interested in leadership positions or leadership decision-making, since those leftist groups are more likely to tolerate female leadership. Right-wing groups, on the other hand, may attract more women followers. Analyst Mia Bloom summarises the incentives into the four R's: Revenge, Redemption, Respect and Relationship. In 2011, Al Qaeda launched an online magazine, al Shamikha (the “Majestic Woman”), which encouraged women to participate in violent jihad as well as providing beauty tips. The following year, Al Qaeda formed a Burka Brigade, trained female terrorists with a mandate to attack Western targets.

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

According to a US Army intelligence report of 2011, “Although women make up roughly 15 per cent of the suicide bombers within groups which utilise females, they were responsible for 65 per cent of assassinations; 20 per cent of women who committed a suicide attack did so with the purpose of assassinating a speciﬁc individual, compared with 4 per cent of male attackers.”

Indian Subcontinent

LTTE formed its formal women’s wing Suthanthirap Paravaikal or Birds of Freedom in 1983. LTTE had mastered the art of indoctrination and has orchestrated more suicide attacks using women than any other terrorist organisation in the world. According to Jane’s Intelligence Review, from 1980 to 2000, the LTTE performed 168 suicide attacks, 30 per cent of which were by women cadres. Noted author Singha Roy says that there has been a high degree of participation of women in the Naxalite-Maoist insurgency. Naxalites defy the constraints placed upon women by conventional Indian society. On the lines of most Maoist movements women are over 30 per cent of the cadre and hold high ranking positions. Being agrarian and leftist in origin, they support gender equality. Naxal women act as spies, carry supplies, act as informers, lay mines and even detonate explosives. They are considered to have better commitment. Naxal clinics take over their household chores and commitments. The ambush in which 17 policemen were killed in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra was led by Tarakka, a woman who later married CPI (Maoist) Central Committee member Bhupathi. With no formal education, she started as a Naxal in 1985. Other women Naxal commanders include Jyoti (Tipagadh), Raneeta (Chatgaon), Sujita (Deori) and Ranjita (Surjagarh). Radhakka is a senior Naxal working in Bastar for many years. Narmada, a 52-year-old from Andhra Pradesh said to be ﬂuent in seven languages including English. All are credited with multiple blasts / killings.

Lashkar-e-Toiba and Al Qaeda reportedly use dedicated handlers who go about recruiting women. Woman of ‘bad character’ are easier to induct playing on their sense of guilt and the condemnation by society. Terror act, they are told will wash all sins. Poverty and deprivation is another factor helping enrolment in Indian subcontinent. Widows who find it extremely difficult to make two ends meet are targeted in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Anger of those who have lost their near and dear ones in counter-terror operations is used to recruit them. Women also make good handlers. The Indian Army has been saying that Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) has raised a group of 21 female terrorists at its training camps in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) for carrying out sabotage activities in India. A new group, Dukhtareen-e-Toiba, is active in the Kashmir Valley with support of LeT. Many more are under training. Infiltration is normally through Uri sector or through Nepal and Bangladesh. Induction of the female terror group was brainchild of LeT senior functionary and mastermind of Mumbai terror attacks Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. For about a decade women have been in some part of coordinating Indian domestic terrorist attacks. Initially they were mostly as glamorous molls of crime dons. Dawood Ibrahim has been linked to failed Indian actress Mandakini. Abu Salem was arrested in Portugal along with Monica Bedi, a small-time actress. New Delhi based journalist Siddhartha Srivastava says that the 19-year-old college girl, Ishrat Jahan, was shot dead by Gujarat police along with three others with suspected links with the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba involved in a plot to assassinate the then Gujarat chief minister and now PM of India, Narendra Modi. Nobody could imagine that a pretty, lower-middle class, Mumbai college girl could have anything to do with the world of terrorism. As facts unfolded, it became apparent that Ishrat was involved and leading a double life. In the twin Mumbai Gateway blasts in 2003 that killed over 50, Fehmida Hanif and her 15-year-old daughter acted as covers for operations. She had been the chief of operations for underworld dons Dawood Ibrahim and

During Sochi Olympics, when Russian security forces began a more stringent search of women suspects, it backfired, according to Mia Bloom, author of Bombshell: Women in Terrorism. When Russian parliament passed a law allowing women wearing traditional clothing to be strip-searched, many Islamic communities were upset. “When you use women, it's a win-win proposition,” Bloom said. “It’s a great way to sneak in weapons or bombs and if they are searched, it outrages the population.” “People grab our veils, call us terrorists and want us dead” says a Muslim woman in Britain. Islamophobic attacks against women have been on the rise across Europe ever since 9/11. “It is something I have got used to since 9/11. From being called Osama bin Laden to Paki-terrorist I have heard it all,” Zab Mustefa, a British Muslim journalist, who specialises in women’s rights and culture, said. Journalist Eva Vidal says that Islamophobia brings derogatory comments on their style of dress, their beliefs and their way of life. It is not denied that there are countries where the predominant religion is Islam where women are treated badly. But patriarchy is the problem, not Islam, claim supporters. Many policies are framed on the pretext of defending Muslim women from abuse in today’s society but are seen essentially as anti-Muslim tirade. Policy makers contend that it is part of getting Muslims to integrate in the society. “When I get on the plane, I first check no-one looks like a terrorist. They could have anything under those veils. I’m not going to get killed in the name of political correctness” say many. With so much Islamophobic rhetoric being used, including by politicians looking to score points by feeding people’s fears, this problem may get even worse. Ground reality is that world is becoming angrier and things are becoming worse. Some organisations are indoctrinating “child terrorist”, also called “baby bomber” or “baby jihadi.” Better connectivity and social media are making it easier for flaming fires at short notice and indoctrination and coordinating of terror acts. One hopes better sense will prevail one day and ‘Beauty will no longer be the Beast’. Inshah Allah.

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

global jihad

REGIONAL AGENDAS purpose of creating a world order under Islamic jurisprudence, giving rise to the fear of a global jihad. This largely has been represented by the Al Qaeda and has global manifestations, its footprints extending across the continents through regional franchises. The Al Qaeda has presence in Pakistan, where its core leadership (aka Al Qaeda Central) is located. Regional franchises exist in Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Syria and the Sahel. There is also a presence of Al Qaeda in Iran, Libya, the Sinai Peninsula, Nigeria and Tunisia. The Al Qaeda militancy must not however be conﬂated with Salaﬁ-Jihadism, though linkages exist between the two.

A REALITY CHECK In his book, Clash of Civilisations and the Remaking of World Order, Samuel P Huntington posits that with the end of the cold war, political ideologies have given way to differing cultural and religious values. While jihad-inspired conflict is spread across parts of Africa and much of the Asian continent and has the capacity to strike at parts of Europe and the United States, it still remains very much focused on regional grievances. These narratives need to be understood for they have been used by various power blocs to further their own agenda. The conflict in much of the world can be seen through the prism of a desire for supremacy by Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran.

he use of terror as a tool of war has been used by states since time immemorial as part of their war waging strategies. In the modern age, both state and non-state actors resort to the use of terror as a political tool to promote or highlight one’s cause. The past few decades have seen a flood of terrorist attacks across the world, for the most part carried out to achieve specific political goals. Many examples abound. In Nicaragua, the Sandinista rebels, the SNLF (Sandinista National Liberation Front), after many years of conflict, in 1979 overthrew the US supported family of Anastasio Somoza which had ruled the country since 1936. The Sandinista junta of National Reconstruction government which took over was in turn subject to hostile attacks by the ‘Contras’, a label given to a conglomerate of rebel groups that were active till the early 1990s. These rebels received financial and military support from the US government, their military significance depending

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

on such support. When the US Congress banned support to the Contras, the Reagan administration covertly continued with it. In the conﬂict against the Sandinista government, the Contras systematically committed acts of human rights violations as an element of warfare strategy. More recently, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), waged a war against Sri Lanka to achieve an independent Tamil homeland, but failed to win their war against the state and were decimated. The actions by Israel in Southern Lebanon led to thousands of deaths and many times that number were driven from their homes. PLO attacks against Israel were far less in number but were covered in greater detail and elicited great indignation.

The Caliphate Yearnings

The situation has not changed much even now. However, what has caught the attention of the world are acts of terror occurring across the globe for the ostensible

The recent kidnapping of about 300 schoolgirls in Nigeria by the Boko Haram, has once again placed the spotlight on the activities of Islamic terrorist groups. While use of terror by Islamic militants is not a new phenomenon, it took centre stage after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the US. Militant organisations that undertake virulent attacks on innocent civilians represent a minority view. They however, pose a threat many times greater than their size indicates. Of particular concern is the fact that increasingly, such organisations are having very strong religious motivation as their drivers. According to Bruce Hoffman of RAND Corporation, of the 64 groups identiﬁed as terrorists in 1980, only two had a largely religious motivation. Fifteen years later, in 1995, this number shot up dramatically, with 26 of the 56 identiﬁed groups espousing Islam as their guiding force. Post the US war in Iraq and Afghanistan, US actions are increasingly being seen as a war against Islam. This has led to a counter reaction, with Islam being perceived and used as a binding force to further a political agenda through terrorist attacks.

Pakistan In Turmoil

In Pakistan, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), based largely in FATA and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, rejects the constitution of Pakistan and seeks a state ruled by Sharia. In this they are supported by the Punjab based Taliban groups, loosely grouped as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Punjab, based in southern Punjab. Major factions include the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Sipah-e-Sabah and Jaish-e-Muhammad, which have close links with the Pakistan military, especially their intelligence agency, the ISI. They are used by the Pakistani state to promote terror in India, largely in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, but also in other parts of the country.

In Pakistan, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), based largely in FATA and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, rejects the constitution of Pakistan and seeks a state ruled by Sharia. In this they are supported by the Punjab based Taliban groups, loosely grouped as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Punjab, based in southern Punjab. Major factions include the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Sipah-e-Sabah and Jaish-eMuhammad, which have close links with the Pakistan military, especially their intelligence agency, the ISI

The civil society within Pakistan is unable to challenge the narrative put out by the TTP and the Punjab based Taliban. It is doubtful if the Pakistan Army has the capacity and the will to defeat the TTP in its strongholds astride the Durand Line. Of increasing concern is the growing linkages between the TTP and the Punjab based Taliban groups. Shifting of Taliban focus to southern Punjab would be hard to counter by Pakistan’s security forces including its army, which also has to contend with sectarian and ethnic violence, which has engulfed large parts of the country. This could create an even greater security threat to Pakistan, endangering the very existence of the state as presently constituted.

MAJ GEN DHRUV C KATOCH SM, VSM (RETD)

The writer is the Director, Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), New Delhi.

Afghanistan Faces Instability

Afghanistan is moving towards democracy, but the Afghan Taliban remains outside the peace process. It rejects democracy, seeks rule by Sharia and is continuing with its terror attacks. The Afghan Taliban launched its spring offensive on 12 May, targeting the Kabul airport, the US air base in Bagram, a courthouse in Jalalabad and attacks in Ghazni and Helmand provinces. While the Taliban are unlikely to regain control over major cities in Afghanistan, the balance of power in the rural areas remains on a knife-edge. The drawdown of ISAF forces in Afghanistan is on schedule and the security of the country now rests with the Afghan Army and police forces. In this, they have performed credibly so far, but the situation in Afghanistan is likely to remain volatile, despite the successful conduct of the ﬁrst round of the election process.

China Afﬂicted By Islam Bug

In China’s Yunnan province, Islamic militants carried out a surprise attack at the Kunming railway station in the evening of 3 May 2014 raising fears that China is now becoming a target for Islamic militants. The attackers, men and women wearing black dresses, attacked with knives, slashing their victims, leaving 29 dead and injuring over 130 people. The police arrived and killed four of the attackers, but the rest melted away in the darkness. While no terrorist group claimed responsibility, the state media dubbed the attacks as ‘China’s 9-11’ moment. Chinese authorities believe the attacks were the handiwork of Uighur militants in China’s restive Xinjiang province, referred to as members of the ETIM or the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, an umbrella phrase for a number of splinter Islamist groups. The most prominent group is perhaps the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP), formed in 2006 by Uighurs who had ﬂed to Afghanistan and Pakistan in the 1990s. Since 1980, when large numbers of Han Chinese began moving into Xinjiang, the authorities have battled a small but determined independence movement. Local Muslim Uighurs are demanding a state of their own, East Turkestan as they feel marginalised by the Han Chinese in their own homeland. Dozens of

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

REGIONAL AGENDAS

Clash Of Civilisations?

In his book, Clash of Civilisations and the Remaking of World Order, Samuel P Huntington posits that with the end of the cold war, political ideologies have given way to differing cultural and religious values. The decline of the West in comparison to the rest of the world coupled with an ascendant China and Islamic revivalism will engender conflicts across the world leading to a clash between civilisational blocs. The attempt to see global conflict and international politics in terms of cultural difference appears however to be over simplistic. An increasingly interconnected world negates such theories as nation states have a stake in maintaining close ties to further economic growth and promote security interests, regardless of cultural differences. Rather than civilisational differences, it could well be argued that conflict is more a product of differences emanating from governmental philosophies as the example of Nicaragua suggests. Islamic resurgence, as posited by Huntington, views the Islamic world as a single monolith which is certainly not the case as fissures within

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

Harking Back To Islamist Empires

Islamic radicals utter a bitter litany of grievances related to the loss of historical Muslim dominion. They allude to the collapse of Ottoman power at the end of World War I and, with it, the abolition of the Ottoman caliphate. Further back in history, they lament “the tragedy of Al-Andalus”– the end of Islamic rule in Spain in 1492 and seek a return to a perceived glorious past – a model of shining religious zeal and selfless exertion in the cause of Allah. Most Westerners dismiss these claims as delusional as do many in the Muslim world. But the Islamists are perfectly serious. Their rhetoric taps into a deep undercurrent that has characterised the political culture of Islam from the beginning. Though tempered and qualified in different places and at different times, the Islamic longing for unfettered suzerainty has never disappeared. Historically, successive generations of Islamic rulers were driven, not by universalistic religious principles but by their prophet’s vision of conquest and his summons to fight and subjugate unbelievers. The modern day radical has been fed a narrative, which makes him believe in that vision. However, as mentioned earlier, the Islamic world is not a monolith. It has several different strands and world views and is fissured along various sectarian beliefs. The idea of the nation state now holds firm sway and negates the idea of a universal Ummah. This is unlikely to change.

Regional Tinge

While jihad-inspired conflict is spread across parts of Africa and much of the Asian continent and has the capacity to strike at parts of Europe and the United States, it still remains very much focused on regional grievances. These narratives need to be understood for they have been used by various power blocs to further their own agenda. The conflict in much of the world can be seen through the prism of a desire for supremacy by Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran. This plays out in conflict in Syria, the Lebanon and parts of Pakistan. US involvement in Afghanistan led to the break-up of the Soviet Union, which was the primary objective. What we are witnessing today is not so much Global Jihad, but jihadi ideology being used in various parts of the world to achieve local aims. In the Indian context, this understanding is essential if we wish to keep such pernicious ideology far away from home shores.

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people have been killed in Uighur violence and cities such as Kashgar and Hotan have been seriously affected. Kunming has a large but transient population of Uighurs, many of whom find work with the city’s ethnic Hui Muslim population. Many analysts were of the view that the Kunming attacks were a game changer, in that the attack appeared more like radical Islam rather than the social eruptions that took place in this region. The fact that the attackers were all dressed in black is not typical of Uighurs and represents more the influence of South East Asian groups. The involvement of two young female attackers also suggested that the group might have learned from the Caucasus militants. Many separatist Uighurs have moved into neighbouring Pakistan where they have forged alliances with the Pakistani Taliban and jihadist factions affiliated to the Al Qaeda. However, there is a fundamental conflict between the ideology of the Uighur separatists and the Al Qaeda. The former want their own state. The Al Qaeda are anti-nationalists, anti-state, viewing the whole world as the Ummah.

various Islamic sects across the world point to. Like other civilisations, the Islamic world too is capable of change as it is comprised of people who of necessity will adapt to economic and societal pressures and opportunities. Civilisations do not engage in predictable relations and do not possess cogent leadership structures as states do. Future conﬂicts thus will continue to be between states and not civilisations as posited by Huntington. This then could be the basis for countering global jihad.

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In China’s Yunnan province, Islamic militants carried out a surprise attack at the Kunming railway station in the evening of 3 May 2014 raising fears that China is now becoming a target for Islamic militants. However, there is a fundamental conflict between the ideology of the Uighur separatists and the Al Qaeda. The former want their own state. The Al Qaeda are anti-nationalists, anti-state, viewing the whole world as the Ummah

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global jihad

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global jihad

PAK CENTRICITY

TWISTED ETHOS?

The concept of jihad is related to khilafat. However, the current form of global jihad came into being as a consequence of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the defeat of the Soviet Army there in 1988. The CIA and the ISI reinvented and twisted the term jihad to rouse the Muslim world against the Soviet Army and were able to recruit thousands of Muslims from all over the world to fight against the Russian infidels. The other was the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel in 1979.

conservative Egypt-based organisation dedicated to resurrecting a Muslim empire (Caliphate). According to al-Banna, “It is the nature of Islam to dominate, not to be dominated, to impose its law on all nations and to extend its power to the entire planet.”

Current Ethos

However, the current form of global jihad came into being as a consequence of:  The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the defeat of the Soviet Army there in 1988. The CIA and the ISI reinvented and twisted the term jihad to rouse the Muslim world against the Soviet Army and were able to recruit thousands of Muslims from all over the world to ﬁght against the Russian inﬁdels.  The Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 and the establishment of an Islamic regime there gave legitimacy to global jihad against Western regimes with ties to Israel.  The peace treaty between Egypt and Israel in 1979 that was considered by radical Muslim groups as a major betrayal by a pro-Western regime that was favourably disposed towards existence of Israel.

American Fertilisation

n the early Islamic era jihad or holy wars were waged with the intent of extending the territorial borders of the Islamic world into Christians and Jewish strongholds. Within a couple of years after the death of Prophet Muhammad, Caliph Umar began military campaigns against the Byzantine and the Sassanian empires. According to classical Islamic jurisprudence created in the ﬁrst few centuries after the Prophet’s death jihad was permissible against non-believers, apostates, rebels, highway robbers and dissenters renouncing the authority of Islam. The original form of jihad as warfare was not used for conversion to Islam, but rather for the expansion of the Islamic state. In later centuries, especially in the course of the colonisation of large parts of the world

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

some Muslim scholars advocated that holy wars with the aim of territorial defence as well as the defence of religious freedom were legitimate. The concept of jihad is related to khilafat – an ‘Islamic world empire’ got a boost by the radical views advocated by al-Banna, Syed Qutub of Egypt and Maulana Maudidi of undivided India / Pakistan. Qutub asserted ‘only the Islamic way of life frees men from the servitude of other men and allows them to worship God deriving guidance from Him alone. To accomplish this, a vanguard of believers will march through the Jahiliyyah world to bring about its conversion through jihad. Qutub in his book Milestones indicated the starting point, nature, responsibilities and purpose of the journey’. In 1928, Hassan al-Banna founded the Muslim Brotherhood, a

enemies of Islam and oppressors of Muslims worldwide.

Anti-US Fiat

In August 1996, Osama bin Laden issued a declaration of war against the United States and called on Muslims to use guerrilla tactics to drive Americans and their allies from the Arabian Peninsula. He expanded this mission in a more ambitious declaration issued in February 1998. This declaration, made in the name of the World Islamic Front against the Crusaders and the Jews, stated:

MAJ GEN AFSIR KARIM, AVSM (RETD)

The writer is a well-known retired Indian Army General and a military scholar who has authored several books on strategic affairs and military studies. He is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and the National Defence College.

“The ruling to kill Americans and their allies – whether civilians or military – is incumbent upon every Muslim who is able and in whichever country is easiest for him . . . We also call upon Muslim ulema [religious scholars], leaders, youth and soldiers to attack the American devil and those allies of Satan who have aligned themselves with [America].”

Global jihad in its current manifestation has taken a violent form of non-conventional warfare against all non-Muslim and moderate Muslim countries. Ironically jihad in its present form was propagated, marshalled and nurtured by America and its Western allies to facilitate a non-conventional war against the Soviet Army in Afghanistan. The holy warriors or Mujahideen were brought from all parts of Muslim world for the Afghan War by CIA-ISI agents and trained in guerrilla warfare, provided sophisticated weapons and were brainwashed to believe that they will go straight to heaven as they were chosen soldiers of God. These groups when demobilised formed small groups to protect their traditions, heritage and Islamic identity from the inﬂuence of Western culture in their own countries to strengthen the solidarity within the Muslim Umma. Most such movements were localised and did not form part of the global jihad although most had connections with the global jihadi movement.

Al Qaeda was ﬁrst to call for a “global jihad” against Western interests around the world and exhorted all Muslims to join in jihad against Europe and North America. Al Qaeda introduced catastrophic terrorist attacks and made extensive use of suicide bombings against civilian and military targets. Most adherents of this violent movement were religious fanatics and disaffected Westerners converted to Islam who carried out terrorist attacks on directions from Al Qaeda against their own societies.

As the dimensions of militant Islamist movement expanded in the 1990s, Osama bin Laden and associated militant groups shifted their focus toward the West, or the ‘Far Enemy’, but the goal of establishing Sharia laws in Muslim lands still continued. The focus gradually shifted to Western powers, which were depicted as

Pak Centricity

After the demise of Osama bin Laden, the global jihadist movement of Al Qaeda lost momentum and became a dispersed collection of organisations, autonomous groups and individuals spread across the globe, however, a core group of Al Qaeda continued functioning from Pakistan. This group with the active assistance of jihadi militants and ISI retains capability to launch attacks in most parts of South Asia. The origin of contemporary jihadi militancy in the South Asian region can be traced back to the jihadi resistance groups raised by the US during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, to harass and attack the inﬁdels. Pakistan was the centre of their indoctrination and military training; Pakistan has been the epicentre of jihadi international terrorism since then. Pakistan Army created and helped the Taliban seize power in Afghanistan and facilitated the spread of fundamentalists in South Asian countries. South Asia soon became the main hub of global jihad and greatly changed the security environment of the region. Human rights issues and democratic values have been brutally trampled upon by the activists of Pakistan based jihadi terrorist groups.

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

global jihad

PAK CENTRICITY

organisations in many parts of the world. Even though centralised control of Al Qaeda over such groups is lacking it has the ability to retain ideological afďŹ liations with the terrorist networks in the Arabian Peninsula, in Iraq, in the Islamic Maghreb and al-Shabaab in Somalia, this helps keep the global thrust of jihadism alive.

The origin of contemporary jihadi militancy in the South Asian region can be traced back to the jihadi resistance groups raised by the US during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, to harass and attack the infidels. Pakistan was the centre of their indoctrination and military training; Pakistan has been the epicentre of jihadi international terrorism since then Once American troops move out of Afghanistan, we should expect rapid resurrection of Al Qaeda in Af-Pak region, given the core jihadi infrastructure in Pakistan and the ISIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collusion with the jihadists. Pakistan will continue to be the principal supporter and patron of the jihadi groups and Afghan Taliban. It provides the Taliban with safe haven and training and recruiting facilities, it protects its leaders, including Mullah Omar.

Afghanistan Dilemma

As the ISI will continue to arm, train and fund the Taliban it may not be possible for Kabul to keep Taliban at bay or maintain an effective counter-terrorist posture in Afghanistan. Afghanistan will need substantial

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

The inter-religious problems, human rights violations, displacement of populations have multiplied since the advent of global jihadi movement and fundamentalism. There is apprehension that as soon as the US-led NATO combat troops leave Afghanistan the Taliban with the tacit support of Pakistan Army may overrun the country and impose a strict Sharia regime. The Taliban movement in Pakistan will also try to impose Sharia rules there and threaten the neighbouring countries, Central Asian countries and Kashmir may be their primary targets.

India, Russia, China Conclave

international help to deal with threats within Afghanistan and keep its territory safe from marauders operating from safe havens across the border. Al Qaeda militants from their safe havens in Pakistan and Afghanistan maintain alliances with militant

In these circumstances a concerted effort of the international community will be needed to forestall and prevent a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan-Pakistan region. Regional powers especially Russia, India and China must make a joint effort to ensure a moderate regime in Afghanistan for maintaining peace and stability in the region.

A concerted effort of the international community will be needed to forestall and prevent a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan-Pakistan region. Regional powers especially Russia, India and China must make a joint effort to ensure a moderate regime in Afghanistan for maintaining peace and stability in the region Global jihadism has failed to achieve most of its stated goals, such as driving Western powers out of Muslim lands, creating an Islamic caliphate or establishing Sharia laws in all Muslim countries, however, the threat of global jihad still looms large and poses a threat to the entire civilized world. There has been a major shift in the concept of national security because of the advent of the global jihadi terror, the growing role of religious and ethnic minorities and non-state actors in terrorism and violence in many countries has undermined the ability of states to manage conďŹ&#x201A;icts by traditional methods. The activities of jihadi groups have vitiated international relations in many parts of the world and no way has yet been found to deal with the global jihadi phenomenon that brings brutal violence in its wake. It is hoped like all violent religious movements of the past, global jihadism too will lose steam and end one day.

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

global jihad

ECONOMIC DESTABILISATION

FINANCIAL TERRORISM Economic warfare implies adopting economic policies to deprive the enemy’s forces of those resources so that they cannot fight the war properly. In a total war apart from the armed forces of a nation it is necessary to mobilise a nation’s economy towards the war effort. When the economy of an enemy is subverted then it directly damages the enemy’s ability to fight the war.

governments and the intelligence bureaus of Western world have ﬁve major accusations against Swiss banks.  They allow Communists to buy control of free world defence industries.  They furnish the agencies through which Communist powers pay their spies and purchase forbidden strategic materials from Western nations.  They offer a hiding place for stolen or looted money.  They provide a screen for proxy raiders, stock manipulators and shady promoters.  They help tax evaders conceal both income and assets. The above charges are true even today. In addition to the Communists, now terrorist and some intelligence agencies operate not only through Swiss banks but through other tax havens to achieve not only the above objectives but subvert the ﬁnancial markets in transitional and developing economies. Even the fully developed economies have not been spared in the process.

o far conventional warfare involved land, naval and air warfare at different locations across urban areas, industrial hubs, strategic assets, including and not limiting to choking supply chains. Strategies in warfare include using inter-continental ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads as a deterrent. Conventional warfare implies destruction of the enemy’s military and industrial capability, loss of human life, strategic assets, destruction of property and attrition of opposing countries over long periods. It would take years of planning and full mobilisation of a country’s resources in a destructive war using resources which otherwise would be judiciously used for development. In contrast the ﬁghting in a total war where nuclear weapons are used would be limited to a few hours if not a few minutes resulting in enormous loss of life and total destruction of cities.

Bloodless Warfare

Some of the rogue states and terrorist groups have subtly developed and adopted ‘financial terrorism’ as a strategy to subvert nations with the least amount of resources resulting in economic collapse and bleeding of nations and no loss of life to themselves. Economic warfare implies adopting economic policies followed as a part of military and covert operations during war time. The objective is to capture critical economic resources of the enemy so that the military and the intelligence agencies can operate at full efficiency and deprive the enemy’s forces of those resources so that they cannot fight the war properly. In a total war apart from the armed forces of a nation it is necessary to mobilise a nation’s economy towards the war effort. When the economy of an enemy is subverted then it directly damages the enemy’s ability to fight the war. “Economic terrorism may be defined to indicate an attempt at destabilisation by a rogue state or a terrorist group. The Geneva Centre

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

for Security Policy (2005) deﬁned economic terrorism as being ‘Contrary to economic warfare which is undertaken by states against other states, economic terrorism would be undertaken by transnational or non-state actors. This could entail varied coordinated and sophisticated massive destabilising actions in order to disrupt the economic and ﬁnancial stability of a state, a group of states or a society (such as market oriented western societies) for ideological or religious motives. These actions, if undertaken, may be violent or not. They could have either immediate effects or carry psychological effects which in turn have economic consequences.”

Methodology

Historically, financial terrorism is not unknown. For example, in 1958 Senator Dennis Chavez, Democrat of New Mexico, said on the Senate floor that the Swiss bank secrecy permitted ‘crooks and swindlers’ and even Communists to buy American defence stocks, implying that the managers of the Swiss banks would do anything the client desires for a profit. On 18th July 1958, the New York Times quoted the American ambassador to the Swiss Confederation, Mr Henry J Taylor, that ... “There has been a heavy increase in financial transactions in Bern in connection with the narcotic traffic from Communist China to the Western world and there is reason to believe that Communists send out an average of US$ 1 million a week from Switzerland, to finance provocateurs and contraband agents for their work in Western democracies”. In 1959, the French government angrily accused Swiss banks of financing major arms deals for Algerian rebels, using Egyptian and other Arab money, but because of bank secrecy not even the Swiss government could interfere. Newsweek announced that purchases of American stocks by Swiss banks acting as agents for anonymous clients had been US$ 30 million in 1950 and the annual amount had jumped to US$ 500 million by 1959. The press,

In a paper prepared by Mr Freeman for the Pentagon’s ‘Irregular Warfare Support Programme’, part of the ‘Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office’ which examines unconventional warfare scenarios, it was suggested that the financial subversions carried out by unknown parties, such as terrorists or hostile nations, contributed to the 2008 economic crash by covertly using the vulnerabilities in the US financial system. In the report titled “Economic Warfare: Risks and Responses”, it has been stated that “A three-phased attack was planned and used against the United States economy”. “There is sufficient justification to question whether outside forces triggered, capitalised upon or magnified the economic difficulties of 2008”. The report further says that the domestic economic factors would have caused a ‘normal downturn’ but not the ‘near collapse’ of the global economic system that took place. The suspects include financial enemies in Middle Eastern states, Islamic terrorists, hostile members of the Chinese military, or government and organised crime groups in Russia, Venezuela or Iran. These groups have publicly suggested using economic warfare against the United States. In an interview with The Times Mr Freeman said that his report provided theoretical evidence for an economic warfare attack for which a further forensic study was warranted. “The new battle space is the economy” ... “We spend hundreds of billions of dollars on weapons systems each year. But relatively small amount of money focused against our financial markets through leveraged derivatives or cyber efforts can result in trillions of dollars in losses and the perpetrators can remain undiscovered”. US officials and outside analysts said the Pentagon, the Treasury Department and US Intelligence Agencies are not aggressively studying the threats to the United States posed by the economic warfare and financial terrorism. The Pentagon report states that the evidence of financial subversion revealed that the first two phases of an attack on the US economy took place from 2007-09 and ‘based on recent global market activity, it appears that the predicted Phase III may be underway right now’. Mr Freeman said ‘Unfortunately, the two major strategic threats, radical jihadists and the Chinese are among the best positioned in the economic battle space’. Among the financial instruments that may have been used in the economic warfare scenario are credit default swaps, unregulated and untraceable contracts by which a buyer pays the seller a fee and in exchange is paid off in a bond or a loan. The credit

default swaps or ‘ideal bear-raid tools’ ‘have the power to determine the financial viability of companies’. Another tool that was linked in the report in 2008 crash is what is called ‘naked-short selling’ stock, defined as short-selling financial shares without borrowing them. The collapse in September 2008 of the Lehman Brothers, the fourth largest US investment bank, was the most significant event in the crash, causing an immediate credit freeze and stock market crash.

Indian Scenario

In the Indian context it is necessary to quote John F McManus who in his book Financial Terrorism stated that ‘Modern terrorism comes in many guises. Far more potent than bombs and guns is the role being played by money in whiplashing America into a new world order ... a basic economic understanding of the nature of money, how it is being corrupted and how it is being silently used to enslave us ... The critical physical situation is the intentional monitory subversion ... frenzy of deﬁcit spending and horrendous national debt.”

BV KUMAR IRS (RETD)

The writer was Director General (Revenue Intelligence) and Director General, Narcotics Control Bureau, government of India. During the Interpol Conference held at Nice in November 1987, he was elected as President of the Drugs Committee which is one of the most important Committees of Interpol. Visiting Lecturer at National Defence College, New Delhi and National Police Academy, Hyderabad. He has co-authored a book “The Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances Laws of India” and authored “The Preventive Detention Laws of India”.

As India battles unabated terror acts it has discovered a worrying trend of country’s banks being used to funnel money by various terrorist organisations in the country. A Finance Ministry internal report found out that banking companies reported a maximum of 11,840 suspicious transactions between 2006 and 2010. Financial institutions and intermediaries followed with the 2,872 and 2,497 suspicious transactions reported respectively during 2006-10.

The report illustrates the growing fear of penetration of terror outfits in the banking and financial system of the country. The suspicious transactions reported are only tip of the iceberg and do not include the transactions effected through the underground banking system. Further these are compounded with counterfeit currency of high denominations which are being circulated amongst the population and sometimes even through the banking system including the ATMs. During the last four years, the government of India was unable to control the high rate of inflation, the closure and collapse of most of the industries resulting in a further downturn of the economy. This has resulted in the dramatic rise in food prices and cost of living. Consequently there was a silent civilian unrest, due to reduced living standards, effectively, for the majority of the population. It is therefore necessary to undertake a serious study to find out whether financial terrorism is being used by our enemies and to what extent India has been a victim of economic subversion. The enemies of our country have discovered that it is easier to thwart India’s ambition to become an economic super power through financial terrorism rather than by a conventional war or known covert / overt terrorist activities.

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

INS Vikramaditya dedicated to the nation P

rime Minister Narendra Modi during his maiden visit to a defence establishment dedicated INS Vikramaditya, the largest warship of the Indian Navy to the nation. INS Vikramaditya, a floating airfield has an overall length of 284 meters and a maximum beam of about 60 meters stretching as much as 3 football fields put together. Standing about 20 storeys tall from keel to the highest point the ship has a total of 22 decks. INS Vikramaditya will carry over 1600 personnel on board.

Dhanush enters ﬁnal lap

fter successful winter trials in the mountains of Sikkim the electronically upgraded indigenous version of the Bofors gun christened Dhanush has now entered the ﬁnal lap of summer trials at Pokhran. As per the reports Dhanush performs 20-25 per cent better than the original Bofors gun in virtually all critical parameters like range, accuracy, consistency, low and high angle of ﬁre and shoot and scoot ability.

India ready for export of weapon systems

LUH for the army

cientiﬁc adviser to the Defence Minister Avinash Chander who is also Director General of DRDO has indicated that many countries have expressed keen interest in acquiring weapon systems and missiles developed by India and government is proposing to lay down a policy framework to tap this export potential. Avinash Chander also conﬁrms that the new government is keen on encouraging and building-up the export potential of many other defence products and weapon systems.

ew government of Narendra Modi is fast-tracking a US$ 1.5 billion deal to acquire 197 Light Utility Helicopters (LUH) for the Indian Army. Defence Ministry headed by Arun Jaitley will be issuing a fresh Request For Proposal (RFP) soon to kick-start the induction process.

ShinMaywa US2i for Indian Navy I

ndo-Japanese defence cooperation will get a well-deserved boost when India concludes a long pending deal for the purchase of 15 US2i amphibious, ﬁxed-wing aircraft during the forthcoming visit to Japan of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

Defence equipment and weapon systems that have export potential include Tejas light combat aircraft, Akash air defence system, Prahar tactical missile system and BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles.

Sudhir Mishra new BrahMos chief

inistry of Defence sources have conﬁrmed that the government has cleared the name of Senior missile scientist Sudhir Mishra for the position of chief of Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace Corp where he will take charge from Dr A Sivathanu Pillai who is retiring after an eventful and distinguished career in the service of the nation.

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

global jihad

MUSHROOMING TENTACLES guerrillas of many Islamic hues predominantly Sunnis. Jihadism with an international pan-Islamist scope was the natural corollary subsequently and got referred to as global jihadism. However, in some Muslim nations there have been some fratricidal sectarian tensions which also led to Sunni-Salaﬁst terrorism against other forms of the Islamic faith namely the Shias, Suﬁs and the Ahmadis.

Escalation

TERROR TRANSCENDING

TERRITORIES

The ‘global jihad’ is a much abused term employed by many jihadi leaders to motivate their flock to acts of extreme violence and its foot soldiers to willingly sacrifice their lives whilst on suicidal missions. Most Muslim scholars emphasise that Islam is a religion promoting peace and harmony and unequivocally condemn the acts of violence against innocents being undertaken by some in the name of ‘jihad’. Though some anti-terror experts feel that the impact of global jihadism has been exaggerated in the past, a glance at worldwide statistics on this issue confirms the growth of this phenomenon.

slamic terrorism spanning increasingly wide swathes of the globe is one of the harsh and enduring realities of our age. The term ‘global jihad’ has seen distinct conceptualisation and usage for the perpetrators of this extreme form of violence have diabolically overworked to give it a religious and worldwide connotation to mask their evil agendas and spread its poisonous ideology. The instrument of unbridled terror fuels this so-called ‘jihad’. The inhuman kidnapping of 236 innocent school girls in Nigeria recently by a Muslim terror outﬁt, the Al Qaeda inspired Boko Haram, the bombing of a shopping centre in the same energy rich nation the other day inﬂicting

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

80 fatalities among innocents, terrorists of the China banned Al Qaeda-supported East Turkestan Islamic Movement carrying out a major terror attack in Urumqi the provincial capital of China’s restive Xinjiang province and the latest attack on the Indian consulate in Herat in Afghanistan by Pakistan’s ISI-sponsored LET terrorists (as conﬁrmed by Afghan President Hamid Karzai) are the latest manifestations of this growing scourge of Islamic terror successfully locating newer playgrounds all across the globe to spread their inhuman footprint.

Interpretation Of Jihad

The ‘global jihad’ is a much abused term employed by many jihadi leaders to motivate their ﬂock to acts

Serious security problems also surfaced in Iraq and Afghanistan consequent to massive US intervention in both these nations. Former CIA officer and later adviser to President Barack Obama, Bruce Reidel, has succinctly opined that the US has had a role in “creating this monster” and promoting “a fertile ground for global jihad” of extreme violence and its foot soldiers to willingly sacrifice their lives whilst on suicidal missions. Simply translated, the Arabic word ‘jihad’ means a ‘struggle’ and in its wider interpretation, ‘jihad’ implies ‘a struggle in the way of Allah.’ Many Muslim scholars opine that ‘jihad’ has two forms, the first and the most important being an “inner spiritual struggle to fulfill one’s religious duties and needs” and the second being “an outer physical struggle” which is against the enemies of Islam and may assume either a violent or non-violent form. However, nowhere is the killing of innocents, the aged, women or children permitted by the tenets of Islam. In its violent form, those who wish to misinterpret the meaning of ‘jihad’ dub it as “a holy war.” Most Muslim scholars emphasise that Islam is a religion promoting peace and harmony and unequivocally condemn the acts of violence against innocents being undertaken by some in the name of ‘jihad’. Though armed jihad has been an intrinsic part of the Islamic faith since time immemorial, in recent times it got a fillip as part of pan-Islamic revivalism in the world, primarily directed against Western thought and its attendant influences dubbed “evil” by certain fiery clerics in the Muslim world. In the early 80s, Islamic fundamentalist ideologies commenced picking up spearheaded by the Al Qaeda network, early on in Saudi Arabia and then elsewhere. The Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in 1979 marshalled

In recent years, asymmetrical conflicts have also arisen between the Muslim Chechens and the Russian government, the Aceh and the Indonesian government, Philippine government and extremist Muslim movements in its Mindanao region, besides conflicts, some fratricidal and others externally abetted in Lebanon, Pakistan, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Egypt (Muslim Brotherhood), Bosnia, Bangladesh (primarily HuJI elements), Myanmar, Malaysia among other nations. Serious security problems also surfaced in Iraq and Afghanistan. These problems have resulted in frequent violent incidents in these nations owing to a host of factors – externally driven and linked to jihadi terror consequent to massive US intervention in both these nations. Former CIA officer and later adviser to President Barack Obama, Bruce Reidel, has succinctly opined that the US has had a role in “creating this monster” and promoting “a fertile ground for global jihad.”

LT GEN KAMAL DAVAR PVSM, AVSM (RETD)

The writer is a distinguished soldier having served in all theatres of operations in his 41 years of service. A veteran of the 65 and 71 operations, he was wounded in action in the 1965 ops. Was the first armoured corps officer to be specially selected to be GOC Ladakh where he implemented many operational and logistical innovations. Has been Chief of Staff of a Corps HQ in Jammu and Kashmir and then as GOC 11 Corps responsible for the defence of Punjab. He was especially selected by the government of India to raise the Defence Intelligence Agency after the Kargil War. After retirement the General writes and lectures on security issues. He is widely known to passionately espouse the cause of jointness in the Indian Armed Forces. As the first DG, DIA, many intelligence initiatives including abroad were taken by him.

In addition and importantly, Pakistan, universally acknowledged as the incubator and epicentre of global terror is itself now suffering from the many terror outﬁts existing in Pakistan. The same terror machine it raised and perfected in pursuance of its nefarious designs in its neighbourhood (India and Afghanistan) has come home to roost and thus levels of near daily violence, most with clearly fundamentalist religious overtones, have been dangerously elevated in Pakistan threatening its very existence. Nevertheless, global jihad, remains, by and large, stateless, unstructured and independent of any monolith organisation but its linkages, support and inspiration to many local and regional fundamentalist organisations, across many nations, is only increasing by the day.

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

global jihad

MUSHROOMING TENTACLES

Terrorist groups comprising various shades of radical Islamists define Pakistan’s current identity as a nation. That Pakistan’s sane civil society is dwindling rapidly and of greater concern is that these fundamentalist elements have rapidly built-up strong linkages with the Pakistani establishment itself including, alarmingly, with the Pak Armed Forces. That Pakistan is a nuclear armed nation makes the terrorist machine existing in Pakistan doubly dangerous for the region Indian Subcontinent: Earlier History

Undivided India, then home to the largest concentration of Muslims in the world, since centuries remained peaceful, barring stray incidents whether among Hindus and Muslims or between Shias and Sunnis. A few communal riots in the pre-independence period had occurred more on local issues than any major differences. The national freedom movement to rid India of the British yoke, largely non-violent, had the willing participation of its Muslim population and the struggle was embellished by many nationalist Muslim leaders. In the mid-20s, a Muslim cleric, Maulana Maududi founded the Jamiat-e-Islami in India. It was he who exhorted his followers that ’jihad’ was pre-eminent to all duties ordained by Islam. His message did find resonance among some in the Indian subcontinent and many seminaries of the Sunni faith in India were influenced by his teachings in the following years. The partition of India, was decidedly on ‘the two-nation theory’ with a clear religious bias, but as Pakistan was created ostensibly for the Muslims of the subcontinent, it is paradoxical that more Muslims within the subcontinent elected to stay back in a secular India than an Islamised Pakistan! Since the tragic events of a communal holocaust in 1947 as an aftermath of the partition of India, it has been a fundamentalised Pakistan, far more than an inclusive multi-religious India, which has been a victim of its own self-destructive policies driven by Islamic extremism, which has contributed to the highly precarious state Pakistan has been driven to. In the last 30 years or so, Pakistan – as acknowleged by the rest of the world – emerged as the major exporter of Islamic terrorism and fountainhead of the global jihad. Most terror links across the world have been found to have a clear Pakistan connection. Thus when US Special Forces attacked and killed Al Qaeda’s supremo Osama bin Laden in the cantonment garrison of Abbottabad in NW Pakistan, three years back, despite Pak’s denials regarding the terror chieftain’s whereabouts, it was no surprise to anyone in the world. Suffice to mention here that throughout the Global War on Terror (launched after the 9/11 devastating strikes in the US), Pakistan has been a focal point of violent Islamist extremism and terrorism. US President Obama had accurately summarised in 2009 while stating that “terrorist attacks in London and Bali were tied to Al Qaeda and its allies in Pakistan as were attacks in North Africa and the Middle East, in Islamabad and Kabul. If there is a major attack on an Asian,

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

European or African city, it, too, is likely to have ties to Al Qaeda’s leadership in Pakistan.”

Bangladesh

The other Muslim nation in the subcontinent, Bangladesh was severed from its parent nation, Pakistan, owing to severe political, economic and social discrimination by the Pakistani establishment of its Bengali eastern wing. Unmindful of the large Muslim population of its eastern wing (far exceeding that in the western wing), the Pakistanis unleashed a reign of terror and the worst atrocities on its Bengali brethren resulting in the latter’s mass exodus to India which led to the Indo-Pak War in December 1971. Bangladesh, thus born in tragic circumstances, notwithstanding its age-old emotional ties to its rich Bengali culture, revered by both the Muslims and its dwindling Hindu population, gradually became fundamentalist in its orientation. It was no surprise that the infamous 1998 “Declaration of the World Islamic Front for Jihad against the Jews and Crusaders”, the signatories, along with Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al-Zawahiri, was Fazlul Rahman, a radical Bengali cleric closely associated with the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami (HuJI) of Bangladesh. HuJI itself became active in Afghanistan in the early 1990s under the patronage of Osama bin Laden. It must be pointed out that the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina is valiantly endeavouring to keep fundamentalist elements in her impoverished nation in check.

Pakistan: Current Terror Overview

For years, Pakistan has employed the instrument of terror, both strategically and tactically, as an extension of its state policy especially directed against India and Afghanistan. Post 9/11 when the US launched its “war on terror” and Islamabad was virtually forced to join Washington albeit in return for both generous financial assistance and military largesse, Pakistan has often been accused both by its mentor, the US and security analysts the world over of ‘ double games’. Pakistan today is home to Islamic terrorists of virtually all hues from different lands and a haven, training ground and a melting pot for global jihadis. However, the same Frankenstein monsters it raised for terror operations primarily against India and Afghanistan are now targeting Pakistan from within. Terrorist groups comprising various shades of radical Islamists define Pakistan’s current identity as a nation. That Pakistan’s sane civil society is dwindling rapidly and of greater concern to well-meaning people in South Asia is that these fundamentalist elements have rapidly built-up strong linkages with the Pakistani establishment itself including, alarmingly, with the Pak Armed Forces. That Pakistan is a nuclear armed nation makes the terrorist machine existing in Pakistan doubly dangerous for the region. Pakistani terrorist groups can be loosely classified into five broad categories. The first are the sectarian groups which are engaged in violence within Pakistan itself like the Sunni Sipah-e-Sahaba and Lashkare-Jhangvi and the Shia Tehrik-e-Jafria which often viciously target each other. The second and a significant

category comprises the anti-Indian group which follow the Kashmir agenda and are fully supported by the Pakistan Army and its notorious Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) such as the Hafiz Saeed led Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) now operating as the Jamat-ud-Dawa, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. The LeT in concert with the ISI had masterminded the Mumbai 26/11 attack. The third group are the Afghan Taliban who are the original Taliban movement founders which has Mullah Mohammad Omar as its leader and is reportedly based in Quetta. Afghan warlords like Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and the Haqqanis owe allegiance to them. The fourth group is the formidable Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) which is a coalition of many terror outfits operating in the restive Federally Administered Tribal Areas and are led by Mullah Fazlullah after the founding Mehsud brothers were killed by US drone strikes – this group is vehemently anti-Pakistan establishment though currently they are engaged in on-off-on talks with the Sharif government in Pakistan. The other group is the original Al Qaeda and its affiliates which were led earlier by the legendary Osama bin Laden and now by Ayman-al-Zawahiri. The latter, though, is engaged primarily in anti-US and Karzai administration operations in Afghanistan is reportedly in hiding in the FATA belt and Quetta alternatively. The other terror groups in Pakistan which cannot be linked as part of any global jihad are those fighting for their independence from the Pakistani state, like the Baluchistan Liberation Army. Pakistan’s alliances with the US, exacerbated by intensive US drone strikes against tribal militants in the FATA region, has further vitiated Pakistan’s relations with its own restive population and with the continuing patronage of Al Qaeda and TTP elements, jihadism is only going to increase in Pakistan and around.

Rise Of The Indian Mujahideen

As reported by the London based newspapaer, The Guardian, last July a cleric linked to the Al Qaeda issued a video statement which asked “Why is there no storm in your ocean?” – reprimanding Indian Muslims for their lack of interest in global jihad. In addition, the Ansar-ut-Tawheed, a new formation linked to Al Qaeda, has been issuing statements including in Hindi, especially after the Indian parliamentary elections calling for Islamic militants across the Middle East and South Asia to attack India and Indian interests overseas. India has been seriously affected, since the late 1980s, in particular, from Pakistan-based non-state actors duly ﬁnanced, trained and armed by state actors namely the Pak Army and its ISI. The list of terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the Indian hinterland are far too numerous to be recalled though their numbers have come down in the past couple of years. Nevertheless, it is to the credit of India’s 140 million Muslims that they have remained resistant to extremist ideologies. However, owing to incessant efforts by Pak’s ISI, a few Muslims have metamorphosed into

a loose and fragmented grouping collectively labelled as the “Indian Mujahideen” (IM). A few not so lethal bombings in the past couple of years within India have been attributed to the IM. Media reports, however, do ascribe a modest growth in the recruits, including a few educated ones, who are ﬁnding their way into the IM – a development which India’s security apparatus will have to carefully monitor. Overall, the Indian state has been successful in managing any Islamic fundamentalism from taking ﬁrm roots in its soil, yet it must always remember that in this age of connectivity and social media, Indian Muslims cannot be shielded permanently from the vitriolic propagandas of extremist Muslim organisations abroad. Thus the Indian government and the newly elected one, in particular, must reach out to them and address effectively any economic and social grievances of the large Muslim population in India, who will always remain a target for Pakistan’s machinations. India’s inclusive policies must always address its biggest minority adequately.

Widespread Spores Of Al Qaeda

The chairperson of the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Dianne Feinstein recently expressed that “terror is not down in the world. It is up, both deaths, injuries in many many different places. Al Qaeda has metastasised.” It is an inalienable fact that most of the troubled regions in the world have been afflicted by extremist jihadi influences. Global problems require solutions which are embellished by genuine global cooperation. Not only sincere intelligence sharing between friendly nations but importantly combating terror financing to completely bottle up the resources of these merchants of death is sine qua non. Most of these terror outfits are masquerading as NGOs and welfare organisations and it is only genuine international cooperation which can detect dubious financial transactions which are subsequently utilised for promotion of terror and other illegal activities. Thus the global jihad has to be firmly confronted by a synergetic and comprehensive global endeavour to make the world a safer place.

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

global jihad

PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS

NEW CHALLENGE

TO WORLD PEACE AND STABILITY

The jihadis of today who operate in different parts of the world can be categorised as: Non-state supported, state sponsored and supported and state directed groups. Such groups operate across the world. It is unfortunate that some of the self-projected, self-sponsored and supported experts in counter-terrorism and unconventional warfare have not bothered to understand and analyse the philosophy and concepts of jihad. In Indian context and against USA non-state supported groups, state sponsored jihadi groups and state directed groups all operate from Pakistan.

he Jihadi Concepts of War which are a product of misinterpreted religious teaching are being redeﬁned and are followed by most of the terrorist organisations all over the world. Jihadi concepts are basically based on anger, intolerance, hate, revenge and destruction. I shall deliberately avoid discussing the religious fundamentalism, relation between religion and terror and the difference between jihad and terrorism. When it comes to the peaceful existence of the human kind, it makes no difference as to under the inﬂuence of which philosophy of jihad the innocent human beings (especially women and children) are being killed all over the world every day.

Age-old Problem

Jihad, terrorism, fundamentalism is not a new problem. This is a challenge that will continue to confront the nations (specially the liberal democracies) of the world till human society survives. The Zealots of Palestine used jihadi (terrorist) tactics in their struggle against the Roman occupation during the ﬁrst century AD. Over the centuries the term ‘jihad’ got associated with the struggle against foreign domination and foreign occupation. It is a phenomenon that has evolved into a highly developed strategy, allowing nations and in some cases small groups to conduct undeclared covert warfare. It is a strategy that is used against nations that are otherwise at peace. In 21st century in areas experiencing

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

extensive conﬂict, it has proven to be an effective tactic that is often used by both sides of the conﬂict. Modern day jihadis / terrorists have moved beyond simple assassination and bombing, they have capabilities that provide them with the potential for killing thousands of people at a time in targeted nation and as a result, threatening the political and economic stability of entire nation.

Types Of Jihadis

The concept of jihad in simple term evolves from the philosophy of struggle of peace, peaceful and meaningful existence, against an evil. However, over the centuries and especially in 20th and 21st century, the concept of jihad has been totally misinterpreted and misunderstood. It has now become a “loose term” used by ill-informed and mentally sick people. The jihadis of today who operate in different parts of the world can be categorised as: Non-state supported, state sponsored and supported and state directed groups. Such groups operate across the world. It is unfortunate that some of the self-projected, self-sponsored and supported experts in counter-terrorism and unconventional warfare have not bothered to understand and analyse the philosophy and concepts of jihad. In Indian context and against USA non-state supported groups, state sponsored jihadi groups and state directed groups all operate from Pakistan. In actual fact there are hardly any visible dividing lines. The

Inter-Services Intelligence of the Pakistan Army controlled, ﬁnanced and directed by the Pakistan government have perfected and mastered the philosophy and the art of jihad. A jihadi movement must have effective leadership and an extensive support structure if it is to survive for any length of time. The leadership needs to have dedicated followers within the group and they need people outside of jihadi groups who will provide overground support such as intelligence collection and fund raising. Since 1980 there has been an increasing involvement and participation of women in jihadi movements across the world. Since the beginning of 21st century most of the jihadi groups have been enrolling a large number of women for jihadi / terrorist activities for obvious reasons women are highly suitable for collection of information, intelligence, transmission of small weapons, carriage of money and inﬁltrating into government mechanism as well as security forces.

Conduits And Carriers

While combating terrorism in Punjab in 1990-1992, tackle combating terrorism in Kashmir during 1994-1996 and later combating insurgency in north-east India, I came across many cases when the ladies and young girls were involved in passing information and small weapons. When I encouraged the concept of surrender by the terrorists, we found many ladies surrendering to the security forces along with communication equipment and radio sets. In Kashmir the terrorists have a ladies wing named as “Dukhtaran-e-Millat” which has been the important functionary of jihad. Many of them even enjoyed state government support in different parts and different forms. In many public and private hospitals ‘nurses’ were specially trained to treat gun-shot wounds. We were able to apprehend few terrorists with the help of nursing staff. SIMI which is a terrorist organisation has a ladies wing functioning for jihad. The concept of “Love Jihad” which started from the state of Kerala has now been adopted by Naxalites and Maoists operating especially in urban areas, cities and townships under the garb of students and information technology professionals. Some of the educated girls are trained to undertake ﬁnancial operations and information collection. Insurgent organisation such as NSCN (IM), ULFA, NDFB have a good number of young girls staying in insurgent camps across the border in Myanmar and Bangladesh and are involved in drug, weapons, narcotics smuggling and passage of funds and information. It is not easy to identify and apprehend the girl operative especially in Indian context. Some of the human rights organisations use these young girls to level false allegations against state police, government ofﬁcials and security forces. For jihadi organisations to survive and succeed, these must also include active and passive supporters. These people are not actually members of the group, but they are sympathetic and supportive of the espoused credo and objective of the movement. The lady supporters are very useful in covert activities. Many of them are also part of above-ground organisations to raise funds for the jihadi cause. In some cases, people contributing to these organisations do not know what the funds will actually be used for. Many of the countries in Europe, Middle East and even some organisations operating from the USA have been the largest fund raisers and providers for the jihadi cause. It is essential to remember that at the heart of every jihadi movement and terrorist act there is an ideology, a

hidden agenda, a publicised goal or objective, a perceived injustice or denial that is as concrete to the terrorist, jihadi, militant, insurgent and fundamentalist as any political leader’s notion of justice or freedom. All over the world, jihad or conﬂicts encompassing jihadi /terrorist activities have proliferated, particularly in developing countries like India and our neighbourhood. LT GEN (DR) DB SHEKATKAR Democracies like India in which PVSM, AVSM, VSM (RETD) free expression (the worst example The writer has served seen during the election campaign in as Additional Director April-May 2014), ideas including General Military political protests, communal Operations and Additional violence, strikes etc are particularly Director General vulnerable to jihadi violence. The Perspective (Strategic) Planning at Army growing number of terrorist attacks, Headquarters, the increasing destructiveness of New Delhi. Presently he terrorists’ weapons and methodology, is the National President connectivity of jihadi organisations, of Forum for India’s co-operation and understanding Integrated National among them, use of information Security and Samarth technology are posing new Bharat Vyas Peeth. challenges and forcing governments all over the world to adopt preventive measures and precautions. This is resulting in siege like atmosphere around government buildings and institutions, embassy complexes, radio-TV stations, shopping malls, airports, railway stations, the residential areas of political leaders, senior government ofﬁcials, corporate executives, are constant reminders that jihad/terrorism is neither limited by distance or by choice of targets. In most of these incidents the role of ladies and young girls is evident. The terrorist attack at shopping mall at Nairobi and involvement of a “white widow” is the latest example.

Networking

A complex web of interaction and relationship between terrorist organisations in different parts of the world is surfacing gradually but surely. Co-operation and connectivity between jihadi organisations, sustained and indoctrinated on religious lines, their supporters, sympathisers and sustainers has also been increasing manifold. There is an emerging concept of “techno-jihad” and “techno-terrorism”. A remote controlled device, bomb or explosive mechanism does not recognise or differentiate between class, education, social-status or gender. Anyone can operate any destructive mechanism. The new emerging trend is that many jihadis belong to well to do families; they are well educated and thoroughly indoctrinated with misguided religion as their base. This is where the ladies and girls get attracted to jihad. The financial / fiscal network supporting jihad / terrorism is very complex and sophisticated and very difficult to detect. Financial sustenance coupled and connected with smuggling of weapons and drugs, hawala operations, kidnapping for ransom, taking hostages are the means of collection of funds for jihad. Many nations finance jihad directly and indirectly. In Indian context it is almost impossible to bring the culprits of illegal financial transactions to book, because the loopholes in the banking, finance, transaction system and also the legal

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

global jihad

PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS

If examined and analysed correctly it should be clear that in future there will be a shift from “destruction of masses” to “disruption of masses”. Disruption will be the key element. There will also be a shift in the focus from “how many killed” to “how quickly killed or destroyed”. Therefore to counter jihad / terrorism there should be shift in our strike and survival capability system. It is only recently that some checks and safeguards have been instituted by government of India.

New Methodologies

Any jihadi organisation in any part of the world to obtain desired result will execute the jihadi / terrorist act:  At a proper time, when the wave of terror will be a complete surprise to the targeted society, nation and the world.  With strength sufficient to disrupt even the strongest and most resistant elements among the target group.  In the form that will have the most damaging psychological effect on the target group, society, nation and the entire world.  One of the concepts of the jihadi organisations is: “You (the jihadi) cannot fight them (India-USA) because they have a large army but you can terrorise them by selective killing!!” If examined and analysed correctly it should be clear that in future there will be a shift from “destruction of masses” to “disruption of masses”. Disruption will be the key element. There will also be a shift in the focus from “how many killed” to “how quickly killed or destroyed”. Therefore to counter jihad / terrorism there should be shift in our strike and survival capability from “survival of the fittest” to “survival of the fastest”. If we do not perfect the concept, mechanism and art of hitting first and hitting fast we will continue to react and suffer.

Jihadi Concepts Of War

The jihadi concepts of war which are a product of misinterpreted religious teaching are being redefined and followed by most of the Jihadi / Terrorist organisations all over the world. Jihadi concepts are basically based on anger, hate, intolerance, revenge and destruction. The resources and energies of the enemy if preserved intact could add to the power of Islamic state. The identification and application of all elements of national power, the ability to locate and conquer the gravitational centre of war and the judicious and effective application of the military instrument of perfect strategy. The central idea which must be noted is “identification of all elements of national power and gravitational centre of war”. It should be clear as to why and how the terrorist selected the targets for air strike on 09/11! Why do they target American Embassies, Indian Parliament, Red Fort, Akshardham, Mumbai on 26/11 and so on … The jihadi war to be planned and waged should be

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

total to the infinite degree. It should be waged on all fronts – internal and external, political and diplomatic, spiritual and psychological, economic and militar … Here will be an ideal situation in which the military strategy, operating as integral component of jihad, the total strategy will produce spectacular result. The analysis of above concept will clearly indicate as to why the successive Pakistani governments and military rulers have used Kashmir as main issue for the furtherance of concept of jihad against India. Bringing economic pressure to bear on one’s opponent and enemy, we will increase our might ceaselessly with long range policy, we will strike at the right moment when the enemy would not dare to offer any resistance and we will achieve our objectives. Even the most powerful economy like USA has suffered a great deal of economic and financial setback due to continuous fighting in Iraq and till now in Afghanistan. It is not easy to achieve victory in this kind of conflict against jihadis, terrorists and terrorism. The nation state must show patience in combating jihad and work thoughtfully and deliberately over extended periods so that jihadi groups are weakened through sheer attrition. No fixed or ambitious time limits can be given or should be expected, which is what most of the armed forces are used to because of the peculiarities and limitations of conventional war.

global jihad

GRIM REALITY

ACTIVE ROLE OF WOMEN IN TERRORISM

John Perkins tells the gripping tale of the years he spent working for an international consulting firm where his job was to convince underdeveloped countries to accept enormous loans, much bigger than they actually needed, for infrastructure development … and to make sure that the projects were contracted to US multinationals. Once these countries were saddled with huge debts, the American government and the international aid agencies allied with it were able, by dictating repayment terms, to essentially control their economies. The US is not the only country indulging in such practices. The greed of almost the entire developed world is creating instabilities in the underdeveloped / developing world.

Counter-jihad Operations

We must always remember the concept of Mahabharata and the philosophy advocated by Chanakya: “If you know your adversary and if you can deter him, you will live in peace for hundred years.” To achieve this, we must ﬁght the war against jihad without losing the lives of our people especially the women and children, without loss of our property and above all our “national pride”. We must ensure the collapse of jihadis, their supporters and sustainers “from within”.

LT GEN VK JETLEY PVSM, UYSM (RETD)

The writer retired as Master General of Ordnance, Army Headquarters. A fourth generation ofﬁcer, who was commissioned into the Infantry in 1965. During 40 years service in the Indian Army he has held various prestigious command and staff appointments which include command of a Brigade deployed in the highest battleﬁeld in the world, a division in the desert and a corps in active insurgency areas. As UN Force Commander in Sierra Leone from November 1999 to October 2000, he executed the highly acclaimed "Operation Khukri" which broke the back of the rebels.

Apart from adapting military, political, diplomatic, ﬁnancial and other means, there is also a need to examine and analyse following aspects to arrest jihadi trends:  What are the motivations of alienation and disaffection which drive men and women – specially the youth towards Jihad, military, terrorism and induce them to take up arms against the established order?  How does a modern lawfully constituted state respond to local rebellions, unrest, terrorism and jihadi movement?  What are the instruments available to the state to combat jihad / terrorism, unrest?  What are the aspects of regional and global co-operation to deal with jihad? Finally we must remember that jihad, terrorism is a weapon of the weak, to take on the powerful. The weak have one weapon: The errors of those who think they are strong!!

“ I’ve never met anyone who wanted to be a terrorist. They are desperate people. ” – John Perkins, author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

ntil the turn of the 21st century, one had really not heard of female terrorists, however, the grim reality of this century is that terrorism is here to stay and that disturbingly, female terrorists are playing a more active part in this reprehensible activity globally. One of the deﬁnitions of terrorism could be the use of violence, threats of violence, intimidation and coercion for achieving a political aim. Terrorists create mayhem and panic to gain attention for

their espoused cause. It is essential therefore to try and understand what is motivating the terrorist to do what he or she does so that remedial steps can be taken. If we were to apply to the human race the analogy of the teachings of Hinduism, which postulates that the cosmic functions of creation, preservation and destruction are personiﬁed by the Holy Trinity represented by Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva / Mahesh the

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

global jihad

GRIM REALITY

Why do “natural creators and preservers” turn “destroyers”. An old quotation by an English poet William Congreve comes to mind. He wrote “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” If we were to substitute the word scorned with words such as demeaned, vilified, shamed, bereaved etc then one indeed has a person whose fury would be boundless. Motivating factors could be the desire to exact revenge for the degrading humiliation of being raped and anguish over sexual violence, death of family members destroyer, then rightfully women would be the chosen ones to stake a claim to the first two cosmic functions viz that of creation and preservation while men are the natural choice as destroyers. That is why when one thinks of terrorism one is likely to associate it with men, giving it a gender bias. Rarely does a thought come to mind that women can be terrorists too. This is because traditionally women are considered to be the gentler sex, literally too and acts of violence are not expected from them. This misconception of women is what makes them deadlier and more effective than their male counterparts. At times female terrorists are more cruel, cold blooded, ruthless, unforgiving and steadfast in their terrorist designs than male terrorists. Let us try and figure out what motivates a person to become a terrorist. Extensive research has revealed that state instability is the most reliable predictor of state-level terrorism (Piazza 2007) and that worldwide terrorist attacks mostly occurred in failed or weak states concentrated in countries in South and SE Asia, the Middle East and Africa (La Free et al 2010). The developed Western World is responsible to a great extent in bringing about this state of affairs. The famous Indian author Arundhati Roy’s views on terrorism as expressed in The Algebra of Infinite Justice 2001 are thought-provoking. She says “Terrorism as a phenomenon may never go away but it can be contained. The first step is for America to at least acknowledge that it shares the planet with other nations, with other human beings who, even if they are not on TV, have loves and griefs and stories and songs and sorrows and, for Heaven’s sake rights” . An American, Sam Harris, echoes Arundhati’s viewpoint in The End of Faith: Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason. He tellingly accuses America for creating instability in the world. To quote him “There is no doubt that the United States has much to atone for, both domestically and abroad.” He talks about genocide of native Americans, slavery, denial of entry to Jews fleeing Hitler and collusion with a long list of modern despots and the utter disregard for their appalling human rights record which has caused so much instability in the world. John Perkins in his book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man tells the gripping tale of the years he spent working for an international consulting firm where his job was to convince underdeveloped countries to accept enormous loans, much bigger than they actually needed, for infrastructure development … and to make sure that the projects were contracted to US multinationals.

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

Once these countries were saddled with huge debts, the American government and the international aid agencies allied with it were able, by dictating repayment terms, to essentially control their economies. The US is not the only country indulging in such practices. The greed of almost the entire developed world is creating instabilities in the underdeveloped / developing world. Apart from the above let us try and understand what other factors motivate women to become terrorists. Why do “natural creators and preservers” turn “destroyers”. While there can be a plethora of reasons, an old quotation by an English poet William Congreve comes to mind. He wrote “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” If we were to substitute the word scorned with words such as demeaned, viliﬁed, shamed, bereaved etc then one indeed has a person whose fury would be boundless. Motivating factors could be the desire to exact revenge for the degrading humiliation of being raped and anguish over sexual violence, death of family members like fathers, husbands, sons and daughters, widowhood and divorce, economic hardship, religious indoctrination, fanatical commitment to ideological beliefs or desire for emancipation and to effect social change.

Tracing Advent Of Terrorism By Females

The advent of terrorism by females is not a recent phenomenon as most people believe. Women have been playing a role in terrorism since long. They have existed in Africa, West Asia / Middle East, South Asia, SE Asia and Europe. Earlier their role was a more passive one, restricted to indoctrination, propaganda, radicalisation, arranging finances, gathering intelligence, organising logistics, providing safe houses and sometimes even gunrunning, in other words in activities that assisted male terrorists. This is not the case any longer. Female terrorists are now involved in active terrorist activities and have proved to be imminently successful. Apart from their unquestionable dedication and devotion to the task at hand female terrorists are normally highly innovative eg hiding explosives and bombs under their clothing like the IRA female bombers strapped with explosives disguised as pregnant women. They are also more successful in disguising their intentions. They are less prone to be body searched because in many countries it is culturally unacceptable to body search women. They are also less prone to be questioned and interrogated in the way men are. They raise fewer suspicions and take advantage of fewer female security personnel and gender biased enforcement to get closer to their targets. Dhanu’s assassination of Rajiv Gandhi is a case in point. Women terrorists have been historically active with separatist militant groups such as the Basque Separatist Group (ETA) of Spain, the Rote Armee Fraction (RAF) of Germany, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of Sri Lanka and closer home the Dukhtaran-e-Millat of Jammu and Kashmir, although this is soft terrorist outfit not a group involved in violence, they espouse the cause of separation from India and accession to Pakistan and are affiliated to the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC).

Female Terrorists In Militant Groups

Since the late 1990’s women terrorists have been involved

with militant groups like the Hamas of Palestine, Islamic Jihad and Chechen groups and, in the last decade with the Al Qaeda inspired terrorist activities. In the West the IRA of Ireland used women terrorists extensively for suicide bombing missions. In Africa many terrorist groups have women as an integral part of their cadre. The Lords Resistance Army (LRA) an insurgent group established in 1987 in Uganda, operates in Uganda, South Sudan, DRC and Central African Republic. They have captured women as old as 29 years and girls as young as 9 years. It is assumed that 16 per cent of the girls are made to participate in combat roles and a quarter of them were forced to beat, cut and murder other abductees, civilians and even family members. In Sierra Leone the biggest and most ruthless militant group was the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). They abducted children and inducted them into combat. Approximately 30 per cent of their cadre were women and girls and they were forced to indulge into acts of violence against the government and the civilian population. The ﬁrst known example of a female suicide bomber was in 1985 in Lebanon when a Syrian female terrorist attacked an Israeli military patrol. In Iraq the ﬁrst suicide attack by a female terrorist in 2003 and this trend has only increased with time. In 2005 a Belgian female terrorist by the name of Mureel Degaugue, who had been converted to Islam, exploded a bomb in a vehicle which killed her and injured another. Female Chechen terrorists called the “Black Widows” are responsible for several terrorist attacks on Russians. In 2009 an American woman terrorist by the name of Coleen La Rose was arrested on charges of attempting to assassinate Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks who depicted the Prophet with the body of a dog. In 2010 a female terrorist by the name of Roshanara Choudhry attempted to assassinate British MP Stephen Timms for his support of British involvement in Iraq. In the same year Taliban trained female terrorists have conducted suicide attacks in Afghanistan. Again in 2010, a female suicide bomber killed 45 people and injured over a 100 others in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The list of female terrorist attacks is a long one, the incidents given above are but a few examples. A researcher Karla Cunningham wrote in her blog of 04 April 2012 that since 1985, terrorism’s so called “invisible women” have accounted for a quarter of fatal attacks in Iraq, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Chechnya, Sri Lanka, Morocco and Palestine. By mid 2008 Sunni female suicide bombers attacked Shia patronised markets in Iraq 21 times. In Chechnya, Sri Lanka and Turkey women terrorists have carried out 50 per cent of the suicide attacks.

Conclusion And A Solution To The Problem

Terrorism is here to stay and the involvement of women terrorists is also a grim reality that cannot be wished away. Indeed, terrorist organisations the world over have recognised the value of using female terrorists for the achievement of

Female terrorists are normally highly innovative eg hiding explosives and bombs under their clothing like the IRA female bombers strapped with explosives disguised as pregnant women. They are less prone to be body searched because in many countries it is culturally unacceptable to body search women. They are also less prone to be questioned and interrogated in the way men are. They raise fewer suspicions and take advantage of fewer female security personnel and gender biased enforcement to get closer to their targets. Dhanu’s assassination of Rajiv Gandhi is a case in point their evil designs, because for reasons such as appearance and behaviour etc women in many ways make better terrorists. Daring acts by women terrorists make them role models to other potential female terrorists. Since gender inequality has always been the bane of women especially those coming from repressed societies, the lure of appreciation, recognition and prestige bestowed on women who embrace terrorism excites many to follow this path towards so called “emancipation.” While women can be motivated to become hard core terrorists, they can equally be motivated to counter terrorism, for the same qualities that make them terrorists can help them in countering terrorism. They can for example prevent their children from becoming victims of the culture of extremism. They can become intelligence agents and help authorities to counter terrorism by providing advance information of impending acts of terrorism and the recruitment of other females into the ranks of the terrorists. Counter terrorism programmes are focusing more and more on de-radicalisation through education and dialogue. Increases in aid for poverty alleviation programmes will also help in the process of deradicalisation. Disengagement of a person from a particular cause can be achieved by providing a non-violent yet appealing alternative to terrorism. On a positive note it is heartening to discover that counter terrorism programmes are already running successfully in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Germany and in many other countries.

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

global jihad

NEGOTIABLE PARAMETERS?

TALKING TO THE TALIBAN Insurgency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has created an alarming situation for Pakistan. Country’s internal security looks critical and primed for an implosion. Post-elections, the PML-N government pushed the peace agenda with political and religious parties. While initiating peace talks Pakistan government has overlooked the traditional wisdom of negotiation ie ‘to negotiate from a position of advantage’.

people and threatened the existence of minorities – the Shias, Ahmadias, Christians, Hindus and Kalash. With 1,717 terror attacks in 2013, Pakistan is one of the most dangerous places in the world to live.

Force Multiplier Against India

It has not happened overnight. Successive dictators and governments in Pakistan have supported extremist ideology and patronised terror organisations to wage Jihad against Soviet Russia, Afghanistan and India. Unwavering support from the clerics and religious parties transformed this ideology into a mass appeal. The state apparatus, mainly Pakistan’s army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), exercised strict control over the terrorists and raised them as ‘force-multiplier’, in the eventuality of war against India. The same terrorists have now turned rogue and are audaciously taking on the army, paramilitary forces and private militias of pro-government Maliks and Wazirs in KP and FATA; posing an existential threat to the State. The TTP, a loose conglomeration of some 40 terrorist outﬁts has emerged as the most vicious of all terror groups in Pakistan. Its regional commanders control large areas of KP, FATA and across Durand Line. Apart from tribal areas, TTP’s writ runs in the metropolitan cities of Pakistan where its cadres indulge in targeted killings, terror strikes, extortion and drug running.

Pak Army’s Limited Gains

During the initial phases of Operation Enduring Freedom, Pakistan Army had undertaken operations along the Pakistan-Afghan border to help the Americans. On its own, the army has conducted Operations Al Mizan (2002-06), Zalzala (2008) and Rah-e-Nijat (2009-10) in South Waziristan and during 2007-09, Operation Sher Dil in Bajaur and Operations Rah-e-Haq and Rah-e-Rast in Swat and Malakand against TTP and Tehreek-e-Nifaze-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM) with mixed results. Post Lal Masjid operation in 2007, military actions against the TTP were intensiﬁed. The force level deployed for these operations has been staggering − equivalent to two to three army corps and additional paramilitary forces. Fighter jets, helicopter gunships and heavy artillery have been used liberally against civilian targets, which led to large scale displacement of local population and collateral damage.

ountainous border region of Pakistan and Afghanistan, straddling the Durand Line is in fact, the epicentre of global terrorism. Its tremors are felt not only in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but also in the Middle East, Central Asia, Russia, China and South Asia. Restive tribal lands are a safe haven for al-Qaeda, Afghan Taliban, Haqqani network, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), foreign terrorists, drug lords and gunrunners. Spurred by ongoing withdrawal of ISAF-NATO forces from Afghanistan, power equations in the region are changing rapidly. Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) has created an alarming situation for Pakistan. Country’s internal security situation looks critically primed for an implosion. On 19 February 2014, while brieﬁng the National Assembly’s

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

Security forces have borne the brunt of the conﬂict. If the casualty rates of security forces vis-à-vis terrorists are any indication, the army and paramilitary forces seem to be on the back foot. See Table.

Standing Committee on Interior, Pakistan’s State Minister for Interior stated that the terror outﬁts like TTP, al-Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi posed a credible threat to not only the restive KP and FATA but also to Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan and Federal Capital of Islamabad. Terrorist violence in Pakistan has grown over the years to assume this demonic proportion. Since 2001, it has consumed over 54,000 lives, displaced over three million

Percentage Rise/ decline from previous year

Civilian Fatalities

Despite full-ﬂedged military operations, terrorists’ fatalities have drastically declined – either there are no more terrorists to kill or the security forces are shy of taking on them. In an interview, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan had quoted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and General Kayani, ex-Chief of Army Staff that chances of success of a military operation against the TTP were just 40 per cent. Incensed by such insinuation from a politician, Pakistan Army released its casualty ﬁgures which showed that between September 2013, when an all party conference took unanimous decision to initiate peace dialogue with TTP till February 2014, 114 army personnel and 38 police personnel were killed in terrorist violence.

Short-lived Accords

COLONEL US RATHORE (RETD)

The writer is a risks and threats analyst and defence and security expert. He is founding member of Centre for Land Warfare Studies. Colonel is associated with Security Sector Skill Development Council and has been instrumental in drafting National Occupational Standards for Private Security Sector – ﬁrst of its kind in India.

Peace accords are nothing new in the turbulent history of KP and FATA. Shakai Peace Agreement (2004) with Nek Muhammad Wazir, Sararogha Agreement

(2005) with Baitullah Mehsud, Swat Agreement (2008) and Malakand Accord (2009) were all short-lived, where terror organisations went back on their promises after extracting concessions and funds from the government. In North Waziristan Agency (NWA), an agreement

Percentage Rise/ decline from previous year

Security Forces Fatalities

Percentage Rise/ decline from previous year

Terrorist Fatalities

Percentage Rise/ decline from previous year

Year

Total Fatalities

2010

7435

1796

469

5170

2011

6303

(-) 15.22

2378

(+) 32.40

765

(+) 63.11

2800

(-) 45.84

2012

6211

(-) 1.45

3007

(+) 24.45

732

(-) 4.31

2472

(-) 11.71

2013

5379

(-) 13.39

2744

(-) 8.74

676

(-) 7.65

1702

(-) 31.72

Source: South Asia Terrorism Portal

Table: Terrorist Violence Fatalities in Pakistan –(2010-13) July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

global jihad

NEGOTIABLE PARAMETERS?

In the run up to May 2013 General Elections, terrorist violence had spiked in Pakistan. The TTP targeted the election rallies of PPP, Awami National Party (ANP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) so viciously that the parties, in order to avoid casualties to their leaders and workers had to call off the election campaigns with Hafiz Gul Bahadur – a Waziri and pro-government Taliban was signed in 2008. In the run up to May 2013 General Elections, terrorist violence had spiked in Pakistan. The TTP targeted the election rallies of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) so viciously that these parties, in order to avoid casualties to their cadres had to call off the election campaigns. Surprisingly, political parties like Pakistan Muslim League − Nawaz (PML-N), PTI and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam − Fazl (JUI-F) remained unscathed and had a smooth electioneering, even in KP and FATA. During electioneering about 130 people lost their lives in 119 incidents of pre-poll violence. This selective and focused intimidation by TTP had a telling effect on the electoral prospects of PPP, ANP and MQM, who fared badly at the hustings. Post-elections, the PML-N government pushed the peace agenda with political and religious parties. On 9 September, an all-party conference mandated the federal government to initiate peace dialogue with TTP. Biting the peace bait, Hakimullah Mehsud, the elusive commander of TTP surfaced from his mountain hideouts and was roaming about freely in NWA, his stronghold. On 1 November, a hellfire missile fired from a US drone killed him at the entrance of his house in Miramshah, the main town in NWA. Hakimullah carried a reward of US$ five million on his head.

The Rise Of Fazlullah

Killing of Hakimullah Mehsud not only derailed the peace initiative but also strained the Pakistan-US relations. The mantle of TTP, so far a preserve of Mehsud tribe since its incorporation in 2007, was passed on to Mullah Fazlullah, a non-Mehsud and TTP commander of Swat, KP. Fazlullah and his men had controlled scenic Swat Valley from 2007-09 and unleashed a reign of terror there. A large scale operation by Pakistan Army was launched to dislodge the Taliban and TNSM militants from Swat. Mullah Fazlullah ﬂed to neighbouring Kunar province of Afghanistan and is controlling the operations of TTP from there. Fazlullah has been responsible for mounting some brutal attacks on army and has vowed to continue armed struggle until Sharia law is enforced in the country. In January, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif nominated a four-member team to hold talks with TTP. Soon, TTP responded by nominating its ﬁve-member team comprising Imran Khan − the PTI chief, Mufti Kifayatullah of JUI-F, Maulana Samiul Haq − father of the Taliban, Maulana Abdul Aziz − former chief cleric of the Lal Masjid and Professor Mohammad Ibrahim of Jamaat-i-Islami. Embarrassed by such overt solicitation Imran Khan and Mufti Kifayatullah promptly declined to be part of parleys on behalf of TTP. Later on, Maulana Abdul Aziz too excused himself demanding removal of condition of holding talks under the Constitution of Pakistan. After preliminary meetings the government too changed its team, which is now defunct because of interruptions in talks. In February, during the preliminary talks, TTP struck, killing 13 policemen in a suicide attack in Karachi. The government, in order to keep talks on track did not react sharply over the killings. But, three days later TTP, released a gruesome video of beheading of 23 Frontier Corps men, whom it had kidnapped in 2010. Mohmand Agency TTP chief Umar Khalid Khurasani, claimed the responsibility and said that killings were in retaliation of custodial killings of TTP cadres. Irrationality has been the hallmark of TTP; past events show that it does not desist from carrying out sensational terror attacks even during the negotiations.

Internecine Fight

The government has realised that with Mullah Fazlullah at the helms, peace negotiations have little chance of

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

Analysts feel that the feud has been carefully engineered by the ISI. Mehsuds are a divided house. If Mullah Fazlullah and other hardliner commanders like Umar Khalid Khurasani are isolated, TTP will lose its steam. More targeted killings of TTP commanders like the killing of Asmatullah Shaheen Bhittani − member of TTP’s Jirga (High Council) on 24 February in NWA can be expected in FATA, KP and neighbouring Afghanistan.While intelligence agencies may have succeeded in creating a rift amongst Mehsuds, Waziris, a dominant tribe under Haﬁz Gul Bahadur in NWA revoked peace treaty with government over conduct of air strikes in NWA. Government cannot afford to antagonise Waziri tribesmen at this juncture due to their demographic domination in North and South Waziristan.

Sensational Attacks

Aghast by brutal killing, the government snapped communication with TTP negotiators and as expected launched air strikes on TTP strongholds in North and South Waziristan, Khyber Agency, Tirah and Hangu claiming to have killed many terrorists. The peace initiative has been punctuated by terror strikes by TTP and retaliatory air strikes by army.

success. In comparison to Mullah Fazlullah, Mehsuds − a dominant faction of TTP are more amenable to talks, but an internecine ﬁght for supremacy has broken out within Mehsud tribe in North and South Waziristan. Skirmishes between ﬁghters owing allegiance to either Sheheryar Mehsud or Khan Said Sajna have claimed over 100 lives since March. The feud is so intense that Mullah Omar, the Amir of Afghan Taliban had to intervene through intermediaries. In May, Khan Said Sajna severed his ties with TTP and formed a new faction, Halqa Mehsud Group – albeit pro-government.

Peace initiative has been marred by terror strikes by TTP, air strikes by army and air force and undercover operations by intelligence agencies. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his party stand isolated as other political parties and army have begun distancing themselves from the peace initiative. Peace negotiators were able to convince TTP for announcing a ceaseﬁre which lasted for 40 days, but the talks could not make any headway. Something spectacular was expected from Mullah Fazlullah, whose leadership in TTP has been subverted and challenged. It was delivered in the form of a terror attack on Karachi’s international airport on 8 June along with a less publicised attack on Shia pilgrims at Taftan – a sleepy town on Pakistan-Iran border. In both the attacks 41 people have lost their lives.

Internal security situation in Pakistan calls for an introspection by the government, army and ISI. Though reeling under the terror backlash, Pakistan still cannot resist the temptation of nurturing terrorist organisations inimical to India and Afghanistan Military Option – End State?

Internal security situation in Pakistan calls for an introspection by the government, army and ISI. Reeling under the terror backlash, Pakistan still cannot resist the temptation of nurturing terrorist organisations inimical to India and Afghanistan. Pakistan is trying to ‘normalise’ situation in FATA and KP, before US leaves Afghanistan by the year end, so that it can play a lead role in determining the destiny of vulnerable Afghanistan and restart militancy in Kashmir. It will be a major security challenge for India, if Pakistan can win over the TTP and channalises its battle-hardened cadres towards Kashmir and frees its army formations currently engaged in FATA and KP for employment on its Eastern borders with India. Since beginning of peace initiative, Pakistan Army has been advocating a military option against the TTP. The army and air force have been resorting to aerial bombardment in FATA since March 2014, claiming spectacular success against the militants and suppressing collateral damages inflicted on the civilians. Army’s over-confidence of winning this asymmetrical conflict smacks of bravado of its Generals, who are unmindful of the fate of the previous military operations conducted since 2002 in the same area. Nevertheless, as expected, on 15 June 2014, Pakistan Army has launched Operation Zarb-e-Azb (meaning sharp and cutting) in NWA against foreign and local militants. Irrespective of its outcome, a military operation is going to unite the Pashtuns living on either side of the Durand Line. Though the army will try to localise it within the NWA, but the conflict zone is likely to spread into other areas of FATA and KP. The operation has triggered a large scale internal displacement of local population and collateral damage, which is going unreported in the media. While initiating peace talks with TTP Pakistan government has overlooked the traditional wisdom of negotiation ie ‘to negotiate from a position of advantage’. Talking to the Taliban at this juncture, when KP and FATA are under their control, rest of the country seems within their reach and military operations against them have proved ineffective in the past, was like suing for peace from the victor. With peace initiative dead and a military offensive unleashed, Pakistanis await fresh wave of human tragedy and more terror attacks with bated breath.

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

global jihad

SOUTH ASIAN NEXUS

WOMEN IN TERRORISM SUBCONTINENTAL MILIEU

According to a human rights report prepared by Canada’s Foreign Affairs Department, most of the Afghan women have been considering suicide bombing as a suitable option to escape from the violence and brutality of their daily lives. Terrorist groups are providing training to women in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). In 2006, Indian as well as American intelligence agencies confirmed that hundreds of young women were being trained at several terror camps in PoK.

omen’s involvement in terrorism is not a new phenomenon. More than three decades ago, women were ﬁrst used as terrorists by several secular groups worldwide. In the post-cold war era, estimates showed the worldwide active involvement of women in over half of 70 insurgent groups. Since 1980 to 2000, the number of female suicide attackers increased from 8 to over 100 and they were actively playing role in Afghanistan, India, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Pakistan, Russia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Uzbekistan. The changes in such trends have taken place in the post-9/11 era. Now women are directly engaging in violent activities, notably as suicide bombers. Women have vigorously carried out terrorist attacks in different places of the world. According to the Center for Terror Analysis (CTA), women have largely carried out suicide attacks in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Chechnya and Russia. At present, most of the extremist groups are also using women as an important tool of their terrorist activities. According to the United Nations’ National Counterterrorism Strategy Report of 2011, terrorist groups, such as the Al Qaeda and the Taliban continue to exploit uniquely female motivations as a tool of recruiting female suicide bombers for attacking the United States’ soldiers and international aid workers. For decades, extremist groups, notably Al Qaeda,

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

Taliban, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Muqami Tehrik-e-Taliban (MTT), Punjabi Taliban and other militant outﬁts have been recruiting women for their terrorist activities.

Female Terrorism In South Asia

Afghanistan. The Afghan government reports that Taliban insurgents used an 8-year-old girl with a bag of explosives in order to execute attacks at police check post in central Afghanistan. The interior ministry said, “The insurgents handed over a bag with a homemade bomb to an 8-year-old girl and asked her to take it to police forces”.

bombing. On the same day, nearly 7 people were killed at Pakistani city of Peshawar due to the blasts of two bombs, whereas one of these was carried out by a female suicide bomber.

The Telegraph says that an Afghan female suicide bomber of Hezb-e-Islami killed a British woman with explosives at Kabul’s international airport on September 18, 2012. The Hufﬁngton Post says, on January 06, 2014, a young girl, aged between 8 to 10 was arrested when she tried to carry out suicide attack wearing suicide vest at a border police checkpoint in southern Helmand province. According to a human rights report prepared by Canada’s Foreign Affairs Department, most of the Afghan women have been considering suicide bombing as a suitable option to escape from the violence and brutality of their daily lives.

Terrorist groups are providing training to women in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). In 2006, Indian as well as American SULTANA YESMIN intelligence agencies confirmed The writer is a Research that hundreds of young women Assistant at Bangladesh were being trained at several Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) terror camps in PoK. According Dhaka, Bangladesh. to the sources of Indian Army officials, the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) was raising a group of 21 female terrorists at its training camps in PoK in January 2012 for carrying out sabotage in India. It was also reported that female terrorist operatives were functioning in as many as 42 active terror training camps in PoK. Intelligence agencies stated in a secret report that Dukhtareen-e-Toiba (DeT) trained 68 female fighters, aged between 19 and 23 years in Muzaffarabad, in PoK in September 2013. On June 16, 2013, intelligence officials revealed that a female suicide bomber attacked a bus carrying students of Sardar Bahadur Khan Women’s University. Around 25 people, including the deputy commissioner of Quetta, 14 students and 4 nurses were killed during that incident.

Pakistan

Taliban, Al Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and other militant outﬁts are mostly functional in Waziristan, a region bordering Afghanistan as their safe haven. In December 2010, the ﬁrst female suicide terrorist attack occurred in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), a semi-autonomous tribal region in north-western Pakistan, where nearly 45 people were killed and about 100 were injured.

Moreover, Lashkar-e-Jabbar is another most secretive religious terrorist outﬁt in Pakistan that has long been recruiting women to successfully manoeuvre terrorist activities. This group is providing training to women in burqas in Pakistan’s autonomous tribal region.

According to CNN, a young female suicide bomber set off a blast in Pakistan in 2010 that killed at least 46 people and injured 105 others at a World Food Programme ration distribution point. According to the report of the Christian Science Monitor, a woman killed herself in north-western Pakistan on August 11, 2011 through suicide

Afghanistan

The recruitment of women in terrorism has brought about a paradigm shift in the tactics of Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. In June 2010, Taliban admitted the responsibility for a suicide attack done by a woman in

According to the sources of Indian Army officials, the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) was raising a group of 21 female terrorists at its training camps in PoK in January 2012 for carrying out sabotage in India. It was also reported that female terrorist operatives were functioning in as many as 42 active terror training camps in PoK. Intelligence agencies stated in a secret report that Dukhtareen-e-Toiba (DeT) trained 68 female fighters, aged between 19 and 23 years in Muzaffarabad, in PoK in September 2013

India

Terrorist activities have become a common feature in India in recent years, where from 2008 to 2010 more than 15 major terrorist strikes have occurred. India’s police and intelligence reports also warn that Indian women are crucially increasing their role in domestic terrorist attacks. For example, Indian police arrested Fahmeeda Syed Mohammed Haneef for her involvement in the 2003 Mumbai Terrorist Attack. The 45-year-old Fatima Khan was arrested in the allegation of her close connection with militant groups

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

global jihad

and of being the longstanding chief of operations for underworld criminal Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel, two of the most highlighted terrorists in the entire region. Dukhtaran-e-millat (DeM), another terrorist group is primarily operated by female terrorists in the Kashmir Valley. According to Times of India, a woman was arrested for 12 bomb blasts in May 2008, at Jaipur.

Nepal And North-east India

Women have been an active part of the Communist Party of India or Maoists and the numbers had increased since the late 1990s. The intelligence agencies have been alarmed by the growing nexus between the Maoists and insurgent groups in north-east India. India’s Maoist rebel groups are increasingly engaging more women for their operations. According to BBC, Rebecca, a tribal girl of north-east India, is a bodyguard of a local area commander of India’s Maoist rebel group in the eastern Indian state of Orissa. According to the report of Times of India, women constitute about 30 per cent of Maoist extremists and the number of attacks by Maoist women cadres has increased perceptibly. It is also said that Maoists use women as a human shield during attacks. Intelligence reports also say, in the beginning of 2010, the number of female Naxalite cadre increased to 60 per cent.

Sri Lanka

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) started recruiting women as early as 1979 and established the ﬁrst women’s training camp in 1984. Therefore, since 1987, LTTE had become one with the most female militants where women had engaged in 30 to 40 suicide bombings. On

global jihad

SOUTH ASIAN NEXUS

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

VICIOUS CIRCLE

November 11, 1995, an LTTE female suicide bomber exploded herself near the Slave Island Railway Station in Colombo causing the death of 15 children, a police personnel and a Sri Lankan soldier. On February 06, 1998, a female suicide cadre exploded herself near the Rio Cinema at Slave Island that killed 6 soldiers and 2 civilians. According to Jane’s Intelligence Review, LTTE performed 168 suicide attacks from 1980 to 2000, whereas about 30 per cent of women were involved. Like other militant outﬁts, eg Chechen extremists and militant groups in Palestine, the number of female LTTE bombers was put at more than one-fourth of the total bombers and women are participating in terrorist attacks in large scale rather than their male counterparts. According to a source of Sri Lankan government, from 2002 out of total 17,648 LTTE casualties, 3,766 were women. One of the most notorious incidents was the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. Dhanu, an LTTE woman suicide bomber, assassinated Mr Gandhi, when he was attending an election rally at Sriperumbudur, southern India on May 21, 1991. LTTE also recruited women as suicide squad in the name of Suthantira Paravaigal meaning ‘Birds of Freedom’.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh also faced a series of suicide attacks by Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Harkat-ul-Jihad-Al Islami (HuJI), and Shahadat-e-al Hikma etc largely from 2005 to 2007. These militant outﬁts strategically used women in order to avoid suspicion towards them. As a result, security forces could not collate strong evidence on female activists of these terrorist groups. For instance, a Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) ofﬁcial said, “We did not have any evidence that JMB has a woman wing or trained woman members”. The women’s support in JMB was suspected after the detention of the wife of Bangla Bhai, a premier religious extremist in Bangladesh. JMB constituted a ‘female hit squad’ in order to carry out grenade attacks. To expand Islamic ideas and religious teaching, JMB established a women branch with around 10 to 12 women in each cell during 2004. Police detained a number of alleged JMB female militants in the early 2009. For instance, a woman named Noor Jahan was arrested at the JMB den at Khartoil in Gazipur in 2009. In 2009, police also arrested four more JMB operatives including a woman named Nasrin from three separate houses at Board Bazar area in Gazipur and seized two grenades. These women were trained to produce grenades as well as to defuse them. Police also arrested Sultana Razia, the leader of female section of JMB from Iqbalpur in 2009. In short it can be said that, South Asia has long been one of the most vulnerable regions in terms of women’s involvement in terrorist activities. The recent portrait of violence shows how women are increasingly being involved in South Asian terrorism. In order to combat the new emerging threat, South Asian countries need to take comprehensive counter-terrorism efforts. The regional law enforcement and intelligence agencies need to be more alert to the innovative methods of these militant groups. There should also be some regional attempts with a view to combating trans-border violent activities by females in the region.

ARJUN SINGH

FINANCIAL TERRORISM AND COUNTER-OPERATIONS

The writer is an independent Cyber Adviser with close to 15 years of combined experience in management consulting, business development, programme management, IT Due Diligence, cyber (critical infrastructure protection), anti-fraud (process validation, Sarbanes-Oxley audits), computer forensics, penetration testing, third party risk management, global and regional IT transformation projects (includes design and response to Request for Proposal, vender evaluation and selection, solution architecture and deployment, services and security management standards). He has previously worked with Ernst & Young, KMPG, Accenture and Xansa.

The recent developments in Iraq and Syria bring in a new but yet related perspective. A matter of even graver concern is the hostage crisis involving 40 Indians said to be held by the ISIS. Going by media reports in the public domain, negotiations could be based on ransom money or the release of terrorists.

he ability to freeze financial assets of banned terrorist organisations, enforce economic and financial sanctions against countries and high net worth individuals known to deviate from international norms can be largely attributed to global actions. For example, joint coordination and information sharing (especially across various member countries that are part of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as well as all UN member countries that ratified protocols to counter money laundering, hawala transactions etc and to a great extent because much of global trade is dealt in dollars and the US banking system drives the global economy. The most recent economic sanctions imposed against Russia is a case in point, which is said to have had a major impact on the economy of Russia, as a consequence of which Russia is now in recession. Agreeably, when it comes to dealing with financial terrorism there is no ‘one’ definite solution to this problem and therefore a multilateral approach involving the range of ‘all’ possible options. As we’ve seen in the past, foreign governments have paid ransom money

either to terrorist organisations or pirates to secure the release of their citizens. However, this situation is further compounded by the fact that the money exchanged between the parties is more than likely to re-enter the global ﬁnancial system either through legitimate or illegal ways and possibly be used directly or indirectly against the same country involved in the transaction or against others in order to maximise the impact globally.

BRICS Initiative

In recent times, the BRICS countries have concluded various rounds of summits to set up a central bank for the developing economies. There have been statements leading to the fact that this is an attempt to not just boost economic activity through financing of infrastructure projects, but is a break-away from its Western counterparts (particularly its financial system), given the less confidence and trust in the US dollar value. From a risk-reward model perspective, it appears so that each participating country will not benefit uniformly (given the size of its economy and contribution, while the risks would be spread across

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

global jihad

VICIOUS CIRCLE

all the members. Iran and Venezuela are also likely to be part of this model, both of which had made headlines until recently, be it the ongoing sanctions imposed on Iran and Venezuela now featuring among three other countries the lowest in its ranking as far as human trafficking (reference to the TIP 3-tier compliance report released recently by the US State Department and subsequently may be denied US humanitarian aid) is concerned. While we still are a long way before the US$ 100 billion central bank is established and a new currency such as the BRICSO may come into effect. The proposed setup will redefine the existing landscape and therefore should not be perceived as a solution to counter financial terrorism but instead information sharing resources between countries will have to keep pace with this change.

Indian Interests

The recent developments in Iraq and Syria bring in a new but yet related perspective. It clearly appears that the ISIS which is reported to be financially strong considering that its fight in Syria is said to be funded by neighbouring Sunni based countries and now as it gains ground is said to be within 40 miles of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad has amassed huge assets (both military and financial) post taking over Mosul (the second largest city). It is estimated that approximately half a billion dollars’ worth of assets (currency notes and gold) have been seized by the ISIS as a result of widespread looting of banks in Mosul. A matter of even graver concern is the hostage crisis involving 40 Indians said to be held by the ISIS. Going by media reports in the public domain, negotiations could be based on ransom money or the release of terrorists. In addition, if the largest refinery in Iraq, based in Kirkuk is taken over by the ISIS, the oil crisis will either force neighbouring oil or gas exporting countries to increase production or the global crude price will touch unprecedented levels. Let us not for a moment assume that at the time of seizure of the financial assets, there is a possibility of recovery, or for that matter the money has not already exchanged hands throughout the terrorist network organisation. Therefore, in essence we are now challenged with both financial and an economic terrorism. Following related ongoing developments, the US is considering various options to safeguard its interests (such as its 5,600 member staff working at its Baghdad embassy, also its largest in the world with a huge investment involving close to a billion dollars of tax payers money). Consider the financial loss it would suffer, in addition to the nearly 1.7 trillion dollars spent on war during the past 12 years, if the US compound was left to the militant groups in the event all embassy staff were to be evacuated. Although, some analysts would argue that this may not be possible since Baghdad is predominantly Shia community based and many are stepping forward to volunteer to fight against the ISIS, with external support provided by the US. However, consider a scenario wherein Baghdad was indeed in the hands of the ISIS. In effect, this would mean that all critical assets such as banking and finance, communications and air assets would be at their disposal. Individuals who are well versed with the Iraq crisis pre- and post-Saddam Hussein era have publicly

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

acknowledged that mistakes have been committed and therefore the options for US to not enter Iraq in a combat role, gives India an opportunity to consider being involved especially when the threat is direct and indirect to India’s national interests (reference to a recent update in the public domain highlighting ISIS intent against India and Indian citizens living and working abroad). Being involved in reconstruction efforts and / or working out a comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy with our international alliances (as is being talked about by the Obama administration more recently) is more than likely to boost our political objectives and safeguard our security interests.

Restrict Volunteerism

Global leaders have commented openly with regards to the challenges and ill outcomes resulting due to intervention and non-intervention such as was the case with Syria and now Iraq. If at all we have to prosper economically, then it is time for India to weigh in more on its leadership capabilities at the global level. A recent report of mass volunteers willing to engage with the ISIS across several countries further highlights a new and yet even more grave concern if volunteers are allowed to leave and return back to their host country after being involved in armed (sectarian) conﬂict. While most nations would want to keep away from being involved in such a crisis, the purpose is defeated if its citizens are allowed to participate, for very obvious reasons. In a recent media interview, a top foreign military commander’s views were that both Syria and Iraq had air power and were completely capable of stalling ISIS advancements, therefore from a matter of foreign relations hopefully the governments of the day across countries will ensure that this does not spiral out of any further control.

Revitalise NATGRID

Lastly, while our intelligence agencies may have come under criticism in the past, their most recent reports made public may have put NGOs in the scanner with regards to eroding economic value in India. This leads me to link the subject of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its relationship between corporates and NGOs. However, I must first emphasise the fact that while I fully respect the concepts of CSR and philanthropy, the fact that the CSR rule mandates 2 per cent of a company’s net profits to be ploughed back into CSR initiatives, the compelling factor is whether investors, shareholders are particularly interested in the fact that their funds are utilised for CSR initiatives. Referring back to the recent development report on certain NGOs, one should not be surprised that this may have a dampening effect on corporates, as a result of which one would be even more cautious in their approach as far as accountability and maintaining relationships is concerned. Beyond doubt, many would be keen to see the CSR rules evolve over time which will help bring in more transparency and clarity. Needless to say, it is imperative that our technological capabilities are further bolstered. Recall, key projects such as NATGRID and UIDAI which were affected on the grounds of cost, civil liberties and privacy rights, should be revitalised as we pave our way forward with more domestic and foreign investments and project clearances. Until then, we definitely need ‘good eyes’ on the ground and a robust intelligence apparatus to support ongoing efforts to counter all forms of terrorism.

New team for Northern Command

ndian Army’s crucial Northern Command which guards the LOC and LAC in Jammu and Kashmir will soon see a change of guard. Lt Gen DS Hooda has been appointed as the Northern Army Commander. New GOC of the Srinagar based 15 corps will be Lt Gen Subrata Saha and the Leh based 14 corps will have Lt Gen BS Negi as the new GOC. Team DSA congratulates and salutes the Generals!

Pak nukes outnumber India’s

More funds for Delhi police modernisation

nion Home Minister Rajnath Singh has promised more funds to Delhi police for its mordernisation and transforming the force into a tactically efﬁcient metropolitan police force. Modernisation programmes on the agenda include setting up of a cyber lab in each of 11 police districts, putting in place an Intelligent Trafﬁc System (ITS) and setting up more forensic testing facilities.

ITBP to fortify Indo-China border

s per the latest report of Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal continues to surge ahead. Pakistan is now reported to have a stockpile of 100-120 warheads as compared to India’s 90-110. China is reported to have an arsenal of over 250 warheads.

overnment of India has decided to double the deployment of ITBP personnel on the Indo-China border. The Home Ministry has approved the construction of 54 new border outposts along the disputed border with China. ITBP is drawing up a detailed report on troop deployment in critical zones.

AL Qaeda calls for jihad against India

lobal terror group Al Qaeda has released a new video in Urdu exhorting Muslims in Kashmir to follow in the footsteps of their brothers in Syria and Iraq and launch a jihad against Indian authorities. The video features Maulana Umar addressing Muslims living in India and Pakistan as well as both parts of Kashmir calling upon them to join the global jihadi movement seeking to reestablish an Islamic Caliphate.

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

New strategy against Maoists

New chief of Strategic Forces Command

t Gen Amit Sharma has been appointed the new chief of the Strategic Forces Command, a prestigious tri-service position. Lt Gen Sharma has commanded an Infantry Division in the Strike Corps in the Southern Theatre.

s part of a novel strategy against Maoists the Home Ministry has decided to launch a video and audio campaign in Maoist infested states to discourage local people from joining the anti-national movement. Jingles will be aired on All India Radio and local community radio stations and the videos will be shown to the local people and tribals by the police and paramilitary forces present in the villages.

S president Barack Obama has unveiled a US$ 1 billion plan to boost military presence in Europe declaring that “European security was the cornerstone of our own security and it is sacrosanct”. Obama was announcing the initiative during a visit to Warsaw as he sought to ease anxiety among NATO allies who are wary of Russia’s threatening moves in Ukraine endangering the security of other east European states.

Pakistan hikes defence budget

Project Seabird gets green signal

n spite of its tottering economy Pakistan has hiked its defence budget by 11 per cent from Rs 627 billion to Rs 700 billion. The hike in defence spending came amid reports that the army may launch a full-scale counter operation against Taliban hiding in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

ndian Navy’s ambitious naval infrastructure project Seabird (Karwar naval base) has received environment clearance. It is one the largest naval bases in India and will be completed in two phases. Karwar naval base will house various warships of the Indian Navy including India’s largest warship and aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.

United States sounds China alarm

s per the latest Pentagon report China is steadily spreading its wings in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) with its fast expanding navy. China’s burgeoning military might encompasses long range missiles, armed drones, stealth ﬁghters, nuclear submarines and potent nuclear, space and cyber warfare capabilities.

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

Obama bolsters European security

New Director General Assam Riﬂes

t Gen RK Rana SM, VSM has been appointed as the 28th Director General of Assam Riﬂes. Commissioned in 1976 in the Rajputana Riﬂes, he has had a distinguished career spanning over 37 years both in command and staff positions.

China launches anti-terror drive

n the aftermath of savage terrorist attack in Urumqi that claimed 39 lives Beijing has ordered a year-long anti-terror crackdown in the increasingly restive Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). The Chinese government has taken the recent spurt in violence in various parts of the country very seriously and is determined to take ruthless countermeasures to root out terrorism.

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

global jihad

THE FOUNTAINHEAD? say, ‘there are no free lunches in this world’, Saudi Arabia is financing to spread global Islamic jihad across the nook and corner of this world for its own benefits in the future. The fairy tale Arabic story of extravagant luxury of Saudi King and its princes is fuelled by hundreds of billions of dollars the authoritarian state is earning by exporting its petroleum products. As oil and other natural resources are fast drying up, it will be solely dependent on the profits out of global investments most importantly on the guaranteed profits it will earn from the millions of Muslims coming to Mecca for obligatory pilgrimage every year. As we can see now that even in the pre-Islamic Arabia where the Arabic tribes, who were the worshippers of ‘pagan deities’ housed in Kabaa in Mecca, the Meccans used to live more affluent lives out of the money earned from these visiting tribes to Mecca. That’s why Saudi Arabia is generously spending in the garb of doing obligatory Islamic charity or Zakat (a lucrative investment for it) huge amount of money for spreading Islam all over the world – more the followers, more will be its income in near future. Since jihad is considered necessary, nay imperative to convert non-Muslims or kafirs to embrace Islam, either by persuasion or force, so the Islamic Kingdom is financing or investing heavily in spreading global Islamic jihad, especially since 1970 when its ‘oil economy’ started booming.

ROLE OF WAHHABI SAUDI FINANCING T

Since jihad is considered necessary, nay imperative to convert non-Muslims or kafirs to embrace Islam, either by persuasion or force, so the Islamic Kingdom is financing or investing heavily in spreading global Islamic jihad, especially since 1970 when its ‘oil economy’ started booming. 60

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

he role of Saudi Arabia in financing global Islamic Jihad needs to be analysed deeply, since the Islamic Kingdom is considered as the guardian of Islam as the official custodian of Islam’s two holiest places viz Mecca nd Medina to which Muslims across the world visit to perform mandatory Haj every year in Kabaa of Mecca. So, Saudi Arabia is the official Godfather of Islam and any fatwa (Islamic decree) on any matter on Islam by the Imam of Mecca is taken as the ‘last word’ by the 160 crore Muslims living over 50 Islamic countries across the globe in 2013. Finance is the fuel that propels any work; nothing can be achieved without moneyed investment. Islamic jihad, too, at grand scale across the globe, as we all are witnessing today, is being financed by the petro dollars of the oil rich Islamic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As they

Explaining Wahhabism

The word jihad literally means exertion, striving; but in the pseudo-judiciary jargon of the fundamentalist Muslim, it signiﬁes the exertion of one’s power to the utmost in the cause of Allah and the spreading of belief in Allah in order to make His creed supreme in the world. The importance of jihad can be gauged from the fact that it appeared 41 times in 23 verses of Quran as well as indirect references to it in about 109 Quranic verses, collectively called as the ‘sword or violent verses’. According to Quran, jihad can be waged by tongue (jihad billisan), hand (jihad bilyad) and heart (jihad bilqalb /nafs) but most ‘sacred jihad’ amongst them all is waging ‘holy war’ against the inﬁdels (ie jihad by sword / jihad bissaif) and it is the ‘greatest of all jihads’ striving in the cause of Allah and Prophet Mohammad. According to Sahih Bukhari (the pre-eminent Hadith–prophetic traditions as Sunnah collection of Sunni Islam) also, there are about 200 references to jihad in Hadith; about which 98 per cent or 196 of them are

Today, Wahhabism is a highly politicised school of thought whose main objective is to counter the growing influence of modern liberal values like secularism, women empowerment, human rights of minorities, gender justice and above all democracy itself

clearly referred to in the true sense of ‘jihad by the sword’ [jihad bissaif or qital fi sabili Allahi (armed fighting / killing in the way of Allah)]. It is also the most ancient form amongst the four types of jihad, having been commonly used both by Salafi and Wahhabi or Saudi Muslims, two most prominent and predominant Muslim clans across globe. Diane Morgan, head author of The Dictionary of Islam and British-American Orientalist B Lewis in his book The Crisis of Islam, both argue that jihad has a military meaning / militaristic overtone in the large majority of cases.

SUNIL KUMAR GIRI

The writer is a freelancer based in Delhi and has a Master degree in International Relations from SIS, JNU, New Delhi and an MBA in Marketing.

Unambiguous Interpretation

Let there be no confusion about the real meaning of ‘jihad’, it might be interpreted to mean ‘inner struggle’ (greater jihad) et al but above everything else, jihad deﬁnitely means ‘holy war’ (jihad by sword / jihad bissaif) to convert / subjugate all the non-Muslims into the fold of Islam so that ‘order of Allah / Islam’ (nizam-e-mustafa) only reigns supreme across the globe as an important ‘mandatory religious duty’ of all Muslims. Wahhabism is a strictly puritanical Islamic religious revivalist movement and today a sect or branch of Sunni Islam that calls to the Muslims across the world to return to the earliest fundamental Islamic sources of the Quran and Hadith, with inspiration from the teachings of medieval theologian Ibn Taymiyyah and early jurist Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Initially, the movement was instigated by an eighteenth century theologian, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1703-1792) from Najd, Saudi Arabia. He eventually convinced the local Amir, Uthmanibn Mu’ammar, to help him in his struggle.

Wahhabi Movement

The movement gained unchallenged precedence in most of the Arabian Peninsula through an alliance between Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and the House of Muhammad ibn Saud, which provided political and financial power for the religious revival represented by Ibn Abd al-Wahhab. The alliance created the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia around 1920, where Mohammed bin Abd Al-Wahhab’s teachings are state-sponsored by the successive Saudi Kings and today become the most dominant and predominant form of Islam, though it is considered out of the four original schools of Islamic jurisprudence, viz Hanafi, Salafi, Hanbali and Maliki. Such is the power of Saudi sponsored Wahhabi Islam, today propagated as the only true form of Islam across the globe, thus, in reality is nothing but Saudi Islam. Why it is dangerously retrogressive because Wahhabism in its idealisation of the time of Mohammad, totally rejects any scientific and technical aspects of modernity. So, Wahhabi Islamic clerics demand banning television, movies, education of girls, participation of women in politics or public life et al which they

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

global jihad

THE FOUNTAINHEAD?

Key figures in the September 2001 attacks on the United States were radicalised at mosques in Germany. Britain is now reckoned by some to be the worst breeding ground anywhere for violent Muslim fundamentalists. The links of the Boston bombers and the London butchers to organisations following the Saudi royal family’s religious line are clear view as sophisticated Western “cultural attack” (al-ghazwath-thaqafi) or “intellectual attack” (al-ghazw al-fikri) – an insidious ploy of the West to gradually weaken Islam before finally converting all Muslims into Christianity. Hassan Muhammad Hassan, the author of The Means of Combating the Intellectual Attack on the Muslim World, a book published in Mecca by the Saudi-controlled, pan-Islamist Muslim World League argued that the West planned a three-stage offensive: First, the West would seek to convince Muslims that Islam is not a complete way of life but merely folklore; then Muslims would doubt their faith, before lastly, abandoning it. So, Wahhabi Islam is against any attempt at modernisation, since any modernisation is mere Westernisation – a conspiracy to obliterate Islam and Muslims’ faith in it. It is indeed shocking but true that the list of people whom the Wahhabists should consider their enemies includes not only Christians, Jews, Hindus and atheists, but also co-religionist Shiite, Sufi and Sunni Muslims. Thus, it ‘inspired’ all Muslims to look backward to the 7th century’s ‘warring tribal Arabic life’ forever, when the rest of the modern civilised non-Islamic secular societies in the world are looking forward to the 21st century – the root cause of the coming clash of civilisations or cultures across the globe.

Charity As Tool For Global Terror

The Saudis began exporting Wahhabism in the early 1970s when the country’s oil wealth began growing at an ever-increasing rate. The amount the Saudi royal family, both by government donations and the generosity of individual princes, now lavishes on Wahhabist schools, colleges, mosques, Islamic centers and the missionary work of fundamentalist imams around the world is extraordinary. According Lt Col Jonathan D Halevi of Jerusalem Center of Public Affairs (JCPA), Islamic jihad has an inbuilt aspect of ‘financial jihad’ (FJ) written in Quran itself. He said, “The definition of jihad in Islam, is not confined merely to waging war with arms, but includes several other aspects of support for “holy war”. By FJ, he implied one of the various forms of Quranic jihads called in Arabic as ‘Al-Jihad bi-al-Mal’ ie fundraising for needy Muslims and supporting the jihad warriors – the mujahideen engaged in ‘holy war’ against infidels across the globe. Now, let’s just see how well-known Islamic commentators, authorities on Islamic studies view ‘FJ’. According to Hamoud al-Oqala al-Shuaibi, the late Saudi scholar cum Wahhabist whose Islamic edicts were adopted by Hamas and al Qaeda, “Significance of financial

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

jihad is not inferior to self-sacrificing jihad, being even more important.” According to Prof Hussein Shehata of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, one of exalted places of truly ‘pure’ Islamic studies observed, “Through financial jihad Allah gives wealthy Muslims the opportunity to allocate some of their money for da’awa (literally, the call for accepting Islam, here to infidels), the Islamic effort to teach or to convert people to Islam.” Dr Ajeel Jassem al-Nashami, Secretary General of the International Organisation for Zakat (Islamic charity) in Kuwait, argued that at least half of the donations made by Muslims across the globe for Zakat should be funnelled to finance jihad warfare in Palestine against Israel. No wonder that’s why Saudi oil money seems to turn up in many places like Boston, Madrid, Mumbai, Moscow et al making them virtual battlegrounds, where terrorist violence stains the ground with blood from innocent civilians.

Scale Of Saudi Arabia’s Contribution

Today, Wahhabism is a highly politicised school of thought whose main objective is to counter the growing influence of modern liberal values like secularism, women empowerment, human rights of minorities, gender justice and above all democracy itself. In 2003, a United States Senate committee on terrorism heard testimony that in the previous 20 years (1980-2000) Saudi Arabia had spent US$ 87 billion on promoting Wahhabism worldwide. This included financing 210 Islamic centres, 1,500 mosques, 202 colleges and 2,000 madrassas (Islamic seminaries). Various estimates put the amount the Saudi government spends via several fronts / foundations on these missionary institutions as up to US$ 3 billion a year. This money smothers the voices of moderate Muslims and the poison flows into every Muslim community worldwide. Indian newspapers recently reported Saudi Arabia has a massive US$ 35 billion programme to build mosques and religious schools across South Asia, where there are major Muslim communities in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. It also plans to spend US$ 100 billion per decade in financing global jihad all over the world by 2020 onwards targeting ‘Hindu India’, ‘Jewish Israel’ and the ‘Christian world’ for achieving its ultimate goal – global Islamification.

Saudi Inspiration

Key ﬁgures in the September 2001 attacks on the United States were radicalised at mosques in Germany. Britain is now reckoned by some to be the worst breeding ground anywhere for violent Muslim fundamentalists. The links of the Boston bombers and the London butchers to organisations following the Saudi royal family’s religious line are clear. One of the two London butchers, Nigerian-born Michael Adebolajo, was radicalised by the cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri, who headed the outlawed terrorist group Al-Muhajiroun. Similarly, the Boston bombers, Tamerlan and Dzokhar Tsarnaev, hailed from Russia’s southern predominantly Muslim province of Chechnya. Starting in the late 1980s, Saudi Arabia began dispatching Wahhabist clerics and radical preachers to Chechnya. From Al Sabaab in Somalia to Jemaah Islamiyah in Indonesia almost all the Islamic terrorist organisations

spreading its tentacles all over the world are inspired by Wahhabi-Salafi world domination Islamic messianic philosophy are funded by Saudi Arabia via creating many Islamic charitable organisations across the globe viz World Assembly for Muslim Youth, International Islamic Relief Organisation (IIRO), African Muslims Agency in Kuwait; the Red Crescent Society of the United Arab Emirates; the al Islah Charity, which is linked to Harakat al-Islah, a Somali diaspora group founded in Saudi Arabia; the Muslim World League (Rabitat al-Islam al-alamiyya) based in Saudi Arabia; Dawa al-Islamiyya; and the al Wafa Charitable Society, which is listed as a “specially designated terrorist entity” by the US government for its suspected support to terrorist organisations. In 2002, the US banned the Saudi-funded ‘Benevolence Foundation’ of New York after 9/11. A June 2013 report by European Parliament’s Directorate General for External Policies reveals how Saudi funded Wahhabi and Salafi groups based in Middle East are involved in the “support and supply of arms to rebel groups around the world.” It warns about the Islamic Wahhabi / Salafi terrorist organisations and claims that “no country in the world is safe from their operations.” It also said that Saudi Arabian petrodollars are bankrolling global terrorism, but the actual funding transactions within the country are complex, filled with shadowy connections and courtyard intrigue. One leaked cable (thanks to WikiLeaks) sent by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in December 2009 noted, “It has been an ongoing challenge to persuade Saudi officials to treat terrorist financing emanating from Saudi Arabia as a strategic priority.” It adds, “Donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide. Riyadh has taken only limited action to disrupt fundraising for the UNSC 1267-listed Taliban and LeT-groups that are also aligned with Al Qaeda”, the cable from Clinton says.

All Pervasive Role of Petrodollars

Wahhabi Saudi Arabia has been proved as the world's largest source of funds for all the predominant prominent Salafi jihadist terrorist militant groups, such as Al Qaeda, the Afghan Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba in South Asia and donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide. From Boko Haram in Nigeria to ETIM in China’s Xinxiang, all the world’s dreaded Islamic terrorist organisations are directly or indirectly funded by Saudi petrodollars. This destructive phenomenon has come to be known as Money Jihad. If Saudi Arabia’s role in funding terror is not a fit case study for denoting financial terrorism, then what is it? Now, everybody knows the truth of Saudi finding of global jihad or Islamic terror, but still for having

From Boko Haram in Nigeria to ETIM in China’s Xinxiang, all the world’s dreaded Islamic terrorist organisations are directly or indirectly funded by Saudi petrodollars. This destructive phenomenon has come to be known as Money Jihad. If Saudi Arabia’s role in funding terror is not a fit case study for denoting financial terrorism, then what is it?

uninterrupted supplies of cheap oil from Saudi Arabia, it has been conveniently overlooked or sacrificed. So, instead of putting economic sanctions, military sanctions, trade embargos etc on the Islamic authoritarian dynastic state of Saudi Arabia exporting global terror, it has been pampered by successive US Presidents and non-Islamic governments across the world. All UN Security Council resolutions banning funding global terror fall flat due to the self-serving conspiratorial connivance of Saudi wealthy regime with ruling world leaders and their families, for instance its ‘strong ties’ with the powerful Bush family of America. Till they themselves are attacked or their family members got killed by the Saudi funded global Islamic terror groups, ‘true lies’ of global jihad and its Saudi connections will continue with impunity. One rare exception in this case is Russia’s intrepid President and ex-KGB agent Vladimir Putin who straightway refused Saudi ‘conditional help’ in safe conduct of winter Olympic in Sochi of Russia in 2013 offered by Saudi Prince Bandar to use Saudi ‘influences’ on global Islamic terrorist groups threatening its conduct, if Russia agreed to end its support for Assad’s ruling ‘non-Sunni un-Islamic’ regime in Syria. Even Shia Iran’s Tehran Times in June, 2013 called Saudi Arabia’s sponsoring Wahhabi version of Islam as ‘anti-Islam’ and a ‘great threat to Islamic civilisation’ itself. Thus, Prince Bandar, a prominent member of the ruling Saudi royal family himself acknowledges The Truth – the truth of ‘invisibly visible’ nexus between Saudi petrodollar and financing global terror. Its dangerous collusion in financial terrorism in financing global jihad is no longer a mere illusion any more. Or do we still like to feign our ‘self-destructive delusions’ demanding ‘more substantive proofs’? Neither we nor the world can afford to have this luxury, lest both won’t be safe anymore!

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

global jihad

TICKING BOMB?

This process of the militarisation of Islam led to a seething cauldron which Pakistan Army officers used as a forward echelon of their own military establishment to execute tasks that could be denied. The most spectacular was the attack on the US itself conjunction with the name “Umar”. Hazrat Umar was a companion of Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him). This, according to the police, brought them within the ambiance of the Blasphemy Law.

PAK NUKES IN JIHADI HANDS

n what appears to be a totally unrelated incident – the application of Blasphemy Laws, the punishment prescribed under which is death, on lawyers shouting slogans against a senior police ofﬁcial in the heart of Pakistan – draws attention to the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and US attempts to keep them from falling into jihadi hands. While, on the face of it, the mindlessness of the application of the Blasphemy Law to agitated lawyers

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

for using foul language during a demonstration against a police ofﬁcer named “Umar Daraz” is obvious, it clearly shows the depth and expanse of the jihadi culture in Pakistani ofﬁcial institutions.

The Ambiance Of Jihad

The rationale for the arrest of 68 lawyers who were agitating against the police ofﬁcer named Umar Daraz outside his ofﬁce in Islamabad under the draconian Blasphemy Law was that they had used foul language in

Islamic fundamentalism has been the vogue in Pakistan since the reign of military dictator Ziaul Haq who imported the hyper-strict Saudi Wahhabi sectarian culture and transplanted it into first the military establishment and later into other government institutions in Pakistan. The Islamabad incident shows how widespread and deep is the influence of the jihadi culture within Pakistan’s official establishments. The army and the police were the first to be infected. The reason why Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden chose Abbottabad to build a home for himself and his family was that it was a cantonment town in close proximity to such institutions as Cadet College Hasan Abdal where the terrorists David Coleman Headley and Tawahwur Rana were cadets and co-conspirators in the attack on Mumbai on 26/11/2008.

for training new groups of jihadis in the use of weapons to achieve their objectives. The training was handled by Pakistan Army ofﬁcers for whom Afghanistan had become an area of “strategic depth” to be utilised against India. This process of the militarisation of Islam led to a seething cauldron which Pakistan Army ofﬁcers used as a forward echelon of their own military establishment to execute tasks that could be denied. The most spectacular was the attack on the US itself. Today it is largely accepted by all its neighbours that Pakistan’s jihadist military establishment is involved in terrorist attacks on the hinterland. This includes “all weather friend” China which is

CECIL VICTOR

The writer has covered all wars with Pakistan as War Correspondent and reported from the conﬂict zones in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in South East Asia as well as from Afghanistan. He is author of India: The Security Dilemma.

Imported Ideology

Ziaul Haq was in power for a decade from 1978 to 1988 when he died in an airplane crash. During this period his policy of Islamisation became firmly entrenched and flowered into madrassas which began churning out jihadis in their hundreds. By the time General Musharraf seized power all the echelons of the three military establishments had been thoroughly indoctrinated. Thus, while the senior echelons were in close contact with Osama bin Laden (especially the Pakistan Air Force the planes of which were used to ferry money and arms to fighting units) the lower ranks were totally in consonance with the strict edict of the Saudi version of Islam. During the siege of Kunduz in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Towers the Pakistan Air Force made several flights to evacuate the beleaguered Taliban fighters trapped by US led forces intent on driving out Al Qaeda and its leadership from their strongholds in Afghanistan.

Export Of Terror

After the Soviet Army withdrew from Afghanistan the Pakistan-created Taliban took over the country and the Al Qaeda got a huge landmass, strategically located,

suffering the pangs of a series of knife attacks in crowded railway stations in various parts of China in recent months. These attacks are credited to jihadi elements within the Uighurs of Xinjiang province. China believes that they have been trained in Pakistan. During the early period of the Uighur uprising, the Pakistan Army has been currying favour with China by quietly handing over Uighur jihadis to China for execution. Such is the nature of the ‘jihad’ in Pakistan.

Kargil Effulgence

The sequence of events both before and after Kargil invasion exposes the mindset of both the Pakistani military establishment as well as its political leadership in different timeframes. The series of nuclear weapons tests in May, 1998, portended very clearly for those who understood the Pakistani mindset that there was trouble ahead. Sure enough Kargil happened from behind the new shield of nuclear weapons in the hope that India would succumb to the pressure and limit its attempts

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

The fact remains that the threshold from hostility (self-initiated) to actual combat and the use of nuclear weapons is very low even though Indian Generals did manage to find “a nuclear overhang” which they exploited to the full. Were it not for the Clinton intervention there was a grim possibility of the use of nuclear weapons by Pakistan to try and snatch its chestnuts from the fire that it had initiated. This too under a so-called “non-jihadi” General to contain the invasion rather than seek complete withdrawal. The US under President Clinton played an active part in dissuading both Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as well as the Pakistan Army from taking the misadventure any further. Skirting the camouflage whether the Prime Minister of Pakistan knew about the intended invasion (an old wargame that had been dusted out) Clinton demanded and obtained the unconditional withdrawal of all Pakistani troops (and jihadi conspirators) from the Kargil heights. This he managed to do even as Pakistan was clandestinely moving its nuclear arsenal (bringing its warheads and missiles together in preparation to launch an attack on India). The fact that the Pakistani military under so-called ‘moderate’ General Pervez Musharraf (in the context of the prevalent jihadi instincts) – a perception probably created by his penchant to sing ghazals). The fact remains that the threshold from hostility (selfinitiated) to actual combat and the use of nuclear weapons is very low even though Indian Generals did manage to find “a nuclear overhang” which they exploited to the full. Were it not for the Clinton intervention there was a grim possibility of the use of nuclear weapons by Pakistan to try and snatch its chestnuts from the fire that it had initiated. This too under a so-called “non-jihadi”General.

All-pervasive Culture

With the Afghanistan scenario set to change dramatically after the withdrawal of the International Security Assistance Force the jihadis in Pakistan will begin to reassert themselves both inside Afghanistan and along India’s periphery which is already being tested by crossborder raids. The jihadi culture in Pakistan will be in full bloom. The straws in the wind are the arrests of the 68 lawyers under the Blasphemy Law. It needs to be recalled that it was the lawyer community in Pakistan that threw rose petals on the security guard who shot dead the Governor of Punjab when he appeared in court. The

get connected

TICKING BOMB?

July 2014 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT

jihadis showed themselves again when the Mehran Naval Base in Karachi was attacked by indoctrinated members of the jihadi cult. They are there deep in the woodwork waiting for an opportunity to strike. There is a very thin line or, rather, none at all between the ‘jihadi’ in Pakistani society and sane elements that would say, think twice, on the use of nuclear weapons.

Tactical Nukes

The danger from the possibility of use of nuclear weapons on the subcontinent has increased by a multiple of launchers per Corps facing Indian territory. There are 10 Pakistan Army Corps deployed opposite India. Even given the minimum of one launcher per Corps it would mean that there are 10 Corps Commanders who have their fingers on the nuclear button given that the latest tactical missile, the NASR, is nuclear capable. It is road mobile and carries four missiles in a rectangular container. The Corps Commanders are of the rank of Lt Gen and going by the legacy left behind by General Ziaul Haq are thoroughly indoctrinated in the Islamic fundamentalist culture. Evidence of that is available in the personage of Lt Gen (Retd) Javed Nasir who even as this piece is written has close contacts with top jihad leaders within Pakistan and Afghanistan more than a dozen years after demitting office as Director General of the notorious Pakistan Army Inter-Services Intelligence. Ditto is the case of Lt Gen Hamid Gul and a series of other former heads of the ISI and lower ranking officers who maintained their contacts with the jihadi leadership. Going by the nature of events inside Pakistan itself there is a clear indication of a jihadi bent of mind of Pakistani military personnel be they of the top echelons of the militocracy or those in the lower rungs, the opportunity to be in close proximity to such nuclear capable weapons as the NASR could be too strong a temptation. With the deployment of the NASR it could be said that the nuclear button in Pakistan is in the hands of the jihadis. Given their mindset for suicidal attacks, the niceties of nuclear philosophies that guided both the West and the Soviet bloc during the cold war do not exist. Read with the Pakistani nuclear doctrine of First Use of nuclear weapons, the suicidal nature of the fundamental Islamist leaves no room for any option. Illustrative is the manner in which the 68 lawyers were charged under the Blasphemy Law. They were showering their anger on Umar Daraz a senior police officer for arresting one of their colleagues. Such is the intolerance and mindlessness of the jihadi culture that currently pervades Pakistan.

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