Latest Articles about South Asia
Amid Rising Regional Tensions, Turkmenistan Reevaluates Neutrality Policy
For the last two decades, Turkmenistan has adhered to a foreign policy of strict neutrality. But the drawdown, in neighboring Afghanistan, of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission has coincided with the appearance of Islamic State (IS) militants in that war-torn country. The two... MORE
Following the Peshawar School Attack, Pakistan Moves Against Domestic Terrorism
The attack by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on the Army Public School in Peshawar on December 16 was a watershed moment in the country’s fight against terrorism. The death of 132 children transcended preconceived boundaries between civil and military or Sunni and Shi’a, creating space for... MORE
Hafiz Saeed Khan: Leading the Islamic State’s Violent Agenda in Afghanistan and Pakistan
In January 2015, the Islamic State’s chief spokesperson, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, announced the establishment of Wilayat Khurasan, covering a geographical region that roughly includes Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of Central Asia and India. In an audio message titled “Die in Your Rage!,” al-Adnani stated that... MORE
Russia’s Third Front: Mounting Anxiety Over Afghanistan
With most of the military forces of the United States and the North Atlantic Organization (NATO) having departed Afghanistan, Russia has grown increasingly anxious about a possible deterioration of the regional security situation. As 2014 ended, Moscow flatly called NATO’s Afghanistan policy a failure (Pajhwok... MORE
Spreading Tentacles: The Islamic State in Bangladesh
Growing evidence suggests that the influence of the Islamic State organization has reached the South Asian, Muslim-majority country of Bangladesh. The country has long been home to small, but significant, numbers of radicals from both local militant groups, such as the Jama’at ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB),... MORE
A Profile of Pakistani Taliban Spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan
December 16, 2014 marked the single worst terror attack in Pakistani history. The assault led by members of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on the Army Public School in Peshawar claimed the lives of 141 people, 132 of whom were school children (BBC, December 16, 2014).... MORE
Umar Mansoor: The Mastermind of the Peshawar School Attack
The targeting of children at the Army Public School in Peshawar on December 16, 2014 by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has heralded a new era of terrorism in Pakistan. The brutal and coldblooded murder of 141 people, most of them students in the ninth grade, is... MORE
The Pakistani Taliban after the Peshawar School Attack
The dramatic December 16 attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar by the Fazlullah faction of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP-F) brought renewed global attention to the TTP, a grouping of more than 40 separate terrorist and militant organizations. The attack was carried out by six... MORE
Al-Qaeda’s Talented Smuggler: Abd al-Rahman al-Juhni
Despite the political rhetoric that al-Qaeda has been decimated, the organization’s core leadership remains a potent threat, as demonstrated by the emergence of the Khorasan Group, a cadre of operatives from parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. An intricate smuggling network spanning large swaths of territory... MORE
Putin’s Passage to India: Where Did It Lead?
Russian President Vladimir Putin termed his recent trip to India “productive” and “positive.” Indeed, twenty agreements were signed with India, pertaining mainly to economic issues, energy supplies and arms sales (Kremlin.ru, December 11). Thus, Russian petroleum giant Rosenft will sell ten million tons (200,000 barrels... MORE