Latest Articles about South Asia
A Depressing Curtain for Russian Naval Power: Admiral Sergei Gorshkov Fails Her Sea Trials (Part One)
After a year of encouraging progress in the refitting of a late Soviet–era carrier, which Russia plans to sell to India, the vessel’s latest sea trials in September 2012 ended in failure and disappointment. The discouraging results point to substantial structural problems in Russia’s domestic... MORE
A Glimpse of Talha Saeed: The Heir Apparent to Lashkar-e-Taiba
Talha Saeed is the son of one of India’s most notorious terrorists, Hafiz Saeed. In recent years, Talha has emerged as his father’s chief of propaganda and increasingly appears to be Hafiz’s heir apparent. He has worked aggressively to promote his father (who had a... MORE
Shifts in Beijing’s Afghan Policy: A View From the Ground
In a clear but still gradual shift over the past year, Chinese policymakers have changed their stance on Afghanistan from cultivated disinterest to growing engagement. As the potential security vacuum left by Western withdrawal in 2014 comes into sharper relief, Beijing has come to realize... MORE
October 2012 Briefs
SWISS JUND AL-KHILAFAH AMIR KILLED IN MIRANSHAH, PAKISTAN Jund al-Khilafah (JaK) is a terrorist group based in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, which was founded by three Kazakhstani men from Atyrau (see Terrorism Monitor, September 13). Although JaK issued several propaganda videos about Kazakhstan in 2011... MORE
Is Moscow Losing Its India Connection?
Earlier in October, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin traveled to India to complete discussions ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s planned trip there and to negotiate nuclear and arms deals. Perhaps not surprisingly, given Rogozin’s charm as a diplomat, Putin’s trip was postponed and overt... MORE
Fears of a Militant Resurgence Loom in Kashmir as Territorial Dispute is Revived at UN Forum
The security situation in the Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) state of India has reached a new low in the past few months as militant organizations backed by Islamabad have stepped up a campaign of politically-motivated violence by targeting vital infrastructure in the region and attacking... MORE
A Profile of Iqbal Bhatkal: The First Indian Mujahideen Leader Added to India’s Most Wanted List
Iqbal Bhatkal is a co-founder of the Indian Mujahideen (IM). The IM is the first Indian terrorist group which has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States. [1] Iqbal Bhatkal became the first IM leader whose name the Central Bureau of... MORE
In the Shadow of Iqbal: A Snapshot of His Younger Brother Riyaz Bhatkal—Co-Founder of the Indian Mujahideen
Riyaz Ismail Shahbandari aka Riyaz Bhatkal is one of the top Indian jihadis and co-founders of the Indian Mujahideen (IM). He is the younger brother of IM ideologue, Iqbal Bhatkal, another co-founder of the IM. [1] Riyaz has been involved in several high profile terrorist... MORE
A Mosaic of IMU Leaders, Killed or Captured in Afghanistan
The Afghan newspaper Arman-e-Malli carried one of the first reports about members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) operating in Afghanistan’s Kunduz province in August, 2009. In January 2010, Kunduz governor Mohammad Omar, who was assassinated seven months later in a bombing at a mosque in... MORE
The New Leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan in Bajaur Agency: A Profile of Maulvi Abu Bakr
The Bajaur chapter of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been facing displacement from their native Bajaur Agency since August, 2008 due to a Pakistani military operation named “Sherdil” (Urdu for “Lion Heart”). It is also witnessing rising inter-Taliban and intra-Taliban group differences, coupled with leadership... MORE