
Latest Articles about South Asia

Sri Lanka: Beijing’s Growing Foothold in the Indian Ocean
The Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his government have received praise and accolades from several quarters after their triumph last month over the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam). The total annihilation of this separatist group brought an end to a civil war that... MORE

Security Threats to Yemen Create Dilemma for United States
Many American political analysts think that the problem the new American administration faces in Yemen relates mainly to the fate of the 100 Yemeni detainees presently incarcerated in Guantanamo. Their homeland cannot guarantee that these individuals, if repatriated, will not become a renewed terrorist threat... MORE

Indian Army Reacts to the Taliban Threat
For India’s military, the Taliban is a threat looming large on the horizon. The perception of the Taliban making inroads to India has increased since December 2008, when Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mahsud vowed to fight alongside the Pakistan army if a conflict broke... MORE

The FM Mullahs and the Taliban’s Propaganda War in Pakistan
The scenic Swat valley is thundering with both aerial bombardments and fiery Taliban FM radio sermons. In a large-scale military operation dubbed Operation Rah-e-Raast (Operation Straight Path), the Pakistani army is hitting Taliban targets with gunship helicopters while the Taliban respond with AK-47s and their... MORE

Jihadis Discuss Plans to Seize Pakistan’s Nuclear Arsenal
Urged by a senior al-Qaeda ideologue to take over Pakistan, members of jihadi internet forums have begun to examine the possibility of controlling Pakistan’s nuclear weapons (al-faloja1.com, April 24). At the same time, jihadis continue to collect information on nuclear facilities around the globe, especially... MORE

Controversy Erupts over Proposed De-Mining of the Turkish-Syrian Border
The Turkish parliament began debating a controversial bill last week to clear and destroy mines along the border with Syria. A private contractor plans to carry out the de-mining and secure the allocation of the cleared area for its agricultural use. The bill once again... MORE

The Swat Conflict: An Arc of Instability Spreading from Afghanistan to Central Asia and Xinjiang
In the wake of a controversial deal that allowed the implementation of Islamic law in Pakistan’s Swat region and the establishment of what appeared to be a de facto Taliban state, Islamabad has responded with force after the Swat-based militants appeared determined to spread their... MORE

Hizb-ut Towhid Adds to the Jihadi Conundrum in Bangladesh
An Islamist group blending unorthodox religious practices with a belief that Muslims form a military caste dedicated to jihad is the latest in a series of Islamist militant groups to emerge as a security threat in Bangladesh. Thirty-one members of Hizb-ut Towhid (The Party of... MORE

Taliban Leader Mullah Nazir Defends Jihad in South Waziristan
Jihadi internet forums carried a recent interview with the Amir of the Taliban mujahideen in South Waziristan, Mullah Nazir Ahmad. Mullah Nazir answered questions about the past and current situation of jihad in Afghanistan in the interview, which was conducted in Urdu by jihadi media... MORE

Gems, Timber and Jiziya: Pakistan’s Taliban Harness Resources to Fund Jihad
The Taliban resurgence in Pakistan’s lawless provinces and its unhindered march towards the heartland of the restive country is fueled by an ever increasing economic life-line. Unlike Afghanistan’s Taliban, which depends on the poppy trade for revenues, the robustness of the Pakistan Taliban’s financial strength... MORE