Latest Articles about South Asia
Militant or Peace Broker? A Profile of the Swat Valley’s Maulana Sufi Muhammad
The peace deal between the Islamabad government and local Taliban militants in Pakistan’s northwestern Swat valley has, once again, drawn international attention towards Maulana Sufi Muhammad, a pro-Taliban religious leader who has long fought for the implementation of shari’a (Islamic law) in the region and... MORE
Sectarianism in Pakistan’s Kurram Tribal Agency
A U.S. drone missile attack on a Taliban training camp on March 12 highlighted the growing importance of Pakistan’s Kurram Tribal Agency in the war along the frontier with Afghanistan. Unlike Pakistan’s other six tribal agencies, the conflict in Kurram is complicated by sectarian divisions... MORE
A Profile of Militant Groups in Bajaur Tribal Agency
The bloody six-month-long stand-off in the restive and strategically important Bajaur Tribal Agency of Pakistan has ended in a ceasefire and an agreement between the Taliban and Pakistan’s security forces. The 28-point undertaking includes a commitment by the local Taliban to lay down arms, surrender... MORE
India’s Home-Grown Jihadi Threat: A Profile of the Indian Mujahideen
Unknown before 2008, the Indian Mujahedeen (IM) has emerged as a well-organized jihadi terrorist group in India, claiming responsibility for a number of terror attacks perpetrated in various urban centers of India during 2007-2008. Even though the exact moment of IM’s formation is not known,... MORE
The Return of Shari’a Law to Pakistan’s Swat Region
After 16 months of bitter fighting between local Islamists and government forces in Pakistan’s Swat region, the central government has announced the implementation of a set of judicial regulations that will ensure that all legal cases in the region will be decided in accordance with... MORE
A Who’s Who of the Insurgency in Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province: Part Two – FATA excluding North and South Waziristan
The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is the largest organization of Pakistani militants operating in the country’s North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), which includes the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Launched in a secret meeting on December 13, 2007, it is active in most of the 24 districts,... MORE
Roundup of Kabul Suicide Gang Reveals Ties to Pakistan
Suicide bombings have become a regular insurgent tactic in Afghanistan since 2005, with a special focus on Kabul in the last year. The number of such attacks have grown considerably during the recent years in Kabul, culminating in the February 12 suicide bombings that targeted... MORE
BRIEFS
EGYPTIAN ISLAMISTS URGE AL-QAEDA TO DECLARE A TRUCE Al-Jama'ah al-Islamiyah (JI - The Islamic Group), once one of Egypt's most feared Islamist terrorist organizations, has issued a statement urging al-Qaeda to observe a ceasefire to better assess the intentions of the new Obama administration in... MORE
Hindu Radicals Pose Terrorist Challenge to the Sub-Continent
The charge sheet filed in a Mumbai court on January 20 against 11 members of the radical Hindu group Abhinav Bharat – including a serving Military Intelligence officer, a retired Indian Army Major, and nine other activists – has brought the growing landscape of Hindu... MORE
Primary Threat to India Remains Home-Grown Left- and Right-Wing Terrorism
While the fedayeen-style terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November 2008 drew attention to the recurring role of Pakistan-based militant groups in fuelling instability in India, home-grown left- and right-wing extremists continue to present a growing and potentially more significant threat to India’s security. In the case... MORE