CNBC TV18: With Modi 2.0 set to take office, here are some constructive suggestions to address national security challenges
Standardising the operating principles among various security forces would be a priority for the new government. Indian arsenal remains woefully inadequate to meet immediate or long-term threats despite the government's best efforts.Prime Minister Narendra Modi has yet again received a spectacular mandate to govern the country for the next five years. As issues related to national security were at the forefront of elections, they are likely to be top priorities for the new government, among other pressing challenges like economy, polity and foreign relations.
CNBC TV18: Masood Azhar's designation as global terrorist a win for India, but will it stop his shenanigans?
In a development that pleased India and perplexed Pakistan, the People’s Republic of China finally lifted ‘hold’ on the request made by the US, the UK and France on a revised resolution to include Masood Azhar in the Terror List before the United Nations Security Council ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee (hereafter referred to as UNSC Resolution 1267) on May 1, 2019.
Financial Times: "Sri Lanka attacks spark fears of Isis resurgence"
Even as Isis fighters in Syria surrendered their final stronghold last month, terrorism experts lined up to warn that the defeat of the so-called caliphate would not spell the end for the Islamist terror group. On Tuesday those fears appeared to have been realised, when official media channels for Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Easter Sunday suicide bombings on churches and five-star hotels in Sri Lanka that killed at least 359 people and injured 500. Using its official news agency, Amaq, Isis published two statements declaring that the attackers were Isis fighters.
Terrorism Monitor: "The Maldives Faces Dual Challenge of Terrorist Returnees and Extremist Hate Campaigns"
The Maldives, the smallest nation in South Asia, has witnessed it all in the last several years amid periodic political instability: Islamic radicalization, forced disappearances, foreign fighters, and crackdowns on free speech. At present, the archipelago nation is grappling with several new challenges—the problem of war refugees/returnees and growing religious dissent, with increasing amounts of hate campaigns on social media.
MLM: "Evading Scrutiny, Spreading Mayhem: How Jaish-e- Muhammad Chief Maulana Masood Azhar is Crafting Chaos in Kashmir"
Maulana Masood Azhar, the founding leader of Jaish-e-Muhammad (Army of Muhammad—JeM), a Pakistan-based terrorist group blamed for violence against India over the past two decades—including the latest vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) attack in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) targeting a security convoy.
HT: India moves to isolate Pakistan globally after Pulwama attack
India moves to isolate Pakistan globally after Pulwama attackIndia has started putting together a dossier on Saturday that will detail Pakistan’s involvement in the suicide bomb attack that killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama this week. The dossier will be circulated in world capitals as part of New Delhi’s efforts to isolate Pakistan internationally, according to senior government officials who did not want to be named.
Terrorism Monitor: "Islamic State-Inspired Extremist Threat Looms Large in India"
Despite massive territorial losses and military setbacks in the Middle East, the violent ideals espoused by Islamic State (IS) remain resilient and seem to be resonating in the hearts and minds of a section of inspired Indian Muslims. After a brief lull in IS-inspired or directed events in the country, Indian security agencies have unearthed multiple covert pro-IS networks, foiling conspiracies to carry out terrorist attacks targeting vital and sensitive installations and sites in and around the national capital, New Delhi, and places in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra States.
Terrorism Monitor: "The Shifting Narrative of Women’s Role in Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh’s Islamic Jihad"
Bangladesh’s most lethal home-grown militant organization, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB)—which has multiple ideological and operational factions, including the Islamic State (IS)-inspired neo-JMB and al-Qaeda linked core Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (JM)—has gained notoriety over the last few years for recruiting and nurturing a network of women militants. Despite robust counter-terrorism operations following the July 2016 Holey Artisan Bakery attacks in the capital Dhaka, an alarming number of women are taking up the cause of militancy.
MLM: "The Propagandist from the Maldives: Bilad al-Sham Media’s Abu Ayyub al-Maaldifi"
The Maldivian government has engaged in an effort to restrain radicalized youths from joining jihadists groups in Syria and Iraq. Despite these efforts, the total number of Maldivians fighting in the Syrian civil war has reached 61. According to the island nation’s National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC), over 68 people have been intercepted and captured on their way to Syria and Iraq (Raajje News, January 15).