28 April 2006
Report Finds Encouraging Signs on Counterterrorism in South Asia
U.S. efforts to help South Asian partners fight terrorism in 2005 were effective
By Phillip Kurata
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- Encouraging signs in the war against terrorism appeared in South Asia in 2005, although terrorists showed increased activity in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, according to the State Department's Country Reports on Terrorism 2005.
The report, released April 28, said that U.S. programs to help South Asian partners build capacity to fight terrorism were effective.
Afghanistan successfully completed elections for a national assembly and began the crucial process of demobilizing militants and reintegrating them into society, the report said.
Afghanistan's Program for Strengthening Peace opened six regional offices for the purpose of reconciling former members of the Taliban and Hizb-i-Islami, and as of December 2005 more than 600 former fighters had joined the program, the report said. The Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration program processed more than 63,000 former combatants, and the Afghan army and police units took the lead in counterterrorism operations, the report said.
Despite this progress, Afghanistan saw an increasing number of violent incidents in 2005, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,500 people, the report said. The report attributed the violence to tribal, criminal and especially narcotics-related activity.
Suicide bombings increased from four in 2004 to 15 in 2005, and terrorists targeted workers for the United Nations and international aid groups in an effort to drive them out of Afghanistan, the report said. Thirty-three aid workers died in 2005, up from 23 in 2004, the report said.
For additional information, see Rebuilding Afghanistan.
INDIA
Terrorists from several groups staged hundreds of attacks in India in 2005 as the United States and India increased cooperation among military, diplomatic, law enforcement and humanitarian assistance professionals, the report said.
The report said the most prominent India-based terrorist groups are the Kashmiri separatists operating in Jammu and Kashmir state, Maoist peasant revolutionaries active in the "Naxalite belt" in eastern India, and "ethno-linguistic" nationalists in India's northeastern states.
The Indian government tried to address the grievances of the groups within the context of Indian democracy but laid down firm conditions that the groups must cease violence and would not receive territorial concessions, the report said.
The report said India's fight against terrorists is hampered by its unresponsive court system, in which terrorism trials can take years to complete, and by the poor training and equipment available to local police forces.
The report said the Indian government has established an excellent record for protecting its nuclear assets from terrorists.
For additional information, see U.S.-India: Strengthening a Global Partnership.
PAKISTAN
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf declared a "jihad against extremism" in 2005 that involved a crackdown on banned organizations, hate materials and incitement by religious leaders, the expulsion of foreign students in madrassas, or Islamic religious schools, and new registration and financial disclosure requirements for madrassas, the report said.
Pakistan security forces pursued al-Qaida and Taliban elements and their allies throughout the country and in the tribal areas along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Parallel with the military operations, the government developed a strategy to win the support of the people in the tribal areas with a combination of negotiations and offers of economic assistance, the report said.
Hundreds of suspected terrorists affiliated with al-Qaida have been killed or captured by Pakistani forces since September 2001, the report said. It added that despite these successes, al-Qaida and Taliban continue to pose threats to U.S. interests.
The massive earthquake that hit northern Pakistan in October and killed more than 80,000 people created an opportunity for relief organizations related to al-Qaida to provide aid to survivors and reap public relations benefits, the report said.
For additional information, see U.S. Response to the Earthquake in South Asia.
BANGLADESH, NEPAL, SRI LANKA
In Bangladesh, a dangerous terrorist group, Jamaat ul Mujahedin Bangladesh, launched coordinated nationwide attacks in a pattern of escalating terrorism, the report said. The Bangladeshi government, hampered by serious institutional, resource and political constraints, had limited success in countering the group, despite the capture of two of the group's leaders, the report said.
Nepal and Sri Lanka dealt with serious terrorist threats in 2005, the report said. Maoist guerrillas in Nepal were responsible for killing at least 263 civilians and 330 government security forces, according to press reports, while Nepal's military forces arrested thousands of suspected Maoist militants and killed more than 966, the report said.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka conducted a targeted assassination campaign against government officials, resulting in the killing of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in August.
The United States worked with Sri Lanka to provide training for relevant government agencies and the banking sector, the report said.
The Country Reports on Terrorism 2005 are available on the State Department Web site, as is the regional overview (PDF, 9 pages) for South Asia.
For additional information, see Response to Terrorism.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
