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Showing posts from January 25, 2009

Post-26/11: What India needs to do

Source: DNA INDIA In the introduction to her book What Terrorists Want, Louise Richardson explains why she studied terrorism "to try to establish why an otherwise responsible parent, student or teacher would chose to join a terrorist movement and remain in one and why a group of people would collectively choose to kill innocent people they do not know in order to advance some goal unlikely to be achieved in their lifetime." What happened in Mumbai on November 26, 2008 and continued for three days raises just these and several other questions. And what we have seen is no longer a proxy war, but an all out assault on the Indian state. It is an attack on all Indians and all Indians will have to be prepared to fight this one. It is far too serious to be left to politicians. It may be state policy in Pakistan to use jehad as a deadly instrument of foreign policy and as a force equaliser against the superior Indian military, but then that state has the manpower willing to act a

9 factors which make a Lashkar terrorist

Source: Rediff January 30, 2009When Ajmal Kasab and his co-murderers were handpicked for the Mumbai [ Images ] terror operation nine factors were taken into consideration. An Intelligence Bureau officer told rediff.com that these factors are abided by when a terrorist is being recruited. Arrested terrorists, Sabahuddin and Fahim Ansari have confirmed during their interrogation that a strict procedure is followed while recruiting likely terrorists into the Lashkar-e-Tayiba . The most important factor is commitment to the Lashkar's ideology. When the Lashkar recruits youth the latter are told they will undertake a military operation and there is absolute need to be committed to the organisation's ideology in order to succeed. The second factor is, obviously, that the recruit is Muslim. The third factor is the maturity of the recruit. The IB says the recruitment process begins at the age of 10. However when it comes to waging war the Lashkar ensures that the minimum age of the

US anti-terror aid for Pakistan cut by $50m

Source: Daily Times, India Today LAHORE: The United States has paid Pakistan $100 million for its frontline-state role in the war on terror, against an originally planned amount of $150 million, a private TV channel reported on Monday. Talking to the media in a ceremony of Pakistan Microfinance Network in Islamabad, Finance Adviser Shaukat Tareen said the reason for the reduced funding was a new payment system in the US. He said the government was in contact with the US administration and was expecting to receive a positive response in this regard, the channel said. --daily times monitor. The US has deducted $55 million out of the $156 million bill set by Pakistan for rendering its military services to fight against Taliban and Al Qaeda in volatile bordering tribal areas adjacent to war-torn Afghanistan. Shaukat Tarin, a financial advisor in the prime minister's office, said the US had "changed the format" for money released under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) for I

USAID projects in FATA (Pakistan) shelved over security

Source: Daily Times Monitor LAHORE: Around 25 projects operated by USAID in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and settled areas of the NWFP have been temporarily closed over security concerns, a private TV channel quoted its sources on Wednesday. According to the channel, staff members working on several projects in Tank, DI Khan, and North and South Waziristan agencies have been called back due to worsening security in those areas. The work on the projects would resume once the law and order situation improves, the channel said. USAID was working on a comprehensive programme to support short, medium and long-term objectives of the government of Pakistan’s FATA Sustainable Development Plan (FSDP) 2006-2015. USAID’s objectives included enhancing the government’s legitimacy and writ in FATA, improving economic and social conditions for local communities, and supporting sustainable development. To achieve the objectives, USAID had expanded its earlier programmes and initia

How LeT conceals its terror training camps :Vicky Nanjappa

January 28, 2009 15:44 IST Source: rediff The Lashkar-e-Tayiba [ Images ] , which was responsible for the Mumbai terror attacks [ Images ] , goes to extreme lengths to conceal the identity of terrorists while carrying out an attack in India, according to Intelligence Bureau sources. The interrogation conducted on Ajmal Kasab [ Images ] , Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin have helped the IB piece together details of the things the LeT does to ensure that the identity of the terrorists is concealed at all times. An IB source told rediff.com that extreme caution is taken while training terrorists and the levels of security are such that none of the security agencies are able to get a wind of what is happening. The fidayeens are trained in an area which is at least 20 kilometres away from a populated area. Moreover there should be no army camp or a police station anywhere in a 30-km radius. While earmarking the area, the LeT ensures that there is enough land to train at least 50 men in sh

Fighting terror : Heroes awarded this republic day

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Source: PIB, IBNLIVE The Ashoka Chakra is awarded to any individual, uniformed or civilian, for the most conspicuous bravery, or some act of daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice otherwise than in the face of the enemy. On January 26, 2009 the President will confer 11 Ashoka Chakra Awards, including two announced earlier on August 15, 2008 on Asstt. Commandant Pramod Kumar Satapathy, Special Operation Group, Orissa State Armed Police (Posthumous), and Shri R P Diengdoh, Meghalaya Police (Posthumous), at Rajpath before the start of the parade. The following is the full list of awardees and a brief on their acts of valour: SHRI R P DIENGDOH MEGHALAYA POLICE (POSTHUMOUS) On 6 th November 2007 , information was received that about ten militants, armed with automatic rifles and a huge quantity of explosives have set up a camp in the jungles of Meghalaya. Shri RP Diengdoh volunteered to lead the po

Delhi on high alert after Noida shootout

Delhi on high alert after Noida shootout Sunday, 25 January , 2009, 12:15 New Delhi: The incident took place at 2.15 am in Sector 97 when the suspected terrorists were intercepted while they were travelling in a white Maruti 800 car, Additional Director General of Police (UP ATS) Brij Lal said at a press conference in Lucknow. "The terrorists opened fire at the ATS team, which fired back at them. The driver of the car lost control and went off the road. Then the police team took cover behind a road divider and fired at them. During the gun battle, ATS officer Vinod Kumar Singh sustained a bullet injury," Lal said. The terrorists were injured in the shootout and they were taken to hospital, where they were declared brought dead, he added. "One of the terrorists, while being taken to hospital identified himself as Farooq, a resident of Okara in Pakistan, and his companion as Abu Ismail from Rawalakot (POK)," Lal said. The police are trying to find out the local contac