INS Sunayna visited Beira, Mozambique from 28- 30 Jun 23 reinforcing India's cordial ties with maritime neighbours and vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR). As part of maritime partnership exercise, joint training sessions were conducted on various aspects of navigation, fire-fighting, damage control, Visit Board Search & Seize and asymmetric warfare. As part of Indian Navy's community outreach programme, a medical check-up camp was organised for local populace. Spreading the message of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - One Family One Health', a joint yoga session was conducted with Mozambique Navy personnel and their families onboard Sunayna. Joint EEZ patrol off Mozambique coast is also scheduled as part of the deployment.Click here to read… [2]
Indian Naval ships INS Rana, a guided missile destroyer, and INS Sumedha, an indigenously built offshore patrol vessel undertook a Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) with French Navy ship FS Surcouf, which visited Visakhapatnam from 26 – 29 June 2023. The MPX involved included professional and social interactions, sports fixtures and cross deck visits. FS Surcouf also undertook tactical manoeuvres, replenishment at sea (RAS) approaches, air defence against fighter aircraft and cross deck helicopter operations with IN ships Rana and Sumedha. The MPX culminated with a customary farewell steam past between the ships reaffirming the close friendship between the two navies.Click here to read… [3]
Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane paid an official visit to Myanmar from June 30, 2023 to July 01, 2023. He called on Chairman, State Administrative Council Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and the Defence Minister of Myanmar Gen (Retd.) Mya Tun Oo. He also held meetings with Commander-in-Chief, Myanmar Navy Admiral Moe Aung and Chief of Defence Industries Lt Gen Khan Myint Than. During the meetings, the two sides discussed issues related to maintenance of tranquillity in the border areas, illegal trans-border movements and transnational crimes such as drug trafficking and smuggling. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to ensure that their respective territories would not be allowed to be used for any activities inimical to the other.Click here to read… [4]
A five-member Training delegation from Lebanese Armed Forces led by Brigadier General Hussein Bazzi visited Southern Naval Command, Kochi and Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala from 03 - 08 Jul 23. The delegation held discussions on issues of interoperability and collaboration between the two forces in the field of training and visited Headquarters Sea Training (HQST) wherein they held professional interactions were held on varied aspects of Operational Sea Training. The delegation also visited various training establishments of Southern Naval Command at Kochi and INA Ezhimala for exploring avenues of mutual cooperation in the field of Naval training.Click here to read… [5]
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh presided over a day-long ‘Chintan Shivir’ of Ministry of Defence (MoD) in New Delhi on July 06, 2023. The Raksha Mantri reviewed the takeaways of earlier brainstorming sessions conducted by the Department of Defence (DoD), Department of Defence Production (DDP), Department of Military Affairs (DMA), Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (DESW) and Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and discussed ways to implement the recommendations borne out of these deliberations.Click here to read… [6]
The seventh edition of the bilateral Japan-India Maritime Exercise 2023 (JIMEX 23) hosted by the Indian Navy, was conducted at/ off Visakhapatnam from 05 -10 July 2023. JIMEX 23 witnessed the participation of INS Delhi, India's first indigenously built Guided Missile Destroyer, INS Kamorta, an indigenously designed and built Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette, fleet tanker INS Shakti, a submarine, maritime patrol aircraft P8I and Dornier, ship-borne helicopters and fighter aircraft. JMSDF was represented by the guided missile destroyer JS Samidare and its integral helicopters. The exercise was conducted over six days in two phases - a Harbour Phase at Visakhapatnam comprising professional, sports and social interactions, after which, the two navies jointly honed their warfighting skills at sea. JIMEX 23 witnessed complex exercises, undertaken jointly by the two navies. Both sides engaged in advanced level exercises in all three domains of maritime warfare - surface, sub surface and air. Besides ships and their integral helicopters, the exercise also witnessed the participation of fighter aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft and a submarine.Click here to read… [7]
Ministry of Defence signed, in New Delhi on July 07, 2023, a contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for procurement of two Dornier Aircraft for Indian Coast Guard (ICG) along with associated Engineering Support package at an overall cost of Rs 458.87 crore under the Buy (Indian) Category. The aircraft will be fitted with a number of advanced equipment viz., Glass Cockpit, Maritime Patrol Radar, Electro Optic Infra-Red device, Mission Management System etc.Click here to read… [8]
To further boost India’s ‘Act East Policy’ and strengthen bilateral ties with Malaysia, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh held extensive discussions with his Malaysian counterpart Mr Dato’ Seri Mohamad Hasan in Kuala Lumpur on July 10, 2023. He also called on Prime Minister Mr YB Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim, besides meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia Dato’ Seri Diraja Dr Zambry Abd Kadir. Both sides discussed initiatives to further expand bilateral defence ties, with particular focus on identifying ways to strengthen industrial cooperation. They reaffirmed their commitment to fully implement the Enhanced Strategic Partnership based on mutual trust and understanding, common interests and shared values of democracy and rule of law. Recognising defence exports as a key pillar of sustainable growth of the Indian defence industry, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Regional Office of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 11, 2023. This Regional Office will facilitate close defence industrial collaboration between India and Malaysia. It will also serve as a hub for the HAL’s engagement with the wider South-East Asian region and act as a window for other Indian Defense PSUs.Click here to read… [9]
A meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), held under the chairmanship of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, on July 13, 2023, granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for procurement of 26 Rafale Marine aircraft along with associated ancillary equipment, weapons, simulator, spares, documentation, crew training and logistic support for the Indian Navy from the French Government based on Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA). The DAC also granted the AoN for procurement of three additional Scorpene submarines under Buy (Indian) category which will be constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL).Click here to read… [10]
A 269-member Indian tri-service contingent on 14 Jul 23 participated in the Bastille Day parade, marching in central Paris along with French troops as Prime Minister Narendra Modi – the Chief Guest for the French national day – and French President Emmanuel Macron looked on. Three Rafale combat jets of the Indian Air Force flew over the Champs Elysees along with other French Air assets, as a part of the flypast. The Indian Navy marked its presence with the indigenous warship INS Chennai, a Guided Missile Destroyer, that docked in Brest on the French coast and took part in the local Bastille Day celebration.Click here to read… [11]
The IAF has been fully involved in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations in the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab in the light of current flood situation. In the last 48 hours, a total 40 sorties have been carried out, in which, 126 people have been rescued and 17 tons of relief materials have been distributed in various areas.Click here to read… [12]
On 06 July 2023, Kenyan Special Forces killed at least 23 al-Shabaab terrorists in a gunbattle in Orgene village in Mandera County, north-east Kenya. “There is an increasing tendency of terrorists to attack our people, including our security officers. We will sustain the war, we will win the war, and we request for the patience and cooperation of the public,” said Kenya’s Security Minister Kithure Kindiki, who vowed to flush terrorists from Kenyan territories while on a security tour of north-east Kenya.
“We are going to upscale our partnership between the security agencies and the local communities to ensure that we flush out this enemy, the way our neighbours in Somalia have collaborated between the security agencies and the local communities,” said the minister.Click here to read… [13]
During a joint operation with regional and international forces on 09 July 2023, the Somali National Army (SNA)’s elite forces killed at least 40 al-Shabaab terrorists in the Lower Juba region of southern Somalia. “The latest onslaught by joint forces’ managed to neutralise the al-Shabaab terrorists who were reorganising in readiness for an attack against soft targets,” said Somalia’s Defence Minister— Abdul Kadir Mohamed Nur.Click here to read… [14]
On 11 July 2023, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) cracked down on the newly floated terror outfits of proscribed Pakistan-backed terror organisations operating in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). NIA raided five locations in Kashmir's Anantnag, Shopian, and Pulwama districts and seized several digital devices containing massive incriminating data.
The raided locations were premises of ‘hybrid terrorists’ and Over-Ground Workers (OGWs) linked with banned terror organisations in Kashmir. The NIA suspected the involvement of OGWs in collecting and distributing sticky bombs, IEDs, funds, and narcotic substances. The NIA is investigating the following newly-floated terror outfits— The Resistance Front (TRF), United Liberation Front Jammu and Kashmir (UNLFJ&K), Mujahideen Ghazwat ul-Hind (MGuH), Jammu and Kashmir Freedom Fighters (JKFF), Kashmir Tigers, People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF).Click here to read… [15]
Compared to the number of terrorists eliminated in the first six months of 2022, the numbers have reduced by 78 per cent this year. According to data compiled by a security agency, around 27 terrorists were killed in various counter-terror operations in the first six months of 2023, as compared to 125 terrorists eliminated in the corresponding period in 2022.
The fierce crackdown by security forces on terror groups in the Valley, since the amendment of Articles 370 and 35A, has resulted in a marked decrease in the terror activities and infiltration of terrorists. As far as the expenditure on security and related infrastructure is concerned, the budget for the next financial year for Jammu and Kashmir has gone up by ₹5,550 crore with security-related expenditure in the state set at ₹1,197 crore. The budget for fiscal 2022-23 was ₹1,12,950 crore.Click here to read… [16]
On 11 July 2023, security forces, comprising of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) police and Indian Army’s Rashtriya Rifles (RR), arrested five Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terroristsfrom Khag area of Budgam district in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Security forces also recovered incriminating materials from their possession.Click here to read… [17]
A Maoist leader— Madakam Deva, aka Bhagat, turned himself into the Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district police on 13 July 2023 in Andhra Pradesh. Madakam carried a cash reward of ₹ 5 lakhs. He participated in over 12 serious crimes over 17 years, including a Maoist attack on Salvajudem Camp by Maoists from Injaram village. According to the Surrender and Rehabilitation policies, Madakam will receive a reward of ₹ 5 lakhs in addition to any other benefits for which he qualifies so that he can live peacefully following his surrender.Click here to read… [18]
On 13 July 2023, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Trial Court in Ernakulam, Kerala, pronounced life sentence to three of six operatives of Popular Front of India (PFI) in the 2010 case of an attempt to murder a professor by chopping off his hand.
The convicts— i) Sajil, ii) Najeeb, and iii) M K Nazar, have been awarded life sentences, along with a fine of ₹ 50,000 each. On 12 July 2023, three other PFI operatives— i) M K Nausha, ii) P P Moideenkunu, and iii) P M Ayoob, were sentenced to three years imprisonment. All six PFI operatives had been convicted under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act [UA(P)A], and the Explosive Substances Act. They were found guilty of promoting enmity between different groups based on religion and carrying out terrorist acts.Click here to read… [19]
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court, New Delhi, on 12 July 2023, sentenced four terror operatives— i) Danish Ansari, ii) Aftab Alam, iii) Imran Khan, and iv) Obaid ur-Rehman, to 10 years of imprisonment in the Indian Mujahideen (IM) case relating to the conspiracy hatched by the Pakistan-supported terrorists to carry-out bomb blasts across India.Click here to read… [20]
On 04 July 2023, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a chargesheet against two Islamic State (IS) operatives— i) Mohammad Saddam and ii) Abdul Rakib Qureshi, for promoting terror activities. Both IS operatives were arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) Kolkata on 06 January 2023 for hatching a conspiracy against the Government of India by collecting arms and ammunition and recruiting Muslim youth for carrying terror activities for the banned group— IS, in Bharat and abroad.
Further investigation into the case continues.Click here to read… [21]
On 08 July 2023, pro-Khalistani elements protested outside the Indian High Commission in London, the United Kingdom (UK), which was relatively subdued and passedoff without serious incident. According to reports, the gathering was small in number.
The protest was part of a series of demonstrations organised in several cities worldwide, such as Melbourne, San Francisco, and Toronto, to protest the killing of Khalistani terrorist— Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia, Canada, on 18 June 2023. The protesters in London displayed banners with the images of the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, and its Consul-General in Birmingham, blaming them for the killing of Nijjar. Posters supporting Pakistan and Kashmir issues were also spotted during the protest.Click here to read… [22]
On 09 July 2023, a pro-Khalistan rally was overshadowed by several Indian community members carrying India’s national flag in Toronto, Canada. A handful of pro-Khalistan supporters gathered outside the Indian Consulate in Toronto, but they were outnumbered by the members of the Indiancommunity who waved the national flag of India and raised slogans— Bharat Mata ki Jai, Vande Mataram, and Long Live India.
Earlier this month, the ‘Khalistan Freedom Rally’ poster in Canada, had sparked outrage across India by calling the High Commissioner to Ottawa— Sanjay Kumar Verma and Consul-General in Toronto— Apoorva Srivastava, as “Killers” of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar.Click here to read… [23]
On 07 July 2023, India urged the United Kingdom (UK) to act against pro-Khalistan elements who have threatened Indian officials in the UK. The discussion was held in Delhi between the visiting UK’s National Security Adviser— Sir Tim Barrow, and his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval. The Indian delegation led by the National Security Adviser— Ajit Doval, raised the issue of extremist elements in the UK threatening individual Indian officials of the Indian High Commission and urged the UK government to take strong public action against these elements, such as deportation or legal prosecution. Both sides agreed to work closely on counter-terrorism, terrorfinancing, and counter-radicalisation.Click here to read… [24]
On 13 July 2023, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a chargesheet against three terror operatives, including a Myanmar national, for extortion by members of banned terror outfits in Manipur. The NIA Special Court, Imphal, chargesheeted— i) Deepak Sharma aka Khinmaung (Myanmar national), ii) Suraj Jaiswal, and iii) Shaikhom Bruce Meetei, associated with banned terror outfits— People’s Revolutionary Army, Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK), and United National Liberation Front (UNLF). The trio had been raising/collecting funds to further the activities of mentioned terror groups in Manipur.Click here to read… [25]
In an ongoing investigation in the ‘Pakistan-sponsored narco-terror’ case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) attached the residential property of two brothers— i) Bikramjit Singh and ii) Maninder Singh, under Section 25(1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act [UA(P)A], 1967, after its designation as ‘proceeds of terrorism’. The NIA earlier arrested both brothers in the case.The NIA has already filed four chargesheets (including three supplementary) against 13 accused under the relevant Sections of the UA(P)Act, Narcotic Drug and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the case— RC-23/2020/NIA/DLI.Click here to read… [26]
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Links:
[1] https://www.vifindia.org/defensenationalsecurityterrorism/2023/july/21
[2] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1936766
[3] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1936650
[4] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1936668
[5] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1937361
[6] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1937546
[7] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1937586
[8] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1937926
[9] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1938757
[10] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1939178
[11] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1937964
[12] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1939421
[13] https://www.voanews.com/a/kenya-special-forces-kill-23-al-shabab-militants-/7171526.html
[14] https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=1098170
[15] https://nia.gov.in/writereaddata/Portal/PressReleaseNew/1503_1_Pr2.pdf
[16] https://www.republicworld.com/india-news/general-news/as-crackdown-against-terror-continues-in-j-and-k-terrorist-killings-down-by-78-percent-in-2023-articleshow.html
[17] https://thekashmirimages.com/2023/07/12/5-let-associates-arrested-in-budgam-police/
[18] https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/maoist-member-responsible-for-killing-over-190-security-personnel-in-chhattisgarh-surrenders-before-andhra-pradesh-police20230713213834/
[19] https://nia.gov.in/writereaddata/Portal/PressReleaseNew/1508_1_Pr.pdf
[20] https://nia.gov.in/writereaddata/Portal/PressReleaseNew/1505_1_Pr.pdf
[21] https://nia.gov.in/writereaddata/Portal/PressReleaseNew/1500_1_Pr.pdf
[22] https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/pro-khalistan-protest-in-london-subdued/article67058156.ece
[23] https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/khalistan-rally-in-canada-overshadowed-by-pro-india-gathering-4191012
[24] https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/deport-khalistan-elements-national-security-adviser-ajit-doval-tells-uk-counterpart-tim-barrow/article67053417.ece
[25] https://nia.gov.in/writereaddata/Portal/PressReleaseNew/1504_1_Pr.pdf
[26] https://nia.gov.in/writereaddata/Portal/PressReleaseNew/1499_1_Pr.pdf
[27] http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?title=VIF News Digest: National Security - Defence Studies & Terrorism, (01-15 July 2023)&desc=&images=&u=https://www.vifindia.org/defensenationalsecurityterrorism/2023/july/21
[28] http://twitter.com/share?text=VIF News Digest: National Security - Defence Studies & Terrorism, (01-15 July 2023)&url=https://www.vifindia.org/defensenationalsecurityterrorism/2023/july/21&via=Azure Power
[29] whatsapp://send?text=https://www.vifindia.org/defensenationalsecurityterrorism/2023/july/21
[30] https://www.vifindia.org/author/anurag-sharma
[31] https://www.vifindia.org/author/commodore-gopal-suri