The ninth edition of Joint Military exercise “Exercise MITRA SHAKTI-2023” was conducted from 16 – 29 Nov 23. The Indian contingent, of 120 personnel, was represented mainly by troops from the Maratha Light Infantry Regiment. The Sri Lankan side was represented by personnel from 53 Infantry Division. 15 personnel from Indian Air Force and five personnel from Sri Lankan Air Force also participated in the exercise. Click here to read… [2]
‘Amini’, the 4th of 08 x ASW Shallow Water Craft (SWC) Project being built by M/s GRSE for Indian Navy, was launched on 16 Nov 23 at M/s L&T, Kattupalli. Mahe, Malvan and Mangrol, the first three ships of 08 x ASW Shallow Water Craft (CSL) project being built by CSL, Kochi for the Indian Navy, were launched on 30 Nov 23 at CSL, Kochi. Click here to read… [3]
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh paid an official visit to Indonesian capital Jakarta from 16 – 17 Nov 23 to attend the 10th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus). During the meeting, the Raksha Mantri addressed the forum on regional and international security issues. Indonesia is hosting the meeting as it is the chair of ADMM-Plus. On the sidelines of the ADMM-Plus, Shri Rajnath Singh held bilateral meetings with the Defence Ministers of the participating countries and discussed defence cooperation matters to further strengthen mutually-beneficial engagements. After completing his tour to Indonesia, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, on his way back home, paid a brief visit to Singapore on 18 Nov 23. He paid tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose by laying a wreath at the Indian National Army (INA) marker there. Click here to read… [4]
Australian Deputy Prime Minister & Minister for Defence Mr Richard Marles visited India from 19 – 20 Nov 23 to co-chair the 2nd India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue with Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh. A bilateral meeting on defence cooperation was also held between Minister Marles and Raksha Mantri on 20 Nov 23 followed by the 2+2 Dialogue. Click here to read… [5]
General Manoj Pande, the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) was on an official visit to the Republic of Korea (ROK). The visit commenced on 20 Nov 23, a momentous day in the history of India-ROK relations. On 20 Nov 50, 73 years back, 60 Para Field Ambulance of Indian Army landed in Busan, to provide much-needed medical support during the Korean War. The key highlights of the tour included a bilateral meeting with General Park An-su, Chief of Staff, ROK Army besides a dialogue with General Kim Seung-kyum, Chairman of Joint Chief of Staff of ROK Armed Forces. Click here to read… [6]
The 14th edition of the Indo-US Joint Special Forces exercise “Vajra Prahar 2023” commenced at the Joint Training Node, Umroi (Meghalaya) on 21 Nov 23. The US contingent is represented by personnel from the 1st Special Forces Group (SFG) of US Special Forces. The Indian Army contingent is led by Special Forces personnel from the Eastern Command. In the course of three weeks, both sides will jointly plan and rehearse a series of Special Operations, Counter Terrorist Operations, Air Borne operations in simulated conventional and unconventional scenarios in mountainous terrain. Click here to read… [7]
As a part of the ongoing Extended Operational Deployment to Africa, Indian Naval Ship Sumedha arrived at Maputo, Mozambique on 21 Nov 23. Professional interactions, cross deck visits, planning conferences and Joint EEZ surveillance from 23-25 November 2023 were scheduled during the visit. Click here to read… [8]
The second edition of Joint Military Exercise AUSTRAHIND-23 is being conducted at Perth, Australia from 22 Nov – 06 Dec 23. The Indian Army contingent comprises 60 personnel from a Battalion of the GORKHA Rifles. The Australian Army contingent comprising 60 personnel are from the 13th Brigade. One officer from Indian Navy and 20 personnel from Indian Air Force are also participating from the Indian side. The Australian contingent includes 20 personnel each from the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force. Click here to read… [9]
The Nepal Army contingent comprising of 334 personnel is participating in the 17th edition of Joint Military Exercise Surya Kiran. The exercise is being conducted at Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand from 24 Nov – 07 Dec 23. It is an annual event and conducted alternatively in the two countries. Click here to read… [10]
The 9th National Level Pollution Response Exercise (NATPOLREX-IX) was conducted by the Indian Coast Guard on 25 Nov 23 off Vadinar, Gujarat. Representatives of various ministries and departments of central and coastal state governments, ports, oil handling agencies, and other stakeholders participated in the exercise. More than 31 foreign observers and 80 delegates participated in the exercise. Click here to read… [11]
The Indian Coast Guard Ship Sajag, an Offshore Patrol Vessel, arrived at Port Sultan Qaboos, Muscat, Oman, on 29 Nov 23 for a three-day visit as part of the overseas deployment of ICG ships to West Asia. The visit aims to strengthen long-standing diplomatic ties, enhance maritime cooperation, and promote interoperability with the Royal Oman Police Coast Guard (ROPCG) and other maritime agencies. Click here to read… [12]
On 28 Nov 23, Spanish police arrested two Brazilian brothers— i) Thaylan Padilha Palomanes, and ii) Thauann Padilha Palomanes from Estepona, for their alleged connection with Islamic State (IS) terror organisation. The duo had been radicalised and had distributed IS propaganda over the Internet. Earlier, Brazilian Federal Police, in cooperation with Israel’s Mossad, cracked an alleged cell of Hizb’ullah seeking to establish itself in Brazil. Click here to read… [13]
On 18 Nov 23, Boko Haram attacked the convoy of Mai Mala Buni, a Nigerian Governor of Yobe State, while he was returning from Maiduguri to Damaturu (capital of Yobe State). On 17 November, Nigeria Air Force (NAF) struck locations of terrorists in Sambisa forest, killing more than 138 terrorists. Click here to read… [14]
On 20 Nov 23, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), an IS-affiliated terror group, attacked a fleet of Boko Haram boats on the islet of Kaduna Ruwa in Lake Chad. In the resulting exchange of fire, over 60 people were killed. Click here to read… [15]
On 20 Nov 23, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested an Over-Ground Worker (OGW)— Zakir Hussain for his alleged involvement in delivery of weapons through drones to active terrorists in the Valley. Zakir is one of the 08th OGWs arrested in the same case. The other seven arrested OGWs and two absconders were chargesheet by the NIA on 12 Jan 23 under various sections of UA(P)A, Arms Act, Explosive Substances Act (ESA). Earlier, the local police had registered a case following the interception of a drone (Hexacopter) and recovery of several rounds of UBGL/magnetic bombs near Dhalli area in Kathua district. Click here to read… [16]
On 17 Nov 23, the NIA attached properties of Mohammad Yaseen, an operative of proscribed terror group— Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TuM) and under-trial terrorists in ‘seizure of arms and explosives’ case. Acting on orders from the NIA Special Court, Jammu, the agency attached four properties of Yaseen under Section 33(1) of UA(P) Act 1967. The properties are located in Dhrooti (Dhabi) village in Tehsil Balakot, Poonch district. Click here to read… [17]
Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Dwivedi highlighted the presence of ex-Pakistan soldiers among terrorist ranks in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). “When we tried to seek identification of foreign terrorists, we came to know that some of them are retired Pakistan army personnel. There could be around two dozen terrorists in Jammu region, including Rajouri-Poonch belt,” said Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi. Click here to read… [18]
The UT of J&K’s State Investigation Agency (SIA), on 16 Nov 23, attached an apple orchard of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM)’s Over-Ground Worker (OGW)— Ishfaq Ahmad Wani. The orchard is owned by Ishfaq’s father and located in Pulwama district. The orchard is attached under Section 25 of the UA(P) Act of 1967. Click here to read… [19]
In a gun-battle with terrorists, five security forces personnel, including two Army officers (Captain ranks) attained Veergati in Kalakote in Rajouri district. In exchange of fire, security forces eliminated two terrorists, including a top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander— Qari, and recovered large quantities of arms and ammunition. The security forces personnel who attained Veergati were identified as— i) Captain M V Pranjal, ii) Captain Shubham Gupta, iii) Havaldar Abdul Majid, iv) Lance Naik Sanjay Bisht, and v) Paratrooper Sachin Laur. Click here to read… [20]
On 23 Nov 23, the NIA carried out raids across Bihar in effort to foil CPI (Maoist) conspiracy to revive and strengthen the group in the Magadh zone. The raids were carried out at 31 locations in Aurangabad, Rohtash, Kaimur, Gaya, and Saran (Chhapra), leading to unearth the conspiracy of CPI (Maoist) to revive the outfit in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh (UP). In search operation, electronic devices, two country-made pistols, and ₹ 3,53,130 in cash were seized. Click here to read… [21]
On 21 Nov 23, the NIA filed a chargesheet against six Maoists in the case pertains to an attack killing 22 security forces personnel in Bijapur district, in Chhattisgarh in 2021. In the chargesheet filed in the NIA Special Court, Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, the agency has charged— i) Manoj Podiyami, ii) Mula Devender Reddy, iii) Vijja Hemla, iv) Kesha Sodhi, v) Mallesh, and vi) Sonu, under various Sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act [UA(P)A], 1967, the Arms Act 1959, the Explosive Substances Act 1908, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) 1860. Click here to read… [22]
On 24 Nov 23, Maoists dragged a tribal farmer— Ramji Chinna Atram to a Kangaroo court and shot him from point-blank range. Maoist pronounced him guilty of engineering the encounter of a woman Maoist. Atram’s body was recovered from fields of Kapewancha village in Aheri taluka with a Maoist pamphlet pinned on his body. Click here to read… [23]
On 18 Nov 23, Kolkata Police’s Special Task Force (STF) arrested two Maoists— i) Mantu Mallick, and ii) Pratik Bhowmik, from Suti in Murshidabad district, West Bengal. The duo were produced before city court on next day and sent to police custody till 30 Nov 23. Click here to read… [24]
On 26 Nov 23, the NIA carried out multi-State raids in connection with Pakistan-supported “Ghazwa-e-Hind” (GeH) module case. The raids lead to the seizure of incriminating documents and digital devices. The raids were carried out at the premises of GeH’s operatives located in Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh, Gir Somnath district, Gujarat, Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh, and Kozhikode district of Kerala. Click here to read… [25]
On 21 Nov 23, the NIA filed a chargesheet against four Islamic State (IS) operatives in ‘Jabalpur module’ case. In May this year, the agency had arrested three IS operatives— i) Syed Mamoor Ali, ii) Mohammad Adil Khan, and iii) Mohammad Shahid, under various sections of the UA(P) Act 1967 and the IPC 1860. The fourth IS operative— Kasif Khan was arrested in August 2023. Click here to read… [26]
On 22 Nov 23, the NIA carried out raids in multiple locations in Punjab and Haryana in connection with ‘attack on Indian Consulate in San Francisco’ case. A total of 14 locations were raided to unearth a conspiracy behind two separate vandalising attacks carried on 19 March and 02 July this year. The attacks involved criminal intent, trespass, vandalism, damage to public property, and foiled attempts targeting Consulate officials and setting the Consulate building on fire through acts of arson. Click here to read… [27]
NIA, under various sections of IPC 1860 and UA(P) Act 1967, has registered a case against radical Sikh extremist— Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and his organisation— Sikh For Justice (SFJ) for conspiring to target and disrupt the transportation sector in Bharat. The case pertains to his latest video message threatening the passengers flying to Bharat and Air India airlines with a global blockade and closure of the operations of the airline from 19 November 2023. Pannun has been charged under relevant sections of the IPC 1860 and UA(P) Act 1967. Click here to read… [28]
On 21 Nov 23, the NIA Special Judge at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, sentenced three Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs) traffickers— i) Murad Alam, ii) Tausif Alam, and iii) Sariful Islam, in ‘2021 Ghaziabad FICN’ case. All three traffickers are sentenced to 4- and 5-years Rigorous Imprisonment (RI), along with fine, under various Sections of IPC 1860, and UA(P) Act 1967. Click here to read… [29]
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Links:
[1] https://www.vifindia.org/defensenationalsecurityterrorism/2023/december/05
[2] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1977339
[3] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1977458
[4] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1976783
[5] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1977792
[6] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1978076
[7] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1978458
[8] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1978675
[9] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1978722
[10] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1979428
[11] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1979866
[12] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1980914
[13] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/two-brazilian-brothers-arrested-spain-alleged-islamic-state-links-2023-11-28/
[14] https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/rest-of-africa/nigerian-governor-s-convoy-hit-in-boko-haram-attack-4440788
[15] https://www.africanews.com/2023/11/21/nigeria-clashes-between-jihadists-more-than-60-deaths-feared//
[16] https://nia.gov.in/writereaddata/Portal/PressReleaseNew/1615_1_Pr.pdf
[17] https://nia.gov.in/writereaddata/Portal/PressReleaseNew/1612_1_Pr1.pdf
[18] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jammu/ex-pakistan-soldiers-among-terrorists-army-commander/articleshow/105482629.cms
[19] https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/j-k/sia-attaches-orchard-of-jem-aide-in-pulwama-562994
[20] https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/rajouri-encounter-lashkars-highly-trained-militant-killed-in-rajouri-say-officials/article67564654.ece
[21] https://nia.gov.in/writereaddata/Portal/PressReleaseNew/1620_1_Pr.pdf
[22] https://nia.gov.in/writereaddata/Portal/PressReleaseNew/1619_1_Pr1.pdf
[23] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/maoists-kill-2-in-bastar/articleshow/105506078.cms
[24] https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/special-task-force-arrests-two-maoists-in-west-bengal/article67551828.ece
[25] https://nia.gov.in/writereaddata/Portal/PressReleaseNew/1621_1_Pr.pdf
[26] https://nia.gov.in/writereaddata/Portal/PressReleaseNew/1618_1_Pr.pdf
[27] https://nia.gov.in/writereaddata/Portal/PressReleaseNew/1617_1_Pr.pdf
[28] https://nia.gov.in/writereaddata/Portal/PressReleaseNew/1613_1_Pr.pdf
[29] https://nia.gov.in/writereaddata/Portal/PressReleaseNew/1616_1_Pr1.pdf
[30] http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?title=VIF News Digest : National Security - Defence Studies & Terrorism, (16 – 30 November 2023)&desc=&images=&u=https://www.vifindia.org/defensenationalsecurityterrorism/2023/december/05
[31] http://twitter.com/share?text=VIF News Digest : National Security - Defence Studies & Terrorism, (16 – 30 November 2023)&url=https://www.vifindia.org/defensenationalsecurityterrorism/2023/december/05&via=Azure Power
[32] whatsapp://send?text=https://www.vifindia.org/defensenationalsecurityterrorism/2023/december/05
[33] https://www.vifindia.org/author/anurag-sharma
[34] https://www.vifindia.org/author/commodore-gopal-suri