VIF News Digest: National Security, Defence Studies and Terrorism, 16-30 June, 2019
Defence:
  • Hosting of 12th ReCAAPISC capacity building workshop;
  • Expression of Interest For six P 75(i) Submarines for Indian Navy;
  • Indian Navy Executes OP Sankalp;
  • An-32 Crash: Mortal remains airlifted to Jorhat;
  • IAF Contingent Departs for Exercise Garuda-VI;
  • Software Defined Radios;
  • INS Tarkash at Alexandria, Egypt (28 JUNE - 01 JULY 2019).
International Terrorism:
Africa
Nigeria
  • 30 people killed in multiple bombings in North-East Nigeria;
  • Boko Haram terrorists kill 13 villagers in North-East Nigeria.
Domestic Terrorism:
Jammu and Kashmir
  • HM and LeT terrorists active in Jammu, claims IGP Jammu Zone;
  • One Terrorist each killed in CT operation in Budgam and Baramulla;
  • J&K has significant ‘drop’ in infiltrations this year: a report;
  • 10 people injured in grenade attack in Pulwama;
  • Five HM terrorists arrested by J&K Police from Shopian;
  • NIA arrests one person in FIF terror funding case;
  • Four AGuH terrorists killed in CT operation in Shopian.
Left-Wing Extremism
  • Maoist involved in Gadchiroli attack case arrested;
  • One Maoist killed and another arrested in Chhattisgarh;
  • Maoist camp in Chhattisgarh destroyed by ITBP.
Islamist Extremism in India (including Islamic State)
  • Sri Lanka attack mastermind linked with IS cases in India- claims NIA;
  • NIA arrests three IS sympathisers in Tamil Nadu;
  • One JMB terrorist arrested by NIA from Karnataka.
Khalistan-Inspired Extremism
  • Twitter suspends pro-Khalistan activist’s account.
    Cyber & Artificial Intelligence (Security Perspective):
    • To combat Cybercrime, Indian banks opt for ‘mock drills’;
    • US launched Cyber-attacks on Iran.
    DEFENCE
    Hosting of 12th ReCAAPISC capacity building workshop

    Additional Director General Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Shri VSR Murthy along with Executive Director of the ‘Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia’s Information Sharing Centre’, or ReCAAPISC, Masafumi Kuroki, inaugurated a two-day 12th Capacity Building Workshop, (New Delhi, June 19-21). In his inaugural address the Shri Murthy recognised the efforts of ReCAAPISC towards developing the cooperative framework to address the menace of piracy and armed robbery and facilitating information exchange between various stakeholders. The ADG ICG highlighted the fact that capacity building remains one of the most significant pillars of cooperation under the ReCAAP agreement and India has played a leading role in this aspect by hosting this workshop for a third time.

    The Executive Director of ReCAAPISC in his opening remarks appreciated the steps taken by Indian agencies especially by ICG in ensuring safe and secure seas for the seafarers. He also conveyed that information sharing is a shared responsibility of the governments and the shipping industry and the purpose of information sharing would be better served if it is accurate and shared in real time. Click here to read..

    Expression of Interest For six P 75(I) Submarines for Indian Navy

    In a major initiative under ‘Make in India’, the Government on June 20, 2019 issued the Expression of Interest(s) for shortlisting of potential Indian Strategic Partners (SP) for ‘Construction of six Conventional Submarines’ for P-75(I) Project of the Indian Navy. The project cost is about Rs 45,000 crores. This is the second project being undertaken under the latest Strategic Partnership Model; the first being the procurement of 111 Naval Utility Helicopters (NUH). This would provide a major boost to indigenous design and construction capability for submarines in India, in addition to bringing in the latest designs and technologies as part of the project. The case was approved by the Defence Acquisition Council on 31 Jan 19. The ‘Expression of Interest’ for shortlisting of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) will be issued in two weeks.

    The Strategic Partners, in collaboration with OEMs, have been mandated to set up dedicated manufacturing lines for these submarines in India and making India the global hub for submarine design and production. All six submarines under this project will be built in India by the selected Indian Strategic Partner in collaboration with the selected OEM. In addition, Indian Navy would have the option to manufacture six more submarines under the project. Click here to read..

    Indian Navy Executes ‘Operation Sankalp

    Following maritime security incidents in the region, the Indian Navy has deployed INS Chennai and Sunayna in the Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf to undertake maritime security operations. In addition, aerial surveillance by Navy aircraft is also being undertaken in the area. The Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region, which was launched by the Navy in December 2018 at Gurugram, is also keeping a close watch on the movement of ships in the Gulf region. Click here to read..

    IAF Contingent Departs for Exercise Garuda-VI

    The Indian Air Force is participating in a bilateral exercise ‘Garuda-VI’, with the French Air Force from July 1-12, 2019. This is the sixth edition of Exercise Garuda and is being planned at French Air Force Base, Mont-de-Marsan. Exercise, Garuda V was held at Air Force Station Jodhpur in Jun 2014.

    IAF contingent comprising 120 air-warriors and four Su-30 MKI along with an IL-78 Flight Refuelling aircraft will be participating in the exercise. C-17 strategic lift aircraft will provide logistic support to the contingent during the induction and de-induction phase. This is one of the biggest air exercises being planned between the two air forces. The Su-30 MKI will be operating in a simulated operational war-fighting scenario along with French Air Force’s multirole Rafael aircraft. This will enhance understanding of inter-operability during mutual operations between the two Air Forces and provide an opportunity to learn from each other’s best practices. Click here to read..

    Software Defined Radios

    A major milestone in the indigenous series production of advanced technology Software Defined Radios (SDRs) has been achieved by signing the Contract with M/s BEL for induction of Software Defined Radios for Indian Navy at the cost of Rs 488 crore on June 18, 2019 by Ministry of Defence. The SDRs have been designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in association with various agencies like Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), Centre for Artificial Intelligence & Robotics (CAIR) and Weapon and Electronics System Engineering Establishment (WESEE) of the Indian Navy. The SDRs will be manufactured by M/s Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). Click here to read..

    INS Tarkash at Alexandria, Egypt (June 28 – July 01, 2019)

    In a demonstration of India's commitment to its ties with Egypt and of Indian Navy's increasing footprints and operational reach, INS Tarkash arrived at Alexandria on 28 June 2019 for a three-day visit, as a part of Western Fleet Overseas Deployment Programme. During the visit of Tarkash, professional interactions are planned with the Egyptian Navy towards further enhancing co-operation between the two forces. In addition, calls on senior government and military authorities, sporting, cultural interactions, exchange visit of ships personnel and sharing of best practices, aimed at strengthening ties and mutual understanding between the two Navies, are also planned. Click here to read..

    INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM
    Africa
    Nigeria
    30 people killed in multiple bombings in North-East Nigeria

    On June 14, Boko Haram terrorists carried out triple suicide bombings outside a hall in Konduga nearby Borno State capital of Mogadishu. The suicide bombers detonated their explosives where people had gathered to watch a football game on the big screen installed at the location. In this attack, 30 people were killed, and over 48 people got injured. Click here to read..

    Boko Haram terrorists kill 13 villagers in Borno

    On June 15, terrorists of Boko Haram raided a village in Borno, and killed 13 villagers. Hundreds of villagers were displaced and rendered homeless following the attack. Click here to read..

    DOMESTIC TERRORISM
    Jammu and Kashmir
    HM and LeT terrorists are active in Jammu, claims IGP Jammu Zone

    Addressing a Press Conference on recovery of narcotic substances from a village nearby LC (Line of Control), the Inspector-General (IG) of Police Jammu Zone, M K Sinha informed that eight terrorists of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and two belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were active in Kishtwar.

    Earlier on May 27, police had arrested two people - Fayaz Ahmed Dar, and Arshad Ahmed - from Vivekananda Chowk, Jammu and recovered 216 grams of heroin, and INR 1,20,600 from their possession. Click here to read..

    Significant ‘drop’ in infiltrations in J&K this year: a report

    By mid-2018, around 15 terrorists were killed during attempted infiltration into Kashmir; however, this year, there has been no reports of any infiltration or gun-battle between security forces and terrorists on the LC. This was stated by a senior J&K police official. Usually, the Army tracks the infiltrations at the LC and State Police uses ground intelligence or HUMINT to track new faces in the valley. Click here to read..

    10 people injured in grenade attack in Pulwama

    On June 16, 2019, unknown terrorists carried out grenade attack at Pulwama Police Station in which 10 people got injured. According to police sources, terrorists hurled a grenade at the police station, but it exploded outside the compound wall. Injured people were taken to hospital in Srinagar for specialised treatment. Click here to read..

    Five HM terrorists arrested by Police from Shopian

    On June 16, J&K police arrested five terrorists of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) from Shopian district. They were identified as — Aqib Nazir Rathar, Amir Majeed Wani, Sameer Ahmed Bhat, Faisal Farooq Ahanger, and Rayees Ahmed Ganai, and were conspiring a major terrorist attack on security forces and their establishments in both South and North Kashmir. Click here to read..

    One person arrested by NIA in FIF terror funding case

    On June 10 2019, National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested an accused in Pakistan-based Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF) terror funding case. The individual was arrested on his arrival from Dubai at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. He was identified as Mohammad Arif Ghulambashir Dharampuria, a resident of Gujarat for whom a Look Out Circular was issued by the NIA. This is the fifth arrest in the FIF related terror financing through Hawala operators to conduct activities which cause unrest in India. Click here to read..

    Four AGuH terrorists killed in CT operation in Shopian

    In a CT operation on June 21, security forces killed four terrorists of Ansar Ghazwat ul-Hind (AGuH)— Suhail Ahmad, Showkar Ahmad Mir, Rafi Hassan Mir, and Azad Ahmad Khanday, in Damradora area in Shopian. A joint team of Rashtriya Rifles (RR), J&K police, and CRPF launched a Cordon and Search Operation in the area. In the ensuing exchange of fire, all the four terrorists were killed. Security forces also recovered arms and ammunition from the operation site. Click here to read..

    Left-Wing Extremism
    Police arrested a Maoist in Gadchiroli attack case

    On June 29, 2019, Police arrested one Kailash Ramchandani (34) in connection with an attack in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district on 01 May, 2019, in which 15 policemen were martyred and a civilian was killed. Local court remanded Kailash to police custody till 12 July. Click here to read..

    Police killed a Maoist and arrested another in Chhattisgarh

    In an anti-Maoist operation on June 29, a team of District Reserve Guards killed a Maoist one Vanjam Budhu, in-charge of Nilamadgu Rural Party Committee (RPC) of Maoists. The incident happened in forest of Konta in Atkal village in Sukma district. The DRG team also recovered a muzzle loading gun, and bag containing surgical instruments and medicines.

    In another anti-Maoist operation, Muiwa aka Gaganna aka Dokra, a member of the Manipur-Nuwapada Divisional Committee (MNDC) of the Maoists, was arrested by a team of State police’s Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) from the forests of Rawas and Amapani villages in Kanker district. Click here to read..

    Maoist camp in Chhattisgarh destroyed by ITBP

    On June 28, the 27th Battalion of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Chhattisgarh police targeted and destroyed a Maoist camp in Rajnandgaon district, close to Maharashtra State border, in Chhattisgarh. It was a major success for the security forces in demolishing a Naxalite camp before they could even settle and carried out any attack. There were no reports of injuries or fatalities to security forces, said ITBP official Vivek Pandey. During the exchange of fire, it is believed that around 26 Maoists has managed to escape from the operation site. However, security forces recovered a .303 rifle, two 12 bore rifles, an air gun, and a wireless instrument, among other things. Click here to read..

    Islamist Extremism in India (including Islamic State)
    Sri Lanka attack mastermind linked with IS cases in India, claims NIA

    The National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) investigation into the Easter Day multiple terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka on 21 April, 2019, has revealed that the mastermind of the attack, Zahran Hashim, was registered in October 2018 in a case relating to ‘criminal conspiracy to kill some Hindu leaders of Coimbatore’. Zahran Hashim’s name was linked to at least three cases of Islamic State (IS) modules in India, including a module cracked in Coimbatore. Click here to read..

    NIA arrests three IS sympathisers in Tamil Nadu

    On June 13, 2019, a team of the NIA arrested three IS sympathisers—Mohammad Hussain, Shahjahan, and Shiekh Shafiullah, after carrying out searches in their homes in Coimbatore. The NIA team recovered some digital devices, and incriminating documents. Click here to read..

    NIA arrested a JMB terrorist from Karnataka

    On June 23, the NIA arrested Habibur Rahman Sheikh, an operative of Jamaat ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), and an accused in 2014 Burdwan blast case, from Doddaballapur town in Bangalore district in Karnataka. After the arrest, Rahman was produced before the NIA court in Bangalore and later, taken to Kolkata on a transit warrant for further investigation in the case. Click here to read..

    Khalistan-Inspired Extremism
    Twitter suspends pro-Khalistan activist’s account

    Following a complaint from the Government of India, Twitter suspended pro-Khalistan activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun’s Twitter account. Pannun is an active pro-Khalistan activist and legal advisor for Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) organisation based in United States. The complaint was filed by the members of Sikh community claiming that through his Twitter account, Pannun was radicalising the Sikh youth through the support from illegal immigrants in the US and Canada. SFJ is a pro-Khalistan organisation, running a campaign at the behest of Pakistan's intelligence agency— Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), for the liberation of Punjab State from India. The outfit is trying to brainwash the novice youth in its anti-India propaganda. Click here to read..

    CYBER & ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (Security Perspective)
    To combat cyber-crime, Indian banks opt for ‘mock drills’

    To effectively counter cyber-crimes like digital fraud, and malware attacks in financial transactions, Indian banks are opting for mock cyber drills to check their preparedness to tackle such incidents. “There has been an increase in the number of requests from the Indian banks to participate in ‘mock’ cyber exercise”, said A S Ramasastry—Director, IDRBT (Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology), a division of RBI (Reserve Bank of India). These exercises are being conducted almost every quarter in synchronisation with the Chief Information Security Officers’ (CISOs) Forum of banks.Click here to read..

    US launched cyber-attacks on Iran

    On 18 June, the United States (US) Army’s Cyber Division launched a retaliatory cyber-attack and disabled the Iranian computer systems that control Iran’s rocket and missile launchers. On the basis of anonymity, two US officials confirmed that US President Donald Trump authorised the cyber-attack after he called-off the conventional military attack in response to Iran’s act of shooting down a US surveillance drone. In recent weeks, hackers believed to be on contract with Iranian government had targeted US government agencies, including sectors of oil, gas, and economy, claims CrowdStrike, a cyber-security firm.Click here to read..

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