India-Pakistan: Islamic Militants On The Defensive

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April 24, 2007: In northwestern Pakistan, student supporters of Islamic militants fought police, which left six students dead and over twenty wounded. The student mob was trying to destroy the headquarters of an Islamic moderate group.

In northeast India, police killed three tribal militants. Police acted on a tip, that a group of ULFA rebels had set up camp in the hills. Overall, however, the tribal rebels are not taking much of a beating. They have developed extortion, and other rackets, that are keeping them financially secure and well armed.

April 23, 2007: At least one police station in eastern India has been shut down because of fear of attack by large groups of Maoist rebels. The Maoists are feeling the heat from increased police and army attention, but are still a major force in parts of the countryside.

April 22, 2007: In the Pakistan tribal areas, the Taliban are making themselves unpopular by destroying video and music stores. These places are considered "un-Islamic," but many of the locals resent losing one of the few sources of entertainment in the region. This has led to more moderate Islamic groups getting organized and attacking the Islamic militant groups. The police tend to back the moderates, which leaves the militants on the losing end of most clashes. The militants do not like this.

April 21, 2007: In Bangladesh, the interim (because of failed elections) military government has sent the leaders of the two major political parties into exile. This has cut party support for Islamic terror groups, and cut down on Islamic militant activity as well.

April 20, 2007: The Taliban are trying to regain the initiative by physically attacking anti-terrorism journalists, and releasing even more shocking execution videos. The most recent one shows a 12 year old boy cutting off the head of a bound man, accused of being a police informer. The use of the kid in the execution video appears to be a recruiting tactic. The high death rate among Taliban fighters in Afghanistan has made it difficult to recruit adults, so the Taliban are going after teenagers.

In eastern India, police arrested two Maoist leaders.

April 19, 2007: At a meeting of some 2,000 clerics in northwestern Pakistan, a fatwa (religious opinion) was issued condemning suicide bombing. Clerics who support the Taliban and al Qaeda have been on the defensive lately, because their efforts have not succeeded, and have brought only violence and misery. There have been an increasing number of anti-terror demonstrations, and street battles between pro and anti-terror gangs.

 

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