VIF News Digest: National Security - Defence Studies & Terrorism, (16-31 August 2023)

The Indian Coast Guard conducted a successful medical evacuation of a Chinese national from a Panama flagged research vessel, MV Dong Fang Kan Tan No 2, around 200 Kms in Arabian sea off Mumbai on the intervening night of 16-17 Aug 23.. Click here to read…

Launch of Yard 3024 (Vindhyagiri).

Vindhyagiri, the sixth Stealth Frigate of Project 17A being built at GRSE, was launched on 17 Aug 23 at the shipyard by the Hon'ble President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu. Project 17A Frigates are the follow-on class of the Project 17 (Shivalik Class) Frigates, with improved stealth features, advanced weapons & sensors and platform management systems. Seven Project 17A Frigates are under various stages of construction at MDL and GRSE. Click here to read…

INS Vagir on extended range deployment to Australia.

INS Vagir is on an extended-range deployment from June 2023 and reached Fremantle, Australia on 20 Aug 23. The submarine, which is the Indian Navy’s fifth Kalvari class submarine, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in January 2023 and is based in Mumbai. Click here to read…

Exercise MALABAR -23 concludes.

The 27th edition of Exercise MALABAR, concluded on the East Coast of Australia off Sydney on 21 Aug 23. Exercise MALABAR 23 was conducted in two phases, which included a harbour phase from 11-15 Aug 23 and a sea phase from 16-21 Aug 23. The Indian Navy was represented by indigenously built destroyer INS Kolkata, frigate INS Sahyadri and P8I Maritime Patrol Aircraft. Other participating units included RAN ships HMAS Choules and HMAS Brisbane, USS Raphael Peralta, JS Shiranui, along with submarines, fighter aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft and shipborne helicopters. Click here to read…

INS Sunayna Visits Durban, South Africa

INS Sunayna entered port of Durban, South Africa on 21 Aug 23. The ship undertook passage exercise with South African Navy Ship SAS King Sekhukhune I off Durban. Post exchange of pleasantries at sea, the ship entered Durban harbour. Click here to read…

Agreements with the Philippine Coast Guard.

During the visit of the Commandant, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) , Admiral Artemio M Abu, to India, the Indian Coast Guard signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the PCG on enhanced maritime cooperation on 22 Aug 23. The visit also saw the signing of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for exchange of White Shipping Information between the Indian Navy and the PCG on 23 Aug 23. Click here to read…

LCA Tejas successfully test-fires indigenous ASTRA BVR air-to-air missile.

Tejas, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) LSP-7 successfully fired the ASTRA indigenous Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile off the coast of Goa on 23 Aug 23. The missile release was successfully carried out from the aircraft at an altitude of about 20,000 ft. Click here to read…

MoD inks contract with HSL for five Fleet Support Ships.

The Ministry of Defence, on 25 Aug 23, signed a contract with Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Visakhapatnam for acquisition of five Fleet Support Ships (FSS) for the Indian Navy at an overall cost of approx. Rs 19,000 crore. The Cabinet Committee on Security had approved the acquisition of these ships during its meeting on August 16 Aug 23. Click here to read…

DAC approves proposals to enhance operational capabilities of the Armed Forces

A Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting, held under the chairmanship of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for capital acquisition proposals worth approximately Rs 7,800 crore on 24 Aug 23. These include grant of AoN for procurement and installation of Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite on Mi-17 V5 Helicopters, procurement of Ground-Based Autonomous System for mechanised infantry and armoured regiments, procurement of Light Machine Gun (LMG) and Bridge Laying Tank (BLT), ruggedised Laptops and Tablets for the Indian Army and procurement of weapons for the MH-60R Helicopters of the Indian Navy. Click here to read…

5th Edition of AUSINDEX-23.

The 5th edition of biennial AUSINDEX maritime exercise between Indian Navy and Royal Australian Navy (RAN) was conducted from 22-25 Aug 23 at Sydney, Australia. INS Sahyadri and INS Kolkata participated in the exercise along with HMAS Choules and HMAS Brisbane from RAN. Click here to read…

Participation of Indian Army & IAF in Exercise Bright Star-23 at Cairo.

An Indian Army contingent along with the IAF is participating in “Exercise BRIGHT STAR- 23” scheduled to be conducted from 31 Aug to 14 Sep 23 at Mohammed Naguib Military Base in Egypt. It is a multinational tri-services joint military exercise that will be led by US CENTCOM and Egyptian Army. This is for the first time that Indian Armed Forces are participating in Exercise BRIGHT STAR with a total strength of 549 personnel. The Indian Army is being represented by a contingent from 23 JAT Battalion while the IAF contingent will consist of five MiG-29, two IL-78, two C-130 and two C-17 aircraft as well as personnel from the IAF's Garud Special Forces. The exercise will also see participation of contingents from the United States of America, Saudi Arabia, Greece and Qatar.Click here to read…

Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Defence visits India.

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh held talks with Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Defence Mr Aden Bare Duale in New Delhi on 29 Aug 23. Both the Ministers agreed that the defence relationship between the two countries has evolved from being training-centric to include more strategic aspects. The two Ministers also concurred on the need for deeper cooperation in maritime security of the Indian Ocean region. Capacity building and cooperation in defence industry and equipment was also discussed at length by the two sides. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Goa Shipyard Ltd and Kenya Shipyard Limited in the field of capacity building and for collaboration in ship design and construction. Click here to read…

Commander of Brazilian Army on Visit to India.

General Tomas Miguel Mine Ribeiro Paiva, Commander of the Brazilian Army, is visiting India from 28 Aug to 02 Sep 23. Click here to read…

International Terrorism

West Asia

Four Israelis arrested for their ties with the Hizb'ullah terror group

On 24 Aug 23, Israel's Shin Bet security agency confirmed that four Israeli nationals— i) Jalal Khursa, ii) Ahmed Issa, iii) Muhammed Issa, and iv) Nuh Assam, were arrested in July this year for alleged ties to the Iran-backed terror group Hizb'ullah. They were involved in smuggling Iranian-made explosive devices into Israel. Three residents of the northern Arab hamlet of Kafr Qasim were arrested for smuggling many quality weapons into Israel. During their arrest, two Iranian-made explosive devices, as well as other weaponry, were seized.

In a separate raid in the central city of Lod, security forces arrested another Israeli planning to use a similar explosive device for a criminal-related bombing. "The Shin Bet investigation revealed that Hizb'ullah worked to recruit and operate an infrastructure of smugglers in Israel to distribute unusual illegal weapons to various parties, including criminal elements," read the statement issued by the agency. Click here to read…

Africa

US Airstrike eliminated 13 al-Shabaab terrorists in Somalia.

In a collective self-defence airstrike by the US AFRICOM on 26 August 2023, at least 13 al-Shabaab terrorists were eliminated near Seiera, approximately 45 kilometres northwest of Kismayo. "Working with the Somali National Army (SNA), US Africa Command's initial assessment is that the airstrike killed 13 al-Shabaab terrorists and that no civilians were injured or killed. Specific details about the units involved and assets used will not be released to ensure operations security," read the statement released by the AFRICOM. According to US analysts, al-Shabaab is the world's largest and most kinetically active al-Qa'ida affiliation. Al-Shabaab merged with al-Qa'ida in February 2012. Click here to read…

Pakistan

Pakistani doctor in US sentenced to 18 years for supporting Islamic State.

On 25 August 2023, a United States (US)-based Pakistani-origin doctor— Muhammad Masood- was sentenced to 18 years in prison for attempting to join the Islamic State (IS) terror group and intending to carry out terrorist attacks in the US. The prosecution claims that Masood sought to enter Syria from the US via Jordan in 2020 before deciding to fly from Minneapolis to Los Angeles for a meeting. On 19 March 2020, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents arrested him at the Minneapolis airport. Terrorist organisations have used Minnesota as one of the recruiting grounds. Since 2007, over three dozen Minnesotans, primarily men from the state's sizable Somali minority, have left to join al-Shabaab, an al-Qa'ida's East African affiliate, and other terrorist groups in Syria, including IS. Click here to read…

Domestic Terrorism

Jammu and Kashmir

Security forces arrest three LeT operatives in Kupwara.

In a joint operation with 28 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Police, on 26 August 2023, arrested three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives in two separate operations in Kupwara district. In the first operation, two LeT terrorists— i) Zubair Ahmed Shah Peerzada and ii) Peerzada Mubashir Yosuf, were arrested, and five hand grenades of Pakistan and China origin were recovered. In another incident, Kupwara Police and 47 RR established a joint checkpoint in Dragmullah Shalpora area, intercepted a vehicle and recovered a hand grenade and arrested a LeT operative— Zahoor Ahmed Khan. Click here to read…

Security forces arrested a LeT terrorist from Shopian

In a joint operation carried out by Shopian Police, 44 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and 14 Battalion of CRPF arrested a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist— Shabir Ahmed Mir, from Nazninpura village in Shopian district, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and recovered arms and ammunition, including a 40 mm Pakistan-origin RPG, grenades and two Boosters. Click here to read…

Left-Wing Extremism

NIA charge-sheets 16 Maoists in the 'Jharkhand CPI (Maoist) Arms Seizure' case.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), on 19 August 2023, filed a supplementary chargesheet against 16 Maoists in connection with the 'Jharkhand CPI (Maoist) Arms seizure' case. The case— RC-02/2022/NIA/RNC pertains to the arrest of CPI (Maoist) operatives and the seizure of a huge cache of arms and ammunition from PS Peshrar, Lohardaga, Jharkhand. Investigations have highlighted that CPI (Maoist) top commanders and other operatives engaged in a criminal conspiracy in Budha Pahar in August-September 2022 to exact revenge on the arrest of senior CPI (Maoist) leader Prashant Bose. They intended to commit terrorist activities against security forces and police officers. Click here to read…

Madhya Pradesh government renews the 'Maoist Surrender and Rehabilitation' policy.

On 25 August 2023, the Madhya Pradesh government renewed a comprehensive Maoist surrender and rehabilitation policy with insights from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines. The policy, rooted in the recommendations made by the State Level Screening Committee, is designed for Maoists against whom criminal cases are registered or who hold significant positions within these outlawed factions. The policy extends its provisions to voluntary surrenders, whether with arms or without. As monetary benefits, surrendering Maoists who bring operational weapons are entitled to ex-gratia payments. These incentives range from ₹ 2,000 for grenades to ₹ 4, 50,000 for sophisticated weaponry. Surrenders are granted ₹ 1, 50,000 to aid in housing construction, as the District Level Rehabilitation and Relief Committee recommends. Click here to read…

Maoist surrenders in Chhattisgarh.

On 30 August 2023, a Maoist— Pandu Podiyami, surrendered before security forces in the Dantewada district in Chhattisgarh. During his surrender, Pandu highlighted his disappointment with the Maoist ideology. He was the Marjum Dandakaranaya Adivasi Kisan Majdoor Sangh, a CPI (Maoist) group member.Click here to read…

Islamic Extremism (excluding J&K)

NIA arrests two absconders in the 'Rajasthan terror conspiracy' case.

Two key absconders— i) Mohammad Yunus Saki and ii) Imran Khan, both residents of Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh, were arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on August 29, 2023. The case— RC-18/2022/NIA/DLI concerns the seizure of explosives and IED (Improvised Explosive Devices) components in the Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan as a result of a terror plot by the terror group— 'SUFA' that was inspired by the Islamic State (IS). Before their arrest from Maharashtra, the duo was actively spreading the IS ideology and are highly trained in IED fabrication. Click here to read…

NIA arrests an Islamic State operative in the 'IS Jabalpur module' conspiracy case.

The NIA arrested an Islamic State (IS) operative— Kasif Khan, in connection with the 'IS Jabalpur module conspiracy case. Kasif had been inspired by the terror group's ideology and had been working closely with his associates— i) Syed Mamoor Ali, ii) Mohammad Adil Khan, and iii) Mohammad Shahid, who were arrested by the NIA in May this year. Kasif and his associates were involved in organising Da'wah (the act of reverting people to Islam) programmes to brainwash and radicalise Muslim youth to work for the IS. The group had also recruited youth, procured weapons, collected funds, and disseminated IS propaganda.Click here to read…

Khalistan-inspired Extremism

NIA Special Court orders confiscation of property of Canada-based Khalistani terrorist.

Lakhbir Singh Sandhu, also known as Landa, a terrorist affiliated with the Khalistani movement headquartered in Canada, had his property seized by the NIA Special Court in Delhi. This was done in the Punjabi village of Kirian in the Tarn Taran region. According to reports, Lakbhir, a gangster-turned-terrorist, has been living in Canada since 2017 and is responsible for several terrorist attacks, including the 2022 RPG attack on the Sarhali police station and the Punjab Police's Intelligence HQ in Mohali. The State has taken over property belonging to Landa under court orders made under Section 33(5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act [UA(P)A]. Landa was already labelled a "Proclaimed Offender" on July 27, 2023. Click here to read…

Delhi Police arrests two Khalistan sympathisers for graffiti on Delhi Metro Station walls.

On 31 August 2023, Delhi Police arrested two pro-Khalistan sympathisers (identity undisclosed) from Punjab for painting pro-Khalistan slogans on the walls of five Delhi Metro stations on 27 August. The incident comes days before the scheduled G20 Summit in Delhi on 08-10 September. Pro-Khalistan messages, such as "Delhi Banega Khalistan" and "Khalistan Zindabad", were found on the walls of Shivaji Park, Madipur, Paschim Vihar, Udyog Nagar, and Maharaja Surajmal Stadium Delhi Metro stations. In a video on social media, Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, a self-claimed advocate of the Sikh For Justice (SFJ), a proscribed outfit based in the US, claimed responsibility for the incidents. "India, the battle of G-20 at Pragati Maidan has started today... the true Khalistanis have put slogans across Metro stations Delhi...and this is a message to all G-20 nations," said Pannu in the video. Click here to read…

Narco-Terror Nexus/Organised Crime Syndicate

NIA arrests an absconder in the 'Jaipur Gold Smuggling' case.

On 17 August 2023, the NIA arrested an absconder—Mohabbat Ali, a resident of Rajasthan, against whom a Red Corner Notice (RCN) and a Look Out Circular (LOC) had been issued in connection with the seizure of 18.56 kgs of gold bars at the Jaipur International Airport, Jaipur, Rajasthan. In 2020, gold bars worth ₹ 9,23,82,724 (₹ 9 crore) were seized while being smuggled from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of a criminal conspiracy to derail Bharat's economic security and monetary stability. The bars were concealed in a battery of emergency lights for smuggling by Mohabbat Ali, Subhash, Mohammad Maqbool Sheikh, Chuna Ram, and Amjad Ali. Click here to read…

Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs) Cases

NIA Special Court sentences Nepalese national to imprisonment in 'Fake Currency' case.

On 29 August 2023, the NIA Special Court, Patna, sentenced a key accused in the East Champaran's 'Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs)' case— Abi Mohammad Ansari, a Nepalese national from Bara district, Nepal. Abi Ansari has been convicted and sentenced to 7 years of Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) and ₹ 5000 fine under Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), with a similar quantum of punishment and fine also under Sections 489-B and 489-C of the IPC, and Sections 16, 18, 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act [UA(P)A]. The case— RC-08/2016/NIA/DLI pertains to the seizure of high-quality fake Indian currency notes on 30 September 2015, in the denomination of ₹ 500 with a total worth of ₹ 25,43,000. On the same day, another convict— Mohammad Ali Akhtar Ansari, had come to M/S Gati Kintetsu Express Private Limited, Raxaul, to take delivery of the FICNs and was arrested. Preliminary investigation revealed that FICNs were smuggled from a foreign country to Bharat. Later, Ansari disclosed that the consignment was assigned to be delivered to Abi Mohammad of Nepal through him. Click here to read…