Latest Articles about South Asia
Future of the SCO Under Question After Tashkent Summit
The fifteenth meeting of the heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) took place on June 23–24, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Participation in these annual meetings has been growing over the past several years and was even bigger this time as negotiations for admitting... MORE
Bangladesh Launches Crackdown on Islamist Threat
After months denying the existence of transnational jihadist groups on its soil in the face of a violent campaign against secular and progressive forces, Bangladeshi authorities appear to have woken up to the reality of extremist militancy. Following a series of knife and machete attacks,... MORE
Taliban Victories in Helmand Province Prove Test for Afghan Government
Days after a U.S. drone strike killed the Taliban leader Mullah Akhar Mohammad Mansur in southwestern Pakistan on May 21, Afghan lawmakers warned of the impending collapse of Afghanistan's largest province. "Helmand is on the verge of collapse; 58 people were martyred during a single... MORE
Assessing the Death of Mullah Mansour and its Impact on the Taliban Leadership
Dr. Syed Adnan Ali Shah Bukhari and Dr. Sadia Sulaiman The death of Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a U.S. drone strike in Nushki district of Balochistan Province on May 21, has put the Taliban insurgent movement back on a powder keg. Additionally, it has the... MORE
Naeem Bokhari: Military Mastermind of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
Farhan Zahid This past February, the Karachi police and the Sindh Rangers, a Pakistani paramilitary force, foiled a terrorist plot to stage a massive jailbreak in southeast Pakistan. The operation, which appears to have been intelligence-led, was one of the largest and most successful joint... MORE
The Zainabiyoun Brigade: A Pakistani Shiite Militia Amid the Syrian Conflict
Since the outbreak of Syrian Civil War in 2011, a plethora of violent Islamist groups have surfaced in various parts of the country, some fighting for the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, and many fighting against it. According to an estimate from the Soufan Group,... MORE
How Islamic State Gained Ground in India Using Indigenous Militant Networks
A series of arrests this year in India has highlighted how India has been unable to escape its overtures as Islamic State (IS) continues its attempts to expand its geographical and online reach beyond Iraq and Syria. While IS propaganda has so far struck a... MORE
New Generation of Militants Emerging in Kashmir
Militants attacked a multi-storied government building in Pampore in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in February, leading to a three-day standoff with security forces (Indian Express, February 22; Kashmir Reader, February 23). While the incident was notable as one of the... MORE
Resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan’s North
Fighting in northern Afghanistan has continued throughout the end of 2015 and start of 2016, culminating in the temporary fall of the strategically important city of Kunduz. The capture of Kunduz, which came much to the shock of the Afghan government and the international community,... MORE