News Analysis India

Tag: Counter-terrorism

  • India may have secretariat for global ‘No Money for Terror’ initiative

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India is likely to set up a secretariat to deal with anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism issues under the global ‘No Money for Terror’ initiative.

    The country indicated this at the third ‘No Money for Terror’ conference which concluded on Saturday, a senior government functionary said.

    The two-day conference here was attended by 450 delegates from over 75 nations and international organisations.

    “India is keen to establish a secretariat to deal with anti-money laundering/ combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) issues. Discussions are going on with international partners in this direction,” the functionary said.

    New Delhi is also optimistic to institutionalise the ‘No Money for Terror’ conference by ensuring it as an annual event, the functionary said.

    The global watchdog on terror financing and money laundering, Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which participated in the conference, has also expressed willingness to work closely on AML and CFT issues under India’s G-20 priorities.

    The functionary said India is positioning itself as a global player in counter-terrorism initiatives and not just limiting its discourse only to Pakistan-centric issues.

    While addressing the concluding session of the conference, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in the last few decades, India has successfully tackled many challenges, including terrorism.

    He said with the country’s policy of zero-tolerance towards terrorism, strong framework of counter-terror laws and empowerment of agencies, India has seen a significant reduction in incidents of terrorism and has succeeded in ensuring strict punishment in cases of terrorism.

    Nigeria is likely to host the next ‘No Money for Terror’ conference. The delegation representing Nigeria at the conference conveyed that they would consult their government and take a final decision in this regard, official sources said.ALSO READ | Foreign Minister S Jaishankar highlights growing threat of terrorism at global conference

    NEW DELHI: India is likely to set up a secretariat to deal with anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism issues under the global ‘No Money for Terror’ initiative.

    The country indicated this at the third ‘No Money for Terror’ conference which concluded on Saturday, a senior government functionary said.

    The two-day conference here was attended by 450 delegates from over 75 nations and international organisations.

    “India is keen to establish a secretariat to deal with anti-money laundering/ combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) issues. Discussions are going on with international partners in this direction,” the functionary said.

    New Delhi is also optimistic to institutionalise the ‘No Money for Terror’ conference by ensuring it as an annual event, the functionary said.

    The global watchdog on terror financing and money laundering, Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which participated in the conference, has also expressed willingness to work closely on AML and CFT issues under India’s G-20 priorities.

    The functionary said India is positioning itself as a global player in counter-terrorism initiatives and not just limiting its discourse only to Pakistan-centric issues.

    While addressing the concluding session of the conference, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in the last few decades, India has successfully tackled many challenges, including terrorism.

    He said with the country’s policy of zero-tolerance towards terrorism, strong framework of counter-terror laws and empowerment of agencies, India has seen a significant reduction in incidents of terrorism and has succeeded in ensuring strict punishment in cases of terrorism.

    Nigeria is likely to host the next ‘No Money for Terror’ conference. The delegation representing Nigeria at the conference conveyed that they would consult their government and take a final decision in this regard, official sources said.ALSO READ | Foreign Minister S Jaishankar highlights growing threat of terrorism at global conference

  • Border forces, armed counter-terrorism units to have training module on Taliban

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Border forces and armed police units deployed in the counter-terrorism grid have been directed by the central security establishment to prepare and administer a new training module on the Taliban and its modus operandi to the troops in view of the “emerging” scenario following the Islamic militia taking over Afghanistan.

    Stating that the fall of Kabul to the Taliban last month may have a “serious bearing” on the security situation in India, the ground forces and their intelligence setup have been asked to update both their strategy, tactics and combat syllabus on the new “geo-political situation in central and south Asia and its grave security implication on India’s borders and the hinterland”.

    The directive issued by the security establishment a few days back also envisages a scenario where infiltration from across the border from Pakistan on India’s west and illegal entry of terrorist operatives from open fronts in the east may increase including that by foreign terrorist fighters.

    Officials in the central security forces and intelligence wings acknowledged the new developments that have taken place in the neighbourhood after the Taliban swiftly took over almost all provinces of Afghanistan last month following the US military retreating from their 20-year war in that country launched after the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001 in their country.

    A senior officer told PTI that the existing training module of border guarding forces like the BSF and SSB, state police units and those involved in counter-terrorist duties like the CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police have an existing title “changing dynamics of border management”.

    “This included information on the Taliban as well but it was not updated. That is being added through open-source authentic information and others available in a classified manner to us and the focus is the developments of the last twenty years that took place in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks,” the officer said.

    A full-fledged training, intelligence and combat module on Taliban, its leadership and their modus operandi is being prepared apart from specific case studies that have taken place in that country and the region, he said.

    The directives have been forwarded to the central and state police forces which have multiple levels of training centres and academies to train their personnel and officers during induction and while in service.

    “It is very important for the last man standing at the border, a checkpost or under a police jurisdiction to know about the Taliban’s history and linked activities and strategies. Senior and top commanders of the security forces may know most of the things about Afghanistan and Taliban situation but they draw their operational strength from the troops or the constable standing on the ground. They need to be informed well,” another senior officer working in the training management division of a paramilitary force said.

    At least one such session has been conducted in two central forces post the issuance of the new directives while a webinar for all these forces is being planned in a combined manner to be held later this month, a Union home ministry official said.

    A third officer said the latest directions make it clear that such sessions should also be held for the troops and commanding officers on the ground during “daily operational briefing sessions” in their area of deployment and case studies on the Taliban are being prepared in “local and vernacular languages” for the troops.

    The security forces are also enhancing their training quota of personnel for understanding IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and vehicle-borne IEDs (VBIEDs). “IEDs remain a constant threat to the security personnel and their operations everywhere be it anti-Naxal operations or counter-terrorist duties. However, for those deployed in the Kashmir valley knowing IEDs and VBIEDs, their detection and crippling is very important post the Afghanistan development,” one of the officers cited above said and referred to the fatal and non-fatal casualties suffered by the NATO forces from IEDs in Afghanistan.

  • Mooted after 26/11 attacks, National Intelligence Grid expected to be launched soon by PM Modi

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi is soon expected to launch the National Intelligence Grid or NATGRID that aims to provide a “cutting-edge technology to enhance India’s counter-terror capabilities”, official sources said.

    They said the final “synchronisation and testing” of the ambitious electronic database, which was mooted after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, is being carried out so that it can go live.

    Union Home Minister Amit Shah had recently indicated that NATGRID, conceptualised as a seamless and secure database for information on terrorists, economic crimes and similar incidents, may finally see the light of day.

    “Had corona (COVID-19) not been there, the Prime Minister would have dedicated NATGRID to the country. I am hopeful that the Prime Minister will dedicate NATGRID to the country in some time,” Shah said during the 51st Foundation Day event of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) here on September 4.

    The NATGRID has been envisaged as a robust mechanism to track suspects and prevent terrorist attacks with real-time data and access to classified information like immigration, banking, individual taxpayers, air and train travels.

    The 26/11 terrorist seige in Mumbai back in 2008 exposed the deficiency that security agencies had no mechanism to look for vital information on a real-time basis. According to the first phase plan, 10 user agencies and 21 service providers will be connected with the NATGRID while in later phases about 950 additional organisations will be brought on board.

    In the following years, more than 1,000 organisations will be further integrated into the NATGRID. These data sources include records related to immigration entry and exit, banking and financial transactions and telecommunications.

    Prominent federal agencies of the country have been authorised to access the NATGRID database.

    They are the Central Bureau of Investigation, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Enforcement Directorate, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, Central Board of Direct Taxes (for Income Tax Department), Cabinet Secretariat, Intelligence Bureau, Directorate General of GST Intelligence, Narcotics Control Bureau, Financial Intelligence Unit and the National Investigation Agency.

    Lack of quick information to intelligence and enforcement agencies was considered to be one of the major hurdles in detecting US terror suspect David Headley’s movement across the country during his multiple visits between 2006 and 2009.

    Headley had provided key information and videos of terror targets to Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba that carried out the Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people, including foreigners. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had given approval to the Rs 3,400 crore NATGRID project back in 2010 but its work slowed down after 2012.

    However, Modi, who came to power for the first time in 2014, later gave directions for its revival.

  • India-Australia Condemn Use Of Terrorist Proxies; To Collaborate On Counter-terrorism

    Condemning the use of terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism, India and Australia, on December 17, underlined the urgent need for countries to take “immediate, sustained, verified and irreversible” action to ensure no territory is used for terrorist attacks. Both the countries, virtually participated in the 12th meeting of Joint Working Group on counter-terrorism wherein Canberra condemned terrorist attacks that shook India over the years including the 26/11 attacks, Pulwama and Pathankot. In addendum, it also stressed the “urgent need” to bring perpetrators of such attacks to justice.

    The virtual meet was attended by Mahaveer Singhvi, Joint Secretary for Counter-Terrorism in the Ministry of External Affairs of India and Tony Sheehan, Deputy Secretary International Security, Humanitarian and Consular Group in Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia. Both sides reviewed threats posed by UN-sanctioned terrorist entities and emphasized the need for concerted actions against all terrorist groups.