Terrorism and Militancy in South Asia

This book reviews the terrorist environment in South Asia, concentrating on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, but also including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.  With U.S.-led counter terrorism efforts focused especially on Southwest Asia, the existence of international Terrorist groups and their supporters in South Asia is identified as a threat to both regional stability and to the attainment of central U.S. policy goals.  At Qaeda forces that fled from Afghanistan with their Taliban supporters remain active on Pakistani territory, and Al Qaeda is believed to have links with indigenous Pakistani terrorist groups is believed to have links with indigenous Pakistani terrorist groups that have conducted anti-Western attacks and that support separatist militancy in Indian Kashmir.  A Significant portion of Pakistan’s ethnic Pashtun population is reported to sympathize with the Taliban and even Al Qaeda.  The United States maintains close counter terrorism cooperation with Pakistan aimed especially at bolstering security and stability in neighboring Afghanistan.  The Islamabad government began limited military operations in the traditionally autonomous tribal areas of western Pakistan.  There are indications that such operations are intensifying in coordination with U.S. and Afghan forces just across the international frontier.