Mariam Shah’s Post

With the launch of Pakistan’s latest military counterterrorism operation, how can the country ensure that it does not simply repeat past mistakes? I explore this question in the Commentary for the Royal United Services Institute

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office unveiled a “reinvigorated” national counterterrorism policy. This strategy pledges a mix of “kinetic efforts,” new legislation to support terrorism prosecutions, and measures to combat violent extremism. On Tuesday, Sharif clarified that the plan, still in its early stages, will prioritize stepping up current intelligence-based operations over initiating military incursions. This significant move aims to address the rising threat of terrorism in #Pakistan, where assaults increased by two-thirds between 2022 and 2023. Pakistan has engaged in cross-border operations in #Afghanistan, pressured the #AfghanTaliban to curb anti-Pakistan militant activities, and held discussions with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the country’s biggest threat. Read more at: https://lnkd.in/d3DS5CtR #Pakistan #Terrorists #Balochistan #Taliban #China #PakistanArmy #Quetta #Lebanon #T20WorldCup #TTP #BLA

Our #Envoy of Topic has concurred with this resolution: The Counterterrorism Dialogue underscores the cooperation between the United States and Pakistan in addressing the most pressing challenges to regional and global security, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and ISIS-Khorasan. Discussions centered on the counterterrorism landscape in the region, with a focus on areas of mutual interest. U.S. and Pakistani senior officials emphasized the importance of expanded counterterrorism collaboration and capacity building, including exchanges of technical expertise and best practices, investigative and prosecutorial assistance, provision of border security infrastructure and training. Knights of Malta (US) Sovereign State. Federation of Autonomous Priories of St.John https://lnkd.in/eCXryehr

Revisiting the Critical Intersection of Counterterrorism and Strategic Competition In light of recent events, Jacob Ware's insightful article, "The Enduring Importance of Tactical Counterterrorism for Strategic Competition," has never been more relevant. 🌍✨ Summary: Ware argues against the pivot from counterterrorism to focusing solely on great power competition, highlighting the nuanced reality of irregular warfare as a defining aspect of international politics.    Key Points: - Cost Concerns: Modern counterterrorism is cost-effective, with smaller deployments proving crucial in supporting international coalitions and allies. 🛡️💡 - Strategic Importance: Counterterrorism strengthens US alliances, deters state-sponsored terrorism, and provides invaluable real-world training for troops. 🌐🤝 - Global Security: Ware stresses that ignoring the terrorism threat can lead to complacency, undermining US and global security. 🚫🌍 How do you see the balance between counterterrorism efforts and strategic competition with global powers shaping future defense strategies? Share your thoughts below. #Counterterrorism #StrategicCompetition #GlobalSecurity

Strategic Alliance: US Supports Pakistan’s Anti-Extremist Drive The United States has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Pakistan in counter-terrorism efforts through ongoing security cooperation. This renewed partnership is evident in recent joint military exercises and strategic dialogues aimed at combating terrorism. Pakistan Army operation against #extremists, the nature of the bilateral cooperation, and its broader implications for regional stability. #thinktankjournal #thinktank #Pakistan

On 26 August 2024, PLA's General Li Qiaoming (Ground Force) visited Pakistan. In my latest publication for the Centre For Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) I analysed his visit. Following is the expert from my article: The timing of the meetings seemed to be an effort by Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership to seek Chinese assistance in enhancing counter-terrorism measures and diplomatically aiding Islamabad in addressing issues with Kabul by linking Pakistan’s troubles to Chinese investments in the region, since reversing the investment is not a plausible option for China. Although the deadly attacks on 26-27 August came as a surprise to the establishment, they did not harm any Chinese projects. Does this suggest that Chinese intelligence may have assisted Pakistan’s security forces in safeguarding these investments? In all of General Li Qiaoming’s meetings, discussions on regional security and counter-terrorism were prominent, signalling China’s support for Pakistan’s approach towards Baloch insurgents. Following the attacks on 26-27 August, China expressed unwavering support for enhancing Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts. These developments suggest a mutual intent to intensify collaboration in tackling the Baloch insurgency, which poses a significant threat to Chinese projects. This raises a critical question: Is China prepared to delve into the quagmire of militancy and terrorism, potentially sharing the burdens with the Pakistani military? This question marks a pivotal moment in their relations, as deeper involvement could redefine China’s role and responsibilities in regional conflicts. To read the full article visit https://lnkd.in/gGET58XP

📢ON DECK! Program on Terrorism and Security Studies (PTSS) 🌐#GCMC's PTSS begins tomorrow and will run through July 18. This 37th iteration marks 20 years since the program began and will host nearly 100 professional participants from 60+ nations. 🌍The program overall focuses on mid-to-upper-level government and private officials including law enforcement, military, intelligence, interagency, academia, and security service practitioners working in the arenas of counterterrorism (CT) and countering violent extremism. 🌎Participants will immerse themselves in contemporary terror threat analysis while exploring and discussing comprehensive CT efforts, strategy development consider­ations and operational initiatives. 🌏PTSS creates and empowers a global network of CT professionals in the fight against transnational terrorism and violent extremist organizations (VEO). 🔦For more on PTSS, visit https://lnkd.in/df_EhxpT ---- #PTSS2024 #counterterrorism #CVE

The resurgence of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) poses a significant threat to Pakistan’s internal stability and regional security, escalating since the return of the Afghan Taliban to power in 2021. Strengthened by alliances with other groups, leadership changes, and state sponsorship, TTP has expanded its operations, challenging counter-terrorism efforts. Despite Pakistan’s attempts at negotiation and recent military operations, the TTP's growing influence remains a pressing concern for South Asia’s stability. Read full article at https://lnkd.in/e4G4UC8a #TTPResurgence #PakistanSecurity #SouthAsiaStability #CounterTerrorism #AfghanTaliban

Do targeted strikes against militant groups affect insurgent operations differently from terrorist operations? One of the reasons it is challenging for states to counter militant groups who simultaneously wage an insurgency and a terrorist campaign is that there are offsetting effects between counterinsurgency and counterterrorism. As both an insurgent group and a terrorist group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) poses particular challenges to states. Since 2014, the United States and coalition allies have conducted thousands of targeted strikes against ISIL in Iraq and Syria as part of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR). In this article, we examine the effects of targeted strikes against ISIL. Using a novel dataset of time-series observations from Iraq and Syria between 2015 and 2018, we examine the relationship between targeted strikes conducted under OIR and the number of insurgent and terrorist attacks conducted by ISIL. Our findings give empirical support to the theoretical argument that the same military strategy can have different effects on insurgency and terrorism. Source: National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) https://lnkd.in/emt5xTcs #terrorism #counterterrorism #terrorists #violence #attack #attacks #ISIL #islamicstate #ISIS #nationalsecurity #homelandsecurity #highthreat #threat #threats #data #dataset #research #resource