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\u003cp style=\u0022margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;\u0022\u003eEight Sri Lankan suicide bombers carried out a series of sophisticated and coordinated blasts across the island nation\u0026rsquo;s capital city, Colombo, and the western and eastern coasts on 21 April, killing over 250 people. The Sri Lankan government stated that two local Islamist groups \u0026ndash; National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ), led by Zahran Hashim, and Jamathei Millathu Ibrahim (JMI) \u0026ndash; carried out the bombings. NTJ\u0026rsquo;s most notable previous act was \u003ca href=\u0022https://monitoring.bbc.co.uk/product/c200rkx5\u0022\u003evandalising\u003c/a\u003e Buddhist statues in 2018. Less is known about JMI and its leadership, although \u003ca href=\u0022https://graphics.reuters.com/SRI%20LANKA-BLASTS-PLOTTER/010091W52YP/index.html\u0022\u003etwo\u003c/a\u003e of the suicide bombers were members of the group.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\u0022margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;\u0022\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe terrorist attacks \u0026ndash; the deadliest ever in Sri Lanka \u0026ndash; took place despite numerous prior intelligence warnings shared by India and the US. Their cautions were overlooked as a result of a deterioration in the working relationship between Sri Lanka\u0026rsquo;s President Mathripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, as well as a sense of complacency in Colombo following the end of Sri Lanka\u0026rsquo;s civil war a decade ago.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\u0022margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;\u0022\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIncreasing presence in South Asia\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp style=\u0022margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;\u0022\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSignificantly, the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, subsequently claimed responsibility for the blasts. This was the first attack that it had claimed in Sri Lanka, emphasising the vulnerability of all South Asian nations to ISIS-inspired violence. The group announced a new Indian sub-continent province on 10 May, following the \u003ca href=\u0022https://thewire.in/security/isis-jammu-kashmir-ishfaq-ahmad-sofi\u0022\u003edeath\u003c/a\u003e of its last known operative in India\u0026rsquo;s Jammu and Kashmir state. This province covers nine countries, including Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and the Maldives. Five days later, it declared a Pakistan province. The group\u0026rsquo;s attacks in Pakistan had previously been attributed to its Khorasan province (ISIS-KP), which was formally sanctioned by the \u003ca href=\u0022https://www.un.org/press/en/2019/sc13806.doc.htm\u0022\u003eUnited Nations\u003c/a\u003e on 14 May. Following territorial losses in the Middle East, the group\u0026rsquo;s new regional provinces confirm that it views South Asia as an increasingly important area of operations. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\u0022margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;\u0022\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Sri Lanka bombings represent a new modus operandi for ISIS in South Asia, consisting of three elements: South Asian citizens returning to the region after joining its ranks in Syria; regional militant groups inspired by the ideology of ISIS, carrying out attacks in its name; and ISIS operating on the ground in South Asia, through provinces such as ISIS-KP.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\u0022margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;\u0022\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDespite the Sri Lankan government\u0026rsquo;s previous claims to the contrary, it is believed that a total of 41 Sri Lankan citizens travelled to Syria to join ISIS. Over 90 people were arrested in connection with the April bombings, highlighting an expansive network of individuals sympathetic to the views of NTJ and JMI.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\u0022margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;\u0022\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAlthough there have been no ISIS-linked attacks carried out in India, the Indian government has internally been \u003ca href=\u0022https://mha.gov.in/MHA1/Par2017/pdfs/par2016-pdfs/ls-260716/1404%20E.pdf\u0022\u003edevising\u003c/a\u003e a national strategy to deal with the group since 2015. The country\u0026rsquo;s National Investigation Agency (NIA) established a \u003ca href=\u0022https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/nia-proposal-to-set-up-research-cell-on-isis-approved-rajanth-singh/articleshow/68218693.cms\u0022\u003eresearch cell on ISIS\u003c/a\u003e in March 2019. The NIA\u0026rsquo;s earliest recorded cases of Indian citizens attempting to join ISIS was in \u003ca href=\u0022https://nia.gov.in/case-detail.htm?107\u0022\u003e2014\u003c/a\u003e. Approximately \u003ca href=\u0022https://www.mei.edu/publications/islamic-state-india-upgrading-capabilities#_ftn15\u0022\u003e100 Indians\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003etravelled to Syria to join ISIS, while the NIA has investigated 112 individuals in India for attempting to do so, with the southern Indian state of Kerala seeing the highest number of pro-ISIS cases. The Indian Mujahideen (IM) is the main ISIS-linked group in India, with its former leader, Shafi Armar, \u003ca href=\u0022https://nia.gov.in/writereaddata/Portal/News/82_1_PressRelease19.07.2016_ISIS_CS.pdf\u0022\u003ereportedly \u003c/a\u003ea media chief of ISIS in Syria. Armar, \u003ca href=\u0022https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/karnataka-man-and-is-recruiter-killed-in-syria/story-nbhia2dUsnTkCGiudHuVDP.html\u0022\u003eallegedly\u003c/a\u003e killed in Syria in March 2019, was also head of Ansar-ut Tawhid fi Bilad al-Hind, an ISIS-affiliated group based in India and previously \u003ca href=\u0022https://nia.gov.in/writereaddata/Portal/News/82_1_PressRelease19.07.2016_ISIS_CS.pdf\u0022\u003erecruited\u003c/a\u003e 17 individuals via social media for Junood-ul-Khilafa-Fil-Hind, a group that was seeking to establish a caliphate in India with allegiance to ISIS. An additional radicalisation concern for the Indian government is the Indians who reside in the Gulf \u0026ndash; there are currently more than eight million.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\u0022margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;\u0022\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBangladesh witnessed the first major ISIS-claimed attack in South Asia, outside of Afghanistan and Pakistan, following the assault on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka in July 2016, which killed 22 civilians. With foreigners as the main target, ISIS-Bangladesh claimed responsibility for the attack, which was carried out by the ISIS-affiliated group, \u003ca href=\u0022https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/crime/2017/07/25/holey-attack-mastermind\u0022\u003eDawlatul Islam Bengal\u003c/a\u003e. The group \u0026ndash; consisting of individuals who had defected from Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Jund at-Tawhid wal-Khilafah \u0026ndash; was formed in 2015 and led by Muhammad Saifullah Ozaki, a Bangladeshi-Japanese individual whose current whereabouts is unknown. Ozaki is reported to be the leader of ISIS-Bangladesh. However, despite ISIS\u0026rsquo;s claim, the Bangladesh government \u003ca href=\u0022https://www.yahoo.com/news/hostage-takers-were-bangladesh-group-not-minister-044506183.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9lbi53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnLw\u0026amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFaLr0yI2guRadORSuzz9V3Lf23HfXPhruN4tUt7_43fEUCLjjwTtziWEhIKZssM0PD6Gaz9_9FiSiDS8sBZxVdyoK2YpSC3fWSyf-pY1fKByoltCj4LX8Q74r0UYkS3iPgJ1dqrQP29B3r6kvflLq0Qp9eXDMfhMtdLQJ0JlWsn\u0022\u003edenied\u003c/a\u003e that the Dhaka attackers had any connection with ISIS, and alleged that they were instead members of a breakaway of JMB. Additionally, around \u003ca href=\u0022https://www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-asia/bangladesh/295-countering-jihadist-militancy-bangladesh\u0022\u003e40 Bangladeshis\u003c/a\u003e travelled to Syria to join ISIS.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\u0022margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;\u0022\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOver 200 Maldivian nationals out of a population of 400,000 travelled to Syria to join ISIS, making it the \u003ca\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca\u003e\u003cspan\u003elargest contributor of foreign fighters\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u0026nbsp;on a \u003ca href=\u0022https://docs.house.gov/meetings/FA/FA05/20170907/106375/HHRG-115-FA05-Transcript-20170907.pdf\u0022\u003eper capita\u003c/a\u003e basis. Officially, the Maldivian government\u0026rsquo;s National Counter-Terrorism Centre \u003ca href=\u0022https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/regional-infrastructure-needed-to-combat-terror/article27097333.ece\u0022\u003estates\u003c/a\u003e that 69 male Maldivians had travelled abroad to join foreign wars. Although no ISIS-affiliated attacks have so far taken place, social problems, including unemployment, as well as organised crime and gang violence \u0026ndash; not the presence of established terrorist groups \u0026ndash; in the island nation have contributed to the high levels of radicalisation.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\u0022margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;\u0022\u003e\u003cspan\u003eISIS\u0026rsquo;s most established regional presence on the ground has been through its ISIS-KP province, which covers Afghanistan and Pakistan. Established in October 2014, the group was the first expansion of ISIS beyond the Middle East. Former commanders of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan pledged allegiance to ISIS and established its base in eastern Afghanistan. ISIS\u0026rsquo;s presence in Pakistan was \u003ca href=\u0022https://www.dawn.com/news/1165415\u0022\u003eacknowledged\u003c/a\u003e as a threat in February 2015, despite Pakistan\u0026rsquo;s foreign ministry subsequently stating that it had \u003ca href=\u0022https://www.dawn.com/news/1238991\u0022\u003e\u0026lsquo;no organised presence\u0026rsquo;\u003c/a\u003e in the country. ISIS-KP\u0026rsquo;s main target has been Pakistan\u0026rsquo;s Shia population, and in 2018, ISIS-KP claimed \u003ca href=\u0022https://www.iiss.org/publications/armed-conflict-survey/2019/armed-conflict-survey-2019/south-asia\u0022\u003efive\u003c/a\u003e terrorist incidents in Pakistan, including four in Baluchistan. At least \u003ca href=\u0022https://ctc.usma.edu/app/uploads/2018/12/Allied-Lethal.pdf\u0022\u003e11 other regional militant groups \u003c/a\u003ehave pledged allegiance to ISIS-KP or conducted joint attacks in Pakistan, including Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al-Alami and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar. Additionally, approximately \u003ca href=\u0022https://thesoufancenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Beyond-the-Caliphate-Foreign-Fighters-and-the-Threat-of-Returnees-TSC-Report-October-2017-v3.pdf\u0022\u003e650 Pakistanis\u003c/a\u003e travelled to Syria to join ISIS.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\u0022margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;\u0022\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn Afghanistan, ISIS-KP operates from its eastern base, against the Afghan government, coalition forces and the Afghan Taliban. Despite ongoing ground and air operations by US and Afghan forces, ISIS-KP has approximately \u003ca href=\u0022https://www.stateoig.gov/system/files/fy2019_lig_ocoreport_2.pdf\u0022\u003e2,000\u003c/a\u003e fighters in Afghanistan and continues to launch attacks \u0026ndash; the deadliest in 2018 killed 69 people in Kabul. Its most recently known leader was \u003ca href=\u0022https://www.iiss.org/publications/armed-conflict-survey/2019/armed-conflict-survey-2019/south-asia\u0022\u003ekilled\u003c/a\u003e by a US strike in August 2018.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\u0022margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;\u0022\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNeed for greater regional cooperation\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp style=\u0022margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;\u0022\u003e\u003cspan\u003eISIS is now a reality for South Asian governments, with the region facing an increasing risk of ISIS-inspired violence. Although the full extent of the threat is not yet understood, it is clear that regional counter-terrorism cooperation needs to be strengthened.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\u0022margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;\u0022\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe main regional forum, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), remains dormant due to India\u0026rsquo;s concerns over crossborder terrorism emanating from Pakistan-based groups. Therefore, in the absence of any realistic future cooperation with Pakistan, a focus on counter-terrorism in a reconstituted \u003ca href=\u0022http://www.mea.gov.in/Uploads/PublicationDocs/25009_External_Affairs_2014-2015__English_.pdf\u0022\u003eIndia\u0026ndash;Sri Lanka\u0026ndash;Maldives\u003c/a\u003e trilateral meeting at the level of the country\u0026rsquo;s national security advisers, as well as the \u003ca href=\u0022https://bimstec.org/?event=the-second-meeting-of-the-bimstec-national-security-chiefs\u0022\u003eBay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation\u003c/a\u003e meeting, which includes Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh, could be two ways to enhance regional counter-terrorism cooperation.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\u0022margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;\u0022\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBeyond these forums, national security operations or bilateral cooperation with strategic extra-regional powers, such as the US, remain the only viable alternative options in each country\u0027s policy toolkit. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\u0022_com_1\u0022 language=\u0022JavaScript\u0022\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e","className":"richtext reading--content font-secondary"}), document.getElementById("react_zmtXsWCCTkO5BCmjP5f3Bg"))});
\u003cp\u003eA series of deadly terror attacks in Sri Lanka has highlighted the need for strengthening counter-terrorism cooperation across South Asia, writes Viraj Solanki. \u003c/p\u003e
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