121-715: The National Security Guard ( NSG ), commonly known as Black Cats , is a counter-terrorism unit of the Indian government managed under the Ministry of Home Affairs . It was founded on 16 October 1984, following Operation Blue Star , to combat terrorist activities and protect states against internal disturbances. The unit's formation was formalised in the Parliament of India under the National Security Guard Act, 1986. NSG personnel are recruited from both
242-659: A bomb shelter in every building and school, but also deploying active protection systems such as the Arrow ABM , Iron Dome and David's Sling , which intercept the incoming threat in the air. Iron Dome has successfully intercepted hundreds of Qassam rockets and Grad rockets fired by Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. A more sophisticated target-hardening approach must consider industrial and other critical industrial infrastructure that could be attacked. Terrorists do not need to import chemical weapons if they can cause
363-478: A broader insurgency (and insurgency is included in the definition of terrorism ) then counterterrorism may additionally employ counterinsurgency measures. The United States Armed Forces uses the term " foreign internal defense " for programs that support other countries' attempts to suppress insurgency, lawlessness , or subversion , or to reduce the conditions under which threats to national security may develop. The first counterterrorism body to be formed
484-415: A combination of conventional military operations and other means, such as demoralization in the form of propaganda , Psy-ops , and assassinations . Counter-insurgency operations include many different facets: military , paramilitary , political , economic , psychological , and civic actions taken to defeat insurgency . To understand counterinsurgency, one must understand insurgency to comprehend
605-463: A counterinsurgent needs to choose two goals out of three. Relying on economic theory , this is what Zambernardi labels the "impossible trilemma" of counterinsurgency. Specifically, the impossible trilemma suggests that it is impossible to simultaneously achieve: 1) force protection, 2) distinction between enemy combatants and non-combatants, and 3) the physical elimination of insurgents. According to Zambernardi, in pursuing any two of these three goals,
726-403: A degree that victory is easy or assured for the regular forces. However, in many modern rebellions, one does not see rebel fighters working in conjunction with regular forces. Rather, they are home-grown militias or imported fighters who have no unified goals or objectives save to expel the occupier. According to Liddell Hart, there are few effective counter-measures to this strategy. So long as
847-489: A disproportionately large share of media attention, most terrorism occurs in less developed countries. Government responses to terrorism, in some cases, tend to lead to substantial unintended consequences, such as what occurred in the above-mentioned Munich massacre. Most counterterrorism strategies involve an increase in policing and domestic intelligence gathering. Central techniques include intercepting communications and location tracking . New technology has expanded
968-428: A grueling training process. The commandos are sent back to their parent department when they reach the age of 35, ensuring that the force remains young and physically fit for combat operations. NSG Chennai Hub was established in 2009 as the third regional hub. Till 2012, the commandos were temporarily stationed at Ashok Nagar when the permanent facility was inaugurated by India's then-home minister P.Chidambaram , with
1089-523: A major industrial accident such as the Bhopal disaster or the Halifax Explosion . Industrial chemicals in manufacturing, shipping, and storage thus require greater protection, and some efforts are in progress. Equipping likely targets with containers of pig lard has been used to discourage attacks by suicide bombers. The technique was apparently used on a limited scale by British authorities in
1210-624: A national response might be required for a nuclear, biological, radiological, or significant chemical attack. Fire departments , perhaps supplemented by public works agencies, utility providers, and heavy construction contractors, are most apt to deal with the physical consequences of an attack. Again under an incident command model, local police can isolate the incident area, reducing confusion, and specialized police units can conduct tactical operations against terrorists, often using specialized counterterrorist tactical units. Bringing in such units will typically involve civil or military authority beyond
1331-541: A prime example the French occupation of Spain during the Napoleonic wars . Whenever Spanish forces managed to constitute themselves into a regular fighting force, the superior French forces beat them every time. However, once dispersed and decentralized, the irregular nature of the rebel campaigns proved a decisive counter to French superiority on the battlefield. Napoleon 's army had no means of effectively combating
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#17327831742591452-445: A reason for the insurgents to continue until victory. Trường Chinh , second in command to Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam , wrote in his Primer for Revolt : The guiding principle of the strategy for our whole resistance must be to prolong the war. To protract the war is the key to victory. Why must the war be protracted? ... If we throw the whole of our forces into a few battles to try to decide the outcome, we shall certainly be defeated and
1573-458: A role, as a communications intercept . However, both of these approaches need to be balanced against legitimate expectations of privacy. In response to the growing legislation. Since 1978 the UK's terrorism laws have been regularly reviewed by a security-cleared Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation , whose often influential reports are submitted to Parliament and published in full. One of
1694-637: A section on confronting terrorism in the recommendations in the Madrid Agenda arising from the Madrid Summit on Democracy and Terrorism (Madrid March 8–11, 2005): Democratic principles and values are essential tools in the fight against terrorism. Any successful strategy for dealing with terrorism requires terrorists to be isolated. Consequently, the preference must be to treat terrorism as criminal acts to be handled through existing systems of law enforcement and with full respect for human rights and
1815-520: A state must forgo some portion of the third objective. In particular, a state can protect its armed forces while destroying insurgents, but only by indiscriminately killing civilians as the Ottomans , Italians , and Nazis did in the Balkans, Libya, and Eastern Europe. It can choose to protect civilians along with its own armed forces instead, avoiding so-called collateral damage, but only by abandoning
1936-606: A successful counterinsurgency: In "The Three Pillars of Counterinsurgency", Dr. David Kilcullen , the Chief Strategist of the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism of the U.S. State Department in 2006, described a framework for interagency cooperation in counterinsurgency operations. His pillars – Security, Political and Economic – support the overarching goal of Control, but are based on Information: This
2057-485: A target placed next to their buddy is also a part of the Indian Army Special Forces training. Shooting skills are practiced at a 400-meter, 11-zone electronic combat shooting range where candidates are rated on a point scale for covering the distance in 6.30 minutes and firing at 29 different dynamic targets with the target exposure time lying between two and three minutes. Before being inducted into
2178-609: A team that is led by a "Team Commander". SAG personnel are drawn from the Indian Army . The 51 SAG used to be the primary combat arm of the NSG with the SRGs serving in support roles until the 2010s when the 52 SAG was formed and the 11 SRG, along with the 51 SAG was made a part of the counter-terrorism force (CTF). NSG has three Special Ranger Groups (SRG) – 11, 12 & 13. Special Ranger Groups are organised into battalion lines. The SRG
2299-751: A total of 8 NSG hubs in India. The NSG consists entirely of volunteers on deputation from the Central Armed Police Forces , or the State Police departments and the Indian Army . NSG commandos are sent back to their parent department after serving with the force for a certain period. The Director General of the National Security Guard is an officer from the Indian Police Service . Women belonging to
2420-530: Is a sociological phenomenon that constrains the habits of a military (in this case, the Nigerian military) to the long-established, yet increasingly ineffective, ideology of the offensive in irregular warfare. As Omeni writes, Whereas the Nigerian military's performance against militias in the Niger Delta already suggested the military had a poor grasp of the threat of insurgent warfare; it was further along
2541-401: Is because perception is crucial in developing control and influence over population groups. Substantive security, political and economic measures are critical but to be effective they must rest upon, and integrate with a broader information strategy. Every action in counterinsurgency sends a message; the purpose of the information campaign is to consolidate and unify this message. ... Importantly,
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#17327831742592662-555: Is designated as the Inspector General of NSG's operations. The Inspector General is responsible for the planning and conducting of operations. Training is overseen by the Inspector General of Training, also a major general on deputation from the army. Both of them are further assisted by the Deputy Inspector General of Operations and the Deputy Inspector General of Training respectively. The combat arms of
2783-429: Is headed by an officer with the rank of Colonel on deputation from the Indian Army who serves with the rank of 'Group Commander'. The five SCG units are: The electronic support group is based at the NSG's headquarters at Manesar . It provides communicational and technological assistance to support the operations of the NSG. The group is headed by an officer with the rank of "Group Commander" serving on deputation from
2904-400: Is not primarily military, but a combination of military, political and social actions under the strong control of a single authority. Galula proposes four "laws" for counterinsurgency: Galula contends that: A victory [in a counterinsurgency] is not the destruction in a given area of the insurgent's forces and his political organization. ... A victory is that plus the permanent isolation of
3025-548: Is selection and basic training which is conducted at the National Security Guard Academy in Manesar lasts for three months and is devoted to the basics. The physical fitness training is believed to have 26 elements, ranging from a cross-country obstacle course to jumping from heights and across divides and scaling different kinds of terrain. One endurance test involves martial arts, target shooting at
3146-528: Is spread across 20.28 acres and has been constructed for Rs. 56.10 crore by the National Building Construction Corporation Limited. It has accommodation for the families of the commandos as well. Approximately 241 commandos will be housed there. Hyderabad is the regional hub of the National Security Guard for the region of South India. Its training center is located near Hyderabad , Telangana , India . With
3267-423: Is the uncertainty of the future: the threat of terrorism may increase, decrease or remain the same, the type of terrorism and location are difficult to predict, and there are technological uncertainties. A potential solution is to incorporate engineering flexibility into system design, allowing for flexibility when new information arrives. Flexibility can be incorporated in the design of a counter-terrorism system in
3388-406: Is throw overboard 99 percent of the literature on counterinsurgency, counter guerrilla, counterterrorism, and the like. Since most of it was written by the losing side, it is of little value. In examining why so many counterinsurgencies by powerful militaries fail against weaker enemies, Van Creveld identifies a key dynamic that he illustrates by the metaphor of killing a child. Regardless of whether
3509-461: Is to directly engage terrorists and prevent terrorist attacks. Such units perform both in preventive actions, hostage rescue, and responding to ongoing attacks. Countries of all sizes can have highly trained counterterrorist teams. Tactics, techniques, and procedures for manhunting are under constant development. These units are specially trained in military tactics and are equipped for close-quarters combat , with emphasis on stealth and performing
3630-446: Is to place hostile vehicle mitigation to enforce protective standoff distance outside tall or politically sensitive buildings to prevent car bombings . Another way to reduce the impact of attacks is to design buildings for rapid evacuation. Aircraft cockpits are kept locked during flights and have reinforced doors, which only the pilots in the cabin are capable of opening. UK railway stations removed their garbage bins in response to
3751-446: Is very large in physical terms and in other dimensions, such as type and degree of terrorist threats, political and diplomatic ramifications, and legal concerns. Ideal counterterrorist systems use technology to enable persistent intelligence , surveillance and reconnaissance missions, and potential actions. Designing such a system-of-systems comprises a major technological project. A particular design problem for counterterrorist systems
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3872-639: The 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) conducted a joint training exercise with the NSG in Kolkata . The Green Berets learned some urban warfare strategies from the NSG while the NSG learned about some advanced equipment of the US soldiers. The drill included intervention techniques, training in the Kolkata Metro system and a drill at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur . In March 2019,
3993-586: The 2008 Mumbai attacks , from its base in Manesar , Haryana, the Ministry of Home Affairs decided to deploy NSG contingents in major regions across India in order to avoid the occurrence of such situations in the future. Each hub of the NSG is headed by an officer called the Director General of the Hub. The regional hub in New Delhi is designated for Web Information Management. The Mumbai regional hub
4114-847: The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), house most of the federal agencies that are prepared to combat domestic and international terrorist attacks. These include the Border Patrol , the Secret Service , the Coast Guard and the FBI . Counterinsurgency Counterinsurgency ( COIN , or NATO spelling counter-insurgency ) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces ". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against
4235-496: The Indian Army and Central Armed Police Forces . The NSG is not classified as a traditional paramilitary force, but instead as a "specialised federal contingency unit". The NSG was established in the wake of 1984 Operation Blue Star , and the high collateral damage to Golden Temple , and civilian and military collateral casualties. Since its founding the NSG has been deployed in the Punjab in 1986, and Jammu and Kashmir . Some of
4356-507: The Indian Army . The National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC) was established in the year 1988 and redefined its role in the year 2000. NBDC was assigned the role of monitoring, recording, and analyzing all bombing incidents in the country. It also records and analyses various bombing incidents across the world to gain expert knowledge in bombing and related incidents to effectively counter such situations and share information with relevant security agencies. NBDC also performs research and development in
4477-923: The Malayan Emergency , the Mau Mau uprising , and most of the campaigns against the IRA during the Irish Civil War , the S-Plan , the Border Campaign , and the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Although military action can temporarily disrupt a terrorist group's operations temporarily, it sometimes does not end the threat completely. Repression by the military in itself usually leads to short term victories, but tend to be unsuccessful in
4598-797: The Provisional IRA threat, as convenient locations for depositing bombs. Scottish stations removed theirs after the 7 July 2005 London Bombings as a precautionary measure. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority purchased bomb-resistant barriers after the September 11 attacks. Due to frequent shelling of Israel's cities, towns, and settlements by artillery rockets from the Gaza Strip (mainly by Hamas , but also by other Palestinian factions) and Lebanon (mainly by Hezbollah ), Israel has developed several defensive measures against artillery, rockets, and missiles. These include building
4719-526: The University of Michigan . Berman, Shapiro, and Felter have outlined the modern information-centric model. In this framework, the critical determinant of counterinsurgent success is information about insurgents provided to counterinsurgents, such as insurgent locations, plans, and targets. Information can be acquired from civilian sources (human intelligence, HUMINT ), or through signals intelligence ( SIGINT ). Dr. Jeffrey Treistman previously served with
4840-405: The 'combat room shoot' where the candidates have to shoot at a target three seconds after entering a dark room with the help of a torchlight or a compatible laser image intensifier and 'twin room shooting' where candidates enter contiguous rooms and watch each other's movements on a screen which they have to shoot at to train their response time. Another known exercise requiring candidates to shoot at
4961-472: The 1940s. The approach stems from the idea that Muslims perpetrating the attack would not want to be "soiled" by the lard in the moment before dying. The idea has been suggested more recently as a deterrent to suicide bombings in Israel. However, the actual effectiveness of this tactic is likely limited. A sympathetic Islamic scholar could issue a fatwa proclaiming that a suicide bomber would not be polluted by
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5082-762: The 20th and 21st centuries are listed below. See list of hostage crises for a more extended list, including hostage-takings that did not end violently. Sea , south of the French coast ; subsequently Mogadishu International Airport , Somalia March 30, the Manawan Police Academy in Lahore attack – 8 gunmen, 8 police personnel and 2 civilians killed, 95 people injured, 4 gunmen captured. Plaza Cinema Chowk attack – 16 police officers, an army officer and unknown number of civilians killed. As many as 251 people injured. The scope for counterterrorism systems
5203-519: The 28 Special Composite Group (SCG) of the NSG is among the five regional hubs in the country. By 2018, 300 commandos were stationed at the NSG hub at Trimulgherry . The state has two trained anti-terror striking forces. Besides the NSG, the Telangana Police 's counter-terrorist group, OCTOPUS , also has a training facility in the same neighborhood at Ibrahimpatnam , that has a strength of over 250 personnel. NSG and OCTOPUS personnel undergo
5324-598: The Central Armed Police Forces have been serving in the NSG since 2012. Selection is demanding and has a dropout rate of about 70–80 percent. The NSG has a 14-month long training course, which spans three phases. The eligibility of trainees is assessed in the selection stage which consists of various tests related to the physical and psychological capabilities of the trainees. A cadet has to meet certain physical, psychological, and educational experience-related criteria to clear this stage. The second stage
5445-534: The German GSG 9 . In November 2009, a team from NSG visited the GSG 9 headquarters. Joint training exercises between GSG 9 and NSG were subsequently conducted in Manesar . Exercise between NSG and United States Army Special Forces , code-named Balanced Iroquois , started on 18 October 2015. This three-week-long exercise was preceded by a joint airborne jump at Aero India 2015. In February 2018, Green Berets from
5566-545: The Indian forces in high risk operations was approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The NBDC, which is a specialized agency operating within the NSG, has also occasionally supported local law enforcement by conducting Post Blast Investigations. The organization was initially inspired by and modelled on the British Special Air Service as well as Germany's GSG 9 . Mehram Nagar, Palam , serves as
5687-477: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) giving its nod and sanctioning ₹ 534 crore (equivalent to ₹ 749 crore or US$ 90 million in 2023) in 2017, the Southern Regional Centre (SRC) was established at Ibrahimpatnam, Hyderabad for training commandos. The hub land area is 81 hectares (200 acres) and constructed at a cost of ₹ 157 crore (US$ 19 million). The Hyderabad hub of
5808-579: The NSG and US 1st Special Forces Group carried out joint exercises in Hyderabad . The sixth edition of the TARKASH exercise between the NSG and the 1st Special Forces Group from January 14 till the end of February 2023. In the same year, the Green Berets and the NSG held another training exercise focused on exchange of subject matter expertise related to CBRNe threats at Manesar from June 19 till
5929-661: The NSG consist of two Special Action Groups and three Special Ranger Groups stationed at its Manesar headquarters, five Special Composite Groups posted at each of its five regional hubs as well as the National Bomb Data Centre and the Electronic Support Centre also based at its operational headquarters in Manesar. The NSG has two Special Action Groups – the 51 Special Action Group and the 52 Special Action Group. The 51 Special Action Group
6050-528: The NSG's known operations include: The NSG is a 'contingency deployment force' which generally intervenes during serious terrorist attacks. It has been described as "New Delhi’s go-to response force in worst case scenarios". As a specialized counter-terrorism force, it is intended to be used "only in exceptional situations" and is not meant to take over the "functions of the State Police Forces or other Para Military Forces". Despite this, its role
6171-419: The NSG, aspirants also have to undergo a rigorous psychological test. The NSG frequently participates in training exercises. The majority of them are with the U.S. Army 's Green Berets who regularly participate in training exercises with the NSG. The two forces conduct an annual counterterrorism training exercise called TARKASH. After the 2008 Mumbai attacks , the NSG decided to have a joint exercise with
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#17327831742596292-593: The Nigerian Army has struggled in COIN due to capabilities shortcomings, holds some merit. However, a full-spectrum analysis of the Nigeria case suggests that this popular dominant narrative scarcely scratches the surface of the true COIN challenge. This population-centered challenge, moreover, is one that militaries across the world continue to contend with. And in attempting to solve the COIN puzzle, state forces over
6413-555: The Randesan village and contains 100 NSG commandos, training facilities, living barracks, and logistical support. NSG has proposed Amritsar as a regional hub to improve its counteraction capabilities in Northern India . NSG has considered other cities or regions like Ayodhya , Pathankot , and Kerala . In July 2024, an NSG team reached Ayodhya to carry out a 4-day exercise with coordination from other CAPF units and assess
6534-668: The Turkish forces off. In both the preceding cases, the insurgents and rebel fighters were working in conjunction with or in a manner complementary to regular forces. Such was also the case with the French Resistance during World War II and the National Liberation Front during the Vietnam War . The strategy in these cases is for the irregular combatant to weaken and destabilize the enemy to such
6655-721: The United Kingdom, the United States, and Russia have taken this approach, while Western European states generally do not. Another major method of preemptive neutralization is the interrogation of known or suspected terrorists to obtain information about specific plots, targets, the identity of other terrorists, whether or not the interrogation subjects himself is guilty of terrorist involvement. Sometimes more extreme methods are used to increase suggestibility , such as sleep deprivation or drugs. Such methods may lead captives to offer false information in an attempt to stop
6776-456: The activities of guerrillas or revolutionaries" and can be considered war by a state against a non-state adversary . Insurgency and counterinsurgency campaigns have been waged since ancient history . However, modern thinking on counterinsurgency was developed during decolonization . During insurgency and counterinsurgency, the distinction between civilians and combatants is often blurred. Counterinsurgency may involve attempting to win
6897-630: The administrative headquarters for the NSG. The headquarters is overseen by the Director-General of the NSG , who is assisted in administrative matters by four Indian Police Service officers, out of whom two are Inspectors Generals at the Administrative Headquarters. They are in turn assisted by the Deputy Inspectors General of the NSG. The Financial Advisor of the NSG is generally an officer with
7018-568: The central government decided to withdraw it from VVIP protection duties. SRG members are drawn mainly from the Central Armed Police Force personnel. Special Composite Groups are stationed at the regional hubs of the National Security Guard. Special Composite Group units consisting of personnel from both, the Indian Army and the Central Armed Police Forces , and respond to incidents that happen near their hubs. Each SCG
7139-408: The child started the fight or how well armed the child is, an adult in a fight with a child will feel that he is acting unjustly if he harms the child and foolish if the child harms him; he will, therefore, wonder if the fight is necessary. Van Creveld argues that "by definition, a strong counterinsurgent who uses his strength to kill the members of a small, weak organization of insurgents – let alone
7260-495: The city, killing between 10-25,000 people, including many women and children. Asked by reporters what had happened, Hafez al-Assad exaggerated the damage and deaths, promoted the commanders who carried out the attacks, and razed Hama's well-known great mosque, replacing it with a parking lot. With the Muslim Brotherhood scattered, the population was so cowed that it would be years before opposition groups dared to disobey
7381-428: The civilian population by which it is surrounded, and which may lend it support – will commit crimes in an unjust cause," while "a child who is in a serious fight with an adult is justified in using every and any means available – not because he or she is right, but because he or she has no choice". Every act of insurgency becomes, from the perspective of the counterinsurgent, a reason to end the conflict, while also being
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#17327831742597502-540: The decades have tried a range of tactics. Starting in the early 2000s, micro-level data has transformed the analysis of effective counterinsurgency (COIN) operations. Leading this work is the "information-centric" group of theorists and researchers, led by the work of the Empirical Studies of Conflict (ESOC) group at Princeton University , and the Conflict and Peace, Research and Development (CPRD) group at
7623-456: The dynamics of revolutionary warfare. Counter-insurgency focuses on bridging these gaps. Insurgents take advantage of social issues known as gaps. When the gaps are wide, they create a sea of discontent, creating the environment in which the insurgent can operate. In The Insurgent Archipelago , John Mackinlay puts forward the concept of an evolution of the insurgency from the Maoist paradigm of
7744-485: The effective inclusion of human rights protection as a crucial element in that cooperation. They argue that international human rights obligations do not stop at borders, and a failure to respect human rights in one state may undermine its effectiveness in the global effort to cooperate to combat terrorism. Some countries see preemptive attacks as a legitimate strategy. This includes capturing, killing, or disabling suspected terrorists before they can mount an attack. Israel,
7865-447: The end of an obstacle-ridden cross-country run. Such exercises are supposedly meant to assess how the candidate would likely perform under stress and exhaustion. Those who complete the tests are sent for nine months of advanced training. Advanced training reportedly includes techniques related to hand-to-hand combat, intelligence gathering, demolition, bomb disposal, insertion, and reflex shooting. Well-publicised training exercises include
7986-517: The end of the month ahead of the G20 meeting in India. The Indian Army was also involved in the exercise. Counter-terrorism Counterterrorism (alternatively spelled: counter-terrorism ), also known as anti-terrorism , relates to the practices, military tactics , techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement , businesses, and intelligence agencies use to combat or eliminate terrorism . If an act of terrorism occurs as part of
8107-550: The enduring underlying inequalities which fuel terrorist activity. Causal factors need to be delineated and measures implemented which allow equal access to resources and sustainability for all people. Such activities empower citizens, providing "freedom from fear" and "freedom from want". This can take many forms, including the provision of clean drinking water, education, vaccination programs, provision of food and shelter and protection from violence, military or otherwise. Successful human security campaigns have been characterized by
8228-444: The enemy will win. On the other hand, if while fighting we maintain our forces, expand them, train our army and people, learn military tactics … and at the same time wear down the enemy forces, we shall weary and discourage them in such a way that, strong as they are, they will become weak and will meet defeat instead of victory. Van Creveld thus identifies "time" as the key factor in counterinsurgency. In an attempt to find lessons from
8349-494: The fault of its governors." Consequently, he advocated clemency towards the population and good governance, to seek the people's "heart and love". Liddell Hart attributed the failure of counterinsurgencies to various causes. First, as pointed out in the Insurgency addendum to the second version of his book Strategy: The Indirect Approach , a popular insurgency has an inherent advantage over any occupying force. He showed as
8470-629: The few cases of successful counterinsurgency, of which he lists two clear cases: the British efforts during The Troubles of Northern Ireland and the 1982 Hama massacre carried out by the Syrian government to suppress the Muslim Brotherhood , he asserts that the "core of the difficulty is neither military nor political, but moral" and outlines two distinct methods. The first method relies on superb intelligence, provided by those who know
8591-438: The field of explosives engineering . The NBDC act as a nodal agency for all bombing related facets in the country. It is headed by a Group Commander who is either an Army officer with the rank of ' colonel ' or a Central Armed Police Force officer belonging to any force apart from the NSG itself with the rank of ' Commandant '. In response to the criticism received by the force for its failure to quickly arrive in Mumbai during
8712-575: The form of options that can be exercised in the future when new information is available. While some countries with longstanding terrorism problems have law enforcement agencies primarily designed to prevent and respond to terror attacks, in other nations, counterterrorism is a relatively more recent objective of law enforcement agencies. Though some civil libertarians and criminal justice scholars have criticized efforts of law enforcement agencies to combat terrorism as futile and expensive or as threats to civil liberties, other scholars have analyzed
8833-642: The golden age of insurgency to the global insurgency of the start of the 21st century. He defines this distinction as "Maoist" and "post-Maoist" insurgency. The third Marques of Santa Cruz de Marcenado (1684–1732) is probably the earliest author who dealt systematically in his writings with counterinsurgency. In his Reflexiones Militares , published between 1726 and 1730, he discussed how to spot early signs of an incipient insurgency, prevent insurgencies, and counter them, if they could not be warded off. Strikingly, Santa Cruz recognized that insurgencies are usually due to real grievances: "A state rarely rises up without
8954-406: The government. Thus the essence of counterinsurgency warfare is summed up by Galula as "Build (or rebuild) a political machine from the population upward." Robert Grainger Ker Thompson wrote Defeating Communist Insurgency in 1966, wherein he argued that a successful counterinsurgency effort must be proactive in seizing the initiative from insurgents. Thompson outlines five basic principles for
9075-441: The grassroots. The counterinsurgent reaches a position of strength when his power is embedded in a political organization issuing from, and firmly supported by, the population. With his four principles in mind, Galula goes on to describe a general military and political strategy to put them into operation in an area that is under full insurgent control: In a Selected Area 1. Concentrate enough armed forces to destroy or to expel
9196-406: The group, a very difficult challenge for human intelligence operations because operational terrorist cells are often small, with all members known to one another, perhaps even related. Counterintelligence is a great challenge with the security of cell-based systems, since the ideal, but the nearly impossible, goal is to obtain a clandestine source within the cell. Financial tracking can play
9317-403: The hearts and minds of populations supporting the insurgency. Alternatively, it may be waged in an attempt to intimidate or eliminate civilian populations suspected of loyalty to the insurgency through indiscriminate violence. The guerrilla must swim in the people as the fish swims in the sea. –Aphorism based on the writing of Mao Zedong Counterinsurgency is normally conducted as
9438-443: The information campaign has to be conducted at a global, regional and local level — because modern insurgents draw upon global networks of sympathy, support, funding and recruitment. Kilcullen considers the three pillars to be of equal importance because unless they are developed in parallel, the campaign becomes unbalanced: too much economic assistance with inadequate security, for example, simply creates an array of soft targets for
9559-453: The institution of COIN within militaries and their tendency to reject the innovation and adaptation often necessary to defeat insurgency. These three features, furthermore, influence and can undermine the operational tactics and concepts adopted against insurgents. The COIN challenge, therefore, is not just operational; it also is cultural and institutional before ever it reflects on the battlefield. According to Omeni, institutional isomorphism
9680-485: The insurgency maintains popular support, it will retain all of its strategic advantages of mobility, invisibility, and legitimacy in its own eyes and the eyes of the people. So long as this is the situation, an insurgency essentially cannot be defeated by regular forces. David Galula gained his practical experience in counterinsurgency as a French Army officer in the Algerian War . His theory of counterinsurgency
9801-456: The insurgent from the population, isolation not enforced upon the population, but maintained by and with the population. ... In conventional warfare, strength is assessed according to military or other tangible criteria, such as the number of divisions, the position they hold, the industrial resources, etc. In revolutionary warfare, strength must be assessed by the extent of support from the population as measured in terms of political organization at
9922-471: The insurgents. Similarly, too much security assistance without political consensus or governance simply creates more capable armed groups. In developing each pillar, we measure progress by gauging effectiveness (capability and capacity) and legitimacy (the degree to which the population accepts that government actions are in its interest). The overall goal, according to this model, "is not to reduce violence to zero or to kill every insurgent, but rather to return
10043-451: The line, as the military struggled against Boko Haram's threat, that the extent of this weakness was exposed. At best, the utility of force, for the Nigerian military, had become but a temporary solution against the threat of insurgent warfare. At worst, the existing model has been perpetuated at such high cost, that urgent revisionist thinking around the idea of counterinsurgency within the military institution may now be required. Additionally,
10164-635: The local level. Emergency medical services are capable of triaging, treating, and transporting the more severely affected individuals to hospitals, which typically have mass casualty and triage plans in place for terrorist attacks. Public health agencies , from local to the national level, may be designated to deal with identification, and sometimes mitigation, of possible biological attacks, and sometimes chemical or radiological contamination. Many countries have dedicated counterterrorist units trained to handle terrorist threats. Besides various security agencies , there are police tactical units whose role
10285-477: The long run (e.g., the French doctrine used in colonial Indochina and Algeria ), particularly if it is not accompanied by other measures. However, new methods such as those taken in Iraq have yet to be seen as beneficial or ineffectual. Whatever the target of terrorists, there are multiple ways of hardening the targets to prevent the terrorists from hitting their mark, or reducing the damage of attacks. One method
10406-531: The main body of armed insurgents. 2. Detach for the area sufficient troops to oppose an insurgent come back in strength, install these troops in the hamlets, villages, and towns where the population lives. 3. Establish contact with the population, control its movements in order to cut off its links with the guerrillas. 4. Destroy the local insurgent political organization. 5. Set up, by means of elections, new provisional local authorities. 6. Test those authorities by assigning them various concrete tasks. Replace
10527-445: The margins of the theoretical debate – even though Africa today is faced with a number of deadly insurgencies. In Counter-insurgency in Nigeria , Omeni, a Nigerian academic, discusses the interactions between certain features away from the battlefield, which account for battlefield performance against insurgent warfare. Specifically, Omeni argues that the trio of historical experience, organisational culture (OC) and doctrine, help explain
10648-418: The military's decisive civil war victory, the pivot in Nigeria's strategic culture towards a regional role, and the institutional delegitimization brought about by decades of coups and political meddling, meant that much time went by without substantive revisionism to the military's thinking around its internal function. Change moreover, where it occurred, was institutionally isomorphic and not as far removed from
10769-609: The military's own origins as the intervening decades may have suggested. Further, the infantry-centric nature of the Nigerian Army 's battalions, traceable back to the Nigerian Civil War back in the 1960s, is reflected in the kinetic nature of the Army's contemporary COIN approach. This approach has failed to defeat Boko Haram in the way many expected. Certainly, therefore, the popular argument today, which holds that
10890-453: The mission with minimal casualties. The units include assault teams, snipers , EOD experts, dog handlers, and intelligence officers. Most of these measures deal with terrorist attacks that affect an area or threaten to do so, or are lengthy situations such as shootouts and hostage takings that allow the counterterrorist units to assemble and respond; it is harder to deal with shorter incidents such as assassinations or reprisal attacks, due to
11011-585: The most important dimensions of the policing of terrorism as an important dimension of counter-terrorism, especially in the post-9/11 era, and have discussed how police view terrorism as a matter of crime control. Such analyses highlight the civilian police role in counterterrorism next to the military model of a war on terror . Pursuant to passage of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 , federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies began to systemically reorganize. Two primary federal agencies,
11132-428: The natural and artificial environment of the conflict as well as the insurgents. Once such superior intelligence is gained, the counterinsurgents must be trained to a point of high professionalism and discipline such that they will exercise discrimination and restraint. Through such discrimination and restraint, the counterinsurgents do not alienate members of the populace besides those already fighting them, while delaying
11253-401: The objective of destroying the insurgents. Finally, a state can discriminate between combatants and non-combatants while killing insurgents, but only by increasing the risks for its own troops, because often insurgents will hide behind civilians, or appear to be civilians. So a country must choose two out of three goals and develop a strategy that can successfully accomplish them while sacrificing
11374-472: The overall system to normality — noting that 'normality' in one society may look different from normality in another. In each case, we seek not only to establish control, but also to consolidate that control and then transfer it to permanent, effective, and legitimate institutions." Military historian Martin van Creveld , noting that almost all attempts to deal with insurgency have ended in failure, advises: The first, and absolutely indispensable, thing to do
11495-411: The participation of a diverse group of actors, including governments, NGOs , and citizens. Foreign internal defense programs provide outside expert assistance to a threatened government. FID can involve both non-military and military aspects of counterterrorism. A 2017 study found that "governance and civil society aid is effective in dampening domestic terrorism, but this effect is only present if
11616-552: The primary difficulties of implementing effective counterterrorist measures is the waning of civil liberties and individual privacy that such measures often entail, both for citizens of, and for those detained by states attempting to combat terror. At times, measures designed to tighten security have been seen as abuses of power or even violations of human rights. Examples of these problems can include prolonged, incommunicado detention without judicial review or long periods of 'preventive detention'; risk of subjecting to torture during
11737-426: The radar. To select the effective action when terrorism appears to be more of an isolated event, the appropriate government organizations need to understand the source, motivation, methods of preparation, and tactics of terrorist groups. Good intelligence is at the heart of such preparation, as well as a political and social understanding of any grievances that might be solved. Ideally, one gets information from inside
11858-543: The range of military and law enforcement options for intelligence gathering. Many countries increasingly employ facial recognition systems in policing. Domestic intelligence gathering is sometimes directed to specific ethnic or religious groups, which are the sources of political conversy. Mass surveillance of an entire population raises objections on civil liberties grounds. Domestic terrorists , especially lone wolves , are often harder to detect because of their citizenship or legal status and ability to stay under
11979-633: The rank of Joint Secretary belonging to the Central Accounts Services and is assisted by two Deputy Financial Advisors belonging of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service and the Indian Civil Accounts Service respectively. A small unit of the NSG is present near Palam Nagar. Manesar is the operational headquarters of the NSG. An Indian Army Major general who is deputed to NSG Manesar headquarters
12100-515: The rebels, and in the end, their strength and morale were so sapped that when Wellington was finally able to challenge French forces in the field, the French had almost no choice but to abandon the situation. Counterinsurgency efforts may be successful, especially when the insurgents are unpopular. The Philippine–American War , the Shining Path in Peru, and the Malayan Emergency have been
12221-413: The recipient country is not experiencing a civil conflict." Terrorism has often been used to justify military intervention in countries where terrorists are said to be based. Similar justifications were used for the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and the second Russian invasion of Chechnya . Military intervention has not always been successful in stopping or preventing future terrorism, such as during
12342-537: The regime again and, van Creveld argues, the massacre most likely saved the regime and prevented a bloody civil war . Van Creveld condenses al-Assad's strategy into five rules while noting that they could easily have been written by Niccolò Machiavelli : In "Counterinsurgency's Impossible Trilemma", Dr. Lorenzo Zambernardi, an Italian academic now working in the United States, clarifies the tradeoffs involved in counterinsurgency operations. He argues that counterinsurgency involves three main goals, but in real practice,
12463-550: The rule of law. We recommend: (1) taking effective measures to make impunity impossible either for acts of terrorism or for the abuse of human rights in counter-terrorism measures. (2) the incorporation of human rights laws in all anti-terrorism programs and policies of national governments as well as international bodies." While international efforts to combat terrorism have focused on the need to enhance cooperation between states, proponents of human rights (as well as human security ) have suggested that more effort needs to be given to
12584-541: The second method exemplified by the Hama massacre . In 1982, the regime of Syrian president Hafez al-Assad was on the point of being overwhelmed by the countrywide insurgency of the Muslim Brotherhood . Al-Assad sent a Syrian Army division under his brother Rifaat to the city of Hama , known to be the center of the resistance. Following a counterattack by the Brotherhood, Rifaat used his heavy artillery to demolish
12705-533: The security structure of the city. The NSG hub in Ayodhya, equipped with specialized weaponry and anti-drone technology, is expected to be operationalized along with support units of other CAPFs within a few months. The land allocation process for the hub has begun. The Ayodhya hub will be the first response center for NSG in Uttar Pradesh . After the establishment of these three hubs by 2024-end, there will be
12826-518: The short warning time and the quick exfiltration of the assassins. The majority of counterterrorism operations at the tactical level are conducted by state, federal, and national law enforcement or intelligence agencies . In some countries, the military may be called in as a last resort. For countries whose military is legally permitted to conduct domestic law enforcement operations, this is not an issue, and such counterterrorism operations are conducted by their military. Some counterterrorist actions of
12947-634: The sites of failed insurgencies. Hart also points to the experiences of T. E. Lawrence and the Arab Revolt during World War I as another example of the power of the rebel/insurgent. Though the Ottomans often had advantages in manpower of more than 100 to 1, the Arabs ' ability to materialize out of the desert, strike, and disappear again often left the Turks reeling and paralyzed, creating an opportunity for regular British forces to sweep in and finish
13068-408: The softs and the incompetents, give full support to the active leaders. Organize self-defense units. 7. Group and educate the leaders in a national political movement. 8. Win over or suppress the last insurgent remnants. According to Galula, some of these steps can be skipped in areas that are only partially under insurgent control, and most of them are unnecessary in areas already controlled by
13189-549: The struggle in Northern Ireland had cost the United Kingdom three thousand fatal casualties. Of the three thousand, about seventeen hundred were civilians...of the remaining, a thousand were British soldiers. No more than three hundred were terrorists, a ratio of three to one. If the prerequisites for the first method – excellent intelligence, superbly trained and disciplined soldiers and police, and an iron will to avoid being provoked into lashing out – are lacking, van Creveld posits that counterinsurgents who still want to win must use
13310-475: The swine products. For a threatened or completed terrorist attack, an Incident Command System (ICS) may be invoked to control the various services that may need to be involved in the response. ICS has varied levels of escalation, such as might be required for multiple incidents in a given area (e.g. 2005 London bombings or the 2004 Madrid train bombings ), or all the way to a National Response Plan invocation if national-level resources are needed. For example,
13431-462: The third objective. Zambernardi's theory posits that to protect populations, which is necessary to defeat insurgencies and to physically destroy an insurgency, the counterinsurgent's military forces must be sacrificed, risking the loss of domestic political support. Another writer who explores a trio of features relevant to understanding counterinsurgency is Akali Omeni. Within the contemporary context, COIN warfare by African militaries tends to be at
13552-461: The time when the counterinsurgents become disgusted by their own actions and demoralized. General Patrick Walters, the British commander of troops in Northern Ireland, explicitly stated that his objective was not to kill as many terrorists as possible but to ensure that as few people on both sides were killed. In the vast majority of counterinsurgencies, the "forces of order" kill far more people than they lose. In contrast and using very rough figures,
13673-514: The training center lying between forests and hillocks at Nedungundram off the Vandalur - Kelambakkam Road. Kolkata became the regional hub of the NSG for the region of East India in 2009, becoming the 4th such hub in the country. The Salt Lake campus was supposed to serve as its main base until the construction of its planned permanent facility at Badu in Madhyamgram ( North 24 Parganas )
13794-625: The transfer, return and extradition of people between or within countries; and the adoption of security measures that restrain the rights or freedoms of citizens and breach principles of non-discrimination. Examples include: Many argue that such violations of rights could exacerbate rather than counter the terrorist threat. Human rights activists argue for the crucial role of human rights protection as an intrinsic part to fight against terrorism. This suggests, as proponents of human security have long argued, that respecting human rights may indeed help us to incur security. Amnesty International included
13915-603: The treatment, or due to the confusion caused by it. In 1978 the European Court of Human Rights ruled in the Ireland v. United Kingdom case that such methods amounted to a practice of inhuman and degrading treatment , and that such practices were in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights Article 3 (art. 3). The human security paradigm outlines a non-military approach that aims to address
14036-637: Was GSG 9 of the German Federal Police , formed in response to the 1972 Munich massacre . Counterterrorist forces expanded with the perceived growing threat of terrorism in the late 20th century. After the September 11 attacks , Western governments made counterterrorism efforts a priority. This included more extensive collaboration with foreign governments, shifting tactics involving red teams , and preventive measures. Although terrorist attacks affecting Western countries generally receive
14157-691: Was fully completed. In 2012, the permanent facility was inaugurated by India's then Home Minister P. Chidambaram . The NSG hub in Kolkata had about 241 commandos by then, with the regional hub still not fully complete. On 1 March 2020, the fully complete 29 Special Composite Group complex was inaugurated by the Home Minister Amit Shah at New Town , West Bengal . In July 2018, NSG operationalized its fifth regional hub at Gandhinagar in Gujarat . The hub stands on 1.33 lakh sq m of land near
14278-437: Was initially the logistic arm of the NSG which performed low-risk combat roles such as cordons . Later, they were being used almost exclusively for VIP security. In 2012, the role of the 11 SRG was elevated to that of SAG units, and the 11 SRG was made a part of the counter-terrorism force (CTF) which included the 51 SAG and 11 SRG. However, the other two SRGs continued to be used for VIP security purposes until October 2024 when
14399-543: Was later expanded to provide personal security to influential politicians regardless of the real threat that they face. However, in January 2020, NSG was relieved of its additional responsibilities of VIP security and its original roles of counter-terrorism and anti-hijacking were restored. A small unit of the NSG has been present in Kashmir since 2018, when the proposal to deploy around 100 commandos in Kashmir to support
14520-767: Was the Special Irish Branch of the Metropolitan Police , later renamed the Special Branch after it expanded its scope beyond its original focus on Fenian terrorism. Various law enforcement agencies established similar units in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. The International Conference of Rome for the Social Defense Against Anarchists has been identified as the first international conference against terrorism. The first tactical counterterrorist unit
14641-410: Was the first unit to be set up when the NSG was created in 1986. The 51 SAG is tasked with counterterrorism and counter insurgency operations while the 52 SAG deals with anti-hijacking operations and is also known as "Hijack Busters". The smallest operational unit within a Special Action Group is called a hit and consists of 5 members: two pairs (partners) and a technical support member. Four hits make
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