Classified British documents found

Dr. Jassim Taqui

DG Al-Bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad; June 28, 2021: In a sensational disclosure, BBC revealed that classified Ministry of Defence documents containing details about HMS Defender and The British military had been found at a bust stop in Kent.

Another detail plans for a possible UK military presence in Afghanistan after the US-led Nato operation there ends.

One set of the documents discussed the likely Russian reaction to the HMS ship’s passage through Ukrainian waters off the Crimea coast.

The BBC disclosure forced the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to investigate the incident.

The perception is that an insider was behind the incident intending to make the public aware of the serious decision that seems to be at variance with the international norms. Such decisions risked a war between Russia and UK and ultimately a war between Russia and Nato as well.

One outcome of the disclosure is that the Joe Biden administration is seeking continued British engagement in Afghanistan even after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. This is a mind-boggling decision by an administration that claims that it seeks to end the Afghan civil war. As a consequence, the secret documents might agitate the public against the ruling elites in both London and Washington

 

Using drones in Kashmir

  

Dr. Jassim Taqui

DG Al-Bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad, June 28, 2021: In a serious development of the Kashmir issue, India said its military thwarted a major threat when it intercepted two drones flying over an army base in Indian-occupied Kashmir, a day after when unknown outfit used suspected explosive-laden drones to attack an airbase in the occupied region.

The two drones flew over the Kaluchak military base on the outskirts of Jammu city. However, they fled away when Quick Reaction Teams engaged them with firing.

By far, this is the most ominous incident, which points out to a serious escalation of tension in IOK. Things are expected to go out of control when the Indians would react in kind against targets inside Azad Jammu& Kashmir (AJK).

So far, the incident is ambiguous since no Jihadi group took responsibility of the two incidents or even commented on them.

Most probably, the Indian drones would target Maulana Masood Azhar; the leader of the banned outfit Jaysh Muhammad(JM). The US put a prize of $10 million on his head for planning the Mumbai attack on November 26, 2008, in which suicide bombers killed over 170  including three American citizens. Over 300 people were also injured. Pakistan also banned JM but could not arrest is the leader who fled AJK.

According to Pak military doctrine, the armed forces would reciprocate in kind any Indian attack on AJK or Pakistani territories. Therefore, the situation could deteriorate shortly.

The Energy Weapons

Islamabad, 27 June 2021, China continues to attract the attention of the world. The world think-tank considers this era as China's Era due to its advancement in all fields especially in advanced technology and AI (Artificial Intelligence).

The latest news indicates that China is making progress with its ground-based directed energy weapons that could be potentially used to take down hostile satellites specially designed to spy on it.

A directed-energy weapon(DEW) is a ranged weapon that damages its target with highly focused energy, including laser, microwaves, and particle beams.

China, the US, Russia, Iran, and Turkey have developed these weapons and inducted them into their armed forces. Reportedly, India and UK are currently developing DEWs.

On November 17, 2020, the Indian media disclosed that the Chinese PLA used DEW against Indian soldiers during the skirmishes at the Ladakh border. The Indian troops were forced to withdraw from strategic positions because of these weapons. Later on, India was compelled to return to resolving differences with Beijing through dialogue and maintaining the status quo in disputed regions.

Confirming Washington possesses these weapons, the former US President Donald Trump proposed to replace expensive missiles system with cheap DEWs. He proposed on April 8, 2019, to zap incoming missiles with Laser beams used in DEWs.

Ominously, former acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller warned on  March 5, 2021, of a scheme to use DEWs against “ US government officials worldwide.” He even urged the new US administration to stay focused on the issue.

With the current escalation of the violence in Afghanistan, the Taliban may use DEWs against all and sundry to ensure re-establishing its erstwhile Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The situation would be bloody if somehow the Taliban could possess these weapons.