Terrorist Activities in Pakistan
Bomb/IEDs attacks
Three people including father and his son were killed in a landmine explosion in Shani Meenah area of Ambar tehsil (revenue unit) in Mohmand Agency on September 1, reports The News. Two others also sustained injuries.
Five soldiers were injured when their vehicle hit a landmine in Koda Khel area of Khwazai Bazai tehsil(revenue unit) of the Mohmand Agency on September 11, reports Dawn. The injured who were identified as Havaldar Ismail, Lance Naik Asif, Lance Naik Khan Wali, Lance Naik Idris and Sepoy Kashif. A search operation is underway. No arrests have been reported so far.
One person was killed while another sustained injuries after their motorbike ran over a planted landmine in the Nasau area of Kohlu District in Balochistan on September 13, reports The Express Tribune. Sources said two brothers riding on their bike were hit by a landmine in the Nasau area.
Meanwhile, Security Force personnel recovered six hand grenades hidden in Qadirabad area of Nushki District on September 13, reports The Express Tribune.
Seven persons, including six Frontier Constabulary (FC) soldiers, received injuries in two grenade blasts at Torkham border crossing in Torkham Town of Khyber Agency on September 15, reports Daily Times. Officials said that Pakistani security personnel deployed at the border were targeted in the attack.
Local Tehsildar Fawad Ali and four Levies personnel were killed on September 17 when a remote-controlled bomb went off at a roadside in Loye Mamond area of Bajaur Agency, reports Dawn. Fawad Ali, along with Levies personnel, was patrolling in Garigal area when his vehicle was targeted with a remote-controlled explosive device, killing him and four Levies personnel on the spot. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the blast.
At least five persons, including three Security Force (SF) personnel, were killed and eight others injured in a blast in the Rohri cement factory in Sukkur District of Sindh on September 19, reports Daily Times. Sukkur Police Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Feroze Shah said that the explosion occurred when SF personnel were engaged in defusing explosives found at the cement factory. Five people including two Policemen, a Rangers official and two labourers were killed in the blast. Eight others, including six Rangers personnel, manager of the factory and one labourer were also injured.
Three Security Force (SF) personnel were injured when their vehicle hit a landmine in Kurram Agency on September 19, reports Dawn.
At least two Pakistan Customs officials received injuries when a roadside remote controlled improvised explosive device (IED) went off in the Matha Khel area of Landi Kotal tehsil (revenue unit) in Khyber Agency on September 21, reports Daily Times.
Targetted Killings
Three Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, including a lieutenant colonel, were martyred while three others were injured as unidentified militants opened fire on their convoy in Washuk District of Balochistan in the evening of September 4, reports Dawn.
Unidentified assailants opened fire at a vehicle coming from Chaman in Kuchlak area of Quetta in the evening of September 10, leaving five Shia Hazara persons dead, reports Daily Times. Two women and one 12 year old boy were there among the dead. The Hazara family had come to Chaman from Afghanistan in the afternoon. The firing took place when the eight members of a Hazara family stopped at a filling station to refuel their vehicle and to take a brief rest when two men on a motorcycle appeared and opened fire on them. After the incident, the suspects sped away on their motorcycles, Zahoor Khan, a local Police official said.
Jamiat-i-Ulema-i-Islam – Fazl (JUI-Fazl) leader and former Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Hashim Khan and two of his aides were shot dead in Shah Alam Baba area of Lower Dir District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on September 14, reports Dawn. Station House Officer (SHO) Fazal Mabood said unidentified assailants had opened fire on the vehicle in which Hashim Khan was travelling, killing him and his two aides.
Miscellaneous
The Counter-terrorism Department (CTD) Sindh, on August 26, claimed to have arrested a target killer belonging to Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London (MQM-L) who was involved in over a hundred cases of target killing from Qasba Colony area of Orangi Town and recovered huge cache of dumped weapons, from Shehzad Mor within the limits of Pirabad Police Station in Frontier Colony, Orangi Town in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, reports Daily Times. Pakistan Based Terrorists Intelligence Group (PBTIG) in-charge of CTD Mazhar Mashwani stated that the arrested target killer Imran alias Mama has remained underground after 2013 until he was arrested on informer’s information from his hideout. Imran was rounded up in a midnight raid when team of CTD, on spy’s information raided near Qasba Colony, Shehzad Mor under Pirabad Police Station and recovered dumped weapons including five repeaters action pumps 12 bore, two rifles, one 8mm rifle, one KK and over 500 rounds of bullets.
Twelve cadres of the Baloch Republican Army (BRA) surrendered to Security Forces (SFs) in Nushki District of Balochistan on August 30, reports Daily Times. A statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said “Those surrendered included two mid-tier militants identified as Wali Khan and Karghani.”
Ten suspected militants were killed in an operation carried out by Security Forces (SFs) in Harnai District of Balochistan on August 31, reports Dawn. Three camps allegedly being used by militants in the area were also destroyed, and a cache of arms and ammunition was recovered during the operation.
One Policeman and one militant were killed while another Policeman injured during a Police operation in Kaneez Fatima Society in Malir Town of Karachi on September 4, reports The Nation. According to details, Police and Rangers conduct operation on information given by already arrested militants. During the raid, fire exchange started between militants and Police resulted in killing of policeman. One militant was killed while one remained successful in fleeing the scene. According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Malir Town, Rao Anwar, the name of fleeing terrorist is Sarosh Siddique. “He is mastermind of attack on MQM-P leader Khawaja Izhar-ul Hassan on Eid day,” SSP Malir said. “He is central commander of banned militant organisation Ansar-ul-Shariah and close associate of killed terrorist, Hassan,” Anwar further added. Sarosh Siddique was a student of Applied Physics in Karachi University, sources mentioned.
At least 13 suspected persons were arrested on September 2 during a joint Intelligence-Based Operation (IBO) in Punjab, The News reported on September 4 quoting an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement. The statement adds that Punjab Rangers and Police conducted the first operation in Dera Ghazi Khan District and arrested seven key facilitators wanted for extortion and other criminal activities in Punjab and Balochistan. In a separate operation in Lahore, Rangers, police and intelligence personnel took six suspects, including two unregistered Afghan nationals, into custody. Weapons and ammunition were also seized from the suspects, it added.
Police in a shootout killed four suspected terrorists, including Tehreek-e-Taliban-Pakistan chief Mullah Fazlullah’s cousin, Khursheed, in Karachi city’s Sadaf Society locality on September 4, reports Daily Times. Malir Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rao Anwar claimed that Khursheed has been involved in various incidents of terrorism, including the attack on Malala Yousafzai and attacks on law enforcement personnel. He said all the slain terrorists belonged to TTP-Swat. Anwar said Police conducted a raid in the area after getting information on the presence of members of banned outfit, Ansar-ul Shariah.
Earlier, one Police personal and a militant were killed during an operation conducted in Kaneez Fatima Society in Karachi on September 4, reports Daily Times. Another Policeman was injured while one terrorist managed to escape, Police sources said. According to SSP Malir, Rao Anwar, the name of escaped terrorist is Karim Sarosh Siddique.
Unidentified militants abducted at least 17 young tribesmen from a picnic spot in Landi Kotal tehsil(revenue unit) of Khyber Agency on September 3, reports Dawn. Khasadar officials while confirming the incident said that some local youth from Adalkhad and Gagra villages had gone to Yakha Cheena, Enzaro Naw picnic spot close to the Afghan border on September 3-morning but did not return to their homes till late in the evening. The officials said that relatives of the missing youth reported the matter to them after one of the abducted persons managed to escape from the abductors and reached home early on September 4. They quoted the escaped person as saying that a group of around 12 armed persons held them hostage while they were having midday meals. Later, they were taken to an unknown place.
Maulana Abu Turab, the Balochistan Ameer (chief) of Markazi Jamat Ahle Hadees, his son and his guard were abducted by unidentified assailants from airport road of Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, on September 8, reports Dawn. According to the Police, assailants intercepted Maulana Abu Turab’s car on airport road and abducted him and the other two men on gunpoint. Maulana Abu Turab leads the Markazi Jamat Ahle Hadees in Balochistan and is considered to be one of the most influential religious figures in the province.
Seven Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants were arrested by Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA) and Police during joint operation in Al-Habib Society in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, reports The Nation. The LEA and Police have also recovered cache of weapons including suicide jackets. Raids were being conducted for the arrest of one militant Qari Zahid who managed to escape from scene during operation.
Two Policemen were injured when an unidentified assailant opened fire on a Police mobile during a security check in Rizvia Society of Jahangirabad area in Karachi on September 11, reports Dawn. Station House Officer Rizvia Arshad Janjua said an unidentified motorcycle borne assailants opened fired at a Police mobile during snap checking in Jahangirabad, injuring police constables Sirajuddin and Zeeshan Safdar. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack as yet.
A United States (US) drone killed three suspected Afghan Taliban militants in an attack on a compound in Ghuz Ghari village of Kurram Agency on September 15, reports Dawn. Officials said the strike took place in remote Ghuz Ghari village, close to the Afghan border where at least five fighters from the Afghan Taliban had gathered. “The US drone fired two missiles, at least three fighters from the Afghan Taliban have been killed and two wounded,” a senior Government official in Kurram Agency said.
Two terrorists belonging to defunct Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) were killed in an encounter with the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officials at Chak 83/M, Jalalpur Pirwala area on September 18, reports The News. One of the deceased militants was identified as Ijaz Asghar. The CTD personnel recovered three hand grenades, a rifle and a pistol from the scene.
Meanwhile, Security Forces on September 18 foiled a plot to target Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and arrested a suspected terrorist with a suicide jacket, reports Daily Times. Security sources on an intelligence tip identified a ‘terrorist’ serving as a driver in a house located in Block H of Model Town.
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on September 19 claimed to have arrested up two suspected target killers allegedly belonging to Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) during a raid in Bandhani Colony of Liaquatabad in Karachi, reports Dawn. In a press release, the CTD said the two target killers — Muhammad Abdullah Majid and Adnan Ahmad were involved in sectarian murders and were planning to carry out more attacks during the upcoming month of Muharram. The CTD also recovered three 9mm pistols, 15 bullets and one motorbike from the suspects’ custody.
Meanwhile, the Sindh Government has shifted some 90 “high-profile” inmates from the Central Prison Karachi to jails in other Districts of the province and Rawalpindi (Punjab) on advice of intelligence and law enforcement agencies, an official confirmed to Dawn on September 19. The key report about illegal activities of the inmates inside the prison came from the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), which recommended their shifting from the central prison to other such facilities in Sindh and Punjab to “break an organised network”. The move came after a series of meetings on the issue of jails’ security, the official added. “The process began in July 2017,” he said. “The high-profile militants belonging to banned outfits, both under trial as well as those serving their terms, were shifted from Karachi Central Prison to jails in other parts of the province. So far 90 have been moved and under the plan some 270 would face the same fate. More inmates would be transferred to other jails in phases.” The move is meant to break an ‘organised network’ and improve prison security Of the 90 prisoners, he said, two had been moved to a prison in Rawalpindi, eight to Larkana and 80 to Sukkur jail.
Two militant commanders belonging to a banned outfit were killed by Security Forces (SFs) during an operation in Dera Bugti District of Balochistan on September 19, reports Dawn. Two militant camps were destroyed in the area, and SFs also recovered huge cache of arms and ammunition from the demolished camps.
Three militants and one Army Lieutenant Arsalan Alam were killed during a cross border firing in Rajgal area in Tirah valley of Khyber Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on September 23, reports The News. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the Security Forces retaliated and killed three militants and injured two others when Pakistani militants based across the Pak-Afghan border sneaked into Rajgal to carry out the attack on a newly built border post. Post Commander Lieutenant Arsalan Alam also killed during the action. It added that the militants took away the bodies of the slain men and also their injured associates and escaped to Afghanistan.
Security Forces (SFs) on September 24 killed three militants in Gara Madda area of Dera Ismail Khan District, reports Dawn. A press release issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated that the law enforcement agencies were carrying out a search operation in Gara Madda area when the alleged encounter took place. The officials signalled three people, riding a bike, to stop but they reportedly resorted to firing on the SF personnel, ensuing an encounter, claimed ISPR. All the three suspects were later identified as Iqbal, Waheed, and Majid, said ISPR, adding that Iqbal was reportedly carrying a head money of PKR one million.
Four militants were killed on September 25 during operations conducted by the Frontier Corps in various parts of Balochistan, Dawn reported quoting statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). According to the ISPR statement, four “wanted terrorists” belonging to the Baloch Republican Army (BRA) and the United Baloch Army (UBA) were killed during the operations, while 24 others were arrested. Among those killed were Thango and Keleri of the BRA, the ISPR said. According to the statement, they were involved in the abduction of civilians and responsible for attacks on law enforcement personnel. The two other militants killed were identified as Muhammad Khan and Jalal Deen both members of the UBA. According to the ISPR, they were involved in bombing railway lines, the planting of improvised explosive devices and destroying power lines.
PAKISTAN
US President Donald Trump’s Afghan strategy will not work, says PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on August 26 stressed the need for a political settlement in Afghanistan, saying that like previous US plans President Donald Trump’s new strategy for America’s longest-running war in that country will also fail, reports Dawn. “From day one we have been saying very clearly the military strategy in Afghanistan has not worked and it will not work,” PM Abbasi said in an interview with Bloomberg News. There has to be a “political settlement,” PM Abbasi said during the interview adding that “That’s the bottom line”.
We cannot bring Afghan war into Pakista: COAS
Assuring cooperation to Afghanistan, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa said on August 27 that Pakistan cannot bring Afghan war into Pakistan, reports Daily Times. Addressing Quadrilateral Counter Terrorism Coordination Mechanism (QCCM) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, the Army Chief said terrorism is a multinational threat. He said Pakistan has indiscriminately eliminated all safe havens of terrorists on its soil. The meeting was attended by senior military leadership of member countries, including General Bajwa, General Li Zuocheng (China), General Sobirzoda Imomali Abdurrahim (Tajikistan) and General Sharif Yaftali (Afghanistan), said Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release. All four leaders welcomed the QCCM initiative and expressed hope that an inclusive and cooperative regional approach will prove best for eradication of terrorism.
On sidelines of the event, COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa met his Afghanistan counterpart General Sharif Yaftali, reports Dawn. Both the Army Chiefs agreed to form a joint working group of the two armies. General Bajwa proposed the working group during a discussion and Afghan Army Chief accepted the offer. The working group will “jointly work and formulate security recommendations for government level discussions aimed at addressing mutual concerns,” said the release. During the discussion, General Bajwa highlighted Pakistan’s efforts for border security. He termed “dignified repatriation of Afghan refugees” and border security management as key factors for enduring peace.
Afghan Taliban are US, Kabul’s problems, not Pakistan’s, says Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif
Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said on August 27 that Afghan Taliban was the US and Afghanistan’s problem, not Pakistan’s, reports Daily Times. He added that Pakistan had suffered a great deal for being an ally of the US and the latter should stop pinning the blame for its own 16 years of failures on the former. “If the US doesn’t trust us, it should repatriate Afghan immigrants in Pakistan itself,” he told reporters in Sialkot. The minister said 0.2 million Pakistani troops were fighting against terrorists and thousands of soldiers had sacrificed their lives for this purpose. “Pakistan has managed to cleanse its land from terrorism,” he maintained. Asif said United States (US) President Donald Trump’s recent remarks that Pakistan harboured terrorists were disturbing. “Pakistan has been a partner of the US in the war against terrorism and such statements undermine our efforts,” he remarked. “We want to maintain good ties with the US and remove misunderstandings.”
Further, Minister Khawaja Asif said that Afghan soldiers used to sell US weapons to Afghan Taliban, reports The News. Forty percent of Afghan land is still under the control of Taliban. Over 90 percent attacks on Pakistan had been carried out from Afghan side.
NACTA keeping an eye on Pakistanis who ‘fought abroad’, says NACTA chief to National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior
The National Counterterrorism Authority (NACTA) has begun the process of compiling data on Pakistan-based individuals that are suspected of involvement with terrorist organisations abroad, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior was told on August 29, reports Dawn. NACTA chief Ihsan Ghani said the authority had completed the task of data compilation on suspected militants who had fought in conflict zones such as Yemen, Iraq or Syria. “We are in the process of having the data verified from Federal and Provincial Departments,” he told the committee during a briefing on the status of implementation on the National Action Plan (NAP) to counter terrorism and extremism. Ihsan Ghani tells National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior about plans to develop mobile app for reporting hate speech.
Further, NACTA chief detailed measures to choke terrorists’ financial networks, saying that a task force had been established under the authority to coordinate efforts in this regard. Progress on updating the list of those individuals who were placed on the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997 was also shared with the committee. The bank accounts of around 5,000 of the more than 8,000 individuals on the list had been frozen, he said, while they could no longer be issued passports or gun licenses.
Five TTP suspects acquitted in former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto murder case
The Judge of Anti-Terrorist Court (ATC), Rawalpindi, Muhammad Asghar Khan, on August 31 while announcing the verdict in the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto murder case acquitted five accused (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan), awarded 17-year imprisonment each to former Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Saud Aziz and former Superintendent of Police (SP), Rawal Town, Khurram Shehzad, for abetting the crime, and declared former President General Parvez Musharraf an absconder, reports The News. The court also imposed a fine of PKR 500,000 each on both convicts. The Police arrested the former DIG and the former SP from the premises of the court on the occasion as they were on bail.
The court announced the verdict in the Adiala Jail premises under tight security arrangements. In a landmark decision, the court declared former President General Parvez Musharraf an absconder in the case ordering seizure of all his moveable and immovable property. Five suspects who had been in jail for nine years, including Rafaqat Hussain, Husnain Gul, Sher Zaman, Aitzaz Shah and Abdul Rashid were acquitted on murder charges. The investigation agencies failed to prove a link of the five accused with Baitullah Mehsud, therefore, the court acquitted them. The two former Policemen have been awarded 10 years in prison under Section of 119 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and 7 years each under Section of 201 of the PPC. They have also been fined PKR 500,000 each in case they do not pay the fine, they will have to spend another six months in jail.
Foreign Office rubbishes US claim regarding Afghan Taliban presence in Pakistan
The Foreign Office (FO) on August 31 rubbished United States (US) General John Nicholson’s “unacceptable” claim that Washington is aware of the Afghan Taliban leadership’s presence in Peshawar and Quetta, saying that terrorist safe havens are present in Afghanistan, not Pakistan, reports Dawn. FO Spokesman Nafees Zakaria told a weekly press briefing in Islamabad that there had been no high-level contact between Pakistan and the US following President Donald Trump’s August 21 diatribe, in which he lambasted Islamabad for providing safe haven to terrorists. He announced that a conference of ambassadors would be held between September 5-7 in order to discuss foreign policy challenges facing the region and the world. Zakaria reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to an Afghan-led peace process and asserted that Afghanistan’s war could not be brought into Pakistan.
Pakistan at forefront of fighting terrorism, world should recognize its contributions, says China
China on August 31 reiterated that Pakistan is at the forefront of fighting terrorism, and for many years has been making positive efforts and great sacrifices on counter-terrorism, reports The News. As we have said many times, Pakistan is at the forefront of fighting terrorism, and for many years has been making positive efforts and great sacrifices on counter-terrorism, Chinese Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Hua Chunying said during her regular press briefing. The spokesperson said the international community should acknowledge and fully recognize its contributions. Hua said that China is willing to work with Pakistan and other countries to enhance cooperation on counter-terrorism and protect regional security and stability. Responding to a question about use of China’s influence for arrest of terrorists allegedly based in Pakistan, she said, “We have taken note of the concerns of the Indian side on counter-terrorism issues of Pakistan, but I don’t believe that it should feature prominently during the Xiamen Summit,” she added.
Two persons killed in assassination attempt on MQM-P leader Khawaja Izhar in Karachi
Two people including a child were killed in an attack in which Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Khwaja Izhar-ul Hassan escaped unhurt in the Buffer Zone area of Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, in the morning of September 2, reports The News. According to details, Khwaja Izhar-ul Hassan, who is also the leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly survived the assassination attempt when he was leaving a mosque after offering Eid-ul-Azha prayers. Police said a child and one of Hassan’s security guards were killed in the attack by unidentified assailants clad in police uniform riding on the motorcycles. Three other persons were also injured in the gunshot. An assailant was also killed in the retaliatory fire while another was injured but managed to flee, Police added. The shell of a 9mm pistol bullet was also found from the crime scene.
ASP ‘chief’ arrested in Karachi
Security Forces (SFs) on September 5 claimed to have arrested head of newly-emerged outfit Ansar-ul-Shariah Pakistan (ASP) in an intelligence-based operation conducted in Kaniz Fatima Society of Gulzar-e-Hijri in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, reports The News. As per details, Police along with other intelligence forces conducted a raid in Kaniz Fatima Society and arrested Dr. Abdullah Hashmi (28), suspected head of newly-emerged outfit ASP, which is involved in sabotage activities and attack on Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Khawaja Izhar-ul Hassan and law enforcement agencies personal in the Metropolis. The arrested suspect Abdullah Hashmi, is an IT (Information technology) expert and was employed in computer department of NED University. He has received Master’s degree in Applied Physics from the University of Karachi. Sources added that the suspected terrorists used to communicate through a Smartphone app and also had recorded all terrorist activities carried out in the metropolis. According to Police, the newly-emerged ASP comprised of highly qualified 12-member group belongs to Karachi most of them are students of engineering universities and reside at Gulzar-e-Hijri area of the Metropolis.
ECP refuses to recognise JuD’s political front MML
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on September 7 refused to recognise the Milli Muslim League (MML) a political front of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) as a legitimate political party and warned electoral candidates not to use the party’s name in election campaigns, reports Dawn. In Lahore, the returning officer (RO) for the by-poll in NA-120 restrained Sheikh Mohammad Yaqoob from displaying photos of the proscribed organisation’s leaders on his campaign banners. The ECP had taken notice of the JuD chief’s pictures and the insignia of the MML displayed on the banners used in Yaqoob’s election campaign in NA-120. A spokesperson for the ECP clarified that Yaqoob, who was contesting the by-poll as an independent candidate, had been allotted the symbol of an energy saver. He said action would be taken under the ECP’s code of conduct if Yaqoob failed to comply with the returning officer’s directives
LeJ prisoners who escaped from Karachi Jail have crossed over into Afghanistan, says CTD report
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on September 14 said that two “high-profile militants” of the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LEJ) who earlier escaped from Karachi’s Central Jail had crossed over to Afghanistan from the Chaman border in Balochistan, reports Dawn. In a report submitted to the Sindh Home Ministry on the orders of Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah, the CTD said that the Police party tailing Shaikh Muhammad Mumtaz alias Firaun, and Muhammad Ahmed Khan alias Munna, failed to arrest the two men. The fugitives had broken out from Karachi’s Central Jail on June 13 following a shocking lapse of security at the facility. The two had been arrested in 2013 by the CTD for their alleged involvement in the killing of over 60 people, mainly members of the Shia community and law enforcers. The report also said that the two militants’ facilitators were in Police custody and were being interrogated at the moment. Discussing the prisoners’ escape to Afghanistan, CM Murad Ali Shah later said that: “We are investigating how the escaped militants reached Afghanistan and the people who aided them in fleeing will be punished.” “Those whose irresponsibility resulted in the escape of the prisoners [from Central Jail] were punished and sent to jail, but the courts set them free by granting them bail,” he added while addressing the media during a visit to Sufi saint Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s shrine.
Provinces’ job to take action against banned outfits, says Federal Minister of Interior Ahsan Iqbal
Federal Minister of Interior Ahsan Iqbal told the Senate (Upper House of National Assembly) on September 14 that it was the responsibility of the Provincial Governments to keep an eye out for and take action against banned outfits in the country, including those organisations that were resurfacing under new names after being outlawed, reports Dawn. The Senate had asked Minister Iqbal to provide the name of the authority or agency responsible for keeping a lookout for banned organisations in the country, under the National Action Plan, and the role of the Ministry of Interior in monitoring the activities of these organisations. In a written reply sent to the Senate, Minister Iqbal said: “It is the responsibility and authority of the provincial governments to take action in each case under the law. Intelligence agencies are mandated to keep regular watch on the activities of proscribed organisations. The Ministry of Interior regularly receives reports from intelligence agencies on the activities of proscribed organisations and shares the same with the NACTA and the provincial governments.”
Pakistan wont be “scapegoat” in Afghan war, says PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in UN General Assembly
Pakistan refuses to be a “scapegoat” for Afghanistan´s bloodshed or to fight wars for others, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told the United Nations General Assembly on September 21, reports The News. Addressing the UN General Assembly, Abbasi did not explicitly criticize US President Donald Trump´s new strategy on Afghanistan but made clear his displeasure with the renewed onus on Pakistan. “Having suffered and sacrificed so much due to our role in the global counter terrorism campaign, it is especially galling for Pakistan to be blamed for the military or political stalemate in Afghanistan,” Abbasi said. “We are not prepared to be anyone´s scapegoat,” he said. “What Pakistan is not prepared to do is to fight the Afghan war on Pakistan´s soil. Nor can we endorse any failed strategy that will prolong and intensify the suffering of the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan and other regional countries,” he said.
REGIONAL
Bangladesh – Internal Dynamics
Suspected militant killed in bomb explosion in Mymensingh
A suspected militant was killed in a bomb explosion at a house in Kashor area of Mymensingh District on August 27, reports The Independent. The deceased could not be identified yet. Police said the bomb went off at the house around 6pm while the deceased was making bombs. The deceased ‘militant’ along with his wife and a child rented the house only three days back identifying him as a garment worker. Police suspected that the wife and the child of the alleged militant were also injured in the explosion and they managed to flee the scene.
Four bombs and more than eight kilograms of gunpowder recovered in Mymensingh District
Police on August 28 recovered four bombs and more than eight kilograms of gunpowder from a house in Kashor area of Mymensingh District where a Jama’at-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) suspect died in an explosion while making a bomb on August 27, reports The Daily Star. The deceased was identified as Alam Pramanik (32), a militant of JMB. Of the four bombs, two are pressure cooker bombs, each weighing around 2-2.5kg, one is hand grenade and another is hand bomb.
Neo-JMB militant arrested in Dhaka city
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested a militant of Neo-Jama’at-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (Neo-JMB) from Dhaka city’s Abdullahpur area on August 28, reports The Daily Star. Yakub Hossain (35), a motor garage owner in Abdullahpur bus stand, was accused in a case filed with Fatullah Police Station in Narayanganj under the Anti Terrorism Act. Yakub got involved in the militant outfit in 2015 and had been propagating the militant ideology since then.
Neo-JMB ‘IT commander’ arrested in Lalmonirhat
Police arrested the ‘Information and Technology (IT) commander’ of Neo-Jama’at-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (Neo-JMB) from his house at Tangbhanga village of Lalmonirhat District August 29, reports The Daily Star. The arrestee, Rakib-ul Islam Rakib (29) also known as Nanga Tarbari, Provater Muazzin and Badori Sainik, confessed to Police that he was involved in the attack on Dinajpur’s Kantaji Temple. He conducted 13 Facebook IDs for campaigning against the Government. His mobile used for organizational campaign has also been seized.
Three Neo-JMB militants arrested in Tangail
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on August 30 three militants of Neo-Jama’at-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (Neo-JMB) in Bhuapur area of Tangail District, reports The Daily Star. The arrestees are Abdul Mannan (30), Shamsher Fakir (33) and Jahurul Khan (35). RAB said they were trying to reorganize their outfit under the banner of “Brigade Ad-Daraqutni”. RAB also claimed to have seized a video clip from the arrestees, which can motivate others to be involved in militancy.
Two injured in bomb explosion in Narayangang
Two persons were injured when a bomb was exploded at Comilla House in Narayanganj District on September 1, reports Dhaka Tribune. The injured are Ibrahim (21) and Aynal (30). Police said “The injured have been admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. They sustained 50% burn injuries in the explosion. The injured might have militant links. We have cordoned off the building.”
Bomb blast reported in Dhaka
Casualties are feared in a flat in the Dhaka’s Darus Salam after suspected militant detonated bombs in the apartment on September 5, reports Daily Star. Four Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) troopers suffered splinter injuries but they are out of danger. “There were at least five people, including JMB militant Abdullah, in the flat,” Mufti Mahmud Khan Director of legal and media wing of RAB said after the incident.
The next day on Sept 6, remains of seven dead bodies were recovered, from the flat in a complex named Komol Probha in the Dhaka’s Darus Salam after a suspected Jama’at-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh militant detonated bombs in the apartment, reports Daily Star. Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) officials identified five of the dead as Abdullah, Abdullah’s wives Fatema and Nasrin and sons Osama and Omar. The identities of the other two are yet to be ascertained.
Deceased JMB militant Abdullah planned massive attack, says RAB officials
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on September 7 said they suspected that Jamat ‘ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) militant Abdullah, who was killed along with six others during an operation at a flat in the Dhaka’s Darus Salam, was planning a massive attack on high-rise building, reports Daily Star. These remarks came after the force recovered a model of a high-rise with different kinds of marking from Abdullah’s rented flat on the fifth floor of the six-storey building named “Kamol Probha“. The RAB official, however, did not disclose any location or details of the high-rise. RAB personnel also recovered 10 big-size bombs and found 30 unique types of “bottle bombs” made with different chemicals, 10kg of gun powder, 50 locally made sharp weapons, and bomb-making materials including sulphur from the flat on September 7. Further, RAB suspended the search operation till morning of September 8. When the operation resumes on September 8, they will search another flat of the house where 23 big refrigerators and many sealed cartoons are still to be checked. RAB officials are now looking for one “Don Bhai” and six others employed by Abdullah. Abdullah disclosed the name of Don to RAB officials during their hours of negotiations with Abdullah about his surrender, RAB officials said.
Meanwhile, two people including owner of the house in Darus Salam area were arrested for their alleged involvement in militancy, reports Daily Star. Habibullah Bahar Azad, owner of the building, and night guard Siraj-ul Islam were arrested as their connection with the militants were found, said Khandker Lutful Kabir, commanding officer of RAB-4.
Police began scanning security guards as militants are taking up jobs at security service companies, say Police officials
Police officials on September 12 said that Police have started vetting private security guards to prevent militants masquerading as security staff from plotting acts of sabotage against important buildings, reports Dhaka Tribune. They began scanning security guards on intelligence that militants are taking up jobs at security service companies following the recent busting of several militant dens across the country. As the security guards have access to important establishments, militants may take advantage of getting appointed to such a position to easily execute their plans, the officials told. Intelligence agencies had already been alerted that members of militant outfits – especially the Neo- Jama’at-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (Neo-JMB) and Ansar al-Islam were disguising themselves as Ready Made Garment (RMG) workers, chauffeurs, hawkers and street vendors. But their camouflaging as security guards seems like a new dimension to their tactics and strategies, they added.
HeL threatens to launch jihad against Myanmar if it does not immediately stop persecuting Rohingya
Hefazat-e-Islam (HeI) on September 15 threatened to launch jihad against Myanmar if it does not immediately stop persecuting the Rohingya, reports Dhaka Tribune. The hardliner Islamist organization held a nationwide programme on Friday after the Jumma prayers to protest the ongoing military crackdown on the minority Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. “We will launch a long march towards Myanmar if its army and their associates do not stop torturing the Rohingya Muslims. We will be compelled to launch jihad against Myanmar,” said HeI Secretary General Junaid Babunagari at the protest rally in front of Anderkillah Shahi Jame Mosque in Chittagong.
Govt approved anti-terrorism unit
The Government on September 20 approved the Anti-Terrorism Unit, reports Dhaka Tribune. The Home Ministry issued a notification after the approval of the Ministry of Home and Finance. According to the Government order, the 581-member Anti-Terrorism Unit will be headed by an Additional Inspector General of Police (AIGP). The unit will solely work on terrorism related issues and combating militants. The new unit will have one Deputy Inspector General (DIG), two Additional Deputy Inspector General (ADIG)s, five Superintendents of Police (SP), 10 Additional Superintendents of Police, 12 Assistant Superintendents of Police, 75 Inspectors, 125 Sub-Inspectors, 140 Assistant Sub-Inspectors and 200 Constables. The unit will have 16 jeeps, 2 SWAT vans, 8 double cabin pickups, one ambulance, one truck, an armored personnel carrier (APC), one water canon van, one prison van and 10 motorcycles.
Neo-JMP ‘commander’ arrested in Dhaka city
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested Imam Mehedi Hasan (29), ‘commander’ of Neo-Jama’at-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (Neo-JMB)’s -Dar-e-Kutni Brigade from a house in Dhaka city’s South Banasree on September 21, reports Dhaka Tribune. Two laptops, a mobile phone, a passport, and various militancy related pamphlets were also recovered from him. RAB claimed that Neo-JMB has two operating squads: Badr Brigade and Ad-Dar-e-Kutni Brigade. Mehedi was in charge of financing, recruiting, organizing migrations and accepting the swearing in of new recruits even before the Gulshan attack. Mehedi, a BBA graduate from Darul Ihsan University, was very passionate about modeling and becoming a catwalk model, and he did somewhat achieve that dream for a while.
India – Internal Dynamics
Maoist posters found in Telengana
A wall poster threatening some local “landlords” surfaced in the name of the Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres at Charla town in Bhadradri Kothagudem District on August 27, reports The Hindu. The handwritten wall poster bearing the name of CPI-Maoist Charla-Sabari Area Committee created ripples in the town. The poster warned some “landlords” and errant private moneylenders against exploiting tribal people. It contained slogans with a veiled threat to the “local Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders” and denouncing the alleged move to construct new Police station buildings in the Agency areas.
Missing Kerala youth send message to his family that ‘he has escaped from kafirs’, says report
Weeks after he went missing, a Kerala youth, identified as Najeeb (24) has sent a Telegram app message to his family that he has escaped from among the kafirs (unbelievers) and soon would become Shaheed (martyr), reports The Indian Express on August 30. The message has raised suspicion that the MTech student of Malappuram, has moved out of country. Police on August 28 registered a missing case following a complaint from his mother, Khamarunnisa, a school teacher. Police sources said they could not trace Najeeb, who has not been home for weeks. A message informing that he has met with true jihadis which was sent to his mother via Telegram messenger triggered suspicion about the youth. The message further said: “There is no meaning in living with kafirsand I have escaped from the world of kafirs.’’ Najeeb advised his mother not to inform Police. Following this message, the mother filed a complaint.
Intelligence sources said they suspect the youth might have joined the Islamic State (IS), going by the nature of his message. “However, we could not confirm it. All airports have been alerted and probe is on. We began the probe but have not got any details regarding his whereabouts,’’ a source said. Najeeb’s father is employed in the UAE (United Arab Emirates) and he had completed his education there. He is an MTech student in Vellore in Tamil Nadu. Informing his family in Kerala that he was going for some special coaching programmes, Najeeb had recently moved to Hyderabad in Telangana. Police sources said the family had recently noticed changes in his behaviour. He had been close to his family, particularly mother. But recently, he had become aloof.
Maoists kill civilian in Bihar
The Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres shot dead a 30-year-old youth identified as Sunny Ram, suspecting him to be a ‘police informer’, in Lakhisarai District late on August 31, reports The Telegraph. Police said a group of 10 Maoists intercepted Sunny near Ramtaliganj Mor under Kajra Police Station when he was returning to his ancestral village Shivdih from the local market. They tied his hands with a rope and shot him dead. The Station House Officer (SHO) of Kajra Police Station, Sujeet Warsi, said a handwritten pamphlet and four empty cartridges of 7.62 bore were seized from the site of occurrence. Lakhisarai Superintendent of Police (SP), Arvind Thakur said the Maoists killed Sunny after brandishing him an ‘informer’ of the Police. The residents told the Police that the Maoists had earlier warned the inhabitants of the village to punish them for leaking information to the Police about their activities.
Police recover cache of explosives from Maoist hideout in Chhattisgarh
Security Forces (SFs) recovered huge cache of explosives, from a Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) hideout at a forested hill in Moranga village under Katekalyan Police Station in Dantewada District on Sept 2, reports The Indian Express. The seized items include 90 arrow bombs, 70 grenades, 90 detonators (53 of them coupled with wire), cordex wire 4 bundles, a big drum packed with explosive powder, one air gun and its pallets, 86 gelatin sticks, 10 Kilograms sulphur powder, 11 packets of explosives, three meter fuse wire, one solar plate and three steel tiffin boxes. Deputy Inspector General of Police (Dantewada Range) (DIG), Sundarraj P told reporters that, “Prima facie, inputs revealed that the cadres were allegedly planning a big strike on security forces after Monsoon and had amassed these explosives for the same purpose.”
KLF claim revival
George Kuki, claiming to be the ‘self styled in-charge of publicity and information’ of Kuki Liberation Front (KLF) based somewhere in eastern Karbi Anglong District claimed that the outfit, which was formed in 2008 and remained active until 2010, has been revived, reports Nagaland Post on Sept 5. KLF remained silent when a faction of the organization formed the United Kukigram Defence Army (UKDA) and laid down arms along with the Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) in 2012 at Guwahati, stated George. He also alleged that the leaders of both Kuki Revolutionary Army-Assam (KRA-A) and UKDA have seized the bank pass books and ATM cards of the surrendered cadres thereby denying them of all Government sponsored benefits. The same leaders have also misused the Government fund given to the cadres for establishing camps, he added. George has also alleged that the over ground Kuki militant leaders instead of protecting the interest of its own community are exploiting the ginger farmers mostly concentrated in Singhason hills. The KLF also claimed that three sophisticated arms have been recovered from the possession of UKDA and KRA-A cadres (one SLR, one M-16 rifle and one AK rifle) recently.
Rohingayas have links with terror groups: UMHA
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) on September 18 stated that the Government has credible inputs that Rohingyas have links with terrorist groups and hawala channel operators while some of them were in-league with Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), reports Daily Excelsior. Describing Rohingyas as “serious security threat”, an affidavit filed by the UMHA Joint Secretary (Foreigners) Mukesh Mittal in the Supreme Court (SC) on behalf of the Home Ministry described Rohingyas as part of “bigger sinister designs” under which they were infiltrating into India illegally through agents and touts. The affidavit, said: “some of the Rohingyas with militant background are found to be very active in Jammu, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mewat and have been identified as having a very serious and potential threat to internal and national security of India”.
The 16-page affidavit added: “it has been found by the Central Government that many Rohingyas figured in suspected sinister designs of ISI (a Pakistan’s spy agency which has been responsible for spreading terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country) and ISIS (an international terrorist outfit which was causing blasts in various countries) and other sinister groups, who want to achieve their ulterior motives in India including that of flaring up communal and sectarian violence in sensitive areas of the country”. Charging Rohingyas with mobilizing funds through hawala channels and procuring fake and fabricated Indian identity documents for other Rohingyas and also indulging in human trafficking, the UMHA’s affidavit said it has been observed by the Central Government that some Rohingyas are indulging in illegal and anti-national activities and were using their illegal network for illegal entry of others in India.
Maoists blow up private solar power firm’s buildings in Bihar
Suspected Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres blew up the office of a private solar power plant in Gaya District on September 19, reports Hindustan Times. However, there was no report of casualty in the incident. Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) (anti-Naxal operations), Arun Kumar said about 25 Maoists, including women, raided the premises of Wellson Energy Company Private Limited at Saun village in Aamas Police Station area, held hostage two guards of a security agency deployed there and triggered a dynamite blast. The explosion blew up the control room and the administrative building on the 125-acre premises of the solar power company. The Maoists also set on fire other buildings adjacent to the control room. Non-payment of ‘levy’, demanded by the Maoists, is believed to be the reason for the attack. Sources said the Maoists had earlier demanded a levy of INR 10 million from the company, but its executives refused to make the payment.
Maoists redraw boundaries in Telengana
According to the sources in the anti-Naxal [Left Wing Extremism (LWE)] intelligence agencies the Peoples Liberation Army Guerrilla (PGLA) committees of the Communist Party of India-Maoist has reorganized themselves in accordance to newly created Districts in Telangana, reports Deccan Herald on September 22. The CPI-Maoist cadres were functioning with a divisional committee of the Khammam-Karimnagar-Warangal (KKW) led by Bade Chokka Rao aka Damodar and a District committee of Adilabad. Damodar was trying to build base in the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border. Now they have formed divisional committees for Mancherial-Kumaram Bheem Asifabad, Jayashankar Bhupalpally-Mahabubabad-Warangal-Peddapally and Khammam-Bhadradri Kothagudem. A senior Police official told, “They have few cadres on ground but they are trying to rework on with the changed geographic allocations.”
Two persons injured in IED blast in Chhattisgarh
One Special Task Force (STF) constable, Kailash Netam, and a tribal woman, Muser Bai (35), were injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast, triggered by cadres of the Communist Party of India- Maoist (CPI-Maoist), in Narayanpur District on September 20, reports India Today. The incident took place when a joint team of Security Forces (SFs) was carrying out patrolling to ensure security to the weekly market in Orchha village, Narayanpur Superintendent of Police (SP), Santosh Singh told PTI.
Meghalaya police suspects HNLC links with Assam based militants
The East Khasi Hills District Police is concerned about Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) having links with other banned outfits of Assam, reports The Shillong Times on September 22. Earlier, Security Forces (SFs) busted a hideout of the Meghalaya based HNLC and arrested five militants at multiple locations in West Karbi Anglong District on September 18-19. A team of Meghalaya Police will arrive on September 22 in West Karbi Anglong to interrogate the arrested militants.
Won’t rest till India is liberated , warns Zakir Musa led Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind
A fresh statement issued through the official media of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (supporters of holy war in India), the Kashmir-based al Qaeda affiliate led by former Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) leader Zakir Musa, has warned that it will not rest until it ‘liberates occupied Hindustan’, reports The Times of India on September 23. The release, while citing the 8th century example of Muhammad bin Qasim who allegedly killed the then Hindu king of Sindh and established the rule of Shariah there, appealed to all Muslims to sacrifice their comforts and join the battle to re-establish the Islamic Caliphate. “Al-Sindh’ is the region in the Indian Sub-continent (in present day Pakistan) which was once ruled with Islamic Shariah by Muhammad bin Qasim who was the Army General of Umayyad Caliphate. Al-Sindh is the first part of land in the sub-continent to implement Shariah. The caravan started from Al-Sindh 1400 years (ago). It will not stop until it liberates occupied Hindustan & joins the Army of Eesa(AS) in Shaam,” said the statement put out on Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind’s official Telegram channel Al Hurr media on September 21st night. Incidentally, intelligence sources said that while the statement was indeed issued via Al Hurr media, the official media network of Ghazwat ul Hind, its source could not be verified.
ITPF assault non-tribal driver
A group of NC Debbarma faction of Indigenous Peoples’ Front of Twipra (IPFT) supporters on September 22 injured a non-tribal car driver Alam Mian when he was on his way to Khumulung, the Head quarter of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), along with non-tribal female teachers, reports Tripurainfo. The driver Alam Mian was shifted to the GB Hospital and the vehicular traffic towards the Khumulung came to a halt instantly following the incident. The State Government called the Assam Rifles to restore peace in the area. The TTAADC Chief Executive Member (CEM) Radhacharan Debbarma squarely blamed IPFT leaders, N.C Debbarma and Mebar Jamatya for the current situation of ‘fear and terror’. Earlier on 20 September, Shantanu Bhowmick, who worked with a television channel in Agartala, was covering an agitation by the IPFT in Mandai area of West Tripura was killed by IPFT-NC Debbarma cadres.
Low intensity bomb explodes in Manipur
Unidentified assailants set off a low intensity bomb blast near the house of a businessman at Mantripukhri in Imphal East District on September 25, reports Assam Tribune. Police said the bomb was planted near the house of one businessman Pankaj Jain. The blast went off at Mercylane in Mantripukhri, damaging slightly the outer wall of the residential building. However, no casualties were reported in the blast.
RPF vows to intensify struggle
The banned Revolutionary Peoples Front (RPF), the political wing of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), announced that it would continue to wage the “liberation war” in association with like-minded organisations, reports The Telegraph. In his message to the people on the occasion of 39th raising day of the PLA on September 25, RPF president Irengbam Chaoren said RPF believes in a united struggle. Chaoren claimed that “India’s oppressive counter-liberation activities” have never been able to shake up the foundations of the liberation project. “The sacrifices of the ongoing struggle should prepare the ground for a glorious independent future of the people of Manipur. The spirit of sacrifice is the pride that RPF takes forward to rejuvenate the being of a Manipuri.”
Monthly Fatalities
The following deaths related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism occurred during the period Aug 26, 2017 to Sept 25, 2017:
| Civilian | Indian Security Personnel | Militant | Total | |
| Arunachal P | 02 | 00 | 00 | 02 |
| Manipur | 05 | 00 | 03 | 08 |
| Nagaland | 01 | 00 | 01 | 02 |
| Left wing | 14 | 01 | 08 | 23 |
| Total | 22 | 01 | 12 | 35 |
Nepal – Internal Dynamics
CPN Maoist Centre cadre guilty of murder let free instead of being jailed
A Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre (CPN-Maoist Centre) cadre who was pronounced guilty of murder by the District Court of Bara, lured by financial inducement and under pressure from Home Minister Janardan Sharma has been let free instead of being jailed, reports Republica on August 31. The District Court had slapped 20 years jail term on Ashok Kumar Sah Kalwar of Barainiya village, Bishrampur Rural Municipality-2. However, lured by financial inducement and under pressure from Home Minister Janardan Sharma, Bara Police let him walk free after detaining him for a night, various sources have claimed. Kalwar was arrested on August 21. However, the Police released him the next day, an officer of the Police post confirmed. Kalwar is close to Maoist leader Prabhu Sah, who is also currently the Minister for Urban Development.
Thawang Rural Municipality Chief Gharti abducted in Rolpa District
An unidentified gang abducted chief of Thawang Rural Municipality, Bir Bahadur Gharti in Rolpa District on September 14, reports Republica. The cadres of the Biplov led Communist Party of Nepal are suspected to be behind Gharti’s abduction planned with an aim to disrupt the 1st Village Assembly of Thawang Rural Municipality scheduled to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on September 15.
Money and muscle massively used in third round of local elections, says DECON
Democracy and Election Concern Nepal (DECON), the poll observing group, in its report released on September 20 said that money and muscle were massively used in third round of local elections held in the eight Districts of Province 2, reports Republica. The report stated “Political parties are seen engaged in intense electioneering through the use of money and muscle. Voters’ response was unexpectedly overwhelming as if it was the festive celebration. Most of the women who turned up for voting were dressed up beautifully using ornaments and cosmetics.”
NC candidate’s son killed in Rautahat District
An unidentified group shot dead son of Nepali Congress (NC) candidate Mohammad Serajuddin who was defeated in Ward No 2 of Paroha Municipality in Rautahat District on September 25, reports The Himalayan Times. The deceased has been identified as Mohammad Abusaiyab (25). Police said that the incident might have taken place on the issue of elections.
Sri Lanka – Internal Dynamics
Posters left behind by intelligence unit of LTTE recovered in Vavuniya District
Police on August 29 recovered several posters left behind by intelligence unit of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the roadside close to Kurumankadu in Vavuniya District, reports Daily Mirror. The posters titled ‘Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’ contained several statements saying it would keep an eye on the behavior of Tamil women attached to the LTTE intelligence units. The posters also said Tamil women should not interact with Sinhala men and added that they should be of good behavior. It said stern action would be taken against any of the women who had violated these orders.
Meanwhile, Government on August 30 dismissed the war crime allegations raised by an international human rights group against former commander of Sri Lanka Army General Jagath Jayasuriya, reports Colombo Page. Military Spokesman, Brigadier Roshan Senevirathne said the allegations against the former Army Commander were baseless. The International Truth and Justice Project had filed war crimes charges in Brazil and Colombia against Jayasuriya, who was the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Brazil. The Spokesperson stated that the war heroes in Sri Lanka have been subjected to similar allegations before but the charges are baseless and the Army rejects the allegations.
HRW calls on UN member countries to press Sri Lanka to promptly meet targets of UNHRC resolution
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on September 14 called on United Nations (UN) member countries to press Sri Lanka to promptly meet the targets of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)’s October 2015 resolution for transitional justice, reports Colombo Page. “Governments at the Human Rights Council should be clear with Sri Lanka that setting up various reconciliation offices and talking of progress is not the same as implementing the 2015 resolution. Long-suffering Sri Lankans need to see the resolution fully carried out, and they need to see evidence that justice is being achieved,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director at HRW.
President urges international community to support Sri Lanka’s reconciliation effort
President Maithripala Sirisena addressing the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on September 19 urged the international community to support Sri Lanka’s reconciliation effort, reports Daily Mirror. He asked the international community to extend the fullest support to the slow, but the steady forward march of Sri Lanka to build a progressive, democratic, free and equal society with high morals and discipline. “We all are aware that haste will not yield good results and the slow and steady path is the most suitable one to restore religious and communal harmony so that people of all communities could live in peace and harmony as equal citizens,” the President pointed out.
Meanwhile, in a message to mark the International Day of Peace 2017 on September 21, UN Resident Coordinator Ms. Una McCauley said although war is over in Sri Lanka, many still face discrimination and hate and much need to be done for peace building and reconciliation in Sri Lanka, reports Colombo Page. Ms. McCauley said the people must respect each other’s religion, race, culture, values and political beliefs and accept and work with each other’s differences to make any meaningful progress. The UN official urged the Sri Lankans to do utmost “to ensure an environment where hate and intolerance are not accepted, as we work towards sustaining peace in Sri Lanka.”
INTERNATIONAL
Iran dismisses idea of mly site inspections
Iran on Tuesday, Aug 29 dismissed as “dreams” the idea that it might allow inspections of its military sites under the Islamic republic’s nuclear deal with world powers.
“What has been said about inspections of our military sites, which are completely confidential and classified, is the mere expression of dreams,” government spokesman Mohammed Bagher Nobakht said.
“We will not accept anything outside our frameworks from the Americans — especially visits to military sites,” he told a televised weekly press conference. Ali Akbar Velayati, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s foreign policy adviser, also dismissed “sloganeering by the new US administration for domestic consumption”.
Iran “will never allow Americans or non-Americans to visit military sites which are a sensitive, important and strategic part of national security”, Velayati told state television. “The Americans should take the dream of visiting our military sites, using the pretext of the JCPOA (the nuclear deal) or any other pretext, to their graves.”
The officials were reacting to media reports that Washington’s UN envoy Nikki Haley last week discussed with International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano access to Iranian military sites under the framework of verification of the 2015 nuclear accord. In its routine reports, the IAEA has said that Iran is in compliance with its landmark agreement with six major powers.
Tensions have risen between long-time foes Tehran and Washington since Trump entered the Oval Office, with each side accusing the other of not honouring the spirit of the nuclear accord.
President Hassan Rouhani has said that Iran could walk away from the deal within hours, accusing Washington of “constant and repetitive breaking of its promises” under the agreement.
S Korea’s ex-spy chief jailed
A former South Korean spy chief was jailed for four years on Wednesday, Aug 30 for leading an online smear campaign against the man who is now president, Moon Jae-In, during the 2012 election.
Won Sei-Hoon, who led the National Intelligence Service (NIS) from 2009 to 2013, orchestrated an illicit smear campaign to sway voters in favour of the then-ruling conservative party, the Seoul High Court said. South Korea only fully embraced democracy in the 1990s and its intelligence services have long been accused of interfering in elections in favour of the incumbent authorities. Moon lost the 2012 poll to Park Geun-Hye but was elected earlier this year after her impeachment over a corruption scandal.
64 dead in Syria clashes
Fierce fighting between Syrian government forces and the Islamic State group has killed 64 combatants in Raqa province over a 24-hour period, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said on Wednesday, Aug 30.
The clashes come with the army pressing an advance through Raqa, in northern Syria, towards neighbouring Deir Ezzor, the only remaining province of the war-ravaged country still in the hands of the militants. Lebanese, Syrian and Hizbullah forces agreed ceasefires with IS militants near the town of Ras Baalbek last week, only days after launching simultaneous offensives on the militants’ final foothold in the border area.
Rohingya Muslims flee to BD
At least 18,500 Rohingyas have crossed into Bangladesh since fighting erupted in Myanmar’s neighbouring Rakhine state six days ago, the International Organisation for Migration said on Wednesday, Aug 30.
Plumes of smoke billowed from several burning villages in the worst-hit section of the state, according to an AFP reporter on a government-led trip to the area, as the violence showed little sign of abating despite security sweeps by Myanmar’s police and troops. The streets of Maungdaw — northern Rakhine’s largest town were virtually deserted as fires flickered among charred remains of houses and occasional burst of gunfire echoed in the distance.
The clashes began on Friday when militants from Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority community staged deadly attacks on police posts, prompting raids on the community and searches by troops and police. At least 110 people, including 11 state officials, have been confirmed dead since then and thousands of Rohingya have poured across the border to Bangladesh despite Dhaka’s attempts to stop them.
The Rohingya, the world’s largest stateless minority and subject to severe restrictions on their movements, are barred from officially crossing. Bangladeshi authorities on Wednesday toughened patrols in a bid to prevent more arrivals in a country that already hosts an estimated 400,000 Rohingya, albeit in abject conditions.
Rohingya have sneaked across the land border in large number or swum the Naf River which marks part of the frontier. But tragedy befell some of them. The bodies of two Rohingya women and two children washed up on Bangladeshi soil on Wednesday, an official there told AFP, drowned after their rickety boat capsised.
Scores more were found alive on the remote Bangladeshi island of St Martin’s, according to coastguards there, after taking a risky passage on barely seaworthy vessels. Khadija Begum, a Rohingya woman from Rathedaung, was detained on arrival by Bangladeshi officials. “We thought it would be easier to face the sea than the (Myanmar) army,” she told AFP in tears. Ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and other tribal groups are also among the dead and displaced after allegedly being targeted by Rohingya militants.
IS slides from defeat to defeat in Iraq
The Islamic State group’s defeat in Nineveh province, once its stronghold in northern Iraq, was the latest in a long list of military setbacks for IS over the past two years.
The group is also on the defensive in its other main stronghold of Raqa, in Syria, where the Jihadists are under attack by forces backed by a US-led coalition. Here is a look at how the IS “caliphate” declared in 2014 has been rolled back with defeats in Iraq, Syria and Libya:
The hometown of late dictator Saddam Hussein, north of Baghdad, fell to IS in June 2014, soon after the city of Mosul. It was retaken in March 2015 by Iraqi troops, police and paramilitary forces.
Iraqi Kurdish forces backed by US-led coalition air strikes recaptured the northern town in November 2015, after Jihadists had killed and abducted thousands of members of the Yazidi minority.
The capital of Anbar, Iraq’s largest province, Ramadi was declared fully recaptured in February 2016. Neighbouring Fallujah, the first Iraqi city seized by IS in January 2014, was reclaimed in June 2016.
Iraqi forces backed by coalition aircraft retook Qayyarah in August 2016, providing Baghdad with a platform to assault Mosul, the country’s second city 60 kilometres to the north.
Russia warns US against using force over North Korea
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has urged Washington not to use force against North Korea, as tensions surged after the latest missile test by Pyongyang.
In a phone call late on Wednesday, Aug 30 with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Lavrov “underscored… the need to refrain from any military steps that could have unpredictable consequences,” the foreign ministry in Moscow said.
Russia’s lead diplomat said any attempts to toughen sanctions against North Korea would be “counterproductive and dangerous” while condemning Pyongyang’s firing of a missile over Japan as a “gross violation” of United Nations resolutions.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova at a briefing on Thursday warned that “the contest of force that is now being demonstrated, will only lead the region to the brink of a military conflict.”
Early on Tuesday, the reclusive state fired an intermediate-range Hwasong-12 over Japan, prompting US President Donald Trump to insist that “all options” were on the table in an implied threat of pre-emptive military action.
N Korea could nuke US, Europe ‘within months’: France
France’s foreign minister warned on Friday, Sept 1 that North Korea could have the capacity to deliver a nuclear strike on the United States and even Europe “within months”.
Jean-Yves Le Drian called the situation following a string of missile tests by Pyongyang “extremely serious” and urged the reclusive state to turn to dialogue to ease spiralling tensions.
“We see a North Korea whose objective is to have missiles capable of transporting a nuclear weapon tomorrow,” Le Drian told RTL radio. “In a few months, that will be a reality. At that moment, when it has the capability to hit the US, even Europe and at the very least Japan and China, with a nuclear weapon, the situation will be explosive.”
Early on Tuesday, North Korea fired an intermediate-range Hwasong-12 over Japan, prompting US President Donald Trump to say that “all options” were on the table in an implied threat of pre-emptive military action.
The UN Security Council denounced Pyongyang’s latest missile test, unanimously demanding a halt to its programme.
Le Drian called on Pyongyang to “return to the path of negotiations” in a bid to ease tensions.
A joint mediation effort put forward by China and Russia would involve a mutual pause in both missile tests by North Korea as well as the joint South Korean-US military exercises by Seoul.
Pyongyang has also threatened to fire rockets towards the US Pacific territory of Guam.
In July, it carried out its first two successful tests of an intercontinental-range missile, apparently bringing much of the US mainland into range.
US warns N Korea of ‘massive mly response’ after nuke test
The United States warned it could launch a “massive military response” to any threats from North Korea following Pyongyang’s provocative detonation of what it claimed was a miniaturized hydrogen bomb.
Defence Secretary Jim Mattis spoke out on Sunday, Sept 3 after North Korea carried out an unexpectedly strong nuclear test, more powerful than the bomb that levelled Hiroshima in 1945. President Donald Trump called an emergency meeting of his national security advisers and had his second telephone call of the weekend with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but did not talk to South Korea’s Moon Jae-In — instead accusing Seoul of “appeasement”.
He threatened drastic economic sanctions, including “stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea.” US monitors measured a powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake near the North’s main testing site on Sunday, felt in parts of China and Russia, with an aftershock possibly caused by a rock collapse.
The North — which in July carried out two intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches that apparently brought much of the US mainland into range — hailed its test of what it described as a
Lesotho’s army chief shot dead by soldiers
Lesotho’s army commander was shot dead by rival officers at a military barracks on Tuesday, Sept 5 an official told AFP, in an apparent assassination set to revive instability in the mountainous African kingdom.
“The commander (Khoantle Motsomotso) has been declared dead,” a military official who declined to be named told AFP, adding that two senior officers behind the attack were also killed in the shoot-out.
The military official said the two senior officers had been denied access to Motsomotso’s office by army guards. “They attempted to forcefully enter, there was a shoot-out between the two, their companion who has since fled, and the commander’s bodyguards,” he said.
Putin warns US not to supply Ukraine with weapons
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday, Sept 5 that any decision by the United States to supply defensive weapons to Ukraine would fuel the conflict in eastern Ukraine and possibly prompt pro-Russian separatists to expand their campaign there.
On a visit to Kiev last month, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said he was actively reviewing sending lethal weapons to Ukraine to help it defend itself, an option that previous US president Barack Obama vetoed.
Ukraine and Russia are at loggerheads over a war in eastern Ukraine between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian government forces that has killed more than 10,000 people in three years.
Kiev accuses Moscow of sending troops and heavy weapons to the region, which Russia denies. Putin, answering a question after a BRICS summit in China about the possibility of the United States supplying Ukraine with heavy weapons, said it was for Washington to decide whom it sold or gave weapons to, but he warned against the move.
“The delivery of weapons to a conflict zone doesn’t help peacekeeping efforts, but only worsens the situation,” Putin told a news briefing. “Such a decision would not change the situation but the number of casualties could increase.”
In comments likely to be interpreted as a veiled threat, Putin suggested that pro-Russian separatists were likely to respond by expanding their own campaign. “The self-declared pro-Russian republics in eastern Ukraine have enough weapons, including ones captured from the other side” said Putin. “It’s hard to imagine how the self-declared republics would respond. Perhaps they would deploy weapons to other conflict zones.”
Syrian govt behind sarin gas attack: UN
United Nations war crimes investigators on Wednesday, Sept 6 said they had evidence that Syrian government forces were behind the chemical attack that killed dozens of people in Khan Sheikhun in April.
In the first UN report to officially blame Damascus, the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Syria said it had gathered an “extensive body of information” showing the Syrian AirForce was behind the horrific sarin gas attack on April 4.
“All evidence available leads the Commission to conclude that there are reasonable grounds to believe Syrian forces dropped an aerial bomb dispersing sarin in Khan Sheikhun,” the report said.
At least 83 people, a third of them children, were killed and nearly 300 wounded in the attack on Khan Sheikhun, a town in the opposition-held northern province of Idlib, it said. Other sources have given a death toll of at least 87.
Syria´s government has denied involvement and claims it no longer possesses chemical weapons after a 2013 agreement under which it pledged to surrender its chemical arsenal.
A fact-finding mission by the UN´s chemical watchdog, the OPCW, concluded earlier this year that sarin gas was used in the attack, but did not assign blame.
“The Commission identified three of the bombs as likely OFAB-100-120 and one as a chemical bomb,” the report said, adding that “photographs of weapon remnants depict a chemical aerial bomb of a type manufactured in the former Soviet Union.”
The investigators said they had found no evidence supporting Syrian and Russian claims that the chemicals had been released when an air strike hit an opposition weapons depot in the area producing chemical munitions.
Their report, which covers the period from March 1 to July 7, also found that Syrian government forces had carried out chemical attacks on at least three other occasions since March in Idlib, Hamah and eastern Ghouta using weaponised chlorine.
Egyptian forces kill 10 ‘militants’
Egypt’s security forces killed 10 suspected militants on Sunday, Sept 10 in a shootout during a raid on two apartments in central Cairo, two security sources said.
Three policemen were injured after one suspected militant detonated an explosive device to block their entry into the building and two other policemen were injured during the exchange of fire that followed.
One source said authorities received a tip off about the hideouts of the individuals, who they suspect of being members of Hasm, a group which has claimed several attacks around the Egyptian capital targeting judges and policemen since last year.
Egypt accuses Hasm of being a militant wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group it outlawed in 2013. The Muslim Brotherhood denies this. An Islamist insurgency in the rugged Sinai peninsula strengthened after the Egyptian military overthrew President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in mid-2013 following mass protests against his rule.
Suicide bomber kills six people in central Somalia
At least 6 people died on Sunday, Sept 10 after a suicide bomber blew himself up in a restaurant just outside a senior official’s office in the central Somali city of Beledweyne, police and residents said.
The al-Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group said it was behind the attack. “At least six people died and several others were wounded. A suicide bomber blew up himself in a restaurant,” major Hussein Osman, a police officer told Reuters from Beledweyne.
The Sunday afternoon blast took place outside the office of the governor of the Hiran region, where he was holding a meeting, police and residents said. “We are behind the attack at the Hiran governor’s headquarters.
There are casualties. We targeted the workers of the Hiran administration,” said Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s military operation spokesman. Beledweyne is about 340 km north of Mogadishu. Residents said clan elders were among the dead. “The suicide bomber who had an explosive jacket stood inside the restaurant and blew up himself.
We were heading to a meeting in the governor’s office when it happened,” Farah Ali, a local elder, told Reuters. Somalia has been at war since 1991, when clan-based warlords overthrew dictator Siad Barre and then turned on each other.
Sinai blast kills 18 Egyptian cops
At least 18 Egyptian policemen were killed and three injured on Monday, Sept 11 in an attack claimed by Islamic State on a security convoy in the Sinai Peninsula, which is gripped by an insurgency.
Security and medical sources said the attack took place near Arish, the capital of North Sinai province, and two of those killed were officers. A brigadier general lost a leg in the blast.
Militants detonated an improvised explosive device and managed to destroy three armoured vehicles and a signal-jamming vehicle. The attack later turned into a gunfight and the militants also shot at ambulance workers, injuring four.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted by its news agency Amaq. The militants are waging an insurgency in the rugged, thinly populated Sinai.
Iranians among 52 dead in Iraq
Gunmen and suicide car bombers on Thursday, Sept 14 killed at least 52 people including Iranians near the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah, in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group. The attackers struck at midday, opening fire on a restaurant before getting into a car and blowing themselves up at a nearby security checkpoint, officials said.
Security sources said the attackers were disguised as members of the Hashed al-Shaabi, a mainly paramilitary alliance which has fought alongside the army and police against the Islamic State Jihadist group in northern Iraq. The toll from the attacks was 52 dead and 91 wounded, said Abdel Hussein al-Jabri, deputy health chief for the province of Dhiqar of which Nasiriyah is the capital.
Many of the wounded were in serious condition, he told AFP. The area targeted is on a highway used by pilgrims and visitors from neighbouring Iran to travel to the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala further north, although Dhiqar has previously been spared the worst of Iraq’s violence. IS claimed responsibility for the attacks in a statement carried by its Amaq propaganda arm.
Thursday’s attacks come as Iraqi forces backed by tribal fighters closed in one of the last IS bastions in the country: Al-Qaim area on the border with war-ravaged Syria.
Egypt condemns seven to death over IS links
An Egyptian court on Saturday, Sept 16 condemned to death seven people for membership of the Islamic State group and over the beheading in Libya of 21 Christians, all but one of them from Egypt, judicial officials said.
IS in Libya posted a video on the internet in February 2015 of the gruesome beheadings on a Libyan beach, sparking international condemnation and Egyptian air strikes against Jihadist targets in the neighbouring Arab state.
Of the seven defendants, three were sentenced to death in absentia, the officials said. An unspecified number of those condemned were accused of having taken part in the beheadings.
Prosecutors accused the seven suspects of membership of an IS cell in Marsa Matruh, northwest Egypt, and of planning attacks after having received military training at Jihadist camps in Libya and Syria.
12 Yemeni civilians killed in coalition raid
Twelve Yemeni civilians including women and children have been killed in an air raid by the Saudi-led coalition northeast of the capital Sanaa, an official, residents and rebel media said on Sunday, Sept 17.
A local official told AFP the coalition air raid hit a vehicle carrying the 12 civilians on Saturday in Hareeb Al-Qarameesh in Marib province, about 70 km northeast of Sanaa. The area is held by Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who have controlled the capital and northern parts of the country for three years.
The rebel news agency Saba also reported the attack, saying the vehicle was destroyed and all passengers killed. Residents said four children and two women were among the victims. The Saudi-led coalition, which has been waging a war against the Huthis since March 2015, has been repeatedly criticised for attacks on civilians.
More than 8,000 people have been killed, including at least 1,500 children, and millions displaced in the conflict which has pushed the impoverished country to the brink of famine. A cholera outbreak has also claimed the lives of more than 1,800 people since April, with 400,000 suspected cases across the country, according to the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Current Threat Levels
City/Region Threat Level
Islamabad Level 2 **
Karachi Level 2 **
Lahore Level 2 **
Punjab Level 2 **
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Level 3 **
Peshawar Level 2 **
Quetta Level 2 ***
Upper Balochistan Level 3 ***
Lower Balochistan Level 2 **
Upper/ Rural Sindh Level 2 **
Gilgit and Northern areas Level 3 **
Tribal areas, close
to Afghan border Level 3 ***
Index to Threat Level References
Threat Level 1 *
No threat to foreigners although there may be isolated incidents involving petty crime. No security precautions are required.
Threat Level 2 **
No specific threat to foreigners, however because of the overall general law & order situation, some security precautions are advised, especially if traveling.
Threat Level 3 ***
Indicates that law and order situation is cause for concern and travel should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Foreigners should rehearse plans for evacuation.
Threat Level 4 ****
Indicates complete breakdown of civil administration and law and order leading to possible anarchy. All foreigners to remain indoors and confined to their own city. Families and staff not required to be evacuated retaining only a skeleton staff.
Threat Level 5 *****
Indicates complete breakdown of law and order, enemy action/hostilities, invasion/ occupation by enemy.
