Bomb/ IED Explosions
Gul Dad Khan, a resident of Hasham Charmang, was killed when a roadside remote-control improvised explosive device (IED) went off in Charmang area of Bajaur District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on September 1, reports Pakistan Today.
Two Security Force personnel were injured when their vehicle was targeted with a remote-controlled bomb in Eidak village of Mir Ali tehsil (revenue unit) in North Waziristan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on September 2, reports Daily Times. The vehicle was damaged in the blast resultantly sepoy Syed Hussain and Asmat Ali were seriously injured.
Two coordinated improvised explosive device (IED) blasts in Khezai Chowk area of Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, killed a rescue worker and injured 10 other persons on September 5, reports Dawn. According to Police officials, the first IED went off at the office of a transport company at Khezai Chowk area. As the Police, rescue workers and media men gathered at the site, the second IED exploded. Six Policemen, including two officers, and Dunya TV’s reporter Ibrar Ahmed and cameraman Rehmat Ali were also among the injured.
An Army Major and a sepoy were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Mohmand District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on September 20, reports Dawn. Major Adeel Shahid and Sepoy Faraz Hussain “fell victim to an IED planted by terrorists from across the border”, the Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Asif Ghafoor tweeted. The squad under the martyred officer was supervising fencing work in an area “which carried [a] critical infiltration route”, the ISPR added.
Three Policemen were injured in a blast in Eastern Bypass area of Quetta on the night of September 25, reports Pakistan Today. Security Forces reached the spot and cordoned off the area. The cause of the blast could not be ascertained.
Targetted Killings
A doctor belonging to the Shia community was shot dead in a suspected sectarian target killing near Disco Bakery at KDA Market in Block- 3 area of Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town in Karachi on August 30, reports Dawn. According to Police, Dr Haider Askari (58), was gunned down by two-armed pillion riders while he was driving his car. According to Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town Superintendent of Police (SP) Shahnawaz Chachar, the incident occurred at around 12:30pm when the doctor, a cardiac specialist, was on his way to his Gulshan-i-Iqbal residence after getting off from work at a Government hospital in Korangi Town. He sustained a single bullet wound on his left shoulder and was taken to Aga Khan University Hospital where he died during treatment.
A lady health worker Shazia (38) was killed by unidentified assailants in Madina Colony of Pishtakhara area in Peshawar on September 5, reports Pakistan Today. According to details, the unidentified assailants opened fire on Shazia while she was in her car in Madina Colony. Shazia was working at a private medical centre.
Miscellaneous
Six militants including a woman were killed in an operation launched by Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) at a compound near Eastern Bypass area of Quetta on September 3, reports Radio Pakistan. Four CTD personnel were also injured in the incident. Personnel of CTD and intelligence agencies launched a raid on a terrorist hideout after getting information regarding the presence of the terrorists in the area. An alleged suicide bomber blew himself with a huge blast, according to the CTD spokesman.
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on September 8 arrested two suspected terrorists from Gujranwala District of Punjab, reports Daily Times. According to a CTD spokesman, the suspects, Akmal and Ghulam Hussain, are the cadres of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Explosives and banned literature were also recovered from their custody. The suspects had also collected donations for their outfit.
The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) on September 19 seized 421 kilogrammes narcotics and arrested 18 persons, including three women, in various operations across the country, reports Pakistan Today. Through a statement, ANF said that eight vehicles have also been taken into custody which were being used for drug smuggling. The seized narcotics are valued at PKR 653 million in the international market. Seized drugs comprised of 374 kilogrammes hashish, 26.6 kilogrammes opium, 10.6 kilogrammes heroin, 435 wine bottles and 112 beer tins.
Police have foiled a major terror bid by recovering a cache of explosives, arms and ammunition in two different intelligence-based search and strike operations in Dera Ismail Khan on September 22, reports Daily Times. According to the Police, more than 20 kilograms of explosives, including improvised explosive devices (IEDs), hand grenades, bulletproof jackets and material used in suicide bomb blasts were seized from the basement of a house in Himmat village. More than 30 kilograms of explosives were also recovered during a raid near the Zafarabad area.
Islamabad Police on September 25 arrested 34 persons from various areas of the city including 13 persons involved in immoral activities and recovered narcotics, valuables and weapons from them, reports The Nation. According to details, Aabpara Police arrested a drug dealer and recovered 200 grams of hashish from him. Secretariat Police arrested an Afghan national staying illegally in the country. While Police also arrested an accused Khan Zada and recovered 250 grams hashish from him. Bani Gala Police arrested 13 persons involved in illegal construction in the area in violation of section 144 PPC.
PAKISTAN
Pakistan, India can handle Kashmir dispute ‘on their own’, says US President Donald Trump
The United States (US) President Donald Trump said on August 26 that India and Pakistan can handle their dispute over Kashmir on their own, but he is there should they need him, reports Daily Times. The US President has previously offered to mediate between India and Pakistan on Kashmir. Trump discussed the issue on the sidelines of a G7 summit in France with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who withdrew autonomy for the State of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5. “We spoke last night about Kashmir, the prime minister really feels he has it under control,” he told reporters. “They speak with Pakistan and I’m sure that they will be able to do something that will be very good,” he said.
Shadow of nuclear war hovering over South Asia, warns PM Imran Khan
Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on August 30 urged the international community to deal with the grave crisis in Kashmir sparked off by New Delhi’s illegal annexation of the disputed state, warning of a possible military confrontation between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan amid escalating tensions in the region, reports Daily Times. “If the world does nothing to stop the Indian assault on Kashmir and its people, there will be consequences for the whole world as two nuclear-armed States get ever closer to a direct military confrontation,” he wrote in an opinion piece in the New York Times. Titled ‘The world can’t ignore Kashmir. We are all in danger’, the article was published, coinciding with Pakistani Government’s call to observe ‘Kashmir Hour’ across the country to show solidarity with Kashmiris, whose rights were stripped by the Indian government earlier this month.
The PM denounced India’s abrogation of Article 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution, which accorded a special status to Jammu & Kashmir. “The move is illegal under the constitution of India, but more importantly, it is a violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions on Kashmir and the Shimla Agreement between India and Pakistan.” “Thousands of Kashmiris have been arrested and thrown into prisons across India. A blood bath is feared in Kashmir when the curfew is lifted. Already, Kashmiris coming out in defiance of the curfew are being shot and killed,” he added.
Pakistan will not trigger war with India, says PM Imran Khan
As tensions soared after New Delhi revoked the special status of Kashmir, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on September 2 reiterated that Pakistan will never trigger a war with India, reports Daily Times. “We both are nuclear-armed countries. If we had any military confrontation, the world can be in danger,” Imran Khan said, addressing members of the Sikh community in Lahore. “However, Pakistan will never trigger a war,” he told the International Sikh Convention here at the Governor’s House. The PM said after assuming the PM’s office, he tried to establish good ties with India, which unfortunately set preconditions instead of engaging in dialogue. He said the region is sitting on a ticking bomb of climate change as the glaciers are melting which can have dangerous repercussions for the future generations, and called for joint efforts to counter the challenge.
4,067 cases of missing persons disposed of until August
The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (CED) has disposed of 4,067 cases till August 31, said monthly report issued by CED secretary, reports Daily Times. According to report, a total of 6,277 cases were received by the commission, up to July 31, 2019. During August 2019, as many as 55 more cases were received by the commission and total cases reached to 6,332. The commission has disposed of 47 cases in August 2019. The commission has conducted 523 hearings in August, conducted 219 hearings in Islamabad, 72 in Lahore, 81 in Peshawar and 151 in Karachi. The relatives of the missing persons have lauded the efforts of chairman of the commission and other members for taking personal interests in locating their near and dear ones.
Federal Government places madrassas under Ministry of Education’s control
In a major breakthrough, the Federal Government on September 3 gave the approval to place 30,000 madrassas (seminaries) under the administrative control of the Ministry of Education in a bid to bring them at par with modern educational institutes, reports Pakistan Today. The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting which discussed the proposal put forth by the Ministry of Education. The Government had been working to introduce reform for a year now, with Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood having held a number of meetings with the leaders of clerics belonging to different sects.
Overall, the government is planning to spend PKR 2 billion to bring these madrassas into the mainstream, with annual spending of PKR 1 billion. At present, around 2.5 million students are studying in these seminaries. These reforms were on the cards for a long time now. In the aftermath of the Sept 11, the Musharraf regime had taken up the matter, but without any success, after the move was resisted by the religious lobby. After coming to power, Prime Minister Imran Khan reiterated the desire to mainstream madrassas and bringing the students into the mainstream.
All banned outfits members to be brought into mainstream, says Federal Minister of Interior Minister Ijaz Ahmed Shah
Federal Minister of Interior Minister Brig. (Retd) Ijaz Ahmed Shah on September 12 said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Government would be bringing all banned outfits into the mainstream by providing them with employment opportunities, reports Pakistan Today. Talking to a private news channel, the Interior Minister said that the writ of Government would be established at any cost throughout the country. “Nobody would be allowed to use Pakistan’s soil against any country or for his own nefarious designs,” he said while adding that the country had already rendered more sacrifices while fighting terrorism than any other country as 80,000 innocent people had paid with the price of their lives.
Four Pakistan Army soldiers and two militants killed in two separate incidents of firing by militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Four soldiers of the Pakistan Army were killed and one other sustained injury in two separate incidents of firing by militants in tribal areas near the western Afghan border, the military’s media wing said on September 14, reports Dawn. In the first incident, unidentified militants opened fired on a routine patrolling party of Security Forces (SFs) near Abba Khel area of Spin Wam tehsil (revenue unit) in North Waziristan District on September 13, resulting in the killing of Sepoy Akhtar Hussain (23), a resident of District Baltistan, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). “In exchange of fire, two miscreants [were] also killed,” the ISPR said.
In the other incident, suspected militants opened fire from across the Pak-Afghan border on Pakistan Army troops in Dir who were busy in border fencing, reports Dawn. “3 soldiers embraced shahadat (martyrdom) while 1 got injured” in the incident, the military’s media wing said on September 14. The personnel killed in the second incident include Lance Naik Said Amin Afridi (28), a resident of District Khyber; Lance Naik Muhammad Shoaib Swati (31), resident of District Manshera; and Sepoy Kashif Ali (22), a resident of District Nowshera. “The unprovoked firing resulted in martyrdom of three Pakistani soldiers while seriously injuring one of them,” the Foreign Office (FO) statement read. It added, “While strongly condemning the attack, it was underscored that the Afghan side was responsible for securing the areas on its side of the border, as mutually agreed on several occasions.”
Journey of enduring peace, stability going on: Gen Bajwa
Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited the headquarters of Southern Command, Quetta, on Friday, SPT 13 the ISPR statement said. The COAS was apprised of progress on projects being undertaken as part of Khushal Balochistan Programme. The COAS appreciated the efforts of army and other Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) for maintaining law and order situation in the province to facilitate completion of projects.
Later, the COAS along with Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan inaugurated the newly-established NUST campus in Quetta, which COAS had announced in 2017 and completed in a period of over two years. In first batch, 550 students will undergo BE in Civil Engineering, Computer Sciences, MS disciplines including Water Resource Engineering Management, Tunneling/Mining Engineering and Computer & Allied Sciences programmes. Capacity will also be enhanced.
The COAS also addressed students of various educational institutions of Balochistan. He appreciated the talented youth of Balochistan and urged the students to enable themselves for the forthcoming opportunities in different fields.
He added that Pakistan is going through an evolution process of its journey towards enduring peace and stability with a positive trajectory. He said that youth of the country will have to keep on working in the right direction with national cohesion to achieve individual and collective excellence. He emphasised a synergised approach from all segments of Pakistani society to confront future challenges.
Pakistan tracks down two Indian spies in Mastung
Pakistan on Sept 16 identified two more Indian spies actively involved in terrorist activities in Balochistan. Both the spies Swami Asemanand and Goband Part sneaked into Pakistan from Iran. The two were involved in a criminal activity in the Mastung area of Balochistan before fleeing to Afghanistan, reports Geo News. Pakistan has shared details with Iran and Afghanistan regarding the Indian agents, and also penned a letter to the authorities in the two countries.
Indian involvement in sabotaging peace in Pakistan was confirmed when Naval Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav was arrested in the country back in 2016.
Jadhav admitted to his involvement in several terrorist activities in Balochistan and Karachi. He is currently in jail after a military court gave him the death penalty.
Earlier this year, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found that India’s submission pertaining to the acquittal and release of Kulbhushan Jadhav could not be upheld. According to the ICJ, the conviction and sentence of Kulbhushan Jadhav were not to be regarded as a violation of Article 36 of the Vienna Convention.
The court, however, allowed India consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav and called on Pakistan to review and reconsider his conviction and sentence.
Bangladesh – Internal Dynamics
One more Rohingya killed in gunfight in Cox’s Bazar District
One more Rohingya killed during a gunfight with Police in Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar District in Chittagong Division on August 26 for murdering Omar Faruk, a leader of Jubo League, the youth wing of Awami League (AL), reports The Daily Star. The deceased is identified as Hasan, son of Hamid Ullah of Jadimura Rohingya camp. On August 24, two other Rohingya accused were killed in a similar “gunfight” with Police. Omar Faruk (30), President of ward No 9 unit of Jubo League, was gun downed by Rohingyas at Jadimura in Cox’s Bazar District in the Chittagong Division on August 22.
Four Allah’r Dol cadres arrested in Dhaka city
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on August 29 arrested four cadres of Allah’r Dol from Dakkhin Khan Area of Dhaka city in Dhaka District of Dhaka Division, reports The Daily Star. The arrestees are Sirajul Islam Mridha (38), Moniruzzaman Monir (40), SM Hafizur Rahman Sagar (45) and Shafiul Moznabeen Tureen (27).
Two Policemen injured in bomb blast in Dhaka city
Two Policemen, including a security detail of LGRD Minister Tazul Islam, were injured when a bomb went off at Science Lab intersection in Dhaka city of Dhaka District in Dhaka Division on August 31, reports The Daily Star. The injured are identified as ASI AB Shahabuddin and Constable Aminul Islam.
Meanwhile, Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the bomb attack on Police in Dhaka city, reports Dhaka Tribune. The US-based Search for International Terrorist Entities Institute (SITE) Intelligence Group published the claim on their Twitter account hours after the incident took place in Science Laboratory area.
Two Ansar Al Islam cadres arrested in Dhaka city
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested two cadres of banned militant outfit Ansar Al Islam from Sadarghat area in Dhaka on August 31, reports The Daily Star. The arrestees were identified as Abu Saleh Imu (23) and Saif (32). RAB said Imu was an admin of the outfit’s Facebook pages “Ummah” and “Ibada”, from which they used to issue threats, and Saif was his associate.
ABT cadre arrested in Narayanganj District
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested a cadre of the banned militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) from Sanarpar area in Narayanganj District of Dhaka Division on September 1, reports Dhaka Tribune. The arrestee is identified as Sheikh Dinas Uddin (40). RAB recovered a large number of books, and pamphlets offering extremist views from the possession of the accused.
Bomb attack in Science Laboratory area might be test case before carrying out big attack, says Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader while briefing journalists at his Secretariat office in Dhaka city on September 1 said the bomb attack on Police personnel in Science Laboratory area might be a test case before carrying out any big attack, reports New Age. Quader said “The Science Laboratory blast was a remote controlled attack. It might be a test case for carrying out any big attack. The extremist forces have become weak but have not been rooted out yet. Extremism is not only a problem of Bangladesh but also a global issue.”
India – Internal Dynamics
Top JMB operative arrested in Bihar
A top operative of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), identified as Ejaz Ahmed alias Taufique Raza has been arrested from Gaya, oneindia.com reports on August 27. From his possession, Police seized a satellite phone, laptop, circuit boards and some documents with Jihadi material. Ejaz was living at Pathantoli village of Purnia District in Bihar, following his return from Bangladesh. The Police says that he had recruited several persons into the outfit. He was looking to recruit more persons and was trying to bring them into West Bengal trough the Indo-Bangladesh border.
Following a tip off by the Intelligence Bureau (IB), a joint team of the Bihar Police and West Bengal Special Task Force (STF) arrested him. Joint Commissioner of Police, Subhankar Sinha Sarkar informed that he has been booked under Sections 120B (Criminal Conspiracy) and 130 (aiding escape of, rescuing or harbouring a prisoner). Charges under the Explosive Substances Act have also been slapped. Ejaz who is in his early 30s is alleged to have played a major role in manning the camps of the JMB along the Indo-Bangladesh border. The JMB has set up several camps in West Bengal and Bihar over the years. Recently, IB reports had stated that the JMB had tied up with the Islamic State (IS) in India. Some of its operatives had even carried out a reconnaissance of the Dal Lake in Jammu and Kashmir. They had planned on carrying out a knife attack on tourists.
Maoists kill former sarpanch in Chhattisgarh
A former Sarpanch (head of the Panchayat, village level local self-Government institution) was killed by Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres in Kanker District of Chhattisgarh on August 27, reports India TV. Dadu Singh Parotiya (50) was attacked by the Maoists outside his house at Konde village under Durgkondal Police Station limits, 200 kilometres away from Raipur, Kanker, Superintendent of Police (SP), K L Dhruv said. As per the preliminary probe, Maoists asked him to come out of the house and shot him in the leg. Then they hacked him to death, the SP said. In the pamphlet left by the North Bastar Divisional Committee (CPI-Maoist), Parotiya has been cited as an active Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ‘pracharak’ (activist) and an antagonist to the interests of Dalits and tribals. “He was killed owing to his involvement in anti-tribal activities and we warn the senior leaders and workers of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and the RSS to desist from such activities”, the seized pamphlet further stated.
20 fortified Police Stations to be built in Maoist-hit areas of Maharashtra
At least 20 new fortified Police Stations will be built in Naxal [Left Wing Extremism, LWE]-affected Gadchiroli and Gondia Districts of Maharashtra, an official said on August 29, reports The Week. It will take the number of such stations in the region to 32. These Police Stations will have high compound walls and monitoring towers, among other features, to tackle any kind of attacks by cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist, he said. Twelve such stations were constructed in Gadchiroli and Gondia last year, the official said. Earlier, the Maharashtra Police Housing and Welfare Corporation was to undertake the construction of these Police Stations, but now the responsibility has been assigned to Deputy Inspector General of Police, Gadchiroli, the official said. At least 250 fortified Police Stations are proposed to be built under the Special Infrastructure Scheme of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in Naxal-affected States.
DRG head constable injured in IED blast in Chhattisgarh
A District Reserve Guard (DRG) head constable, identified as Neela Udde, was injured when a pressure Improvised Explosive Device (IED), planted by the Communist Party of India-Maoist, exploded in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on August 30, reports The Indian Express. Bijapur, Superintendent of Police (SP) Divyang Patel, said, the incident took place near Gorna village, located around 450 kilometers from State capital Raipur, under the Bijapur Police Station limits, when a DRG team was out on an anti-Naxal [Left Wing Extremism, LWE] operation. The head constable was immediately shifted to a local hospital and a search operation was underway in the area, at the time of reporting.
IED explosion reported in Manipur
On August 30, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded in front of a general store in Viewland in Ukhrul District in Manipur, reports The Sangai Express. Imphal Free Press adds that the shop is owned by a non-local. According to Police IED was triggered by a timing device.
IB alerts Delhi Police against potential terror attack planned by ISI
The Intelligence Bureau (IB), has alerted Delhi Police against potential terror attacks, reports India.com on August 31. Its statement says “Al-umar-Mujahideen (AuM) is the new poster boy of ISI”. The Pakistan-based terror outfit, AuM, is led by Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar alias Mushtaq Latram, whose module executed terror strike in Anantnag, near Srinagar on June 12 last, killing five CRPF jawans. The report also says AuM’s present headquarters is based in Muzaffarabad (PoK) where the outfit runs a terror camp under the supervision of ISI officials.
Arms and ammunition recovered in Manipur
On September 1, Security Forces (SFs) recovered arms and ammunition in a search operation at Sandang Sengba Maring Khul in Imphal East District, reports The Sangai Express. Search operation was conducted after receiving intelligence on the presence of Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) and National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) militants at Sandang Sengba Maring Khul. They were transporting arms and ammunition from Chandel District to Kangpokpi and Senapati Districts. Two AK 56 rifles, 10 AK 56 live ammunition, two nine mm pistols with magazines and one M-20 pistol were recovered.
Maoist posters surface in Telangana
The Communist Party of India-Maoist posters have surfaced at R Kothagudem village of Cherla Mandal (administrative sub-division) in Bhadradri Kothagudem District of Telangana on August 31, reports The Hans India. In the poster, Maoists have accused the police of killing CPI-Maoist Manuguru Area Committee leader Jadi Veeraswamy and Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist-New Democracy (CPI-ML-New Democracy) State Committee member Linganna in fake encounters. Both the deceased Naxals [Left Wing Extremists, LWEs] were arrested by the Police and killed in fake encounters. They appealed to the public to condemn the fake encounters and oppose Police coming into forests and villages for combing operations. If the fake encounters were not stopped the leaders of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would be punished, Maoists warned. The State and Central Governments are trying to displace Adivasis (tribals) from the forests and eliminate Maoists to exploit the mineral wealth of forests. The public should wage a war against the rulers to protect forests, lands, honour and gain power, Maoists said.
Two million face statelessness as India publishes citizenship list
Almost two million people in northeast India were left facing statelessness on Saturday, Aug 31 after the state of Assam published a citizenship list aimed at weeding out “foreign infiltrators”, in a process the central government wants to replicate nationwide.
A total of 31.1 million people were included in a National Register of Citizens (NRC), but 1.9 million were deemed ineligible, according to the Assam government. A large chunk of those excluded were expected to be Muslims.
Assam has long seen large influxes from elsewhere, including under British colonial rule and around Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence when millions fled into India. For decades this has made Assam a hotbed of inter-religious and ethnic tensions. Sporadic violence has included the 1983 massacre of around 2,000 people. Security was beefed up in Assam ahead of the release of the NRC, with some 20,000 extra personnel brought in and gatherings banned in some locations. There were no disturbances reported on Saturday however.
Only those who can demonstrate that they or their forebears were in India before 1971 could be included in the list. But navigating the complex process is a huge challenge for many in a flood-prone poor region of high illiteracy where many lack documentation.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party runs Assam and critics say the NRC process reflects the BJP’s goal to serve only its co-religionists.
In January India’s lower house passed legislation that grants citizenship to people who moved to India as recently as six years ago as long as they are not Muslims. This has stoked fears among India’s 170-million Muslim minority for their future.
Home Minister Amit Shah, Modi’s right-hand-man, has called for the ejection of “termites” and said before the BJP’s thumping re-election victory in May that it would “run a countrywide campaign to send back the infiltrators”.
90 hand held radio sets recovered in Manipur
On September 1, Security Forces (SFs) recovered 110 radio sets in two separate incidents in Khudengthabi in Tengnoupal District of Manipur, tweets Eastern Army Command. Imphal Free Press further adds that in one incident 30 radio sets were recovered from a vehicle at Khudengthabi check post in Chandel District of Manipur. One individual identified as K Jagdish Singh was arrested in connection with the incident.
In the second incident on the same day, 80 radio hand sets were recovered in routine vehicle checking Khudengthabi check post in Chandel District of Manipur, reports Imphal Free Press. Two people identified as K Nogdamba Meitei and Mohan Aggarwal were arrested.
Less than one per cent Police Personnel get in-service training in Gujarat, according to report
Less than one per cent Police Personnel in Gujarat have received in-service training, reports The Times of India on September 4, quoting from The Status of Policing in India Report 2019. The report also says Gujarat Police department spent 1.24 per cent of its total Police expenditure on training and only 0.9 per cent of Police in the state have been able to get in-service training. Similar condition prevails in Maharashtra. Police officials at the level of Deputy Superintendents and Indian Police Service (IPS) ranks are trained more at 43.2 per cent and 32.5 per cent, respectively.
Gujarat also lags behind in training Police in new technology, cybercrime and forensic. States like Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Bihar among others have better training record of their Police force in evolving technologies.
SFs brace for rise in Naxal attacks in ‘Red Corridor’ from November
Security Forces (SFs) are bracing for increased attacks by Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists, LWEs] across the ‘Red Corridor’ in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, following intelligence inputs that 250 cadres have joined the ‘central military commission’ (CMC), the main fighting unit of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), headed by Nambala Keshava Rao aka Basavaraj, reports Livemint on September 10. The SFs are preparing for increased attacks between November 2019 and April 2020, according to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA). “During this period, Naxalites launch their tactical counter offensive campaign, wherein they conduct the maximum strikes. The months prior to that, they usually recruit more people who are trained in the months between June and September,” said a senior official of the UMHA requesting anonymity. The aim of the Naxalites to expand and train armed cadres across Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand has added to the concerns this year, according to intelligence officials. “Basavaraj is known to be aggressive and has, therefore, expanded the armed cadres because there were some specific attacks this year, such as those on Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Bhima Mandavi and the attack in Gadchiroli, which were all masterminded by him. Their training usually takes place in Abujhmaad in Chhattisgarh because that is their nerve center,” said a security agency official based in Chhattisgarh, requesting anonymity.
JMB intensifies recruitment along India-Bangladesh Border after NRC, claims report
After the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, neo-Jammatul Mujahideen Bangladeshi (JMB) has intensified its recruitment villages on Bangladesh’s borders with Assam and Meghalaya, reports Northeast Now on September 12. According to Bangladesh intelligence, senior neo-JMB militants have visited the area regularly. The intelligence official stated that “With tens of thousands of exclusions from the NRC, there is grounds well of anger in minority areas of Assam and a feeling of solidarity with them in the villages of Bangladesh”. An official stated that after neo-JMB as decimated in Bangladesh, many of their leaders fled to India. Official also added that militants were trying to activate the border with Assam for movement of rebels, weapons and recruitment. A Bangladesh official stated that weapons are coming into Bangladesh from Myanmar through northeast Indian states like Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Assam. He said the Karimganj and the Dhubri stretch on the Assam side is particularly sensitive and must be closely watched.
Nagas do not accept Indian Constitution, states NSCN-IM
National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah in a press release on September 11 that Nagas do not accept Indian constitution, reports Eastern Mirror. The release also added that NSCN represents the Naga people and the national issue” and that it will proof costly for both India and Nagas if the peace talks don’t come to a logical conclusion. The press release added that “We must learn to co-exist for mutual benefits. The Nagas will not merge into the Union of India, but they will co-exist with the Union of India as two entities. Nagas are a recognised entity. Nagas do not accept Indian constitution, but Nagas and Indians will share sovereign powers based on competencies.”
Deccan Herald reports that NSCN-IM stated that No one should doubt that the Framework Agreement is the meeting point for the Nagas and the Indians. The Nagas and the Indians are inseparably interrelated in many fields. We must learn to co-exist for mutual benefits. The Nagas will not merge into the Union of India, but they will co-exist with the Union of India as two entities. Nagas are a recognized entity. Nagas do not accept Indian constitution, but Nagas and Indians will share sovereign powers based on competencies”.
Monthly Fatalities
The following casualties, related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism occurred during the period Aug 26 to Sept 25, 2019:
| Civilian | Indian Security Personnel | Militant | Total | |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 05 | 00 | 02 | 07 |
| Manipur | 03 | 00 | 02 | 05 |
| Left Wing | 16 | 01 | 09 | 26 |
| Total | 24 | 01 | 13 | 38 |
Nepal – Internal Dynamics
Families of disappeared during Maoist insurgency still continue their fight to know whereabouts of their loved ones, says report
Families of those who disappeared during the Maoist insurgency that lasted from 1996 to 2006 still continue their fight to know the whereabouts of their loved ones and grapple with various vulnerabilities and social stigma, reports The Himalayan Times on August 29. The Supreme Court (SC) in June 2007 had directed the Government to ensure accountability for disappearances, establish a commission of inquiry consistent with international standards, criminalise enforced disappearances, investigate and prosecute persons responsible for disappearances and provide adequate compensation and relief to victims and their families. Similarly, international organisations had also urged the Government to investigate cases of enforced disappearances, provide adequate compensation to victims and their families and enact laws in line with international standards and SC verdicts. However, the Government has neither implemented SC verdicts nor has it bothered to heed international organisations.
IEDs exploded at premises of two academic institutions in Sunsari District
Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) exploded at the premises of two academic institutions of Sunsari District in Province No. 1 on September 5, resulting in the damage of properties, reports The Himalayan Times. The explosions took place in Delhi Public School, located inside the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS), Dharan and in Sushma Godavari College of Itahari. Police said Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist-Chand) could have their involvement in the incident to scare the school authorities as they disagreed to give donation to the group.
Twin blasts in Jhapa District
On September 9, two bomb blasts occurred in Jhapa District of Province No.1, reports The Himalayan Times. According to the reports, a powerful pressure cooker exploded at Sahara Nepal Cooperatives in Charpane of Birtamod Municipality, damaging the main gate of the cooperative and the guard room. Another blast took place at the premises of Gauradaha Municipality Office damaging a scorpio jeep. Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-Maoists-Chand) has claimed responsibility for the twin blasts. In a statement, the spokesperson of CPN-Maoists-Chand Jhapa secretary Manish, the blasts was a warning to the corrupt officials to mend their ways.
CPN-Maoists-Chand cadre arrested in Panchthar District
A cadre belonging to Netra Bikram Chand Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-Maoists-Chand) was arrested on September 9 from Lungrupa in Phidim Municipality-14 of Panchthar District in Province No.1, reports The Himalayan Times. The cadre identified as Bijaya Limbu who was the party secretary of CPN-Maoists-Chand was charged with extortion bid and later was remanded to custody till further investigations.
CPN-Maoist-Chand District Secretary arrested in Dhading District
Police arrested Buddha Gurung Ghale Dhading District Secretary of Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist-Chand) from Piplamode in Dhading District of Province No. 3 on September 17, reports The Himalayan Times. Police charged Gale under the Explosives Act 2018 for his involvement in planting explosives devices at public places in Siddhalake Rural Municipality on June 25 and setting ablaze Ncell towers on July 31.
Pressure cooker bomb explodes in Bhojpur District
On September 19, a pressure cooker bomb planted beside a vehicle exploded at the premises of Shadananda Municipality office in Bhojpur District of Province No.1, reports Himalayan Times. According to Deputy Superintendent Police (DSP) Nar Bahadur Magar, a pamphlet carrying the message criticising the current government and the Constitution was recovered from the site.
Sri Lanka – Internal Dynamics
Large quantity of explosives recovered from Northern Province
Large bulk of weapons and explosives were uncovered from Karandiaya area in Pallai of Jaffna Peninsula at Western Province by Terrorism Investigation Division (TID), reports Colombo Page on August 26. The TID retrieved four AK-47 rifles, sex live magazines, 220 live ammunition, 19 hand grenades, 30 kilograms of PE 10 explosives, a pair of binoculars from Pallai with the help of the information extracted during the interrogation of the Sinnaiah Sivaruban, Judicial Medical Officer of the Pallai Hospital. Sivaruban was arrested for alleged terrorist links.
UN special rapporteur warns about simmering ethnic and religious tensions in Sri Lanka
United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief Ahmed Shaheed warned against the simmering ethnic and religious tensions in Sri Lanka, reports Colombo Page on August 26. In a press conference in Colombo in Sri Lanka’s Western Province on August 25, Shaheed presented his report of his 12- day-long study of Human Rights violations in Sri Lanka. Shaheed stated simmering ethno-religious tensions in Sri Lanka requires urgent government action to maintain peace in Sri Lanka. According to Daily News, UN Special Rapporteur also said the deeply rooted identity politics in Sri Lanka “undermine all the peace-building, coexistence and religious tolerance or harmony projects”. Referring to the findings of the Parliament Select Committee on Communal and Religious Harmony headed by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, Shaheed observed that a considerable amount of the blame for ethno-religious tensions goes “..to politicians of all political parties, creating and instrumentalizing communal disharmony in an attempt to strengthen their power bases”.
Seven persons arrested from different places for connections with LTTE
Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) on August 18 arrested Dr Sinniah Sivaruban, the Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) at Palai Hospital in Kilinochchi District of Northern Province, alleging he had links to Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) activities, reports Tamil Guardian. A cache of firearms and explosives including some grenades were recovered from his workplace Palai Hospital. An alleged plan hatched to assassinate former Minister and Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) Leader Douglas Devananda and former LTTE Military Wing Leader Vinayagamoorthy Muralidaran alias Karuna Amman had also been uncovered during the interrogation of Dr. Sivaruban.
Meanwhile, after information elicited from the Palai Hospital JMO Dr. Sivaruban, TID on August 28 arrested six other LTTE suspects in the North Province, reports Daily News. Among the arrested suspects are some former LTTE members and Army informants. The six suspects arrested were identified as Sinnamani Thaneshwaran, Irattinum Krishnarasa, Mohanasundaram Sinnathurai, Ninayagamoorthy Nejilan, T. Nimalaraj and Ruban Jathusan.
UN ready to support Sri Lanka to ensure no enforced disappearances in future, says UN Resident Coordinator Hanaa Singer
United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Hanaa Singer issuing statement to mark the International Day of Enforced Disappearances on August 30 said the UN stands ready to support the Government of Sri Lanka to fulfil its mandate to provide relief to the victims of enforced disappearances and to ensure no such crimes will occur in the future, reports Colombo Page. Hanaa Singer said the Enforced Disappearances are heinous crimes and Sri Lanka has a long history of disappearances as evidenced by the numerous national commissions of inquiry which have looked into such allegations over many decades, as well as by UN reports. Singer said the UN was encouraged by Sri Lanka’s ratification of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance in 2016 and particularly by the establishment of the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) in 2017.
SIS sent 97 reports to IGP on ISIS, reports BASL
On September 3, Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) informed the Supreme Court that director of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) had forwarded no less than 97 intelligence reports to IGP Pujith Jayasundara from 2016 onwards regarding the National Thowheed Jamath Organization (NTJ) and its leader Saharan Hashim, reports Daily News. Appearing for the BASL, President’s Counsel Sanjeewa Jayawardena further stated that SIS director also had forwarded 17 intelligence reports to then Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando in 2018 and 2019 over imminent terrorist attacks. All these information was disclosed when the seven-judge Supreme Court bench on September 04will be hearing the 12 fundamental rights petitions filed against former Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and IGP Pujith Jayasundera over their failure to prevent the terrorist attacks on churches and star class hotels in Colombo and Batticaloa areas, despite receiving intelligence reports prior to the attacks.
11 JMI suspects arrested in Ampara District
11 suspects of the banned organization, Jamathei Millathu Ibrahim (JMI) were arrested by the Police in Ampara District of Eastern Province on September 11, reports Colombo Page. The 11 suspects were Mohammed Mansour Saifullah, Mohammadu Riyal Mohammad Sajid, Musthak Ali Amher, Mohammed Thahir Hidayatullah, Mohammed Ramsin Rupdi Ahmed, Mohideen Bawa Mohamed Ruma, Abadul Halim Mohamed Himaz, Mohammed Qasim Mohamed Akil, Hisbullah Baaz Husni Ahmed, Mohammed Zahir Mohammed Ahsan, Mohammed Awutak Anees Mohamed. The suspects were handed over to the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) for further interrogations.
INTERNATIONAL
Clashes kill 51 Syrian fighters
Clashes between anti-government fighters and regime forces killed 51 combattants on both sides in northwestern Syria on Tuesday, Aug 27 a war monitor said.
Russia-backed regime fighters have for weeks been chipping away at the edges of the jihadist-run stronghold of Idlib — a province that borders Turkey — after bombarding it for months. But rebels and jihadists on Tuesday attacked loyalist positions in the south of the bastion, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
“Violent clashes east of the town of Khan Sheikhun broke out at dawn after jihadist and opposition groups attacked regime positions,” Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. The attack was led by the al-Qaeda-linked Hurras al-Deen group and another jihadist faction Ansar al-Deen he said.
The fighting has killed 23 regime forces and 20 opponents, including 13 jihadists, the Observatory said. In the southeast of the bastion, eight rebels were killed trying to sneak through frontlines towards regime positions near the Abu Duhur military airport, the monitor added.
Regime forces recaptured Khan Sheikhun last week, and have been massing north of the town in recent days as they prepare to push on with their assault. The town lies on a key highway running through Idlib province, and fully recapturing the artery would allow the government to reconnect Damascus to second city Aleppo.
Suicide bombings kill three Palestinian police officers
Gaza’s Islamist rulers Hamas said on Wednesday (Aug 29) two overnight suicide bombings killed three Palestinian police officers in the strip, placing the Palestinian enclave in a state of alert. Interior ministry spokesman Iyad al-Bozm said in an evening statement that they had identified the two bombers who blew themselves up at two police checkpoints in Gaza City. He did not name them but said security forces “continue to investigate who is behind them”. Witnesses told AFP that both bombings were carried out by assailants on motorbikes. A source familiar with the investigation said a Salafist movement in Gaza that sympathises with the Islamic State jihadist group was suspected.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh sought to calm fears of unrest in the enclave of two million people as hundreds gathered for funerals for the three police officers. Suicide bombings are rare in the Gaza Strip. In August 2017, a suicide bomber killed a Hamas guard in southern Gaza on the border with Egypt.
Hamas has run the Gaza Strip since 2007 but has been regularly criticised by more radical Salafist groups in the impoverished, Israeli-blockaded coastal territory. The Israeli military said it had not carried out any air raids at the time of the latest bombings.
The bombings come at a sensitive time. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008 and tensions have again risen in recent weeks ahead of Israel’s September 17 elections.
40 militants killed in post-truce missile attack in Idlib
At least 40 militants were killed on Saturday, Aug 31 in Syria after a missile attack targeted their meeting in the northwestern province of Idlib, a war monitor said.
“A missile attack targeted a meeting held by the leaders of Hurras al-Deen, Ansar al-Tawhid and other allied groups inside a training camp” near Idlib city, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The attack killed “at least 40” militants, the Britain-based monitor said.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, or if the missiles were launched from war planes or positions on the ground, the Observatory said. An AFP correspondent saw clouds of black smoke rising over the area after blasts rocked the militants stronghold.
Ambulances rushed to the site of the attack, which was closed off to journalists, he said. The al-Qaeda-linked Hurras al-Deen and their allies Ansar al-Tawhid both operate in the Idlib region, where bombardment by Damascus and Moscow came to a halt on Saturday morning after the government agreed to a Russian-backed ceasefire following four months of deadly bombardment.
Both groups are members of a joint Jihadist operation room that also includes al-Qaeda’s former Syria affiliate, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Hurras al-Deen was established in February 2018 and has some 1,800 fighters, including non-Syrians, according to the Observatory.
The Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria had earlier announced the ceasefire in a statement released on Friday. Moscow, a key ally of Damascus, launched its military campaign against the Daesh terrorist group and other terror outfits in the Arab country in September 2015 at the Damascus government’s request. Russia’s airstrikes have significantly helped the Syrian forces deal heavy blows to foreign-backed militants operating in the Arab country since 2011.
100 die in air strike on Yemen prison
More than 100 people are believed to have been killed in an air strike by the Saudi-led military coalition on a detention centre in Yemen, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Sunday, Sept 1. The coalition said it targeted a facility run by the Huthi rebels that “stores drones and missiles”, but the rebels said the attack had levelled a building they used as a prison. The ICRC rushed to the scene in the city of Dhamar with medical teams and hundreds of body bags.
Rauchenstein said that over 100 people were estimated to be dead, and that at least 40 survivors were being treated for their injuries in hospitals in the city, south of the capital Sanaa. Footage obtained by AFP showed heavy damage to the building and several bodies lying in the rubble, as bulldozers worked to clear away huge piles of debris.
The coalition intervened in 2015 to support the government after the Iran-aligned Huthis swept out of their northern stronghold to seize Sanaa and much of Yemen the Arab world’s poorest nation. Fighting since then has already claimed tens of thousands of lives and sparked what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Both sides stand accused of actions that could amount to war crimes.
The coalition has been blacklisted by the UN for the killing of children, while Saudi Arabia and its allies accuse the Huthis of using civilians as human shields in densely populated areas.
The Saudi-led coalition said in a statement on Sunday carried by the state-run Al-Ekhbariya news channel that it targeted a rebel “military position in Dhamar that stores drones and missiles”. “We took all precautionary measures to protect civilians,” it added.
However, the Huthi television channel Al-Masirah said that dozens were killed and injured in seven air strikes that hit the building.
Erdogan threatens Europe with refugees if no support
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, Sept 5 warned Turkey would start allowing Syrian refugees to flee to Europe if Ankara did not get more international support.
Turkey is home to more than 3.6 million Syrian refugees and recently called for a “safe zone” in the war-torn country’s northeast, to which refugees could return. If the safe zone does not happen, “we will be forced to open the doors. You either give support, or if you won’t, sorry, but we can only put up with so much,” Erdogan said.
We may be forced to do this (open the gates) to get this (international support),” he said. EU Commission spokeswoman Natasha Bertaud denied the claim later on Thursday, telling reporters in Brussels that the EU had provided 5.6 billion euros to Turkey under the agreement, with “the remaining balance due to be allocated shortly”.
Turkey fears a fresh influx of refugees as the Syrian government advances into the last rebel stronghold of Idlib. It also hosts hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and Afghans fleeing conflict in their countries. In a bid to pressure the United States, which is to jointly patrol the safe zone, Erdogan said Turkey was “determined to set it up by the last week of September.”
Hundreds protest against regime in Syria’s Idlib
Hundreds of Syrians held anti-regime protests on Friday, Sept 6 in rebel-held Idlib province where a fragile ceasefire has paused a deadly months-old offensive. Some demonstrators gathered near the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, where Turkish border guards last week fired warning shots and tear gas to disperse Syrian protesters. They waved the three-star flag of the eight-year-old uprising and chanted against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, while some called on rebel backer Turkey to open its borders.
The demonstrations came after Damascus’s ally Russia announced a ceasefire for the northwestern Idlib region last Friday. Air strikes have stopped since the agreement went into effect last Saturday morning, but sporadic artillery fire has continued.
Russia-backed regime forces have been pressing an offensive against Idlib since the end of April. More than 960 civilians have been killed in four months of heavy bombardment, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The United Nations says more than 400,000 people have been displaced.
Last week, an Assad advisor said the Idlib ceasefire was “temporary”. It “serves the grand strategy of liberating every inch of Syrian territory”, Buthaina Shaaban told Lebanon’s pro-Damascus Al-Mayadeen TV.
According to Al-Watan newspaper in Damascus, the truce sets an eight-day deadline for jihadists and rebels to withdraw from areas around a key highway which the regime wants to control.
Saudi, UAE issue joint call to end south Yemen fighting
Saudi Arabia and the UAE on Sunday, Sept 8 sought to dispel any notion of a rift over fighting in southern Yemen, renewing a call for dialogue between the warring sides.
Yemen’s Saudi-backed government was ousted last month from key areas in the south by United Arab Emirates-supported southern separatists, exposing simmering divisions that analysts say undermines the joint campaign against Iran-linked Huthi rebels.
But in a joint statement released by both countries’ state media, the Gulf powers sought to appear united, as they “reaffirmed continued support for the legitimate government of Yemen”.
The two countries called on the warring parties to immediately cease “all military operations” and “stop media propaganda” that fuels hostilities, the statement added. Last month, fighting between the separatists and supporters of the government opened a new front in Yemen’s complex war.
Air strikes kill 18 pro-Iran fighters in Syria
Air strikes hit positions of pro-Iranian forces and allied militias in eastern Syria overnight, killing 18 fighters, a war monitor said on Monday, Sept 9.
It was not clear who carried out the raids in the region of Albu Kamal near the border with Iraq, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Britain-based Observatory, which has a vast network of contacts across Syria, said “18 fighters were killed, but their nationalities have not yet been determined”.
Albu Kamal lies in Deir Ezzor province which covers much of Syria’s remote eastern desert, where the Islamic State group’s so-called “caliphate” made its last stand this year. Control of the area is split between US-backed Kurdish fighters and groups aligned with the Damascus regime, which is supported by Iran and Russia.
In June 2018, strikes near the Iraqi border killed 55 pro-regime forces, mostly Syrians and Iraqis, the Observatory said. An American official said at the time that Israel was responsible, but the Jewish state declined to comment.
Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria targeting what it says are positions of Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah and Iranian forces, which it has vowed to prevent gaining a foothold on Syrian territory.
Iran, its allied militias and Russia have backed Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in the country’s devastating eight-year civil war. Pro-regime forces in Deir Ezzor are operating with the backing of various foreign armed groups including Iraqis and Iranians.
Egypt Brotherhood’s chief, deputy get life for ‘spying’
An Egyptian court on Wednesday, Sept 11 sentenced 11 senior Muslim Brotherhood figures to life in prison on charges of spying for the Palestinian Hamas group, a judicial source said. They included the Brotherhood’s supreme guide Mohamed Badie and his deputy Khairat al-Shater who were both handed life sentences — 25 years in Egypt. Five other Brotherhood members were sentenced to jail terms ranging from seven to 10 years while six were acquitted, the source said.
The defendants were accused of “committing crimes in collaboration with foreign organisations” namely Hamas and the Lebanese militant group Hizbullah, the source said. They were also accused of “financing terrorism” and committing acts undermining the country’s stability and security.
Mohamed Fahmy, the judge presiding over the case, said before the verdict was announced: “The crimes the defendants committed harmed the independence and security of the country.” “They betrayed their nation and there is no excuse for them,” he added.
The verdict can still be appealed, the source added. The case initially involved ousted president Mohamed Mursi who died after falling ill during a court session in June. Mursi, who hailed from the Brotherhood, was overthrown by the military in 2013 after a year of divisive rule. Following his ouster, hundreds of his supporters were killed during protests.
IS kills nine Nigerian troops, 27 missing
At least nine Nigerian soldiers were killed and 27 are missing after IS-affiliated Jihadists ambushed a military convoy in the country’s restive northeast, two military sources have told AFP.
Jihadist fighters assaulted the convoy with heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades as it was en route to the town of Gudumbali in Borno state on Monday, Sept 9 the sources said. Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which is affiliated with the Islamic State group, has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying its fighters killed or wounded dozens of troops.
Late on Wednesday, a military officer who requested anonymity told AFP: “So far, nine bodies of soldiers were recovered. Twenty-seven soldiers are still missing and their fate remains unknown.”
Another military source confirmed the provisional death toll, adding that “search and rescue is ongoing”. The troops were headed to Gudumbali to reinforce coalition forces from Nigeria and Chad for a major offensive to liberate the town from Jihadist control, he said. According to SITE Intelligence, which monitors Jihadist activities worldwide, ISWAP also claimed to have destroyed several trucks and captured numerous other vehicles in the attack. The Nigerian air force claimed in a statement on Wednesday that it had destroyed two ISWAP gun trucks in nearby Garunda the previous day.
Democrats intensify ‘impeachment’ probe of Trump
Democrats stepped up their impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump Thursday, Sept 12 even as the party’s leaders remained dubious about the political value of the move 14 months before the next presidential election.
The House Judiciary Committee approved new procedures that will permit it to demand more documents and testimony from the White House, declaring for the first time that its probe of the president is focused on “impeachment.” Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said the measures will serve to enhance an “aggressive series of hearings” aimed at determining whether to recommend articles of impeachment against the president.
The investigation is focused along four specific lines: allegations that Trump illegally interfered with the Russia election meddling investigation, that he took part in hush payments to alleged former mistresses, that he has used his office to enrich himself, and that he offered pardons to government and campaign officials to protect him.
“The conduct under investigation poses a threat to our democracy. We have an obligation to respond to this threat,” Nadler said. While a significant step closer, there are still doubts about whether Democrats will eventually vote to impeach the president, the equivalent of formally indicting him for a crime.
Democratic Party leaders, especially House Speaker Nancy Pelopi, have opposed the move as politically risky. Pelosi has indicated she thinks the party should focus on next year’s presidential and Congressional elections. In addition, opinion polls show the public generally is against going through the drama of charging the president. And it is virtually certain that the Republican-controlled Senate, which would effectively try the president on the allegations, would acquit him, absent new evidence that adds to what is currently known about the allegations.
More than half of the 235 Democrats in the House have endorsed an impeachment investigation. Yet the Democrats have been accused of avoiding the use of the word impeachment in their investigations, and moving too slowly to reach that goal.
Trump confirms death of al-Qaeda heir Hamza bin Laden
US President Donald Trump on Saturday, Sept 14 confirmed that Hamza bin Laden, the son and designated heir of al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, was killed in a counter-terrorism operation along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
The US media reported in late July and early August, citing intelligence officials, that the younger Bin Laden had been killed sometime in the last two years in an operation that involved the United States.
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper confirmed the death last month, saying it was “his understanding” that Bin Laden was dead, but Trump and other senior officials had not publicly confirmed the news. “Hamza bin Laden, the high-ranking al-Qaeda member and son of Osama bin Laden, was killed in a United States counter-terrorism operation in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region,” Trump said in a brief statement issued by the White House. “The loss of Hamza bin Laden not only deprives al-Qaeda of important leadership skills and the symbolic connection to his father, but undermines important operational activities of the group.”
The statement did not specify the timing of the operation.
Drone attacks spark fire at two Saudi Aramco oil facilities
Drone attacks sparked fires at two Saudi Aramco oil facilities early on Saturday, Sept 14 the interior ministry said, in the latest assault on the state-owned energy giant as it prepares for a much-anticipated stock listing.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks on Abqaiq and Khurais, two major Aramco facilities in eastern Saudi Arabia, but it follows a spike in regional tensions with Iran.
Last month, an attack claimed by Yemen´s Huthi rebels sparked a fire at Aramco´s Shaybah natural gas liquefaction facility – close to the Emirati border – but no casualties were reported by the company.
In recent months, the Huthi rebels have carried out a spate of cross-border missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi air bases and other facilities in what it says is retaliation for a Saudi-led air war on rebel-held areas of Yemen. But there was no immediate claim of responsibility from the rebels for Saturday´s attacks. Abqaiq facility, located 60 kilometres southwest of Aramco´s Dhahran headquarters, is home to the company´s largest oil processing plant, according to its website.
Libya airport hit by drone, rocket fire
An airport near the Libyan capital was hit by a new round of rocket fire and air strikes, the UN-recognised government said Saturday, Sept 14 two weeks after it was closed due to repeated attacks.
The Government of National Accord accused forces loyal to eastern-based strongman Khalifa Haftar of being behind Saturday’s attacks on Mitiga airport, but did not report any casualties.
Six civilians killed in Syria despite truce
Regime and Russian fire has killed at least six civilians in northwestern Syria’s Idlib province, a war monitor said on Saturday, Sept 14 two weeks after Moscow declared a ceasefire in the Jihadist-dominated region.
The truce, which brought a halt to four months of devastating bombardment on Idlib province by the government and its ally Russia, had largely held apart from sporadic artillery fire and air strikes. But on Tuesday, Russia carried out its first air strikes in the area since the ceasefire began, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
On Friday, regime rocket fire on the towns of Maaret Al-Numan and Kafranbel in southern Idlib province killed five civilians including a child, the Observatory said. A sixth civilian was killed in a Russian air strike in the rural west of the province, it added.
That brought to 11 the number killed since the ceasefire came into effect, according to the Britain-based monitor, which has a network of contacts across the war-torn country.
The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance led by al-Qaeda’s former Syria affiliate controls most of Idlib as well as parts of neighbouring Aleppo and Latakia provinces.
The region of around three million people, many of them displaced by fighting in other areas, is one of the last holdouts of opposition to forces backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The Observatory on Saturday reported regime fire in various parts of southern Idlib, including close to a Turkish military observation post.
600,000 Rohingya Muslims at ‘serious risk of genocide’: UN
Rohingya Muslims remaining in Myanmar still face a “serious risk of genocide”, UN investigators said on Monday, Sept 16 warning the repatriation of a million already driven from the country by the army remains “impossible”.
The fact-finding mission to Myanmar, set up by the Human Rights Council, last year branded the army operations in 2017 as “genocide” and called for the prosecution of top generals, including army chief Min Aung Hlaing.
Some 740,000 Rohingya fled burning villages, bringing accounts of murder, rape and torture over the border to sprawling refugee camps in Bangladesh, where survivors of previous waves of persecution already languished.
But in a damning report, the United Nations team said the 600,000 Rohingya still inside Myanmar’s Rakhine state remain in deteriorating and “deplorable” conditions. “Myanmar continues to harbour genocidal intent and the Rohingya remain under serious risk of genocide,” the investigators said in their final report on Myanmar, due to be presented Tuesday in Geneva.
The country is “denying wrongdoing, destroying evidence, refusing to conduct effective investigations and clearing, razing, confiscating and building on land from which it displaced Rohingya”, it said.
Rohingya were living in “inhumane” conditions, the report continued, adding more than 40,000 structures had been destroyed in the 2017 crackdown. The mission reiterated calls for the UN Security Council to refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court (ICC) or to set up a tribunal, like for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.
It said it had a confidential list of more than 100 names, including officials, suspected of being involved in genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, in addition to the six generals named publicly last year.
US ramps up Iran pressure
The United States on Wednesday, Sept 25 announced new sanctions to stop Iran from selling its oil, casting a cloud over last-minute European efforts to arrange a tension-reducing encounter between the adversaries’ presidents.
French President Emmanuel Macron shuttled between his US and Iranian counterparts over two days at the United Nations, but acknowledged that time was running short.
On US President Donald Trump’s last scheduled day at the annual UN summit of world leaders, his administration said it was imposing sanctions on Chinese companies that have purchased Iranian oil.
China, which is embroiled in a series of disputes with the United States including a trade war, is believed to be the biggest foreign buyer of Iranian oil. The Trump administration in May said that the United States would unilaterally force all countries to stop buying Iran’s oil, its major export, sending tensions soaring.
The United States blamed Iran for an attack earlier this month on the oil infrastructure of rival Saudi Arabia, which is also waging a devastating offensive in Yemen. France, Britain and Germany this week said they agreed with the US findings.
The Europeans want Trump to return to a nuclear accord negotiated by former president Barack Obama, under which Iran drastically reduced its nuclear programme in return for unmet promises of sanctions relief.
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.
