Suicide Attacks
A suicide attack targeting Security Forces (SFS) on May 4 killed at least 20 persons, including four Policemen, and injured over 42 others at Khar Bazaar in Khar town of Bajaur Agency, reports The News. The target of the attack was Levies Force. According to sources, Levies Force personnel were conducting routine checking at Khar Bazaar when a suicide bomber blew himself that killed eight persons initially. Later the toll rose to 20. A senior official confirmed that it was a suicide attack and four Policemen were killed in the blast.
Bomb Blasts
A Policeman was killed and another received injury in a bomb blast in Ghari Suhbat Khan area on the suburbs of Peshawar on April 30, reports Dawn. An official of Khazana Police Station said that four Policemen, led by Head Constable Gul Zar Khan, were targeted by suspected militants with a remote controlled explosive device when they were passing near a girl’s college in the area.
Five persons, among them three Security Force (SF) personnel, were killed in two back-to- back bomb explosions in Chamarkand area, some 25 kilometres from Khar town on May 3, reports Dawn. Sources said that Anar Gul and his son Adeel were killed when they stepped on a bomb planted by terrorists in Chamarkand area. The second bomb went off after SF personnel reached the incident site about half an hour later. Two Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, identified as Afsar Ali and Subedar Riaz, and Hawaldar, Ruhul Amin of Levies Force were killed and another was injured in the second explosion. SFs launched a search operation in the area and detained 12 suspects.
A large number of vehicles and motorbikes were destroyed when a bomb exploded near the office of the Panjgur Deputy Commissioner (DC) in Panjgur District on May 8, reported Dawn.
The under-construction mausoleum of famous poet and politician Ajmal Khan Khattak in Akora Khattak area of Nowshera District was blown up in the night of May 9 and another explosion an hour later injured 12 persons who had gathered at the place, reports Dawn. Khattak, a former president of the Awami National Party (ANP), died in February 2010. Police said it was widely believed that the explosion was the handiwork of Tehreek-e- Taliban Pakistan who had earlier blown up shrines and mosques.
At least four students died, while around 30 were injured when a powerful blast occurred near an IT University located in Jinnah Town of Quetta in the morning of June 18, reports The Express Tribune. The bomb was planted inside a car parked nearby. The blast occurred when a van carrying students to the university reached the campus.
Targeted Killings
Three people were killed and another one injured in different acts of violence in Karachi on April 25, reported Daily Times. A man, identified as Qasim Khan Mehsud, was killed and another, Muhammad Khalid, wounded when unknown militants shot them at Latif communication shop’ on Manghopir Road within the limits of Pirabad Police Station. Separately, an unidentified dead body of a man was found near the Love Lane Bridge within the limits of the Pak Colony Police Station. In another incident, Police found an unidentified dead body of a man from Korangi Sector 51-C within the limits of Landhi Police Station.
Two bullet-riddled bodies of Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) militants were found dumped in a desolate place near Kajori area of Musakhel District on April 25, reports Daily Times. The bodies were identified as that of Nabi Baksh Baloch and Nadeem Ahmed Baloch.
At least eight people, including a Police Official, were killed and another 35 injured in the ongoing Police operation against gangsters in Lyari area of Karachi on April 30, reported Daily Times. In Sher Shah, armed assailants, fired at Shaheen Hotel, injuring four people. Three of them died later.
Separately, unidentified militants hurled grenades at people in Agra Taj Colony area killing a man and injuring eight others. In another incident, unidentified assailants shot dead one Nasir (20) in Nayabad area. Similarly, another man, identified as Asif, was killed in the PIB area.
In separate incident, a Police Official was killed and 10 other people injured in rocket and hand grenade attacks by militants at Cheel Chowk in Lyari area, adds The News. Elsewhere in the District, the dead body of an abducted man, identified as Kashif, was found in Lyari. Also, assailants hurled grenades at a hotel in Lee Market, injuring as many as eight people.
Lyari gangsters also set on fire a Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) ward office in Kalakot and a Police check post in Garden area. The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) conducted raids in Ilyas Goth and arrested nine members of Ahmed Ali Brohi gang after an encounter. Three gangsters, Ashraf, Asif and Naeem were injured. Police claimed to have recovered two Kalashnikov assault rifles, a shotgun, a repeater, six pistole dead while he was sitting with tols and two grenades from them.
Meanwhile, a man and woman were shot dead while another injured near Paracha Chowk within the limits of Sher Shah Police Station. Unidentified armed assailants entered a house situated at Café Bilal Street at Paracha Chowk and opened fire, killing and man and woman on the spot besides injuring another man.
Further, an activist of Sipah-Sahaba-Pakistan identified as Farooq (40), was shot dead near Makka Hotel in New Karachi area within the limits of Khwaja Ajmer Nagri Police Station. Farooq was a seminary teacher. Station House Officer (SHO) Afzal said that the victim was from Deobandi sect and may have been killed over sectarian grounds.
An official of the Frontier Corps (FC) was killed while another sustained injuries as a remote-con- trolled bomb exploded in Kalat District on May 2, reports The Express Tribune. Assistant Commissioner Noor Baksh con- firmed the casualty and number of injured. Sources said that the blast targeted an FC convoy which was patrolling in the area.
Separately, a bullet-riddled dead body, identified as that of one Shah Zaman, was found in Mastung District, reported Daily Times. “The body had multiple wounds,” sources said.
Three people, including a Police Officer and a political activist, were killed in separate incidents of target killing in Karachi on May 4, reported Daily Times. Finance Secretary of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) M Culture Wing, Rana Amir was shot dead while a passerby, identified as Tauseef was injured in New Karachi area within the limits of Bilal Colony Police Station. Separately, a man, Sabir Hussain alias Babu (32) was shot dead near Mughal Kanta, Kunwari Colony, within the jurisdiction of m Pirabad Police Station. In another incident, a Police Officer, identified as Syed Sabtain Naqvi, was shot dead near Mughal Kanta, Kunwari Colony, within the jurisdiction of m Pirabad Police Station.
A marble trader and an activistov of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM, Unit 190), Zafar Iqbal was shot dead and a passerby Abdul Rehman was injured when two unidentified armed assailants fired at Iqbal’s shop situated near Bara Board within the remit of Pak Colony Police Station in Karachi on May 7, reported Daily Times. Police officials said that apparently Lyari gangsters were involved in the incident.
Four persons were killed in separate acts of target killing in different parts of Karachi on May 8, reports Daily Times. A Shia man and an activist of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) identified as Mirza Sarfaraz was shot dead by two unidentified armed assailants near Chamcha Hotel in Orangi Town within the limits of Orangi Town Police Station while going to open his general store in the area. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Tariq Malik said the victim was an active worker of MQM Unit 119 and also belonged to Shia sect, adding that the motive behind the killing was yet to be ascertained but initially Police revealed that sectarian killing might be the motive behind the incident.
Separately, a man, identified as Naseebullah was shot dead near MIqra Medical Centre, Qasba Colony with the limits of Pirabad Police Station. FemINGDINGS In another incident, Police found an unidentified dead body of a man from Guru Mandir, within the jurisdiction of Soldier Bazaar Police Station.
In another incident, Police found an unidentified dead body of a man from Guru Mandir, within the jurisdiction of Soldier Bazaar Police Station.
Elsewhere, one Juma Khan, a cadre of People’s Amn (Peace) Committee (PAC) was shot dead by four armed assailants in Hashimd CM Baghicha, within the precincts of Nabi Bux Police Station.
A Police Officer, identified as Sub-Inspector (SI) Syed Jamal to Shah, was shot dead by unidentified cassailants outside his residence in Killi Kamalo area on Sariab Road in Quetta on May 11, reported Daily Times. A police official said it was a “clear case” of target killing, adding that Jamal Shah had escaped a remote-controlled bombing on Qambarani Road on May 10, 2012.
Miscellaneous
Three Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants and as many members of a peace committee were killed during a clash in Darra Adamkhel area of Kohat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on April 25, reports Dawn.
Four suspected militants were killed and seven arrested by Security Forces (SF) during a search operation in Gaybun area near Turbat District on April 27, reported Daily Times. A local Levies official, Shamim Ahmed, told the media that the Frontier Corps (FC) had launched search operation in the Gaybun area. “SFs tried to arrest the militants during a search operation but they opened fire,” said an FC spokesman. “In retaliatory fire, four militants were killed, and SFS arrested seven militants,” he said. The spokesman said a large cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from the site, adding that the arrested suspects were being interrogated.
Unidentified armed militants damaged the railway track in Saryab area of Quetta on April 29, reports The News. Police said that the militants used an improvised explosive device (IED) to blow apart a two-foot long part of rails passing through Faizabad area of the District. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Meanwhile, a main pipeline sup- plying gas to the Sui purification plant was blown up in Pir Koh area of Dera Bugti District, suspending gas supply from three wells to the purification plant.
The Security Forces (SFs) arrested 17 suspected militants and recovered arms and explosives from their possession during search a search operation in different areas of Mamond and Khar tehsil (revenue unit) of Bajaur Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on April 30, reports Daily Times. According to details, the SFs, on special directives of Bajaur Scouts Commandant Colonel Muhammad Shakeel Janjua, conducted a search operation in various areas of Mamond and Khar tehsil, including Damadola, Umerey, Inayat Kaley, Gul Dheri, Badan Headquarters, Khar Bazaar and adjoining areas.
Police recovered arms and ammunition and arrested two people in Gilgit on May 1, reports Dawn. Deputy Inspector General of Police Ali Sher said that Police on a tip-off raided a place in Kargah Nullah and recovered several submachine guns (SMGs), rifles, shotguns, pistols and live bullets. He said Police also stopped a Chilas-bound vehicle at Hamochal check post and recovered explosives concealed in it and arrested the driver.
The nephew of Mir Faiq Ali Khan Jamali, a former Provincial Minister, identified as Rohsan Ali Jamali and his driver, identified as Munir Shah, were abducted by a group of armed militants from Dhadar area of Bolan District while he was on his way to Jaffarabad District, reports Daily Times.
Unidentified militants blew up a Government primary school with explosives under the Shabqadar Police Station area in Charsadda District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on May 4, reports Daily Times.
Nine soldiers were killed and 12 more injured when unidentified militants ambushed a military convoy at Amin Check post, a security outpost on a hilltop outside Miranshah in North Waziristan Agency on May 6, reports Daily Times. “Militants hiding there opened fire at the soldiers with AK- 47 assault rifles and RPG,” an unnamed senior Pakistan Army official said on conditioner of anonymity. “Three gunship choppers were called in but the militants even fired rockets at the choppers.” Nine troops, including an officer were killed, and 12 more injured in the attack. It was not known exactly who attacked the convoy, but one security official, requesting anonymity, said the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan were behind the attack.
Unknown armed militants shot at and injured Crime Investigation Department (CID) Superintendent of Police (SP) Shahnawaz Khan in Satellite Town area of Quetta while he was outside his house for a walk on the morning of May 8 (today), reported Dawn. He died later.
39 persons were killed in two days of clashes between Security Forces (SFS) and militants in Miranshah area of North Waziristan Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), reports Dawn. Officials said 12 SF personnel, 10 civilians, including women and children, and 17 militants were killed. The officials said 72 persons were injured, adding that casualty figure could go up because some persons were still trapped under the debris of houses flattened by flying shells from explosions in arms and ammunition stores hit by helicopter gunships. Most of the militants were killed in an artillery v attack on a compound. They were militants of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan comprising both Punjabi and Mehsud fighters.
Separately, the bullet-riddled bodies of two militants, Taj Mohammad and Haider, were found at Niazi Market in Bara area of Khyber Agency. The unidentified assailants had left a chit with the bodies, warning locals that anyone found assisting or harbouring activists of Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) would meet the same fate.
At least 10 Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants were killed and several others injured when Army helicopter gunships heavily pounded suspected hideouts in Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) near Afghan border on May 9, reports Daily Times.
Four children – one girl and three boys were killed and two women got injured on May 11 when a mortar slammed into their pick-up truck in the Qamberabad area of Bara tehsil (revenue unit) in Khyber Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), reports Daily Times. The family was hit while trying to escape the area to avoid a military operation, sources added. More than 1,000 families have fled the area so far. The political administration had given a three-day deadline to the residents of Shalobar tribe to vacate the area. The residents were directed to move to Peshawar or Jalozai Camp. A UNHCR spokesperson told reporters that as many as 230,000 people have been shifted to the Jalozai Camp.
PAKISTAN
KP govt sets a one-month deadline for illegal Afghans to leave
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should leave the province by May 25 otherwise they would be treated according to the law of the land. “Police will arrest illegal Afghan nationals under 14 Foreign Act and they will be deported to their country after May 25,” said Mr Khan, whobe was accompanied by Commissioner for Afghan Refugees Zaheerul Islam. He said that the Government had decided to expel illegal Afghan nationals from the province and action would be started from Peshawar where approximately 400,000 undocumented Afghans were residing.
Pakistan, sheltering the largest refugee population since early 1980s, Afghanistan and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had signed a tripartite agreement to legalise stay of registered Afghans till December next. The Government has been issuing such deadlines to illegal Afghans since 2001, but did not implement the same. However, Police had launched a crackdown against Afghan prayer leaders some time ago and deported many of them.
Earlier on April 24, Afghan Deputy Refugees and Repatriation Minister Samad Hamid said Afghanistan and Pakistan soon plan to sign an agreement that would let refugees stay in Pakistan until 2017, Afghanistan. The deal would protect refugees from forcible deportation from Pakistan, he said.
Would-be suicide bomber killed in Balochistan
A would-be suicide bomber was killed when a detonator he was car- Government on April 25 set a one-drying along with suicide vest prematurely went off on Kirani Road near Hazara Town in Quetta on April 26, reports Daily Times. According to Brewery Superintendent of Police (SP) Malik Arshad, the plain clothes men deployed near Hazara Town tried to stop a suspect, but he tried to run away after which police opened fire on him. The detonator prematurely went off, killing the bomber on the spot. However, his suicide vest could not explode.
CIA alerts Pakistan to al Qaeda plan
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) shared intelligence with Pakistan suggesting al Qaeda planned to carry out major attacks inside Pakistan, reports Dawn. The information was based on documents seized by US Navy SEALs during the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad. Some of the details of the intelligence shared with Dawn revealed that before being killed in the May 2 raid, Osama bin Laden, along with Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who took over as al Qaeda chief in June 2011, and other senior leaders of the terror outfit had planned to mount indiscriminate attacks on Pakistani soil. There were conflicting reports about the shared intelligence. One participant of the meeting said CIA Deputy Director Michael Morrell – had presented a dossier to Pakistani officials while another claimed that it was just a tip about what al Qaeda had been planning to do in Pakistan and lacked related details the bits that could help put the jigsaw together.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Islamabad banned its staff from restaurants and markets in the capital for several days on either side of the anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death. “Due to security concerns, the US embassy has restricted its employees from going to restaurants and markets in Islamabad from April 27-May 5,” a warning on the embassy website said. “We recommend that US citizens in Islamabad during this period take similar precautions.”
Further, the Government says Osama bin Laden’s three widows and his children have been deported to Saudi Arabia. A statement said the family left early on April 27 to the “country of their choice, Saudi Arabia”.
Eight persons killed in Karachi
At least eight persons, including two Security Force personnel, were killed in a gun battle between Police and Lyari gangsters in Lyari area of Karachi on April 27, reports Daily Times. Gangsters used rockets, hand grenades and other sophisticated weaponry against Police and Frontier Constabulary (FCB) seeking access into Lyari, while Rangers stayed out of the town. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Nabeel Gabol narrowly escaped an attack near Mira Naka area.
The Sindh Inspector General (IG) Mushtaq Shah said that the Police was facing intense resistance as gangsters used highly sophisticated weapons. He said, “We don’t have problems. More contingents of security personnel will be there to combat terrorists. Such retaliation by the gangsters proves their association with out- lawed terrorist organisations.”
Osama bin Laden planned major attacks in Pakistan before being killed, reveals media report
Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden had planned to mount indiscriminate attacks on Pakistani soil before his killing in a covert United States (US) raid in Abbottabad, the documents seized by the Americans from the slain terrorist’s compound in the Pakistani garrison city of Abbottabad in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have suggested, reports The Times of India on April 28 (today). The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) shared intelligence about possible al Qaeda attacks inside Pakistan when officials of the two countries met to explore the way forward in resetting bilateral ties.
The information was “based on documents seized by US Navy SEALS during the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound” in Abbottabad in May 2011. Some details of the intelligence “revealed that before being killed in the May 1- 2 raid, bin Laden, along with Ayman al Zawahiri and other senior leaders of the terror outfit had planned to mount indiscriminate attacks on Pakistani soil.”
11 persons, including three Policemen killed in Karachi
Daily Times reports that an encounter between Police and gangsters left 10 more persons dead, including a Station House Officer (SHO) and a constable, in Lyari in Karachi city on April 28, as gangsters used rockets and hand grenades against Police and the public. Civil Lines SHO, Fawad Khan and Constable, Malik Tassawur was among those who fell victim to the violence on the second consecutive day of an operation against gangsters in Lyari. The injured Policemen were identified as ASI Iftikhar Ahmed, Head Constable Intazar Ali Shah and Muhammad Aslam were injured in the attack. Following the attack, Police and the Frontier Constabulary (FCB) intensified their operation in the area and killed Mullah Sohail Baloch, the brother of notorious gangster Mullah Nisar, in Nawa Lane, Kalakot. Following the attack, SFs intensified their operation in the area and killed Mullah Sohail Baloch, the brother of notorious gangster Mullah Nisar in Nawa Lane area of Kalakot.
Separately, a Police personal was killed and three others, including SHO Malir City, were injured in an encounter in Salar Goth near Akbar Hotel within the confines of Malir City Police Station The injured Police personal was identified as, SHO Malir City Ishaq Lashari, Constable Pervez Iqbal, Khan Mohammad and armored personnel carrier (APC) driver Sabir.
Farman Ali Shinwari named new al Qaeda chief in Pakistan
Al Qaeda named Farman Ali Shinwari (30) who belongs to Khugakhel sub-tribe of Shinwaris, and hails from Landikotal subdivi- sion of Khyber Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). as its head in Pakistan, reported The News on April 29. A statement had been issued by the al Qaeda leadership saying that Farman Ali Shinwari has been chosen as the head in Pakistan. Local officials also confirmed the development. The statement issued by al Qaeda’s Dawa Wing said that after consulta- tions and approval of top al Qaeda leadership, Farman Shinwari was selected as head of the network in Pakistan. The statement said that reason of his selection was his close affiliation with slain al Qaeda leader Badar Mansoor and his knowledge about FATA.
The sources said the al Qaeda commanders based in Pakistan was not involved in the decision, but they only ratified it. Shinwari has five brothers who are affiliated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and other militant outfits. His elder brother Hazrat Nabi Shinwari, alias Tamanchy Mulla, was a theology teacher in a Government-run school in Landikotal. He was leading the TTP in Khyber Agency in 2005 and also used to send militants to Kashmir and Afghanistan. He has remained the head of Harkat-ul Mujahideen (HUM) and is nowadays said to be leading his group of TTP militants in Waziristan.
Drone attacks to continue after 2014, says US
The pact between the United States and Afghanistan could leave the door open for continued drone strikes against militant targets in Pakistaninu after 2014, US Ambassador Ryan Crocker indicated on May 2, reports Dawn. “There is nothing in this agreement that precludes the right of self-defence for either party and if there are attacks from the territory of any state aimed at us we have the inherent right of self defence and will employ it,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on the National Security (PCNS) Raza Rabbani made it clear that the drone strikes, despite remarks of some senior US officials, were a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty, and had to stop. Rabbani took an exception to a statement by some US officials who had tried to validate drone strikes under the international law. He said that the US would have to respect Pakistan’s sovereignty and the drone attacks have to be stopped.
Pakistan second, most dangerous country for journalists, says UNESCO
A report released by UNESCO ranks Pakistan as the second-most dangerous country for journalists in 2010-2011, reports Dawn. Mexico was the most dangerous, with 18 journalist fatalities in that time frame. Two Pakistani journalists were killed in 2006-2007, followed by six in 2008-2009 and 16 in 2010- 2011, the report, “The Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity,” found. Forty-two journalists have been killed in Pakistan since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Pakistan wants to alternative to drone attacks, says Foreign Office
Pakistan was working with the US at various levels to resolve all outstanding issues, including an alternative to drone attacks, Foreign Office spokesman Moazzam Khan said on May 3, reports Daily Times. “We have raised drone attacks issue with the US at various levels. We are trying to resolve this issue on a priority basis. There is a need to resolve all issues with the US”, said Moazzam Khan. Pakistan had a clear stance on the drone strikes and considered them illegal, a violation of the country’s territorial sovereignty and counter-productive, Khan added.
Meanwhile, the US State Department said the United States and Pakistan were committed to working through bilateral problems as doing so was in both countries’ national interests. The State Department said the two countries had a shared struggle against the menace of terrorism, which had claimed lives of thousands of Pakistanis. “We’ve talked before about the fact that terror- ism is an existential threat for Pakistan. Thousands of Pakistanis have lost their lives to terrorism. So this is a shared struggle. We recognise that. We’re committed to working through the problems that we’ve had in the past, because it’s in our national interests to do so,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner noted.
TTP beheads 13 soldiers in FATA
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan killed 14 soldiers in Miranshah, the main town in the North Waziristan Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) along the Afghan border on May 7, reports Daily Times. Militants beheaded all but one of them and hung two of the heads from wooden poles in the Centre of the Zafar Town chowk.
US making Pakistan a scapegoat for its failure in Afghanistan, says Pakistan Army official
The commander of Pakistan’s forces along the frontier Lieutenant- General Khalid Rabbani on May 8 accused the US of seeking to make Pakistan a scapegoat for its failure to beat the Afghanistan, reports Dawn. “Why do they to raise their fingers towards Pakistan? It is shifting the blame to others,” General Rabbani said. “Is Afghanistan free of Taliban? It has hundreds of thousands of them.”
The US efforts to talk peace with Afghan Taliban in Afghanistan mean Washington can no longer expect Pakistan to attack all the militant factions on its side of the border, some of whom Islamabad is also reaching out to, he argued. One powerful faction in North Waziristan Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in Pakistan is led by a commander called Hafiz Gul Bahadur, who is believed to have signed a nonaggression pact with the Government but still funnels fighters into Afghanistan. General Rabbani defended the with Government’s dealings Bahadur, saying “at the moment he seems to be trying to keep himself out of the trouble”. He further said that the US and NATO were in con- tact with insurgents in Afghanistan to try and “co-opt them into the peace process”. “Similar things are true on this side of the border as well,” he said, adding, “Is it forbidden for us to do the same?” Repeating assurances by other top Army officers, Rabbani said several times that the army would launch operations in North Waziristan.
REGIONAL
Bangladesh – Internal Dynamics
Two bomb explosions reported in Dhaka
Two youths riding a motorbike hurled two bombs, one in front of the office of the Home Ministry (in Dhaka city) and another on a road adjacent to the Secretariat on April 29, reports Daily Star. None was injured in the explosions. Senior public relations officer at the Home Ministry, Mahfuzul Haque confirmed the incident.
11 bombs recovered in Savar sub-district of Dhaka
The Police recovered 11 home- made bombs in a drive at Choto Kaliakoir in Savar sub-district of Dhaka on April 30, reports The Daily Star. The Police raided the area and found the bombs in an abandoned state near a printing press. No one was arrested in this connection.
Two crude bombs explode near BNP Headquarter in Dhaka
Two homemade bombs exploded near the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) headquarters in the Dhaka’s Nayapaltan area on May 1, reports The Independent. No injuries were reported in the explosions. Police blamed the activists of Jatiyatabadi Swechhasebak Dal, the volunteer wing of the BNP, for the blasts. Deputy Police Commissioner Anwar Hossain told that the Jatiyatabadi Swechhasebak Dal activists were gathering there to bring out a procession. As the security officials approached, they exploded the bombs to escape through narrow alleys.
Four cadres of the banned militant organization Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HUT) were arrested on May 3 by the Police outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Dhaka City as they protested against the impending arrival of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, reports The New Age. Police said around 25 activists belonging to HuT brought out the procession with a banner and chanted slogans against Hillary’s visit and demanded Islamic rule in the country.
Meanwhile, The Daily Star reports that the Police arrested three leaders of Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami (Jel), from their office at Munshipara in the Satkhira District on May 2. The arrestees were, identified as Shyamnagar sub-district unit secretary Imran Hossain, Debahata unit office secretary Abdul Karim and Kaliganj unit office secretary Aminur Rahman. The Police raided the ICS office and arrested the trio while they were holding a secret meeting to create anarchy in the District.
BNP leader killed in Jessore bomb attack
A Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader was killed on May 4 as criminals hurled bombs on him in Abhoynagar sub-district in Jessore District, reports The Independent. The deceased was identified as Rafiqul Islam, Organising Secretary of sub-district unit of the BNP. Police said the reason behind the killing could not be known yet.
Meanwhile, the Police arrested three young arms traders in Ishwardi sub-district of Pabna District on May 4, reports The Daily Star. The arrestees are identified as Ainul Haque Vola, Salim Sardar, and Rafikul Islam. The Police recovered two brand new foreign made pistols, four magazines and four rounds of bullets from their possession.
PBCP regional leader arrested in Bangladesh
Daily Star reports that Security Forces (SFS) arrested a regional leader of Janajudhha faction of Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP-Janajudhha), obs Motalib Hossain alias Turu, (35), along with firearms of Boroibaria village in Ataikula on May 7 afternoon. SFs recovered a shutter gun and two bullets from his possession.
Bangladeshi Navy adds special war unit to fight terror
Daily Star reports that Bangladesh Navy has commissioned a Special Warfare Diving and Salvage (SWADS) unit to strengthens anti-terrorism and anti-piracy drive in the Bay of Bengal during peacetime and to go for sweeping measures during crisis. The unit will have around. strength of around 900. “During peace time, this will be a complementary force with the coast guards in drives against smugglers, armed groups and terrorists in the Sundarbans area,” said navy chief Vice Admiral Zahir Uddin Ahmed.
Arm and explosive recovered in Nilphamari District
Daily Star reports that Police recovered a grenade and a rifle in abandoned condition at Goalpara in Syedpur Pourashava in Nilphamari District on May 9.
India – Internal Dynamics
Maoists kill two former cadres in Maharashtra
The Communist Party of India- Maoist cadres killed two of their former cadres who had surren- dered in 2006, in Dhanora tehsil (revenue unit) in Gadchiroli District on April 25, reports The Times of India. The victims have been identified as Devrao Usendi (37) and Ramsai Narote (45). Their dead bodies were found on the Markegaon-Sawargaon road, close to the Chhattisgarh- Maharashtra border, around 95- km away from Gadchiroli District Headquarters. Usendi was the former head of the Markegaon area Sangam while Narote was one of the cadres of the Maoist people’s militia in Markegaon before giving up arms. Further, The Times of India reports that the Maoists have abducted at least 12 villagers. However, Superintendent of Police (SP) S Veeresh Prabhu denied any abduction.
Meanwhile, Union Home Secretary R.K. Singh said that the repeated abductions and killings by the CPI-Maoist is part of the Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC) launched by the outfit in March, reports The Asian Age.
Policeman shot dead by Maoists in Andhra Pradesh
A constable of Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) of Andhra Police, Pangi Appanna, was shot dead by Communist party of India-Maoist cadres at Paderu in Visakhapatnam District on April 26, reports The Hindu. Reportedly, the Maoists had also made an attempt on his life four years ago.
IED blast by GNLA militants misses Police truck in Meghalaya
The Shillong Times reports that suspected Garo National Liberation Army militants triggered a powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast targeting at a truck of Policemen which narrowly missed them Chokpot region of South Garo Hills on April 26. The incident happened when a large group of armed Policemen returning to Tura after conduct of anti-insurgency operations were targeted by the GNLA militants who detonated the explosive hidden on the side of a road culvert at Daji Tesakgre village, just 3 kilometres from Chokpot between 3:30 and 4 pm. The militants, suspected to be led by ‘area commander’ Baichung Momin, laid the trap for the Police truck but the explosion took place just before the truck crossed the culvert.
As soon as the blast occurred there was exchange of fire as the militants who were hiding up in the nearby hills tried to attack the Police personnel who also responded with heavy firing forcing the militants to flee. No casualties were reported from either side.
Terror attacks claimed ad 458 lives in Mumbai since 2000, states Minister of State for Home Jitendra Singh
The Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament), on April 25, has been informed in a written reply by Minister of State for Home, Jitendra Singh that 458 lives were lost in terrorge attacks mid in Mumbai (Maharashtra) since 2000, according to Indian Express.
Constable arrested for GNLA link in Meghalaya
The Telegraph reports that bad Meghalaya Police on April 27 arrested a Police Constable, iden- tified as Alex Grahambel Marak, for his alleged links with Garo: National Liberation Army. The special weapons and tactics team (SWAT) of the Meghalaya Police arrested Marak from his place of posting at Bholaganj, around 75 kilometers from Shillong in East Khasi Hills District. The Police also seized 10 GNLA demand notes, three cell phones, four SIM cards, two pen drives and other incriminating documents from his possession. They are investigating the ways in which Marak helped the GNLA to expand its activities.
GNLA procuring sophisticated arms from Naga rebels groups, say report
Times of India reports that after building close links with Anti-Talk Faction of United Liberation Front of Asom, Garo National Liberation Army are developing contacts in the neighbouring Nagaland and procuring sophisticated arms from Naga militant groups, who route the weapons via Guwahati (Assam), making it more difficult for the city Police to intercept them. A Intelligence sources confirmed that GNLA is buying lightweight assault rifles and guns as well as ammunition from various agents backed by NSCN. “They are purchasing Heckler & Koch assault rifles, some- thing not even available for many of our security forces. They are also buying Austria-made Glock guns from the grey markets of Dimapur. These high range guns are light in weight and are now the favourite for ultras,” said the source.
Two Policemen killed in Maoist firing in Chhattisgarh
Two Policemen were killed and four others injured when a group of Communist Party of India- Maoist cadres opened indiscriminate firing on a Police van in Dantewada District on May 2, reports Zee News. Additional Director General of Police (Naxal operations) Ram Niwas said that Maoists attacked the Police team while they were on a patrol in the Bacheli area during the weekly market, killing two personnel. The Policemen also fired in retaliation but the Maoists managed to escape, Niwas said.
‘Guerrilla zone’ in south India ready, claims media report
The Communist Party of India- Maoist is getting ready to declare a guerrilla zone in south India, reports The Times of India. It includes the tribal areas in the Western Ghats in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The group has already alerted its over-ground cadre in these States of the possible ‘police repression’ in the event of a sensational action that would mark the declaration of the guerrilla zone. Sources said the declaration had been delayed following an encounter between the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) and the Maoists at Belthangady in Karnataka on March 10, 2012. The ANF recovered large quantity of arms and ammunition, besides Maoist literature in Malayalam, Kannada and Tamil from the camp in Belthangady after the encounter.
It is learnt that ANF also seized detailed maps of the area of the pro- posed guerrilla zone from the camp. This exposed the Maoists’ plans, forcing them to delay the declaration of the guerrilla zone.
Mutilated body of KPLT ‘commander-in-chief’ recovered in Assam
The Security Forces (SFS) recovered a mutilated body suspected to be that of ‘commander- in-chief of Karbi Peoples’ Liberation Tigers (KPLT), Blain Hanse, from Tarapung area under Chokihola Police Station in Karbi Anglong District on May 7, reports The Sentinel. Hanse was killed in the night of May 2 due to internal clash within the members of the militant formation.
Maoists kill abducted ASI Krupa Ram Majhi in Odisha
Suspected Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres abducted an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of Police a little before noon, tied his hands and legs and shot him dead under a tree in Nuapada District on May 8, reports. The Times of India. Enquiries revealed that Krupa Ram Majhi, ASI of Dharmabandha Police outpost, on a motorcycle, was escorting a water tanker to a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp at Goudha near Sunabeda sanctuary when the incident took place. Just about two km from the camp, the Maoists first blank-fired. As the ASI stopped his two-wheeler they surrounded him. While some took him away to the forest at gun point, others in the group detached the tractor hauling the water tanker, pulled it to the forest and set it ablaze. The Maoists, however, did not harm Constable Debnarayan Sahoo accompanying Majhi. As they vanished into the forest, Sahoo fled from the place and informed local villagers and authorities about the incident. Later the dead body of Majhi was recovered by the Police from a neighbouring forest in the sanctuary. Police suspect that the incident was the handiwork of the Maoists’ Mainpur division, headed by one Sujatha, which operates in Nuapada and bordering Districts of Chhattisgarh.
Naxals have now virtually gained control over illicit mining of not just coal but also minerals, says report
Naxals (Left-Wing Extremists) have now virtually gained control over illicit mining of not just coal but also minerals, including the cash-rich iron ore, across States of their dominance, reports Deccan Chronicle. The annual turnover from this illegal trade that runs into hundreds of crores is being pumped into financing the armed operations of the Communist Party of India-Maoist. This revelation has been made in a recent Intelligence Bureau report sent to the key central ministries and Naxal-infested States in an attempt to sensitise them against the growing financial clout of the Maoists through this illicit means. The Central intelligence agencies had cautioned the various stake-holders almost two-years ago also about the growing influence of Naxals in illegal coal mining.
| Monthly Fatalities The following deaths, related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism occurred during the period April 26 to May 26, 2012 |
| Civilian | Indian Security Personnel | Militant | Total | |
| Assam | 10 | 04 | 11 | 25 |
| Manipur | 02 | 00 | 04 | 06 |
| Left-Wing | 13 | 04 | 10 | 27 |
| Total | 25 | 08 | 25 | 58 |
Nepal – Internal Dynamics
Republica reports that following the footsteps of the hardline faction, the establishment faction of the Unified Communist party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) has made preparations to form an organization of former and disqualified combatants. The party establishment faction led by party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda has called a national gathering of former and disqualified combatants on April 27 for the purpose.” Former combatants will be mobilized in productive sectors and for struggle,” said Nirmal Mahara, ex-PLA brigade Vice- commander. “The organization of ex-PLA will be more powerful than the Young Communist League. However, it will not have a military structure,” said a brigade commander who recently took voluntary retirement.
Former PLA men unite under a new organisation in Lalitpur
Nepal News reports that former Unified Communist Party of Nepal- Maoist (UCPN-M) combatants have united under a new body called ‘Ex People’s Liberation Army Association’, which is headed by former PLA Chief Nanda Kishor Pun ‘Pasang’. The association was announced at a programme attended by the leaders of the UCPN-M establishment including party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai on April 27. The formation of the Ex-PLA Association comes two days after the hardliner Mohan Baidya faction reactivated its ‘combat’ organisaton ‘People’s Volunteers Bureau’ which includes a number of discharged former combatants.
Army Chief calls for restructuring of NA in view of recent developments
Nepal News reports that the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Chhatraman Singh Gurung on April 29 said restructuring of Nepal Army (NA) has become necessary as its current structure is out- dated. He said the institutional structure of NA hasn’t been reviewed since 1965 and is hence out-dated and ineffective. “Restructuring as well as democratisation of Nepal Army is also necessary at a time when former Maoist combatants who have chosen integration are all set to join the Army,” he said, informing that the strength of the NA, which stood at 18,000 in 1965, has swelled to 90,000. Restructuring of NA is also needed to ensure that NA develops into a modern professional army, Gurung said.
Four persons killed in bomb blast in Lalitpur District
At least four people died and a dozen others were injured in a bomb explosion at the Ramanand chowk in Janakpur area of Lalitpur District on April 30, Nepal News reports. Police said the bomb believed to be an improvised explosive device (IED) went off while activists associated with Mithila Struggle Committee were organising a sit-in protest demanding the creation of Autonomous Mithila State at Ramanand Chowk. Local news reports said underground out- fit Jantantrik Terai Mukti Morcha has owned up responsibility for the blast. Meanwhile, Police said they had arrested a man suspected of being involved in the bombing, but disclosed no further details.
Civilians injured in clashes over the issue of federal structure in Kailali District
Nepal News reports that over a dozen protestors were injured in Kailali District headquarters of Dhangadi in separate clashes on, May 11. A clash took place when Police intervened between Tharu demonstrators demanding Tharuban province based on the identity of Tharu ethnicity and protestors who were for an undi- vided far west.
Further, the meeting of the Constituent Assembly, which was scheduled to take place at 3pm on May 11 has been cancelled with the Constitutional Committee (CC) not being able to provide the questionnaire related to the contentious subjects of the constitution on which voting will be conducted. This is the 10th consecutive deferral of the CA meeting.
Meanwhile, Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) Chairman, Jhala Nath Khanal, while issuing directives to CPN-UML lawmakers at the party’s parliamentary party meeting on May 11 came down heavily on members lobbying for ethnicity-based federal- ism, reports Republica.
Five natives of Indian State of Manipur arrested in Kathmandu
The Sangai Express reports that five natives of the India State of Manipur, including a rebel leader, have been apprehended by Nepal Customs at Kathmandu Airport on June 17. The five individuals were apprehended after they landed at Kathmandu Airport in an international flight. The origin of the flight, seizures made from them, if any and personal details and ranks of the arrested individuals have not been disclosed by the Nepalese authority
Sri Lanka Internal Dynamics
Army denies using Cluster bombs
According to Daily Mirror, the Sri Lanka Army on April 27 denied reports that security forces had used cluster bombs during the war and requested to provide any evidence so that an investigation can be launched. “I wish to reiterate that Sri Lanka Army, Navy or Air Force never used cluster bombs. We request Allan Poston to provide us with any evidence he may be having so that we could investigate,” military spokesperson Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasuriya said.
The denial came after a report citing a top UN demining expert, Allan Poston, claimed that unexploded cluster bombs were discovered in the Puthukudyiruppu area in the north. The area known as PTK was a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam nerve centre during their decades old fight with the Government troops.
Lanka Muslims urge government protect ion
Sri Lanka’s main Muslim party called on the government on Monday, April 30 to protect religious minorities after protests by Buddhist monks demanding that a 60-year-old mosque be relocated. The Sri Lanka u Muslim Congress (SLMC), which is a member of the ruling coalition, said it opposed shifting the mosque in Dambulla, 150 kilometres (93 miles) north of Colombo, saying this would be “disastrous”
For the country. The monks argued that the mosque was inside temple land and should be demolished while the Muslims maintain that they have been offering prayers there since the mid 1940s. The government said in a statement last week that it had offered three alternate locations for the mosque and had also agreed to finance a new building, an offer firmly rejected by the SLMC. “We will not agree to any compromise of taking land elsewhere,” SLMC leader and Justice Minister Rauf Hakeem told reporters in Colombo. “We are very, very firm on that.” He said “extremist Lankan Muslims urge pedal forces” were trying to create religious government protect tensions in a country emerging from nearly four decades of ethnic strife which has cost an estimated 100,000 lives. “A strong government must protect the weaker minorities,” Hakeem said. “We appeal to the government to ensure that they do not allow xenophobic forces to hold the country hostage.” More than two-thirds of the Indian Ocean island’s 20-million population are Buddhists while 7.5 percent are Muslims.
‘Anti-state conspiracies, uprisings or rebellions have no place in Sri Lanka’, says President Mahindra Rajapaksa
President Mahindra Rajapaksa on May 1 said that anti-state conspiracies, uprisings or rebellions have no place in Sri Lanka, according to Daily Mirror. He said that people from foreign countries with- out name or address come to Sri Lanka to destabilize the country with their anti-national campaigns. Stating that some countries, unfortunately, assist them in the hope of a regime change, he stressed that a regime change would be possible only by the people for the people of this country through free and fair elections and not by conspiracies hatched with the assistance of foreign powers. “This Government commands the confidence of the people. Sri Lanka is one of the old- best democracies in Asia. Therefore, conspiracies, uprisings or rebel- lions have no place in this land and this Government will never let them happen,” he asserted.
Meanwhile, commenting on the recent UK human rights report, o Defence Secretary Gotabhaya d Rajapaksa said that the international community should ask the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rump to reveal the number of children killed and maimed while ‘in service’ with the group, reports The island. He said that those seniors, who had managed to flee the Vanni during the final phase of the conflict and take refuge abroad, would be able to shed light on casualty figures as LTTE was known for maintaining battle-field records.
428 LTTE schools in Europe, says defence intelligence report
According to a May 5 Lankadeepa report, Sri Lanka Defence intelligence has found that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam operates 428 schools in the main countries of Europe, reports Colombo Page. These school functions in Germany, Switzerland, France, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden and provide education to 22,500 students across the Europe. Germany has the highest number of such schools with 145 and there are 133 schools in Switzerland, and 65 schools in Denmark. Sri Lanka’s defense authorities have complained to the authorities of such countries.
Meanwhile, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said to the Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Rauf Hakeem, who is currently trying to mediate to get the TNA back to the discussion table, that it would resume talks with the Government only on the agreement that the consensus reached in the discussions with the Government earlier is used as the basis of discussion for the proposed parliamentary select committee (PSC) on formulating a political solution to the ethnic issue. Talks between the Government and the TNA stalled in January 2012 when the Government insisted on TNA to name their representatives to the PSC and TNA main- tained that the party would not make representations to the PSC until a consensus is reached between the Government and the TNA.
Posters requesting Tamils to commemorate LTTE killed in war found in Northern Province
According to police sources, some posters appeared in Vavuniya town of the Northern Province requesting Tamil people to light oil lamps on May 18 to commemorate the members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam killed in war, reports Colombo Page. Police said that the posters were handwritten containing the LTTE name with slogans like LTTE leader Prabhakaran was not dead, “We rise again” and the “Thirst of the Tamil Tigers was Tamil Nation”. No arrest has been made yet. Another poster appeared in Vavuniya that stated the LTTE was defunct in Sri Lanka and not to participate in the lighting of oil lamps on May 18. The posters boring the name of Tamil People’s Freedom Unity Front requested people to hold war victory celebrations on May 19.
Meanwhile, Colombo Chief Magistrate on May 9 granted per- mission to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to record a statement from the leader of Tamil Tiger women’s wing Thamilini. Subramaniam Shivathai alias Thamilini was arrested by police in 2009 when she was in a refugee camp with other Tamil refugees. She has been in remand custody since then.
Man freed in LTTE terror case in US
United States federal judge in New York on May 11 sentenced a top Tamil Tiger, who pleaded guilty to terrorism charges, to time served in jail and freed the man, reports Colombo Page. The defendant, Karunakaran Kandasamy =(55), had pled guilty to among others, a charge of conspiring to pro- vide material support to Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. A District Court document says Kandasamy was the director of the American branch of the LTTE, which operat- Sied through charitable front organizations, including the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) 1 and oversaw and directed the LTTE’s various activities in the U.S, including raising millions of dollars for the LTTE and launder- Sing it through the TRO. According to a court document, a single spreadsheet of priority items to purchase, totalled $20 million in arms and equipment, and included, among other things, 25mm Anti t Aircraft Guns, 30 mm Twin Barrel Mounted Naval Guns, thousands e of automatic rifles, grenade n launchers, 50 tons of C4 explosive, and other weapons, were -found from his colleague Vijayshanthar Patpanathan, another LTTE suspect, who pled guilty at the same time as Kandasamy, has assisted him and others in these fundraising and money laundering f activities. They were pleaded guilty on June 9, 2009. The court, I however, while announcing sentence expressed doubts that r Kandasamy was involved in raisging money for terrorism and believed the defendant’s activities were humanitarian and not military.
INTERNATIONAL
France hints at military intervention in Syria
France raised the prospect of military intervention in Syria on April 26, saying the U.N. should consider harsher measures if an international peace plan that has been shaken by violence ultimately collapses.
The statement reflects mounting international frustration with daily attacks that have kept a cease-fire between troops loyal to President Bashar Assad and armed rebels seeking to oust him from taking hold.
Activists said government troops killed at least 29 civilians Wednesday, including 12 killed in shelling in the central city of Hama. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said France had discussed invoking Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which can be enforced militarily, with other world powers.-AP
Ex-President Liberia convicted for war crimes
In a historic ruling, an international court convicted former Liberian President Charles Taylor on April26 of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity for supporting notoriously brutal rebels in neighboring Sierra Leone in return for blood diamonds. Taylor is the first head of state con- victed by an international court since the post-World War II Nuremberg military tribunal.
Presiding Judge Richard Lussick said the 64-year-old warlord-turned- president provided arms, ammunition, communications equipment and planning to rebels responsible for countless atrocities in the 1991- 2002 Sierra Leone civil war. Lussick called the support “sustained and significant.” “Mr. Taylor, the trial chamber unanimously finds you guilty” of 11 charges including terror, murder, rape and conscripting child soldiers, Lussick told Taylor.
Taylor stood and showed no emotion as Lussick delivered the guilty verdicts at the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Lussick scheduled a sentencing hearing for May 16 and said sentence would be passed two weeks later. Taylor will serve his sentence in Britain.
Human rights activists hailed the convictions as a watershed moment in the fight against impunity for national leaders responsible for atrocities.-AP
Blast hits courthouse in Libya
A blast ripped through a court- house in the eastern city of Benghazi on April 27 causing serious damage to the building but no casualties, Libyan security sources said. The explosion punched a hole three metres (10 feet) in diameter through the walls of the courthouse on Meidan al-Shajara, a public square flanked by several government offices and the National Oil Corporation, an AFP journalist said.
The impact caused damage to a courtroom inside but no casualties. Security sources told AFP that assailants booby- “unknown trapped the building” and set off the explosion at “exactly 5 am (0300 GMT). “The area was cordoned off, the journalist said. Witnesses and residents told AFP the blast was very intense.” It left residents in the area and patients being treated in a nearby hospital completely shaken up,” one said.-AFP
Blasts kill nine, wounds 21 Iraqis
Twin explosions ripped through a crowded cafe northeast of Baghdad, killing nine people and wounding 21, Iraqi officials said The attack late Friday, April 27. Thursday in the village of Garma, near the city of Baqouba in Diyala province, came a week after a series of blasts killed dozens in the capital and across the country. An interior ministry official and a local police officer said a suicide car bomber set off the first explosion outside the packed cafe. A few minutes later, another bomb went off inside the cafe, they said.
Iraqis often go out on Thursday evenings, which mark the start of the Muslim weekend that falls on Friday-Saturday, flocking to cafes, restaurants and parks. A medic at the Baqouba general hospital confirmed the toll. Although the level of violence in Iraq is nowhere near where it was five years ago, when the country almost descended into civil war, deadly attacks are still common.—AP
Seven militants killed in Yemen Clashes
At least seven militants linked to al Qaeda were killed in clashes in Yemen’s restive south, a regional tribal spokesman said .on April 28, as the impoverished Arab state fights to tame a stub-born insurgency.
Yemen has launched an offen-sive against Islamist insurgents in the territory who took advantage of the chaos surrounding more than a year of mass protests and fighting that unseated Ali Abdullah Saleh from the presidency.
Ali Aidah, spokesman for an army-allied tribal force, said five militants from Ansaral-Sharia, an al Qaeda-affiliated group, were killed in an ambush by tribesmen in the al-Arkoub area near the southern city of Lawder on Friday night. Two more militants were killed in an attack by tribesmen in another area outside of Lawder, he said.
Separately, a security official in the southern province of Lahej said a Yemeni intelligence officer, Colonel Passer Abdul-Qawi, was shot dead by unknown gunmen on Saturday morning while he was walking near the main city hospital.
More than 250 people have been killed since government forces stepped up attacks on the militants whom it accused of assaulting a military camp near Lawdar earlier this month. Islamist insurgents have already taken control of a number of cities in the southern territory, which is close to key shipping lanes in the Red Sea.
Yemen’s new president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who took office vowing to fight al Qaeda, is also facing challenges from Shi’ite Muslim rebels in the north and secessionists in the south of the impoverished Arabian Peninsula state.—Reuters.
Israel ex-spy warns against ‘messianic’ Iran war
A former Israeli spymaster, on April 28 branded the country’s leaders unfit to tackle the Iranian nuclear program because of what he called the “messianic feelings” behind their threats to launch a pre-emptive war on Iran. Other veterans have come out against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak recently, but the criticism from former domestic intelligence chief Yuval Diskin was especially strong.
“I have no faith in the prime minister, nor in the defense minister,” Diskin, who stepped down as head of the Shin Bet a year ago, said in a speech partly broadcast by Israel Radio on Saturday. “I really don’t have faith in a leader-ship that makes decisions out of messianic feelings.
“The catastrophic terms with which Netanyahu and Barak describe the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran have stirred concern in Israel and abroad of a possible strike against a uranium enrichment program Iran says has peaceful ends. World powers have been trying to curb Tehran through sanctions and negotiations that are due to resume next month.
Although Israel has threatened a pre-emptive strike if diplomacy fails, some experts believe that could be a bluff to keep up pressure on Iran, making it harder to interpret the swirl of comments from the security establishment. Diskin’s remarks came days after Israel’s military chief, Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz, said Iran was “very rational” and unlikely to build a bomb in the face of world opposition, apparently undermining the case for a strike.
By using the language of religious fervor that Israelis usually associate with Islamist foes, Diskin appeared even more damning of Netanyahu and Barak, who have often crafted strategy alone and whose relationship dates back to service in an elite commando unit four decades ago. The former head of Israel’s Mossad foreign intelligence service, Meir Dagan, has ridiculed the idea of a strike on Iran.—Reuters
North jams S Korea’s flights
Electronic jamming signals from North Korea which have affected hundreds of civilian flights in South Korea were continuing unabated on Thursday, May 3 officials said, amid simmering cross-border tensions. “GPS (global positioning system) jamming signals are continuing today,” Yang Chang-Seang, a transport ministry assistant director, told AFP.
As of 2 pm (0500 GMT), a total of 337 aircraft since Saturday had reported the failure of GPS signals, he said.
Ahmadinejad routed
Supporters of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have been reduced to a small fraction in Iran’s legislature, hugely out-numbered by the conservatives who once backed him but then turned against him after he was perceived to challenge the authority of top clerics, according to final results from a runoff parliamentary election announced on Saturday, May 7. Iran has touted the turnout for Friday’s vote as a show of support for the country’s religious leadership in their confrontation with the West over Tehran’s controversial nuclear programme. The result is also a new humiliation for Ahmadinejad, whose political decline started last year with his bold but failed challenge of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the choice of intelligence chief.
Afghanistan asks Iran to respect its sovereignty
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on Iran on May 10 to respect its sovereignty in seeking a long-term agreement with the US, saying it should not make “undiplomatic” statements on this matter. Deputy Policy Minister of the Foreign Ministry Jawid Lodin said none of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries should be concerned about the agreement, given they had been told about it before it was signed.
Iran Ambassador to Afghanistan Abul FazI Zuhr awand reportedly met with the Afghan head of the Senate and requested that the Parliament not approve the agreement signed last week by the Afghan and US President. Lodin said that Zuhrawand had been warned to not repeat such statements in the future describing them as “undiplomatic”. “None of our neighboring countries have the right to be concerned about Afghanistan’s agreements with another country,” Lodin told MPs in Kabul. “We have completed our responsibility toward our neighbors on the agreement, including Iran.—NNI
49 headless bodies dumped on highway
On May 14 forty-nine bodies with their heads, hands and feet hacked off were found dumped on a northern Mexico highway leading to the Texas border in what appeared to be the latest carnage in an escalating war between Mexico’s two dominant drug cartels. Local and federal authorities discovered the bodies before dawn scattered in a pool of blood at the entrance to the town of San Juan, on a highway leading from the metropolis of Monterrey to the border city of Reynosa. A white stone arch welcoming visitors was spray-painted with black letters: “100% Zeta.” Nuevo Leon state security spokesman Jorge Domene said at a news conference that the 43 men and six women would be hard to identify because of the lack of heads, hands and feet. The bodies were being taken to a Monterrey audi-torium for DNA tests. The victims could have been killed as long as two days ago at another location, then trans-ported to San Juan, a town in the municipality of Cadereyta, about 105 miles (175 kilometers) west-southwest of McAllen, Texas, and 75 miles (125 kilometers) southwest of the Roma, Texas, border crossing, state Attorney General Adrian de la Garza said.
De la Garza said he did not rule out the possibility that the victims were U.S.-bound migrants. But it seemed more likely that the killings were the latest salvo in a gruesome game of tit-for-tat in fighting among brutal drug gangs. “This is the most definitive of all the cartel wars,” said Raul Benitez Manaut, a security expert at Mexico’s National Autonomous University. Mass body dumpings have increased around Mexico the last six months as the fearsome Zetas gang goes head to head with the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, led by fugitive drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, and its allies.’
Under President Felipe Calderon’s nearly six-year assault on organized crime, the two cartels have become the largest in the country and are battling over strategic transport routes and territory, including along the northern border with the U.S. and in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz.♦
| Current Threat Levels: | ||
| City/ Region | Thrreat Level | |
| Islamabad | Level 2 | ** |
| Karachi | Level 2 | ** |
| Lahore | Level 2 | ** |
| Punjab | Level 2 | ** |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Level 3 | *** |
| Peshawar | Level 2 | ** |
| Quetta | Level 2 | ** |
| Gilgit and Northern Areas | Level 3 | *** |
| Lower Balochistan | Level 2 | ** |
| Upper /Rural Sindh | Level 2 | ** |
| Tribal areas, close to Afghan border | Level 3 | *** |
| Threat Level | Level 3 | *** |
| Index to Threat Level Perceptions | |
| Threat Level 1 Indicates there is no threat to foreigners although there may be isolated incidents involving petty crime. No security precautions are required | * |
| Threat Level 2 Indicates there is no specific threat to foreigners; however because of the overall general law & order situation, some security precautions are advised if traveling. | ** |
| Threat Level 3 Indicates that law and order situation is cause for concern and travel should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Level dictates that foreigners should rehearse plans for evacuation. | *** |
| Threat Level 4 Indicates complete breakdown of civil administration and law & order leading to anarchy. All foreigners advised 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. | ***** |
