Terrorist Activities in Pakistan
Bomb/IED Blasts
A bomb blast targeting a vehicle carrying Security Forces (SFs) killed a minor girl and injured 15 others on March 29 on the outskirts of Quetta city in Balochistan province. Militants targeted the vehicle of Frontier Corps (FC) through an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on Quetta’s Sariab road area. The militants planted the IED in a rickshaw parked on the road. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. However, Police suspect that Baloch militants operating in the area carried out the attack.
At least four persons were injured in two separate explosions in Karachi on April 1, reports The News. The first incident took place near NIPA Chowrangi area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal town where bomb went off that left one person injured. Police said that the militants tried to enter an identified seminary, however, the guard succeeded to stop them after which militants left the bomb outside the seminary and managed to flee.
Meanwhile, a bomb exploded outside a Mosque in Gulshan-e-Hadeed area, leaving two children injured.
A driver, Syed Ajmal Hussain, was critically injured in a roadside blast in Parachinar, headquarters of Kurram Agency in FATA on March 31, reports The News. Sources said that Syed Ajmal Hussain was going to his village in a vehicle when a roadside explosive device planted by suspected militants near a checkpoint went off.
At least 23 people were killed and many others were injured in a bomb explosion at Pir Wadhai area near Sabzi Mandi locality in Islamabad on April 9, reports The News. Police said that the explosives were planted in a guava box, which at the time of auction exploded, killing and injuring many people. The guava boxes were brought from market places in Punjab, including, Burewala city in Vehari District and Arifwala tehsil (revenue unit) in Pakpattan District.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesperson’ Shahidullah Shahid condemned the blast and said that it was haram (unlawful) and illegal to attack innocent people in public places, adds The Express Tribune. Later, Police arrested a suspect from the location of the blast, reports Dawn. Earlier, on April 3, secret agencies had alerted the Police that militants opposed to the Government-TTP peace talks are planning terrorist activities in Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta. The ceasefire will end on April 10, 2014.
At least 17 people, including a woman and five children, were killed and 44 others were wounded when a passenger train, Jaffar Express was bombed at Sibi Railway Station in Sibi District on April 8, reports The Express Tribune. The United Baloch Army (UBA) claimed responsibility for the attack on the train which was en route from Quetta to Rawalpindi District in Punjab. “Today’s attack was revenge against the military operation,” UBA ‘spokesman’ Mureed Baloch said referring to the April 7, 2014, Kalat crackdown by the Security Forces (SFs). “We warn the people not to travel in trains as we will continue attacks in the future,” he added. Muhammad Tahir, a Police Official said that militants targeted the passenger train through an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at Sibi Railway Station, adds Dawn. “When Pindi bound train reached railway station, there was a huge blast,” he said.
At least 24 low intensity bomb blasts hit different cities of Sindh on April 8 as Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM) announced a strike for April 9, 2014 against Protection of Pakistan Ordinance Bill and the March 21, 2014, killing of Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) leader Maqsood Qureshi, reports The News.
According to reports, hand-grenade explosions took place in Karachi, Hyderabad, Larkana, Nowshero Feroz and other Districts. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Hyderabad, Pir Farid Jan Sirhindi said that Police and Rangers had arrested 13 suspected cadres of a nationalist party after attacks. However, no outfit has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Separately, unidentified militants hurled a hand grenade near shops at Zamzama market in Karachi District, the provincial capital of Sindh on April 8, reports Dawn. However, no casualties were reported in the attack.
At least 17 people were injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast targeting a shop located in a market in Pakistan Chowk area of Lahore District on April 11, reports The Express Tribune. The shop that was attacked provides home appliances and other goods on instalments. The shop’s owner later revealed that he had been receiving threats for not paying extortion money.
Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Lahore said that it is premature to say anything and they are investigating the matter. The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) said that the blast was caused by the detonation of an IED that contained between 200-400 grams of explosives.
Two children were injured in a low intensity bomb blast that occurred near the residence of Jama’at-e-Islami (JeI) Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Saeed Gul in Dir Colony within the jurisdiction of Chamkani Police Station in Peshawar on April 10, reports The Express Tribune. Police said that the target was MPA Gul’s neighbour Syed Qayum Shah. “It was a low intensity bomb blast which damaged the gate of the house and left two children wounded,” said a Police Official, adding, that it looks like an incident of extortion.
Targeted Killings
The driver of Express News anchor Raza Rumi was killed while he was injured in a targeted attack on his car near the Express News office in Raja Market of Lahore District on March 28. Soon after the incident Rumi said that although he had not received any direct threats, he was reportedly on the hit-list of some extremist groups. Eleven bullet casings were recovered from the crime scene, the Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) said.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Union of Journalists announced that it would hold a protest in front of the Punjab Assembly on March 29, 2014 (today). “We [journalists] will continue to speak the truth and not back down,” Rumi said, adding “Politicians will not benefit from remaining quiet while journalists are muzzled…these bullets will target them tomorrow if they do not take notice today.” He further said, “There will be no security or governance left in Pakistan.
Unidentified militants shot dead a lady polio worker, Fehmida Yasmin, in Sukari Zabita Khan in the limits of the Cantonment Police Station in Bannu town (Bannu District) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on March 31, reports The News. Yasmin, who had been privately hired for the anti-polio campaign, was on her way to a house to administer anti-polio drops to children when an unidentified militant opened fire on her. She died on the spot. The accused managed to escape from the scene.
At least two torture bearing dead bodies of Muttahida Qaumi Movement activists, identified as that of Sanaullah and Masrur, were recovered from Ghagar Phatak near National Highway in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh on April 1, reports The Express Tribune. According to Police sources, they were abducted from Gulistan-e-Jauhar area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town and then tortured to death.
Separately, a seminary student, identified as Muhammad Ahsan (25), was shot dead and another student, identified as Saad (24), was injured when two unidentified armed assailants wearing surgical masks opened fire on them in Gulshan-e-Iqbal area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town on April 1. According to Gulshan Superintendent of Police (SP) Iqbal Tanveer Hussain Tunio, the two students were on their way home after attending classes at the Ahsan ul Uloom seminary on Abul Hasan Isphahani Road. “It seems the two students were killed due to their sects,” claimed SP Tunio.
In another incident, two unidentified persons were injured in a firing incident in Sharafi Goth area of Landhi Town on April 1, reports Dawn.
The dead body of an Iranian national, identified as Mohtaj Ubair, was found hanging from a tree in the Mashkail town of Kharan District on April 1, reports The Express Tribune. Balochistan Levies personnel found a piece of paper from the body that read “death to the informer of Iran”. Assistant Commissioner Asghar Syapad said, “The body bore multiple marks of torture and he was hanged to death.” According to details, Ubair had come to visit his relatives in Pakistan and was abducted from Chagai District on the same day.
Two unidentified dead bodies were recovered from Mianwali Colony in Manghopir area of Gadap Town in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh on April 2, reported Dawn. According to Police, the victims had been tortured before being shot dead,
Unidentified militants killed three unidentified students of an Islamic seminary near Continental Bakery in Gulistan-e-Jauhar area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, on April 9, reports Dawn.
Separately, a Shia doctor, identified as Haider Raza, was shot dead while another man accompanying him was injured when unidentified militants opened fire at his car in front of Darul Sehat Hospital in Gulistan-e-Jauhar area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town on April 9, reports Dawn.
In a separate incident, a lawyer, Syed Waqar Shah (42), was killed when unidentified militants opened fire at his car in Gulshan-e-Iqbal area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town on April 10, reports Dawn. Police said Waqar was en route to the court from his house. He was the Vice President of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Lawyers’ Wing.
Further, an unidentified man was shot dead by armed assailants in Block 7 area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town on April 10, reports Dawn.
In another incident, one Nabi Bukhsh (25), was shot at and injured near Aath Chowk in Eido Lane of Lyari Town on April 10, reports Dawn.
Elsewhere, one Aqeel (25), was shot and injured when unidentified militants opened fire on him near Meera Naka Bridge in Lyari Town on April 10, reports Dawn.
A Shia lawyer, identified as Advocate Syed Ghulam Haider (52), was shot dead in Martin Quarters on Martin Road in Jamshed Town of Karachi on April 11, reports The Express Tribune. According to the Police, Haider was attending a majlis (meeting) at Shah Najaf Imambargah (Shia place of commemoration), on Martin Road, when two unidentified armed assailants opened fire at his car, killing him on the spot.
At least three suspects, identified as Amjad Farooqui, Shahid Qadri and Shakeel Qadri, were killed when two unidentified militants opened fire at a car near Gulfam Sweet in Cant Bazaar area on Drigh Road within the limits of Shahrah-e-Faisal Police Station in Shah Faisal Town of Karachi on April 13, reports The Express Tribune. Police claimed that Farooqui was associated with Ahl-e-Sunnat-Wal-Jama’at (ASWJ), while the other two were the members of Sunni Tehreek (ST).
Separately, a shopkeeper, identified as Badaruddin (50), was shot dead in New Karachi Town on April 13, reports Daily Times.
Elsewhere, a security guard, identified as Shah Fahad, was found dead near Safoora roundabout in Guslhan-e-Iqbal Town on April 13, reports Daily Times.
In another incident, unidentified armed assailants shot and injured a man, identified as Abdul Shakoor (45), on Northern Bypass in Surjani Town on April 13, reports Daily Times.
Two bus passengers belonging to Shia Hazara community were killed in an incident of target killing on Sariab Road in Quetta on April 12, reports Dawn. Superintendent of Police (SP) Imran Qureshi said that militants singled out two members of Hazara community from a passenger bus and opened fire on them from a very close range. “The incident as an act of targeted killing,” said Qureshi, adding, the passenger bus was preparing to leave for Karachi when intercepted by militants. Police said, “It is an act of sectarian terrorism”.
Separately, two bullet-riddled dead bodies, identified as that of Fareed and Mohammad Saleem, were found in Mand area of Turbat District on April 13, reported Dawn. According to Police, Saleem was kidnapped before being shot dead.
At least seven members of a family were killed and seven others injured in firing incident in Yar Hussain area of Swabi District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on April 24, reports The News. Police said unidentified assailants open fire on a vehicle, resulting the death of seven people and injuries to seven others. Police said all the dead and injured belong to one family and were going to Peshawar airport to see off a relative.
At least seven members of a family were killed and seven others injured in firing incident in Yar Hussain area of Swabi District on April 24, reports The News. Police said unidentified assailants open fire on a vehicle, resulting the death of seven people and injuries to seven others. Police said all the dead and injured belong to one family and were going to Peshawar airport to see off a relative.
Miscellaneous
The driver of NATO oil container was killed and his companion was injured when unidentified militants set ablaze the tanker in Bypass area of Dhadar tehsil (revenue unit) in Bolan District on March 28, reports Dawn. An un-named levies official said that the militants escaped from the spot after torching the container. No outfit claimed responsibility for the attack.
Armed men disguised in SFs’ uniforms attacked the Pasni radar-post in Mekran Belt near Gwadar on March 29, killing a Balochistan Constabulary official and injuring another, reports Daily Times. An official in the province’s home and tribal affairs department told that eight armed militants stormed inside the Pasni radar post. The militants took eight SFs hostage. The assailants planted a bomb after the attack and damaged some technical equipments installed at the radar-post during the attack. They also fired few rocket-propelled grenades on the radar, partially damaging the installation.
The Police arrested a suspected suicide bomber during search operation in Kohat District of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on March 28, reports Daily Times. Police officials were searching vehicles at a check point in Nasrat Khel area of Kohat District when they arrested a suspected suicide bomber, Amjad Ali and recovered explosive material and a suicide vest from him. The bomb disposal unit was called in which successfully defused the suicide jacket containing 13 kg of explosives, ball bearings, prima-card and two MV2 fuses.
Two passengers of the Akbar Bugti Express were killed and 10 others were injured when unidentified armed assailants attacked the train with two rockets in the Bolan District on March 31, reports The News. The attackers fired two rockets which hit the bogies of the train, said officials of the Pakistan Railways. The Frontier Corps (FC) and Railways Police personnel retaliated.
Meanwhile, a dead body was found in the Totak area of Khuzdar District on March 31, reports Dawn.
At least 23 mortar shells fired from Afghanistan fell into North Waziristan Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on April 3, reports Dawn. The mortar shells landed into Ghulam Khan and Bagi Dar areas of North Waziristan. No casualties or loss of life was reported due to the targeted areas being uninhabited.
Heavy clashes were reported among the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Afghan Taliban militants in Paktika province of Afghanistan on April 4, reports Khaama Press. Afghan intelligence, National Directorate of Security (NDS), officials said that the incident took place when a group of TTP militants were looking to storm the election sites in Paktika province. However Afghan Taliban militants opposed them which erupted heavy gun battle between the two sides. Defence Ministry spokesman General Zahir Azimi said at least three TTP militants were killed along with an Afghan Taliban militant during the clashes. Several TTP militants were forced to flee the area and return back to the other side of the Durand line.
Two Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan militants, identified as Abdullah and Zikaria, were killed in an alleged Police encounter in Sohrab Goth area of Gadap Town in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh on April 5 (today), reports The News. Police also recovered weapons from their possession.
Separately, Rangers claimed to have arrested three alleged target killers from Musa Lane area of Lyari Town on April 4, reports Daily Times. According to Rangers sources the accused were affiliated with People’s Amn Committee (PAC).
At least four people were injured when unidentified militants hurled a hand grenade at a shop in Osta Mohammad tehsil (revenue unit) of Jaffarabad District on April 5, reports Dawn. No outfit claimed responsibility for the attack. A Police Official, Muhammad Ayub suspected that Baloch separatists could be behind the attack.
Unidentified assailants hurled a hand grenade at the house of Jamshed Baghwan, the Express News Bureau Chief of Peshawar, in the Murshidabad neighbourhood of Peshawar (Peshawar District), the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, at around 6:25am on April 6, reports The Express Tribune. The main gate of the house was damaged in the attack which happened just over two weeks after an explosive device was found and subsequently defused by the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) near Baghwan’s house on March 19.
Frontier Corps (FC) on April 7 claimed to have killed more than 30 militants in Parodh area of Kalat District, reports Dawn. Khan Wasey, the FC Spokesman said that the forces launched an operation against militants in Kalat District’s Parodh area. He further added that 10 security personnel also sustained injuries during the operation and the “Forces also destroyed six vehicles of miscreants”. “There is an intense firing between forces and miscreants”, Wasey added. Security Forces also claimed to have recovered rocket launchers, hand grenades, hand-held bombs and other arms and ammunition from the possessions of militants. Provincial Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti confirmed that the SFs seized a large quantity of weapons during the raids and that 10 members of the paramilitary force were wounded in the fighting.
The FC Spokesman claimed that the targeted militants were involved in recent attacks on passenger trains, Security Forces (SFs) and other vital installations in different parts of the province.
At least four Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants, including a local ‘commander’ of the Hakimullah Mehsud group, identified as Kashed Khan Mehsud were killed and another was injured in Shaktoi area of South Waziristan Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on April 7, reports Dawn. According to local sources the fatalities were a result of a clash occurred between Khan Said alias Sajna and Wali-ur-Rehman groups of the TTP. However, Taliban sources have yet not confirmed the deaths.
However, the official sources stated that unidentified militants attacked a car in the Shaktoi area, killing four people and injuring another.
Unidentified armed assailants attacked the house of Special Public Prosecutor, Advocate Abdul Maroof, the prosecutor in the Wali Khan Babar murder case, in Akhtar Colony of Jamshed Town in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh on April 7, reports The News. However, no casualties were reported in the attack. Advocate Maroof said that unidentified militants fired gunshots towards his residence in Akhtar Colony and then fled from the scene. He also demanded of the Government to take notice of the incident. His residence had come under a similar attack in the past too.
At least 14 Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants were killed in clashes between two factions of the militant outfit on April 8 in South Waziristan Agency, reports Daily Times. According to Police and militant sources, a total of 34 people have been killed since fighting broke out April 6, 2014 in South Waziristan Agency between supporters of Khan Said Sajna and followers of the slain leader Hakimullah Mehsud.
According to militant sources, the differences emerged after Khan Said Sajna, a senior ‘commander’, was rejected for leadership of the TTP umbrella group, after its former leader Hakimullah Mehsud was killed in a United States (US) drone strike on November 1, 2013. “At least 12 people have been killed in a firefight between militant groups in the Shaktai area of South Waziristan. The fighting still goes on,” added a security official in Miranshah town of North Waziristan Agency. Sources from both militant groups confirmed the clashes and death toll.
An unnamed senior TTP ‘commander’ said that efforts were being made to resolve differences between the Sajna and Hakimullah Mehsud groups but the former refused to reach any agreement. “There are always differences among the people. There are fights also, some people fight for money, some for other interests”, he added.
Nine more Persons were killed on April 9 in a fourth day of fighting between two feuding factions of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in South Waziristan Agency, reports Daily Times. A total of 43 people have now died in clashes which erupted on April 6 between supporters of Khan Said Sajna and followers of the late Hakimullah Mehsud group. Both factions are part of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) umbrella group, which has been waging a bloody seven-year insurgency against the state.
An attempt of terrorism in Karachi was foiled on April 9 when a bomb planted in busy commercial area of city was defused, reports Daily Times. According to details, a major disaster was prevented in the metropolis when a 14-kilogramme bomb was recovered and defused at Khalid Bin Waleed Road in PECHC Block 6.
Unidentified militants on April 10 killed the driver of a NATO container near Jamrud Bypass in Jamrud town of Khyber Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) while it was carrying supplies for NATO troops stationed in Afghanistan, reports Dawn. Ali Sher, a local administration official, confirmed the incident. A convoy of seven oil tankers was on its way to Afghanistan, according to security officials.
Separately, several militants (unspecified numbers) were killed in infighting between two factions of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan on April 11 in South Waziristan Agency, reports Dawn. The cause of clash is said to be over interference in matters inside one another’s domains. The fighters from both sides have been launching attacks in the areas of Shawal, Shaktoi, Makin and Tank with heavy ammunition and artillery in an attempt to destroy one another’s sanctuaries. Moreover, the internal strife between the two groups is now spilling onto other areas of the region. The clash has led to over 30 deaths since its first day on April 6, 2014. The clashes erupted between supporters of Khan Said Sajna and followers of the late Hakimullah Mehsud group.
At least 10 militants were killed in the ongoing infighting in the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in Shawal tehsil (revenue unit) of Miranshah in North Waziristan Agency on April 11, reports The Express Tribune. A local security official said that fighting erupted in the night of April 11 when militants belonging to Wali-ur-Rahman Group ambushed a vehicle carrying members of the Hakimullah Group close to the border of North and South Waziristan. All those inside were killed, while the attackers fled the scene. The official confirmed that the dead militants belonged to the Hakimullah Group, which is led by Shehryar Mehsud.
According to independent sources, at least 43 militants from both factions have been killed in clashes which erupted on April 6, 2014 in South Waziristan Agency and later escalated to neighbouring North Waziristan Agency and Tank District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Separately, three Haqqani Network militants were killed and two wounded when a vehicle hit a roadside bomb in the Dattakhel area of North Waziristan Agency on April 11, reports The Express Tribune. A local security official said that the dead belonged to the Haqqani Network and were en route to Dattakhel in a four-wheeler when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded. A source identified one of the dead victims as Sher Amanullah, a ‘commander’ of the Haqqani Network based in North Waziristan Agency.
A terror attack was averted when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted in the Fruit Mandi of Quetta failed to explode on April 13, reports The Express Tribune. A senior Police Official said that the IED was concealed in tomato crates. “Only the fuse of the IED went off causing panic and stampede in the market,” SP Mohammad Jaffar said. Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) officials said the bomb weighed around two kilogrammes. “There have been no casualties because the IED did not explode,” a BDS official said. However, no outfit claimed responsibility for the attack.
Thirty-seven militants were killed and more than a dozen injured in air strikes by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighter aircraft in Bara and Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on April 24, reports The News. Earlier, Daily Times reported that 10 militants were killed and 15 others injured. The sources said fighter aircraft bombarded the suspected positions of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in Wache Wanay, Sra Vela, Dwa toi and Tordarra in Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency. The jets also targeted some hideouts of the TTP in Spera Dam area of Bara tehsil (revenue unit). 10 hideouts of militants were destroyed in the bombardment. The official sources said the dead militants belonged to Orakzai Agency and Darra Adamkhel of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Pakistan
People are dying in Balochistan while the Provincial Chief Secretary is visiting the US, complains Supreme Court
A two-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC), comprising Justice Amir Hani Muslim and Justice Mushir Alam, while hearing the cases on the law and order situation in Balochistan, missing persons and the Khuzdar mass grave case on March 26 observed that Balochistan Chief Secretary was visiting the United States (US) while people in the province were dying, reports The News. The Supreme Court gave these remarks after being informed that the meeting of the Balochistan Chief Secretary, the counsel for the Frontier Corps (FC) Irfan Qadir, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) and Balochistan Advocate General Nizamuddin could not be held as the Chief Secretary had proceeded on a visit to the US. The court asked the Balochistan Government to give a solution to the missing persons issue and directed the Chief Secretary to submit a detailed report in this regard in the first week of April, 2014.
The court directed the Balochistan Chief Secretary to hold a meeting on his return from the US and adjourned the hearing for two weeks.
Govt-TTP direct peace talks begin in FATA
Direct peace talks were held between the Government and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in Orakzai Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on March 26, reports The News. The talks were mainly focused on an extension in the ceasefire and release of non-combatant detainees. The face-to-face meeting lasting seven hours was held in the Biland khel area in Spin Thall in the Orakzai Agency near the boundary with North Waziristan and the Kurram Agencies. Sources said a consensus could not be developed during the talks on the host of issues that were discussed. Five TTP central Shura (council) members took part in the talks, although the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-S) head Maulana Samiul Haq, who is head of the TTP-nominated negotiations committee, said eight Shura members were present. Maulana Samiul Haq also attended the meeting.
The four Government negotiators led by Secretary Ports and Shipping Habibullah Khan Khattak and the three TTP negotiations committee members headed by Maulana Samiul Haq were first flown in two separate helicopters to Thall town in Hangu District and then driven in vehicles to Biland khel in Orakzai Agency. The three other government negotiators were Fawad Hasan Fawad, an Additional Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, Additional Chief Secretary FATA Arbab Muhammad Arif and Rustam Shah Mohmand, a retired bureaucrat who served as chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and ambassador to Afghanistan and is a nominee of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the committee.
The TTP-nominated negotiators Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, who is provincial head of the Jamaat-e-Islami, and Maulana Yousaf Shah, who is an aide to Maulana Samiul Haq and is coordinator of the committee, also attended the talks. The TTP Shura was represented in the talks by Qari Shakil, who belongs to Mohmand Agency, Azam Tariq, who is from the Mehsud tribe in South Waziristan, Qari Bashir, Hussain, who is a pharmacist and cleric, and a fifth person whose name could not be ascertained. Maulana Yousaf Shah and Prof Ibrahim had earlier said that Maulana Zakir too would be representing the TTP Shura, but it wasn’t clear if he attended the meeting.
US has not announced an end to drone attacks, says Prime Minister’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz
Prime Minister’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz on March 28 said that the United States (US) has not formally announced to stop drone attacks in Pakistan, reports The News. He said that Nawaz Shahrif had told President Barack Obama that the drones were causing damage instead of any benefit. However, the US officials had not informed Pakistan about as to how long the drone attacks would not be launched, he said.
Meanwhile, the United Nations (UN) called on all states on March 28 to ensure that the use of armed drones complies with international law, backing a proposal from Pakistan seen as taking aim at the United States (US), reports The News. The Council “urges all states to ensure that any measures employed to counter terrorism, including the use of remotely piloted aircraft or armed drones, comply with their obligations under international law…in particular the principles of precaution, distinction and proportionality”.
Pakistan’’s Ambassador Zamir Akram while talking to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) said, “The purpose of this resolution is not to shame or name anyone, as we are against this approach,” adding, “It is about supporting a principle.” The Resolution was adopted by a vote of 27 states in favour to six against, with 14 abstentions. The United States, Britain and France voted against.
Militancy threatens Pakistan’s improving growth, warns IMF Review Report
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), while reviewing Pakistan’s performance under a USD 6.7 billion bailout loan package, on March 28 said in its report that Pakistan’s key economic indicators were showing modest improvement but warned that militancy and crime could threaten growth and investment, reports Daily Times. “For the fiscal year 2014-15, growth is forecast to accelerate to about 3.7 percent, and will continue to accelerate in the medium term,” the report said, adding, “Security conditions in Pakistan remain difficult with significant terrorist activity, as well as sectarian violence and urban criminal activity, which could depress investment and growth.”
The report was prepared after the IMF team met Pakistan’s Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and other officials in Dubai during a meeting from February 1 to 9, 2014, to discuss the economic performance, approval and release of the USD 550 million third instalment of the loan. The meeting was held outside Pakistan because of security worries, the fund said. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) spokesman confirmed that USD 550 million had been transferred from the IMF to bring foreign exchange reserves USD 9.1 billion.
Further, The IMF confirmed its recent forecast of 3.1 percent growth this year, which was revised up from an earlier 2.8 percent. “The overall economic situation in Pakistan is gradually improving,” said Jeffrey Franks, the IMF Mission Chief for Pakistan, adding, “That 3.1 percent may still be a bit on the conservative side, so we see indicators of growth that are relatively strong considering the fiscal adjustment that has taken place.”
Attacks on journalist and worship places reflect new wave of intolerance, says HRCP
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on March 31 expressed alarm over a number of developments, including the assault on journalist Raza Rumi and attacks on temples in Sindh, and termed the same a new wave of intolerance, reports The News. According to a press statement issued, “HRCP has grave concerns over a number of recent incidents, including an attack on Raza Rumi in Lahore, a spate of assaults at Hindu temples, the most recent one being in Hyderabad, and the death sentence for Sawan Masih.” “HRCP believes that we are witnessing a new wave of intolerance and these instances stem from the same motivation. While the court’s verdict against Sawan is another matter, the assault on the Christian-dominated Joseph Colony in Lahore in March 2013 and torching of over 100 houses in Sawan’s neighbourhood following the charge of blasphemy is part of the same wave. It is a matter of concern that while Sawan has been sentenced to death a year after the incident, cases against those involved in the arson and looting are not progressing.”
HuT cadres resurface in Islamabad, says report
The outlawed Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT) has once again started its activities in Islamabad, with its cadres distributing pamphlets among the citizens asking them to support the outfit for the establishment of caliphate in the country, reports Dawn on March 31. In one of its pamphlets written in Urdu, the HuT requested the people of Pakistan to ask their relatives serving in the armed forces to help the organisation achieve its mission so that the US “meets its doom in the region.”
PPP calls for action against ‘150 sleeper cells’ of LeJ in Punjab
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on April 1 called upon the Punjab Government to take action against ‘150 sleeper cells’ of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) in the Province, reports Dawn. Fawad Chaudhry, the media adviser of PPP Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the party had taken serious notice of a threatening letter sent by the LeJ to Bilawal Bhutto. Ali Sufian who claimed to be a ‘spokesperson’ of LeJ threatened in the letter that his group would kill the Bilawal for his hostile stance against militants.
Fawad Chaudhry said: “The LJ was involved in the attack on Bilawal Bhutto’s security guards in Karachi and we believe that members of this group were hiding in Punjab.” He further said that the presence of ‘150 sleeper cells’ of LeJ had been disclosed by the Federal Ministry for Interior. Chaudhry accused the Provincial Government of being reluctant to take action against the LeJ and said that the PPP could not rely on the Punjab Government’s security plan for Bilawal Bhutto during his visit to Lahore.
PPP Punjab’s Information Secretary Raja Amer accused the Punjab Government of having close links with the LeJ and, therefore, not interested in acting against the banned group. He accused Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah of working as the mouthpiece of the LeJ.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in talks with COAS and ISI DG to decide the ‘exit deal’ for former President General Pervez Musharraf
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General (DG) Lieutenant General Zaheerul Islam Janjua on April 1 paid a visit to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to discuss former President General (retired) Pervez Musharraf’s possible exit from Pakistan, reports Daily Times. There are speculations that Musharraf is likely to leave the country, as the General Headquarters (GHQ) reportedly presses the Government to pave way for the ex-general’s safe exit from Pakistan given that he has been indicted in the high treason case. However, the Federal Ministry for Interior is yet to decide on removing Musharraf’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL).
According to sources, the majority of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders opposed removing Musharraf’s name from the ECL, arguing that punishing him would ensure that there would be “no future violations of the constitution”. The PML-N leaders reportedly said that allowing Musharraf to leave the country would be perceived as a covert and controversial deal and it would be difficult for the Government to defend this move. The Prime Minister said that since there is an independent judiciary in the country, the Government would respect its verdict. The meeting failed to reach a decision on the issue and the Prime Minister has summoned his close associates to discuss this issue in the coming days.
According to an unnamed Federal Minister the Government is planning to allow safe passage to Musharraf out of Pakistan on “humanitarian grounds” after direct possible diplomatic intervention from the Saudi Arabian authorities as a part of a covert deal. “The modalities are being given final touches,” he said.
TTP launches official website, the it is taken down
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan on April 5 launched its ‘official’ website hosting videos, a magazine, and its leaders’ interviews and statements, reports Dawn, while quoting a news release issued by Umar Media, the ‘information and publication wing’ of the TTP. Umar Media has sponsored the website, which would serve as the central information portal of the outfit. “Statements, videos, announcements and magazine released by the TTP will be available on the website,” the news release said. It added that Umar Media was the only authorised body to issue messages and statements of the TTP.
The website carries e-mail addresses of ‘central spokesman’ of TTP Shahidullah Shahid and other sections. The website contains the TTP flag, verses from the Holy Quran, statements and videos containing sectarian, hate and propaganda material, especially against Security Forces, a message of TTP ‘deputy’ Sheikh Khalid Haqqani for the people of Balochistan, and pictures of slain TTP ‘chief’ Hakimullah Mehsud and his successor and current ‘chief’ Maulvi Fazlullah.
The ‘official’ website, UmarMedia.com, launched by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan on April 5, 2014 was taken down on April 7, reports Dawn. According to investigation into the domain’s registered records on April 7 revealed that the website was hosted by a company from Punjab. The owner of the company, said that he had no idea who the client was. “The domain was registered in November 2013, and until yesterday, we had no idea as to what the content on the website would be,” he said, adding, “The order for the domain and the website were placed through an address from Karachi, and the client always used proxy servers to access the online administrative panel.” He further added, “The address was apparently fake.”
The website is now inaccessible and shows a ‘404 – Not Found’ error. The public Domain Name System (DNS) records which were d on April 6, 2014, shortly before the website went down now list an inactive phone number and an address, most likely fake, from Buffer Zone in Karachi.
Prisoners released after consulting Army, clarifies Federal Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan
Federal Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on April 13 said that the Government had held consultations with the Army over the issue of freeing Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan prisoners, reports Dawn. He said that the Government wanted the immediate release of non-combatants held captive by the TTP and added that the TTP had not demanded the release of militant’s and neither would they be freed. He said that the release of combatant prisoners would take place at a later stage, adding that the holding of talks with the Taliban, which had entered its third stage, was a difficult task. Nisar said that there was no deadlock between the Taliban and the Government and it had been decided earlier only that the next round of talks would take place after April 13, 2014.
Meanwhile, the Government on April 13 acknowledged that there were certain misunderstandings between it and the Army, but the issue was never as serious as depicted by the media, reports Daily Times. Nisar Ali Khan said that coordination and harmony between the Government and the armed forces in the past ten months has been historically the best ever. He further said that both the institutions were on the same page on national affairs. He also said that the Government and military were in agreement on the issue of talks with the TTP.
Dispelling the impression that the army was not happy with the release of Taliban prisoners, Nisar said: “Let me tell you, the release of non-combatant prisoners was not possible without the consent of the military. All 19 prisoners were released from army’s internment centre. Can it be possible to free people from army’s custody without its assent?” The prisoners were earlier released on April 3, 2014. Nisar asked while promising that 13 more non-combatant Taliban prisoners will be released soon. He, however, said that their release will not come before the next direct talks between the Government and Taliban representatives.
Foreign militants seek safe passage
As the Government team prepares for another meeting with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan many of the foreign militants based in and around North Waziristan Agency (NWA) of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) feel they are facing an uncertain future and are not only seeking assurances from their hosts but are also weighing options for moving out to others places, like Afghanistan and Syria, to continue their ‘jihad’, Dawn reports on April 25. This emerged during a series of interviews conducted by Dawn correspondent mainly around NWA, on getting exclusive access to various groups and to some of the most wanted fugitives in the country. “Most of us do not think that the talks would succeed. But if there is give and take from both sides then we fear the Government would try to isolate us. Our hosts did take us into confidence before the talks started, but we feel the government would put them in a tight spot and their options may be limited,” said Azzaam, a senior member of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). But some of the foreign militants also see the developments as an opportunity. “Jihad is not restricted to a single land. We have the flexibility to move around. At the moment most brothers realise that one of the noblest jihadi fronts is Syria,” said Sheikh Abdul Salam, a Saudi national based in NWA.
REGIONAL
Bangladesh – Internal Dynamics
War Crimes investigation agency hands over its report on JeI to Prosecution
The War Crimes investigation agency, which suggested banning Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and six organizations that were associated with the party in 1971, handed over its report on JeI to the Prosecution on March 27, reports The Daily Star. The six organisations are JeI’s then student body Islami Chhatra Sangha, the Peace Committee, Razakar Bahini, Al-Badr Bahini, Al-Shams Bahini and JeI’s mouthpiece Daily Sangram. Matiur Rahman, investigation officer of the case against JeI, handed over the 373-page report and 9,557-page documents to Chief Prosecutor Ghulam Arieff Tipoo at his office in Dhaka city’s Old High Court building.
After completing its probe on March 25, the investigation agency said it had found JeI and its six associate organization’s involvement in grievous crimes during the Liberation War and recommended banning the anti-liberation bodies. It also recommended confiscating assets of these organisations.
PBCP-Jana juddho ‘regional leader’ arrested along with arms in Meherpur District
Detective Branch (DB) of Police arrested Hafizul Islam Sabuj alias Sagu Sabuj (40), a ‘regional leader’ of outlawed Purbo Banglar Communist Party – Jana juddho (PBCP-Jana juddho) in Stadiumpara area of Meherpur District on March 31, reports The Daily Star. The Police also recovered a pistol and two bullets from his possession. Police said Sabuj was accused in 15 cases including one for murder.
BCL leader killed in Rajshahi
A leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of ruling Awami League (AL), was killed in his room at Rajshahi University in Rajshahi District on April 4, reports New Age. The deceased is identified as Shaheed Suhrawardy Hall unit acting general secretary Rustom Ali Akond. BCL blamed Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), for the murder as ICS had been threatening Rustom with life through short message service for the last few days.
One person killed and 10 others injured in sub-District election violence in Sirajganj District
An activist of Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) was killed and 10 others injured when they clashed with the activists of Awami League (AL) at Bhanga Bari Chardhul Khagrachari village of Belkuchi sub-District in Sirajganj District on April 9, reports The Independent. The deceased was identified as Alamgir Hossain (35). Police said JeI activists were having disputes with local AL activists over the results of the local sub-District election.
Meanwhile, the Detective Branch (DB) of Police arrested three militants of Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) along with seven crude bombs in Dasherhat area under Sadar sub-District of the Kurigram District on April 10, reports The Daily Star. The arrestees are Anwar Hossain, Jobed Ali and Manwar Hossain Biplob. Police said that the JMB militants were planning to carry out sabotage acts on the Pohela Boishakh (Bengali New Year) celebration programme in the Sadar sub-District.
‘BNP is an illegal organization founded by a military ruler who had seized power illegally’, says Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed
Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina Wajed on April 12 termed the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) as an illegal organization founded by a military ruler who had seized power illegally, reports New Age. She said, “It is unfortunate for the people of Bangladesh to hear theories from those who have been illegal. The higher court has declared illegal the rule of Ziaur Rahman who grabbing power illegally and formed his party BNP. So, a party formed by such an illegal grabber of power is also illegal.”
Meanwhile, BNP Chairperson, Khaleda Zia, on April 13 challenged before the High Court her indictment in Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust corruption cases, reports New Age. A Special Judge’s Court on March 19, 2014 framed charges against Khaleda and eight others in the two cases. About the charges, the petitions said that the Zia Orphanage Trust and the Zia Charitable Trust were private trusts and Khaleda was not a trustee or anyway involved in the management of any of the trusts. As Khaleda signed no file or document as PM to sanction or disburse any money to the trusts, she had no involvement in the trust, said the petitions.
Separately, Awami League (AL) Publications and Publicity Affairs Secretary Hasan Mahmud on April 13 said that the next general election will be held on time as per the constitutional provisions, reports The Independent. He said “No elections will be held due to threats from any quarters. The next Parliamentary elections will be held on time as per the country’s constitution.” He further said that his party is not concerned by the threats made by Khaleda Zia as the BNP does not have the power to wage a successful movement against the current Government of Sheikh Hasina.
India – Internal Dynamics
Suspected GNLA militants kill three UALA overground workers in Meghalaya
Suspected Garo National Liberation Army militants shot down three overground workers of the United A’chik Liberation Army (UALA) at Darang Dachit village in South Garo Hills District on March 25, reports hueiyenlanpao.com. The three were reportedly picked on un-confirmed date from a village in East Garo Hills by the name of Chima Dachitgittim and then taken across to the South Garo Hills.
Meanwhile, Police have launched combing operation to trace the GNLA militants who shot down three people at Darang Dachit village in South Garo Hills recently, reports The Shillong Times. South Garo Hills Superintendent of Police (SP) Lakador Syiem confirmed the involvement of GNLA in the killing of the three men. He also said that it is not clear whether three people who were shot dead belonged to any militant outfit but Police suspected the three deceased persons to be overground workers of the UALA.
Two BSF personnel injured in IED blast
Two Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were injured when an improvised explosive device (IED), planted by the Communist Party of India-Maoist in Malkangiri District of Odisha, exploded on March 28, reports The Hindu. Speaking to The Hindu, Malkangiri Superintendent of Police (SP), Akhileshwar Singh, said the blast occurred in a remote jungle area between MV126 and Telarai villages under Kalimela Police Station limits at around 9.30 a.m. Around 40 BSF personnel were involved in an anti-Maoist operation in the area ahead of the elections. The injured assistant sub-inspector and a trooper were immediately shifted to Malkangiri District hospital. As their condition was serious they were airlifted to Visakhapatnam. According to the SP, the IED was kept concealed in a bush. It exploded when one of the BSF personnel stepped on it. The Maoists had put up posters and banners in the area giving a call for poll boycott. The posters and banners were later removed by security personnel.
Villager found dead hours after abducted by Maoists in Bihar
A villager was found dead with his throat slit on March 29, hours after Communist Party of India-Maoist had abducted him and four others from Dhabatar village of Jamui District, reports Telegraph. According to sources, around 30 armed Maoists raided Dhabatar village. One Sona Yadav managed to escape while a few hours later the rebels set Umesh Yadav, Rabindar Koda and Khublal Koda free. But the villagers recovered the body of Ajay Koda (27) in an adjacent forest with his throat slit. Jamui Superintendent of Police (SP) Jitendra Rana said the Police suspected CPI-Maoist zonal commander Sidhu Koda’s direct involvement in the incident.
West Bengal gang leader might have a role in Patna serial blasts, says report
A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team came to know that leader of a gang involved in inter-country movement of extremists might have a direct hand in the October 27, 2013, Patna (Bihar) bomb blasts, The Times of India reports on April 1. Two teams of the NIA and Intelligence Bureau (IB) are presently scanning the leads at Nadia and North 24-Parganas Districts to arrest the leader from West Bengal.
Code words such as “ticket” or “chaloo” were used for pistol and “kalungi” for explosives, while the popular AK-47 assault rifle was addressed as “reservation” and “elaichi” for a detonator were frequently used. “The word ‘kalungi’ kept featuring in their conversations prior to the blasts in Patna,” a source said.
This revelation came after the arrest of Tehsin Akhtar alias Monu and Waqas. Sources also said that the main suspect had played a crucial role in delivering hawala (illegal money transaction) money that has funded numerous blasts in India. “We believe that this man, who prefers operating from North 24 Parganas, was close to Abdul Karim Tunda, the LeT operative who virtually sheltered terrorists of different organizations in Bangladesh,” the source added.
30-kg can bomb recovered Jharkhand
A powerful can-bomb weighing 30 kg planted on a road was recovered from Gundijora village under Jaraikela Police Station limits of West Singhbhum District on April 2, reports PTI. Superintendent of Police (SP) Narendra Kumar Singh said the bomb was planted on a road to target security personnel ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament) elections. It was recovered when Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and District Armed Police personnel were on routine patrolling in Saranda forest region of Jharkhand.
New militant outfit ARF floated in Garo Hills of Meghalaya
The Shillong Times reports on April 3 that while the people of militancy-torn Garo Hills have been clamoring for peace, reports have been received about the formation of yet another militant outfit going by the name of A’chik Revolutionary Front (ARF). The ‘information and public relations department in charge’ of the new outfit, identified as Lieutenant Chugrim called up The Shillong Times office and gave brief details about the outfit’s formation. He said that the ARF was formed on April 1 to raise the voice of the Garo people against the prevailing menace unleashed by various militant groups in the name of a separate Garo State and to initiate speedy peace settlement in accordance with the carving of a separate state for Garos. Informing that the rank and designation of its cadres were divided in accordance with the ‘Army Formation Rules’, the militant leader revealed that its main objectives were to resolve the vexed Garoland issue by carving out Garo Hills state from mainland India, to protect and preserve the dignity and the rights of the Garos, to uplift the poor and the downtrodden and to raised the voice of the Garo people against the diktats of several Garo Hills-based militant groups. However, the statement failed to clarify on the aims and objectives of the outfit or the location of its Headquarters saying it was yet to arrive at a solid confirmation, details for which would be provided later.
According to the militant leader, the ARF has been formed with Grongdik as ‘major general’, Danil as ‘deputy commander-in-chief’, ‘Captain’ Millam as ‘general secretary’, ‘Captain’ Dimik as ‘joint secretary’, ‘Lieutenant’ Chugrim (‘information and public relations’), ‘Lieutenant’ Sepi (‘finance’), ‘Lieutenant’ Chanchi (‘foreign affairs’), Nitorak (‘adviser’) and Marang as ‘president’, among others.
CRPF trooper injured in Maoist swarming attack in Chhattisgarh
Around 80 Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres fired on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp at Burkapal village in Sukma District on April 4, injuring a trooper, reports indiatvnews.com. Some Maoists are also suspected to have been injured. “The post belongs to the 74th battalion of the force and firing has stopped now,” a senior Police official said.
Meanwhile, a 25-kg Improvised Explosive Device (IED), suspected to have been planted by CPI-Maoist cadres was recovered in Kondagaon District, reports PTI on April 4.
Further, a detonator and 70 metre wire were also recovered from Kondagaon District on April 3.
Policemen escape CPI-Maoist triggered blasts in Odisha
A Police patrol party on April 6 survived two bomb blasts triggered by Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres in Malkangiri District of Odisha, reports Zee News. The devices exploded when the Police patrol party was returning after removing few posters put up by the Maoists in Kalimela area, Superintendent of Police (SP) Akhileshwar Singh said. The posters called for boycott of the Lok Sabha(Lower House of Indian Parliament) election.
Three CRPF personnel killed in landmine blast in Bihar
At least three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed and eight others, including Dhibra Police Station SHO (Station House Officer) Amar Kumar, were injured in a landmine blast near Baranda Mor under the Dhibra Police Station area in Aurangabad District on April 7, reports The Times of India. The deceased were identified as CRPF Deputy Commandant Indrajeet and Constables Pawan Deha and T Sona Ram. The three were airlifted to Ranchi for specialized treatment where they succumbed to injuries.
CRPF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Chiranjeev Prasad said the CRPF personnel came across some wires connected to the explosives. As they were trying to ‘secure’ the place before the arrival of the bomb disposal squad from Sasaram, the landmine exploded. The explosives were apparently planted in a series, said the DIG. The blast took place three days before the polling in the parliamentary constituency on April 10.
Two CPRF troopers killed by Maoist
Two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers were killed and three others were injured when Maoists triggered an explosive, when they were on way to a polling station in Jamui District parliamentary constituency of Bihar on April 10, reports The Times of India.
Three CoBRA personnel killed in Maoist ambush in Chhattisgarh
Three personnel of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed and three others injured in a Communist Party of India-Maoist ambush near Chintagufa village in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma District on April 9, reports The Hindu. The incident happened when a team of the CoBRA and Sukma Police was returning after dropping a poll party, official sources said. While Constables R. Chandrakant, Narsimha and Ranveer Singh of the CoBRA were killed, Sub-Inspector G. Alok, Deputy Constable Ramesh Kumar Singh and Constable D. Kalmadi were seriously injured in the ensuing encounter that lasted over two hours.
In another incident on the same day, three personnel of 85 battalion of the CRPF were injured when two pressure bombs exploded near Kikler village in Bijapur District
Deputy Speaker escapes IED blast in Manipur
Deputy Speaker of Manipur Legislative Assembly M K Preshaw Shimray escaped bid on his life on April 9 as suspected militants triggered a powerful blast apparently targeting him at Leingangching near MATA farm under Litan Police Station in Ukhrul District at around 3 PM, reports The Sangai Express. No casualty has been reported.
Separately, the personnel of 44th Assam Rifles came under attack at Nambisia under Kamjong in Ukhrul District at around 4.30 pm on April 9, reports The Sangai Express.
In addition, an Improvised explosive device (IED) was found near the residence of Inner Manipur Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament) Member of Parliament (MP), Thokchom Meinya at Khumbong Joypur Khul in Imphal West District on April 9, reports The Sangai Express. The explosive was found 200 meters away from residence his at around 11: 45 am. The explosive device consisted of 30 grams gelatine, a detonator and nails, was found fitted inside an empty tin-fish can. The IED was diffused by the bomb disposal squad.
Seven polling officials and six CRPF personnel among 15 persons killed in twin Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh
Two days after polling in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar Lok Sabha constituency, the Communist party of India-Maoist struck twice in an hour on April 12, killing 15 people, including seven polling officials and six Central Reserve Police (CRPF) personnel, as they blew up a bus and an ambulance in Bijapur and Bastar Districts, reports The Times of India.
Maoists first triggered a powerful blast, targeting a bus when a polling party was returning, between Kutru and Gudma in Bijapur District. Seven members of the polling party were killed in the blast and subsequent firing which also left five others injured. Sources said around 75-100 armed Maoists were involved in the ambush on the polling party. The Maoists fled to the forests after Security personnel launched a retaliatory attack.
Within an hour, Maoists struck again and blew up an ambulance, killing six CRPF personnel, a medical attendant and the driver on the spot in Darbha on Jagdalpur-Sukma national highway in Bastar District. The CRPF personnel, who belonged to 80th battalion, have been identified as inspector MK Rai, assistant sub-inspector Kanti Bai, head constable Sitaram and Umesh, constable Dinesh and a civilian Vasu Sethiya.
ULFA imposes ban on Hindi movie songs during Bihu celebrations in Assam
The Shillong Times reports that the independent faction of the United Liberation Front of Assam on April 14, called for celebrations of Rangali Bihu, the traditional Assamese festival. However, in a statement e-mailed to the media, the ULFA called upon Rangali Bihu celebration organisations and all artistes in Assam to refrain from facilitating showcasing of ‘outside culture’ including singing of Hindi movie songs as part of Bihu celebrations throughout the state. The ULFA stated that its stand on maintaining the traditional colour and characters of Rangali Bihu would remain unchanged in the greater interest of protection of specific identity of Assamese people and their culture. It said showcasing of alien culture and performing Hindi songs was not in tune with the spirit of Rangali Bihu as it would provide people from outside an opportunity to look down upon the festival.
Maoists kill five cops in Jharkhand
Maoist rebels killed five police officers on Thursday, April 24 as they were returning from polling duty in an insurgency-hit region of eastern India, an official said.
The attack took place in Jharkhand, one of 12 states where voters went to the polls in India’s multi-phased general elections. “We can confirm that five of our brave men have died in the attack,” head of Jharkhand police Rajeev Kumar told AFP.
Eight persons killed in CPI-Maoist triggered landmine explosion in Jharkhand
Eight persons, including five Police personnel, two election officials and one cleaner were killed and 10 others injured when Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres exploded a landmine targetting a poll bus near Sarsa village under Shikaripara Police Station of Dumka District soon after voting for the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament) elections ended on April 24, reports The Times of India. Initially the Maoists detonated a landmine and blew up a minibus carrying Police forces and poll officials as it approached a culvert. The Maoists then took position on either side of the road, surrounded by forests and hills and fired on the bus. The incident took place around 4 pm when the polling party was returning to base after conducting the polls. Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren, who was in Dumka, said officials have been directed to ensure safety of the poll officials. “The attackers will be given a fitting reply,” he added
Monthly Fatalities
The following deaths related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism occurred during the period March 26, 2014 to April 25, 2014:
| Civilian | Indian Security Personnel | Militant | Total | |
| Assam | 06 | 00 | 07 | 13 |
| Andhra P | 03 | 00 | 01 | 04 |
| Manipur | 04 | 00 | 00 | 04 |
| Meghalaya | 04 | 00 | 00 | 04 |
| Left-wing | 28 | 20 | 05 | 53 |
| Total | 45 | 20 | 13 | 78 |
Nepal – Internal Dynamics
Government tables reviewed bill on TRC and CED with special focus on reconciliation
The Government on April 9 tabled a reviewed bill on Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Commission on Enforced Disappearances (CED) with special focus on reconciliation, reports Kantipuronline.com. The bill has proposed a commission, which will have a status of a judicial commission with rights akin to a court. The commission will have tenure of two years. The bill, which provisions two separate commissions of inquiry, has incorporated some provisions of the previous ordinance regarding transitional justices, which were struck down by the Supreme Court. The bill gives authority to the commission for reconciliation if either a perpetrator or a victim files for reconciliation. The accused will be recommended for prosecution if a victim’s family opts not to reconcile and pardon.
Meanwhile, legal experts on April 10 said that the Bill the Government tabled to form the TRC and CED is against national and international laws, reports The Himalayan Times. They also warned that a writ could be filed at the Supreme Court against the Bill and the Court may stay the process to form the commissions. According to Vice-President of the Nepal Bar Association (NBA) Tikaram Bhattarai the Bill may take war-era cases into international forums as the Bill provisions amnesty for people involved in war-era criminal cases. Sunil Pokhrel, General Secretary of the NBA, also said no amnesty can be granted to anyone involved in criminal cases even if the perpetrator and victim agree for that, according to national and international standards.
Sri Lanka – Internal Dynamics
US resolution on Sri Lanka adopted by UNHRC with a majority of 11 votes
The United States (US) led resolution on Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva was adopted on March 27 with a majority of 11 votes, reports Colombo Page. Out of the 47 members of the UNHRC, 23 voted for the resolution and 12 opposed it while another 12 abstained from voting. Voted for the resolution are Argentina, Austria, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Cote DeVore, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Montenegro, Peru, Korea, Romania, Sierra Leone, Macedonia, United Kingdom and the US. Voted against the resolution are Algeria, China, Congo, Cuba, Kenya, Maldives, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela and Vietnam. Abstained from voting are Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Gabon, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Morocco, Namibia, Philippines and South Africa.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka rejected this resolution calling for an international investigation into alleged human rights violations as a conspiracy by interested parties “seeking a regime change”, reports Colombo Page. External Affairs Minister G. L. Peiris said the interested parties seeking to topple President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Government have planned the international resolution conspiracy. He further said the countries voted in favor of the “unethical” resolution tabled by the US had no choice but to go along with the US because they could not reject US pressure for economic reasons.
Separately, the US on March 27 welcomed the passage of resolution and said it sends a “clear message” to the Rajapaksa Government that the international community is committed to promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the country, reports The Hindu. Caitlin Hayden, Spokesperson of the National Security Council said “Today’s vote sends a clear message that the international community is committed to working with the Government of Sri Lanka to promote greater peace, stability, and prosperity for all of the people of Sri Lanka.” US Secretary of State John Kerry also said “Today’s vote in the UNHRC sends a clear message: the time to pursue lasting peace and prosperity is now justice and accountability cannot wait.”
In another incident, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) opposed India for its decision to abstain from the resolution reports Daily Mirror.
Sri Lanka claims moral victory from war crimes vote
Sri Lanka tried to claim a moral victory on Friday, March 28 and insisted it would push on with reconciliation efforts after being censured by the UN’s top rights body for failing to bring perpetrators of war crimes to justice. The US-initiated resolution was carried at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday with 23 votes in favour and 12 against. Sri Lankan officials said the fact that another 12 nations abstained meant that a majority of the 47-member council did not support the censure move.
“Those 24 countries who refused to endorse the US resolution have sent a very clear and emphatic message rejecting imposition of external solutions on Sri Lanka,” Ravinatha Aryasinha, Sri Lanka’s top envoy in Geneva, told AFP by telephone.
Sri Lanka’s state-run Daily News reported on Thursday’s UN vote under the headline: “Majority against America.” The paper also called the UNHRC vote a “moral victory” for Colombo. The privately-owned daily, The Island, accused the United States of trying to bring about regime change in Colombo by proposing the war crimes probe.
“The resolution has all the trappings of an accelerated programme to effect a regime change in this country where the opposition has failed to challenge the government,” the paper said. Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who rejected the UN call for an investigation against his country, told AFP on Thursday that he was pleased that neighbouring India, which voted for a similar resolution last year, decided to abstain this time round.
“I think it is encouraging that India did not vote against us,” he said shortly after the results of the vote were announced. “We reject this (resolution). This resolution only hurts our reconciliation efforts. It does not help. But I am not discouraged. We will continue with the reconciliation process I have started.”
On Friday, Rajapakse ordered the immediate release of dozens of Indian fishermen detained for poaching in Sri Lanka´s territorial water.
Unbelievable US pressure on member states led to UN adopting resolution at UNHRC session, says External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris
External Affairs Minister, G.L. Peiris on March 28 blamed “unbelievable” United States (US) pressure on member states led to the United Nations (UN) adopting a resolution censuring Colombo on its human rights record after a vote at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session in Geneva, reports The Hindu. Mr. Peiris said “The intensity of the pressure was unbelievable. Countries were told that Heads of State of countries, which sponsored there solution would be making official visits. Those visits will be in danger unless they supported the US.” He further claimed the US was using the defense agreements the member countries had signed with them for protection against attacks from other countries.
Meanwhile, Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe, Commander of the Security Force Headquarters – Kilinochchi (SFHQ-KLN) met the rehabilitated former combatants of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Kilinochchi District on March 25 and 26 to discuss current issues related to the re-settlers and solutions to their problems, reports Colombo Page. During the meeting he alerted the rehabilitated ex-combatants to external threats that would be directed at them by parties interested in sending them back to violent means.
Separately, Wimal Weerawansa, Minister of Construction, Engineering Services, Housing and Common Amenities in a news conference in Colombo said that military personnel stationed in the Northern Province will not be withdrawn, reports Colombo Page on March 28. He said that the Government will not withdraw the military from the North regardless of whether the LTTE is active in the area or not. He also rejected the statement by Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran that the Government was trying to build a fear psychosis among people of a resurgence of the LTTE.
In another incident, D.B.S. Jeyaraj, a well-known Canadian Sri Lankan journalist in an article posted on his website on March 28 revealed a plot to assassinate Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa or his brother Secretary of Defence and Urban Development Gotabaya Rajapaksa, reports Colombo Page. D.B.S. Jeyaraj says a crackdown on an LTTE cell in Colombo has revealed the plot to assassinate President Rajapaksa or Defense Secretary. According to the report, the investigations following the shooting incident on March 13 in Tharmapuram area of Kilinochchi District where a Police officer was shot and injured by a suspected LTTE cadre have led to the discovery.
Government proscribes 15 overseas LTTE front organizations as foreign terrorists
The Government proscribed several overseas organizations suspected of being fronts of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam as foreign terrorist entities utilizing the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1373 which was brought about by the United States (US) on September 28, 2001 after 9/11, reports Daily Mirror on March 31. The proscribed entities listed in the Gazette consist of the main LTTE and 15 other alleged front organizations – Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), Tamil Coordinating Committee (TCC), British Tamil Forum (BTF), World Tamil Movement (WTM), Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC), Australian Tamil Congress (ATC), Global Tamil Forum (GTF), National Council Of Canadian Tamils (NCCT), Tamil National Council (TNC), Tamil Youth Organization (TYO), World Tamil Coordinating Committee (WTCC), Transnational Government Of Tamil Eelam (TGTE), Tamil Eelam Peoples Assembly (TEPA), World Tamil Relief Fund (WTRF) and Headquarters Group (HQ Group).
Second in command’ of LTTE’s Nediyavan Group arrested in Iran
Kapilan alias Nandhagopan, the ‘second in command’ of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Nediyavan Group, was arrested in Tehran Airport (Iran) on March 6, 2014, reports Daily Mirror. Nandhagopan was arrested by Sri Lankan authorities with the help of Iranian and Malaysian authorities. On March 6, 2014 Nandhagopan was reportedly travelling under a false passport from Malaysia on a flight to London via Teheran. Iranian authorities when informed arrested Nandhagopan at the transit passenger lounge in the Teheran airport. Thereafter, Nandhagopan was “seized” by Sri Lankan officials and transported to Colombo.
Arrested LTTE ‘media division in-charge’ interrogated by TID after deportation from Malaysia
Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) of Police is interrogating Kapilan alias Nandhagopan, an overseas leader of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam arrested when he entered the country, reports Colombo Page on April 10. He was in charge of LTTE’s media division and fled from Sri Lanka when the war ended, according to the Police. Kapilan was arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo on March 6 while entering the country after his deportation from Malaysia. He was reportedly operating as one of the two deputy leaders of the LTTE’s overseas operations under the command of Perinbanayagam Sivaparan alias Nediyavan.
Meanwhile, Military Spokesman Ruwan Wanigasooriya on April 9 said foreign terrorist groups and several overseas organizations banned over suspicion that they were LTTE supporters could go to Courts and get their name cleared, reports Daily Mirror. “This is not a proscription. They have been listed as banned organizations. If they want to they can go to Courts under the prevailing law and get themselves cleared by providing evidence against the ban,” he said.
65 persons arrested in March under suspicion of attempting to revive LTTE, says SSP Ajith Rohana
Police media Spokesman Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajith Rohana said that Police arrested 65 persons in the past month (March) under suspicion of attempting to resuscitate Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, reports Colombo Page on April 10. Rohana said that five of them have been released since there was no evidence against them. He further said that 10 of the suspects were women. Eight of them have been detained in Boossa (Galle District) while two are detained in Vavuniya (Vavuniya). Investigations are underway to arrest several local leaders of the LTTE who clandestinely work to reorganize the terror movement.
Three LTTE leaders and one SF killed in search operation in Vavuniya District
Four people were killed in a clash between Security Forces (SFs) and suspected Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam terrorist operatives in the Nadunkarni area of Vavuniya District on April 10, reports Colombo Page. The SFs in a search operation for the wanted LTTE suspect Ponniah Selvanayagam alias Gopi had clashed with suspected LTTE operatives. An Army Lance Corporal and three LTTE leaders had been killed in the clash.
Meanwhile, Army spokesman Ruwan Wanigasooriya said that Ponniah Selvanayagam alias Gopi, a former LTTE intelligence cadre, was among the three LTTE leaders who were killed by the Army during a clash at Nadunkarni area of Vavuniya District on April 10, reports Daily Mirror on April 11. The shootout occurred when a group of soldiers encircled a house in Nadunkarni on a tip off that the suspects were staying there. The three suspects were identified as Gobi, Sundaralingam Kajeepan alias Thevihan and Navarathnam Navaneethan alias Appan.
Government justifies maintaining troops in the former war zones in the North
One day after three key operatives of the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were killed in a major military operation in the Nadunkarni area of Vavuniya District on April 10, the Government on April 11 justified maintaining troops in the former war zones, reports The Hindu. President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s special envoy on human rights and Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said “We were asked and criticized about the presence of the military in the north and the need to scale down its presence by the international governments at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva. We explained to them the need to keep the military going as it was a decision for a sovereign Government to take in view of the national security needs.”
Meanwhile, Police media spokesman Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajith Rohan has said law enforcement authorities will seek Interpol’s assistance to arrest LTTE leaders operating from foreign countries to revive the defunct terrorist outfit in the island, reports Colombo Page on April 13. Investigations have revealed that the three LTTE operatives, who were recently killed in a clash with the Army in the North, were functioning under the instructions of Europe-based LTTE leaders Nediyavan and Vinayagam who were preparing the ground for another armed struggle. An Interpol red notice has already been issued to arrest Vinayagam and an arrest warrant would also be obtained from courts for Nediyavan.
INTERNATIONAL
UN rights body urges action against right abuses in N Korea
The UN´s top rights body on Friday, March 28 called on the Security Council to act against officials responsible for a litany of crimes against humanity in North Korea. The 47-member UN Human Rights Council in Geneva adopted a resolution condemning the “ongoing systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations” in the isolated Asian nation.
The resolution — which passed with 30 votes in favour, six opposed and 11 abstentions — urged the Security Council to make sure “those responsible for human rights violations, including those that may amount to crimes against humanity, are held to account”. It also extended a probe into human rights violations in the country by the UN´s special rapporteur for another year.
North Korea, which is not a member of the rights council, slammed the resolution and its backers. Representative Se Pyong So described the text as “a mockery of the Human Rights Council as well as an insult to the international community”.
Amid repeated objections from US representative Paula Schriefer, So said the resolution was “a product of confrontation and plots”, charging that “the United States and other hostile forces” were merely trying to “cover up their bloody history”.
The EU, however, hailed the report by the special Commission of Inquiry set up a year ago, and said it strongly regretted that Pyongyang had refused to cooperate with the investigation team. Japanese ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Takashi Okada, agreed.
The commission’s report, released last month, documented a range of gross human rights abuses in the country, including extermination, enslavement and sexual violence. The investigators insisted North Korea´s leaders should answer for a litany of crimes against humanity before an international court. It also condemned a widespread system of throwing generations of the same family into prison camps under guilt-by association rules.
North Korea is estimated to have 80,000 to 120,000 political prisoners in its borders. Hundreds of thousands more are believed to have perished in the camps over the past half century, “through deliberate starvation, forced labour, executions, torture,” the report said.
The commission, which completed its one-year mandate this month, also slammed North Korea´s abductions of an estimated 200,000 people from other countries — mostly South Koreans left stranded after the 1950-53 Korean War, but also hundreds from around the world since then.
West accuses Syria over 3.5 million in need
The Syrian government is denying 3.5 million civilians access to UN aid convoys in defiance of a Security Council resolution that has seen the crisis worsen, Western powers warned on Friday, March 28. Britain and the United States told the United Nations that Damascus bears overwhelming responsibility for denying UN relief workers access to an escalating number of people in need. The Syrian government has allowed aid convoys to cross only one of eight border crossings identified by the United Nations as a priority, Western ambassadors said.
In February, the Security Council passed the first humanitarian resolution of the three-year civil war, demanding that the government and armed opposition allow aid to reach civilians. But in the first progress report a month on, UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said the situation had only deteriorated and she demanded blanket, unhindered access to affected populations.
A piecemeal approach is ineffective and rising need demands unhindered access and a streamlined procedure.
“Spending days and weeks negotiating to get one inter-agency convoy is a waste of valuable time,” Amos said. The United States said the Syrian government had “utterly failed” to comply with the UN Security Council resolution and remained the biggest obstacle to the delivery of aid. Syrian government officials use administrative snares to cripple UN field missions, repeatedly hold up convoys and remove medical supplies from convoys, US ambassador Samantha Power said. Power said 3.5 million people could be reached “literally with the stroke of a pen” if the Syrian government allowed UN convoys in through other border crossings.
Of 220,000 Syrians living under siege, 80 percent remain besieged by the Syrian government and of the total only 14,000 have been reached in the last month, Britain said. The figure of 3.5 million people, none of whom have had access in the last month, had increased by one million since January 1, the British ambassador added. “We need a blanket approval, a systemic, systematic change of approach by Damascus,” Grant said. Luxembourg, the rotating president of the Security Council, said the resolution had seen little to no progress.
‘Journalists, media under attack from hackers’
Twenty-one of the world’s top-25 news organisations have been the target of likely state-sponsored hacking attacks, according to research by two Google security engineers. While many internet users face attacks via email designed to steal personal data, journalists were “massively over-represented” among such targets, said Shane Huntley, a security software engineer at Google.
The attacks were launched by hackers either working for or in support of a government, and were specifically targeting journalists, Huntley and co-author Morgan Marquis-Boire said in interviews. Their paper was presented at a Black Hat hackers conference in Singapore on Friday, March 28. “If you’re a journalist or a journalistic organisation we will see state-sponsored targeting and we see it happening regardless of region, we see it from all over the world both from where the targets are and where the targets are from,” Huntley told Reuters.
Both researchers declined to go into detail about how Google monitors such attacks, but said it “tracks the state actors that attack our users.”
Recipients of such emails in Google’s Gmail service typically receive a warning message. Security researcher Ashkan Soltani said in an earlier Twitter post that nine of the top-25 news websites use Google for hosted email services. The list is based on traffic volumes measured by Alexa, a web information firm owned by Amazon.com Inc. California-headquartered Google also owns VirusTotal, a website that analyses files and websites to check for malicious content.
Several US news organisations have said they have been hacked in the past year, and Forbes, the Financial Times and the New York Times have all succumbed to attacks by the Syrian Electronic Army, a group of pro-government hackers.
Huntley said Chinese hackers recently gained access to a major Western news organisation, which he declined to identify, via a fake questionnaire emailed to staff. Most such attacks involve carefully crafted emails carrying malware or directing users to a website crafted to trick them into giving up credentials.
Many journalists are now taking individual action to protect their computers and email accounts, he said.
Over a million flee South Sudan conflict: UN
Over a million people in South Sudan have been forced from their homes during more than three months of ongoing fighting, with conditions continuing to worsen, the UN has warned.
“In the 100 days since the start of the conflict in South Sudan, over one million people have fled their homes,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report on Saturday, March 29.
Over 800,000 are displaced inside South Sudan, while almost 255,000 have fled as refugees to neighbouring countries of Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Sudan, the UN says. Violence erupted in South Sudan on December 15 between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and fighters loosely allied to former vice president Riek Machar. A ceasefire between government and rebels inked in January is in tatters with fighting ongoing.
“Fighting between government and opposition forces has continued, especially in Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile state, where towns and rural areas have been ravaged by the violence,” the OCHA report added. The conflict has caused a “serious deterioration in the food security situation” with some 3.7 million people at high risk, it read.
Car bomb kills three soldiers in Lebanon
A suicide bomber killed himself and three soldiers when he detonated a car bomb at a Lebanese army checkpoint in the border town of Arsal on Saturday, March 29 Lebanese security sources said. Arsal is home to thousands of Syrian refugees but also Syrian rebels and their Lebanese allies who have fled a Syrian army advance on the Syrian side of the border. Three other soldiers were wounded, the sources said.
Lebanese militants accuse the Lebanese army of conspiring with forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and the Lebanese group Hizbullah, which has sent fighters into Syria to support Assad fights a Sunni-led revolt.
The attack hit just hours after a speech by Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who said he was protecting Lebanon by fighting in Syria against Sunni militants.
On Thursday, the Lebanese army killed a suspected Sunni bomb-maker as they raided his house in Arsal. On Saturday, the army made further raids in Arsal, where they have set up checkpoints this month.
Lebanon has endured rocket and bomb attacks as the Syrian conflict spreads beyond its border, deepening sectarian rivalry in the country, which suffered its own civil war from 1975 to 1990.
Egypt sentences two Mursi supporters to death
An Egyptian court on Saturday, March 29 sentenced to death two supporters of deposed president Mohammed Mursi convicted of throwing youths off an apartment block roof, judicial sources said.
One youth thrown from the building in Alexandria was killed. The court submitted its verdict for approval to the mufti, the government’s official interpreter of Islamic law, the sources said. The latest death sentences come despite international outrage at Egypt handing down the death penalty to 529 Islamists on Monday after just two hearings.
That verdict can be appealed, and the mufti has upheld death sentences in the past. The men sentenced to death on Saturday were among 63 people on trial over deadly violence in Alexandria’s Sidi Gaber neighbourhood on July 5 last year; two days after the army overthrew Mursi. The trial was adjourned until May 19 when the verdicts for the other defendants are expected to be announced. The violence in Alexandria broke out as supporters and opponents of Mursi took to the streets of Egypt’s second city, the first to demand his reinstatement and the others to celebrate the end of his one-year rule.
Amateur video posted on social networks at the time showed men throwing two youths off the roof of the building. It showed four young men cowering on the rooftop who are followed by several older men, one of them bearded and holding a jihadist flag.
The men are seen throwing stones at the youths and later one is thrown from the roof. The video goes on to show club-wielding men beating the body of the youth.
Another man is later thrown from the roof but is only injured. Egyptian authorities later said only one youth was killed in the attack and that one man had been arrested in connection with his death.
US intelligence had over 300 reports on Merkel
The US National Security Agency’s vast eavesdropping programmes amassed more than 300 reports on German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Der Spiegel reported on Saturday, March 29 citing information leaked by former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.
Merkel was on a list of some 122 heads of state and government about whom the NSA gathered intelligence in May 2009, the German weekly reported on its website. Der Spiegel said it had seen documents showing the more than 300 reports on Merkel along with the presidents of Peru, Somalia and Belarus. The purported NSA files could “be an important element of proof” for the German judiciary, which is to “decide in the coming days whether to open an inquiry into suspected espionage,” it said.
Documents made public by Snowden in October revealed that the NSA had listened to Merkel´s cell phone conversations for several years — a revelation which strained relations between the two strong allies.
DPRK vows not to rule out a new nuclear test
North Korea vowed not to rule out a “new form” of nuclear test Sunday, March 30 after the UN Security Council condemned its latest ballistic missile launch amid simmering tensions over Seoul’s joint military drills with Washington. Pyongyang has carried out a series of rocket and short-range missile launches in recent weeks which have prompted stern reactions from South Korea and the United States.
On Wednesday it upped the ante by test-firing two mid-range ballistic missiles capable of striking Japan, sparking condemnation from the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).”(We) would not rule out a new form of a nuclear test for bolstering up (our) nuclear deterrence,” Pyongyang’s foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the North’s state-run KCNA news agency.
The UNSC said the North’s missile launch Wednesday was a violation of UN resolutions barring Pyongyang from any nuclear or ballistic activity, agreeing to consult on an “appropriate response”.
Pyongyang slammed the UNSC criticism as “absolutely intolerable”, defending the launch as a “self-defensive” act in protest against the ongoing Seoul-Washington drills being held in South Korea.
The North has habitually lashed out at the annual Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises between the two allies—held this year from February to April—labelling them as practice for war.
“The UN Security Council, shutting its eyes to the US madcap nuclear exercises, ‘denounced’ (our) self-defensive rocket launching drills to cope with them as a ‘violation of resolutions’… It is absolutely intolerable,” said the ministry.
Pyongyang also warned the US to “stop acting rashly”, saying it was ready to take “next-stage steps which the enemy can hardly imagine”. ”If a catastrophic development which no one wants occurs on the peninsula, the US will be wholly responsible for it,” the ministry said. South Korea expressed “serious concern” on the latest threat and warned of potential consequences if Pyongyang pushes ahead with an atomic test.
The impoverished but nuclear-armed state has staged three atomic tests in 2006, 2009 and last year. Pyongyang’s powerful National Defense Commission, chaired by the North’s leader Kim Jong-Un, threatened on March 15 to demonstrate its nuclear deterrence.
But the country has shown no signs of launching an imminent atomic test, Seoul’s military said last week. The North’s third atomic test in February 2013 — its most powerful to date—drew widespread international condemnation as well as new UN sanctions.
Spanish journalists return ‘home’
Spanish journalists taken hostage in Syria by an Al-Qaeda-linked group returned to Madrid in a military plane Sunday, March 30 after six months in captivity.
El Mundo correspondent Javier Espinosa, 49, and freelance photographer Ricardo Garcia Vilanova, 42, were “freed and handed over to the Turkish military”, the Spanish newspaper had said on its website earlier in the day.
Espinosa called El Mundo´s offices on Saturday evening and said they were in good health, it added.” Pure happiness,” wrote Espinosa´s girlfriend, the journalist Monica Garcia Prieto, on Twitter early Sunday, without giving further details.
The pair arrived at Torrejon de Ardoz airbase near Madrid in the afternoon where they were welcomed by overjoyed friends and family. They were to speak about their six-month ordeal at a press conference at El Mundo offices later Sunday.
Espinosa, 49, and Vilanova, 42, were seized on September 16 as they tried to cross the Syrian border to Turkey, the latest of scores of journalists captured while covering Syria’s civil war.
There was no immediate word on whether any demands were made by their kidnappers or any ransom paid.
El Mundo identified the captors as members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a jihadist faction in Syria with roots in Al-Qaeda´s Iraqi affiliate. The group has fought against the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria but has also been battling other rebel groups.
The newspaper had kept the kidnapping quiet until December while it contacted the captors via intermediaries. It said at that time that the kidnappers had made no demands.” It has been a hard few months.
France in new tack to fight roots of terrorism
To stop the stream of French youths pursuing Jihad in Syria, France is preparing to try to tackle terrorism before it starts, by involving schools, parents and local Muslim leaders, The Associated Press has learned. This is part of a still-confidential plan prompted by fears that young radicals who travel to Syria could return home with the skills and motivation to carry out attacks.
French officials say the plan will be made public soon. The fears resurfaced last week when authorities revealed the discovery near Cannes of three soda cans packed with nails, bolts and explosives plus bomb-making instructions at the apartment of a 23-year-old man who had returned from Syria.
Memories are still fresh of a Muslim Frenchman who gunned down children at a Toulouse Jewish school in 2012, after training in Afghanistan and Pakistan. To combat terrorism, France amassed one of the West’s toughest legal arsenals following terror attacks in the 1990s, focusing on prosecuting proven extremists instead of trying to prevent radicalization. That’s about to change, according to several top government officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan is still being finalised. They spoke after President Francois Hollande convened a special council last week and adopted a strategy to counter the accelerating threat posed by hundreds of French heading to Syria.
The new French push will be a challenge in a country where distrust runs high between police and minority youth in hardscrabble housing projects, and provokes occasional riots. And it could prompt controversy if it is directed solely at Islam. France, a secular nation that demands a clear separation between church and state, has been accused of stigmatizing Muslims with measures such as banning face-covering Islamic veils.
The new French government plan also includes tough measures to bolster intelligence and border surveillance, including restricting minors from leaving France, the officials said, confirming a report in Le Monde. Authorities also want to improve cooperation with counterparts in Turkey, a key route into Syria for fighters.
French authorities said in January that up to 700 French had left for Syria, were planning to go or died in battle. The migration to Syria including teens as young as 15 far outstrips the number of Europeans who left for Iraq and Afghanistan in years past.
French officials say the West’s vehement stance against Bashar Assad’s regime may, for vulnerable youth, have conferred some legitimacy on fighting the regime. Some youths see themselves as defenders of a civilian population under assault. Others see glory in helping to seize territory with the dream of creating an Islamic state. Not all those travelling to Syria become hardened Jihadists. Some even turn back. France wants to prevent them from taking the journey in the first place.
That includes working with local governments, schools and religious leaders in the country with Western Europe’s largest Muslim population, at least 5 million. It remains to be seen how teachers and parents will be expected to identify potential extremism. The plan would involve the French Council for the Muslim Faith, a conduit for the government with France’s Muslim communities. Dalil Boubakeur, the group’s president, says it is working with authorities “to understand why these youths are drawn to this.
Nato ends cooperation with Russia
Nato´s foreign ministers ordered an end to civilian and military cooperation with Russia on Tuesday, April 1 and told their generals and admirals to quickly figure out ways to better protect alliance members that feel threatened by Vladimir Putin´s Kremlin.
The 28-member alliance, the keystone of US and European security since the end of World War II, was reacting to its most serious crisis in years: Russia’s unilateral annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, which the US and its allies have condemned as an illegal land grab.
US Secretary of State John Kerry and the other ministers, meeting at Nato headquarters in Brussels behind closed doors, unanimously agreed on Tuesday on a number of measures. A civilian Nato official who attended the meeting and briefed reporters afterward on condition of anonymity said the steps included:— The suspension of “all practical civilian and military cooperation” between Nato and Russia.
Nato officials said ambassadorial-level contacts will remain open to assure a reliable channel of communication.— The possible deployment and reinforcement of military assets in eastern Nato members, such as Poland and the Baltic states, that feel menaced by Moscow’s latest actions.
A possible review of Nato´s crisis response plans, as well as its military training and exercise schedules.
Nato Supreme Commander Gen. Phil Breedlove and his subordinates will draw up the proposals within a few weeks and then submit them to political leaders for their approval, the Nato official said. To reassure alliance members closest to Russia and Ukraine, Nato already has stepped up air patrols over the Baltic Sea and AWACS surveillance flights over Poland and Romania.
Prior to the meeting, the chief of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation downplayed reports of a Russian troop withdrawal from areas along its border with Ukraine. Russia’s Defence Ministry on Monday said one battalion — about 500 troops — had pulled back.
“This is not what we have seen,” Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters on Tuesday. “And this massive military buildup can in no way contribute to a de-escalation of the situation — a de-escalation that we all want to see — so I continue to urge Russia to pull back its troops, live up to its international obligation and engage in a constructive dialogue with Ukraine.
“German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking to reporters in Berlin, echoed those comments.”(Even if some troops left) it’s certainly not the final step,” she said. “The (Russian) troop concentration on the Ukrainian border is very high.”
Fierce fighting rages in Latakia
Fierce battles raged on Thursday, April 3 over key flashpoints in Syria’s Latakia province, a monitoring group said, nearly two weeks into a rebel offensive against the heartland of President Bashar al-Assad’s clan and his Alawite sect. Fighting was especially fierce over a strategic hilltop known as Observatory 45, overrun by rebels last week, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.”Since last night, the fighting has been focused on Observatory 45.
The army advances and takes over, then the rebels advance and push them back out,” said its director Rami Abdel Rahman. Supporting the army and militia on the ground, the air force launched several strikes on the hill, the Britain-based monitor said. Fighter jets also struck rebel-held areas in the nearby Jabal Akrad area, a hill district under rebel control for many months.
Rebels and their jihadist ally Al-Nusra Front launched a major, surprise offensive on Latakia nearly two weeks ago, and have since seized several positions and villages including the Kasab area, home to a border crossing into Turkey.
Hundreds of fighters on both sides have been killed in the battles for Latakia, including 20 rebels killed in the past day, said the Observatory.
Elsewhere, four mortar rounds hit the Dukhaniyeh area near Damascus, killing six children and wounding five other people, said state news agency SANA. Seven others were wounded in central Damascus, in three mortar attacks, one of which struck near the landmark Umayyad Square, SANA said. More than 150,000 people have been killed in Syria’s three-year war, and half the population estimated to have fled their homes.
Meanwhile, eleven Western and Middle Eastern powers on Thursday warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against holding elections, saying that the vote would have no credibility amid the country’s brutal civil war.
In a joint statement, the 11 core members of so-called Friends of Syria urged Assad instead to embrace a plan outlined in Geneva talks that includes a transitional government as a way out of the three-year war. The statement said that a credible election would be impossible with millions of Syrians displaced.”Bashar al-Assad intends these elections to sustain his dictatorship,” it said.
Assad—whose family has ruled Syria for more than four decades—has not announced his candidacy in elections expected before July but is widely expected to run.
Parliament has approved a law that essentially bars opposition candidates from running, virtually ensuring Assad’s re-election. The US State Department earlier described Assad’s prospective re-election campaign as “disgusting.”
20 die in Nigeria mosque attack
Survivors say suspected Islamic militants opened fire in a mosque in northeastern Nigeria and gunned down at least 20 worshippers. Civil servant Musa Ibrahim said the gunmen struck before dawn Saturday, April 5 as residents of Buni Gari village were gathering for the first prayer of the day.
The village is about 100-km south of the Yobe state capital of Damaturu in an area that has been attacked numerous times. Mosques have been a frequent target of militants who threaten Muslim clerics who preach against their extremist doctrine.
More than 1,200 civilians have been killed this year amid more frequent and deadlier attacks by the Boko Haram terrorist network that wants to create an Islamic state in Nigeria, a country of 170 million divided equally between Christians and Muslims.
An official in Nigeria’s central Nasarawa state and a local leader on Friday accused the military of killing scores of people in a disarmament operation, but defence officials denied the charge.
Japan to strike incoming North Korean missiles
Japan’s defence chief has ordered the armed forces to shoot down any North Korean ballistic missiles that threaten to hit the country, according to media reports. Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera issued the order on April 3 — without publicly announcing it — after North Korea launched two medium-range ballistic missiles on March 26 towards the Sea of Japan (East Sea), Kyodo News and other media said on Saturday, quoting a government source.A mid-range missile fired from North Korea would be capable of reaching Japan.
Under the order, the country’s so-called Self-Defence Forces will destroy North Korean ballistic missiles “if any are launched and threaten to fall within Japanese territory”, Kyodo said.
Defence ministry officials could not confirm the reports Sunday. Japan has issued similar orders in the past before the North launched long-range missiles.
In response to the order, an Aegis-equipped destroyer carrying interceptor missiles has been deployed to the Sea of Japan (East Sea), Kyodo’s source was quoted as saying.
The Aegis has sophisticated computer and radar technology to guide weapons to destroy enemy missiles in flight.
On Sunday US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said in Tokyo that his country planned to send two more Aegis-equipped destroyers to counter the threat posed by North Korea’s “provocative” actions including recent missile launches. The two ships would join five US Aegis vessels already stationed in Japan.
The latest shoot-down order brings to five the number of similar directives issued since 2009, the reports said, when North Korea fired a missile which it described at the time as part of a satellite launch.
Iran Parliament approves Bill to strengthen cooperation with Pakistan in combating terrorist outfits in border areas
Iranian Parliament on April 6 approved the Tehran-Islamabad enhanced Security Cooperation Act, intended to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in combating terrorist groups operating in border areas, reports Dawn. The Iranian Parliament approved general terms of the Bill with 187 votes in favour, 14 against and six abstentions. It had earlier been adopted by the Iranian cabinet and submitted to Parliament on March 31, 2013. The bill contains working methods, costs and other issues.
Meanwhile, four Iranian soldiers abducted by Jaish-al-Adl (Army of Justice) militants on February 6, 2014, returned home after being held for two months. A spokesperson for Frontier Corps (FC) in Balochistan on April 5 rejected the notion that the kidnapped Iranian guards were present on Pakistani soil, reports The Express Tribune. He further said that the guards were released inside Iran after mediation by an elder of the Shah Bakhsh tribe. “They have not been released in Pakistan. We don’t know where they were kept or released. We have no indication that these Iranian border guards were kept in Pakistan,” said Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam.
According to details, on April 4, 2014, it was reported that the Iranian border guards captured by Jaish-al-Adl militants were freed. According to a media report, only four of the five abducted guards were handed over to Iranian officials in Pakistan alive. They were accompanied by the body of the fifth, which the rebels had executed. “The soldiers were handed over some hours ago by the small terrorist group Jaish-al-Adl to Iranian representatives in Pakistan,” said the Fars News Agency (FNA), quoting an unnamed security official. However, Pakistani officials could not confirm the release.
Tunisian envoy kidnapped in Libya
A Tunisian diplomat was kidnapped on Thursday, April 17 in Tripoli in unknown circumstances, a Libyan security source told AFP, just two days after armed men seized Jordan’s ambassador.
A Tunisian source confirmed the abduction and identified the diplomat as Al-Aroussi Al-Fatnassi, without giving further details.
Tunis’s ambassador to Libya, Ridha Boukadi, refused to comment. Libyan foreign ministry spokesman Said Lessoued said he could not confirm nor deny the reported abduction, the latest in a string of incidents targeting foreign diplomats and Libyan politicians.
A Tripoli police official, quoted by Al-Wasat news website, however said the diplomat was seized by unknown assailants near the central Al-Qadissiya square not far from the Tunisian embassy. If confirmed, the diplomat would be the second staffer from the Tunisian embassy abducted in the Libyan capital since March 21 when a man employed by the mission was seized. His fate is still unknown.
Gunmen attack Iraq mly base, kill 21 soldiers
Militants launched a brazen attack on a military base in a restive area in northern Iraq on Thursday, April 17 killing at least 21 soldiers and wounding 12, officials said.
The morning attack at the base outside the city of Mosul, about 360-km northwest of Baghdad, started with a suicide bomber who detonated his truck packed with explosives at the gates of the facility, an army officer and a police officer said. A group of gunmen then opened fire from apparently commandeered military Humvees and a shootout ensued. At least 21 troops were killed and 12 were wounded, the officials said. Eight militants were also killed in the fighting.
A medical official confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to media.
In recent months, Mosul and the surrounding region have seen bold attacks by militants, mainly from an al-Qaeda-splinter group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, against military and security forces.
Drone kills 15 ‘Qaeda’, three civilians in Yemen
A drone strike on Saturday, April 19 killed 15 al-Qaeda suspects and three civilians in Yemen’s central Baida province, a stronghold of the extremist group, a security official said.
The ‘Jihadists’ were travelling in a vehicle towards the southern Shabwa province, witnesses said. The three civilians were passing by in another car. The United States is the only country that operates drones in Yemen, but officials rarely discuss the covert programme.
Last month, Yemen’s President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi defended the use of drones against al-Qaeda in his country, which has killed dozens of militants in a sharply intensified campaign over the past year. Drone strikes “have greatly helped in limiting al-Qaeda activities, despite some mistakes, which we are sorry about,” Hadi told the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat.
The drone programme has come under criticism from human rights activists concerned over civilian casualties. The United Nations said 16 civilians were killed and at least 10 wounded when two separate wedding processions were targeted in December. The victims had been mistakenly identified as al-Qaeda members; it quoted local security officials as saying at the time. Following the deaths, Yemen’s parliament voted for a ban on drone strikes, but analysts say lawmakers are unlikely to be able to halt the US campaign.
The US has defended the drone campaign, which allows it to target al-Qaeda without the use of ground forces in lawless areas where authorities cannot or will not act against the group.
Militants regularly attack security forces from hideouts in the mountainous terrain of Baida. On Tuesday, al-Qaeda suspects shot dead the province’s vice governor and an intelligence officer.
30 Iraqis killed
Suicide bombings and other attacks across Iraq killed at least 30 people and wounded 36 on Monday, April 21 officials said, the latest in an uptick in violence as the country counts down to crucial parliament elections later this month.
In one suicide attack, the bomber drove his explosives-laden car into a police checkpoint in the town of Suwayrah, killing 12 people — five policemen and seven civilians.
A police officer said the explosion in Suwayrah, located about 40-km south of Baghdad, also wounded 19 people.
Kosovo approves war crimes court
Kosovo’s parliament on Wednesday, April 23 approved the creation of an international war crimes court to investigate allegations against ethnic Albanian guerrillas during their conflict with Serbia in the late 1990s.
Pristina has been under pressure from the European Union to create the special court ever since a 2011 Council of Europe report alleged crimes including abductions, summary executions and — most controversially — the trafficking of prisoners’ organs by members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) during the 1998-99 war.
The report by the Council’s special rapporteur Dick Marty said the KLA, which fought Serbian armed forces during the conflict, had abused, tortured and killed 500 prisoners, mostly ethnic Serbs and Roma.
Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, who was a commander during the war, had strongly opposed the creation of the court, calling it “unjust and the greatest insult” to Kosovo. But he insisted it was “the only option” to prevent the establishment of a UN-sponsored external tribunal into the allegations.
Parliament approved the creation of the court by 89 votes to 22. Marty accused Kosovo’s top political leaders, including Thaci and several of his closest allies, including current deputy parliament speaker Xhavit Haliti, of involvement in wartime crimes.
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 | 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.
