Terrorist Activities in Pakistan
Bomb/IED Blasts
The house and car of the Bureau Chief of the Express News, Jamshed Bhagwan, were damaged in an explosion in Murshidabad locality on the Kohat Road in Peshawar on July 2, reports The News. This is the third bomb attack on the house of Jamshed Bhagwan over the past few months. The bomb disposal unit experts had defused the explosives in the first attack while the second one damaged the main gate and a portion of the house.
Four persons were injured when a bomb planted on a motorbike exploded in the limits of City Police Station in Bannu town (Bannu District) on July 10, reports The News. The sources said that Maroof Khan, Noor Sali Khan, Niamatullah and Latifullah sustained injuries when a remote-controlled bomb planted on a motorcycle parked near the vehicle of Khasadar Force on Railway road went off at about 9:45am.
At least eight persons were killed and three others were injured in two consecutive explosions in Dorri Banda area of Hangu town of Hangu District on July 17, reports Daily Times. Officials said that the incident took place when a roadside bomb hit a passenger vehicle. No group or militant organisation has claimed responsibility for the attack.
At least three persons, including one Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were killed and 27 others, including five FC personnel, were injured when Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attached to a motorcycle exploded in Seerat Chowk area of Khuzdar town (Khuzdar District) in Balochistan on July 20, reports Dawn. A Police official, Muhammad Anwar, said that the target of the explosion was the FC vehicle. The FC vehicle was slightly damaged and most of the victims were civilians.
Drone Attacks
Six unidentified militants were killed in a US drone missile strike in Doga Madakhel village of Dattakhel tehsil (revenue unit) in North Waziristan Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on July 10, reports The News. “The drone fired four missiles and hit a mud-built house in the Doga Madakhel village of Dattakhel tehsil. Six people, all believed to be militants, were killed in the drone attack,” a security official said.
Targeted Killings
At least eight persons were killed in separate incidents of violence in Karachi on June 26, reports Dawn. Two suspected militants were killed by Sindh Police in Madina Colony of New Karachi. According to the sources, a huge cache of arms and ammunition were also recovered from the possession of the suspects.
In a separate incident, one person was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Sohrab Goth area on June 26, reports Dawn.
Separately, a person was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Malir town on June 26, reports Dawn.
Furthermore, one person was shot dead in Federal B area near Hussainabad, where as another person was killed in Orangi Town due to firing on June 26, reports Dawn.
Moreover, one suspected militant was killed in a Police encounter while he was caught looting the citizens in Sohrab Goth’s Al-Asif Square on June 26, reports Dawn.
Also a dead body stuffed in a gunny sack was recovered from Landhi town on June 26, reports Dawn.
Meanwhile, five suspects belonging to a banned militant outfit were arrested in Gulshan-i-Buner area on June 26, reports Dawn.
Three persons were killed and one other injured in separate incidents of violence in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh on June 28, reports Daily Times.
Two bullet-riddled bodies of unidentified men were recovered near Mono-technical Institute in Korangi No 4.
Meanwhile, an unidentified man was shot dead by unknown assailants beneath Nipa Bridge.
In a separate incident, a man named Sameer was seriously injured due to bullets fired on him by unidentified gunmen near Brookes Chowrangi in Korangi Industrial Area.
On the other hand, a blast took place outside the office of a private courier company at Raza Square near Malir Courts. However, no casualties were reported. A Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) official said that one-kilogramme explosive was used in the blast.
Four persons were killed after a passenger van came under a fire attack in the suburban area of Kohat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on June 29, reports The News. Two terrorists opened fire on the pickup van en route to Khyber Agency from Kohat at Kuchai Zera Road, killing four persons and hurting three kids and two women of a family.
An independent candidate of 2013 General Elections from the constituency NA-198, Akhtar Abbasi was killed at Regent Colony in Sukkur city of Sukkur District on June 28, reports The News. He died of a bullet injury in his head. Police said that some unknown persons shot dead Abbasi, who had participated in the General Elections-2013 as an independent candidate.
Two traffic Policemen, including an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI), were killed in a firing incident in Orangi Town of Karachi on July 1, reports Daily Times. The victims were identified as Assistant Sub-Inspector Abdul Karim and Head Constable Rashid Yousuf.
At least eight persons were killed in separate incidents in Karachi on July 2, reports Daily Times. Four militants were killed in a Police encounter near Northern Bypass of Aliabad area. A senior Police official confirmed that four militants were killed by the Police in an encounter. He said that the slain militants were affiliated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
Separately, an unidentified person was killed by unidentified assailants at Gareeb Shah Road in Lyari on July 2, reports Daily Times.
In a separate incident, one person, identified as Syed Mohsin Ali, was killed by unidentified assailants near Water Pump at Federal B area on July 2, reports Daily Times.
In another incident, a person, identified as Habib Ullah was killed by unidentified assailants in Malir City on July 2, reports Daily Times. According to Police, Habib Ullah was the member of religious organization, while further investigation is underway. However spokesman of Ahl-e-Sunnat-Wal-Jama’at (ASWJ) said that deceased was the member of their organisation and resident of Daud Goth Malir.
A dead body was recovered from Frontier Colony of Pirabad area on July 2, reports Daily Times. Meanwhile, Rangers and Police arrested at least 55 criminals including four militants during joint operations in different areas of the city on July 2, reports Daily Times. According to Police, search operation was carried out in different areas including New Karachi, Lyari, Bhense Colony and Mochko.
Two persons were killed on July 3 as a result of firing in Tasap area of Panjgur District in Balochistan, reports Dawn. One of the victims was identified as Ilyas son of Muhammad Islam resident of Tasap, the official said, adding that the motive behind the killing could not be ascertained.
Meanwhile, Balochistan Home and Tribal Affairs Department sources said that over 800 bodies were found in Balochistan during last three-and-a-half years, with most of them being found in Quetta, Khuzdar and Makran belt, reports Dawn on July 4. The sources said that 466 victims were identified as ethnic Baloch, 123 as Pashtuns, and 107 from other ethnicities. Meanwhile, 107 bodies remained unidentified. Of the 466 Baloch killed in the Province, most were political workers while the remaining were killed in incidents of targeted killings, tribal disputes, domestic violence etc, the Home Department sources explained.
A local Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) District leader was killed by unidentified assailants in Kalat District in Balochistan on July 4, reports Dawn.
At least seven persons were killed in separate incidents of violence in Karachi on July 4, reports The News. Two suspected terrorists were killed and three others were injured when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) they were carrying exploded in a motorcycle accident on New Preedy Street in Saddar.
At least three Policemen were killed and two others were injured by unidentified assailants in Latifabad area of Hyderabad city of Hyderabad District on July 6, reports The News.
In a separate incident, two Ahl-e-Sunnat-Wahl-Jama’at (ASWJ) activists, identified as Qari Abdullah Raheem and Nawaz Khan were shot dead near old Sabzi Mandi area in Karachi on July 6, reports The News.
In another incident, a Tablighi Jamaat activist, identified as Khurram Shahzad was killed in Sujrani Town on July 6, reports The News.
Separately, Muhammad Saleem was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Mobina Town on July 6, reports The News.
Meanwhile, an unidentified person was shot dead in Korangi Town on July 6, reports The News.
At least four persons including two Policemen were killed in two different incidents of firing in Quetta on July 6, reports Dawn. Two persons were killed by unidentified assailants at a tailor’s shop in Killi Bangulzai area of Quetta. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack.
In another incident, two Policemen were killed by unidentified assailants in Kuchlak area of Quetta on July 6, reports Dawn.
The Anti-Violent Crime Cell and the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) on July 9 said that six abductors were killed in shootouts in joint raids in different areas of Karachi reports The News. Six abductees were also rescued during the operation.
Meanwhile, six persons, including a Policeman and a ‘gang war’ accused were killed and several others were injured in separate incidents on July 9, reports Daily Times. In one of the incidents, an accused of gang war was killed in an alleged Police encounter in Lyari. In another incident, Muhammad Ali Jan, an Assistant Sub-Inspector, was killed in shoot out by an unidentified assailant in Shah Latif Town at National Highway. A man was killed in firing in Gulshan-e-Jamali area of the metropolis. In yet another incident of firing in Creek Chowk of Lyari one person was killed. The Police recovered a bullet riddled body from the seashore.
Separately, two persons were killed in separate incidents of violence in Orangi town and F B Area on July 9, reports The News. Bashir Ahmed was critically injured by firing of unidentified gunmen riding a motorcycle near Kakar Hotel, in sector 4-F of Orangi town. He died later. A young man identified as Mudassir Hussain was shot dead by robbers near Rehmat Bakery in Block 18 of FB Area.
Meanwhile, firing incidents continued in different areas of the city during which more than a dozen persons sustained injuries.
Armed militants gunned down five Frontier Corps (FC) personnel in Dukki area of Loralai District during pre-dawn hours on July 10, reports Dawn. A security official said that the gunmen attacked with automatic weapons at a check-post of the FC in Dukki area of Loralai District. He said another FC soldier deployed at the check-post sustained serious bullet wounds.
At least four persons were killed in separate incidents in Karachi on July 10, reports Dawn. A shopkeeper, identified as Asif Ali was shot dead in a suspected sectarian attack in the Empress Market area of Saddar Town.
Separately, three dead bodies were recovered from Afshani Gali of Lyari area on July 10, reports Dawn.
At least nine persons were killed in separate incidents of violence in Karachi on July 14, reports Daily Times. Assistant Sub Inspector of Police (ASI), Yousuf was shot dead by unidentified assailants at Zia Colony in Korangi Town.
Separately, a person Meer Ali (43) was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Port Qasim area on July 14, reports Daily Times.
Also, Rashid was shot dead by unidentified assailants at Johar Chowk in Orangi Town on July 14, reports Daily Times.
Separately, a person, identified as Basheer was shot dead by unidentified assailants at Memon Goth in Malir Town on July 14, reports Daily Times.
At least six persons were killed in separate incidents in Karachi on July 16, reports Daily Times. Two unidentified persons were shot dead and three others, aged 30, 35 and 40, were shot and injured by unidentified assailants near Abbas Imam Bargah in Gulistan-e-Johar.
At least seven persons were killed in separate incidents of violence in Karachi on July 17, reports Daily Times. Two persons were shot dead and one other was injured by unidentified assailants at Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Morr near Akhtar Colony.
In another incident, two persons, Qadri Hassan Waheed and Sami Qadri were shot dead by unidentified assailants outside Lal Flats in Gulistan-e-Johar on July 17, reports Daily Times.
Separately, a person, identified as Abdul Aziz was killed by unidentified assailants at Joghi Morr in Cattle Colony of Landhi on July 17, reports Daily Times.
In a separate incident, an eight day old dead body was found near Rexser flyover on July 17, reports Daily Times.
Also, four day old dead body of a man was found near Pakistan Chowk on July 17, reports Daily Times.
In a separate incident, Saleem Badshah was shot and injured at Awami Colony in Korangi near Chowrangi area on July 17, reports Daily Times.
Also, a Policeman, identified as Ikhtiyar was injured by unidentified assailants in Quaidabad on July 17, reports Daily Times.
Meanwhile, Kamran was shot and injured by unidentified assailants in North Karachi on July 17, reports Daily Times.
At least six persons were killed in separate incidents of violence in Karachi on July 20, reports Daily Times. A man was killed in Sector 11 area of Orangi Town when he was targeted by unidentified assailants. Separately, a man identified as Zia Mehsood was gunned down near Karachi Medical and Dental College. An activist of Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen was killed when unidentified assailants opened fire on a shop in PIB Colony. According to reports, three other persons were killed separately in Landhi, Gulistan-e-Jauhar and Baldia Town areas of the city.
At least four persons, including three Policemen, were killed in different incidents in Karachi on July 21, reports Daily Times. Two Policemen, Niaz Ahmed and Habib Durani were shot dead by unidentified assailants in Quaidabad area.
Separately, unidentified assailants killed a Sub Inspector (SI) Muhammad Rafiq on July 20 near Shah Bhattia Hall in Lyari area while he was returning from his duty, reports Daily Times.
In a separate incident, a person, identified as Qutubuddin was shot dead and two others, Nawab and Kareem were injured when unidentified assailants opened fire on them at Islamia Colony No-1 in Qasba Colony on July 21, reports Daily Times.
Miscellaneous
Four persons were injured when motorcycle borne unidentified assailants threw a grenade at a Police picket in the Sadiqabad area of Rawalpindi town of Rawalpindi District in Punjab on June 25, reports The News. Four injured persons were identified as Atiq, Nabeel, Nasir and Ajab. The injured were reported to be in stable condition. The attackers however, managed to escape from the scene.
The Security Forces arrested two suspects and seized a huge cache of weapons during the search operation in various areas of Hangu Districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on June 27, reports The News. Three machine guns, seven SGP-9 machine guns, 98 rocket shells, two rocket launchers, 10 sophisticated machine guns, 10 detonators, explosive materials used in improvise explosive devices (IEDs), five suicide vests, huge quantity of explosives, six masks, hundreds of hand grenades and thousands of cartridges had been recovered from their possession.
16 militants were killed and seven hideouts were destroyed in the ongoing Zarb-e-Azb operation by Security Forces (SFs) in Khyber Agency and North Waziristan Agency (NWA) of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on June 29, reports Daily Times. An Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) hand-out said that the strategic achievements were made after successful air strikes in the suburbs of Mir Ali in NWA. The ISPR further said that a large cache of explosives was also destroyed in the air strikes. Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said that the operation will be continued till complete elimination of terrorists.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement, dated June 30 said 15 militants were killed in exchange of fire with the troops during house-to-house search operation in Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan Agency (NWA), of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), reports The News. The Army’s infantry troops and Special Services Group (SSG) conducted door-to-door searches in Miranshah town to ensure that the civilian population had evacuated the area. Troops have recovered underground tunnels and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) making factories inside the so far cleared area. Three soldiers got injured in exchange of fire.
According to the ISPR, artillery, tanks and other heavy weapons were used in the action against militants. Since start of Operation Zarb-e-Azb on 15 June, 376 militants have been killed while 19 have surrendered to the SFs. 61 militant Hideouts have been destroyed in the operation during last 15 days. 17 Soldiers have died in the ongoing Operation.
Two security officers were killed and another injured when unidentified militants ambushed a security convoy near Ippi village in Mir Ali tehsil (revenue unit) of North Waziristan Agency (NWA) in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on July 1, reports Central Asia Online. The security convoy was travelling from a Khajuri check-post to Miranshah. The attackers managed to escape.
Separately, the Army on July 1 unearthed landmines manufacturing factory in Miranshah during ground operation, reports The News. At least 225 cylinders filled with explosive material weighing from 80 to 100 kilogram have also been seized from the factory. One hundred and fifty incomplete cylinders meant for manufacturing landmines, 10 anti-tank landmines, 700 pipes filled with explosive material, and equipment for physical training and welding were also seized.
Meanwhile, the Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on July 1 that several Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan ‘commanders’ were entrapped in the NWA, reports Daily Times. “They are locked in the security forces trap and they don’t know where to go,” the Minister said, adding that the security commanders were regularly updating Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Operation Zarb-e-Azb’s progress. “There would be a remarkable improvement in the security environment once the terrorists are wiped out from the NWA. They (TTP) have to pay for what they have done to the people of Pakistan.”
Also, the monthly security report of the Conflict Monitoring Centre (CMC) said that militants’ activities have drastically decreased after the launch of Operation Zarb-e-Azb, not only in FATA/KP but also in Balochistan, reports The News. According to the CMC statistics, SFs conducted 127 actions across Pakistan (including those conducted under the NWA operation) in which 517 suspected militants were killed, 25 others injured and 1,167 suspects arrested. Severity of the security forces’ actions can be gauged from the fact that the number of deaths has witnessed an almost 189pc increase as compared to the previous month. Over 251 pc increase in the number of arrests clearly suggests that security forces have also tightened the noose around the neck of the militants in various parts of the country and arrested many of their operatives as well as supporters while making an effective use of intelligence.
10 militants were killed when military helicopters pounded militant’s compounds on July 2 as part of the Operation Zarb-e-Azb in the Khar Warsak area, 12 kilometers north of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan Agency (NWA) of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), reports The News. Nearly 500,000 people have fled the offensive in NWA, which is aimed at wiping out longstanding militant strongholds in the area, which borders Afghanistan.
In addition, Army claims on July 2 that three more Improvised Explosive Device (IED) making factories with large quantity of explosives, anti-tank mines, a suicide bomber training center, a media facility and a rocket cache were recovered from the cleared area in NWA during the military offensive, reports Dawn. A spokesman for the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that Operation was progressing successfully as planned as six IEDs attached with four computers in a ready position were also recovered from a private hotel in the area. “Forces are making swift progress in NWA as forces are hitting and shelling militant hubs and hide outs,” he said. Sources said sniffer dogs are also being used in the cleared areas to find hidden explosives.
Six bullet-riddled dead bodies were recovered from the Hurmaz village in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan Agency on July 3, reports The News. Official sources said unidentified assailants had shot dead six persons and placed their bodies on a road in the Hurmaz village.
Meanwhile, unidentified militants fired six rockets at the camp of the Security Forces in Mir Ali on the night of July 2, reports The News. The rockets were reportedly fired from somewhere in Spalga but didn’t cause any loss.
At least five suspected militants were killed and five militant hideouts were destroyed on July 5 as jet fighters pounded parts of the North Waziristan Agency (NWA) in Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA), reports Dawn. Most of the militants killed in the strikes were reportedly Uzbeks.
At least 13 militants were killed when the Air Force fighter jets pounded seven suspected hideouts of militants in the Degan village of North Waziristan Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on July 8, repots The News. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued a brief statement to the media about the latest air strikes in the Degan village, which had been attacked earlier as well. The press release didn’t provide further details about the air strikes and the identity of the slain militants. Degan is located in the Dattakhel tehsil (revenue unit), near the Afghan border, and is considered a stronghold of the North Waziristan based Hafiz Gul Bahadur group.
At least two militants, identified as Saim Ali and Fahim, belonged to Al Qaeda linked Ahmed Farooq group, were killed in a “shootout” between a Police party and the suspected militants in the Alipur town of Muzaffargarh District on July 8, reports The News.
Militants attacked a security checkpost along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Mamond area of Bajaur Agency in the early hours of July 12, killing three Security Force personnel including a captain, reports Dawn. Official sources say that militants from across the border in Kunar province of Afghanistan attacked the security check-post. The attack also injured two other persons.
At least 18 militants were killed when Army jets and artillery pounded alleged militant hideouts in North Waziristan Agency on July 12-13, reports Dawn. At least 13 militants were killed when Army jets and artillery pounded alleged militant hideouts in Mosaki area, 25 kilometers (15 miles) east of Miranshah, the main town of NWA in the morning of July 12. Six terrorist hideouts and a huge ammunition cache were destroyed and at least 13 militants, most of them Uzbeks, were killed in July 12 strikes, a security official said.
Further, fighter jets struck militant hideouts around the Mir Ali tehsil (revenue unit) in the earlier hours of July 14 killing five militants. Official sources said that a number of terrorist sanctuaries were destroyed in the raids and also stated that a huge quantity of arms and ammunition has been destroyed in the strikes. They added that at least five bases have been destroyed. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that a large number of militants have also been killed, but there was no specific number.
The Policemen repulsed an attack by three target killers at a picket on the Kohat Road in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and killed one of them on July 14, reports The News. “The attack was carried out by three armed men, who were riding a motorcycle, during the Iftar time,” said Superintendent of Police (SP) at the Central Police Office, Sohaib Ashraf. The attackers started indiscriminate firing on the Police party, he said, adding, owing to the alertness of Police personnel the attackers failed to achieve their objectives. “The police personnel on duty responded to the attack in a prompt manner and were able to repulse the attack,” said SP City Mustafa Tanveer. The killed attacker is stated to be a resident of Wazir Bagh in Peshawar and belonging to a militant group. However, the Police authorities are yet to disclose the exact name and credentials of the attacker. The Police also recovered one Kalashnikov, one 9mm pistol and 4 magazines from the slain militant.
11 militants and five soldiers were killed and eight others were injured in two separate encounters with the militants in the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb in NWA on July 15, The News quoting ISPR reports on July 16. In an exchange of fire with terrorists in and around the Mir Ali area, two soldiers, including an officer Captain Akash Rabbani, were killed and two others sustained injuries. Four terrorists were also killed in the exchange of fire. Earlier in the day, soldiers engaged in clearance of Fateh Khel area near Mir Ali came under attack by the militants. The soldiers returned the fire that led to a heavy gun battle. Three soldiers were killed and six others injured in the clash. Meanwhile, the military claimed that seven militants were also killed in the gun battle. It is the first time that the military authorities said they had obtained bodies of the militants killed in a clash with security forces.
At least seven suspected militants were killed and one trooper was killed and five others were injured in an armed clash between Security Forces (SFs) and suspected militants during a search operation on July 17 in a compound situated in Raiwind Road area of Lahore), reports Dawn.
The News quoting Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported on July 21 that 28 local and foreign militants were killed in air strikes when fighter aircraft hit hideouts in the Shawal Valley of North Waziristan Agency (NWA) in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on July 20. The fighter aircraft pounded six separate hideouts of the militants in the forest-covered Shawal Valley, a mountainous area that divides NWA and South Waziristan. According to military officials, the displaced militants from Mir Ali and Miranshah reportedly established hideouts in the Shawal Valley after losing their sanctuaries in Mir Ali and Miranshah. There was no information about the identity of the slain militants and the group they were affiliated with. The military has started movement towards the Dattakhel subdivision of NWA, which is considered a stronghold of Hafiz Gul Bahadur group.
Separately, unidentified assailants shot dead two Khasadar (tribal police force) personnel in Shahkas area in Jamrud tehsil (revenue unit) of the Khyber Agency on July 20, reports The News. The sources said Havaldar Wahab and Khasadar Gul Rahman were on their way in a car in Charmari Road in Shahkas area when unidentified assailants opened fire on them, leaving both dead on the spot. The slain personnel of Khasadar Force belonged to the Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency.
Meanwhile, a total of 92,702 families displaced from NWA have been registered as the FATA Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) closed the registration process on July 15, an official said on July 20, reports The News. Addressing a press conference, FDMA’s Director General Abid Majeed said the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) had verified 49,857 families and an amount of PKR 759 million had been distributed among the IDPs so far while PKR 1226 million were transferred to Askari Bank Limited for the electronic payment through Zong SIMs. The cash grant distributed through SIM cards stands at PKR 405 million as 15,031 families were given the payment through Zong and the activation of further SIMs was in process. Though the registration of IDPs from NWA was stopped, those returning from Afghanistan via Kurram Agency would be registered, he said. To a question, he said the number of such families was 3,065.
Pakistan
Woman passenger killed and two others injured as militants open fire at PIA plane at Peshawar airport
Unidentified militants fired on a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane as it was landing at the Bacha Khan International Airport of Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), in the night of June 25, killing a woman and injuring two others, including a crew member. PIA flight PK-756 with 178 passengers and crew members on board was travelling from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “Unknown gunmen fired a volley of bullets at the airplane when it was preparing to land at the airport,” Superintendent of Police (SP) Cantonment Faisal Kamran said. “The gunmen fired at the airplane from outside the airport vicinity,” he said, quashing speculation that the airport might have been attacked. The PIA official added that the plane was attacked while flying at low altitude near Landi Akhum Ahmad area. He added that the plane was damaged in the attack.
The initial investigation to the attack revealed the involvement of banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Shahid group in the incident, The News reports on June 27. According to the contents of the report prepared by the Police authorities, foreign made M-16 gun was used by the TTP terrorists to fire on the PIA flight. The investigating team has found 24 spent shells of the foreign made gun from Mashu Khel and Suleman Khel areas of Peshawar during the post attack search in the adjoining areas.
Another source said that the Tariq Geedar group of the TTP was behind the attack reports Dawn. The source said the group was based in Darra Adamkhel and was headed by one Khalfa. “We have some important leads,” claimed an official. He said that the roof of a school in Sulemankhel, an area near Peshawar, was used for targeting the Airbus when it was landing at the Bacha Khan International Airport.
Action against terrorists on both sides of border agreed by Pakistan and Afghanistan
Pakistan and Afghanistan on June 26 agreed to launch indiscriminate action against the terrorists on both sides of the border, reports The News. This was decided during a meeting of Rangin Rahimi Dafdar Spanta, Afghan National Security Adviser, with Pakistani Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif at the PM House. Matters relating to mutual and bilateral interest came under discussion.
Further, Pakistan asked Afghanistan to take necessary measures on its side of the border to stop the fleeing terrorists from North Waziristan Agency (NWA) from finding sanctuary on the Afghan soil. Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam, in her weekly briefing said that the purpose of the visit of special envoy Mahmood Khan Achakzai to Kabul was to seek Afghanistan cooperation in the management of the border. She said the visit of Afghan National Security Adviser Spanta was also aimed at taking the discussion forward on the matter. The Spokesperson recalled that Pakistan had taken extraordinary measures, including restriction of movement and deployment of additional troops on the border, when presidential elections took place in Afghanistan.
Extortionists and target killers operating freely in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to report
The bombing of houses, rocket attacks, extortion calls and the target killings are taking place all over the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa particularly in the provincial capital of Peshawar in the absence of proactive policing, The News reports on July 2. Peshawar, has been under attack from extortionists, target killers and kidnappers for the last many months. Robbers and street criminals are taking advantage of the situation as the Police force seems to be struggling hard against extortionists and militants, mostly carrying out attacks from the tribal areas or the adjacent settled towns. Houses of people are being bombed almost every day after they either fail or refuse to pay extortion money. Some of the gangs involved in these crimes were neutralised but the major ones are yet to be eliminated. The provincial Police have sent a detailed report to the Interior Minister and have pointed out that a key militant group was behind most of the extortion cases.
40 percent area in Miranshah cleared from militants, says report
About 40 percent area of Miranshah, the main town of the North Waziristan Agency (NWA) in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), has been cleared from terrorists during the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb, The News reports on July 4. A military official told that 40 percent area had been cleared in Miranshah. However, he did not give any deadline for the completion of the ground operation in the area. The Army is facing some firing incidents, rocket attacks and explosives, but so far it has not faced any major resistance during the operation.
TTP militants cut hair and beard to escape operation in FATA, says report
Hundreds of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants rushed to disguise themselves, cut hair and beards to escape operation in North Waziristan Agency (NWA) of Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) reports The News on July 7. Azam Khan was one of the top barbers in Miranshah town said his business boomed in the month leading up to the Army assault as the militants sought to shed their distinctive long-haired, bearded look. “I have trimmed the hair and beards of more than 700 local and Uzbek militants ahead of the security forces’ operation,” he said while.
Even Uzbeks and Tajiks with little knowledge of the local language came to him asking him to shave their beards to nothing so they could go to Islamabad. “Knowing little Pashto, they used to utter four words: ‘mulgari (friend), machine, zero, Islamabad’,” added Azam Khan.
More than 800,000 persons flee operation against terrorists in NWA, according to FATA Disaster Management Authority
More than 800,000 people have fled in the Operation Zarb-e-Azb against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in North Waziristan Agency (NWA) of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Daily Times quoting FATA Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) officials reports on July 10. Tens of thousands of families have left the North Waziristan tribal area for the nearby town of Bannu. Hundreds more have moved further afield to the towns of Lakki Marwat, Karak and Dera Ismail Khan since the attacks began in mid-June. Officials from the FDMA said they were checking registrations for duplicates, meaning the figure may come down. The military is using troops, tanks and jets in NWA and has vowed to wipe out strongholds which insurgents have used to mount countless deadly attacks in recent years. “Some 833,274 people or 66,726 migrating families from North Waziristan were registered in cities of Bannu and Peshawar until Tuesday evening,” Arshad Khan, FDMA Director General said. Khan said 361,459 of the displaced were children and 248,633 women.
While Pakistan has not made a fresh request to the United Nations (UN) and the rest of the international community for the provision of assistance to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of NWA, it has requested the world body to extend its ongoing operations in the north-west to facilitate the IDPs, reports Daily Times. In this regard, the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) has written a letter to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), requesting the UN humanitarian agency to extend its humanitarian assistance already being provided to the 930,000 IDPs of the previous emergencies to the NWA IDPs, it has been learnt. Responding to the request, the UN has extended its humanitarian operations for the NWA IDPs, with three UN agencies World Food Programme (WFP), World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) mainly engaged in the provision of humanitarian assistance to the IDPs in Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Kohat and other parts.
Pakistan Railways to deploy commandos on trains
The Pakistan Railways to deploy commandos on trains which will soon be seen on all Railways trains, The News reported on July 9. The Government released PKR one billion to the Railways Ministry to strengthen security at railway stations and on trains. A total of 54 newly recruited commandos will carry out the task after completing their training. Pakistan Railways will also recruit more retired army commandos for the purpose and equip them with weapons and other essential instruments to protect passengers.
91 Police officials and nine Rangers killed in 2014 in Karachi, says report
At least 91 Police officials and nine Rangers personnel have been killed so far in 2014, reports Express Tribune on July 15. The report stated that 25 Police officials were killed in January, 19 in February, four in March, seven in April, nine in May, 19 in June and eight in the first half of July. Most of the Police officials were targeted in the West Zone. According to sources, members of a banned outfit target Police officials in the area.
Meanwhile, the Sindh Government on July 14 admitted in the Sindh High Court (SHC) that despite hectic efforts, Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA) could not track down the network of a large number of terrorists who shifted to Karachi after various operations in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), reports The News. Sindh Advocate General Abdul Fatah Malik made this statement in a report submitted to SHC division bench which was hearing half-a-dozen identical petitions against the extra-judicial killings of Muttahida Qaumi Movement activists during the ongoing operation in Karachi.
500 suspected terrorist held held across country, says report
Security Forces (SFs) arrested more than 500 suspected terrorists belonging to banned outfits from across the country, including the Federal capital Islamabad, The News quoting BBC Urdu reports on July 17. An official of the Federal Ministry of Interior said the detainees would be treated under the newly introduced Protection of Pakistan Act (PPA) 2014. The arrests have been made against the backdrop of the ongoing military operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan Agency (NWA) to curb the likely backlash from the militants. According to the official, more than 300 suspects were arrested from the Punjab while more than 100 were arrested from Karachi, provincial capital of Sindh and around 150 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. A report sent to the Federal Government by the intelligence agencies cited most number of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and their supporters were settled in Karachi besides their presence in North and South Waziristan Agencies.
Al Qaeda confirms the killing of six of its top leaders in drone attack in FATA
The al Qaeda has confirmed that the July 10 US drone strikes had killed six of its leaders in the Doga Madakhel area of Dattakhel tehsil (revenue unit) of North Waziristan Agency (NWA) in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), The News reports on July 22. Those killed included Mustafa Abu Yazid, chief ‘operational commander’ of al Qaeda and a close aide of Osama bin Laden, who had claimed responsibility for the 2007 murder of Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi. Sanafi al Nasr, who real name is Abdul Mohsin Abdullah Ibrahim Al Sharikh, the head of al Qaeda’s “Victory Committee”, who is based in Syria and has close ties with al Qaeda’s general command in Pakistan, has stated that six of his “dearest comrades” were killed in a US drone strike in Pakistan. While tweeting on the “Martyrdom of six of the dearest comrades”, Nasr has named three of them – Taj Al Makki, Abu Abdur Rahman Al Kuwaiti and Fayez Awda Al Khalidi. He did not name the three other al Qaeda leaders who were droned to death. Makki from Saudi Arabia, Rahman from Kuwait and Khalidi were mid-level ‘commanders’ and were important to the terror group due to their association with Nasr, one of Osama bin Laden’s three cousins who had risen through the al Qaeda ranks to become one of its most senior leaders. Before being relocated to Syria to lead a privileged al Qaeda committee, he was based in the Waziristan tribal belt of Pakistan.
REGIONAL
Bangladesh – Internal Dynamics
500000 manpower to be recruited for Police force to root out terrorism, says Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed on July 2 said her Government has taken a decision in principle to recruit 50,000 more manpower for the Police Force, reports The New Nation. She said a total of 30,474 new manpower have been added to the Police Force by creating new specialized units in the organizational structures of the force to maintain law and order. Creation for 1,557 new posts is under process. Moreover, a process for constituting a special counter-intelligence unit is going on to contain terrorism. Surveillance has been stepped up through patrolling on highways and river routes round-the-clock and using modern technologies to eliminate terrorism. She further said her Government is following the “zero tolerance” policy to root out terrorism.
PBCP regional leader killed in Khulna
A regional leader of the outlawed Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) was killed in a shootout by Police at Shantinagar area of Thukra village in Khulna District on July 4, reports The Bangladesh Today. Two Police Constables Mosharraf Hossain and Ilias were also injured during the gunfight. Police said that the deceased Litu Sarder (38) was accused in at least 13 cases including two murders.
Two HuT cadres arrested in Sylhet
Police on July 6 arrested two cadres of Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT) from Mendibag area of Sylhet city in Sylhet District while they were distributing leaflets, reports The Daily Star. The arrested persons are identified as Syed Tanvir Hasan alias Shifak and Sadikul Islam. Police also recovered about 100 leaflets from their possession
PBCP and Juddho faction threatens to kill 13 reporters for writing against its activities in Satkhira District
Journalists Sheikh Abdus Sattar on July 5 said that Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) – Jana Juddho faction threatened to kill 13 reporters for writing against its activities in Satkhira District, reports Daily Times. In a letter mailed the rebel group termed the reporters “class enemies” and vowed to kill them by July 18.
BCP cadre killed by rivals in Jessore
Siraj Akonji, a cadre of the outlawed Biplobi Communist Party (BCP) was killed in a gunfight with his rivals at Subrara village in Abhoynagar sub-District of Jessore District on July 16, reports The Daily Star. A team of Police rushed to the spot and found the body of Siraj lying in the area. Police said that the gunfight might have occurred between the two groups over the internal feud. Police also recovered one shooter gun and four bullet shells from the spot.
Cabinet Committee on Law and Order rejects HRW’s proposal to dissolve RAB
The Cabinet Committee on Law and Order, led by Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, on July 21 rejected Human Rights Watch (HRW)’s proposal to dissolve Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), reports Dhaka Tribune. Amir Hossain Amu told after a meeting of the committee, “It is an internal matter. They cannot request to dissolve the elite force. We will not make any decision in the light of their request. We will make decisions in our context.”
The HRW in a letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed on July 21 had reiterated its call for disbanding RAB as it believed the elite force is “beyond reform”, reports The Daily Star. On May 14, it had urged that RAB be disbanded and called on Sheikh Hasina to establish an independent body to investigate the allegations of crimes allegedly committed by RAB
India – Internal Dynamics
Police constable killed in exchange of fire with Maoists in Maharashtra
Constable Umesh Jawale, attached to the Quick Response Team (QRT) of a Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), was killed in an exchange of fire with Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres in the forest of Gyarapatti in Gadchiroli District on June 27, reports The Times of India. Security Forces (SFs) claimed that three Maoists were dragged away from the encounter spot with serious injuries.
Two Maoist supporters killed
Two alleged supporters of Communist Party of India-Maoist were killed when People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI) opened indiscriminate firing at a weekly market in Birbanki under Arki Police Station in Khunti District on June 28, reports Business Standard. The victims were identified as Gopal Munda and Bisram Munda. Police said that the victims were Maoists supporters and used to collect levy for Maoist ‘area commander’ Kundan Pahan.
New Garo militant outfit surfaces in Meghalaya
The Shillong Times reports on July 2 that another Garo militant outfit, United People’s Revolutionary Alliance (UPRA) has emerged in the State and has started issuing quit notices to illegal encroachers from outside especially in the plain belt areas of Garo Hills. The new militant outfit which has its headquarters in an undisclosed location called ‘Chusimra’ claimed that Garo Hills was being overrun by illegal encroachers from outside which was due to the ‘special favours’ being given by Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and politicians in their respective constituencies by enabling them to get hold of job cards, ration cards, election IDs etc.
The outfit made special mention about the initiative being taken by the Meghalaya Police to create ‘Force 10′, a new security unit to tackle militancy in Garo Hills and claimed that politicians were helping the illegal encroachers to get recruited into it. “We are issuing ‘quit notices’ to all illegal encroachers in Garo Hills. They must leave Garo Hills within the next 10 days, otherwise we will resort to our own course of action,” the ‘chairman’ of the outfit Tattara Matgrik said in a statement.
Naxals using children as human shields a worry, says UN report
The UN has expressed concern over the killing and maiming of children who continue to be recruited and used as human shields by Naxals [Left-Wing Extremists (LWEs)] in India and over the threat of sexual violence against girls within Naxal ranks, reports Out Look. The Annual Report of the UN Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, released on July 1, said the recruitment and use of children, as young as six-years-old, by Naxals, continued in 2013. While no disaggregated data on the number of children associated with armed groups in India was available with the UN, it said independent estimates indicate at least 2,500 children are associated with armed groups in Naxal-affected areas. It cited data from the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs and said boys and girls aged six to 12 years were recruited into specific children’s units, known as Bal Dasta and Bal Sangham, in Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. The report said children also continued to be placed in front of combat units as human shields. “Taking into account the use of children as human shields by the Naxalites, the United Nations is concerned about the killing and maiming of children in hostilities,” it said. Noting that Naxal recruitment affects girls and women, the report said the presence of girls within Naxal ranks.
CRPF officer killed in Jharkhand
A Central Reserve Police Officer (CRPF) officer, HK Jha, was killed on July 4 during an anti-Naxal [Left-Wing Extremism (LWE)] operation in Giridih District, reports outlookindia.com. The incident occurred when a joint squad of CRPF and State Police was out for an operation in Lakheri area of the District. Initially the officer was injured but later succumbed to his injuries, said a senior Police official. During the operation, two LWEs have been arrested with some arms and ammunition and a search operation has been launched in the area.
CRPF official and Maoist killed in encounter
A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) official, Hira Kumar Jha, the second-in-command of CRPF base in Jamui and a Communist Party of India-Maoist cadre, were killed in an exchange of fire around Lakharia forest region of Jamui District on July 4, reports NDTV. “His body has been recovered by the CRPF personnel and it is being brought to the Police Station,” Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) RN Tiwary said. Earlier, on July 4, it was reported that the CRPF official was killed in Giridih District of Jharkhand.
Cyber crimes rise in Odisha
Odisha witnessed a rise in cases relating to cyber crime in 2013, according to the latest finding of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), The Times of India reports on July 7. While only 27 cyber crime cases, both under Information Technology (IT) Act and Indian Penal Code (IPC) were registered in the state in 2012, it increased to 104 in 2013. To check cyber terrorism, Odisha Government recently formed a crisis management group. The Additional Director General (Crime Branch) was designated as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of the state. The responsibility of CISO will be to coordinate security policy compliance measures for the state government and report to CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team), a Central organization mandated with IT security in the country.
Five injured in bomb blast in Maharashtra
Five people, including a Policeman, were injured in a low intensity bomb blast near Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati temple in Pune (Maharashtra) on July 10, reports The Times of India. The bomb was placed on a motorcycle in the parking area of Faraskhana and Vishrambaug Police Stations located 200m from the temple. Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil, who visited the blast site, said the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) would investigate the blast. “It is a challenge for the police as the blast happened on their premises.’’
Police suspect Indian Mujahideen (IM) involvement in the blast due to its similarities with explosions in Pune earlier. They have found traces of ammonium nitrate and seized nails and ball bearings from the blast site. The same material was used in the other two blasts along with Research Department Explosive (RDX) in the German Bakery blast in February 2010.
Grenade attack on engineer in Manipur
The Hindu reports that suspected militants lobbed a Chinese-made hand grenade at the residence of Dineshkumar Leichombam, a junior engineer in the electricity department at his home at Uripok in Imphal West District on July 8. Police stated that a militant organisation had demanded 5 percent of the fund allocated to the department as illegal tax. E-pao reports on July 11 that a militant of the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), identified as Moirangthem Gandhi, was arrested by Security Forces (SFs) from Sekmai Keithel in Imphal West District. The Sangai Express on July 11 adds that KCP clarified that the individual was not a member of KCP or the armed wing Miyamgi Fingang Lanmi (MFL).
Five people killed in Assam
The Telegraph reports that bodies of all four traders who were abducted by militants of IK Songbijit faction of National Democratic Front of Bodoland NDFB-IKS) on July 11 from Labdanguri in Baksa District in Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) have been recovered. The body of a 14 year old individual identified as Bakar Ali was recovered on July 12 from Kamargaon in Barpeta District and body of other three persons, identified as Rabul Amin, Saddam Hussain and Atwar Ali were recovered on July 13 from Hakuanala on the banks of the Manas River in Baksa District. Confirming the recovery of the three bodies, Baksa Deputy Commissioner Vinod Seshan said, “All the bodies were recovered from Hakuanala.” Sources stated that all four were abducted and killed right away and there was no report of any ransom demand. He further added that Police fired in the air and caned a mob which had gathered to protest the killings and added that the situation was under control.
Ukhrul ADC member killed in Manipur
The Sangai Express reports that on July 12 former vice chairman and member of Ukhrul Autonomous District Council (UADC) Ngalangzar Malue was shot and killed and his driver identified as Khangembam Bigyani and his nephew Ratanmi Malue were injured in the ambush at Finch Corner in Ukhrul District by suspected militants. E-Pao adds that the ambush was allegedly made by the Isak-Muivah faction of National Socialist Council of Nagaland.
Six injured in bomb blast
The Sangai Express reports that on July 12 six people were injured when a remote controlled Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded at Langthabal Kunja Mayai Leikai in Imphal West District. According to reports the bomb went off around 15 minutes after the Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and a few seconds after Assam Rifles (AR) convoy passed the area. The injured individuals have been identified as Mohammed Alludin Khan, Thongam Leibak-macha, Thon-gam Premchand , Asem Bijoy, Mohammed Ziaur Rehman and Rabina Begum. No militant outfit has so far claimed responsibility for the blast. The spot where the bomb exploded was frequented by SFs. Kanglaonline further adds that the IED was placed on top of a tree.
Police constable killed in Assam
Assam Tribune reports that on July 20 one Assam Police Constable of 2nd Assam Police Task Force, identified as Arpan Barua, was killed in the Doldoli Reserve Forest area of Karbi Anglong District along Assam-Nagaland border after Naga extremist elements opened fire on workers and security personnel engaged in an eviction operation in Doldoli Reserve Forest in Karbi Anglong District to clear tracts allegedly encroached upon by people from Nagaland side. Another Police personnel and a forest official were injured. During the eviction drive more than 150 illegally constructed houses were destroyed and two Smooth Bore Breech Loading Guns (SBBL) were recovered.
Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Nanda Singh stated that Naga extremists fired with Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) rifles, light machine guns and rocket launchers, reports Nagaland Post.
‘Greater Garoland’ is still the agenda: AVNC
The Shillong Times reports that as tripartite ceasefire agreement completes ten years on July 23, A’chik National Volunteer Council ‘publicity Secretary’ Arist Sengsrang N Sangma, on July 22, said that scaling down from their two earlier demands of ‘Greater Garoland’ and ‘Garoland Autonomous Council’ did not mean that the outfit had given up the original demand of ‘Greater Garoland’. ANVC which was formed in 1995 had engaged in an armed struggle fighting for a ‘Greater Garoland’ which includes Garo Hills, the Garo dominated areas of West Khasi Hills, Goalpara, Kamrup Districts of Assam and parts of Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, the new directive by Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) stating that no talks with armed groups unless they lay down their arms has been welcomed by Meghalaya security agencies, reports The Sentinel on July 23. A security official stated, “We have already hit the spine of the GNLA and any facilitation for a dialogue will only be leeway to these groups who have been fomenting terror.
Monthly Fatalities
The following deaths related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism occurred during the period June 26, 2014 to July 25, 2014:
| Civilian | Indian Security Personnel | Militant | Total | |
| Assam | 08 | 01 | 10 | 19 |
| Manipur | 02 | 00 | 04 | 06 |
| Meghalaya | 01 | 00 | 06 | 07 |
| Left-wing | 11 | 05 | 07 | 23 |
| Total | 22 | 06 | 27 | 55 |
Nepal – Internal Dynamics
CA Subcommittee to talk to armed outfits
A subcommittee of the Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee of the Constituent Assembly (CA) is set to hold talks with armed outfits operational in Eastern Hills and Mid-Tarai, reports Ekantipur.com on July 9. The Ananda Prasad Dhungana-led panel held talks with 45 parties outside the CA on July 7 and July 8. The smaller parties presented their views, some in writing, on the contentious issues of the constitution being drafted. According to Dhungana, the suggestions will be forwarded to the CA through the Dialogue Committee. The talks, leaders said, are an attempt to make the statute drafting process inclusive and participatory.
Sri Lanka – Internal Dynamics
Sri Lanka to tackle online hate speech: military
Sri Lanka will clamp down on Internet hate speech following deadly anti-Muslim riots said to have been fuelled by social media sites, the military said on Monday, June 30. Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has asked the law and order ministry to deal with racial and religious hatred being spread using Facebook and Twitter, military spokesman Ruwan Wanigasooriya said.
“There are some Facebook pages against Buddhism, but more pages against Islam,” Wanigasooriya told AFP. “Some try to project every Muslim as a Jihadist. It is wrong and it must stop.” He said Rajapaksa, the powerful younger brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, had asked law enforcement authorities to work out a “practical way” of dealing with online hate speech.
Anti-Muslim riots in Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka two weeks ago left at least four people dead and 80 seriously wounded. Hundreds of shops and homes were also destroyed in the tourist resort towns of Aluthgama and Beruwala. Police have arrested eight suspects accused of looting during the riots, along with 55 others who have been linked to the violence.
The hardline Buddhist Force (BBS), which denies instigating attacks against Muslims, said last week that its social media pages had been blocked by service providers and their websites had been attacked by hackers.
There is no official censorship in Sri Lanka, but government authorities routinely block access to opposition and dissident websites. However, the blocked sites can still be accessed through proxy servers based outside the country.
Sri Lanka’s media as well as rights groups have accused the police of failing to prevent extremist Buddhist mobs attacking Muslims, who make up 10 percent of the country’s 20 million population. The influential Muslim Council of Sri Lanka, an umbrella group of 48 Muslim organisations, petitioned police chief N. K. Illangakoon last week expressing fears of more violence against them during the holy month of Ramazan.
Muslims as well as moderate Buddhists have pressed for action against the BBS, which is seen as enjoying the patronage of senior government figures.
Anuradhapura High Court further remands two LTTE militants who shot down aircraft in 2000
The Anuradhapura Special High Court Judge Khema Swarnadhipathy ordered to further detain two former militants of the ‘Missile Brigade’ of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for bombing of a military aircraft 14 years ago, till July 22, 2014, reports Colombo Page on June 30. The two LTTE cadres, Jegan alias Kulawan and Vallami alias Sinnathilakan, both residents of Irasathurai in Jaffna, Northern Province are suspected of shooting down an Antonov-34 aircraft flying from Palaly to Ratmalana on March 30, 2000 over Anuradhapura, North Central Province killing at least 40 people including 4 Russians.
According to the Police, the two arrested two years ago in Kilinochchi in Northern Province had revealed that the rebels had fired missiles towards the aircraft from Wilpattu forests. The Court has issued orders to the officer in charge of the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) to submit reports relating to the incident without delay.
Benefits of Sri Lanka defeating terrorism should receive recognition’: Minister G. L. Peiris
Minister of External Affairs, G. L. Peiris said in Colombo on June 30 that Sri Lanka’s victory in war against Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam-backed terrorism and the resulting peace and stability benefitted not only the island nation, but also the entire South Asian region and it is only right and proper the magnitude of these benefits should receive recognition, reports Colombo Page. He pointed out that terrorism is one of the main issues which continue to challenge the economy and wellbeing of many of the countries in the region and therefore, Sri Lanka’s success in eradicating terrorism has had a crucial impact on weakening the forces destabilizing the entire region and, especially, reducing the opportunities for collaboration among terrorist groups active in the area.
LTTE cadre among four Sri Lankan Tamils arrested in Tamil Nadu
Police arrested four Sri Lankan Tamils, including a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam cadre, on charges of illegal entry when they clandestinely landed at Arichamunai, off Danushkodi, in Tamil Nadu in the early hours of July 2, reports The Hindu. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) T. Vijayakumar said the four, including two women, were walking towards the coast after getting dropped in chest-deep water, when the patrolling police arrested and brought them to the Danushkodi station. The police identified them as S. Sathish (39), who had worked as an ‘accountant’ with LTTE, S. Ravindran alias Ravi (38), who had worked in the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP), J. Santhi (38), and Malar (55). Enquiries revealed that Sathish, who had studied BA (Accounts) at the Jaffna Hindu College, had served in the LTTE as an accountant from 2004 until the final phase of the war in 2009.
Sri Lankan police seek Interpol assistance to arrest LTTE activist in India
Sri Lanka Police launched investigations into the activities of a suspect who had maintained close links with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, reports Colombo Page on July 3. The suspect, Kathirwel Dayabaran Raj, is believed to be in India. Preliminary investigations have revealed that he had escaped to Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu on May 4 with his wife and three children. Police have requested the assistance of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) to trace the absconding suspect. Meanwhile, an Indian magazine has reported that Dayabaran Raj was killed by the Security Forces (SFs) but the Sri Lanka Police denied the allegation. Sri Lanka Police said they have evidence that the suspect had escaped by boat to Rameshwaram.
Malaysia arrests four LTTE operatives suspected of terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka
Malaysian Police on July 3 arrested four former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam leaders accused of trying to revive the organization using Malaysia as a base, reports Colombo Page. The arrestees suspected of involvement in terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka were arrested by the Malaysian Police in a series of anti-terrorism operations in Klang Valley, Kuala Lumpur. The four are being detained by the Special Branch’s Counter-Terrorism Division (SB-CTD). Malaysian Police said one of the suspects was wanted for his involvement in the assassination attempt on the then Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga in 1999. Police Inspector General (IG) Khalid Abu Bakar said that the suspects “were planning to reactivate the group by making Malaysia as their base of operations”. Some activists, he said, had exploited their status as refugees to pursue illegal activities. According to the Malaysian Police one of the suspects was an explosives expert, and another is alleged of facilitating planned attacks on Sri Lankan consulates in India. The fourth man is accused of gathering intelligence for the group. The Police confiscated counterfeit passports of multiple nations, counterfeit rubber stamps of the Immigration Department and foreign embassies and other documents.
Malaysian authorities hunt for more LTTE cadres
Malaysian authorities are on the hunt for more cadres of the outlawed Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam after a crackdown on the Tamil militant group led to the arrest of seven persons in the last two months in the country, reports Colombo Page on July 5. Four suspected LTTE cadres were arrested on July 3 brings the total number of Sri Lankan Tamils arrested here in the last two months to seven. Malaysian Police believe the Tamil Tigers were trying to revive their movement using Malaysia as a transit point, hideout and a new base of operation.
NGOs gave weapons to terrorists: PM
Sri Lankan Prime Minister (PM) D. M. Jayaratne said in Parliament on July 11 that It is a well known fact that several Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have exceeded their remits even to the extent of procuring weapons for terrorists, reports Daily News. He made these observations in Parliament in response to a special statement made by Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe under Standing Orders querying if the letter dated July 1, 2014 issued by the National Secretariat to NGOs, was to control the NGOs. The PM said the letter issued was not an order but a letter of instruction to request NGOs to act within the agreed boundaries and not to engage in any other action outside the original mandates. However, he said, the government was not intending to control NGOs but merely reminding them to act in accordance with the mandates they are pledged to.
LTTE cadres in custody ready to spill the beans
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam cadres arrested in Malaysia and extradited to Sri Lanka last Friday (July 18) have spilled the beans on Tiger activists under questioning by the sleuths of the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID), reports The Island on July 20. They have told the interrogators that they had never thought that the LTTE would be defeated militarily in the North. Two of them fled to Malaysia in 2000 via the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). In 2009, the third member went there after the defeat of the LTTE. They said when they came to Colombo from Jaffna in 2000 they had feared that the public would get them arrested. After reaching Malaysia, they did various jobs. They said the LTTE had a lot of members in Malaysia. “We thought of rebuilding the LTTE organization. We commemorated the LTTE Heroes Day in Malaysia. Our efforts were all in vain. Our members are still in Jaffna.” On the basis of revelations made by them the police are expected to make some arrests in the North.
INTERNATIONAL
Sisi in Sudan after Africa ‘terrorism’ warning
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi landed in Islamist neighbour Sudan on Friday, June 27 for what an analyst said would be an attempt to shore up a regional alliance against Islamic “terrorism”. An AFP photographer at Khartoum airport confirmed the Egyptian leader’s plane had touched down.
The official SUNA news agency said Sisi was “on a short visit to hold talks with President Omar al-Bashir.”
About 300 Islamists protested the visit outside a downtown Khartoum mosque, a witness said.
Sisi arrived a day after he told the African Union summit in Equatorial Guinea that the continent must reinforce cooperation to face a “plague” of cross-border terrorist groups. He took a similar message to Algeria on Wednesday during his first foreign trip since his election in May.
“Egypt, the Gulf countries and now Algeria — Egypt is trying to build a regional alliance to fight Islamic terrorism,” University of Khartoum political scientist Safwat Fanous told AFP. So they would like to see Sudan as part of this alliance in order to isolate Qatar and Turkey, who are… the main supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood Movement.”
‘Iraqi militants executed 160 captives’
Analysis of photographs and satellite images of mass graves by Human Rights Watch has confirmed on Friday, June 27 that militants in Iraq massacred at least 160 captives in the northern city of Tikrit. HRW said that between 160 and 190 men were killed in at least two locations in and around Tikrit — the hometown of late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein — between June 11 and 14. HRW says the number of victims may well be much higher, but the difficulty of locating bodies and accessing the area has prevented a full investigation. On June 12, ISIS claimed to have executed 1,700 “Shi’a members of the army” in Tikrit. Two days later, it posted to a website photographs with groups of apparently executed men.
On June 22, Iraq’s human rights minister announced that ISIS had executed 175 Iraqi Air Force recruits in Tikrit. “The photos and satellite images from Tikrit provide strong evidence of a horrible war crime that needs further investigation,” said Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director of HRW.
On June 14, ISIS posted roughly 60 photographs, some of which show masked ISIS fighters loading captives in civilian clothes onto trucks and forcing them to lie in three shallow trenches with their hands bound behind their backs. Some of the images show masked gunmen pointing and firing their weapons at these men.
By comparing ground features and landmarks in the photographs released by ISIS, Human Rights Watch established that two of the trenches were at the same location. By comparing these photographs with satellite imagery from 2013 and publicly available photographs from Tikrit taken earlier, Human Rights Watch located the site in a field about 100 meters north of the Water Palace in Tikrit – a former palace of Saddam Hussein next to the Tigris River. The location of the third trench has not been identified.
Human Rights Watch also reviewed satellite imagery of the area recorded on the morning of June 16. The imagery does not reveal evidence of bodies at the site with the two trenches, but does show indications of recent vehicle activity and surface movement of earth that is consistent with the two shallow trenches visible in the ISIS photos. Without visiting the site it is impossible to know if bodies are buried there or were moved.
Based on a count of the bodies visible in the available photographs, Human Rights Watch estimates that ISIS killed between 90 and 110 men in the first trench and between 35 and 40 men in the second.
Shebab has regional agenda beyond Somalia
Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab militants have the “capability and intent” to spread their attacks beyond their strongholds in Somalia, a UN special representative warned on Saturday, June 28 calling for greater regional cooperation to combat the threat.
The Shebab “is an organisation that has a regional agenda,” said Nick Kay, the UN’s special representative in Somalia. “The very top leadership of the organisation see themselves as pursuing something above and beyond just a Somalia national agenda.
“It has had the capability and intent to carry out attacks across the region for some time,” he said, adding that this intent is “stronger now”.
The Shabaab has recently stepped up attacks against countries that contribute to the 22,000-strong, UN-backed African Union force deployed against them in Somalia since 2007. Neighbouring Kenya has been a particular focus of Shebab violence, most notably with the attack on the Westgate shopping mall last September in which at least 67 people were killed. The group also claimed responsibility for two raids earlier this month in a Kenyan tourist area which killed around 60 people.
On Thursday, Shabaab gunmen attacked an African Union military base in central Somalia dressed in stolen government army uniforms, killing at least two soldiers from Djibouti, the AU said.
Thai coup leader denies conspiracy with protesters
Thailand’s junta-leading Army Chief has dismissed allegations he plotted to seize power for years before May’s coup, issuing an apparent rebuke to the leader of the protests that crippled the former government.
“It is not true” General Prayut Chan-O-Cha said, addressing accusations that he had discussed uprooting the divisive Shinawatra clan from politics with firebrand protest chief Suthep Thaugsuban.
“I did not join any process or take part with any side,” Prayut said late Friday (June 28) in a weekly television address to the nation. While Prayut did not directly reference Suthep, he was prodded into the denial after reports that the protest figurehead told a charity dinner that he had been in talks with the army chief since 2010. Shortly after Prayut’s comments, Suthep took to Facebook to say he would cancel all future fundraisers — starting on Saturday.
Supporters of ousted premier Yingluck Shinawatra have blamed a coalition of establishment-linked forces — including the army and judiciary — for colluding to overthrow the government, the second such army putsch in eight years. But Prayut has been at pains to package his power grab as a necessary evil to restore peace and order after several months of protests by Suthep’s supporters paralysed the government.
Twenty-eight people died and hundreds more were wounded in political violence linked to the protests, which also deflated the kingdom’s once-buoyant economy. The stern-faced general toppled the government on May 22, a fortnight after Yingluck was booted out off office by a controversial court ruling. He has imposed martial law on the kingdom, suspended the constitution, muzzled dissent and detained or arrested hundreds of people — mainly supporters of the former government. “Political talks, fund-raising (activities) are forbidden…. it is a violation of martial law,” Prayut warned in his regular Friday television speech.
Two senior members of the anti-government protests contacted by AFP refused to comment. Yingluck’s billionaire brother — also a former premier — Thaksin Shinawatra sits at the heart of Thailand’s trenchant political divide. He was toppled in a 2006 army coup and now lives in self-exile to avoid a corruption conviction he contends was politically motivated. The Shinawatras draw loyalty from the populous and poor northern part of the country, but are loathed by Bangkok-based elite, their affiliates in the army and royalist allies in the kingdom’s south.
Fleshing out his roadmap for Thailand’s political future, Prayut also confirmed that an interim constitution had been drafted and will likely take effect next month. A national assembly will be appointed in September to select a new premier, while a reform council stacked with hand-picked ‘wise men’ from across the country will be established to craft a new, binding constitution to come into effect in July, 2015.
Blast in Nigeria kills 11
An explosion overnight in a brothel in the northeastern Nigerian city of Bauchi killed 11 people and wounded 28, police said on Saturday, June 28 with suspicion likely to fall on the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. The initial statement sent by text message said the cause of the blast was unknown. Boko Haram has targeted several cities across north and central Nigeria in a bombing campaign in the past few months, killing hundreds of people.
Police on Saturday arrested one suspect in connection with the blast in the People’s Hotel brothel, Bauchi state police spokesman Haruna Mohammed said. He gave no further details.
A military operation in the northeast has so far failed to quell the rebellion and has triggered a string of reprisal attacks on officials and civilians. Boko Haram’s targets often include places it considers sinful according to its austere brand of Sunni Islam, such as bars, schools or churches.
The insurgents say they are fighting to carve an Islamic state out of religiously-mixed Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, biggest economy and leading energy producer.
Bauchi state, like neighbouring Jos, lies on Nigeria’s volatile “Middle Belt”, where its largely Christian south and Muslim north meet. The region has been less frequently attacked by Boko Haram than its heartland in the remote northeast.
But the militants seem keen to extend their reach beyond Borno state, where military operations against them have been focused. A bomb in an upmarket shopping district of the capital Abuja killed 21 people on Wednesday, the third attack on the capital in three months.
In Nigeria’s second-biggest city of Kano, the relic of a medieval Islamic caliphate, police acting on a tip-off said they had found and defused a bomb consisting of 13 cylinders of explosives next to the Jumat Praying Ground late on Friday.
The insurgents have killed many thousands since launching an uprising in 2009, and see all those who do not share their views as enemies.
President Goodluck Jonathan visited the scene of the Abuja blast on Friday and said Nigeria had entered one of the darkest phases of its history.
The kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls from the village of Chibok in April made world headlines and elicited offers of help from Western powers to get them freed, although global public interest is now waning.
Boko Haram ‘kills dozens’ in attack on churches in Nigeria
Suspected Islamist militants killed dozens of worshippers on Sunday, June 29 in an attack on two Nigerian villages, including one targeting worshippers at a church, a few kilometres from Chibok, the scene of a mass abduction of more than 200 school girls. Violence in Nigeria’s northeast has been relentless in the past year, and has gained in intensity since April, when more than 200 schoolgirls were snatched by Boko Haram rebels from Chibok. Efforts to free them, which have attracted Western support, have so far not succeeded.
In a separate assault on Friday evening, insurgents killed seven soldiers in the village of Goniri, in Yobe state, a security source and witnesses said. The attackers on Sunday made simultaneous strikes on two villages in the Chibok community, in Borno state.
Samuel Chibok, a survivor of the attack on Kautikiri village, about five km from where the girls were snatched, said that around 20 men in a Toyota pick-up truck and motorcycles rolled into town. They sprayed it with bullets, focusing much of their fire power on panicked worshippers in a local church.
A local pro-government vigilante, who declined to be named, said residents had now recovered 15 bodies from the village. Boko Haram often attacks institutions it sees as against its strict version of Sunni Islam, including churches, bars and non-religious schools that teach Western ideas like science.
Another attack on Kwada, eight km (five miles) from Chibok village, left some people dead, a security source operating in the area said, although the toll was not yet clear.
Boko Haram, which is fighting for an Islamic state in largely Muslim northern Nigeria, has killed thousands since launching an uprising on 2009, and many hundreds in the past three months. It is by far the biggest security threat to Africa´s biggest economy and top oil producer, and has overshadowed government efforts to project an image of Nigeria as a prospective economic giant.
An explosion on Friday night in a brothel in the northeastern Nigerian city of Bauchi killed 11 people and wounded 28, police said on Saturday. This attack was also believed to be the work of Boko Haram. A military operation in the northeast has so far failed to quell the rebellion and has triggered reprisal attacks that are increasingly targeting civilians, after they formed vigilante groups to try to help the government flush out the militants.
Declaration of caliphate in Iraq has no meaning: US
The United States said on Monday, June 30 the declaration by Sunni militants of an “Islamic caliphate” on territory they have seized in Iraq and Syria has “no meaning.”
“We have seen these types of words from ISIL before,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters, referring to militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. This declaration has no meaning for the people in Iraq and Syria,” she said, adding that the militants — who have now renamed their group the Islamic State — were just trying “to control people by fear.”
Violence in Iraq could delay the delivery of American F-16 fighter jets to the Baghdad government after contractors had to be evacuated from a key air base, the Pentagon said on Monday. Although the United States is moving to expedite the delivery of weapons and ammunition to the Iraqi government as it battles Sunni extremists, volatile conditions on the ground threaten to disrupt preparations for the F-16 jets, spokesman Colonel Steven Warren told reporters. Private contractors working on the F-16 program at Balad airbase were recently moved to a safer location in Baghdad because of the threat posed by advancing Sunni militants.
“The Iraqi purchase of Russian military equipment does not affect the Iraqi purchase of American military equipment,” said Warren, adding: “We are continuing with our foreign military sales program to Iraq.”
He rejected criticism from some Iraqi leaders that the United States was purposely stalling the delivery of badly needed weapons or aircraft, including the F-16s.”We are very aware of the critical need that Iraq has for advanced weapons. We are working as quickly as possible to ensure that they receive all the foreign military sales that they have requested and that they paid for,” he said.”
“We don’t believe our process is any slower and more deliberate than it needs to be.” However, all arms sales have to be vetted to comply with rules about safeguarding the transfer of some sensitive military technology, he said.
The United States has provided 400 out of 500 Hellfire missiles recently purchased by Iraq, and the final 100 missiles would arrive in Baghdad with a few weeks, he said. And the Pentagon continues to supply Iraqi forces with small arms and ammunition that are of “immediate” use, he added.
The Defence Department plans to sell Iraq up to 24 Apache attack helicopters as well, but Baghdad has not yet paid for the choppers, according to Warren. The key to resolving the conflict in Iraq was not supplying Baghdad with weapons but instead forging a political settlement addressing the country’s sectarian tensions, he said. “The solution to this problem is an inclusive government, not firepower,” he said.
Bomb kills 20 in Nigerian market
A bomb in a van carrying charcoal exploded in a busy market in northeast Nigeria on Tuesday, July 1 killing at least 20 people in the latest suspected attack by Islamist militants, witnesses said.
The blast from the vehicle bomb wrecked cars and taxis that were unloading passengers and wares on a road adjoining the market in the Borno state capital of Maiduguri. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast. But in recent months, the Islamist group Boko Haram has embarrassed President Goodluck Jonathan´s government with a spate of bombings and spectacular raids, mostly in northeast Nigeria, including the mid-April abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls.
The military said earlier on Tuesday that it had arrested a number of suspected Boko Haram collaborators including a Maiduguri businessman it said was involved in the abduction of the schoolgirls.
Boko Haram has also struck at Abuja, the capital of Africa´s biggest economy, with three bombings in three months.
Nigeria´s defence headquarters said in a statement on its Twitter account that “a van loaded with charcoal and IED exploded” in Maiduguri´s Monday Market on Tuesday. IED means an improvised explosive device.
Musa Sumail, a local human rights activist in Maiduguri who reports on the violence there, told Reuters he counted 20 bodies at the scene of the market explosion.
Nigeria´s military said in a statement that the businessman it had arrested had helped the Islamist militant group plan several attacks, including the killing of a traditional ruler, the Emir of Gwoza.
Italy’s navy warns ‘terrorists ’could be crossing in migrant boats
The head of Italy’s navy warned on Thursday, July 3 that terrorists could be using migrant boats to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, amid increased concern among intelligence services of possible attacks by extremists.
“There’s a risk not only of massive illegal immigration, but also of terrorist infiltrations,” the commander in chief of the Italian navy, Luigi Binelli Mantelli, told La Stampa. He said that police boarding migrant boats intercepted by the navy were trained in special interrogation techniques designed to root out traffickers and potential “terrorists”. “There are indicators which confirm contacts between traffickers (who organise the boats) and terrorists,” he said.
Italy’s “Mare Nostrum” (“Our Sea”) operation is not just tasked with rescuing immigrants —thousands of whom have drowned on the perilous crossing—but is also “monitoring the sea in a situation of international crisis”, he said.
More than 66,500 migrants have arrived in Italy from North Africa this year so far, from where most hope to reach other destinations in Europe.
The majority come from Eritrea, Syria, Somalia and Mali. As well as “operative terrorists”, there are “latent terrorists… who present themselves as asylum seekers”, Binelli Mantelli said.
Such threats may come from “cultures soaked in fundamentalism, like Mali”, while “in Somalia there is an al-Qaeda movement which is stronger and more dangerous than in Afghanistan,” he said.
While he said over 180 traffickers had been arrested since the operation began last October, Binelli Mantelli did not say whether anyone had been arrested on suspicion of “terrorist” activities.
Between 60 to 70 percent of those arriving by boat were asylum seekers escaping warzones, “often engineers, doctors, lawyers… men, women and children fleeing for their lives”, while the rest were economic migrants, he said.
The admiral’s warning of “terrorist infiltration” came as the United States and Britain upped security checks at airports amid fears extremist Muslim groups are making new explosives that would evade standard checks.
Saudi Arabia deploys 30,000 soldiers on border with Iraq
Saudi-owned al-Arabiya television said Saudi Arabia had deployed 30,000 soldiers to its border with Iraq on Thursday, July 3 after Iraqi forces abandoned the area, but Baghdad denied pulling forces back and said it remained in full control of its frontier. Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, shares an 800-km desert border with Iraq, where Islamic State insurgents and other Sunni Muslim militant groups seized towns and cities in a lightning advance last month. The US-allied kingdom overcame its own al- Qaeda insurgency almost a decade ago and is wary of any new threat from radical Sunni Islamists.
The Dubai-based al-Arabiya said on its website that Saudi troops had fanned out into the border region after Iraqi government forces withdrew from their positions, leaving the Saudi and Syrian frontiers exposed. It aired a video which, it said, showed some 2,500 Iraqi soldiers in the desert region east of the Iraqi city of Kabala after pulling back from the border, which is reinforced on the Saudi side by a system of fences.
An officer in the video said that the soldiers had been ordered to quit their posts without justification.
The authenticity of the recording could not immediately be verified. However, the Iraqi prime minister’s military spokesman, Lieutenant General Qassim Atta, told reporters in Baghdad: “This is false news aimed at affecting the morale of our people and the morale of our heroic fighters.”
He said the frontier, which runs through largely empty desert, was “fully in the grip” of Iraqi border troops. Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry security spokesman, Major General Mansour Turki, said: “We have not experienced any insecurity close to our border, and our border is secured and protected long before the latest events in Iraq.”
The state news agency SPA said King Abdullah had ordered all necessary measures to protect the kingdom against potential “terrorist threats”. Diplomatic sources in the Gulf say Saudi Arabia’s border with Iraq is relatively well defended, but that its frontier with Jordan might provide an easier route for any militants trying to enter Saudi Arabia from Iraq.
Airport security ramped up over US bomb fears
US-bound travellers from Europe and the Middle East faced tighter airport security on Thursday, July 3 over fears that Islamist groups are developing new explosives that could be slipped onto planes undetected. The stepped-up checks were ordered as the US embassy in Uganda warned of a “specific threat” to attack Kampala’s Entebbe international airport on Thursday between 1800 and 2000 GMT. The new checks focused on electronic items such as laptops and mobiles, fuelling fears that extremists such as al-Qaeda could use them as their latest tactic in a long campaign of attacks involving aircraft.
US Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced the extra security on direct flights to the United States from some overseas airports on Wednesday, without citing evidence of any specific plot.
The move comes amid broader Western intelligence concerns that hundreds of Islamist radicals travelling from Europe to fight in the Middle East could pose a security risk on their return.
On Sunday, US President Barack Obama warned that “battle-hardened” Europeans who embrace jihad in Syria and Iraq threaten the United States because their passports mean they can enter without a visa.
The airports concerned are located in the Middle East and Europe and were targeted “based on real-time intelligence”, according to an official at the Department of Homeland Security who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Britain confirmed it is bolstering security at its airports in response.
Belgian Interior Minister Joelle Milquet, whose country is also stepping up airport security, told RTL-TVI the measures would focus on electronic equipment such as tablets, computers and mobile phones “to make sure there are no explosives”.
Analysts said the move was likely linked to concerns that al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was passing on bomb making expertise to militants fighting in Syria. The fear is that militants with European passports could then bring these skills back home with them and launch an attack, experts say.
Brooke Rogers of the War Studies Department at King’s College London told AFP that for extremist groups, bringing down an aircraft was the “ultimate prize — if the attackers succeed, it will be spectacular for them”.
Experts say that if anyone could be behind the threat it is Ibrahim al-Asiri, a 32-year-old Saudi believed to be hiding out with AQAP in Yemen’s restive southern provinces.
The terror alert in Uganda further rattled nerves but it was not immediately clear if it was linked to the airport security boost.
Although the US embassy did not name any group, al-Qaeda linked Shebab insurgents have claimed attacks in neighbouring Kenya, including the Westgate mall bloodbath, and Djibouti, as well as at home in Somalia.
Despite the increased checks, Britain said the international terror threat level issued by security service MI5 remained unchanged at substantial, the third highest grade out of five, where it has been since July 2011.
Prime Minister David Cameron said Britain was taking a “safety first” approach.
“This is something we’ve discussed with the Americans and what we have done is put in place some extra precautions and extra checks,” he told television channels.
“The safety of the travelling public must come first — we mustn’t take any risks.”
His Downing Street office said there was an “evolving threat” but did not give further details.
The measures threaten disruptions for passengers at the start of the summer holiday season.
But officials insist passengers should not face significant delays and London’s Heathrow airport — one of the world’s busiest international air hubs — and Gatwick, south of the capital, were both operating normally Thursday, AFP journalists saw.
Passengers in Britain have long faced tight security measures at airports following high-profile threats including a failed attempt by British “shoe bomber” Richard Reid to blow up a US-bound flight in 2001.
Air raids kill 20 IS activists
Twenty members of the Islamic State (IS) were killed in Syrian air force raids on Wednesday, July 9 against the Jihadists’ bastion in Raqa, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The report comes after Syrian rebels killed at least 14 people in the village of Khatab in the central province of Hama overnight, state media and the Observatory said.
“At least 20 members of IS were killed and others were injured in air strikes… targeting an IS training base in Raqa,” the Observatory said. The strikes also destroyed 14 IS military vehicles, the Observatory added. On June 29, IS declared the establishment of a “caliphate,” referring to an Islamic system of rule that was abolished nearly 100 years ago.
Its Jihadists are firmly in control of Raqa and have secured large swathes of territory in eastern Syria and in neighbouring Iraq. While some rebels initially welcomed the IS — then known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) — as a potential ally, its abuses and quest for control turned them against it. Rebels have been fighting IS since January.
For its part, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime has escalated its attacks against IS positions since the group launched a militant offensive in neighbouring Iraq a month ago. Syrian Kurds have been fighting IS since 2013.
On Wednesday, a Tunisian Jihadist carried out a suicide car bomb attack in the Kurdish town of Ain Eissa, killing four Kurdish fighters.
In the northern province of Aleppo, IS seized three Kurdish areas to the east of Ain al-Arab (Kobani in Kurdish) after two days of fighting that killed at least 22 Jihadists and 18 Kurdish fighters, said the Observatory.
The reports come hours after Syrian state television said rebels carried out a “massacre” that included women and children, while the Observatory said seven men and seven women had been “executed” by rebel fighters.
23 Ukrainian troops killed in clashes with separatists
Ukraine’s military on Friday, July 11 reported losing 23 servicemen in clashes across the separatist east that threatened to shatter slim Western hopes of a truce in Europe’s deadliest conflict in decades. The defence ministry said the toll included 19 troops who died in a hail of rockets fired from a truck-mounted Grad rocket launcher system — a type of weapon both Kiev and Washington insist could only have been covertly supplied to the rebels by Russia.
The official spokesman of Ukraine’s intensifying eastern assault added that 93 servicemen had sustained “wounds and contusions of varying severity”.
Friday’s official death toll is the highest since Poroshenko tore up a brief ceasefire with the rebels on July 1 and relaunched an offensive that managed to dislodge the militias from key eastern strongholds they had held since early April.
The military separately claimed “eliminating” nearly 100 fighters in one of Ukraine’s bloodiest days since the start of the crisis last November as anti-government protests spiralled into revolution and a protracted standoff with pro-Russian rebels.
The tide in the eastern uprising turned last weekend when resurgent government forces managed to flush out the separatists from a string of eastern towns and cities that hold historic Russian ties. Most of the militias have since retreated to Donetsk and the neighbouring industrial city of Lugansk — both capitals of their own “People’s Republic” that refuse to recognise Kiev’s new West-leaning government and are seeking annexation by Russia.
The conflict has claimed the lives of more than 500 people and displaced tens of thousands across a rustbelt that had long been the economic engine of the troubled post-Soviet state. Amnesty International said on Friday it had recorded “hundreds” of abductions and acts of torture committed by the separatists during the uprising.
But it also noted that “excessive force may have been used… by Ukrainian forces” on several occasions — a charge repeatedly made by Moscow.
The conflict has further splintered Ukraine’s culturally fractured society and left some ethnic Russians feeling marginalised by the more nationalistic leaders that have recently taken power. Many have escaped across the eastern border in search of a new home. “Everything is shutting down,” said a man in his fifties as he listened to the echoes of gunfire rolling in from a fierce clashes being waged on Friday morning outside Donetsk International Airport, a gleaming hub shuttered since facing a bloody rebel attack at the end of May.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has also refused to call on the rebels to disarm.
The West sees that as a sign the Kremlin leader is intent on keeping the Ukrainian government destabilised as punishment for ruining his plans to fold the country into a new post-Soviet alliance.
Three Thai police officers killed in ambush
Three policemen were shot dead in an ambush by suspected Muslim militants in Thailand’s insurgency-racked far south, an official said on Friday, July 11.
The three Muslim officers were returning from evening prayers when they were attacked on Thursday night in Krong Pinang district in Yala province, police said.
“It’s the work of militants who want to incite further unrest,” Yala deputy police commander Colonel Banlue Chuwet told AFP by telephone. An Imam was shot in the leg in the same attack, he added.
14 Tunisian troops killed
At least 14 Tunisian soldiers were killed when gunmen with rocket-propelled grenades attacked two checkpoints in the remote Chaambi mountains on July 16, the deadliest militant strike on the north African country’s armed forces.
Since April, thousands of Tunisian soldiers have been deployed to the Chaambi range bordering Algeria in an operation to flush out al Qaeda-linked militants seeking refuge there, some since fleeing French intervention in Mali last year.
Christians flee Jihadist ultimatum in Iraq’s Mosul
Hundreds of Christian families abandoned homes in Mosul to Jihadist gunmen on Saturday, July 19 as they fled an ultimatum threatening their community´s centuries-old presence in the northern Iraqi city.
An AFP correspondent in Mosul, the main Iraqi hub of the Islamic State (IS) group’s proclaimed “caliphate”, said Christians were squeezing into private cars and taxis to beat a noon deadline.
“Some families have had all their money and jewellery taken from them at an insurgent checkpoint as they fled the city,” said Abu Rayan, a Mosul Christian who had just driven out with his family. Some of our homes have already been confiscated and I know families who have handed their keys to neighbours, asking them to look after their property with the hope they would return one day.
“The Jihadists who have run the city since a sweeping military offensive that began six weeks ago has told the thousands of Christians in Mosul they could convert, pay a special tax or leave.
An earlier statement by Mosul´s new rulers had said there would be “nothing for them but the sword” if Christians did not abide by those conditions by 0900 GMT on Saturday.
While some families initially appeared prepared to pay the “jizya” Islamic tribute to stay in their ancient homes, messages broadcast by mosques on Friday appeared to spark an exodus.
The Islamic State “seems intent on wiping out all traces of minority groups from areas it now controls in Iraq,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement on Saturday.
Bombings kill 24 in Baghdad
A series of bombings, including three over a span of less than 10 minutes, killed at least 24 people across Baghdad on Saturday, July 19 shaking the fragile sense of security the capital has maintained despite the militant offensive raging across northern and western Iraq.
The attacks are among the most significant in Baghdad since insurgents led by the Islamic State extremist group captured Iraq’s second-largest city Mosul last month at the start of its blitz across Iraq.
After Mosul’s fall, the government moved aggressively to try to secure Baghdad amid fears it might fall as well, and the city has seen few major attacks in recent weeks.
Saturday’s deadliest bombing took place in the neighborhood of Abu Dashir, where a suicide attacker rammed a car packed with explosives into a checkpoint, killing at least nine people and wounding 19, officials said. Four policemen were among the dead, a police officer said.
Later in the day, three car bombs in different neighborhoods of Baghdad went off in less than 10 minutes, hitting the districts of Bayaa, Jihad and Khazimiyah.
The attacks killed at least 15 people and wounded another 42, police officials said.
FBI pushed Muslims to plot terrorist attacks
The FBI encouraged and sometimes even paid Muslims to commit terrorist acts during numerous sting operations after the 9/11 attacks, a human rights group said in a report published on Monday, July 21.
“Far from protecting Americans, including American Muslims, from the threat of terrorism, the policies documented in this report have diverted law enforcement from pursuing real threats,” said the report by Human Rights Watch.
Aided by Columbia University Law School’s Human Rights Institute, Human Rights Watch examined 27 cases from investigation through trial, interviewing 215 people, including those charged or convicted in terrorism cases, their relatives, defense lawyers, prosecutors and judges.
“In some cases the FBI may have created terrorists out of law-abiding individuals by suggesting the idea of taking terrorist action or encouraging the target to act,” the report said. In the cases reviewed, half the convictions resulted from a sting operation, and in 30 percent of those cases the undercover agent played an active role in the plot. “Americans have been told that their government is keeping them safe by preventing and prosecuting terrorism inside the US,” said Andrea Prasow, the rights group’s deputy Washington director.
“But take a closer look and you realise that many of these people would never have committed a crime if not for law enforcement encouraging, pressuring and sometimes paying them to commit terrorist acts.”
The report cites the case of four Muslim converts from Newburgh, New York who were accused of planning to blow up synagogues and attack a US military base.
A judge in that case “said the government ´came up with the crime, provided the means, and removed all relevant obstacles,´ and had, in the process, made a terrorist out of a man ´whose buffoonery is positively Shakespearean in scope,´” the report said.
The rights group charged that the FBI often targets vulnerable people, with mental problems or low intelligence.
Bomb blasts in Nigeria kill 82
At least 82 people were killed on Wednesday, July 23 in two bombings in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna targeting opposition leader and former president Muhammadu Buhari at a busy market and a moderate Muslim cleric about to lead a crowd in prayer.
The attacks bore the hallmarks of Islamist group Boko Haram but may also have been linked to politics ahead of 2015’s elections.
The deadlier blast targeted Buhari’s convoy at the crowded Kawo market, his son told Reuters on the scene. A Red Cross official said at least 50 people were killed there.
Current Threat Levels:
| City/Region | Threat | Level |
| Islamabad | Level 2 | ** |
| Karachi | Level 2 | ** |
| Lahore | Level 2 | ** |
| Punjab | Level 2 | ** |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Level 3 | *** |
| Peshawar | Level 2 | ** |
| Quetta | Level 2 | ** |
| Upper Balochistan | Level 3 | *** |
| Lower Balochistan | Level 2 | ** |
| Upper / Rural Sindh | Level 2 | ** |
| Gilgit and Northern areas | Level 3 | *** |
| Tribal areas, close to Afghan border | Level 3 | *** |
Index to Threat Level 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.
