Terrorist Activities in Pakistan
Suicide Attacks
At least eight persons, including two Policemen, were killed and 23 others were injured in a suicide attack on Police headquarters near the main gate of Police Lines in Qila Gujjar Singh area of Lahore District on February 17, reported Dawn. Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan-Jama’at-ul-Ahrar (TTP-JuA) ‘spokesperson’ Ehsanullah Ehsan claimed responsibility for the attack. Inspector General (IG) Punjab Police Mushtaq Sukhera said that the target of the attack was Police Lines. He added, “Ever since operation Zarb-e-Azb began the army has been taking action against militants… and this was perhaps in reaction to that.”
Bomb/IED Blasts
At least 61 Shias were killed and 50 others were injured in a bomb explosion at Karbala Maula Imambargah (Shia place of commemoration) in Lakhi Dar area of Shikarpur District on January 30. Jundullah, a splinter group of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack. “Our target was the Shia community (mosque)… They are our enemies,” said Fahad Marwat, Jundullah ‘spokesperson’.
Two Police personnel were killed and another was injured when a convoy of District Police Officer (DPO) Khuzdar came under gun and rocket attack by militants in Pasni area of Gwadar District on January 31. However, DPO Khuzdar Asghar Ali Yusufzai, who was traveling with his family, escaped unhurt in the attack and was safe.
At least three peace volunteers were killed while two others were injured on February 2 in a bomb blast in Nari Baba area of Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency, reports Dawn. Official sources say that the blast occurred in one of the pickets of the Tauheedul Islam Peace Committee members. The sources say that the casualties occurred in what is believed to have been a remote-controlled blast.
Two Policemen including an Additional Station House Officer (SHO) were killed in an explosion near Lorry Adda area of Mansehra District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on February 2, reports The News. According to District Police Officer (DPO) Mansehra Ijaz Khan, the explosion took place when a Police van escorting a convoy of vehicles set off for Gilgit Baltistan. He said Additional SHO of City Police Station Fareed Khan was killed while three others injured. Another one succumbed to his injures at hospital.
At least four soldiers were killed in an explosion targeting a convoy of Security Forces in Warmagai area of Kurram Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on February 3, reports Dawn. Following the blast, SF and militants also clashed in Warmagai area, killing two Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants, including one key ‘commander’, Gul, and his accomplice.
Separately, five Tauheedul Islam (TI) activists were killed in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Naray Baba area of Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency on February 3, reports Daily Times. Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) claimed responsibility for the attack.
Three members of the pro-government peace committee, Tauheedul Islam (TI), were killed and five others sustained injuries in an explosion in Nari Baba area of Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency on February 8, reports The News. The Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) militants had planted an explosive device in one of the abandoned houses and the explosion occurred in one of the rooms. The LI claimed responsibility for the blast.
Four peace body members sustained injuries in a roadside blast in Shandara area of Baizai subdivision in Mohmand Agency on February 9, reports The News. The sources said that militants had planted an improvised explosive device (IED) at a roadside in Shandara area and triggered the explosion when the pro-government peace committee members were patrolling the area. “The militant triggered the explosion when a local peace body head Malik Sanobar Essakhel along with his brother and two volunteers were patrolling the area,” official sources said.
A woman was killed and 14 others, including children, were injured in a blast in Gula Jan area of Pir Qayyum village in Kurram Agency on February 15, reports Dawn. Official sources said that the blast occurred when a toy-like bomb exploded in the house.
Drone Strikes
At least seven militants were killed and one other was injured in a US drone strike in the Shawal area of North Waziristan Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 28, reports Dawn. Intelligence sources said the US drone fired two missiles on a compound and a vehicle on the border of North and South Waziristan Agency in Shawal valley. The identity of the militants is yet to be ascertained.
Nine militants involved in planning the attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar in Pakistan (December 16, 2014) were killed and scores of others injured on February 11 in a drone strike in the Nazyan area of Nangarhar province in Afghanistan, reports The News. Official sources said that the drone fired two missiles on a compound in the Nazyan area near the Pak-Afghan border. According to security officials, militants based in the Nazyan had planned the attack on the Army Public School, Peshawar.
Targetted Killings
An unidentified man was killed while nine others were injured in a bomb explosion in Dawood Goth area of Malir city in Malir Town of Karachi on January 26, reported The News. During investigation, it was found that armed gangsters riding a motorcycle had lobbed an RGD-1 grenade at a cattle pen of one Jawed alias Chotu. Initial investigations reveal that the criminals belonged to the Akbar Maleri gang of Uzair Baloch group.
Unidentified militants shot dead a Policeman, identified as Shahmir Jhandir (22), deputed for the security of anti-polio volunteers near a bakery in Nazimabad No 3 area of North Nazimabad Town in Karachi on January 26, reported Dawn. No outfit claimed responsibility for the attack.
Separately, the Principal of Iqra Rozatul Atfal School, identified as Fazl Ur rehman (45), was shot dead by unidentified militants near Baithak Hotel, Munawar Chowrangi in Gulistan-e-Johar area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town on January 27, reports Daily Times.
In another incident, unidentified armed assailants shot dead a man, identified as Israr (30), in Defense Housing Authority in Gadap Town on January 27, reported Daily Times.
Elsewhere, an unidentified man was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants near Hawkesbay Scheme 42 in Hawke’s Bay Town locality of Kiamari Town on January 27, reports Daily Times.
An activist of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), identified as Sohail Ahmed (46), was found dead near Machko in Mawach Goth area of Baldia Town, Karachi on January 28, reports Daily Times. Ahmed was the MQM unit-64 in-charge. According to details, on December 15, 2014, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) held an open house in Bahadurabad area of Gulshan Town. During the open house, Ahmed raised various questions regarding Sindh Government’s performance where PPP activists and Police officials were also present. In the same open house, Suhail was threatened by PPP’s Saeed Chawla. The same night, Ahmed was arrested by the Police and on January 28, he was found death in Mawach Goth. MQM Coordination Committees of Pakistan and London at a joint meeting decided a day of mourning for the alleged extra-judicial killing of Ahmed. Altaf Hussain condemned the killing of Suhail Ahmed allegedly after being arrested by plain-clothes police personnel. Also, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif while taking notice of the killing of Ahmed on January 28 assured MQM leader Babar Ghauri that those involved in the extra-judicial killing of party workers would be dealt with strictly, reports The News. Prime Minister Sharif has also called for an immediate probe and report of the murder.
In another incident, an unidentified man was shot dead near Yousuf General Store in Kamela Stop area of Lyari Town on January 28, reported Daily Times.
Elsewhere, a man, identified as Sajjad Maqsood (30), was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants near Chungi Naka on Surjani Road in Korangi Town on January 28, reports Daily Times.
In addition, a man, identified as Anwar Bux (25), was shot at and injured near Godown Chowrangi at Ding Dong Factory in Korangi Town on January 28, reported Daily Times.
Two carders of the Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal-Jama’at (ASWJ), identified as Naseem Khan (28) and Mohammed Asif (24), were killed in a sectarian attacks on the main National Highway near Malir Halt in Malir Town, Karachi on February 1, reports Dawn. The victims were office-bearers of the ASWJ in District Central, said a spokesperson for the ASWJ.
In the other incident, a shopkeeper and a cadre of ASWJ, identified as Akhtar Hussain (55), was shot dead while his son, Athar Hussain (26), was injured when unidentified militants opened fire at them at Islam Chowk near the Farooq-i-Azam mosque in Pakistan Bazaar area of Orangi Town on February 1, reported Dawn. The victim was a worker of the ASWJ, said the party spokesperson.
Elsewhere, a customs official, identified as Mohammed Salahuddin Khan (56), who was shot at and injured in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town on January 29, 2015, succumbed to his wounds on February 1, reports Dawn. Salahuddin was parking his car near his house in Block 13-C when unidentified armed assailants attacked him and fled.
In addition, an extortionist was shot dead in the Kalakot area of Lyari Town on February 1, reported Dawn. His identity could not be ascertained immediately. Initial report state that he had gone there to collect ‘protection money’ when he was attacked, claimed Station House Officer (SHO) Safdar Mashwani.
A man, identified as Sultan (26), was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants near Chanesar Goth in Mehmoodabad area of Jamshed Town in Karachi on February 2, reported Daily Times.
Separately, one Iftikhar (35), was shot dead near Teen Hatti in Liaquatabad Town on February 2, reports Daily Times.
Unidentified militants killed the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) member and newly elected Chairman of a Union Council, Nasir Hassan, in Gwadar District on February 3, reports Dawn.
A Policeman, identified as Zaiullah, guarding polio volunteers was killed and one child was injured when unidentified militants opened fire at the polio team on Sirki Road in Quetta on February 4, reported Dawn.
A man, identified as Anees Memon (50), was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants near Hollywood Bakri in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town of Karachi on February 10, reported Daily Times.
Separately, an unidentified man was shot dead near Munawar Chowrangi in Gulistan-e-Jauhar area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town on February 10, reports Daily Times.
A man, identified as Guddu (20), was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants near Muhajir Chowk in Orangi Town of Karachi on February 13, reports Daily Times.
Separately, an unidentified man was shot dead near Mianwali Colony in Manghopir area of Gadap Town on February 13, reported Daily Times.
A senior Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) doctor, Dr. Shahid Nawaz, succumbed to his injuries after being shot in the head outside the VIP ward of the Institute in Islamabad on February 14. He was the head of the hospital’s cardiology unit. The two attackers escaped from the hospital unhindered. It was the second targeted attack at the hospital in three weeks. Earlier on January 23, 2015, a nursing student was shot on the premises.
Separately, a local leader and ‘spokesperson’ of Ahl-e-Sunnat-Wal-Jama’at (ASWJ) Rawalpindi Chapter, Maulana Mazhar Siddiqui, was killed in a targeted sectarian attack near Pirwadhai More within the precincts of the Rawalpindi’s Golra Police Station in Rawalpindi District on February 15, reported Dawn.
A man, identified as Babu (24) was killed and a passer-by Navid (20) was injured in a firing incident near Lal Masjid in Paposh Nagar area of North Nazimabad Town in Karachi on February 17, reports Daily Times.
Separately, one Abdul Qadir (30), was shot dead near Janjal Goth in Gulshan-e-Maymar of Gadap Town on February 17, reported Daily Times.
In another incident, a man, identified as Mohammad Sharif (25), was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants near Azeem Plaza in Garden area of Saddar Town on February 17, reports Daily Times
Miscellaneous
Eight suspected militants, including key commanders of various outfits, were killed and several others sustained injuries when jet fighters of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) blitzed their positions in various areas including Spleen Grand, Tor Darra, TarkhoKas in Kuki khel, Nakai and other areas in Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 26, reports The News. Several hideouts of militants were also destroyed in the operation.
At least 53 militants, including 12 foreigners, were killed when jet fighters of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) conducted aerial strike on militants’ hideout in Kharh Tangi area of Dattakhel tehsil (revenue unit) in North Waziristan Agency on January 27, reports Dawn. Six hideouts, an ammunition dump and seven explosives-laden vehicles were destroyed,” said an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement. Most of the foreigners killed were Uzbeks, military sources said.
Further, in another strike in the same area later, 23 militants were killed, the ISPR claimed. Since the area is off-limits to journalists, it is difficult to independently verify the number and identity of the dead. The jets continued shelling for about one hour, inflicting heavy losses on the militants, sources said.
Separately, 16 militants were killed and 12 others injured when PAF planes pounded their hideouts in Therkho Kas, Wacha Wana, Sra Vella and Nakai areas of Tirah valley in Khyber Agency, reports Dawn. The officials claimed that those killed belonged to the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Lashkar-i-Islam (LI). Six militant hideouts were destroyed in the strikes.
At least six militants were killed and a security official was injured in an operation conducted by Security Forces (SFs) in Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan District on January 27, reports Dawn. Three of those killed were suicide bombers and blew themselves when cordoned off by the SFs, official sources said. During the operation, 10 militants have been arrested following fire exchange between militants and the forces in Zar Kani, Gara Manda, Kot Sultan and Daraban area.
Unidentified militants abducted five Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) coal miners from Sorenge area in Quetta on January 27, reports Dawn. According to Police sources, militants kidnapped seven miners belonging to the PMDC in Quetta’s Sorenge area. The abductors later freed two coal miners and took the other abductees to nearby mountains. “Five coal miners are still with kidnappers,” Police said. No outfit claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.
Senior Superintended of Police (SSP) Malir Rao Anwar Ahmed on January 28 claimed to have killed five militants in Nawab Goth area within the limits of Steel Town Police Station in Bin Qasim Town of Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, reports Daily Times. The Police recovered weapons, explosives material and suicide vests from their possession. SSP Malir raided in Nawab Goth on spy information of the presence of terrorists and killed five alleged terrorists during the encounter. According to SSP Rao the militants belonged to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan were planning to attack the Razzaqabad Police Training Centre.
Three unidentified bodies were found in Shero checkpoint area of Dera Ismail Khan City in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reports Daily Times on January 30 (today). Witnesses reported that three bodies of persons shot to death were found along with Kalashnikov bullets near the bodies.
A considerable portion of the railway tracks were destroyed when a huge explosion took place near Thull, in Jacobabad District of Sindh on January 29, reports Tribune. More than three feet of the tracks were blown off. The bomb went off as soon as Peshawar-bound Khushal Khan Khatak Express passed from the spot of the blast. Bomb disposal squad (BDS) sub-inspector Badaruddin Shaikh told that a bomb weighing seven to eight pounds was planted at the railway track that was triggered through a remote-controlled device. He said that the bomb was so powerful that besides blowing up a considerable portion of the tracks, it caused extensive damage to more than 30 feet of the track while a four-foot-deep pit developed at the site of the blast. He added that the BDS experts have found a device with four batteries and three feet of wire from the site.
An alleged suicide bomber was killed during an exchange of fire with Security Forces (SFs) in Maikhtar area of Loralai District on January 30, reports Dawn. According to sources, SFs conducted an operation in the area. The militants resisted the SFs and one alleged suicide bomber blew himself up during a shoot out that lasted for an hour. Another militant fled from the spot.
Separately, SFs foiled a major terror bid by seizing an explosive-laden vehicle in Panjpai area of Quetta on January 30, reported Dawn. The SFs also apprehended an alleged suicide bomber along with the explosive-laden vehicle. He said 200 bombs were recovered from the explosive-laden vehicle during the raid.
Unknown assailants set Ghausia Alia shrine on fire in Mach area of Bolan District on February 3, reports Dawn. According to Police, two rooms of the shrine were destroyed and all religious books turned to ashes. The shrine was built in 1948 in memory of Pir Tahir Al Gilani al-Baghdadi, who migrated from Baghdad (Iraq) and settled in Mach.
At least 25 militants were killed in air strikes in the Sanzila area of South Waziristan Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on February 4 as part of a major offensive against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and other insurgents, reports Dawn. “In precise aerial strikes, 25 terrorists were killed and seven hideouts were destroyed”, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
Unidentified militants blew up Government Girls Middle School in Bezot area of Orakzai Agency on February 8, reports The News. “Two rooms and verandah of the school were destroyed and the boundary wall was damaged in the explosion which took place at 6am,” an official of the political administration said. Agency Education Officer Habibullah confirmed that the primary section of the school was destroyed by two remote-controlled blasts. Habibullah added that 141 schools had been destroyed in Orakzai Agency out of which 38 schools had been reconstructed while 106 needed reconstruction on emergency basis.
The Security Forces arrested three militants, including a foreign national, during a massive search operation launched in the Nowshera District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on February 8, reports The News. The sources said that the search operation was launched early in the day against the militants who had fled military actions in Khyber Agency, North Waziristan and Frontier Region Peshawar and hiding in Nowshera District. “The forces divided the district into two zones for the purpose. One zone comprised Cherat and adjoining mountainous areas while the second zone included rural and urban areas,” the sources added. During the search operation, the sources claimed, militant commanders Umar Uzbeki and another affiliated with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Maulana Asad were arrested in Badrashi while the third commander Atta Bajauri was held in Kheshgi area. The sources said that more than 100 suspected persons were arrested during the operation in Cherat and adjoining areas.
A government-run community health centre was blown up in the Shal Kor area of Ekkaghund tehsil (revenue unit) in Mohmand Agency on February 10, reported Dawn. Agency Surgeon Dr. Niaz Afridi confirmed the incident and said that total 17 health centres had been blown up by militants in Mohmand tribal region.
At least 25 people were wounded after a remote controlled explosion on railway track derailed Khushhal Khan Khattak Express near the Dilmurad Railway Station in Jacobabad District on February 12, reported The News. The train was heading towards Peshawar (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) from Karachi.
15 militants were killed and a soldier sustained injuries in a clash near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the Kurram Agency on February 14, reports The News. Afghan militants equipped with heavy weapons intruded into Pakistani territory close to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and stormed the security post near the border in Kurram Agency. A soldier, whose identity could not be ascertained, sustained injuries in the attack, while 15 militants were killed in the retaliatory fire.
Four dead bodies, including that of two missing Levies personnel, were found in Zhob District on February 17, reported Dawn. According to Levies sources, two bodies were identified as that of Levies officials and one was identified as the driver of the polio team. One dead body is yet to be identified, the sources added. Three polio workers and two Levies personnel were kidnapped on February 13, 2015, from Murgha Kibzai area of Zhob District.
Meanwhile, Balochistan Government postponed the anti-polio campaign in Quetta, Zhob, Sherani and Sibi Districts of the Province due to looming security threats, according to an unnamed Health Department Officer.
PAKISTAN
‘US to kill or nab Mullah Fazlullah’, Senate Standing Committee on Defence informed
The Senate Standing Committee on Defence was informed on January 26 that the US had assured Pakistan of killing the top Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan leader Mullah Fazlullah or arresting him alive, reports The News. The Defence Secretary Lieutenant General (retd) Alam Khattak told the Senate committee that the US has assured Pakistan of full cooperation to arrest or kill Mullah Fazlullah. The Defence Secretary was giving in-camera briefing to the Senate Standing Committee on Defence on the Pak-US Strategic Dialogue and visit of Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif to the United States. Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, chairman of the Senate committee chaired the meeting. Lieutenant General (Retd) Alam Khattak further said that the US drone also hit hideout of Mullah Fazlullah but the TTP’s top leader escaped the attack unhurt.
Army won’t abandon FATA till return of functional normalcy, says COAS General Raheel Sharif
Appreciating the tribal people for playing a significant role in expelling terrorists from their area, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif on January 27 reiterated that Pakistan Army would not abandon the tribal areas without restoring functional normalcy, reports Daily Times. Speaking to officers and men during his visit to Mohmand Agency, the COAS appreciated their professionalism, dedication and sacrifices in fighting terrorism and bringing stability in Mohmand Agency. General Raheel emphasized on the need to follow a comprehensive and uniform reconstruction and rehabilitation policy across Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) after areas had been cleared of terrorists. He expressed the hope that such projects would help root out terrorism on long term basis by providing education and economic opportunities to the youth, according to an ISPR press release.
More journalists killed in Pakistan than any other democracy, says CPJ Asia Coordinator Bob Dietz
Asia Coordinator of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Bob Dietz, while addressing the second International Conference on Combating Impunity and Securing Safety of Media Workers and Journalists in Pakistan, on January 27 said that Pakistan ranks worryingly high when it comes to the number of attacks on journalists in democratic countries, reports Dawn. He deplored that the authorities in Pakistan had failed to move forward in this regard and had not been able to provide an environment conducive for journalists so far. “Why can’t we make the situation better,” he asked, earnestly, adding that far too many journalists were getting caught in the crossfire between militants and the authorities.
“A hit-list of journalists in Balochistan was floated by pro-establishment militants and this list was published in a report by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), but even then, five of the people on the list ended up dead,” said senior anchor Hamid Mir. He said that it was time the government passed a law for the protection of the media. “I do not say it will end the trouble, but it will be a first step towards a solution,” he added.
1999 suspects arrested under National Action Plan in Punjab, reveal official statistics
While the National Action Plan (NAP) is being implemented across the country since December 17, 2014, Islamabad Police, in association with Law Enforcement agencies, have so far arrested 1,999 people and booked them in 1,610 cases in connection with four recently promulgated ordinances in provincial capital Lahore, reports Dawn. However, 1,163 cases in four categories are pending with the courts.
According to details, Police conducted 744 joint search (combing) operations in 1,050 localities, registered cases against 91 people and quizzed 93,421 others from December 17, 2014 to February 2, 2015. 52 cases have been registered under Foreign Act, Arms Act and Control of Narcotic Substance Act during the period. Official statistics further show Police arrested 688 people and registered 555 cases against them under the Punjab Sound Systems (Regulation) Ordinance 2015 with 458 cases pending with courts held 865 people in 601 cases under the Punjab Information of Temporary Resident Ordinance 2015 with 471 cases pending with courts and apprehended 446 people in 449 cases under the Punjab Arms (Amendments) Ordinance 2015 from January 9, 2015 to February 2, 2015 with 244 cases pending with courts.
At least seven militants were killed in a clash with Security Forces (SFs) in Mohmand Agency on February 7, reports Daily Times. According to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), seven militants were killed by SFs in a clash that erupted after the militants were intercepted by the forces. The bodies were handed over to the administration for further investigation.
Meanwhile, six unidentified bodies were recovered from Yaka Ghund area in Mohmand Agency. According to tribal sources, the bodies were found in the Umar Banda area. Officials believe that the bodies might be of militants killed in clashes with SFs.
Seminaries to come under close scrutiny in Gilgit-Baltistan
As part of the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP), the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) during a meeting chaired by interim Chief Minister Sher Jehan Mir on February 9 decided to scrutinize both registered and unregistered madrassas operating in the region, reported The Express Tribune. According to a Government official, “Scrutinizing madrassas was one of many decisions taken in the moot.” He added clerics from outside G-B have been barred from entering the region for an indefinite period as intelligence reports have suggested their presence could incite hatred and lead to sectarian violence which has plagued the region in the recent past.
According to a statement issued from the Chief Minister’s office regarding the meeting, the regional Government will take steps to set up military courts soon to formally implement the NAP. The statement added collection of donations by any groups or parties has been banned, officials have been directed to ensure tinted glasses are removed from private and official vehicles and police have been directed to launch a crackdown against proclaimed offenders.
13 Firebrand clerics arrest for fanning sectarianism in Punjab
Police on February 11 arrested 13 clerics of various defunct religious organisations, including Sipah Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Sunni Tehreek (ST) and Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) for fanning sectarianism in the Province, reports Dawn.
Military courts extended to FATA
The Government extended the purview of the recently amended Pakistan Army Act to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) for the setting up of military courts there, Dawn reported on February 12. President Mamnoon Hussain approved on February 11 a summary permitting the Government to establish military courts in FATA. An official statement issued by the Presidency said: “On a summary initiated by States and Frontier Regions Division, the president has approved the prime minister’s advice for extension of Pakistan Army (Amendment) Act, 2015 (Act No-II of 2015) to Federally Administered Tribal Areas in terms of Article 247 of the Constitution of Pakistan.” The decision to set up military courts to try terrorists was taken in the first week of January and nine military courts have been established — three each in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, two in Sindh and one in Balochistan, for a period of two years.
20 Shias killed as militants storm Peshawar Imambargah
At least 20 Shia persons were killed and another 50 were injured during a gun and bomb attack at an Imambargah (Shia place of worship) in Phase-5 locality of Hayatabad area in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on February 13 when suicide attackers and gunmen —dressed in police uniform — attacked worshippers offering Friday prayers, reports Dawn. Sources said that around 800 worshippers were present inside the Imambargah at the time of attack. The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP, Operations) Dr. Mian Saeed said at least three suicide bombers attacked the Imambargah. He confirmed that one suicide bomber detonated his device, while another was shot dead. The third was arrested in an injured condition. The Police have launched a search operation for the third attacker. KP Police chief Inspector General (IG) Nasir Khan Durrani said the entrance of the Imambargah is highly guarded and the attackers entered from the other side of the mosque. The attackers climbed a high wall and cut barbed wires in order to enter the Imambargah. They arrived in a car which they burnt. The Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU) chief Shafqat Malik said the attackers looked like Uzbeks. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mushtaq Ghani called for the deployment of Frontier Corps personnel, saying the Imambargah is very close to tribal areas which allows easy access for terrorists.
Meanwhile, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack.
Karachi police should be depoliticized for permanent peace, says COAS General Raheel Sharif
Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Raheel Sharif during a meeting of the Sindh Apex Committee chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on February 16 stressed the need to depoliticize the Police force in Karachi for permanent peace and said that action should be taken against all criminals without any distinctions based on political, religious or sectarian lines, reports Daily Times. He said that it was critical to depoliticize the Police force in Karachi, and that there should be no political interference in postings and transfers of Police officers. He also stressed that action should be taken against criminals above all kinds of political, religious and sectarian lines.
Acknowledging that Karachi plays an important role in the country’s overall economy, he said that peace in Karachi means peace in the entire country, for which effective measures need to be taken. The army chief said an atmosphere of peace was created because of the Rangers-led operation, and that political forces need to also play their role for permanent peace in Karachi. The consensus of all stakeholders is critical for peace, he said. He also stressed on the need for improved coordination between intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
Afghan forces tightening noose around Fazlullah
During his visit to Kabul on February 17, the Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Raheel Sharif was informed by Afghan authorities that “they are tightening the noose around Fazlullah” the fugitive ‘chief’ of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. According to security sources, the visit took place following Intelligence reports that Fazlullah directly masterminded the February 13, 2015, Imambargah attack in Peshawar reportedly from Afghanistan’s Kunar Province or its adjoining belt, adds Daily Times. “There was credible intel (intelligence) information that it was cross-border activity,” said the unnamed sources.
A source disclosed that the Army Chief reiterated Pakistan’s demand for action against the TTP chief. “They [Afghanistan] are after him [Fazlullah] and may be quite close,” the source claimed. General Raheel told the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, “The enemies of Afghanistan are the enemies of Pakistan. We stand shoulder to shoulder with Afghanistan in the fight against terrorism.” He assured Kabul that Pakistan would not allow its territory to be used against the neighbouring country.
No favourites among militants, COAS tells US team
A US Congressional delegation was assured on Wednesday, Feb 18 that Pakistan had no favourites and the Operation Zarb-e-Azb was against all the militant groups in the North Waziristan Agency (NWA).
Talking to a visiting US Congressional delegation led by Senator Jack Reed — a ranking member of the Senate’s Armed Services Committee — at the General Headquarters (GHQ), Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Gen Raheel Sharif said that Raheel Sharif said that Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) network and other militant groups had completely been dismantled in NWA and a large area had been cleared off the militants.
During the meeting, security situation along the Pak-Afghan border also came under discussion and US delegation was told that Pak-Afghan forces were conducting coordinated operations against the militant hide-outs and significant progress had been made in such operations.
Gen Raheel also took the US delegation into confidence over his trip to Kabul and told Senator Jack Reed that cooperation between Islamabad and Kabul was growing with regard to security and counter-terrorism.
The security situation in Afghanistan also came under discussion during the meeting.The US senator appreciated Pakistan’s role in counter-terrorism efforts and assured full cooperation to Pakistan.
Operation against seminaries abetting terrorists: Memon
Sindh Minister for Information Sharjeel Inam Memon on Thursday, Feb 19 said that the police and Rangers would launch a joint operation against the Madaris and seminaries which were facilitating the terrorists in carrying out their nefarious activities in the province.
He announced that the Shikarpur Mosque blast case would be tried in military courts prompting the Shuhada Committee to call off its protests after negotiations. Addressing a joint press conference with Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and Shikarpur Shuhada Committee leader Allama Maqsood Ali Domki, the provincial information minister said that the case of the incident would be heard in a military court for speedy trials.
Memon said that a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) would be constituted to probe the attack on the mosque which had claimed the lives of more than 60 people.Memon added that the operation would originate from Karachi and be expanded to other areas of Sindh to wipe out terrorists. He further said that suspicious foreigners living in Karachi would be arrested and questioned.
Rangers step up operation against terrorists in Sindh
Rangers Sector Commander Colonel Abdul Ghaffar on Friday, Feb 20 said that the Rangers had accelerated the operation against terrorists in interior Sindh and arrested 58 suspects, including three terrorists, during action against miscreants in interior Sindh and Balochistan.
The sector commander stated that the raids were conducted after Operation Zarb-e-Azb and the operation in Karachi. The suspects were arrested during action in Sukkur, Ghotki, Khairpur, Shikarpur and affiliated areas of Balochistan. More than 181 light and heavy weapons, including explosives, were also confiscated from the suspects.
Colonel Abdul Ghaffar stated these developments during a talk with the media at the Rangers Headquarters.The arrested included 19 high profile notorious felons and three terrorists belonging to banned organisations.
One suspect had been linked to an international banned organisation which wanted to establish a unit in Shikarpur.Two Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP) terrorists were arrested in Mirpur Mathelo from a bus bound for Karachi from Peshawar who wanted to move to Dubai from Karachi.
The Shahbaz Rangers further tightened their grip on terrorists after conducting these actions in interior Sindh and Balochistan upon orders from Director General (DG) Rangers Major General Bilal Akbar.
Govt has proof of foreign hand in terror incidents
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said the government has received proof of foreign involvement in the recent terrorist incidents in Pakistan and such elements will be exposed soon. Talking to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif at his Jati Umra, Raiwind Road, residence on Sunday, Feb 22 the PM said the government had adopted a firm stance on terrorism and no compromise would be made on its resolve to purge the country of sectarianism, extremism and militancy.
The two senior PML-N leaders also discussed the current political and security situation in the country and exchanged views on the implementation of National Action Plan (NAP), the upcoming Senate elections, petroleum prices, etc.
The Punjab CM briefed the PM on the recent suicide attack outside the Police Lines as well as progress on different energy sector projects. He discussed with him the party affairs and legislation on women affairs in the Punjab Assembly.
The PM called upon the provinces to discourage nepotism and political influence in postings of field officials, adding that all designs aimed at hampering the country’s progress would be foiled.
He said the joints efforts, launched by the government, armed forces and law-enforcement agencies had started yielding results. He said the government was committed to eliminating terrorist elements, operating for decades in the country. He said the government, Army and nation were on the same page against terrorism.
The PM said the country is facing several challenges at the moment and the government was not ignorant of the situation. He said the government was working day and night to tackle these challenges. He said the PML-N government would fulfil its pre-poll commitment with the nation and take all-out measures to give a practical shape to its agenda. “We are removing all hurdles in the way of national progress and we will succeed in our objectives by the grace of Allah,” added the PM.
Militant linked to APS attack arrested, says ISPR
Security forces claimed to have arrested a key perpetrator of the Army Public School (APS) terrorist attack during an operation in the Pawaki village in the limits of the Pishtakhara Police Station on Monday, Feb 23. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed the arrest of 27-year-old Taj Mohammad from Pawaki. It said that he was the commander of one of the two groups that carried out the APS attack.
The militant is said to be a resident of the neighbouring Khyber Agency. He was living as an internally displaced person in Pawaki. Officials said the militant had confessed to his involvement in a number of terror attacks.
Up to 154 people, mostly children, were killed in an attack on the Army Public School on December 16, last year. There were unconfirmed reports that another militant, who carried the head money of Rs500,000, was also arrested during an action the other day. No official, however, confirmed the report.
APP adds: Terrorist Taj Muhammad alias Rizwan, one of the main executors of the Army Public School (APS) attack, has been arrested by security forces in an intelligence based operation. The 27-year-old Taj Muhammad is a resident of Sippah, Koi Chowk, Bara Khyber. The other terrorist group was being led by Atiqur Rehman alias Usman who had already been apprehended by security forces, said an ISPR press release.
REGIONAL
Bangladesh – Internal Dynamics
JeL leader killed in shootout with police
Nurul Islam (45), a leader of Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) was killed in Rajshahi District in a shootout with Police on January 28, reports The Daily Star. Police claimed that Nurul Islam, former secretary of Rajshahi city’s Ward-30 unit of the party, used to lead an armed group of its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir. Two Police constables were also injured during the gunfight. A revolver, five bullets and 10 crude bombs were recovered from the scene.
Khaleda faces murder case probe
Bangladesh authorities on Monday, Feb 2 ordered a probe into allegations of murder against opposition chief Khaleda Zia and arrested a media magnate as two more people were shot dead in spiralling political unrest.
Although experts said it was unlikely that the accusations filed in a private lawsuit would result in charges against Zia, they will add to the pressure on the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader who has been struggling to topple the government through a transport blockade.
The order by a magistrate for police to probe the allegations came hours after the owner of a private television channel was arrested after a meeting with Zia in her Dhaka headquarters.
“Metropolitan Magistrate Atiqur Rahman ordered the Gulshan police in Dhaka to investigate the complaint and submit a report by March 1,” Ashiqur Rahman, a court official, told AFP.
A lawyer for the plaintiff, pro-government activist A. B. Siddiqi, said Zia was responsible for the death of 42 people killed after opposition activists firebombed buses and trucks in a wave of protests.
“She is to blame for the death of 42 innocent people as she ordered her supporters to attack vehicles with petrol bombs,” said lawyer Roushonara Sikder Daizy.
PBCP cadre arrested along with four bombs in Chuadanga District
Police arrested a cadre of outlawed Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) at Marufdoha village in Chuadanga District on February 4, reports The Daily Star. The arrestee is Mizanur Rahman alias Mirza (34). Police also recovered four bombs from his possession.
Seven burnt to death after bus firebombed in BD
Anti-government protesters firebombed a bus full of sleeping passengers in eastern Bangladesh on Tuesday, Feb 3 killing seven in spiralling political unrest aimed at toppling Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Several passengers were also critically injured in the attack in the town of Chauddagram which was blamed on activists from the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by two-time former premier Khaleda Zia.
One person also died from burn injuries on Tuesday from an attack on a van overnight in the capital, a doctor at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital said.
The deaths bring the toll in the month-long protests to 54 — most of them victims of firebomb attacks on buses and lorries — as opposition activists try to enforce a transport blockade.
Authorities have stepped up the pressure on 69-year-old Zia, who has been holed up in her office since January 3, in a bid to halt the violence. She called the protests early last month, urging supporters to enforce a nationwide blockade of roads, railways and waterways to force Hasina to call a fresh election.
13 killed and many others wounded during BNP-led 20-party alliance’s countrywide blockade.
Six killed in Opposition’s countrywide blockage
Six persons were killed and many others were injured during the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led 20-party alliance’s countrywide blockade on February 7, reports The Daily Star. In Barisal District, three persons including trucker Ijayedul Islam (35), his father-in-law Motaleb Sheikh (65) and helper Munnu Mia (45) were killed when alleged blockaders hurled a petrol bomb at a poultry feed-laden truck in Mahilara area. In Rangpur District, Sujan (12), Sujan’s mother Sonavan Begum (35) and Saju Mia (25) died at Rangpur hospital. They had been admitted there with percent burns injuries on February 6. In Dhaka city, six people were injured in two separate crude bomb blasts. Three crude bombs went off near Chhobirhaat area on the Dhaka University campus, injuring at least five people. In a separate incident, a crude bomb was exploded at Bakshibazar, injuring 12-yar-old named Rahat. In Narayanganj District, Badsha Miah (40), a trucker and his helper Helal Miah (38) were injured after blockaders hurled a petrol bomb on their vehicle at Kanchan municipality. In Jhalakathi District, a driver and a passenger were injured when the driver tried to save the passengers of his bus from a firebomb attack. The driver lost control on the wheels and the bus veered off the road.
JMB militant arrested alongwith gunpowder in Rajshahi
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested Rejwanul Bari (35), a Jama’at ul Mujahideen Bangladesh militant, from Rajshahi city of Rajshahi District on February 9, reports The Independent. RAB also recovered 180 grams of gunpowder and a sharp weapon from his possession. RAB said that he was involved in subversive and various other anarchic and terrorism activities for long.
BD mly denies planning takeover to end crisis
Bangladesh’s powerful military has denied speculation it plans to intervene to end deepening political unrest, warning the media against reporting on any “imaginary” army role in the crisis. The military said it respected the constitution and laws of Bangladesh which has witnessed at least 19 military-backed coups and has been ruled by two military dictators since independence in 1971.
“The armed forces is a patriotic organisation that is totally respectful to the country’s constitution and laws,” the military said in a statement late on Sunday, Feb 8. It said it was forced to speak out against “speculative and imaginary” media reports about the military stepping in, because they “could create confusion among the people”.
Bangladesh has been paralysed since early January by the opposition-led nationwide transport blockade aimed at toppling Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Spiralling violence has left at least 80 people dead, hundreds of others injured and cost the impoverished economy nearly $10 billion, according to business leaders.
While mainstream media have kept comments on possible military intervention to a minimum, speculation has been rife on social media and on internet news portals.
In 2007, the military stepped in after months of political unrest raised fears about the credibility of upcoming elections. It installed a military-backed caretaker government, which ruled the country for two years before holding free and fair polls.
Opposition leader Khaleda Zia called for the current blockade of roads, railways and waterways after police confined the former two-time premier to her office on January 3.
Zia denies her Bangladesh Nationalist Party is behind the violence, but has vowed to continue the blockade until Hasina agrees to new polls.
Zia leads a 20-party opposition alliance which boycotted a general election last year on the grounds it would be rigged.
Authorities have deployed thousands of troops and police to guard vehicles and more than 10,000 protesters have been arrested, but the unrest shows no sign of abating.
Crude and petrol bombs recovered from various districts
Law enforcers on February 11 detained six people with 45 petrol bombs in Dhaka city and recovered several dozen petrol and crudes bombs from different Districts, reports Daily Star. Police detained four people and recovered five petrol bombs from their possession in Bangshal in Dhaka. The detainees are Faruk, Mamun, Dulal and Kawsar, Police said. Separately, Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) recovered 10 abandoned firebombs and detained two people from the capital’s Gulshan 1 area. Meanwhile, Police recovered 11 petrol bombs from Barguna District, four from Chuadanga District and five crude bombs from Bhola District.
Top BD politician abducted
A prominent Bangladesh opposition politician was abducted on Tuesday, Feb 24 allegedly by police, days after he appeared to say he was open to seeking military intervention to end the country’s deadly political crisis.
The family of Mahmudur Rahman Manna, 63, who has been trying to forge an alternative third political force in Bangladesh, said he was picked up by plain-clothed police officers from his niece’s home in the capital Dhaka. “There were four to five men. They said they were from the DB (police detective branch). They asked him to go with them,” Manna’s niece Shahanama Sharmin told AFP. “They led him away on a micro-bus at around 3:30am,” she added.
The abduction is the latest twist in weeks-long turmoil led by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies in efforts to topple Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and force fresh elections. Confined by authorities to her office on January 3, BNP leader Khaleda Zia called on supporters to block roads, railways and waterways, sparking a wave of violence that has claimed more than 100 lives.
Police denied they were behind the abduction of Manna, who has also been calling for talks between the government and the BNP to resolve the crisis.
An audio recording of a phone conversation between Manna, an opposition official and an unknown third person was leaked to local media late on Sunday. Manna can be heard telling the unidentified person that he was open to talks with generals in a bid to resolve the crisis gripping Bangladesh, a country with a history of military-backed coups.
India – Internal Dynamics
Six IED explosions in Manipur on Republic day
Six Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) exploded on January 26 at Imphal, reports Kanglaonline. No casualties were reported during the blasts. The first explosion was reported around 7 am on the Imphal River bank near Moirangkhom Hicham Yaichampat about hundred metres away from the 1st Manipur Rifles Parade Ground, the starting point of the Republic day parade in Imphal West District. Seconds after the first explosion, another IED exploded at Khoyathong Pukhri Achouba Mapan in Imphal West District. Two more explosions were reported during the Republic Parade at the Imphal river bank near KR Lane and 9.10 at Golapati in Imphal East District. Further an explosion occurred in Thoubal District at Wangjing Purana Heitupokpi Mamang Leikai and at Bishnupur District at Loukoipat junction.
Tamil language newspaper threatened of ‘Charlie Hebdo style’ attack
A Tamil language newspaper, Dinamalar received a letter threatening an attack similar to the one on the office of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, The Times of India reports on January 27. “We have received the letter from the newspaper and a probe is on,” a senior Police official said. The letter, typed in English, says “Yesterday-Paris Charlie Hebdo, Tomorrow — Dinamalar.” The words appear against the background of India’s map.
The letter was sent through post by unidentified elements claiming to belong to an outfit called “The Base Moment,” and said to be based at “3/10, Ukkadam, Kovai, Tamil Nadu, India.” Below the map is a picture of Osama bin Laden and the words “By al-Qaida,” and some Arabic words appearing like a signature, the police official said.
“It can be a fictitious outfit or someone may be trying to play mischief or it may have some other motive … we do not know … only after the probe’s completion we will be able to comment,” the official said, declining to elaborate. Security personnel have been deployed at the office of the newspaper.
Five police officials charge sheeted for supplying arms to NSCN-IM
NIA (Guwahati) on January 27 filed charge sheet before the Special NIA Court Dimapur against five Police officials of Nagaland Police, including a Superintendent of Police (SP) on charges of allegedly selling Government ammunition to militants, reports The Telegraph. The accused have been identified as Enyimi Chakhesang, Sejongmong Sangtam, James Ovung, Longlise Sangtam and Sashitsungba Longcher They have been accused of being involved in smuggling arms meant for the department to the Isak-Muivah militants of National Socialist Council of Nagaland in 2011-12.
IA (Guwahati) on January 27 filed charge sheet before the Special NIA Court Dimapur against five Police officials of Nagaland Police, including a Superintendent of Police (SP) on charges of allegedly selling Government ammunition to militants, reports The Telegraph. The accused have been identified as Enyimi Chakhesang, Sejongmong Sangtam, James Ovung, Longlise Sangtam and Sashitsungba Longcher They have been accused of being involved in smuggling arms meant for the department to the Isak-Muivah militants of National Socialist Council of Nagaland in 2011-12.
Two police killed in ambush
A station house officer and an assistant constable of Chhattisgarh Police were killed and six other Security Force (SF) personnel, including an assistant commandant of Border Security Force (BSF), injured when Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres ambushed a joint patrolling team in Kanker District of Chhattisgarh on February 2, reports The Hindu. A group of armed Maoists opened indiscriminate fire on a joint team of SFs while they were conducting patrolling at Paralkot village (PV) number 101 under Bande Police Station limits, IG (intelligence wing) Deepanshu Kabra said. Six others, including three BSF personnel, were injured in the incident. Further details are awaited, he added.
Nine IS bound Indians from Bangalore deported by Turkey
Nine persons from Bangalore, who arrived in Istanbul (Turkey) on December 24, 2014, have been deported by Turkish authorities on January 30 after they were allegedly caught trying to cross over to Syria to join the terror outfit Islamic State (IS), reported The Times of India on February 1. The group is being questioned by Bengaluru Police and central agencies after they arrived at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA).
According to Police, they went to Istanbul from Bengaluru on tourist visas on December 24, 2014, and were sent back by the Turkish authorities on January 30, 2015. Among those sent back from Turkey are engineers Ibrahim Nowfal, 24, from Hassan and Javeed Baba, 24, from Khammam District, Telangana. The remaining seven belonged to a family from Chennai – Muhammed Abdul Ahad, 46, his wife and their five children. Police said Ahad has done masters in computer science from Kennedy-Western University, California, US, and worked in the US for more than ten years.
CPI-Maoist kill contractor in Odisha
The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres killed a contractor, identified as Laxmi Patnaik (23), at a weekly market in Trilochanpur under Lanjigarh Police Station in Kalahandi District on February 3, reports The Pioneer. Some posters left by the killers claimed that Patnaik was a ‘Police Informer’. According to Kalahandi Superintendent of Police (SP) Brijesh Kumar Rai, two armed people in plain clothes reached the village market and searched for Patnaik, who was present there. Then, they threatened people not to oppose to their act. They dragged Patnaik away and shot at him from close rang killing him on the spot.
Maoists kill warden’s brother in Maharashtra
Indersa Parsa (50), elder brother of village Police warden, was killed by the Communist Party of India cadres, suspecting him to be ‘Police Informer’ at Ghodezhari village in Dhanora tehsil (revenue unit) in Gadchiroli District on February 6, reports The Times of India. The Maoists killed Parsa by slitting his throat. Police sources stated that Parsa had earlier opposed Maoists. He was a vociferous Maoist detractor who also opposed the rebels entering village.
Huge amount of ammunition and explosive materials recovered in Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) along with the Madhya Pradesh Police on February 6 carried out raid at a house owned by Kushal Madankar in old Pandhurna in Chhindwara District in Madhya Pradesh and recovered huge amount of ammunition and explosive materials, reports The Times of India. Police have recovered 2,768 electric detonators, 612 sticks of Kelvex power 190 Class-2 explosive, 1840 feet Detonating cord, one exploder and other related equipments. Police registered a case against two persons, identified as Mukesh Sankhla and Rajmal Sankhla, both belong to Bhilwara District in Rajasthan. The accused have been booked under the Indian Explosive Substance Act-1908. Investigation of the crime is being done by Chhindwara Police (Madhya Pradesh). ATS Nagpur unit is interrogating the accused for any suspected link with anti-national elements, terror outfits or Naxal elements.
Two porters and Assam Rifles trooper die in IED blast in Arunachal Pradesh
One of the nine Assam Rifles (AR) troopers, identified as Rifleman Dattatray Mahajan, who was injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast near the India-Myanmar border in Changlang District on February 6, died at Dinjan Army hospital in Dibrugarh in Assam on February 7, reports The Times of India. Two porters, who were accompanying the AR patrolling party, had died on February 6.Outlook further adds that blast occurred at Monmao village.
Two Indians arrested over terror link in Saudi Arabia
According to a senior Government official, India has approached Saudi Arabia after two Indians were arrested in Riyadh for alleged terror links, reports The Indian Express on February 7. Report said that in an anti-terror drive conducted in Saudi Arabia last month (January 12-25), 42 people were detained for various terrorist activities, which also included two persons from India. A senior Indian Government official said that “Through appropriate channels we have got in touch with Saudi authorities. What we have been told is that the two men have been detained as of now for suspected terror links. We have asked them for more details.”
According to reports, there are 32 Saudi and six Yemen nationals among those who have been arrested. When asked if the detained Indians could have any links with al Qaeda or Islamic State (IS), the government official said, “Nothing can be ruled out for now. But first we will have to get more details, we have started a background check on the two men.” However, the official refused to identify the suspects, saying the operation was still on.
Three CRPF men injured in blast in Chhattisgarh
Three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, including an assistant sub-inspector, were injured on February 8 when a pressure bomb laid by Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres exploded near Dubaiguda village under Awapalli Police Station area in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur District, reports The Indian Express. The incident occurred when a joint contingent of the 168th battalion of the CRPF and the District force was carrying out an anti-Maoist operation in the area.
Intelligence agencies identity IS headhunters in India, says report
The Islamic State (IS) sympathisers active in Indian metros, hunting for potential recruits among the youth attracted to the jihadi group’s ideology, are on the radar of the intelligence agencies, India Today reports on February 13. Nearly 35 self-radicalised jihadis have been identified for spreading the dogma of the IS, a new intelligence dossier suggests. The dossier also mentions that the IS sympathisers are physically moving around to find recruits. “The campaign is being carried out by word of mouth, not through the internet,” an intelligence official said.
Some elements seen as “IS sympathisers” and mentioned on the Intelligence list are on a recruitment spree in fertile grounds in Mumbai (Maharashtra), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Kolkata (West Bengal), Bangalore (Karnataka)and Hyderabad. Based on the inputs from the Intelligence Bureau (IB)and state intelligence units, a dossier has been shared with the Union Home Ministry (UHM) on those now under surveillance.
“A group active in many cities is looking for people attracted to the IS ideology and then indoctrinates them,” a government official said. Sources said the number of active supporters in this network could be higher. The group is working on the ground and not in cyber space as its members fear they could be easily tracked, the gathered inputs reveal.
Two civilians killed in grenade blast in Assam
The Hindu reports that on February 13, unidentified militants riding a bicycle hurled a grenade at the house of a businessman, identified as Biren Agarwal, in Sepon Market in Sibsagar District, killing his younger brother Situ Agarwal and their driver Dimbeswar Bhuyan. The locals claimed that the Independent faction of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA-I) which is active in the area, had recently demanded extortion money from the Agarwal family, who refused to make the payment.
Constable killed another injured in Maoist blast in Chhattisgarh
A Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) Constable – Ram Prasad Negi – was on February 16 killed while Shyam Kumar was injured when a pressure bomb went off allegedly set by Communist Party of India-Maoist-Maoist cadres near Temelwada village under Jagargunda Police Station limits in Sukma District, reports outlookindia.com. The incident occurred when a Road Opening Patrol (ROP) of Security Forces (SFs) was returning after carrying out an operation in the region.
Monthly Fatalities
The following deaths related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism occurred during the period Jan 26, to Feb 25, 2015:
| Civilian | Indian Security Personnel | Militant | Total | |
| Assam | 02 | 00 | 02 | 04 |
| Manipur | 06 | 00 | 02 | 08 |
| Meghalaya | 04 | 00 | 03 | 07 |
| Left-wing | 11 | 07 | 08 | 26 |
| A. Pradesh | 03 | 01 | 00 | 04 |
| Total | 26 | 08 | 15 | 49 |
Nepal – Internal Dynamics
Top Maoist leaders to lead protests against majority statute
Top Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) leaders – Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda, Baburam Bhattarai and Narayan Kaji Shrestha – are set to leave Kathmandu to lead the protests in the central, western and eastern region respectively, reports Ekantipur.com. The three leaders will go in their constituencies as decided by party’s Central Committee on February 3, leaders said. Dahal, Bhattarai and Shrestha held the meeting of their respective commands on February 2. The party has decided to form committees at state and district levels to organise the protest programmes against the majority-based constitution drafting process. The party on February 1, decided to hold a nation-wide movement. Party leaders reiterated that they would not sit for dialogue with the ruling parties until the majority process in the constitution drafting process is scrapped. The party has decided to send second-rung leaders for dialogue even if their demands are addressed.
UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal threatens to form parallel government
Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda has warned of running a parallel government at the center if the ruling parties move ahead with the process of bringing a majority-based constitution, reports Myrepublica.com. Addressing a program organized to announce a joint youth volunteer force on February 12, Dahal said he would ask the United Nations (UN) and the international community as to which government is a legitimate one after forming a parallel government at the center. “We will ask them which government is legitimate – the one that is in favor of the peace process or the one that derailed,” said Dahal. Accusing the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) and Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) of going against the spirit of past accords and the peace process, Dahal claimed that his party would set up a force of one million youth volunteers after February 28. Dahal, who leads the 30-party agitating alliance, also warned of taking over government offices across the country and imposing economic blockade during the second phase of their protest. “If the ruling parties do not abide by past accords, people have the right to form their own government. We will run parallel government both at the centre and the provinces,” said Dahal.
Meanwhile, UCPN-M Vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha has said that his party is in favor of a multiple-identity-based federal system that empowers people at the local level, reports Myrepublica.com. Speaking at a function in Taplejung on February 12, Vice-chairman Shrestha said that the UCPN-M is against a single-identity federal structure. “We can carve out federal provinces on multiple-identity basis such as Mechi-Limbuwan-Purbi Pradesh. It is impossible to have a constitution that calls for the creation of single-identity federal structure in Nepal which is a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-cultural country,” Shrestha said while elaborating the federal province model of his party. He claimed that the UCPN-M is ready to sit for talks if ruling parties come up with an agreeable solution to constitution drafting. “If the formation of questionnaire committee was delayed by two more days there were chances for forging consensus, but the ruling parties moved ahead in a haste for the voting process,” he said.
Sri Lanka – Internal Dynamics
President Maithripala Sirisena to implement a well-structured plan to strengthen national security
President Maithripala Sirisena on January 28 said more attention would be paid to national security and a well-structured plan would be implemented to ensure national security for the welfare of the country and the people, reports Colombo Page. The President said that every effort would be initiated in strengthening the national security within the democratic framework according to the constitution. He added that precise understanding of issues that poses in various faces nationally and internationally has to be addressed in a constructive manner while formulating appropriate solutions. President requested the Security Council to submit new proposals and recommendations in addition to the programme now being implemented on national security as it the expectation of the government to implement a programme to strengthen national security locally and internationally.
Plan to use army personnel to whip up LTTE bogey during April polls, says Government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne
Spokesman of the Sri Lankan Cabinet, Rajitha Senaratne on January 28 has said that he has sought an inquiry into information that former Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa is using two serving army officers to train 400 soldiers to whip up a bogey about an Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam revival in the run up to the April parliamentary elections, reports Colombo Page. Senaratne said that this army unit is being trained by two serving officers, Brig. Harendra Ranasinghe and Col. Mahinda Ranasinghe of the Army Training School. According to Senaratne, the idea is to get 400 Tamil speaking Sinhalese soldiers to go to the North in disguise and provoke the army. The ensuing clashes would help show people in the Sinhalese-speaking South, that the LTTE have become active in the Northern Province and that the Maithripala Sirisena-Ranil Wickremesinghe Government is unable to tackle it. The LTTE-revival card could help former President Mahinda Rajapaksa win the elections. Senaratne said that to ensure national security, the Sirisena regime would rely on political engagement with the minorities and not on the military.
Regulation banning al-Qaeda in Sri Lankan parliament
Sri Lankan Government on February 5 presented the regulation under the United Nations (UN) Act to locally ratify the ban on al Qaeda as a global terrorist outfit, reports Daily Mirror. The Gazette notification had been signed by former External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris on December 14, 2014. According to the regulation, this organisation is continued to be designated as a terrorist outfit. It is prohibited for any individual to aid and abet the al Qaeda. The financial intelligence authorities of Sri Lanka are authorised to seize funds and assets of this terrorist outfit
Illegal armories in the Hambantota District, says Minister Sajith Premadasa
Minister of Housing and Samurdhi, Sajith Premadasa said in the Parliament that there are illegal armories in the Hambantota District in Southern Province, reports Colombo Page. He said that the illegal armories with weapons, ammunition and grenades have been found in Beliatta and Weeraketiya in Hambantota District. The Minister informed that a request has been made from the State Minister of Defense to investigate the illegal armories found in Hambantota. According to Premadasa, the illegal armories were being operated by a Member of Parliament representing the District.
President Maithripala Sirisena assures of action against perpetrators of war crimes
President Maithripala Sirisena on February 13 told the diplomatic community in Colombo that if “credible and firm” evidence is found by the proposed inquiry into allegations that Sri Lankan Security Forces (SFs) committed human rights violations during the fight against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, action would be taken against the guilty, reports Dawn. The President also invited the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) to visit Sri Lanka. Sirisena said the Government needed time to bring about unity and reconciliation as it had assumed office only a month ago. Referring to Tamils living in the Northern Province, he said ‘doubts and mistrust’ between ethnic groups should be removed. He assured the Tamil community that land appropriated by the armed forces during the civil war would be returned, announcing the handover of 1000 acres in the Northern Province as a first step.
INTERNATIONAL
Nine die as gunmen assault Tripoli hotel
Gunmen stormed a hotel in Tripoli popular with diplomats and officials on Tuesday, Jan 27 in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group, killing at least nine people including five foreigners before blowing themselves up.
After setting off a car bomb outside the luxury Corinthia Hotel in Libya’s capital, three armed militants rushed inside and opened fire, Issam al-Naass, a spokesman for the security services, told AFP. They made it to the 24th floor of the hotel, which is a major hub for diplomatic and government activity in Tripoli, before being surrounded by security forces and blowing themselves up, he said.
The dead included three security guards killed in the initial attack, five foreigners shot dead by the gunmen and a hostage who died when the attackers blew themselves up, he said.
At least five people were also wounded during the assault, including two Filipina employees hurt by broken glass from the car bomb explosion, he said.
The hotel’s 24th floor is normally used by Qatar’s mission to Libya but no diplomats or officials were present during the assault, a security source said.
Iran warns Israel
Iran has told the United States that Israel should expect consequences for an attack on the Syrian-controlled Golan Heights that killed an Iranian general, a senior official said on Tuesday, Jan 26.
Revolutionary Guards General Mohammad Ali Allahdadi died alongside six fighters from Lebanon’s Hizbullah group in the January 18 attack on forces supporting President Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s civil war.
Israel has not officially acknowledged carrying out the attack, but was already warned last week of an eventual response.
Rebels overrun mly base near Sanaa
Yemeni officials say rebels have captured a key military base south of the capital where US advisers had previously trained counter-terrorism forces.
They say the Republican Guard camp captured on Thursday, Jan 29 was used by American experts until 2012 to train local forces battling al-Qaida’s powerful Yemeni affiliate. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the press.
22 IS members killed by Kurds
Kurdish fighters killed 22 Jihadists around Kobane on Thursday, Jan 29 days after recapturing the Syrian town, but the Islamic State group still controls hundreds of villages in the area, a monitor said.
“Nineteen IS members were killed in fighting against the (Kurdish) People’s Protection Units (YPG) in the hills surrounding Manaz to the west of Kobane,” said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman.
“Another three Jihadists died in fighting around villages to the east of Kobane, while the YPG also took one IS member prisoner,” he told AFP.
Kurdish forces recaptured the town on the Turkish frontier on Monday, in a symbolic blow to the Jihadists who have seized large swathes of territory in their onslaught across Syria and Iraq.
The YPG had also recaptured five villages around Kobane this week, according to Abdel Rahman, whose Britain-based group relies on a network of sources inside Syria.
“Another 350 villages remain under IS control,” he said, referring to settlements in the area around Kobane. One civilian was also killed. “IS shelling in the western countryside of Kobane killed a civilian,” said Abdel Rahman, who has repeatedly stressed that the fight for the Kobane area is far from over.
AFP journalists who have entered Kobane, which is known in Arabic as Aim al-Arab, have seen pulverised buildings and heavily armed fighters roaming otherwise deserted, rubble-strewn streets.
40 Egyptian soldiers killed
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi cut short a visit to Ethiopia for an African Union summit on Friday, Jan 30 after Islamic State’s Egyptian wing claimed the killing of at least 40 soldiers and police officers in the Sinai Peninsula.
The four separate attacks on security forces in North Sinai on Thursday night were among the bloodiest in years and the first significant assault in the region since the most active Sinai militant group swore allegiance to IS in November.
Militant attacks in Sinai, while far from Cairo and tourist attractions, has crimped government efforts to project an image of stability to woo back foreign investors and tourists driven away by frequent political violence since a popular uprising four years ago that overthrew veteran autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
Sisi left Addis Ababa after meeting with the Ethiopian premier following the AU summit’s opening session, an Egyptian official there told Reuters.
Most of Thursday’s casualties occurred in the bombing of a military hotel and base in al-Arish, the heavily guarded Sinai provincial capital.
Security sources in Sinai said three military planes left al-Arish for Cairo on Friday morning carrying 30 body bags, some of them containing corpses left in pieces by the bomb blasts. They said at least five men were in critical condition and the death toll was likely to rise.
An army statement on Friday did not give a final death toll. It said the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces had met and was determined to continuing supporting the state’s efforts to complete a “roadmap for achieving security and stability.”
A major investment conference is set for March, where the government hopes to attract billions for huge infrastructure projects, and Egypt will also launch long-awaited parliamentary elections the same month.
But attempts to reinstate stability in the Arab world’s largest country have been impeded in part by the Sinai-based Islamist insurgency that has intensified since the army ousted elected president Mohammed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in mid-2013 after mass unrest over his rule. Hundreds of security force members have been killed since. The Brotherhood denies links to the insurgents but the government makes no distinction between the two groups.
‘CIA, Israel plotted senior Hizbullah commander’s killing’
The CIA and Israel’s spy agency Mossad were behind an elaborate plot to kill Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh in a 2008 car bomb attack in Syria, the Washington Post reported late on Jan 30. Citing former intelligence officials, the newspaper reported that US and Israeli spy agencies worked together to target Mughniyeh on February 12, 2008 as he left a restaurant in the Syrian capital Damascus. He was killed instantly by a car bomb planted in a spare tire on the back of a parked car, which exploded shrapnel in a tight radius, the Post said.
The bomb, built by the United States and tested in the state of North Carolina, was triggered remotely by Mossad agents in Tel Aviv who were in communication with Central Intelligence Agency operatives on the ground in Damascus.
A senior Hizbullah commander, Mughniyeh was suspected of masterminding the abduction of Western hostages in Lebanon in the 1980s and of the 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy in Argentina that killed 29 people. He was also linked to the bombing of the US marine barracks at Beirut airport in 1983, in which 241 American servicemen died, and the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 in 1985, in which a US navy diver was killed.
The CIA declined to comment to the Post about the report.
According the newspaper, the authority to kill required a presidential finding by George W Bush. Several senior officials, including the attorney general, the director of national intelligence and the national security adviser, would have had to sign off on the order, it added.
The former officials that spoke to the newspaper said Mughniyeh was directly involved in arming and training militias in Iraq that were targeting US forces, and though it occurred in a country where the United States was not at war, his assassination could be seen as an act of self-defence.
They added that getting approval from the most senior echelons of the US government to carry out the attack against Mughniyeh was a “rigorous and tedious” process, and it had to be proven that he was a true menace.
The newspaper said that during the Iraq war, the Bush administration had approved a list of operations aimed at Hizbullah, and according to one official, this included approval to target Mughniyeh.
According to the newspaper, American intelligence officials had been discussing possible ways to target the notorious Hezbollah commander for years, and senior US Joint Special Operations Command agents held a secret meeting with the head of Israel’s military intelligence service in 2002.
Though it is not clear when the agencies realized Mughniyeh was living in Damascus, a former official told the newspaper that Israel had approached the CIA about a joint operation to kill him in Syria’s capital.
Two US defence contractors injured in S Arabia attack
A US defence contractor said on Sunday, Feb 1 that two of its American employees came under fire in the latest attack against Westerners in Saudi Arabia. It was the second time in recent months that staff of the contractor Vinnell Arabia have been targeted.
“We can confirm that two Vinnell Arabia employees were involved in an incident on Friday, in which they were shot at by assailants in the al-Ahsa province of Saudi Arabia,” the company said in a statement issued through a public relations firm.
“Both employees were injured but are in stable condition at a local hospital,” it added.
Saudi police said earlier that one American had been wounded in a shooting in the eastern region which is the source of most of the kingdom’s oil wealth. Seven killed in Damascus blast
Seven killed in Damascus blast
At least seven people were killed when a blast ripped through a bus carrying Lebanese pilgrims in the Syrian capital Damascus on Sunday, Feb 1 a monitoring group said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said another 20 people were wounded in the explosion near the Souq al-Hamadiyeh neighbourhood of the city.
Syrian state media, which reported a toll of six dead and 19 wounded, said the blast was caused by an explosive device rather than a suicide bomber.
State news agency SANA said officials had found and defused a second bomb that had been placed inside the bus before it detonated.
Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said the bus had a Lebanese licence plate and was carrying pilgrims visiting religious sites in Damascus.
Lebanese media reported that Lebanese nationals were among the dead and wounded, but there was no immediate official confirmation.
In Beirut, an official with the Lebanese group that organised the trip said all the passengers on the bus were Lebanese, but could not confirm a toll. He said the bus had made its first stop at the Sayyida Roqaya shrine and was heading to the revered Sayyida Zeinab shrine in southeast Damascus when the attack occurred.
Khaireddin said the group had been making regular trips throughout the Syrian conflict, with groups leaving each weekend for a day-long visit to shrines revered by Muslims across the border.
Syrian state television showed footage from the scene of the blast, with men in military uniforms picking through the wreckage of the bus.
Its front half was mostly blown off, leaving only the metal frame, and bags of belongings were strewn across the remaining seats.
Iraq violence killed 1,375 in January: UN
Violence in Iraq killed 1,375 people in January, month eight of the battle against Jihadists who swept through large areas of the country last summer, the United Nations said on Sunday, Feb 1. “A total of 1,375 Iraqis were killed and another 2,240 were wounded in acts of terrorism and violence in January,” the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq said.
UNAMI said at least 1,101 people were killed in December, capping the most violent year for Iraq since 2007, when sectarian bloodshed between the Shiite majority and Sunni Arab minority was at its peak.
The UN mission cautioned that the real toll could be higher as the conflict between Iraqi forces and the Islamic State group had hampered efforts to verify casualty information.
Figures compiled by the health, interior and defence ministries put the January toll at 1,408 dead and 2,008 wounded, including troops as well as civilians. IS spearheaded a lightning offensive last June that overran much of the Sunni Arab heartland north and west of Baghdad.
32 Syrians killed
Syrian government air strikes on opposition-held towns across the country killed at least 32 people on Monday, Feb 2 and wounded dozens more, a monitoring group said.
In Jassem in the southern province of Daraa, 15 civilians were killed in four air strikes, while 25 others were wounded, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The strikes in response to a major rebel offensive that has been underway in southern Syria for months.
Rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad have suffered a spate of defeats at the hands of his forces, but they still have the upper hand in Daraa. Rebel fighters in the area benefit from “the fact that supply lines from Jordan are still open,” he added. The involvement of experienced fighters of Syria’s al-Qaeda affiliate, the Al-Nusra Front, has also helped the rebels to gain territory in Daraa.
Elsewhere, air strikes on Douma, the besieged rebel-held town east of Damascus, killed at least six civilians and wounded dozens more, the Observatory said. An AFP photographer in Douma said the strikes hit residential areas and that most of the wounded were children.
At Khan Sheikhun in the northwestern province of Idlib, 11 people were killed, including a former army officer who had defected from the loyalist army to join opposition forces, said the Observatory.
The regime first deployed warplanes in the Syrian war in July 2012. Now, nearly four years into the conflict, there are air strikes every day, despite repeated warnings from the international community that such tactics fail to discriminate between civilian and military targets.
On a separate front, Syrian Kurds fighting the Islamic State group made fresh advances near Kobane, seizing a new string of villages a week after the flashpoint town was recaptured from the IS Jihadists.
IS claims to have burned Jordanian pilot alive
The Islamic State group released a video on Tuesday, Feb 3 purportedly showing the burning alive of a Jordanian pilot, in the Jihadists’ most brutal execution yet of a foreign hostage.
The highly produced 22-minute video released online showed images of a man purported to be the pilot Maaz al-Kassasbeh, who was captured in December, engulfed in flames inside a metal cage.
Jordanian state television confirmed the death and said Kassasbeh had been killed on January 3, before the Jihadists offered to spare his life and free a Japanese journalist in return for the release of an Iraqi would-be suicide bomber held in Jordan.
Saudi Royals had backed al Qaeda in 1990s, claims 9/11 plotter Zacarias Moussaoui
The only French al Qaeda plotter, Zacarias Moussaoui, convicted over the September 11, 2001 (also known as 9/11) attacks on February 4 told American lawyers that members of the Saudi royal family had donated millions to the terror group in the 1990s, reports The Express Tribune. Moussaoui, dubbed as the “20th hijacker,” made the revelations in court papers filed in a New York Federal Court by lawyers for victims of the attacks who accuse Saudi Arabia of supporting al Qaeda.
He said he created a digital database of al Qaeda donors, including members of the royal family such as former intelligence chief Prince Turki al Faisal and Prince Bandar bin Sultan, who was Saudi ambassador to United States for 22 years until 2005. Moussaoui said he met in Afghanistan an official from the Saudi Embassy in Washington DC to discuss al Qaeda’s plots to attack the United States, and that he was supposed to meet the same man again in Washington for help on a plot to shoot down Air Force One. He also claimed there were direct dealings between senior Saudi officials and slain al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, saying he traveled to Saudi Arabia twice to deliver handwritten letters between the al Qaeda mastermind and senior Saudis, including Prince Turki.
However, the Saudi Embassy in Washington DC denied the allegations. “The September 11 attack has been the most intensely investigated crime in history and the findings show no involvement by the Saudi government or Saudi officials,” it said in a statement. The embassy called Moussaoui “a deranged criminal whose own lawyers presented evidence that he was mentally incompetent,” and said his words had no credibility.
UAE pulls out of IS fight
The United Arab Emirates pulled out of the air campaign fighting Islamic State militants after the capture of a Jordanian pilot who has since been killed by the extremists, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, Feb 4.
The pilot was captured in December and Islamic State militants released a video on Feb 3 showing the man in a cage being burned alive. The key US ally in the campaign suspended air strikes in December after the capture, fearing for the fate of its pilots, the Times said, quoting US officials.
The United Arab Emirates want the US to improve its search-and-rescue efforts, including the use of V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, in northern Iraq, closer to the battleground.
Jordan vows to ‘eradicate’ IS
Jordan vowed further retaliation against the Islamic State group for the burning alive of one of its pilots, as thousands rallied in Amman on Friday, Feb 6 in solidarity with his grieving family.
The Jordanian military said “dozens of jet fighters” struck IS targets on Thursday, hitting militant training camps as well as weapons and ammunition depots. Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh told CNN the operation was “the beginning of our retaliation over this horrific and brutal murder of our brave young pilot.”
IS earlier this week released a highly choreographed video of the horrifying murder of pilot Maaz al-Kassasbeh, whose death has sparked grief and deep anger in Jordan.
Judeh declined to reveal Jordan’s military plans but said it would hit the militants with all its might. American F-16 and F-22 jets provided security to the Jordanian fighter planes, with additional support from refuelling tankers and surveillance aircraft, US officials said.
Thousands marched in the capital on Friday in a show of solidarity for the murdered pilot. Protesters gathered after weekly prayers at the Al-Husseini mosque in central Amman, waving Jordanian flags and pictures of Kassasbeh.
On Thursday, King Abdullah II visited Kassasbeh’s family, which has urged the government to “destroy” the Jihadists, to pay his condolences. Hundreds of people gathered as the king sat next to the 26-year-old first lieutenant’s father.
Safi al-Kassasbeh branded IS “infidels and terrorists who know no humanity or human rights”, and said the “international community must destroy” the group.
At least 82 people, including 18 children, have been killed by regime bombardment on a rebel-held area near Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
34 killed in three bombings in Iraq
At least 34 people were killed in three bombings around Baghdad on Saturday, Feb 7 police said, hours before the government was due to lift a long-standing night-time curfew on the capital. At least 50 people were wounded in the blasts, the officials said. In the first attack, a suicide bomber detonated his explosive belt inside a restaurant in the neighbourhood of New Baghdad, leaving 22 dead, police told Reuters. In the second attack, two bombs ripped through the bustling Sharqa market district, killing 10 people. In a third attack, a bomb killed two and wounded another seven in the section of Abu Sheir in Baghdad’s Dura neighborhood, police said.
The interior ministry spokesman Brigadier General Saad Maan said he did not believe the blasts were linked to the decision to lift the curfew. The Iraqi government announced on Thursday that the decade-old curfew in the capital would end on Saturday at midnight and that four neighbourhoods would be “demilitarised”.
The moves are part of a campaign to normalise life in Iraq’s war-blighted capital and to persuade residents that Baghdad no longer faces a threat from Islamic State, the militant group which seized large areas of northern and western Iraq last year.
Some form of curfew has been in place since the US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein in 2003, hindering commercial and civilian movement. The midnight (2100 GMT) to 5 am (0200 GMT) curfew has been in place for more than seven years.
The decision to lift the curfew comes as Iraqi forces battle to regain ground from IS Jihadists with support from US-led air strikes as well as international advisers and trainers.
It was initially feared that Baghdad itself could be assaulted by IS. But federal forces that were swept aside in the early days of the offensive have regained significant territory with support from militiamen, Sunni tribesmen and the US-led air strikes.
Syria death toll now exceeds 210,000
The death toll after nearly four years of civil war in Syria has risen to 210,060, nearly half of them civilians, but the real figure is probably much higher, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday, Feb 7.
The Observatory, which is based in Britain and has a network of activists across Syria, said that 10,664 children and 6,783 women were among the dead. Reuters tried to contact Syrian authorities for comment, but they were not immediately available. Peaceful protests against four decades of rule by President Bashar al-Assad’s family in March 2011 degenerated into an armed insurgency following a fierce security crackdown.
The rights group said it had counted 35,827 Syrian rebels and 45,385 Syrian army soldiers killed. The Observatory’s toll could not be independently verified by Reuters. Among the Observatory’s documented deaths were 24,989 foreign jihadist fighters, including radical Sunni rebel groups such as al-Qaeda offshoot Nusra Front and Islamic State. But the total death toll was likely to be much higher, perhaps by more than 85,000, said the group’s chief, Rami Abdul Rahman.
Groups on both sides try to hide their casualties, he said, making the fighter death toll very difficult to gauge. Over 3,000 fighters belonging to militias and groups in Iraq and Iran, including 640 from Lebanon’s Hizbullah, died fighting alongside the Syrian army, the group said.
Abdul Rahman said all the cases included in its 210,000 death count were those it could verify with either name and identification documents, or pictures or videos. Syria had a population of some 23 million before the outbreak of the war. Beside the dead and injured, the United Nations says some 3.73 million Syrians have fled the country and officially registered as refugees abroad.
The rights group also said the war had left 1.5 million Syrians with some type of injury and permanent disability.
N Korea test-fires ‘intelligent’ anti-ship rocket
North Korea has test-fired a new “ultra-precision” intelligent rocket to be deployed across its navy, state media said on Saturday, Feb 7 in the latest evidence that Pyongyang is stepping up its development of missile technology. The exercise was carried out by the North’s East Sea fleet under the watchful eye of leader Kim Jong-Un, Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
“The ultra-precision anti-ship rocket blasted off from a rocket boat. The intelligent rocket precisely sought, tracked and hit the ‘enemy’ ship after taking a safe flight,” KCNA said, without giving a location or date. The new anti-ship rocket would be deployed across North Korea’s navy “before long”, it added.
Satisfied with the “perfect” development of the new rocket, Kim called for the production of “more tactical guided weapons of high precision and intelligence”.
The nuclear-armed communist country has pushed for the development of new ballistic missiles and rockets, despite heavy sanctions imposed by the international community. Pyongyang’s rhetoric has become increasingly bellicose since the UN passed a resolution condemning North Korea’s human rights record and calling for its leaders to be investigated for crimes against humanity, and Washington blamed it for a cyber attack on a US film company.
South Korea and American experts believe the North could be on the way to developing missiles that could threaten the US mainland, although opinion is split on how much progress it has made.
In 2012, Pyongyang demonstrated its rocket capabilities by sending a satellite into orbit, but it has yet to conduct a test that proves it has mastered the technology required for an effective inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM).
South Korea’s defence ministry in January said the North had already made “significant” steps in developing technology that would allow it to equip such a missile with a bomb.
The same month, the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University released satellite images that offered fresh evidence North Korea is developing a marine-based missile system that would allow it to strike back if hit by a nuclear attack.
Hadi must be restored: UN
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Sunday, Feb 8 for the restoration to power in Yemen of Western-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi after Huthi militia seized power.
“The situation is very, very seriously deteriorating, with the Huthis taking power and making this government vacuum,” Ban said, referring to the militia which dissolved the Sanaa government and parliament on Friday.
Ukraine fighting kills 27 as clock ticks to ceasefire
Fighting raged in Ukraine on Friday, Feb 13 as the clock ticked down to a ceasefire that will be a first test of the commitment by Kiev and pro-Russian separatists to a freshly-inked peace plan. At least 27 civilians and soldiers died in shelling as German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Russia it risked fresh sanctions if the fighting did not stop. With separatists fighting to conquer more territory ahead of the truce and Kiev forces digging in, there were also doubts about whether anyone would observe the midnight Sunday (2200 GMT Saturday) ceasefire vital to the success of the peace roadmap.
The fresh fighting came after rebels and Kiev agreed to the wide-ranging plan on Thursday after marathon talks in the Belarussian capital Minsk between the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany.
Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Petro Mekhed accused the rebels of wanting to “raise their flag” over railway hub Debaltseve, scene of the bitterest recent fighting, and strategic port Mariupol ahead of the ceasefire.
The fragile agreement was seen as the best hope of ending the conflict, which has killed at least 5,480 people and ratcheted East-West tensions to highs not seen since the Cold War, but scepticism remains high after the collapse of a similar previous peace plan.
Kiev and the West accuse Russia of stoking the war in ex-Soviet Ukraine by pouring arms and troops to help the pro-Russian rebels fighting Kiev government troops in Ukraine’s industrial east. Moscow denies the charges.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Russia that the EU, which has already slapped Moscow with sanctions over the crisis, was not ruling out further measures if the truce failed.
The new Minsk agreement is broadly similar to an earlier failed deal in September, except that the new heavy weapons-free zone will be 50 to 140-km wide, depending on the range of the weapon, double the width of the buffer zone agreed in September. Kiev will also begin retaking control over the approximately 400-km stretch of Russia’s border with rebel-held Ukraine, but only after local elections are held.
The border is entirely under Russian and pro-Russian rebel control and is used, according to Kiev, as a conduit for separatist supplies. The Kremlin denies this but has opposed Ukraine being allowed to regain control of the frontier.
Gunmen kill four airport workers in Somalia
Gunmen killed four airport workers in a drive-by shooting in the centre of Mogadishu on Monday, Feb 16the police and rebels said, showing the rebels can still carry out attacks in the capital even as they lose territory in the countryside.
The Mogadishu airport’s deputy director was one of the people killed, according to Nur Ismail, a police officer. The attack took place near the airport in K4, a bustling business district.
Al Shabaab militants were pushed out of Mogadishu in 2011, but the group has vowed to continue its battle against a Western-backed government which also enjoys broad pan-African support. African Union peacekeepers and the Somali army last year opened a campaign that has forced the al-Qaeda-linked rebels out of major strongholds in central and southern regions.
Britain’s spy agency deploys armed guards
Britain’s GCHQ eavesdropping agency has for the first time deployed armed police guards in front of its headquarters outside London, a spokeswoman said on Monday, Feb 16 citing the heightened risk of an attack by militants.
Britain raised its terrorism alert last August to the second-highest level with Prime Minister David Cameron saying the Islamic State group operating in Syria and Iraq posed the country’s greatest security risk.
With more than 6,000 employees, GCHQ — the equivalent of America’s National Security Agency (NSA) — is based in a futuristic building in Cheltenham, about 100 miles from London, named the doughnut because of its shape.
The decision to beef up its defences, designed to be a visible deterrent, follows a similar move to deploy armed soldiers at a top tourist attraction in the heart of London’s government district last October as a precautionary measure.
Ministry of Defence Police are guarding the entrances to the intelligence and security organisation GCHQ and making occasional sorties to the perimeter. Officials at the listening post in Cheltenham, Glos, says the move is not a response to one specific threat, but the terror threat in general.
Egypt bombs ISIS targets in Libya after video of mass beheadings
Egypt said on Monday, Feb 16 it has launched air strikes against Islamic State targets in Libya after the extremist group released a grisly video showing the beheading of several Egyptian Coptic Christians it had held hostage for weeks. A spokesman for the Armed Forces General Command announced the strikes on state radio on Monday, marking the first time Cairo has publicly acknowledged taking military action in neighboring Libya, where extremist groups seen as a threat to both countries have taken root in recent years. The statement said the warplanes targeted weapons caches and training camps before returning safely.
It said the strikes were “to avenge the bloodshed and to seek retribution from the killers.’’
Libya’s air force meanwhile announced it had launched strikes in the eastern city of Darna, which was taken over by an Islamic State affiliate last year. The announcement, on the Facebook page of the air force chief of staff, did not provide further details.
The video purporting to show the mass beheading of Coptic Christian hostages was released late Sunday by militants in Libya affiliated with the Islamic State group. The killings raise the possibility that the extremist group — which controls about a third of Syria and Iraq in a self-declared caliphate — has established a direct affiliate less than 800-km from the southern tip of Italy. One of the militants in the video makes direct reference to that possibility, saying the group now plans to “conquer Rome.’’
The militants had been holding 21 Egyptian Coptic Christian labourers rounded up from the city of Sirte in December and January. It was not clear from the video whether all 21 hostages were killed.
It was one of the first such beheading videos from an Islamic State group affiliate to come from outside the group’s core territory in Syria and Iraq.
US to allow export of armed drones
The United States said on February 17 that it will allow for the first time the widespread export of armed drones to some allied countries as part of its global counterterrorism fight, reports The News. Armed drones are a cornerstone of Washington’s battle against extremists in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, although they remain hugely controversial and opponents say they frequently kill or maim civilians. “The United States is the world´s technological leader in the development and deployment of military Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS, or drones),” the State Department said in a statement. “As other nations begin to employ military UAS more regularly and as the nascent commercial UAS market emerges, the United States has a responsibility to ensure that sales, transfers, and subsequent use of all US-origin UAS are responsible and consistent with US national security and foreign policy interests, including economic security, as well as with US values and international standards.”
Triple car bombing kills 40 in Libya
At least 40 people were killed and 30 wounded on Friday, Feb 20 in a triple bombing in an eastern Libyan town near the Jihadist stronghold of Derna, medical and security sources said. The simultaneous attacks targeted police headquarters in Al-Qoba, as well as the home of the speaker of Libya’s internationally recognised parliament and a petrol station, the sources said.
Al-Qoba is controlled by the paramilitary force of former General Khalifa Haftar, who is now backed by Libya’s beleaguered internationally recognised government.
Three car bombs exploded in Qubbah, a small town near the seat of the official government in what appeared to be another higher profile attack by the group after the storming of a Tripoli hotel and the killing of 21 captive Egyptian Copts.
Four years after rebels overthrew Moamer Qadhafi, the oil-producing North African state is in chaos, with two governments and parliaments allied to armed factions fighting for control, while Islamist groups exploit a power vacuum.
Three bombs exploded shortly before Friday prayers at a petrol station, the local security headquarters and the town council in Qubbah, hometown of Parliamentary Speaker Aguila Saleh, security officials said. His house is close to the town council.
Around 40 people were killed, among them three Egyptians, and 70 wounded, security officials and medics said. There have been suicide and car bomb attacks mainly in the east of Libya but the targets have tended to be police and army bases rather than civilians, with security officials blaming Islamist groups such as Ansar al-Sharia.
The capital Tripoli on the Mediterranean coast in the far west is under the control of a rival government and parliament, set up after a faction called Libya Dawn seized the city in summer, forcing Thinni to flee to the east. Neighbouring states like Egypt and Western powers are alarmed by a spread of militant Islamists in Libya.
130 dead in fighting near China border
Myanmar’s army on Saturday, Feb 21 said more than 130 people had died in a deepening battle with rebels in the northeast, declaring it would not rest until stability was restored to the border area which tens of thousands have fled.
Fighting raged in the remote Kokang region of Shan state where conflict erupted on February 9 when insurgent attacks on soldiers triggered a military onslaught, prompting at least 30,000 civilians to escape into bordering China.
In the first press conference since clashes began, defence ministry spokesman Lieutenant General Mya Htun Oo said the conflict had killed 61 military and police officers and around 72 insurgents. He did not provide figures on civilian deaths in and around Laukkai town, where the conflict has centered, as efforts to evacuate communities remain hampered by an attack on Tuesday on a local Red Cross convoy which wounded two aid workers.
The spokesman blamed the attack on the rebels: “Our military only provides protection to civilian convoys… We are going to take action against Kokang rebels’ offence.”
The ethnically Chinese Kokang rebels or National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), who are fighting for regional autonomy, have denied attacking the convoy.
The conflict, the first major unrest in the region since 2009, has renewed doubts over a government attempt to forge a nationwide ceasefire in a country peppered with ethnic insurgencies.
Austria votes new law on Islam
Austria’s parliament is expected to pass a bill on Wednesday, Feb 25 amending laws on Muslim organisations which will ban foreign sources of financing and require Imams to be able to speak German. The text aims to promote what conservative Integration Minister Sebastian Kurz calls an “Islam of European character” by muting the influence of foreign Muslim nations and organisations, and offering Austrian Muslims a mix of increased rights and obligations in practising their faith in the central European country.
Austria’s current “law on Islam” dates to 1912, after the annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina by the Austro-Hungarian empire.
The two-year-old bill before parliament predates the recent Jihadist violence in France and Denmark but is designed to “clearly combat” the growing influence of Islam, Kurz said.
The text is expected to clear the broad conservative-leftist coalition in power, and is being closely watched by other European countries facing the problem of spreading extremism.
Earlier this month French Prime Minister Manuel Valls similarly raised the notion of banning foreign funding of Islamic organisations. Kurz says officials in Germany and Switzerland have also expressed interest in the bill.
Voting on the law comes amid estimates indicating around 200 people from Austria — including women and minors — have gone to Syria and Iraq to join jihadist militias like Islamic Front.
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.
