Special Emphasis on Terrorism (July-2015)

Terrorist Activities in Pakistan

Suicide Attacks
At least two Policemen were killed and six others were injured in the morning of June 11 when a suicide blast targeting the vehicle of Deputy Commandant of Frontier Reserve Police (FRP) occurred in Hayatabad area of Peshawar, reports Dawn. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mian Saeed confirmed that the attack was a suicide blast which took place near Deputy Commandant FRP Malik Tariq’s vehicle when he was on his way to the FRP office. The explosion left two Policemen dead and six others injured — including two Policemen, two passers-by, the driver of the vehicle and Deputy Commandant Malik Tariq. The vehicle was completely destroyed in the blast. Saeed added that it had yet to be determined whether the bomber was wearing a suicide vest or his motorcycle was packed with explosives.

Bomb/IED Blasts
At least five security force (SF) personnel were seriously injured in a blast that occurred while they attempted to defuse an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Babara Chaharmang area of Nawagai sub division in Bajaur Agency on May 26. An official of the political administration in the area said that a member of Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU), Naib Subedar Mujeeb, was among those injured in the blast.

At least eight security force (SF) personnel sustained injuries in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast that occurred in Safi tehsil (revenue unit) of Mohmand Agency on May 27, reported Dawn.

Separately, another one security official was injured in second IED explosion in the same area on May 27, reports Dawn. Meanwhile, two militant hideouts were destroyed in the Halemzai tehsil of Mohmand Agency during an operation in the area.

Two civilians, identified as Dinar Gul and Gul Abbas, were killed and four others, including two border security personnel, were injured in a bomb blast at Torkham border gate in Landikotal tehsil (revenue unit) of Khyber Agency on June 12, reports The News. The sources said a blast took place when an Afghan national along with a pushcart loaded with quilts entered Pakistan from across the border. According to an eyewitness that a bomb had been concealed under the quilts that were being smuggled from Afghanistan to Pakistan.

Targetted Killings
At least three Policemen, including a Sub-Inspector and two constables, were killed and another wounded when unidentified militants opened fire on a Police mobile van in Bhangoria Goth area of Azizabad locality in Gulberg Town, Karachi on May 27, reports Dawn. The assailants managed to escape from the scene after the attack.

Separately, In Hyderabad, a low-intensity blast occurred on a rail track passing through Bengali Colony on its one side and Autobhan Road on the other in Hyderabad District on May 27, reported Dawn. However, no casualties were reported.

In another explosion in Nawabshah city of Shaheed Benazirabad District, the main railway line near near the Nawaz Dahiri station caused minor damage to the track and suspension of the rail traffic for about an hour on May 2, reports Dawn.

Two Shia Hazaras, identified as Mohammad Arif and Mohammad Hussain, were shot dead, while another, Mohammad Essa, was injured, when unidentified militants opened fire at their cloth shop in a shopping plaza in MeCongi road area in Quetta on May 27, reports Dawn. No outfit claimed responsibility for the attack.

Two Policemen were killed and two others were injured when unidentified militants opened fire and attacked a patrolling Police mobile van with rocket launcher in Daraban area of Dera Ismail Khan District on May 28, reported The News.

Two Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) workers, identified as Mohammed Sharif Lashari (45) and Anwar Bhutto (30), were shot dead in a targeted attack near Bakra Piri area in Malir Town of Karachi on May 29, reports Dawn. “Sharif Lashari was secretary information of PPP Malir City Area-127 while Anwar Bhutto was also an active party worker,” said the PPP Karachi Division spokesperson, Latif Mughal.

Separately, two unidentified dead bodies, aged between 20 and 25 years, were found from Manghopir near Muhammadi Mosque in Gadap Town on May 29, reports Daily Times.

In another incident, an unidentified man was killed in a firing incident in Peela School area of New Karachi Town on May 29, reported Daily Times.

At least two activists of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) were killed and another injured when unidentified militants opened fire at them in Saleem Khan area of Swabi District on May 29, reported Daily Times.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Member of Punjab Assembly (MPA) Rana Shamshad, his son, Ahmed, and a party worker, Shakir, were shot dead, while his nephew, Ali Ashfaq, was injured in a targeted attack in Kamoki area of Gujranwala District on May 31, reported Dawn. Eye witnesses said the attackers had covered their faces with cloth and fled the scene right after the attack.

At least five Hazara Shias were killed when unidentified armed assailants opened fire at them in Bacha Khan Chowk area of Quetta on June 7, reports Daily Times. Police sources said that the assailants managed to escape from the scene. It was an act of targeted killing, said the Police. Later, around 500 people from the community took to the streets in protest against the incident carrying the coffins of the deceased and refusing to bury them. “We are facing a genocide and the government makes only empty promises instead of providing protection,” Husnain Ali (20), a protester said.

A Policeman, identified as Saifullah, was shot dead while another was injured when unidentified armed assailants opened fire at them in New Karachi Town on June 7, reports Daily Times. Saifullah was deployed on duty at the Karachi Industrial Area Police Station.

In a separate incident, an unidentified man was killed and another injured in a firing incident in Qaimkhani Colony of Orangi Town on June 7, reports Daily Times.

A Shia District Superintendent Police (DSP) Majeed Abbasi was killed when militants belonging to Swat Chapter of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan opened fire at his vehicle in Shah Latif Town on June 9. According Police officials, the attackers belonged to the Swati group of TTP and were previously involved in targeting other senior Police Officials including Hyderabad jail official Ejaz Hyder who was shot dead on May 15, 2015. Initial reports had revealed that DSP Majeed Abbasi was shot several times by the militants. Sources also added that DSP Abbasi was involved in search operations in the area.

Two men were killed when unidentified masked militants opened fire at a barber shop in Mano Jan of Quetta on June 13, reports Dawn. Both of the victims were brothers, the source added.

Separately, two unidentified men were shot dead by unidentified armed assailants on Double Road area in Quetta on June 13, reported Dawn.

In another incident of target killing, an unidentified man was shot dead near the Eastern Bypass area in Quetta on June 13, reports Dawn. Police officials termed the incidents as acts of targeted killing.

Miscellaneous
At least six terrorists were killed by paramilitary soldiers in a raid at a hideout in Pareshan Chowk area of Mominabad in Orangi Town of Karachi on May 26, reports The News.

In another raid, one Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) militant was shot dead in Old Golimar area of Lyari Town on May 26, reported The News. Addressing a media briefing at the Rangers headquarters in North Nazimabad Town, Brigadier Mohammad Khurram said that the Federal Ministry of Interior and Sindh Government had recently issued advisories regarding imminent terror attacks in the city, adding that the two overnight raids came after reports were received regarding an attack at a sensitive location near the airport.

Elsewhere, Paramilitary soldiers killed two Lyari gangsters, identified as Nawaz Ali Ismail Khan alias Raja Pathan, the ‘commander’ of Ghaffar Zikri group and Jehangir, in a raid on a hideout in Manghopir area of Gadap Town on May 26, reports The News. Pathan was involved in 43 murders and kidnapping cases. Weapons were recovered from their possession.

Three death row convicts, accused of hijacking Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight 544 enroute from Turbat (Balochistan) to Karachi (Sindh) in May 1998, were hanged till death on May 28, reported The News. Two of them identified as Shahsawar Baloch and Sabir Baloch were hanged in Central Jail Hyderabad (Hyderabad District of Sindh), while Shabbir Baloch was executed in Central Jail Karachi. Mercy pleas filed by the three had been rejected by the President. Separately, another prisoner was executed in Karachi.

In Punjab, two death row prisoners were executed in two Central Jails of Sahiwal and Sargodha Districts. Elsewhere, a prisoner was hanged till death in Haripur Jail of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Five militants and two Security Force (SF) personnel were killed, while one SF was injured in a clash in Ghulam Khan area of North Waziristan Agency on May 29, reported Daily Times. According to reports, a group of terrorists ambushed a SFs vehicle, opening fire on the patrolling party and killing two of them. Five militants were also killed in retaliation by the SFs.

At least 13 militants were killed in a clash with Security Forces (SFs) in Sawkai area of Dattakhel tehsil (revenue unit) in North Waziristan Agency on June 1, reported Dawn. According to sources, militants attacked a bunker of SFs in the area. SFs returned fire and the exchange of fire killed 13 militants.

Separately, six militants were killed when a United States (US) drone fired two missiles and hit a double cabin pickup truck in Zwe Karba area of Shawal Valley in NWA on June 1, reports The News. “The double cabin pickup truck carrying some militants had just entered the compound when it came under attack. Six militants in the pickup truck died on the spot,” an unnamed security official based said.

At least nine militants were killed while two Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were injured in exchange of fire in Morgan Harboi area of Kalat District on June 1, reports The News. The FC spokesman said those killed in the shootout were involved in May 29, 2015, Mastung carnage and they were planning to attack FC post in Harboi.

Separately, in another operation, FC killed four terrorists in Panjgur District on June 1, reported The News. The FC also recovered weapons from their possession.

In another incident, one terrorist was killed during exchange of fire and another detained in Kohlu District on June 1, reports The News. Automatic weapons were recovered from their possession.

At least nine militants were killed and 13 others were injured in an airstrike in Dattakhel area of North Waziristan Agency on June 3, reported Daily Times. Separately, three militants and one Security Force (SF) were killed in an exchange of fire at a check post that was attacked by militants in Frontier Region (FR) Bannu on June 3, reports The News. The security forces cordoned off the area after the assault and started a search operation.

United Baloch Army (UBA) ‘commander’ for Kohlu, Kahan and Barkhan region, Wali Mohammad alias Haji Kalati, surrendered to authorities along with his 50 supporters in provincial capital Quetta on June 4, reports Dawn. Kalati claimed that he had been fighting for independence of Balochistan since 1970 and spent 45 years on mountains. “Now I have realised that this fight has been launched by tribal chiefs to protect their own interests,” he said, adding that internal fighting among leaders of banned organisations had helped him to come to that conclusion.

At least nine decomposed dead bodies of militants, who were killed in a clash with Security Forces (SFs) in Saroon area of Morgand Shekhri mountain range in Kalat District, were found in the area on June 5, reports Dawn. The Frontier Corps (FC) had claimed that its personnel killed nine suspected militants who were allegedly involved in the May 29, 2015, Mastung massacre in an operation launched in Kalat. According to District Administration of Kalat, local people informed the Levies Force about the presence of the nine dead bodies in the area.

At least eight terrorists were killed and five others were injured in an air strike by Security Forces in Shawal area of North Waziristan Agency on June 5, reported The News.

At least 19 militants, including five ‘commanders’, were killed in an encounter when Security Forces (SFs) chased them after they attacked a checkpoint of the forces and killed seven soldiers in Dattakhel area of North Waziristan Agency on June 8, reports The News. An unnamed tribal source said that one of the militants wearing an explosives-filled jacket blew himself up and caused destruction at the military checkpoint. He said SFs retaliated, started a search operation and reportedly clashed with the militants, killing 19 of them. “When being chased and cordoned off, one of the terrorists exploded his suicide jacket and killed seven soldiers,” said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement. No outfit claimed responsibility for the attack.

At least three Lyari gangsters, affiliated with Baba Ladla group, were shot dead in inter-gang clash near Al-Falah Road in Bihar Colony area of Lyari Town in Karachi on June 8, reports Daily Times. The dead were identified as Shoaib (26), Nadeem (45), and Shani (26). The gang war has taken hold of Lyari again, said Chakiwara Station House Officer (SHO) Safdar Ali. He said that Lyari gangs have reorganized and were carrying out attacks on each other. He further added that the reason behind the gangsters’ gaining a foothold in the town is recent large scale transfers and postings of policemen in the area.

Rangers on June 9 killed two terrorists during a targeted operation in Ghagar Phatak area of Bin Qasim Town in Karachi on June 9, reported The News. The Rangers also seized weapons from their possession. During the action, exchange of fire took place between the terrorists and the paramilitary force as a result two terrorists were shot dead.

The Frontier Corps (FC) arrested five suspected militants including a would-be suicide bomber during raids in parts of Quetta on June 10, reports The News. A spokesman for FC here said that raids were conducted on tip-off by the intelligence organisation during which five suspected militants were arrested.

At least 10 militants were killed during a search operation by Security Forces (SFs) in Dattakhel area of North Waziristan Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on June 11, reports Dawn. According to statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operation was conducted in Dattakhel area close to Pak-Afghan border in North Waziristan. The information could not be independently verified since access to journalists is severely restricted in the region.

At least four Policemen, including Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Mohammad Wazir, were killed when unidentified assailants opened fire on the Police patrolling van at Manan Chowk of Pashtoonabad area in provincial capital Quetta on June 11, reported Daily Times. The three other victims were identified as constable Zahir Khan, constable Mehmood Khan and driver Kalimullah. Senior Superintendent of Police-Operations (SSP-O) Atizaz Goraya confirmed the incident. Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Abdul Razzaq Cheema said, “Around four attackers were riding two motorcycles… they attacked the Police van.” He added that two attacks on Police vans have been carried out in the same area within a week and with the same modus operandi.

Separately, two unidentified mutilated dead bodies were found in Khud Kucha area of Mastung District on June 11, reported Dawn. According to Levies officials, “The corpses were found in the mountainous area of Khud Kucha,” adding that the bodies were old and beyond recognition.

At least 25 militants, including their key ‘commander’, were killed in an exchange of fire with Security Forces (SFs) after a check post attack in the Shawal area of North Waziristan Agency on June 12, reported The News. According to media reports, militants attacked a check post of SFs in Shawal area, leading to an exchange of fire that killed 25 terrorists. SFs said key hideouts of militants have been captured and a huge cache of arms had been seized.

20 unidentified militants were killed in airstrikes conducted at a place near Dattakhel area in North Waziristan near Pakistan-Afghanistan border on June 13, reports Dawn.

Meanwhile, Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asim Bajwa issued a statement in which he said that so far 2,763 suspected terrorists have been killed in the Zarb-i-Azb operation in North Waziristan, reports Dawn. It added that 837 hideouts have been destroyed and 253 tons of explosives have been recovered. In addition, 18,087 weapons including heavy machine guns (HMGs), light machine guns (LMGs), sniper rifles, rocket launchers and AK-47 rifles had been recovered during the past one year. He said that militant strongholds, communications infra-structure and sanctuaries were cleared on a large scale in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), including North Waziristan and Khyber agencies. He said that thousands of suspected terrorists and their abettors had been apprehended whereas ‘218 hardcore terrorists’ were killed in around 9,000 intelligence-based-operations (IBOs). Major General Bajwa added that 347 military personnel had also lost their lives during the operation. The press release further stated that Army is finalizing plans to launch the final phase of Operation Zarb-i-Azb in mid-July to flush out Taliban terrorists from their remaining strongholds along the border with Afghanistan.

The Sindh Rangers killed two gangsters, affiliated with Baba Ladla group and identified as Arslan alias Mulla and Muhammad Nasir, in an exchange of fire and recovered arms from their possession during a crackdown in Gul Muhammad Lane of Lyari Town in on June 14, reported Daily Times. Arms were recovered from their possession.

Meanwhile, Rangers claimed to have arrested 11 suspects along with weapons during a raid conducted in the Guru Mandir Patel Para area of Jamshed Town on June 14, reports Daily Times.

In addition, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on June 14 arrested four target killers and recovered arms during a raid near Old Sabzi Mandi area of Jamshed Town, reports Daily Times. They were identified as Khurram Shehzad, Mirza alias Ganja, Adnan alias Adil and Imran alias Lava.

Meanwhile, an unspecified number of unregistered seminaries were raided by Police and Rangers in different areas of Sukkur District on June 14, reported Dawn. The Law Enforcement Agencies personnel surrounded Madrassa Mehmoodia in the Bachal Shah area, Madrassa Jamia Ashrafia near the City Point bypass, Madrassa Khulafa-i-Rashideen in the New Pind area, Madrassa Anwarul Uloom near Maka Goth and other seminaries in the city and checked their records. They took away laptops and other computer equipment, printed literature, record books, communication equipment including cell phones and other articles in custody during a thorough search of the seminaries.

As many as 25 militants including three key commanders were killed in clashes with Security Forces (SFs) in Shawal tehsil (revenue unit) area of North Waziristan Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on June 17 (today), reports The News. Sources said the ground operation was carried out in Shawal area where three militant commanders of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan were also eliminated. The three commanders were identified as Amirullah, Fatehullah and Yasin.

Meanwhile, an Afghan soldier who was critically injured during an encounter with militants 0.6km from Bajaur Agency on Afghan soil was rescued on June 16 by the Pakistan Army, reports Daily Times. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the soldier was rescued on the behest of the Afghan authorities and was admitted in Khar Hospital of Bajaur Agency.

At least four suspected terrorists were killed and two soldiers were injured in an intelligence-based operation conducted by Sindh Rangers in Manghopir area Gadap Town in Karachi on June 23, reported Dawn. Rangers recovered ammunition, explosives and a suicide vest from their possession.

Separately, two terrorists were killed in an operation in Kathor area of Super Highway on June 23, reports Dawn. According to a Rangers spokesperson, as soon as Rangers’ personnel reached the site, the terrorists opened fire at them. Rangers returned fire at the suspected terrorists, killing two. Later, as the paramilitary force pursued other suspected terrorists who had managed to flee, four more suspected terrorists were killed and two Rangers personnel were injured in the cross-fire that ensued.

In addition, 11 cadres of Sunni Tehreek (ST) who were detained are extortionists, target killers and land grabbers, revealed a spokesman for the Rangers on June 23, reports Daily Times. They said that that Alam alias Baba has confessed to have committed 84 incidents of target killing. Earlier, Rizwan alias Guddu, Alam alias Baba, Jawad Qadri alias Waja, Zubair Ali, Salman Mirchi, Akram alias Kala, Farhanalias Papa, Imran Saeedi alias Noorani, Arif alias Mansoori, Shakeel Ahmed alias Fauji and Noor Alam were produced in an Anti-Terrorism Court, which handed them over to Rangers for 90 days. They have been accused of collecting extortion from markets and sending it to the central leadership.

PAKISTAN
TTP fighting against Pakistan as India’s proxy, alleges Federal Minister for Water and Power and Defence Khawaja Asif

Federal Minister for Water and Power and Defence, Khawaja Asif on May 26 alleged that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan was fighting as India’s proxy against Pakistan, reported The News. He said that there has been a nexus between Indian Intelligence Agencies and terrorists operating in Pakistan. He further said that this has been the situation in Pakistan since it launched operation Zarb-e-Azb in the tribal belt against the local and foreign terrorists.

Former PM Gilani’s son Ali Haider Gilani in custody of AQIS, reveal sources
Highly placed sources claim that Ali Haider Gilani, the abducted son of former Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, is in the custody of al Qaeda’s Indian wing, al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), which is demanding PKR 2 billion and release of two families of their killed activists that are in custody of the Security Forces, reported The News, quoting unnamed sources on May 27.

They claim that ustad Asim Umar, head of AQIS, is personally involved in this case and is reportedly monitoring every development on the issue. Asim Umar is an Indian national from the state of Uttar Pradesh. He spent most of his time in the Indian-held Kashmir and later secretly shifted to Pakistan. Ali Haider Gilani was kidnapped from Multan during an election campaign on May 2, 2013. Later he was secretly transported to the tribal areas and now he is reportedly in Afghanistan.

Baloch activists being monitored in UK on complaint by Islamabad, reveal Foreign Office sources
According to unnamed Foreign Office sources, Pakistan and Britain have been cooperating with each other with exchange of information on dozens of “individuals of interest” to both countries, reported The News on May 28. Authorities in Britain have passed detailed information about Baloch activists to Pakistan while Pakistan has handed over files of British nationals residing in Pakistan. It is believed that this exchange of information related to activists who are believed to hold “extremist views”. It has been reported that the Government of Pakistan – as part of its informed decision to tackle law and order situation in Karachi, Baloch militants’ activities in Balochistan and counter overall extremism in Pakistan – has decided to approach all the foreign Governments to control the elements causing law and order situation in Pakistan from their lands.

Pakistani authorities have conveyed to the British Government their distress over Baloch militant leaders’ causing unrest in Pakistan from British soil and using their links inside Balochistan to support militants involved in violence against civilians and security forces. The UK Government has passed information about activities of several Baloch activists who have used London as a base to mount their campaigns against the state of Pakistan.

No Islamic State footprints found in Pakistan: FO
The Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah on May 28 said that no footprints of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS also known as Islamic State, IS) have been found in the country, reports Daily Times. He said that Pakistan’s security agencies are alert to take any action against terrorists, if required. “The people of Pakistan have no ideological, ethnic or linguistic affinities with IS and its members,” he said. However, he added, some pamphlets and wall-chalking has been seen in some parts of the country. “There is no proof of presence of IS in Pakistan. Our security agencies are aware of the threat and will take appropriate measures if needed.”

Majority of Americans support drone strikes in Pakistan, reveal poll survey
Despite concerns surrounding collateral damage and wrongly identified targets being struck, which resulted in the deaths of two hostages, nearly 60 percent of Americans still approve drone strikes on extremists in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen, a new poll by The Pew Research Center found on May 28, reports The Express Tribune. It said its national survey showed that 58 percent of Americans approve of drone strikes against extremists in those countries with only 35 per cent expressing their disapproval.

Support for drone strikes exists across party lines. Republicans, at 74 percent, are more likely than Democrats, at 52 percent, to favor the use of drones to target extremists, the poll found. Just under half of the respondents, 48 percent, said they were very concerned that drone strikes endanger the lives of innocent civilians, while 32 percent said they were somewhat concerned.

20 abducted passengers killed in Balochistan
At least 20 people were killed and several others injured when unidentified militants opened fire at kidnapped passengers in Khad Kucha area of Mastung District on May 29, reported Dawn. Earlier in the evening, suspected militants had abducted two passenger buses en route Karachi (Sindh) from Pishin District (Balochistan). Levies official Sanaullah, said the passengers were taken out from the coaches after which armed men opened fire at them. So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Soon after reports of abduction emerged, Police and Frontier Corps officials rushed to the area and there were reports of heavy exchange of fire between Security Forces (SFs) and the kidnappers. The exchange of fire between SFs and militants is ongoing and the death toll from the tragedy is expected to rise, said officials. Meanwhile, District Coordination Officer (DCO) Mastung claimed that 15 to 20 militants had abducted around 35 passengers. Five passengers were released by militants, the Levies official said.

Later on May 30 at least seven militants were killed during a search operation launched after the May 29 bus attack in Mastung District. The Home Minister of Balochistan, Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti confirmed that at least seven militants allegedly involved in the incident had been killed in the operation. He said around 500 personnel of Frontier Corps, Police and Levies Force took part in the operation, which was being backed by four helicopters provided by the Federal Government. United Baloch Army (UBA) claimed responsibility for the killings. A UBA ‘spokesman’ Mureed Baloch said that it “is a revenge for killing of militants in Mastung and Kalat areas by security forces”. Meanwhile, Commander Southern Command Lieutenant General Nasir Khan Janjua, while expressing the resolve of the political and military leadership to end terrorism on May 31 said that labourers and daily wagers were gunned down and terrorists would be dragged out of their dens and eliminated, reported The News.

Sindh govt to initiate crackdown of 48 madarass as involved in suspicious activities
Sindh Information Minister, Sharjeel Inam Memon on June 4 said that 48 madrassas (seminaries) have been found involved in ‘suspicious activities’, reports The News. He said that the meeting of the Apex Committee held under the chairmanship of Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah in Karachi decided to initiate a crackdown on 48 seminaries which have been found to be promoting terrorism in the country in general and in the province in particular. The Committee also decided to undertake steps towards stopping the lines of terrorists. Strict action will also be taken against land grabbers, illegal hydrants, extortion, and illegal sale of petrol. Besides, a task force has also been constituted to check finance sources of terrorism, including protection money, ransom money, land grabbing, smuggling and collection of donations, hides and Fitra (charity money given during the month of fasting).

Pakistan’s Defence budget raised
Presenting the budget in the National Assembly on June 5 the Finance Minister Ishaq Dar reported an increase in the defence budget by 11.6 percent for the next financial year and said, “The defence budget is being increased from PKR 700 billion for the outgoing fiscal year to PKR 780 billion for 2015-16,” reported Dawn. The budget documents laid in the National Assembly put the defence budget figure at PKR 781 billion. The Minister said that while the overall current expenditure of the Government had declined nominally by 0.7 percent, the defence expenditure was being increased in view of the security situation and requirements of the armed forces. The 11.6 percent hike in defence spending contrasted with a mere 4.8percent increase in the total outlay of the budget as compared to the outgoing year.

India should not mistake Pakistan for Myanmar: Federal Minister of Interior Chaudhry Nisar
Pakistan on June 10 said that India should not mistake Pakistan for Myanmar as the armed forces of Pakistan could give a befitting reply to any Indian act of aggression, reports The News. Responding to a statement issued by Indian Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore, Federal Minister of Interior Chaudhry Nisar said that Pakistan wanted peace in the region yet its friendly overtures should not be confused as a sign of weakness. Chaudhry Nisar said that India should not mistake Pakistan for Myanmar as its armed forces possess the capability to give a befitting reply to any Indian act of aggression. Lambasting the norm of repeated aggressive statements from the other side of the border, Chaudhry Nisar said that the Indian leadership should stop day-dreaming and face reality.

Over PKR 230 billion illegally collected annually and distributed among gang-war factions in Karachi: DG-Rangers Maj Gen Bilal Akbar
Director General (DG) Rangers Major General Bilal Akbar during a briefing to the Sindh Apex Committee regarding the current Karachi situation on June 11 said that over PKR 230 billion is collected illegally in Karachi annually and those millions of rupees are distributed amongst gang-war factions, reports Daily Times. He further revealed that this money is used for the purchase of arms and ammunition. It was also noted that money is coerced out in the form of alms for the same purpose. The briefing further said that most crime is committed by a large party in Karachi.

The DG Rangers went on to say that a large part of illegal businesses in the city is the distribution system of water, which also involved illegal means of making money – in millions of rupees. The briefing also noted that the money made from sale of sacrificial animal hides is used for funding terrorist activities. Regarding land grabbing in Karachi, the DG Rangers said that political parties, the City Government, District Administration, and Police personnel are all involved in the activity. He added that the amount made from land grabbing is used by political and religious parties to operate their armed wings.

He further said that an evil nexus of political leaders, civil servants and gang lords is involved in nurturing and sheltering organised crime and terrorism in Karachi, adds The Express Tribune. Billions of rupees collected from extortion, land grabbing, targeted killings and rackets are flowing in to the coffers of some top personalities of the Sindh Province, Major General Bilal Akbar said.

40 Policemen dismissed over Dera Ismail Khan jailbreak
As many as 40 Policemen, including an assistant sub-inspector (ASI), have been dismissed on June 24 after an inquiry established that their negligence led to the Dera Ismail Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) jailbreak of July 28, 2013 and around 200 inmates fled the jail, reports Daily Times. According to the District Police Officer (DPO) of Dera Ismail Khan – who headed the inquiry into an attack by terrorists on the jail – the dismissed Policemen, almost all of them constables and head constables, have the right to file appeals in their respective department and the services tribunal. He said that during the course of inquiry, the officials were found guilty of dereliction from duty.

REGIONAL
Bangladesh – Internal Dynamics
Blogger gets death threat
Ananya Azad (25), a blogger who is on hit list containing the names of 84 atheist bloggers, was warned on Facebook that he will be ‘The Next’, reports Times of India on May 30. Ananya on May 29 said: “I am no stranger to death threats and bloodshed. My father, author Humayun Azad, was attacked on the streets. But what shocked me was the nature of threat that I got on Facebook. It addressed my father as Nastiker Sardar (Leader of Atheists). It said being his son I would meet a gruesome death. My throat would be slashed at Dhaka University’s Raju Bhaskarjya. I feel lodging a Police complaint is pointless. Eleven years have passed and the cops haven’t been able to do anything about my father’s assassins.”

Out of fear for his life Ananya wears a helmet even while walking the streets of Dhaka and moves around in a car with tinted glasses. Leaving Bangladesh is something he is considering after the threat.

IS ‘Assistant Coordinator’ arrested from Dhaka
Police on May 30 arrested Abdullah Al Galib, “Assistant Coordinator” of Islamic State (IS) in Bangladesh from Baridhara area of Dhaka city, reports The Daily Star. Police arrested Galib with hundreds of training videos for Islamist militants and also a large number of books translated into Bangla on al-Qaeda and Islamic State. Police said that Galib has also launched a new militant organization called “Jund At-Tawheed Wal Khilafah”. The new militant group had plans to smuggle arms into Bangladesh with the help of Islamic State and send their operatives to Iraq and Syria to join the jihad led by the global organisation. Before launching the new outfit, Galib was with banned outfits Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT) and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT).

ABT leader arrested from Dhaka
Police on May 31 arrested Mahfuzul Islam Shamim alias Suman, a leader of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) from Badda area of Dhaka city in connection with the bank robbery in Ashulia District on April 21, reports The Independent. Police said that Shamim was the one to have planned and executed the April 21 heist. On April 21, nine people, including a bank manager and a robber, were killed and 23 others injured during a robbery bid at a branch of Bangladesh Commerce Bank Limited at Kathgora in Ashulia District.

ABT threatens to kill seven people including State Minister for Home Affairs
Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) in a letter threatened to kill seven people including State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, reports News Bangladesh on June 2. Apart from the State Minister for Home Affairs, Dr Abu Mohamad Delwar Hossain, Abu Musa M Masuduzzaman Zakaria, Dr AK Azad Chowdhury, Shomi Kaiser, Dr. Mohamad Akhtaruzzaman and Dhaka University (DU) proctor Prof AM Amzad received the death threats.

10 militants arrested in Dhaka
A joint team of Detective Branch of Police, Counter Terrorism and Trans-national Crime Unit and Special Branch of Police conducted separate raids at Banashree and Shutrapur areas of Dhaka city and arrested nine militants of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) on June 7, reports The Daily Star. They also recovered around five kilograms of explosives, four machetes, 14 different types of bombs, several jihadi books and a flag of “Bangladesh Jihadi Group”, a new platform formed by the banned militant outfits. Detectives claimed that other banned outfits such as Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Hizbullah, Allahar Dal and Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT) were also members of the umbrella organisation.

Meanwhile, Detectives arrested Fida Muntasir Al Shaker, a suspected Islamic State (IS) militant, in the Dhaka city’s Banani DOHS area on June 7, reports The Daily Star. The Detectives also recovered a CPU, three laptops, three mobile phones, two hard disks, one passport, 21 different types of books, three leaflets and a notebook from his possession and found screenshots of Facebook friend list and cover pages of different IS-related e-books in his e-mail. During primary quizzing, Muntasir said he recruited activists through internet and later trained them at his home.

Dhaka shuts Islamic seminary
Bangladesh authorities have shut down an Islamic seminary next to a cricket stadium in Dhaka and forbidden provocative banners ahead of the Indian team’s upcoming tour of the country, officials said on Saturday, Jun 6.

Maulana Abdus Shakoor, head of the Rauzatun Saliheen Alim Madrassa, said he had received a letter from the authorities asking him to keep the madrassa closed during the one-off test match from June 10-14.

“This is the first time we have received a request from the government administration to keep the complex closed,” Maulana Shakoor told AFP.

Test cricket will return to Fatullah stadium after nine years, having hosted its only five-day match against Australia in 2006. The ground has so far hosted 10 one-day internationals, including five matches of the Asia Cup in 2014.

Bangladesh Cricket Board security chief Hussain Imam said the madrassa was told to shut “as part of additional security measures” for the Indian cricketers, who arrive in Dhaka on Monday to play the Test and three one-day internationals.

Maulana Shakoor said he was surprised by the diktat as classes in the seminary were held during the Asia Cup last year.

Banned Islamist militant outfits looting banks as their sources of financing have shrunk
Police on June 9 said that banned Islamist militant outfits have turned to looting banks in and outside Dhaka city as their sources of financing have shrunk significantly, reports The Daily Star. The outfits also planned to loot money from different non-government organizations (NGOs), including the Grameen Bank. Sanwar Hossain, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Detective Branch (DB) of Police said “Militants have decided this since their traditional ways of collecting fund have shrunk thanks to the monitoring of the Bangladesh Bank and law enforcement agencies.” Sanwar made the claims following information gleaned from nine militants of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) on June 7.

Bangladeshi IS militant arrested in Tripura
Special Branch (SB) of State Police on June 9 arrested a Bangladeshi national, who is an “active member” of terrorist group Islamic State (IS), from Agartala airport in West Tripura District while he was all set to fly to Kolkata, reports Tripurainfo. The man was identified as Bellar Mia (26), a resident of Kantipara, Comilla District in Bangladesh. Mia entered the State through Sonamura subdivision of Sipahijala District (Tripura) on June 6 and was bound for Calcutta in an Air India flight en route to Pakistan adds The Telegraph. “We have found names and pictures of several militant leaders, their e-mail IDs and mobile numbers from Bellar’s cell phone. He has admitted having connection with terrorist groups since 2010,” the senior official said. Last year, Bellar obtained a permanent resident certificate, an AADHAAR card, a ration card and a PAN card, claiming to be a resident of AD Nagar in southern Agartala. Except the PAN card, the other papers were obtained from SDM (Sadar) office. “In the course of questioning, Bellar admitted that he had obtained the papers with the help of a local tout Kshitish Debnath who was arrested in March this year while escorting three suspected militants of Bangladesh to Calcutta by air and is currently in judicial custody,” the senior SB official said.

Bangladesh Jihadi group formed research cell to take control of electronic banking system of several banks, says Police
Police on June 10 said that Bangladesh Jihadi Group, a platform of banned militant organizations formed a research cell to take control of the electronic banking system of several banks, reports Dhaka Tribune. Detectives made with the findings after interrogating the nine militants of the group arrested on June 7 and analyzing the laptop recovered from their possession. Sanowar Hossain, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Detective Branch of Police said “We have got some alarming information by analyzing the laptop. We found a 48-page research book that contains information on how to take control or hack the e-banking system. They made a list of banks having e-banking system and were assessing those having relatively weak security measures.”

PCB ‘regional leader’ arrested in Jhenidah
Police arrested Ashadul Islam Asad (35), a ‘regional leader’ of Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP), at Paltadanga village in Harinkundo sub-District of Jhenidah District on June 15, reports The Daily Star. Police said that a group of PBCP cadres were holding a clandestine meeting in the area they raided the area and arrested Asad, an accused in several cases including one for arms. However, his cohorts managed to flee the scene.

Militant outfits are now trying to recruit rich patrons to fund their own activities, say Police
Police said that militant outfits, especially the recently discovered Islamic State (IS)-inspired Junud at-Tawheed Wal Khilafah, are now trying to recruit rich patrons to fund their own activities, reports Dhaka Tribune on June 24. Police further said that targeting rich university students was part of the militants’ strategy of evading suspicion from law enforcers as well as ensuring a stable source of funding. Militants scoured through the internet to analyze online activities of potential new recruits who included residents of posh neighborhoods as well as university students and Information Technology experts. Police made the findings while interrogating recently arrested militants. The Detective Branch of Police has so far arrested three members of Junud at-Tawheed Wal Khilafah, all of whom were well-educated and came from affluent families.

Alfu Bahini chief killed in Magura
Alfu, the leader of outlawed group Alfu Bahini was killed in a gunfight with Police in Rautara School area in Magura District on June 22, reports Dhaka Tribune. Police said: “Acting on a tip-off, Police went to the spot around 2:30am. Sensing the presence of the law enforcers, Alfu and his associates opened fire at the Police.” In retaliation, Police fired back that left Alfu wounded. He succumbed to his injuries later. Two Police officials were also injured in the gunfight. Police also recovered one shooter gun and two bullets from the spot.

India – Internal Dynamics
Naxals call upon cops to join struggle
The Communist Party of India-Maoist appear to have found a new recruitment pool — Police officials engaged in anti-Naxal [Left Wing Extremism (LWE)] operations, reports Indian Expresson May 27. In a statement released by CPI-Maoist spokesperson Malajulla Venugopal alias Abhay, the Maoist leadership has urged Policemen to quit their jobs and join the “revolution” to defeat the “sinister” and “fascist” designs of their seniors and political leaders. To drive home the point, the CPI-Maoist has also cited incidents of “over-stressed” Policemen killing their seniors and claimed that more than 1,000 Security Force (SF) personnel have been killed in anti-Naxal operations. “Think about your background. You belong to the lower strata of the society. You cannot deny that you have come from families of poor tribals, labourers and farmers. Think about who you are serving just to feed your families. We know you are not honestly agreeing to the demands of the job and your family members not happy that you have to do this. Your senior officers, fraudulent politicians are trying to instill false patriotism in your minds by branding Maoists as a security threat. But, the fact is that the rate of quitting a police job is about one in three. You must understand the selfish motive of politicians to loot resources of the people,” Abhay said in the statement. The statement claims several politicians from across political parties are corrupt. It also makes a mention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the 2002 Gujarat riots. “The same Modi is now travelling around the world to sell India’s resources to foreigners in the name of Make in India. That is why leaders like Barack Obama, Stephen Harper and Angela Merkel are praising him. Your guns are actually meant to forcibly acquire farmers’ lands. Are you ready to shed your blood for these people,” Abhay said.

Nine civilians injured in blast in Meghalaya
On May 27, nine persons, including three women, sustained injuries when suspected Garo militants triggered a blast outside a major hardware store in the heart of Tura town in West Garo Hills District, reports The Shillong Times. Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) is the prime suspect in the blast. Police sources indicate that the GNLA ‘area commander’ of West Garo Hills, Karak Momin alias Hedeo had allegedly served an extortion notice on the shop for INR 2 million. West Garo Hills SP Mukesh Kr Singh stated that “It is the GNLA outfit. There is no doubt about it. We have some leads about the person who planted the device,”

Arunachal Pradesh student arrested
Police have arrested the president of the All Chakma Students’ Union, identified as Ranjan Kumar Chakma alias Sabhananu for alleged links with Arunachal Pradesh Deprived People’s Front (APDPF), reports The Indian Express on May 28. He has been charged under six Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections including attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy and waging war against the state as well as under the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Spy pigeon from Pakistan jailed in Punjab
The entry and capture of a white pigeon, apparently from Pakistan, in a border village of Manwal in Pathankot District in Punjab on May 28 has caused a flutter among intelligence sleuths and Punjab Police, reports The Times of India. This comes two days after an Intelligence Bureau (IB) alert to Punjab Police on the possibility of Indian Mujahideen (IM) being active in Jammu and Pathankot areas.

The fact that the avian ‘intruder’ bore a stamped message and had a wire-like object on its body made the security agencies take a closer look at its flight into India. A part of the message was in Urdu, but the numbers appeared to be that of a landline telephone in Pakistan’s Narowal District in Punjab Province.

Police at Bamiyal Police post made a diary entry terming the bird as a “suspected spy”, and sent a communication to Border Security Force (BSF) and IB. The bird was found on a day when an inter-state meeting on security was being held among officials of Punjab Police, Indian Army as well as those from Kathua and Jammu Districts. “It was a meeting to launch joint search and combing operation in the respective areas. The security of Ranjit Sagar Dam was also discussed and decision has been taken to strengthen the security setup in and around the areas,” said Punjab Police Inspector General (border range) Ishwar Sharma.

CAF trooper killed in Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh
Day before Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Chhattisgarh, one trooper of Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) was killed and two others were injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast triggered by Communist party of India-Maoist cadres in Sukma District in Bastar division of Chhattisgarh on May 29, reports The Times of India. The CAF personnel were deployed on duty for protection of workers at a construction site near Dharampenta village at Kistaram. Sukma Superintendent of Police D Shrawan Kumar said that there was construction work of culvert going on at the site so that the route doesn’t get blocked during rainy season. Condition of both injured troopers is said to be critical.

AR trooper injured in NSCN-K attack in Nagaland
An Assam Rifles (AR) trooper was injured in an ambush by militants of Khaplang faction of National Socialist Council of Nagaland on May 29, at Kisama in Kohima District, reports Nagaland Post. Sources stated that there were around 10-12 militants involved in the ambush. According to security sources, the ambush was retaliation against arrest of NSCN-K ‘finance secretary’ Khekaho Rochill from Dimapur on May 28 and arrest of Inavi Assumi and Toki Kinny who were arrested along Zunheboto-Kohima road via Chakabama in Dimapur District on May 26.

Woman Maoist killed in gunfight with security forces in Chhattisgarh
A woman Communist Party of India-Maoist cadre was killed in an exchange of fire between a joint team of Security Force (SF) personnel and Maoists in the restive Mirtoor Police Station limits in Bijapur District on June 2, reports The Times of India. Several joint teams of Special Task Force (STF), Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and District Force were on a special anti-Naxal [Left wing Extremism (LWE)] operation in forests of Mirtoor, Jangla and Gangaloor Police Station limits. While cordoning off Mirtoor region, SF personnel spotted a Naxal camp near Bechapal village following which they started encircling the spot. Some armed insurgents seeing the SF personnel opened indiscriminate firing at them, triggering a gun-fight between both sides, a senior Police official said. Later, during search of the spot, body of a woman Maoist in uniform was found. One wireless set, two hand grenades, one 315 bore rifle and other materials were also seized from the spot, the officer said. The deceased Maoist cadre will be identified once the SFs will reach back to their camp along with the body, the official added.

Meanwhile, in another separate operation, Police arrested three Maoists from Kirandul town in Dantewada District on June 2, reports The Hindu.

18 army men killed in ambush in Manipur
On June 4, militants ambushed a military convoy of 6 Dogra Regiment of the Indian Army killing at least 18 Army personnel and injured 11 others, at a place between Paralong and Charong villages in Chandel District, reports The Shillong Times. Army spokesman Colonel Rohan Anand said in Delhi that 18 army men were killed and 11 injured in the attack. Earlier he had put the figure at 20.

The militants used Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG’s), Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and automatic weapons in the attack, reports The Hindu. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack as mindless and very distressing. Times of India adds that the casualties include a junior commissioned officer (JCO), a signal havildar, a driver and 14 riflemen. The Sangai Express further adds that one militant was killed in the ambush and that some personnel are still missing after the incident massive search operation was still on to nab the attackers and trace the missing personnel.

Further, Nagaland Post reports that in a joint statement issued by Khaplang faction of National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K) Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) and Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), claimed responsibility that the “combined team of ‘Elite Strike Unit’ of ‘Naga Army’, KYKL and KCP assaulted five vehicle convoy of 6^th Dogra regiment on June 4 at Tengnoupal–New Somtal road under Chandel District of Manipur.” Meanwhile in another report the newly-floated common platform, United Liberation Front of Western South East Asia (UNLFW) comprising of NSCN-K, Independent faction of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA-I) Kamtapur Liberation Organization (KLO) and IK Songbijit faction of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB-IKS) claimed responsibility for the ambush. ULFA-I leader Paresh Baruah called up local television channels in Assam say.

Two troopers injured
Two troopers, one from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the other from the District Force (DF), were grievously injured when Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres ambushed Security Forces (SFs) at two different places in Bastar region on June 4, reports The Asian Age. The first explosion took place when the Maoists triggered a landmine targetting a search party of the DF personnel at Belkagunda under Kistaram Police Station limits in Sukma District. The Maoists also fired at the SFs.

Meanwhile, the Maoists ambushed a search party comprising the CRPF and the DF at Murdanda of Bijapur District inuring a trooper of the Central Paramilitary Force.

New northeast militant platform may target Assam
The newly formed platform of four militant groups of the northeast, United National Front of WESA (UNLFW)-[WESA- Western South East Asia], is out to prove a point to the Government of India by launching a series of attacks on Security Forces (SFs) and the possibility of the ultras trying to launch such attacks in Assam cannot be ruled out, reports The Assam Tribune on June 6. The Police and SFs have been put on high alert following the recent attacks and the Union Government has taken the recent incidents “very seriously”. According to SF sources, with the formation of the new platform of Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K), Independent faction of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA-I), the IK Songbijit faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB-IKS) and the Kamatapur Liberation Organization (KLO), the outfits are desperate to prove their strength and the possibility of attacks cannot be ruled out.

12 Maoists killed in Jharkhand
Twelve Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter with the Palamau District Police and a team of Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) personnel in Palamau District around 1 A.M. on June 9, reports The Times of India. “The encounter took place in Bakoria village, about 140 kilometre from Ranchi. All the bodies have been recovered,” said District Superintendent of Police (SP) Mayur Patel. The Maoists were moving in two vehicles. While one vehicle sped away, the Maoists from the other vehicle got down and opened fire on the Security Forces, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Operations, S.N. Pradhan said. The cadres belonged to the ‘dasta’ (firing squad) of Maoist ‘zonal commander’ RK alias doctor, ADGP Pradhan added. Eight weapons were also recovered from the spot. Earlier acting on intelligence inputs that the Maoists were moving in two vehicles, the CoBRA battalion and the District Police had rushed to the spot.

Maoists rebuilding old bases in Odisha
Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director-General (DG) Prakash Mishra on June 10, said Communist Party of India-Maoist has planned to rebuild their old bases in some core areas of Odisha in order to strengthen their organisation, reports The Pioneer. DG Mishra, who visited Sunabeda in Koraput District in the morning (June 10) to review the progress of training institute of the 202 Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) of the CRPF, said the Odisha Police should remain alert over the movements and plans of the Maoists who are planning to rebuild their old bases in the State. On the use of unmanned vehicles (Drones) to strike against Maoists in the jungles, Mishra said the CRPF has not made any substantial result from the existing planes. So the CRPF was planning to bring new drones for the operations, he added. On requirement of forces, Mishra said there is a need of more security forces in Nuapada and Kalahandi districts.

Monthly Fatalities
The following deaths related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism occurred during the period May 26, 2015 to June 25, 2015:

	Civilian	Indian Security Personnel	Militant	Total
Assam	03	00	00	03
Manipur	10	18	07	35
Meghalaya	01	00	08	09
Left wing	11	02	20	33
Total	25	20	35	80

Nepal – Internal Dynamics
NC rules out formation of National Unity Government
With its coalition partners and main Opposition party intensifying discussions for the formation of a National Unity Government, senior leaders of the Nepali Congress (NC) at a meeting in the Prime Minister’s official residence in Kathmandu on May 30 concluded that National Unity Government was not a priority, reports The Hindu. They said the priority should be on drafting a new Constitution and working together on post-earthquake reconstruction.

Sri Lanka – Internal Dynamics
Ready to welcome a war crime investigation
Sri Lanka’s wartime Army chief, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka said that his conscience is clear and he would welcome a war crimes investigation to prove his innocence, reports Colombo Page on May 27. In an interview, he said “The allegations are there, we have to clear our name.” While accepting that some crimes occurred during the war, Fonseka insists that these were acts of individual offenders, and not systematic. “The army as a whole, I can give the assurance that we never committed war crimes,” he said. “There were no rapes, no torture during my command during the war. I know there have been a couple of allegations. But there should not be reason to try to declare war against the media or against the international community. We can clarify it,” he added.

General Fonseka was the head of the Sri Lankan Army that defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in May 2009, ending Sri Lanka’s 26-year long civil war. After the war, a United Nations Secretary General’s panel of experts reported that both Government forces and the LTTE had potentially committed serious human rights violations in the final stages of the war.

Mahinda Rajapaksa fears revival of LTTE terrorism in Sri Lanka
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on May 29 expressed fears about the possibility of a revival of the defunct terrorist organization, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in the country, reports Colombo Page. While speaking to media in Anuradhapura in North Central Province, he said that “I have a suspicion that we may return to see terrorism. We don’t want to see that happening we want everyone to live in peace and harmony.” Rajapaksa also accused President Maithripala Sirisena of relaxing security in the North to cater to the demand of the Tamils in the Northern Province to demilitarize the former conflict-affected areas.

Report also adds that according to political observers, raising fears of an LTTE revival could help the former President, who plans to contest parliamentary polls to make a political comeback, to win the elections. Rajapaksa loyalists in the former ruling party, United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) are leading the campaign to get him appointed as the Prime Minister.

However, the Government has assured that it will never allow the terrorist group to revive in the country and condemned those trying to raise fears for political mileage.

Drugs systematically introduced to Tamil youth in Northern Province, says Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran
Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran charged on June 2 that narcotic drugs had been introduced in the Province in a systematic manner with the intention of preventing a Tamil youth-resurgence, reports Daily Mirror. Speaking at a function in Jaffna, the Chief Minister said some of the state officials and ministers had the opinion previously that Tamil youths should not be get together as idea of rebelling could arise in them. “Those ministers believed that no ideas on liberation should arise in the hearts of youths and that they should behave like zombies,” he said. He also said that Northern youth had put pressure on previous Governments by taking up arms and the previous Governments had to incur a large expenditure with foreign aid to put an end to the armed conflict.

Australia turned back 54 Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers
According to an Indonesian Police chief, Australian customs have turned back 65 people, including 54 Sri Lankan Tamils, after their boat reached Australian waters on May 26, reports Daily Mirror. The 65 persons, 54 from Sri Lanka, 10 from Bangladesh and one from Myanmar, who reportedly claimed to be asylum seekers, are in detention on the Indonesian island of Rote. According to report, they had started out from Pelabuhan Ratu in West Java on May 24 and were intercepted by Australian customs two days later.

Major ethnic groups in Sri Lanka differ on reconciliation question, according to a recent survey
According to a recent survey conducted by Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), though the Sri Lankan Government is giving emphasis on reconciliation process, the country’s four major ethnic groups Sinhalese, Tamils, upcountry Tamils and Muslims remain divided on issues concerning the topic, reports The Hindu on June 3. Of four questions raised during the survey, the question that continues to see perceptible division between the Sinhalese and the Tamils is about the work done by the Government to address the root causes of the ethnic conflict. Thirty five per cent of Sinhalese respondents are of the view that the Government has done a lot whereas 39.9 percent of Tamils (Sri Lankan Tamils) and 33.3 percent of the upcountry Tamils (Indian Tamils) feel that nothing has been done.

However, 6.3 percent of the Muslims hold the view that large sections of the Tamils have benefitted, 62.9 percent of the Muslim respondents have said “the government has done a little but not enough.” Among the Sinhalese respondents, 3.1 percent have said the Government has done nothing and 38.2 percent feel that “the government has done a little but not enough.” The total number of respondents is around 2000, according to Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Executive Director of CPA, which has been carrying out the survey since 2011.

Statue resembling LTTE leader Velupillai Prabakaran installed in a temple in Tamil Nadu
A statue resembling slain Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam leader Velupillai Prabakaran installed in a private temple at Therkku Poigainallur village near Velankanni in Nagapattinam District in Tamil Nadu (India) has caused a flutter in the locality, reports The Hindu on June 6 (today). The statue resembling Prabakaran in camouflage uniform with a horse in the background, was installed on the campus of the Periyachi Amman Temple built in the village recently. The temple was consecrated a few days back.

The New Indian Express adds the villagers denied that there was any political motive behind erecting the statue and claimed it was only meant to impart courage for the generations to come. However, the funds for building the statue had come from residents of South Poigainallur, Velankanni and even from Malaysia. “We will comply with the law if there is any objection from the government,” the villagers said. However, Police sources said that no case has been registered so far in this connection.

LTTE leader’s wife claims her husband surrendered on Kanimozhi’s advice
In an interview, Northern Provincial Council (NPC) member Ananthy Sasistharan, wife of a senior functionary of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam claimed that her husband, Sasistharan aliasElilan surrendered to the Sri Lankan forces on the advice of Indian Member of Parliament (MP), Kanimozhi belonging to Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), reports Daily Mirror on June 7. Ananthy said that “it was after his conversation with Ms. Kanimozhi in Mullivaikkal at about 8 p.m. on May 16, 2009, my husband chose to surrender himself to the forces. This is not the first time that I am saying this. So far, there has been no response from the other side. It is time Karunanidhi Ayya and Ms. Kanimozhi break their silence and tell the world who were all behind the entire episode.” When asked if her husband had any other option, she said, “He might have taken cyanide pills as he had two.” However, she said she was not aware of the instructions of the LTTE to its members in such an eventuality.

Meanwhile, Kanimozhi on June 7 dismissed as “completely baseless” the claim of Ananthy that her husband surrendered to the Sri Lankan forces on her (Kanimozhi’s) advice, reports The Hindu. “I am not an authority to ask someone to surrender either on behalf of the Indian Government or the Sri Lankan Government. I do not know who is behind this story,” Kanimozhi said.

59 Sri Lankan army camps shut down in Northern Province, alleges former President Mahinda Raja
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on June 13 alleged that 59 Sri Lankan Army camps in the Tamil majority Northern Province were shut down by the successor Government led by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister (PM) Ranil Wickremesinghe, reports Colombo Page. In a letter addressed to participants in a “Bring Back Mahinda Rally” at Matara District in Southern Province, Rajapaksa charged that the withdrawal had taken place at a time when ‘Eelam’ flags had reappeared in the North, indicating a revival of terrorism. He added that the present Government is compromising national security by suggesting the release of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam cadres in custody, and holding discussions with persons like the former Norwegian Peace Envoy, Erik Solheim, who, he alleged, is trying to revive Tamil separatism.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Government has dismissed the claims made by the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa that the new Government has closed 59 Army camps in the Tamil majority Northern Province, reports Colombo Page on June 14. The General Secretary of the United National Party (UNP), Minister Kabir Hashim in a statement denied the former President’s allegation asserting that neither the President Sirisena nor the PM Wickramasinghe or the present Government has removed any of the Army camps in the Northern Province.

INTERNATIONAL
Militants kill 25 cops in Kenya
Al-Shabaab gunmen killed around 25 Kenyan police late on Monday, May 25 ambushing some officers in a village in the east of the country after others died when their vehicle hit a landmine planted by the militants. The Islamist group also burnt five vehicles in the two incidents.

“We took all their weapons. There were some Kenyan forces that escaped in the course of the ambush fighting,” he said.

Some 20 police died in the ambush, which occurred in Monday evening in Yumbis village, 45 miles north of the town of Garissa, the Standard and Daily Nation newspapers said.

Police spokesman Masoud Mwinyi confirmed there had been an attack in Yumbis. Other government officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Al Shabaab, which has carried out several attacks in Kenya in recent years to try to force Nairobi to withdraw its troops from Somalia, attacked a university in the same area last month and killed 148 people.

The officers were ambushed as they went to assist other police who had been targeted by an explosive device, believed to be a landmine or roadside bomb. “The area is on the remote side of Garissa not far from the border, that is why we are having a problem getting information instantly,” said a police officer based at the county headquarters.

Muslims ‘dehumanised’ says Qatar’s Shaikha Mouza
Shaikha Mouza Bint Nasser, chairperson of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), has warned that the application of double standards and dodging collective responsibility are dehumanising Muslims.

“Why do Muslim lives matter less than the lives of others, if they matter at all?” Shaikha Mouza, the mother of Qatar’s emir, Shaikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, asked as she delivered a keynote speech at the opening of the Middle East Centre at St Antony’s College Oxford, touching on the current relationship between the Middle East and Europe.

She added that “Muslim-phobia” had devalued the lives of Muslims in Europe and America and highlighted a double standard in applying principles of free of speech, human rights and dignity.

She also referred to the growing “fear of real, living Muslims” in Europe and contrasted it with Europe’s curiosity and “respect for the vast and rich architectural, philosophical and historical traditions” of Islam, the Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.

The homogenisation of Muslims into a fearful and unknowable ‘other’, separate from the beauty and nobility of Islam and its civilisation, is at the root of Muslim-phobia.”

Referring to the use of language in analysing the rise of militancy, Shaikha Mouza highlighted a blatant discrepancy. One of the most influential and high-profile women in the Arab world, Shaikha Mouza gave fresh examples of the double standards contributing to the dehumanisation of Muslims.

“Why is it that world leaders gathered to march in defence of Charlie Hebdo, while the Chapel Hill murders were shrugged off as a parking dispute?” she asked, referring to the fatal shooting of three Muslim students, Deah Barakat, Yusr Mohammad Abu Salha, and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu Salhaby, by their neighbour in North Carolina in February.

“At the same time we are confronted with double standards. Why is it that apologies are offered when Europeans are mistakenly killed by drones, but only silence follows when innocent Yemeni and Muslim children and civilians are killed by the same drones?

Coalition bombs rebels in Yemen
Saudi-led coalition warplanes killed 36 soldiers on Wednesday, May 27 when they targeted a rebel troop headquarters in the Yemeni capital as the United Nations tried to reschedule postponed peace talks.

The coalition campaign of air strikes against Iran-backed Huthi rebels and allied forces loyal to former leader Ali Abdullah Saleh began on March 26 in an effort to restore UN-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi to power.

On Wednesday, warplanes launched a raid on the command headquarters of special forces loyal to Saleh in southern Sanaa, as well as on an arms depot in the Fajj Attan neighbourhood overlooking the city, residents said. An official from the rebel-held health ministry told AFP that “36 soldiers and officers were killed and 100 others were wounded” in the raids, raising an earlier toll of 15 dead. Other air raids on Wednesday badly damaged a rebel-controlled naval base in the province of Hodeida on the Red Sea coast, residents said. Strikes also hit the northern rebel stronghold province of Hajja near the border with Saudi Arabia, witnesses said, reporting casualties in seven raids on arms depots at Abs military base.

The United Nations is trying to reschedule peace talks for Yemen that had originally been due to begin in Geneva on Thursday. It says almost 2,000 people have been killed and more than half a million displaced in the conflict since the fighting escalated in March with the air campaign.

World Health Organisation chief Margaret Chan said on Wednesday that the toll includes “hundreds of women and children”, adding that “almost 7.5 million people are in urgent need of medical help”.

Relief agency Oxfam warned that at least 16 million Yemenis, or two thirds of the population, had no access to clean drinking water because of the conflict.

IS kills 20 men
The Islamic State Jihadist group shot dead at least 20 men in the ruins of Syria’s ancient city Palmyra on Wednesday, May 27 accusing them of fighting for the government, a monitor said.

“IS executed 20 men by firing on them in front of a crowd gathered in Palmyra’s Roman theatre, after accusing them of fighting for the Syrian regime,” Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP.

Two Saudi border guards die in Yemen shelling
Two Saudi border guards have been killed and five others wounded by shellfire on the frontier with Yemen, official media reported.

The deaths occurred when “military missiles from Yemen” struck their position at Zahran South in the Asir border region on Wednesday, May 27 Riyadh’s interior ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

The two dead guards bring to at least 30 the number of people, military and civilian, killed in the Saudi border area since a Riyadh-led coalition began air strikes against Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen in late March.

Coalition warplanes have been bombing Huthis and their allies in support of pro-government forces in Yemen.

The air campaign led to deadly skirmishes between the rebels and Saudi forces along the border, but many of the recent Saudi casualties have been civilians killed by cross-border barrages.

Rebels storm Idlib
A rebel coalition led by al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate edged into the last remaining government-held city in the northwest province of Idlib on Thursday, May 28 a monitoring group said.

The lightning offensive saw the Army of Conquest, or Jaish al-Fatah in Arabic, enter outer districts of Ariha within a matter of hours, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP.

“There was heavy shelling and rocket fire, and then they stormed the city,” said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman. They have entered the city and are engaged in fierce clashes on its peripheries,” he added.

Ariha, which was home to 40,000 people before the conflict began, is the last remaining government-held city in Idlib province which borders Turkey.

The coalition, which includes al-Qaeda branch Al-Nusra Front, has won a series of victories in Idlib, including the provincial capital on March 28 and the key town of Jisr al-Shughur on April 25.

Most recently, the rebels seized the massive Al-Mastumah military base and overran a hospital complex where regime soldiers were trapped. Many government forces retreated from these areas to Ariha, which Abdel Rahman said was heavily defended by fighters from Iran and Lebanese movement Hizbullah. The Army of Conquest vowed to consolidate its control of Idlib province, where the regime still holds Ariha, the Abu Duhur military airport and a sprinkling of minority villages and military posts.

Iraq lost 2,300 Humvee armoured vehicles in Mosul
Iraqi security forces lost 2,300 Humvee armoured vehicles when the Islamic State Jihadist group overran the northern city of Mosul, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Sunday, May 31.

“In the collapse of Mosul, we lost a lot of weapons,” Abadi said in an interview with Iraqiya state TV. “We lost 2,300 Humvees in Mosul alone.”

While the exact price of the vehicles varies depending on how they are armoured and equipped, it is clearly a hugely expensive loss that has boosted IS’ capabilities.

Last year, the State Department approved a possible sale to Iraq of 1,000 Humvees with increased armour, machineguns, grenade launchers, other gear and support that was estimated to cost $579 million.

Clashes began in Mosul, Iraq’s second city, late on June 9, 2014, and Iraqi forces lost it the following day to IS, which spearheaded an offensive that overran much of the country’s Arab heartland.

The militants gained ample arms, ammunition and other equipment when multiple Iraqi divisions fell apart in the country’s north, abandoning gear and shedding uniforms in their haste to flee.

UN envoy decries Syria regime raids as dozens killed
The UN envoy to Syria condemned regime bombing of civilian areas as “totally unacceptable” after more than 140 people were killed in a day of heavy air raids.

Across the border in Iraq, pro-government forces pressed their operation aimed at sealing off Jihadists who captured the city of Ramadi two weeks ago.

In Syria, barrel bombs dropped by President Bashar al-Assad’s helicopters killed 84 civilians, including children, in the northern province of Aleppo on Saturday, a monitoring group said.

“The news of aerial bombing by Syrian helicopters on a civilian area of the Aleppo neighbourhood of Al-Shaar deserves the most strong international condemnation,” UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said in a statement on May 31.

“The use of barrel bombs must stop,” he said. “All evidence shows that the overwhelming majority of the civilian victims in the Syrian conflict have been caused by the use of such indiscriminate aerial weapons.” He said it was “totally unacceptable that the Syrian airforce attacks its own territory in an indiscriminate way, killing its own citizens.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said regime air strikes throughout Syria killed at least 141 people on Saturday, including 20 in a rebel-controlled village in northwest Idlib. It said 22 people were killed in raids on the northeastern Jihadist-dominated town of Al-Shadadeh. Its toll did not include another 43 people — including fighters from the Islamic State group and their families — killed in a government raid on the same town. Air raids also killed civilians in Damascus, Deir Ezzor, and Daraa provinces, the monitor said.

Syria’s conflict, which began in March 2011, has left more than 220,000 people dead and forced millions to flee. Several rounds of peace talks have made no headway and the UN envoy’s efforts to broker a ceasefire in the second city of Aleppo were rejected by rebel factions.

Regime barrel bombs — crude weapons made of containers packed with explosives — have often struck schools, hospitals, and markets in Syria. But the toll from the Saturday raids, which also targeted a market in the IS-controlled town of Al-Bab, was among the highest.

‘Ending NSA spying would boost terror threat’
CIA chief John Brennan warned on Sunday, May 31 that allowing vital surveillance programmes to expire could increase terror threats, as the US Senate convened for a crunch debate on whether to renew the controversial provisions. With key counterterrorism programmes set to expire at midnight on Sunday, the top intelligence official made a final pitch to senators, arguing that the bulk data collection of telephone records of millions of Americans unconnected to terrorism has not abused civil liberties and only serves to safeguard citizens.

“This is something that we can’t afford to do right now,” Brennan said of allowing the expiration of counterterrorism provisions, which “sunset” at the end of May 31.

“Because if you look at the horrific terrorist attacks and violence being perpetrated around the globe, we need to keep our country safe, and our oceans are not keeping us safe the way they did century ago,” he said CBS’ “Face the Nation” talk show.

Brennan added that groups like Islamic State have followed the developments “very carefully” and are “looking for the seams to operate.”

The House has already passed a reform bill, the USA Freedom Act, that would end the telephone data dragnet by the National Security Agency and require a court order for the NSA to access specific records from the vast data base retained by telecommunications companies.

If no action is taken by the Senate on Sunday, authorities will be forced to shut down the bulk collection programme and two other provisions, which allow roving wiretaps of terror suspects who change their mobile phone numbers and the tracking of lone-wolf suspects.

Clashes in Somalia leave 35 dead
At least 35 people, most of them civilians, have been killed in a week of clashes in villages near Somalia’s border with Ethiopia, officials and traditional elders said on Sunday, May 31.
The sources said the clashes involved Somali clan militia and members of the Liyu police, an Ethiopian paramilitary unit operating in Ethiopia’s ethnic Somali region.

“The Liyu Police Unit launched an attack on innocent civilians. They are attacking villagers and killing people who keep livestock,” Hussein Weheliye Irfo, the governor of the Galgadud region in central Somalia, told reporters.

He said the Somali government was aware of the clashes and also called for the intervention of Ethiopia’s government and the African Union force in Somalia, AMISOM.

Sources in the region said fighting started a week ago and escalated on Friday.

“It is effecting a vast area and the casualties are very high, 35 dead bodies have been counted so far,” Mohamed Garane, a traditional elder in Guricel district where the wounded are hospitalised, said by telephone.

Another elder in the region, Daud Moalim Ise, said the Liyu force had used “excessive force” and said up to 45 had been killed. “We have received around 29 wounded, most of them civilians. Many others are unable to reach here,” added Ali Omar, director of the main hospital in Guricel district. “Among them are women and children with severe gunshot wounds.”

Islamic State advance in Iraq failure for whole world: PM
The advance of the Islamic State group in Iraq is a “failure” for the whole world, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Tuesday, June 2 hitting back at US criticism of the loss of Ramadi to the Jihadist group. He said Iraq “needs all the support of the world” to counter the Jihadist advance, but “we are not getting much. I think this is a failure on the part of the world… There is a lot of talk of support for Iraq, there is very little on the ground.”

Abadi, in Paris for a crunch international meeting to refine strategy against the Jihadist group, also urged the international community to help Iraq purchase weapons to fight the Jihadists, saying the country had received “almost none. We are relying on ourselves.” Abadi said sanctions also stopped Baghdad buying arms from neighbouring Iran. “We are not asking for arms, but please let us purchase arms easily.”

The Iraqi leader also hit back at accusations by the US defence chief that security forces dodged the battle in Ramadi, the capital of Iraq’s largest province Anbar that fell to IS last month in the worst defeat Baghdad has suffered in almost a year.

Pentagon chief Ashton Carter said the city fell to the militants because Iraqi forces — despite strength in numbers — were not mentally ready for battle.

“What apparently happened was the Iraqi forces showed no will to fight. They were not outnumbered, and they vastly outnumbered the opposing force, and they failed to fight and withdrew from the site,” Carter told CNN last month.

“That says to me, and I think to most of us, that we have an issue with the will of the Iraqis to fight ISIL and defend themselves,” he said, using an alternative name for the group.

Abadi rubbished the comments, saying that during the Iraq war in 2004, the city of “Fallujah was lost when there were 160,000 US soldiers in Iraq with massive US capabilities, and they had to fight back to get it.”

13 dead in suicide attack at Nigeria market
Thirteen people were killed on Tuesday, Jun 2 in a suicide attack at a busy cattle market in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, the Red Cross and civilian vigilantes battling Boko Haram said.

The blast in the Borno state capital happened at about 1:00 pm (1200 GMT) as traders were wrapping up business for the day, Shettima Bulama said in an account backed up by another local vigilante.

“We’re trying to sift human bodies from carcasses of cattle that are strewn all over the place,” he said.

The northeast spokesman of the Nigerian Red Cross, Umar Sadiq, said in a text message there were 13 dead and 24 injured who were taken to two city hospitals for treatment.

The attack came after Boko Haram militants again pounded Maiduguri with rocket-propelled grenades in the early hours of Tuesday, after hitting the city in a similar attack on Saturday.

A suicide bomber also blew himself up at a mosque on Saturday, killing 26 worshippers and injuring 28 others. The group also released a new video — its first since February and first using the logo “Islamic State in West Africa” — disputing military claims that it had been routed.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest attack but it bore the hallmarks of the group and Bulama said the victims were “carefully targeted”. A second vigilante, who asked not to be named for his own protection, gave a similar account, amid reports that the bomber may have arrived in a four-wheeled-drive vehicle before the attack.

Nigeria’s new President Muhammadu Buhari last Friday announced that the military’s counter-insurgency command centre would be moved to Maiduguri from the capital, Abuja. The former army general, who headed a military regime in Nigeria in the 1980s, has made defeating Boko Haram a priority as he begins a four-year term of office. The 72-year-old, who last July escaped a suspected Boko Haram attack in the northern city of Kaduna, has described the group as “godless” and “mindless”.

Coalition pounds Yemen
Saudi-led coalition warplanes intensified raids on Yemen’s capital on Wednesday, Jun 3 as Washington confirmed a top US diplomat had met representatives of Iran-backed rebels to try to revive proposed Geneva peace talks.

The UN Security Council appealed for a new humanitarian ceasefire and peace talks as soon as possible to end fighting that has killed at least 2,000 people since March.

The 15-member council, backing an appeal by UN chief Ban Ki-moon, said in a unanimous statement it was “deeply disappointed” that the planned May 28 talks in Geneva had been put off.

Saudi Arabia and its regional allies have been bombing the rebels since late March to try to restore exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi to power. Dozens of explosions rocked the capital as coalition jets pounded Sanaa for hours from early on Wednesday, an AFP correspondent said.

The raids targeted several rebel arms depots, a pro-rebel military police camp and a renegade troop base, residents said. The bombing shook nearby buildings and sent flames shooting into the air as debris rained down on houses in the area.

Egypt sentences 52 Islamists
An Egyptian court sentenced 52 supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohammed Mursi to up to 10 years in jail on Thursday, Jun 4 over a protest in January 2014, a judiciary official said.

The verdict is the latest in a series of harsh sentences handed down to Mursi supporters who have been targeted in a relentless crackdown since the army ousted him in July, 2013.A criminal court at Sohag in the Upper Egyptian province of Sohag, 500-km south of Cairo, passed a 10-year sentence to 43 defendants, 24 of whom were tried in absentia, the official said.

They were convicted of “illegal assembly, resisting authorities, rioting and using violence” during a protest denouncing a constitutional referendum in January last year, the official added.The court also sentenced three defendants to five years each and six others to three years in jail. Three more were acquitted.

Since Mursi’s ouster the crackdown on his supporters has left hundreds of people dead and thousands jailed.Hundreds of his supporters have also been sentenced to death after speedy mass trials described by the UN as “unprecedented in recent history”.

US-led raids hit IS battling rebels, al-Qaeda in Syria
US-led aircraft bombed Islamic State group fighters as they battled rival Syrian rebels, including al-Qaeda loyalists, for the first time overnight, a monitoring group said on Sunday, Jun 7. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor described the raids in northern Syria’s Aleppo as an intervention on the side of the rival rebels, even though they include forces that have previously been targeted by US-led strikes.

IS seized control of Suran a week ago, and has since been fighting an alliance of Islamist rebels including al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front and the Ahrar al-Sham movement in the surrounding area. Both Al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham have been targeted in US-led raids, including as recently as May 20, when a strike in Aleppo province killed 15 Al-Nusra fighters.

Like IS, Al-Nusra is blacklisted as a “terrorist organisation” by Washington
IS has been seeking to expand its territory by seizing the Aleppo province towns of Marea and Azaz, which lie on key supply routes for the rival rebels. Online, IS supporters accused Al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham of collaborating with the US-led coalition, denouncing them as “America’s spies” and collaborators with the “crusader coalition”. Despite sharing a Jihadist ideology, Al-Nusra and IS are fierce rivals, with IS seeking to expand its self-declared “caliphate” in territory it holds in Syria and Iraq.

The US-led coalition began its air campaign in Syria last September but the majority of its strikes have been confined to areas where IS has undisputed control or is battling Kurdish forces. Syria’s conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government demonstrations but descended into a war after a regime crackdown. It has evolved into a complex battle with multiple fronts, and involving the regime, rebels, Jihadists and Kurdish forces.

On Sunday in northeastern Syria, the Observatory and Syrian state media said government troops had pushed IS fighters back from Hasakeh city after fierce fighting.

IS began an assault on city, which is capital of the province of the same name, on May 30, that has left 119 dead, among them 71 regime forces and 48 IS fighters, 11 of them suicide bombers.

By Thursday IS had advanced to the city’s southern entrance.

‘West to blame for Islamic State’
The West has an interest in the “fragmentation” of the Islamic world and is partly to blame for the rise of Islamic State, one of the world’s top Muslim clerics told AFP in an interview on Tuesday, Jun 9.

Speaking on the sidelines of a seminar in Florence, Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar in Cairo, strongly criticised Western powers and particularly the United States.

Describing himself as “an ordinary citizen” as the Muslim seat of learning has no political role, the Imam said: “The emergence of Daesh (an Arabic term for IS) in such a spontaneous manner leads us to ask what are the deep causes.

“And the man in the Arab street thinks that the West has something to do with it. The arms Daesh has are American, they are not made in the Arab world.

“IS developed so quickly and that required enormous amounts of capital. Where did these enormous sums of money come from. The man in the street says the West is not serious about taking on Daesh.”

In support of this theory, Tayeb cited three parachute drops of arms which ended up in the arms of IS fighters. “They said it was a mistake,” he said, while sidestepping a question about the role of some Arab states, notably in the Gulf, in the development and financing of IS.

Bahrain jails 57 on bomb plot charges
A court in Bahrain has handed down sentences of up to life imprisonment against 57 accused of plotting attacks against police and other targets, state media reported.

The defendants were convicted on Thursday, Jun 11 of forming an organisation in 2012-2013 that “used terrorism as a way to achieve its aims,” the prosecution said in a statement carried by the official BNA news agency. The high criminal court found that the group had smuggled weapons and explosives into the Gulf kingdom and plotted attacks against police and vital infrastructure, as well as a foreign embassy, the prosecution said.

The targets included the Saudi embassy and the causeway linking Bahrain with neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

Rebels seize provincial capital near Saudi border
Huthi rebels on Sunday, Jun 14 seized a provincial capital in northern Yemen near the border with Saudi Arabia, residents said, a day ahead of UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva.

The rebels faced little resistance in taking control of al-Hazm, the main city of Jawf province, residents and sources among local pro-government fighters said.

The city lies some 150 kilometres south of the border with Saudi Arabia, which has been leading a campaign of air strikes against the Iran-backed rebels since late March.

“There was very little resistance and the Huthis managed to seize the city and the local government complex,” said Mubarak al-Abbadi, a fighter with the Popular Resistance local militia.

Local armed groups known as Popular Resistance units have been formed in several provinces of Yemen to fight the rebels alongside forces loyal to exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

Residents said that the rebels took advantage of disputes between armed tribes that were protecting the city. The rebel-controlled Saba news agency also confirmed the seizure of the al-Hazm. The rebels, allied with troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, overran the capital Sanaa in September and have since taken control of large parts of the country.

The delegation of the exiled government flew to Geneva on Saturday, but representatives of the rebels and Saleh have yet to travel to the Swiss city. Representatives of the Huthis and Saleh’s General People’s Congress refused to board a UN plane from Sanaa to Geneva on Saturday because it was scheduled to stop in Jizan in Saudi Arabia, a Huthi official told AFP.

Nine arrested over explosives in HK
Hong Kong police said on Monday, Jun 15 they had arrested nine people involved in making explosives with at least one claiming to belong to a “radical group”, days ahead of a vote on a controversial political reform package. Police would not name the group or specify motives but said that maps of central districts of Hong Kong had been found and warned anyone taking part in public gatherings to stay away from “violent protesters”.

It comes as a series of rallies take place before the vote expected on Friday in Hong Kong’s legislature on a divisive roadmap for the city’s electoral system, which led to mass protests at the end of last year.

“The operation… resulted in the arrest of nine Hong Kong citizens for offence of conspiracy to manufacture explosives,” Au Chin-chau, superintendent of the organised crime and triad bureau, told reporters. “During police inquiries someone claimed to be a member of a local radical organisation,” said Au. Au would not clarify how many of the group belonged to the organisation, but said “not all”. He described the group as a “local syndicate involved in manufacturing explosives”.

The South China Morning Post and the Oriental Daily had earlier said those arrested were activists from pro-democracy “localist” groups, which have come into the spotlight in recent months. Such groups are frustrated with the lack of progress on electoral reform and have argued that Hong Kong should distance itself from Beijing to forge its own political future. Five men and four women were arrested aged 21 to 34 years old.

Children thrown into fire in South Sudan: UN
Warring forces in South Sudan have carried out horrific crimes against children, including castration, rape and tying them together before slitting their throats, the UN has said.

“Survivors report that boys have been castrated and left to bleed to death… girls as young as eight have been gang raped and murdered,” UN children’s agency chief Anthony Lake said in a statement released earlier this week. Children have been tied together before their attackers slit their throats… others have been thrown into burning buildings.”

Tens of thousands are believed to have been killed in the 18-month war, although there is no clear toll. At least 129 children were killed in May in the northern state of Unity, scene of some of heaviest fighting in the civil war, Unicef added.

Civil war began in December 2013 when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of planning a coup, setting off a cycle of retaliatory killings across the country that has split the poverty-stricken, landlocked country along ethnic lines. It has been characterised by ethnic massacres, rape and the use of child soldiers.

Tunisia shuts Libyan consulate
Tunisia said on Friday, Jun 19 it was shutting its consulate in conflict-hit Libya as 10 staffers abducted by an armed militia in Tripoli were heading home after a week in captivity.

The staff was seized when the gunmen burst into the consulate in the Libyan capital, in the latest attack targeting foreign citizens and diplomatic missions in the lawless nation.

Deadly car bomb, air strikes hit Yemen as talks fail
A car bomb near a mosque in Yemen’s capital on Saturday, June 20 killed two people, as Saudi-led warplanes bombarded second city Aden, after peace talks in Geneva ended without agreement. The explosion in Sanaa, controlled by Iran-backed Huthi rebels, went off outside the Kobbat al-Mehdi mosque as Muslims emerged from midday prayers, witnesses and security sources said.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, SITE Intelligence Group reported, the latest in a series that has targeted Sanaa, which the Huthi rebels seized in September.

Saturday’s car attack came hours after Saudi-led warplanes launched 15 strikes against Huthi targets in the port city of Aden.

A pro-government military source said the dawn strikes pounded the northern, eastern and western approaches to Aden, to isolate the Huthis and support forces loyal to Hadi. They have been locked in fierce fighting against the Huthis in Aden, which has been devastated by Saudi-led strikes launched in March in support of Hadi.

‘Three Shebab militants killed’ in attack on Somali intelligence base
Shebab militants launched a major suicide attack on Sunday, Jun 21 against a military intelligence and training base in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, setting off a car bomb before storming inside, security officials said. The interior ministry said the three attackers, one of them a suicide bomber, were all killed in the raid, and that the Somali security forces who fought them suffered no casualties.

A spokesman for the al-Qaeda-affiliated militants confirmed they carried out the attack, Somali media reports said.

Somali officials also displayed three corpses after the attack, which came at the start of Islam’s holy fasting month of Ramazan — a period when the Shebab, who are fighting to topple the Mogadishu government, have in the past intensified attacks.

Current Threat Levels

City/Region	Threat	Level
Islamabad	Level 2	**
Karachi	Level 2	**
Lahore	Level 2	**
Punjab	Level 2	**
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Level 3	***
Peshawar	Level 2	**
Quetta	Level 2	**
Upper Balochistan	Level 3	***
Lower Balochistan	Level 2	**
Upper/ Rural Sindh	Level 2	**
Gilgit and Northern areas	Level 3	***
Tribal areas, close to Afghan border	Level 3	***

Index to Threat Level References
Threat Level 1 *
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, especially if traveling.

Threat Level 3 ***
Indicates that law and order situation is cause for concern and travel should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Foreigners should rehearse plans for evacuation.

Threat Level 4 ****
Indicates complete breakdown of civil administration and law and order leading to possible anarchy. All foreigners to remain indoors and confined to their own city. Families and staff not required to be evacuated retaining only a skeleton staff.

Threat Level 5 *****
Indicates complete breakdown of law and order, enemy action/hostilities, invasion/ occupation by enemy.