Special Emphasis on Terrorism (Feb-2016)

Terrorist Activities in Pakistan
Suicide bombings

26 persons killed in suicide attack on NADRA office in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
At least 26 people were killed and 50 others injured as a suicide bomber exploded himself near a National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) office located on the link road in Mardan town of same District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on December 29, reports Daily Times. The explosion ripped through the front entrance of the regional branch of NADRA. The blast took place at a time when the office was crowded with people lining up to make applications for Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs). “At least 26 people have been killed and more than 50 injured,” said Provincial Information Minister Mushtaq Ghani. “[The] condition of 11 of them is still critical,” he added. Deputy Inspector General Mardan Division Saeed Wazir said the blast was a suicide attack carried out by a bomber. He added that a security guard posted at the office stopped the bomber at the gate, after which he detonated his suicide vest. The suicide attacker was on a motorbike and rammed it into the gate after being denied entry, he said.

Meanwhile, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) claimed the responsibility for the attack via an email sent to media by their ‘spokesman’, Ehsanullah Ehsan. However, TTP ‘central spokesman’ Mohammad Khorasani in a statement distanced his group from the Mardan attack, saying, “We have nothing to do with blasts at public places”.

At least 15 people, among them 13 Police personnel, a Frontier Corps (FC) soldier and a civilian, were killed while 25 others were injured when suicide bomber blew himself up near a Government health centre in Satellite Town area of Quetta on January 13, reports Dawn. Earlier, it was reported that 14 persons were killed in the attack. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Jaish-ul-Islam (JuI) claimed responsibility for the attack. TTP spokesman Muhammad Khurasani sent an email to journalists, claiming responsibility of the suicide attack. But Azam Tariq, a spokesman for the JuI, made a similar claim and said the attack had been carried out by his group to avenge the act of torturing the people in custody.

Twelve persons, including a journalist, were killed while 39 others sustained injuries on January 19 when a suicide bomber targeted the tribal Khasadar force in the Karkhano Market of Khyber Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), reports The News. The incident occurred hardly 30 metres from the Karkhano checkpost, the entry-point to Peshawar from Khyber Agency. The security sources said the bomber parked his motorbike and walked towards the Line Officer Nawab Shah of the Khasadar Force and his Khasadar Force and his guards and detonated his explosives vest. A child was also among the dead. Meanwhile, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack.

Bomb/IED blasts
Security Forces (SFs) on January 17 foiled a major terror bid on a roadside in Sui tehsil(revenue unit) of Dera Bugti District, defusing an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) weighing around 17 kilogram, reports Dawn. Khan Wasey, spokesman for the Frontier Corps said, “Miscreants wanted to target security forces through the IED.”

Four constables were injured when suspected militants lobbed a hand-grenade into a Police van on the Swabi-Mardan Road in Dagai area of Swabi District on January 16, reports Dawn. The injured constables were identified as Arshad Ali, Imtiaz Ahmad, Aftab and Mohammad Ishaq.

Six Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were killed and one was injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast near FC’s Margat Checkpoint in Quetta on January 18, reports Daily Times. No outfit claimed responsibility for the attack.

Two Coast Guard personnel were killed and three others were wounded when their vehicle hit a landmine in Kaldan area of Jewni tehsil (revenue unit) in Gwadar District on January 9, reports Dawn.

The shop owner of an officially sanctioned wine shop, identified as Moti Ram, was injured when unidentified militants lobbed a hand grenade at the shop located on Muneer Mengal Road in Quetta on January 11.

An employee of ARY TV channel was injured when unidentified militants hurled hand grenades and opened indiscriminate fire at the office in Islamabad on January 13, reports The News. The attackers, before fleeing from the scene, left pamphlets which said Daesh (also known as Islamic State/IS) claims responsibility for the attack.

Targetted Killings
A man, identified as Sher Muhammad was shot at and injured in a firing incidents near Vita Chowrangi in Korangi Town in Karachi on December 27, reports Daily Times.

An unidentified bullet-riddled dead body was found in Gomazi cross area of Kech District in Balochistan on December 27, reports Dawn.

Two Policemen were killed when unidentified armed assailants opened fire at a Police check post in Bibi Nanai area of Sariab Road in Quetta on January 4, reports Dawn. “Armed assailants opened fire at Sariab road,” said a police official.

Three bullet-riddled dead bodies were recovered from Gorkop area of Kech District on January 17, reports Dawn. The dead bodies were identified as those of Noshad alias Nodo, Abdul Ghani and Maqsood. “All victims received multiple bullet wounds,” Levies sources said.

A brother of a local leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), identified as Mir Ishtiaq Baloch alias Mulla Pappu was shot dead on Ahmed Shah Bukhari Road in Baghdadi area of Lyari Town in Karachi ahead of a planned ‘peace rally’ on January 17, reports Dawn. A passerby was also shot at and wounded in the attack. The victim had also contested the recent local government election on a Union Council chairman seat in Lyari. “It appeared to be a targeted killing incident,” said City Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Fida Hussain. Baghdadi Station House Officer (SHO) Rao Dilshad said that the victim was the younger brother of PML-N leader Mir Ashfaq Baloch.

Separately, a man, identified as Shan was shot dead outside his residence near Old Golimar area of Lyari Town on January 17, reports The News.

A man, identified as Umair Khan (25), was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants in Qasba Colony of SITE Town in Karachi on January 10, reports The News.

A labourer was killed when unidentified militants opened fire at a Frontier Works Organization (FWO) Camp in Hoshap area of Turbat District on January 12, reports Dawn.

Four persons were killed and many were wounded in separate incidents of firing in different parts of Karachi on January 15, reports Daily Times. The firing incidents took place in Korangi crossing and Qasba Colony resulting in death of three persons. Another three men were shot and injured in Lyari, Mauripur and Shershah.

Three bullet-riddled dead bodies were recovered from Gorkop area of Kech District on January 17, reports Dawn. The dead bodies were identified as those of Noshad alias Nodo, Abdul Ghani and Maqsood. “All victims received multiple bullet wounds,” Levies sources said.

Four constables were injured when suspected militants lobbed a hand-grenade into a Police van on the Swabi-Mardan Road in Dagai area of Swabi District on January 16, reports Dawn. The injured constables were identified as Arshad Ali, Imtiaz Ahmad, Aftab and Mohammad Ishaq.

Unidentified militants shot dead personnel of Police Elite Force Unit in Rasheed Ghari area of Peshawar on January 22, reports Daily Times. Superintendent of Police (SP) Imtiaz said that Elite Force Policemen Shahzeb and Ihsanullah were riding a motorcycle en route their office when unidentified militants opened fire. The SP said that both the victims were well trained in the use of security scanners. The motorcycle-riding assailants escaped from the attack site.

Three people, identified as Asghar, Majeed and Sher Agha, were shot at and injured by unidentified armed assailants near Kalapul area of Lyari Town in Karachi on January 24, reports Daily Times.

Separately, another man, identified as Muhammad Faisal was shot at and injured near Fawara Chowk in Garden area of Saddar Town on January 24, reports Daily Times.

Miscellaneous
Two suspects, identified as Danish and Baloch, were killed in a retaliatory fire during a Police raided on a hideout at Jinnah Square in Malir Town of Karachi on December 27, reports Daily Times. The police said that the suspects were killed during. Authorities wanted them for extortion and robbery, among the other dreadful crimes they committed.

Separately, the Mominabad Police on December 27 shot dead Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan-Swat Chapter militant, Naqeebar Khan (27) son of Abdul Haq, in an encounter in Orangi Town on December 27, reports The News. The suspect, as per Mominabad Station House Officer (SHO) Sadi Khan Khattak, was involved in bombings and murders of 18 people including Policemen and Frontier Constabulary personnel. The SHO added that Naqeebar was also involved in extortion activities to generate funds for the terror group.

Unidentified armed assailants attacked the driver and took away the Geo News van from North Nazimabad Town in Karachi on December 28, reports The News.

At least four suspected militants were killed in military air strikes in the Rajgal areas of Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency on December 29, reports Daily Times. Six other militants were injured in the air strikes, the source added.

An engineer, Mohammad Shoaib, associated with a survey team working on a dam was killed and two others were injured when unidentified assailants opened fire in Ormara area of Gwadar District in Balochistan on December 31, reports Dawn. Official sources said that a team headed by Engineer Mohammad Shoaib came under fire while they were busy surveying the area for the construction of Basool Kour Dam. Mr. Shoaib died on the spot and his colleagues Muhammad Arif and Nabi Bakhsh suffered injuries.

The main accused in the May 13, 2105, Safoora carnage, identified as Umer Kathio, was arrested in joint raid conducted by Police and Rangers on January 3, reports The News. The raid was conducted on a lead from Saad Aziz, another accused who has been in Police custody. According to sources, Umer Kathio had formed a network of terrorists in 2011. His task was to facilitate the terrorists of the al Qaeda. The sources further said the he later joined the Islamic State (IS/ also known as Daesh) while his wife runs a network of Daesh in Sindh.

A special unit of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police on January 4 foiled a terror plan by arresting six suspected militants in an intelligence-based operation in Bannu District, reports Dawn. Based on prior intelligence, special Police unit Bannu raided an under-construction house in Pir Dil Khel Sorani area of Bannu where the armed militants were busy in terror-planning. The arrested militants were named as Shamsur Rehman, Abidullah, Anwar Kamal, Safdar Iqbal, Mansoor and Qudratullah.

A five kilogram of bomb with 2.5 kilogram of ball bearings and two gallons petrol along with a remote control device was found under the stairs of the Samsani overhead bridge on Canal Road in Lahore on January 4, sometime after Federal Minister of Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan drove through the area, reports Dawn. Sadar Division Superintendent of Police (SP) Haroon-ur Rasheed said that the bomb had been placed to harm the Interior Minister who crossed the bridge on his way to Islamabad.

Special Police Unit foiled a terror bid and arrested three alleged terrorists having ties with a banned outfit during a raid at a hideout [of terrorists] on Muddi Road near Shaheedabad area of Dera Ismail Khan District on January 5. However, the name of the banned organisation has not yet been disclosed. Three kilograms of explosive along with two hand grenades, 25 feet Primacord, wire and 12 volts battery were also recovered from their possession. Those arrested were identified as Khawaja Mohammad, Sakhawat Khan and Asfandyar.

Five Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants were killed in an exchange of fire during Police encounter at a graveyard in Machar Colony area of Gadap Town in Karachi on January 6, reports Dawn. Two of the attackers were identified as Naeem and Hafeezullah, while identities of the other have not ascertained thus far. Police also claimed to have recovered 2.5 kilograms of explosive material and other arms and ammunition from the hideout.

Separately, four TTP militants, identified as Hanif alias ‘Nadeem Kala’, Ashraf Ali alias ‘Bhaloo’, Rehmat Shah and Zahid Hussain, were arrested during a Police operation in Defence Housing Authority-Phase 1 neighbourhood on January 6, reports Dawn. Karachi-South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Dr Jamil Ahmed said that the Police recovered a shopping bag containing ball bearings, suicide jackets and four kilograms of explosive material. They also recovered bomb-making material and four pistols from their possession.

Meanwhile, Sindh Rangers and Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) claimed to have arrested a close aide of slain TTP leader, Baitullah Mehsud, in a joint raid carried out in Kotri area of Jamshoro District on January 6, reports The News. Additional Inspector General (AIG) CTD Sanaullah Abbasi said the terrorist identified as Meherban, son of Badshah Khan, was a close confidante of Mehsud and was placed in the Red-Book.

At least five suspected militants were killed in a United States (US) drone strike carried out in Mangroti area in North Waziristan Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 9, reports Dawn. This was the second US drone strike of the day in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region.

On a tip-off, Police conducted a raid at the Kalakot area in Lyari Town of Karachi and arrested two alleged target killers whose identity was not disclosed, reports The News on January 9. The Police also claimed to have recovered weapons from their possession.

Special Police unit on January 12 arrested an Afghan terrorist, Hamidullah alias Hamzaullah, involved in the attack on Pishtakhara Police Station van in Academy town on September 11, 2015, during a raid at Board bazaar bus stop in Peshawar, reports The News. Police constable Ajmal Khan was killed, while ASI Jamal Shah, head constable Tahir and constable Shehzad had received injuries.

Security Forces (SFs) claimed to have killed at least three militants during a search operation in Sami and Tabjan areas of Kech District on January 14, reports Dawn. A spokesman for the Frontier Corps (FC) Khan Waey said that the militants were allegedly involved in attacks at the Frontier Works Organization (FWO). Weapons and ammunition were also seized by the SFs.

Assistant Sub-Inspector, Mohammed Akram, along with his eight accomplices, was arrested for their alleged involvement in kidnappings-for-ransom, during a raid in Gharibabad area of Malir Town of Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh on January 13, reports Dawn. The officials added that the gang had been active for the past one month. They used to kidnap people by posing themselves as officers of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Police, said Karachi-West Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Feroze Shah. The paramilitary force also seized the police van used for kidnapping people, he added.

At least 79 militants, including three commanders, given up their armed struggle against the state after a successful operation carried out by Security Forces in Miranshah of North Waziristan Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 15, reports Daily Times.

Police on January 16 arrested a terrorist along with explosive and ammunitions in Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, reports Daily Times. On a tip-off, Police conducted a raid at a hideout in Tarnab Chowk Charsadda and arrested the suspected terrorist identified as Yarmat Shah who hailed from Khyber Agency. Police said that the terrorist was a commander of a banned terrorist outfit. The suspect was shifted to undisclosed location for further investigation.

The Rangers, after being tipped off about the presence of terrorists at Super Highway and Northern Bypass areas of Karachi on January 19, conducted a raid at a hideout and in the ensuing shootout shot at and injured three terrorists who later succumbed to their injuries, reports The News. They were identified as Shamsher Khan, Ataullah alias Daud Pathan and Zaheer alias Zafeer Pathan. Ranger’s spokesperson said that the terrorists were members of a banned outfit and involved in target killing, extortion, rape, robbery, and kidnapping-for-ransom cases. The terrorists had killed Policemen and were also involved in bomb attacks on Rangers. The Rangers recovered weapons from the hideout.

Separately, two gangsters of the Baba Ladla (Rauf Nazim) group, identified as Adil alias Rind alias Salman and Moeed, were shot dead in an encounter in Gul Muhammad Lane of Lyari Town on January 19, reports The News. A Rangers soldier also suffered injuries. The two gangsters were. The spokespersons said the two men were involved in many murder, kidnapping-for-ransom and extortion cases. Weapons and ammunition were found at their hideout.

At least five Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) militants, including ‘commander’ Suhbat Baloch, were killed during a raid in BLA hideout in Chapar area of Barkhan District on January 20. Three BLA militants were arrested. “The arrested persons have been shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation,” FC spokesman said. Two persons kidnapped six months ago were also recovered from the hideout where Light Machine Guns, AK-47 assault rifles and anti-Pakistan seditious material were also found.

Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti on January 22 narrowly escaped an attempt on his life when his convoy hit a roadside bomb in Baker tehsil (revenue unit) of Dera Bugti District, reports Daily Times. The Minister Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti was on an official visit to his hometown in Baker tehsil. However, no casualties were reported in the blast. It exploded moments after Bugti’s vehicle crossed the site. One vehicle in the convoy was partially damaged as a result of the blast. No group has so far claimed responsibility.

At least six militants were killed while a soldier embraced martyrdom and two other injured during a search operation in Mashkey area of Awaran District in Balochistan on January 22, reports Daily Times.

Police January 22 killed three al Qaeda terrorists in a shootout in Azam Chowk in Layyah District thwarting a major terror attack. According to a Counter-Terrorism Department spokesman, “a team of Police personnel on January 22 night raided a house in Azam Chowk. The terrorists present in the house opened fire. The police returned the fire killing three terrorists.” “Three of their accomplices, however, managed to escape,” he said, adding that a huge quantity of explosives was recovered from the house.

At least 17 terrorists were killed in aerial raids conducted by the Security Forces (SFs) in Shawal and Dattakhel areas of North Waziristan Agency in North Waziristan Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 24, reports The News.

According to the Federal Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control report issued on January 24, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested 64 suspects in parts of the country under the National Action Plan for allegedly providing financial assistance to terrorists, reports Dawn. The province-wise details stated that 41 such cases were reported in Punjab with 57 people involved. 51 arrests have been made so far in the province.

In Sindh, five people were arrested for their alleged involvement in facilitating terrorists by providing them financial assistance and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa four cases were reported to the CTD in which eight suspects were arrested. Some cases were registered in Diamer District of Gilgit Baltistan and 28 suspects were arrested for allegedly providing shelter and meal to terrorists.

PAKISTAN

HRCP concerned over extra judicial killings in Karachi
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) chairperson Zohra Yusuf on December 27 raised concerns over a rise in extrajudicial killings and lack of transparency in the way the paramilitary force operates, reports Dawn. She said there had been a clear decrease in targeted killings, extortion and kidnapping-for-ransom in Karachi, but sectarian killings persisted. She further said that the HRCP was worried over the rise in extrajudicial killings and lack of transparency about the number of people picked up or later let off. “When the operation began two years back, there were talks about constituting a monitoring committee, which will keep a check on the workings of the paramilitary forces and to ensure that no innocent person is arrested. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement suggested the name of Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid for the committee but nothing has happened yet,” Yusuf said.

Meanwhile, according to Karachi Police’s statistics, there was a marked improvement in the law and order situation in Karachi in the year 2015 primarily because of the intensified efforts of Police and Rangers in the crackdown against criminals, but nevertheless street crimes continued to surge in the city and there were some major terrorist attacks too, reports The News. The statistics show a decline in all categories of crimes, the only exception being the cases of cell phone snatching.

There was a remarkable decrease in target killing cases in 2015. 863 people were murdered in comparison with 1,823 the previous year. Besides, 81 Policemen, seven Rangers and two Military Police personnel fell in the line of duty in 2015. Of the policemen killed in 2015, 64 were targeted in drive-by shootings, three in blasts, nine in encounters with terrorists, two over personal enmity and two while resisting robberies.

8 IS suspects arrested in Punjab
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on December 28 claimed that it had busted a cell of the Islamic State (IS/ also known as Daesh) operating in Sialkot District, and arrested eight suspects, also seizing weapons, explosives and laptops, as well as a large number of compact discs containing publicity material from their possession, reports Dawn. Investigators claimed that the suspects had taken an oath to “overthrow democracy and introduce Khilafat (Caliphate) in Pakistan through armed struggle”. The suspects arrested by CTD belong to different Districts of Punjab, but Sialkot served as the base of their operations. They had already established infrastructure in the district to carry out operations across the country.

It was, however, not clear when did the CTD bust the cell. Three of the suspects have received “militant training”, according to documents detailing their interrogation. The operation, the first of its kind in the country, enabled the CTD to break the network and infrastructure of the group anywhere in Pakistan. The CTD has already shifted the suspects to an unspecified “highly secure place”. Interrogations show that the suspects were trying to extend their network to other parts of Punjab through recruitment.

696 suspects killed in encounters in Karachi in 2015, says official figures
According to the data released by the Karachi Police on December 28, Police and Rangers killed 696 suspects in different encounters in Karachi during 2015 and the collective number of their personnel who fell in the line of duty during the same period is 95, reports Dawn. A total of 1,577 encounters took place during 2015 and 544 suspected militants, gangsters, criminals, were killed. The number of Policemen who lost their lives in armed attacks so far is 83, while 89 were wounded in the outgoing year. It further said that the number of people killed in targeted attacks during 2015 was 986. In 2014, a total of 1,925 people lost their lives in targeted attacks.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Rangers Sindh claimed to have arrested at least 4,074 suspected criminals during a total number of 2,410 raids and operations conducted during the year 2015. According to Rangers spokesperson, out of the 4,074 arrested, 2,198 were formally handed over to Police for persecution. “Those handed over to Police included 887 terrorists, 268 target killers, 97 extortionists and 49 kidnappers,” said the statement issued by Rangers. 19, 2944 rounds of ammunition of different caliber was also recovered.

34.22 percent decline in terror trends across country, reveals official data
According to analysis of official data revealed on December 28, the country faced 34.22 percent reduction in the incidents of terrorism and fatalities this year as compared to 2014, reports The News. During the year 2015, as much as 3,615 fatalities were reported in the incidents of terrorism as compared to last year’s 5,496 fatalities. “The base camps and other facilities to the terrorist networks operating in the North Waziristan as well as in other parts of the country have been destroyed during the military offensive Zarb-e-Azb and it played a decisive role in maintaining peace in Pakistan. However, despite the military offensive, the sleeper cells of these militant organisations rarely succeeded to carry out terrorism in the country,” Senator General (retired) Salahuddin Tirmizi said.

The analysis of official data suggests that the military offensive brought significant improvement in law and order situation and an apparent reduction of 50.81 percent came in the civilian casualties. During the current year from January 01 to December 15, total 905 civilians lost their lives in the incidents of terrorism whereas during the same period last year 1,781 died of terrorism.

Meanwhile, the Federal Minister of Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan while chairing a meeting to review progress on National Action Plan (NAP) on December 28 said that the implementation of NAP will continue with full force and enthusiasm, reports Daily Times. He said that the NAP didn’t belong to an individual, a political party or a government institution but it is the voice of the whole nation.

28 journalists killed in Pakistan in 2015
The Journalist Protect Committee (JPC) in its annual report stated that at least 28 were killed and 23 injured while performing their professional duties in 2015 in Pakistan, reports The News on December 30. Fifty-one cases were lodged and only three killers have been held so far. The report further said that six journalists were killed in Karachi, five in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), four in Balochistan while remaining journalists were killed in various parts of Pakistan in different incidents.

Pakistan and India cant live as enemies, says Nawaz Sharif
Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif on December 30 invited India to hold dialogue with Pakistan on all issues, saying the two countries cannot live as enemies, reports Dawn. “Pakistan and India will have to resolve all issues amicably and in a comprehensive way,” he said while addressing a foundation stone-laying ceremony for the western route of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project at Zhob in Balochistan. The route will cover Zhob-Mughal Kot (N-50) and Qila Saifullah-Wagum (N-70). The PM said National Security Adviser Nasser Janjua had held meetings with Indian officials to discuss issues and conflicts between the two countries. He said that during Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Islamabad it had been decided that the two countries would restart dialogue on all issues. “Pakistan and India will have to create a friendly environment to resolve their issues,” he said, adding that all disputes and conflicts anywhere in the world were resolved through talks.

20 people from Lahore go to Syria to join Islamic State
A civilian intelligence agency has reported that around 20 men, women and children connected with Bushra’s network who had left for Islamic State (IS) raising alarms about Lahore as a launching pad of Daesh, report The News on December 31. Bushra is the female principal of a Lahore-based Islamic center who had left home along with her four children in the morning of September 12, 2015, telling her husband, Khalid, that she was going to Kasur District, but never returned. A week later, Khalid received a call from his wife who was in Quetta. She told him that she was on her way to Syria through Iran for joining Daesh along with the kids. The eldest among them is 15-year-old and the youngest is nine years old. Bushra, now in IS, is preaching to the like-minded women through video-links. Khalid who remained affiliated with Jama’at-ud-Dawa (JuD) shared with interrogators the messages received from her wife urging him to join them for jihad.

Incidentally, two other ladies went missing the same day along with their children from Lahore. One of them was the sister of an anchor who reported her disappearance to Police after failing to search them through personal connections. The Government is in a state of denial about Daesh’s presence but the efforts are in progress on ground with some major breakthroughs have been achieved which are being kept unannounced though.

Pakistan based groups to face action if role proved, PM Nawaz
Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif on January 5 assured his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi that Islamabad would not hesitate to take “prompt and decisive action” if the involvement of Pakistan-based elements in the attack on an Indian airbase in Pathankot was proved beyond doubt, reports Dawn. “PM Nawaz Sharif assured PM Modi that his Government would take prompt and decisive action against the terrorists,” the Indian Prime Minister’s office said in a press statement after Sharif called Modi from Colombo. “Our (Pakistan) government is working on the leads and information provided by the Indian government. We would like to investigate the matter,” PM Sharif said.

1079 people killed in terrorist attacks in 2015, says PIPS Annual Report
The number of deaths in terrorist attacks declined by 48 percent in 2015 compared to 2014, said an annual report issued by Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS), reports The News on January 6. According to the report, 625 terrorist attacks were witnessed in the country in which at least 1,069 people lost their lives, while 1,443 people sustained injuries. The report said deaths in sectarian violence in 2015 surged by 7 percent with 272 people killed as compared to 225 such killings in year 2014. A total f 630 civilians, 318 personnel of security and law enforcement agencies and 121 militants were killed in year 2015, the report added.

State Bank of Pakistan freezes bank accounts of PKR one billion over terror-funding charges
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has frozen bank accounts of over PKR one billion as they were allegedly being used for financing terrorism, The News reported on January 7. This was disclosed by Governor SBP, Ashraf Wathra and his team at a press conference on January 6. Wathra said 121 bank accounts of more than PKR one billion were frozen over evidence of being used for funding terrorist activities in the light of a resolution of United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

In order to choke the funding of terrorists, he stressed the need for making the National Counter-terrorism Authority (NACTA) functional besides enhancement of cooperation between federation and provinces. He said effective measures were being adopted for putting tabs of transfer of money through ‘Hundi’. The SBP Governor further said that about 20 to 30 percent imports were taking place without the letter of credit (LC). “We are binding such importers to identify their sources of funding,” he added.

Sindh mosques to have uniform Friday sermons
The Sindh Government on January 18 announced that it would issue uniform Friday sermons to mosques to curb extremism and promote sectarian harmony in the province, reports The News. Abdul Qayyum Soomro, the Adviser to the Sindh Chief Minister on Religious Affairs, said that the Government would issue Friday sermons to mosques across the Province. “One of our key objectives is to promote sectarian harmony,” Soomro said. “The Sindh Government has been planning to legislate it and a bill on the issue will soon be presented in the Provincial Assembly,” he added.

However, religious leaders belonging to different schools of thought said the government’s decision was impractical. Mufti Muhammad Naeem, the principal of the Jamia Binoria International, a key Deobandi seminary in Karachi, wondered how the decision would work. He said that Government had not taken religious leaders into confidence while making the decision. “These are only suggestions without practical steps which are not enough to curb sectarianism and will only create more confusion among the masses,“ Naeem said, adding, “We don’t know how the government will enforce it. It hasn’t explained it yet.”

US responsible for instability in the region, says Adviser to the PM on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on January 18 told the Upper House of Parliament that the United States (US) policies were responsible for instability in South Asia and urged the Obama administration to analyse its role and that of its allies in the region, reports Daily Times. Winding up discussion on an adjournment motion moved by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed about US President Barack Obama’s remarks that instability will continue for decades in Pakistan, Aziz said: “Pakistan’s answer to instability is the strengthening democracy in the country.” He said that “the US created ‘holy warriors’ in our tribal areas during Afghan Jihad and then left them as soon as the war was over, a factor which contributed to decades of instability in Pakistan and the region.”

About any external threats to the country’s stability, the adviser said that since 2013, Pakistan was pursuing a policy of non-interference and was not taking part in other nations’ wars. “We have decided that we are not going to indulge in fighting other countries’ wars now, and this policy is being pursued vigorously by the government,” Aziz said, adding that “Pakistan has also taken a strong stance against terrorism.

Afghan diplomat’s house attacked in Peshawar
Unidentified militants on January 15 attacked the residence of an Afghan consulate official in cantonment area of Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reports Daily Times. Consulate official Humayun Yousafzai is unhurt. Initial investigation revealed a sub-machine gun was used to fire at the house and 29 bullet casings have been recovered from the site of the attack. Photos from the crime scene show the boundary wall of the house marred with bullets. A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against unidentified individuals and an investigation is under way. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack as yet.

25 persons killed in Bacha Khan University attack
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants stormed the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on January 20, killing at least 21 persons and causing injuries to 35 others, reports The News. Victims included 17 students, two gardeners, a caretaker and a professor, adds BBC. Eyewitnesses said the four attackers broke into the university from the back by using the sugarcane fields as a cover, adds Dawn. They cut the barbed-wire that fenced the university perimeter and then shot dead a security guard. The militants made it to the hostels and other buildings amid thick fog and began killing people randomly. “The police, army personnel and security guards on duty responded promptly to engage the attackers. However, the terrorists kept hiding and hurling grenades while taking advantage of the thick fog,” Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Mardan Range, Mohammad Saeed Wazir, who led the operation said. “Our cops fought bravely to shoot dead all the four attackers one by one. They were wearing suicide jackets but none of them could succeed in blowing himself up,” DIG Police Saeed Wazir maintained.

The mastermind of the December 16, 2014, Army Public School (APS) Peshawar attack, Khalifa Umar Mansoor alias Aurangzeb, of the TTP Geedar faction claimed the attack through a post on his Facebook page, adding that four attackers were sent to the university, reports The News. However, the ‘central spokesperson’ Muhammad Khorasani denied any involvement in the attack. Refuting Khalifa Umar Mansoor’s claims, Khorasani in an email sent to media men said, “The TTP and its amir Maulana Fazlullah have nothing to do with the attack.” “We consider these youth studying in non-military educational institutes as our future, they are Muslims and their protection is our responsibility,” he stated. “Those people who used the name of the Taliban in the attack will be tried in Sharia courts,” the email added.

Meanwhile, Director General (DG) Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Asim Bajwa on January 20 said that there were a total of four terrorists who were contained and killed at the hostel’s stairs and rooftop, reports The News. He said two cell phones which were in terrorists’ use have been seized. He said even after the terrorists were killed, one of the mobile phones was still getting calls from an Afghan SIM. “We are in hold of information, confirming who the terrorists were and where they were operating from,” he said, adding, more clues are being gathered from the seized mobile phones. “We also have information where the instruction to the terrorists was being made,” he said.

NAB IOs, prosecutors to be trained to probe white collar crimes
Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Qamar Zaman Chaudhry approved a new plan for training and capacity building of investigation officers (IOs) and prosecutors to probe white collar crimes. The bureau is also interacting with the Australian Federal Police and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and local training institutes like the Secretariat Training Institute (STI), Pakistan Manpower Institute, National Institute of Banking and Finance, National Police Academy and FIA Academy, Comsats and Pakistan Planning and Management Institution (PPMI) Islamabad for catering the training needs of NAB officers and officials in different areas including white collar crimes.

Chaudhry chaired a meeting at the NAB Headquarters in Islamabad to review training needs and capacity building of NAB officers/officials, especially of NAB investigation officers and prosecutors, and to analyze the training plan for NAB investigation officers/officials (IOs) and prosecutors for the year 2016.

DG Training and Research Division gave a presentation on the training being provided to NAB IOs and prosecutors. He said 11 refresher courses for the IOs and two refresher courses for prosecutors and courses for training of trainers had been planned for the year 2016.

Qamar Zaman Chaudhry said the NAB accorded high priority to the training of its officers/officials and prosecutors. He said training was a continuous process which was an important and serious aspect in the capacity building of NAB IOs, officials and prosecutors. He said training was an instrument through which human capabilities were developed for enhancing practical and productive efforts. The chairman said NAB was committed to eradicate corruption and corrupt practices from the country and bring the guilty to the book according to the law.

A digital forensic lab has been established at the NAB Rawalpindi. The lab has the capacity to have digital forensics, question documents; finger prints analysis so that the IOs and prosecutors may utilize the forensic lab facilities in order to investigate cases within stipulated time period as per SOPs/laws,” he added.

He said 110 incoming IOs were being trained at the Police Training College, Sihala. “The course contents have been designed on modern lines and a standardized syllabus for all investigation officers for their capacity building courses has been formulated to ensure quality and uniformity which will help the NAB in achieving standard application of SOPs/Laws,” he added.

REGIONAL

Bangladesh – Internal Dynamics

Two JMB terrorists killed in Gazipur district
Two Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) terrorists were killed when a Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) team raided an abandoned house in Vogra of Gazipur District on December 27, reports The Daily Star. One RAB member was injured in the raid. Explosives, grenades, a pistol, bullets of the pistol, and books on jihad were recovered from the house.

IS has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack at Chokpara Ahmadiyya Jamaat Mosque in Rajshahi District, says SITE
According to United States (US)-based monitoring group SITE, Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack at Chokpara Ahmadiyya Jamaat Mosque during Juma prayer in Bagmara sub-District of Rajshahi District, reports Jihad Watch on December 27. The monitoring group quoted IS as saying that the bomber detonated an explosive belt at a mosque of the “polytheist Qadiani sect,” a derogatory term for Ahmadi Muslims.

JMB is planning countrywide attacks on March 24, says police
Detective Branch (DB) of Police said that Jama’at-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh is planning countrywide attacks on March 25, reports Dhaka Tribune on December 29. The DB came to know about the plot while interrogating three arrested JMB members following a raid on a bomb-making facility in the Shah Ali Police Station area in Dhaka city. The JMB operatives have stockpiled a huge cache of grenades and other explosives as part of a plan to carry out attacks across the country on March 25.

Police form special counter-terror unit
A 600-men Police unit specialising in technology has been formed under the Dhaka Metropolitan Police to enhance Police capability in combating militancy and terrorism Daily Star reports on December 31. The “Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime” unit has been formed at a time when the country has witnessed a sharp rise in deadly attacks on bloggers, publishers, different Muslim sects, foreigners, and people of other religion, Police sources said.

With militant groups recruiting tech-savvy operatives, the police had been pressing for a special unit. The proposal for the bureau, which was sent to the home ministry in August 2011 from the Police headquarters, remained shelved at the public administration ministry after the home ministry sent it there in September, 2013, officials at the police headquarters said. The government is reluctant to approve the bureau, which was supposed to look into militancy-related crimes across the country, due to objections from some other agencies working on militancy, Police sources said.

GMF cadre killed in Kushtia
Police recovered the severed body and head of a cadre of outlawed Gono Mukti Fouz (GMF) from Sadar sub-District in Kushtia District on January 2, reports The Daily Star. The deceased is Firoj Hossain (40) accused in 14 cases. Police said that intra-party rivals might have killed him.

Campaign to collect signatures of one lakh Muslim clerics in favour of fatwa against terrorism starts in Dhaka city
A campaign to collect signatures of one lakh Muslim clerics in favour of a fatwa against terrorism in the name of Islam started in Dhaka city on January 2, reports The Daily Star. The campaign was launched by Bangladesh Jamiatul Ulama at Jamia Iqra in Khilgaon-Chowdhurypara area. Addressing the meeting Maulana Farid Uddin Masud, chairman of Jamiatul Ulama said “Allah willing, the collection of signatures of one lakh clerics during the anti-terrorism campaign would prove that the ulama of the country were against terrorism.” The fatwa, issued by different religious institutions, declared that Islam has no link to terrorism being committed at home and abroad. More than 500 clerics signed on the inaugural day.

Two JMB leaders killed in Dhaka
Two leaders of Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh have been killed in an encounter with Police at Hazaribagh area in Dhaka city on January 13, reports The Daily Star. The deceased are Abdullah alias Noman (35), ‘National operations commander’ of JMB and Kamal alias Hiran (30), and ‘Dhaka regional commander’ of the outfit. Police recovered two firearms and shards of grenades.

Earlier, Police raided a house at Kamrangirchar area in Dhaka city and arrested three militants of JMB on January 13, reports The Daily Star. Acting on the information of the arrestees, Police conducted a drive in Hazaribagh area. As they were carrying out a search, militants on two motorbikes attacked the Police team, prompting Policemen to open fire. Two of the militants were killed and two others fled.

21 BD Islamists held in Singapore
Singapore, a wealthy multi-ethnic city state, arrested 27 Bangladeshi construction workers who supported Islamist groups including al-Qaeda and Islamic State and deported 26 of them, the government said on Wednesday, Jan 20.

The 27 were arrested in November and December, the home ministry said.

Twenty-six were deported, while the last one was jailed for attempting to leave Singapore illegally after hearing of the arrest of the others, the home ministry said.

Twelve of the 26 have since been jailed in Bangladesh on “terror charges”, Bangladeshi police said.

Khaleda Zia accused of sedition
Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, head of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, was ordered on Jan 25 to appear in court to answer the charge of sedition, a move her supporters said was driven by politics.

The case comes amid rising concerns over the growth of Islamist militancy in the Muslim-majority South Asian nation, which saw a string of deadly attacks on secular writers, minorities and foreigners last year.

The case was filed by a lawyer with the Bangladesh Supreme Court, complaining that remarks Khaleda made last month about the 1971 war of independence were seditious.

India – Internal Dynamics

Cache of Maoist arms and ammunition recovered in Jharkhand
Cache of arms and explosives hidden by the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) were recovered by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel near Tilaya-Dania road of Jhumra hill under Mahuatard Police Station limits in Bokaro District on December 26, reports The Pioneer. The explosives included 3 cylinder bomb of 30 kg, eight cane bombs of 10 kg each, 20 pieces of detonators, one local made pistol and Maoist literature during the operation, said Y.S. Ramesh, Superintendent of Police (SP) Bokaro.

Hyderabad turning in terror groups recruiting hub
Union Minister for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya on December 27 said, “Hyderabad has been lately turning into recruitment capital for these terrorist groups. In order to protect our youth and the city, the Telangana government should start a force, led by a DCP-rank officer, to deal with such elements. The Congress governments in the past had neglected this threat. At least, the present TRS government should take this threat seriously and try to eradicate this problem.”

Bloggers and illegal Bangladeshi migrants in Nagpur under scanner for IS inclinations and other jihadi activities, according to report
A section of local bloggers and frequent social media chatters in Nagpur (Maharashtra) are learnt to be under scanner of the security agencies for spreading radical ideologies of terror outfits like Islamic State (IS) and the likes, The Times of India reports on December 28. Though senior officers are not revealing the exercise, sources said some chatters openly express their intention to join jihad (holy war) in and outside India while interacting in the public forum. There are also groups on the social media who vociferously express their anti-national sentiments. “Evidence is being gathered before swooping down on some suspects. There is a very thin line between ideological discussion and crime of waging war against the state,” said the officer. It is also learnt that security agencies may also start flushing out illegal Bangladeshi immigrants who work as menial labourers at construction sites, bakeries, hotels, eateries, factories and such places. Though mostly they are economic migrants, security agencies feel some among them pose a threat by bringing in Fake Indian Currency Note (FICN) and even some dangerous materials on behalf of the jihadis targeting India.

Maoists kill postmaster in Chhattisgarh
The Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres killed a postmaster – Sujit Modiymi – in Dantewada District on December 29, reports The Hindu. Sujit was found dead near his village Fulfad. He was abducted on December 25 on suspicion of being a “Police informer.” The Maoists also left a handwritten note near the body of the postmaster.

PLFI cadres kill two persons in Jharkhand
Two persons were abducted and killed by People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI) cadres in Khunti District, reports The Business Standard on January 5. They abducted the two from Sondari village under Torpa Police Station limits on the intervening night of January 4 and 5 and shot them dead, said Deputy Superintendent of Police (HQ) Purusotham Singh. According to the villagers the victims had links with PLFI and were suspected to have been killed for snapping ties with it. PLFI is a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist.

Bomb threat to JNIMS director’s residence in Manipur
A lethod shell was found on January 4, at the main entrance gate of a private school in Imphal, reports Nagaland Post. The shell was found at the gate of Elite Senior Secondary School, which is also the entry gate of Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) director Laishram Deben and his wife L Sumitra Devi, who is the chairperson of the school. A Police team retrieved the shell safely. Denouncing the bomb threat to the school, students, teachers and local womenfolk staged a sit-in-protest in front of the school. Placards condemning the bomb threat were displayed during the protest. Maoist Communist Party-Manipur (MCP-M) reportedly claimed responsibility of depositing the shell. They claimed that the bomb threat was a warning to the JNIMS director Laishram Deben over his failure to run the hospital.

Nine injured in IED explosion in Meghalaya
Nine persons were injured, three of them critically, in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast at a wine store in a crowded market at Williamnagar town in East Garo Hills District of Meghalaya on January 9, reports The Assam Tribune. Police suspect the hand of the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) and its ‘area commander’ Ajan Momin alias Jimmy. However, the Achik Matgrik Army (AMA) claimed responsibility for the blast. In a post on social media site Facebook, the AMA Ampati ‘area commander’ John Lesly Sangma stated that the blast was against sale of liquor and cigarettes to minors. “We had given time to stop the sale of alcohol to children until the end of last year. The Warimong Wine Store is not the only one and there are others that will be targeted”, said the online post.

Two Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh
Two Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres, including a woman ‘commander’, were killed in a joint operation of Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra Police in Bijapur District on January 11, reports The Hindu. “Bijapur District Additional Superintendent of Police, Mr. Kalyan Elesela has conveyed over his satellite phone from deep forest of Sendra on Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border that a Local Operating Squad (LOS) commander of the Maoists has been killed and her body has been recovered by the forces along with an INSAS rifle and five magazines. One more dead body of a uniformed Maoist was recovered when the forces were returning to the base camps in Maharashtra,” Bastar Range Inspector General of Police (IGP) S.R.P. Kalluri said in a statement. One of the dead Maoists has been identified as Mangi, the LOS ‘commander’ of national park area committee of the Maoists in West Bastar and she carried a reward of INR 500,000 on her head.

NSLA militant killed in Assam
A hardcore cadre of the National Santhal Liberation Army (NSLA), identified as Ram Kishku alias Ram Hembrom was killed in an encounter with Assam Police near Grahampur under Srirampur Police outpost in Gossaigaon subdivision of Kokrajhar District on January 13, reports The Sentinel. The Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Inspector General of Police (IGP), LR Bishnoi said the Police team recovered one 7.65 mm pistol, four rounds of ammunition and two hand grenades from his possession. He also said the slain cadre was involved in several criminal activities, murder and extortion in the area. Bishnoi said after eliminating Hembrom, the area would be peaceful to a great extent as most of the criminal activities were carried out under his command. He said the total strength of the NSLA was around 40 of which 22 have been arrested in 2015, four were killed in different encounters and the remaining cadres are involved in criminal activities.

CPI-Maoists float another division in Andhra Odisha Border
The Communist Party of India-Maoist have reportedly set up another division in the Andhra Odisha Border (AOB) to regain their hold in the Srikakulam region in Andhra Pradesh, and Gunupur and Gudari forest areas and Rayagada in Odisha, reports The Times of India on January 14. The new division has been christened the Odisha-Srikakulam division, sources claimed.

KLF claim revival
George Kuki, claiming to be the ‘self styled in-charge of publicity and information’ of Kuki Liberation Front (KLF) based somewhere in eastern Karbi Anglong District claimed that the outfit, which was formed in 2008 and remained active until 2010, has been revived, reports Nagaland Post on January 14. KLF remained silent when a faction of the organization formed the United Kukigram Defence Army (UKDA) and laid down arms along with the Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) in 2012 at Guwahati, stated George. He also alleged that the leaders of both Kuki Revolutionary Army-Assam (KRA-A) and UKDA have seized the bank pass books and ATM cards of the surrendered cadres thereby denying them of all Government sponsored benefits. The same leaders have also misused the Government fund given to the cadres for establishing camps, he added. George has also alleged that the over ground Kuki militant leaders instead of protecting the interest of its own community are exploiting the ginger farmers mostly concentrated in Singhason hills. The KLF also claimed that three sophisticated arms have been recovered from the possession of UKDA and KRA-A cadres (one SLR, one M-16 rifle and one AK rifle) recently.

Two persons dead while making crude bombs in West Bengal
On January 21, two people lost their lives in an explosion while they were allegedly making crude bombs at Dubrajpur in Birbhum district of West Bengal, reports Zee News. The incident occurred at Dubrajpur in Birbhum late last night. The Police have recovered a huge quantity of explosives from the site. It is feared that that banned organisations like the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh has spread its network in Howrah, and both North and South 24-Parganas Districts and set up organisational bases in Districts like Murshidabad, Nadia, Bardhaman and Birbhum.

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

	Civilian	Indian Security Personnel	Militant	Total
Assam	02	00	00	02
Bihar	00	00	04	04
Manipur	02	00	03	05
Meghalaya	01	00	02	03
Nagaland	02	00	01	03
Punjab	02	08	04	14
W. Bengal	00	00	02	02
Left wing	10	02	20	32
Total	19	10	36	65

Nepal – Internal Dynamics

CPN-Maoists proclaim autonomous Abadh state incorporating three Districts of Lumbini Zone
Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists (CPN-Maoists) on January 3 proclaimed autonomous Abadh state incorporating the three Districts of Lumbini Zone for the operation of a parallel Government, reports The Himalayan Times. At a proclamation assembly organized in Butwal, Rupandehi, Chand-led Maoists declared Rupandehi, Nawalparasi and Kapilvastu Districts as Abadh autonomous state.

ASI shot dead by cadres of Akhil Tarai Mukti Morcha in Saptari District
Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Ramesh Subba (45) was shot death by cadres of Akhil Tarai Mukti Morcha at Jhutaki Village Development Committee (VDC) in Saptari District on January 4, reports Republica. Jay Krishna Goit, coordinator of Akhil Tarai Mukti Morcha, took the responsibility of the attack. He claimed that his organization resorted to such extreme measures to challenge the state that has been ruling the country with the use of brute force.

Meanwhile, cadres of United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) and National Muslim Struggle Alliance (NMSA) on January 4 picketed the District Administration Office in Rautahat District with the body of Shekh Mairuddhin, who died in the course of treatment in Birgunj town in Parsa District on January 3, reports The Himalayan Times. Mairuddhin had been undergoing treatment at Narayani Sub-regional Hospital in the Birgunj town after seriously injured in a clash with Police during the Madhes agitation in Gaur town on September 13.

Nepal’s constitution talks fail to end protests
Talks between the Nepali government and minority groups to resolve a dispute over a new constitution have fallen apart, opposition leaders said on Tuesday, Jan 19 dashing hopes that protests that have led to crippling fuel shortages will end soon.

More than 50 people have been killed since August in anti-government protests in the Tarai region, a narrow strip of plains that runs along Nepal’s southern border with India.

A resulting slowdown in cross-border truck traffic has plunged the landlocked nation into a fuel crisis that has hampered aid to survivors of last year’s deadly earthquakes and spawned a lucrative black market.

The ethnic Madhesi groups who live in the Tarai say Nepal’s new constitution, its first since the nation abolished its centuries-old monarchy, alienates their members, granting them low representation in parliament and government bodies.

After talks fell apart on Monday night, dozens of Madhesi activists burned tyres on the road in the southern business town of Birgunj, police said, in continuing protest against the charter’s carving the lowland region into federal states dominated by mountain communities.

Nepal blames India, its largest trading partner, for siding with the protesters near its border and invoking an unofficial blockade on trucks crossing from India into Nepal, a charge that India has repeatedly denied.

Three killed in Nepal violence
Three people were killed in southern Nepal on Thursday, Jan 21 when police fired on protesters trying to disrupt a rival group’s political gathering, officials said, amid a deepening crisis over a new constitution.

Nepal has been in turmoil since adopting its first republican constitution last September, with protesters in the lowland south saying the charter deprives them of a fair say in how the country is run.

They have prevented supply trucks from entering from India and choked the landlocked Himalayan nation with a fuel shortage.

Two people were killed at Rangeli, 215-km southeast of Kathmandu, when police fired at ethnic Madhesi activists to stop them from disrupting a gathering organized by the youth wing of Prime Minister K.P. Oli’s political party.

Eight others were also injured in the firing, according to Devi Bahadur Bhandari, assistant district administrator of Morang district.

Sri Lanka – Internal Dynamics

Govt would not act in haste for setting up special court on allegations of violations of human rights in last stages of civil war: President
President Maithripala Sirisena in an interview on January 3 said that Government would not act in haste for setting up a special court on allegations of violations of human rights in the last stages of the civil war, reports Colombo Page. Answering questions on the status of implementation of a resolution adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in October on accountability, Mr. Sirisena, replied “What should be done first was to evaluate what had happened during the war. Only after ascertaining the situation would subsequent steps become necessary. We have not been ordered to do anything. The government would do whatever is necessary. The implementation should be a collective exercise.”

36 Sri Lankans have gone to Syria with some of them having joined ISIS, says Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi
Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi on January 4 said that 36 Sri Lankans have gone to Syria with some of them having joined the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), reports Daily Mirror. He said “Several Sri Lankans with their families including several women and children have been among those who had gone to Syria. They had said they were going on pilgrimage but I believe that some of them had joined the ISIS.”

Norway seeks to renew political contact with Sri Lanka, says report
Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Borge Brende will visit Sri Lanka this week in a bid to re-establish political contact, his office said on January 5, almost 10 years after Oslo failed in a bid to mediate in the island’s civil war, reports Colombo Gazette. Borge Brende’s visit, which begins on January 7, will be the first by a Norwegian minister to Sri Lanka since 2006, the foreign ministry said in a statement. “The aim of the visit to Colombo is to re-establish political contact with Sri Lanka,” Brende said, adding: “The recent political developments in the country in the past year have made this possible.”

In the early 2000s, Norway mediated between the Sri Lankan Government and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), but a 2002 ceasefire didn’t last. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was in power from 2005 to 2015, had questioned Norway’s neutrality and quashed the guerrilla in 2009.

SL’s president pardons Tamil Tiger who plotted to kill him
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena marked his first year in office on Jan 8 by pardoning a Tamil Tiger rebel convicted of plotting to murder him a decade ago. Sivarajah Jeneevan was sentenced last January to 10 years in jail for conspiring to murder Sirisena when he was irrigation minister in 2005.

The president welcomed Jeneevan onto the stage where he was making a speech to mark the anniversary, shaking hands with the former rebel and blessing him by touching him on his head.

Sirisena came to power promising “compassionate rule and stable country”, and has already released a number of hard core rebels from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who fought for secession for more than 25 years until their defeat in 2009 under Sirisena’s predecessor, Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Sirisena’s opponents have, however, accused him of weakening national security with the releases.

Sirisena has also promised to end corruption, rebalance foreign policy by reducing Rajapaksa’s focus on China, and ensure the independence of the judiciary and civil service.

In line with UN recommendations, his government has pledged to establish a credible judicial process involving foreign judges to investigate allegations of war crimes during the bloody climax of the war against the LTTE.

Security forces and intelligence agencies on full alert on possibility of any groups having links with IS or emergence of IS in the country, says Ministry of Defense
Intelligence agencies are on high alert on the possibility of local groups having links with the extremist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), reports Colombo Page on January 17. Sri Lankans joining the ISIS came to light in 2015 when a 37-year-old Muslim known as Abu Shuraih Saylani in the organization was killed in a United States-led coalition airstrike in an unspecified area of Syria on July 12, 2015 while fighting for the ISIS. Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi on January 4 said that 36 Sri Lankans have gone to Syria with some of them having joined the ISIS.

German national accused of raising funds from 2007-2009 for LTTE goes on trial
German national Yogendran G. (53) accused of raising funds from 2007-2009 for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in and around Hamburg City in northern Germany went on trial on January 18, reports Daily Mirror. Prosecutors in the Hamburg court said that the man raised more than 81,000 Euros for combat and terrorist activities including suicide attacks by the LTTE in its campaign for a separate Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka. The accused is a German citizen since 2007. The trial is scheduled to run until March 7.

INTERNATIONAL

Saudi Arabia intercepts ballistic missile
Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a Scud ballistic missile fired from Yemen on Saturday, Dec 26 according to a statement on the Saudi state news agency SPA, an attack which threatens a fragile ceasefire ahead of renewed UN-backed peace talks next month.

“Saudi Air Defence Forces intercepted at about 11 PM (2000 GMT) yesterday a Scud missile launched from Sanaa, in Yemeni territory, towards the city of Najran …the air force immediately destroyed the rocket launch platform,” the Saudi statement said.

Yemen’s state news agency said the target was a Saudi National Guard base.

The attack is the latest of several ballistic missile strikes by Yemeni forces on its northern neighbour, none of which have caused any reported casualties.

A military alliance of mostly Gulf Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia in March began bombing Yemen’s Houthi movement, an ally of Iran, to try to restore the government of president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The conflict has killed nearly 6,000 people and plunged the impoverished country into a humanitarian crisis, but a ceasefire coinciding with United Nations-backed talks began on Dec 15.

Though Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have accused each other of many violations of the ceasefire, it has significantly reduced the fighting and allowed for deliveries of small amounts of aid to the war zones. Yemen’s warring parties agreed to resume talks on Jan14.

Kuwait troops for Saudi Arabia
Kuwait has decided to send troops to its neighbour Saudi Arabia to resist cross-border attacks by the Yemeni Houthi movement, the Kuwaiti daily al-Qabas reported on Tuesday, Dec 29 citing an informed source.

Though a nominal member of a Saudi-led coalition that has bombed the Iran-allied Houthis for nine months, Kuwait has held off sending ground troops to the conflict in which scores of soldiers from neighbours the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have been killed.

Iraq, Syria, France deadliest place for journalists in 2015
The attack on satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo made France the third deadliest country for journalists in 2015, just behind Syria and Iraq, media freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Tuesday, Dec 29.

Sixty-seven journalists were killed globally this year, either targeted because of their work or dying while reporting, Paris-based RSF said in its annual report.

Some 27 citizen (amateur)journalists and seven media workers were also killed.

It meant that this year two-thirds of the reporters who died while working were killed in a country at peace, RSF said – the exact opposite of 2014.Eleven journalists were killed in Iraq and 10 in Syria this year, the two most lethal countries for journalists.

Three IS members held in Turkey
Three suspected Islamic State members, one a Briton and two others, were arrested last week in Istanbul following raids carried out by Turkish security forces, Dogan news agency reported on Tuesday, Dec 29.

The three men were placed under arrest by a Turkish court after being seized in separate raids on Dec 24 and 25, Dogan said, citing police and judicial sources. Another man was released by the court.

None of the men has been named. Last month Turkish authorities picked up another Briton saying he was an associate of Islamic State leader “Jihadi John”, who is thought to have been killed in a coalition air-strike.

Ten IS leaders die
A US-led coalition has killed 10 Islamic State leaders in the past month with targeted air strikes, including individuals linked to last month’s attacks in Paris, a spokesman for the coalition said on Tuesday, Dec 29.

“Over the past month, we’ve killed 10 ISIL leadership figures with targeted air strikes, including several external attack planners, some of whom are linked to the Paris attacks,” said US Army Colonel Steve Warren, a spokesman for the US-led military campaign against Islamic State, also known by the acronym ISIL.

Militia leader killed in Yemen
Gunmen shot and killed a senior Yemeni militia leader and four people travelling in his convoy in the southern city of Aden, residents and militia sources said on Thursday, Dec 31. Assailants in a car and on a motorcycle opened fire on the motorcade of Ahmed al-Idrisi, a top commander in the pro-government Popular Southern Resistance group, while it travelled on a main road in the Mansoura district late on Wednesday.

The attack underscoring security chaos in the city which is the embattled Yemeni government’s temporary capital.

Idrisi’s militia is a main ally of a mostly Gulf Arab coalition which has been bombing the Iran-allied Houthi movement based in the capital, Sanaa, in Yemen’s north. The alliance intervened in the country’s civil war on March 26 in support of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government.

In a separate incident, gunmen abducted the dean of a department at Aden University on Thursday, faculty and eyewitnesses said, two days after armed militants stormed the campus and demanded men and women not mix in classes.

Staff closed the university in a protest against Dr. Saleh Mubarak’s kidnapping and demanded the government do more to improve security, faculty of arts dean Mohammed Abdul Hadi said.

Yemen’s Gulf-backed administration has struggled to impose its writ on southern regions, challenged by al-Qaeda and bombing attacks by a new branch of Islamic State.

Almost 6,000 people have died in the conflict and though southern militias and Gulf ground forces pushed the Houthis out of Aden in July and paved the way for Hadi to return, battle lines across the country have been stalemated for months as a diplomatic resolution remains elusive.

Bahrain sentences man to death for bomb attack
A Bahraini man was sentenced to death on Thursday, Dec 31 for a bomb attack last year that killed a policeman and a civilian in Dimistan village west of the capital Manama, the public prosecution, quoted by state news agency BNA, said. The prosecutor’s office said the High Criminal Court jailed 22 other suspects in the same case for life.

Hand grenade kills two at Ethiopian university
A hand grenade attack killed two students and injured six in a university in southern Ethiopia, police said, the second such attack in the country in three weeks.

An attacker or attackers hurled the grenade at students on the campus at Dilla University in the diverse Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region (SNNPR) on Thursday (Dec 31) evening, officers added.

They did not give any details on any reasons for the attack in an area, about 350 km south of the capital Addis Ababa, where there have not been any recent reports of significant unrest.

“The blast killed two students and wounded six, of which four were seriously injured,” a police official in the town, Ejigu Shiferaw, told the state-run Ethiopian News Agency.

The outlet said an unspecified number of suspects were in police custody, without giving further details. The attack took place 21 days after a bomb was thrown at worshippers in a mosque in Addis Ababa, injuring more than 20 people.

Anti-IS group claims cyber attack on BBC
A group of computer hackers that wants to target Islamic State has claimed it was behind a cyber attack on the BBC which it intended as a test of its own capabilities, according to messages sent to a reporter at the broadcaster on Saturday, Jan 2.

“It was only a test, we didn’t exactly plan to take it down for multiple hours,” the group called New World Hackers said in a message sent to the BBC’s technology correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones, which he posted on Twitter.

“We realise sometimes what we do is not always the right choice, but without cyber hackers …who is there to fight off online terrorists?”

The BBC’s online services, including its news website and iPlayer catch-up TV platform, were taken down for a few hours on Thursday by a large web attack.

Attack on Iraq mly base kills 15
Attacks by five suicide bombers on an Iraqi military base north of Baghdad on Sunday, Jan 3 killed at least 15 members of the security forces and wounded 22 others, security sources said. Two of the bombers detonated their vehicle-borne explosives at the western gate of Camp Speicher, a former US base outside the Sunni city of Tikrit. Three others exploded themselves after entering the section of the base where Iraqi police are being trained, police and military sources in the Salahuddin operations command said.

IS, the militant group controlling swathes of Iraq’s north and west, claimed responsibility for the blasts in a statement distributed by supporters online.

It said it targeted “trainers from the rejectionist army”, a term used by the Sunni insurgents to describe Shias.

Iraq is gripped by a sectarian conflict mostly between Shias and Sunnis that has been exacerbated by the rise of the ultra-hardline Sunni insurgents of Islamic State.

Iran predicts ‘divine vengeance’ after Saudis execute cleric
Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran early on Sunday, Jan 3 and Iran’s top leader predicted “divine vengeance” for Saudi Arabia’s execution of a prominent Shia cleric. Demonstrators protesting against the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr broke into the embassy building, smashed furniture and started fires before being ejected by police.

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani condemned the execution as “inhuman”, but also urged the prosecution of “extremist individuals” for attacking the embassy and the Saudi consulate in the northeastern city of Mashhad, state media reported.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, criticised Saudi Arabia for the second straight day over Nimr’s execution. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had promised “harsh revenge” against the Saudi royal dynasty for the execution of Nimr, considered a terrorist by Riyadh but hailed in Iran as a hero of the rights of Saudi Arabia’s marginalised minority.

Nimr, the most vocal critic of the dynasty among the minority, had come to be seen as a leader of the sect’s younger activists, who had tired of the failure of older, more measured leaders to achieve equality with Sunnis. His execution sparked angry protests in the Qatif region in eastern Saudi Arabia, where demonstrators denounced the ruling Al Saud dynasty, and in the nearby Gulf kingdom of Bahrain.

Relatives of Nimr, reached by telephone, said authorities have informed them that the body had been buried “in a cemetery of Muslims” and would not be handed over to the family.

Although most of the 47 men killed in the kingdom’s biggest mass execution for decades were Sunnis convicted of al-Qaeda attacks in Saudi Arabia a decade ago, it was Nimr and three others, all accused of involvement in shooting police, who attracted most attention in the region and beyond.

IS fighters attack Libyan oil port
Islamic State fighters clashed with security forces near Libya’s Es Sider oil export terminal on Monday, Jan 5 killing two guards and setting an oil storage tank on fire, witnesses and a Petrol Facilities Guard source said.

The source told Reuters that the tank had been hit by a rocket during the fighting, causing a huge fire, and that two Islamic State suicide car bombers had attacked the area around the port after which its fighters had retreated. According to Mohamed al-Manfi, an oil official based in eastern Libya, the tank was holding 420,000 barrels of oil.

Es Sider and nearby Ras Lanuf oil ports, between Sirte and Benghazi, have been shut for a year. Islamic State has taken advantage the security vacuum to grab territory and are threatening to advance from Sirte, which it controls. So far the group has failed to take control of any Libyan oil installations but has done so in Syria.

The group said it had attacked Es Sider after taking the nearby town of Ben Jawad. However, there was no independent confirmation of its capture.

Es Sider is protected by Ibrahim al-Jathran’s Petrol Facilities Guard, which has backed the government based in the city of Bayda in the east, but is also fighting other forces supporting that government. The United Nations has been trying to win support for a deal brokered in Morocco last month to create a national unity government for Libya.

Forces allied to the Bayda government have been battling insurgents based in Benghazi for months.

Curfew imposed in Aden
Yemeni authorities announced a dusk to dawn curfew in Aden starting on Monday, Jan 5 following a night of gun battles between armed men and government forces that killed at least 12 people from both sides, a local government spokesman said.

The government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has been grappling with lawlessness in the southern port since militiamen, backed by a Saudi-led Arab alliance, drove the Iran-allied Houthis out in July.

Nizar Anwar, spokesman for the Aden local government, said the clashes were concentrated around the cargo and container terminals in Aden, which the gunmen had sought to seize from security forces. Eight members of the security forces and four gunmen died in the clashes, Anwar told Reuters, adding that security forces managed to secure both terminals late at night on Sunday.

Hadi toured the cargo terminal in the city’s Mualla district on Monday, port sources said, indicating that the facility was under government control.

Yemen descended into a civil war in March when the Houthis forced Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia after they closed in on Aden, drawing in a Saudi-led coalition into the Yemen conflict. Tensions mounted further this weekend after the Houthis joined Iran in condemning the decision by Saudi Arabia to execute a prominent cleric.

IS using chemical arms
Moscow sees a high probability that Islamic State (IS) is using chemical weapons in Syria, RIA news agency reported on Tuesday, Jan 6 citing Mikhail Ulyanov, the head of the Russian foreign ministry department for non-proliferation and arms control.

Ulyanov also called for an investigation into possible supplies of sarin components from Turkey to Syria, citing evidence recently presented by a Turkish parliamentarian.

Islamic State’s territory shrank by 40 percent from its maximum expansion in Iraq, and by 20 percent in Syria in 2015, as international forces pushed it out of several cities, the US-led coalition fighting it said on Tuesday.

There was no immediate comment from the hardline Islamist group on the estimates from the coalition, made up of countries including Britain, France and Jordan that have been bombing its positions.

“We believe in Iraq it’s about 40 percent. And Syria, harder to get a good number, we think it’s around 20,” coalition spokesman US Army Col. Steve Warren told a press briefing in Baghdad. “Taking together Iraq and Syria they lost 30 percent of the territory they once held,” he said.

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                                                                                  *

No threat to foreigners although there may be isolated incidents involving petty crime. No security precautions are required.

Threat Level 2                                                                                 **

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.