Terrorist Activities in Pakistan
Suicide bombings
At least 72 people were killed and more than 300 injured when a suicide bomb ripped through the parking space in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park situated near Allama Iqbal Town in provincial capital Lahore on March 27 when Christians were celebrating Easter, reports The Express Tribune. Jama’at-ul-Ahrar (JuA, Group of the Free), a breakaway faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack. “We claim responsibility for the attack on Christians as they were celebrating Easter,” a spokesperson said.
The guard of a pro-government Lashkar (tribal militia) leader, Bilal Afridi, was killed when a suicide bomber attacked the hujra (guest house) of Said Jamal in the Kharko Sarhgi area in the Zakhakhel tehsil (revenue unit) of Khyber Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in the night of April 16, reports Dawn.
At least two person, including suicide bomber, was killed and 18 others were injured in a suicide attack in the Mardan Excise and Taxation Department located in Cantonment Area on Mall Road in Mardan District on April 19, reports Dawn. Eyewitnesses saw the attacker walking into the building, the District Police Office (DPO) Faisal Shahzad said, adding that the attacker’s suicide vest contained 8-10 kilograms of explosive material.
Bomb/IED blasts
At least five people were killed and several others injured when a blast occurred inside a vehicle on Kashmir Road in Jani Khel area of Lakki Marwat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on March 31, reports Dawn. District Police Officer (DPO) Lakki Marwat Ali Akbar said the people were travelling from North Waziristan to Lakki Marwat when a blast occurred in their vehicle. “Initial reports suggest that the bomb was planted on the vehicle,” he said. However, the exact nature of the blast is yet to be ascertained.
Two passengers of Quetta-bound Jaffar Express were killed and five others were injured when a bomb hit at a railway track near Mithri area of Sibi District on April 5, reports Dawn. “It was an IED which was detonated by a remote control. The blast blew up a major portion of the track,” Railway Police said.
A Policeman was killed while two others – a civilian and a Police official – were injured in a roadside blast in Badhu Samar Bagh area of Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on April 7, reports The Express Tribune. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Operations, Abbas Majeed Marwat said initial reports revealed a remote detonator had been used to detonate the device. Faqirabad Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Waseem Riaz said two policemen were patrolling the area on foot when the device went off. “A policeman was killed,” he said. “Another policeman [and a civilian] was injured.” he said. Around 500 to 750 grammes of explosives used in attack. The deceased was identified as Saeed, a police constable who hails from Mathra, while the injured civilian was identified as Ihsanullah. Another Policeman sustained minor injuries.
Targetted Killings
An unidentified 22-year-old youth was killed in the firing incident by unidentified armed assailants near Ghareeb Nawaz colony in Golimar area of SITE Town in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh on March 27, reports Daily Times.
Separately, a man, identified as Noor Salim (43), was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants near Philips Company office in SITE Town on March 27, reports Daily Times.
In another incident, an unidentified man was shot dead near Habib Chowrangi in SITE Town on March 27, reports Daily Times.
A polio worker and supervisor in Expanded Program for Immunization (EPI), identified as Akhtar Khan, was shot dead by an unidentified militant in his private clinic in Khuga Khel area of Khyber Agency on March 26, reports Dawn. Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) claimed responsibility for killing the EPI supervisor over telephone from an Afghan mobile number but did not specify as to why an EPI worker was targeted. Later, the Khasadar officials said that they took a local resident into custody after a son of the deceased polio worker told officials that he saw the a man, identified as Hayatullah, entering his father’s clinic and later heard gunshots being fired there. The officials took the suspect in custody for interrogation.
A Shia Special Security Unit (SSU) commando, identified as Zahid Jafri (31), who had been doing security duty at the State Guest House was shot dead in the Karimabad area of Gulberg Town in Karachi on March 29, reports Daily Times. According to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police (West) Feroze Shah, Jafri was deployed at the State Guest House where President Mamnoon Hussain would stay during his visit to Karachi.
Feroze Shah, the personal assistant to Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Mohammad Ateeq, his daughter Tasbiha (8), and a city warden, Abid, were killed in a targeted attack while they were travelling in a van that looked like a Police vehicle near Furniture Market in North Karachi Town on April 4, reports The News.
Unidentified militant shot dead an Internally Displaced Person (IDP), identified as Musa Khan, from North Waziristan Agency in Tanzeem Bazaar within the limits of Basiakhel Police Station in Bannu District on April 5, reports The News.
Another IDP, identified as Dure Kamil, was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants while he was on his way home in Jhandokhel area within the limits of Township Police Station in Bannu District on April 5, reports The News.
Separately, one 19-year old Nadar Khan was shot dead within the limits of Basiakhel Police Station in Bannu District on April 5, reports The News.
Elsewhere in the District, a Policeman, identified as Ali Badshah, was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants while he was on his way to attend his duty near an Imambargah (Shia place of commemoration) in Bannu District on April 5, reports The News.
Three Shias were shot dead in a sectarian attack at the Najaf Imambargah (place of commemoration) in North Karachi Town of Karachi on April 7, reports Dawn. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Central Investigation Arab Mahar said, “The victims were riding a motorbike and were attacked near Shafiq Mor”.
Awami National Party (ANP) local leader Syed Jamshed Ali was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Manglore area of Swat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on April 10, reports Dawn. According to Police, two unidentified men approached Jamshed Ali when he was present at the site of an under-construction school building at Telegram. “One of the attackers met him and the other opened fire, killing him on the spot,” said Manglore Station House Officer Fayaz Khan.
An activist of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was shot dead in a target killing incident while he was sitting at a tea hotel in Sector 8/B of North Karachi Town in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh on April 11, reports The News.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants killed Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Shangla Muhammad Ilyas and injured two police officer’s’ guards in Sabzi Mandi area of Mingora in Swat District on April 12, reports Dawn. TTP spokesperson Muhammad Khorasani claimed responsibility for the attack in an email sent to journalists.
Unidentified armed men on April 23 shot dead National Party leader Mir Ghulam Hussain Sarpara in the Gardigap area of Mastung District in Balochistan Province, reports The News. According to Levies Force, Sarpara was fired at by the attackers riding on a motorcycle at his agriculture land in Gardigap area. The assailants managed to escape from the scene.
Seven Police officials guarding polio workers were killed in two separate attacks in Orangi Town of Karachi on April 20, reports Dawn. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) West Feroz Shah said that eight gunmen riding four motorcycles carried out the killings in two separate attacks in the neighbourhood.
Miscellaneous
Four terror suspects were allegedly killed in an encounter with the personnel of the Counterterrorism Department (CTD) in the Adam Wahan Village in the Lodhran District of Punjab Province on March 25, reports Daily Times. CTD officials had a report that up to seven suspects were hiding in the village. They raided the terrorist hideout in the Sadar Police precincts in the Lodhran District and the terror suspects threw two hand grenades at them. The CTD officials retaliated, killing four suspected terrorists at the scene. A suicide vest, a hand grenade, a rifle and other weapons were recovered from the suspects. The suspects are yet to be identified.
The Police on March 28 arrested Samiullah, the mastermind of the 2007 suicide attack on senior politician Aftab Sherpao during the Eid prayers that killed 67 persons, in Utmanzai town of Charsadda District, reports The News.
At least five terrorists were killed in an encounter with Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Nawankot Police in LDA Avenue Society of Jubilee Town Chung area in Lahore on March 30, reports Daily Times. The CIA claimed to have recovered two Kalashnikovs, three pistols, 10 grenades, 10 time devices and maps from the their possession. CIA Nawankot Sub Inspector Khalid Farooqi raided a house on information about the presence of terrorists in house where Police cordon off the area. Police said the suspects opened fired on police party and there was an exchange of fire that lasted for one and a half hour.
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on March 31 arrested a target killer of banned outfit and recovered arms near Charsadda Bus Terminal in Peshawar, reports Daily Times. CTD sources said that reacting to an intelligence tip-off regarding presence of terrorist, operation was conducted near Charsadda Bus Terminal during which an alleged target killer of banned outfit was arrested. The detainee identified as Shahidullah hailing from Agha Mir Jani locality of Peshawar was involved in attacks on police, incidents of target killings and other crimes. A 9MM pistol was also recovered from his possession.
Two Lyari gangsters were killed in a Police encounter in Moachko area of Baldia Town in Karachi on March 31, reports The News. Police said on a tip-off police launched an action in the area. Over a hundred Police personnel took part in the operation where they used armoured personnel carriers. The accused opened fired at the Police when they entered the area, police said. In the shootout, two Lyari gangsters identified as Shahbaz and Shakeel alias Commando were shot dead. Shahbaz belonged to the Uzair Baloch group while Shakeel belonged to the Baba Ladla group, Police added.
Sindh Rangers conducted a series of raids in different areas of the city and arrested 21 alleged criminals, including 13 terrorists, affiliated with proscribed groups on April 1, reports The News. A spokesman said weapons were found on those arrested. According to details, Rangers personnel conducted raids in Saddar Town and Lyari Town and arrested three gangsters involved in extortion and target killings. In other raids in Jahangir Town, Orangi Town and Ranchore Line, five criminals, including target killers and extortionists, affiliated with a notorious militant wing, were arrested. Elsewhere, Rangers arrested three terrorists of banned outfits in Manghopir area of Gadap Town and Landhi Town.
Police on April 2 killed four suspected militants in an encounter in Quaidabad area of Bin Qasim Town of Karachi, reports Dawn. Malir Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rao Anwar said that contingents of Police, acting on a tip-off provided by held suspects, conducted targeted raid on an alleged hideout of the militants. On seeing the Police, the suspects resorted to firing and during exchange of fire, four of them were killed.
Security Forces (SFs) claimed to have killed 15 militants during a raid in Johan area of Kalat District on April 6, reports Dawn. Two SFs were injured in the operation. The SFs recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition, and destroyed two sanctuaries used by the militants, said Government spokesperson Anwarul Haq Kakar.
Two Islamic State (IS, also known as Daesh) militants, as Mohammad Mujahid alias Talha and Abdullah alias Kuna, were killed in an exchange of fire with the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Police in Gulshan-e-Maymar area of Gadap Town in Karachi on April 6. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Junaid Shaikh said that the raid yielded a huge cache of arms and ammunition. The Da’ish operatives were said to be planning major terror attacks in Karachi. “They were planning attacks on consulates of different countries in Karachi. They also planned targeting shopping malls and sensitive installations,” SSP Shaikh said. According to details, Mujahidullah was a key player for Daesh in Karachi and carried a head money of Rs.1 million. He was earlier associated with the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan but he swore allegiance to IS while serving as ‘cook’ of Daesh leader Jahanzeb in Buner District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Three people sustained injuries when Lyari gangsters threw an explosive device in Kaghzi Bazaar of Kharadar area in Karachi on April 6, reports Dawn. Shopkeepers said that lately they had been receiving threats for payment of extortion and the incident could be linked with it. An unnamed Police Officer said that gangsters linked with Lyari were involved in the attack. The officer added that one known figure of the Uzair Baloch gang had recently returned from Muscat and was living somewhere in the city though not in Lyari. This gangster had started criminal activities in the old city areas recently “to make their presence felt” after arrest of their ringleader Uzair Baloch, the Police Officer added.
Security Forces (SFs) on April 7 repulsed an attack on a checkpost in the Mangora Sar area on the Pak-Afghan border in Kurram Agency, killing around 18 militants in the subsequent clash, reports The News. Sources said that a group of 50-60 militants stormed a security checkpost in the Mangora Sar area with heavy arms early in the day. The SF personnel manning the checkpost returned the fire and 18 militants were killed in the ensuing gun battle. Six militants were also injured in the clash which continued for quite some time. The SFs forced the militants to retreat, leaving behind their weapons and ammunition. However, they said the fleeing militants took along their injured accomplices.
Police on April 7 arrested an alleged arms trafficker and recovered a huge cache of arms from him in Saddar Police Station area of Bannu town in the same District, reports The News. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Inayat Ali Shah said that the Police received information that arms traffickers were planning to smuggle a huge cache of arms to Bannu. The Police, he said, put the security on high alert and established various checkpoints on the entry and exit points. 59 Kalashnikovs, 164 pistols, two repeaters and 48,000 cartridges were recovered from a truck and arrested an arms trafficker.
Security Forces (SFs) on April 9 claimed to have killed 34 suspected militants, including a key ‘commander’ in Kalat District, reports Dawn. One SF official was killed while two others sustained injuries during the exchange of fire. Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti in a press conference said “A key militant commander, Abdul Nabi Bangulzai, was also among the dead. Abdul Nabi was involved in the assassination of Balochistan High Court Justice Nawaz Marri in 2000.” The operation was launched by personnel of SF and intelligence agencies against elements involved in target killings and bombings in the Johan area of Kalat District. SFs also recovered a large amount of arms and ammunition from the militants, and Bugti added that those killed were also involved in attacking passengers in the Mastung area of the Province.
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and Police, in a joint action, killed at least three militants in Khanewal District of Punjab Province on April 9, reports The News. The fourth terrorist detonated his explosive vest killing himself on the spot. The Police and CTD, on a tip-off, carried out joint action and exchange of fire took place near Lakhi Tibbi Adda. Two to three others managed to flee taking advantage of the darkness. CTD sources said the terrorists were affiliated to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Al Qaeda and were plotting to target sensitive installations in Multan. The law enforcers recovered suicide jackets, two pistols and automatic rifle from the possession of the militants.
Police arrested four al Qaeda sub-continent (AQIS) terrorists after a shootout near Jehangir Park within the limits of Preedy Police Station area of Karachi on April 10, reports The News. According to details, the four terrorists opened fire at a Police mobile near Jehangir Park. Police chased and arrested them after shootout. Police claimed the arrested terrorists are affiliated with AQIS. Weapons including four SMGs and a motor cycle were recovered from them. Preedy Station House Officer Kamal Naseem said that all four terrorists are educated and residents of Karachi.
Three abductors were killed and one abducted child was rescued in a Police encounter in the Eastern Bypass area of Quetta on April 10, reports Dawn. The kidnapped boy was identified as Aimal Khan (12). The Quetta Deputy Inspector General of Police, Syed Imtiaz Shah said that the kidnappers had demanded PKR 200,000 as ransom for the release of Aimal.
At least 10 Policemen and five gangsters were killed while another 25 were taken hostage, leading to the suspension of the operation against the Chhotu Gang in Rajanpur District on April 13, reports The News. It was learnt that two boats carrying 42 Policemen advanced on positions of the dacoits who fired at them. 15 gangsters and four Policemen were injured in the operation. The Inspector General of Police (IGP)-led Operation Zarb-e-Aahan (Strike of the dawn) that was launched on April 5, 0216, in the District against the gangsters was suspended till the formulation of a new strategy. Rajanpur District Police Officer (DPO) Ghulam Mubashir Mekan said around 200 criminals had rendered the 30-kilometre island-like area into a no-go area.
Frontier Corps (FC) and sensitive agencies in their joint action in Panjgur District arrested a militant ‘commander’ on April 17, reports Daily Times. Huge arms and ammunition were also recovered from his possession, which included seven LMGs, seven rocket launchers, seven RPG-7, three SMGs, three hand grenades and thousands of bullets. According to sources, arms and ammunition were brought through N-85 Highway to Hoshab.
Four Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan terrorists, including their ‘commander’ Munshi, were killed in a Police encounter at the Super Highway in Malir Town area of Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh on April 21, reports Daily Times. According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Malir Rao Anwar, on the intelligence information about the presence of the terrorists in the area, Police carried out raid at a house where exchange of fire took place between the Police and terrorists, killing four terrorists. Police also seized weapons and explosives from their possession.
The Special Assistant to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister on Minorities’ Affairs member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Sardar Soran Singh was shot dead in a targeted attack near Pir Baba in Buner District on April 22, reports Daily Times. The District Police Chief Khalid Hamadani said, “Gunmen riding on two motorbikes came in front of the car and started indiscriminate firing, killing minister on the spot”.
At least 12 militants were killed and two Security Force (SF) personnel injured in a clash along Pak-Afghan border when unidentified militants attacked a security check post in Baizai area of Mohmand Agency in the night of April 23, reports The Express Tribune. The check post came under attack once again April 24-morning, this time with heavy weapons, the officials said. “Both attacks were successfully repulsed. The militants faced heavy casualties,” one security official added.
PAKISTAN
A total of 2,096 ghost seminaries detected in Sindh
The Sindh security administration found no existence of a total of 2,096 registered seminaries on ground which they believe were brought on Government record only to collect donations and funding from different sources, reports Dawn quoting Additional Inspector General of Police, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Dr. Sanaullah Abbasi on March 27. This has been revealed during a recent survey jointly carried out by police’s two units namely the Special Branch and the CTD. This ongoing survey was being conducted to ascertain the number of seminaries allegedly involved in promoting extremism and sectarianism in order to keep check on their activities.
“We have detected a total of 2,096 seminaries, which on papers have been shown as registered in Sindh, but actually they are closed or are not available,” disclosed Dr. Abbasi. The senior police officer described these seminaries as ‘ghost’ and said that they had been registered merely to get donations and funding from different sources.
Out of such ghost seminaries, at least 639 seminaries have been detected in Karachi Division only followed by Hyderabad (843), Mirpurkhas (192), Sukkur (364) and Larkana divisions (58). The Police Counterterrorism Unit chief pointed out that there were a total of 10,222 seminaries in Sindh.
Five terrorists killed and 600 suspects arrested in Punjab
Five terrorists were killed and over 600 suspects were arrested in an extensive operation launched on March 29 by the Security Forces across the Province following March 27, 2016, suicide attack in Lahore, reports The News. According to details provided by private TV channels, five terrorists, belonging to a banned militant group, were killed in separate shootouts with during search operations in Rajanpur District and Muzaffargarh District. In addition, 250 suspects were detained in Sialkot District, 200 in Gujranwala, 80 in Faisalabad, 34 in Rahimyar Khan, 18 in Kasur, 10 in Bhakkar, six in Attock and one in Bahawalpur, while several others were also arrested from other Districts of the province.
Meanwhile, Dawn reported that one of the main leaders of protesters, identified as Pir Muhammad Afzal Qadri, at Islamabad’s D-Chowk has been on the Fourth Schedule of Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) for over a year, yet he made his way to the capital unhindered. Afzal Qadri is the chief of Aalmi Tanzeem Ahl-e Sunnat. Sources in the District Government and Police said that around two months ago authorities had besieged Qadri’s residence and seminary in Mararrian village and stopped him from marching to Lahore to press the Government against executing Malik Mumtaz Qadri, the assassin of former Punjab Governor Salman Taseer.
Senators give call for ‘full-fledged’ military operation in Punjab
Speaking on adjournment motions regarding the “terrible incident of suicide blast in Gulshan-i-Iqbal Park, Lahore” on March 27, 2016, the Senators on April 21 called for a full-fledged military operation on militants’ hideouts in Punjab, reports Dawn. Initiating the debate, Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) parliamentary leader, Saeed Ghani, recalled that before this incident, the Punjab Government had always opposed a military operation, claiming that there were no organised militant groups in the province. He said the incident had proved the existence of terrorist groups in Punjab. He called for a military operation in the province similar to those initiated in Karachi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Another PPP Senator Taj Haider termed the war against terrorism a “battle between extremist and democratic forces.” He alleged that the sympathisers of militants were present within the state. “Is it not true that insiders were involved in the attacks on the GHQ and Mehran Base?” he questioned, calling for the removal of such elements from the institutions.
92 militants killed during last four months, says Provincial Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti
Security Forces (SFs) have killed 92 militants, including a key ‘commander’, and have conducted 417 targeted operations in the province during the last four months, said Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti on April 1, reports Dawn. “Security forces in the province have also seized more than 10,000 kilograms of explosives and other arms and ammunition,” said Bugti. He added that during the last four months, 22 Frontier Corps (FC) personnel have been killed and 65 others have been injured.
Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri during a session of Balochistan Assembly on April 1 denied that military operation is being carried out in any part of the Province by the Federal Government and said that SFs under the Provincial Government were only conducting targeted operations wherever required, reports Dawn. “The Provincial Government itself is conducting operations against terrorists,” he said.
252 militants killed 640 sq km area cleared in Shawal Valley so far in the last phase of Operation Zarb-e-Azb, says Army
Since the last phase of Operation Zarb-e-Azb kicked off in February 27, at least 252 militants have been killed and 160 severely injured, while Security Forces (SFs) have cleared 640 square kilometres of so far uncontrolled area in Shawal Valley of North Waziristan Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on April 3, reports Daily Times. Major terrorist hubs in Mana, Gurbaz, Lataka, Inzarkas and Magrotai areas have been cleared of militants, the ISPR said. “The battle to clear the last pocket close to the Pak-Afghan border continues,” it said, adding that all heights over 9,000 feet have been cleared. “Terrorists’ hideouts were destroyed, a cache of arms and ammunition seized and there was virtually no communication infrastructure remaining in the Shawal area once the operation was launched in February this year,” the statement said.
Six TTP militants killed in CTD encounter in Punjab
Six Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants belonging to belonging to the Ustad Aslam faction were killed in an encounter conducted by Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) near Tallat Park in Kachi Abadi Sherakot area of provincial capital Lahore on April 6, reports Dawn. A CTD spokesperson said that weapons and explosives were also recovered, including “four to five kilograms of explosives, four detonators, two Kalashnikov rifles, three motorcycles, four pistols, and 97 bullets.” He further added that the Police “received information that nine to ten suspects of the banned TTP”. “They were planning to attack law enforcement agencies’ offices and prominent personalities in Lahore,” said the CTD spokesperson.
Meanwhile, an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement said on April 6, “Coordinated operations are underway against terrorists, hardened criminals and ferraris by law enforcement agencies including Rangers, Punjab police, CTD, assisted by Pakistan army in southern Punjab”, reports Dawn. The statement added that the terrorists have fled from different parts of the country as a result of operation Zarb-e-Azb, and have taken refuge in the remote areas of Rohjan and District Rahim Yar Khan. The operation is being looked after by Corp Commander Lahore, Lieutenant General Sadiq Ali, with army troops, Punjab Police, CTD and Rangers participating.
Three female suicide bombers arrested in Punjab
The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) announced the arrest of three female suicide bombers near the Lahore Road area in Sargodha District on April 11, reports Dawn. The officials claimed to have recovered two suicide jackets and three hand grenades from their possession, said to a CTD statement. While conducting a raid in the Bypass Sem Nala area, CTD officials were shot at by two attackers, the statement said, adding that CTD officials fired back in self-defense. The attackers fled and three female suspects were arrested while trying to escape, the CTD added.
40 Chhotu gangsters surrendered in army operation in Punjab
The army officially launched a ground and aerial operation, codenamed Zarb-e-Aahan (strike of dawn), in Rajanpur District, leading to the surrender of 40 gangsters on April 15, reports Daily Times. The gangsters said that they never wanted to fight against Pakistan Army. Curfew has been imposed in four kilometer area and soldiers have also been assisted with gunship helicopters. Addressing officers at the Central Police Office in Lahore, Punjab Inspector General (IG) Mushtaq Sukhera said the Zarb-e-Aahan operation had been launched in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies. “During training sessions, 50,000 rounds were fired and use of mortars and other equipment were demonstrated,” the IG said, adding that two retired colonels from the Special Services Group were on board in the operation.
No Credible Evidence of Pak Involvement In 2009 Attack: Report
There is no credible evidence of Pakistan government’s involvement in the 2009 attack on CIA operators in Afghanistan, a Washington Post report said, citing unnamed US officials. Declassified US documents made public second week of April by a non-profit group made allegations in a memo written early in 2010 by a US official who was not named according to the Washington Post report. The report posed a question about the credibility of the claim made in the document saying that the new version of events has prominent skeptics including from the US intelligence community which spent many months in investigating the incident.
According to the report, internal investigation concluded that the plot was cooked up by al-Qaeda and its allies and US officials still maintain that no credible evidence exists of significant involvement by either the Pakistani government or the Haqqanis.
One US intelligence official who studied the newly released document described its contents on April 16 as an unverified and uncorroborated report essentially raw intelligence of the kind that routinely lands on the desk of US analysts and diplomats in overseas posts, the report said. The report quoting a US official said that the document clearly states that it contains unevaluated information.
He said that there was a general consensus that the December 30 attack was primarily an al-Qaeda plot and did not involve the Haqqani network as claimed by the declassified document. That document referred to as a memo in the Washington Post report is self-described as an information report not finally evaluated.
144 Baloch militants surrender in Balochistan
As many as 144 Baloch militants laid down their arms by accepting Government’s amnesty scheme in Khuzdar District of Balochistan on April 18, reports The News. Four commanders of different militant organizations were also among the militants to give up arms. “We will fulfill all the promises we have made to the militants who have surrendered,” said Commissioner of Kalat District in Balochistan. The government has promised financial assistance to youths who laid down weapons and abandoned violence against the State.
Two Generals, Three Brigadiers, Colonel Removed For Corruption
In an unprecedented move, Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif on Thursday, Apr 21 sent six high-ranking military officers, including a lieutenant general and a major general, on forced retirement for their involvement in corrupt practices. Lieutenant General Obaidullah Khattak, Major General Ejaz Shahid, Brigadier Asad Shahzada, Brigadier Aamir, Brigadier Saif and Colonel Haider have been stripped of their ranks and perks, including land and plots. However, they would continue to get pension and medical facilities.
The punished officers were asked to return all earnings accumulated through corruption.
Sources said inquiries against more officers were also in progress.
The inquiry against the officers who have been sent on forced retirement had been in progress for over one year. They were found guilty of making money through corruption and smuggling.
General Raheel approved action against the six officers in the light of an inquiry report submitted to him by the Adjutant General Lt. Gen. Syed Zamirul Hassan, who had retired a few days back.
The reports of sending six army officers on forced retirement came just two days after the statement of General Raheel Sharif in which he termed across-the-board accountability necessary for the integrity, solidarity and prosperity of Pakistan.
The punitive action against the military officers would also build pressure on Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and his family members to present themselves for accountability and agree on the constitution of an inquiry commission in the wake of allegations contained in the Panama Leaks.
REGIONAL
Bangladesh – Internal Dynamics
Three PBCP-Red Flag cadres arrested in Pabna District
Three cadres of Purbo Banglar Communist Party – Red Flag faction (PBCP-Red Flag) were arrested in Dhulauri area of Pabna District on March 28, reports The Daily Star. The arrestees are Jan-e-Alam alias Bomaru Mizan (35), Shamsul Alam (38) and Rafikul Islam (40). Police recovered a pipe gun and nine bullets from their possession.
20 militant outfits are trying to recruit documented as well as undocumented Rohingyas living in Districts of Chittagong, Cox’s Bazaar and Bandarban, says Intelligence report
Intelligence report said that 20 militant outfits are trying to recruit documented as well as undocumented Rohingyas living in the Districts of Chittagong, Cox’s Bazaar and Bandarban, reports New Age on March 30. The report said that the militant groups named their alliance as Hilful Fuzul Al Islam Al Bangladesh to recruit the Rohigiyas. The outfits exploit the helplessness of the refugees from Myanmar. The recruitment drives are carried out by leaders of local and foreign militant groups. The report listed Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B), Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT), Hizbut Towhid (HT) and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) as among the 20 militant outfits that carries out drives to recruit the Rohingiyas.
BD Police Find Arms Cache After Militants Blow Themselves Up
Bangladesh police said on Monday, April 4 they had found a big cache of weapons and explosives in a militant hideout they raided after two militants blew themselves up there by accident. The two suspected members of banned group Jama’at-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh were killed while they were making bombs in Bogra in northern Bangladesh, police said.
Police said they found 20 homemade live grenades and bomb-making ingredients in the hideout after the blast, which alerted neighbours. Bomb disposal experts defused them.
“The evidence indicates that with these powerful explosives they were planning to destroy important installations in the country,” said Mohammad Asaduzzaman, the chief of Bogra district police.
Two PBCP cadres killed in gunfight with RAB in Tangail District
Two cadres of Purba Bangla Communist Party (PBCP) were killed in a gunfight with Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) at Jugni Hatkhola area of Tangail District on April 7, reports New Age. The victims were identified as Fazal Driver (40) and Uzzal (35). Two RAB personnel, Corporal Mohammed Ali and Lance Corporal Nuruzzaman, were also injured during the gunfight. One revolver, a foreign pistol, a magazine and seven bullets were recovered from the spot.
Two bullet-riddle bodies of ICS cadres found in Jessore District
Police recovered two bullet-riddled bodies of cadres of Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student front of Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) at the Law-Khali area in Jessore District on April 13, reports The Independent. The deceased are identified as Abuzor Gifari and Shamim Mahmud. Victim’s family members said that a group of masked people posing as members of the Detective Branch of Police picked Gifari and Mahmud up on March 18 and 24 respectively, but Police denied the allegation of detention.
IS claims it has operations inside Bangladesh
Islamic State (IS), in its latest issue of propaganda magazine Dabiq released online on April 13, has claimed it has operations inside Bangladesh, reports Dhaka Tribune. A significant part of the issue of the magazine was devoted to discuss its operations in Bangladesh. The latest issue includes a profile of a young Bangladeshi named Abu Jandal al-Bangali who was killed during a battle in Ayn Issa, northern Syria. Abu Jandal, it says, was a man who came from an affluent family in the capital city of Dhaka and had military connections. He was, it says, a passionate jihadi who immediately signed up for martyrdom operation after joining the IS training camp in Syria and deeply cared about jihad in his homeland.
PBCP cadre killed in Pabna District
Ibrahim Hossain (35), a cadre of Purbo Banglar Communist Party was killed at Bhainapara village in Pabna District on April 19, reports The Daily Star. Police said that Ibrahim might have been killed over internal party conflict.
ABT cadre arrested in Sylhet District
Police arrested one cadre of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) during a drive in Ambarkhana area of Sylhet District on April 18, reports Dhaka Tribune. The arrestee was identified as Mehedi Hasan Ami alias Rafi alias Osama alias Hasan alias Abdullah involved in encouraging people to join ABT.
Professor killed by unidentified armed personnel in Rajshahi District
ASM Rezaul Karim Siddiquee (58), a Professor of English Department of Rajshahi University, was killed by unidentified armed personnel in Shalbagan area of Rajshahi city in Rajshahi District on April 23, reports The Daily Star. Police said that Siddiquee was waiting for university transport at Battola intersection when he came under attack from behind with sharp weapons. Police have yet to identify any of the killers and could not say about the motive of the murder.
PBCP ‘regional leader’ hacked to death in Pabna District
Al Amin Hossain (35), a ‘regional leader’ of Purba Banglar Communist Party was hacked to death in Bhinnogram area Pabna District on April 24, reports New Age. Police said that the rival party men hacked Al Amin to death and dumped the body on the dike of the Ichhamati River. Al Amin was accused in a number of cases, including for murder.
India – Internal Dynamics
Maoists set ablaze 14 vehicles and construction equipments in Bihar
The Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres set ablaze 14 vehicles and equipment of a construction company engaged in a track-doubling project near Turki railway station in Muzaffarpur District on March 27, reports The Hindu. A group of about 50 Maoists stormed into the project office of M/S Hari Construction Company around 2 a.m., Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ranjeet Kumar Mishra said. The Maoists also assaulted three security guards. The arson was allegedly due to non-payment of ‘levy’ by the company, SSP Mishra added.
Gonojagoron Mancha activist killed by suspected Islamist militants in Old Dhaka city
Nazimuddin Samad (28), a masters student of Jagannath University and activist of Gonojagoron Mancha (People’s Resurgence Platform) was killed by suspected Islamist militants in Old Dhaka city’s Sutrapur area on April 6, reports Dhaka Tribune. Police said that killers were chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ while hacking Nazim. Nazim used to campaign for secularism on Facebook and was critical of radical Islamists. A day before the murder, he expressed concerns over the country’s law and order in a Facebook post.
Indian priest Tom Unzhunnalil crucified by Islamic State
According to a report in Washington Times, Thomas Uzhunnalil, an Indian priest who was kidnapped in Yemen on March 4, 2016 was crucified by Islamic State (IS) on Good Friday, March 25, reports dnaindia.com. The report claims that his execution was confirmed at the Easter Vigil Mass by Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna (Austria). Earlier, the Indian Government had confirmed the capture of Uzhunnalil, the Indian priest from Bangalore, who was kidnapped by IS in Yemen and said that efforts were underway to ensure that he is released. “Fr Tom Uzhunnallil – an Indian national from Kerala was abducted by a terror group in Yemen. We r making all efforts to secure his release,” External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted. Her reaction comes after a growing alarm among the Christian community following an ominous report by the terror outfit to crucify him around Easter.
Suspected militants trigger IED blast in Manipur
Suspected militants triggered a powerful blast suspected to be an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at the residential gate of Chief Engineer of Irrigation and Flood Control Department (IFCD) Gurumayum Robindro Sharma located at Uripok Bachaspati Leikai under Lamphel Police Station in Imphal West District on March 27, reports E-Pao. The blast occurred inside a drain located on the northern side of Robindro’s residential gate where the security personnel deployed at his residence.
Seven CRPF troopers killed in CPI-Maoist-triggered landmine blast in Chhattisgarh
Seven jawans (troopers) of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed in a landmine explosion triggered by the Communist Party of India-Maoist in Dantewada District on March 30, reports The Hindu. “A vehicle of the CRPF’s 230th battalion was blown up by Maoists near the Malewara market on the Dantewada-Sukma road around 3 p.m. Seven jawans were martyred in the blast,” said Dinesh Pratap Upadhyay, Deputy Inspector General (DIG), CRPF, Dantewada Range. The blast left a five-foot crater and blew the Tata 407 vehicle into pieces. “The jawans belonged to the Ghusaras CRPF camp in Dantewada and were returning after leave for Holi,” Dantewada Superintendent of Police (SP) Kamlochan Kashyap said. The Maoists also had brought some people carrying traditional weapons, possibly to snatch the weapons from the CRPF men. However, source confirmed that all seven troopers belonged to the “non-combat” staff and were carrying no weapons with them. Upadhyay added “The blast was so powerful that the bodies were thrown 100-150 metres away. Almost all of them might have died in the explosion or would have been on the verge of death. But it is true that Maoists shot some of the bodies.” The deceased troopers were identified as Sub-Inspector D. Vijay Raj, Constables Pradeep Tirkey, Rupnarayan Das, Devendra Chourasia, Ranjan Dash and Mritunjoy Mukharjee and driver Saindane Nana Usesing.
Three troopers were also injured in the explosion, reports The Times of India.
India opts not to join global terror database, says report
The Indian Government has decided not to join a U.S. maintained global terror database in the face of objections from the intelligence agencies, The Hindu reports on April 1. Unhindered access to the Americans to the database of terror suspects in India, which includes their biometric details, was opposed by both the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB), a senior official in the security establishment said. The proposal has been stuck since it was initially proposed by the U.S. in 2012. There have been several rounds of discussions between India and the U.S. in the past one year on the issue. Both sides narrowed down their differences on several key aspects. The aim was to sign the pact in the next Homeland Security Dialogue to be attended by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and his U.S. counterpart Jeh Johnson, Secretary of Homeland Security.
Four CRPF personnel injured in IED blast in Jharkhand
Five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were injured in a series of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blasts carried out by the Communist Party of India-Maoist in Dhanbad District of Jharkhand on April 2, reports Business Standard. Deputy Inspector General (Bokaro range) Upendra Kumar Singh said the CRPF personnel were on a long-range patrol when the IED blasts took place at Chitpur village under Topchanchi Police Station around 12.15 pm. The patrol party, including CRPF troops of the 154th battalion and personnel of the state Police, exchanged fire with the Maoists, the DIG said.
Six CRPF personnel injured in IED blast triggered by Maoists in Jharkhand
Six Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were injured when the Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres, ambushed a Long Range Patrolling (LRP) party of the CRPF triggering Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast at Topchanchi in the district headquarter of Dhanbad on April 2, reports The Pioneer. Two of the injured troopers are critical and have been admitted in the Intensive Care Unit of Medica Hospital in Ranchi. The incident took place when a team of CRPF was on LRP on motorcycles at Bodra village under Topchanchi Police Station in Dhanbad. The CRPF personnel were riding motorcycles, when the extremists set off the blast through an IED, Police said. State Police Spokesperson SN Pradhan said the incident took place in the bordering area of Dhanbad and Giridih District where the rebels had laid several landmines. As soon as one of the IEDs was triggered the gelatin rods in a series started blowing one by one and a total of 52 landmines were exploded,” he said. “Topchanchi Police Station in charge Dharmdeo Ram and Inspector S Mishra were leading the LRP, while a CRPF team made up the tail of the convoy. After triggering the blast, ultras fired indiscriminately at the convoy, prompting the LRP personnel to return fire .The exchange lasted a little over half an hour,” said a senior Police official.
Muslim Inspector Probing Pathankot Attack Shot Dead
Gunmen shot dead a Muslim inspector of India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) involved in investigating the Pathankot terrorist attack, the Indian media reported on Sunday, April 3. Inspector Mohammad Tanzil Ahmed was returning from a wedding along with his wife and children when unidentified attackers opened fire on the family near Sahaspur town in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district.
The gunmen followed the family and reportedly shot the Muslim NIA inspector 21 times, killing him on the spot. Tanzil’s wife, who also sustained bullet wounds and was rushed to the hospital, is said to be in critical condition. The children were unhurt.
The killing of the officer has further deepened Pakistan’s doubts about the veracity of the Pathankot attack. While serious flaws in the Indian tale of the Pathankot attack are believed to have already surfaced during the Pakistani JIT’s recent visit despite restricted access given by India, the killing of NIA officer Mohammad Tanzil Ahmed has added to the complications for New Delhi.
Interestingly, it was the Indian media which reported the fact and told the whole world that the NIA officer, involved in the investigation of the terrorist attack on the Indian Airbase in Pathankot, was shot dead in Uttar Prardesh province. But within hours, the Indian security agencies came into play as they tried to twist the facts of its own media by making the IG of the NIA announce that Mohammad Tanzil has been part of several investigations of the NIA but was not a member of the team investigating the Pathankot attack.
Questions are being raised as to why the wife of the NIA officer has also been hit. Was it the result of possible fears that the officer might have divulged anything to his wife? Can the state be so callous that it starts killing its own citizen and a serving officer whose only crime was that he was a Muslim who had come to know the dark secrets of Indian statecraft?
Two persons killed in Dudhnoi grenade attack in Assam
At least two persons were killed and over twenty others injured in a powerful grenade attack at Dudhnoi in Goalpara District on April 4, reports The Sentinel. Sources said two motorcyclists lobbed the grenade near a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) election office at Dudhnoi Chariali under Dudhnoi Police Station. One person – Bapan Saha (35) – succumbed to his injuries. Goalpara Superintendent of Police (SP) Nitul Gogoi said another person was also killed in the explosion. His identity was not yet known. The condition of at least five others are said to be critical, with doctors stating that the toll might go up. A Police Sub Inspector – Rajen Talukdar – was also seriously injured in the blast. No outfit has claimed responsibility, but Police suspect it to be a handiwork of Independent faction of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA-I) outfit.
Civilian and Policeman injured in pressure bomb blast by Maoists in Chhattisgarh
A Police trooper and a civilian were injured in a pressure bomb blast triggered by Communist Party of India-Maoist near Maoulimor village under Rawghat Police Station limits in Kanker District on April 4, reports Indian Express. On getting information that Maoists had installed banners, posters and blocked Rawghat-Maoulimor road by felling trees, a joint team of District Force and Border Security Force (BSF) approached the spot. While Security Force (SF) personnel were trying to remove a banner, a pressure Improvised Explosive Device (IED) placed under it went off injuring the constable Preetam Singh, Superintendent of Police (SP) Jitendra Singh Meena said. Besides, a civilian who was present at the spot also sustained splinter injuries in the explosion, he added.
CRPF trooper injured in landmine blast in Andhra Pradesh
One Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper was injured when Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres triggered a series of landmines targeting the Security Force (SF) personnel on a combing operation in Rudakota area of Pedabayalu mandal (administrative unit) in the Visakha agency in Visakhapatnam District on April 6, reports The Times of India. The injured trooper was identified as radio operator of the 198 battalion head constable Srinivas Sahu (40) of Odisha. Sources said four to five explosions of improvised electronic devices (IEDs) were heard at around 8.30 am 5 kilometres away from Rudakota area, which was followed by gunfire. CRPF personnel retaliated with light machine gun fire. A platoon of 25 to 30 CRPF personnel was moving from Rudakota area to Munchingput when the incident took place.
This is the first incident in nearly 10 years in the Visakha Agency in which CRPF was targeted by Maoists, adds The Hindu. The first incident was at the Sileru shandy some 10 years ago when a CRPF constable was shot dead by Maoists. There were several incidents of Maoists attacking the State Police and its Greyhound personnel.
Three CoBRA troopers injured in Parasnath ambush in Jharkhand
Three troopers of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) unit were injured on April 7, when Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Parasnath Hills in Giridih District to target a contingent of forces chasing them, reports The Times of India. Additional Director General (ADG) (operations) and Police spokesperson S N Pradhan said the troopers were hurt by splinters after the blast. An anti-Maoist operation was launched in the area on April 6, after authorities received inputs that 25-odd rebels, led by CPI-Maoist Jharkhand Regional Committee ‘secretary’ Ajay Mahto and his aide Nunu Chand Mahto, are holed up in an area within the limits of Madhuban Police Station of Parasnath Hill.
Maoists kill ‘informer’ in Jharkhand
The armed squad of the Communist Party of India-Maoist killed one youth for allegedly being ‘Police informer’ and also collecting levy in favour of Maoists at Pipradih village under Gomia Police Station in Bokaro District late on April 8, reports The Pioneer. The deceased has been identified as Satendra Mandal (26) of Pipradih village. According to reports about 15 to 20 armed Maoists raided his village and took him in the forest area of Chutte-Kharna, when Satendra was coming back on his motorcycle at home in the evening. The villagers saw his body with throat slit on Chutte-Kharna forest way, one kilometre from his house. The Police recovered “parchas” (leaflet/pamphlet) from the spot stating that Satendra, was ‘Police informer’ and collecting “chanda” (levy) in favor of original Maoists group. Mandal also joined rival Uday Mahto group. Police sources said the deceased had a close nexus with the Maoists in the past. The incident could be a result of his (Maoists) internal conflicts, further Police added.
Two killed, including Army Major in operation in Manipur
An Army officer was killed in an encounter with Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF) militants in Tamenglong District on April 13, reports Zee News. The slain officer has been identified as Major Amit Deswal of 21 Para Special Forces. Army officials said one militant was also killed in the encounter which occurred during a combing operation undertaken by Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and Special Forces personnel.
Policeman killed in Maoist attack in Maharashtra
A Policeman was killed when Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres opened indiscriminate fire at a function in Gadchiroli District on April 14, reports The Hindu. The attack came at a function which was addressed by former Maharashtra legislator Deepak Atram at Mauje Chhallewada village in Gadchiroli. Atram’s Police bodyguard, Nanaji B Nagose, who was posted on duty near the stage, was suddenly accosted by six heavily armed Maoists who fired several rounds at him before fleeing into the nearby jungles.
Three Maoists killed while planting bomb in Chhattisgarh
Three Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres, including a ‘Commander’, were killed while planting bomb in Koyaliberda area in Kanker District during the Dandakaranya bandh (shut down strike) called by the CPI-Maoist on April 15, reports The Times of India. Kanker Police confirmed the incident on April 17. “The bombs were planted by Maoists to target Security Forces, who were on patrol to avoid any untoward incident during the bandh. Locals, who reached the spot, on hearing the explosion, saw Maoists, including a Local Organising Squad Commander (LOS) Arjun, lying in a crater formed due to blast,” said Kanker Superintendent of Police (SP) Jitendra Meena. Maoists had given a call for ‘Dandakaranya Bandh’ on April 15, opposing the recent air-to-ground firing exercise carried out by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Bastar region. The IAF’s Garuda Commandos had conducted a special air-to-ground firing exercise in Sukma District on April 1. A similar aerial firing practice was carried out in Bijapur in 2015.
Monthly Fatalities
The following deaths related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism occurred during the period March 25 to April 26, 2016 :
| Civilian | Indian Security Personnel | Militant | Total | |
| Assam | 04 | 03 | 06 | 13 |
| Manipur | 02 | 00 | 00 | 02 |
| Meghalaya | 03 | 00 | 01 | 04 |
| Nagaland | 03 | 00 | 02 | 05 |
| Left wing | 13 | 11 | 14 | 38 |
| Total | 25 | 14 | 23 | 62 |
Nepal – Internal Dynamics
UDMF enforces shutdown in Parsa District demanding release of its cadres arrested during a protest
The United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) enforced shutdown in Birgunj city of Parsa District on March 26 demanding unconditional release of the cadres arrested during a protest on March 25, reports Republica. UDMF cadres protested burning tires at different places of the city.
On March 25, Police had arrested 17 UDMF cadres during a protest against visit by Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
Fresh controversy surfaces after TRC inducted an ex-Maoist fighter into the mechanism
A fresh controversy has surfaced after Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) inducted an ex-Maoist fighter into the mechanism set up to screen complaints from the conflict-victims, reports The Himalayan Times on March 28. TRC has decided to collect complaints of the victims of decade-long Maoist insurgency beginning April 17 and has asked the District Peace Committees (DPCs) across the country to coordinate the task. TRC has set up a nine-member Monitoring and Vigilance Committee (MVC) under TRC member Manchala Jha to check impartiality and fairness of DPC work. Chitwan District’s Nisha Neupane, who was a Maoist fighter during insurgency, has also been made one of its members. TRC member Mahhabi Bhatta put a ‘note of dissent’ on the decision and demanded to scrap the MVC, as TRC itself is capable of overseeing DPC work.
Nepal Risks Fresh Turmoil Over Flawed Constitution
Nepal risks more turmoil if it fails to address the demands for greater representation of minority ethnic Madhesis in the new constitution, the International Crisis Group (ICG) said on April 4.
More than 50 people have died in protests in the Tarai, or Madhes, a region in Nepal’s southern plains bordering India, since September, overshadowing the first post-monarchy constitution.
The charter was the final condition of a peace deal between the government and Maoist rebels, which ended a decade-long rebellion in the Himalayan nation in 2006.But many Madhesis want the region, which is home to half of the country’s 28 million people, to become an autonomous state within Nepal and not be broken up into parts of six of the seven federal provinces as envisaged in the new constitution.
The ICG said in its report (www.crisisgroup.org) the depth of social discontent, lack of fruitful negotiations and disillusion among the Madhesis with the parties that represent them was creating room for radical positions.
Sri Lanka – Internal Dynamics
Police found haul of explosives and weapons in Jaffna and Mannar Districts
Police found a haul of explosives and suicide kit from a residence within the Chavakachcheri Police area of Jaffna District on March 30, reports Colombo Page. The recovery include suicide jacket, four claymore mines, three parcels containing around 12kg of TNT, 2 packets of 9mm ammo (100 bullets) and 2 battery packs used to detonate the claymore mines.
Meanwhile, just hours after the Police in Jaffna District found a haul of explosives, the Police recovered another stocks of explosives and weapons at a location in Mannar District, reports Colombo Page. Small bombs and a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher were discovered from an abandoned well. In both occasions the explosives are believed to have been hidden by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the war period.
Government will ratify United Nations Convention on Enforced Disappearances when Parliament endorses it within next few months, says Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera
Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera addressing a meeting of the collective of the families of missing persons in Akkaraipattu in Ampara District on March 30 said that the Government will ratify the United Nations Convention on Enforced Disappearances when the Parliament endorses it within the next few months, reports Colombo Page. The Minister said the Government has signed the Convention and it will be presented in Parliament within the next two or three months. The Minister has told the families that the era of missing persons will be eradicated forever from the country.
President and Prime Minister pledge to build a country devoid of extremism and terrorism for younger generation
President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on April 2 pledged to build a country devoid of extremism and terrorism for the younger generation, reports Colombo Page. They had given the assurance to work towards the unity of the country and give priority to the programs to benefit the country’s youth when they participated in the closing ceremony of the Yovun Puraya. The Yovun Puraya Program, which has been revived after 28 years, was held under the theme ‘Future Begins’ at the Air Force Base premises in Sigiriya from March 30 – April 3 with the participation of 5000 Sri Lankan youth and 120 foreign youth.
CID to question joint opposition parliamentarians over arms discovery in North
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Sri Lanka Police plans to question joint opposition parliamentarians Dinesh Gunawardena and Wimal Weerawansa over the discovery of an arms cache, including a suicide jacket, within the Chavakachcheri Police area of Jaffna District on March 30, reports Colombo Page on April 4. The CID questioned former External Affairs Minister Professor G. L. Peiris on April 2 over the statement he made to media on the discovery of explosives. Speaking to media on March 30, Prof. Pieris had said the Government was attempting to hide the truth behind the discovery of the weapons and there were speculations that the arms were intended to be sent to Wellawatta for a high profile attack. The CID has questioned how he came to know of the information even before the CID started an investigation into the incident. Prof. Peiris, during questioning, has however revealed that it was Member of Parliament (MP) Dinesh Gunawardena who provided that information to him and he had no firsthand information on the finding. According to Peiris, Gunawardena was scheduled to address the press conference in Colombo last week where he made the remarks on the explosives cache but at the last moment he was assigned to brief the reporters. Prof. Pieris, in his statement to the CID, had also pointed out that MP Wimal Weerawansa too made a similar remark over the discovery of explosives.
Government has taken measures not to allow any room to form extremist Muslim organizations in the country, says Minister of Law and Order Sagala Ratnayake
Minister of Law and Order Sagala Ratnayake told the Parliament on April 5 that the Government has taken measures not to allow any room to form extremist Muslim organizations in the country, reports Colombo Page. According to the Minister, creating a religious dialogue and awareness with the coordination of Muslim politicians, religious leaders, Ministry of Education, Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs and civil organizations such as All Ceylon Jamiyathul Ulma (ACJU) and National Shoora Council are the key measures the Government has taken in order to dissuade the Muslim community from joining in extremist activities.
LTTE will never raise its head again in North without its slain leader V. Prabhakaran, says Chairman of Northern Province Council Secretariat Kandiya Sivagnanam
Chairman of Northern Province Council Secretariat Kandiya Sivagnanam speaking at an occasion in Jaffna District said that Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) will never raise its head again in the North without its slain leader V. Prabhakaran, reports Colombo Page. He said the LTTE’s struggle was waged according to one individual’s opinion and with his death there is no one to resurrect the terrorist organization although there are LTTE members in other countries. But it is not possible to organize another armed conflict in an environment without the guidance of the slain leader.
Former LTTE cadre wanted in connection with four murders arrested in Galle District
Police arrested Stanly Kennedy (29), a former cadre of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam wanted in connection with four murders in Galle District, reports Daily News on April 19. Police recovered a foreign manufactured 9 mm pistol and a magazine with eight ammunitions. Initial investigations have revealed that the suspect had undergone military training under the LTTE and been in the Charles Anthony brigade of the LTTE for five years when the LTTE was active. After surrendering to the Government, the suspect had been rehabilitated and released.
INTERNATIONAL
IS Driven Out Of Palmyra City
Syrian government forces backed by heavy Russian air support drove Islamic State out of Palmyra on Sunday, Mar 27 inflicting what the army called a “mortal blow” to militants who seized the city last year and dynamited its ancient temples. The loss of Palmyra represents one of the biggest setbacks for the ultra-hardline Islamist group since it declared a caliphate in 2014 across large parts of Syria and Iraq.
The army general command said that its forces took over the city with support from Russian and Syrian air strikes, opening up the huge expanse of desert leading east to the Islamic State strongholds of Raqqa and Deir al-Zor.
Palmyra would become “a launchpad to expand military operations” against the group in those two provinces, it said, promising to “tighten the noose on the terrorist group and cut supply routes ahead of their complete recapture”.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there were still clashes on the eastern edge of Palmyra on Sunday morning, around the prison and inside the airport, but the bulk of the Islamic State force had withdrawn and retreated east, leaving the city under President Bashar al-Assad’s control.
Amaq, a news agency close to Islamic State, said its fighters launched a twin suicide attack against government forces in west Palmyra, without giving details.
Syrian state-run television broadcast from inside the city, showing empty streets and badly damaged buildings. It quoted a military source saying Syrian and Russian jets were targeting Islamic State fighters as they fled, hitting dozens of vehicles on the roads leading east from the city.
The loss of Palmyra comes three months after Islamic State fighters were driven out of the city of Ramadi in neighbouring Iraq, the first major victory for Iraq’s army since it collapsed in the face of an assault by the militants in June 2014.Islamic State has lost ground elsewhere, including the Iraqi city of Tikrit last year and the Syrian town of al-Shadadi in February.
UAE Court Sentences 11 to Life in Jail on Terrorism Charges
A court in the United Arab Emirates has sentenced 11 people charged with terrorism and raising money for al-Qaeda and Islamic State in Syria to life imprisonment, state news agency WAM reported on Sunday, Mar 27.
A total of 41 defendants were charged in October with “possessing firearms and ammunition with the intention of committing terrorist crimes against the country and its security,” according to WAM.
It added that the men also faced prison for “raising funds and financial support to other terrorist groups such as Nusra Front and Daesh in Syria,” using Arabic names which refer to al Qaeda’s branch in the war-torn country and Islamic State.
Twenty three of the remaining 41 defendants were sentenced to between five and 15 years behind bars and the rest were acquitted.
The statement on WAM did not specify the suspects’ nationalities. It said two of those given life terms were sentenced in absentia.
Islamic State has pledged to overthrow the monarchies of the Gulf and mounted a series of attacks on mosques and security forces in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Belgium Largest Source Of European Fighters In Syria
French, Germans and Britons make up the highest number of foreign fighters in the Syrian rebel ranks from European countries, but Belgium is the largest contributor in proportion to its population, a Dutch study shows.
Europeans fighting alongside Islamist groups in Syria and Iraq have been high on the agenda of European security concerns for several years.
Returned volunteers have been involved in attacks in Paris and Brussels over the past 18 months, including last month’s bomb blasts in the Belgian capital.
The study, prepared by the Hague-based International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, said European Union countries should not be complacent about their citizens leaving to fight in the Middle East, even those that have seen little such movement.
In total, up to 4,294 Europeans had gone to fight in Syria, of whom 30 percent had since returned and 14 percent were confirmed dead. About 17 percent of them were female and 23 percent were converts to Islam. Most came from urban areas or peripheral suburbs of the continent’s cities.
The totals showed big differences across Europe, with Belgium, home to the attackers in both last year’s Paris shootings and last month’s Brussels bombings, sending 41 fighters per million population. Not only did Belgium contribute the most fighters compared to its population, but only 18 percent of them had returned, compared to 50 percent of those who had left from Denmark. Austria and Sweden followed in per capita terms.
In absolute terms, France was the largest source country for fighters who had left to fight alongside Islamic State. The study counted more than 900 of them. Germany and Britain also contributed large numbers.
IS Planted Thousands of Mines In Palmyra
Islamic State militants retreating from Palmyra laid thousands of mines that they planned to set off simultaneously as the army moved in, a Syrian officer told Reuters in the ancient city after its recapture from the Jihadist fighters. The officer said main streets and side roads in Palmyra had been rigged with explosives weighing up to 50 kg. More than 3,000 had already been safely detonated since government forces, backed by Russian jets, retook the city on Sunday, he said.
He did not say why the Islamic State fighters failed to set off the explosives before pulling out, but his assertion echoed comments from Syria’s antiquities chief, who said the militants intended to dynamite a greater area of the city’s 2,000-year-old ruins than they already had.
The officer, who did not give his name, said the bombs left behind were linked so they could go off together. The idea was that as we enter it would all go off at once, not just bomb by bomb. And there are a really huge number of bombs.
“Islamic State’s defeat in Palmyra was not only a significant military victory for President Bashar al-Assad, opening up the country’s central desert to government forces and their allies. It also cast the Syrian army as an effective fighting force against Jihadists bent on cultural vandalism and wanton killing.
Panama Papers Were Reviewed by over 370 Journalists from 76 Nations
The leaked Panama Papers, which contain information on 214,488 offshore entities connected to people in more than 200 countries and territories, were reviewed by more than 370 journalists hailing from 76 nations.
In the largest media collaboration ever undertaken, journalists working in more than 25 languages had dug into Messrs Mossack Fonseca’s working patterns and had succeeded in tracing the secret dealings of the law firm’s customers around the world.
Apart from 12 current and former world rulers, Messrs Mossack Fonseca’s clients also include 140 politicians and public officials from around the planet.
“The Irish Times” writes: “They also include at least 33 people and companies blacklisted by the US government because of evidence that they’ve done business with Mexican drug lords, terrorist organisations such as Hezbollah or rogue states like North Korea and Iran. The data includes emails, financial spreadsheets, passports and corporate records revealing the secret owners of bank accounts and companies in 21 offshore jurisdictions. The leaked files show the firm regularly offered to backdate documents to help its clients gain advantage in their financial affairs. It was so common that in 2007 an email exchange shows firm employees talking about establishing a price structure – clients would pay $8.75 for each month farther back in time that a corporate document would be backdated.”
Executions Hit Highest Level In 2015
There were more executions worldwide in 2015 than in any year since 1990 and almost 90 percent occurred in three countries, including Iran, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, human rights watchdog Amnesty International said on Wednesday. At least 1,634 people were executed last year, the organisation said, adding that the actual number was probably significantly higher given that there are no definitive numbers for China.
“The number of known executions rose by more than 50 percent compared with 2014 – this development is unsettling and alarming,” said Oliver Hendrich, an expert on capital punishment at Amnesty International in Germany.
At least 977 people were executed in Iran last year, mostly for drug crimes, Amnesty said, while more than 320 death sentences were carried out in Pakistan and at least 158 people were executed in Saudi Arabia.
In the US, 28 people were executed last year – the lowest number since 1991, Amnesty said. China is believed to remain the world’s top executioner, with the number of people put to death annually in the thousands, though the exact figure is a state secret, the rights group said.
300 Workers Kidnapped By IS In Damascus
Islamic State fighters have kidnapped 300 cement workers in an area northeast of Damascus where the militants launched an assault against government forces this week, Syrian state television said on Thursday, Apr 7. The workers and contractors of Al Badia Cement company were taken from near the town of Dumeir and their employer had lost all contact with them, state TV quoted the industry ministry as saying.
Fierce fighting broke out around Dumeir and the Dumeir military airport, 50 km northeast of the capital, late on Tuesday night after Islamic State militants launched attacks on government areas northeast of the capital.
Opposition sources in the rural eastern suburbs of Damascus said large parts of the town of Dumeir, which was already in the hands of squabbling rebel groups, were also captured by the militants who had fired at civilians protesting against their presence.
Hundreds of families had fled since the militant assault, the sources said.
The attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday included detonation of bomb-laden cars around the Dumeir military airport and an assault on the nearby Tishrin power station.
Syrian and allied forces backed by Russian air strikes this week forced Islamic State militants out of al-Qaryatain, which lies between Damascus and the ancient city of Palymrya, itself recaptured by the government last week.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the five-year-old conflict, said on Wednesday contact had been lost with workers at the cement works but it was not known what had happened to them.
Paris Attacks Suspect Abrini Arrested In Belgium
Mohamed Abrini, wanted over November’s Islamic State attacks in Paris, has been arrested in Brussels, Belgium’s public broadcasters said on Friday, Apr 8 adding that he was probably involved in last month’s Brussels bombings. Public prosecutors confirmed in a brief statement only that police had made several arrests related to the Brussels attacks.
Abrini, a 31-year-old Belgian, was “more than likely” the “man in the hat” seen on security camera footage at Brussels airport on March 22 with two suicide bombers, VRT and RTBF said on their websites, citing unidentified sources. If confirmed, the arrests could mark a success for Belgian security services which have faced fierce criticism at home and abroad since Brussels-based militants organised the attacks that killed 130 in Paris on Nov 13.
They took place a day after police issued new images and detail on the “man in the hat” and follow the arrest in Brussels three weeks ago of the prime surviving suspect in those attacks.
Four days after the March 18 arrest of Salah Abdeslam, with whom Abrini was seen driving towards Paris two days before the Paris attacks, brothers Brahim and Khalid El Bakraoui and a third local man Najim Laachraoui killed 32 people at Brussels airport and on a metro line running under EU institutions.
VRT and RTBF said Abrini was probably the man disguised in heavy glasses and a floppy hat who was pictured with Brahim Bakraoui and Laachraoui moments before the other two blew themselves up at the airport.
Al-Qaeda Militants Execute 17 Yemeni Soldiers
Suspected al-Qaeda militants in southern Yemen seized and executed 17 soldiers loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi on Saturday, Apr 9 local officials and residents said.
The soldiers were detained while travelling from the southern port of Aden to al-Mahra province in eastern Yemen via Ahwar, a city in Abyan province under al-Qaeda control. The militants took them to a remote area and killed them by firing squad, the officials and residents said. They said 17 other captive soldiers were wounded in the incident and some managed to escape and get help from local tribal leaders.
Ansar al Sharia, an al-Qaeda affiliate in Yemen, later issued a statement denying responsibility for the attack and blamed a local armed fighter named Ali Aqeel.
The soldiers had been visiting family in Aden and were returning to their base in al-Mahra to draw their salaries, security sources said. They were not dressed in military uniform and were not riding in military vehicles.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has exploited the Yemeni war to expand areas under its control, seizing Mukalla, the capital of Hadramout province, last year and recruiting more followers.
The Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen, backed by the United States, has helped AQAP become stronger than at any time since it first emerged almost 20 years ago, a Reuters special report revealed last week.
Iran-allied Houthi forces have been battling forces loyal to Yemen’s Saudi-backed President Hadi since March 2015 in a conflict that has cost more than 6,200 lives.
Rebels Seize Syrian Town From IS
Rebels seized a town in southern Syria from groups loyal to Islamic State just a day after fighters captured another town from the hardline militants in a separate insurgent assault in the north, a rebel source and a monitoring group said. The rebels had by late on Friday, Apr 8 taken control of Tasil in Deraa province that is near the Jordanian border and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the source and the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
They drove out fighters from the Yarmouk Martyrs’ Brigade and the Muthanna Movement, which they said were groups loyal to Islamic State.
A spokesman for the Alwiyat Seif al-Sham group that is part of a rebel alliance in the south described the latest attacks against the hardline jihadists as a “widened campaign against Daesh”, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.
It was the second blow dealt by insurgents fighting against Islamic State or Islamic State-linked fighters in as many days.
In a separate assault in the north of the country near the Turkish border on Thursday, rebel forces took over a town that had been the main stronghold of Islamic State in the northern Aleppo countryside.
A cessation of hostilities agreement in Syria that began on Feb 27 has slowed fighting in some areas in western Syria but has not halted the violence. Islamic State and the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front are not included in the truce. The Syrian army and its allies, backed by Russian air power, are separately fighting against Islamic State.
Suicide Blast Kills Four In Yemen
A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden belt near a football stadium in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden on Tuesday, Apr 12 killing at least four people, witnesses and a security source said. Ten people were wounded in the attack, which appeared to target young army recruits waiting for buses outside a military checkpoint in the city’s north, the witnesses and source added.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but jihadist militants have carried out similar suicide bombings in Aden in the past.
Such groups are not involved in a nationwide truce that started between the main warring parties in Yemen this week.
Amnesty International said in November there was “damning evidence” of Saudi war crimes.
A report by the UN in July said 80 percent of the Yemeni population were now in need of humanitarian assistance and the country was at risk of famine as the Saudi blockade of its ports continues.
Fear Spreads As Child Suicide Bombings Surge In Africa
Boko Haram child suicide bombings have surged 11-fold in West Africa over the last year, with children as young as 8, mostly girls, detonating bombs in schools and markets, a leading charity said on Tuesday, Apr 12.
Suicide bombings have spread beyond Nigeria’s borders, with an increasing number of deadly attacks carried out by children with explosives hidden under their clothes or in baskets.
“The use of children, especially girls, as so-called suicide bombers has become a defining and alarming feature of this conflict,” Laurent Duvillier, regional spokesman for the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “It’s basically turning the children against their own communities by strapping bombs around their bodies,” he said.
There were 44 child suicide bombings in West Africa last year, up from four in 2014, Unicef said, mostly in Cameroon and Nigeria.
Islamist Boko Haram’s six-year campaign to set up an Islamic emirate in northeastern Nigeria has killed some 15,000 people, according to the US military. Outmanoeuvred after a regional offensive drove it from strongholds in Nigeria last year, it is increasingly using children to carry out attacks. The tactic has proven effective in increasing the number of casualties as people do not usually see children as a threat.
It is not clear how Boko Haram coerces children to carry out the attacks, but those who have been raped are more psychologically damaged and vulnerable, the US Army says.
Amnesty International estimates Boko Haram has kidnapped about 2,000 women and girls since 2014 for use as cooks, sex slaves, fighters and suicide bombers.
It is two years since the militants abducted some 270 Nigerian schoolgirls in Chibok, many of whom were forced to convert to Islam and marry their captors. Three-quarters of the suicide bombers have been girls, Unicef said, who are often were thought less likely to arouse suspicion, although that may be changing now.
US Considers Supporting New UAE Push Against Al-Qaeda In Yemen
The United States is considering a request from the United Arab Emirates for military support to assist a new offensive in Yemen against al-Qaeda’s most dangerous affiliate, US officials tell Reuters. A US-backed military push by the Gulf ally could allow the administration of President Barack Obama to help strike a fresh blow against a group that has plotted to down US airliners and claimed responsibility for last year’s attacks on the office of Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has exploited the chaos of Yemen’s year-old civil war to become more powerful than any time in its history, and now controls a swathe of the country.
The UAE has asked for US help on medical evacuation and combat search and rescue as part of a broad request for American air power, intelligence and logistics support, the US officials said. It was unclear whether US special operations forces – already stretched thin by the conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan – were part of the request.
The US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the UAE was preparing for a campaign against AQAP, but declined to offer details, citing operational security. The UAE is playing a key role in the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen that are loosely allied with Iran.
The White House and the Pentagon declined to comment. Government officials in the UAE did not respond to request for comment. Washington’s consideration of the request comes ahead of Obama’s planned trip next week to a summit of Gulf leaders in Saudi Arabia.
Spanish Police Arrest Couple With Links To IS
A Moroccan man and a Spanish woman with links to Islamic State were arrested in the southern Spanish port of Algeciras on Saturday, Apr 16 as they were trying to leave for Morocco with their young son, the interior ministry said.
The couple were part of a group that supported and recruited Islamic State fighters, including individuals that had carried out suicide bomb attacks in Syria, a ministry statement said.
The man’s brother had recently died in a suicide bomb attack and that was why the couple were travelling to Morocco in a hurry, the ministry said without giving further details.
Their son has been put in care, it said.
Authorities are searching the couple’s house in Granada and the investigation remains open. Spain has arrested 18 people so far this year on charges of being linked to Islamist militants.
Saudi Arabia To Sell US Assets If Congress Passes 9/11 Bill
Saudi Arabia has made it clear to the Obama administration and members of Congress that it will sell off hundreds of billions of dollars worth of American assets held by the Kingdom if Congress passes a bill that would allow the Saudi government to be held responsible in American courts for any role in the Sept 11, 2001 attacks.
According to media reports, officials in Saudi Arabia have reportedly told the Obama administration that they will sell off hundreds of billions of dollars of American assets if Congress passes a bill that would allow the Saudi government to be held responsible for any role in the September 11 attacks.
On the eve of President Barack Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia, one of the world top newspapers stated that the White House had been lobbying Congress to block the bill’s passage and that the threat from Saudi Arabia had been the subject of intense talks.
It said that Adel al Jubeir, the Saudi Foreign Minister, delivered the Kingdom’s message last month during a trip to Washington telling legislators that Saudi Arabia would be forced to sell up to $750 billion in treasury securities and other assets in the United States before they could be in danger of being frozen by American courts.
A US commission established in the aftermath of the attacks also concluded there was no evidence of official Saudi connivance. However, the White House has been under pressure to declassify a 28-page section of the report that was never published on the grounds of national security. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand who has read the report and Senator Bob Graham who co-chaired the joint congressional inquiry have said that the victims’ families deserved to read the report before Mr. Obama visits the Middle East next week.
The families have been trying to use the courts to hold responsible members of the Saudi royal family, Saudi banks and charities. Yet these efforts have been largely blocked because of a 1976 law that gives foreign nations some immunity from lawsuits in American courts.
Turkish Executives Among 100 Detained
Executives of a major Turkish company were among 100 people detained by police on Monday, Apr 18 over allegations of funding the movement of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, a foe of President Tayyip Erdogan, prosecutors and company officials said. The raids were the latest police operations targeting thousands of supporters of the US-based cleric, accused of leading what prosecutors described as a “Gulenist Terror Group” trying to overthrow Erdogan.
Gulen denies the accusations. Two board members of the Dumankaya construction group were named by state-run Anadolu Agency among those taken into custody. Dumankaya said in a statement that its board members had been invited to police headquarters to provide information.
The prosecutor’s office, which did not name Dumankaya, said 100 people have been taken into custody in an operation focused on Istanbul and carried out across nine provinces.
A total of 140 arrest warrants were issued. Those held are accused of membership and funding of a terror group and spreading terrorist propaganda in relation to the misuse of funds collected by Gulen followers in 2014-2015, it said.
Gulen and Erdogan were allies until police and prosecutors seen as sympathetic to Gulen opened a graft investigation into Erdogan’s inner circle in 2013. Thousands of police officers, prosecutors and judges were sacked or reassigned for alleged links to Gulen.
Among those held on Monday were 41 employees of Islamic lender Bank Asya, founded by followers of Gulen and seized by the government last year, the prosecutor said.
Turkey Kills 32 IS Militants
Turkish armed forces on Tuesdayi, Apr 19 killed 32 suspected Islamic State militants in the Bashiqa area of northern Iraq in response to an attack on a Turkish tank at a military camp there, broadcaster CNN Turk reported.
CNN Turk said Turkish soldiers had killed 10 Islamic State militants during an operation that destroyed a building, and had killed another 22 militants as they fled.
The report could not immediately be verified.
Nato member Turkey has soldiers stationed at the Bashiqa camp near the city of Mosul, which it says are training local forces to fight Islamic State.
Meanwhile, prospects for reviving Syrian peace talks were bleak on Tuesday with the opposition saying the postponement was indefinite with a truce over, and the government ruling out any negotiations about the presidency of Bashar al-Assad.
The collapse of the Geneva talks leaves a diplomatic vacuum that could allow a further escalation of the war that is being fuelled by rivalries between foreign powers including oil producers Iran and Saudi Arabia.
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.
