Terrorist Activities in Pakistan
Suicide Attacks
The District Police Officer (DPO) of Qilla Abdullah, Sajid Khan Mohmand, and his security guard and driver were killed and over 10 other people, including five Police personnel, injured in a suicide blast in the border town of Chaman in Qilla Abdullah District of Balochistan on July 10, reports Dawn. Sources said that DPO Sajid Khan Mohmand with his team was on an inspection of the Eidgah area of Boghara road when the suicide bomber riding a motorcycle blew himself up after hitting his vehicle. Sources said Sajid Khan Mohmand died on the spot as the suicide bomber hit the vehicle on the side where he was sitting. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack.
Two Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel were killed and four others injured when a suicide bomber targeted their vehicle in Hayatabad area of Peshawar on July 17 reports The News. Superintendent of Police (Cantonment), Imran Malik has confirmed it was a suicide attack and death of two FC soldiers, including a Major rank officer.
At least 26 persons, including nine Policemen, were killed and 56 others injured in a suicide blast near the Arfa Karim IT Tower on the Ferozepur Road of Lahore in the afternoon of July 24, reports The News. The suicide attack was carried out during the demolition of the old fruit and vegetable market. The suicide bomber was aged between 16 to 18 years, apparently riding a bike, reached the spot where the Police were standing guard to avert any retaliation from the owners of the buildings being demolished for a park. The bomber carrying a suicide jacket weighing at least 12 kilogrammes of explosives, including ball bearings – triggered the button at 3:55pm. The impact of the blast was so huge that it shook the Arfa Karim Tower like an earthquake as ball bearings shattered a number of windowpanes. Three bikes and a car were damaged in the blast. The incident occurred just a few meters away from 180-H Model Town – the Chief Minister’s camp office, exposing the so-called combing search operations and maintenance of law and order in the provincial metropolis. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack.
Bomb/IED blasts
A Khasadar force personnel was killed and another injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in Sheen Drang area of Khyber Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on July 23, reports Daily Times. Security personnel cordoned off the area soon after the blast.
Targetted Killings
One Security Forces (SFs) personnel was injured when their convoy comes under militants’ ambush in the Balnigwar area of Kech District in Balochistan on July 2, reports The Express Tribune. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.
One person was killed and seven others were injured when unidentified assailants ambushed vehicle of a Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) Manzoor Khan Kakar at Manan Chowk in Quetta on July 5, reports Daily Times. Quetta Deputy Inspector General of Police said that MPA was not present in the vehicle at the time of the attack but his brother was travelling in the vehicle along with his guards.
Malik Naveed Dehwar, a leader of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), and three others were killed in two gun attacks on Arbab Karam Khan road of Quetta on July 6, reports Dawn. Police said that Malik Naveed Dehwar was passing through Arbab Karam Khan road along with his guard and another person when four men on two motorcycles opened fire on the vehicle from two sides. Mr. Dehwar hailed from Mastung and was a member of the BNP-M’s central council. In 2013, he contested the election from the National Assembly’s Mastung-Kalat constituency on a BNP-M ticket, but lost.
Separately, two persons were shot dead in the Chashma Auchuzai area on the outskirts of Quetta on July 6, reports Dawn. Amil Khan Kakar, son of prominent Pashtu poet, writer and educationist Wali Muhammad Siyal, was sitting in his farm with his watchman when armed men appeared and attacked them. Both died on the spot.
Two workers of Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) were killed in a suspected targeted attack in Orangi Town of Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, on July 17, reports Dawn. According to Superintendent of Police Abid Ali Baloch the PSP workers, Abdul Hameed alias Nadeem alias Mulla (55) and Rashid Khan (50), were sitting at a corner of a street near Qazafi Chowk behind Sindh Government Qatar Hospital when armed pillion riders attacked them and fled.
At least four persons belonging to the ethnic Hazara Shia community were shot dead when unidentified assailants opened fire on their vehicle on the main RCD highway in Mastung town in the same District of Balochistan on July 19, reports Dawn. A woman is among the slain victims. The assailants managed to escape after carrying out the attack.
Two Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were killed by unidentified assailants on the RCD Highway in Chaghi District in Balochistan on July 22, reports Dawn. The two soldiers were patrolling the highway on a motorcycle in the Killi Dawoodabad area when assailants opened fire on them and fled, the Levies sources said. A search operation was launched in the area following the attack. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
A traffic Constable was killed and another injured when unidentified assailants riding pillion on a motorcycle opened indiscriminate fire at Abul Hasan Ispahani Road in Sohrab Goth area of Karachi on July 24, reports Dawn. Gadap town Superintendent of Police Chaudhry Saifullah confirmed the incident, stating that both traffic wardens had been attacked near the Paradise Bakery.
Miscellaneous
Security Forces (SFs) on June 30 foiled an attempt to blow up the Rawalpindi-bound Jaffar Express passenger train by defusing a 15kg bomb planted at the main railway line near Mach area of Bolan District in Balochistan, reports Dawn. Pakistan Railway officials said that some gang men were checking the main railway line before the arrival of Jaffar Express in Mach when they found a suspected bag. They said SF personnel and Railway Police were immediately informed about the suspected bag. A 15 kilograms bomb was planted to target the Rawalpindi-bound train. Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) personnel rushed to the area and defused the bomb after finding it in the suspected bag.
Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) arrested two wanted members of Lyari gangsters, Muhammad Omair and Zaheer Khan, in Madina Colony of Lyari Town in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, on July 3, reports The News.
A Lyari gangster, identified as Wasla, was shot dead in a Police encounter at Nippier Road under the jurisdiction of Nippier Police Station in Lyari Town of Karachi on July 6, reports The News. According to Police, the deceased was affiliated with the Uzair Baloch gang and involved in murders, grenade attacks, kidnapping for ransom, attack on Police mobile and other heinous crime.
Police and Security Forces (SFs) on July 7 launched a crackdown in Quetta and adjoining areas, arresting 98 suspects after the killing incidents over a 24-hour period, reports Dawn. There has been no claim of responsibility for the killings as yet. “Police and Frontier Corps conducted a search operation in Killi Ismail and adjoining areas and detained 98 suspects in connection with recent targeted killings,” Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Razzaq Cheema said.
A cache of arms and ammunition was recovered by the Security Forces (SFs) in Kohat Town on July 11, reports Dawn. According to an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release, SFs conducted an intelligence-based operation and recovered the weapons while they were being transported from Darra Adam Khel to Wana. “Weapons were discretely hidden inside the truck‘s lower body,” the press release read. ISPR said that two men were also apprehended in the operation. The recovered cache of weapons includes 614 pistols, 115 automatic weapons, 7,000 rounds of various caliber and 579 pistol magazines.
On July 12, on the intelligence tip a team of Anti Violent-Crime Cell (AVCC) raided Dhobi Ghat area in the remit of Garden Police Station area in Saddar Town of Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, and arrested a suspect, identified as Naseem, along with weapons, reports Daily Times. He is affiliated with Muttahida Qaumi Movement- London (MQM-L) and is also involved in many incidents of target killing. After initial interrogation from the suspect the Police recovered more weapons on his pointation which were concealed underground in the Old City area. According to the police Naseem has confessed that he killed various people on the directives of his leader ship in London and the weapons he had concealed were kept for using in terror activates in future.
Further, on July 12, Pakistan Rangers Sindh arrested suspect Arif alias Takki from the Pak-Colony area of Site Town in Karachi, reports Daily Times. Takki was affiliated with Arshad Pappu group of Lyari Gang War and was involved in many incident of crime, including killing, kidnapping and extortion. Nowadays he was active in the area as ‘commander’ of Golimar area.
Four militants were arrested in separate raids by Security Forces (SFs) from Gujranwala and Dera Ghazi Khan District of Punjab on July 14, reports Daily Times. The first joint intelligence based operation was conducted in Dera Ghazi Khan by Pakistan Rangers Punjab, Police and intelligence agencies. Two militants were arrested along with cache of arms and ammunition. The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) press statement said the weapons and ammunition was being transported for terrorist activities in major cities of Punjab and Sindh.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) conducted an operation on an intelligence report in Gujranwala and arrested two militants. The arrested terrorists were identified as Muhammad Sufiyan and Zaheerud Din. CTD officials said that explosives, detonators and weapons were seized from the arrested terrorists.
Four militants were killed during an exchange of fire with the Frontier Constabulary (FC) troops in the night of July 15 after they attacked the Shoaib Nikka post in the Qamar din Kerez area of Zhob District in Balochistan, reports Dawn. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the militants fired rockets and used machine guns during the attack on Shoaib Nikka post. The FC troops, however, foiled the attack, killing four terrorists.
Security Forces (SFs) on July 17 killed at least eight militants and injured three others in air strikes on their hideouts on the first day of Operation Khyber-4 in the mountainous region of Rajgal in Tirah valley of Khyber Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), reports Dawn. Official sources said that several hideouts of the Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) and the Islamic State (IS) group were targeted during the daylong shelling. Residents in nearby areas said they saw military helicopters approaching Rajgal in the morning and also heard heavy artillery shelling. Air Force jets also participated in the strikes along with military helicopters at the militant hideouts in Pakdara, Naray Naw, Sattar Kalay and Khairaba areas of Rajgal.
At least 13 militants were killed and six others were injured while an Army soldier, identified as Sepoy Abdul Jabbar, was killed during operation Khyber-4 in Rajgal Valley area of Khyber Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on July 20, reports Daily Times. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the raid was conducted as part of Operation Khyber 4, launched under Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad (RuF), to specifically clear areas in FATA that are susceptible to threats from the Islamic State (IS).
Four militants, including Mullah Akbar Swati, the chief of al Qaeda Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) Karachi chapter, were killed in an encounter with Police during a raid in the Sachal area of Malir Town in Karachi on July 24, reports The News. “The spy agencies traced a telephone call in the morning that the terrorists were going to hold a gathering in the area,” Malir Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rao Anwar said. “The surveillance of the area was increased following intelligence sharing, and preparations were made for the arrest of the outlaws.” “However, the terrorists opened fire on the police team that reached the site of terrorists’ gathering,” the SSP said, adding that the Police retaliated and killed four of them. Following the encounter, a heavy contingent of Rangers reached the site and started searching the area to nab other terrorists.
PAKISTAN
Pakistanis’ money in Swiss banks down but still above Indians’
Money kept by Pakistani nationals in Swiss banks fell marginally to CHF 1.4 billion (Rs1.55 trillion) in 2016, even as the same from India fell for the third consecutive year to hit a record low.
As per the latest data released on June 20 by Switzerland’s central bank SNB (Swiss National Bank), the total funds linked to Pakistan in Swiss banks stood at 1,416 million at the end of 2016, down nearly 6 percent from CHF 1,513 million a year ago, foreign media reported.
This included funds amounting to CHF 1,386.6 million (down from 1,477 million at 2015-end) held directly by Pakistani nationals and entities and CHF 29 million (down from 36 million) through fiduciaries or wealth managers.
Earlier in 2015, these funds had risen 16 percent from CHF 1,301 billion at 2014-end.
The decline follows two consecutive years of rise in Pakistan-linked funds in Swiss banks, while the same for India has fallen for the third consecutive year now and stood at CHF 676 million at the end of 2016 — a decline of 45 percent.
This is the second time that the funds linked to Pakistan in Swiss banks have exceeded that of Indians.
A number of other major countries also saw their funds falling in Swiss banks amid a global clampdown against the erstwhile banking secrecy walls in the Alpine nation.
However, these official figures disclosed by SNB do not include the money that the foreign clients of Swiss banks might have kept in the name of shadow entities or shell companies.
Also, these figures do not indicate towards the quantum of alleged black money, which has been a matter of a major political debate in various countries, including India and Pakistan. As per the SNB data, the total funds linked to Pakistan in Swiss banks stood at a record high level of CHF 3.43 billion in the year 2001, but has come down considerably since then. By 2013, it fell to as low as CHF 1.23 billion, the lowest since 1996 since when this data is available. However, it has risen by 6 percent and 16 percent during the last two years 2014 and 2015, respectively. As per the SNB data, the total money held in Swiss banks by all their foreign clients from across the world however rose from CHF 1.41 trillion (USD 1.45 trillion) to CHF 1.42 trillion (USD 1.48 trillion) in 2016.
High value BLA militant along with his group surrenders to SFs in Balochistan
A high value Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militant, identified as Abdul Rasool alias Ustad/Borjon/Boss, along with his group surrendered to Security Forces (SFs) on June 27, Dawn reported quoting Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR). The militant group also surrendered their group’s weapons and ammunition. The ISPR said Abdul Rasool was involved in terrorist activities in Pasni, Kolanch, Dashat and Mand areas of Balochistan.
Jadhav is a spy, not a common prisoner, Pakistan tells India
The Foreign Office says the Indian government portraying the convicted RAW agent Kulbhushan Jadhav, condemned to death for espionage and terrorist activities in Pakistan, as a common prisoner was an attempt to belie the truth.
This assertion came in the wake of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs “desire” to cooperate with Pakistan on humanitarian matters including for the welfare of incarcerated nationals which included citizens and fishermen.
In a statement issued on Saturday, July 1 the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said, “India remains committed to addressing on priority all humanitarian matters with Pakistan, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen.”
The Indian government had also renewed its demand for full and earlier counselor access to Jadhav and another national, Hamid Nehal Ansari. In a statement on Sunday, the Foreign Office’s spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said India attempted to portray Jadhav as a common prisoner to belie the reality.
“Jadhav was a spy sent to Pakistan for carrying out subversive activities. His activities have caused an irreparable loss to Pakistani citizens’ lives and properties,” he added. He said Indian subversive designs against Pakistan were exposed after the trial of Kulbhushan Jadhav and the confessional statement of Ahsanullah Ahsan. The spokesman said Indian barbaric activities against innocent Kashmiris in the Occupied Kashmir had also been exposed to the world.
He said Pakistan had informed the United Nations General Assembly and international community about the Indian atrocities and human rights violations in the Held Kashmir. Nafees Zakaria said Kashmiri people were struggling for their basic right to self-determination.
Haqqani network operates from Afghanistan, says Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria
Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria on July 6 said that there was no organised presence of any terror outfit, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jama’at-ul-Ahrar (JuA), Daesh and al Qaeda on Pakistani soil, reports Daily Times. He also reiterated that the Haqqani Network operated from Afghanistan, not Pakistan. At his weekly news briefing, the spokesperson said the allegations about the presence of Haqqani network in tribal areas were mere rhetoric. “These are only aimed at putting the blame of their failures on Pakistan. The killing of a number of commanders of Haqqani network in Afghanistan clearly indicates that the group was based in Afghanistan and not operating from Pakistan,” he said.
Explosion targetting Chinese engineers reported in Karachi
An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion was reported from an area near Jama Mosque Mohammadi in the Bin-Qasim town of Karachi on July 10, reports Daily Times. Though no casualties were reported, however, the green belt of the road was damaged. DIG East Arif Hanif stated, “Sindhudesh Liberation Army is involved in the incident as its terrorists have been doing such activities in all over the Sindh to disturb the peace.” He informed that suspects of Sindhudesh Liberation Army (also known as Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army, SRA) had claimed to have planted bomb on the green belt to target the convoy of Chinese engineers but likely the convoy passed through the spot earlier. According to the DIG the suspects involved have left some pamphlets on the spot claiming the responsibility of the blast. Sindhudesh Liberation Army issued a letter to media claiming the responsibly.
Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed police department to provide adequate security to the Chinese working on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) related projects and install jammers in their vehicles when they travel from one are to another, reports Daily Times.
Special powers of Sindh Rangers extended for 90 days
Sindh Government has given 90-day extension to the special powers of rangers in Karachi Division under the Anti-terrorism Act, Daily Times reported on July 13. The period of the special powers of rangers in Karachi Division was to end on July 12 however, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah approved a summary to give 90-day extension to the special powers of the rangers in Karachi Division. However, the final notification in this regard would be issued by the Federal Government.
PILDAT records 33 percent decrease in terrorist activities in Punjab
A report of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) shared at a public forum on July 1 has stated that terrorist activities in Punjab have declined by 33 percent, reports Daily Times. Punjab has apparently improved its performance in the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) during first quarter (January-March) of 2017 as compared to performance in previous two years (2015-2016), said the report. The report records a decrease of 33 percent in terrorism incidents in Punjab during the period under review. “Punjab had witnessed 12 major terrorist attacks during 2015-2016, bringing the average to 1.5 during each quarter compared to one terrorist incidence during the first quarter of 2017.” It added, “Of the 15 points pertaining to the performance of Punjab on the implementation of the NAP, the first quarter of 2017 has recorded upward progress on the implementation of points No 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 14, 15 in Punjab.” The remaining eight points reflect unchanged implementation levels that do not reflect a regression on status of implementation of NAP in Punjab during the first quarter of 2017, it said.
Four policemen and three militants killed in separate incidents in Balochistan
The Superintendent of Police (SP), Mubarak Shah, and three of his Police guards were shot dead when the militants on motorcycles opened indiscriminate fire at the Police mobile while it was patrolling in Killi Deba area of Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, on July 13, reports Daily Times. Senior Police Official Abdul Razzaq Cheema said the attackers opened fire from different directions, killing Quaidabad SP Mubarak Shah and his three Police guards, adding that militants managed to escape from the crime scene. The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had claimed responsibility for the attack.
Separately, three militants were killed in an encounter with Police and Security Forces (SFs) in Essa Nagri area of Quetta on July 13, reports Dawn. Police officials said that militants opened fire on a Police patrolling party in the area. In response, the Policemen engaged the suspected terrorists, whereas, a heavy contingent of Police and other law enforcement agencies immediately reached the spot. After the encounter, the three suspected terrorists were found killed, said Police officials. A cache of arms and ammunition, including five-kilogram of exclusive material were recovered from the possession of the slain militants.
Two suicide bombers killed in FATA
Two suicide bombers were killed by Security Force (SF) when they tried to storm the Frontier Constabulary (FC) camp in Jarobi area of Khyber Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on July 13, reports Dawn. FC personnel engaged with the attackers as they tried to enter the camp in Jarobi area, shooting dead one of the suicide bombers at the gate. The second attacker blew himself up at the entrance of the camp when SFs opened retaliatory fire. At least two FC personnel also sustained injuries during the incident.
Terrorists in desperation targetting law officers: ISPR
Against the back of a renewed wave of targeted attacks against senior police officers in Balochistan, Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa arrived in Quetta on July 14 and reviewed the security situation prevailing in the restive province, reports Dawn. The Army Chief assured the people of Balochistan that their prosperity would remain his priority and his focus was on bringing them on a par with the people of other provinces. COAS says the Army will continue to perform its duty with people’s support. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Army chief was apprised that “terrorists in desperation” were targeting law enforcement agencies and soft targets since there had been a phenomenal reduction in targeted killings on sectarian grounds in the province.
Terrorism reduced in Pakistan for second straight year: US
The United States on Wednesday, July 19 acknowledged that terrorism has reduced in Pakistan in 2016 for second straight year and the country has taken constructive measures on nuclear safety and weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).
However, in its annual ‘Country Report on Terrorism’ for 2016, the US State Department kept Pakistan in the list of countries which have safe havens for terrorist. In its annual ‘Country Report on Terrorism’ for 2016, the US State Department said Pakistani military and security forces undertook operations against groups that conducted attacks within Pakistan such as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan.
“While terrorist-related violence in Pakistan declined for the second straight year in 2016, the country continued to suffer significant terrorist attacks, particularly against vulnerable civilian and government targets,” the report said. The report included Pakistan among over a dozen countries where terrorist safe havens exist. These countries include Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Columbia, Somalia, Philippines, Libya and Egypt.
The report appreciated the fact that throughout 2016, the government of Pakistan administered an Exit Control List intended to prevent terrorists from traveling abroad. It says Pakistan continued military operations to eradicate terrorist safe havens in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, although their impact on all terrorist groups was uneven, it said. “To combat weapons of mass destruction (WMD) trafficking, Pakistan harmonised its national control list with items controlled by the Nuclear Suppliers Group, and continued to harmonise its control lists with other multilateral regimes, such as the Missile Technology Control Regime and the Australia Group,” the report said.
According to State Department, Pakistan improved legal and regulatory cooperation, industry outreach, and nonproliferation awareness for the Strategic Export Control Division and Pakistani Customs. In addition to industry outreach, it says Pakistan also delivered technical trainings to licensing and enforcement officials for the proper detection, interdiction, and identification of dual-use commodities that could be used to create WMDs.
However, it criticised Islamabad for not doing enough against Afghan Taliban. “Pakistan did not take substantial action against the Afghan Taliban or Haqqani, or substantially limit their ability to threaten US interests in Afghanistan, although Pakistan supported efforts to bring both groups into an Afghan-led peace process,” the State Department said. It said numerous terrorist groups, including the Haqqani Network (HQN), Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT), and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), continued to operate from Pakistani soil in 2016. The 2015 ban on media coverage of Saeed, JuD, and Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FiF) continued and was generally followed by broadcast and print media, the report said.
“Although LeT is banned in Pakistan, LeT’s wings Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FiF) were able to openly engage in fundraising, including in the capital.” The department acknowledged that Pakistan’s National Counterterrorism Authority had published its own list of banned organisations in November 2016 which placed JuD in a separate section for groups that are “under observation” but not banned.
Army launders Operation Khyber-4 in Khyber Agency of FATA
The Director General (DG) of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor on July 16 announced the launch of Operation Khyber-4 under Radd-ul-Fasaad (Elimination of discord) to “wipe out terrorists” in the Rajgal Valley area of Khyber Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), reports Dawn. “An operation to wipe out terrorists has been launched in Rajgal valley in Khyber Agency,” Major General Ghafoor said. Khyber-4 seeks to target terrorist hideouts in what the DG ISPR called “the most critical area in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)”. There is no timeline for the operation as yet, Ghafoor said in response to a question.
Former security officer of PPP MNA Faryal Talpur shot dead in Karachi
Abdur Razzak Shaikh, a former security officer of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) MNA and sister of Party Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari, Faryal Talpur, was shot dead in an act of targeted killing in District Central at Haji Mureed Goth within the limits of Gulbahar Police Station in Karachi on July 19, reports The Express Tribune. Abdur Razzak Shaikh was shot multiple times and was taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for medical treatment where he succumbed to his injuries. His body was handed over to his family for burial. He was shot at least twice in close range. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Zafar Khan said that the incident occurred when the victim was sitting outside his residence when at least two armed men riding a motorcycle shot him. Razzak was also a close aide of Zardari’s chief protocol officer Bilal Shaikh who had been killed a few years ago in a suicide attack in Karachi. Bilal’s brother, Khan Shaikh, said that the deceased had served as Talpur’s security officer and had previously served as a security officer at Zardari House. He had been a founding member of Jannisar-e -Benazir.
Four killed in attack on police van in Karachi
Three Policemen and a 12-year-old boy were killed after six unidentified assailants opened fire on a Police van parked near Darul Uloom in Korangi town of Karachi on July 21, reports Dawn. Superintendent Police (SP) Landhi Arif Aslam confirmed that an Awami Colony Police mobile was the target of the attack. The dead personnel were identified as Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Qamar Din, Constable Babar Ali and Constable Amjad. The identity of the boy is still not known.
51pc for PM’s resignation, 49pc want him to fight
According to a latest national opinion poll on Panama Leaks case, report by JIT and the credibility of National Institutions conducted by the Gallup Pakistan, 51% people favoured prime minister’s resignation from politics against 49% who want him to contest the case.
In the poll, 1750 men and women across rural and urban Pakistan, covering all 4 Provinces, were asked questions between 17th to 20th July 2017 after the JIT presented its report to the Supreme Court. Following are the results: —
1. Awareness about JIT Report on Panama Leaks: 73% claim they have heard or read about it.
2. In the aftermath of the JIT report should the PM resist or resign from politics? Views are sharply divided: 51% favour resigning from politics; while 49% favour resisting by contesting a case against the JIT decision.
3. Acceptability of Shahbaz Sharif as a replacement of Nawaz: 59% across various vote banks (those intending to vote for PML-N or any other party) say that if PML-N were to nominate him, they will accept Shahbaz Sharif as a replacement of Nawaz; 41% say they will oppose.
4. Credibility of various national institutions, including the entity called ‘Average Pakistani Citizen’: Supreme Court (79%), Army (79%), Religious Leaders (68%) and Doctors (64%) score higher than the Average Citizen (61%), politicians (61%), media (58%), lawyers (52%) and police (38%).
Interestingly, politicians are rated at exactly the same level as the ‘Average Pakistani Citizen’.
REGIONAL
Bangladesh – Internal Dynamics
38 Bangladeshis have travelled through various countries to reach Syria and join IS, says intelligence report
According to one intelligence report, at least 38 Bangladeshis have travelled through various countries to reach Syria and join the Islamic State (IS), reports Dhaka Tribune on June 28. There have been a number of reports of Bangladeshis, both locals and expatriates, joining the terrorist group IS over a period of about three years. Some have travelled straight to Syria to join IS while others were radicalized abroad while studying or working and then moved to the Middle East. A significant number of IS members are also citizens of many different countries who are of Bangladeshi descent. Some of these people have also reportedly died in battles in Syria.
JMB militant arrested in Sirajganj district
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on June 29 arrested a militant of Jama’at-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB)at Ullapara in Sirajganj District, reports New Age. The arrestee is Mohamad Atiq-ur Rahman alias Atik.
Two JMB militants arrested in Gazipur district
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on June 30 arrested two militants of Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from different areas in Gazipur District, reports Dhaka Tribune. The two JMB militants are Mohamad Chan Miah (38) and Mohammad Moznu Miah (27). Disguising themselves as grocery store owners, the militants were preparing to regroup with a plan to carry out subversive activity in the area, said the Police.
BD holding hundreds in secret jails: HRW
Bangladesh has secretly detained hundreds of people including scores of opposition activists, many of whom have later been killed, a rights group said on Thursday, July 6. The Human Rights Watch report, released days after the alleged abduction of a high-profile government critic, said security agencies were removing people with “no regard” for the rule of law.
Hundreds of people have been detained and held in secret locations since 2013, including at least 90 last year, it said. “Bangladesh security forces appear to have a free hand in detaining people, deciding on their guilt or innocence, and determining their punishment, including whether they have the right to be alive,” Brad Adams, HRW’s Asia director said.
“The disappearances are well-documented and reported, yet the government persists in this abhorrent practice with no regard for the rule of law,” he said. The New York-based group said in 2016 alone it documented 21 cases of detainees who were killed, and nine others whose whereabouts are unknown.
Among those missing is Sajedul Islam Sumon, 37, a Dhaka neighbourhood chief of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Sumon’s sister Sanjida Islam said officers from the country’s elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained her brother and five other BNP activists on December 4, 2013. This was one month before a controversial 2014 general election which the BNP boycotted.
“Some 20 construction workers who were on the site told us RAB officers picked them up and led them away on a RAB van. They were never returned,” Islam said.
TATP has become Neo-JMB’s explosive of choice in Bangladesh, say bomb experts
Bomb experts said that the deadly explosive Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP), used by terrorists in Paris, Brussels and London attacks, has of late become Neo-Jama’at-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (Neo-JMB)’s explosive of choice in Bangladesh, reports The Daily Star on July 9. The experts said they had found evidence of its use in militant dens in Rajshahi, Jhenidah and Moulvibazar. The trace of the easy-to-make TATP, known as “the mother of Satan”, was found in surgical belts militants use these days instead of suicide belts, and in other bombs. It is made using hydrogen peroxide, which is found in products like floor washer, ear cleaner and furniture polish, said the experts. Acetone, another necessary ingredient, can be drawn from nail polish remover and some other beauty products, said an official of the bomb disposal team of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. Despite the risks involved in handling TATP, Neo-JMB militants use it for several reasons: their supply of gel explosives from a neighboring country had been cut off by law enforcers TATP can be prepared with ingredients of some products available in shopping malls most scanners cannot detect its presence and its destructive capacity is huge, said another official wishing anonymity. “Only 300gm of TATP can kill everyone in a 10-meter radius,” said the explosive expert.
PBCP ‘operational commander’ arrested in Rajshahi
An ‘operational commander’ of Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) was arrested in Sujanagar upazila (sub-District) of Pabna District on July 14, reports The Daily Star. The arrestee is Mohamad Dulla Sheikh alias Shamim (25). Police recovered a shutter gun, a rifle, four bullets and sharp weapons from him.
Militants have started using encrypted language to communicate among them, say Counter Terrorism officials
Counter terrorism officials said that militants have started using encrypted language to communicate among them, reports Dhaka Tribune on July 19. Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit’s (CTTC) Deputy Police Commissioner Abdul Mannan said: “Terrorists have begun using encryption to foil efforts by law enforcement to understand their plans. They regularly change the coding language that they use. They use them to encrypt messages sent across messaging apps. We have been able to decipher some of their messages after interrogating captured terrorists.” Arabic words are quite common in the code language used by terrorists.
Two JMB militants arrested in Dhaka city
Rapid Action Battalion on July 19 claimed to have detained two members of banned militant outfit Jama’at-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from Demra area of the capital Dhaka, reports Daily Star. The arrested duo was identified as Tusher Habib alias Aiyub (26) and Abu Bakar Siddik (35) both belonging to “Sarwar-Tamim Group” of JMB.
Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) on July 20 disclosed that two “Neo JMB” militants who supplied arms and collected fund for Dhaka café attack were killed in a raid in their Chapainawabganj hideout on April 27, reports Daily Star. Police came to know about the two suspected militants, Basharuzzaman Chocolate and Mizanur Rahman alias Chhoto Mizan, link with the café attack in Gulshan from Sohel Mahfuz, another bomb supplier whom they arrested on July 8. Chocolate was a fund collector for “Neo JMB” as the government called it while Chhoto Mizan was one of the suppliers of grenades and firearms used in the Gulshan cafe attack, a top counterterrorism official disclosed it at the monthly crime conference of DMP.
Further, the United States (US) Department of State has said while terrorist attacks in 2016 decreased by 9 percent globally, at the same time Bangladesh experienced a significant increase in such activities, reports Daily Star. However, the department praised Bangladesh’s efforts and cooperation with the United States and international community in counter terrorism, law enforcement and strengthening control of its borders. The US, in its annual “Country Reports on Terrorism 2016” released in Washington said Bangladesh government articulated a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism and made numerous arrests of terrorist suspects.
India – Internal Dynamics
All who have blood of Kashmiri brothers on their hands are our targets, says al Qaeda document
Shifting its focus to the Indian subcontinent, global terror outfit al Qaeda has said it will target Indian security installations and leaders of Hindu “separatist” organisations, reports The Times of India on June 27. The outfit has released an elaborate document titled ‘Code of conduct for Mujahideen in the subcontinent’ detailing its objectives, targets, and do’s and don’ts for members. “All personnel of the military are our targets, whether they be in the war zone or in barracks at their bases. Even the personnel on vacation are not exempted due to their battle against implementation of sharia,” the outfit said in the document. This is an exact reproduction of the text, “Officers are a greater priority than soldiers. The greater is the seniority, greater is our priority to kill him. Those officers of the military who have the blood of our Kashmiri brothers on their hands are our targets,” the outfit said. The document makes several references to Kashmir, and the opening note even refers to a resident of Uttar Pradesh (UP)’s Sambhal, Maulana Asim Umar, as the ‘emir’ or chief of the so-called al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).
Indian intelligence sources said they were keeping a close tab on the development as it comes soon after former Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘commander’ Zakir Musa floated a new outfit and openly acknowledged support from al Qaeda. The document also mentions that hostages should either be traded for a brother, given up for ransom or be killed, besides elaborating on targets in Pakistan, Arakan (Myanmar) and Bangladesh. Sources said the most worrying part was that the outfit had invited different groups fighting in the subcontinent to pledge their allegiance to what they refer to as the “Islamic emirate of Afghanistan”, and stand up against intelligence agencies and the groups they sponsor.
According to an official dealing in counter terror operations, al Qaeda is also trying to establish that its objectives and modus operandi are completely different from that of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), its arch rival. “The document mentions that the Mujahideen will not attack common Hindus, Muslims or Buddhists and also not strike places of worship. This is in sharp contrast with ISIS which has been targeting mosques on priority,” the official added.
AR personnel killed in Manipur
One Assam Rifles (AR) jawan (trooper), identified as Biju Surupawal (30), was killed and two others were injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast at a check post at Lambui village on the Imphal-Ukhrul road in Ukhrul District on June 30, reports E-pao. The injured jawans were identified as Yash Pal (37) and Niran Ranjan (35). No militant group has claimed the responsibility of the blast so far.
Live grenades recovered in Jharkhand
Security Forces (SFs) recovered seventy live grenades from Panki-Balumath road in Karimati Ghati in Palamau District on July 1, reports One India. Acting on a tip-off, the District Police launched a search operation and recovered the explosives. The grenades might have been kept hidden by the ultras as the area is affected by Communist Party of India-Maoist and People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI) militants, Palamau Superintendent of Police (SP) Indrajeet Mahatha said. A massive search operation is underway following the seizure in the area, Mahatha said.
AFSPA in Nagaland extended for another six months
Entire Nagaland has been declared as “disturbed area” for six more months under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), which empowers security forces to conduct operations anywhere without any prior notice, reports Hindustan Times. In a gazette notification, the Union Home Ministry said it is of the opinion that the area comprising the whole of Nagaland is in such a “disturbed and dangerous condition” that the use of armed forces in aid of the civil power is necessary. “Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, the central government hereby declares that whole of the said state to be a ‘disturbed area’ for a period of six months with effect from 30th June, 2017 for the purpose of that Act,” joint secretary in the Union Home Ministry Satyendra Garg said.
IPFT announces indefinite Rail and Road blockade from July 10 to press for separate State of ‘Twipraland’
Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) had announced an indefinite ‘Rail and Road blockade’ programme scheduled to commence from July 10 to press for their demand for a separate ‘Twipraland’ state to be carved out of the Tripura Tribal Autonomous District Council (TTADC) areas which encompass 68.10% of the state’s total geographical territory, reports Tripurainfo on July 3. Special security measures will be made along the railway line from Agartala to Churaibari and along the National Highway-44 from Agartala to the bordering point with the Karimganj District of Assam.
Internal probe report hints at conspiracy in the Sukma attack in Chhattisgarh
An internal probe report has suggested conspiracy in the April 24 Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) ambush on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) party at Burkapal in Sukma District leading to massacre of 25 troopers, reports The Asian Age on July 5. The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) towers in the region had gone dead hours before the deadly ambush was carried out and started functioning after the attack, an internal probe report of the CRPF has disclosed, indicating a conspiracy angel.
Sources in CRPF stated that there should be thorough probe into the aspect to “nail” Maoist moles, if they existed, in the government machinery. This is the first time an official probe has hinted at sabotage leading to one of the deadliest attacks on Security Forces (SFs) in Bastar Division. The report has revealed that security establishment had overlooked “vital clues” indicating preparations by the Maoists hours before the attack. According to the report, locals were seen busy celebrating an “unseasonal” festival in Burkapal on the intervening night of April 23-24. The next day, when the attack was carried out, the whole village was found deserted. Besides, suspicious movement by unknown people was noticed near the CRPF camp in Burkapal, which was conveniently ignored, the report noted. A woman, a purported Maoist ‘informer’, was seen moving suspiciously near the CRPF camp at Burkapal.
Territorial Army soldier deserts
A soldier belonging to Territorial Army (TA), identified as Zahoor Ahmad Thakur went missing on June 6 from North Kashmir’s Baramulla District and Police suspect that he may have joined hands with militant group Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), reports India Today. Zahoor Ahmad Thakur was reportedly missing from his camp in Gantmulla area along with an AK-47 rifle. “Thakur belongs to Pulwama district. A search operation has been launched,” Police sources said. Thakur’s suspected joining of HM becomes more relevant as the terror outfit is planning to recruit more 40 local militants.
Daily Excelsior adds that a manhunt has been launched to arrest the Army man across North Kashmir. Police has also issued a lookout notice. It is not yet clear whether the Army man has joined the militant ranks or not but efforts are on to trace him. General Officer Commanding (GOC) Kilo Force, Major General AK Singh, said that his deserting is a cause of concern for the Army.
Maoists threaten judge over his sentencing of four Maoists in Bihar
A group of suspected Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres have threatened to kill Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ), Prabhunath Singh over his sentencing, on July 5, four Maoists to life term for the 2002 killing of then Rohtas Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sanjay Kumar Singh, reports The Telegraph on July 8. The employees of Sasaram civil court in Rohtas District found a pamphlet pasted on the wall of the court building on July 7. The pamphlet has warned the judge of “punishment” in a kangaroo court. Singh on July 5 sentenced self-proclaimed ‘area commander’ Nirala Yadav and three more Maoists to life imprisonment for the forest official’s murder in February 2002, and the fifth accused Sudama Oraon to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment.
Indian Army trooper found shot dead in Manipur
One Indian Army jawan (trooper), identified as Moirangthem Herachandra Singh (37), was found shot to death at Nachou Kwak Siphai in Bishnupur District on July 10, reports E-pao. Unidentified assailants killed the Army personal and dumped his body in a canal. No militant group has claimed the responsibility of the killing so far.
Policeman killed in blast triggered by Maoists in Chhattisgarh
Assistant Constable Mankuram Kashyap was injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast triggered by the cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) in Kondagaon District on July 13, reports Indian Express. The incident took place in Kilam-Kudur forest under the Mardapal Police Station limits. A Police team which was out on an anti-Naxal [Left Wing Extremism (LWE)] operation came under fire inside the core area of the forest at Ranapal. After the exchange of fire between the two sides stopped, the Naxals had triggered the IED blast near Kudur as the Security Forces (SFs) were leaving the area, in which Kashyap sustained injuries.
Explosive powder found in UP State Assembly
60 grams of Pentaerythritol tetranitrate or PETN, an explosive chemical was found in Uttar Pradesh (UP) state assembly on July 13, reports oneindia.com. Speaking in the Assembly on UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called for an NIA investigation. “PETN explosive was found and action must be taken against those involved. NIA must investigate this…Security guidelines must be issued and everyone must follow them,” Adityanath told the assembly on July 14. “Strong security system must be established as this could be a terror conspiracy,” he added.
PETN is a major ingredient of Semtex and belongs to the same chemical family as nitroglycerin. It is one of the most powerful explosives made today and is a favourite among terrorists because its colourless crystals are hard to detect in a sealed container. “Everyone needs to be cautious related to security matters. Police verification needs to be done for workers in assembly,” the CM further said.
Mizoram based civil society and political groups demands separate administration for Zo descendants in Manipur
Both civil society organizations and political parties based in Mizoram have submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on July 13 demanding a “separate administration for the Zo people (Chin-Kuki-Mizo/Zomi) in the present Manipur at the same status as that of the Nagas be made outside the ambit of the Manipur Government,” reports Morung Express. The memorandum also demanded that “a process be initiated for fulfillment of the enduring desire of the Zo people (Chin-Kuki-Mizo/Zomi) in the present Manipur to be integrated under the same administration with their Zo brothers of present Mizoram which is apparently being done in the case of Nagas”. The memorandum was jointly submitted by Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA), Mizoram Upa Pawl (MUP), Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP), Mizo Zirlai Pawl [(Mizo Students’ Association) (MZP)], Mizo Students’ Union (MSU), Zo Re-Unification Organization (ZORO), Bharatiya Janata Party, Mizoram State (BJP – Mizoram), Indian National Congress, Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), Mizo National Front (MNF), Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) and Mizoram People’s Conference (MPC). In the memorandum it was stated that the Government of India must ensure that no ancestral Zo territory be left behind under the Manipur Government to be further “subjugated and marginalized”.
Maoists kill three members of a family in Bihar
Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres abducted three members of a family, suspecting them to be ‘police informers’, and subsequently killed them in Jamui District on July 14, reports The Telegraph. A group of Maoists descended on the house of Shiv Koda at Tari village in the early hours of Friday and held three members of the family hostage at gunpoint. Thereafter, they took them to the nearby Kukarjhap dam near Barhat and killed them. The Police identified the deceased as Shiv Koda, Bajrangi Koda and Meena Devi. The bodies bore multiple injuries which suggested that the killers had used heavy stones and blunt objects to kill them. Jamui Superintendent of Police (SP), Jayant Kant said, “We found the bodies near Kukurjhap dam near Barhat. A red slip found at the spot claimed responsibility for the killings,” he said adding that the Police had started combing operations in the Maoist-hit area.
Supreme Court orders CBI probe into encounter ‘killings’ in Manipur
The Supreme Court on July 14 directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe 98 cases of extra-judicial killings in Manipur by State Police and Security Forces and fixed a deadline of December 31 for registering the First Information Reports (FIR) s, completion of investigation and filing of charge sheets in appropriate cases, reports The Telegraph. The apex court passed the direction saying no member of the Manipur Police shall be part of the Special investigating Team (SIT) to be constituted by the CBI for the probe as the allegations are mostly against the local Police and in most cases FIRs were lodged against the deceased instead of the accused Police/security personnel. “We are of the opinion that it would be appropriate if the CBI is required to look into these fake encounters or use of excessive or retaliatory force. Accordingly, the director of the CBI is directed to nominate a group of five officers to go through the records of the cases mentioned in three tables, lodge necessary FIRs and complete the investigations into the same by December 31, 2017, and prepare charge sheets, wherever necessary,” a bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur and U.U. Lalit said.
Maoists posters threatening people to protest Police found in Odisha
A few hand written Communist Party of India-Maoist posters were found put up on trees at Sindgilipadar, Bimalapadar, Barabandha, Belgaon villages under M. Rampur Police Station in Kalahandi District, reports Odisha TV on July 24. The posters in the name of Kalahandi-Kandhamal-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) division of CPI-Maoist urged the people to come forward against Police forces. “Protest Police action against innocent tribals and initiate a mass movement against the Police encounter at Bilabaru and Gumudumaha,” the posters read. The Maoists also asked the Police to withdraw their forces and camp set up forcefully on the tribal land at Uraladhani in the District.
Kerala fast becoming IS recruiting hub
In recent times, Kerala has fast emerged as a hot bed of terror-related activities with many having close links with the Islamic State (IS), Zee News reports on July 24. What is certainly an alarming situation for the Indian security agencies, many residents of Kerala are believed to have forged strong links with the IS. Though the agency didn’t confirm the number of IS recruits, it, however, quoted the sources saying that suspects have gone to Syria to join the dreaded terror outfit.
Monthly Fatalities
The following deaths related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism occurred during the period June 26, 2017 to July 25, 2017:
| Civilian | Indian Security Personnel | Militant | Total | |
| Manipur | 02 | 02 | 04 | 08 |
| Meghalaya | 01 | 00 | 01 | 02 |
| Left wing | 07 | 00 | 04 | 11 |
| Total | 10 | 02 | 09 | 21 |
Nepal – Internal Dynamics
Netra Bikram Chand -led CPN-Maoist cadre killed in bomb explosion in Kailali District
Chandra Singh aka Sunrise (29), a cadre of Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist) was killed in a bomb explosion in Dhangadhi city of Kailali District on June 26, reports Republica. According to Police, Chandra Singh was carrying the bomb himself but it explode when he reached at the premises of GS and Sons Hotel.
Meanwhile, a bomb was recovered near a polling centre at the Jana Prakash Higher Secondary School in Budhinanda Municipality of Bajura District on June 26, reports The Himalayan Times. Later, the Nepal Army’s bomb disposal team defused the bomb.
Five people injured in clash between NC and CPN-Maoist Centre cadres in Rukum District
Five people were injured in a clash ensued between the Nepali Congress (NC) and Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre (CPN-Maoist Centre) cadres in Sisne Rural Municipality-5, Rukum District on June 26, reports Republica. Among the injured, two are from the NC while remaining three are the CPN-Maoist Centre cadres, Police said. The CPN-Maoist Centre has claimed that the clash had occurred after the NC cadres forced entered into a room occupied by its cadres. However, the NC, denying the charge, claimed that its cadres were assaulted while walking on the street.
Meanwhile, a bomb went off at a polling center set up at Adarsha Adharbhut School located in Ward-7 of Ilam District at a time when voting was taking place on June 28, reports Republica. However, no human casualties have been reported yet. “The bomb explosion caused no human casualty”, Chief District Officer Janakraj Dahal told.
Separately, a bomb exploded at the house belonging to the NC in Siddheshwar of Bhojpur Municipality-4 of Bhojpur District on June 27, reports The Himalayan Times. The bomb exploded at the house of Prem Bhandari, a candidate for ward chair in the District. The explosion has partly damaged the house, however, no human casualties have been reported, according to Police.
Sri Lanka – Internal Dynamics
Social media sites are obstacles to build national unity and religious reconciliation in country, says President Maithripala Sirisena
President Maithripala Sirisena addressing an event in Nuwara Eliya District on June 29 said that social media sites are obstacle to build national unity and religious reconciliation in the country, reports Daily Mirror. “Extremist groups using this medium are attempting to create unrest in the country and all should understand this situation,” he said.
Woman sentenced for harbouring LTTE suicide bomber who targeted then Minister of Agricultural Development and current President in 2008
Colombo High Court on July 4 sentenced a woman for harboring a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) female suicide bomber who staged a suicide attack on the then Minister of Agricultural Development and Agrarian Services and current President Maithripala Sirisena in 2008 at Boralesgamuwa, reports Colombo Page. The 62-year-old defendant Selvakumar Welamani pleaded guilty to the charge of providing accommodation to a LTTE woman suicide bomber who targeted President Sirisena.
‘Political ghosts with double-standards’ oppose steps to prevent enforced disappearances, says Minister Mangala Samaraweera
Sri Lankan Minister Mangala Samaraweera said ‘political ghosts with double-standards’ are opposing steps to prevent enforced disappearances in the future, reports Colombo Page on July 9. The Minister said in a statement that some sections divided over politics have opposed the Bill on Prevention of Disappearances, which is aimed at preventing forcible abduction, disappearance or imprisonment of citizens in future. “However, those political ghosts who introduced the white van culture to our country are now engaged in the process of misleading the people as usual. We vehemently condemn such shameful efforts by power-hungry forces to socialize such lies.” The Minister clarified that the draft bill only affects the future and has no impact on the past events and the bill will ensure that the future generations will not be fall victim to enforced disappearances as in the past. “We like to ask whether eliminating the white van culture is a problem for anyone knowing the smell of humanity,” the Minister asked. He questioned whether those who oppose the bill are indirectly saying that enforced disappearances should continue to provide the unfortunate opportunity to destroy the youth of this country in the future.
Sri Lanka signed the International Covenant on Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance on December 10, 2015, and the Government ratified it on May 25, 2016. In order to give legal validity to this, the relevant draft bill was gazetted on May 9, 2017 and submitted to Parliament for approval. It was due to be debated on July 5, 2017, together with the Bribery and Corruption Act. Since there were number of speakers to debate both bills, considering its importance a timely decision was taken to debate the bill on enforced disappearances on a later date. This draft bill ensures the human right of every citizen in a justice, free and civilized society. The purpose of this Act was to establish the freedom of life for every citizen born in Sri Lanka without fear of forcible abduction, disappearance and imprisonment.
Sri Lankan President signs Office on Missing Persons Act
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on July 20 signed the Office on Missing Persons Act, paving the way to set up an office to trace around 20,000 people still missing, eight years after the end of the nearly three-decade-long civil war, reports The New Indian Express. A bill to establish the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) was introduced on May 22 and gazetted on May 27 last year (2016). On June 21, the bill, presented by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, was passed unanimously in Parliament. Sirisena said in a tweet: “I signed the Office of Missing Persons Act today. This marks another step forward in Sri Lanka’s path to sustained peace”. The office will help several thousands of families of missing persons to discover the fate of their loved ones and to bring a closure for these families.
Meanwhile, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres congratulated the Sri Lankan Government for setting up an Office of Missing Persons (OMP) on July 20, reports Colombo Page. Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General in a statement said the Secretary-General commends the Government of Sri Lanka for establishing the Office of Missing Persons (OMP), “a significant milestone for all Sri Lankans still searching for the truth about their missing loved ones.” “The United Nations stands ready to support this process and the Secretary-General looks forward to [the Office] becoming operational as soon as possible, starting with the appointment of independent commissioners,“ said the Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
Police officer injured in shooting incident in Jaffna High Court dies
A Police officer, who was critically injured in July 22 shooting incident in Nallur when an unidentified man opened fire at the Jaffna High Court judge, has died on July 23, reports Colombo Page. The officer identified as Sergeant Hemachandra has succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit of the Jaffna Teaching Hospital. The Police officer attached to the security detail of the Jaffna High Court judge, Justice Manickavasagar Illancheliyan was providing escort to the judge at the time of the shooting.
Meanwhile, Jaffna Police on July 23 have arrested two suspects in connection with July 22 shooting at the Jaffna High Court, reports Colombo Page. The two suspects arrested are the brother and a relative of the main suspect, who is still at large. The two suspects are being interrogated in length to find the whereabouts of the main suspect, police said. The Police teams investigating the shooting incident suspects the gunman is a former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadre.
INTERNATIONAL
Ex-Brazil FM sentenced to 12 years
A Brazilian court sentenced former finance minister Antonio Palocci to 12 years in prison on Monday, June 26 for corruption and money laundering, potentially bringing the sweeping “Operation Car Wash” graft investigation closer to the financial sector.
The ruling by Judge Sergio Moro adds to the pressure on Palocci, who served as finance minister under former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, to reach a plea bargain with prosecutors in a bid to have his sentence reduced.
A deal is expected to be announced by September, when Prosecutor-General Rodrigo Janot finishes his term and is set to be replaced by an appointee of President Michel Temer. Palocci, who was chief of staff to Lula´s successor, Dilma Rousseff, has offered to provide details about the kickback scheme under investigation that could hurt Lula´s chances of running in the 2018 election.
Palocci is accused of negotiating with Latin America´s largest construction group, Odebrecht, to change the terms of tenders to facilitate the company´s interest in building seven oil rigs for state oil company Petrobras after it lost the first round of bidding.
EU urges more action on cyberattacks
The EU must boost its defences against cyberattacks, which have fallen behind the modern world’s reliance on the internet and mobile devices, the bloc’s security chief warned on Thursday, June 29.
Brussels will give 10.8 million euros to 14 EU countries to boost their cyber response teams following this week’s massive global cyberattack, Security Commissioner Julian King said.
The latest series of cyberattacks began in Ukraine on Tuesday, hitting government and corporate computer systems across the world as the so-called Petya virus spread to western Europe and across the Atlantic.
The British commissioner to the European Union said that cyberattacks were becoming “more strategic because they endanger critical infrastructure and indeed our democratic processes.”
In addition the extra funding for national cyber response centres, he said there should also be extra support for the EU police agency Europol’s cybercrime department.
Europol said on Wednesday that the latest cyberattacks were similar to last month’s WannaCry ransomware havoc but “more sophisticated”.
Nato warned that cyberattacks could potentially trigger the 29-nation military alliance’s mutual defence guarantee, while making a similar call to strengthen cyber defences.
Most Jihadist attacks in West not coordinated by IS
Jihadists in Europe and the US are overwhelmingly men in their late 20s with criminal records who act independently of IS, a study of the atrocities in the West has found.
The report, presented late on Thursday, June 29 found that since the so-called Islamic State (IS) proclaimed its “caliphate” in June 2014, three years ago, 51 attacks have been carried out in the West in eight countries.
“Radicalization and Jihadist attacks in the West” was drawn up by experts at America’s George Washington University, Italy’s Ispi (Institute for International Political Studies) and the ICCT counter-terrorism centre in The Hague.
France was hit the hardest, suffering 17 attacks, followed by the United States with 16 and Germany with seven. The attacks which left 395 dead and at least 1,549 wounded — were carried out by 65 assailants.
Forty-three lost their lives, 21 were arrested, and one is on the run.
The average age of the attackers was 27 years and three months. The youngest was 15 years old, the eldest 52.
Seventy-three percent were citizens of the country where they carried out the attack.
Fourteen percent were lawfully resident in the country or were legally visiting from nearby countries, five percent were refugees or asylum seekers, while six percent were in the country illegally or awaiting deportation. Seventeen percent were people who had converted to Islam.
Eighty-two percent were already known to the authorities before their attacks: 57 percent had a criminal record and 18 percent had already spent time in prison.
Only 18 percent were foreign fighters, and in just eight percent of the attacks the order came directly from IS leaders.
In 66 percent of the cases, the attackers had some form of connection to the Islamic State group but acted alone.
And in 26 percent of them, they had no connection with IS or other Jihadist groups but were inspired by their call to arms.
‘US travel ban truly shameful’
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Friday, June 30 that the new US ban on travellers from six Muslim countries was “truly shameful”. “US now bans Iranian grandmothers from seeing their grandchildren, in a truly shameful exhibition of blind hostility to all Iranians,” Zarif tweeted.
The temporary ban, which came into force late on Thursday, prevents people from six Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States unless they have a “bone fide” connection to the country. That includes parents and siblings, but excludes grandparents and grandchildren, aunts and uncles and others.
With more than one million people of Iranian origin living in the US, the legal battle over President Donald Trump’s proposed ban has created months of anxiety for families.
Trump says the 90-day ban on visitors from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen and a 120-day ban for refugees is necessary to block terrorists from entering the country.
Many Iranian-Americans tweeted with the hashtag #GrandparentsNotTerrorists to voice their opposition.
Egypt sentences 20 to death
An Egyptian court on Sunday, July 2 sentenced 20 people to death over the killing of 13 policemen following the army’s 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Mursi, judicial officials said.
The court also handed 114 people sentences ranging from 15 years to life (25 years) and ordered a juvenile jailed for 10 years, they said.
A further 21 defendants were acquitted. On August 14, 2013, a month after the army overthrew Mursi, security forces forcibly dispersed two pro-Mursi protest camps in Cairo in an operation that killed more than 700 people.
Car bombs hit Damascus
Three car bombs exploded in Damascus on Sunday, July 2 state media said, killing at least seven people in the first suicide bombings in the Syrian capital since Jihadists attacked in March.
A police officer at the scene of one of the blasts put the death toll there at seven with 13 more people wounded. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based organisation that reports on the war, said 21 people had been killed.
The security forces prevented the militants from reaching their targets which would have led to more deaths, officials told state TV, saying the bombers had aimed to hit busy areas on the first day back to work after the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Damascus was hit by two separate, multiple suicide bomb attacks in March, one of them claimed by Islamic State and the other by the Islamist insurgent alliance Tahrir al-Sham.
N Korea’s ICBM can carry warhead
North Korea said on Wednesday, July 5 its newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) can carry a large nuclear warhead, triggering a call by Washington for global action to hold it accountable for pursuing nuclear weapons.
A spokeswoman for the US Defence Department said it had concluded that North Korea on Tuesday test-launched an ICBM, which some experts believe has the range to reach Alaska and the Pacific Northwest of the United States. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the test, on the eve of the US Independence Day holiday, represented “a new escalation of the threat” to the United States and its allies, and vowed to take stronger measures. The UN Security Council, currently chaired by China, will hold an emergency meeting on North Korea at 3 pm (1900 GMT) on Wednesday, requested by the United States, Japan and South Korea.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the test completed his country’s strategic weapons capability that includes atomic and hydrogen bombs and ICBMs, the state KCNA news agency said.
Pyongyang will not negotiate with the United States to give up those weapons until Washington abandons its hostile policy against the North, KCNA quoted Kim as saying.
Egypt soldier, two retired officers killed south of Cairo
An unidentified gunman killed two retired military officers and a soldier at a highway toll station south of the Egyptian capital, the military said on Wednesday, July 5. The deaths were “a result of a terrorist individual opening fire on a toll collection station in al-Ayyat,” a town about 50-km south of Cairo, the military said. It did not say when the attack happened. The toll station is run by a company under the military, according to the statement. The Egyptian military operates in many civilians fields, including building and maintaining roads. “The area is being combed in search for the perpetrators,” the military said. The country is battling an insurgency in the north of the Sinai Peninsula by an affiliate of the Islamic State group, which has targeted security personnel and has increased its attacks against Christians since December.
US-led strikes killed 224 civilians
US-led coalition air strikes have killed at least 224 civilians since the Syrian forces it backs entered Islamic State group bastion Raqa a month ago, a monitor said on Thursday, July 6.
Arab and Kurdish fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces broke into Raqa on June 6 after a months-long operation to encircle the northern city. “At least 224 civilians, including 38 children and 28 women, have been killed in air strikes by the global coalition on Raqa since the SDF entered it,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The Britain-based Observatory said it did not have a toll for civilians killed in other ways, including by other military operations, mines, or while trying to flee the city. Tens of thousands of civilians are believed to be trapped inside Raqa, with warnings that the jihadists are using them as human shields.
Many Raqa residents who have managed to escape say IS snipers are targeting anyone trying to leave the city. The Observatory said clashes and air strikes in Raqa had killed 311 IS jihadists and 106 SDF militiamen since June 6.
The US-backed coalition is providing the SDF’s campaign on Raqa with heavy air support, as well as special forces advisers, weapons, and equipment. Since IS captured Raqa in early 2014, it has served as the de facto capital of the jihadist group’s Syrian territory.
Turkey detains 42 varsity staff
Turkey detained 42 staff of two Istanbul universities including a prominent academic as part of an investigation into the group blamed for last year’s failed coup, state media reported on Monday, July 10.
Authorities issued a total of 72 arrest warrants for people suspected of links to the group of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, state-run news agency Anadolu reported. One of those detained was academic Koray Caliskan, main opposition People’s Republican Party (CHP) lawmaker Oguz Kaan Salici said on Twitter.
Ankara accuses Gulen of ordering the failed plot to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan but Gulen strongly denies the charges. The staff from Bogazici and Medeniyet universities are accused of using the encrypted messaging app, ByLock, which Ankara claims was especially created for Gulen supporters, Anadolu reported.
The authorities issued detention warrants for eight staff from Bogazici University and 64 staff from Medeniyet University including 19 of its professors from the medical school, Dogan news agency said. Meanwhile, the Ankara chief public prosecutor issued arrest warrants for 43 people including six staff currently working at the prime minister’s office and related institutions, Anadolu reported.
US soldier charged over IS link
A US soldier based in Hawaii has been arrested on charges he swore allegiance to the Islamic State and tried to provide Jihadists with documents and training, the FBI said on Monday, July 10.
Ikaika Kang, 34, was detained on Saturday after he swore allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in the presence of a undercover agent, according to an FBI affidavit filed in the case. Kang’s behavior had been suspect for years, it said. “He was reprimanded on several occasions for threatening to hurt or kill other service members, and for arguing pro-ISIS views while at work and on-post,” the affidavit said.
Kang was most recently working as an air traffic control operator. He had served about a year in Iraq in 2010-2011 and nine months in Afghanistan in 2013-2014, according to the Pentagon.
The soldier told a confidential informant that the gunman who killed 49 people at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub last year “did what he had to do and later said that America is the only terrorist organisation in the world,” the affidavit stated. Kang also told the informant that “Hitler was right saying he believed in the mass killing of Jews.” After taking the IS pledge, Kang told a confidential source that he wanted kill “a bunch of people”.
Iraq collectively punishing Islamic State families
Human Rights Watch has accused Iraqi security forces of forcibly relocating at least 170 families of alleged Islamic State members to a closed “rehabilitation camp” as a form of collective punishment.
“Iraqi authorities shouldn’t punish entire families because of their relatives’ actions,” said Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “These abusive acts are war crimes and are sabotaging efforts to promote reconciliation in areas retaken from ISIS.”
Islamic State is also known as ISIS. An Iraqi military spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has announced victory over Islamic State in Mosul, ending three years of Jihadist rule in the stronghold of their self-proclaimed caliphate. Iraq’s government now faces the task of preventing revenge attacks against people associated with Islamic State that could, along with sectarian tensions, undermine efforts to create long-term stability in the country.
“The camps for so-called ISIS families have nothing to do with rehabilitation and are instead de facto detention centers for adults and children who have not been accused of any wrongdoing,” Fakih said. “These families should be freely permitted to go where they can live safely.” Iraqi authorities have opened the first of what they describe as “rehabilitation” camps in Bartalla, just east of Mosul.
Human Rights Watch says the official purpose of the camp is to enable psychological and ideological rehabilitation. “Forced displacements and arbitrary detentions have been taking place in Anbar, Babil, Diyala, Salah al-Din, and Nineveh governorates, altogether affecting hundreds of families,” the group said. “Iraqi security and military forces have done little to stop these abuses, and in some instances participated in them. “Human Rights Watch said it visited Bartalla camp and interviewed 14 families, each with up to 18 members.
Five Egypt police shot dead near capital
Assailants killed five Egyptian policemen in a shooting south of Cairo on Friday, July 14 in the latest of a series of attacks targeting the country´s security forces, the interior ministry said. The ministry said three gunmen opened fire on a police car and then fled, killing a non-commissioned officer, three conscripts and a police employee. The attack took place near Badrasheen, a town some 20 kilometres from Cairo, where militants have also targeted police in the past. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Egypt has struggled to quell the Islamic State Jihadist group based in the Sinai Peninsula and smaller militant groups in the mainland since the military overthrew Islamist president Mohammed Mursi in 2013 and cracked down on his supporters.
IS Jihadists killed at least 21 soldiers in restive north Sinai on July 7, the same day as the militant Hasam group claimed responsibility for shooting dead an officer with Egypt´s secret police in an attack north of Cairo.
The interior ministry said a day later that it had killed 14 alleged IS members in a raid on a training camp in the eastern province of Ismailiya. Earlier this week, the ministry said police had killed six IS militants in a shootout in southern Egypt.
While smaller groups like Hasam have mostly targeted policemen and government officials, IS has also attacked foreign tourists and Egypt´s Coptic Christian minority. Dozens of Christians have been killed in church bombings and shootings since last December in attacks claimed by IS.
‘US has no proof Baghdadi is dead’
Pentagon chief Jim Mattis said on Friday, July 10 he cannot confirm whether or not Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead, after reports from Syria that the Jihadist leader had been killed. “If we knew, we would tell you — right now, I can´t confirm or deny it,” Mattis said. “Our approach is we assume he´s alive until it´s proven otherwise, and right now I can´t prove it otherwise.”
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a longtime conflict monitor, said earlier this week it had heard from senior IS leaders in Syria´s Deir Ezzor province that Baghdadi was dead. There was no official confirmation or denial of the news on IS-run social media outlets.
“We´ll go after him until he´s gone,” Mattis said. There have been persistent rumors that Baghdadi has died in recent months. Russia´s army said in mid-June that it was seeking to verify whether it had killed the IS chief in a May air strike in Syria.
With a $25 million US bounty on his head, Baghdadi has kept a low profile but was rumored to move regularly throughout IS-held territory in Iraq and Syria. The 46-year-old Iraqi has not been seen since making his only known public appearance as “caliph” in 2014 at the Grand Mosque of Al-Nuri in Mosul, which was destroyed in the battle for Iraq´s second city.
‘Syrian war has killed more than 330,000’
More than 330,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict since it started six years ago, around a third of them civilians, a monitor said on Sunday, July 16.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it has documented the deaths of 331,765 people across Syria since the conflict erupted in mid-March 2011 with anti-government protests.
Included in the overall death toll are 99,617 civilians, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP, adding that the figures were for the period between March 15, 2011 and July 15, 2017.
A total of 18,243 children and 11,427 women were among the civilians killed, the Observatory said. The figures were the latest provided by the Observatory since March when it said 320,000 people, including 96,000 civilians, had been killed.
In its latest report, the Observatory said a total of 116,774 members of the regime forces or regime supporters have been killed in Syria since the conflict began. Of those, it said 61,808 were soldiers and 1,408 were members of the Lebanese movement Hizbullah, an Iran-backed regime ally. Also killed in Syria since the conflict erupted were 57,000 rebels, including from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an Arab-Kurdish alliance.
Five Yemeni troops killed in attack
Five Yemeni soldiers were killed and three wounded on Sunday, July 16 when gunmen suspected of ties to al-Qaeda opened fire on a military checkpoint, an army source said. The source said the gunmen managed to escape after the attack on the checkpoint in the ortheast of Shabwa province, a southern stronghold of Yemen’s powerful al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Sunday’s attack is the latest in a string of suspected AQAP shootings targeting military checkpoints and outposts in Yemen.
15 Yemeni rebels, 8 soldiers killed in clashes
At least 15 Yemeni rebels and eight soldiers were killed on Monday, July 17 as government forces attacked insurgent positions in two areas in the southwest of the country, military officials said.
Loyalists attacked Huthi rebels and their allies, renegade troops loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, at Heess, on the road linking the city of Taez with Hodeida port, on the Red Sea coast, officials said.
The attack aimed to block the road leading to the rebel-held port, the officials said. The second attack targeted rebels in Al-Hameli area, north of the port of Mokha, which was recaptured by government forces in February as part of a major ongoing offensive to drive rebels from the lengthy Red Sea coastline.
Several soldiers were wounded in the clashes, officials said. Warplanes from the Saudi-led Arab coalition backed government forces in the attacks, officials said.
The coalition mounted a military operation against the rebels in March 2015 as insurgents closed in on President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in his southern refuge in Aden forcing him to flee to Riyadh.
Government forces have since recaptured five southern provinces, including the city of Aden, which has become a temporary base for Hadi´s internationally recognised government.
The World Health Organisation estimates that more than 8,000 people have been killed in Yemen´s conflict, most of them civilians, since March 2015. The country has also been hit by a deadly cholera outbreak and is on the edge of famine.
Kuwait expels Iranian diplomats
Kuwait on Thursday, July 20 expelled Iranian diplomats and closed some embassy missions after the emirate’s top court convicted a “terror” cell of links to the Islamic republic, the foreign ministry said.
Kuwait, which has a sizeable minority, is trying to mediate an end to the Gulf’s worst crisis in years after regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia and its allies cut ties with Qatar in June. They severed relations with energy-rich Qatar over accusations it is too close to Iran and funds extremists — allegations denied by Doha.
A Kuwaiti supreme court ruling last month convicted 21 people of belonging to a cell that had been formed and trained by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. “Iranian sides helped and supported the cell members,” Kuwait’s foreign ministry said in a statement. A senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP around 15 Iranian diplomats were expelled. He declined to comment on whether the Iranian ambassador was among those ordered to leave.
Kuwait also ordered the closure of the Iranian “military, cultural and trade” missions, the official said. Iranian authorities meanwhile summoned Kuwait’s charge d’affaires, state-run IRAN news agency reported.
State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Sabah, who is also acting information minister, confirmed Kuwait had taken diplomatic action against Iran.
The latest development comes amid escalating tension in the Gulf, involving Qatar and four Arab countries — Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. Analysts have warned the crisis could break apart the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, whose members are Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Myanmar using same ‘tactics’ to silence people as former govt: UN envoy
Myanmar is still using the same “tactics” to silence its people as the former junta, the UN´s rights envoy said on Friday, July 21 urging the government to allow the UN to probe allegations of ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims.
More than 70,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since October to ecape a bloody crackdown by security forces, many bringing stories of mass killings, gang rapes and arson by security forces.
UN investigators fear the military has used “clearance operations” launched to find militants who attacked police as a cover for possible ethnic cleansing of the oppressed minority. The government has stanchly denied the allegations but refused to allow in a UN fact-finding mission to investigate, or allow unfettered access for international journalists or rights workers.
UN special rapporteur Yanghee Lee “strongly” urged the government to allow in the mission, saying she was still receiving reports of abuses by security forces from Rakhine State. She also warned police and military were still trying to intimidate and harass people for speaking out over rights abuses in the same way they did under military rule.
“In previous times human rights defenders, journalists and civilians were followed, monitored and surveyed and questioned – that´s still going on.” Hopes were high that democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi would usher in a new era of freedom when her party won landmark 2015 elections — the first fully free vote for generations. Her victory ended half a century of military control, which left Myanmar impoverished, scarred by ethnic conflicts and gripped by an oppressive security apparatus that killed and imprisoned thousands of dissenters.
Egypt security forces kill two suspected militants
Egyptian security forces killed in a shootout two people suspected of being prominent members of the militant Hasm Movement, an Interior Ministry statement said on Friday, July 22.
Hasm, a group that emerged last year and has claimed several attacks on security forces, said on Friday it had carried out a shooting on Thursday in Fayoum, a province about 60 km south of Cairo, that killed one policemen and injured three others.
The Muslim Brotherhood denies this. The interior ministry statement said security forces raided a hideout in Fayoum being used by the group, leading to a firefight that killed two members responsible for carrying out recent attacks. The statement did not say when the raid took place or whether the militants killed were responsible for Thursday´s police shooting. This month, Egypt saw one of the worst attacks on its security forces in years, when 23 soldiers were killed after two suicide car bombs were detonated in North Sinai.
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.
