Terrorist Activities in Pakistan
Suicide Attacks
At least 33 people, including 22 Shias, were killed and more than 51 others injured in a suicide attack in the crowded marketplace near an imambargah (Shia place of worship) in the Juma Bazar (Friday Market) of Kalaya town in Lower Orakzai District on November 23, 2018 reports Dawn. Three dead belonged to the minority Sikh community. The weekly bazaar is quite popular and people from nearby villages come here to buy fruits and vegetables at comparatively cheaper prices. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Bomb/IED attacks
A Khasadar official, Esa Khan, vas killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Safi tehsil (revenue unit) of Mohamand District on October 29, reports Daily Times. Esa Khan was going to a check post in Safi tehsil for duty when a remote-controlled IED explosion claimed his life.
Earlier in the day, at least four levies personnel and a tehsildar were wounded in a roadside blast targeting tehsildar vehicle in Kamangara locality of Charmangin Nawagai tehsil of Bajaur District, reports Daily Times. Tehsildar Abdul Haseeb suffered minor injuries in the blast which his vehicle was completely damaged. Four of his guards were injured, with two of them in critical condition.
A soldier was killed and another critically injured while neutralising an improvised explosive device (IED) at Mohmad Gat in the Mohmand District on November 7, reports Dawn. The Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor tweeted “Captain Zarghaam Fareed embraced martyrdom while neutralising an IED detected at Mohmad Gat in Mohmand Distt. He was 25. Sepoy Rehan of Bomb Defusal team [also] got critically injured while defusing the IED”.
Two teenagers were killed while eight others injured in an explosion in Quaidabad area of Bin Qasim Town in Karachi in the night of November 16, reports Dawn. Both deceased were teenagers, one of them was identified as Papu Mushtaq (16), while the identity of other deceased aged 18 years remained unknown. The injured men were identified as Rasheed (18), Mushtaq (22), Haq Nawaz (55), Siddiq (55), Araslan (35), Allah Ditta (25), Qamar Abbas (28) and Shahab (26). Karachi Police Chief Ameer Sheikh said some vendors at a makeshift market were selling fruit and other items of daily use near the Quaidabad flyover when the bomb went off nearby.
At least three Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were killed and three others injured in Margit area of Quetta on November 18 when an improvised explosive device (IED) targeting a Security Forces (FC) vehicle was detonated, reports Dawn. According to Balochistan FC spokesperson Khan Wasey, the roadside IED targeted a SF’s vehicle transporting rations to the security personnel.
At least two persons were killed when a roadside bomb exploded near a vehicle in Bajaur District on November 21, reports Dawn. An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted along the road by unidentified militants went off as the vehicle passed through the Charmang area of Bajaur’s Nawagai tehsil (revenue unit), an official in the district’s political administration said. Two per sons riding the vehicle, identified as Amanullah and Gui Badin, died as a result of the explosion. Their vehicle was also totalled by the impact.
At least nine people were injured in an explosion inside a mosque in Chaman area in Qila Abdullah District in Balochistan on November 21, reports Dawn. The prayer leader (khateeb) of the mosque was among those injured in the blast that took place during maghrib prayers, Police sources said. The mosque is located on Taj Road in Chaman. The explosion was caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) hidden inside the mosque, Police said.
Targetted Killings
An Army Major lrfan and two sepoys, Mudasir and Muhammad Hussain, were killed while another sepoy lrfan was injured when militants ambushed a military convoy in Rogha Bahadar village of the Razmak tehsil (revenue unit) of North Waziristan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on November 12, reports Dawn.
On night of November 17, a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) was shot dead in Junior Assistant Colony of Quetta, reports Dawn. According to Police, unidentified assailants riding a motorcycle opened fire on former DIG (crime) Naeem Kakar when he was coming out of a mosque.
Miscellaneous
Abdullah Gui, the son of former ISI chief Lieutenant General (retd) Hamid Gui, survived an attempt on his life, saying his vehicle reportedly came under fire in Islamabad, reports Daily Times. Talking to media outside Safari Hospital, where the body of JUl-S chief Maulana Samiul Haq was brought following his assassination, Abdullah said armed assailants opened fire on his vehicle on the Islamabad Expressway, however he remained unhurt in the attack.
A civil judge (judicial magistrate) narrowly escaped an armed attack near Chakri Interchange in Rawalpindi city in the night of November 16 while travelling with his family from Lahore to Islamabad, reports Dawn. Suleman Badar, the judicial magistrate posted in Islamabad, came under attack on the Motorway at about 9.15pm. However, he survived the attack. When contacted, he told Dawn that he along with his family was heading towards Islamabad when another car in which three persons were travel ling crossed his vehicle and opened fire on it. “The car riders opened straight fire on my car, but luckily we survived,” the civil judge said.
At least 70 Baloch Republican Army (BRA) militants led by ‘commander’ Marri surrendered to the Government in Quetta on November 20, reports Daily Times
PAKISTAN
Five persons working on Gwadar housing project killed in Balochistan
Five construction workers were killed and three others suffered injuries in an attack near Ganz, some 15kilometers west of Jewani town in Gwadar District on October 31, reports Dawn. According to official sources, the labourers were working at an under-construction house of a private housing scheme on Peshkan-Ganz Road, which links Gwadar with Jewani, when a group of unidentified assailants riding motorcycles appeared on the scene and opened fire on the workers. Security officials identified four of the deceased as Naeem Ahmed and Hunzullah, resident of Karachi (Sindh), lrshad Ali of Sukkur (Sindh), and Muhammad Shakir of Multan (Punjab). The fifth deceased could not be identified so far. Two of the three injured were identified as Shamsullah and Muhammad Rahim.
Pakistan confirms release of Afghan Taliban leaders
Pakistan on October 28 confirmed that it has released senior Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar “in line with our commitment to facilitate the peace process in Afghanistan”, reports Daily Times. Baradar, the former Taliban deputy chief, was captured in Karachi in 2010 in a joint raid by Pakistani and US security officials at a religious school. Taliban sources had earlier told Daily Times that Baradar and another leader, Abdul Samad, the head of Taliban logistics, were freed on October 24, weeks after Taliban representatives met US Special Envoy on Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad in Qatar to explore ways for political solution to the conflict. The release of prisoners is one of the confidences building measures that had been dis cussed during the Taliban-US talks in Qatar, according to Taliban sources.
Supreme Court acquits Asia Bibi in blasphemy case
The Supreme Court on October 31 overturned the conviction of Asia Bibi, a Christian facing execution for blasphemy, reports Daily Times. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, with Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel its members, had reserved its ruling on Asia Bibi’s final legal appeal against execution on October 8. “The appeal is allowed. She has been acquitted. The judgement of the high court as well as the trial court is reversed. Her conviction is set aside,” the Chief Justice said while announcing the verdict to a packed courtroom. “She is to be released forthwith if not required in any other case,” he added.
The 56-page detailed judgement was authored by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, with a separate concurrent opinion note from Justice Khosa. “It is a well settled principle of law that one who makes an assertion has to prove it. Thus, the onus rests on the prosecution to prove guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt through out the trial,” the order noted “Presumption of innocence remains throughout the case until such time the prosecution on the evidence satisfies the court beyond reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty of the offence alleged against him,” it added. “Keeping in mind the evidence produced by the prosecution against the alleged blasphemy committed by the appellant, the prosecution has categorically failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt,” the verdict concluded. “It is not for the individuals, or a gathering (mob), to decide as to whether any act falling within the purview of Section 295-C has been committed or not, because as stated earlier, it is the mandate of the court to make such decision after conducting a fully qualified trial and on the basis of credible evidence brought before it,” it maintained .”Blasphemy is a serious offence but the insult of the appellant’s religion and religious sensibilities by the complainant party and then mixing truth with falsehood in the name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) was also not short of being blasphemous ,” Justice Khosa said in his note.
Following the Supreme Court decision acquitting and ordering the release of Asia Bibi, the supporters of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) took the streets in several parts of the country, reports The Nation. TLP staged protests in the major cities including, Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Multan and main high ways were blocked. The Punjab Home Department has imposed Section 144 barring the gathering of people in public places. Section 144 has been imposed across the province from October 31 to November 10. TLP Chairman Khadim Hussain Rizvi called for countrywide protests and lead a protest staged at Charing Cross, Mall Road, Lahore. The Lahore-Islamabad Motorway was blocked at Sheikhupura. The GT Road has also been blocked. In Islamabad main roads and areas of Faizabad, Ampara, and Kashmir Highway adjacent to Aabpara have been blocked by protesters.
Maulana Samiul Haq assassinated in Rawalpindi
Jamiat Ulema-e-lslam-Sami (JUl-S) chief and prominent religious scholar Maulana Sami-ul Haq (81) was assassinated at his residence in Bahria Town of Rawalpindi on November 2, reports Daily Times. The former senator and an ally of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i lnsaf (PTI), Maulana Sami-ul Haq was alone at his house in Bahria Town when stabbed to death by unidentified assailant(s).
Haq’s eldest son, Maulana Hamid-ul Haq, told media that his father had been ailing with heart problems and that he was in bed when the attacker(s) came. “His driver Haqqani had gone out. On his return, he found Maulana Sahib lying in a pool of blood in his bed,” he said, adding that his father was stabbed and probably shot as well. JUl-S leader Maulana Abdul Majeed said there was no one present at the house when Haq was attacked. “We do not know who attacked him. He was alone. the person who was supposed to be with him had gone to the market,” he added. Maulana was rushed to Safari Hospital following the attack where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Maulana Hamid revealed that his father was receiving threats from the Afghan government. “He suffered from a heart disease and was inactive for the last three months. After three months of rest, he had to mediate between protesters and authorities in Islamabad. However, he was unable to reach the venue due to road blockades and had returned home,” he said.
Ahsan Iqbal’s attacker gets 30 years jail
The Anti-terrorism court awarded 30 years imprisonment to an accused involved in attacking former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal and acquitted four others, on Saturday, Nov 3.
After completion of the hearing, the judge announced 30 years imprisonment to main accused Abid Iqbal while four others Qari Shahid, Sohail Tariq, Azeem and Ashraf were acquitted by giving them the benefit of doubt.
The accused Abid shot at and injured Ahsan Iqbal when he was addressing a public meeting at Narowal on May 6, 2018.
National Commission for Enforced Disappearances disposes off 3,633 cases in October
The National Commission for Enforced Disappearances has dis posed of 3,633 cases by October due to personal efforts of its president Justice (retired) Javed Iqbal, The Nation reported on November 6. According to a statement of the com mission, a total number of cases were 5,507 and now only 1,874 are pending. The missing person commission of inquiry on enforced disappearances during the month of October 2018 disposed of 78 cases and now total balance numbers of cases are 1874 up to October 31, 2018.The missing person commission has con ducted 537 hearings, 243 hearings in Islamabad, 66 in Lahore and 228 in Karachi during October 2018.The efforts of Justice Javed Iqbal and other members have been appreciated as the commission has recovered 3633 missing persons upto October 31, 2018, besides ensuring their safe return to their homes.
Most militants ready to join mainstream, Balochistan FC DIG Brigadier Rizwan Baig told Senate
Balochistan Frontier Corps (FC) Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Brigadier Rizwan Baig claimed on November 8 that majority of the people [involved in militancy in the province], after having rejected anti-state elements’ propaganda, were willing to join the mainstream and, for this purpose, they needed government help for better facilities and chances of livelihood, reports Dawn. Briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, which met at the Parliament House, Brig Rizwan, in response to a question about unrest in Balochistan, said that before the FC was deployed, there were lots of issues, but now the situation had started improving. He said that the FC had in a bid to help the locals con structed several shops and handed them over to the locals free of cost for doing business, while several other such steps were being taken.
2,714 persons killed in 409 drone strikes, terror attacks since 2004, says NACTA sources
A total of 409 drone attacks have been conducted in Pakistan since January 2004, in which 2,714 per sons have been killed and 728 injured, Dawn quoting National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) sources reported on November 9. The majority of the strikes were carried out during the Government of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) between 2008 and 2012. Sources within the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) recently shared details, claiming that the period saw 336 aerial attacks, in which 2,282 people lost their lives and 658 received injuries. The officials added that 2010 alone saw 117 attacks that cost 775 people their lives and injured another 193. Between 2013 and 2018 during the Government of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz – a total of 65 drone attacks occurred. A total of 301 people died and 70 were injured. In 2018, two drone attacks have been conducted so far. One person was killed and one was injured.
War on terror left half a million dead in 17 years, says Brown University’s ‘Costs of War Project’ report
War-related violence has killed 65,000 people in Pakistan in the last 17 years, including 23,000 civilians, 9,000 security personnel and 90 American contractors, says a report released on November 9, reports Dawn. The rest of the casualties were anti-government fighters. The report by the Brown University’s Costs of War Project notes that since 2001, when the United States launched its war on terror, about 507,000 people have been killed in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq. The report also warns that there has been a 22 percent increase in war deaths in the past two years. As many as 370 ,000 of these people have died due to direct war violence, including armed forces on all sides of the conflicts, contractors, civilians, journalists, and humanitarian workers.
Abducted Peshawar SP found dead in Afghanistan
A Superintendent of Police (Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Tahir Khan Dawar was found dead in Afghanistan on November 13, 18 days after he was abducted by unidentified militants and whisked away to Afghanistan. SP Tahir Khan Dawar left his residence in Islamabad for an evening walk on October 27 but did not return home. His mobile phone’s last location was traced somewhere in Jhelum town of Punjab. After being contacted, he sate that he was fine and there was no threat to his life. The Islamabad Police had constituted various teams to trace him. Peshawar City Police in a statement said that the officer had been on a short leave to Islamabad to meet his family. His abductors released a picture of him along with a letter of the Khurasani faction of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claiming responsibility the kidnapping and the killing Information Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shaukat Yusafzai said that Dawar was ruthlessly killed by the abductors in Afghanistan. He was in captivity for 18 days.
The Afghan Foreign Ministry confirmed the recovery of a body with the service card of Dawar. The ministry informed the Pakistan Embassy in Kabul that the body was found by local people in Dur Baba District of Nangarhar province. The body, being transferred to Jalalabad by the Afghan authorities, was yet to be received by the Consul General of Pakistan in Jalalabad. It would be subsequently transferred to Pakistan via Torkham border. TTP ‘spokesman ‘ Muhammad Khalid Khurasani has denied that Dawar was killed by the Taliban. In a statement, he said that some journalists for cheap popularity attributed the murder of the Pakistani Police officer to the TTP. He said that the TTP has its own channels and websites to claim responsibility for any incident. “We are not afraid of any one,” he said, warning the journalists of dire consequences for attributing fabricated news to the TTP. Though nobody claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and killing, the letter found along with the body carried the name of Wilayat Khorasan, which is used by the militants of the Islamic State (IS) for border regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Al Qaida chief’s son-in-law & daughter held in Pakistan
Security Forces (SFs) and intelligence agencies arrested al Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri’s daughter and son-in-law Umar Jalal Kathio in a massive operation in Karachi. Umar Jalal had also served as former al Qaida chief Osama bin Laden’s personal body guard and driver. The two were among several high-profile operatives of the al Qaida group who were arrested as part of the operation the intelligence agencies called a “major breakthrough”. Pakistani media reports said that the arrests were made in the last few days and finally revealed on November 19. The reports said that the intelligence agencies have moved the arrested operatives to an undisclosed location.
Seven dead in militant attack on Chinese Consulate in Karachi
Two Policemen manning a check post at the Chinese Consulate in Clifton area of Karachi were killed as three militants launched an attack on the Consulate on Nov 23. Entering the main compound, the militants shot dead two civilian visa seekers. Grenades were also lobbed by the militants. Heavy contingents of Police and Rangers arrived and after an exchange of all the three attackers were killed. Defence contractor and analyst Ikram Sehgal whose guards have been posted at the consulate said that the attackers first exchanged fire with Police. “After the policemen were martyred, they proceeded towards the gate of the consulate. However, the guards quickly closed the gate, civilians with consular business were ushered inside and the Chinese staff were taken to a safe location,” Sehgal said. No Chinese national was hurt in the attack.
Meanwhile, the SFs arrested two suspected facilitators of terrorists from Karachi and Shahdadpur town of Sanghar District, reports The News. The arrestees are being interrogated at an undisclosed location, adding that one of them was the last person whom the terrorists had contacted before the attack unfolded at consulate. The identities of suspects have not been revealed yet.
Police arrests over 100 TLP members including its chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi
Police on November 23 arrested over 100 members of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), including its chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi who had given a protest call for November 25 against the acquittal of Christian woman Aasia Bibi, reports Times of India. Last month, TLP disrupted daily life across Pakistan by staging widespread protests following Bibi’s acquittal in a blasphemy case by the Supreme Court. “We have taken into custody more than 100 TLP leaders and activists including its chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi from Lahore and other parts of the Punjab province,” a senior Police officer said. He said a team comprising government officials and clerics tried to persuade Rizvi in Lahore late on November 23- night to defer its November 25 protest, but he refused to budge. “On this, police arrested him and other leaders,” the officer said. “Khadim Hussain Rizvi has been taken into protective custody by Police from Lahore. The action was prompted by TLP’s refusal to withdraw its call for protest on November 25. It is to safeguard public life, property and order,” Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry tweeted.
REGIONAL
Bangladesh–Internal Dynamics
HC enhances Khaleda Zia’s punishment to 10 years in Zia Orphanage graft case
The High Court (HC) on October 30 enhanced the punishment of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Khaleda Zia from five years of imprisonment to 10 years in Zia Orphanage Trust Corruption case, reports Daily Star. The HC also upheld the 10 years’ imprisonment handed to the Kazi Salim-ul Haque and Sharfuddin Ahmed in the same case. The court delivered the verdict after accepting a revision petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) seeking enhancement of the punishment of the BNP chief and dismissing the appeal of Khaleda, Kazi Saleem-ul Huq and Sharfuddin Ahmed are challenging the lower court verdict against them.
Seven militants arrested with huge arms and ammunition in LalmonirhatDistrict
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested seven militants with huge arms and ammunition in different overnight raids in Lalmonirhat District of Rangpur Division on October 31, reports New Age.
A special operational team of RAB raided a tin-shed room in village Mushrat Modati of Lalmonirhat and arrested five Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) operatives on October 31. The arrested were identified as regional coordinator of ABT Hasan Ali alias Lal, 38, its central Shura member Asmat Ali alias Laltu, 27, members of its extremist wing Shafi-ul Islam Saddam, 28, Abu Nayeem Mister, 19, and Ali Hossain, 25. The elite force also recovered two foreign pistols, two magazines, four bullets, explosives and devices for making bombs, books and leaflets propagating extremism and four mobile phones from them.
In an identical raid, the RAB arrested two Jama’at-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh operatives in a roadside area in village Rasulganj Sahebdanga of Lalmonirhat in possession of books and leaflets propagating extremism on October 31. The arrested JMB operatives were identified as Tamiz-ul Islam, 39, and Sunnai Islam Sunna, 21.
Six Allahr Dal militants arrested in Madaripur District
Six militants of Allahr Dal were arrested in a drive in the Thantoli area of Madaripur District in Dhaka Division on October 28 while they were holding secret meeting, reports Dhaka Tribune. The arrestees are identified as Selim Reza, 29, Alam Rana, 34, Russel Mahmud, 21, llias Molla, 34, Shakil Khan, 25 and Sabuj Hawlader, 28, Faruque Hawlader. Police recovered jihadi books, leaflets, CDs and other propaganda material from them.
Three crude bombs explode on roof of ICS office in Chittagong District
Three crude bombs exploded on the roof of a building housing office of lslami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), the student wing of the Jamaat-e-lslami (Jel) during a block raid by Police at DC Road area of Chittagong District in Chittagong Division on November 3, reports The Daily Star. A team of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) reached Al-lsra Shaban, which houses the city unit of ICS office on its third floor. Police suspected that someone exploded the crude bombs sensing the presence of law enforcers and fled away. Afterwards, a team of bomb disposal unit rushed to the spot and found six crude bombs and some other kinds of explosives.
JMB ‘chief coordinator’ killed in Bogra District
The ‘chief coordinator’ of Jama’at-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh was killed in a gunfight with Police in Shibganj in Bogra District of Rajshahi Division on November 6, reports The Daily Star. Police identified the dead as Khorshed Alam alias Salim alias Master (33), the mastermind of killing blogger Shahjahan Bachchu and was the main planner of snatching three important JMB leaders from a prison van on February 23, 2014 at Trishal in Mymensingh. Police also recovered two firearms and three bullets from the spot.
PBSP ‘regional commander’ killed in shootout in Rajbari District
A ‘regional commander’ of Purba Banglar Sarbahara Party (PBSP) was killed in a shootout with the Police in Rajbari District of Dhaka Division on November 9, reports BDNews 24.Com. The deceased has been identified as 38-year-old Mohammad Ali Sheikh. Police recovered a pistol, a double-barrel firearm and 14 rounds of bullets at the scene. Two Police personnel, Zlaul and Ramzan, were injured in the incident.
Eight NGO employees arrested for involvement in militant financing
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) on November 7 arrested eight NGO employees for their alleged involvement in militant financing and for being linked to the banned militant outfit Ansar-al lslam, reports Dhaka Tribune. They were arrested from their Mirpur OOHS office in Dhaka city. Law enforcement officers recovered Tk14 lakh, a laptop, eight CPUs and 10 mobile phones from their possession. They arrested men have been identified as Safwanur Rahman, 34, Sultan Mahmud, 25, Md Nazrul Islam, 38, Md Abu Taher, 36, Md llias Mridha, 30, Md Ashraful Alam, 24, Hasnaine, 30, and Md Kamrul, 28.
India – Internal Dynamics
Maoists kill four CRPF personnel in Chhattisgarh
Four personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed and two injured after Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres blew up a Mine Protected Vehicle (MPV) near the CRPF’s Murdana camp under Awapalli Police Station in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on October 27, reports The Times of India. Troops of the 168 Battalion were out on ‘area domination’ exercise and a road opening operation between Murdana and Timapur when they were attacked around 4.1Opm, a CRPF spokesman said. The vehicle was blown up just a kilometer away from a CRPF camp. The explosion was so powerful that it lifted the 14-tonne vehicle in the air and blew it to pieces. The Maoists then fired upon the injured jawans (troopers) with automatic weapons, killing four personnel, including Assistant Sub Inspector (ASl),Mir Matiur Rehman (50), head constable Braja Mohan Behera (43), constable Chatti Praveen (21) and constable Gullipalli Srinu (26), on the spot. Constables Baburao and Hardik Parmar were critically injured and airlifted to hospital. While Maoists have given a call to boycott the polls, Bijapur and Sukma are among eight insurgency-affected Districts going to the polls on November 12; the first phase will cover 18 constituencies.
Suspected Maoists critically injure BJP leaderin Chhattisgarh
A local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)leader was critically injured after he was attacked by half a dozen suspected Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres with sharp edged weapons in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh late on October 28, reports Hindustan Times. Nandlal Mudami, a Zilla Parishad (district council) member, was eating his dinner when he was attacked, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Bastar range, RN Dangi said.”Mudami played a major role in bringing people in Palnar to the mainstream. This angered the Naxals [Left Wing extremism, LWE]. We used to keep getting the info that they are planning to strike back,” said Dantewada, Superintendent of Police (SP), Abhishek Pallav, adds Bihar Prabha. Naxals have called upon voters to boycott the next month Assembly polls in the State. The first phase of polls covering 18 con stituencies of eight Naxa/-affected Districts -Bastar, Kanker, Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Rajnandgaon will be held on November 12. The remaining 72 constituencies will wit ness polling on November 20.
Kerala-based Jihadi groups opens business outlets in UAE, warns Indian Intelligence agencies
In a letter to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA), the Indian Intelligence agencies warned that Kerala-based jihadi groups have opened business outlets in several parts of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which facilitates Indians with criminal background hiding in other Gulf countries to evade arrest in India, reports Zee News on October 31. Reportedly, the jihadi business outlets recruit economically weak Indian’s expats in the UAE and motivates them to adopt Islam as a religion. There are inputs that a jihadi group based in Kerala [unspecified] is collecting INR three crore in Qatar for managing the court cases of Muslim groups who participated in various protest in India. Their members in Qatar are also sending money to Kerala through Hawala (illegal money transfer) channels, said an official at UMHA [unidentified].
Police patil shot dead by Maoists in Maharashtra
Maddi Gawde (40), Police patil (warden) of Naranur village at Etapalli taluka (revenue sub-division) in Gadchiroli District of Maharashtra, was shot dead by cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist shortly after midnight of October 30, reports The Times of India on November 2. He was dragged out of his residence by around 15-20 Maoists. Police said the rebels left the place after pumping a bullet from close quarters in the Gawde’s chest. Maoists also left behind a pamphlet claiming that Gawde was a ‘Police informer’. The Kasansoor Area Committee of the CPI-Maoist has claimed responsibility for the murder. The local outfit is led by Mahesh Gota, who has been booked in the case.
‘Early solution to Manipur Insurgency problem difficult’, says GOC 57 Mountain Division Major General V K Mishra
Major General V K Mishra, General Officer Commanding of 57 Mountain Division said that An early solution to the insurgency problem in Manipur is difficult given its complexity due to multiplicity of militant groups and their different sets of demands, reports The Shillong Times. Army’s 57 Mountain Division is involved in anti-insurgency operations in the State. “The presence of so many groups adds to the complexity. You may reach out, but to whom?” the Army official said, talking to visiting journalists recently. “Given the complexity of the problem, it may take longer to achieve a solution,” Major General V K Mishra said. “There are four major constituents in the problems affecting the State, insurgency, ethnic issues, criminal activities and drugs,” Major General VK Mishra added. There are around 30 insurgent outfits, many of them splinter groups with different secessionist demands, while Naga groups, including the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland-lsak Muivah and pro scribed Khaplang faction of NSCN (NSCN-K) are seeking ‘Nagalim’ or greater Nagaland, said Major General V K Mishra, GOC of 57 Mountain Division. These apart, 16 Kuki organisations are seeking a separate state for themselves and eight groups of the United People’s Front (UPF), which is demanding a separate Hill State within the territory of Manipur.
Five persons including a CISF trooper killed in Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh
At least four civilians and a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) jawan (trooper), identified as head constable D. Mukhopadhyay, were killed when suspected cadres of the Communist Party of India Maoist (CPI-Maoist) blew up a bus with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh on November 8, reports The Hindu. Two personnel of the CISF, identified as Pathare Satish and Pishal Suresh, were also injured in the incident. Detailing on the incident, Superintendent of Police (SP), Abhishek Pallava said, the explosion took place in a hilly area in Bacheli in Dantewada when the personnel were returning to their camp after purchasing groceries from Akashnagar market. The civilians killed in the blast included the bus driver Ramesh Patkar, helpers Roshan Kumar Sahu and Johan Nayak, and a truck driver Sushi! Banjare, while the personnel belonged to a CISF unit that has been deployed in the area for the first phase of the forthcoming polls in the State. Polling in 18 constituencies in eight Naxal [Left Wing extremism, LWE]-affected Districts-Bastar, Kanker, Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Rajnandgaon-will be held on November 12. The remaining 72 constituencies will go to the polls on November 20. Counting of votes will be held on December 11.
Gol will proscribe JMB terrorist group under UA(P)Act, says report
The Government of India (Gal), finally initiated the process of pro scribing Bangladesh-based terrorist group-Jamaat ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act [UA(P)A] 1967, reports The Times of India on November 14. The pro scribing process will enable the Central agencies and all State Police Forces to curb the funding, recruitment and other related activities of the group which is intend to create its bases within India. Reportedly, JMB has recently initiated its Indian Chapter Jamaat ul-Mujahideen India (JMI) under the leadership of Salahuddin Salehin, and Jahid-ul Islam with intentions to proselytise, training, and armed combat in order to establish Islamic State across the Indian Sub-Continent, claimed government officials [identity undisclosed].
| Monthly Fatalities The following casualties, related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism occurred during the period Oct 26 to Nov 25, 2018: | ||||
| Civilian | Indian Security Personnel | Militant | Total | |
| Assam | 07 | 00 | 02 | 09 |
| Arunachal P | 03 | 00 | 01 | 04 |
| Manipur | 02 | 00 | 01 | 03 |
| Left wing Total | 29 41 | 14 14 | 10 14 | 53 69 |
Maoist posters threatening Trinamool Minister death found in West Bengal
Several Communist Party of India-Maoist posters against the Trinamool Government and its leaders found lying by the road at Murakata village in the Junglemahal region in West Midnapore District of West Bengal on November 15, reports newsmen.in. In the posters, hand-scribbled in Bengali with red ink, apart from urging people for a united fight against the corrupt practices of Mamata Banerjee Government, threats have been issued for severing the heads of at least two Trinamool leaders, State Transport Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Trinamool Salboni constituency Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Srikanta Mahato.
Three persons killed and 22 injured in a grenade explosion in Amritsar in Punjab
At least three people were killed and 20 others injured in a grenade blast at a religious congregation at Nirankari Satsang Bhawan at Adliwal village in Amritsar District on November 18, reports Indian Express. The blast took place near Amritsar’s Rajasansi, close to the international airport. Amritsar police commissioner, S Srivastva said, “It is suspected to be a terrorist attack. We have been probing. No arrest has been made so far. Two unidentified men attacked the congregation.” Punjab Director General of Police Suresh Arora said, “It (this incident) appears to have a terror angle. Because it is against a group (of people) and it is not against an} individual. There is no reason to throw a hand grenade on a group o’ people, so we will take it as a terrorist act. Till proven otherwise, prima facie we will take it as that.” The DGP also said there was no specific input about any possible attack or Nirankari Bhavan. “There was issue with this group as such There was no specific input (Nirankari Bhavan),” he said.
Nepal – Internal Dynamics
NC cadre shot dead and seven others injured in clash with NCP cadres in Sarlahi District
A Nepali Congress (NC) cadre was shot dead and seven others were injured in a clash with Nepal Communist Party (NCP) cadres in Ramnagar Rural Municipality or Sarlahi District in Province No. 2 or October 30, reports The Himalayan Times. The deceased has been identified as Ram Bilash Mahato, 6C Seven persons were hit by bulle shrapnel, lathis and stones Mahadev Yadav, Shreenaraya Mahato, Bhojendra Mahato, Prem Narayan Mahato, Mukesh Prasad Kuswaha, Bibek Mahato and Pramod Sahani are being treated for injuries at a local health facility, said Police. NCP cadres had attacked ward Chair Ram Naresh Mahato last evening for allocating budget to development works unilaterally.
NC cadres shut down Sarlahi District
Nepali Congress (NC) cadres shut down Sarlahi District of Province No. 2 on November 4 in protest over NC cadre’s death in a violent shooting incident on October 30, reports The Himalayan Times. Protestors halted transportation along the East West highway and closed businesses and educational institutions in major parts of the district.
Constitution will be at risk if federalism fails, says NC central member Shekhar Koirala
Nepali Congress (NC) central member Dr. Shekhar Koirala on November 6 said that the country’s constitution will be at risk if the system of federalism fails, reports The Himalayan Times. He said, “The present government should not fail. The federal government has to develop laws as early as possible and hand over the responsibility of police administration and employee’s adjustment to the provincial governments. Delay in this regard must be prevented as this may ignite protests. Cordiality must exist among political parties in order to take the country on the path of development and prosperity.”
Meanwhile, expressing disappointment over the failure of transitional justice mechanisms to pro vide them justice, victims of the decade-long Maoist armed insurgency, Conflict Victims Common Platform (CVCP) on November 7 said to discuss ways to ensure transitional justice, Maoist insurgency victims and transitional justice experts said it is difficult to ensure transitional justice unless the mechanisms formed to provide justice are backed by all the major political parties, reports República.
RJP-N warns to launch struggle as Government reluctant to address
its concerns
Fed up with the Government’s continued reluctance to address its concerns including amendment to the constitution, leaders of the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal (RJP N) have warned the KP Oli administration of launching a struggle as part of preparations for the party’s first general convention, reports Kathmandu Post on November 14. The third largest party in the federal Parliament led a Madhes movement in 2015 in which dozens of people were killed in violent clashes with security forces. The party has been pressing for constitution al amendments to remove “discriminatory provisions against Madhes”. Both the RJP-Nepal and the ruling Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal want the provincial boundaries redrawn as one of their major demands.
Provincial Assembly member killed in Kapilvastu District
An unidentified group shot dead a Provincial Assembly independent member Dipendra Kumar Chaudhary (30) in Kapilvastu District of Province No. 5 on November 23, reports The Himalayan Times. Chaudhary was shot at 9:00 pm on a road near his house in the locality. Some used bullet casings were recovered from the incident site and search for the assailants has been launched. Chaudhary had been elected to the Provincial Assembly in 2018 from Kapilvastu Constituency 1(B).
Sri Lanka – Internal Dynamics
Ranatunga held over fatal shooting
Police arrested Sri Lanka’s petroleum minister on Oct 30, a day after a man was killed when body guards opened fire to rescue him from a group loyal to the country’s president, officials said.
Arjuna Ranatunga, captain of Sri Lanka’s 1996 cricket World Cup winning side and an ally of ousted prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, was taken in after trade unions accused him of ordering the shooting.
Sunday’s shooting was the first since President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe, plunging the country into a constitutional cri sis. Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said the minister was arrested following complaints from petroleum unions that it was the minister who had ordered the shooting.
Unions went on strike in protest over the shooting, sparking long queues for fuel at gas stations. Ranatunga’s office said hundreds of people gathered at the ministry Sunday when the minister appeared, beating his staff and trying to take him hostage.
“When they tried to break open his office door and capture him, the Special Task Force commandos came to rescue him,” spokesman Thameera Manju told AFP. One of Ranatunga’s bodyguards, a police man, opened fire. Three people were struck and a 34-year-old man died in hospital Sunday night. The bodyguard was arrested on Sunday and is still being held.
President announces dissolution of Parliament and scheduled general elections on January 5, 2019
Deepening the political crisis he created two weeks ago, Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena in an extraordinary Gazette notification announced the dissolution of the Parliament with effect from November 9 midnight and scheduled general elections to be held on January 5, 2019, reports Colombo Page on November 9. Nominations will be called from November 19 till 12 noon of November 26 during which nomination papers shall be received by the Returning Officers of the respective districts. The new Parliament will meet on January 17, 2019.
Meanwhile, the United National Party (UNP) on November 9 said that the dissolution of Sri Lanka Parliament by the President Maithripala Sirisena nearly two years before its term expires is illegal and goes against the constitution, reports Colombo Page. “We vehemently reject the President’s dissolution of Parliament. We will be fighting this to ensure that Democracy reigns supreme in the country. He has robbed the people of their rights and the Democracy that we have enjoyed,” the UNP said. Constitutional experts have told the BBC Sinhala Service on November 9 that under the 19th Amendment the President has no authority to dissolve Parliament until four and half years after it was elect ed. Under the 19th Amendment, the Article 70 of the Constitution has been amended that “(1) The President may by Proclamation, summon, prorogue and dissolve Parliament: Provided that the President shall not dissolve Parliament until the expiration of a period of not less than four years and six months from the date appointed for its first meeting, unless Parliament requests the President to do so by a resolution passed by not less than two-thirds of the whole number of Members (including those not present), voting in its favor.”
Separately, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) on November 9 said that it was dangerous to go for an election under a government which obtained power through unconstitutional means and stressed the need to rectify the present political crisis before going for a national election, reports Daily Mirror. JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva told a news conference that the approval of a two-thirds majority in parliament should be obtained after rectifying this unconstitutional political coup before announcing an election. “It is dangerous if someone goes for an election after obtaining power through unconstitutional means. If an election was announced under this unconstitutional government, it will be clearly construed as a part of this political coup,” he said.
JVP to rally against President’s unconstitutional moves
Sri Lanka’s Marxist party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) says the party will rally against unconstitutional, undemocratic, unethical and unconventional moves taken by the President Maithripala Sirisena, reports Colombo Page on November 10. JVP Information Secretary, MP Vijitha Herath said all moves taken by the President since October 26, such as appointing a new Prime Minister, appointing a Cabinet, proroguing Parliament and now dissolving Parliament, are unconstitutional, undemocratic, unethical and unconventional. He added that the country would be informed soon of the action the JVP would take against such acts. He called upon all those who cherish democracy to rally with the moves the JVP would be taking.
12 Fundamental Rights petitions filed in Supreme Court against dissolution of Parliament
12 Fundamental Rights petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court against the dissolution of the Parliament, reports Lankanewsweb.net on November 12. The petitions have been filed by various parties including the United National Party (UNP), Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA), Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and All Ceylon People’s Congress (ALPC). Elections Commission member Professor Ratnajeewan Hoole has also filed a petition. The petitioners in their petitions claim that the President cannot dissolve the Parliament at this moment according to the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, and doing so is a violation of the Constitution. They request the Supreme Court to annul the gazette notice issued with regard to the dissolution of the parliament. President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Elections Commission Chairperson and Attorney General have been named as the respondents of the petitions.
Supreme Court overturns dissolution of Parliament and orders to halt preparations for snap elections
Supreme Court on November 13 overruled dissolution of Parliament by President Maithripala Sirisena and ordered to halt preparations for snap elections scheduled for January 5, 2019, reports Colombo Page. The Apex court issued an interim order staying operation of the Gazette proclamation issued by the President dissolving the Parliament until December 7, 2018. The court granted leave to proceed for all the Fundamental Rights petitions heard and the case has been fixed for argument on the on December 5, 6 and 7 of 2018. The court also ordered the independent Elections Commission to halt preparations for the snap election scheduled for January 5 next year. The Supreme Court ruling means the Parliament can be convened and a floor test can be taken to determine whether the President appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has a majority in the 225-member Parliament.
FB asked to protect users in simmering SL
Sri Lanka’s largest political party on Saturday, Nov 17 asked Facebook to protect the identity of its supporters, fearing a crack down by what it called the “illegal” government.
The Indian Ocean nation has been in crisis since last month with two men claiming to be prime minister, MPs brawling in parliament and the administration paralysed. It began on October 26 when President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe as premier and replaced him with former strong man Mahinda Rajapakse.
In chaotic scenes in parliament this week, Rajapakse lost two votes of no confidence but he is refusing to go and Sirisena has yet to acknowledge the motions. On Saturday Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) wrote to Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg asking the US firm not to cooperate with Rajapakse’s administration.
“We urge Facebook to refrain from disclosing information about. users of the platform to any officials of the illegal government unless it is properly sanctioned by a court of law,” the UNP said.
Since then, Facebook had said it was deploying more staff to identify and remove inflammatory material from Sri Lankan users.
Opposition MPs challenge authority of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa
Opposition Member of Parliaments (MP’s) on November 23 challenged in court the authority of the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed by President Maithripala Sirisena after sacking incumbent Prime Minister Ranil Wicktemesinghe, reports Colombo Page. As many as 122 MPs in the opposition filed a Writ of Quo Warranto in the Court of Appeal of challenging Mahinda Rajapaksa on what authority he continues to hold the office of Prime Minister after a no confidence motion had been passed in Parliament against him.
Meanwhile, Parliament on November 23 approved the com position of the Parliament Select Committee (PSC) with a majority vote while the parliamentarians of President Maithripala Sirisena’s minority United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Government boycotted the vote, reports Colombo Page. Following the vote taken electronically by name, the Speaker Karu Jayasuriya informed the House that 121 MPs voted in favor of the composition of the PSC. A total of 116 members had voted electronically while another five MPs voted by roll call due to technical issues.
On the other hand, the UPFA MPs on November 23 walked out of Chamber objecting to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya’s decision on the PSC appointment, reports Daily News. Leader of the House Minister Dinesh Gunawardena compared the Parliamentary meeting presided over by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya to a UNP meeting.
INTERNATIONAL
11 dead as gunman targets US synagogue
A gunman yelling, ‘All Jews must die’, stormed a Pittsburgh synagogue during on Saturday, Oct 28 services and shot worshippers, killing at least 11 and wounding half-a-dozen others including police officers before he was arrested. “It’s a very horrific crime scene, one of the worst that I’ve seen,” Pittsburgh public safety director Wendell Hissrich told a news conference near the scene. “This falls under hate crime,” he said, adding there was no active threat to the community and that the shooter had been taken to a hospital. KDKA television cited police sources as saying the gun man walked into the building and yelled ‘All Jews must die’. A federal law enforcement official told Reuters that at least 11 people were killed. Three police officers were shot and one was injured by shrapnel, Alleghany County spokeswoman Amie Downs said in an email. Two of the six people injured were in critical condition, Downs said, but would not immediately say if the count of six injured people included the suspect.
Oman says time to accept Israel in region, offers help for peace
Oman described Israel as an accepted Middle East state on Saturday, Oct 27 a day after hosting a surprise visit by its prime minister that Washington said could help regional peace efforts. Oman is offering ideas to help Israel and the Palestinians to come together but is not acting as mediator, Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, the sultanate as minister responsible for foreign affairs, told a security summit in Bahrain
“Israel is a state present in the region, and we all understand this,” bin Alawi said. ‘The world is also aware of this fact.
Maybe it is time for Israel to be treated the same as others states and also bear the same obligations.
“His comments followed a rare visit to Oman by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu which came days after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas paid a three-day visit to the Gulf country. Both leaders met with Oman’s Sultan Qaboos. We are not saying that the road is now easy and paved with flowers, but our priority is to put an end to the conflict and move to a new world,” bin Alawi told the summit.
Oman is replying on the united states and efforts by president Donald trump in working towards the “deal of the century” Middle East peace, he added.
Bahrain’s foreign minister khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa voiced sup port for Oman over the sultanate’s role in try ng to secure Israeli Palestine an peace, while Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Adel al Jubeir said the kingdom believes the key to normalising relations with Israel was the peace process.
Qatar spy case
Bahrain sentenced the head of the country’s opposition movement to life in prison on Sunday, Nov 4 for spying for rival Gulf state Qatar in a ruling rights groups have called a travesty. Sheikh Ali Salman, who headed the now-banned Al-Wefaq movement, and two of his aides had been acquitted by the high criminal court in June, a verdict the public prosecution appealed. The public prosecutor said in a statement that the three had been unanimously sentenced by the appeals court for “acts of hostility” against Bahrain and “communicating with Qatari officials to overthrow constitutional order”.
Bahrain, along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, severed all ties with Qatar in 2017, banning their citizens from travel to or communication with the emirate over its alleged ties to both Iran and radical Islamist groups.
Sunday’s verdict against the charismatic cleric can still be appealed. Ruled for more than two centuries by the Sunni Al-Khal if a dynasty, Bahrain has been hit by waves of unrest since 2011, when security forces crushed protests demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister. Opposition movements, both religious arid seculars have been out lawed since 2011 and hundreds of dissidents imprisoned many of them striped of their citizenship in the process. Salman’s AJ-Wefaq was dissolved by court order in 2016. the cleric is currently serving a four year sentence in a separate case “inciting hatred” in the kingdom.
Amnesty and HRW categories Salman and other jailed opposition leaders’ prisoners of conscience. Advocacy groups, including Amnesty, slammed Sunday’s ruling against the 53-year-old Salman and his aides, Hassan Sultan and Ali al Aswad as political reprisal.
79 school pupils abducted in Cameroon
Seventy-nine school students were kidnapped on Monday, Nov 5 in an English-speaking region of Cameroon where separatists are fighting an armed campaign for independence, a government source said. The students were abducted along with their principal, a teacher and a driver, the official said, as a source at the school con firmed the kidnapping of the pupils. They were enrolled at the Presbyterian Secondary School in Bamenda, capital of Cameroon’s Northwest Region one of two regions hit by attacks by anglophone militants that have met with a brutal crackdown by the authorities.
The kidnapping – the gravest incident so far in 13 months of unrest coincides with an upsurge of political tensions in the majority French-speaking country. It comes after elections on October 7 that saw President Paul Biya, 85, who has ruled the country with an iron fist for 35 years, secure a seventh term in office.
Biya was credited with 71.3 percent of the vote, although the ballot was marred by allegations of wide spread fraud, low voter turnout and violence. He takes his oath of office on Tuesday. Around a fifth of Cameroon’s 22 million people are English-speaking – a minority whose presence dates back to the colonial period.
But resentment at perceived dis crimination at the hands of the francophone majority, especially in education and the judiciary, began to build. In 2016, demands for greater autonomy grew but met with a rebuff by Biya.
As radicals took ascendancy, the anglophone movement declared the creation of the “Republic of Ambazonia” in the Northwest and neighbouring Southwest Region on October 1, 2017. No country has recognised the self-declared state. The separatists have gunned down troops and police, boycotted and torched schools and attacked other perceived symbols of the Cameroonian state.
Gunman kills 12 in California bar packed with students
A gunman killed 12 people, including a police officer, when he opened fire in a country music bar packed with college students in California, officials and witnesses said Thursday, Nov 8. Police said the gunman was found dead inside the bar on the outskirts of Los Angeles although it was not immediately clear if he was killed by officers or shot himself. The local sheriff said that around a dozen other people had been injured. He said the motive of the shooting and the identity of the gunman were not yet known. It was the second mass shooting in America in less than a fortnight.
Witnesses said that the gunman, who was bearded and wore a black trench coat and glasses, threw sever al smoke grenades inside the Borderline Bar and Grill before he started shooting at around 11:20pm on Wednesday night.
TV footage showed SWAT teams surrounding the bar, with distraught revellers milling around and using their cell phones as lights from police cars flashed. Jasmin Alexander, who was part of a group of around 15 friends at the bar, said there was chaos and confusion inside when the shots first rang out.
Last year a country music festival called Route 91 in Las Vegas was the scene of the worst mass shooting in modern US history. A gunman shooting from the 32nd floor of a hotel and casino with high power weapons killed 58 people.
Ethiopia arrests senior military and intelligence officers
Ethiopia arrested 63 senior military and intelligence officers accused of corruption and human-rights abuses, the country’s attorney general, Berhanu Tsegaye, said on Monday, Nov 12. The arrests are a rare move against the country’s powerful security apparatus.
They represent a further flexing of power by reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who is seeking to break with Ethiopia’s authoritarian past, analysts said. “Twenty-seven officials have been arrested for alleged corrupt practices, while 36 have been detained for alleged human rights abuses, with a manhunt underway for remaining suspects,” Berhanu said at a press conference.
Berhanu did not name any of the suspects but said some had already been taken to court. He said the suspected corruption occurred at the military-run Metals and Engineering Corporation (METEC). “METEC officials were involved in purchases of $2 billion (1.8 billion euros) worth of goods without any bidding process,” Berhanu said. He pointed out that the company had been involved in the construction of Ethiopia’s immense, signature Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Abiy made an unusual public admission earlier this year that security officials had engaged in abuses and torture with impunity. On Monday, Berhanu outlined some of the allegations of abuse committed at secret prisons in the capital Addis Ababa and elsewhere. “Detainees were subjected to various abuses including gang rapes, sodomy, pro longed exposure to extreme heat and cold, water boarding and deprivation of sunlight,” he said.
Prosecutor exonerates prince Salman in Khashoggi’s murder
Saudi Arabia on Thursday, Nov 15 called for the death penalty against five people accused of murdering journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate, but absolved the crown prince of any blame. Khashoggi, the Washington Post contributor and critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was drugged and his body dismembered, a spokesman for the public prosecutor said, in the first Saudi confirmation of how the journalist died.
But spokesman Shaalan al Shaalan denied Prince Mohammed had any knowledge of the killing. The journalist’s body parts were then handed over to an agent out side the consulate grounds, Shaalan said.
The prosecutor has requested the death penalty for the five who “are charged with ordering and committing the crime and for the appropriate sentences for the other indicted individuals”, Shaalan said.
The announcement follows huge international outcry over the killing of the 59-year-old Khashoggi, last seen entering the consulate on October 2 to obtain paperwork for his marriage. The journalist went into self-imposed exile in the United States in 2017 after falling out with Prince Mohammed. Implicated in the murder are the once-powerful deputy chief of Saudi Arabia’s intelligence, General Ahmed al-Assiri, who gave the order to repatriate Khashoggi, and an unnamed “head of the negotiating team” who flew to the Istanbul consulate had ordered his murder, Shaalan said.
The prosecution said it now has 21 people in custody, 11 of whom have been indicted with investigations to continue into the others. The kingdom previously said it had sacked two top aides to the crown prince who were known to be part of his tight inner circle Assiri and royal court media adviser Saud al Qahtani. Qahtani has been banned from travel and is now under investigation, the prosecutor’s office said, but did not reveal the fate of Assiri. “This is clearly an attempt to display to the world that a semblance of accountability is being applied in Riyadh, but the question that has been asked will continue to be asked,” said H.A. Hellyer, senior non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council and the Royal United Services Institute in London. “Who gave the actual order to these senior officials?”
Turkey ‘detains’ academics
Turkish police on Friday, Nov 16 detained over a dozen people including academics from two Istanbul universities linked with an association led by imprisoned human rights activist Osman Kavala, a state-run news agency reported.
Police issued arrest warrants for 20 people as part of an investigation into Anadolu Kultur (Anatolian Culture) whose chairman Kavala has been jailed for more than a year but not formally charged, Anadolu news agency said.
Twelve had been rounded up so far in simultaneous raids at several addresses early Friday, it added. Professor Betul Tanbay of the prestigious Bogazici University and Professor Turgut Tarhanli, deputy dean of the private Bilgi University, were among the detainees.
The operation also targeted Anadolu Kultur executives including deputy chairman Yigit Ekmekc. as well as board member Ali Hakan Altinay, coordinator Asena Gunal and consultants Cigdem Mater and Meltem Asian, the agency said.
Kavala, a philanthropist and cofounder of the lletisim publishing house and well-known in intellectual circles in Turkey and abroad, is accused of “attempting to remove the constitutional order” and “attempting to overthrow the government”.
Five Filipino troops killed
Militants killed five Filipino soldiers and wounded 23 others in a major ambush by members of a notorious lslamist kidnap for random group, the Philippine military said on Saturday, Nov 17. The soldiers were searching for hostages taken by the Abu Sayyaf group when the gunmen
attacked them on the southern Philippine Island of Jolo on Friday, regional military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Gerry Besana told reporters.
The Abu Sayyaf is a loose alliance of several hundred-armed militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network.
Friday’s clash was one of the deadliest since an Abu Sayyaf faction joined other foreign and Filipino militants in seizing the southern Philippine city of Marawi last year, leading to a five-month battle that claimed more than 1,100 lives.
The Abu Sayyaf is now believed to hold “less than 10” hostages, Besana said. The group is based in the strife-torn southern islands but its members began in 2016 to kidnap sailors in the waters between Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
The militants have also raided and taken hostages from resorts in the southern Philippines and neighbouring Malaysia. Most of the hostages have been ransomed off for huge amounts of money and several were beheaded, including two Canadian tourists in 2016. A Dutch birdwatcher abducted on a nearby island in 2012 is believed to be among those still in Abu Sayyaf’s hands.
Gulen extradition to Turkey not on Washington’s agenda, says Trump
US President Donald Trump says the extradition to Turkey of Pennsylvania-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the Ankara government accuses of having masterminded the July 2016 coup attempt, is not on Washington ‘s agenda.
“No, it’s not under consideration,” Trump told reporters on Saturday, Nov 17.
The remarks came only two days after NBC News reported that the White House was exploring legal methods of extraditing Gulen to Turkey in order to soften the Ankara government’s pressure on Saudi Arabia over the killing of prominent dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed after visiting the kingdom’s consulate in Turkey’s largest city of Istanbul last month. US extradites ex-member of Gulen-linked foundation to Turkey.
Meanwhile, a former executive of a foundation affiliated to the Gulen movement has been brought to Turkey. A security source, who asked not to be named, told Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency that Mehmet Salih Gozegir was deported from the US on Friday after he was found guilty of sexual abuse of children. The source said Gozegir arrived at Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul from Houston under security escort, and he was later referred to police head quarters in the city.
He was one of the board members of the Raindrop Foundation, which is one of the umbrella organizations of the Gulen movement in the US, in 2014. He was detained following a police raid in 2015. Gozegir was later released on $50,000 bail pending trial. He was subsequently expelled from the foundation board membership, and American officials decided to deport him in June this year. During the 2016 botched putsch, a faction of the Turkish military declared that it had seized control of the country and the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was no more in charge. The attempt was, however, sup pressed a few hours later.
Ankara has since accused Gulen of having orchestrated the coup. The opposition figure is also accused of being behind a long-running campaign to topple the government via infiltrating the country’s institutions, particularly the army, police and the judiciary. Gulen has denounced the “despicable putsch” and reiterated that he had no role in it.
Anti-IS coalition raids kill 43 in Syria
Air strikes by the US-led coalition on Saturday, Nov 17 killed 43 people, mostly civilians, in a holdout of the Islamic State group in eastern Syria, a Britain-based monitor said. Seventeen children were among 36 IS family members killed in Abu Husn village of Deir Ezzor province near the Iraqi border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Another seven victims had not yet been identified as either civilians or IS fighters, it said.
The US-led coalition has been backing a Kurdish-Arab alliance called the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighting to expel the jihadists from the pocket around Abu Husn.
“It’s the highest death toll in coalition air strikes since the SDF launched its attack against the IS pocket” in September, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.
The coalition has repeatedly said it does its utmost to prevent civilian casualties.
IS overran large swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014, proclaiming a “caliphate” in land it controlled. But the jihadist group has since lost most of it to various offensives in both countries.
In Syria, the group has seen its presence reduced to parts of the vast Badia desert and the pocket in Deir Ezzor.
The coalition has since 2014 acknowledged direct responsibility for over 1,100 civilian deaths in Syria and Iraq, but rights groups put the number killed much higher.
| Current Threat Levels: | |
| City/ Region Threat Level | |
| Islamabad Level 2 ** | |
| Karachi Level 2 ** | |
| Lahore Level 2 ** | |
| Punjab Level 2 ** | |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Level 3 *** | |
| Peshawar Level 2 ** | |
| Quetta Level 2 ** | |
| Upper Balochistan Level 3 *** | |
| Lower Balochistan Level 2 ** | |
| Upper/ Rural Sindh Level 2 ** | |
| Gilgit and Northern Areas Level 3 *** | |
| Tribal areas, close to Afghan border Level 3 *** | |
| Index to Threat Level Perceptions | |
| Threat Level 1 * Indicates there is no threat to foreigners although there may be isolated incidents involving petty crime. No security precautions are required. | |
| Threat Level 2 * * Indicates there is no specific threat to foreigners; however, because of the overall general law and order situation, some security precautions are advised if travelling. | |
| Threat Level 3 * * * Indicates that law and order situation is cause for concern and travel should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Level dictates that foreigners should rehearse plans for evacuation. | |
| Threat Level 4 * * * * Indicates complete breakdown of civil administration and law and order leading to anarchy. All foreigners advised to remain indoors and confined to their own city. Families and staff not required to be evacuated retaining only a skeleton staff. | |
| Threat Level 5 * * * * * Indicates complete breakdown of law and order, ties, invasion/occupation by enemy. |
