Terrorist Activities in Pakistan
Bomb/IED attacks
Two persons were killed and unspecified number of persons were injured in a remote-controlled bomb blast in Inayat Kaly area of Bajaur District on November 29, reports Daily Times. “The blast took place in a remote area and our officials are still confirming how many are wounded in the explosion. The personnel of levies force were in the area but it is still unconfirmed whether they suffered any casualties”. Bajaur Deputy Commissioner Usman Mehsud said, adding that the dead have been identified as Amanullah and Amir Muhammad.
A bomb detonated inside a car parked at Defence Housing Authority’s (DHA) Khayaban-e-Mujahid in Karachi on December 3, reports Daily Times. According to South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Javed Osho, a homemade vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) caused the explosion in a car which was parked. South DIG said that the car had been stolen from Jamshed Quarter in the evening of December 2. “Luckily, the bomb failed to detonate completely. The explosion was aimed at spreading fear in the area”, added Osho. An FIR filed on December 4 stated, “Unknown terrorists had planned a big attack. A homemade vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) which was attached to six gas cylinders caused the explosion in the car. Two packets of explosive material, weighing 2 kgs and 6 kgs respectively, were recovered from the site of the blast”.
At least six people were injured in a grenade exploded near a Mehfil-i-Milad (commemorating the birth of Prophet Muhammad) function held near the Perfume Chowk in Block 18 area in Gulistan-I-Jauhar area of Karachi on December 8, reports Dawn.
Three persons, including a tribal leader and his guard, were injured in a bomb blast on Boghra Road in Chaman town of Qilla Abdullah District in Balochistan on December 19, reports Dawn.
Targetted Killings
A Nowshera-based reporter of a private television channel, Nurul Hassan was shot dead by unknown motorcyclists near the Achini Chowk on the Ring Road in the limits of Pishtakhara Police Station in Peshawar on December 3, reports Dawn. An official said that another companion of Nurul Hassan, identified as Shams, was injured in the incident and shifted to hospital. The official said the motive behind the shooting was not immediately known.
Miscellaneous
A security check post was attacked with three rockets at Kajhori area in North Waziristan tribal district on Nov 27, official sources said. They said that the militants had fired three rockets on the security forces “check post in Kajhori area. However, no loss of life was reported in the attack. Meanwhile, the security forces” vehicle was on its way at Muhammad khel area in Boya tehsil when it was targetted with an improvised explosive device. The vehicle was partially damaged but no casualty was reported. The security forces launched a search operation after cordoning off the area.
The cantonment police seized explosives and weapons and arrested two suspects from a house in the Kaghazai area of Kohat District on December 4, Dawn. The recoveries included 25 kilogrammes of explosives, 20 detonators, nails, bullets and four hand grenades. The arrested people were identified as Dil Nawaz, a local, and Sada Khan of Darra Adamkhel. A Kalashnikov, two pistols and 190 cartridges were also recovered from their possession.
Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) on December 5 arrested six persons, including three Lyari gangsters, during targeted raids in Chakiwara and Kharadar areas of Lyari Town in Karachi, reports The Nation.
Pakistan Rangers (Sindh)on December 9arrested 18 suspected persons, including an alleged target killer and an extortionist, during targeted raids in different parts of Karachi, reports The Nation. According to rangers” spokesman, the force carried out targeted raids in Dock’s area and apprehended an alleged target killer, Faruk Basheer and extortionist Muhammad Furqan linked to Lyari gangsters. During crackdown on outlaws in different parts of the city including Mubina town, Shahrah-e-Noor Jahan, Saeedabad, Gabol town and Ferozabad the ranger personnel detained five street criminals and four drug peddlers.
At least six Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel were killed along with four terrorists in an exchange of fire at Wakai area near Baleda of Turbat District, reports Daily Times on December 15. According to the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), an intelligence-based operation was being carried out against terrorist hideouts when the terrorists targeted a security forces vehicle by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). Fourteen others were injured in the incident.
Five militants were arrested by Security Forces (SFs) after a shootout in Mobina Town of Karachi on December 24, reports The News. According to police, the militants were planning an attack on Christmas celebrations in the metropolis. The militants were identified as Amjad, Naveed, Ali, Mumtaz and Mureed. SFs also recovered arms and ammunition from their possession.
Police on December 25 arrested two shooters of MQM-London from Karachi and confiscated two Kalashnikovs and hand grenades from their custody during a raid in New Karachi area, reports The Nation. Briefing the media about the Police’s action, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Central Arif Aslam, said “The target killers identified as Kashif alias Kala and Asif alias Metha were involved in killing of 15 persons and other law-breaking activities”. Kashif gunned down 13 people, while Asif had shot dead 2 persons in year 2011-12, the SSP central added. Furthermore, Asif was also involved in firing over Jeay Sindh rally and other heinous crimes.
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab Police on December 25 arrested four militants of a banned outfit from Gujranwala District of Punjab, reports The Nation. As per details, CTD team foiled terror activity by arresting four militants on tip-off from Gujranwala. “The arrested terrorists identified as Muhammad Tawaseen, Muhammad Junaid, Munir Ahmed and Taj Shah, were having links with the proscribed organization”. said officials of the CTD.CTD also confiscated explosives and other matter from their custody.
PAKISTAN
Senate committee accuses India of role in terrorist incidents in Pakistan
The Senate (upper house of National Assembly) on November 26 accused India of continuously backing terrorist activities in Pakistan, reports Daily Times. Several members of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior pointed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statements about his Government’s involvement in Balochistan and said that it was no secret that India’s intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) was behind terrorist attacks in Pakistan to sabotage the CPEC. Senator Rehman Malik chaired the meeting where these views were expressed.
Rehman Malik moved a resolution condemning Indian involvement in Balochistan through Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). “The committee unanimously condemns the Indian continuous interference in Balochistan. The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Minister for Interior had threatened Pakistan earlier that they would sort out Pakistan through Balochistan. Attack on Chinese Consulate Karachi was claimed by BLA, whereas BLA is being openly supported by India”.
Pakistan won’t fight any ‘imposed war’ again, says PM Imran Khan
Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on November 26 said Pakistan will not fight an “imposed war” inside its territory again as it has already paid a heavy price for the ongoing fight against terrorism, reports Daily Times. “We have fought an imposed war inside our country as our war at a very heavy cost of sweat and blood and loss to our socio-economic fiber. We shall not fight any such war again inside Pakistan,” the PM said while addressing a combined jirga of elders from North and South Waziristan during his visit to North Waziristan. “No other country or their armed forces have done what Pakistan and its armed forces did in the war against terrorism,” he asserted. The PM said Pakistan wants peace in neighboring Afghanistan. “We are for peace beyond borders, especially in Afghanistan. We will play our role in Afghan peace process along with other stakeholders as peace in Afghanistan is critical for achieving enduring peace in Pakistan,” he maintained.
“Inherited” issues like Saeed, Dawood; can’t be held responsible for past, says PM Imran Khan
Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan said on November 29 that it was not in his country’s interest to have its territory used for terror outside, while maintaining that he could not be held responsible for issues like the 26/11Mumbai attacks, which he had inherited, reports Times of India. “I can say in all earnestness that it’s not in Pakistan’s interest to allow its soil to be used for terror outside” Khan said at least twice during an interaction with a group of visiting Indian journalists.PM Imran Khan was answering queries on India’s concerns over terrorism and the need for Pakistan to bring to justice terrorists like Hafiz Saeed (for his role in the Mumbai attacks), Dawood Ibrahim and Masood Azhar. “One should learn from history, not live in it. The Mumbai attacks issue is subjudice. My Government inherited this. I can’t be held responsible for the past,” Khan said, adding that there were UN sanctions on Saeed’s group and he had been under a severe clampdown.PM Imran Khan, however, again underlined the significance of the Kashmir issue for Pakistan and said India must do something for the people of the state. “India should look at it differently and not just as a territorial issue. Every day we see these images on social media. If nothing else, India should do something for the people of Kashmir,” Khan said, adding that there couldn’t be a military solution.
Put own house in order first, says ISPR DG Major General Asif Ghafoor
Pakistan on December 6 advised India to put its own house in order before pointing the finger at the neighbours, adding that Islamabad doesn’t’ need any lectures from New Delhi on its internal policy matters, report Daily Times. “They do not need to tell us what kind of a country we should be. Are they [India] secular? Look what is happening to the 200 million Muslims there,” Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor told reporters at a press conference in response to a question regarding Indian Army Chief’s recent statement in which he said that dialogue could not be held until Pakistan became a secular state. “We are a Muslim state. They [India] do not need to tell us what kind of country we should be. Are they secular? Look what is happening to the 200 million Muslims there,” he said. “We are building Kartarpur corridor in respect for another religion. We provide security to temples and churches in Pakistan. What happened at the Babri Masjid there? How can they justify Gujarat massacre?” he questioned. “I think India needs to look inwards and tolerate us the way we are.” The ISPR chief asserted that any misadventure by India will be responded to in a befitting manner. He said Pakistan is not oblivious to the military build-up by India. “We want stability in the region as war always brings destruction and miseries,” he said.
Pakistan not a ‘hired gun’ anymore, says PM Imran Khan
Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on December 7 said Islamabad wants a proper relationship with Washington, instead of the one where Pakistan is treated like a “hired gun”. reports Daily Times. “I would never want to have a relationship where Pakistan is treated like a hired gun given money to fight someone else’s war,” the PM Khan told Washington Post in an interview. “We should never put ourselves in this position again. It not only cost us human lives, devastation of our tribal areas, but it also cost us our dignity,” he asserted. “We would like a proper relationship with the US,” he said. “For instance, our relationship with China is not one-dimensional. It’s a trade relationship between two countries. We want a similar relationship with the US,” he elaborated.
To a question about US believing that Taliban leaders are living in Pakistan, Imran said, “When I came into power, I got a complete briefing from the security forces. They said that we have time and time again asked the Americans to tell us where the sanctuaries are, and we will go after them. There are no sanctuaries in Pakistan.” Asked further, he added, “where are these people? Our border between Pakistan and Afghanistan has the greatest amount of surveillance. The US has satellites and drones. These people crossing would be seen.”
COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa sanctions death penalty for 15 terrorists
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on December 16 approved death sentences awarded to 15 hardcore terrorists by military courts, reports Dawn. A statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the convicts committed offences related to terrorism, attacked the armed forces and law enforcement agencies, abetted suicide attackers in the Christian Colony bombing near Peshawar, destroyed educational institutions and killed innocent civilians. The atrocities resulted in the deaths of a total of 34 persons, 21 of them belonging to the armed forces, nine to Frontier Constabulary, and 2 who were police officials. Besides these, two civilians were also killed and 19 others injured.
Pak-Afghan border fencing to complete by end of 2019, says Army
The fencing work on Pakistan-Afghanistan border will complete by the end of next year, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Asif Ghafoor said in a tweet on December 15, reports Daily Times. “802km out of 1,200km has been covered and work on 233 out of 843 forts has been completed in ‘pri 1 areas’,” he said, adding that the total length of the fenced border will be 2,611 kilometers. He said the armed forces are aiming a speedy completion of the project in ‘pri 1 areas’. adding that the full project will be completed by the end of 2019.Major General Ghafoor said the fenced border, once completed, will benefit the peaceful people of Pakistan and Afghanistan while restricting terrorists. The military-led construction effort went into action last year. The pair of nine-foot wire fences, with a six-foot gap, and topped with barbed wire, runs along rugged terrain and snow-capped mountains as high as 12,000 feet. Officials estimate the project will cost over USD 550 million.
Former MQM leader Ali Raza Abidi shot dead in Karachi
Former Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader and Member of National Assembly (MNA) Syed Ali Raza Abidi was shot dead near his residence on Khayaban-e-Ghazi street in Phase-V of Defence Housing Authority (DHA) in Karachi on December 25, reports Dawn. Two unidentified assailants riding a motorcycle opened fire on Abidi’s car near his residence, according to Station House Office Gizri Asad Mangi. Abidi was alone in his car when the attack took place and was taken to PNS Shifa hospital by his father, Akhlaq Abidi, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) South Pir Muhammad Shah said. A post-mortem examination showed that Abidi sustained four bullet wounds two on his chest, one on his neck and one on his arm. Abidi was elected to the National Assembly in the 2013 general elections from Karachi’s NA-251 constituency on an MQM ticket. In November 2017, he had opposed Sattar and Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) Chairman Mustafa Kamal’s short-lived alliance, and even announced that he was resigning from his NA seat as “this is not what I believed in and stood for”. Abidi was one of the leaders who had stood with former convener Sattar in the build up to the 2018 elections when MQM-P was subject to an internal power battle. He contested the July 25 elections from Karachi’s NA-243 constituency, but was defeated by Prime Minister Imran Khan. In September this year, Abidi tendered in his resignation from the MQM-Pakistan’s “basic membership” citing “personal reasons”.
REGIONAL
Bangladesh – Internal Dynamics
Ansar al-Islam’s operational trainer’ arrested in Dhaka city
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on November 25 arrested Mohamad Yunus alias Asadullah (27), the operational trainer of banned militant outfit Ansar al-Islam from Dhaka city of Dhaka Division, reports Dhaka Tribune. Yunus was arrested during a RAB raid in the city’s Jurain area. During the raid, extremist and jihadi literature, two sharp weapons and two mobile phones were recovered from his possession. RAB claimed that Yunus was fully trained in hand-to-hand combat and in Ansar al-Islam’s operational activities.
Hizb ut-Tahrir steps up activities ahead of election
The banned militant outfit Hizb ut-Tahrir has stepped up its activities ahead of the 11th general election by distributing leaflets, putting up posters, and leading a procession through Dhaka calling for the creation of a caliphate in Bangladesh, reports Dhaka Tribune on November 27. In its posters and leaflets, the militant organization notorious for its anti-democratic and anti-election sentiment is urging the Bangladeshi people to remove the incumbent Government and unite under a “Khilafah Rashidah”. An official of the Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) said on condition of anonymity “Hizb ut-Tahrir is reorganizing with a long-term agenda. They usually target merit students for recruitment, as having members in high government positions will help them in the long run.”
There is no coordination in Bangladesh Government de- radicalization programs, say Experts
Experts said that there is no coordination in Bangladesh Government de-radicalization programs, reports Dhaka Tribune on November 29. Although a number of ad hoc de-radicalization and rehabilitation programs have been taken up by the law enforcement agencies and the Government, many of them have been discontinued due to a lack of coordination among agencies. Inspector General (IG) of Prisons, Brig Gen Syed Iftekhar Uddin said “We lack the manpower or expertise required for de-radicalizing militant suspects in custody. However, we do keep them separate from other general inmates to keep them away from militant ideologies.” Meanwhile, Iftekhar-ul-Bashar, an Associate Research Fellow at the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, said the Government’s efforts are being hindered by a disjointed approach which focuses only on Dhaka. “The response to countering violent extremism (CVE) initiatives remains weak in Bangladesh because of lack of coordination and information sharing among the various security agencies. There is a lack of framework to assess the implementation and effectiveness of the CVE programs, lack of detection and countering of extremist trends on social media platforms, and lack of holistic plan to rehabilitate violent extremist offenders,” he said.
Search for a JMB militant is stepped-up, says report
The Security agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA) are making efforts to locate and arrest Idris a militant of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) who is trying to revive the terror group Indian Mujahideen (IM), reports The Tribune on November 30. Idris has been assigned with the job of making efforts to re-establish the IM in Eastern Indian States, including West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha, read a report by Intelligence Bureau (IB).
Hindus rally for building temple at Babri mosque site
Tens of thousands of hardliner Hindu protesters marched in New Delhi on Sunday, Dec 9 calling for a grand temple to be built on the ruins of a destroyed Babri mosque in a flashpoint Indian city.
Trident-waving devotees clad in saffron filled a huge parade ground in the Indian capital under tight security, where speakers warned Prime Minister Narendra Modi they would not let up until the temple was sanctioned. Some of Modi’s supporters feel the Hindu nationalist leader has not done enough to raise a shrine at a site in Ayodhya, a city believed by many to be the birthplace of the deity Ram.
The site was home to a medieval mosque for 460 years until Hindu zealots tore it down in 1992, kicking off riots across India that left thousands dead, most of them Muslims.
Its future has been tied up in courts for decades but some hardliners want Modi, who is seeking re-election in 2019, to push parliament to guarantee the temple by law. The VHP has applied pressure on Modi in recent weeks, staging a huge show of force in Ayodhya itself last month. A close ally of Modi’s Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), the group is spearheading a push to raise the Ram temple, and is calling for more protests as the premier prepares to go to the polls by May.
Two ABT militants arrested in Dhaka city
Police on December 11 arrested two militants of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) from Dhaka city’s Banani area on charge of plotting to kill filmmaker Khijir Hayat Khan, reports The Daily Star. The arrested are Emdadul Islam alias Mehedi Hassan (30) and Abu Bakar alias Fahim Abdullah (30).
Two IEDs and huge stash of bomb-making materials recovered in Dhaka city
Police on December 15 recover two improvised explosive devices (IED) and a huge stash of bomb-making materials from a market in Dholaikhal area of Dhaka city, reports The Daily Star. Police failed to arrest anyone in the incident, but suspect that the explosives were gathered for subversive activities ahead of Victory Day and national elections. Police said the recovered materials from the shops have similarities to those recovered earlier from Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HUJI-B) dens.
10 journalists injured as unidentified miscreants attacked in Dhaka city
10 journalists’ sustained injuries and 16 vehicles carrying them were vandalised as some unidentified miscreants attacked them at a rest house in Kolakopa area in Dhaka city on December 24, reports New Age. A total of 30 journalists of the Dainik Jugantar and Jamuna Television boarded at ‘Shamim Guest House’ to cover electioneering of the upcoming 11th national elections for Dhaka-1 constituency. A gang of miscreants suddenly started vandalising vehicles of the media houses parked in front of the guest house around 10:30pm. Hearing sounds, when the journalists came down, the miscreants swooped on them and beat them indiscriminately, leaving 10 of them including Jamuna Television special reporter Sushanto Sinha injured.
US faults BD as poll monitors scrapped
The United States, on Dec 25 urged Bangladesh to do more to ensure a free election, blaming government foot-dragging on issuing visas for the cancelation of an international monitoring mission.
The Asian Network for Free Elections, an observation group funded by the US, called off its mission for next Sunday’s vote after Bangladesh did not promptly grant visas and credentials, the State Department said.
State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said the United States was “disappointed” by Bangladesh’s “inability” to provide visas in time and called on Dhaka to ensure that local non-governmental organizations receive credentials to monitor the vote.
Any democratic election must have “space for peaceful expression and assembly, for independent media to do its job covering electoral developments, for participants to have access to information and for all individuals to be able to partake in the electoral process without harassment, intimidation or violence,” Palladino said in a weekend statement. “We encourage the government of Bangladesh to uphold its commitment to a democratic process by ensuring all Bangladeshis are free to peacefully express themselves and participate,” he said.
The election will be the latest rematch between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia, two women whose bitter, personal rivalry has dominated the country’s political landscape for three decades. Sheikh Hasina is widely expected to triumph, amid accusations by civil society and rights groups that it has drifted toward authoritarianism by silencing dissent and the press through an onerous digital security law.
India – Internal Dynamics
Congress worker killed in Chhattisgarh
Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres killed a Congress party worker in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on November 25, reports The New Indian Express. The victim was identified as Dipak Parsa. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Divyang Kumar Patel said the incident took place on November 25 when the Maoists abducted Parsa from his house and then killed him later in the day. He was believed to be a police informer.
Ganapathi has been replaced, say Maoists
The Communist Party of India-Maoist released a statement saying their chief, Muppala Lakshman Rao aka Ganapathi has stepped down voluntarily because of “falling health and old age” and the current chief, Basavaraj aka Nambala Keshava Rao, who has a reward of over INR 20 million on his head, has replaced Ganapathi last year, reports The Hindu on November 29. According to a senior Government official, Basavaraj (63), a B.Tech. from Warangal in Telangana, was last spotted in Malkangiri District of Odisha in July 2018. The statement in Hindi, dated November 10, said that at the fifth meeting of the ‘central committee, CC’ of the CPI-Maoist, Ganapathi proposed that Basavaraj aka Nambala Keshava Rao, take over as the “general secretary” of the Maoist outfit. “The central committee discussed the proposal and elected Basavaraj as the general secretary,” a statement issued by Abhay, spokesperson of the outfit, said. The statement said Ganapathi had led the outfit for 25 years, from 1992-2017.
Rally demanding Garoland in Meghalaya’s capital Shillong
Garoland State Movement Committee (GSMC) organised a rally in Shillong on December 5 demanding the creation of a separate state for the Garo tribal community, to be carved out of present state of Meghalaya, reports Times of India. Other organisations like the Garo National Council (GNC) and A’chik Holistic Awakening Movement (AHAM) led by former chairman of Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA), also supported the rally.
Two persons including a CRPF trooper killed in separate incidents in Chhattisgarh
A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper was killed when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) suspected to have been planted by the Communist Party of India-Maoist went off during a combing operation in the Chintagufa forests in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh on December 11, reports The Telegraph. Sources said the CRPF’s No. 150 Battalion had been leading the combing operation around 2pm when the blast occurred in the forests, 390 kilometers from State capital, Raipur. The CRPF trooper identified as Sanjit Kumar Harijan (32), had joined the CRPF in 2006 and was posted in four months ago.
28 fortified Police Stations to be built in Naxal-infested Districts of Bihar
The Bihar Government, on December 13, sanctioned a sum of INR 700 million for setting up 28 fortified Police Stations in Naxal [Left Wing Extremism, LWE] infested Districts of the State, reports Business Standard. The decision was made at a State cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Altogether 28 such Police Stations each costing INR 25 million would be built, Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat Department, Upendra Pandey, said. The nod was also given for setting up visitors room at 660 Police Stations across the State for which INR 341.7 million would be released, Pandey said. Replacement of discarded Police vehicles with new ones at a cost of INR 587.3 million was also decided.
Army trooper killed in Arunachal Pradesh
An army trooper was killed and three others suffered injuries, in an encounter, between suspected Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland- Isaac-Muivah (NSCN-IM) militants and the Indian Army that took place near Yanu village in Longding district on December 8, reports Arunachal24.in. The trooper was identified as Lance Naik Sukhchain Singh. The injured jawans have been identified as Jashbir Singh, Lance Naik Hardip Singh and Naik subedar Yashbindar Singh.
Monthly Fatalities:
The following casualties, related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism occurred during the period Nov 26,2018 to Dec 25, 2018:
| Civilian | Indian Security Personnel | Militant | Total | |
| Arunachal P | 00 | 02 | 01 | 03 |
| Manipur | 02 | 00 | 01 | 03 |
| Nagaland | 03 | 01 | 01 | 05 |
| Left Wing | 14 | 07 | 07 | 28 |
| Total | 19 | 10 | 10 | 39 |
Nepal – Internal Dynamics
Threat of anti-revolution facing the country, says NCP Co-chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal
Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Co-chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal inaugurating a peace monument in Sikles, Kaski, on December 10 has pointed out the threat of anti-revolution facing the country, reports The Himalayan Times. He said “There is threat of a counter-revolution. It’ s not me trying to scare you with this prediction, but indications have been shown by extremist sentiments in the hills and increased activities of various elements seeking to disintegrate the country in the plains these days.
Earlier, at a meeting held on December 9 at the residence of ruling NCP leader Barshaman Pun, the leaders of major political parties including main opposition Nepali Congress (NC), who in the past were involved in the army integration process, have reached an understanding to take ownership the CIEDP report and replace the existing TRC with an “independent and high-level commission”, reports Republica. Following a series of informal meetings, second-rung leaders from major parties have tentatively agreed not to give continuity to the TRC once its term expires in two months, and to take ownership of the progress report prepared by the CIEDP. They believe the relevance of the CIEDP had ended as it had already completed most of its work.
AHRC paints bleak picture of human rights situation in Nepal
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) in a press release on the occasion of Human Rights Day, on December 10 painted a bleak picture of human rights situation in Nepal, reports The Himalayan Times. AHRC said that Nepal saw a year of poor human rights protection in 2018 and the Government was instead seen to further restrict people’s rights by introducing harsh laws to control the functioning of human rights NGOs and INGOs with its National Integrity Policy (NIP). “As it stands, the NIP will create unnecessary hurdles for the NGOs and human rights community in Nepal. In fact, one of the key aims of the policy is to rein in the NGOs and INGOs working in Nepal. At a time when Nepal is implementing a new constitution with so many grievances from the vulnerable and marginalised communities, it is particularly important that human rights groups and civil society are given space to raise the voices of the vulnerable and marginalized”, it said.
Meanwhile, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairman Anup Raj Sharma speaking at the programme organised to mark the 70th anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10 said the Government had failed to protect human rights, reports The Himalayan Times. He said “The overall situation of human rights is not satisfactory. The registered complaints of war victims were processed only to provide relief funds but not for justice”, he said, adding, “War victims have the right to know the truth. The government should ensure their rights, provide them justice and the culprits should be punished”.
Conflict victims write to Swiss Ambassador expressing dissatisfaction of meeting on transitional justice
Conflict victims, human rights activists and a section of civil society on December 14 submitted a letter to Swiss Ambassador to Nepal Elisabeth Bon Capeller, expressing their dissatisfaction with the ‘so-called Bangkok meeting on transitional justice’ sponsored by the Swiss Embassy in Nepal, reports The Himalayan Times. “It unfortunately undermined the basic norms of democracy, transparency, rule of law, human rights and justice. We are closely witnessing the ongoing political attempts to derail transitional justice process with an intention to ensure immunity for perpetrators from war crimes, crimes against humanity and other grave crimes. We, therefore, would like to sincerely request all member states of the United Nations, including Switzerland, to stand consistently for end to impunity and fulfillment of the victims right to truth, justice and reparation,” reads the letter undersigned by 17 individuals, including Human Rights Organisation of Nepal Chairperson Indra Prasad Aryal. The letter states that they would not endorse any activity supportive to perpetrators-driven transitional justice process, but were ready for genuine collaboration with any member of international community to promote, protect and ensure human rights and peace as per international standards.
NCP leader goes missing in Jhapa District
A leader of Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has gone missing from Jhapa District of Province No. 1 since December 19 morning, reports Republica on December 20. Police have initiated a search for NCP leader Dipak Bhandari after he went out of contact from his residence in Mechinagar-10. Bhandari was the chairman of the then CPN-UML Mechinagar and also served as the chair of Dhulabari Jaycees. Bhandari holds multiple social responsibilities including director of Himalayan College in the District.
Sri Lanka – Internal Dynamics
Government MPs boycott Parliament again
Parliamentarians of Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena’s purported Government boycotted Parliament again when it convened on November 27 as the political crisis created by the President dragged on for a second month, reports Colombo Page. The Government headed by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has decided to boycott the parliamentary session following a decision taken at the UPFA parliamentary group meeting held prior to convening the Parliament. The Parliament session commenced as scheduled at 1.00 p.m. chaired by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya. Following the adjournment debate on the fate of the tourism industry due to the political crisis, the Parliament was adjourned until 10:30 a.m. of November 29.
Earlier, the leader of the United National Party (UNP) and ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on November 26 joined the indefinite Sathyagraha campaign launched by the civil society organizations against President Maithripala Sirisena’s Government, reports Colombo Page. Speaking at the occasion, the UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said “This unconstitutional movement started violating the Constitution and disregarding the parliamentary democracy for the first time in Sri Lanka’s history must be stopped. What we need today is to protect the Constitution of this country”.
Suspicions raised in Parliament on a link between murder of two Police officers and LTTE’s former “deputy leader” Karuna Amman
Suspicions were raised on November 30 in Sri Lankan Parliament that former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)member turned United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA)politician Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman is involved in the murder of two Police officers in Batticaloa in Eastern Province, reports Colombo Page. Two Sri Lankan Police officers were found shot dead at Vavunathivu in Batticaloa at a road checkpoint early on November 30. United National Party (UNP) MP Nalin Bandara in Parliament expressed his suspicion in a link between killing the two Police officers and a veiled threat by Karuna Amman in a Twitter post on November 27.
In a Twitter post on November 27 ‘colonel Karuna’, as he was called when he was the LTTE area commander of the East, said some UNP people try to scare him and reminded “who he was before 2004”. “I think some UNP people try to scare me. Many people message me and call me. Please remember I am karuna Amman from batti. Maybe you ask other people who karuna Amman before 2004,” former Minister and deputy chairman of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) said.
LTTE denies assassinating former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in May 1991
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in an alleged statement on December 1 denied that they had any link to the assassination of India’s former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in May 1991, reports Colombo Page. In the statement, LTTE had allegedly claimed that they didn’t have anything to do with former PM Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination and had no intentions of conspiring or attacking India. The alleged letter from LTTE has been signed by their Political Wing representative Kurburan Guruswami and Legal Wing representative Lathan Chandralingam. The statement has claimed “The LTTE never intended to demolish the leadership of India nor attack India. We never turned our guns toward any person or leader who was not part of Sri Lanka. We never planned any attack against any non-Sri Lankan leader. We never developed any action against any national leader of India. Sri Lankan government along with other countries conspired against and linked us to Rajiv’s assassination”.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in a lengthy statement issued on December 2 said that the only way to restore stability to a destabilized democracy will be through a general election, reports Colombo Page. Rajapaksa said according to the country’s constitution, sovereign power is vested with the people, not the parliament and emphasized that this power is being implemented through universal suffrage. Explaining the powers vested in President Maithripala Sirisena by the constitution to dissolve parliament, PM Rajapaksa noted that in the gazette notification dated 09 November 2018 issued by the President in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and the Parliamentary Elections Act, dates had been fixed to call for nominations from the 19th to the 26th November, to hold the poll on the 5th January 2019, and for the new Parliament to meet for the first time on the January 17.
President admits Mahinda Rajapaksa bribing MPs to show majority
President Maithripala Sirisena has openly admitted that his Prime Minister appointee Mahinda Rajapaksa has attempted to bribe parliamentarians to show majority in the House and said that the current crisis is a result of his failure to gather 113 MPs, reports Colombo Page on December 8. In an interview with Daily Mirror, President Sirisena said he believes that Mahinda Rajapaksa couldn’t show majority because MPs demanded millions as high as SLR 500 million to crossover. “I heard some bargained themselves for sums as high as Rs 500 million. Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa could not gather the majority because of such high price tags quoted by the MPs, if not for that, he could have gotten the majority. If Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa could show the majority of 113, this problem would not have been dragged for one and half months and there won’t be any political crisis,” the President said.
Meanwhile, President Maithripala Sirisena speaking at an event held in Polonnaruwa on December 9 said he will accept the Supreme Court’s verdict with respect and take future political decisions accordingly in the best interest of the country, reports Colombo Page. “I look forward to the constitutional interpretation of the Supreme Court, whatever it may be, I will take future political decisions accordingly, to the best interest of our motherland, not to the benefit of any person, group or party”, the President said. The President further said he is not happy about the executive powers one individual can have as president and it should be not so in a country where democracy is strong.
INTERNATIONAL
May rebukes Donald Trump
Theresa May rebuked Donald Trump and insisted Britain could strike trade agreements outside the EU as she launched a nationwide tour on Tuesday, Nov 27 to whip up support for the contested Brexit divorce deal. Prime Minister May headed to Wales and Northern Ireland, hours after US President Trump said it seemed like a “great deal” for the European Union that could block Britain from forging its own trade agreements with the United States.
May has two weeks to convince the public, and, crucially, a divided parliament, before the December 11 vote in the House of Commons that risks ending in a humiliating defeat and sinking the deal.
Trump suggested May had made a mistake by signing an agreement that might impede a future trade deal between London and Washington. “Sounds like a great deal for the EU”, he said at the White House, adding: “We have to take a look at seriously whether or not the UK is allowed to trade”.
“As the deal stands, they may not be able to trade with the US and I don’t think they want that at all. That would be a very big negative for the deal,” said the president, who is close to leading Brexiteers in the UK. “I don’t think that the prime minister meant that and hopefully shell be able to do something about that.”
30 journalists killed by organised crime says watchdog
Journalists are increasingly becoming easy targets for organised crime, with more than 30 killed worldwide over the last two years, a media watchdog warned on Thursday, Nov 26.
“The Mob has spread its tentacles around the globe faster than all the multinationals combined,” Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in a new report on the dangers. “From Beijing to Moscow, from Tijuana to Bogota, from Malta to Slovakia, investigative journalists who shed light on the deals that involve organised crime unleash the wrath of gangsters, whose common feature is an aversion to any publicity unless they control it,” said its author, French investigative journalist Frederic Ploquin.
He said the only way to counter the threat was for reporters to work together to protect each other. The biggest danger was in investigating corruption, Ploquin said, now that ruthless crime groups have “established a kind of pact with the state” in many countries, “to the point that you cannot tell where one stops and the other begins.”
“How is it possible that Mexico’s drug cartels sprout like mushrooms without the support of part of the state’s apparatus?” asked RSF after nine of the 14 journalists murdered worldwide in 2017 by organised crime groups were killed there.
Eight more have already died so far in 2018. Three reporters were also killed this year in Brazil and three more elsewhere in Latin America. An Indian journalist who was investigating his country’s “sand mafia” was run over by a truck.
The toll has also become worrying in Europe, the report said, with journalists assassinated in Russia, Slovakia and Malta since 2017. Both Daphne Caruana Galizia, killed last year in by a car bomb in Malta, and Jan Kuciak, shot with his girlfriend in Slovakia in February, had been looking into the Italian Mafia and its links with local politicians.
In 2017 alone, 196 Italian journalists were said to have had some kind of protection, with a dozen including Roberto Saviano, the author of the bestselling book “Gomorroa” on the Naples crime syndicate the Camorra, living under permanent police guard.
Suu Kyi to be stripped of freedom award
Paris city will strip Aung San Suu Kyi of her honourary freedom award of the French capital over her failure to speak out against a crackdown on Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims, a mayor’s spokeswoman said on Friday, Nov 29.
Mayor Anne Hidalgo decided to revoke the honour because of the “multiple violations of human rights recorded in Myanmar and the violence and persecution by Myanmar’s security forces against the Rohingya minority,” the spokeswoman told AFP. The move, which follows similar decisions by Glasgow, Edinburgh and Oxford, would make Myanmar’s de facto leader the first person to lose the freedom of the French capital, a purely symbolic award.
The move will be finalised by the city council at a meeting in mid-December, the spokeswoman said.
Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi, once feted as a democracy icon in the mould of Nelson Mandela for leading opposition to Myanmar’s military junta, has fallen out of favour in the West over her inaction in the face of the crackdown on the mostly Muslim Rohingya.
More than 700,000 Rohingya fled violence in the Buddhist-majority country last year, mostly to neighbouring Bangladesh.
Five dead in Burkina Faso bomb attack
Five people, four of them police, were killed when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED) in Burkina Faso, security sources said on Saturday, Nov 30.
The attack happened in the eastern town of Boungou, located in a region that has seen an upswing in Jihadist violence in recent months.
“A police vehicle on an escort mission struck a makeshift bomb in Boungou, killing four police,” a source said, without specifying who was responsible for the attack. The police team was escorting workers employed at a local gold mine, the source added.
Another security source told AFP that a civilian had also died in the blast.
Burkina Faso has been battling Jihadist attacks over the last three years, beginning in the north of the country but now spreading to the east, near the border with Togo and Benin.
In August six people, five of them police, died in an attack in the region under similar circumstances.
Police recommend indicting Netanyahu
Israeli police on Sunday, Dec 2 recommended indicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara for bribery and other offences, the third such move against the premier in recent months.
Netanyahu immediately rejected the accusations, but the three cases against him have led to speculation that they could eventually force the long-serving prime minister to step down. The head of the opposition Labour party, Avi Gabbay, renewed his call for Netanyahu to resign after the latest recommendations were released.
The attorney general will now decide whether to bring indictments in the case, which centers on regulatory benefits allegedly granted to telecommunications firm Bezeq in exchange for positive coverage from a related media company.
Police in February recommended indicting the prime minister in two other corruption investigations. In the findings announced on Sunday, police said there was evidence to charge Netanyahu with bribery, fraud, breach of trust and unlawful acceptance.
Trump admits Afghan war cost US, Pakistan: FO
Pakistan has welcomed the decision from the United States in which it asked Pakistan to explore opportunities to work together and renew partnership, especially in bringing peace inside Afghanistan and find a closure for the 17 year old war.
The change of heart and renewed respect for the PTI government came in a letter received by Prime Minister Imran Khan from US President Donald Trump. Trump’s letter is a clear admission that without the support of Pakistan, it is impossible for any forward movement on Afghanistan, a fact that the Kabul administration has admitted from time to time, and a far cry from the angry Tweets that Trump had directed towards Pakistan.
“President Trump in his letter to the prime minister has acknowledged that the war in Afghanistan had cost both US and Pakistan and in this regard he sought Pakistan’s support and facilitation,” the Foreign Office said in a statement, though it did not release the text of the US letter itself.
“Since Pakistan has always advocated a political settlement to end war in Afghanistan, the US decision is welcomed. Pakistan reiterates its commitment to play a facilitation role in good faith. Peace and stability in Afghanistan remains a shared responsibility,” President Trump was informed.
Trump’s letter reached Islamabad just a day before the expected visit to Islamabad by Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, announced the US State Department.
Trump’s subdued tone is certainly different from his angry Tweets where he recently hinted that Pakistan all along knew where Osama bin Laden was hiding and Pakistan “hadn’t done a dam thing for us”. Reacting quickly, Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua summoned United States Charge d’Affaires (CdA) Ambassador Paul Jones to register a strong protest against the “unwarranted and unsubstantiated allegations made against Pakistan” by Donald Trump over the last two days.
Iran backs Yemen talks
Iran offered support on Monday, Dec 3 to the planned UN-brokered peace talks on Yemen, calling for an end to “the brutal aggression” on the country.
“The warmongers have not achieved any of their political and hegemonic goals after four years of bitter war and destructive aggression against Yemeni people,” Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The United Nations is planning to host peace talks in Sweden between Yemen’s Saudi-backed government and Huthi rebels. The Gulf monarchies and United States accuse Iran of supporting the rebels and see this as justification for the military campaign they have been waging in Yemen since 2015.
Rouhani threatens to cut oil
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani struck a defiant stance against US sanctions on Tuesday, Dec 4 renewing his threat to cut off international oil sales from the Gulf.
“America should know it is not capable of preventing the export of Iran’s oil,” Rouhani said at a televised rally in Semnan province. “If it ever tries to do so no oil will be exported from the Persian Gulf,” he added.
Since the 1980s, Iran has said repeatedly it would blockade the Gulf in response to international pressure but has never carried out the threat. Washington has reimposed sanctions, including an oil embargo, since withdrawing from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers in May.
It has vowed to reduce Iran’s oil sales to zero, but has granted temporary waivers to eight countries. Rouhani last threatened to close the Gulf in July when he warned the US “should not play with the lion’s tail.”
Two killed, dozens hurt in attack on Iran police station
A suicide car bombing followed by an armed assault killed at least two people and wounded dozens outside police headquarters in the port city of Chahbahar in restive southeastern Iran on Thursday, Dec 6.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused “foreign-backed terrorists” of being behind the attacks and vowed to bring them to justice. “Mark my words: Iran will bring terrorists and their masters to justice”, Zarif tweeted. “This terrorist act led to the martyrdom of two members of the police force”, the province’s deputy governor in charge of security, Mohammad Hadi Marashi, told state television. A total of 42 people were injured, the majority of whom were discharged from hospital by late afternoon, state television reported. “The terrorists tried to enter Chahbahar police headquarters but they were prevented by the guards and they detonated the car bomb,” Marashi said without elaborating on how many assailants took part.
The gunmen who attempted to storm the building were killed by security forces, Iranian media reported. Cahaba city governor Rahmdel Bameri said many shop owners and passers-by, including women and children, were seriously wounded.
The news agency carried pictures of the remains of the vehicle used by the attackers which is believed to have been a blue Nissan van. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Several recent attacks in the province have been claimed by the jihadist Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice), which is blacklisted as a terrorist group by Iran.
Top general warns of another 9/11 if US pulls out of Afghanistan
General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said the US forces must remain in Afghanistan or terrorists might get back on their feet and launch another 9/11-scale attack on American people. Gen Dunford, who addressed an event organized by the Washington Post, said that American military presence in Afghanistan is essential to contain terrorists who otherwise would regroup and take revenge on the US.
“Were we not to put the pressure on Al-Qaeda, ISIS (Daesh) and other groups in the region we are putting on today, it is our assessment that, in a period of time their capability would reconstitute, and they have today the intent, and in the future, they would have the capability to do what we saw on 9/11,” Dunford said in response to a question about a potential withdrawal of US forces Afghanistan.
He said that his top priority is not to ensure security and stability in Afghanistan, which has been lying in shambles as a result of the 17 year long war, but to “make recommendations for the deployment of military force that protects the American people, the homeland and our allies. The presence that we have in Afghanistan has, in fact, disrupted the enemy’s ability to reconstitute and pose a threat to us,” Dunford said.
Earlier, the Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad met Friday with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and a presidential envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov. The ministry said that the discussions focused on the current situation in Afghanistan and possible “Russia-US cooperation as part of international efforts to help establish a direct dialogue between warring Afghan parties.”
Around 20 million Yemenis food insecure due to ongoing conflict
Around 20 million Yemenis are food insecure, UN agencies said on Saturday, Dec 8 adding the conflict ravaging the impoverished country was the key driver behind rising hunger levels.
“As many as 20 million Yemenis are food insecure in the world’s worst humanitarian crisis,” a joint statement by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the children’s fund Unicef and the World Food Programmed (WFP) said. “Already 15.9 million people wake up hungry” in Yemen, it said, citing an analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a food security survey.
According to the IPC whose analysis is necessary to decide whether to declare famine in countries the 20 million people facing “severe acute food insecurity” represent 67 percent of Yemen’s population.
“What the IPC tells us is alarming,” said Lise Grande, UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen.
The world’s worst humanitarian crisis spiralled in Yemen after a Saudi-led coalition launched an offensive to support the government against Iran-aligned Huthi rebels in March 2015. It has killed at least 10,000 people, according to the World Health Organization.
Boko Haram kills two soldiers in Nigeria attack
Two soldiers were killed when suspected Boko Haram fighters loyal to factional leader Abubakar Shekau attacked a military base in northeast Nigeria, security sources told AFP on Sunday, Dec 9.
The twin gun and suicide attacks happened early on Saturday, Dec 8 evening at Gulumba village, in the Bama district of Borno state. The use of human bombs is a hallmark of the Shekau faction, which is known to operate in the area. Last month, Shekau released a video claiming attacks against troops in Gulumba.
“We lost two soldiers and two more were injured in the attack by the Shekau faction,” said one military source. “The terrorists came in nine gun trucks with a suicide bomber at about 5:50 pm and attacked the base.”
A second source said the suicide bomber tried to infiltrate the base but was “neutralized” by troops. He also said two soldiers were killed and two others were injured. “The terrorists faced stiff resistance and were forced to withdraw,” he added. Neither source wanted to be identified as they were not authorised to speak to the media.
Attacks by fighters loyal to Shekau have reduced considerably in recent months, which sources attribute to the firebrand leader’s ill health. Instead, the IS-backed Boko Haram faction Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has been blamed or claimed responsibility for a wave of attacks against the military since July.
Arrest warrants issued against 219 soldiers: Turkey targets mly over alleged Gulen links
Turkish authorities on Friday, Dec 11 ordered the arrest of over 200 military personnel in new raids against suspects linked to the attempted coup in 2016, state media reported.
The Istanbul public prosecutor ordered arrest warrants for 219 soldiers on active duty including four colonels and five lieutenant colonels, state news agency Anadolu said. Istanbul police launched an operation to capture the suspects on Friday morning.
They are believed to have ties to the group led by US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, a former ally turned foe of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ankara accuses Gulen of being behind the failed coup but he strongly denies any links.
In Ankara, the capital’s public prosecutor issued arrest warrants on Friday for 48 people, mainly working in the arms industry, also over alleged links to Gulen. Turkey refers to the group as the “Fethullah Terrorist Organisation” but followers insist they have peaceful goals of promoting Islam and secular education. Over 50,000 people have been arrested since the failed putsch in a purge lambasted by human rights activists and Ankara’s Western allies.
Nearly 130,000 public sector workers have been sacked. Last week, dozens of people including air force personnel were detained for suspected links to coup-plotters in nationwide operations. Turkish officials insist the raids are necessary to cleanse state institutions of the “virus” of infiltration by the Gulen movement.
Bomb kills eight in Syria
A car bomb killed at least eight people including four civilians near a pro-Turkey rebel post in the northern Syrian city of Afrin on Sunday, Dec 13 a British-based war monitor said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was not clear who was behind the blast in the city, which was seized from Kurdish forces earlier this year. The explosion comes after the Turkish president on Wednesday threatened to launch a new offensive against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria.
The Observatory said the car bombing wounded dozens, and the toll was likely to rise. “The car bomb exploded near a position of pro-Turkey fighters” in a market, killing four civilians and four fighters, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.
The city of Afrin was captured in March this year from the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) by Turkish armed forces and Syrian rebels supported by Ankara. Turkey accuses the YPG of being “terrorists” but the Kurdish militia also form the backbone of a US-backed alliance fighting the Islamic State group in Syria.
Canadian gets 40 years for IS-inspired plot against New York
A Canadian man who plotted to bomb the New York subway and Times Square and “create the next 9/11” in support of the Islamic State group was sentenced on Wednesday, Dec 16 to 40 years in prison. Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy, 20, of Mississauga, Canada, pleaded guilty two years ago to seven counts of terrorism-related offenses following his arrest in May 2016. But the charges against him were kept under seal until October 2017 while US authorities sought other participants in the plot.
Argentina ex-President to be tried for corruption
Former Argentina president Cristina Kirchner, who has been accused of receiving tens of millions of dollars in bribes during her term in office, will go on trial for corruption, a federal court confirmed late on Thursday, Dec 17.
Kirchner is accused of running a criminal network related to the infamous “corruption notebooks” scandal revealed through the meticulous records of millions of dollars in bribes paid by businessmen to government officials kept by a ministerial chauffeur.
Soon after learning the decision, Kirchner hit out against President Mauricio Macri’s government. “I say: where will the verdicts be written? All at the request of and custom-made by Macri,” she said, also pointing a finger at the center-right coalition Cambiemos and Clarin newspaper, which has long opposed her.
The court also seized 1.5 billion pesos ($38 million) worth of her assets and ordered former planning minister Julio de Vido to be prosecuted for his role in the illicit association. Several other people, former junior ministers and businessmen, were ordered to be released from detention but will still be prosecuted for bribery.
Both Kirchner, 65, and her late husband and predecessor as president, Nestor, are suspected of having received millions of dollars in bribes from businessmen in exchange for large-scale public works contracts. The payments were documented by ministerial chauffeur Oscar Centeno in notebooks seized by investigators.
Prosecutor Carlos Stornelli has said a total of $160 million in bribes was handed over between 2005 and 2015. The scandal has engulfed practically the entire construction industry in Argentina, even involving Macri’s family.
Iran says presence of US troops in Syria wrong from start
Iran said on Saturday, Dec 19 the US presence in Syria had been “wrong and illogical” from the start, in its first official reaction to President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw troops.
“The presence of American forces was from the very start, in principle, a wrong and illogical move and a primary cause of instability and insecurity in the region,” said foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi on his Telegram channel.
Trump vowed on Thursday that the United States would no longer be the “policeman of the Middle East” as he ordered troops back from Syria.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have a contingent of commanders and advisers deployed in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad, and have ferried weapons and thousands of militia fighters to the frontlines from various countries.
The United States currently has around 2,000 forces deployed in Syria in two areas along the Iraqi border that was partly aimed at keeping Iranian forces in check.
Blast kill 7 near Somalia presidential palace
Seven people were killed on Saturday, Dec 19 in a double car bomb attack claimed by the Jihadist Shabaab group near the presidential palace in the Somali capital Mogadishu, police said.
“We have confirmed seven people died in the two blasts and more than ten others wounded,” local police spokesman Ibrahim Mohamed said. “The security forces have cordoned off the area and an investigation is ongoing.”
Somalia’s London-based Universal TV said three of its staff were among the fatalities, naming one as Somali and British dual national Awil Dahir.
The first explosion happened at a checkpoint outside the national theatre, some 500 meters (yards) from the palace. The second blast, more powerful according to witnesses, came minutes later at a nearby crossroads.
A Shabaab statement said the Islamist group’s “martyrdom operation” had targeted “a security checkpoint that used to protect the presidential palace.”
Three soldiers killed in Burkina blast
Three soldiers died on Saturday, Dec 19 when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in eastern Burkina Faso, where armed Islamist insurgents have stepped up attacks, security sources told AFP.
“A military vehicle hit a homemade explosive planted by suspected terrorists,” on the road between Fada and Pama, a source said.
“A lieutenant and two enlisted men died,” the source said, adding that four other soldiers were injured and were taken to hospital.
Burkina Faso has been battling Jihadist attacks over the last three years, beginning in the north of the country but now spreading to the east, near the border with Togo and Benin. Its other neighbours are Mali and Niger.
Since the Jihadist violence began in March 2015, more than 200 people have been killed, official figures show.
Egypt security forces kill 14 militants in Sinai
Egyptian security forces have killed 14 Islamist militants in an exchange of fire in the country’s turbulent northern Sinai region, the interior ministry said on Sunday, Dec 20.
The militants were under surveillance ahead of security forces raiding their hideout in the town of El-Arish, the ministry said in a statement. An exchange of fire lasting several hours killed eight militants, the ministry said without detailing when the raid took place. The other six attempted to flee but were killed in a police chase.
The militants were suspected of planning attacks on “important and vital facilities”, armed forces and police personnel, the interior ministry said. Egypt has for years been battling an insurgency in North Sinai, which upsurged following the 2013 military ouster of president Mohamed Mursi. Hundreds of police and soldiers have since been killed in militant attacks.
Khashoggi was drugged before being dismembered
Slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi was offered a cup of tea at the Saudi embassy before he was drugged and dismembered at a Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul, according to new information from officials.
An anonymous Western intelligence official told the Washington Post, where Khashoggi was a columnist, that secret recordings captured the Saudi murder squad discussing their plans in detail.
The Post reported that Khashoggi seems to have believed that he was going to be drugged and abducted but that “the Saudi team brought a syringe packed with enough sedative to be lethal.”
The 59 year old journalist was reportedly offered tea but “replied yes with an edge in his voice that made it clear that he sensed that this ritual act of politeness presaged something sinister.”
They added: The rest of the recording suggests there was no intent to take Khashoggi alive, multiple officials said. It captures the writer gasping for air in a physical struggle that gives way to silence. The horror resumes with the sound of an electric motor, presumably a saw that a special member of the team used to dismember Khashoggi’s body. Turkey is working with other countries to carry the investigation into Khashoggi’s to the United Nations, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday, Dec 21.
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 Baluchistan Level 3 ***
Lower Baluchistan 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 *
Indicated there is no threat to foreigners although there may be isolated incidents involving petty crime. No security precautions are required.
Threat Level 2 **
Indicated there is no specific threat to foreigners, however because of the overall general law and order situation, some security precautions are advised if traveling.
Threat Level 3 ***
Indicates that law and order situation is cause for concern and travel should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Level dictates Foreigners should rehearse plans for evacuation.
Threat Level 4 ****
Indicates complete breakdown of civil administration and law and order leading to 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.
