Special Emphasis On Terrorism (May-2019)

Bomb/ IED attacks

One person was killed and another sustained injury in a land­ mine explosion in Soya tehsil (revenue unit) in North Waziristan District on March 29, reports The News. The sources said Mohammad Yasin died while Samiullah sustained injuries when a landmine, planted by some unknown miscreants, exploded.

At least 16 persons including two children and one Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were killed and 30 others, including four FC personnel, sustained injuries after an impro­ vised explosive device (IED) exploded at a vegetable market in Hazarganji vegetable market of Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, in the morning of April 12, reports The Express Tribune. The target of the attack was Hazara Shias as the area belongs to them. Eight of those killed were members of the Hazara community. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Abdul Razzaq Cheema confirmed the death toll and said that the blast was targeting members of the Hazara community.

Two civilians were killed and 10 others injured on April 12-evening in a blast in Chaman town of Qilla Abdullah District in Baluchistan, reports Dawn. Unidentified militants had planted an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on a motor­ cycle parked in the main bazar on Mall Road. The blast occurred when a Frontier Corps (FC) vehicle carry­ing troops was passing through. A child was among the two civilians who died immediately while two FC personnel were among 10 others sustained injuries.

One child was killed and four oth­ers injured after a hand grenade exploded in Chatta Banda village of Takht-e-Nasrati tehsil (revenue unit) in Karak District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on April 14, reports The Express Tribune. According to Police, the children picked up the grenade from a nearby field in Chatta Banda village, thinking it was a toy and began playing with it. The grenade exploded while it was still in their possession, killing one of them and leaving four injured.

At least 12 people, including two officials of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), were injured in a bomb explosion in Nasirabad District in the night of April 22 , reports Dawn. Police said that the explosive device was planted in a motorcycle parked at a bus stand on Quetta (Baluchistan)-Karachi (Sindh) National Highway. The explosive device went off when a vehicle of CTD reached there. “The target of the blast was CTD officials who were travelling in an official vehicle,” an unnamed police official said.

Targetted Killings

One Shah Hussain was killed and four others injured in a firing incident in Bara Gate area in the limits of the Pishtakhara Police Station in Peshawar on April 14 reports The News.

Assistant Sub-inspector (ASI Imran, who had been deployed at a basic health unit in Bannu to provide security to polio workers during a province-wide anti-polio drive, was shot dead by unidentified assailants while he was on his way to work within the jurisdiction of the Domal Police Station in Bannu District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on April 23. reports Dawn.

Zafar Ali Khan, a constable of the Special Police Force escorting a polio vaccination team, was shot dead in the Ghalo Tangay area of Elai union council in Buner District on April 24, reports Dawn. The attackers opened fire on constable Zafar Ali Khan in the Ghalo Tangay area when he was accompanying a polio team, killing Khan on the spot.

Miscellaneous

Security Forces (SFs) in two sep­arate actions recovered a huge cache of arms, ammunition and explosives in lower and central parts of Orakzai District on March 28 reports The News. Taking action or intelligence-based information, the personnel of Orakzai Scouts in the first action seized arms, ammunition, hand-grenades and explosives that were dumped in Chappar Mashti area of Central Orakzai. Official sources said that the militants had dumped the weapons and explo­sives, including 21 RPG-7 shells, 34 fuses, two barrels of 12.7 guns and a box full of live bullets of heavy machine gun. In another action, the personnel raided a secret place in Goeen area where the militants had concealed the weapons. The weapons recovered included three missiles, four rocket shells, 85 car­ tridges of machine gun.

Meanwhile, Darra Adam Khel arms manufacturers are seeking legal status to continue over a centu­ry old trade, reports The Express Tribune. A delegation of arms dealers from Darra Adam Khel called on KP Governor Shah Farman on March 29 and discussed the situation arising after the merger process. The end of distinct status for tribal and frontier regions has brought laws and courts to the area, whereby gun manufac­turing will become subjected to mandatory licence and legal proce­dures. The arms manufacturers told the governor that they were willing to get their industry registered with rele­vant authorities. They suggested forming a committee to guide the tribesmen in the process of legalising their arms trade.

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on March 30 arrested an alleged suicide bomber from Qazi Killay on Ring Road area of Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reports The News. A CTD official said the suicide bomber, Abdul Haleem, was arrested along suicide jacket during an action from Qazi Killay.

Security Forces (SFs) recovered cache of weapons during an intelli­gence-based operation (IBO) in Bhambore mountainous area in Sibi District of Baluchistan on March 30, reports Daily Times. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement said the recov­ered arms and ammunition includ­ed explosives, rockets, mines, and mortar ammunition.

At least 50 militants belonging to different Baloch separatist outfits on April 4 laid down their arms as part of the Peaceful Baluchistan policy in Quetta, the provincial capital of Baluchistan, reports The Express Tribune. These fighters, commonly called Ferraris, surrendered to authorities in a ceremony held in the Commissioner House and attended by Home Minister Zia Langove and Sector Commander Brigadier Tasawur. The militants included three active commanders of Baloch armed groups. As part of the policy, Langove also disturbed cash among the militants and invit­ed more fighters to join mainstream politics for the sake of better future of their children. Since announce­ment of the Peaceful Balochistan policy more than 2,000 Ferraris have voluntarily surrendered.

Over a dozen live shells of an anti-aircraft gun were found from a plot located about half a kilometer from the Bani Gala residence of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan in Islamabad on April 5, reports Dawn. Police said a senior officer of a for­ eigen mission spotted the ammuni­tion lying in the plot adjacent to the PM’s house and informed the police. A patrolling team reached the spot and cordoned off the area. Teams from different police wings, including Counter-Terrorism Force, Crime Investigation Agency and Bomb Disposal Squad later seized 18 bullets of the anti-craft gun.

The personnel of the paramilitary Orakzai Scouts recovered a huge quantity of arms and explosives in Qama Khel area of Orakzai District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on April 7, reports The News. The sources said the Security Forces (SFs), on an intelligence based-report, recovered the arms in Qama Khel area which include anti-aircraft machinegun, eight hand grenades and cartridges.

Police recovered five mortar shells from limits of inqilab Police Station, The News International reports on April 8. It was learnt that the Police on a tip-off , recovered five live mortar shells from the fields in Kaga Wala village in Badhaber area of Peshawar District. The bomb disposal unit was called to defuse the explosives.

A union council polio officer associated with the World Health Organisation (WHO) was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Ghazi Baig area of Haleemzai tehsil (revenue unit) in Mohmand District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on April 8, reports Dawn. According to sources, the victim official, Wajid Khan, was on his routine duty in Ghazi Baig area near his home when unidenti­fied assailants opened fire on him, injuring him seriously. He suc­cumbed to his injuries while being shifted to the District headquarters hospital in Ghalanai.

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) foiled a terrorism plan in Faisalabad District of Punjab in an intelligence-based operation with the arrest of three militants of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on April 9, reports The News. Hand grenades, pistols, explosives and cash were recovered from the arrested militants. The militants were identified as Noor Muhammad, Noor Raheem and Jaula Beeb. Three hand grenades, three pistols with 20 bullets and explosives were seized.

The Sindh Police Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on April 11 said it has arrested a sus­pected militant linked with banned outfit Jundullah , which allegedly orchestrated major acts of terrorism , bank robberies, kidnappings from the Cantt Railway Station of Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, reports Dawn. The CTD, acting on a tip-off, detained Mohammed Ishaq alias Gul as he arrived at Cantt Railway Station form Sukkur, said officer in-charge Transnational Terrorism intelligence Group (TTIG), Raja Umar Khattab, who described the detained suspect as an “extremely wanted militant belonging to Jundullah” The CTD officials said that they have seized one “ready” suicide jacket and two hand grenades from Ishaq.

Police and Security Forces (SFs) personnel killed five Tehreek-e- Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants holed up in a house in E-sector of Phase-Vll in Hayatabad area of Peshawar on April 16 after a fierce gun battle lasting over 17 hours, reports Dawn. One Police officer also killed during the gun battle. The TTP in an email message issued claimed that six of its members were involved in the gunfight with law enforcement personnel. The gun battle started at 7.30pm on April 15-evening as Police tried to enter the house in E-sector during an intelligence-based operation (IBO). Assistant Sub-inspector Qamar Alam lost his life while trying to enter the house. A terrorist was also killed during an initial exchange of fire that triggered a fierce gunfight which continued till the killing of the four remaining terrorists around April 16- noon’. Two SFs personnel and two civilians, including a woman, were injured during the gunfight. The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDUS) during the clearance found an explosives-rigged bike on the ground floor, which was connected with explosive materials planted in the basement of the house. The BDU destroyed the bike with an explosive charge, which brought down the two-story house. “The house and bike were rigged with about 60kg explosives, which had been destroyed a 250-gram explosive charge,” BDU chief Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Shafqat Malik said.

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested two terrorists of banned Tehreek-e- Taliban Pakistan, ‘commander’ Azeem Jan and Muhammad Anwar, in Mansehra District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on April 19, reports Daily Times. The arrested TTP terrorists were shifted etc. undisclosed location for further investigation and according to CTD sources important revelations and more arrests were expected.

PAKISTAN

Pakistan has no link to JeM, says Prime Minister Imran khan

Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan reiterated that the country has no link to the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), reports The News International on March 28. “We’re already cracking down on them, we’re already dismantling the whole set-up,” he said in an interview with British Publication Financial Times. “What is happening right now has never happened before in Pakistan Imran Khan asserted also said that there is “no place for terrorists in his Naya Pakistan”. JeM carried out the suicide bombing in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir in which 40 Central Reserve Ponce Force troopers were killed on February 14.

US moves resolution in UNSC to blacklist JeM chief Masood Azhar

The United States (US) on March 27 circulated the draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to blacklist Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar and subject him to a travel ban, an asset freeze and an arms embargo, reports Daily Excelsior. United Nations (UN) sources said that this is the first time the US, the UK and France have moved a draft resolution directly in the UNSC of designate Azhar. The previous have been listing proposals in the Sanctions Committee of the Security Council to designate the JeM chief. Unlike a listing proposal, which is generally under a 10-day no objection period, the draft resolution is not under any no-objection provision. Sources in New York said that the draft resolution will be discussed informally and then it goes to the Council However, it is not yet decided by where a vote would be held on the draft resolution, during when it could again face a veto by China, which has in the past blocked bids to blacklist Azhar.

Reacting to US’s move, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang in Beijing said that, “This is not in line with resolution of the issue through dialogue and negotiations. This has reduced the authority of the Committee as a main anti-terrorism body of the UNSC and this is not conducive to the solidarity and only complicates the issue”. “We urge the WS to act cautiously and avoid forcefully moving forward this draft resolution,” Geng said.

SECP briefed NGOs Steps against money laundering

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) conducted a session on March 29 to brief representatives of NGOs (non-governmental organisations) about the country’s international obligations and the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) recommendations and to create about the awareness Government’s measures for anti-money laundering/ counterterrorism financing (AML/ CFT), reports Dawn. The session, in Lahore in collaboration with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP), was attended by around 100 representatives of the NGOs licensed under Section 42 of the Companies Act, 2017, as well as the Lahore-based registered intermediaries.

In a detailed presentation, officials of the SECP highlighted the regulatory requirements related to AML/ CFT as well as the mechanism for implementation of the United Nations Sanctions Regime under resolutions 1267 and 1373 for designation of terrorist organisations and individuals. The session focused on the relevant recommendations of the FATF as well as findings of the National Terrorism Financing Risk Assessment, including directions, channels and sources of terror finance, risk assessment of NGOs, various policies and legislative and administrative measures for terror financing risk mitigation.

Pakistan, China warn against politicising UN anti-terrorism regime

Pakistan has warned that politicising the UN counter-terrorism machinery would only compromise the integrity of the regime, as China also warned “forcefully moving” a resolution in the UN security council Dawn reported on march 30 speaking in a security council debate on preventing and combating the financing of Terrorism” on Thursday afternoon, Pakistan’s Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi said that current structures like Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the 1267 Sanctions regimes should not be used as political tools by some to advance their geopolitical goals. “There is also a need to make these institutions more inclusive of the wider membership in their decision-making processes,” she added.

Will define what constitutes as terrorism, Chief Justice of Supreme Court Asif Saeed Khosa

The Supreme Court (SC) on April 2 reserved its verdict in a case pertaining to what constitutes ‘terrorism’ and, consequently, what cases should be tried under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), reports Daily Times. Last month, the SC formed a seven-member larger bench to examine the issue when the matter came under discussion while the court was hearing two reviews petitions. Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Asif Saeed Khosa, during the hearing in Islamabad, remarked that the ATA was full of “ambiguities” and regretted that “routine criminal cases are also tried in anti-terrorism courts”. “Every grave crime is not an act of terrorism,” the CJP remarked at one point. “God willing, we will define what constitutes as terrorism.”

Further, CJP noted that “planned proliferation of insecurity is [defined as] terrorism”, but also observed that “all crimes result in extension of insecurity”. He reasoned that if a crime is committed with the intention of spreading insecurity, then maybe that ought to be classified as terrorism. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, at this point, observed that the intention of a perpetrator ascertained just by the extend! oi damage they inflict.

Ulema delegation offers ‘full support’ to PM in bid to end terrorism, extremism

A delegation of religious scholars and ulema called upon Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on April 2, and offered their full support to the Government in its drive to eradicate extremism, terrorism, and sectarianism within the country, reports Dawn. The delegation comprised Chairman Ruet-i-Hilal Committee Mufti Muneeb ur Rehman, Sunni Ittehad Council chairman Sahib Zada Hamid Raza, Allama Iftikhar Hussain Naqvi and others. The meeting, which took place at the PM’s Office in Islamabad, was also attended by Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Dr. Noor ul Haq Qadri, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood, Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi among others. The delegation also assured its complete support to the Government in the country’s social and economic development.

Right to weapons’ use rests with state alone, says CoAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa

The Chief of the Army Staff (CoAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on April 2 said after achieving stability against terrorism, Pakistan was on the positive trajectory of becoming a state where the prerogative of use of weapons rested with the state alone and socio-economic development was taking pre-eminence, reports The News. He said this while chairing the 220^th corps commanders’ conference at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi The country’s top military commanders expressed their strong and determination defend the motherland against any misadventure or aggression. The corps commanders conference, which is the highest forum of Pakistan Army, reviewed the geo- strategic environment and ongoing situation on the eastern border. “The forum expressed strong will, resolve and determination to defend the motherland against any misadventure or aggression,” the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPF) said in a statement.

Crackdown on proscribed outfits launched with consensus, says Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi

Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi on April 4 said that the Federal and Provincial Government have launched an unprecedented crackdown against proscribed organisations and that all political stakeholders have been taken into confidence over the issue, report Daily Times. Briefing a group of diplomats on the Government’s actions against the proscribed organisations, the Interior Minister said all the key stakeholders, including opposition and religious parties, were taken on board over crackdown against the proscribed organisations. “The action taken against the proscribed organisations is our own decision made under the National Action Plan (NAP) which had been signed by all the political forces in 2014. Our message is loud and clear: no one will be allowed to challenge the writ of the state. Our land will not be allowed to be used against any country,” the Minister said.

Terrorist incidents drop by 21% in 2018, says NACTA annual report

According to the annual report 2018 of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), Pakistan has witnessed a decline of 21 per cent in terrorist incidents in 2018 as compared to 2017, The Express Tribune reported on April 8. “Islamabad and Punjab witnessed a decrease of 50 per cent in terrorism-related incidents, while Azad Kashmir 67 percent. Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa witnessed 92 percent reduction in terrorist incidents,” says the report. The report states the law and order situation was satisfactory in Punjab and Sindh while Islamabad, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan remained peaceful. Despite a reduction in terrorist incidents, Balochistan was the most affected province, it added.

Overall, a fall of 22 per cent in terrorist incidents occurred in Balochistan and the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The report reveals that 517 people were killed in terrorist incidents in 2018 of which 288 were from Balochistan. “Sindh witnessed a decline of 80 per cent in terrorist incidents in 2018 as compared to 2017 while Punjab and Islamabad saw a 50 percent,” it added. Another 67% decline in terrorism-related incidents occurred in Azad Kashmir, said the report, adding that 138 people died in erstwhile FATA and 59 in K-P in terrorist incidents while the death toll of such incidents was 15 in Punjab, 10 in Sindh, five in Gilgit-Baltistan and one each in Azad Kashmir and Islamabad.

Global forces conspiring to put Pakistan on FATF backlist, states Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has claimed that some international forces are conspiring to put Pakistan on the black list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the government was making efforts to foil these designs, The News reports on April 9. He said the country was already included in the grey list and the foreign ministry was performing its responsibilities in quite professional manner to foil all conspiracies against the country.

Qureshi believed that India would not commit a mistake of attacking Pakistan. He warned that if India committed any aggression against Pakistan, it would face serious consequences. Pakistan has the right to defend itself according to the international laws, he added.

He said Pakistan was observing restraint to end tension with India and its positive gesture for peace should not be construed as its weakness. The entire world has realised Indian aggressive designs, and Pakistan had told the world community to prevent it from any aggression. The international community should not keep mum on the issue now due to sensitivity of the issue. Qureshi said on the other hand, Pakistan was releasing Indian prisoners as a goodwill gesture. Pakistan had released Indian pilot under the same passion and the country was releasing war prisoners as a goodwill gesture and expecting the same gesture from the neighbouring country.

Army takes diplomats, international media to the site of February Indian 26 ‘airstrike’

Pakistan on April 10 facilitated a visit of a group of ambassadors, defence attachés and international journalists to the site of so-called Indian airstrike in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in which New Delhi claimed it had killed around 300 terrorists on February 26, reports Daily Times. The delegation, which visited impact site of February 26 Indian air violation near Jabba included international journalists mostly based in India, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. On the occasion, ISPR Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor briefed the group about details of the event, while negating the repeated false Indian claims with ground realities. The visitors were shown bomb craters of denied Indian air strike attempt in barren open spaces with no loss to life or infrastructure. The group also visited a nearby madrassa which India claimed it had struck and killed scores of terrorists. The visitors freely interacted with the student children and teachers and saw for themselves that the madrassa stood on ground untouched with innocent local children getting education there.

Pakistan clerics denounce terrorists as enemies of Islam

A joint declaration issued at the “Fourth International Message of Islam Conference,” on April 14 underlined that teachings of Islam had nothing to do with terrorism, extremism and sectarian violence, reports Daily Times. Islam being a religion of peace and harmony condemns killings of innocent people and also denounces violence in the society. The joint declaration of the “4th International Message of Islam Conference” also pinpointed that Islam is a religion of peace, tolerance and forbearance. Elements responsible for fanning terrorism, extremism and sectarian violence are enemies of Islam and Muslims. The conference also announced to constitute an Islamic Ideological Alliance to contain the mantra of Islamophobia at world level. It was also decided to call a meeting of the leader- ship of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and other Muslim countries to finalise the mechanism for this Islamic Ideological Alliance. The Joint Declaration of “4^th International Message of Islam Conference” also condemned the brutalities faced by oppressed Muslims of Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Palestine and Kashmir while demanding the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the United Nation (UN) to take notice of the atrocities.

US removes Pakistan’s name from National Security Threat List

The United States (US) on April 16 removed Pakistan’s name from National Security Threat List, reports Daily Times. As per details, US’s counsel of foreign affairs took this step. National Security Threat List is a list that is comprised of the list of countries which according to US’s think tanks are a threat to its national security. According to think tanks of the US, Pakistan is no more a threat to the national security of the US. It is pertinent to mention here that it is the first time since Pakistan is not included in the National Security Threat List.

14 passengers offloaded from bus after identification and shot dead in Balochistan

At least 14 passengers, including two security personnel, were shot dead after being offloaded from passenger buses on the Makran Coastal Highway at the Buzi Pass area near Hangol in Turbat District of Balochistan, reports The Express Tribune. Five to six passenger buses travelling between Karachi and Gwadar were stopped by around 25 unidentified gunmen at the Buzi Pass after midnight, between 12:30am and lam on Apr 17-18. The terrorists were reportedly wearing camouflage uniforms and offloaded at least 16 people from the vehicles. The identity cards of the offloaded passengers were checked by the terrorists and at least 14 were shot dead on the spot while two managed to escape. The bodies of the victims were recovered from Noor Baksh Hotel. Two passengers managed to escape the massacre and made it to the nearest Levies check post. The motive behind the killings and the identity of the victims are yet to be ascertained.

The Baloch Raaji Aajohi e Sangar (BRAS) on April 18 claimed responsibility of attack on passenger buses on the Makran Coastal Highway at the Buzi Pass area of Ormara in Gwadar District. The BRAS is an alliance of Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Baloch Republican Guard (BRG). Baloch Khan, BRAS’s spokesperson, in a statement said that those killed in the attack were personnel of Pakistani armed forces. He claimed that they were only killed after their identities were ascertained through service cards. While their Government officials confirmed that some of the deceased were members of Pakistani Coast Guard and Navy but claimed they also included civilian passengers. BRAS rebutted this claim and its spokesperson maintained that Pakistani state is downplaying their losses by portraying their personnel as passengers.

Bangladesh – Internal Dynamics

India wants to deploy armed sky marshals on flights of Indian carriers between India and Bangladesh

India wants to deploy plain-clothes “armed sky marshals” on flights of Indian carriers flying between India and Bangladesh, reports Daily Star on March 28. In a letter to the Foreign Ministry on March 10, the Indian High Commission in Dhaka expressed this wish. It also sent a copy of the letter to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh seeking approval. The Indian High Commission in the letter proposed a delegation of National Security Guard (NSG) visits Bangladesh to discuss the deployment of the marshals.

Two suspects arrested over Baghaichhari attack in Rangamati District

Jana Sanghati Samity (JSS) member Tridib Chakma, and United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) member Lare Chandra were arrested, over their alleged involvement in the March 18 attack in Baghaichhari upazila of Rangamati District, on March 28, reports Dhaka Tribune. The suspects were arrested during separate drives in the Langdu Military zone area. On March 18, seven people, including two assistant presiding officers and four Ansar members, were shot dead and at least 26 others injured in a gun attack on a motorcade of election officials.

596 LWE surrender in Pabna District

596 militants belonging to different Left Wing Extremist (LWE) groups Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP-Lal Pataka), Purba Banglar Sarbahara Party (PBSP), New Biplobi Communist Party (NBCP)’ and Joypurhat-based Kadamati Party (KP) to surrendered Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan at Shaheed Aminuddin Stadium in Pabna on April 9,2019, reports Daily Star. These militants also handed over 68 firearms and 575 sharp weapons. The New Nation adds PBCP-Lal Pataka, Chapainawabganj-Rajshahi region, ‘leader’ Abdur Razzak alias Art Babu said, “As the government has given an opportunity, I want to come back to the path of light from darkness.” These militants were active in Pabna, Natore, Sirajganj, Bogra, Naogaon, Joypurhat, Rangpur, Kushtia, Jessore, Jhenidah, Rajbari, Satkhira, Narail and Tangail districts.

Local BNP leader killed in Bogra District

General Secretary of the district of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Mahbub Alam Shahin (55), was stabbed to death allegedly by a group of unidentified miscreants at Tinghatar Mor in Upashahar area of Bogra town on April 14, reports Daily Star.

63 percent female terror suspects linked to ‘Neo JMB’, says CT TC Additional Deputy Commissioner Mahfuza Liza

About 63 percent of the female terror suspects in the country are linked to “Neo Jama’at ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB)”, according to findings of the counter terrorism unit on April 18, reports Daily Star. A Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit official came up with the findings, analysing profiles of 85 female militant suspects arrested in the last couple of years. According to CTTC, 23 percent of female terror suspects are from JMB, and five percent are from Hizb ut- Tahrir (HuT), said Mahfuza Liza.

India – Internal Dynamics

Maoists blast BJP leader’s house with dynamite in Bihar

Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres blew up the residence of Anuj Kumar Singh, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and a former Member of Legislative Council (MLC), with dynamite, demanding a boycott of the upcoming Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Indian Parliament) election, in Dumaria Block (administrative unit) in Gaya District of Bihar late on March 27, reports Zee News. The front wall of Singh’s house was reduced to rubble while a major portion of the structure inside the house suffered extensive damage as well. However, there were no reports of any casualties in the blast. The Maoists also put up a poster on the house after the explosion in which they demanded that the upcoming Lok Sabha election should be boycotted.

Explosive-laden truck seized in Chhattisgarh

An explosive-laden truck was seized and its driver was arrested suspecting the consignment having links with Communist Party of India- Maoist (CPI-Maoist) in Kabirdham District of Chhattisgarh on March 26, reports News Nation. During checking of vehicles in view of Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Indian Parliament) elections, the truck was intercepted in front of Kukdur Police Station late on Tuesday night, Superintendent of Police (SP), Lal Umed Singh said. A huge consignment of explosives, weighing 7.4 tons, was found in the vehicle, following which it was seized for non- compliance of safety standards during transportation through a Communist Party of India-Maoist- affected area at night, he said. The seized items included 80 boxes (2,000 kilograms) of *Neo-Gel’ explosive and 76 boxes (1 ,900 kilo- grams) of ‘Shakti Gel’ explosive, he said. The truck driver, Rakesh Vaishnav (35), the native of Bhilwada in Rajasthan, allegedly told the Police that the consignment was being transported from a facto- ry of Special Blast Limited, located at Pirda in Raipur District, to Jai Maa Vindhyawasni Enterprises based in Allahabad (Prayagraj), Singh said.

NIA court rues lack of evidence in Samjhauta case

A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) Court that acquitted all the accused in the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast case, where 68 people were killed, said in its judgment that the NIA had miserably failed to prove the charges framed against the accused, reports The Hindu on March 28. Special Court Judge Jagdeep Singh said the court had to “conclude this judgment with deep pain and anguish as a dastardly act of violence remained unpunished for want of credible and admissible evidence.” The court also pulled up the investigating agencies for coining terms like “Muslim terrorism, Hindu fundamentalism etc. or brand an act of criminal(s) as act(s) of particular religion, caste or community.” Several witnesses turned hostile.

Five SF personnel killed in separate encounters with Maoists in Chhattisgarh

Four Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were killed and two others injured in an encounter with Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres in a dense forest area near Mahla village in Kanker District of Chhattisgarh on April 4, reports The Hindu. The encounter took place around noon in the dense forest area near Mahla village in the District when a joint team of BSF’s 114^th battalion and the District Force (DF) was out on a search operation, Police said. BSF’s Assistant Commandant Gopu Kumar and Inspector Gopal Rang sustained injuries in the exchange of fire. The encounter took place just a week before the start of Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Indian Parliament) elections with Bastar going to poll in the first phase on April 11. Polling in the Kanker Lok Sabha constituency will be held along with two other seats Mahasamund and Rajnandgaon in the second phase on April 18.

Meanwhile, a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper was killed and another injured in an encounter with Maoists in the forest under Saleghat area near Chameda village in Dhamtari District of Chhattisgarh on April 5, reports The Hindu. The encounter took place in the forest area near the Chameda village in the District when a joint team of CRPF’s 211 battalion and DF was out on an anti-Naxal [Left Wing Extremism, LWEI operation, Police said. The patrolling team, comprising around 50 personnel of the CRPF and 10 of the DF, had launched the operation on April 3 in the interiors of Khallari and Borai Police Station limits. On Friday morning, when Security Forces (SFs) were advancing through Chameda, around 150 kilometres from Raipur, a group of Maoists opened fire on them, leading to a gunfight, the Police said. The Maoists fled when SFs retaliated.

ITBP trooper injured in IED blast in Chhattisgarh

An Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) trooper was injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast carried out by Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres near Panchal Fadki village under Manpur Police Station limits in Rajnandgaon District of Chhattisgarh on April 7, reports The Week. The incident occurred when a joint team of the ITBP and District Force was out on a road opening and de-mining operation in the morning near Panchal Fadki village under Manpur Police Station limits, Police said. “When the patrolling team was near a bridge on the road, head constable Srinivas inadvertently stepped on an IED which went off due to the pressure applied on it. He sustained minor injuries on his elbow,” a Police official said.

We are getting support because of Narendra Modi’s misrule, claims Maoists

The Communist Party of India-Maoist has described Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s coming to power as “a blessing in disguise” that has helped it gain popular support in recent years, reports The Times of India on April 7. “When it comes to policies, there is no difference between BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and Congress. But NDA (National Democratic Alliance) rule has seen more attacks on religious minorities and state repression. This has made people turn to us for help,” Sanket, spokesperson for the Maoists’ Eastern Regional Bureau (ERB), said while talking to The Times of India at an undisclosed location close to the Jharkhand-Bihar border. “Subjugation of democratic principles, repression, dilution of labour laws and amendment of rules to dispossess tribals of their ancestral land have made people choose the path of struggle,” Sanket explained.

Sitting next to Sanket, Azaad, spokesperson for the Bihar-Jharkhand Special Area Committee (BJSAC) of the CPI-Maoist, added, “We recently managed to hold a series of janadalats (People’s court held by the CPI-Maoist) in villages near the Jharkhand-Bihar border despite heavy deployment of forces. This was not possible earlier.” Sanket claimed that “attacks on religious minorities in the name of cow protection” and “crackdowns on churches in Ranchi and Khunti” have made people lose their faith in the “semi-imperialist, capitalist government”. Azaad said, “To help villagers fight for autonomy, we extended sup- port to the pathalgarhi movement in Khunti. We stood by Muslim families who suffered at the hands of fascist forces.” He added, “Similarly, we support the para teachers who faced police action for fighting for their rights.” The Maoist leaders admitted that their organisation has suffered many ‘military’ setbacks in recent years. Sanket said, “This happened because many of our senior leaders in central India were either arrested or surrendered. Our rank and file were not unable to cope with new challenges.” He added, “We support all nationalist movements, including the ones in Kashmir, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. We are now preparing to strengthen our base there.” He expressed concern at the way “BJP is trying to scare the people of Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh by talking about an NRC (National Register of Citizens) like survey”.

Five persons including BJP MLA killed in Chhattisgarh

Five persons including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Bastar region, Bhima Mandavi (40) and his four security personnel were killed as cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist targeted the convoy in which the BJP leader was travelling, in a forested patch near Nakulnar Village under Kuwakonda Tehsil (revenue unit) in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh on April 9, reports The Pioneer. The Maoists blew up the vehicle of the Dantewada MLA with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and opened fire at the occupants at Shyamagiri Hills, when the MLA’s convoy was heading towards Kuwakonda from Bacheli area in Dantewada. The four security personnel were identified as head constables Chhagan Kuldeep and Ramlal Oyami, constable Somdu Kawasi and driver-constable Danteshwar Maurya. Kuldeep, Oyami and Kawasi were Personal Security Officers (PSOs) of Mandavi. It is to be noted that Mandavi was the elected MLA of Dantewada in December 2018, and was the only BJP MLA in the Bastar division, since 2003.

Nepal-Internal Dynamics

Government didn’t consult us, say War victims

Conflict victims have expressed displeasure over the Government’s decision to form a committee to recommend new members of the two Transitional Justice (TJ) mechanisms without holding any consultations with them, reports The Himalayan Times on March 28. A meeting of the Cabinet last March 25 had decided to form the committee led by former Supreme Court chief justice 0m Prakash Mishra, according to a Cabinet source. Tenure of members of Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) expires on April 13. TRC Chairman Surya Kiran Gurung and member Lila Udasi Khanal have already tendered their resignation. However, the victims said the Government once again ignored them while taking such a crucial decision. The victims have long been complaining that the Government does not hold consultations with them while drafting/amending laws or taking crucial decisions related to transitional justice.

Monthly Fatalities

The following casualties, related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism occurred during the period Mar 26,2019 to Apr 25,2019:

	Civilian	Indian Security Personnel	Militant	Total
Arunachal P	04	00	00	04
Left Wing	16	11	07	34
Total	20	11	07	38

CPN-Maoist-Chand a major security threat in Gandaki Province

A high-profile province level security meeting of Gandaki Province, on April 6 and 7, has concluded that the Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist-Chand) is a major security threat in the province, report My Republica. The high-level meeting reached the conclusion that CPN-Maoist-Chand ranks first in the list of security threats despite being small in size. Chief District Officers (CDOs) of all 11 Districts of the province accepted CPN-Maoist-Chand as the major threat in the province, according to a security personnel who participated in the meeting. “Despite being a major security threat, it won’t be difficult to control the government- banned party as it is small in size,” on conditions of anonymity security official said. Besides that, the monopoly of contractors and mafias in the extraction of resources has also been reported as a threat to security in the province. Not just that, the disputes and controversies in the universities, protests staged by teachers, students and doctors among others have also been seen as threats to provincial security. Home Secretary Prem Kumar Rai urged all to discourage the activities of the CPN-Maoist-Chand outfit as much as possible. “CPN (CPN-Maoist-Chand) must not be allowed to carry out its activities as stated by the government,” a source quoted Rai as saying. It is to be noted that more than 15 leaders and cadres of CPN-Maoist-Chand have been arrested in Gandaki so far, adds My Republica. Reportedly, the presence of CPN-Maoist-Chand’s outfit is comparatively low in Mannang and Mustang.

429 firearms surrendered

In response to a 35-day deadline served by the Government to the public to surrender illegal firearms, Nepal Police on April 21 said it had received 429 weapons, both small and large, from across the country, reports The Himalayan Times. On March 14, the Government had set the deadline for the general public to hand over firearms, such as rifles, revolvers and ammunition they possessed illegally, ‘to maintain law and order’. The announcement was made two days after it banned all activities of the Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist-Chand) and labelled it a ‘terrorist outfit’.

Sri Lanka – Internal Dynamics

Sri Lanka war crime allegations should be investigated, says Australian acting Ambassador John Philip

The Australian Acting Ambassador John Philip said on March 29 that its armed forces have no qualms about working with Sri Lankan Security Forces (SFs) accused of grave human rights violations during the country’s civil war, but added that the allegations must be taken seriously and investigated, reports Colombo Page. John Philip said Australia wants to look to the future after the end of the war 10 years ago. “The approach we are taking is that we do want to work with the Sri Lankan tri-services. The war finished 10 years ago. We need to think about the future,” Philip said. “We do know that there are serious allegations. We certainly believe that they should be taken seriously,” Philip said. He also added that the Sri Lankan Government’s recent co-sponsoring of a resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)reiterating its commitment to investigate the allegations gives Australia confidence.

UN torture prevention body to visit Sri Lanka from April 2 to 12

United Nations The Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture is set to carry out its first visit to Sri Lanka from April 2 to 12, the Office of the High commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) announced on March 29, reports Colombo Page. The UN torture prevention body’s visit aims to examine the treatment of people deprived of their liberty and the safeguards in place for their protection against torture and ill-treatment. The four-member delegation will meet Government officials and hold discussions with relevant ministries, as well as meeting with the Human Rights Commission and civil society organizations. Their talks in Colombo will focus on advising and assisting the Sri Lankan authorities regarding the measures they must take to be in compliance with the obligations contained in the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture.

Cases filed on 54 LTTE suspects set to commence, says Minister of Justice Thalatha Atukorale

The Minister of Justice, Thalatha Atukorale on April 1 said that cases filed on 54 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam suspects are set to commence and the Police are also still conducting investigations on six suspects, reports Colombo Gazette. She was responding in Parliament to questions raised by some Tamil National Alliance (TNA) members over the plight of Tamil political prisoners. Atukorale has said in the past that there are no political prisoners in Sri Lanka.

The Minister added that there are some LTTE suspects still in custody. She said that cases have been filed against 54 suspects and their cases will commence soon. The Minister also said that the advice of the Attorney General (AG) has been sought on three suspects. Speaking further, the Minister said that the Police are still investigating six suspects so further action cannot be taken.

Sri Lankan security forces not provided with modern equipment, says Former Army Commander Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka

Former Army Commander Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka said on April 4 that the Security Forces (SFs) should be strengthened whether there was a war or not and that due attention was not paid to upgrade and strengthen the SFs at present, reports Daily Mirror. He said in the Parliament that other countries such as Singapore was allocating a huge share of its budget for SFs and added that a country’s national security should be given prominence even before the economy. He also pointed out that SFs had not been provided with modern equipment and facilities to upgrade to suit the new technological advancement. “We are still using fighter jets used during World War 2. We have only one fighter jet right now. We should provide modern fighter jets with the air force. Navy also should be given modern vessels,” he said.

Former LTTE cadres complain military obstructs their political activity in Sri Lanka Some former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam cadres have recently alleged they are under constant surveillance by the military though they have undergone rehabilitation, reports The Island on April 7. They have also claimed that military interference has hampered their political activity. United States (US) Human Rights activist Critina James, on April 5 received a briefing from former LTTE cadres during a visit to the Jaffna peninsula. The former LTTE cadres said that they had also complained to the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) about military interference. They met the US activist as members of a North­ based political party consisting of ex-LTTE cadres. They alleged the people were still suspicious of them due to the military constantly watch­ing their movements.

Meanwhile, the delegation of the United Nations (UN) Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture (SPT) visited the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka on April 4, reports Colombo Page. The four­ member delegation is expected to meet Government officials and hold discussions with relevant ministries , as well as meeting with the Human Rights Commission and civil society organizations . During the visit, the delegation will be exploring the steps Sri Lanka needs to take to effectively prevent torture and ill­ treatment of people deprived of their liberty, a statement said.

Four Sri Lankans arrested by British Counter-Terror Police in London

Four Sri Lankan men were arrested at Luton Airport in London by British Counter-Terror Police on suspicion of being members of a banned organization, reports Daily Mirror. The men, all Sri Lankan nationals, arrived on an internation­al flight on April 10 evening and were arrested on April 11. Scotland Yard said they are currently being held in custody at a Police Station in Bedfordshire. A spokesman said, “Police at the airport were made aware of the men the next day, Thursday 11 April, and subsequent­ly stopped them under schedule seven of the Terrorism Act 2000.”

Underworld member involved in arms deal with former LTTE members arrested in Sri Lanka

The Colombo Crime Division (CCD) on April 11 arrested an under world member, identified as Viduranga alias Viswa who was involved in an arm deal with a group of former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam members, reports Colombo Page. According to Police, Viduranga , a resident of Wellampitiya is a member of the Kaduwaela Samayan’s underworld gang. The Colombo Crimes Division said that the two underworld lead­ers, ‘Gotha Asanka’, who is leading the Samayan’s gang from the prison and another underworld leader, ‘Ganemulle , Sanjeewa’ are engaged in the sale of firearms , which are being unearthed from the North by the former LTTE cadres.

Earlier, the Colombo Crime Division arrested a group of former LTTE cadres involved in the arms racket as well as 12 subordinates of ‘Gotha Asanka’ and ‘Ganemulle, Sanjeewa’. The suspects are being detained on detention orders and questioned . During questioning , the suspects have revealed information on several underworld killings com­ mitted in Colombo and suburbs using former LTTTE cadres. A plan to assassinate Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Sumanthiran was also revealed during question­ing and some equipment including a claymore bomb that were to be used for the purpose have been found, the CCD said. The finding has been reported to the courts. The Colombo Crimes Division said that Viswa was arrested when it was revealed that he has acted as an intermediary in selling the weapons recovered by the LTIE members.

At least 207 persons killed and 450 injured in series of bomb blasts in Sri Lanka

At least 207 persons were killed and over 450 persons were injured in a series of coordinated bomb blasts at churches and luxury hotels in the country on April 21, reports Colombo Page. The first six blasts were trig­gered almost simultaneously on April 21 morning. Three five-star hotels, the Shangri-La, the Cinnamon Grand the Kingsbury and one church were hit in the capital Colombo in Western Province; another church was bombed in the city of Negumbo, just north of the capital; and a third church was bombed in Batticalao, a city in the Eastern Province.

A seventh bomb explosion was reported at a hotel near the National zoo in Dehiwala in Western Province on April 21 afternoon. An eighth explosion was reported in a house in Dematagoda in Western Province in which a suicide bomber and three Security Force (SFs) personnel, were killed during a Police raid.

The State Minister of Defence, Ruwan Wijewardane, said that seven suspects were arrested so far and that all of the Colombo attacks had been carried out by suicide bombers. The Government has identified the attackers, he said, but he did not elaborate .

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe strongly condemn­ing the Easter Sunday’s multiple bomb attacks on the country’s churches and hotels said that the law enforcement authorities have been given powers to enforce the law strictly against the perpetrators of these attacks, reports Colombo Page. He said he sees the attacks as a move to destabilize the country and its economy and the culprits will be dealt with strictly.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on April 21 stat­ed that he will announce the appoint­ment of a Special Investigation Committee within the next 24 hours to investigate the catastrophic attacks on the country’s churches and high-end hotels on Easter Sunday, reports Colombo Page. The committee will be headed by a Judge of the Supreme Court and will investigate causes and circumstances of the tragedy that destroyed so many lives and the background for the grave national catastrophe as well as other factors that led to an attack of this magnitude.

President Maithripala Sirisena admits to lapses in security, promises to Immediately restructure security apparatus

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on April 23, while assuring the nation that he would take steps to curtail terrorism and bring back normalcy swiftly, said that he will make immediate changes in the high security positions as there was negligence in carrying out responsibilities, reports Colombo Page. Addressing the nation on April 23, President Sirisena urged the people and all the political parties to extend fullest cooperation setting aside differences to these efforts for the sake of the future generation. Expressing the grief, shock and deep dismay over the loss of lives in these ruthless acts of terrorism, the President stressed the imperative need for the support and unity of everybody in this national endeavor. President Sirisena expressed confidence that the terrorism can be curbed very soon as the law enforcement agencies have taken swift measures to identify and arrest the criminals responsible for acts of terrorism and aiding and abetting such acts. He thanked the law enforcements personnel for the effective steps taken to arrest the culprits and expressed condolences over the death of three Police officers while carrying out investigations in the aftermath of the terror attacks. The President disclosed that since 2017, there were intelligence information about emergence of terrorist groups and the fact that some of them receiving training in foreign countries. “Our security services kept a close vigilance on these groups,” he said.

INTERNATIONAL

40 children killed in year of Gaza border protests: UN

Around 40 children have been killed and many injured in one year of demonstrations along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, the UN said on Thursday, March 29 calling for an “urgent de-escalation”.

Thousands of Palestinians have gathered at least weekly along the border in protests that have led to deadly clashes with the Israeli military. Demonstrators are calling for Israel to lift its crippling decade-long blockade of Gaza, while also demanding refugees be allowed to return to homes their families fled in the late 1940s during the creation of the Jewish state.

Around 40 children have been killed in the protests and “nearly 3,000 others have been hospitalised with injuries, many leading to life- long disabilities,” the UN children’s agency (UNICEF) said. “UNICEF reiterates its outrage at the very high numbers of children who have been killed and injured as a result of armed conflict 2018,” said UNICEFs Middle East director Geert Cappelaere.

He called on both sides to “ensure children are not targeted”. “Exploiting children’s lack of sense of purpose and vulnerabilities or enlisting them into violence are violations of children’s rights.” In total, 258 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza since the protests began, most during border clashes.

FB curbs not enough Jacinda

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on March 29 welcomed Facebook’s move to curb support for white nationalism on its platforms but said more needed to be done in the wake of the Christchurch mosque massacre.

The social media giant has unveiled tougher guidelines on hate speech for Facebook and Instagram, ruling that white nationalism and white separatism are both linked to organised hate groups and will be banned. When making the announcement, the California-based company did not specifically reference the March 15 Christchurch atrocity that claimed 50 lives when a self-avowed white supremacist targeting Muslims opened fire in two mosques.

But Ardern made it clear she believed it was a direct response to the criticism that has since been levelled at Facebook, which the accused gunman used to live stream the attack. “Arguably these categories should always have fallen within (Facebook’s) community guidelines on hate speech,” she told reporters. “But it’s positive that clarification has now been made in the wake of the attack here in Christchurch.”

She added “there’s more work to do” and said New Zealand would play an active role in the debate. “There are lessons to be learned here in Christchurch and we don’t want anyone to have to learn those lessons over again,” she said.

Ardern said the goal was to limit harmful content “while preserving a free, open and secure internet”. Noting that countries including Australia, Ireland and Germany were all wrestling with the issue of dealing with extremist material on social media, Ardern said a global approach was needed.

On Tuesday Australia warned social media executives they could be jailed for failing to quickly take down extremist material. Social media platforms “can get an ad to you in half a second,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters ahead of the meeting.

Nine held in Thailand for posting election ‘fake news’

Nine people have been arrested in Thailand on March 29 for spreading “fake news” on Facebook with posts about sacked election officials and bogus ballots in the wake of controversial polls in the kingdom .

Junta-ruled Thailand held its first vote since a 2014 coup on Sunday, with a military-backed party and its main rival linked to a self-exiled bil­lionaire both claiming the right to govern. Fully ratified results will not be confirmed for weeks but ques­tions are mounting over election irregularities that may have skewed initial numbers.

A Thai official said on Thursday that nine people were arrested for sharing fake news on Facebook claiming two election commissioners had been sacked and that 600,000 illegitimate ballots were mixed into the vote count.

14 farmers killed in Philippines police ‘massacre’

Rights groups on Sunday, March 31 condemned what they called a “massacre” of 14 farmers by police in the central Philippines as authorities defended the incident as a legitimate operation against suspected communist rebels.

Police say the 14 men on Saturday shot at officers with search warrants for illegal firearms, prompting them to return fire. But rights groups insist the men were “farmers asserting their rights to land”, the latest victims caught up in a violent crackdown under President Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte’s government has can­celled peace talks with communist rebels who are waging a 50-year­ old insurgency that has killed thou­sands and has ordered his troops to “destroy” them.

The latest violence occurred in three separate incidents in Negros island, the centre of the nation’s sugar industry and home to some of the country’s wealthiest landowners as well as some of its poorest farm workers.

Authorities say the operation was a response to communist rebel attacks in Negros, adding one policeman was wounded . “They fought back against our operating units. We were forced to fire back. Some of the 14 men are farmers but we cannot confirm how many,” provincial police spokesman Edilberto Euraoba told AFP.

Police arrested another 12 men while they recovered various firearms from those killed, Euraoba added. However rights and peasant groups said the 14 men killed on Saturday were farmers, some elder­ly, citing witness accounts contra­dicting the police’s statement.

“They were defenceless. It’s clear that it was a massacre. They are tagged as members and sympa­thisers of communist rebels but they are farmers asserting their rights to land,” Maria Sol Taule, legal counsel for rights group Karapatan, told AFP.

UN chief warns against anti-Muslim hatred

UN chief Antonio Guterres warned on Tuesday, April 2 against growing hatred of Muslims, less than a month after a deadly attack on mosques in New Zealand killed at least 50 people.

His remarks came during a speech at Egypt’s Al-Azhar, the Muslim world’s foremost religious institution, where he met Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb. “Around the world, we are seeing ever-rising anti-Muslim hatred, anti­ Semitism, racism and xenophobia,” the UN secretary general said.

He cited the March 15 New Zealand mosque massacre by a white supremacist as well as a 2018 synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh that killed 11 people and is believed to be the deadliest against Jews in US history. Guterres warned of a surge in hate speech he said was “entering the mainstream, spreading like wildfire through social media”.

NZ attacker donated repeatedly to European extremists

The alleged New Zealand mosque attacker made several donations to far-right “identitarian” activists in Europe known for their anti-immigration stunts, Austrian daily Der Standard reported on Thursday, April 4.

Brenton Tarrant, who will face 50 murder charges in court this week over last month’s attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, made donations in 2017 and 2018 , the daily said, citing security sources from Germany and Austria familiar with the investigations.

In 2017, the Australian made four donations totalling 2,200 euros were made. Sources quoted by the paper with knowledge of the probe in Germany said the money went to the French “Generation ldentitaire” group. However, Austrian domestic intelligence was still probing whether the money all went to a group in a single country, the paper reports. Tarrant also donated 1,500 euros to Martin Sellner, the leader of the ldentitarian Movement Austria (IBOe), in 2018.

Sellner, whose apartment was raided last week after authorities became aware of the link, has admit­ ted receiving the donation but has denied having had any contact with him. Austria, which is governed by a coalition including the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), is now prob­ing whether the IBOe is a terrorist organisation and as such could be disbanded. FPOe politicians, includ­ing Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache, have also moved to distance themselves from reported links between FPOe and IBOe members.

Army shelling kills 22 civilians in ldlib

Heavy bombardment by the Syrian army of the jihadist-controlled Idib region has killed 22 civilians, a monitor said on Thursday, April 4 the latest violence to threaten a seven month old truce. The ceasefire was brokered by the main foreign backers of the warring parties in September to head off a government offensive that prompted UN warnings of humanitarian disaster for the region’s three million residents.

But since the region was overrun by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance led by former al-Qaeda fighters in January, the fragile truce has come under mounting assault. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem accused Turkey, which signed the September deal on behalf of the rebels, of failing to honour its commitments and warned that his government’s patience was running out.

The UN humanitarian affairs office said the escalating violence threatened aid deliveries to some 2.7 million people in need. In the latest flare up, army artillery and rocket fire on the Idlib towns of Kafrnabel and Maaret al-Noman killed 13 people on Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

More than 86,500 people fled their homes in February and March as a result of the escalation, it added. The UN expressed concern over “increased shelling along front lines, an intensification of air strikes and a growing number of attacks involving improvised explosive devices in urban areas.”

The Syrian foreign minister said his government was growing impatient to recapture Idlib, the last region outside its control apart from the Kurdish-held north and north-east where Washington retains a troop presence.

Dutch arrest three in $1.2bn India laundering probe

Dutch investigators have arrested three former employees of a local company suspected of laundering some $1.2 billion for an energy client in India, prosecutors said on Friday, April 5.

The Dutch company bought materials and services around the world for the Indian firm which has been involved in laying a gas pipeline on the subcontinent since 2006. “It is suspected that the Dutch company used to increase the amounts on the invoices for the materials and services supplied,” said the public prosecutor’s office, which did not name either company.

The company also acted as a so-called “invoice duplicator’ meaning the Indian company was able to claim costs twice from gas customers, the statement added. “The ‘profits’ earned in this way were subsequently creamed off via the Dutch company,” it said.

The gains were then transferred via a complex web of businesses based among others in Dubai, Switzerland and the Caribbean, before eventually ending up at a business owned by the Indian company in Singapore.

The suspects allegedly received payments of up to $10 million for their involvement. Suspicions were raised after an inspection of the books of the Dutch company, situated south of the central city of Utrecht. Dutch investigators of the elite Fiscal and Investigation Services raided the company’s premises in November 2017, seizing administrative records.

US citizens among eight held in Saudi crackdown

Saudi Arabia has arrested at least eight writers and bloggers, including two US citizens, in an apparent crackdown on supporters of detained women activists whose trial has drawn global censure, campaigners said on Friday, April 5.

News of the arrests came the morning after US lawmakers voted to end military support for a Saudi-led war in neighbouring Yemen, which has triggered what the UN describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

It also marks the first major crackdown since the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October, which sparked unprecedented international scrutiny of the kingdom’s human rights record.

Campaigners identified the US- Saudi dual nationals as writer and doctor Bader al-Ibrahim and Salah al-Haidar, the son of Aziza al-Yousef a high-profile activist who was temporarily released last week but remains on trial along with other women campaigners.

The latest round up started on Thursday, a day after the 11 women some of whom accused interrogators of torture and sexual abuse in detention returned to court to face charges that include contact with foreign media, diplomats and human rights groups.

But one of them, university lecturer Anas al-Mazrou, was detained last month after he expressed solidarity with the detained women during a panel discussion at the Riyadh book fair, multiple activists said.

US, Europe’s weapons killing children, people: Pope

Pope Francis has blamed Europe and the United States for selling weapons in war zones, fueling conflicts and causing victims in Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan, the international media reported.

Speaking to students and teachers of Milan’s San Carlo Institute on Saturday, April 6 the pope said that the reason why there are so many wars around the world is that “the rich Europe and America sell weapons. used to kill children and kill people.”

Francis also added that, without weapons, countries like Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan wouldn’t be at war.

The pontiff said that “a country Kurdish-held northeast where the that produces and sells weapons has on its conscience the death of every child and the destruction of each family. It’s us that make a difference.

Bombardment kills 13 civilians in Syria

Bombardment killed 13 civilians in northwest Syria on Sunday, April 7 the large majority in regime fire on areas of the Jihadist-held Idlib region, a war monitor said.

The violence was the latest to threaten a seven month old truce intended to stave off a regime offensive on the region held by Syria’s former A1-Qaeda affiliate. Sunday’s shelling and rocket fire by regime forces killed nine civilians in several areas of Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

They included five people in the town of Nayrab, three in Saraqeb, and one in the village of Al-Khuwayn, the Britain-based monitoring group said. The Observatory said bombardment by Islamist fighters on the regime-held town of Masyaf in the adjacent province of Hama killed four civilians.

The rocket fire hit a hospital killing members of its staff, state news agency Sana said. Regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey in September inked a buffer zone deal to prevent a massive regime offensive on the Idlib region, near the Turkish border.

But the region of some three million people has come under increasing bombardment since former A1-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham overran the region in January. More than 30 civilians have been killed in regime bombardment on Idlib since Wednesday alone, according to the Observatory.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem this week said his government was growing impatient to recapture Idlib, the last region outside its control apart from the US retains a troop presence.

Two dead as gunmen attack Egypt police vehicle

Gunmen opened fire on a police vehicle in a Cairo suburb at dawn on Sunday, April 7 killing a police officer and the driver and wounding two others, the interior ministry said.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the latest attack on security forces in Egypt, which has been battling an Islamist insurgency since President Abdel Fattah al-sisi came to power in 2014.

Police were on a routine patrol in New Nozha, a suburb east of Cairo, when their minibus came under fire, the ministry said. Four unknown assailants armed with automatic rifles opened fire at the police vehicle, it said in a statement, before fleeing in a black car.

Suicide bomber kills 7 in Egypt’s North Sinai

A teen suicide bomber killed four members of Egypt’s security forces and three civilians on Tuesday, April 9 in restive North Sinai, the interior ministry said, with the Islamic State group claiming the attack.

“The suicide bomber aged 15 blew himself up” in a busy market area near a police station in the town of Sheikh Zuweid leaving seven dead and 26 wounded, an interior ministry statement said.

A six year old child was among the victims, the statement added. IS, which has waged a bloody insurgency in the region, released a statement on its social media accounts claiming responsibility and praising the suicide bomber. Egyptian security forces have been targeted by extremist groups since the army overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in 2013.

Hundreds of soldiers and police-men have been killed in a string of attacks that has also claimed the lives of civilians, particularly among the minority Coptic Christian community. Egypt in February last year launched a military offensive against IS in the Sinai peninsula. Around 600 suspected jihadists and about 40 soldiers have been killed so far, according to official figures.

‘Blast in Yemen capital killed 14 schoolchildren’

An explosion near two schools in the rebel-held Yemeni capital killed 14 children and wounded 16, the UN said on Tuesday, but the cause of the weekend blast remains unclear.

Most of the child casualties in the city’s Saewan district were girls under the age of nine, according to statements by both the UN children’s fund (UNICEF) and the UN special envoy for Yemen.

Yemen’s Huthi rebels have accused a Saudi-led military coalition backing the government of carrying out an air strike. The coalition denied conducting any air raids on the capital on Sunday.

“A blast in Sanaa this week killed 14 children and critically injured 16. This is what UNICEF was able to verify, with the actual number of children killed and injured likely to increase, said UNICEFs Middle East and North Africa director, Geert Cappelaere.

The World Health Organization estimates nearly 10,000 Yemenis have been killed since 2015, when Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened to prevent the defeat of the government in the face of a rebel offensive.

Human rights groups say the real death toll is several times higher. The conflict has pushed millions of Yemenis to the brink of mass starvation, in what the UN has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Bomb attack kills 13 in Syria’s Raqa

A double bomb attack on Tuesday, April 9 in the northern Syrian city of Raqa, a former bastion of the Islamic State group, killed 13 people, mostly civilians, a war monitor said.

A car bomb and explosive ordinance struck a crowded street, killing nine civilians and four US-backed fighters, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack near a military outpost of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who have been fighting IS.

Trump fan held over mosque abuse

New Zealand Thursday, April 11 arrested a man spotted in a “Trump” tee-shirt hurling abuse at worshippers outside one of the Christchurch mosques where dozens were killed in a massacre last month.

Police said the 33-year-old man had “shaken” the Muslim community late on Wednesday at the A1 Noor mosque by shouting abuse at people. “Our community has no tolerance for those who target or victimise others because of their identity, and nor does police,” Canterbury district commander superintendent John Price said in statement on a Wednesday. “This is especially so for members of our Muslim com- munity who are already dealing with so much,” he added.

More than 8,000 flee Libya fighting: UN

More than 8,000 people have fled fighting UN around Libya’s capital, half of whom have been dis- placed over the last two days, the United Nations said on Friday, April 12.

“Displacements from areas affected by the clashes in an around Tripoli continue to surge,” UN spokesman Rheal Leblanc told reporters in Geneva. Aside from those who have fled, Leblanc said that “many families remain stranded inside conflict affected areas,” with safety fears rising and supplies running short.

Military strongman Khalifa Haftar has launched an offensive to take from the I-IN-backed Tripoli Government of National Accord (GNA), intensifying the crisis in the country riven by divisions since the NATO backed overthrow of dictator Moamer Qadhafi in 2011.

Dozens of people have been killed over the past week and more than 300 have been wounded, according to the World Health Organisation. Speaking by phone from Tripoli, WHO’s representative in Libya Jaffar Hussain Syed told reporters that the “fighting is closing in from the outskirts to inside of Tripoli” “Our fear is that there will be more civilian casualties,” he said. Haftar’s advance has triggered mounting global alarm, with the UN warning the situation could spiral out of control.

Over 121 killed in fierce fighting Rivals battle for Tripoli

Fighting near Tripoli has killed 121 people since strongman Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive earlier this month to take the Libyan capital, the World Health Organisation said on Sunday, April 14.

In clashes between Haftar’s forces and those of the UN- backed Government of National Accord (GNA), both sides have proclaimed “advances” but neither appears to have taken a substantial lead on the ground in recent days.

With more than 560 people wounded since the fighting started on April 4, WHO said it was sending more medical supplies and staff to Tripoli. The UN organisation denounced “repeated attacks on health care workers” and vehicles during the fighting, in messages on its Libya Twitter feed.

In the chaos since, a bewildering array of militias have been seeking to take control, and fighting has flared again shortly before a conference had been scheduled to discuss Libya’s future, an event since cancelled.

Haftar, who leads the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), has pushed from his power base in the country’s east toward the Libyan capital in the west, the seat of the UN-backed unity government led by Fayez al-Sarraj. Haftar has the sup- port of key Gulf Arab states, Egypt and Russia. On Sunday he met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo, where the duo were “discussing the latest developments in Libya” according to state media.

On Sunday, the UN mission in Libya warned that international humanitarian law “prohibits the bombing of schools, hospitals, ambulances and civilian areas”. The mission warned that it would document all breaches in order to inform the UN Security Council and the International Criminal Court. The LNA meanwhile accused the Tripoli-based forces of an air raid “targeting civilians” in the Gasr Ben Ghachir region, 30 kilometer’s south of Tripoli.

16 massacred at party for newborn in Nigeria conflict

Sixteen people were killed and 14 were wounded when gunmen opened fire at a party to name a newborn baby, police said on Tuesday, in the latest violence between farmers and herders in central Nigeria.

Those murdered included the parents and the infant, residents said. The attack on Sunday, April 14 night happened in Nasarawa, a state wracked by long-running violence between settled farmers and semi-nomadic pastoralists who move with their herds.

The gunmen opened fire on guests as they celebrated with the family and their newborn baby in Numa village, in the Akwanga area of the state.

Buma, a farming village home to people from the Mada ethnic group, has been at loggerheads with Fulani herders. Residents accused the herders of the attack, saying the men turned up about three hours after dusk to join the party. In the darkness, they opened fire into the crowd.

Philip Gyunka, a senator at the National Assembly representing the area, said the attack was fall-out of a recent conflict between the Mada and Fulani. Nasarawa state, like neighboring Benue and Plateau, are part of the “middle-belt” states that divide Nigeria’s mainly-Muslim north from the predominantly Christian south. The region has seen deadly clashes between Fulani herders and farmers over land, grazing and water for years.

Bahrain jails 138 for planning Iran-linked ‘terror’ group

Bahrain on Tuesday, April 16 jailed 138 people and revoked their citizenship for plotting to form a “terror” group with links to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the public prosecutor said. They received prison terms of three years to life for having tried to build a Bahrain Hezbollah, similar to the militia active in Lebanon, said Ahmad al-Hammadi. Another man was also jailed but his citizenship was not revoked, while 30 others were acquitted, said the statement posted on the prosecution Instagram account.

Current Threat Levels:

City/Region                                           Threat Level         

Islamabad                                            Level 2                          **

Karachi                                                 Level 2                          **

Lahore                                                  Level 2                          **

Punjab                                                  Level 2                          **

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa                            Level 3                          **

Peshawar                                               Level 2                          **

Quetta                                                  Level 2                         ***

Upper Balochistan                                 Level 3                         ***

Lower Balochistan                                 Level 2                          **

Upper / Rural Sindh                               Level 2                          **

Gilgit and Northern areas                      Level 3                          **

Tribal areas, close to Afghan border Level 3                          ***

Index to Threat Level References

Threat Level 1                                 *      

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 & order situation, some security precautions are advised, especially if traveling.

Threat Level 3                                                                     ***

Indicates that law and order situation is cause for concern and travel should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Foreigners should rehearse plans for evacuation.

Threat Level 4                                                                     ****  

Indicates complete breakdown of civil administration and law and order leading to possible anarchy. All foreigners to remain indoors and confined to their own city. Families and staff not required to be evacuated retaining only a skeleton staff.

Threat Level 5                               ***** 

Indicates complete breakdown of law and order, enemy action/hostilities, invasion/ occupation by enemy.