Five Army soldiers were killed and another sustained injury in an explosion that took place a few meters from the Line of Control (LoC) in Chamb sector of Barnala tehsil (revenue unit) in Bhimber District of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) on July 3, reports Daily Times. “The incident is evidence of the state-sponsored terror ism by India violating bilateral ceasefire agreement and the inter national rules,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement adding that the nature of the blast is being ascertained .
At least eight persons, including two security personnel, were injured in an explosion at Buleda Staff in Turbat town (Turbat District) in Balochistan on July 3, reports Daily Times. Unidentified persons on a motorcycle lobbed a hand grenade at Buleda Staff whose target was appeared to be the security personnel deployed there. Police said the assailants managed to escape unhurt from the spot.
One soldier was killed and five others were injured in two bomb explosions in North Waziristan District on July 10, reports Dawn. The first incident occurred near Kharqamar check-post in Data Kheltehsil (revenue unit). Officials said that a bomb disposal squad was searching the area when a remote-controlled device went off. Four security personnel were injured. Javed, one of the injured personnel, succumbed to his injuries.
The second blast took place near Mir Ali town when Security Forces (SFs) vehicle hit the Improvised Explosive device while they were on their way to Army’s Golden Arrow School which was hit by a rocket. Colonel Bilal and Lance Naik Faisal were injured in the blast.
At least three people were killed and 16 others injured in an impro vised explosive device (IED) blast on Eastern Bypass area of Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, in the evening of July 23, reports Daily Times. Quetta Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Abdul Razzaq Cheema confirmed the incident and said that unidentified militants had planted the explosive device in a motorcycle and parked it outside a medical store.
Targetted Killings
Two Policemen shot dead in exchange of fire in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Two Policemen were SHO dead and four injured during an exchange of fire in Nizampur area of Nowshera District on June 25, reports Samaa TV. Unidentified suspected persons opened fire on the Policemen while they were taking part in a search operation, the Police said. The deceased Policemen have been identified as Asad Khan and Afrasiab. No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
Unidentified gunmen shot dead an Awami National Party (ANP) leader, Sartaj Khan in Peshawar on June 29, reports Daily Times. Police said that Sartaj Khan, the ANP Peshawar District President, was travelling in his car when he came under attack in Gulbahar area. “Two men riding a motorcycle intercepted his car. One of them fired shots at Khan with a handgun. Khan received multiple bullet wounds and died on the spot,” Gulbahar area ASP Ahmed Zunair said .
Two persons were killed and another injured in an armed attack on a roadside teashop in Pehalwan Goth under Gulistan-i Jauhar Police Station limits in Karachi on July 9, reports Dawn. Police said that two unidentified assailants riding a motorbike pulled up outside the teashop, fired multiple shots and sped away. The firing left three men injured, two of whom later succumbed to their injuries, while the third person was taken to hospital. The deceased were identified as Barkat Ali (45) and Nazik (40), while the injured was identified as Abdul Aziz (35).
Miscellaneous
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) killed three militants during an intelligence-based operation conducted on Jalalpur Jattan Road in Gujrat town of (Gujrat District) Punjab on July 1, reports The News. The CTD raided the place and challenged the terrorists to surrender. The terrorists instead started firing on the CTD officers. The CTD officers took pre cautionary measures and a shootout ensued. After the firing stopped, three terrorists were found dead. Other three terrorists escaped taking benefit of dark ness. The dead terrorists were identified as Tayyab Jamil alias Baba Ji, Bilal alias Abdul Rahim and Nadir alias Abdullah. They were most wanted terrorists of Red Book. They had committed multiple acts of terrorism, including attack on PAF bus in Sargodha, Police Training School Sargodha , Police Post Qudratabad, Patrolling Post Darra Tang, Police Post Kundian killing dozens of citizens. Recoveries from them include explosives to make IEDs, rocket, arms, ammunition, maps and funds for terrorism financing.
Pakistan and Afghanistan on July 1 decided not to use public forums to blame each other or give ‘hostile’ statements against each other in order to build trust considered vital to address some of the pressing issues facing the two neighbours, reports The Express Tribune. The decision was taken during the recent visit of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to Islamabad, where he held wide ranging discussions with Prime Minister Imran Khan and the top military leadership of the country. This was Ghani’s first visit since 2015 and was part of latest efforts by Pakistan to improve troubled ties with Afghanistan.
Five Balochistan Republican Army (BRA) militants were arrested by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) after a failed bid to carry out a bomb attack on a train in Giamal area of Rajanpur District in Punjab on July 4, reports Dawn. A bomb disposal squad (BOS) had earlier in the day expertly defused explosives affixed to railway tracks. According to BOS official Ghulam Abbas, “the bomb weighed 5kg and was attached to the railway tracks along with a remote-controlled device.” The target appeared to be the Karachi-bound Khushal Khan Khattak Express, which had left from Peshawar and was due to pass by in a few hours. It was temporarily halted at the Dera Ghazi Khan station after Police sealed off the area and began a search operation. All the arrested militants belong to the Baggi Commander Group of BRA. Recoveries from them include two pistols, 30 bore; one planted IED, approximately six kilo grammes; safety fuse; primer cord; detonator; and funds (cash money) for terrorism financing .
An Islamic State (IS) militant, identified as Shukrullah, was killed in an exchange of fire with Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) per sonnel at Natal area of Dera Murad Jamali town in Nasirabad District of Balochistan in the morning of July 6, reports Radio Pakistan. Two other militants managed to escape. According to Police officials , a Kalashnikov, four hand grenades along with a suicide jacked and 15 kilo-grammes of explosive material was recovered from the possession of the militants, adds Geo TV. Shukrullah was the facilitator and mastermind of several suicide attacks. He also remained associated with Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP). He was involved in suicide attacks on Chilgari and Fatehpur shrines in Jhal Magsi District (October 5, 2017) along with the abduction of eight labourers from the Kech District on July 5.
Earlier on July 5, eight labourers went gone missing after they resisted extortion by unidentified militants in Kech District, reports Pakistan Today. According to Levies, the militants were asking for money; however, when refused, they started shooting and injured a labourer as well. The identity of the labourers couldn’t be ascertained immediately to tell if this was an ethnic attack .
The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested a man, identified as Ali Nawaz, who funding for al Qaeda militants under the cover of a non-governmental organization from Peshawar on July 6, reports Pakistan Today. CTD Officer llyas Khan said Ali Nawaz was using multiple bank accounts linked with the NGO, Human Concern International. Federal investigators have monitored heavy transactions in the organization’s accounts in recent months. He said the CTD in Peshawar raided the NGO offices, arresting its regional director Ali Nawaz and three others.
Two militants were killed in a clash with Police in Risalpur area of Nowshera District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the morning of July 12, reports Radio Pakistan. According to District administration, the militants were wanted by Police in different acts of terrorism.
Meanwhile, Maulana Sufi Muhammad, the founder of the banned Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM) which exercised control over parts of Malak and division in the 90s and 2000s , passed away on July 11, reports Daily Times. The 86-year-old con troversial cl3ric’s death has been confirmed by his son. The octogenarian, who was the father in law of former Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Maulana Fazlullah, had pursued the demand for imposition of a harsh brand of sharia law in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ‘s Malak and division for almost two decades .
The Pakistan Navy on July 12 conducted an intelligence-based operation (IBO) near Sonehra Point at Mubarik Village of Karachi in coordination with the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) and seized approximately 675 kilo-grammes hashish and four kilo-grammes heroin worth approximately PKR
300 million, which was being transported through sea, reports Daily Times. The successful execution of the operation against narcotics smuggling is the result of effective monitoring and surveil lance, and demonstrates the Pakistan Navy’s perseverance to deter, disrupt and deny use of sea/coastline for any unlawful activity. The cache was subsequently handed over to the ANF for further disposal.
Police foiled a terror bid as it recovered a huge quantity of explosives and ammunition near Shabqadar area of Charsadda District on July 15, reports Daily Times. On a tip-off, heavy contingent of Police raided a marble factory near Shabqadar area. During search of factory, 20 kilo-grammes explosives, 50 safety fuses and 1600 explosive sticks were recovered but no arrest could be made. The Police sealed the factory, seized the recovered explosives and ammunition. Police claimed that the recovered explosives and ammunition were to be used in terror activities but timely action foiled the bid.
10 people, including three civilians and six Policemen and one terrorist, died in two back-to-back attacks in Dera Ismail Khan (DI Khan) city of the province on July 21, reports Daily Times. unidentified gunmen on four motorcycles opened fire on Policemen at the Kotla Saidan checkpost in a residential area killing two policemen. Following the gun attack, a suicide blast took place at the hospital where the victims were shifted, the female bomber struck at the entrance to the hospital, killing four Policemen and three civilians who were visiting their relatives. 30 others were injured in the two incidents. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’ spokesperson’ Muhammad Khorasani, in a statement, claimed the attack was carried out in retaliation for the killing of a suspected terrorist by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in DI Khan on June 23 .
A Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) militant commander Shaikh Muhammad Mumtaz alias Naseem Firaun and two of his accomplices were killed during a shootout with Security Forces (SFs) in Panjgur District on July 23, reports Daily Times. The other two militants were identified as Hanzala and Sameer. The slain militants are said to be associated with Naeem Bukhari group of LeJ. A cache of arms, ammunition and explosive material were recovered from their possession. According to the information received, Shaikh Muhammad Mumtaz was involved in dozens of targeted killings, attacks on Police, extortion and other acts of terror ism. Eight members of his group had already been arrested from different cities, said the sources. Firaun was also involved in killing of two Policemen of the Sindh Reserve Police (SRP) in the Orangi Town area in June 2019. He had been arrested by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in 2013 and the militant had managed to escape from the Judicial Complex of Central Prison Karachi in June 2017 .
PAKISTAN
Pakistan, Afghanistan must cooperate for peace in region, says Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on June 27 expressed that both Pakistan and Afghanistan need to cooperate in order to prevail peace and prosperity in the region, reports The Nation. While addressing at Institute of Strategic Studies, he said that Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has visited Pakistan at the right time as it will strengthen the ties between both countries. He also said that Afghanistan and Pakistan has supported each other in the past as well. Talking about the bilateral relations, he asserted that both countries are aware of the challenges and they are with each other in every up and down. “Pakistan’s vision is clear”, he added. “We, both, are together in every thick and thin situation”. President Ashraf Ghani appreciated Pakistan’s role in restoration of peace in Afghanistan. Both leaders exchanged views over economy and to amplify communication between the people of both countries.
12 leaders of banned groups convicted of terror financing
Four leaders of the Jamat ud Dawa (JuD) and eight belonging to Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) have been found guilty of terror financing by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in Punjab, The Express Tribune reports on July 1. A CTD spokesperson said that four local leaders of JuD were convicted by Anti-Terrorism Courts (ATCs). They are identified as Asghar Ali. Junaid lrshad, ljaz Ahmad and Abdul Khaliq. They have been awarded prison terms of two years along with fines each. While eigh leaders of the JeM include lftikhar Ahmad , Muhammad Ajmal, Bilal Makki, Abrar Ahmad, lrfan Ahmad, Hafeezullah, Mazhar Nawaz. and Abdul Latif. They were handed prison terms of up to five years each. The spokesperson added that no one would be allowed to finance terrorism with further prose cutions to follow.
US designates BLA as a global terrorist group
The United States (US) on July 2 designated militants fighting Pakistani rule in Baluchistan as terrorists after it carried out deadly attacks targeting Chinese interests, reports Dawn. The US State Department said it was classifying the Baluchistan Liberation Army (BLA) as a global terrorist group, making it a crime for anyone in the US to assist the militants and freezing any US assets they may have. The banned BLA “is an armed group that targets security forces and civilians, mainly in Salach areas of Pakistan,” the State Department said in its designation.
JuD chief Hafiz Saeed and 12 other leaders booked for terror financing
Top 13 leaders of the Jama’at ud-Dawa (JuD), including its chief Hafiz Saeed and Naib Emir (deputy chief) Abdul Rehman Makki, were booked in nearly 23 cases for terror financing and money laundering under the Anti Terrorism Act, 1997, Dawn reported on July 4. The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), which registered the cases in five cities of Punjab, declared that the JuD was financing terrorism from the massive funds collected through non-profit organisations and trusts including Al-Anfaal Trust, Dawatul lrshad Trust, Muaz Bin Jabal Trust, etc. These non profit organisations were banned in April as the CTD during detailed investigations found that they had links with the JuD and its top leadership, accused of financing terrorism by building huge assets/ properties from the collected funds in Pakistan.
Finally, 23 FIRs were registered against JuD leaders at the CTD Police Stations of Lahore, Gujranwala, Multan, Faisalabad and Sargodha on July 1 and 2. Besides the top two JuD leaders, Malik Zafar Iqbal, Ameer Hamza, Mohammad Yahya Aziz, Mohammad Naeem, Mohsin Bilal, Abdul Raqeeb, Dr. Ahmad Daud, Dr. Muhammad Ayub, Abdullah Ubaid, Mohammad Ali and Abdul Ghaffar were also booked in the cases. “Formal investigations on a large scale have been launched against the top leadership of the JuD for terror financing after the registration of FIRs against them during the last two days,” said a spokesperson for the CTD, Punjab.
More properties of outfits banned by United Nations to be seized in Punjab
The Federal and Punjab Governments on July 5 decided to detect and seize more properties of the outfits banned by the United Nations (UN) and also ordered action against non-functional or unregistered non-profit organisations (NPOs), reports Dawn. Even the working and assets of registered NPOs would also be scrutinised to single out those indulging in activities detrimental to national interest and disallowed by the UN, officials told Dawn. The decisions were taken during a high-level meeting held at the provincial home department during which Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Director General Counter Terrorism Ahmad Farooq gave a briefing on restrictions imposed on pro scribed outfits and their members under UN Security Council’s Resolution 1267. The Punjab Government has already seized 599 properties, mainly of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Jaish-e- Mohammad (JeM). The properties include schools, seminaries and health facilities and their ambulances.
State not responsible for all missing persons, says ISPR DG Major General Asif Ghafoor
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Asif Ghafoor on July 5 said that the responsibility of all missing persons does not lie with the State as many such individuals are either involved with militants in conflict zones or have been killed fighting against the State, reports Pakistan Today. “Our hearts go with the families of missing persons being Pakistanis. However, we must realise that not every person missing is attributable to the state,” the ISPR DG said in his meeting with Defence of Human Rights Chairperson Amina Janjua.
Discussing the issue of missing persons, he said that individuals under State custody were being treated according to the law where as many had joined militant organisations such as the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan and other conflict zones, according to the ISPR. “Moreover, there are many who got killed fighting as part of TTP against the state of Pakistan,” he said. “Such individuals are also to be accounted somewhere while listing the missing persons.” ‘The ISPR DG apprised her about the efforts that government and security forces are doing to facilitate them and address the issue for which judicial commission is working day and night,” the statement added.
Pakistan joins US-led call for Afghan ceasefire and peace talks
Pakistan on July 12 joined the United States (US), Russia and China in a call on the Taliban to agree to a ceasefire and negotiations with Kabul, as Washington moves closer to an agreement with the militants to pull troops from war torn country and end its longest ever war, reports Daily Times. Pakistan joined the three powers in talks in Beijing. The four countries “encouraged all parties to take steps to reduce violence leading to a comprehensive and permanent cease fire that starts with intra-Afghan negotiations,” said a joint statement issued by the US. They called for direct negotiations involving the Taliban, President Ashraf Ghani’s government and other Afghans to “produce a peace framework as soon as possible.”
Government aims to bring religious schools into mainstream, says Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood
Pakistan has agreed on a plan to overhaul instruction at madrasas or religious schools to bring the institutions closer into line with conventional schools and curb extremist teaching, Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood said on July 19, reports Daily Times. The plan is the latest effort to address longstanding concerns that the roughly 30,000 madrasas in Pakistan pro vide a haven for extremist teaching with a rigid curriculum based around religious studies that fails to prepare students for employment after they graduate.
Under the plan, agreed with the madrasa umbrella organization, Wafaq-ul-madaris, religious schools would be registered and helped to strengthen conventional teaching in subjects like English, science and mathematics. They would remain responsible for religious teaching and in exchange would have to commit to ensuring that extremist teaching was not part of the curriculum. ‘There will be no preaching of hate speech of any kind against any religion or sect,” Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood said.
Chinese diplomat meets tribal elders
Deputy Chief of Mission at Chinese Embassy Lijian Zhao on July 21 held a meeting with tribal chieftains and elders in Quetta, reports The Dawn. Lijian Zhao, During the meeting, said the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project would prove to be a game-changer in the region and that it would bring a revolution in the development of Pakistan. Zhao said that with its completion the CPEC project would give a boost to Pakistan’s trade and strengthen the country’s economy. The economic corridor project would be beneficial not only for Pakistan, but also for the entire region, he added. Under the CPEC, work on a number of mega projects in Balochistan had begun, he said, adding the project of Gwadar International Airport was one of them.
Bangladesh – Internal Dynamics
Engage youths in cultural practices to prevent terrorism, say speakers
Engagement of youths in cultural practices can stop the rise of terrorism, so dance, music, theatre and arts need to be included as subsidiary subjects in schools and colleges, speakers said at a seminar titled “Role of cultural activists in preventing extremism” organised by Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) Unit in Dhaka city on June 26, reports The Daily Star. They also urged all to create a social and cultural movement against extremism. Pralay Kumar Jourder, CTTC Unit Deputy Commissioner, said cultural activists can draw attention to major issues through their gripping performances. In his concluding remarks, Monirul Islam, chief of CTTC Unit, said they are working with people who got involved in terrorism. But it is an ideological issue and cannot be dealt with action alone, he said.
Five Ansar Al Islam militants arrested in Rajshahi
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested five members of banned militant outfit Ansar Al Islam (AAI) from Belpukur area in Puthia upazila (sub district) of Rajshahi on June 29, reports Daily Star. The arrested militants were identified as Afroza Begum, (55), Anisur Rahman alias Saddam, (30), Ruhul Amin, (31), Mamunur Rashid, (35), and Abu Talha (21). RAB recovered a pistol, 24 crude bombs, five bullets, two magazines, 10 jihadi books and eight organisational notebooks from them.
Home-grown militants of JMB group could join ISIS, says IGP Javed Patwary
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Javed Patwary speaking at a function of Rangpur Metropolitan Police on July 1 said home-grown militants of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (JMB) group could join Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), reports Dhaka Tribune.
Bombs and sharp weapons recovered in Jashore District
Police recovered 16 sharp weapons and five crude bombs from Kharki area in Jashore town of Jashore District in Khulna Division on July 3, reports New Age. Police raided a place on Shah Abdul Karim Road in Kharki area at around 9:00am and found the bombs and weapons in abandoned condition. None was arrested in this connection.
Three JMB cadres arrested in Chittagong District
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on July 11 arrested three cadres of Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from Halisahar area in Chittagong District of Chittagong Division, reports Dhaka Tribune. The arrestees are Mohamad Ashfaq ur Rahman Nayan (26), Mohamad Roni Ahmed (31) and Mohamad Ripon Mandal (30). During primary interrogation, the detainees con fessed that they have been involved with the banned militant organisation for a very long time and were planning acts of sabotage .
Two IEDs recovered in Dhaka city
Two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were recovered in Dhaka city’s Paltan and Khamar Bari areas on July 24, reports The Daily Star. Police said the bombs were powerful enough to kill people and destroy properties in the sur rounding areas. The bombs were similar to each other. Seven cans of butane gas were attached to each of the devices to amplify the explosion and fire. The bombs could have killed people within 10 to 15 meters. “The use of gas in IEDs had not been seen in Bangladesh before,” said an official preferring anonymity.
India – Internal Dynamic
Maoists threaten top ED officials in Bihar and Jharkhand
Two senior Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials working on attaching the properties of Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres in Bihar and Jharkhand have come on the radar of the extremists , reports The Hans India. According to senior ED sources, one of the two officials is of the rank of a Joint Director and the other works under him. The sources said this information was received from the Intelligence Bureau. The ED has attached properties of several Maoist leaders in Bihar and Jharkhand in the last one and a half years. This, the sources said, has irked the Maoists. The sources said the intelligence report also spoke about avenging the action of the agency officials.
It is to be noted that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the ED are probing cases of funding of Maoists in several districts of Jharkhand and Bihar. On February 5, 2018, the ED attached properties worth INR 8.6 million of Sandeep Yadav alias Vijay Yadav alias Rupeshji alias Badka Bhaiya, in charge of the Madhya Zone of the Bihar-Jharkhand Special Area Committee (BJSAC) of CPI-Maoist, for violating the money laundering act, and on November 21, 2018, the agency attached movable and immovable property to the tune of INR 7.7 million of top Maoist leader Binay Yadav alias Muradji.
Two IEDs recovered in Karnataka
Based on the disclosures of an arrested Jama’at ul Mujahedeen Bangladesh (JMB) militant, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on June 26 recovered two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) from a drain in Bengaluru, reports Hindustan Times. Earlier, the NIA on June 25 had arrested Habib ur Rehman Sheikh, wanted in the 2014 Burdwan blast case, from the Dodabalpur area of Bengaluru.
Four persons including three CRPF personnel killed in Maoist ambush in Chhattisgarh
Three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and a civilian were killed when Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres ambushed a Road Opening Party (ROP) of Security Forces (SFs) at Keshkutul, nearly five kilo meters from Bhairamgarh in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on June 28, reports The Asian Age. According to a CRPF spokesman in Raipur in Chhattisgarh, the Naxal [Left Wing Extremism, LWE] attack came when ten CRPF troopers were conducting sanitization of a 4.5-kilometer route from Bhairamgarh to Keshkutul on five motorcycles to ensure security to people visiting the local tribal weekly market. Armed Maoists suddenly opened fire on them at a place close to Keshkutul, leading to killing of three CRPF personnel, the spokesman said. Other members of the ROP promptly took position and returned fire, leading to a fierce gun battle between them. A Bolero carrying schoolchildren was caught in the crossfire while passing by the encounter site, leading to death of Zibbo Telam (15) and injury to Rikki Hernia (14). The three slain CRPF personnel have been identified as Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Madan Pal of Uttar Pradesh, ASI Mahadev P of Karnataka, and head constable 0 P Soji of Kerala.
In another incident, a joint search party comprising District Reserve Group (DRG), Special Task Force (STF) and Inda-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel destroyed a Maoist camp at Kohakatola in Rajnandgaon District of Chhattisgarh on June 28, reports The Asian Age. Acting on a tip off on presence of senior Maoist leaders in the area, the joint search party raided the camp and razed it to ground.
Five weapons, including three rifles and two muzzle loading guns, and other Naxal materials were recovered at the site.
JMP using Bengal madrasas for redicalising and recruitment, says UMHA
Inputs with the Central Government point to the Jama’atui Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), declared as a terrorist outfit only recently, using some madrasas in Burdwan and Murshidabad in West Bengal for radicalising and recruiting local youth for terrorist activities, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) informed Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament) on July 2. Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy, in written reply, said inputs regarding JMB influence in madrasas had been shared with the state governments and agencies concerned, “with the advice to take appropriate action”. JMB, the terror outfit behind the 2014 Burdwan blast and Bodh Gaya blast last year (2018), was declared a terrorist outfit under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in May this year.
IED explosion in Manipur
On July 4, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded at the residence of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Leishangthem Susindro Meitei at Khurai Sajor Leikai in Imphal East District of Manipur, reports Nagaland Post. No casualties have been reported. Eastern Mirror adds that no organisation has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Bill to designate individuals as terrorists introduced in Lok Sabha
A bill which seeks to allow an individual suspected to have terror links to be designated as a ‘terrorist’ was introduced in Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament) on July 8, reports India Today. Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy, who introduced the bill on behalf of Union Home Minister (UHM) Amit Shah, said when the United Nations (UN) can name Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) ‘chief’ Hafiz Saeed as a terrorist, why can’t India do the same with such people. Asserting that the Government believes in “zero tolerance” towards terrorism, the Minister said a provision is needed to designate “individual terrorist” in the law. Rejecting claims that there was no pre-legislative consultation, the Minister said the draft bill was uploaded (perhaps on the Home Ministry website) in December 2016.
However, opposing the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019, opposition parties claimed that in the name of tackling terror, fundamental rights of an individual cannot be foregone.
Surrendered ANVC-B militants decry non-payment of surrender package in Meghalaya
Surrendered Achik National Volunteer Council-Breakaway faction (ANVC-B) threatened to return to insurgency as they are yet to get the rehabilitation package including stipends as promised by authorities, reports The Shillong Times on July 14. The surrendered militants stated that “We have not received any help from the government and it has neglected us for all these years. The INR rehabilitation package as promised earlier including our stipends must be given immediately. If the government fails to do so, we will have to take other steps on our own”.
Surrendered Achik National Volunteer Council-Breakaway faction (ANVC-B) threatened to return to insurgency as they are yet to get the rehabilitation package including stipends as promised by authorities, reports The Shillong Times on July 14. The surrendered militants stated that “We have not received any help from the government and it has neglected us for all these years. The INR rehabilitation package as promised earlier including our stipends must be given immediately. If the government fails to do so, we will have to take other steps on our own”.
Maoists give ‘martyrs’ week’ call
Communist Party of India-Maoist leaders are making arrangements to observe ‘Martyr’s Week’ from July 28 to August 3, in a big way, reports The Hindu on July 22. The banned Naxal (Left Wing Extremism, LWE) outfit will organise the ‘martyr’s memorial week’ in all Maoist-affected States, including Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh (AP), Maharashtra, Odisha and Jharkhand. In Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB), the Maoist East Division Committee has distributed pamphlets asking the villagers to organise meetings in all villages, and commemorate the martyrdom of Charu Mazumdar. Similarly, Naxalites[Left Wing Extremists, LWEs) were holding meetings with the sympathisers in Telangana, Odisha, Maharashtra and other States to make the ‘martyrs’ week’, a success. Meanwhile, Police are gearing up to tackle the situation in forests on AOB and AP-Telangana and other State borders in wake of the ‘martyrs’ week’.
Nepal – Internal Dynamics
NHRC tells Government to punish perpetrators of torture
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has urged the Government to initiate action against the perpetrators of torture, reports The Himalayan Times on June 26. In a press statement released by the rights body coinciding with the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on June 26, the NHRC said besides compensating the victims, the Government had done very little to bring perpetrators to book. Though some of the victims have been compensated by the Government, perpetrators categorically pointed out by the NHRC have yet to be booked. According to the NHRC, it has registered nearly 1,910 complaints related to torture. The rights body completed its inquiry into 1,000 complaints. of the complaints settled by the rights body, 179 cases are related to recommendations for compensation to the victims and legal action against the perpetrators
Police and CPN-Maoist-Chand cadres exchange fire in Sankhuwasabha District
Police and cadres of the Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist Chand) exchanged fire at Hongla village of the remote Silichong Rural Municipality in Sankhuwasabha District of Province No. 1 on July 1, reports Kathmandu Post. There were no casualties in the crossfire. According to Police, the CPN Maoist-Chand cadres opened fire at a joint patrol team of Nepal Police and Armed Police Force at around 9am. The armed men fled after Police fired in retaliation.
Rights activists warn issue of child soldiers could reach ICC if Government continue to ignore it
Rights activists on July 2 warned that the issue of use of child soldiers during the decade-long Maoist conflict could reach International Criminal Court (ICC), if the Government and political parties continued to ignore it, reports The Himalayan Times. They suggested that domestic issues should be addressed internally, by addressing concerns about disqualified child soldiers through reparation and rehabilitation process. Advocate Om Aryal said although Nepal was not a party to the ICC based in Hague, the Netherlands, there were ample grounds on which a case could be filed, as the use of child soldiers in armed conflicts is considered ‘war crime’ internationally. He said this by referring to case of Myanmar in relation to Rohinga refugees.
Reactionary forces despise Nepal’s successful peace process, says NCP Co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal
Co-chair of ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Pushpa Kamal Dahal on July 5 said Nepal’s peace process was one of the most successful of its kind in the world, but reactionary forces were not happy with that, reports The Himalayan Times. Referring to recent Europe visit of former child soldier Lenin Bista, without mentioning his name, Dahal said the reactionary forces were sponsoring Europe visits for some people in their desperate bid to derail Nepal’s peace process that had been established as a global success story. Dahal said derailing the peace process might benefit a section of people, but would be detrimental for national interest and national unity. “The reactionary forces are trying to revive wounds of conflicts that have already healed,” he said at an event at the NCP head quarters in Kathmandu.
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 | 03 | 01 | 00 | 04 |
| Assam | 05 | 00 | 00 | 06 |
| Left Wing | 19 | 07 | 28 | 54 |
| Total | 27 | 08 | 29 | 64 |
Two persons killed in exchange of fire between Police and CPN-Maoist-Chand cadres in Bhojpur District
Two persons were killed in an exchange of fire that took place between Police and cadres of the Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist-Chand) in Bhojpur District of Province No. 1 on July 10, reports Republica. A Police Constable Sanjiv Rai and the CPN Maoist-Chand cadre Nir Kumar Rai were killed in the exchange of fire. Nir Kumar Rai is the eighth member of the CPN-Maoist-Chand to die since March when the Government declared it a criminal outfit.
One killed four wounded in an explosion in Nepal
One person was killed and four wounded in an explosion in a hotel at Dhangadi in Kailali District in Nepal on July 11, reports My Republica. The fatality was identified as Ram Singh who was involved in detonating the explosive device. The wounded individ11als were identified as Kesha11raj Pandey, Laxman Sherala, Mabin Khan and Jitendra Yadav. Police also recovered a pistol from the hotel. According to Police, Nepal Communist Party-Bikram Chand (NCP- Bikram Chand) was behind the incident.
Two CPN-Maoist-Chand cadres arrested in Tanahun District
Police arrested two cadres of Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist-Chand) from Damauli bazaar area in Tanahun District of Province No. 4 on July 23 , reports The Himalayan Times. Police identified the arrestees as Netra Prasad Thapa (36) and Bishnu Kumar Shrestha (30). They were arrested while distributing political manifestos, pamphlets and other documents in Damauli bazaar area.
Meanwhile, Minister of Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa on July 23 said the CPN-Maoist-Chand was a major threat to peace and security in the country and would be brought to the political mainstream soon, reports The Himalayan Times. “Though the government is largely successful in maintaining law and order in the country, complete peace will not be possible unless the Chand-led group is brought to the political mainstream like the CK Raut group,” he said.
Sri Lanka –Internal Dynamics
Will never go before PSC if summoned, says President Maithripala Sirisena
President Maithripala Sirisena on June 26 said that the Parliament Select Committee (PSC) was a drama scripted and rehearsed at Temple Trees and he would never go before it even if he was summoned , reports Daily Mirror. The PSC was appointed to probe the Easter Sunday bomb (April 21) attacks.
1,000 detonators, gelignite recovered in Eastern Province
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on June 26 recovered 1,000 detonators, over 300 gelignite sticks , eight liters of liquid gelignite , detonator code and nearly 500 rounds of T-56 ammunition buried at Ollikulam under the Kattankudy Police Station in the Eastern Province, reports Island. The location was obtained from the interrogation of Hayathu Mohammadu Ahamed Milhan, a suspected terrorist of National Thowheed Jamaat (NTJ) recently extradited from Saudi Arabia has led to the single biggest detection of explosives belonging to the now proscribed organisation. Milhan was among five terrorist suspects deported from Saudi Arabia on June 14 following negotiations between the two governments .
Terror threat up after Sri Lanka bombings says MNDF Vice Chief Abduh Raheem
Vice Chief of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Abduh Raheem Abduh Latheef on June 29 said that The terrorism threat to the Maldives has increased after the April 21 Easter Sunday bombings in neighbouring Sri Lanka, reports Maldives Independent. “The threat to the Maldives has increased since the Sri Lankan attacks. No country, at this time, can completely rule out the possibility of a terrorist attack, including the Maldives. The Defence Force will do whatever it takes to protect our country,” Vice Chief said.
Defense Ministry to undergo restructuring to strengthen intelligence apparatus and national security
The Ministry of Defense (MOD) has taken steps to restructure and streamline the entire system in order to strengthen the intelligence apparatus and national security, reports Colombo Page. According to the General (Retired) Shantha Kottegoda Defense Secretary, the MOD has identified seven factors, which are key to good governance, public safe ty & security and interrelated to National Security, and has already taken necessary steps to link and set the right channels of communication with the respective Ministries that fall on to each of the key factors.
Police Chief and former Defense secretary arrested over failure to prevent Easter Sunday Attacks
Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on July 2 arrested former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara for their failure to pre vent Easter Sunday Attacks despite prior knowledge, reports Colombo Page.
Earlier, Attorney General Dappula de Livera had on July 1 ordered Acting IGP C. Wickramaratne to produce Fernando and Jayasundara in courts after taking into consideration a report submitted by the CID and interim report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry, reports The Island.
NTJ terrorist arrested in Colombo
Police arrested a terrorist belonging to the National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ), Anzar Mohamed Rinaz, while he was trying to flee the country at the Bandaranaike International Airport Negombo located in Colombo on July 3, reports The Island. Security sources reveled that Rinaz had undergone training at NTJ facility in Nuwara Eliya of Central Province.
Bodu Bala Sena chief calls for formation of Buddhist Sinhalese Government
The influential chief of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara on July 7 said that they must aim to take democratic control of parliament to protect the community, reports Reuters. Aththe Gnanasara called on Sri Lanka’s 10,000 Buddhist temples to help win votes for candidates from the Sinhala Buddhist majority. “We the clergies should aim to create a Sinhala Government. We will create a parliament that will be accountable for the country, a parliament that will protect Sinhalese,” said Gnanasara.
SL president vetoes mly deal with US
Sri Lanka’s President on Saturday, July 7 announced he will not allow his government to conclude a proposed military deal that would allow US troops free access to the island’s ports. Maithripala Sirisena said he was opposed to the draft Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) that the two countries are negotiating to further strengthen their military ties.
Sirisena is at loggerheads with his pro-Western Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe .
” I will not allow any agreement that undermines our independence and sovereignty,” Sirisena told a public rally in the island’s south. “Several agreements currently being discussed are detrimental to our country. I will not allow the SOFA that seeks to betray the nation. Some foreign forces want to make Sri Lanka one of their bases. I will not allow them to come into the country and challenge our sovereignty. “
The SOFA seeks to ensure reciprocal access to port facilities and allow freer entry to military personnel and their contractors. Sirisena
said there will be no bilateral agreements “against Sri Lanka’s national interest” as long as he was in office. His term ends in January.
He did not name the powers he accused of trying to gain a military foothold in his Indian Ocean island republic of 21 million people. However, it was a thinly veiled reference to the US which is keen on strengthening their existing military cooperation.
A year ago , Washington announced it was granting $39 mil lion to boost maritime security in Sri Lanka as China developed its strategic hold on the Indian Ocean island. Increased US interest in Sri Lanka comes as China is upping investment in ports and other building projects on the island, which is a key link in Beijing’s ambitious “Belt and Road” infrastructure initiative .
Scores of Easter Sunday attack suspects under interrogation, says PM Ranil Wickremesinghe
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe informed parliament on July 10 that 161 suspects were in police custody while another 167 suspects were in remand custody in connection with the Easter Sunday attack, reports Daily Mirror. 99 persons had also been arrested on suspicion over the attack waiting to be produced in court on the advice of the Attorney General Dappulade Livera after completion of the investigations. Premier said 39 suspects were produced in court in relation to the incidents of Kuliyapitiya and Hettipola areas of North Western province where mobs attacked several mosques and torched dozens of Muslim-owned shops and homes.
Stringent border control to ward off terrorism, says US experts
Daily Mirror reports that a team of US counter-terrorism experts led by US Ambassador Alaina B. Teplitz called on the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on July 9 and briefed him about counter-terrorism measures to be taken. They emphasised the need for stricter border control and coast guard to ward off terrorism. The Prime Minister reportedly informed them that the government was planning to establish a counter-terrorism Centre to coordinate intelligence operations and take action. Moreover, the US team had found out that National Thowheed Jma’ath (NTJ) leader Mohamed Zahran Hashim had requested the Islamic State to recognize him as its agent for Sri Lanka. The source said the dismantling of the entire terror network maintained by Zahran was seen as an achievement by the US experts .
We don’t have faith in probes, says Cardinal Ranjith on the Easter Sunday attacks probe Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal
Malcolm Ranjith on July 21 said that he did not have faith in any of the probes carried out on the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, reports Daily Mirror. He said that it seems that the political leaders are getting one committee that probes Easter Sunday attacks to submit a report according to their whims and fancies. Cardinal Ranjith said that Easter Sunday mayhem was an international conspiracy and not merely the work of Islamic Extremists. “The youth who carried out the bomb attacks were used by the international conspirators. Global Muslims have become victims of international forces. However, global Muslims should stand up against the conspirators who use the Islamic ideologies to create mayhem all over the globe. They should join the people of other religions to fight against those forces who insult Islamism to fulfill their aspirations,” the Cardinal said
No evidence to point IS role in Easter Attacks, says senior DIG Ravi Seneviratne
Head of Criminal Investigation Division, senior Deputy Inspector General, Ravi Seneviratne on July 24 while testifying before the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probing the Easter Sunday attacks stated that the Easter attack has been the handwork of home grown terrorists, reports Daily Mirror. He further said that as per the investigation conducted on this case, no evidence was found to support Islamic State (IS)’s role in carrying out April 21 Easter serial bombings.
INTERNATIONAL
Mass arrests in Ethiopia after coup bid
Ethiopian security forces on Thursday, June 27 rounded up scores of suspects believed to have links to a coup bid in northern Amhara state and the murder of the army chief in attacks which have highlighted the political crisis in the nation. The weekend attacks have heaped pressure on Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, already facing waves of ethnic violence which have dis placed over two million people, as he pushes forward with democratic and economic reforms.
An ethno-nationalist party in Amhara , one of several political groupings gaining ground as political space opens up, said more than 56 of its members and supporters had been arrested. “In Addis Ababa alone, 56 of our members and sympathisers have been arrested while dozens other NAMA (National Amhara Movement) sympathisers and members in Oromia have also been arrested,” said party spokesman Christian Tadele.
The security chief, Asaminew Tsige, who is accused of orchestrating the two attacks at the weekend, was seen as being appointed to his post in the ADP to appeal to the more hardline residents of the region. In 2018 he was released from almost a decade in prison over a 2009 coup plot.
He espoused similar views to the NAMA, observers say, and was likely facing dismissal over his fiery rhetoric and efforts to form militia. Elias Gebru, a civil society activist based in Addis Ababa , said three of his colleagues had been arrested and appeared in court Tuesday on accusations they assisted in the coup bid. “The Ethiopian government is reverting to its old practices of persecuting peaceful people as an excuse for its internal strife,” said the activist.
Iran warns Trump against ‘illusion’ of short war
Iran’s foreign minister on Thursday, June 27 warned US President Donald Trump he was mistaken to think a war between their countries would be short, as Washington sought Nata’s help to build an anti-Tehran coalition.
The latest developments in the Iran-US standoff came as a diplomatic source in Vienna said Tehran would not exceed a uranium stock pile limit agreed with world powers, contrary to what it had said earlier this month. Iran had set Thursday as a deadline to surpass the agreed 300-kilogram reserve of enriched uranium because it no longer felt bound by certain limits contained in the 2015 deal, which the United States unilaterally pulled out of in May 2018
“They won’t exceed it today,” the diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP in Vienna on the eve of a meeting by a commission that oversees the nuclear deal. The source suggested there might be a “political reason”
for this, given intensified efforts by European governments in recent days to de-escalate tensions in the Gulf region.
The tensions, parked by Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal, were exacerbated earlier this month when Iran shot down a US spy drone over the strategic Gulf after a series of tanker attacks that Washington blamed Tehran for despite its denials.
“‘Short war’ with Iran is an illusion,” Zarif wrote on Twitter a day after Trump said he does not want a war with Iran but warned that if fighting did break out, it “wouldn’t last very long”. The Iranian foreign minister added: “Whoever begins war will not be the one ending it.”
Nearly 100 dead in Syria fighting
Nearly 100 combatants were killed on Friday, June 28 in clashes between fighters loyal to Syria’s government, rebels and Jihadists in northwestern Syria, a war monitor said .
Starting at dawn on Friday morning and after bombing by the regime -fighting in northern Hama province killed 51 government loyalists and allied militiamen, and 45 among the rebels and Jihadists, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The clashes continued in the afternoon, the Britain based Observatory said. Backed by its ally Moscow, Damascus has since late April intensified bombardment of much of ldlib province and the parts of neighbouring Hama, Aleppo and Latakia where Syria’s former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) holds sway.
Fighting has meanwhile taken place on the ground in parts of these anti-regime areas, particularly in northern Hama. Syria’s official Sana news agency also reported bombardment on Friday.
ldlib and parts of neighbouring Hama, Aleppo and Latakia provinces were supposed to be protected by a buffer zone under an September agreement between Russia and Turkey. But the region has come under increased bombardment by the regime and its Russian ally since HTS seized most of ldlib at the start of the year.
Probes show Russia staged Skripal attack from London
An open-source investigation has found that a top Russian military intelligence officer coordinated last year ‘s Salisbury chemical attack from a London hideout using his phone and a few messaging apps. The award-winning website Belling cat said late on Friday, June
28 that its joint analysis with the BBC helps establish the command structure Moscow’s GRU network of foreign agents used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and conduct other attacks.
London and Washington identify the GRU as Russia’s main security threat to Western interests abroad.
Russia denies involvement in the Skripal case and calls other allegations against the GRU including its attempted hacking of the world ‘s chemical weapons watchdog in The Hague last year politically motivated.
The findings “shed light on the likely chain of command for this (and other) GRU overseas operations, with one coordinating senior officer communicating with head quarters in Moscow while the team on the ground receive limited to no new instructions,” the Belling cat report said. “Evidence obtained by us on other international operations involving the same team suggests that this is a stable GRU operational model.”
Britain’s Metropolitan Police said it could not comment on an “ongoing investigation”.
British officials have identified the two Russians suspected of delivering the nerve agent to Salsbury as GRU agents Alexander Mishkin and Anatoly Chepiga. Both men entered Britain using false passports and were captured on CCTV footage walking around the southern English town shortly before Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found slumped over on a park bench. They fell into comas but survived and have since gone into hiding.
Mishkin and Chepiga later told Russian television that they were tourists who went to Salsbury to look at the local cathedral. Western intelligence agencies suspect that the Kremlin ordered Skripal’s killing in retribution for his past exposure of Russian spies.
S Arabia intercepts two rebel drones from Yemen
Two Yemeni rebel drones targeting southern Saudi Arabia were intercepted on Saturday, June 29, a Riyadh-led military coalition said, the latest in a series of assaults on the kingdom.
The first drone targeted the province of Jizan and the second was aimed at a residential area in Asir province, the coalition said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency. The coalition did not report any dam age or casualties. The rebels earlier claimed drone attacks on the airports in Jizan and Abha, the capital of Asir, according to the group’s Al-Masirah TV.
The Iran-aligned Huthi rebels, who have faced persistent coalition bombing since March 2015 which has exacted a heavy civilian death toll, have stepped up missile and drone attacks across the border in recent weeks. On June 12, a rebel missile attack on Abha airport wounded 26 civilians, drawing promises of “stern action” from the coalition. And on June 23, another rebel attack on Abha airport killed a Syrian national and wounded 21 other civilians, according to the coalition.
The raids come amid heightened regional tensions after Washington a key ally of Riyadh accused Iran of shooting down a US drone over international waters and of carrying out attacks on oil tankers in the strategic Gulf of Oman.
Saudi Arabia has repeatedly accused Iran of supplying sophisticated weapons to Huthi rebels, a charge Tehran denies. Following recent attacks, Saudi state media have reported an intensification of coalition air raids on rebel positions in the northern Yemeni province of Hajjah and the Huthi held capital Sanaa .
Civilians among 15 dead in Israeli strikes in Syria
Israeli air strikes in Syria left nine mostly foreign pro-regime fighters and six civilians including three children dead, a Britain based war monitor said on Monday. July 1.
The raids near Damascus and in Homs province late on Sunday killed the fighters, but it was not immediately clear exactly how the civilians died whether in the strikes or in the aftermath, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
It said the strikes hit several Iranian positions near Damascus and targeted a research Centre and a military airport west of the city of Homs where the Lebanese Shiite movement Hizbullah and Iranians are deployed.
One of the pro-regime fighters killed was Syrian, while the rest were of other nationalities, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. State news agency Sana earlier said four civilians had been killed after its air defences responded to an Israeli attack .
“Our air defences confronted enemy missiles launched by Israeli warplanes towards some of our positions in Homs and in the vicinity of Damascus,” Sana said, quoting a Syrian military source.
An Israeli military spokeswoman declined to comment on the report. Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria since the beginning of the conflict in 2011 targeting forces loyal to President Bashar al Assad and the regime’s allies Iran and Hizbullah.
Indonesia arrests leader of al-Qaeda-linked network
Indonesian police said on Monday, July 1 they had arrested the leader of al-Qaeda-linked extremist network Jemaah lslamiah, which carried out the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people.
Para Wijayanto was detained by counter terrorism police with his wife on Saturday at a hotel in Bekasi, a city on the outskirts of the capital Jakarta, National Police spokesman Oedi p setyo said. Police said Wijayanto was a State group, were found near the Syrian city of Raqa, a local official and a war monitor said on Wednesday, July 3. The mass grave contained the bodies of five middle-aged men in orange jumpsuits of the kind typically worn by IS hostages, Yasser al Khamees and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Police said Wijayanto was a long-time leader of Jemat-e-lslamiah (JI), one of lndnes1a’s oldest terrorist groups, which w k behind a series of deadly attacks in the world’s largest Muslim majority nation.
Prasetyo said Wijayanto was also suspected in sending at last batches of Indonesians ‘road to fight in Syria, an? provided support to militants in the terrorism hotspot of Posoon Sulawesi island.
200 Corpses found in mass grave in Raqa
Two hundred corpses, including those of people believed to have been executed by the Islamic State group, were found near the Syrian city of Raqa, a local official and a war monitor said on Wednesday, July 3 .
The mass grave contained the bodies of five middle-aged men in orange jumpsuits of the kind typically worn by IS hostages, Yasser al Khamees and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
“They were shackled and shot in the head,” said Khamees, who heads a team of first responders. They were believed to have been killed more than two years ago, he said, adding that his team was not immediately able to identify them.
The grave also included the bodies of three women who were believed to have been stoned to death, Khamees and the Observatory said. ”Their skulls were severely fractured and dis played signs of stoning ” the local official added.
The digger said his team first discovered the mass grave early last month on the southern edges of Raqa, IS’s former Syria capital. s many as 800 people could be buried there in total, he said.
Its discovery could help identify even more of the several thousand people whose fates remain unknown, including foreigners imprisoned by IS. IS took full control of the city of Raqa in early 2014 and made it the de facto Syrian capital of. its infamous cross-border “caliphate. US- backed forces ousted IS from the devastated city in October 2017.’ leaving the Raqa Civil Council (RCC) to run it.
Bombings kill 14 civilians in Syria
Syrian regime bombardment has killed 14 civilians including seven Children in northwestern Syria, a war monitor said on Saturday, July 6 in the latest deadly raids on the embattle opposition bastion.
Warplanes and helicopters late on Friday carried out air strikes on Mahambel village in ldlib province, killing 13 civilians including the seven children , the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
A woman was also killed early or Saturday in regime rocket fire on the outskirts of the town of Khan Sheikhun in the south of the province, the Britain-based war monitor said.
ldlib, a region of some three million people , many of who m fled former rebel-held areas retaken by the government , is the last major bastion of opposition to the Russia-backed Damascus government after eight years of civil war.
The region on Turkey’s doorstep is administered by Syria’s former al Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al Sham, but other jihadist and rebel groups are also present.
ldlib is supposed to be protected from a major regime assault by September deal between. Moscow and Ankara, Damascus and its Russian ally have ramped up their deadly bombardment of the region since late April More than 520 civilians have been killed since then, according the Observatory.
UAE reducing troops in Yemen
The United Arab Emirates said on Monday, July 8 it was redeploying and reducing troops across war-torn Yemen and moving from a “military-first strategy to a “peace-first” plan.
The UAE is a key partner in a Saudi-led military coalition which intervened in yemen in 2015 to back the internationally recognised government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi against Iran-aligned Huthi rebels.
“We do have troop levels that are down for reasons that are strategic in (the Red Sea city of) Hodeida and reasons that are tactical” in other parts of the country, a senior UAE official, who requested anonymity, told reporters. “It is very much to do with moving from what I would call a military-first strategy to a peace-first strategy, and this is I think what we are doing.” The official however reiterated the UAE’s commitment to the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led coalition, saying discussions on redeployment have been ongoing for more than a year.
According to a Yemeni military government official, UAE troops fighting the Huthis have “totally vacated” the military base in Khokha, about 130-km south of Hodeida. The UAE withdrew part of its heavy artillery from Khokha but was along with the Saudi-led coalition and the government still overseeing the military situation in Yemen’s western coast, he said on Monday.
Middle East expert James Dorsey has said a redeployment reflects “long-standing subtle differences” in the Saudi and UAE approaches towards Yemen. The pullback “highlights the UAE’s long-standing concern for its inter national standing amid mounting criticism of the civilian toll of the war”, he has said.
DPRK warns of military ‘reaction’
North Korea on Thursday, July 11 said South Korea’s planned deployment of new US stealth fighter jets was an “extremely dangerous action” that would compel it to use “special armaments ” to shoot them down.
South Korea, a major US ally, received its first two F-35A jets one of the world’s most advanced military aircraft in March under a $7 billion contract signed in 2014. The country plans to deploy 40 of the American jets by the end of 2021 , with around a quarter of those expected to be operational this year.
South Korean authorities “know well that the bringing-in of the Fighters would prove to be an extremely dangerous action which will trigger our reaction,” an unnamed researcher at the Institute for American Studies of North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement carried by state news agency KCNA. “We have no other choice but to develop and test the special armaments to completely destroy the lethal weapons reinforced in South Korea,” it said.
Tensions were raised in May when North Korea fired short range missiles for the first time since November 2017, during a standstill in its talks with Washington over denuclearisation. Nuclear-armed Pyongyang has criticised Seoul for not pursuing inter-Korean economic projects as discussed in summit meetings between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in last year.
Clashes kill 71 fighters in northwest Syria
Regime and jihadist-led forces were locked in clashes on Thursday, July 11 on the edge of an opposition bastion in northwest Syria after a jihadist-led advance that killed 71 fighters overnight, a monitor said.
Russian and regime aircraft have ramped up their deadly bombardment of the ldlib region administered by Syria’s former al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al Sham, and home to some three mil lion people since late April, despite a months-old international truce deal.
Clashes have also raged on the edges of the region, including in the north of Hama province. Late Wednesday, HTS and allied rebels took control of Hamameyat village and hilltop, in clashes that killed 41 regime fighters and 30 fighters with in the insurgents’ own ranks, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
A September deal between Russia and rebel backer Turkey was supposed to avert a massive regime offensive on ldlib, but it was never fully implemented and HTS took full administrative control in January. More than 560 civilians have been killed in regime and Russian air strikes on northwest Syria since the end of April, according to the Observatory.
Rebel fire during the same period has killed more than 40 civilians in adjacent government held areas, it has said. The United Nations says 25 health facilities in the region have been hit, while the fighting has forced 330,000 people to flee their homes. Syria ‘s war has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with a brutal crackdown on anti government protests .
Kuwait arrests ‘terrorist’ cell I inked to Muslim Brotherhood Kuwaiti
authorities have arrested members of a “terrorist” cell linked to Egypt’s outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, the interior ministry said on Friday, July 12. A statement carried by the state-run news agency KUNA said the militants were allegedly members of a “terrorist cell”, including some who have been “convicted of terrorism” and sentenced to jail in Egypt. “Those arrested carry Egyptian nationalities and belong to the Muslims Brotherhood organisation”, the ministry said.
Algeria arrests five on suspicion of planning ‘attacks’
The Algerian army has arrested five suspects for planning “attacks” against anti government demon strations that have swept the North African country since February 22, the defence ministry said on Sunday, July 14.
The suspects “planned attacks against peaceful protests across different parts of the country”, it said in a statement, adding they were arrested in “anti-terrorist” raids last week in the Batna region southeast of the capital Algiers .
It identified the suspects as “terrorists”, a term Algerian authorities use to describe armed lslamists who have been active in the country since the early 1990s. Algeria has been rocked by months of protests since longtime leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced in February he would run for a fifth term.
He quit office but protesters have kept up the mass demonstrations, calling for an overhaul of the “system” and departure of key Bouteflika-era figures. Interim president Abdelkader Bensalah has proposed a “neutral” national dialogue, without the involvement of the state or the military, to prepare for new presidential polls. His proposals, backed by powerful army chief Ahmed Gaid Salah who has emerged as the country’s key power broker since Bouteflika’s departure, have failed to calm protesters. Massive rallies continue to be held weekly on Fridays in Algiers. and other key towns. In recent weeks, police have detained dozens of demonstrators releasing them at the end of the Friday rallies.
Current Threat Levels:
City/Region Threat Level
Islamabad Level 2 **
Karachi Level 2 **
Lahore Level 2 **
Punjab Level 2 **
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Level 3 **
Peshawar Level 2 **
Quetta Level 2 ***
Upper Balochistan Level 3 ***
Lower Balochistan Level 2 **
Upper / Rural Sindh Level 2 **
Gilgit and Northern areas Level 3 **
Tribal areas, close
to Afghan border Level 3 ***
Index to Threat Level References
Threat Level 1 *
No threat to foreigners although there may be isolated incidents involving petty crime. No security precautions are required.
Threat Level 2 **
No specific threat to foreigners, however because of the overall general law & order situation, some security precautions are advised, especially if traveling.
Threat Level 3 ***
Indicates that law and order situation is cause for concern and travel should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Foreigners should rehearse plans for evacuation.
Threat Level 4 ****
Indicates complete breakdown of civil administration and law and order leading to possible anarchy. All foreigners to remain indoors and confined to their own city. Families and staff not required to be evacuated retaining only a skeleton staff.
Threat Level 5 *****
Indicates complete breakdown of law and order, enemy action/hostilities, invasion/ occupation by enemy.
