Bomb/ IED Explosions
One Policeman, identified as Tariq, was injured on October 25 in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast near the Police van in Hathyala area of Dera Ismail Khan City (Dera Ismail Khan District), reports Pakistan Today. Police sources said the blast occurred near the van of Elite Force who are on their way to perform security arrangements for the protest march announced by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) and backed by other opposition parties as well.
At least two Security Force (SF) personnel were killed while another one injured in a landmine explosion in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan District on November 4, reports Pakistan Today. SF personnel were passing through the Mir Ali area when a landmine exploded, killing two security personnel identified as Sepoy Ansar Mehdi and Sepoy Shafqat Shah. The injured one was identified as Havaldar Murtaza.
Unidentified militants on November 8 fired a rocket on the house of a local Awami National Party (ANP) leader Sheikh Jan Zada in Nawagai area of Khar Tehsil (revenue unit) in Bajaur District, wounding two women, reports Dawn. Following the attack, family members along with residents launched a search for the attackers, but they did not find any suspect in the surrounding areas.
Three soldiers were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in North Waziristan District on November 12, reports Daily Times. The dead soldiers, identified as Sepoy Sajid, Sepoy Riyasat and Sepoy Babar, were part of the Army’s patrolling team. One other soldier was also injured when the IED went off, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement said.
At least three Policemen were killed and four others injured in a remote-controlled blast targeting a Police mobile in Buleli area of old Kuchlak Bypass area in Quetta on November 15, reports Pakistan Today.
Three soldiers sustained injuries in a roadside blast in the Razmak tehsil of North Waziristan tribal district on Sunday, Nov 24 official and tribal sources said. The security forces were on a routine patrol in the Garyom area in Razmak when an explosive device planted on roadside went off, leaving three soldiers injured. The injured soldiers were identified as Havaldar Rozi Khan, Sepoys Tauqeer and Asif who were rushed to the military hospital in Razmak.
Targetted Killings
Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) senior leader Mufti Sultan Mohammad (37) was wounded after unknown assailants fired at him in Badan area of Mamond tehsil (revenue unit) in Bajaur District) on October 28, reports Dawn. Police said the incident occurred early in the morning near a mosque in Badan. Local residents said that Mufti Mohammad, who is the head of JUI-F Mamond tehsil, was going to a nearby mosque for morning prayers when unidentified assailants opened fire at him with automatic weapons.
Separately, 11 suspected persons were arrested in Yakatoot area of Peshawar, the provincial capital of KP on October 28, reports Radio Pakistan. According to Police, arms and ammunition also recovered from their possession.
Karachi’s target killer Qamar Islam alias Qamar Tedy, who was associated with Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London (MQM-L), was shot dead in a firing incident in South Africa on November 10, reports The News. Tedy was named in the list of Pakistan’s most wanted terrorists, as he was accused in several cases of killing and arson attacks lodged at different Police Stations of Karachi. More than 20 cases were registered against Qamar Tedy in Karachi. Tedy was a fugitive who’d been on the run for years, and living in South Africa.
A deputy superintendent of police (DSP) of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) was martyred and four persons including his guard and driver were injured when armed men attacked his vehicle on the Dilazak Road on Thursday, Nov 14. The police said that DSP CTD Ghani Khan was on his way to office from home when his vehicle was targetted near his village. Ghani Khan died on the spot while his gunman Rashid, driver Nasir and two passers-by who received bullet injuries were shifted to the hospital. A search operation was launched in the area to track down the attackers.
Two surrendered militants were shot dead by unidentified assailants in the Killi Shabo area of Quetta on November 17, reports Dawn. According to Police, the assailants targeted Daro Khan and Abdul Aziz when they were going home in a car. Police said the attackers were riding two motorcycles and used automatic weapons for targeting the two brothers. One of the brothers died on the spot as he suffered six bullet wounds and the other died in the hospital.
Miscellaneous
Two houses were partially damaged when two rockets fired from a nearby hilltop landed at the Army camp in Landi Kotal tehsil (revenue Unit) of Khyber District on November 3, reports Dawn. Local security officials said that the rockets were fired from Hamza Baba ridge which overlooked the army camp with an interval of 20 minutes. The first rocket was fired at 3am and the second at around 3:20am. The first projectile hit the boundary wall of the house of Aslam while the second hit the house of Balam Masih, causing minor damage to both the houses. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in statement issued to local media after the incident claimed responsibility for the attack. TTP did not make any claim about casualties in the attack and insisted that the rockets hit the targets.
Two Frontier Corps (FC) personnel and a civilian were killed on November 5 when unidentified militants opened fire on an FC convoy in the Bacha Abad area of the Kulachi tehsil (revenue unit) in Dera Ismail Khan District, reports Daily Times. According to District Police Officer (DPO) Dilawar Bangash, the FC personnel were on their way to a check post in Loni area when unidentified armed terrorists attacked them near Qasim river. “As a result, two FC personnel were martyred and two others sustained injuries,” he said, adding that a rickshaw driver also died in the attack. The DPO said that after response by the FC personnel, the militants escaped.
Three militants were killed by Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel on November 5 during an exchange of fire in Ghabarg village of Quetta District, reports Dawn. An unnamed CTD spokesperson said that the exchange of fire took place earlier today after a suspicious vehicle continued to move despite being signalled by CTD personnel to stop. Security officials said they also recovered weapons and explosives from the possession of the suspected terrorists.
Two personnel of Punjab Elite Force and a local passer by, identified as Nawaz Shehbai, were killed during an exchange of fire with Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militants in Arbi Tibba area under the Rojhan Police Station in Rajanpur District of Punjab on November 12, reports The Express Tribune. The area was surrounded by the Border Military Police (BMP) and Punjab Police afterwards. Police sources said that following a tip-off that some unidentified BLA militants were taking refuge at Arbi Tibba, the police teams raided the area to arrest them. As the Police teams approached closer, the militants opened fire on them, killing the two Elite Force personnel and one civilian. Militants managed to escape from the area.
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) claimed on November 15 to have arrested three suspected militants in two raids in parts of Punjab, reports Dawn. A team of the CTD arrested two suspected militants allegedly linked with Islamic State on Jattowala Road in Bahawalnagar District. According to a CTD spokesman, Haseeb Javed and Saeed Akbar planned to attack sensitive installations. Explosives and detonators were recovered from them.
Further, during a search operation near Kotli Bhutta village of Sialkot District, one Ziarat, having link with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan arrested. Officials said the suspect was planning attack on an agency and explosive material and hate literature were recovered from him.
An anti-terrorism court of Peshawar on November 20 convicted two persons of terror financing and extortion and sentenced them on multiple counts to 23 years rigorous imprisonment with PKR 85,000 fine each, reports Dawn. The court declared that the prosecution had proved its case against the two accused, Tanzeem Khan and Shehzada, both residents of Nawagai area in Bajaur District, while the evidence on record connected them with the commission of the offence. It also issued perpetual warrants for the arrest of three absconding accused, including Awaz Khan, Yaqoob Khan and Shabbir Khan.
A Police constable was killed while another injured in exchange of firing during an intelligence-based operation by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in Ramak area of Dera Ismail Khan District on October 23, reports Radio Pakistan. Six suspects have also been arrested during the operation while arms and ammunitions also recovered from them.
PAKISTAN
33 journalists killed in Pakistan in past six years, says report
According to Freedom Network, at least 33 journalists were murdered for their journalism work in Pakistan during the past six years, including seven in the past one year (November 2018 to October 2019) alone, Dawn reported on November 1. The new report titled ‘100% Impunity for Killers, 0% Justice for Pakistan’s Murdered Journalists: Crime and Punishment in Pakistan’s Journalism World’ issued a ‘Pakistan Impunity Scorecard’ which reveals frightening statistics. The report is released ahead of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists observed by the United Nations on November 2 every year.
According to the Pakistan Impunity Scorecard, a total of 32 FIRs were registered for the murder of 33 journalists during the period 2013-19, of which police could file challan (charge-sheet) in only 20 cases or in 60 per cent of cases. Out of 33 cases, the courts declared only 20 cases fit for trial (60pc) of which prosecution and trial was completed in only six cases only 18pc. In these six cases, the killer was convicted in just one case but escaped punishment after successfully overturning the conviction at the appeal stage after which the family of the murdered journalist abandoned its pursuit for justice for lack of resources. The above statistics include the cases of seven journalists murdered in Pakistan in the past one year (between November 2018 and October 2019). According to the report, FIRs were registered in all seven cases, but charge-sheet was filed by the police in only four cases (57pc).
Meanwhile, Pakistan, which ranks 142 on the World Press Freedom index, is among the 13 countries where journalists are murdered and their killers go free due to “unchecked corruption, ineffective institutions, and lack of political will to pursue robust investigations,” the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has found, The Express Tribune reported on October 29. The 2019 Global Impunity Index examined journalists’ murders that were carried out with complete impunity between September 1, 2009 and August 31, 2019. At least 16 such cases were found in Pakistan, and the country has regularly featured on the index since its inception twelve years ago. Of the murdered Pakistani journalists mentioned in the CPJ database, seven belonged to TV channels, seven were associated with print and online editions whereas one of them was a freelancer. As for their provincial affiliation, seven of them were killed in Balochistan as compared to five in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and two each in Sindh and Punjab.
Government hospital employee held for 29 targeted killings in Karachi
Police on November 1 claimed to have arrested an employee of a Government hospital for alleged targeted killings of 29 people in Karachi, reports Dawn. The held suspect belonged to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London (MQM-L), who killed people mostly on ethnic grounds and in revenge after the murder of his younger brother, revealed Senor Superintendent of Police (SSP) East Azfar Mahesar. Speaking at a press conference at his office, the SSP said that acting on a tip-off the Soldier Bazaar Police arrested Saleem Qureshi alias Majja, and recovered one Kalashnikov, one TT pistol and ammunition from his possession. “He was involved in killings of workers of their party’s supposed rivals, ethnic killings, gang-war elements, a police informer and one woman,” added the officer.
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority asks for measures to address hate speech, religious intolerance on social media
The Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat on November 13 directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to take stringent measures to address the menace of hate speech and religious intolerance on social media, reports Pakistan Today. Meeting of the National Assembly (NA) body on Cabinet Secretariat was held in Islamabad in the Parliament House with Member of National Assembly (MNA) Syed Amin-ul-Haque in chair.
Federal Government acts to implement FATF action plan
The Federal Government on November 16 decided to take steps to ensure the implementation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) action plan and to curb smuggling, reports The Express Tribune. The steps include establishment of crossing point task forces at national, provincial and divisional levels and purchases of motorcycles, arms, bulletproof jackets and spy dogs for border management initiatives (BMI). A directorate-general of law and prosecution will also be set up to take action against smugglers under BMIs. Targets have been set for the Ministries of Interior, Law and Justice, Defence and Finance as well as the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in a meeting of the anti-smuggling steering committee presided over by the Prime Minister, and they have been directed to ensure their achievement. The Ministry of Interior has sent details of decisions taken in the meeting to all relevant ministries and divisions. These details include a list of all the committees for different tasks, the name of the leading institution and names of the institutions and members in the committees.
Mian Raza Rabbani tells US Pakistan not one of its states
The former chairman Senate and senior PPP leader, Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, on Nov 24 termed the US official’s statement on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Pakistan as highly provocative and interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign country.
The Trump administration had sought Pakistan on Friday to ask tough questions from China regarding CPEC, provoking Rabbani to emphasise that the US should realise that Pakistan is not one of its states nor was it a client state of imperialism. “Pakistan is a sovereign country, which has its own economic and national security priorities. The people of Pakistan have experienced the ‘so called relationship of the US’, be it the US aid given with strings attached or the Kerry-Lugar bill, the arrival of the seventh fleet in the dispute with India, using Pakistan as a front line state against the USSR in Afghanistan or bringing the Jehadis as freedom fighters and then abandoning Pakistan to suffer the consequences of terrorism or the non-payment for using all the facilities during the Afghan operation or the stringent conditionalities imposed by IMF. The list is endless,” he noted.
The PPP leader pointed out that China was a long and trusted strategic partner of Pakistan and had supported it during its worst crisis that was why Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had termed the relationship higher than Himalayas and deeper than the deepest sea. Raza Rabbani said the “US silence on the genocide and the use of rape, torture and violation of human rights in Occupied Kashmir shows its inclination towards its strategic partner India,” Rabbani further said.
The PPP leader maintained that by asking Pakistan to follow the imperialist model, the US is seeking to economically subjugate Pakistan so that it could play second fiddle to India as the policeman of the region against China. “US must respect Pakistan’s economic, political and territorial sovereignty,” he emphasised.
Federal Government notifies ban on JUI-F’s ‘militant wing’
The Federal Interior Ministry on October 24 issued a notification announcing a ban on the “militant wing” of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), reports Pakistan Today. The proscription of Ansar-ul-Islam, which the ministry referred to as a “private militia/Razakar Force” of the JUI-F, comes days before the Maulana Fazlur Rehman-led party is slated to lead an anti-government ‘Azadi March’. According to the notification, the Federal Government had “reasons to believe that Ansar-ul-Islam is capable of functioning as a military organisation, in violation of the prohibition contained in Article 256 of the Constitution”.
The ban was imposed after approval by the Federal Government and obtaining the consent from all four Provincial Governments under Article 146(1) of the Constitution, which allows the Federal Government to delegate any of its powers to the provinces, conditionally or unconditionally, with the consent of the provincial governments. Through the notification, the Federal Government through the Ministry of Interior has “entrust[ed] the Provincial Governments the power to take appropriate actions under Section 2 of the Private Military Organisations (Abolition and Prohibition) Act, 1974, against Ansar-ul-Islam”.
Bangladesh – Internal Dynamics
PBSP ‘regional leader’ gunned down in Pabna District
A ‘regional leader’ of outlawed Purba Banglar Sarbahara Party (PBSP) was gunned down reportedly by his rivals over internal feud at Chaithupir Char in Pabna District of Rajshahi Division on November 5, reports New Age. The deceased was identified as Atier Sardar (28).
Four Neo-JMB cadres arrested in Dhaka city
Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Police on November 4 arrested four cadres of the banned militant outfit Neo-Jam’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (Neo-JMB) from Ramna area in Dhaka city of Dhaka District in Dhaka Division, reports Dhaka Tribune. The arrestees are Arif Mollah (28), Mohamad Elias Hossain (28), Mohamad Farhad Ali (31) and Muntasim Billah (21). Books containing extremist ideology and mobile phones with similar content were recovered from them.
Government bans extremist outfit Allahr Dal
The Government on November 5 banned extremist outfit Allahr Dal, terming it as a threat to public safety, reports Dhaka Tribune. In an official notification, the Ministry of Home Affairs said the group has been banned as its activities pose a threat to public safety and security. Earlier, Bangladesh had banned seven Islamic groups Ansar al-Islam (March 1, 2017), Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) (May 25, 2015), Hizb ut-Tahrir (October 22, 2009), Harkat-ul-Jehad al-Islami-Bangladesh (HUJI-B) (October 17, 2005), Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) (February 23, 2005), Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) (February 23, 2005) and Shahadat-e-al Hikma (February 9, 2003).
Two Ansar al Islam cadres arrested in Faridpur District
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested two cadres of banned militant outfit Ansar al Islam from Shibrampur Bus Stand area in Faridpur District of Dhaka Division on November 15, reports The Daily Star. The arrestees are Rajib Biswas (25) and Nayan Sheikh (24). RAB recovered two knives and a book on how to make bombs from them.
Three PCJSS men killed in Rangamati District
Three persons were killed in a factional clash between MN Larma and Santu Larma faction of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) at a remote Balumura area in Rajasthali upazila (sub District) of Rangamati District on November 18, reports Dhaka Tribune.
PBCP leader shot dead in Jhenidah District
On November 18, Police killed a ‘regional leader’, Badsha Sheikh (50), of outlawed Jonojuddho, a faction of Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) at a Mahogany orchard in Jorapukuria village in Jhenidah District, reports Daily Star. Police recovered a firearm and bullets from the spot. Two policemen were also injured in the incident.
Three JMB cadres arrested in Chapainawabganj District
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on November 22 arrested three cadres of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from Char Raninagar area in Chapai nawab ganj District of the Rajshahi Division, reports Dhaka Tribune. The arrestees are Manirul Islam (30), Ziaul Haq (33) and Hossain Ali (39). The elite force members also recovered some jihadi books and leaflets from their possession.
India – Internal Dynamics
Police directed to take preventive measures in view of reports of NSCN-IM mobilisation in Nagaland
Inspector General of Police (Intelligence), the Dimapur Commissioner of Police and all Superintendent of Police (SP) have been directed to take preventive measures in view of reports of mobilisation by National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), reports Assam Tribune on October 26. According to sources, many top NSCN-IM leaders feel that the outcome of the ongoing peace talks may not be according to demands of outfit. According to Police, NSCN-IM has instructed its ‘officers’, especially JC ‘battalion’ (Kiphire) and the Yenbemo ‘battalion’ (Tuensang) to safeguard the arms and ammunition available with them and shift them to villages adjacent to these camps. Moreover, inputs also indicate shifting of weapons housed with the senior leadership residing in Dimapur. Separate inputs further suggest that on the directives of the top echelons of the NSCN-IM, the outfit has started mobilising their cadres at strategic locations in Dimapur, Zunheboto and other areas of Nagaland.
According to reports, some 300 NSCN-IM cadres reportedly moved from their headquarters, Camp Hebron towards the Manipur side on Thursday in a bid to cross over to bordering countries, Assam Tribune.
However, NSCN-IM quashed reports suggesting that around 300 of its cadres have fled Camp Hebron in Dimapur in Nagaland on October 23 and entered Manipur border, before moving towards China via Moreh (Manipur), reports East Mojo on October 26. An NSCN-IM leader stated that “Not true at all. We have our men everywhere. But no such huge numbers of our men have moved out”.
Tamil Nadu having highest number of IS sympathisers since 2014, according to report
Tamil Nadu tops the list of Indian states where anti-terror agencies have unearthed modules of Islamic State (IS) over a period of five years since 2014, reports Mumbai Mirror on October 28. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has claimed to have arrested 127 IS sympathisers from across India since 2014 and the highest number of 33 were from Tamil Nadu. Uttar Pradesh was on second position from where 19 IS sympathisers were arrested, followed by 17 from Kerala, 14 from Telangana, 12 from Maharashtra, eight from Karnataka, seven from Delhi, four each from Uttarakhand and West Bengal and three from Jammu and Kashmir. The NIA arrested two persons each from Rajasthan and Gujarat and one each from Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
Three BSF personnel wounded in IED explosion in Manipur
Three Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were wounded in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion at Telipati in Imphal East District in Manipur on November 2, reports The Sangai Express. The wounded personnel were identified as Lalkumar, Koram Mahindra and Santram. Morung Express adds that the injured personnel were recently deputed to Manipur to assist the maintenance of law and order in the wake of widespread mass demonstrations.
Manipur witnessed most number of insurgency related violence in 2018 across northeast, states UMHA report
According to Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA), Manipur witnessed most insurgency related violence in 2018 across northeast region, reports The Northeast Today on November 3. A total of 127 violent incidents were reported in Manipur in 2018, while the number of such incidents was 252 in the entire North-eastern region. In 2018, however, the state witnessed a decline in insurgency-related incidents by 24 per cent compared to 167 in 2017, and civilian deaths went down from 23 in 2017 to 8 in 2018.In 2018, counter insurgency operations led to the neutralization of 10 militants, arrest of 404 militants and recovery of 99 weapons. Moreover, 2018 witnessed the lowest number of insurgency incidents and civilian deaths since 1997.The insurgency incidents registered a decline of 18 per cent in 2018 (with 252 cases) compared to 308 cases in 2017, said the report, adding that a 25 per cent reduction was also noted in the deaths of civilians and security forces personnel in the same year. A total of 37 deaths were reported in 2018 compared to 49 in 2017. Of the 37 killings, 23 were civilians and 14 from security forces. The report also said counter insurgency operations led to the neutralization of 34 militants, the arrest of 804, as well as recovery of 478 weapons in 2018.
ULFA-I chief Paresh Baruah hits out at Naga groups, says report
Paresh Baruah of United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent hit out at the pro-talks leaders of the Naga rebel groups, reports News 18 on November 5. Paresh Baruah alleged that Thuingaleng Muivah (National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) was not a ‘true revolutionary leader’. He stated that “I think Th Muivah is a traitor, he betrayed the Naga people in the name of revolution”. He also claimed that the proposed peace agreement with the Naga groups would bring only short-term peace in the state.
GoI to agree to set up museum to showcase Naga insurgency, states report
Even as the Centre prepares to hold wider consultations with Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam before finalising the Naga peace accord, it may agree to the demand to set up a museum showcasing 70 years of Naga struggle, reports The Sangai Express on November 5. Government officials familiar with the discussion said that arms and ammunition surrendered by rebels could be part of the existing State museum. “Besides weapons, the museum will also honour Naga leaders who were part of the struggle. The final agreement, among other issues, will resolve the demand for separate passport for Nagas. An official stated that “Nagas will continue to use Indian passports with minor modifications. The two sides have also discussed the issue of bicameral legislature, where the house of elders will be elected by village and tribes head, while elections will be held for the legislative assembly”.
Six persons wounded in IED explosion in Manipur
Five Police personnel and a civilian were wounded in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion on November 5 at Thangal Bazaar in Imphal West District of Manipur, reports The Sangai Express. Following the explosion, Imphal West District commando launched massive search operations in different parts of Imphal City including Khoyathong, Naga River stretch, Bora Galli and Major Khul area. During the operation, 28 individuals who failed to produce proper identity proofs were detained and handed over to Police station for proper verification. In the evening, Imphal East District Police also carried out similar search operation at New Check on Bazar area and 11 men were rounded up.
CRPF trooper killed in Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh
A constable of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was killed in an encounter with Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh in the wee hours of November 7, reports Hindustan Times. Sundarraj P, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) of Bastar division, stated, “The constable KR Kamata Prasad who was deployed with 151 battalion of CRPF in Bijapur died in the encounter.” A joint team of CRPF and its elite unit, Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) was carrying out a combing operation in Pamed forest region, and while cordoning off a suspicious area in Jerapalli village in the District when the Maoists opened fire on the Security Forces (SFs). The encounter lasted for about 20 minutes and the Maoists escaped into the deep forest. After the gunfight stopped, the team found that Constable Kamta Prasad sustained bullet injuries who later succumbed to his injuries on his way to the hospital.
Constant flow of illegal arms in Assam, according to Police records
The Telegraph on November 9 reports that according to Police records there has been a constant flow of illegal arms for militant outfits as well as poachers and criminals into Assam. The records reveal that 2,171 cases were registered under the Arms Act in the state since 2014. According to the records, the total number of cases registered in 2014 under Arms Act was 580, followed by 511 in 2015. In 2016, there were 423 cases and in 2017, 370 cases were recorded under the act. At least 287 cases were registered in 2018. Police attributed the declining trend in cases to the successful counter-insurgency operations with most outfits joining the peace parleys. Nagaon District was the hub of gun runners. According to Nagaon Superintendent of Police Barata Raimedhi “Since January this year, we have arrested 36 people and recovered 25 firearms and 75 live ammunition. We will continue our drive against illegal arms.”
Joining militancy had become a business in Nagaland, states R.N. Ravi
Nagaland Governor R N Ravi stated on November 11 that under earlier governments, joining militancy had almost become a “business”, where surrendering meant getting incentives, reports Indian Express. When asked about Naga peace process he stated that “For the first time in Nagaland, all the armed groups, Naga civil society, tribes, grassroots-level organisations, churches are talking with the government. So this is an unprecedented situation and I am optimistic that we are going to have a final settlement which is comprehensive and acceptable for all”.
Anti-CAB protest in Assam
Protests against Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB)erupted across Assam on November 15 with youth organisations staging demonstrations, reports eastern Mirror. All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and an influential civic body asserted the legislation will not be accepted by people of the state at any cost. Additionally, Asom Jatiyabadi Yuba Chhatra Parishad (AJYCP) that was in the forefront of the protest against CAB early this year took out rallies and held massive sit-in demonstrations. Samujjal Bhattacharyya, chief advisor of AASU urged Meghalaya and Mizoram chief ministers to oppose the bill.
‘Shoot Them Down,’ Centre tells SFs after drones spotted in Chhattisgarh
The Centre (Union Government) has issued ‘shoot at sight’ orders for Security Forces (SFs), especially the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), deployed in Communist Party of India-Maoist-hit areas, after a ‘serious and new threat’ of drones by the Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists, LWEs] came to light, reports India.com on November 18. The development comes after drone-like objects were spotted flying over CRPF camps in Kistaram and Palodi areas in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh south Bastar region about a month ago. The directive was issued by a unified command of security and intelligence agencies at the Centre. According to reports, ‘small red and white light’ emitting drones were seen flying near the Kistaram and Palodi camps at least four times in three days last month. The drones, according to reports, drew the attention of the security personnel who took offensive position and an alert was sounded across all nearby CRPF camps, fearing Naxal trouble. “At least on three occasions, personnel have reported an unidentified object flying over the camps in the past one month. Because of its whirring sound and lights, it is suspected to be a Netra drone commonly used in weddings,” an unnamed CRPF officer said.
Maoists kill four SFs in Jharkhand
The Communist Party of India Maoist killed four Police personnel in an area under Chandwa Police Station limits in Latehar District of Jharkhand on November 22, reports The Times of India. The incident took place soon after Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) working president J. P. Nadda addressed an election rally in the town. The Maoists ambushed a Police Control Room (PCR) van carrying a Police team in which three personnel lost their lives on the site while the fourth personnel succumbed to his injuries at a hospital later. Two Police personnel were also injured in the attack. The four slain personnel were identified as Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Sakra Uranv and three Home Guards named Dinesh Kumar, Sikander Singh and Yamuna Ram. Also, the Maoists reportedly looted weapons from the personnel, among which were a service revolver and three rifles. The Additional Director General of Police (ADGP, operations) M. L. Meena said, “Additional forces have been rushed to the area to carry out a cordon-and-search operation”.
Once CAB passed no person of non-Muslim faith will be sent to detention camp, states Assam FM
Assam Finance Minister (FM) Himanta Biswa Sarma stated on October 23 that once the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) is passed, no person of a non-Muslim faith will be sent to detention camps for illegal foreigners, reports Indian Express. He stated that ““After the CAB is passed, Assam detention camps will be shut for Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Christians. Regarding the other population, it is for the court to take a call. Detention camps are there because of a court order, not because the state government wants them.”Assam has six detention centres currently but they are housed in district jails. Over a 1000 people are currently lodged in these camps. A seventh centre, exclusively for detaining “illegal foreigners”, is under construction in Goalpara District.
Chhattisgarh worst hit by Maoist violence, suggests NCRB data
The comprehensive crime statistics released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) for 2017, suggests that Chhattisgarh continues to be the hardest hit Indian State by violence and crime unleashed by the Communist Party of India-Maoist, reports The New Indian Express. As per the statistics, out of the total 82 murders by the Maoists, as many as 72 were killed in Chhattisgarh alone. The report covering various categories of crimes by “Anti-National Elements” revealed that the 652 offences were committed by the Maoists. Out of these Chhattisgarh has reported 492 incidents, which is way ahead of other Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected States. Next comes Jharkhand (30) followed by Andhra Pradesh (16) and Telangana (12) on crime cases reported by Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists, LWE]. West Bengal where the Naxalism emerged as extreme left radical communist ideology in 1967 has recorded zero cases. Among the incidents of violence unleashed by anti-National elements in 2017, the crime lodged against the Maoists is 493 which is higher than the combined registered cases of 290 that included north-east insurgency (113) and terrorists including Jihadi (177). Cited as the repository of information on crime and criminals, the NCRB data divulged that Chhattisgarh is the only state where 32 incidents of loot/robbery and 41 of arsons in connection with crimes registered against Maoists were reported. The State has also registered the most number of cases on Explosive Substances Act (27), Arms Act (6) and other crimes on different sections of Indian Penal Code (36), damages to public property (2). Telangana and Kerala had just nine cases each as the offences committed under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and other IPC crimes recorded. While Chhattisgarh has the highest 34 cases reported under the other ‘Special and Local Laws’ (SLL) crimes followed by the Jharkhand with 21 and Andhra Pradesh with just 2 registered. There are no incidents of extortion reported from any of the 14 Naxal-affected districts of Chhattisgarh, while the States of Telangana and Jharkhand reported 3 and 2 incidents of extortions respectively. There are 147 Maoists killed by the security forces compared to 117 terrorists and 7 insurgents killed as per the latest NCRB data.
Monthly Fatalities
The following casualties, related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism occurred during the period Oct 26, 2019 to Nov 25, 2019:
| Civilian | Indian Security Personnel | Militant | Total | |
| Assam | O2 | 00 | 00 | 02 |
| Left Wing | 09 | 06 | 03 | 18 |
| Total | 11 | 06 | 03 | 20 |
Nepal – Internal Dynamics
Nine PKRLM cadres arrested in Ilam District
Police arrested nine cadres of a lesser known outfit, Pallo Kirat Rastriya Limbuwan Morcha (PKRLM), including the party’s central secretary in Ilam District of Province No. 1, reports The Himalayan Times on October 24. Police said that they were arrested in the course of flying the Morcha’s flag by removing the national flag in various places of the District on the occasion of the party’s 64th establishment day.
Two NCP central members injured in attack by CPN-Maoists-Chand cadres in Jajarkot District
Two central members of ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Niraj Acharya and Dambar Bahadur Singh were injured in an attack by cadres of Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-Maoists-Chand) at Barekot Rural Municipality in Jajarkot District of Province No. 6 on October 23, reports The Himalayan Times.
Meanwhile, Police on October 23 arrested Suntali Thokar (32), the Kavrepalanchok District secretary of CPN-Maoists-Chand from Panauti Municipality in Kavrepalanchok District of Province No. 3, reports The Himalayan Times. Acting on a special tip-off, a team of Police arrested Thokar from her home at midnight.
Nepal biggest hub for Indian Mujahedeen, claims US State Department
Nepal is currently the biggest hub for the India-based terrorist group Indian Mujahedeen, claimed the US State Department claimed, reports Republica on November 5. Releasing a country report on terrorism, the State Department stated “IM’s stated goal is to carry out terrorist actions against Indians for their oppression of Muslims. IM has also expanded its area of operations into Nepal, which is now the biggest hub for IM operatives.” In its report, the State Department said that the IM maintains ties to other terrorist entities including Pakistan-based Lashkar-e- Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI).
Explosion reported near the Office of the Chief Returning Officer in Province No. 4
On November 7, an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion occurred in an under-construction tourist bus park at Pokhara of Kaski District in Province No.4, reports Himalayan Times. No casualties or damages were reported. According to sources, the explosion took place when Bidya Bhattarai, a House of Representatives (HoR) candidate of Nepal Communist Party (NCP) from Kaski Constituency-2 entered the Office of the Chief Returning Officer to file her nomination for the upcoming by-elections. Further investigations are going on.
Government will not lift ban on CPN-Maoists-Chand, says Spokesperson Gokul Baskota
Spokesperson of the Government Gokul Baskota speaking at a regular press meet at Singha Durbar, Kathmandu on October 24 said that the Government will not lift the ban on outlawed Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-Maoists-Chand), reports Republica. Baskota, however, urged the outfit to shun violence and come for talks. He also urged the underground group to enter peaceful mainstream politics by abiding the constitution. Speaking further, he stated that demand of the release of arrested cadres of the group can’t be addressed at any cost until they come up with a peaceful compromise.
Sri Lanka – Internal Dynamics
Two injured in firing incident during 2019 Presidential election campaign
On November 6, two persons were injured when personnel of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Presidential (SLPP) supporter and Parliamentarian S.B. Dissanayake’s security detail opened fire at people on the roadside at Ginigathhena in the Nuwara Eliya District of Central Province for allegedly blocking the politician’s vehicle convoy, reports Daily News. This is the first gun violence incident of the 2019 Presidential election campaign. S.B.Dissanayake, a SLFP member was campaigning for SLPP Presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa when the shooting incident happened.
IGP and ex-Defense Secretary remanded until November 19
Former Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and IGP Pujith Jayasundara were further remanded until November 19 by Colombo Additional Magistrate Priyantha Liyanage on November 6, reports Colombo Page. The two former top officials have been accused of failing to take measures to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks despite having prior knowledge of the attack. The duo was remanded on charges of criminal negligence and murder.
Sri Lanka presidential election: Gunmen fire on buses carrying Muslim voters
Gunmen fired at buses carrying minority Muslim voters on Saturday, Nov 16 as Sri Lankans elected a new president, with the powerful Rajapaksa clan eyeing a comeback seven months after Islamist extremists carried out deadly bombings on the island.
Minority Tamils and Muslims are seen as crucial in the close election, and the attack in the northwest of the island in which no one was injured was likely aimed at deterring people from voting. The assailants set fire to tyres on the road and set up makeshift roadblocks before shooting at and pelting with stones two vehicles in the convoy of more than 100 buses, police said. After casting ballots there were given an armed escort back home.
In the Tamil-dominated northern peninsula of Jaffna, meanwhile, police said they arrested 10 men they suspected of “trying to create trouble”, while also complaining that the army had illegally set up roadblocks that could stop people getting to polling stations. Such tactics are nothing new in Sri Lanka, which emerged from a horrific civil war only a decade ago. At the 2015 election, there was a series of explosions in the north.
Supporters from rival parties meanwhile clashed in a tea plantation area 90 kilometres (55 miles) east of the capital Colombo, with two people taken to hospital with knife wounds, the election commission said.
Mahindra Rajapaksa to be sworn as the new Prime Minister
Former Sri Lankan President Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) leader Mahindra Rajapaksa was sworn in as the Prime Minister on November 21, reports Daily News. On evening November 20, United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe had announced his decision to step down from the post of Prime Minister to make way for the newly elected President of Sri Lanka Gotabaya Rajapaksa to form interim government till parliamentary elections. Reports suggest that Rajapaksa has already given indications that he will appoint a 15-member Cabinet until the Parliamentary election is held following his win in Presidential election.
INTERNATIONAL
Over 60 die as Iraq protests take a violent turn
More than 60 people have died in renewed anti-government protests across Iraq, officials said on Saturday, Oct 26 with clashes breaking out as demonstrators turned their fury against government and paramilitary offices.
The death toll from protests this month has soared to 220, including dozens killed since Friday as they torched government buildings or offices belonging to factions of the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force. As many as 42, succumbed on Friday alone from live rounds, tear gas canisters or while torching government buildings or offices belonging to powerful Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary factions in several southern cities. The Iraqi security forces sought to clamp down on protests in Baghdad and across the south on Saturday, a day after dozens died in a bloody resumption of anti-government rallies. A parliamentary session scheduled for Saturday afternoon to discuss the renewed protests was cancelled after it failed to reach a quorum.
Tensions remained high across several cities there on Saturday, with security forces cutting off roads and imposing strict curfews. The storming of provincial headquarters, parliamentarians´ workspaces or Hashed offices marks a new phase in the southern rallies but there have been no such incidents so far in the capital. In Baghdad, a few hundred protesters dug in around the emblematic Tahrir (Liberation) Square on Saturday morning despite efforts by riot police to clear them with tear gas.
The demonstrations first erupted on October 1, with protesters railing against government corruption and unemployment, while a second wave broke out late Thursday. The latest round of demonstrations has been notably violent, with 63 people killed and more than 2,000 wounded over just two days, according to the Iraqi Human Rights Commission. Three protesters were killed in Baghdad on Saturday, with medics and officials reporting trauma wounds sustained by tear gas canisters lobbed at demonstrators. On Saturday, three people were shot dead while setting fire to a local official´s home in the southern province of Dhi Qar, a police source told AFP.
Boris Johnson says battle against IS group ‘not yet over’
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday, Oct 27 hailed the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as “an important moment” but said the fight against his group “is not yet over”.
“The death of Baghdadi is an important moment in our fight against terror but the battle against the evil of Daesh is not yet over,” he wrote on Twitter. “We will work with our coalition partners to bring an end to the murderous, barbaric activities of Daesh once and for all.”
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the Islamic State group’s leaders “have twisted Islam to groom thousands of people into joining their evil cause”. “I welcome the action that has been taken. The world will not miss Al-Baghdadi,” he tweeted.
Gulf dispute unacceptable: Kuwaiti Emir
A damaging 30-month-old dispute between Qatar and its Gulf neighbours “is no longer acceptable” and must be resolved, Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah said on Tuesday, Oct 29.
Addressing the opening session of parliament’s new term, Sheikh Sabah said the Saudi-led boycott has greatly weakened the unity of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in which Qatar and its foes are members. GCC members Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, in addition to Egypt, imposed a sea, land and air boycott of Qatar in June 2017 accusing it of ties to radical groups.
“It is no longer acceptable or bearable for the dispute that erupted between our GCC brethren to continue,” Sheikh Sabah, 90, told parliament in his first public appearance since travelling abroad for medical treatment in early September.
Sheikh Sabah, who has been acting as a mediator to resolve the dispute, said the “row has weakened our capabilities and threatened our achievements”, calling for a negotiated solution.
Netanyahu accuses Iran of wanting to strike Israel from Yemen
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, Oct 28 accused Iran of wanting to strike Israel with precision-guided missiles from Yemen as he urged US President Donald Trump’s administration to further pressure Tehran.
Netanyahu made the comments as he met US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in Occupied al-Quds, and while he again congratulated Trump on the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, he called for “a lot more” sanctions against Israel’s arch foe Iran.
“Iran is seeking to develop now precision-guided munitions, missiles that can hit any target in the Middle East with a circumference of five to 10 metres,” Netanyahu said.
“They want to place them in Iraq and in Syria, and to convert Lebanon’s arsenal of 130,000 rockets to precision-guided munitions.” He added that “they seek also to develop that, and have already begun to put that in Yemen, with the goal of reaching Israel from there too.”
Netanyahu made reference to September 14 attacks on two Saudi oil facilities and echoing Riyadh, blamed Iran. Tehran has denied involvement. The attacks were claimed by Iran-backed Yemeni rebels.
Mnuchin, on a tour of the Middle East and India, said “we have a shared view as to the threat that Iran poses to the region and to the world” and spoke of the US “maximum pressure campaign” involving sanctions.
Attack on Mali military post kills 49
A “terrorist attack” on a military post in strife-torn northeastern Mali has left 49 soldiers dead, the army said Saturday, Nov 2 revising downward an earlier death toll.
The assault on Friday at Indelimane, in the Menaka region, close to the border with Niger, was one of the deadliest strikes against Mali’s military in a region wracked by Islamist violence.
The Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) “have recorded 49 dead, three wounded and material damage, and some 20 survivors have been recovered,” it said on its Facebook page on Saturday.
The government on Friday had said 53 people died in what it described as a “terrorist attack”.
No group immediately claimed responsibility. An army officer said troops arrived at the outpost around 5pm on Friday and “took back control of our positions.
The army and the government announced on Friday that reinforcements were sent to the area. The attacks comes a month after two Jihadist assaults killed 40 soldiers near the border with Burkina Faso. However several sources said the death toll had been underestimated.
Mali’s army has been struggling in the face of a Jihadist revolt that has spread from the arid north to its centre, an ethnically mixed and volatile region.
13 dead in car bomb in Syria border town
At least 13 people have died on Saturday, Nov 2 in a car bomb blast near a market in a Syrian border town controlled by Turkish forces, Ankara and a rights watchdog said.
“Based on first findings, 13 civilians were killed and around 20 others injured” in the explosion in the northeastern town of Tal Ayab, Turkey’s defence ministry said in a statement. It blamed the attack on the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia, which it sees as “terrorist” off-shoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The PKK, which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, is blacklisted as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies. But the YPG under the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) banner spearheaded the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria with US support.
A 120-kilometre (75-mile) “safe zone” area between the Syrian towns of Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain was established as part of an October 17 deal between Ankara and Washington, involving a ceasefire and the YPG’s full withdrawal from the stretch.
On Friday, Turkish troops began joint patrols with Russian forces in northern Syria to ensure the withdrawal of Kurdish fighters.
Three killed in Karbala near Iran consulate
Three protesters were shot dead overnight during a demonstration outside the Iranian consulate in Iraq’s holy city of Karbala, the head of the forensics department there told AFP on Monday, Nov 4. Security forces in Karbala fired live ammunition to disperse protesters trying to scale the walls of the consulate in the southern city and torch it.
AFP correspondents witnessed protesters left motionless after suffering gunshot wounds, and the forensic medicine department later confirmed three people died. More than 250 people have lost their lives since anti-government rallies broke out in Iraq on October 1, but officials have stopped providing casualty numbers.
In Karbala late Sunday, protesters hung Iraqi flags on the concrete blocks surrounding the imposing Iranian consulate and spray-painted “Karbala is free, Iran out, out!” on them. Others threw rocks or shot fireworks over the walls into the consulate, then set fire to tyres at the gates of the building as police officers looked on. As the crowds grew, heavy gunfire and volleys of tear gas rang out. “They’re not firing up in the air. They intend to kill, not disperse,” said one young protester wearing a medical mask to protect himself from the tear gas.
Yemen govt, separatists sign power-sharing deal
Yemen’s internationally recognised government signed a Saudi-brokered power-sharing deal with southern separatists on Tuesday, Nov 5 aimed at ending a conflict simmering within the country’s civil war.
“This agreement will open a new period of stability in Yemen. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia stands with you,” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said at a signing ceremony in Riyadh aired on state television.
The deal will reportedly see the secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) handed a number of ministries, and the government return to the southern city of Aden, according to officials and reports in Saudi media.
The UN special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, congratulated the two sides on the deal which he said would propel efforts to end the wider civil war that has devastated the country.
The clashes between the separatists and government forces, who for years fought on the same side against the Huthis, had raised fears the country could break apart entirely.
The warring factions in recent weeks held indirect talks mediated by Saudi Arabia in the kingdom’s western city of Jeddah, which culminated in the deal signed in Riyadh. Both Yemen’s President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and STC leader Aidarous al-Zoubeidi attended the ceremony.
15 killed in suspected rebel attacks in Thailand’s south
At least fifteen people were gunned down in an ambush by suspected militants in Thailand’s violence-wracked south, an army spokesman said on Wednesday, Nov 6 one of the bloodiest days in the 15-year insurgency.
Thailand’s three southernmost provinces have been in the grip of a conflict that has killed more than 7,000 people, as Malay-militants fight for more autonomy from the Thai state. Despite the high death toll, the highly localised unrest garners few international headlines.
Villagers trained and armed by security forces are also enlisted to monitor remote villages, though they are rarely targeted by the rebels.
The attackers took M-16 rifles and shotguns from the checkpoints, he said. “These acts were by militants.” Nails were also scattered on the roads in an apparent effort to slow the security forces, the army said in a separate statement.
A bomb squad was dispatched Wednesday morning to investigate and detonate an explosive device suspected to have been left by fleeing attackers about three kilometres (1.9 miles) from one checkpoint.
Iran resumes uranium enrichment at Fordow plant
Iran resumed uranium enrichment at its underground Fordow plant south of Tehran on Thursday, Nov 7 in a new step back from its commitments under a landmark 2015 nuclear deal, raising alarm from Western powers.
Engineers began feeding uranium hexafluoride gas into the plant’s mothballed enrichment centrifuges in “the first minutes of Thursday”, the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation said. The suspension of uranium enrichment at the long-secret plant was one of the restrictions on its nuclear programme Iran had agreed to in return for the lifting of sanctions.
Iran’s announcement that it would resume enrichment at the Fordow plant from midnight (2030 GMT Wednesday) had drawn a chorus of concern from the remaining parties to the troubled agreement.
Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia have been trying to salvage the hard-won deal since Washington abandoned it in May last year and re-imposed crippling unilateral sanctions. They say Iran’s phased suspension of its obligations under the deal since May makes that more difficult. The resumption of enrichment at Fordow is Iran’s fourth step away from the agreement.
Iran has always denied any military dimension to its nuclear programme. It has been at pains to emphasise that all of the steps it has taken are transparent and swiftly reversible if the remaining parties to the agreement find a way to get round US sanctions.
Iran downs drone near Gulf coast
Iran shot down an unidentified drone near the port of Bandar-e Mahshahr on the Gulf coast on Friday, Nov 8 Iranian media reported, four and a half months after the downing of a US drone nearly triggered air strikes.
The army downed the unmanned aircraft over Khuzestan province before dawn using a Mersad surface-to-air missile, said the Tasnim news agency, which is close to Iran’s ultra-conservatives.
Citing provincial governor Gholamreza Shariati, it reported that the army had located the wreckage of the drone in a marshy area and opened an inquiry into the incident. The accidental crash of an Iranian drone in the same province on October 23 prompted newspaper reports that an unidentified foreign aircraft had been shot down.
The incidents come amid soaring tensions between Tehran and Washington since President Donald Trump unilaterally abandoned a landmark 2015 nuclear deal last year and reimposed crippling sanctions. Trump in June authorised a military strike after Iran shot down a US drone, only to call off the retaliation at the last moment.
23 Palestinians killed as Israel-Gaza violence rages for second day
Exchanges of fire triggered by Israel’s targeted killing of a top activist in Gaza raged for a second day on Wednesday, Nov 13 and showed little sign of easing as the Palestinian death toll shot up to 23.
Fresh rocket barrages were fired at Israel, which responded with strikes on what it said were Islamic Jihad militant sites and rocket-launching squads in the Gaza Strip. On Wednesday afternoon, it said it targeted two Islamic Jihad fighters preparing to fire anti-tank missiles.
UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov was to hold talks in Cairo on halting the fighting, a diplomatic source said, but a source close to the discussions aimed at mediating a truce warned that the risk of further escalation remained high.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Islamic Jihad must stop its stop rocket attacks or “absorb more and more blows”. He reiterated his warning that “this could take time” and said Israel would respond to attacks “without mercy”.
Islamic Jihad spokesman Musab al-Barayem said the group was not interested in mediation for now as it retaliated to the killing of one of its commanders. Israel killed senior Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Ata and his wife Asma in a targeted strike early Tuesday, prompting barrages of tit-for-tat rocket fire and air strikes. According to Israel, Ata was responsible for rocket fire at Israel as well as other attacks and was planning more violence, with the military calling him a “ticking bomb.”
The flare-up raised fears of a new all-out conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, who have fought three wars since 2008. A total of 23 Palestinians have been killed so far, including Ata and his wife, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Car bomb kills 19 in northern Syria
A car bomb killed 19 people, 13 of them civilians, in the Turkish-controlled town of Al-Bab in northern Syria on Saturday, Nov 16 a war monitor said. The bomb, which struck a bus and taxi station in the town, also wounded 33 people, some of them seriously, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
Turkey and its Syrian proxies control several pockets of territory on the Syrian side of the border as a result of successive incursions in 2016-17, 2018 and 2019.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing but the Observatory said there had been persistent security incidents in the town since its capture by Turkish troops from the Islamic State group in February 2017.
The town, some 30 kilometres (20 miles) northeast of Syria’s second city Aleppo, was one of the westernmost strongholds of the jihadists’ self-styled “caliphate” which was finally eradicated by US-backed Kurdish forces in eastern Syria in March.
Turkey blamed the car bombing on the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) against whom it launched a new invasion further east last month.
Cyprus seize Israeli ‘spy van’
Cypriot police said on Saturday, Nov 16 they had seized an alleged “spy van” equipped with sophisticated surveillance equipment capable of hacking communications and questioned its Israeli owner.
Police began investigating after the opposition communist party AKEL asked what the government was doing about activities undertaken in the van, which was showcased in a Forbes video story broadcast several months ago that only recently went viral in Cyprus.
Cyprus police chief Kypros Michaelides told private radio station Astra that the Israeli owner had given “some explanations”, but he would be questioned further, along with Cypriot nationals.
Forbes had named the owner of the van as ex-Israeli intelligence officer Tal Dilian, who allegedly heads a Cyprus-registered company that owns the vehicle. It said the $9 million state of the art equipment in the van can monitor electronic devices within a 500-metre (yards) radius, hack any phone and listen in to conversations regardless of the level of encryption.
Investigators searched a company premises where the van was located in the southern coastal resort of Larnaca after securing warrants, Cypriot police said. “On preliminary examination, the vehicle was found to have electronic equipment and was confiscated, along with other evidence,” a police statement said on Saturday.
Trump’s war crimes pardons send disturbing signal: UN
The UN on Tuesday, Nov 19 harshly criticised President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon three US service members accused of war crimes as a “disturbing signal” to military forces worldwide.
“These three cases involve serious violations of international humanitarian law, both proven and alleged, including the shooting of a group of civilians and execution of a captured member of an armed group,” UN rights office spokesman Rupert Colville told reporters.
Trump had pardoned a former soldier convicted of murder and a Green Beret charged with killing a suspected Taliban bomb-maker, defying warnings that it would be an abuse of the powers afforded him under the US Constitution. Trump dismissed a second degree murder conviction against Army First Lieutenant Clint Lorance, who is six years into a 19-year term for ordering soldiers in 2012 to fire on three unarmed Afghan men, two of whom died. He granted clemency to West Point graduate Matt Golsteyn, an ex-member of the elite US Army Green Berets, charged with premeditated murder in the shooting death of an alleged Taliban bomb-maker in 2010.
The president also reversed the demotion of Edward Gallagher, a 15-year Navy Seal accused of stabbing to death a wounded teenage Islamic State prisoner in Iraq, and of other killings of civilians. Gallagher was cleared of the most serious charges in July but was convicted of posing with the slain fighter’s body in a group picture with other SEALs.
Colville issuing pardons to people suspected of committing war crimes was “very troubling”. “I don’t believe there have been pardons of this type in the United States since the Vietnam war,” he said. He pointed out that under international humanitarian law, there is an “obligation to investigate violations and prosecute war crimes.” Colville said the US military justice system had been complying those obligations, but the pardons “run against the letter and the spirit of international law which requires accountability.”
“While pardons exist in international law, and can properly address issues of injustice or unfairness, in the present cases no circumstances have been advanced to suggest anything other than simply voiding the otherwise proper process of law in the cases,” he said. “These pardons send a disturbing signal to military forces all around the world,” he warned.
European police launch cyber attack on IS
Police have carried out a cyber attack on a global scale against online propaganda outlets of the Islamic State extremist group, Belgian prosecutors said on Monday, Nov 25
The operation began as part of a Belgian judicial probe of Amaq, the media agency of the banned Jihadist group, and involved international officers from Europol. Federal prosecution spokesman Eric van der Sypt confirmed the operation to AFP but he could not give a detailed breakdown of sites and accounts targeted.
“We’ve knocked them down for the moment,” he said. “But we’re not naive. A first cyber attack in 2018 didn’t stop them from bouncing back.” Officers plan to reveal more about the operation at a news conference later in the day at Europol’s HQ in the neighbouring Netherlands, he said.
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.
