Special Emphasis on Terrorism (Mar-2020)

Suicide Bombings

At least 10 persons were killed and 35 others sustained injuries in a suicide blast that hit a Police vehicle near the Quetta Press Club in Quetta on February 17, reports Daily Times. Three Police personnel were among those killed in the blast. The suicide bomber wanted to target rally of a religious group, Ahle-Sunnat Wal Jamaat, but blew himself up when Police stopped him, according to Quetta Police Chief Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Abdul Razzaq Cheema. 

Bomb/ IED Explosions

Policeman killed and two others injured in separate blasts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

A Policeman was killed and two others injured in separate bomb blasts during search operations in Dara area of Salarzai tehsil (revenue unit) of Bajaur District on January 26, reports Daily Times. According to details, the Bajaur Police were engaged in a search operation when a bomb exploded in Dara area killing Policeman Waqifullah. The second blast also took place in the same locality during a search operation in which two Policemen were injured. 

Suspected militants blew up a major gas pipeline near Sindh-Punjab border in Rahim Yar Khan District on January 28, disrupting gas supply to many areas, reports Pakistan Today. The pipeline, which was exploded using a time device, is an act of terrorism, Sohail Gulzar, a senior official at the Sui Northern Gas Company Limited (SNGPL), said.

Seven members of a family were killed in an explosion inside a house at Batwar village in Salarzai tehsil(revenue unit) of Bajaur District in evening of February 2, reports Dawn. According to an official, the incident occurred when an explosive device went off. Initial reports suggested that a mortar shell fired by suspected militants from Afghanistan’s Kunar Province had hit the house in Batwar, resulted in the death of one Fazal Ghani and six members of his family, including four children. The house was destroyed.

A roadside bomb exploded near a paramilitary vehicle near the Sharag coal mines area of Harnai District in Balochistan, killed one Frontier Corps (FC) personnel and injured five others, reports Daily Times. The FC troops were attacked while on patrol near the Sharag coal mines, according to Azeem Jan Damar, Deputy Commissioner of Harnai District. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, but such attacks on Security Forces in the past have been claimed by Baloch insurgent groups.

At least one Policeman was killed and two others injured on February 17, when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off near a Police mobile in Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan District, reports Dawn. District Police Officer Wahid Mahmood confirmed the causality, adding that the Police mobile was deployed for the security of polio workers canvassing the area.

Targetted Killings

Two polio workers were killed on January 29 when their team came under attack in Parmoli area of Swabi District, reports Daily Times. According to Swabi’s District Police Officer Imran Shahid, unidentified men opened fire at the polio team while they were on duty. As a result, a lady health worker was killed on the spot while another was severely injured succumbed to her injuries at hospital, the DPO said. 

A Policeman, identified as Rehman Bangash, was killed by unidentified assailants outside his residence in Pehlwan Goth area of Gulistan-e-Johar in Gulshan Town of Karachi on February 5, reports The News. Bangash who is posted at Saudabad Police Station sustained severe bullet wounds shifted to Jinnah Hospital where he succumbed to injuries.

On February 19, 2020, at least 16 Army personnel were killed in an attack by Balochistan Liberation Tigers (BLT) at an army post in the Singsila area of Dera Bugti District of Balochistan, reports ANI. The BLT militants also seized all weapons and ammunition kept at the post and subsequently set the post on fire.

Five Security Force (SF) personnel were killed and three others were injured after militants attacked a check post in Turbat District of Balochistan on February 20, reports Pakistan Today. Three militants were also killed in an exchange of fire between the SF personnel and militants that lasted several hours.

A journalist, Javedullah Khan, who was also a local leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and member of the peace committee, was shot dead in the Shakardara area of Matta tehsil (revenue unit) in Swat District on February 25, reports Dawn. According to Police, Javedullah Khan was going to his fields in his car when some unidentified assailants opened fire on his vehicle, leaving him seriously wounded. He was rushed to a hospital where he died during treatment. A Police guard of the journalist who was with him in the car remained unhurt. Javedullah Khan was the bureau chief of Urdu-language daily Ausaf.

Miscellaneous

The Torkham gate (Khyber District), the crossing point at the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan, was closed after two mortars were fired from the Afghanistan side on Jan 29, reports The Nation. There were no reports of any casualty the incident. Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said the gate was closed for security purpose and was likely to be opened later on.

At least five militants and two Security Force (SF) personnel were killed in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Datta Khel area of North Waziristan on January 30, reports Daily Times. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the SFs conducted an IBO on a militant hideout in Datta Khel area. During exchange of fire, five militants were killed and two soldiers, Sepoy Muhammad Shamim and Sepoy Assad Khan, embraced martyrdom.

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on February 3, arrested three Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, and seized arms and explosives from their possession near Gatwala Bridge in Faisalabad town (Faisalabad District) of Punjab, reports Dawn. The CTD spokesman said the Faisalabad office team received an information that three militants belonging to TTP were present near Gatwala Bridge along with explosive material and arms. Following the information, a CTD team conducted a raid and arrested Abdul Salam, Maodood Christi and Ali Muhammad Khan. The team also seized explosive material safety fuse, three detonators, two pistols and 10 bullets from their possession.

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on February 21, killed five militants during a search operation after both sides exchanged fire in Shagai area of Peshawar, reports Daily Times. The CTD said a security operation had been conducted in Shagai area after information was received about the suspected militants’ whereabouts. Explosive material and weapons, including three suicide vests, two pistols, two grenades and three SMGs, were recovered from militants.

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on February 23, killed five militants during an encounter within Regi Police Station area of Peshawar, reports Pakistan Today. According to the First Information Report (FIR) filed at the CTD Police station, 10 to 12 alleged militants entered Pakistan from Afghanistan to carry out attacks in Peshawar, Charsadda, Mohmand and Malakand areas. The CTD after getting intelligence report about the presence of the alleged militants launched an operation, officials said. The alleged militants instead of surrendering opened fire at the law enforcement personnel. CTD officials retaliated firing in which five alleged militants were killed, the FIR added. The rest of the alleged militants managed to escape in the cover of darkness. Three suicide jackets, three submachine guns, two pistols, two hand grenades and walkie talkie set were recovered from the possession of slain militants. The slain militants were identified as Manan and Niaz Ali from Peshawar, Adnan from Khyber District, Azizullah from Malakand District and Jamil Ahmad from Dir District.

PAKISTAN

Two JuD members jailed in terror financing case in Lahore

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on January 27 sentenced two members of the Jamaat ud Dawa (JuD) to 15 days in jail in terror financing case, reports Times of India. “The ATC in Lahore convicted JuD members Haji Iqbal and Muhammad Haris in terror financing case registered by the Federal Investigation Agency,” a court official said.

PTM chief Manzoor Pashteen arrested over sedition charges

Hours after being arrested from Peshawar on January 27, Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) chief Manzoor Pashteen was sent to Central Jail on a 14-day judicial remand by a magistrate, reports Daily Times. Police said a case was registered against the PTM chief at the City Police Station in Dera Ismail Khan on January 18 under sections 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups), 120 B (punishment of criminal conspiracy), 124 (sedition), and 123 A (condemning the creation of the country and advocating the abolishment of its sovereignty) of the Pakistan Penal Code. According to the FIR, Pashteen and other PTM leaders had attended a gathering on January 18 in Dera Ismail Khan where the PTM chief had allegedly said that the 1973 constitution violates basic human rights. The FIR added that Pashteen had also made derogatory remarks about the State of Pakistan. Police has also arrested nine other PTM workers identified as Salam, Abdul Hameed, Idrees, Bilal, Mohib, Sajjadul Hassan, Aimal, Farooq and Salman.

Pakistan closes Torkham border

Pakistan closed its border with Afghanistan for security reasons after two mortar shells fired from Afghanistan landed in Pakistani border town of Torkham, sources said on Wednesday, Jan 29. The sources said that two mortar shells were fired early in the morning from the hilly area in Afghanistan near the border. The mortars landed in Torkham in Pakistan causing partial damage to a truck parked there. No casualty was, however, reported.

Jud chief Hafiz Saeed sentenced to five and a half years in prison for terror financing

A Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on February 12 convicted Jamaat ud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed in two terror-financing cases, reports Dawn. He was slapped with a prison sentence of five-and-a-half years and a fine of PKR 15,000 in each case. The sentences of both cases will run concurrently. The court also granted him the benefit of Section 382 B of the Code of Criminal Procedure (reduction of period of sentence of imprisonment). Malik Zafar Iqbal, the secretary of Al Anfaal Trust, has also been convicted in the same cases and has been awarded similar punishment. They were convicted under the Anti-Terrorism Act Section 11 F (2) pertaining to membership, support and meetings relating to a proscribed organisation and 11 N (punishment under Sections 11 H to 11 K). Section 11 H relates to fundraising for the purpose of terrorism, 11 I is about the use and possession of money or other property for terrorism, 11 J relates to funding arrangements which result in money being made available for terrorism, while 11 K relates to money laundering. The court directed authorities to keep Saeed under custody until further orders. The verdict was announced by ATC judge Arshad Hussain Bhatta. Saeed was also present in the courtroom while the judge read out the sentence.

Religious leaders condemn jail term to Hafiz Saeed

Religious leaders have strongly condemned the sentence awarded to Jamaat Ud Dawah (juD) Ameer Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and his aide Zafar Iqbal on charges of funding terrorism and running banned organisation, terming it a move to appease FATF which would end up promoting the Indian narrative of terrorism against Pakistan.

Jamaat e Islami Secretary General Amirul Azeem termed the sentence a complete U turn from the country’s 72 years old Kashmir policy, and said it would help antagonise the oppressed Kashmiri Muslims from Pakistan despite that they had been raising slogans of Pakistan on the face of occupant Indian army which had been brutally killing and maiming them. He said it looked as if whatever Indian occupant army had been doing against Kashmiri Muslims for demanding freedom, the Pakistani government was doing the same to those who were raising their voice for supporting Kashmiris and demanding their freedom.

Talking to the media, he said sentencing Hafiz Saeed despite that no charge of terror financing could be proved before trial court was tantamount to giving up the cause of Kashmirs’ freedom which was held up by none else but the father of the nation Quaid-e-Azam. Azeem said the sentence would justify the allegations of terrorism leveled on Pakistan by Indian leadership and media. He said Hafiz Saeed had been a benefactor of Kashmiri nation, and punishing him for pleasing the western masters had bowed down entire Pakistani nation with shame.

Tanzim Islami Ameer Hafiz Akif Saeed said the shocking sentence to a person like Hafiz SAeed who had been the strongest voice for Kashmiris’ freedom was like ‘Pakistan’s shot in its own foot.’ He termed the move an attempt to please the FATF and western masters, and said it would go a long way in supporting the Indian narrative against Pakistan.

Milli Yakjehti Council (MYC) Chairman Hafiz Abul Khair Zubair said Hafiz Saeed was punished for his crime of raising voice for the freedom of Kashmir’s against the Indian occupation. He said it had only pleased India the most, while the entire Kashmiri nation was under the shock and grief.

JUP President Qari Zawwar Bahadur said sentencing a leader whom entire Kashmiri nation considered as the torch bearer of their freedom, was tantamount to stabbing the Kashmiri freedom struggle in the back.

Pakistan Ulema Council President Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi said Hafiz saeed was considered as a beacon of light of the freedom for Kashmiris, not only by the Kashmiri Muslims but also by the Pakistani nation. He said punishing him was like punishing the entire Pakistani and Kashmiri nation. Jamiat Ahle Hadith Secretary General Hafiz Ibtesam Elahi Zaheer said the judgment of anti-terrorism court would demoralise all the freedom fighters and damage the cause of Kashmir’s freedom seriously. He said it would also promote as truth the Indian negative propaganda against Pakistan.

Journalist murdered in Sindh

Mehrabpur Press Club President Aziz Memon was strangulated to death on February 16, in Naushero Feroze District of Sindh and his body was recovered from an irrigation waterway, reports Pakistan Today. The Police said that an initial investigation into his death found that he was strangulated using a wire, however, they were awaiting the post mortem report to confirm the actual cause of his death. The journalist was associated with Sindhi TV channel, KTN News, and Sindhi-language daily Kawish. According to the slain journalist’s brother, Hafiz Memon, Memon had left with his cameraman, Owais Qureshi, to cover a story in a nearby village on Sunday morning. Some hours later, his body was found, tied with an electric wire, in an irrigation outlet near the town.

CJP asks govt to make strict laws to combat cyber crimes

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed said on Feb 16 that the government needed to pay serious attention to cyber crime issues in the country by introducing strict cyber laws.

Addressing a seminar on cyber crimes, organised by the Punjab Judicial Academy at a local hotel in Lahore, the CJ said there was a general impression that cyber crimes occurred on Facebook and WhatsApp only which was wrong. The CJ said that the institutions concerned in the country should not take the cyber crime as an ordinary issue but consider it seriously to provide help to the affectees. “We need to learn to distinguish the cyber and ordinary crimes to provide relief to the victims and that too taking a quick action” he said, adding that both, positive and negative users of mobile phones and computers needed counselling.

Chief Justice Lahore High Court Mamoon Rashid Sheikh said on the occasion that Punjab Judicial Academy was the best institution which was playing its due role. “Enforcement of cyber laws in this digital era was essential,” the CJ LHC said. He said “The information technology and digital business have changed our lives.”

On this occasion, Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Ali Baqar Najfi,Justice Malik Shehzad Ahmed, Justice Mujahid Mustqeem Ahmed, Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh Advocate General Punjab Ahmed Jamal Sukhera, Director General Punjab Judicial Academy Habibullah Amir, other judges, lawyers, representatives of Forensic Agency, FIA and Punjab Police were also present.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice Chaudhry Gulzar Ahmed said that he was on a mission to improve the living standard of common people of the country and he would consume all his energies to achieve this uphill task.

Pakistan no longer a terrorist safe haven, states Prime Minister Imran Khan

Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan said on February 17, that his country is no longer a terrorist safe haven, and said his administration fully supports the Afghan peace process, reports Times of India. PM’s comments come as the United States (US) and the Taliban appear on the brink of a deal that would see US forces begin to pull out of Afghanistan. In return, the Taliban would enter talks with the Afghan Government, stick to various security guarantees and work toward an eventual, comprehensive ceasefire. “I can tell you that there are no safe havens here,” Khan said at a conference in the capital Islamabad. “Whatever the situation might have been in the past, right now, I can tell you there is one thing we want: peace in Afghanistan.” Khan’s comments came after Sarwar Danish, Afghanistan’s second vice president, accused Pakistan of allowing the Taliban to recruit new fighters from Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan. Khan was addressing a conference marking 40 years of hosting Afghan refugees in his country.

Afghanistan – Internal Dynamics

Violent attacks increased in the last quarter of 2019 as compared to 2018, reveals latest SIGAR report

Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), in its latest report, records marked increase in violent attacks in Afghanistan in the last quarter of 2019 compared with previous years, report Al Jazeera. According to a SIGAR report released on January 31, 2020; there were 8,204 attacks between October and December 2019 up from 6,974 in the same period in 2018.”A turbulent last six months resulted in increases in overall enemy attacks [6 percent] and effective attacks [4 percent] in 2019 compared to the already high levels reported in 2018,” SIGAR said in its quarterly report to the US Congress. Thirty seven percent of the attacks resulted in people being killed or injured, the report said.

Five Afghan SFs killed in an attack by Taliban militants in Kunduz Baghlan Highway

On February 2, at least five Afghan Security Force personal were killed when Taliban militants attacked security checkpoints in the Kisa Toop area in Kunduz Baghlan highway, reports Tolo News.

Taliban militants killed in Jawzjan Province

Taliban militants including their two ‘local leaders’ were killed in Jawzjan Province on February 3, reports Bakhtar News. Mohammad Hanef Rezaee, spokesman of the Shaheen 209 Army Corps, said, the Taliban including Jafar and Obaida two senior leaders of this group were killed in joint clearing operation of defense and Security Forces (SFs) in Jawzjan Sar e Pul highway. A hideout of the militants and weapons were also seized in the operation.

Religious scholar shot dead by Taliban in Herat Province

A religious scholar was shot dead by Taliban militants inside a mosque in Qados region in Kohsan District of Herat Province on February 3, reports Bakhtar News. Jelani Farhad spokesman for Herat Governor confirmed the incident and said the attackers have fled and efforts are underway to trace and detain them. Taliban have not said anything so far. 

US President Donald Trump seeks to end war in Afghanistan, according to report

On February 5, United States (US) President Donald Trump said that the US is working to finally end “America’s longest war” in Afghanistan and “bring our troops back home”, reports Tolo News. “In Afghanistan, the determination and valor of our war fighters has allowed us to make tremendous progress and peace talks are now underway,” Trump said. “I am not looking to kill hundreds of thousands of people in Afghanistan, many of them totally innocent. It is also not our function to serve other nations as law enforcement agencies,” he added.

Six persons including four Policemen killed in an explosion in Helmand Province

At least four Policemen and two civilians were killed in an explosion in Nahr-e-Saraj District in Helmand Province of Afghanistan on February 6, reports Tolo News. Two other Policemen were also injured in the blast, local officials said. The Helmand’s Governor office stated, the incident occurred after a Humvee hit a security checkpoint in the area.

Five Taliban militants killed in a premature bomb explosion in Sar e Pul Province

A premature bomb explosion killed five Taliban militants including a key sharp shooter (sniper) of the group in Sayad District in Sar-e-Pul Province of Afghanistan, reports The Khaama Press on February 9. According to a statement released by Special Operations Corps, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) went off prematurely among Taliban militants in northern Sar-e-Pul province which killed five Taliban militants, including Bismillah alias Farahuddin, one of the sharp-shooters (snipers) of the group. The Special Operations Corps also added that the explosion also destroyed a thermal rifle scope.

Taliban militants killed in separate incidents in Helmand, Kunar and Khost Provinces

Afghan Air Force, in three airstrikes, killed at least 21 Taliban militants in Nahr e Saraj District of Helmand Province, Chawkai District of Kunar Province and Nadir Shah Kot District of Khost Province in the past 24 hours of Afghanistan, reports Khaama News Agency on February 10.

Three people killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul city

On February 11 a suicide bomber detonated near the entrance of the Marshal Fahim Military Academy killing at least three people in Kabul city in Kabul Province of Afghanistan, reports Latin Times. Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi confirmed both civilian and military casualties but couldn’t provide an exact number.

Senior TTP commander Shehryar Mehsud killed in bombing in Kunar Province

A senior Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan commander, Shehryar Mehsud, was killed by a bomb in Kunar Province on February 13. A Pakistani intelligence official who confirmed the incident said Mehsud had fled to Afghanistan in 2016. It was not immediately clear who was behind the killings.

Five Army soldiers killed in Kunduz Province

At least five soldiers were killed and three others were injured in a Taliban attack on Afghan National Army (ANA) camps in Shora Khak region in Kunduz Province of Afghanistan late on February 16, reports Tolo News. The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said, the Taliban attacked a security checkpoint outside of Kunduz city and the clashes continued until 4:30 am Monday (February 17) morning. Meanwhile, the Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Taliban strongly reacts to re-election of Ghani as the President of Afghanistan

The Taliban strongly reacted to re-election of Ashraf Ghani as the President of Afghanistan, calling the election process as ‘fake and unlawful’, reports Khaama News Agency on February 18. Taliban, in a statement, said “Holding elections and announcing oneself a president under occupation shall never remedy the problems of our Muslim Afghan nation just as it has failed to do so over the past nineteen years.” Calling the re-election of Ghani as ‘unlawful’ and having no legal basis, the group further added that the announcement declaring Ghani as President ‘is also in conflict with the contents of the ongoing peace process while keeping in mind the current sensitive circumstances of the Afghan issue.’

Nearly 10,400 civilians killed, wounded in Afghanistan in 2019, reports UNAMA

The United Nations released its latest report, UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), on civilian casualties in Afghanistan, documents up to 10,400 civilian deaths and injuries during the year 2019, reports The Khaama Press on February 22. The UNAMA in a statement said “The new report documents 3,403 civilians killed and 6,989 injured, with the majority of the civilian casualties inflicted by Anti-Government elements.” UNAMA further added “It is the sixth year in a row that the number of civilian casualties has exceeded 10,000.” “The figures outlined in the new report released jointly by UNAMA and the UN Human Rights Office represent a five per cent decrease over the previous year, mainly due to a decrease in civilian casualties caused by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Khorasan Province (ISIL-KP),” the report stated. It also added “Civilian casualties caused by the other parties increased, particularly by the Taliban (21 per cent increase) and the international military forces (18 per cent increase), mainly due to an increase in improvised explosive device attacks and airstrikes.” 

Bangladesh – Internal Dynamics

Two Neo JMB cadres arrested in Khulna District

Police on January 25 arrested two cadres of militant group Neo-Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (Neo JMB) who allegedly involved in bomb attacks on a Krishak League office and a garage belonging to the law enforcers in 2019 from Gollamari area in Khulna District of Khulna Division, reports The Daily Star. The arrestees Nur Mohammad Anik (24) and Muzahidul Islam Rafi (23) are students of Khulna University and active operatives of the group, Police said. Police also recovered bomb making materials from their possession.

Chittagong counter terrorism unit to get cyber lab

With an aim to identify virtual troublemakers who spread rumors through instigating posts and videos on social media platforms, and speed up investigation, the Cyber Crime Monitoring Cell of Counter Terrorism (CT) unit of Chittagong Metropolitan Police is going to launch a Cyber Lab, reports The Daily Star on January 28. According to CT sources, the United States under its Anti Terrorism Assistance (ATA) programme will set up the lab in the port city with their own funds. Representatives of the US embassy visited the CT office in November 2019 in this regard. According to police, there are two cyber labs one in Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and other in Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTU) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). CID has a Digital Forensic Lab, which was installed in 2012 and officially inaugurated in 2017 while CTTU’s lab was set up on October 15, 2019.

Nine Allahr Dal cadres arrested in Sylhet District

Anti Terrorism Unit (ATU) of Police on January 29 arrested nine cadres of the banned militant outfit Allahr Dal from Arambagh area of Sylhet District in Sylhet Division while they were holding a clandestine meeting to take preparations for carrying out subversive activities, reports The Daily Star. The arrestees are: Manik Akand alias Mehedy Hasan (32), Jahir Uddin Babar (20), Rasel Ahmed (24), Kamal Ahmed (25), Abul Kalam Azad (20), Tomi Uddin Sumon (30), Ashraful Islam (29), Jewel Ahmed (24) and Swapan Ahmed (21).

Neo-JMB female wing ‘chief’ arrested in Dhaka city

Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police on February 4 arrested ‘chief’ of the female wing of Neo-Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (Neo JMB) from Kamalapur area of Dhaka city in Dhaka District of Dhaka Division, reports The Daily Star. Arrestee Asmani Khatun alias Asma (28) communicated with fellow militants online using different pseudonyms, said CTTC officials.

Deadly crackdown continues: BD drug kingpins surrender

Dozens of Bangladeshi drug kingpins surrendered in a meth hub along the border with Myanmar, authorities said on Tuesday, Feb 4 as fears grow over a Philippines-style violent crackdown against traffickers.

Addiction to “Yaba”, a cheap and addictive methamphetamine pill, has soared in the impoverished South Asian nation in recent years, experts say even in remote rural villages.

Authorities say the border towns have become hotspots for trafficking as Rohingya refugees 740,000 of whom fled Myanmar in 2017 following a military crackdown turn to drug smuggling to try and make ends meet. Some 21 smugglers from Teknaf a major transit point used by dealers to bring in tens of millions of yaba pills from Myanmar’s border states surrendered late on Monday, police said.

The smugglers also surrendered thousands of yaba pills as well as weapons, while swearing publicly never to smuggle or sell narcotics again.

The soaring addiction rate has sparked a Filipino-style anti-drug campaign, with security forces killing nearly 500 alleged traffickers including dozens of Rohingya refugees from May 2018, rights groups say.

Activists say many were killed in staged confrontations, where police execute unarmed suspects and later claim it as self-defence. More than 25,000 people were also arrested for allegedly taking part in drug-dealing activities.

The deadly crackdown saw 102 yaba traders surrender to the country’s home minister last February, also in Teknaf. Police said those who surrendered Monday would not escape prosection, but would be given fair opportunities to fight their cases.

JMB cadre arrested in Dhaka city

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on February 5, arrested a cadre of Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from Jatrabari area in Dhaka city of Dhaka District in Dhaka Division, reports Dhaka Tribune. The arrestee is identified as Monir Hossain alias Yasin Arafatalias Ashikur Rahman Mahi (26).

AL leader killed in Noakhali District

A local Awami League (AL) leader was killed by unidentified assailants in Companiganj upazila (sub-District) under Char Balua Police outpost in Noakhali District of Bangladesh on February 8, reports New Age. The deceased AL leader was identified as Sohorab Hossain (50), former president of Char Parboti Union Parishad, ward no. 6, of the upazila. Two others, Bahar Miah and Md Hossain, were also injured in the incident, adds Dhaka Tribune. The motive behind the murder could not be known yet.

Five Ansar al-Islam cadres arrested in Dhaka city

Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police on February 9 arrested five cadres of Ansar al-Islam from Sabujbagh area of Dhaka city in Dhaka District of Dhaka Division, reports The Daily Star. The arrestees are Nijam Uddin (21), Rayhan Bhuiyan (20), Hanif Uddin Suman (19), Sheikh Iftekharul Islam (25) and Mufti Muslim (27). The CTTC team recovered three machetes from their possession. During primary interrogation, the arrestees admitted that they came from different parts of the country to Dhaka in order to receive training and carry out subversive activities.

BD aircrew refuse to work

Aircrew from Bangladesh’s national carrier Biman have refused to work on a flight aimed at repatriating citizens from virus-hit Chinese cities, forcing the government to scrap the evacuation plan.

The South Asian nation last week evacuated 312 people, mostly students, from the epicentre of the deadly outbreak, and had planned a second flight for another 171 Bangladeshis. “We can’t bring them because we can’t send any flight,” foreign minister A.K. Abdul Momen told reporters on Saturday, Feb 8.

“No crew wants to go there. The crew who went there earlier don’t want to go either.” The outbreak, which has killed more than 800 people and infected tens of thousands across China, has spread to nearly more than two dozen other countries and sparked global concern.

There have been no cases recorded in Bangladesh. The evacuees and aircrew who returned to Dhaka on February 1 are being quarantined for 14 days at a camp usually used for Haj pilgrims. Health officials say none have tested positive for the virus.

Leading BD publisher charged under internet law

A leading Bangladesh publisher has been charged under controversial digital security laws for associating with someone suspected of spreading fake news about the prime minister and her son, an official said Wednesday, Feb 12.

Nur Mohammed, the owner of Guardian Publications, was arrested by police at his office in the capital on Monday, the company’s deputy managing director, Mahmudul Hasan, told AFP. “He has been charged under the country’s Digital Security Act,” he said.

Journalists and rights activists say the Digital Security Act passed in 2018 is a serious threat to freedom of expression in the nation of 168 million people. Under the Act, anyone can face a life jail term for “propaganda” against the nation and up to 10 years for digital content that “hurts religious sentiments” or “creates unrest”.

Odhikar, a rights group, reported at least 29 arrests last year under the law. Nur Mohammed’s arrest came after Guardian Publications was blocked from taking part in the country’s largest annual book fair, which takes place this month. Guardian Publications is a leading publisher of literature about Islamic philosophy, religion, Bangladeshi culture and history.

The company has published two books by Pinaki Bhattacharya, a leading critic of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Bhattacharya, who fled the country for France last year after security forces allegedly raided his home, condemned Mohammad’s arrest and called for his release.

Three JMB cadres arrested in Chittagong District

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Feb 15 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 confessed 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 Feb 16, reports The Daily Star. Police said the bombs were powerful enough to kill people and destroy properties in the surrounding 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.

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 Feb 16, 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 Feb 17 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 Feb 17, 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 Feb 18 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 confessed 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 Feb 22, reports The Daily Star. Police said the bombs were powerful enough to kill people and destroy properties in the surrounding 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 Dynamics

Five blasts in Assam

United Liberation Front of Assam-Independent (ULFA-I) claimed responsibility for the five blasts on January 26, reports The Sentinel. The blasts occurred at Teokghat Tiniali in Charaideo District, the second blast took place near Duliajanin Dibrugarh District, the third blast took place at Marwari patty in Dibrugarh (Dibrugarh District), the fourth blast near Circuit House in Graham Bazaar in Dibrugarh and fifth Doomdooma near 8 no bridge in Tinsukia District. Assam Tribune adds that Police found no trace of explosives in the fifth incident of explosion at Doomdooma, reports Assam Tribune. No casualties were reported in the explosions, of which two explosions were Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), adds Eastern Mirror.

Grenade explosion in Manipur

Unidentified persons exploded a grenade targeting Manipur Tribal Development Corporation (MTDC) Ltd Executive Engineer Athokpam Dorendro, at his residence in Keishamthong Thangjam Leirak in Imphal West District of Manipur, reports The Sangai Express. This was the third attack targeting the same individual. 

NSCN-IM criticises GoI

National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) on January 26 stated that there were “innumerable violation of Ceasefire Ground Rules (CFGR)” by the Government of India, reports Morung Express. NSCN-IM stated that “its security forces and its intelligence agencies particularly the National Investigation Agency (NIA)”. A press release by NSCN-IM stated that NIA has been “acting with impunity and intensified its activities particularly after the ultimatum served by the GoI interlocutor in July, 2019 and the deliberate rejection of the Framework Agreement principle wherein the sovereign rights of the Naga people to use its national flag and constitution has been officially acknowledged.” It said that the NIA has “taken recourse to India’s Law and Order against the NSCN who is having political dialogue with the GoI.” NSCN-IM also added that “We doubt the sincerity of the GoI in concluding an acceptable and honourable political solution considering its carrot and stick policy. It is only when the GoI starts respecting its commitment, not otherwise, can the political dialogue move forward in the spirit of mutual trust and understanding.”

ULFA-I to join talks only if ‘sovereignty’ was main agenda, states ULFA-I ‘chief’ Paresh Baruah

United Liberation Front of Assam-Independent (ULFA-I) ‘chief’ Paresh Baruah on January 28, stated that the outfit would only join talks if sovereignty was the main agenda, reports Hindustan Times. In a telephonic interview, he said the outfit would join talks only if there are no formalities, talks are held in an atmosphere of trust and sovereignty was the ‘one point agenda’ on the table. He stated, “We are demanding sovereignty and that is the one point agenda for us. It should be on the negotiating table. There is no need to go to Delhi for discussions, we would want the talks to be held in Assam”. Outlook adds that Paresh Baruah stated that if the Indian Government conveys even in a one-line communication that they are ready for talks on all issues, including the core issue of sovereignty of Assam, we have no hesitation to sit for talks. We will send a delegation”.

Protest against CAA continues across Upper Assam\

Protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) continued across Upper Assam on January 28, reports The Telegraph. In Dibrugarh district, the All Assam Sonowal Kachari Students’ Union, along with other organisations, staged a sit-in at Moran while the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) staged a sit in at Naharkatia. The AASU also staged a sit in in Tinsukia and Jorhat Districts with the support of various organisations, civil society groups and cultural activists.

An anti-CAA Human chain formed to protest in Assam

On February 3, various organisations and citizens came together to form a human chain to register their protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in Tinsukia District of Assam, reports East Mojo. The chain extended from Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) bus stand towards SKF Police point on one side and around 200 meters on another side started with rounds of slogans against both the governments in Centre and State. Earlier, a similar human chain which extended to a few kilometres had been organised at Makum in Tinsukia District on February 1.

On February 4, All Assam Student’s Union (AASU) Sivasagar District unit held a massive protest rally against CAA, organised in Sivasagar Boarding Field in Sivasagar District, reports The Assam Tribune. In the rally, AASU president Dipankar Nath clarified that the present movement is not against any particular Indian community but against illegal Bangladeshis. 

Weapons recovered during anti-Maoist operation in Odisha

Arms and ammunitions have been recovered from Communist Party of India Maoist hideouts over a recent period of time in joint operations by the Odisha Police, Border Security Force (BSF), CoBRA Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and Andhra Pradesh Police in Swabhiman Anchal (earlier known as cutoff area) of Malkangiri District of Odisha, reports The Pioneer on February 8. The seizures include three light machine guns, three INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) assault rifles, six carbine Sten guns, 5 Self Loading Rifles (SLR) , two.303 rifle, one pistol, 602 rounds of 5.6 mm ammunition, 59 rounds of 7.62 ammunition, 42 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 4 Light Machine Gun (LMG) magazines, eight INSAS magazines, two SLR magazines, six carbine magazines, one 303 magazine, two VHF set cum scanner, one optical sight and a tiffin bomb along with explosive. This was one of the biggest counter-Leftwing extremist operations in the area that was underway to provide security cover for road construction in the region, which was opposed by the Maoists, informed Director General of Police (DGP), Abhay. “We suspect that the arms and ammunitions were hidden by Maoists of the Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC). Combing and area domination exercises have been intensified further in the region to recover more such Maoist hideouts, if any,” the DGP added.

Three persons including two CRPF personnel killed in Chhattisgarh

Two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and a Communist Party of India-Maoist cadre were killed an exchange of fire between CRPF personnel and Maoists in a forested area at Irapalli village under Pamed Police Station limits in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on February 10, reports The Times of India. Six other CRPF personnel, including an officer, were also injured in the encounter. According to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Sundarraj P., separate teams of Security Forces (SFs) comprising the 151st and 204th battalions of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), had launched a counter-insurgency operation in the Maoist core areas of Sukma and Bijapur Districts on February 9. On the following day, personnel of the CoBRA, while advancing through the said forested area came under fire from the Maoists, triggering a gun-battle between the two sides, the IGP said, adding that two constables were killed in the gunfight, while six others sustained injuries. The body of a slain Maoist along with a weapon was recovered from the encounter spot, said the IGP, adding that the identity of the deceased was yet to be ascertained.

Asom Songrami Mancha submits a petition to UNHCR to evaluate the validity of CAA 2019

The Asom Songrami Mancha (ASM), A newly-formed political party in Assam, has petitioned the United Nation’s High Commission for Human Rights (UNHCR) for evaluating the compliance of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) to the international human right instruments and its validity under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, reports The Hindu on February 14. ASM had on February 5 sent formal letters separately to the High Commissioner of the Geneva-based UN High Commission for Human Rights (UNHCR), its Chief of Mission in India and the Chairperson of the Indigenous Peoples and Development Branch of the UN’s Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (SPFII). ASM president Diganta Konwar, its working president Adip Kumar Phukan and three others said their petition was in view of the “grave danger” from the recently promulgated the CAA “to the identity and existence of the indigenous people” of Northeast India, specifically Assam.

Two BSF personnel killed in IED blast

A Border Security Force (BSF) Assistant Commandant Gajender Singh and Constable Amresh Kumar were killed when Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres triggered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in the Kilenar village forest area under the Rowghat Police Station limits in Kanker District on Feb 16, reports The Hindu. The incident took place at around 4 pm in the Kilenar village forest under the Rowghat Police Station limits when a joint team of the BSFs 134th battalion and District Force was out on an anti Naxal [Left Wing Extremism (LWE)] operation, Inspector General of Police (IGP, Bastar range), Vivekanand Sinha said. “When the patrolling team was 10 km inside the forest of Kilenar, the ultras triggered improvised explosive device (IED) blasts and also opened indiscriminate firing on them, which led to an exchange of fire,” Deputy IGP, (north Bastar range), Ratan Lal Dangi said. The Naxals fled from the spot after a prolonged gunfight, he said. Forces have been rushed to the spot, and the bodies of the two BSF personnel were being evacuated from the forest, he added.

Two CoBRA commandos killed in Chhattisgarh

A commando of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was killed and another was injured in an exchange of fire with the cadres of Communist Party of India-Maoist in a forested area near Palodi village under Kistaram Police Station limits in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh on February 18, reports Indian Express.

Meanwhile, a CoBRA commando of the CRPF, who was injured in an exchange of fire with Maoists in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on February 10, succumbed to his injuries in Raipur District on February 18, reports The Times of India.

Maoists blow up Jain building in Jharkhand

Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres blew up a Jain Sauravanchal building at Madhuwan area in Giridih District of Jharkhand on February 23, reports The Pioneer. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Niraj Kumar said, a group of Maoists triggered a blast at Parasnath in Giridih District late last night destroying the Jain building. According to reports, Maoist have also pasted posters in area calling for a Police boycott. Around 25 Maoists assembled at the Jain building early morning around 2 am about 500 meters away from Madhuwan Police Station and blew it up by planting dynamite. It was believed that the Maoists carried out the operation after coming to know about the State’s plan to set up a Police picket there.

Maoists pamphlets opposing US President Donald Trump’s visit found in Chhattisgarh

Communist Party of India-Maoist pamphlets opposing US President Donald Trump’s two day visit to India surfaced on National Highway (NH) 63 on Madded Bhopalpatnam stretch in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on February 24, reports Telangana Today. In the pamphlets, the Maoists accused Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister (UHM) Amit Shah of plotting to divide the nation on the lines of religion, language and culture. Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) were against the interests of the masses. The Maoists also objected scrapping of Article 370 and dividing Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) into parts. The moves were aimed at building ‘Akhand Bharath’ (Undivided India) based on religion and language and in line with the ideas of Brahminical Hindu Fascism, the pamphlets read. 

Three SF personnel injured in Chhattisgarh

Three Security Force (SF) personnel were injured during an encounter between the SFs and armed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres in Abujmarh forest at Dantewada District on February 27, reports UNI. The injured SFs, identified as Sunil Nag, Somdu and Ravindra Yadav were airlifted and admitted to a private hospital, where their condition was stated to be stable. The CPI-Maoist cadres were hiding on a hill top, triggered a landmine blast and opened indiscriminate firing on the SFs. A joint anti-Naxal [Left Wing Extremism (LWE)] operation was launched in Abujmarh forest, under Barsur Police Station area by Narayanpur and Dantewada Police, along with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), said Superintendent of Police (SP) KL Kashyap.

Monthly Fatalities

The following casualties, related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism occurred during the period Jan 26, 2020 to Feb 25, 2020:

	Civilian	Indian Security  Personnel	Militant	Total
Assam	04	00	02	06
Manipur	03	00	01	04
Left Wing	04	02	01	07
Total	11	02	04	17

Nepal – Internal Dynamics

Freedom of expression is under attack and transitional justice stalled in Nepal, says Amnesty International

Amnesty International in its annual human rights report on January 30 said that freedom of expression is under attack and transitional justice stalled in Nepal, reports Kathmandu Post. The rights group has pointed out that the Government made arbitrary arrests of journalists for criticising the Government and individuals online. It has also criticised the attempts of incumbent KP Sharma Oli administration for introducing different laws that are targeted at curtailing the right to freedom of expression. The apathy of the Government towards providing justice to the thousands of victims of decade-long Maoist insurgency and the cases of extra-judicial killings also has found the place in the report. 

Four international rights bodies warn conflict victims could seek justice in foreign courts

Four international human rights organisations International Commission of Jurists, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and TRIAL International on January 25 warned that conflict victims could seek justice in foreign courts, reports Kathmandu Post. They said that recent decisions by the Nepali Government and political parties to appoint officials to the transitional justice commissions without proper consultations and to nominate a murder accused as House Speaker undermined the transitional justice process.

Meanwhile, unconvinced by the Government’s approach to the transitional justice process, conflict victims have threatened to invite the international community including the United Nations to intervene in the ‘botched’ justice process, reports Republica on January 27. Bhagiram Chaudhary, the president of the Conflict Victims’ Common Platform (CVCP), an umbrella organization of conflict victims, said “By ignoring our plea to revise the TJ law before appointing commissioners in the two commissions, the government has repeated the same old mistake. So, we will continue our protest against the botched TJ process. We will ask the United Nations and other countries that are committed to human rights to intervene in the TJ process if the government continues to undermine our voices.”

Constitution amendment is essential in achieving goal of ethnic liberation, NCP Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal

Chairperson of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Pushpa Kamal Dahal speaking during an oath taking ceremony of the party’s sister organization Federation of Indigenous Nationalities Nepal in the capital Kathmandu on January 27 said that the constitution amendment is essential in achieving the goal of ethnic liberation, reports Republica. Dahal said “Suppressed class, marginalized groups and communities are still not completely liberated; therefore their concerns will be addressed through constitution amendment after having a broader national political consensus. Although we have got a victory in the battle against feudalism and capitalism, there is still a long way to go for winning the fight against equality. And, for which the national unity is essential. NCP is all committed to ensuring the rights of people by eliminating all forms of prevailing disparities in the country. Unity with diversity can’t be maintained in the country until and unless rights are equally provided.”

CPN-Maoist-Chand ‘District Secretary’ arrested in Bhaktapur District

Police on January 21 arrested Bhuwan Singh Tamang (44), Sindhupalchowk ‘District Secretary’ of Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist-Chand) while he was extorting money from businessmen at Chardobato Chowk of Madhyapurthimi in Bhaktapur District of Province No. 3, reports Republica.

Freedom of expression is under attack and transitional justice stalled in Nepal, says Amnesty International

Amnesty International in its annual human rights report on January 30 said that freedom of expression is under attack and transitional justice stalled in Nepal, reports Kathmandu Post. The rights group has pointed out that the Government made arbitrary arrests of journalists for criticising the Government and individuals online. It has also criticised the attempts of incumbent KP Sharma Oli administration for introducing different laws that are targeted at curtailing the right to freedom of expression. The apathy of the Government towards providing justice to the thousands of victims of decade-long Maoist insurgency and the cases of extra-judicial killings also has found the place in the report. 

Two Police personnel injured in attack in Sindhupalchok District

Two Police personnel were injured as a Police post came under attack by a group of youths in Sindhupalchok District in Province No. 3 of Nepal on February 7, reports The Himalayan Times. A group of around 10 to 12 persons came on motorcycles at the post and attacked the Police personnel stationed at Khalde Police post, Melamchi Police Inspector Fal Bahadur Tamang, said. One of the attackers Som Thing of Sunkhani in Sindhupalchok has been arrested while investigation into the incident is underway, Police Inspector Tamang said.

CPN-Maoist-Chand ‘provincial leader’ arrested in Saptari District

Police arrested a ‘provincial leader’ of the Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist-Chand) from Shreepur in Saptari District of Province No. 2 on February 12, reports The Himalayan Times. The arrestee is Province 2 bureau member Indal Prasad Sah (34). He was arrested when he was collecting donations from a local resident of Shreepur.

CIEDP making final-round probe into disappearance cases, says report

As part of final efforts to resolve the Maoist insurgency-era disappearance cases, the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) is launching an additional probe into 2,000 cases including those related to the infamous Bhairavnath Battalion, reports Republica on February 19. “Five separate committees headed by commissioners are now studying the 2,000 cases while separate probes will reach out to the families of the disappeared in the remaining 506 cases which were filed from 11 different districts. They are heading to Rolpa and Khara in Rukum soon. The commission will revisit files prepared after the detailed investigations process and expedite further investigations,” said Nirajan Ghimire, an investigation officer at the commission adding that the commissioners have already started on this work.

Meanwhile, the attempt of the CIEDP to engage with the conflict victims has faced a setback as they are not ready to cooperate with the transitional justice commissions until an amendment to Enforced Disappeared Enquiry and Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act, 2014, reports Kathmandu Post on February 19. “We have started a non cooperation movement against the commissions until the proper laws are in place,” said Gopal Shah, chairperson of the Conflict Victims National Network (CVNN).

Twelve construction vehicles set ablaze in separate incidents in Doti District

Twelve construction vehicles were set ablaze by unidentified groups in two different locations of Doti District of Province No. 7 in Nepal on February 19, reports The Himalayan Times. According to Superintendent of Police (SP), Dilip Singh Deuba, at Doti District Police Office, an excavator, belonging to Dusan Company was set on fire in Chhapali of Sayal Rural Municipality-1. Similarly, a dozer, belonging to Ontinetal Trading Enterprise, Kathmandu, parked at Kandisyaule of Adarsha Rural Municipality-3, was also set on fire by an unidentified group. The Netra Bikram Chanda (Biplav)-led Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-Maoist-Chand) has been suspected for the simultaneous arson attacks. However, Biplav-led CPN’s Doti In-charge has denied any involvement in the incidents, claiming that this was a conspiracy against the party.

CIEDP members inspect Bhairavnath Battalion in Kathmandu District

Members of the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) on February 23 inspected Nepal Army’s Bhairavnath Batallion and its bases at Shivapuri in Kathmandu District of Province No. 3 where at least 49 Maoist insurgents were allegedly killed by the Army in 2003, reports Republica. CIEDP chief Yubaraj Subedi, members Bishwa Prakash Bhandari, Gangadhar Adhikari, Sunil Ranjan Singh and Sarita Thapa and secretary Krishna Ghimire had inspected the bases. The inspection, according to the officials, was conducted as part of the final round of investigation from the commission before prosecuting those involved in abducting and disappearing the arrestees from the barracks during the decade-long Maoist insurgency.

Sri Lanka – Internal Dynamics

OHCHR ready to provide technical support to Sri Lanka in drafting legislation

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on January 31 agreed to provide technical assistance to Sri Lanka in drafting legislation during discussions with Sri Lanka’s Minister of Justice, reports Colombo Page. An OHCHR delegation comprising Mona Rishmawi, Chief of the Rule of Law, Equality and Non-Discrimination Branch in the United Nations Human Rights (UNHRC), Rory Mungoven, Francesca Marotta and Raghu Menon met with the Minister of Justice, Human Rights and Law Reform Nimal Siripala de Silva at the Ministry. During the meeting, the delegation discussed the manner in which the supremacy of law is practiced in the Sri Lankan Judicial System.

Sri Lankan Government declined national anthem in Tamil at Independence Day

Sri Lanka’s Government declined to sing the national anthem in Tamil, the country’s second national language, during the island’s Independence Day celebrations on February 4, a departure from the previous Government which sang the anthem in the country’s two primary languages to promote ethnic harmony in the aftermath of a decades-long civil war, reports Washington Post. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said in his speech, “I have the vision that I must serve as the leader of the country looking after all citizens rather than serve as a political leader concerned only about a particular community. As the President today, I represent the entire Sri Lankan nation irrespective of ethnicity, religion, party affiliation or other differences.” Tamil politicians had requested Rajapaksa to continue the practice of singing the Tamil translation of the national anthem recognized by the constitution in order to give the Tamil community a sense of belonging to the country after decades of estrangement with the state.

US bans visits by Sri Lanka Army Chief over war crimes

The United States (US) on February 14 banned the entry to Sri Lanka’s Army chief over what it said “credible” evidence of human rights violations in the 2009 finale to the civil war in Sri Lanka, reports Daily Mirror. The Department of State said that it has designated Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, current Commander of the Sri Lanka Army and Acting Chief of Defence Staff, “as required under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, due to credible information of his involvement, through command responsibility, in gross violations of human rights, namely extrajudicial killings, by the 58th Division of the Sri Lanka Army during the final phase of Sri Lanka’s Civil War in 2009”.

Sri Lanka is committed to chart own path for sustainable reconciliation, says Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative UN

Kshenuka Senewiratne, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations (UN) in New York while making a statement at the UN Security Council Open Debate on ‘Peacebuilding and sustaining peace: Transitional justice in conflict and post-conflict situations’ on February 13 said Sri Lanka is committed to chart own path for sustainable reconciliation, reports Colombo Page. “Sri Lanka is committed, to find innovative and pragmatic solutions driven by the domestic context to protect the country’s national interest guided by the provisions of the Constitution, and the will of the citizens expressed through democratic means. As a sovereign State, Sri Lanka will continue to establish its own priorities towards this end. In our experience, while certain lessons can be learnt from others, it is imperative to chart our own path to reconciliation in order for it to be sustainable,” the envoy said.

Special Task Force appointed to monitor probe on Easter Sunday attacks

A Special Task Force has been appointed on the instructions of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to monitor the progress and to ensure the speedy execution of investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks (April 21, 2019), reports Daily Mirror on February 22. The Task Force is overseen by the Defence Secretary, Major General (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne and the members of the Task Force are, Chief National Intelligence (Chairman), Director-State Intelligence Service, Director General-Military Intelligence, Deputy Inspector General-Criminal Investigation Department, Director-Counter Terrorism and Investigation Division and Director Legal-Sri Lanka Police. A senior official said that the Task Force is to meet on a weekly basis to discuss and monitor the progress of the ongoing investigation to include scrutinization of information/ evidence, collection of new information/evidence and requirement for arrests and detention of suspects.

Government to seek other countries support to quit UNHRC Accountability Resolution on Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan Government, on February 19, said that it would seek the support of other countries to withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Resolution on Sri Lanka, which was co-sponsored by the previous Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration, reports The Island. While absolving former President and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) leader Maithripala Sirisena of any blame, Media and Higher Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena told the weekly Cabinet Press Briefing at the Information Department, that the responsibility for Sri Lanka co-sponsoring the March 2019 UNHRC Resolution 40/L.1 entitled, “Promoting Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights of Sri Lanka”, had to be borne solely by the UNP (United National Party), which was a leading member of the then national Government.

Ex-LTTE members form new party

A group of rehabilitated ex-Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) members formed a new political party with the hope of contesting the General Elections, reports Daily Mirroron February 25. The party’s media spokesperson M.A. Yogeshwaran said that the party which had been registered as ‘The Vanni Tamil People Union’ included 13 ex-LTTE members. Many youths from universities and professionals including engineers and doctors have obtained membership of this party.

Few Tamil politicians still propagate LTTE separatist ideology, says Defense Secretary Major General (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne

Defense Secretary Major General (Retd) Kamal Gunaratneon February 25 said that few Tamil politicians still propagate Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) separatist ideology, reports Colombo Page. The Defense Secretary said although the Sri Lankan military had completely defeated LTTE terrorism militarily 10 years ago, the challenge of defeating its separatist ideology still remains as some Tamil politicians were attempting to propagate it in the minds of Tamil people. “The innocent Tamil people who were battered under LTTE terrorism do not want a separate country but some Tamil politicians want devolution of power,” he said.

INTERNATIONAL

Syrian regime forces set to enter Idlib

Syrian regime forces were poised on Monday, Jan 27 to soon enter Maaret al-Numan, a town of symbolic and strategic importance that is deserted after months of bombardment, in the country’s last major opposition bastion.

Maaret al-Numan is a strategic prize lying on the M5 highway linking Damascus to Syria’s second city Aleppo, a main artery coveted by the regime. It is also the second biggest city in the beleaguered northwestern province of Idlib, the last stronghold of anti-regime forces and home to some three million people half of them displaced by violence in other areas.

Damascus loyalists have since Friday seized around 14 towns and villages around the city, reaching its eastern outskirts, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Monday. They have also cut a section of the M 5 highway leading north from Maaret al Numan to Idlib city, according to the Observatory and the pro-government Al-Watan newspaper.

Retaking full control of the highway is essential to the government’s efforts to rekindle a moribund economy. The fighting has forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee their homes, with hundreds of vehicles on Monday packing a road leading out of the flashpoint region under heavy bombardment. “Maaret al-Numan is nearly besieged,” said Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman, explaining that regime forces were now stationed south, east and north of the city.

China becomes world’s second biggest weapons producer

The opaque Chinese arms industry has made the Asian nation the world’s second largest producer of munitions, a clear shift from a decade ago when China relied on imports, researchers said in a new report Monday, Jan 27.

The report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) suggests that China’s weapons production, which has previously been shrouded in mystery owing to a lack of transparency, has grown as three of the world’s top 10 arms companies are Chinese. The report notes however that the lack of transparency remains an “important caveat” when studying the Chinese arms industry

The vast majority of the estimated $70-$80 billion (63 to 72 billion euros) worth of Chinese munitions sold every year are bought by the different branches of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). This still represents a dramatic shift over the last 10 years as China in the past was a big importer of weapons from Russia and Ukraine.

Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country’s largest arms company, for instance, mostly produces aircraft and avionics, while most large non-Chinese producers cover a wide range of military products.

SIPRI researchers have previously struggled to obtain reliable data on the size of the Chinese arms industry, since the producers are all state-owned entities. “Everything is locked under the term national security,” Tian said.

In the report the researchers have looked into four specific Chinese companies, all of which rank among the world’s top 20, and say that with an increase in the available data on these companies “it is now possible to develop reasonably reliable estimates of the scale of the Chinese arms industry.”

Pro-Haftar ‘UAE drone’ shot down

Libya’s unity government said on Tuesday, Jan 28 it had shot down an Emirati supplied drone operated by forces led by eastern commander Khalifa Haftar near Misrata in western Libya.

The Tripoli based Government of National Accord said its “anti-aircraft defences” had shot down the drone east of Misrata, Libya’s third largest city.

That came days after the United Nations slammed “continued blatant violations” of a 2011 arms embargo, despite world leaders committing in mid-January to upholding the blockade. The GNA on Tuesday posted images on Facebook showing what appeared to be a Chinese-made Wing Loong drone.

Experts say Haftar has procured a number of the aircraft from his main backer, the United Arab Emirates. Haftar, who controls much of eastern and southern Libya, launched an offensive in April to seize the capital Tripoli, in the country’s northwest, from the GNA. His advance stalled on the edge of the capital, but in early January he captured the strategic coastal city of Sirte. On Sunday his forces clashed with those of the GNA in the Abu Grein region, on the road west from Sirte towards Misrata, the hometown of many of the forces backing the GNA.

The advanced UAE-supplied drones have given Haftar an advantage in the skies. Turkey has supplied the GNA with Bayraktar drones, but they have proven less sophisticated and prone to being shot down by Haftar’s forces.

Militia clashes kill 50 in C Africa town

Central African Republic: Clashes between rival armed groups in Bria, a strategic town in eastern Central African Republic, have left dozens dead, a senior official said on Tuesday, Jan 28.

More than two-thirds of the former French colony lies in the hands of armed groups, who typically claim ethnic or religious affiliations and often fight over mineral resources.

“There are about 50 dead. Some bodies were immediately buried by relatives, so it is difficult to give a precise figure,” said the prefect of Haute Kotto department, Evariste Binguinidji. After mediation with UN peacekeeping forces sent to the area, “the town is calm. The armed groups have withdrawn their men from the town centre and displaced people have started to return,” he said.

Deeply poor despite its mineral wealth, the CAR has been in the grip of militia violence since 2013. Bria is the main town in a diamond rich region. It has been ravaged by long-standing violence and parts of it are pockmarked or in ruins.

Violence erupted there at the weekend between “ethnic groups”, the spokesman for the UN peacekeeping force in CAR, Vladimir Monteiro said on Sunday. It followed a local split several months ago within a militia called the Popular Front for the Rebirth of the Central African Republic (FPRC), several sources in Bria said.

US plane crash in Afghanistan: CIA agent involved in Soleimani’s killing among dead

Iranian media outlets claim “many CIA” officers were killed in a plane crash in Afghanistan on Jan 29. The Taliban initially asserted large numbers of Americans were killed, and Russian media and Iranian media then said a senior CIA officer responsible for killing IRGC Gen. Qasem Soleimani was on board.

The claim has been greeted with skepticism. Michael D’Andrea’s name began to appear in Farsi media in the wake of the Soleimani killing when articles at Mehr News and Radio Farda claimed he was involved in planning the US operation. Later, on January 27, his name appeared again in rumors after the plane crash, reported foreign media on Wednesday. There are many who might have an interest in spreading conspiracies about the Taliban downing high-ranking US intelligence officers. Nevertheless, Iran’s News Agency ran with the story, quoting Russian sources that said the “assassin of Soleimani was on the plane and [was] killed in the crash.” It claims that D’Andrea “is the most prominent figure in the US CIA in the Middle East. He has been in charge of operations in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.”

The Taliban was quoted as saying it had shot down the plane. Iranian news agency refers to D’Andrea as “Ayatollah Mike” and “the Prince of Darkness,” relying on old US newspaper clippings. Press TV of Iran has also included the report, claiming top CIA officers were killed and repeating rumors about D’Andrea. But the original reports from the Taliban only spoke of a plane being shot down and some CIA members allegedly being on it. The US says an American E 11A plane was shot down in Ghazni province, around 900 km from the Iranian border. Linking its downing to the Soleimani killing would be a major development and appear to show that Iran is active in Afghanistan with the Taliban, a claim that has been made in the past. Iran watches US movements in Afghanistan carefully and has met with the Taliban recently. Iran has also tried to down US drones that stray near Iran’s border.

Yemeni rebels ‘attack’ Saudi oil facilities

Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels said on Wednesday, Jan 29 they had launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi targets, including oil facilities belonging to the energy giant Aramco.

Huthi forces attacked “Aramco (facilities) in Jizan, Abha and Jizan airports, Khamis Mushait base and vital targets deep inside Saudi Arabia with a large number of missiles and drones,” spokesman Yahya al-Saree told a press conference in the capital Sanaa.

Saree did not specify when the strikes were carried out and neither Aramco nor the Saudi-led coalition backing the Yemeni government immediately responded to requests for confirmation.

Saree said the attacks were “in retaliation for the escalation of air strikes by the enemy” during the recent fierce fighting between government and rebel troops to the north and east of Sanaa.

Attacks on Aramco oil facilities last September caused massive damage, halving the kingdom’s crude output temporarily and creating havoc on global oil markets. The Huthis claimed responsibility for those strikes, but the United States said the attacks involved cruise missiles from Iran and amounted to “an act of war”. Iran denied any involvement.

New US sanctions will have no effect: Iran

New American sanctions against Iran’s nuclear programme will have “no effect”, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Friday, Jan 31. Washington announced new sanctions on Thursday against the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran and its head Ali Akbar Salehi.

Brian Hook, the US pointman on Iran, accused them of playing “a big role in Iran breaching its key nuclear commitments” and exceeding “the limits on its uranium stockpile and enrichment levels”. In a statement, Mousavi said “Mr Salehi is an eminent scientific and political figure” and sanctions against him showed the “despair” of the United States.

The sanctions would have “no impact on the progress of the peaceful nuclear programme of the Islamic republic of Iran,” Mousavi added.

The government of US President Donald Trump accuses Iran of attempting to acquire nuclear weapons, something Tehran denies. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araqchi also said on Friday that Washington’s move to impose sanctions on the AEOI chief only proves its desperation and anger at the White House’s failed ‘maximum pressure’ policy.

In a post on his Instagram account, Araqchi hailed Salehi as a prominent political figure and an eminent scientist of Iran’s nuclear know-how and said, “Our country’s nuclear science today is taking the highest scientific and practical steps under his management.” He pointed to Iran’s recent steps to reduce its nuclear commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). “Contrary to what some have claimed, not only all nuclear capabilities (including enrichment and heavy water) remain intact, but today Iran’s capabilities in the field of peaceful nuclear technology are not essentially comparable with era before the JCPOA.”

Erdogan hits out at Arab ‘treason’ over Trump plan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, Jan 31 blasted several Arab countries for backing a Middle East peace plan unveiled by the United States, condemning it as “treason.”

“Some Arab countries that support such a plan commit treason against Jerusalem, as well as against their own people, and more importantly against all humanity,” Erdogan told his party’s provincial heads in Ankara.

Erdogan, a strong advocate of Palestinian rights, singled out Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman. “Saudi Arabia in particular, you are silent. When will you break your silence? You look at Oman, Bahrain, and Abu Dhabi is the same,” he said.

“Shame on you! Shame on you! How will those hands that applaud (the plan) give an account of this treacherous step?” US President Donald Trump on Tuesday unveiled the details of the long-awaited plan aimed at resolving the Israeli Palestinian conflict.

Ambassadors of Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain were at the White House event in Washington. The three countries do not recognise Israel as a legitimate state.

Turkey’s relations with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi deteriorated after the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul. Ankara has repeatedly claimed the Washington Post columnist was killed on the orders of the Saudi leadership, which has denied involvement.

Erdogan warned that everyone would be responsible for the “grave consequences” of any step that encourages Israel, which he called a “rogue state” and a “terror state.” “The key to peace today, as it has been for thousands of years, is al-Quds,” he said.

The Turkish leader also said he would speak with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hit out at the Damascus regime’s “cruelty”, warning Turkey was prepared to use “military force” again in Syria. “We will not allow the regime’s cruelty towards its own people, with attacks and causing bloodshed,” Erdogan said.

Earlier this week, Erdogan offered rare criticism of Russia, accusing Moscow of “not honouring” agreements made with Ankara to prevent a regime offensive on Idlib. Despite Russia assisting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Turkey supporting opposition fighters, Ankara and Moscow have worked closely to try to resolve the nine year war.

Yemen’s Huthi rebels in possession of new arms: UN

Yemen’s Huthi rebels are in possession of new weapons similar to those produced in Iran, according to a UN report obtained by AFP on Friday, Jan 31 in potential violation of a UN arms embargo. Some of the new weapons, which the rebels have possessed since 2019, “have technical characteristics similar to arms manufactured in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” said the report, which was compiled by a panel of UN experts tasked with monitoring the embargo.

The panel didn’t say whether the weapons were delivered to the Huthis directly by the Iranian government, which has repeatedly denied sending them arms. “In addition to the previously known weapon systems, they used a new type of Delta design uncrewed aerial vehicle and a new model of land attack cruise missile,” the document said.

The weapons, as well as commercially available parts constituting some of the weapons, potentially violated the embargo, according to the document.

The experts separately added that the Huthi rebels’ claim that they carried out the attacks against two key Saudi oil installations on September 14 was “unlikely”. Several countries, including the United States, have ruled out the Huthis’ ability to conduct such an attack, and instead accused Iran, which has denied involvement.

The panel additionally said that it had identified a “Huthi network involved in the repression of women who oppose the Huthis, including through the use of sexual violence.” “Violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law continued to be widely committed by all parties in Yemen with impunity,” the report said.

The war in Yemen has claimed tens of thousands of lives, most of them civilians, according to non-governmental groups.

London police kill man after ‘Islamist-related’ terror stabbings

British police on Sunday, Feb 2 shot dead a man in London wearing a “hoax device” and suspected of stabbing two people, leaving one of them with life-threatening injuries, in an “Islamist-related” terrorist incident.

The Metropolitan Police said armed officers responded immediately “as part of a proactive counter terrorism operation” when they shot the attacker, who was declared dead at the scene a busy south London street packed with Sunday shoppers.

An eye-witness described seeing a man “with a machete and silver canisters on his chest” fleeing from police before they opened fire.

Sunday’s events in Streatham, a largely residential neighbourhood in the capital, came just over two months after a convicted terrorist on early release from prison was shot dead by police on London Bridge after he stabbed two people to death.

The government responded by announcing longer sentences for terrorism offences, an end to early release and an increase in the counter-terrorism police budget in the coming financial year.

The latest attack unfolded at around 2:00 pm (1400 GMT) on Streatham High Road, a busy thoroughfare lined with shops. The Met said a device was found strapped to the suspect’s body and, after cordons were put in place, “it was quickly established that this was a hoax device”.

Russia not target: Nato

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg insisted on Monday, Feb 3 that a massive transfer of US and allied troops to Eastern Europe as part of a military exercise was not aimed at Russia. About 37,000 soldiers from 18 countries are to participate in the US-run manoeuvre dubbed Defender Europe 2020.

This is “the largest deployment of US troops to Europe in more than 25 years,” Stoltenberg told AFP. The exercise “shows the strong US commitment to Nato and to the freedom and security of Europe,” he added. The exercise will take place in May and June, mainly in Germany, Poland and the Baltic States. The US will move 20,000 soldiers to Europe in the coming months.

“Defender Europe is not directed against any particular country,” Stoltenberg said. “This defensive exercise demonstrates the ability to rapidly move a large force from the United States to Europe to help protect other Nato Allies, if needed,” he said.

EU rejects Trump Middle East peace plan, annexation

The European Union rejected parts of the new US peace plan for the Middle East on Tuesday, Feb 4 saying the plan broke with “internationally agreed parameters”, and any Israeli annexation of Palestinian land would be subject to challenge.

President Donald Trump’s plan, announced last week, was warmly welcomed by Israel and rejected outright by the Palestinians. It would give Israel most of what it has sought during decades of conflict, including nearly all Palestinian land on which it has built settlements, reported a British wire service.

The EU, which often takes time to respond to international developments because of a need for unanimity among its 27 members, had said last week that it needed to study the Trump plan before it would give its verdict.

It made its conclusions public on Tuesday in a statement from EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. “To build a just and lasting peace, the unresolved final status issues must be decided through direct negotiations between both parties,” Borrell said, noting the issues of the borders of a Palestinian state and the final status of Jerusalem were among those still in dispute.

“The US initiative, as presented on 28 January, departs from these internationally agreed parameters,” Borrell said. Steps by Israel to annex Palestinian territory, “if implemented, could not pass unchallenged,” Borrell said.

The EU condemned Trump’s decision in 2017 to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, saying Washington had compromised its position as a mediator for peace.

Romania’s pro-EU govt falls after three months

Romania’s pro-European government collapsed in a parliamentary no-confidence vote on Wednesday, Feb 5 after only three months in office, bringing the EU member closer to early elections.

A total of 261 of 465 MPs voted in favour of a motion against the minority government led by Ludovic Orban, which took over in November. “The Orban government fell. It’s a very big step for Romanian democracy,” said Marcel Ciolacu, leader of the opposition Social Democrats (PSD), which had launched the motion.

The move was triggered by Orban’s attempt to change the law for local elections, which the PSD saw as a threat to its chances in a poll due in June. Orban had wanted to reintroduce a two-round voting system, but the change will no longer be implemented.

Paradoxically, the government’s collapse might benefit Orban’s National Liberal Party (PNL), which wants early polls in the hope of capitalising on a series of victories in the past year.

A recent opinion poll suggested PNL was riding high, with 47 percent support compared with 20 percent for PSD. “We’ll land on our feet. We were judged by a toxic alliance that lost people’s support,” Orban told reporters after the vote on Wednesday.

President Klaus Iohannis must now appoint a new prime minister, who in turn must try to assemble a majority, unlikely to be easy in a fragmented parliament.

Iohannis, a vocal PSD critic, said he would consult with political parties on Thursday to appoint a new prime minister although he supported early elections. A snap poll “is the best solution,” he said, accusing the PSD of having “blocked reforms” during its three years in power.

NGOs warn France over suspected arms shipment to S Arabia

Human rights groups said on Wednesday, Feb 5 that a cargo ship could soon dock in France to pick up weapons for Saudi Arabia’s offensive in Yemen, urging French officials to ensure the arms will not be used to target civilians.

NGOs had succeeded in preventing the same Bahri Yanbu vessel from docking in France last May, when it was set to receive a weapons shipment for Riyadh that sparked an outcry among activists.

France has come under fire for maintaining arms sales to the Saudi government even as it pursues a nearly five-year offensive against Huthi rebels, supported by Iran. The war has claimed tens of thousands of lives, most of them civilians, according to nongovernmental groups. The UN has classified the Yemen war as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

A group of 17 NGOs, including Human Rights Watch and Oxfam France said the Bahri Yanbu, would dock in Cherbourg on France’s northern coast on Thursday, with stops also scheduled in Sheerness, Britain, and in Genoa, Italy.

They called on France to identify what would be loaded onto the Bahri Yanbu, which they say has an exclusive contract with the Saudi defence ministry. If they are weapons, the NGOs demand “the guarantees France has that they will not be used illegally against Yemeni civilians.”

Israeli strikes kill 23 fighters in Syria

Israeli air strikes killed 23 Syrian and foreign fighters in Syria on Thursday, Feb 6 a monitor said, the latest in a spate of raids Israel has said targeted an Iranian presence on its doorstep.

Israel has pledged to prevent its main enemy from entrenching itself militarily in Syria, where it is backing President Bashar al Assad’s government alongside Russia and Lebanese militant group Hizbullah.

The pre-dawn raids killed three Iranians and seven Tehran-backed foreign fighters near Kisweh south of the capital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Eight Syrian air defence forces also lost their lives in both Mezzeh and Jisr Baghdad, west of the capital, the Britain based war monitor said.

Five Syrian members of pro-Iran group were killed in the Ezra area in the southern province of Daraa. A Syrian army source quoted by state news agency SANA said air defences responded to two waves of Israeli strikes after midnight that targeted the Damascus area and then positions in Daraa and the adjacent province of Quneitra.

AFP correspondents in Damascus heard loud explosions around 1:15 am (2315 GMT Wednesday).

State television broadcast images showing explosions in the sky. An Israeli army spokesman declined to comment on the strikes when contacted by AFP. Israel has carried out repeated strikes in Syria since the civil war erupted in 2011, mainly targeting government forces and their Iranian and Hizbullah allies.

Israel’s political leadership has spoken publicly of the bombing campaign, although the army rarely comments on individual strikes. Last month, Damascus accused the Israeli air force of carrying out an attack on the T4 airbase in central Syria, which the Observatory said killed at least three Iran-backed militiamen.

Dozens evacuated from Thai mall as gunman kills 20 in mass shooting

Dozens of terrified shoppers were evacuated from a Thai mall early Sunday, Feb 9 as armed police said they had “taken control” of the ground floor of the complex from the gunman who killed at least 20 people.

But authorities did not give any firm details on the whereabouts of the attacker – a junior army officer named Sergeant Major Jakrapanth Thomma. There were fears the shooter could try to hide amongst the panicked crowds. Police from the Crime Suppression Division urged fleeing shoppers to “raise their hands” and identify themselves on the ground floor “and authorities will evacuate you”.

Earlier Jakrapanth relayed his shooting spree through Facebook posts, which charted the attack from an army barracks to the mall where an unknown number of shoppers remained trapped. Hospitals across the country braced for a grim night ahead. “There are about 20 dead,” Kongcheep Tantravanich, defence ministry spokesman said. “Police, military commandos and sharp shooters are surrounding Terminal 21,” he said. The Thai Health Minister told reporters around 10 people were already in hospital in a “serious condition.”

The bloodshed began Saturday afternoon when Jakrapanth shot three people among them at least one soldier at nearby army barracks. “He stole an army vehicle and drove into the town center,” police Lieutenant Colonel Mongkol Kuptasiri. There the gunman used weapons stolen from the army arsenal to bring carnage to a town center, walking into the Terminal 21 mall. He “used a machine gun and shot innocent victims resulting in many injured and dead,” police spokesman Krissana Pattanacharoen said.

Jakrapanth’s motive remains unclear.

11 civilians killed in jihadist-hit Niger

At least 11 civilians had been killed in two separate attacks in Niger, which is struggling to contain a wave of jihadist violence, officials said on Saturday, Feb 8.

In one attack on Friday, members of the Islamist group Boko Haram killed six civilians in Bosso district in the southeast region of Diffa bordering Chad and Nigeria, a local official told AFP. Four members of the same family were among those killed, said the official. Officials in Bosso district confirmed the attack, but said five people had been killed.

In a separate attack in the southwestern region of Tillaberi, which borders Mali, four armed men on two motorbikes opened fire on workers in the village of Molia, killing four people, a regional official told AFP. That attack took place late on Thursday.

The use of motorbikes is banned in the region.

The attacks were just the latest in a surge in violence in the West African country.

Niger’s Diffa and Tillaberi regions are vulnerable to increasingly deadly incursions by the jihadists based in northern Nigeria. According to an official toll, three attacks in December and January, all claimed by Islamic State, have killed 174 soldiers.

WHO warns of ‘very grave’ global virus threat

The World Health Organisation warned on Tuesday, Feb 11 that the novel coronavirus was a “very grave threat” for the planet as it hosted the first major conference on fighting the epidemic.

About 400 scientists were taking part in the two day international meeting in Geneva which will review how the virus is transmitted and possible vaccines against it. “With 99 percent of cases in China, this remains very much an emergency for that country, but one that holds a very grave threat for the rest of the world,” WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the start of the meeting.

“What matters most is stopping the outbreak and saving lives. With your support, that’s what we can do.” The virus, first identified in the city of Wuhan in central China on December 31, has killed more than 1,000 people, infected over 42,000 and reached some 25 countries.

WHO has declared it a global health emergency. Participants at the scientific conference will also discuss the source of the virus, which is thought to have originated in bats and reached humans via another “intermediary” species such as snakes or pangolins.

WHO sent an advance team to China this week for an international mission to examine the epidemic. It was unclear, however, whether the team would be able to visit Wuhan, which has been under lockdown after the outbreak was registered in a food and live animal market in the city.

There is no specific treatment or vaccine against the virus and WHO has repeatedly urged countries to share data in order to further research into the disease.

While the WHO does not deal with Taiwan directly and only recognises Beijing, Taiwan was often allowed to attend annual assemblies and sideline meetings as an observer. But in recent years it has been frozen out as Beijing takes an increasingly combative stance towards Taiwan, which it considers its own territory.

The WHO said it was applying a so called R&D Blueprint, which allows the rapid rollout of research and development activities during epidemics. Several teams of experts in Australia, Britain, China, France, Germany and the United States are racing to develop a vaccine a process that normally takes years.

Ultimately, however, scientists may end up in the same situation they were during the 2002-2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) it died out before a vaccine could be fully developed. A close cousin of the new coronavirus, SARS spread around the world and killed nearly 800.

Turkey threatens force against ‘radicals’

Turkey on Thursday, Feb 13 threatened to use force against “radicals” in Syria’s Idlib province after Russia accused Ankara of failing to “neutralise” jihadist groups under a 2018 deal.

“Force will be used in Idlib against those who do not abide by the ceasefire, including the radicals,” Defence Minister Hulusi Akar was quoted as saying by the official Anadolu news agency.

Idlib the last opposition bastion in Syria is held by an array of rebels including the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadist group, led by members of the country’s former al-Qaeda franchise.

President Bashar-al-Assad’s forces have pressed ahead with an offensive in the region since December, killing more than 380 civilians, according to the monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The killing of 14 Turks in Idlib in government shelling has fuelled tensions between Ankara and Damascus, while raising stakes with Russia a key ally of Assad.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday accused Russia of committing “massacres” in Idlib and threatened to strike government forces anywhere in Syria if the slightest harm is done to Turkish troops.

In return, Moscow accused Ankara of failing to honour the 2018 deal, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying the Turkish side “had taken upon itself an obligation to neutralise terrorist groups” in Idlib.

Under the bilateral agreement, radical groups were required to withdraw from a demilitarised zone in the Idlib region. Turkey has also set up 12 observation posts in Idlib of which three were encircled by Assad’s forces, according to Turkish officials. Erdogan has now given Damascus until the end of the month to push back its forces outside the military locations. Turkey has sent reinforcements including troops and artillery to beef up its observation posts in recent days following the series of exchanges with the Syrian army.

Bandits kill 30 in Nigeria

Armed gangs killed 30 people in raids on two villages in an area of northwest Nigeria plagued by cattle rustlers and kidnappers, police said on Sunday, Feb 16.

Dozens of gunmen on motorcycles attacked the villages of Tsauwa and Dankar in Katsina state on Friday, shooting residents and burning homes. “The bandits killed 21 people in Tsauwa and another nine in nearby Dankar,” Katsina police spokesman Gambo Isah said.

“Most of those killed were old people and children who couldn’t escape.” Police and soldiers deployed in the area after the attack and arrested one suspect, Isah said.

Rocket lands near US embassy in Baghdad

Multiple rockets hit an Iraqi base hosting American troops near the US embassy early on Sunday, Feb 16 the latest in a flurry of attacks against US assets in the country.

“The Coalition confirms small rockets impacted the Iraqi base hosting (coalition) troops in the International Zone. No casualties,” said coalition spokesman Myles Caggins. That base, known as Union III, is the headquarters for the US-led coalition, deployed in Iraq since 2014 to help local troops fight the Islamic State jihadist group.

Iraq’s military said three Katyusha rockets hit inside the Green Zone, the high-security enclave where the US mission and Union III are located, as well as Iraqi government buildings, United Nations offices and other embassies.

A fourth rocket hit a logistics base in a different neighbourhood operated by the Hashed al-Shaabi, a military network officially incorporated into the Iraqi state, the Iraqi military said. There was no immediate statement from the Hashed.

Strikes on assets of both the US and Hashed at the same time are unusual, as Washington has blamed hardline elements within the military network for repeated rocket attacks on American installations across Iraq. Sunday’s was the 19’th attack since October to target either the embassy or the roughly 5,200 US troops stationed alongside local forces across Iraq.

No group has claimed responsibility for any of the incidents.

But the network includes a broad range of groups and some have appeared more willing to harass US troops militarily. Sunday’s attack came just hours after one of the Hashed’s Iran-backed factions, Harakat al-Nujaba, announced a “countdown” to ousting American forces from the country.

14 children among 22 dead in Cameroon

Armed men have massacred 22 villagers including 14 children in an anglophone region of Cameroon, according to the United Nations, with the opposition blaming the killings on government troops.

The bloodshed occurred on Feb 17 in the Northwest region of Cameroon, James Nunan, a local official with UN humanitarian coordination agency OCHA, told AFP on Sunday. The central government has been battling separatists in the minority English-speaking regions for three years, a conflict that has left 3,000 people dead and forced more than 700,000 to flee their homes.

The army has denied any involvement. “Up to 22 civilians were killed, including a pregnant woman and several children,” Nunan said, adding that 14 children including nine under age five were among the dead.

Eleven of the children were girls, said Nunan, head of OCHA’s office for the Northwest and Southwest regions, which are home to the West African country’s large English-speaking minority.

Munich Security Conference: Pak-India N-war can kill 125m people: report

Since 1947, relations between India and Pakistan have been through many high and low periods, but recent clashes could exacerbate matters and lead to a full-blown military conflict between the two nuclear powered nations, as per the Munich Security Report 2020, foreign media reported on Tuesday, Feb 18.

The report cited that in the event of a nuclear war between India and Pakistan, a death toll as high as 50-125 million people could be inevitable by 2025. As per the report, tensions between the main powers in the region are still active, namely India, Pakistan, and increasingly also China. “With India having completed its nuclear triad and Pakistan intending to do so, the risk of a regional nuclear arms race adds another delicate component to a worsening security situation,” the report stated. The report also takes into consideration the security situation in Afghanistan, which remains volatile to this day as well as the Pulwama attack which took place on February 14, 2019. The resulting escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan led to military exchanges between the two countries. “In this strained situation, any attack committed by the Kashmiri insurgency bears the risk of escalation, culminating into a military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed powers,” the report stated.

The report, after assuming that India and Pakistan have a minimum of 100 and 150 strategic nuclear weapons, stated that a nuclear war between the two countries will deliver 15 to 100 kilotons of N-warheads and result in 16-36 million tons of black carbon smoke being released. This would result in a 20-35 PC decline in surface sunlight, 15-30 per cent decline in productivity on land and 5-15 per cent in oceans, with 50-125 million immediate deaths.

Earlier in October last year, a study by the University of Colorado Boulder and Rutgers University has said an India and Pakistan nuclear war could span for less than a week and “kill 50-125 million people”. The report said the death toll would be more than World War-II. “It might also plunge the entire planet into a severe cold spell, possibly with temperatures not seen since the last Ice Age,” it asserted.

Three Mali soldiers killed in attack

At least three Mali soldiers were killed and five wounded on Sunday, Feb 23 in a suspected Jihadist attack on an army camp in the far north of the country, the Malian military said.

The outpost in Bambara Maoude, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of the city of Timbuktu “was the object at about 0500 GMT of a terrorist attack,” the military said on Twitter.

“During this attack, we regret to report a provisional toll of three dead, five wounded, together with material damage,” it said. “The wounded were airlifted to Severe the outpost remains under the control of the armed forces.”

“Three of our men fell Sunday during a jihadist attack in Bambara Maoude,” a military official told AFP from Timbuktu earlier. A local official confirmed the toll of three soldiers dead and said two more were missing.

According to another local official, “the terrorists left, taking vehicles and military equipment with them together with the bodies of two of their comrades.” The attack is the latest in a long series of deadly incidents in Mali’s north, where French forces said Friday they had killed about 50 jihadists so far this month.

Earlier this month 40 people, including nine soldiers, died in a spate of attacks in central Mali, with most of the deaths apparently caused by inter-ethnic violence which also plagues the country.

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.