Bombs Blasts/IEDs
Militants targeted an FC vehicle with an improvised explosive device (IED) at Turbat town (Turbat District), leaving two FC soldiers injured on May 31, reports Dawn.
An Army soldier, Waqas Ahmed was killed on June 2, after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded near a military check post in South Waziristan tribal district’s Kaniguram area, reports Dawn.
A security guard was injured in a grenade attack outside the Bahria Icon Tower in Clifton area of Karachi on June 2, police said, reports Dawn. South Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Zubair Nazeer Shaikh said that two suspects riding a motorcycle lobbed a hand grenade at Icon Tower near Bin Qasim Park in Clifton. As a result, a security guard, 35-year old Muneer Nazeer, was injured.
At least three children died while three others sustained injuries in a hand grenade blast at Kharotabad area of Quetta on June 3, reports The Express Tribune. According to Police sources, the victims were minor children who were playing with a hand grenade when it exploded in Killi Badinzai near Kharotabad.
Four paramilitary troops, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), were killed in a roadside Improvised Explosive Device (IED) bomb attack on Marget-Quetta Road on June 14, reports The Express Tribune.
A man, identified as Taj Muhammad, was injured in a grenade attack on a Frontier Corps (FC) vehicle on Sabzal Road in Quetta on June 20, reports Samaa TV. All the soldiers in the vehicle remained safe.
Targetted Killings
A prominent scholar and District Naib Amir (Deputy chief) Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Faizal (JUI-F) Maulana Abdul Haye Baloch was shot dead by unidentified assailants near Sordo District Commissioner House in Panjgur town (Panjgur District) in the afternoon of May 26, reports The Express Tribune. According to Police, the vehicle of Maulana Baloch who is also an administrator of Madrassa Arabia Khair-ul-Madaris Mahmoodia, was targeted, leaving him dead on the spot. The attackers managed to flee away.
Separately, Mir Abdul Nabi Baduzai Bangulzai alias Chota Mir, one of the top commanders of Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Kabo area of Mastung District on May 27, reports The Balochistan Post. 57-year old Mir Bangulzai was from the Splinji of Kabo area. He belonged to the Baduzai Bangulzai tribe of Baloch.
A notable tribal elder of Janni Khel tribe, Malik Naseeb Khan was shot dead by unidentified assailants in the Zandi Khel area of Janni Khel in Bannu District on June 1, reports The Express Tribune.
On June 3, two officials of the Eagle Squad, Head Constables Ishtiaq Ranjha and Bashir Shah were shot dead by unidentified attackers in Construction Technology and Training Institute at I.J. Principal Road in Islamabad, reports Dawn. Senior Police officers told Dawn that a preliminary investigation had suggested that the two officials were moving on a motorcycle when they were targeted by armed men riding two motorcycles.
Two Policemen, identified as Syed Raza Ali and Shahkir, were gunned down while on polio duty in Palo Dheri village in Mardan District on June 9, reports The Express Tribune. District Police Officer (DPO) Dr. Zahid said that two policemen were returning from polio security duty at around 2 O’clock in the afternoon when they were attacked by unidentified terrorists. Both were shot in the head.
Miscellaneous
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on May 27 arrested three cadres of Muttahida Qaumi Movement London (MQM-L) at Landhi railway station in Karachi reports ARY News. According to the CTD spokesman, a raid was carried out in the wee hours at Landhi railway station to arrest the suspects with the help of a federal agency. “They made startling revelations during initial investigations,” he said. The arrested persons established a group on the instruction of abroad leadership to commit violent acts.
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on May 30 arrested a militant, identified as Shehzad, during a raid at a house near Narowal Road in Gujranwala city (Gujranwala District) of Punjab, reports ARY News. Police recovered detonators, prima cords and photos of various religious places from his possession. The CTD officials said that the militant was planning to target a religious gathering in Narowal.
Five militants and four Frontier Corps (FC) soldiers were killed in an exchange of fire when militants attack a FC post near Pir Ismail Ziarat in Quetta in the night of May 31, reports Dawn. Six FC personnel and eight militants also sustained injuries.
The PIB Colony Police killed a suspected peddler, identified as Naem Shah, during an encounter at Jhanda Chowk near Essa Nagri graveyard in Karachi on June 7, reports The Express Tribune. His accomplice, however, managed to escape. The drug peddler succumbed to injuries while being taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. According to SP Gulshan Iqbal Maroof Usman, the deceased was wanted for nine attempted murder cases, drug peddling and illegal weapon possession. Police also arrested Haider Shah, the father of the deceased drug peddler.
A veteran journalist and member of Punjab Assembly, Syeda Maimanat Mohsin, popularly known as Jugnu Mohsin, was attacked while she was returning home after addressing a public rally in Okara District’s (Punjab) Hujra Shah Muqeem area, The Express Tribune reports on June 7. She remained unhurt in the incident. She was intercepted on Hujra Road by a person identified as Muhammad Hussain and some other unidentified gunmen, who were riding on motorcycles. The men hurled threats at those accompanying Mohsin before fleeing the scene. According to the FIR, one of the main suspects, Muhammad Yaseen, had threatened the veteran journalist on social media two days ago. Complainant Hafiz Irfan Hussain stated that Yaseen had written “if the rally of Jugnu Mohsin reached Jhajh Kalan, no one would be spared” on his post. A complaint had been filed before FIA in this regard and the matter was under investigation, Irfan added. The Human Right Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), in a Tweet, condemned the attack. “We are relieved that she is safe. The perpetrators must be brought to book immediately,” it added. Amnesty International also denounced the incident, saying that it is a glaring reminder of the need for authorities to act on threats made against women online.
Three persons, including a trooper of the Frontier Corps (FC) and two terrorists were killed in an Intelligence-Based Operation (IBO) in the Kharan District of Balochistan on June 11, reports The Express Tribune. The trooper was identified as Sepoy Fida ur Rehman, a resident of Chitral District. During the IBO, the military’s media wing said at least two terrorists were also killed and a large cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from them.
The Counter Terrorism Department Punjab conducted 53 intelligence-based operations in different districts of Punjab during the last seven days and arrested three suspected terrorists, thenews.com.pk reports on June 14. At least 54 suspects were also interrogated during the operations. Muhammad Arshad, member of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), was arrested from Gujranwala District for harbouring a Red Book. Banned material, books and magazines were recovered from him. Another member of SSP Muhammad Zubair, was arrested from Layyah District. Rashid Ahsaan, was arrested from Faisalabad District for uploading hate material on the social media against different sects.
Four Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) cadres were killed in an exchange of fire with Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel of during an operation in the Marwar coalmine area of Bolan District on June 17, reports Dawn. A CTD Spokesman claimed that the CTD foiled the terrorist plan in an intelligence-based operation. Arms and ammunition include two sub-machine guns, 140 rounds with six magazines, two 9 MM pistols, 40 rounds with four magazines, one hand-grenade and two motorcycles were also recovered from the militant hideout.
Separately, one soldier, identified as Naik Aqeel Abbas, was killed when militants attacked Army troops stationed near Turbat town of Kech District on June 17, reports Geo TV. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the militants attacked the troops using small arms. Reportedly, Abbas, was a resident of Mehro Peelo village in Chakwal District.
Two Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants and one Army Soldier were killed during an Intelligence-Based Operation (IBO) in Spinwam area of North Waziristan District, on June 19, reports Dawn. The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement said the Army Soldier, identified as Nazakat Khan (32), lost his life during the operation. The ISPR said the militants killed in the operation were involved in terror plots against the Security Forces.
At least four female teachers sustained injuries after unidentified assailants opened fire on a school van in Parangabad area of Mastung District on June 20, reports Daily Times.
At least three people were killed and 21 injured on June 23 in a bomb explosion around 11am at Allah Hu boulevard residential area of Johar Town in Lahore, reports Dawn. The explosion took place near the residence of proscribed Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Chief Hafiz Saeed. Police personnel who were guarding Saeed’s house at the time of the attack, also sustained injuries. The windows and walls of Saeed’s house had been damaged from the explosion impact.
PAKISTAN
Four TTP militants, including a commander, killed in Balochistan
Four Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, including a commander, were killed in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in Killi Aghbarg area of Quetta on May 26, reports Dawn. A spokesman for the CTD said the operation was planned on the basis of intelligence reports about the presence of militants. “Four terrorists were killed in the operation, including a key commander of banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) identified as Riaz Thekedar,” the CTD spokesman said. The other three militant killed in the operation were identified as Fazal-ur-Rehman, Syed Ramzan and Syed Matiullah. Two other militants managed to escape. A cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from the militant hideout. According to the CTD officials, Riaz was a key TTP commander and was involved in terrorist attacks on Security Forces and an attack on Civil Hospital Quetta in 2016 in which a large number of lawyers and other people were killed. He was also involved in target killings, motorcycle bomb attacks in Pishin, bank robberies and kidnapping of the son of Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party leader Sardar Mustafa Tareen.
Pakistan stops official contact with Afghan NSA
Pakistan has conveyed to the leadership in Afghanistan it will no longer conduct official business with Kabul’s top national security chief because of his recent “abusive outburst” against Islamabad, highly placed officials and diplomatic sources confirmed to a foreign media outlet. The controversy has again highlighted political tensions and historic mistrust plaguing relations between the South Asian neighbors, which share a nearly 2,600-kilometer border.
The latest trigger came from Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s national security adviser, Hamdullah Mohib, who routinely accuses Pakistan of supporting and directing the Taliban’s insurgency in Afghanistan, charges Islamabad rejects.
In a public speech earlier this month in eastern Nangarhar province, next to the Pakistani border, Mohib not only repeated his allegations but called Pakistan a “brothel house.”
His remarks outraged leaders in Islamabad, who denounced them, saying they “debased all norms of interstate communication.”
A senior Pakistani official privy to the matter told the media outlet on condition of anonymity his government lodged a strong protest with the Afghan side and conveyed “deep resentment” in Pakistan over Mohib’s “undignified” remarks.
The official said Kabul has been told Islamabad, henceforth, would not hold bilateral engagements with the Afghan national security adviser. It has also been conveyed “by our side that Afghan side is not serious in engaging with Pakistan, but only in the blame game and degrading Pakistan’s sincere efforts,” the official added
Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh while addressing a public gathering in the southeastern border province of Khost earlier this week indirectly confirmed Pakistan’s assertions.
Army will make efforts to achieve an enduring peace in Balochistan, states CoAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa
On June 1, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said the Army will make all possible efforts to achieve an enduring peace for sustainable socio-economic development of Balochistan, reports Dawn. During a visit to Corps Headquarters in Quetta General Bajwa said terrorists would not be allowed to destabilise peace efforts. He said all-out efforts should be made to assist the Balochistan government in ensuring law and order in the province. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Army Chief praised officers and men for their dedicated efforts, continued vigilance and high morale.
CTD of Sindh Police updates Red Book after four years
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Sindh Police notified on June 3, the issuance of the ninth edition of the Red Book a document containing the names and details of most wanted people, after a hiatus of four years, reports The Express Tribune. According to CTD officials, in the ninth edition of the Red Book details of 12 more terrorists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), 18 more terrorists of Al Qaeda, 23 of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), four of Ansar Sharia, 13 of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), two of Jundullah, 24 of Sipah-e-Muhammad, four of the Sindh Resolution Army (SRA), five of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and 33 gangsters of Lyari have been incorporated. A total of 93 names have been added to the most wanted persons list, told CTD officials. Regarding the names mentioned in the earlier edition, CTD officials claimed that 10 of the most wanted terrorists in the eighth edition of the Red Book have been arrested, five terrorists wanted by law enforcement agencies have been killed in encounters and two most wanted militants were killed in Afghanistan and Syria.
FATF APG clears Pakistan on 22 more points
In its mutual evaluation, the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) Asia/Pacific Group (APG) has accepted Pakistan’s stance on 22 recommendations, some of them “critical” including compliance with the UNSC resolutions, tightening of the weapons of mass destruction-related controls, actions against politically exposed persons and plugging loopholes for money laundering, The Express Tribune reports on June 5. Pakistan had requested the APG to upgrade the country’s compliance status on at least 23 of the 40 global recommendations of the FATF, as per the second mutual evaluation follow-up report. The improvement on the implementation of the FATF recommendations may also strengthen Pakistan’s case in this month’s plenary of the global financial watchdog that will again review whether or not to keep the country in its grey list. The chances of blacklisting Pakistan have diminished significantly after the second follow-up report by the APG.
Kulbhushan Jadhav case deferred till October 5
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on June 15 adjourned hearing of a government’s plea to appoint a counsel for convicted Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav for more than three months till October 5 on request of the state’s top law officer the Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP), reports The Express Tribune. At the last hearing of the case on May 7, an IHC larger bench comprising Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb gave India another chance to appoint a counsel for Jadhav by June 15.
Pakistan will ‘absolutely not’ give bases to CIA for Afghanistan operations, states PM Imran Khan’
Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on June 18, stated that Pakistan will not give its bases to the United States (US) for operations in Afghanistan after the latter’s troops’ withdrawal, reports Geo TV. In an interview with Jonathan Swan of HBO Axios, which will be aired June 21 3:00am PST, the PM reiterated Pakistan’s stance on the use of military bases and categorically stated that Islamabad will not allow it. The PM was again asked by the US media for his comments on giving access to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to military bases. “Will you allow the American government to have the CIA here in Pakistan to conduct cross border counter-terrorism missions against Al Qaeda, ISIS and the Taliban?” Swan asked the premier. “Absolutely not,” PM Imran Khan responded. “There’s no way we’re going to allow any bases or any sort of action from Pakistani territory into Afghanistan. Absolutely not.”
Afghanistan must stop making Pakistan a scapegoat for its own failures, says Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi
The Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on June 19, that Pakistan was not responsible for Afghanistan’s internal problems and was blamed and made out to be a scapegoat by Afghanistan whenever its affairs didn’t appear to be moving in the right direction, reports Dawn. The FM said Taliban presence and freedom of movement in Pakistan was an “exaggeration”. “Unfortunately, when things aren’t moving in the right direction, you’re (Afghanistan) looking for scapegoats and the favourite scapegoat you have is Pakistan. When there’s failure within (Afghanistan) you blame Pakistan for that. “Pakistan is not responsible for the failure within, for the squabbling going on in Afghanistan, if the Afghan leadership can’t sit and work out a peace deal,” said Qureshi.
Previous Governments did not curb terrorist financing and money laundering, alleges Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi
With the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) set to discuss a report on the progress made by Pakistan on the implementation of a 27-point action plan this week, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on June 22 alleged that previous Governments did not take steps to curb money laundering and terrorist financing in the country, reports The Express Tribune. FATF placed Pakistan on the grey list in June 2018 and asked Islamabad to implement a plan of action to curb money laundering and terror financing by the end of 2019 but the deadline was extended later on due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Qureshi said that the previous Government of Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) was responsible for the country being placed on the grey list of the FATF. “When PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf) came to power, Pakistan had already gone into the (FAFT) grey list,” Qureshi said. Holding the PML-N responsible for the tough conditions set by FATF, he said that no previous government took steps to curb money laundering and terrorist financing. The minister said that nations faced pressures in these situations so “we should (also) bear this pressure.”
Afghanistan – Internal Dynamics
Talban warns neighboring countries against allowing US to set up bases
The Taliban in a statement on May 25 warned neighboring countries against providing bases to US forces by saying that the Taliban will “not remain silent”, reports Tolo News. Taliban was reacting to reports that the US was considering the establishment of military bases in Afghanistan’s neighboring countries. The statement read: “As we have repeatedly assured others that our soil will not be used against the security of others, we are similarly urging others not to use their soil and airspace against our country. If such a step is taken, then the responsibility for all the misfortunes and difficulties lies upon those who commit such mistakes. God forbid, if such a step is taken once again, it will be a great historic mistake and disgrace that shall forever be inscribed as a dark stain in history,” said the statement.
120 civilians and 64 ANDSF killed across 20 provinces in the last 10 days
At least 64 members of the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces (ANSDF) members and 120 civilians have been killed in the clashes in the last ten days across the country, reports Ariana News on May 28. According to the sources, at least 27 members of security forces and 114 civilians were also wounded in the clashes during the same period. These clashes between security forces and the Taliban militants are underway in more than 20 provinces.
Four persons killed in explosion in Parwan Province
Four persons were killed in an explosion that targeted a bus carrying lecturers and employees of Alberoni University in Rabat area of Bagram District in Parwan Province on May 29, reports Tolo News. Qasim Sangin, Chief Medical Officer at Parwan Hospital, said 17 others were wounded in the explosion. The bomb was placed on the vehicle and was detonated when they were on the way to Kabul. No group has claimed responsibility for the blast.
Prominent cleric killed in Herat Province
Mawlavi Mohammad Kababyani, a prominent cleric, was killed by unidentified armed assailants in front of his house in Anjel District in Herat Province of Afghanistan on June 3, reports Tolo News. Sayed Wahid Qatali, the governor of Herat, said, “Any ideology or any scholar who tries to give hope and peace to the people or support the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is being targeted.” Mawlavi Kababyani had a history of raising his voice against killings and violence in Afghanistan. No individual or group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. Thursday’s (June 3) targeted killing marks the second in a week in Herat. On May 26, scholar Mawlavi Abdul Karim Hanafi was killed in Herat.
Over 220 terrorists killed and 126 injured in Afghanistan, says Ministry of Defense
As many as 223 terrorists (militants) were killed and 126 more were wounded (injured) following clashes and reciprocal attacks of Afghan Security Forces (ASFs) in 14 Provinces of the country, reports Bakhtar News Agency on June 3. Ministry of Defense (MoD) by releasing a statement reported, the conflicts and attacks carried out in various parts of Nangarhar, Logar, Ghazni, Maidan/Wardak, Kandahar, Zabul, Urozgan, Badghis, Herat, Farah, Jawzjan, Helmand, Takhar and Baghlan Provinces. Some heavy and light weapons and ammunitions belonged to the militants have been destroyed following the assaults, the statement added. Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) by discovering and neutralizing 20 rounds of different type of mines succeeded to prevent several bloodiest incidents in crowded areas of the mentioned provinces. The mines have been planted by Taliban militants to target innocent civilians and Afghan Security troops.
‘Continuous War’ if no Afghan political settlement, warns US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad
United States (US) special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad on June 7 said that in the present scenario two options remain for Afghanistan a political solution to the conflict or continued war, reports Tolo News. He reiterated that the United States will not abandon Afghanistan despite US troops leaving. Zalmay Khalilzad said that attempting a military solution will result in a continued war, while also acknowledging that the peace process in Doha has been slow and that both sides of the negotiations have not focused on the main issues. Khalilzad said the two conditions of Taliban including release of 7,000 more prisoners by the Afghan government as well as the removal of their leaders’ names from the blacklist are not practical given the current circumstances in which violence remains high in the country. Khalilzad said that the Taliban has not responded to a US plan for Afghanistan’s future after it was shared with them, and they have not returned a plan in response to the United States. “Some Taliban negotiators, including their chief negotiator Shaikh Hakim, went to Quetta and had some discussions, and have returned now and say they are interested in the resumption of the talks in the near future, and that they might submit their plan to the Republic delegation,” Khalilzad said.
16 People killed in attack on Balkh District Police HQ, says District Governor
The Balkh district Governor Mohammad Younus Stanekzai said that at least 16 people, including 2 civilians, were killed in the recent attack on the police headquarters in Balkh province, and 117 others, including 67 civilians, were wounded, reports Tolo News. According to local officials, 10 houses and 80 shops were also damaged in the attack. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the deadly attack. Earlier, SATP had reported two Security personnel deaths in the June 6 incident in which a suicide bomber detonated a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) near the Balkh District Police Station in Balkh Province.
29 SFs killed in Faryab Province
29 Security Forces (SF) personnel, including 23 members of an Afghan Army’s special forces unit and six Policemen were killed while fighting the Taliban in Dawlat Abad District of Faryab Province on June 16, reports Tolo News. The clash started in Dawlat Abad District after Commandos and local troops launched a clearing operation. The SFs retreated from the centre of the District after heavy clashes and are stationed in Qaramqol District in Faryab following the clashes, the source said.
134 Afghan soldiers escape to Tajikistan
Officials reported on June 23 that at least 134 Afghan troops escaping a Taliban attacks had crossed the border and taken refuge in neighboring Tajikistan, reports Khamma News. According to an unnamed Afghan Provincial Official and an Army Officer, the Taliban have taken control of Sher khan port in Imam Sahib District andall the border check posts with Tajikistan in Kunduz Province. Sher khan is Afghanistan’s main border crossing with Tajikistan. The Taliban ‘spokesperson’, Zabihullah Mujahid, too confirmed that the militants have taken control of the border crossing over the Panj River.
Bangladesh – Internal Dynamics
Islamic speaker placed on remand for planning attack on Parliament building
Dhaka Metropolitan Court on May 25 placed Mufti Amir Hamza, a controversial Islamic speaker on a five-day remand in a case for planning an attack on Parliament building, reports Prothom Alo. According to Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) sources, on May 5, they arrested Mohamad Al Sakib, a cadre of the banned militant group Ansar al Islam for planning to attack Parliament building. Shakib was preparing to attack Parliament with the sword. Sakib in primary interrogation said, he was attracted toward extremism watching videos with Jihadi attack messages of several Islamic speakers like Amir Hamza in the name of Waz Mehfil, spreading misleading messages about issues of Islam. On May 24, Amir Hamza, was arrested for spreading extremism.
HeI leader and his associate arrested in Chittagong District
Police arrested Hefajat-e-Islam (HeI)’s Hathazari Municipality unit’s Assistant Dawah Secretary Aminul Islam (27) and his associate Aftab Uddin Piayru (30) from Raipu area in Chittagong District on May 27 over the mayhem unleashed on March 26, reports The Daily Star. Police said Aminul was accused in several cases filed with Hathazari Police Station over the mayhem.
Majority of HeI’s funds came from Middle East through Bangladeshi expatriates, says DB Joint Commissioner Mahbub Alam
Mahbub Alam, Joint Commissioner of Detective Branch (DB) of Police, at a press briefing on May 30 said that majority of Hefajat-e-Islam (HeI)’s funds came from the Middle East through Bangladeshi expatriates, reports The Daily Star. The funds were donated for multiple purposes such as aiding the Rohingya community, helping madrasa students, and the welfare of HeI, adding that some locals also financed them. The donations that came from abroad were not maintained properly and HeI leaders used to spend that money for political and personal activities, he claimed. According to the Police official, madrasa organizations became hostages to the HeI leaders. As a result, the Madrasa organizations could not conduct their activities. Asked about link to terror financing, the DB official said that they were yet to conclude whether there was any terror financing or any attempts of money laundering.
Three militants arrested in Dhaka city
Three militants arrested in Dhaka city, reports The Daily Star. Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit on June 1 arrested two cadres of militant outfit Ansar al-Islam from Khilgaon area of Dhaka city in Dhaka District of Dhaka Division. The arrestees were identified as Mohamed Faizur Rahman (23) and Mohamad Chan Mia (26).
Separately, Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) on June 2 arrested a cadre of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) from Shimultola Bazar area of Dhaka city. An ATU team conducted a drive around 10:45pm and arrested Abdullah (18). ATU claimed that he used to upload ABT chief Mufti Jasimuddin Rahmani’s lectures and books on social media and an encrypted application.
Ansar Al Islam’s IT specialist arrested in Chittagong District
The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit under the Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) on June 11, arrested Shakhawat Ali Lalu (40), Ansar Al Islam’s IT specialist from Khulshi residential area of Chittagong District in Chittagong Division, reports Dhaka Tribune. In 2017, Lalu went to Syria to join Islamic State (IS) and received training on operating heavy weapons for nearly six months there. Later, he took part in battles for IS. After completing his mission in Syria, he travelled to Indonesia via Turkey. From there, he went to Sri Lanka and returned to Indonesia. He came back to Bangladesh on March 22, 2021 to continue “jihadi” activities, according to CTTC.
India – Internal Dynamics
Seven TPC cadres arrested by Police in Jharkhand
Seven Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC), a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres including TPC area ‘commander’ Ramesh Ganju alias Boda Ji, carrying a reward of INR 1, 00,000 over his head were arrested by Police forces from Latehar District of Jharkhand on May 30, reports Daily Pioneer. Based on the secret information received by Latehar Superintendent of Police (SP) Prashant Anand that TPC cadres were about to receive levy near Shergarh of Balumath Police Station in Latehar District, Police raiding teams was formed. In the first attempt, Police team caught three TPC militants with a loaded country made revolver and three sets of uniforms. Then on this spot, Jheri Saw of Shergada was arrested with INR 20,000 by Police. Based on the information shared by Jheri, Police arrested TPC area ‘commander’ Ramesh Ganju with a semi-automatic rifle, 136 live bullets and money collected as levy from Bakru Tola Bhelwahi under Balumath Police Station. Three other TPC cadres were also arrested in this sequence. Police team recovered INR 1,00,047 cash, cloth and material. Four other TPC cadres managed to escape from the spot.
One person killed in an explosion in a madrasa in Bihar
A high-intensity explosion occurred in a madrasa (seminary) in Bihar’s Banka District on June 8, morning, killing an imam (religious teacher), Mohammad Abdul Sattar Mobin, and damaging other houses in the locality, reports Hindustan Times. According to Superintendent of Police (Banka) Arvind Kumar Gupta, the blast took place around 8am at the complex situated in Navtolia locality, pulling down a major portion of the seminary. “The compound’s front portion comprises the madrasa. It was locked from outside. There is a pathway inside which leads to the mosque, the gates of which were found open. The explosion has caused extensive damage to the seminary building,” Gupta told. A preliminary probe suggested the presence of gunpowder or explosives at the site of the explosion, said Shresthan Kumar, Assistant Director of the Forensic Sciences Laboratory at Bhagalpur. Mobin’s body was recovered just outside Navtolia locality. Preliminary investigations revealed that the injured imam died on the way to the hospital, following which his aides abandoned the body in the car and fled, said Police.
CM, Governor agree to meet local delegation from Silger in Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister (CM) Bhupesh Baghel and Governor Anusuiya Uikey have shown willingness to meet a delegation of villagers from Silger from Sukma District of Chhattisgarh where protests against setting up of a Security Forces (SFs) camp have been raging for almost four weeks, reports The Week on June 8. The willingness by the CM and the Governor were expressed when a delegation of social activists under the banner of Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan met them separately on June 8. The meeting came after a separate 12-member delegation of the civil society organization was stopped from visiting Silger on June 7.
One Policeman injured in gun attack in Manipur
On June 9, one commando of the Manipur State Police was injured in a gun attack at Rengpang of Noney District on National Highway-37 in Manipur, reports E Pao. According to sources, the policeman identified as Thokchom Sachi sustained injury when unknown miscreants armed with sophisticated weapons targeted a group of commandos of Khabeisoi Special Commando Unit coming in one Mahindra Rakshak and Maruti Gypsy at a place about 200 meters from Rengpang powerhouse. The attack was carried out shortly after DIG Themthing Ngasangva left the area after inspecting certain construction work.
Concern over Karbi Anglong Peace Accord
On June 8, Naga groups including National Socialist Council of Nagaland Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) has raised objection on the proposed Karbi Anglong Peace Accord deal to be inked between the Assam Government and six militant outfits Karbi Longri North Cachar Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF), People’s Democratic Council of Karbi Longri (PDCKL), United People’s Liberation Army (UPLA) and three factions of Karbi People’s Liberation Tiger (KPLT), reports The Telegraph. The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), denouncing the agreement which proposes the creation of Karbi- Anglong Autonomous Territorial Council (KAATC) in nearby Assam, as reported in East Mojo, stated that any deal without “the consent of the Naga populace who are the original inhabitants of the area” will not be accepted. NSCN-IM stated that Karbi Anglong, erstwhile known as Rengma Hills, is the victim of aggressive influx of outsiders for vested interests. The Rengma Nagas are the legitimate sons of the soil. The proposed KAATC is more of appeasement policy to pacify the six Karbi militant outfits, according to NSCN-IM. According to The Economic Times, Rengma issue in Assam constitutes one of the important agendas of Indo-Naga political talks which is still pending. The Rengma Naga People’s Council (RNPC) further demanded “creation of Rengma Hills Autonomous District bifurcating from Karbi Anglong” District if the accord is signed as it alienated the Rengma Nagas. The RNPC has submitted a memorandum to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma putting forth its demand of creation of an Autonomous District for the “Rengmas” with Headquarters at Phentecho by upgrading the existing Bokajan Sub-division and creation of an MLA seat reserved for the Rengmas, reports Northeast Now. On June 9, Rengma Hoho has expressed its support to RNPC memorandum for creation of separate Rengma Autonomous District.
Arms recovered during search operation in Manipur
A huge cache of arms and ammunition were recovered by Assam Rifles (AR) troops during a search operation carried out at T Mongbung village in Noney District of Manipur on June 11, reports E Pao. Acting on a specific tip off that cadres of Hmar Peoples Convention-Democratic (HPC-D) were moving around in the area, troops of 16 AR based at Keithelmanbi carried out a search operation in and around T Mongbung village at around 4.30 pm. The troops recovered 26 AR include six AK rifles, two carbines, seven.32 pistols and three .22 pistols. All the guns had magazines. In addition, 406 grams of gun powder, 2.55 kilograms of Plastic Explosive Kirkee (PEK), four safety fuses and ammunition of assorted firearms were also recovered from the same spot.
Maoist Pamphlet urges Marathas to take up revolutionary path in Maharashtra
Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) pamphlet issued recently by Sahyadri, ‘secretary’ of Maharashtra State Committee of CPI-Maoist has invited Maratha community to join the Maoist armed struggle and take to the path of revolution to achieve their goal, reports The New Indian Express on June 13. Sahyadri, believed by Senior Police officials to be an alias for underground senior CPI-Maoist leader Milind Teltumbde, however, has stated that reservation hasn’t brought equality and justice to the socially backward communities for whom it was originally designed and hence may not benefit even the Marathas. Sahyadri also pointed out that the community was still lagging behind when Maharashtra has been ruled mostly by leaders of the Maratha community. This is because they have also served the interest of imperialists and capitalists. These Maratha leaders are only responsible for the current deprivation of the community.
Maoist blame DGP and Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for death of its six cadres
The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), on June 18, blamed Chief Minister (CM), Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and Director General of Police (DGP) D. Gautam Sawang, for the killing of six of its cadres in an exchange of fire with the Greyhounds, the elite anti-Naxal [Left Wing Extremism, LWE] force of Andhra Pradesh Police, at Theegalametta in the Visakhapatnam Agency area on June 16, reports The Hindu. In a letter released late on June 19, Ganesh, ‘secretary’ of the Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) of the CPI-Maoist, while paying tributes to the slain cadres, said, “Though this is a loss for us, we will continue our fight for the rights of the people.” He further alleged that DGP, Gautam, was a “covert operation specialist.” The Maoist leader also accused the CM, Reddy, of pursuing the bauxite mining project by joining hands with private players. Ganesh alleged in the letter, “Our PLGA has been striving to alleviate the problems of the tribal people considering the failure of the government. Unable to digest it, Jagan Mohan Reddy has ordered the encounter”.
Monthly Fatalities:
The following casualties, related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism occurred during the period May 25, 2021 to June 26, 2021
| Civilian | Indian Security Personnel | Militant | Total | |
| Assam | 04 | 00 | 02 | 06 |
| Left Wing | 13 | 00 | 03 | 16 |
| Total | 17 | 00 | 05 | 22 |
Nepal – Internal Dynamics
President and Prime Minister had put democracy at stake, says NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba
Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba on May 28 said that President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had put democracy at stake, reports The Himalayan Times. Addressing a virtual even organized to mark the 30th establishment day of Nepal Press Union in Kathmandu, he alleged that both Bhandari and Oli had grossly violated the constitution. “We approached the president with the signature of majority of lawmakers after she called on political parties representing the HoR to stake their claim on the prime ministerial post in accordance with Sub-article (5) of Article 76 of the constitution. But the president did not appoint the person, who commanded majority, as prime minister. Instead, she dissolved the HoR overnight in collusion with Oli. Had she doubted the signature of majority lawmakers, she should have asked the signatories to present themselves physically. The incumbent president and prime minister are threats to democracy and I appeal to all political forces to stand united against their interference in the democratic system,” Deuba said.
Yadav-Bhattarai faction of JSP-N torches effigies of Prime Minister and President in Parsa District
The Upendra Yadav-Baburam Bhattarai faction of Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal (JSP-N) on June 1 torched effigies of Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli and President Bidya Devi Bhandari in Parsa District of Province No. 2, reports The Himalayan Times. The members of the faction set ablaze the effigies of PM Oli and President Bhandari at several local levels in the District to protest against their political move of dissolving the lower house the second times. District President of the party, Ram Naresh Yadav said that the demonstrations were staged in line with the decision made in the meeting of the Provincial Committee of the party held on May 27 and May 28.
Nepal reports first ‘black fungus’ death
Nepal has reported its first death from mucormycosis or “black fungus”, the highly deadly infection affecting thousands of coronavirus patients in neighbouring India. Health ministry spokesman Krishna Prasad Poudel said that there are now at least ten cases in Nepal, which like India has been hit by a huge Covid-19 surge.
Sri Lanka – Internal Dynamics
There is no terror threat in Sri Lanka, says Defence Ministry
The Defence Ministry in a media communiqué on May 26 said that there is no terror threat in Sri Lanka, reports Daily News. The media statement was issued with regard to the Level 4 U.S. Travel Warning to Sri Lanka. The media statement said that the U.S. travel warning on Sri Lanka is a general travel warning given by the U.S. State Department under the Level 4 Category. Although the US travel advisory regarding Sri Lanka has been issued due to the COVID-19 situation, the threat of terrorism is also included by default. The same has been tweeted by the U.S. Embassy in Colombo stating that the change of Travel Advisory for Sri Lanka from Level 3 to Level 4 was solely due to prevailing COVID-19 situation in the country and there is no change in the terrorist threat level.
Ex-LTTE cadre arrested with explosives in Jaffna District
A former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadre was arrested on a tip off along with a stock of explosives from Nagar Kovil of Jaffna District in Northern Province by the Army, reports Daily News on May 31. The explosives had been hidden underground near a fishing port in Nagar Kovil. 14 rounds of ammunition used for T-56, 45 rounds of ammunitions used for pistols, one claymore mine weighing about 2kg, one round of 12.7 ammunition and two meters detonator thread were also found. The suspect was handed over to the Jaffna Terrorism Investigations Division (TID).
Marriage Registrar arrested for sheltering Easter Sunday suicide bomber and four others
The Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) on May 30 arrested a registrar of marriages in the Oluvil area of Ampara District in Eastern Province for providing shelter to Easter Sunday suicide bomber Saharan Hashim and four others before the Easter Sunday attack, reports Colombo Page. Police Media Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana stated that five persons including Easter Sunday suicide bomber Saharan had clashed with a group who was against their views in the Aliyar area in Kattankudy in 2017. The five individuals, including Saharan, had fled the area and were hiding in the house of the registrar in Oluvil, he said. The 55-year-old registrar has aided and abetted the extremist ideology while providing shelter to the five individuals. DIG Ajith Rohana said that two of the five suspects who were hiding in the marriage registrar’s house were Moulavies and they are being detained by the Terrorism Investigation Division and interrogated. The other three including Saharan were suicide bombers died in the Easter Sunday attack.
ITJP Executive Director questions appointment of former IGP to OMP
International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) Executive Director Yasmin Sooka on June 1 questioned the appointment of former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Hapu Arachchige Jayantha Shantha Kumara Wickremaratne to the Office on Missing Persons (OMP), reports Daily Mirror. Sooka alleged “The appointment of war time police chief to the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) completes the militarization of this transitional justice mechanism and obliterates any chance of truth and justice for Tamil families of the disappeared. It is hard to make this up the man who was in charge of three police units named by the United Nations investigation as involved in mass enforced disappearances at the end of the war is now investigating the disappearances himself.” On May 20, the Parliament Council appointed former IGP, Hapu Arachchige Jayantha Shantha Kumara Wickremaratne as a member of the OMP.
Former LTTE cadre arrested in Batticaloa District for reorganizing LTTE
A former Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadre was arrested from Batticaloa District of Eastern Province under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) on June 1 for allegedly reorganizing the LTTE, reports Tamil Guardian. Following a tip-off from the District Intelligence unit, Kaluvanchikudi Police arrested Nagalingam Pradeepan from his home.
EU Parliament adopts resolution on Sri Lanka calling for repeal of PTA
The EU Parliament on June 10 adopted a resolution on Sri Lanka calling for the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), reports Colombo Page. The resolution also calls for the temporary withdrawal of the Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP+) granted to the island nation as the law is deemed incompatible with the conventions that the country has to implement under the GSP+ facility. The resolution was adopted by 628 votes in favor of the 705-member legislative assembly of the grouping. While 15 voted against, 40 abstained. European Parliament expressed its deep concern about Sri Lanka’s alarming slide towards a recurrence of grave human rights violations, as described by the most recent UN report on the country.
INTERNATIONAL
Ethiopia says 22 officials assassinated in Tigray
Ethiopia said on Wednesday, May 26 that 22 officials from the interim administration in the country’s Tigray region had been killed by forces loyal to its former ruling party during the six-month conflict there. A government statement said 20 others had been “kidnapped” and four more “wounded and hospitalised.”
UN to probe Israel’s crimes
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday, May 27 denounced as “shameful” a decision by the UN Human Rights Council to probe abuses in the Palestinian territories and inside Israel, while Palestinians welcomed the move.
“Today’s shameful decision is yet another example of the UN Human Rights Council’s blatant anti-Israel obsession,” Netanyahu said in a statement. The Palestinian foreign ministry, however, said the decision “reflects the determination of the international community to move forward in the path of accountability, law enforcement, and protection of Palestinian human rights”.
Earlier Thursday, the UN Human Rights Council decided to create an open-ended international investigation into violations surrounding the latest Gaza violence, and into the “systematic” abuses in the Palestinian territories and inside Israel.
The resolution, which passed with 24 of the council’s 47 members in favour, will spur an unprecedented level of scrutiny on abuses and their “root causes” in the decades-long Middle East conflict.
The text, which was presented by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, was debated during a special one day council session focused on the surge in deadly violence between Israelis and Palestinians this month.
“This travesty makes a mockery of international law and encourages terrorists worldwide,” Netanyahu said. Hazem Qassem, a spokesman for Hamas, said the Islamist Palestinian group that controls Gaza “welcomed the decision of the Human Rights Council to form an international investigation committee into Israeli violations in the Palestinian territories”.
Meanwhile, Pakistan welcomed the adoption of OIC-led resolution by the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC). “Pakistan stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people and shares the international community’s expectation for effective implementation of this resolution to ensure respect for international law as well as for rights and dignity of the people of Palestine,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
Six killed in Congo attack
Six people were killed, including a woman who was burned alive, during an attack blamed on the regional militia group ADF in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, sources said on Saturday, May 29.
The Allied Democratic Forces were believed to have carried out the overnight attack on a road near the border with Uganda, where the group was founded.
“ADF fighters attacked Kinyatsi, a village near the Virunga national park,” said Donat Kibuana, local administrator for the Beni territory in North Kivu province. “Youths are angry with the security forces,” the official added, without giving a reason.
Bomb kills 2 CAR cops, 3 Russian paramilitaries
A military convoy struck a roadside bomb in the northwest of the conflict-wracked Central African Republic, leaving two policemen and three Russian paramilitaries dead, the government said on Sunday, May 30.
Tensions have been high in the country of 4.7 million since a December presidential election, although a recent surge in violence is just the latest in a civil war that has lasted since the ouster of president Francois Bozize in 2013.
“Three Russian allies and two Central African police officers were killed,” government spokesman Ange Maxime Kazagui told AFP, while UN sources said the attack Thursday also wounded five members of the Central African security forces.
They said the convoy was blown up on the road between Berberati and Bouar, more than 400 kilometres (250 miles) from the capital Bangui. A Russian helicopter was sent to the scene to recover the victims´ bodies and the wounded, the sources said.
Moscow, which wields significant influence in the poor African nation, has since 2018 maintained a large contingent of “instructors” to train the Central African army. They were joined in December by hundreds more Russian paramilitaries, along with Rwandan troops, who were key in helping President Faustin Archange Touadera´s army to thwart a rebellion.
Bangui referred to the Russian “military” in a bilateral defence accord, before Moscow corrected it by referring to them as “instructors”. Numerous witnesses and NGOs say the instructors are in fact paramilitaries from the Wagner Group, a shadowy private military company that is actively participating in the fight against CAR rebels, alongside Rwandan special forces and UN peacekeepers.
On Friday the UN said 11 people were killed in less than a month by mines in the country, mainly in the northwest where some of the last bastions of rebel groups are located. The presence of roadside bombs and mines is a rather new phenomenon in the country, years of conflict.
Senegal launches operation against rebels
The Senegalese army launched a fresh operation against separatists in the southern region of Casamance early Sunday, May 30 a spokesman said.
Senegalese media said the army targeted positions of rebel leader Cesar Atoute Badiate, head of one of the factions of the separatist Casamance Movement of Democratic Forces (MFDC). One of Africa’s oldest ongoing conflicts, the fighting in Casamance has claimed thousands of lives since it first broke out in December 1982.
The region had returned to an uneasy calm in recent years until the army launched a major new offensive on January 26, capturing rebel bases in the Foret de Blaze area on the border with Guinea-Bissau.
Senegal’s army says the latest operation is aimed at stopping alleged rebel exactions on civilians and helping displaced people return home, as well as cracking down on trafficking in timber and cannabis.
Casamance, home to 1.9 million people, was once among Portugal’s colonies in West Africa, along with what is today Guinea-Bissau. But it is located within Senegal, a former French colony. The region is almost separated from the rest of Senegal by The Gambia a remoteness that fed into perceptions of discrimination by the government in far-off Dakar and helped create an independence movement.
The conflict has rumbled on at a low level for several years, with occasional flare-ups. In 2018, 14 young men were slaughtered in execution-style killings north of Ziguinchor. The election of President Macky Sall in 2012 brought about several attempts at peace, all of which failed, partly because of divisions within the MFDC.
50 killed in DR Congo
At least 50 people were killed overnight in two new attacks in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, monitors said Monday, May 31 as a local official blamed a notorious group linked to the Islamic State group (IS).
Ugandan minister hurt, daughter killed
Uganda’s transport minister was shot on Tuesday, June 1 in what police said was a “targeted drive-by shooting” which left the former top general’s daughter and bodyguard dead. Gunmen riding motorcycles followed General Edward Katumba Wamala, who once served as army chief, from his home in the capital for four kilometres (two and a half miles) before they sprayed his vehicle with bullets, a police statement said.
Syrian war killed nearly 500,000 people
A decade of war in Syria has left nearly half a million people dead, a war monitor said on Tuesday, June 1 in a new toll that includes 100,000 recently confirmed deaths. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the conflict has claimed 494,438 lives since it erupted in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests. The previous tally, issued by the Observatory in March this year, stood at more than 388,000 dead.
The war monitor has since confirmed an additional 105,015 deaths following months of documentation efforts supported by its network of sources on the ground. “The overwhelming majority of these deaths occurred between the end of 2012 and November 2015,” Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP, referring to the latest additions.
Of the recently confirmed fatalities, more than 42,000 are civilians, most of them killed under torture in Syrian regime prisons, according to the monitor. Abdel Rahman said that a lull in the fighting allowed his organisation to investigate reports of deaths that had not been included in the overall tally for lack of documentation.
The new figures published by the Observatory bring the total civilian death toll to 159,774, with attacks by Syrian government forces and allied militia accounting for the majority of deaths. The Observatory also documented a total of at least 57,567 deaths in government prisons and detention centres since 2011, up from the 16,000 confirmed deaths it reported in March. It also reported 168,326 deaths among Syrian soldiers and allied militia, with troops accounting for more than half of the tally.
The attention on both sides has since turned to battling the Covid-19 pandemic and 2020 saw the lowest number of conflict-related deaths since the start of the war with 10,000, according to the Observatory. Today the Damascus government controls more than two thirds of the country after a string of Russia-backed victories since 2015.
AI urges Iraq to account for 643 missing people
Amnesty International on Thursday, June 3 urged Iraq to reveal the whereabouts of 643 Muslim boys and men abducted five years ago by paramilitaries fighting the Islamic State group. The men and teenagers disappeared during an operation by the Hashed al-Shaabi in June 2016 to retake Fallujah in the western desert from the IS. The Hashed have since been integrated into Iraq’s state security forces.
Minsk slaps retaliatory sanctions on America
Belarus on Thursday, June 3 announced that the United States would have to cut its diplomatic and administrative staff in the ex-Soviet country as part of retaliatory sanctions following punitive measures from Washington.
The Belarusian foreign ministry also said that permission for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to work in the country had been revoked.
In a statement, the Belarusian foreign ministry spokesman, Anatoly Glaz, said the United States would have to cut its diplomatic and administrative staff in Belarus and visa procedures would also be tightened. He did not provide specifics.
In April, the United States said it was reimposing sanctions on nine state-owned companies in Belarus after strongman Alexander Lukashenko ignored warnings to release political prisoners following a crackdown on the opposition after a disputed election last year.
The sanctions came into effect earlier Thursday. Glaz said the US measures would only hurt “ordinary Belarus citizens”. “These actions are illegal, contradict international law and are aimed at putting pressure on a sovereign state,” he said in the statement.
Azerbaijani reporters, official killed
Two Azerbaijani journalists and a regional official were killed in a landmine explosion on Friday, June 4 in a district recaptured from Armenian separatists during last year’s war for Nagorno-Karabakh, officials said.
The explosion follows a series of incidents involving soldiers from Armenia and Azerbaijan along their borders that has put pressure on a Russian-brokered ceasefire ahead of elections in Armenia.
Azerbaijan’s interior ministry and the office of the prosecutor general said the blast occurred around 11:00 (0700 GMT). “A truck was blown up by an anti-tank mine in the village of Susuzlug in the Kalbajar district, killing three civilians,” the statement said.
Video published by state television showed a burnt-out vehicle blown sideways on a narrow shrub-lined road, with at least one body visible in the grainy footage.
The statement identified the victims as journalists working for state-run Az TV station and Azer Tag state news agency, as well as a local official. Four more people were wounded, it said.
Italian police dismantles neo-Nazi online group
Italian police have dismantled a neo-Nazi group that allegedly spread anti-Semitic and racist propaganda on social media, police said on Monday, June 6.
The group consisted of 12 people, aged between 26 and 62, and were present on Facebook and the Russian social network VK under the name “Ordine Ario Romano,” a Carabinieri police statement said.
Posting content “inspired by Nazi, anti-Semitic and Holocaust-denial ideologies, as well as by anti-Jewish conspiracy theories,” the group called for violence against Jews and foreigners, the statement added. They were also in the early stages of planning an attack against an unnamed NATO site using homemade explosives, with the help of fellow far-righters from Portugal, police said.
Gunmen kill 53 villagers in Nigeria
Armed cattle thieves have killed 53 people in northwest Nigeria’s Zamfara state, police and local residents said on Saturday, June 12 the latest violence to hit the restive region.
Scores of motorcycle-riding gunmen called bandits by locals on Thursday through Friday, invaded the villages of Kadawa, Kwata, Maduba, Ganda Samu, Saulawa and Askawa in the Zurmi district, shooting residents, they said.
The gang attacked farmers in their fields and pursued others who fled to escape the assaults.
Zamfara police spokesman Mohammed Shehu said 14 bodies had been taken to the state capital Gusau on Friday, and added that “policemen deployed in the area following the attacks.”
Four Chinese workers kidnapped in Nigeria
Gunmen kidnapped four Chinese rail construction employees and killed their police escort in southwest Nigeria, police said on Thursday, June 15 in the latest such incident in the region.
Nigeria fuel truck blast kills five
Five people were killed and 13 injured when a gas-laden tanker truck exploded and caught fire in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos, the emergency services said on Friday, June 16. The incident which happened late on Thursday on a road in Ikeja district, is the latest in series of tanker explosions in Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil and gas producer.
S Arabia defences ‘intercept’ 10 Huthi drones
Saudi air defences on Saturday, June 17 intercepted and destroyed 10 drones fired at the kingdom by Huthi rebels in Yemen, state media reported, quoting the Saudi-led military coalition battling the insurgents.
The official Saudi Press Agency reported that seven of the drones targeted regions in southern Saudi Arabia. Three targeted the Khamis Mushait region, also in the south and home to military installations, it said.
“The interception operations were successful,” the coalition said in a statement, adding that the drones were packed with explosives and seven were knocked out in Yemeni air space.
Earlier Saturday the Iran-backed Huthi rebels tweeted that one drone was launched in the morning towards the King Khaled air base in Khamis Mushait.
