Suicide Bombings/Attacks
47 persons killed in a suicide attack in Kunduz Province
On October 8, 2021, 47 persons, including 46 Hazara Shia worshipers were killed when an Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) suicide bomber detonated at Sayyidabad mosque in the Khanabad Bandar area of Kunduz city Kunduz, reports Associated Press. ISKP identified the bomber as a Uyghurs Muslim, saying the attack targeted both Shiites and the Taliban for their purported willingness to expel Uyghurs to meet demands from China. By Oct 17 the death toll had increased to 65, this was confirmed by persons attending the burial ceremonies.
Bomb/IED Attacks
One person was killed and two others were injured when the vehicle of a tribal elder was targeted in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack in Shiwa tehsil (revenue unit) of North Waziristan District on October 7, reports The Express Tribune. Police said that the vehicle of Malik Remal Jan Kabul Khel was targeted but luckily, he was not in the vehicle thus he remained unharmed. Three of his relatives, however, were in the car and one of them was killed on the spot while two others sustained injuries.
Two children were killed and three others sustained injuries when a blast occurred while they were playing in the Hoshab town of Turbat District on October 10, reports Samaa TV.
A Journalist, Shahid Zehri was killed while two others sustained injuries in an explosion on the RCD Highway in Hub town of Lasbela District on October 10, reports Samma TV. Police said Shahid Zehri was travelling in his car on the RCD Highway and as he passed by the City Police Station a bomb exploded. The bomb had apparently been attached to the underside of the vehicle; the Police added. Zehri worked as a reporter for the private-run Metro One TV. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack.
A Policeman was killed while 17 persons, including 13 Police personnel and four passersby, were injured in a blast near Balochistan University on Sariab Road of Quetta on October 18, reports Dawn. Balochistan Government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani said that a Police truck deputed outside the varsity gate was targeted and an explosive device was planted in a motorcycle.
Targetted Killings
One soldier of Frontier Corps (FC) was killed and two others sustained injuries when terrorists targeted a Security Forces’ (SF) check post in Machh of Bolan District in Balochistan, military’s media wing said on September 26, reports The Express Tribune. “Terrorists targeted security forces’ post in Mach, Balochistan. Frontier Corps troops responded promptly,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
One Shia student named Syed Shahzaib Naqvi was shot dead by unidentified assailants in an incident of sectarian killing in Wana town of North Waziristan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 10, reports Daily Times. Shahzaib was going on a motorbike with his friend when he was stopped by the members of a religious outfit who opened fire. Shahzaib died at the spot while his friend sustained injuries. Syed Shahzaib Naqvi was the son of a renowned social personality Syed Zafar Abbas Naqvi.
A female lawyer, identified as Aqeela Subhani, was shot dead in Johar Town of Lahore on October 12, reports Daily Times. Unidentified assailants, riding a motorbike, opened fire at the vehicle of Aqeela Subhani. In the attack, the lawyer got seriously injured who later succumbed to her injuries.
A Traffic Police Assistant Sub-Inspector, Nauman Khan was killed when unidentified assailants targeted him in Chamkani area on the outskirts of Peshawar in the afternoon of October 13, reports Dawn. Nauman Khan was going to join duty when he was targeted by two unidentified assailants riding a motorcycle in Sikandarabad locality. Nauman Khan belonged to Urmur area of Peshawar.
Miscellaneous
SFs on September 26, killed the suspected mastermind of July 13, 2018 election rally bombing, Mumtaz, reports The Express Tribune. Mumtaz, also known as Mota Pehalwan, was killed in a security operation in Mastung District of Balochistan.
10 terrorists including four ‘commanders’ were killed in an Intelligence Based Operation (IBO) carried out by the Security Forces in South Waziristan District on reported presence of a militant hideout on September 28, reports The Express Tribune. According to a statement issued by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the terrorists remained actively involved in planting Improvised Explosive Device (IED), conducting fire raids and target killing of innocent civilians.
Frontier Corps (FC) soldier Maqbool Shah, was killed while another soldier was injured as terrorists targeted a FC border post from Iranian territory with small arms fire in Chukab area of Kech District in Balochistan, Dawn reports on September 29.
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested a militant, identified as Ihsanullah, with a bounty of PKR 2 million on his head from Malakand District on September 17, reports The Express Tribune. According to sources Ihsanullah was involved in dozens of militancy acts across the Malakand division. The charges levelled against Ihsanullah included attacks on sensitive government installations, targeting Security Forces, blowing up some buildings with explosives and planning attacks on law enforcement agency personnel.
Two persons, including a Pakistan Army Captain and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ‘commander’ Khawaza din alias Sher Khan were killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Tank District, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on September 30, reports thenews.com.pk.
Unidentified attackers shot dead a hakim (physician) belonging to the Sikh community on Charsadda Rin Peshawar on September 30, reports The Express Tribune. According to the Police, the attackers barged into the clinic of Satnam Singh and shot at him four times. He was rushed to Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital in an injured condition where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Four Frontier Corps (FC) soldiers and a Sub-Inspector (SI) of Levies Force were killed when militants targeted their vehicle in the Spinwam area of North Waziristan District on October 2, reports Dawn. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), clearance operation is in progress to eliminate any terrorist found in the area.
Sir Syed Express escaped a major tragedy as the railway track was blown up in a bomb blast in Kot Lalu area of Sukkur District in the morning of October 6, reports ARY News. According to the Pakistan Railways Superintendent of Police (SP), some unidentified men tried to target Sir Syed Express with a cracker bomb attack in Sukkur, but luckily, the train safely passed and escaped the tragedy.
A Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander, identified as Abdul Wahab, was killed in an operation conducted by Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in Dir District on October 18, reports Samaa TV. According to the CTD spokesperson, the “commander” entered Swat District from Afghanistan. The CTD conducted an Intelligence Based Operation (IBO) after it received a tipoff about his whereabouts. “Wahab was involved in the planning and plotting of multiple terrorist attacks on police and Rangers personnel,” the CTD spokesperson revealed, adding that the Government had set a prize money of PKR five million on his head. A cache of weapons, explosives, and ammunition were recovered from his possession.
Two Frontier Corps (FC) personnel and two Police constables were killed in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in Teer Banda area near Pak-Afghan border in Mamund Tehsil (revenue unit) of Bajaur District in the night of October 20, reports Dawn. Bajaur District Police Officer (DPO) Abdul Samad Khan said the joint team of Security Forces (SFs) and Police were conducting a search operation in the area following an earlier explosion that had targeted a vehicle of a contractor, wounding two persons.
Separately, three terrorists were killed during an exchange of fire with the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel in Shahpur area of Peshawar on October 20, reports ARY News.
Meanwhile, an army soldier was killed in a terrorist attack on the Chapri Waziran check post in the Hangu District on October 20, reports Dawn. Officials said a sepoy of the Thall Scouts identified as Waqas, 28, a resident of Mansehra, was killed during the exchange of fire that lasted for several hours.
PAKISTAN
Out of 3 million Afghan refugees’ residing in Pakistan, only 1.5 million are registered; says report
Out of nearly 3 million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan, only 1.5 million of them were registered, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights was told on September 29, reports The Express Tribune. Briefing the committee members on the current status of Afghan refugees, Chief Commissioner, Afghan Refugees Saleem Khan revealed there was no record of 700,000 Afghans currently residing in the country. He said the undocumented refugees remain unidentified and unregistered at any level. “This is a major security issue,” he added. Expressing grave concerns over the matter, the committee sought complete details of refugees spread across the country.
Government in talks with TTP groups for reconciliation process, says Prime Minister Imran Khan
Prime Minister Imran Khan on October 1 said the Government is in talks with some groups of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), seeking a reconciliation, reports Dawn. “There are different groups which form the TTP and some of them want to talk to our government for peace. So, we are in talks with them. It’s a reconciliation process,” he said during an interview with the TRT World. When asked if the Government was asking them to lay down arms, the PM responded: “Yes, we forgive them and they become normal citizens”. The interviewer then asked why the TTP was conducting attacks on Pakistan’s security forces when they were in talks with the government. To this, the premier said it was just a “spate of attacks”. “We might not reach some sort of conclusion or settlement in the end but we are talking,” he added.
Responding to another query on whether the Afghan Taliban were acting as mediators between the TTP and Pakistan, the premier said: “Since the talks were taking place in Afghanistan, so in that sense, yes.” PM Imran reiterated he didn’t believe in military solutions. “I am anti-military solution, and as a politician, I believe political dialogue is the way ahead.” He said dialogue was the only way out in the case of Afghanistan also.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the US must engage with the Taliban to avert crisis
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan on October 11 said that the US must engage with the Taliban to avert crisis and added that the country has no option but to support the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, reports The Khaama Press News Agency. “The world must engage with Afghanistan because if it pushes it away, within the Taliban movement there are hardliners, and it could easily go back to the Taliban of 2000 and that would be a disaster.” Said Khan. Khan also commented on potential sanctions on the Taliban saying that three-quarters of the Afghan national budget depended on foreign aid which means the imposition would result in a humanitarian crisis. He also warned of a civil war in Afghanistan in case abandoned.
Pakistan seeks durable ties with US: COAS
Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Monday, Oct 18 said that Pakistan desired to maintain the tradition of bilateral engagement and wished for an enduring relationship with the United States. He expressed these views in a meeting with US Charge d’affairs Angela Aggeler, who called on him in Rawalpindi, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a media release.
The COAS also reiterated the need for global convergence on Afghanistan to avoid a humanitarian crisis and coordinated efforts for the economic uplift of the Afghan people. Matters of mutual interest, current security situation in Afghanistan and bilateral cooperation in various fields were also discussed during the meeting.
US Charge d’affairs Angela Aggeler appreciated Pakistan’s role in the Afghan situation and efforts for regional stability and pledged to play a role for further improvement in diplomatic cooperation with Pakistan at all levels.
Pakistan to remain on FATF grey list
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) announced on October 21 that Pakistan will remain on its increased monitoring list, also called the grey list, reports Dawn. Pakistan has been on the grey list for deficiencies in its counter-terror financing and anti-money laundering regimes since June 2018. Announcing the decision, FATF President Dr. Marcus Pleyer said that Pakistan had to complete two concurrent action plans with a total of 34 items. “It has now addressed or largely addressed 30 of the items,” he said. “Its most recent action plan from June this year, which largely focused on money laundering deficiencies, was issued after the FATF’s regional partner the Asia Pacific Group identified a number of serious issues. “Overall, Pakistan is making good progress on this new action plan. Four out of the seven items are now addressed or largely addressed.”
Commenting on the action plan devised in 2018 which focused on terror financing, the FATF president said that Pakistan was still assessed to have largely addressed 26 out of 27 items. “Pakistan has taken a number of important steps but needs to further demonstrate that investigations and prosecutions are being pursued against the senior leadership of UN designated terror groups,” he said. All these changes are about helping authorities stop corruption, preventing terrorism and organised criminals from benefitting from their crimes, he said, thanking the government for their “continued strong commitment” to the process. Responding to a question about whether Pakistan would be blacklisted for its failure to act against those on the UN terrorism list, Dr. Pleyer said that the country had completed 30 items out of 34 on two action plans.
Afghanistan – Internal Dynamics
Taliban to seek funds for families harmed by International Forces, says Noor Mohammad Motavakil
A member of the Cultural Commission of the Information and Culture Ministry of the caretaker cabinet, Noor Mohammad Motavakil on September 24 said that the Taliban will ask all countries involved in the Afghan war to pay compensation to victims’ families harmed by international forces that were stationed in the country, reports Tolo News. According to Noor Mohammad Motavakil, the Taliban has a list of all those who suffered from airstrikes in the last 20 years, and if the compensation is paid, they are ready to distribute it to the victims’ families. On September 23, United Kingdom (UK)’s Defense Ministry announced that the UK will pay war compensation to the families of victims harmed during UK forces airstrikes.
Two general licenses to be issued for transaction with the Taliban and Haqqani network, say US Treasury Department
The United States (US) Treasury Department on September 24 said it issued two general licenses to engage in transactions with the Taliban or Haqqani Network that are necessary to provide humanitarian assistance, reports Al Jazeera. The first license will be the one that allows the US government, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and certain international organisations, including the United Nations to transact with Taliban, and the second license will authorize certain transactions related to the export and re-export of food, medicine, and other items.
Five civilians killed in Kabul Province
On October 3, at least five civilians were killed in a roadside bomb explosion outside Eid Gah Mosque in Kabul city of Kabul province, reports AP. An apparent roadside bomb went off at the gate of the sprawling Eid Gah Mosque in Kabul at a time when a memorial service was being held for the mother of chief Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Five people were killed, said Qari Saeed Khosti, the spokesman of the Interior Ministry.
10 IS-KP militants killed in Kabul Province
A Security source said that “10 members of a family affiliated with Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-KP) were killed in the operation by Taliban in District 17 of Kabul city of Kabul Province on September 4, reports Tolo News. The deputy minister of information and culture, Zabihullah Mujahid said that a Daesh hideout was eliminated in an operation by Islamic Emirate forces. “All Daesh fighters present in the hideout were killed,” Mujahid said.
Religious scholar killed in Laghman Province
Local officials said that a religious scholar was shot and killed by unknown gunmen in Laghman Province on October 5, reports Tolo News.
Bangladesh – Internal Dynamics
HeI Amir Shah Muhibullah Babungari criticizes and protests harassment of its leaders in various ways
Hefajat-e Islam (HeI) Amir (Chief) Shah Muhibullah Babungari on September 29 criticised and protested harassment of its leaders in various ways, reports The Daily Star. In a statement, he said “I request the government not to arrest any scholar or an honourable citizen in a manner that creates fear and panic among the public. The accused, whoever he is, should be taken into police custody and tried according to the law.” He added, “We are not saying that all alem-ulema are innocent or free of blame. Maybe some of them are guilty. But our demand is that the accused should be brought to justice under laws of the country.” Muhibullah Babungari demanded that the Government carry out proper investigation against the arrested Islamic leaders and make arrangements for their release. “We want to make it clear to the government that the alem-ulema are not the enemy of this country or the government.”
Five Rohingya criminals indulge in extortion and kidnapping in name of ARSA arrested in Cox’s Bazar District
Five Rohingya criminals were arrested on October 8 in an operation by Armed Police Battalion at Ukhiya of Cox’s Bazar District, reports The Daily Star. The arrestees have been committing various crimes including extortion and kidnapping using the name of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). The arrestees are Mohamad Khaled Hosen (33), Master Syed Amin (38), Mohamad Shaker (35), Mohamad Kalim (18) and Mohamad Ilias (22). They are residents of different Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar District.
Militants are active online but Police are on alert, says DMP Commissioner Shafiqul Islam
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Shafiqul Islam on October 10 said militants are active online but Police are on alert, reports The Daily Star. “The militants are giving multiple posts on their platforms. But we do not have any solid information whether anyone is trying to do anything after being instigated. We are not seeing too much of a risk ahead of Durga Puja festivities but not dismissing concerns either,” he said while visiting Dhakeshwari Temple to inspect security measures. The DMP chief urged all to maintain health safety rules and cooperate with Police personnel during the festival.
Five Rohingya criminals suspected to be ARSA members arrested in Cox’s Bazar District
Armed Police Battalion (APBn) on October 11 arrested five Rohingya criminals suspected to be members of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) from the Balukhali Rohingya camp in Ukhiya of Cox’s Bazar District, reports Dhaka Tribune. The arrestees have been identified as Omar Farooq (19), Muktar Ahmed (50), Mohamad Salim (38), Mohamad Arafat (25) and Mansur Alam (25). Acting on a tip-off, a special APBn team conducted a drive in the camp and apprehended the suspects who were reportedly preparing for a robbery, said the release. The team seized six machetes, two knives and eight iron rods from their possessions.
Six Bangladeshi militant groups on Facebook blacklist
Six militant organisations and one individual in Bangladesh are in Facebook blacklist on October 12, reports The Daily Star. These are: Al Mursalat Media; Islamic State Bangladesh; Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B); Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT); Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB); Saham al-Hind Media, and Tariqul Islam, who is also affiliated with JMB. Facebook has developed a secret blacklist of over 4,000 individuals and organisations across the world that it considers ‘dangerous’ as a part of its Dangerous Individuals and Organizations (DIO) policy. All the Bangladeshi names fall under Tier 1, meaning discussing them on Facebook may result in heavy penalties. Those who commit ‘serious offline harm’, such as terrorists and militant organisations, are placed in Tier 1. Tier 2 includes ‘Violent Non-State Actors’, such as armed Syrian rebels, according to Facebook. Tier 3 consists of people and organisations that Facebook says violate its hate speech and dangerous organisation policies, but who ’”haven’t necessarily engaged in violence to date or advocated for violence’.
Four persons killed in Police firing in Comilla District
Four persons killed in Police firing in Comilla District, reports New Age on October 13 and one of the injured was declared dead at Comilla Medical College Hospital on October 14. The tension began in Comilla on October 13 as the Police tried to obstruct an unruly mob from demolishing the Nanoya Dighi puja mandap where Hindu women in the morning found the Quran on the thigh of an idol and informed the Police about the matter. The police recovered the Quran and launched an investigation into how it was placed there and by whom. As photos of the Quran on the thigh of the idol alongside photos of injured protestors went viral on social media, people, mostly in remote places, started targeting Durga Puja mandaps on October 13, triggering clashes with the police.
Meanwhile, law enforcers in Khulna District recovered 18 crude bombs from the gate of a Hindu temple in the Khulna city on October 14, reports Dhaka Tribune. The live bombs, wrapped in black tape, were found at around 5:30pm and safely recovered by a Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU) at around 7pm. The incident took place at the main gate of Rupsa Maha Shashan, which also houses a Kali temple, on the penultimate day of the Durga Puja the biggest religious festival of the Hindus.
Person responsible for keeping Quran at Durga Puja venue in Comilla District arrested from Cox’s Bazar District
Police on October 21 arrested Iqbal Hossain, the person responsible for keeping the Quran at a Durga Puja venue in Comilla District, from Cox’s Bazar District, reports Dhaka Tribune. Comilla Superintendent of Police (SP) Faruk Ahmed said Iqbal was arrested from the Shugandha beach area of Cox’s Bazar District. A CCTV footage shows Iqbal collecting the Quran from a mosque. He then walked outside and placed the Quran on the lap of an idol, Hanuman, at the temporary Durga Puja venue in Nanuardighi.
India – Internal Dynamics
Police ask Kerala government to ban circulation of ‘Mashari al Ashwaq’, also known as ‘book of jihad’
Police has asked the Kerala government to ban the circulation of 14th-century Arabic text Mashari al-Ashwaq Ila Masari al-Ushaaq, better known as the ‘book of jihad’, which allegedly motivates youngsters to join terrorist organisations, New Indian Express reports on September 29. Following the request, the government has formed a three-member committee to scrutinise its content. The Islamic State (IS) sympathisers in Kerala had, meanwhile, brought out the book’s Malayalam translation, which was named Vijayathinte Vathil Vaalinte Thanalil, and circulated online.
Two CRPF personnel injured in IED blast in Chhattisgarh
Two personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were injured after a pressure Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) went off in a forest between Murkinar and Chinnekadepal area under Modakpal Police Station limits in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on September 30, reports Zee News. Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P said, the incident took place around 10.45 am in a forest between Murkinar and Chinnekadepal camps of Security Forces (SFs) under Modakpal Police Station limits, located over 400 kilometres from the State capital Raipur, when a team of the CRPF’s 170th battalion was out on a road security operation. While the patrolling team was cordoning off the area, two constables, Sannidul Islam and K Balkrishna, belonging to the same unit, inadvertently came in contact with a pressure IED connection, triggering the blast, he said, adding, the two personnel received leg injuries and are said to be out of danger. A search operation was underway in the area, he said.
OU PhD scholar arrested for Maoist links in Telangana
Telangana Police arrested an Osmania University (OU) PhD student identified as Kota Srinivasa Gowda (38), of Appannapet in Peddapalli District of Telangana, on charges of having a connection with the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), from Bauddhanagar in Hyderabad District on October 3, reports telugustop.com. The Telangana Police had received information that Kota Srinivas, who is also the ‘state president’ of Telangana Vidyarthi Sangam (TVS), has links with the Maoists. In this context, the Police conducted searches at the OU hostel, including the house in which he was staying, and found several documents, prohibited literature and suspected items. The Police seized the documents and arrested him. According to the Police reports, Kota Srinivasa had been in direct contact with Maoist key leaders and also, he was attending their meetings. Also, it was confirmed that Kota Srinivasa had sent many students studying in various universities, including OU into the Maoist party.
Maoists seek help from allies abroad
The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) has appealed to its friends abroad to help build a strong solidarity movement to support its struggle, reports The Times of India on October 4. “The ruling classes know very well that they do no not have any chance of implementing their anti-people policies without elimination of Maoists. That’s why they termed them as the single-largest threat to internal security. They have continuously conducted military operations against the Maoists, but the heroic people retaliated under the brave leadership of People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA). Therefore, we have requested all the pro-revolutionary people to stand firmly in support of the Maoists to defeat the new and higher military operations and save Indian revolution,” Maoist party’s ‘central regional bureau’ (CRB) ‘spokesperson’ Pratap said in a statement released to the media on October 3.
Former members of KYKL form a new militant outfit
Former members of the militant outfit, Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) have formed a new armed outfit in Manipur Socialist Revolutionary Party (SOREPA), reports East Mojo on October 3. According to Toijam Ibochou, former vice president of KYKL and current convenor of the Interim Central Committee, SOREPA, stated that the new outfit was established to ‘regain the independence of Kangleipak/Manipur in Western South East Asia (WESEA),’ along with like-minded revolutionary outfits affirming its belief in ‘scientific socialism’ as the way forward. He further stated that the motto of SOREPA is ‘Socialism with Kanglei (Manipuri) federal characteristic.’
Monthly Fatalities:
The following casualties, related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism occurred during the period September 26, 2021 to Oct 25, 2021:
| Civilian | Indian Security Personal | Militant | Total | |
| Manipur | 04 | 00 | 01 | 05 |
| Left Wing | 05 | 01 | 03 | 09 |
| Total | 09 | 01 | 04 | 14 |
Nepal – Internal Dynamics
HoR meeting stalled as CPN-UML continues to obstruct House activities
The House of Representatives (HoR) meeting was stalled on September 30 as the main opposition party, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML), continues to obstruct the House activities, reports The Himalayan Times. As soon as the session started, CPN-UML lawmakers surrounded the rostrum and chanted slogans. The CPN-UML has been obstructing Parliament meetings since the beginning of the current session, demanding action against the 14 lawmakers who were sacked by the party. The next meeting of the HoR has been called on October 5 at 1 PM.
Conflict victims write to UN Secretary-General affirming Nepal continues to fail in establishing truth, justice, and reparations
As many as 48 organisations representing conflict victims have written to United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres affirming that Nepal continues to fail in establishing truth, justice, and reparations for thousands of victims of human rights violations during Nepal’s 1996-2006 conflict, reports The Himalayan Times on October 2. Referring to the remarks of Minister of Foreign Affairs during the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 27 in New York, the organisations said, “We hold that successive governments of Nepal have long continued to merely pay lip service and make false commitments to the transitional justice process at international forums including that of the UN. And it is our belief that Minister Khadka’s recent remark at the UNGS is just a continuation of those empty promises.” In the UNGA, Minister Khadka had said that Nepal was committed to conclude the transitional justice process through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons and that there would be no blanket amnesty in cases of serious violation of human rights.
CPN-Unified Socialist and CPN-Unified unites to form CPN-Unified Socialist
Newly formed Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Socialist (CPN-Unified Socialist) and Communist Party of Nepal-Unified (CPN-Unified) have agreed to unite their parties to form CPN-Unified Socialist on October 8, reports Khabarhub. Issuing a press release, both parties have informed about they have agreed to work under the same banner under the name of CPN-Unified Socialist. However, the election symbol of the party will be changed. According to the then CPN-United secretary Ain Bikram Kunwar, the party’s election symbol will be the pen. Earlier, the symbol belonged to the CPN-Unified. After unification, we agreed to keep the party’s name CPN-Unified Socialist and take pen as election symbol. Chairman of the CPN-Unified Jeevan Rai was formerly in the Madhav Kumar Nepal group while in Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML); however, he had formed a separate party when the UML was in dispute. Rai has been made a central committee member.
JSP members burn effigies of party chair Upendra Yadav in Parsa District
Some members of the ruling Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) on October 9 burned the effigies of the party’s Chairman Upendra Yadav in Birgunj city of Parsa District for not making lawmaker Pradeep Yadav of Parsa Constituency 1 a Minister, reports Republica. The group held protests in front of the clock tower in Birgunj city. They were heard shouting slogans and holding placards like ‘No entry for Upendra Yadav in Parsa’ and ‘Residents of Parsa will not be deceived.’ The protestors expressed their anger over Upendra Yadav’s decision to not recommend Pradeep Yadav to the post of a Minister. They called party’s chairman Yadav a ‘black snake’ and burned his effigy.
Sri Lanka – Internal Dynamics
Police launches probe into WhatsApp group linked with IS in Sri Lanka
An investigation has been launched after the Western Province Intelligence Division had received an information in connection to a WhatsApp group suspected to be connected to Islamic State (IS), operating in Sri Lanka, reports Daily Mirror on September 26. The Director of the Western Province Intelligence Division has instructed the Senior DIG Western Province that it would be appropriate for the relevant section to conduct a speedy investigation into the information received them on this WhatsApp group. It was reported that a WhatsApp group called ‘Interschool’ is related to the ISIS and if someone was invited to join, they could not leave the group after joining. Meanwhile, Police Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa told that Police are monitoring all suspicious groups on social media which could be a threat to national security.
Process of collecting evidence by international organizations is not transparent and is grossly unfair, says Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris
Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris speaking to the media at the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) headquarters in Battaramulla, Colombo on September 27 said that the process of collecting evidence against Sri Lanka by international organizations including the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is not transparent and is grossly unfair, reports Daily News. He said although it has become a timely need for every international organization to get together to support administering at least one vaccine dose to every citizen worldwide, some of the organizations are attempting to achieve their ulterior motives and engage in a witch hunt against selected countries amidst the pandemic. He also stressed that finding solutions to internal issues and Human Rights violation claims will only be done following a local mechanism and no decision would be taken as per the will or instructions of any international organization.
UN Secretary General António Guterres documents allegations of reprisals in Sri Lanka
United Nations (UN) Secretary General António Guterres on September 29 documented allegations of reprisals in Sri Lanka, reports Daily Mirror. A report documenting the incidents was presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva by UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ilze Brands Kehris. On Sri Lanka, the report noted that the High Commissioner for Human Rights in her February 9 report to the UNHRC had said that “a pattern of intensified surveillance and harassment of civil society organizations, human rights defenders and victims appears to have intensified over the past year, including of those who supported the implementation of Human Rights Council resolution 30/1”. The High Commissioner raised concern that this environment “is creating a chilling effect on civic and democratic space and leading to self-censorship” and urged “the authorities to immediately end all forms of surveillance, including intimidating visits by state agents and harassment against human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, social actors and victims of human rights violations and their families, and to refrain from imposing further restrictive legal measures on legitimate civil society activity.”
Former Defense Secretary and former IGP indicted over Easter Sunday attacks
Former Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and former IGP Pujith Jayasundera have been indicted on October 1 for their failure to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks in April 2019, reports Colombo Page. The two former top officials have been accused of failing to take measures to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks despite having prior knowledge of the attack, and charged of criminal negligence and murder. The three-judge bench of the Colombo Permanent High Court handed over an 855-count indictment to the defendants and ordered that the two cases be heard daily from November 22. A special three-judge bench comprising High Court Judges Namal Balalle, Aditya Patabendige and Mohamed Irshadeen decided to hear the case against Pujith Jayasundara in the morning and the case against Hemasiri Fernando.
CIVICUS slams Sri Lanka’s crackdown on critics and ongoing torture
CIVICUS in a report released on October 5 slammed Sri Lanka’s crackdown on critics and ongoing torture, reports Tamil Guardian. Writing in response to the state of emergency declared by Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on August 30, CIVICUS highlights that the emergency measures enable authorities “to detain people without warrants, seize property, enter and search any premises, suspend laws and issue orders that cannot be questioned in court”. In their report CIVICUS details how Sri Lanka’s crackdown has impacted those holding vigils to remember their loved ones; those advocating for educational reform; and government critics., many of whom have been detained under Sri Lanka’s draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). They further detail numerous reports of political prisoners being tortured whilst in Police custody.
INTERNATIONAL
Ex-Algerian premiers handed jail terms
Two detained former prime ministers under Algeria’s longtime ex-president Abdelaziz Bouteflika were handed additional prison sentences on Monday, Sept 28 for corruption, local media reported.
Ahmed Ouyahia and Abdelmalek Sellal were sentenced to six and five years respectively for money laundering, wasting public money, abuse of office and “awarding contracts in violation of public procurement regulations”, according to the newspapers Ennahar, Echorouk and El Hayat.
The charges related to Hamid Melzi, the former boss of a state firm that runs a luxury residence for government officials as well as a publicly owned hotel company. Melzi was sentenced to five years in prison, and also faces trial for industrial espionage and “harming the national economy”. Ouyahia served four times as prime minister between 1995 and 2019, while Sellal led the government from 2014 to 2017 and managed all four of Bouteflika’s election campaigns.
India-Bhutan nexus kept Taliban representative out of UN: sources
India in collusion with Bhutan and Ghani’s nominated representative to the UN foiled the attempt made by Taliban administration to represent Afghanistan in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) summit that concluded early this week.
Well-placed diplomatic sources told The News here Tuesday, Sept 29 that Indian mission at the UN headquarters in New York secretly engaged with Ghulam Isaczai, appointed by ousted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who continued to sit at Afghanistan’s seat at the United Nations even after the change of regime.
In a bid to change Afghan representative in the UN, Afghan Foreign Minister Mullah Amir Muttaqi wrote a letter to the UN Secretary General and nominated Sohail Shaheen as permanent representative. Muttaqi had also asked to allow his representative to participate in the 76th session of the UN General Assembly.
The matter was sent to the UN credential committee that decided about the representation of the member states and relevant subjects. The credentials committee is currently chaired by Sweden and includes the US, China, Russia, Bahamas, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Bhutan and Chile. The sources pointed out that India is a non-permanent member of the Security Council while Bhutan, under influence of India, is among the nine members of the credentials committee.
Five Sudan officers killed targeting IS cell
Five Sudanese counterterrorism officers were killed on Tuesday, Sept 29 during a raid in Khartoum targeting “a cell linked to the Islamic State group”, the country’s intelligence services said in a statement.
“After receiving information on the presence of a terrorist cell linked to IS, intelligence officers conducted a search,” it said. During the operation, “two officers and three non-commissioned officers” were killed, while “four foreign terrorists managed to escape”.
“Eleven terrorists from different foreign countries have been arrested,” the statement added. A two-storey house in the capital’s Jabra neighbourhood was surrounded by a cordon of security forces.
Protests in Bahrain over opening of Israeli embassy
Anti-Israel protests broke out in Bahrain on Friday, Oct 01 a day after Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s visit to open the Jewish state’s first embassy in the country. Police fired tear gas during one rally as scattered, small-scale protests took place around the tiny Gulf state. Protesters marched waving Palestinian and Bahraini flags, chanting “Death to Israel” and “No to the Israeli embassy in Islamic Bahrain”. No arrests were reported.
The United Arab Emirates, Sudan and Morocco also established relations in a series of US-brokered agreements known as the Abraham Accords.
The accords have been denounced by Palestinians as abandoning a unified position under which Arab states would make peace only if Israel gave up occupied land. In Gaza, the Hamas group criticised Bahrain for hosting Lapid, who returns to Israel on Thursday evening. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said this represented “an encouragement” of what he described as Israeli “crimes against our people”.
Three killed in Marib city
Strikes on Yemen’s strategic city of Marib on Sunday, Oct 03 killed a woman and two children and wounded at least 30 other people, military sources said, blaming Iran-backed Huthi rebels for the attack.
10 hurt in Huthis’ drone attack on Saudi airport
Ten people were wounded in a drone attack on a civilian airport in Jeddah that was blamed on Yemen´s Huthi rebels, official media said Saturday, Oct 09.
The Saudi-led coalition, quoted by the Saudi news agency SPA, said travellers and airport employees were among those injured in Friday’s attack, updating an earlier toll of five. The “Iran-backed Huthi militia” was behind the attack “using a bomb-laden drone, which resulted in (10) injuries among civilian travellers and airport staff”, coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said.
The attack caused “minor material damage to glass fronts” at King Abdullah Airport in Jazan, about 60 kilometres from the Yemeni border. The coalition said the workers sustained minor injuries from the drone’s debris, SPA reported.
The latest attack comes after four workers were wounded on Wednesday when the coalition intercepted an explosives-laden drone targeting the kingdom´s Abha airport, state media said. Meanwhile, on Friday, the US envoy on Yemen, Tim Lenderking, started a fresh peace bid that includes a stop in Saudi Arabia, which succeeded in scuttling a UN-backed probe into abuses in the conflict.
Six dead in Yemen blast targeting Aden governor
Six people were killed on Sunday, Oct 10 in a car-bomb attack targeting the governor of Aden, the seat of Yemen´s internationally recognised government, security sources said. Aden, in southern Yemen, is home to a separatist movement that last year precariously integrated into the central government, and both have long been aligned against Iran-aligned Huthi rebels in a grinding civil war.
Aden governor Ahmed Lamlas and Salem al-Socotri, a government minister, both survived the blast which went off as their convoy passed, the sources said. A Yemeni security source told AFP that five members of the entourage were killed and 11 others, of whom three were civilians, were wounded in the attack. One person later succumbed to his injuries, bringing the death toll to six.
The central government relocated to Aden from the capital Sanaa in 2014, forced out by the Iran-backed Huthis, who are fighting Saudi-backed Yemeni government loyalists. The Saudi-led military coalition intervened in Yemen´s war in 2015.
Gunmen kill 19 traders in Nigeria
Gunmen from gangs of cattle thieves and kidnappers have opened fire on a market in northwest Nigeria, killing at least 19 people, officials and local residents said on Sunday, Oct 10. Northwest and central Nigeria are plagued by criminal gangs of cattle thieves and kidnappers for ransom called bandits, who raid villages, killing and abducting residents as well as looting and burning homes.
156 Yemeni rebels killed in south of Marib
More than 150 Huthi rebels have been killed in an operation south of Marib, a major hotspot of Yemen’s civil war, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the militants said on Monday, Oct 11. “The targeting process included the destruction of eight military vehicles, and casualties exceeded 156 terrorist elements,” a coalition statement said, according to the official Saudi Press Agency. The operation took place in Abdiya south of Marib, the internationally recognised government’s last outpost in northern Yemen and key to controlling the region’s oil wealth.
Car bomb kills six in Syria
A car bombing in the northern Syrian city of Afrin on Monday, Oct 11 killed six people, including at least one Turkey-backed rebel fighter, a war monitor said.
An AFP video journalist saw civil defence members douse the charred remains of a car with water, as rescue workers carried away what appeared to be a victim’s remains under a blanket on a stretcher. Afrin, like all Syrian areas held by pro-Turkish rebels, is the scene of regular targeted killings, bombings and shootings that largely remain unclaimed.
Kidnap plot
Turkey has detained an Iranian and a Turk on spying charges, a senior official said on Wednesday, Oct 13in the latest espionage case threatening to roil relations between the two neighbouring regional powers.
Over 150 Yemeni rebels killed in Marib strikes
The coalition supporting Yemen’s government said more than 150 Huthi rebels were killed on Thursday, Oct 14 in air strikes south of Marib city, where the insurgents are pushing on the government’s last northern stronghold. The latest air strikes against the rebels take the number of them killed in oil-rich Marib province’s Abdiya district to more than 500 in just the past four days, according to a toll compiled by the coalition.
The latest coalition onslaught involved 36 strikes over the past 24 hours, it added.
The Huthi rebels renewed their campaign to seize Marib, a strategically vital city that would complete their takeover of the north and its oil reserves, last month. The Huthis said they were “on the edges of the city” in a video statement. The rebels have since had to retreat from some of their positions, multiple government military officials in Marib told AFP Thursday.
US missionaries and family members kidnapped in Haiti
About 15 American missionaries and family members were kidnapped on Saturday, Oct 16 by a gang outside the Haitian capital, a local security source told AFP. The group of between 15 and 17 people, including children, were being held by an armed gang that for months has been engaged in theft and kidnappings in the area between Port-au-Prince and the border with the Dominican Republic, the source said.
A spokesman for the US government said it was aware of the reports but declined to provide any information. The missionaries and their families were returning from a visit to an orphanage about 30-km east of Port-au-Prince, a security source told AFP.
Gunmen kill dozens in Nigeria
Gunmen from a criminal gang have attacked a village market in northwest Nigeria’s Sokoto’s state killing dozens of people, the state government said on Monday, Oct 18.
US confirms attack on base in Syria
The United States said on Thursday, Oct 21 that a base in Syria used by the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group was attacked with drones and artillery.
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 Level1 *
No threat to foreigners although there may be isolated incidents involving petty crime. No security precautions are required.
Threat Level2 **
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.
