Suicide Attacks
Four soldiers were killed in a suicide blast at a military convoy in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan District on August 8, reports Dawn. The deceased soldiers were identified as Lance Naik Shahzaib (22), a resident of Mansehra (KP), Lance Naik Sajjad (26), hailing from Ghizer (Pakistan-administered Kashmir), Sepoy Umair (25), a resident of Kohat (KP) and Sepoy Khurram (30), a resident of Narowal (Punjab). According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), intelligence agencies have commenced investigations to find out details about the suicide bomber who carried out the attack and his handlers and facilitators.
Bomb/IED Blasts
Two Policemen were killed and two other personnel sustained injuries in a grenade explosion inside the Police headquarters in Garden area of Karachi on August 3, reports Geo News. The explosion took place inside the ammunition depot of the police headquarters, resulting in the killing of two personnel and injury to two others.
One person was killed and 11 others injured in a grenade blast at Joint Road in Quetta on August 4, reports Geo News.
A man was killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) that he was carrying exploded near the deputy commissioner’s office in Kotri town of Jamshoro District in Sindh on August 4, reports Dawn. The deceased was identified as Allah Bux. Jamshoro Senior Superintend of Police (SSP) Javed Baloch said that the IED exploded in the alleged suspect’s hand and a part of his hand “blew up”. He was also allegedly carrying a remote control which was to be used for exploding the device, the SSP added. According to bomb disposal squad official Ramzan Kanwar, 200 to 300 grams of explosives and ball bearings were packed in a canister to make the IED.
At least three people including a policeman were injured in a remote-controlled blast that occurred in Hazar Ganji area of Quetta on August 7, reports The Nation. According to Police, the explosive material was planted on a motorcycle parked near Hazar Ganji market. The blast also caused damage to nearby shops and parked vehicles, Police added.
One person was killed and four others, including a woman, were injured in grenade attack at Azadi Chowk in Khuzdar town (Khuzdar District) on August 10, reports Dawn. The assailants fled the scene after hurling the grenade. Police said unknown motorcyclists targeted a stall selling Pakistani flags and other decoration items ahead of Independence Day on August 14.
Further, six persons were injured and nearby shops and vehicles were damaged in a bomb blast at the Anam-Bostan road in Nushki town (Nushki District) in the night of August 9, reports Dawn. Police said an improvised explosive device (IED) planted in a vehicle was used in the attack and it was probably detonated using a remote control. Three of the six victims were identified as Satish Kumar, Saddam and Jamaldini.
Targetted Killings
Two Policemen were killed and another was injured when unidentified terrorists opened fire on a Police patrol party near Pasani checkpost in Mattani area of Peshawar in the evening of July 27, reports Dawn. A Police statement identified the slain Policemen as Sher Akbar and Jan Ali, while Police post in-charge Nauthia Khan was injured in the firing.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly Malik Liaquat Ali Khan was critically injured, while four persons including one Policeman and one Levies official were killed in a targeted attack in the Maidan Gul area of Lower Dir District on August 6, reports The News. According to Police, those killed in the attack include the brother and nephew of Malik Liaquat. The Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) was travelling to his home hometown Nagotal when he came under attack.
Unidentified assailants shot dead a Balochistan University professor, identified as Mohammad Ali, in Nawa Kali area of Quetta on August 16, reports Samaa TV. Police official said the unidentified assailants riding motorcycles opened fire on Professor Mohammad Ali and managed to escape.
Miscellaneous
At least six militants and one soldier were killed in a heavy exchange of fire with Security Forces in the Hoshab area of Kech District in Balochistan during an operation on July 29, reports Dawn. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement that the SFs conducted the operation based on information that a “terrorist group” was on the move on motorcycles from Kech to Panjgur. The SFs immediately cordoned off the area and combed it to apprehend the militants. However, once surrounded, the militants opened indiscriminate fire on the raiding party. A heavy exchange of fire ensued, in which six militants were killed and a large cache of arms and ammunition was recovered. The soldier, Havaldar Hidayatullah, was killed while Naik Mir Muhammad sustained injuries during the operation.
On July 29, Balochistan Minister for Food, Engineer Zamarak Khan Achakzai escaped unhurt in an attack in the Maizai Addah area of Killa Abdullah District, reports The Express Tribune. “Miscreants opened fire at our vehicles while we were on way but the fire was returned by my guards and the attackers escaped afterwards,” Minister Achakzai said.
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on August 1 arrested two cadres of Sindh Revolutionary Army (SRA) from Hyderabad District of Sindh, reports ARY News. Azhar Ahmed, one of the SRA cadres, was involved in blast at the railway line in Gambat area of Khairpur District in Sindh in 2014, the CTD said.
Two terrorists were killed in an exchange of fire with Army’s quick reaction force and the terrorists after the former responded to an explosion that was triggered by an improvised explosive device (IED) that targeted a Police vehicle in Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan District on August 10, reports Geo News.
A man belonging to the Ahmadiyya community was stabbed to death by an unidentified man in a suspected blasphemy attack in Chenab Nagar area of Chiniot District in Punjab on August 12, reports Dawn. The victim’s brother lodged a complaint with the Chenab Nagar Police Station and identified a suspect, who has been arrested by Police. According to the First Information Report (FIR), the eyewitness said that the victim was returning home with his brother after purchasing groceries at around 7:45am near Lari Adda, Chenab Nagar area when an unidentified man accosted them and asked whether they belonged to the “Qadiani community”.
Two soldiers, identified as Naik Atif and sepoy Qayyum were killed while Major Umer received injuries during an exchange of fire with terrorists in Khost area of Harnai in Balochistan on August 14, reports Dawn.
Separately, the official residence of the deputy commissioner, Abdul Razzaq Saloli, of Panjgur District came under attack when unidentified terrorists hurled a hand grenade at the house, injuring a Levies personnel and damaging vehicles on August 14, reports Dawn. Deputy Commissioner Sasoli and other members in the house remained unhurt.
A terrorist was killed by Security Forces during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan District on August 15, reports Dawn. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the SFs conducted an IBO in the area, prompting an intense exchange of fire between the troops and terrorists.
Two Police constables, identified as Nisar and Pir Rehman, providing security to polio workers were killed on August 16 by firing from unidentified terrorists in Kot Azam area of Tank District, reports Geo News.
PAKISTAN
434 terror attacks reported against SFs during six months of 2022, Federal Interior Ministry informs Senate
On July 30, in a report presented in the Senate (Upper house of parliament) Federal Interior Ministry said that the country witnessed around 434 terrorist attacks on Security Forces (SFs) during the first six months of 2022, reports The Express Tribune. In these attacks, at least 323 soldiers of Army and other institutions were killed. 718 soldiers and officers of Army and other organisations were also injured. The report said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) reported the highest number of such attacks, 247; followed by Balochistan, 171; and Sindh, 12. Punjab witnessed the least number of attacks – one – while three such incidents took place in Islamabad.
Pashtun jirga concludes another round of talks with TTP in Kabul
A 12-member Pashtun jirga (council of tribal elders) wrapped up another round of talks with leaders of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Kabul on August 1, reports Dawn. Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, who led the tribal elders, dispelled the impression of a deadlock in the talks and told Dawn that the three-day talks were held in a “conducive environment” in which both sides addressed each other’s reservations. “The negotiations did not fail but are continuing. Failure and success will be judged when the process reaches an end,” he said, clarifying that the talks would fail when either side decides to halt the process. “But this is not the case,” he added. “We had interactions with the TTP and the officials of the Islamic Emirate. We met the TTP separately and also together with the officials of the Islamic Emirate,” he added further. Barrister Saif, however, declined to share further details of the meetings, adding that the negotiations were underway “smoothly”.
Militant attacks increased in July despite TTP ceasefire, says PICSS report
Despite the announcement of an indefinite ceasefire by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), militant attacks increased in July as compared to June, according to statistics released by an Islamabad-based think-tank, Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), Dawn reported on August 2. In July militants carried out 33 attacks in which 34 people were died, including 17 Security Force (SF) personnel, and 46 people were injured, including 34 SF personnel. However, in June, the militants carried out 26 attacks in which 36 people were killed and 26 injured.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), PICSS has recorded a 400pc increase in militant attacks compared to June 2022. In July, 12 militant attacks were reported in which 12 people were killed, including 10 SF personnel, while 13 others sustained injuries including 10 Army personnel. 34 people killed in 33 attacks, PICSS’s statistics said. In June, the province had witnessed only three militant attacks in which three people were killed. A newly-formed militant outfit ‘Ittehad Musallah Islami Mujahideen (IMAM)’ claimed responsibility for one of the attacks. In response to an increase in militant attacks, security has been beefed up in the province. In a security forces action reported from KP, three alleged militants were apprehended.
In the tribal Districts of KP, the report recorded a slight increase in militant attacks compared to June while in July, 14 militant attacks were reported compared to 12 in June. In July, 16 people were killed in erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), including three SF personnel, while 23 sustained injuries including 18 SF personnel. The TTP had not claimed responsibility for any militant attack in the region.
In Balochistan, SFs carried out three major operations against Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and killed 17 alleged militants in response to their involvement in the kidnapping and killing of Lieutenant-Colonel Laiq of Army. Seven militant attacks were also reported in Balochistan in which six people were killed including four SF personnel while 10 sustained injuries.
In Sindh, two SFs actions were reported in which three alleged militants were apprehended.
TTP ‘Checkpoint’ established in Swat District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The Nation reported on August 12 that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants have established a check-post on the Balasoor Top, besides roaming in other areas of the Matta tehsil (revenue unit) of Swat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. TTP’s return has spread a wave of fear and panic among residents who are demanding the Government take action against the militants. The local residents said the TTP militants were not only at Balasoor Top but they were also present in large numbers in the mountainous areas of Matta tehsil, including Bar Shor, Koz Shor, Namal, Gat Peuchar and other areas, which has created panic. Deputy Inspector General of Police, Malakand Range, Zeeshan Asghar, was contacted for comments over the new development but he did not respond.
TTP warns secular and nationalist groups against levelling allegations
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on August 18 warned ‘secular’ and nationalist groups to stop levelling allegations against the outfit, reports Dawn. In a statement issued in Peshawar, TTP said that some pro-western groups were frustrated as situation in Pakistan showed signs of improvement owing to its peace talks with the Government. “These people do not want Pakistan to be peaceful and prosperous. That’s why these groups are trying to create an impression from different platforms that Taliban are being brought to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the merged Districts, under the garb of negotiations,” said the statement. It said that TTP had reiterated its stance on many occasions that it wanted real peace in the country. TTP said it’s neither anti-state nor working for anti-Pakistan powers and it doesn’t want to clash with any religious or political party. It warned liberal, secular and nationalist groups to refrain from making baseless propaganda and levelling allegations against it. It added that those parties, keeping under consideration its policies, should not choose the path of confrontation. “These parties suffered losses in the past because of their wrong policies,” it claimed.
Afghanistan – Internal Dynamics
Dead body publicly displayed in Herat Province
According to local sources Taliban fighters have displayed the dead body of a young man in the center of Herat city, the provincial capital of Herat, reports Hasht-e Subh on July 27. There was a paper that was placed on the body of the deceased saying “The murderer of the Mujahideen has been punished for his deeds.”
US Special Representative Thomas West raises concern over the lack of inclusive Government with the Taliban
The United States (US) Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West, during the Tashkent conference, voiced deep concerns over the lack of inclusive Government, human rights violations, and restrictions on journalists in Afghanistan with the Taliban, reports Hasth-e-Subh.
Al Qaeda Emir Ayman al Zawahiri killed in an US Drone strike in Kabul city
On July 31, two hellfire missiles fired from a drone that targeted a house in the Sherpur locality under Police District (PD) 10 of Kabul city, reports Ariana News. Later, United States (US) officials confirmed that Al Qaeda Emir (head) Ayman al-Zawahiri (71) was killed in a “tailored airstrike” in a ‘counterterrorism operation’ by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Kabul city, reports AP on August 2. According to a senior intelligence official, the house in which Al-Zawahiri was staying was owned by a top aide to Taliban’s Acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani. The official also added that a CIA ground team and aerial reconnaissance conducted after the drone strike confirmed his death. In addition, US President Joe Biden was briefed on July 1 in the White House Situation Room, on the proposed strike by his national security aides, reports Reuters.
Separately, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that a strike took place and strongly condemned it, calling it a violation of “international principles”, reports Tolo News August 1. The Long War Journal reports the Zabihullah Mujahid’s statement as, “On the second day of the first month of the current year 1444 Hijri, an airstrike was carried out on a residential house in Sherpur area of Kabul city. The nature of the incident was not revealed at first. The security and intelligence agencies of the Islamic Emirate investigated the incident and found that the attack was carried out by American drones. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns this attack on any pretext and calls it a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement. Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the United States of America, Afghanistan and the region. Repeating such actions will damage the available opportunities.”
Taliban Violated Doha Agreement by Sheltering Al Qaeda’s Leader, says US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken
On August 1, the United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the Taliban “grossly” violated the Doha Agreement by hosting and sheltering al Qaeda’s Emir Ayman al-Zawahiri, reports Hasth-e-Subh. “In the face of the Taliban’s unwillingness or inability to abide by their commitments, we will continue to support the Afghan people with robust humanitarian assistance and to advocate for the protection of their human rights, especially of women and girls,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in the statement.
Three IS-KP militants and two Taliban ‘police officers’ killed in Kabul Province
On August 3 left at three Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-KP) militants and two Taliban ‘police officers’, were killed, during an operation against a hideout, in the Karti Sakhi under Police District (PD) 3, a Shia dominated neighborhood of Kabul city, the national capital, reports gandhara.rferl.org. Four Taliban ‘police officers’ were injured in the operation.
Two Tribal elders killed in separate incidents in Nangarhar province
Unidentified gunmen shot and killed a tribal elder in the Momand Dara District of Nangarhar Province in eastern Afghanistan on August 5, reports The Khaama Press news Agency. The tribal leader identified as Malek Jameel, was forcefully taken out of his residence on August 5, by unidentified armed men before being shot dead.
Meanwhile, another tribal elder was killed by unidentified attackers while performing morning prayers at a mosque in the Chaparhar District of Nangarhar Province on August 5, reports The Khaama Press news Agency. According to the Taliban local officials, the victim, Mawlawi Mohammad Qayyum was shot dead on August 5, and the motive of the murder is unknown.
TTP ‘intelligence chief’ killed in a landmine blast in Kunar Province
On August 8, Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) ‘intelligence chief’ Abdul Rashid alias Uqabi Bajauri, was killed in a landmine explosion in Kunar Province, reports pakobserver.net. Uqabi belonged to the Bajaur District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan.
10 persons killed in Kabul Province
On august 17, a suicide attack killed at least 10 people, including a prominent cleric Mullah Amir Mohammad Kabuli, and injured at least 27 others, in the Siddiquiya Mosque located at Kher Khanna neighborhood in PD 17 of Kabul city, reports AP. the Taliban-appointed spokesman for the Kabul Police, Khalid Zadran, confirmed an explosion inside a mosque but would not provide a casualty toll or a breakdown of the dead and wounded. No group has claimed responsibility for the incident
Bangladesh – Internal Dynamics
Three Rohingya refugees shot at and injured in Cox’s Bazar District
On July 21, Arakan Salvation Army (ARSA) militants allegedly shot at and injured three Rohingyas, Head Majhi (leader) of the management committee of D-Block of Kutupalong Shelter (Camp-4) Hossain Ali (55), Rashid Alam (40), and Noor Hossain (42), in Ukhiya Upazila (sub-District) of Cox’s Bazar District, reports Prothom Alo.
Trooper shot during gunfight in Cox’s Bazar District
On August 2, a member of Armed Police Battalion (APBn), Kawsar Ahmed, sustained injuries in a gunfight between two rival Rohingya groups at Noyapara camp in Teknaf upazila (sub-District) of Cox’s Bazar District, reports Daily Star.
Suspected PCJSS men killed in Rangamati District
On July 28, 2022, Security Forces in a “gunfight” killed suspected activist of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS), Nikhil Kumar Das, (35), Chowdhury chhara area in Kaptai upazila (sub-District) of Rangamati District, reports Daily Star.
Two Rohingya leaders killed in Cox’s Bazar District
On August 9, unidentified gunmen killed two Rohingya majhis (community leaders), identified as Abu Taleb, the head majhi of the camp’s C-block and Syed Hossain, the majhi of sub-block C/9, in C-9 Block of Camp 15 in Ukhiya upazila (sub-District) of Cox’s Bazar District, reports Dhaka Tribune.
JMB militant arrested in Narsingdi District
Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) of Police, arrested Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) militant, the head of Dawah wing of in Gaibandha, Md Afzal Hossain alias Limon, (38), from Madhabdhi upazila (sub-district) of Narsingdi District, reports Prothom Alo.
India – Internal Dynamics
Maoist posters surface in Telangana
Several posters, and pamphlets allegedly left by the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) were found by the villagers at Uppedu, Veerapuram, and Gollagudem villages of Venkatapuram Mandal (administrative subdivision) in Mulugu District of Telangana on July 27, appealing to people to observe Martyrs’ Week from July 28 to August 3 in a big way, reports Telangana Today. The posters issued in the name of Telangana State Committee of Maoist party, urged the party cadre to fight against the Hindu-Brahminical fascist forces unleashed by the government, and defeat the fascist ideology. The banned Naxal [Left Wing extremism, LWE] outfit will organise the martyrs’ memorial week in all the Maoist-affected States, including Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Jharkhand every year.
Security along Indo-Nepal border intensified after 13 people arrested with two kg uranium
Security along the Indo-Nepal border has been increased after 11 Afghan and two Nepalese nationals were arrested on July 23 (by Nepalese authorities in Viratnagar) while attempting to smuggle in two kg uranium, indileak.com reports on July 27. The accused were trying to enter India through Jogbani border in Araria District of Bihar. Six of the arrested Afghan nationals were found in possession of fake Aadhaar cards. During interrogation, the accused confessed that they trying to smuggle in the uranium consignment in India through Bihar. Soon after, the Nepal Home Ministry released a statement saying that the citizens of third countries are taking advantage of the open border of Bihar and Nepal to smuggle highly sensitive Uranium. It is a threat to both nations.
SFJ announce Referendum for Khalistan to begin in Toronto on September 18
The Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) announced to begin the Canadian Phase of ‘Khalistan Referendum’ on September 18 from Toronto, Ontario in which Canadian Sikhs will vote on the question “Should Indian Governed Punjab Be An Independent Country”, reports Pakistan Today on July 30. Khalistan Referendum Voting Centre in Toronto, named after, ‘martyred’ Harjinder Singh Pahra, who was killed in an encounter in 1988, to honor the young pro-Khalistan Sikh who went back to India from Canada to participate in the then ongoing armed struggle for Khalistan in the wake of the Indian Army’s June 1984 attack on the Golden Temple. Terming September 18 voting as “Journey From Khalistan Rocket To Referendum”, the SFJ’s General Counsel, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, stated that the “ballot is the most potent weapon of this century through which we will balkanize India and liberate Punjab”.
Al-Qaeda is trying to establish its footprints in Assam, says Assam Police
On July 29, Assam police said that Al-Qaeda is trying to establish its footprints in Assam and has formed several modules in the state, reports Times Now. Hiren Nath, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) (Special Branch) of police said, “Al-Qaeda has tried to establish their footprint and base in Assam, but we got the inputs and busted it. We tracked all the modules. They have some nefarious designs and are doing their activities very secretly and taking different names. They are doing a lot of indoctrination and influencing the people.”
Internet services suspended across Manipur for five days citing communal tension
On August 7, the State Government in an immediate order suspended mobile data services for five days across the state in after a report by the Superintendent of Police of Bishnupur district that a vehicle was set ablaze by three-four men at Phougakchao Ikhang on August 6, reports NDTV. The crime has created communal tension, the order said. Some anti-social elements are using social media to transmit hate speeches inciting the passions of the public, the order further said. For the last few days Manipur has been witnessing protests, and an indefinite economic blockade on its highways called by All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) that has been demanding that the Manipur (Hill Areas) Autonomous District Council Bill, 2021 not to be tabled in the Assembly.
SF trooper killed in Tripura
On August 19, suspected National Liberation Front of Tripura-Biswamohan (NLFT-BM). militants killed a Border Security Force (BSF) trooper, Head Constable Girjesh Kumar Uddey, in a remote forest area of Kanchanpur sub-division in North Tripura District, reports NDTV.
Monthly Fatalities:
The following casualties, related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism occurred during the period July 26, 2022 to August 25, 2022:
| Civilian | Indian Security Personnel | Militants | Total | |
| Manipur | 04 | 00 | 02 | 06 |
| Left wing | 05 | 00 | 02 | 07 |
| Total | 09 | 00 | 04 | 13 |
Nepal – Internal Dynamics
Arrest warrant issued against NCP ‘general secretary’ Netra Bikram Chand and others
An arrest warrant has been issued against Nepal Communist Party (NCP) ‘general secretary’ Netra Bikram Chand aka Biplav, and other leaders, reports Khabar Hub on August 1. Lalitpur District Court has issued the arrest warrant against Khadga Bahadur Bishwakarma aka Prakand, Mehn Bahadur Karki, Tek Bahadur KC, Bharat Bahadur Bam, Padam Bahadur Rai, Santash Budhamgar, Nabin Bishwakarma, Uday Bahadur and others for various crimes along with Biplav. According to the court, they have to appear in the court within 35 days.
Sri Lanka – Internal Dynamics
Sri Lankan President invites all members of Parliament to unite to form an all-party Government
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has invited all Members of Parliament to join discussions on forming an all-party Government to resolve the current situation in the country, reports Colombo Page. According to the President’s Media Division (PMD), President Wickremesinghe has made the relevant request in writing this morning to implement a national all-party program to create economic and social stability. The Government is making great efforts to gradually restore normalcy following the political and social anarchy created in the country recently in parallel to the economic crisis that the country is facing, President’s invitation has noted. “Accordingly, we are taking necessary basic steps to create economic stability while preparing the basic plans for the implementation of a systematic economic reform program,” President has said. “However, in order to successfully overcome the challenges before us, I am of the opinion that a program should be implemented with the participation of all political parties represented in the Parliament, expert groups, civil organizations etc.” “At this moment, the intention of the general public is that all the public representatives represented by them in the Parliament work to find solutions to the economic and social crises of the country through a common program. It is the duty of the government and you too.” “Accordingly, in order to fulfill this national responsibility, I intend to build a broad dialogue on the next steps including the re-introduction of the 19th Constitutional Amendment and the Parliamentary Oversight Committee system, and I respectfully request that yours/the party’s agreement be forwarded to me as soon as possible,” the President’s invitation said according to the PMD.
NFF asks President to convene an all-party conference to resolve the ongoing crisis
The National Freedom Front (NFF), on August 1, reiterates that an all-party conference should be convened to resolve the ongoing crisis, reports Colombo Page. NFF Leader Member of Parliament (MP), Wimal Weerawansa in a letter to the President Ranil Wickremesinghe says that a program according to a strategic approach as well as the presentation of a road map to the country with common agreement of all parties can gain public confidence. Responding to the President’s request to all parties to jointly implement a national all-party program to create economic and social stability, Weerawansa said an all-party conference is important to gain public confidence by presenting the vision, strategic plan and accordingly the program as well as a road map to the country with common agreement. It will also be important to neutralize the political weapon in the hands of fake protesters or imperialist operatives, the NFF leader said.
UNDP assures continued support to Sri Lanka to overcome current challenges
The Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Christophe Bahuet, who is presently on a visit to Sri Lanka, called on the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry, on August 12, and affirmed the continued support and cooperation of the UNDP to Sri Lanka, particularly in the priority areas identified and recovery measures being taken by the Government to overcome the current challenges, reports Colombo Page. Foreign Minister Sabry appreciated the consistent support extended by the UNDP to Sri Lanka for over five decades and in particular, during difficult times. The Foreign Minister and the Deputy Regional Director also discussed ways to enhance cooperation between the UNDP and the Government of Sri Lanka to support social protection measures for the vulnerable communities and ensure sustainable recovery from the current challenges.
INTERNATIONAL
17 fighters killed in south Syria clashes
17 gunmen were killed in two days of clashes in southern Syria’s Sweida province between groups loyal to the Damascus regime and others opposing it, a war monitor said on Wednesday, July 17.
Ten loyalists and seven opposition fighters died in fighting on Tuesday and Wednesday in two villages in the Druze-majority province, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, raising the toll from 10 a day earlier.
The monitor said more than 40 were wounded, including civilians. The Druze, who made up less than three percent of Syria’s pre-war population, have largely kept out of the country’s civil war since it started in 2011.
Six dead in Libya fuel truck blast
At least six people were killed and dozens injured on Monday, Aug 01 when a fuel truck exploded in southwestern Libya, medics said.
The precise causes of the blast were not clear. It happened when a crowd flocked around the tanker as it headed to resupply a petrol station in the Bent Bayyah district. A stampede occurred, followed by a massive explosion that set several cars on fire, according to images posted online.
An official at the main hospital in Sebha, southern Libya’s main city, told AFP six people had died. The hospital’s management said on Facebook that “more than 50 wounded were admitted to Sebha hospital”, without indicating the number of deaths.
Russia announces further bans on ‘unfriendly countries’
Russian lawmakers on Monday, Aug 01 tabled a bill that would ban the adoption of Russian children by citizens of “unfriendly” countries as tensions soar over Moscow’s military intervention in Ukraine.
If passed, the bill would expand a 2012 law that prohibited US families from adopting Russian children. At the time the ban provoked an outcry, with Kremlin critics saying made Russian orphans — many with physical or mental difficulties — the victims of a standoff between Washington and Moscow.
The new bill published on the website of parliament’s lower house, the State Duma, proposes extending the ban to citizens of countries “that commit unfriendly actions” against Russia. After the West piled unprecedented sanctions on Moscow following President Vladimir Putin’s decision to send troops to pro-Western Ukraine on February 24, Russia expanded the list of what it calls “unfriendly” countries. They now include the United States, Australia, Canada, Britain, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and all EU member states. The bill has to be approved by both chambers of Russian parliament and signed into law by Putin.
US to send $550m of new weapons to Ukraine
The United States announced on Monday, Aug 01 a new tranche of weapons for Ukraine’s forces fighting Russia, including ammunition for increasingly important rocket launchers and artillery guns.
The new $550 million package will “include more ammunition for the high mobility advanced rocket systems otherwise known as HIMARS, as well as ammunition” for artillery, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
The assistance includes 75,000 rounds of 155 mm artillery ammunition, a statement from the Pentagon said. “To meet its evolving battlefield requirements, the United States will continue to work with its allies and partners to provide Ukraine with key capabilities,” the statement said. This brings the total of military assistance committed to Ukraine since President Joe Biden took office to more than $8.8 billion, according to the Pentagon.
Previous weapons assistance from Washington to Kyiv has included counter-artillery radars, Javelin anti-tank missiles, Soviet-made helicopters, shells and light armored vehicles. Kirby also hailed the first shipment of Ukrainian grain that left from the port of Odessa on Monday.
Gunmen kill six in central Nigeria
Gunmen have killed six people, including two Indians, in Nigeria’s Kogi state, police said on Saturday, Aug 06 with the region wracked by jihadist and gang violence.
The attackers opened fire on a bus in the industrial town of Ajaokuta late Friday, killing two Indians, their two police escorts and two drivers, state police spokesman William Ovye Aya said in a statement.
Iran arrests 10 IS ‘terrorists’ plotting attacks
Iran’s intelligence ministry said on Thursday, Aug 04 it had arrested 10 Islamic State group suspects who were planning attacks targeting religious commemorations, days ahead of the major mourning ritual of Ashura. The ministry said that “10 Daesh terrorists”, using another name for the Islamic State group, had been arrested, adding that they had been “sent to carry out several terror operations among the mourners.”
Iran rejects US claim of plot to kill Bolton
Iran dismissed as “fiction” on Thursday, Aug 11 US allegations it had plotted to kill former White House national security adviser John Bolton in retaliation for the assassination of one of its top commanders.
The US claim comes at a crunch moment in talks on reviving a nuclear deal between Iran and major powers that Washington had abandoned in 2018 but has said it wants to rejoin, with Iran now considering what European Union mediators have called a “final” text.
Iran denies link with Rushdie’s attacker, blames writer
Iran on Monday, Aug 15 denied any link with the attacker of British author Salman Rushdie but blamed the writer himself for “insulting” Islam in the novel “The Satanic Verses”.
“We categorically deny” any link with the attack and “no one has the right to accuse the Islamic Republic of Iran”, said foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani in Tehran’s first official reaction to Friday’s stabbing. In this attack, we do not consider anyone other than Salman Rushdie and his supporters worthy of blame and even condemnation,” he said at his weekly press conference in Tehran. “By insulting the sacred matters of Islam and crossing the red lines of more than 1.5 billion Muslims and all followers of the divine religions, Salman Rushdie has exposed himself to the anger and rage of the people.”
Rushdie, 75, was left on a ventilator with multiple stab wounds after the attack at a literary event on Friday in upstate New York. But by Sunday he was off the ventilator and “on the road to recovery”, though with severe injuries, his agent Andrew Wylie said. He had spent years under police protection after Iranian leaders in 1989 called for Rushdie’s killing over his portrayal of Islam and the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) in the novel.
The suspected assailant, 24-year-old Hadi Matar from New Jersey, was wrestled to the ground by staff and audience members before being taken into police custody.
Mexico arrests ex-top prosecutor over disappearance of 43 students
Mexico on Friday, Aug 19 arrested a former attorney general who led a controversial investigation into the disappearance of 43 students in 2014 — one of the country’s worst human rights tragedies. Arrest warrants were also issued for dozens more suspects including military personnel, police officers and cartel members, prosecutors announced.
Ex-attorney general Jesus Murillo Karam is the most senior figure detained so far in connection with the case, which shocked the nation and generated international condemnation. He is considered the architect of the so-called “historical truth” version of events presented in 2015 by the government of then-president Enrique Pena Nieto that was widely rejected, including by relatives.
Bomb kills daughter of hardline Kremlin ideologue
The daughter of Alexander Dugin, a hardline Russian ideologue close to President Vladimir Putin, has been killed in a car bombing on Moscow’s outskirts, authorities said on Sunday, Aug 21. According to family members quoted by Russian media, Dugin — a vocal supporter of Kremlin’s offensive in Ukraine — was the likely target of the blast as his daughter borrowed his car at the last minute.
Daria Dugina was killed when a bomb placed in the Toyota Land Cruiser went off as she drove on a highway near the village of Bolshie Vyzyomy, some 40 kilometres outside Moscow, Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement. Dugina, a journalist born in 1992 who herself openly supported the offensive, died at the scene and a homicide investigation has been opened, said the committee, which probes major crime cases in Russia.
In July Britain put her on a list of sanctioned Russians for allegedly spreading online disinformation about Ukraine. Dugin, 60, sometimes called “Putin’s Rasputin” or “Putin’s brain,” is an outspoken Russian ultranationalist intellectual. He has long advocated the unification of Russian-speaking territories in a vast new Russian empire and wholeheartedly supported Moscow’s operation in Ukraine.
Gunmen kidnap Catholic nuns in Nigeria
Gunmen have abducted four Catholic nuns in southeast Nigeria’s Imo state, police said on Monday, Aug 22 in the latest violence in a region where separatist tensions are on the rise. Kidnappings by criminal gangs are frequent in Africa’s most populous country, but in recent weeks members of Christian churches have increasingly been targeted.
Iran Guards general killed in Syria
A general of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been killed while “on a mission” in Syria, Iranian state media reported on Tuesday, Aug 23.
“General Abolfazl Alijani, a member of the IRGC’s ground forces who was on a mission in Syria as a military adviser, was martyred on Sunday,” the state broadcaster said on its website. It described Alijani as a “defender of the sanctuary”, a term used for those who work on behalf of Iran in Syria or Iraq, without providing more details of the attack in which he was killed.
Iran says it has deployed its forces in Syria at the invitation of Damascus and only as advisers. In early August, funeral processions were held in Tehran and other Iranian cities for five IRGC members killed in Syria several years ago, after their bodies were recovered and identified through DNA testing, Iranian media reported.
Current Threat Levels:
City/Region Threat Level
Islamabad Level 2 **
Karachi Level 2 **
Lahore Level 2 **
Punjab Level 2 **
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Level 3 **
Peshawar Level 2 **
Quetta Level 2 ***
Upper Balochistan Level 3 ***
Lower Balochistan Level 2 **
Upper/ Rural Sindh Level 2 **
Gilgit and Northern areas Level 3 **
Tribal areas, close
to Afghan border Level 3 ***
Index to Threat Level References
Threat Level 1 *
No threat to foreigners although there may be isolated incidents involving petty crime. No security precautions are required.
Threat Level 2 **
No specific threat to foreigners, however because of the overall general law & order situation, some security precautions are advised, especially if traveling.
Threat Level 3 ***
Indicates that law and order situation is cause for concern and travel should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Foreigners should rehearse plans for evacuation.
Threat Level 4 ****
Indicates complete breakdown of civil administration and law and order leading to possible anarchy. All foreigners to remain indoors and confined to their own city. Families and staff not required to be evacuated retaining only a skeleton staff.
Threat Level 5 *****
Indicates complete breakdown of law and order, enemy action/hostilities, invasion/ occupation by enemy.
