Suicide Attacks
At least two suspected suicide bombers were killed while transporting an explosives-laden motorcycle in the Board Bazaar area of Peshawar on March 10. Reports The Express Tribune. The explosion also injured another person. The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Operations, Kashif Aftab Abbasi said the three suspects were riding a motorcycle which was carrying four to five kilogrammes of explosives when the blast occurred. On March 16, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that seven soldiers, including two officers were killed in a suicide attack on a Security Forces’ (SF) post in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan District, reports Dawn. It has been stated that six terrorists were also neutralised in the subsequent clearance operation. The deceased soldiers were identified as Lieutenant Colonel Syed Kashif Ali, Captain Muhammad Ahmed Badar, Havildar Sabir, Naik Khurshid, Sepoy Nasir, Sepoy Raja and Sepoy Sajjad. The incident occurred when an armed group attacked the military post using a vehicle laden with explosives as well as suicide bombs.
Targetted Killings
The Bahawalpur District president of the Ahmadiyya community, Tahir Iqbal (54) was shot dead by unknown assailants in Chak-84 village of Hasilpur tehsil (revenue unit) in Bahawalpur District in the morning of March 4, reports Dawn. Tahir Iqbal was out for his morning walk in the Chak-84 village when two motorcyclists opened fire at him, resulting in his death on the spot.
A Policeman escorting a polio team was shot at and injured in an attack by unidentified assailants in Pirsadi area of Mardan District on March 5, reports Dawn. Unknown assailants on a motorcycle opened fire and managed to flee the crime scene. The injured Policeman was identified as Zohar Qayyum. A Policeman, identified as Constable Muhammad Baksh, was shot dead when two unidentified assailants targeted him in a grocery shop in Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan District on March 1
Miscellaneous
One Superintendent of Police (SP) and two Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists were killed while three other Policemen sustained injuries in an exchange of fire with terrorists during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Katlang area of Mardan District in the wee hour of February 27, reports Dawn.
At least six terrorists were gunned down while one soldier also got injured during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in North Waziristan District on February 28, reports ARY News. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Security Forces (SFs) conducted an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in North Waziristan on reported presence of terrorists. During the conduct of operation, intense fire exchange took place between own troops and the terrorists, as a result of which six terrorists were gunned down, while one soldier also got injured.
The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) on February 29 arrested a Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) cadre during a joint operation in Nawal Colony of Karachi, reports ARY News. According to CTD personnel, the arrested TTP cadre, identified as Mir Wais, was involved in two separate blasts occurred at the FC check post and Data Darbar in Lahore on May 8, 2019. Three terrorists were gunned down while four others sustained injuries during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Karak District on March 2, reports ARY News. Weapons, ammunition, and explosives were also recovered.
One of India’s the ‘most wanted’ terrorists, Sheikh JameeI-ur-Rehman, who was abducted by unknown gunmen from Dobather Bagh, was found dead in the Shah Kot area of Abbottabad District on March 2, reports Daily Excelsior. Rehman was working as a trainer for multiple terrorist outfits, including Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM). He belonged to Lajoora village in Pulwama District of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), but presently he was residing in Pakistan. One terrorist ‘ring leader’, identified as Shmrooz Sheenay, was killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber District on March 7, reports Dawn. A press release from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that terrorist ring leader Shmrooz Sheenay was “sent to hell” by the Security Forces (SFs). Weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered from the slain terrorist.
A terrorist, identified as Mansoor, was killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Dera Ismail Khan District on March 7, reports Dawn. Weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered from the slain terrorist. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the slain terrorist was remained “actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces”.
Security Forces (SFs) killed four terrorists in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in North Waziristan District on March 8, reports Dawn. According to a press release from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the IBO was conducted on the reported presence of terrorists in the area. Two terrorists were killed and three other terrorists sustained injuries during an exchange of fire with Security Forces (SFs) in North Waziristan District on March 9 when a group of five terrorists trying to infiltrate the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, reports Dawn.
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on March 11 arrested three suspects in late-night raids in connection with March 10 suicide blast on Board Bazaar area of Peshawar, reports ARY News. The CTD spokesperson said that key suspects of blast were arrested in the targeted raids. Eight militants, including the perpetrator of the March 16 attack on an army camp, were killed by Security Forces (SFs) in North Waziristan District on March 18, reports Dawn. A statement issued by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said SFs conducted an intelligence-based operation (IBO) following the reported presence of militants in the area. After an intense exchange of fire with SFs, eight militants, including the ‘commander’ and a ‘high-value target’, Shera alias Janan, were gunned down. ISPR added that Janan was the orchestrator of the March 16 attack in which seven SF personnel, including two officers, were killed.
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on March 19 arrested a Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) cadre from Manghopir area of Karachi, reports ARY News. CTD team on a tip-off conducted an operation in Manghopir area and arrested TTP’s Wali Rehman along with hand grenades. The CTD officials said Wali Rehman was involved in several terror attacks in Pakistan.
PAKISTAN
Afghan Taliban ‘warn TTP’ against attacks in Pakistan
The Taliban Government has strictly warned the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leadership against using the Afghan soil for attacks inside Pakistan and noted that such acts have weakened the relations between the two peoples, The News reported on March 1 quoting a member of the delegation that recently visited Kabul on February 26. A delegation led by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Sami) head, Maulana Hamid-ul-Haq, went to Kabul. Hamid is the son of the late Maulana Sami-ul-Haq from whose madrassa, Dar-ul-Uloom Haqqania, several Taliban leaders had graduated. The visit was coordinated by Asrar Madani, the head of the International Research Council for Religious Affairs, an organisation that studies the Islamic Movement. This was the second high-profile visit after Maulana Fazlur Rehman who went there in January. Taliban leaders told the visiting delegates that some four weeks ago, a meeting was called in which TTP leaders like Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, Hafiz Gul Bahadur and others were also in attendance. Mulla Muhammad Hassan, the Prime Minister and some of his ministers represented the Afghan Government. In the meeting, the TTP leadership was told in unequivocal terms that the attacks inside Pakistan have weakened their relations with the people and the Government of Pakistan.
Pak Army shoots down Indian spy quadcopter on LoC
Pakistan Army has shot down an Indian spy quadcopter that intruded into the country’s airspace along the Line of Control (LoC). The Pakistani forces at 12:55 pm on Sunday last shot down an Indian Army quadcopter that was spying in the area near the LoC.
It is pertinent to mention that the remains of the quadcopter were found on Monday. An insignia of the Indian Army can be seen in the pictures, which confirm that the quadcopter belongs to the Indian Army. On this day in 2019, the Pakistan Air Force also shot down two Indian warplanes that violated the Pakistani airspace in Operation Swift Retort.
Terrorist attack on Adiala jail foiled
The Rawalpindi police and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) foiled a major terrorist activity as they prevent an attack on the Adial Jail, arresting three Afghan nationals, in a joint operation, the city police officer (CPO) said on Wednesday, March 06. CPO Syed Khalid Hamdani revealed that the police and CTD conducted a joint operation and arrested three terrorists. He added that the arrested terrorists were from Afghanistan. “Sketches of Adiala Jail, hand grenades, and IEDs [improvised explosive devices] were recovered from the terrorists,” he said.
Hamdani said that the terrorists had been shifted to a safe place for interrogation, while the police and other law-enforcement agency personnel were conducting a search operation in and around the Adiala Jail. Central Jail Adiala is currently overcrowded, housing prisoners twice its capacity. Notably, former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan, along with the former foreign minister and former CM Punjab, are also currently incarcerated in the facility.
Pakistan urges UNSC to ask Afghan Taliban to cut ties with TTP, eliminate terrorism
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Munir Akram, on March 6 asked the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to urge the Taliban rulers in Afghanistan to terminate their relationship with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), reports Dawn. The TTP could “soon pose a global terrorist threat” if left unchecked, Ambassador Akram warned the UNSC while addressing a special UNSC session on Afghanistan. “The Afghan interim government’s failure to control the TTP and other terrorist groups erodes its claim of full control of its territory that it asserts in order to secure international recognition,” he said. He also urged the UN to investigate how the TTP acquired advanced military equipment and weaponry and identify the source of its finances, which has helped sustain its estimated 50,000 fighters and terrorist operations. Regarding the reported border incidents, he said that the armed forces respond to “cross-border attacks by the TTP and its affiliates against the country’s border posts and installations”. “We would expect the UN to call on the Afghan interim government to prevent such cross-border attacks and infiltration by the TTP and other terrorists into Pakistani territory,” he added.
CTD arrests 23 suspected militants from different Districts of Punjab
Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on March 9 claimed to have foiled several terror plots by arresting 23 suspected militants linked with different banned outfits during intelligence-based operations (IBOs) across the province, reports Dawn. According to a CTD spokesperson, the CTD conducted 229 IBOs in different Districts of the province to thwart incidents of terrorism, in which 228 suspects were picked and interrogated. Of them, 23 alleged terrorists were arrested with weapons, explosives and other prohibited materials. The suspects belonged to the banned outfits Al Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), Tehreek-e-Jafaria Pakistan (TJP) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
The CTD spokesperson said these alleged terrorists were arrested in Rajanpur, Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Chiniot, Bahawalnagar, Faisalabad, Rahim Yar Khan, Lahore, Mianwali, Sheikhupura and Jhang Districts. He said that during the operations, 8,502 grams of explosive material, two hand grenades, one IED bomb, 20 detonators, 51 feet safety fuse wire, a 30-bore pistol with 10 bullets, 11 prohibited books, 170 pamphlets, 61 stickers of banned organisation, 34 receipt books, two mobile phones and PKR 127,770 cash were recovered from the suspects.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti declares general amnesty for Baloch insurgents
Newly elected Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti urged Baloch insurgents to abandon violence and join the mainstream politics, saying the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led government is going to announce a “general amnesty” to resolve the issue through dialogue. Bugti, who served as caretaker interior minister in the Centre before the February 8 elections, said he always stood by the state in its fight against separatists and lost his relatives, friends and colleagues in the conflict. “But despite this, I don’t have any revenge in my heart.”
The chief minister said he wanted the resolution of Balochistan insurgency through dialogue and his government was ready to hold dialogue with anyone ready for it. He also warned that if the Baloch insurgents don’t become part of the mainstream and abandon violence, then he “has no other option but to establish the writ of the state”. However, he refused to share the details of “general amnesty”, saying he would elaborate on the policy once things are finalised.
Response to Saturday’s terror attack: Pakistan strikes terrorists inside Afghanistan
Pakistan confirmed carrying out an intelligence-based anti-terrorist operation inside Afghanistan on Monday, March 18 morning, whose prime target was the terrorists belonging to Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group along with Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group had earlier claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack. “This group is responsible for multiple terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, resulting in death of hundreds of civilians and law-enforcement officials. The latest attack took place on 16 March 2024 at a security post in Mir Ali in North Waziristan and claimed the lives of seven Pakistani soldiers,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after over 13 hours after the operation.
Claiming eight people had been killed, Kabul summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires in Kabul to register a “strong protest” over what it said were “alleged crossborder airstrikes in Khost and Paktika provinces which targeted the alleged Pakistani Taliban hideouts”. At the funeral ceremony of the seven officers who had been killed in the Mir Ali terrorist strike, President Asif Ali Zardari said Pakistan would retaliate this attack from inside Afghanistan. Pakistan once again sent a clear message to Kabul that these terrorists posed a grave threat to its security and had consistently used the Afghan territory to launch terror attacks inside its territory. Instead, Pakistan once again reminded Kabul to find joint solutions to prevent terrorism.
“Terrorist groups like TTP are a collective threat to regional peace and security. We fully realize the challenge Afghan authorities face in combating the threat posed by TTP. Pakistan would therefore continue to work towards finding joint solutions in countering terrorism and to prevent any terrorist organization from sabotaging bilateral relations with Afghanistan,” pointed the statement.
The statement differentiated the ordinary people of Afghanistan from the terrorists living in safe sanctuaries inside Afghanistan. “Pakistan has great respect for the people of Afghanistan. However, certain elements among those in power in Afghanistan are actively patronising TTP and using them as a proxy against Pakistan. Such an approach against a brotherly country, which stood with the people of Afghanistan through thick and thin, manifests shortsightedness,” said the statement. It also pointed out that Kabul ignored the support extended by Pakistan to the people of Afghanistan over the last several decades. Over the past two years, Pakistan has repeatedly conveyed its serious concerns to the interim Afghan government over the presence of terror outfits, including TTP inside Afghanistan.
Eight BLA cadres and two soldiers killed in attack on Gwadar Port Authority complex in Balochistan
Eight Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) cadres and two soldiers were killed after the Security Forces (SFs) thwarted an attack on the Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) Complex in Gwadar town (Gwadar District) March 20, reports Dawn. A press release from the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that a group of eight terrorists attempted to enter the Port Authority Colony but were successfully thwarted by SFs personnel. “Own troops employed for security responded immediately and effectively engaged the terrorists, and in ensuing fire exchange, all eight terrorists were sent to hell.
A large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives was also recovered”. The dead soldiers were identified as Sepoy Bahar Khan (35), a resident of Dera Ghazi Khan District (Punjab) and Sepoy Imran Ali (28), a resident of Khairpur District (Sindh).
The Majeed Brigade of the BLA claimed responsibility for the attack. Located at the center of the city, GPA Complex has several offices related to the Gwadar Port Authority, law enforcement agencies, and staff houses, adds ARY News. GPA develops commercial structures like Bank Branches, Stevedores, Agency Offices, Cargo Storage Sheds, and Marine Repair Workshop etc. to facilitate the investors as well as for revenue generation on a 69 acres of land. GPA initiated the construction of the following infrastructures with an estimated cost of PKR 2381.884 million.
Pakistan will not tolerate cross-border terror attacks, says Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on March 20 stated that Pakistan will not tolerate any more cross-border terror attacks on its soil, reports ARY News. Chairing the Federal Cabinet meeting in Islamabad, PM Shehbaz Sharif said security of the geographical frontiers of Pakistan is a redline. Pakistan desires to have cordial relations with the neighbouring fraternal countries to promote trade and economic relations. However, it is not acceptable that the land of the neighbouring country is used for terrorism in Pakistan, he added. Shehbaz Sharif proposed the formulation of a joint strategy with the sincerity of purpose to defeat the scourge of terrorism. He said collective efforts against terrorism will help establish peace in the region and address other issues such as that of poverty.
Afghanistan – Internal Dynamics
Afghanistan poses major threat to Central Asia, says Russian Defence Minister
On February 27, Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu, the Russian Defence Minister, stated in a meeting with senior military officials of the country that Afghanistan is considered the biggest threat to Central Asia, reports The Khaama Press News Agency. Additionally, Shoigu mentioned a 15 per cent increase in the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters and a 20% rise in drug production and trafficking through Central Asian republics.
Reporters decry Taliban intimidation in Badakhshan Province
On March 4, reporters from private media outlets in Badakhshan Province lamented the lack of cooperation from local Taliban officials, noting their consistent use of intimidation tactics, reports Hasht-e Subh Daily. They further stated that the Taliban adhere to regulations regarding access to information and curtail the intimidating behaviour displayed by their officials towards journalists in the province.
Two NRF fighters killed in gunfight with Taliban in Kapisa Province
The National Resistance Front (NRF) said on the social media platform ‘X’ (Twitter) that two NRF fighters were killed in a gunfight with the Taliban in Deh Baba Ali town of Mahmud-e-Raqi, the capital city of Kapisa Province. In this gunfight, Taliban fighters were also killed, but the exact number is not ascertainable.
75 per cent of Afghan girls denied education, say UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in its report stated that Afghanistan is among the ten countries where the majority of girls are deprived of going to schools and 75% of them are deprived of education, reports Tolo News on March 12. UNESCO said, “Among these ten countries, nine from Africa and Afghanistan have the highest rate of girls’ lack of access to schools. Afghanistan ranks tenth on this list. At least 50% of girls cannot go to school, and in Afghanistan, 75% of girls do not have the opportunity to attend school.”
Taliban detains brother of ex-National Security Chief of Takhar Province
Taliban on March 14 detained the brother of General Najibullah Najib, the former National Security Chief of Takhar Province, from Taliqan, the capital city of Takhar Province, reports Hast-e Subh. The Taliban apprehended the individual in question from Taliqan and subsequently relocated him to an undisclosed destination.
Identified as Hamdullah Nazari, the detained individual was reportedly taken from the vicinity of his residence. It has been noted by sources that Nazari grapples with physical disabilities and has been occupied with agricultural pursuits, leading to an unassuming existence.
Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to expand ‘counter-terrorism’ cooperation
Pakistan and Afghanistan Government on March 16 agreed to expand “counter-terrorism” cooperation and continue working together in building fraternal bilateral relations, reports Geo TV. The development came during a telephonic conversation between Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Afghanistan counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi. “Expanding cooperation in connectivity, trade, security, counter terrorism and people-to-people contacts is a top priority for Pakistan,” Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), as he received a congratulatory call from the Afghan Interim Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
No safe havens for terrorists in Afghanistan, US warns Taliban
The United States (US) on March 18 warned the Taliban to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for terrorists and to ensure that terrorist attacks are not orchestrated from Afghan soil, reports ARY News. “We remain committed to ensuring that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists who wish to harm the United States or our partners and allies,” State Department’s Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told a press briefing. While condoling the loss of lives of Pakistani soldiers in terrorist attacks and the reported loss of civilians on the other side of the border, Patel urged Pakistan and Afghanistan to address their differences.
“We have seen reports that Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan in response to the attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on Saturday at a military post. We deeply regret the loss of life and the injustices sustained during the attack in Pakistan and the loss of civilian lives during the strike in Afghanistan. We urge the Taliban to ensure that terrorist attacks are not launched from Afghan soil, and we urge Pakistan to exercise restraint and ensure civilians are not harmed in their counterterrorism efforts. We urge both sides to address any differences.”
Bangladesh – Internal Dynamics
UPDF cadre killed in Rangamati District
On February 24th, a cadre of the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF), identified as Nipon Chakma alias Soga Chakma (collector), was killed by unidentified gunmen in the Bodhipur Buddhist Bihar area of the Bongoltali Union in the Baghaichhari Upazila (Sub-District) in Rangamati District of Chittagong Division, reports Dhaka Tribune.
Rohingya man stabbed to death in Cox’s Bazar
On February 27th, a Rohingya man identified as Noor Mohammad was stabbed to death by unidentified gunmen at a refugee camp in Teknaf Upazila (Sub-District) in Cox’s Bazar of Chittagong Division, reports The Daily Star.
On February 26, the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) arrested a Rohingya man identified as Aziz Ullah, along with arms and ammunition, in Palangkholi refugee camp in Ukhiya Upazila (Sub-District) in Cox’s Bazar of Chittagong Division, reports Daily Bangladesh.
ARSA cadre arrested in Cox’s Bazar
On March 3, the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) arrested a cadre of Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), identified as Syed Hossain along with arms and ammunition from the Rohingya camp in Ukhyia Upazila (Sub-District) in Cox’s Bazar District of Chittagong Division, reports Daily Bangladesh. Recoveries include one country-made gun and one bullet.
India – Internal Dynamics
Nine people injured in a bomb blast in Bengaluru in Karnataka
On March 1, nine people were injured in a bomb blast suspected to be an improvised explosive device (IED) at a restaurant in Kundalahalli in Bengaluru((Urban) District in Karnataka, reports The Indian Express. The injured were identified as Farooq Hussain (19), Swarnamba Narayanappa (49), Dwipanshu S (23), Mohan (41), Nagashree (35), Momi (30), Balaram Krishnan (31), Navya (25) and Srinivas (67). A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from the agency’s Bengaluru office reached the spot soon after the blast and is currently assisting Police in the investigations.
Police constable and Maoist killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh
A 23-year-old Bastar Fighters constable, Ramesh Kureti (23), and a Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadre, identified as Partapur Local Guerrilla Squad (LGS) ‘commander’ Nagesh, were killed in an encounter between Security Forces (SFs) and the rebels in Hidur Forest area under Chhotebethiya Police Station limits in Kanker District of Chhattisgarh on March 3, reports The Indian Express. Nagesh, also an ‘area committee member (ACM)’, had a cash reward of INR 1 million on him.
ENPO ‘bans’ election campaigns in Eastern Nagaland
On March 5, the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organization (ENPO) which is demanding a separate State carved out of Nagaland, declared a “public emergency” in six Districts – Mon, Tuensang, Longleng, Kiphire, Noklak and Shamator in the eastern part of Nagaland, stating that it would not allow any political party to campaign for the Lok Sabha polls, reports India TodayNE.
Assam Rifles seizes 3,000 sniper rifle ammunition in Mizoram
On March 7, Assam Rifles recovered 3,000 rounds of cartridges of a sniper rifle and 10 Passive Night Sight (PNS) devices at the Sanagu market area in Lawngtlai District in Mizoram, reports India TodayNE. Acting on intelligence inputs, Assam Rifles troops intercepted a vehicle and successfully recovered the sniper rifle ammunition along with the PNS devices.
Monthly Fatalities
The following casualties, related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism occurred during the period from February 26, 2024 to March 25, 2024
| Civilian | Indian Security Personnel | Militants | Total | |
| Chhattisgarh | 08 | 01 | 06 | 15 |
| Jharkhand | 01 | 00 | 01 | 02 |
| Manipur | 04 | 00 | 00 | 04 |
| Nagaland | 01 | 00 | 02 | 03 |
| Odisha | 02 | 00 | 00 | 02 |
| Total | 16 | 01 | 09 | 26 |
INTERNATIONAL
Burkina Faso prosecutor says around 170 ‘executed’ in attacks on villages
Around 170 people were “executed” in attacks on three villages in northern Burkina Faso a week ago, a regional prosecutor said in a statement seen on Sunday. The attacks by unknown assailants were carried out on the villages of Komsilga, Nodin and Soro in the Yatenga province, the statement dated March 1 said, adding that an investigation had been launched. The West African Sahel nation has been struggling to contain violent Islamist insurgencies linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State that have spread from neighbouring Mali over the past decade, killing thousands and displacing more than two million.
Australia warns Southeast Asia of ‘coercive actions’
Australia said on Monday, March 04 Indo-Pacific and Southeast Asian countries are facing serious defence threats as it set aside more funds for maritime security projects with Asean countries during a summit with regional leaders in Melbourne.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced A$286.5 million ($186.7 million) in funding for Asean projects in areas including maritime security, amid tensions over China’s growing assertiveness and its disputed claims to the South China Sea.
“We face destabilising, provocative and coercive actions including unsafe conduct at sea and in the air,” Wong said in a speech at the summit, without naming China.“What happens in the South China Sea, in the Taiwan Strait, in the Mekong subregion, across the Indo-Pacific, affects us all.”
Rebels capture eastern Congo town, kill 15
The M23 rebel group has taken over the town of Nyanzale in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, killing at least 15 people in bomb attacks, a local official said on Wednesday, March 06. Nyanzale is about 130 km (80 miles) north by road from the provincial capital Goma, and is home to thousands of internally displaced people who fled fighting in surrounding areas.
M23 spokesperson Willy Ngoma wrote in a post on X late on Tuesday that Nyanzale was experiencing “tranquillity and deliverance,” suggesting the group has gained control of it. When asked whether the M23 had seized Nyanzale, Congolese army commander Jerome Chico Tshitambwe replied: “yes”. The M23 is a Tutsi-led group that has intensified its campaign in eastern Congo this year. U.N. experts and Western powers such as the United States and France say that the group is backed by Rwanda, which Rwanda denies.
Al-Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula announces death of leader, says SITE Group
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) announced the death of its leader, Khalid Batarfi, on Sunday, March 10 the SITE Intelligence group said. In a statement, AQAP did not give a cause of death, according to SITE. It named Sa’d bin ‘Atef al-Awlaki as his successor, the monitoring group added.
“Allah took his soul while he patiently sought his reward and stood firm … and waged jihad for his sake,” SITE quoted a group leader as saying.
Batarfi was named as AQAP’s leader in early 2020 after his predecessor, Qassim al-Raymi, was killed by the United States in what former president Donald Trump said was a counterterrorism operation in Yemen. Batarfi was one of 150 jailed AQAP members who were freed when the group, regarded by the United States as one of the deadliest branches of the network founded by Osama bin Laden, captured the Yemeni port city of Mukalla in 2015, where he was being held.
SITE said the new leader, al-Awlaki, last appeared in a video released in February 2023, in which he urged Sunni tribesmen in the Yemeni provinces of Abyan and Shabwa to “resist overtures by the United Arab Emirates and the (separatist) Southern Transitional Council to join their fight against AQAP”.
Russia’s spy service accuses US of trying to meddle in presidential election
President Vladimir Putin’s foreign intelligence service on Monday, March 11 accused the United States of trying to meddle in Russia’s presidential election and said that Washington even had plans to launch a cyber attack on the online voting system.
Putin, who is almost certain to win the March 15-17 presidential election, has warned the West that any attempts by foreign powers to meddle in the ballot would be considered an act of aggression. Russia’s SVR Foreign Intelligence Service said in a statement it had information that US President Joe Biden’s administration had set out to meddle in the election, state media reported.
The SVR, the main successor to the KGB’s First Directorate foreign spying service, did not set out any evidence for its assertions. There was no immediate reaction from Washington.
The West casts Putin as a dictator, a war criminal and a killer who has led Russia into an imperial-style land grab that has weakened Russia and forged Ukrainian statehood, while uniting the West and handing Nato a post-Cold War mission.
Putin casts the Ukraine war as an existential battle between a “sacred” Russian civilisation and an arrogant West which he says is in cultural, political and economic decline and which sought to humiliate Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union.
The Kremlin last week said that Russia will not meddle in the November US presidential election, and dismissed American findings that Moscow orchestrated campaigns to sway both the 2016 and 2020 US presidential elections.
India ‘one of the worst autocratisers’: V-Dem report on democracy
India, which was downgraded to the status of an “electoral autocracy” in 2018, has declined even further on multiple metrics to emerge as “one of the worst autocratizers”, according to the ‘Democracy Report 2024’ released by the Gothenburg-based V-Dem Institute that tracks democratic freedoms worldwide.
The V-Dem report categorises countries into four regime types based on their score in the Liberal Democratic Index (LDI): Liberal Democracy, Electoral Democracy, Electoral Autocracy, and Closed Autocracy. Their annual report, which maps each country on a matrix of whether they are turning more democratic (‘democratising’) or more autocratic (‘autocratising’), stated that in 2023, 42 countries (home to 35 percent of the world’s population) were undergoing autocratisation. “India, with 18 percent of the world’s population, accounts for about half of the population living in autocratising countries,” the report said. Democratisation was taking place only in 18 countries, accounting for just 400 million people, or 5 percent of the world’s population.
According to the report, 71 percent of the world’s population — 5.7 billion people — live in autocracies, an increase from 48 percent ten years ago. The level of democracy enjoyed by the “average person in the world is down to 1985-levels”, the report said, with the sharpest decline occurring in Eastern Europe, and South and Central Asia.
Noting that almost all components of democracy were getting worse in more countries than they were getting better, the report singled out freedom of expression, clean elections, and freedom of association/civil society as the three worst affected components of democracy in autocratising countries. The autonomy of the electoral management bodies “is weakening substantially in 22 of the 42 autocratising countries,” the report said.
South and Central Asia regressed significantly, with the level of “liberal democracy” enjoyed by the average Indian now “down to levels last seen in 1975….when Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency in India”. As per the V-Dem classification, a liberal democracy is one where, in addition to the requirements of electoral democracy such as regular free and fair elections, mechanisms for judicial independence and constraints on executive overreach are robust, alongside rigorous protection of civil liberties and equality before law. In an electoral autocracy — the category India falls into — multiparty elections coexist with insufficient levels of basic requisites such as freedom of expression and free and fair elections.
Noting that India’s “autocratisation process has been well documented, including gradual but substantial deterioration of freedom of expression, compromising independence of the media, crackdowns on social media, harassments of journalists critical of the government, as well as attacks on civil society,” the report detailed how the “anti-pluralist” BJP government has “used laws on sedition, defamation, and counterterrorism to silence critics”.
Three soldiers die in hotel attack in Somali capital
Three soldiers were killed and 27 people wounded in an attack on a hotel in Somalia’s capital, police said on Friday, March 15 the latest incident highlighting al Shabaab insurgents’ ability to strike. Security services were earlier seen surrounding the Syl Hotel, usually frequented by government officials and lawmakers, following the late Thursday attack claimed by the al Qaeda-allied militants. “Three soldiers died. Eighteen civilians and nine soldiers were injured in the hotel attack, Kasim Ahmed Roble, police spokesperson, told a news conference. “All the five terrorists were shot dead and their bodies displayed.”
Al Shabaab has been waging a brutal insurgency against Somalia’s federal government since 2006 to try to establish its own rule based on its interpretation of Islamic Sharia law. In Thursday’s attack, residents heard a blast followed by gunfire as the attackers entered the hotel, they told Reuters.
Gunmen kidnap at least 87 in Nigeria’s Kaduna state
Gunmen in Nigeria have kidnapped at least 87 people, including women and children in Kaduna state, residents and police said on Monday, March 18 in a fresh attack after an armed gang seized 286 students and staff from a school in early March. Kidnappings by criminal gangs demanding ransom payments have become an almost daily occurrence in Nigeria, especially in the north, with authorities seemingly powerless to stop them.
Kaduna police spokesperson Mansur Hassan confirmed the incident in Kajuru Station village on Sunday night but could not give a figure of those missing. He said security agents had been deployed to try to rescue the villagers.
Tanko Wada Sarkin, a village head, said 87 people were taken. “We have so far recorded the return of five people back home who fled through the bush. This attack makes it five times that these bandits are attacking this community,” he told Reuters by phone.
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.
