Sucide Attacks
Two persons were killed in a suicide attack on Japanese nationals that was foiled in Landhi area of Karachi in the morning of April 19. Two terrorists fired at a van carrying Japanese nationals. One of the terrorist blew up himself while another one was shot dead by the Security personnel after an exchange of fire.
A driver and guard protecting the foreigners were killed. All five Japanese nationals, who were working at the Port Qasim, were unhurt and were shifted to a safer location. A bag containing hand grenades and a sub-machine gun was recovered from the site.
Bomb Blasts/IEDS
Unidentified attackers threw a hand grenade close to the office of an intelligence agency near Sheikh Zayed Great Mosque in Kharan town (Kharan District) in the night of April 1, reports Dawn. According to Police, the attackers riding a motorcycle hurled the grenade at the building near Sheikh Zayed Great Mosque which exploded close to the office. A senior Police officer said the intelligence agency’s office was the target but no loss of life was reported in the attack.
Unidentified terrorists carried out a late-night hand grenade attack on the house of an official of Frontier Constabulary in the Mathra tehsil (revenue unit) of Peshawar on April 2, reports Daily Times. According to Police, there was no casualty in the attack, however the house was partially damaged. Police said that the FC official Fazl Rabi was receiving messages from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for payment of ransom of PKR 30 million.
On April 6, a Police official identified as Bakhat Zada was killed and another Police official identified as Ihsanullah sustained injuries when a remote-controlled Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded in Mamund tehsil in Barkholozo area of Bajaur District, reports Dawn.
The vehicle of the Pakistan Peoples Party’s candidate for NA-8 of Bajaur District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Akhunzada Chattan, was targeted by an improvised explosive device in Mamund area on April 17, reports The Khorasan Diary.
The vehicle which was bomb proof has been severely damaged however; there have been no casualties reported. “It was a motorcycle bomb that was parked at the side of the road”, said Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU).
Targetted Killings
A Levies Risaldar, identified as Hameedullah Tareen was killed, and three other soldiers, Musa Jan, Bilal Khan and Zahoor Agha were injured in an exchange of fire with a suspected criminal gang, in Killi Manzari area of Pishin District on March 27, reports Dawn. Security Forces launched an operation after this incident and arrested 24 suspects, including proclaimed offenders, and recovered stolen items, including motorcycles and illegal arms.
A local leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam – Fazl (JUI-F), Noor Islam Nizami, was shot dead by unidentified assailants near Pakistan Market in Miranshah town of North Waziristan District on April 2, reports The Khorasan Diary.
On April 6, a Head Constable of Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), identified as Zahir Shah was killed by unknown assailants near Mian Lal Police post in Tank District, reports Dawn.
One Police Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Maroof Shah was killed when unidentified gunmen targeted him in Sheikh Muhammadi village of Badaber on the outskirts of Peshawar in the night of April 8, reports Dawn. The deceased was returning home after offering Taraweeh prayers at a mosque when he was targeted in.
A Policeman was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Miryan area of Bannu District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on April 18, reports The Khorasan Diary.
A car belonging to Idris Khan, a member of Marwat Qaumi Jirga, was targeted by a group of at least five assailants on Tajuri road in Lakki Marwat District on April 18, reports The Khorasan Diary. Idris Khan managed to survive the attack but the attackers managed to flee the scene. Idris Khan was previously kidnapped by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan in 2007.
Miscellaneous
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested 22 terrorists in intelligence-based operations (IBOs) conducted in various cities across Punjab, Daily Times reported on April 3. The CTD spokesman said on April 2 that the CTD conducted 232 intelligence-based operations in Lahore, Bahawalpur, Mianwali, Bahawalnagar, Rawalpindi, Chiniot, Pakpattan, Khanewal, Chakwal, Attock and Sargodha.
Two terrorists were arrested from Lahore for extending financial aid to al Qaida while another notorious terrorist of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who got training from Afghanistan was arrested in Bahawalpur. Some of the nabbed terrorists were identified as Shehzad, Mudassir, Fazal Maula, Azam, Rehman, Shafique, Zeeshan and others. The CTD spokesman said that explosives, 27 detonators, 60 feet safety fuse wire, three IED bomb, weapons, ammunition and cash were recovered from possession of the detainees who were planning to attack different organizations and Government offices. During the ongoing week, 43,792 people were investigated and 149 suspects were arrested in 1081 combing operations, the spokesman added.
An under-construction house of a Policeman was blown up with explosives in the Kalliwaal hotel area near Naurang in Lakki Marwat District on April 4, reports Dawn. “The house owned by Mohammad Jameel Khan, a police constable deployed at the residence of the district police officer, was destroyed in the blast,” said Police.
Jameel Khan told Police that he had gone to the Nar Raza Khan Adamzai village and after midnight he received a phone call about the explosion at his under-construction house. “Next morning, I along with relatives reached the venue of the blast and found that two rooms, a veranda and a kitchen have been completely destroyed,” he said.
A statement from the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that Security Forces (SFs) conducted an Intelligence-Based Operation (IBO) on April 5, in Kot Sultan area of Kulachi tehsil (revenue unit) in Dera Ismail Khan District and killed eight terrorists after an exchange of gunfire, reports Dawn.
ISPR added that the terrorists had remained actively involved in numerous activities against SFs and targeted killing of civilians. Weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered during the incident.
On April 6, two terrorists were killed during an IBO conducted in North Waziristan District, reports Dawn. Weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered from them.
On April 6, two suspected militants identified as Asad and Hasrat, belonging to a banned outfit were killed in a gun battle with Security Forces (SFs) in an Intelligence-Based Operation (IBO) conducted by SFs in Panjgur District, reports Dawn.
A cache of arms, ammunition and explosives were recovered during the incident. A most-wanted Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan ‘commander’, identified as Hazrat Ali alias Gagga, was killed in a ground offense by Security Forces (SFs) in the Tirah Valley of Khyber District on April 7, reports The Express Tribune.
The operation was aimed at eliminating the remnants of the Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) outfit, who trying to settle in the Tirah Valley, while coming from neighbouring Afghanistan. LI was led by Mangal Bagh, who joined TTP, was later killed in a bomb blast in Afghanistan January 28, 2021. Gagga was stated to the main operational commander of LI.
Two terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) carried out by Security Forces (SFs) in South Waziristan District on April 9, reports Dawn. A press release from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that two terrorists were successfully “neutralised and sent to hell” after an intense exchange of fire between security forces and militants.
The ISPR said that weapons, along with a large quantity of explosives, were also recovered from the slain militants, adding that they remained “actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area”.
On April 13, two Pakistan Army soldiers, identified as Lance Havildar Mudassar Mehmood and Lance Naik Haseeb Javed, and one terrorist, identified as Saleem Rabbani, were killed, and two other terrorists were injured, in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) conducted in the Buner District, reports Dawn.
The man, Amir Sarfaraz alias Amir Tamba, who was accused of 2013 fatal attack on Indian death row prisoner Sarabjit Singh, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in his house in Islampura area of Lahore on April 14, reports The Khorasan Diary. Tamba, who was one of the accused of Sarabjit Singh killing in Kot Lakhpat jail of Lahore, was acquitted by the Lahore District and Sessions Court in 2018 because of a lack of evidence.
The vehicle of the Pakistan Peoples Party’s candidate for NA-8 of Bajaur District, Akhunzada Chattan, was targeted by an improvised explosive device in Mamund area on April 17, reports The Khorasan Diary. The vehicle which was bomb proof has been severely damaged however; there have been no casualties reported. “It was a motorcycle bomb that was parked at the side of the road”, said Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU).
Seven persons including five Customs Intelligence personnel and two civilians, including a five-yearold girl, were killed in terrorist attack in Saggu area of Draban Tehsil (revenue unit) in Dera Ismail Khan District on April 18, reports The Express Tribune.
According to the Police, the Customs Intelligence personnel were conducting routine checking at Saggu area, when they came under intense gunfire from the terrorists, who were hiding in the nearby bushes. As a result, five Customs Intelligence officials and two civilians were killed. The dead personnel were identified as Shahab Ali Khan, Attar Alam, Akbar Zaman, Inayatullah, Muhammad Aslam of the Customs Intelligence, and civilians Safatullah and five-year-old Laiba Bibi.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in a statement claimed the attack adding that attackers snatched weapons from the customs officials, adds The Khorasan Diary.
PAKISTAN
Multiple terrorists arrested for suicide attack on Chinese nationals
The KP Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested multiple terrorists and facilitators for their involvement in the March 26 suicide attack on Chinese nationals in Besham area of Shangla District, Geo News reported on April 1.
The sources within CTD said that more than 10 terrorists and accomplices were apprehended and that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)-affiliated outfits are believed to be involved in the attack. The CTD said that the terrorist commander, responsible for bringing the suicide bomber to Pakistan from Afghanistan, has also been arrested as well as four other facilitators.
Furthermore, the investigation has revealed that the explosive-laden vehicle used in the deadly attack was prepared in Afghanistan and was subsequently transported to Dera Ismail Khan’s Darazinda via the Pak-Afghan Chaman border crossing in Balochistan. From there, the vehicle was transported to Chakdara in Lower Dir — via a smuggler of non-custom paid vehicles — for which the driver was paid PKR 250,000.
However, Security Forces also arrested the facilitator responsible for transporting the vehicle from Chaman to Chakdara. Investigation team said that the car was then brought to the incident site on the day of the attack after being parked for 10 days at the cost of PKR 500 per day. The mastermind of the attack, Hazrat Bilal, was wanted by the SFs for his involvement in the Dasu dam attack.
Balochistan and KP dominate violence landscape in first quarter, says CRSS report
Pakistan witnessed a total of 432 violence-related fatalities and 370 injuries during the first quarter of 2024, stemming from 245 incidents of terror attacks and counter-terror operations, The Express Tribune reported on April 1 quoting the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) report. The figure includes 281 fatalities among civilians and Security Forces (SFs) personnel.
According to the report, the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan bore the brunt of this violence, accounting for over 92% of all fatalities and 86% of attacks during this period. The report underscores significant regional variations in the intensity of violence, with KP and Balochistan emerging as epicenters of conflict.
While other regions experienced relative peace, with fatalities accounting for less than 8% of the total. Balochistan experienced a staggering 96% surge in violence during the first quarter of 2024 and fatalities doubled from 91 to 178.
Similarly, Sindh witnessed a nearly 47% rise in violence, albeit with low fatalities. In contrast to the alarming escalation of violence in Balochistan and Sindh, KP, Punjab, and Gilgit Baltistan (GB) recorded significant decreases in violence during the same period. KP witnessed a notable 24% decline, signalling progress in the region’s security situation.
Likewise, Punjab and GB saw substantial declines of 85% and 65%, respectively, offering hope for improved stability and peace in these areas. However, these positive trends must be sustained through continued vigilance and strategic interventions.
New terrorist outfit send threatening letters to the judges of Supreme Court
A new terrorist outfit, Tehreeke-Namoos Pakistan (TNP) sent threatening letters to the judges of Supreme Court as reported in the media on April 3. This is the second time the name of the group has emerged in an incident in Islamabad.
Last year, a team of the Wild Life Department discovered explosives and maps related to sensitive installations of the Red Zone from Trail-5 of Margalla hills in Islamabad on September 17, 2023, the same day when Justice Qazi Faez Isa took the oath as Chief Justice of Pakistan.
Both letters have threatened the judiciary and law enforcement agencies of the country. It goes without saying that actions that aim to instill terror and fear among the judiciary, as well as potentially influence its decisions and hinder its normal working cannot be tolerated in any country that cherishes the rule of law.
Pakistan rules out negotiations with TTP after Afghan Taliban suggested for peace negotiation
A day after a senior Afghan Taliban leader urged the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Pakistan to sit together and negotiate for peace, the Foreign Office (FO) on April 4 ruled out talks with the terrorist outfit, reports Dawn.
On April 3, Muhammad Nabi Omari, Deputy Interior Minister of the Interim Taliban Government in Afghanistan, made the remarks at an Iftar gathering in the Khost town. “We ask the government of Pakistan and advise the brothers (TTP) who are fighting with them to come together and talk,” he said. The Muhammad Nabi Omari, however, did not address the presence of TTP in Afghanistan. Responding to queries at a weekly news briefing on April 4, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch ruled out talks with the TTP.
She said Pakistan expected Afghan authorities to take urgent action against terrorist outfits and their leadership for the crimes they were committing and the terrorist incidents they were responsible for in Pakistan.
HRCP expresses concern over ‘alarming deterioration’ in law and order in Karachi
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on April 8 noted with concern that the state of law and order in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, had “deteriorated alarmingly”, reports Dawn.
Karachi has been facing an increase in street crime in recent months. Data presented before a high-level security meeting last week showed more than 250 Karachiites were shot dead and 1,052 others were wounded by street criminals between 2022 and March 28, 2024. In a post on social media platform X, the HRCP said: “Tens of thousands of street crimes were registered by the police in 2023, in which over a hundred people lost their lives.
The first quarter of 2024 has followed the same pattern.” The HRCP pointed out that that retaliatory vigilantism and increased brutality by citizens in response to the crime wave was “not the answer”, adding that the government’s failure to address rising crime levels was “shocking”.
“The underlying factors such as economic desperation and unemployment need to be addressed urgently as well,” HRCP stressed.
Crime rate, Karachi
On April 7, Karachi Police Chief Additional Inspector General Imran Yaqoob said that the crime rate in the city has been recorded at 166 cases per day which according to him is less than one per Police Station, reports ARY News.
Briefing Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and other participants of a meeting called to discuss the law-and-order situation in the city, Imran Yaqoob said that the crime rate in the other big cities of other provinces is higher than Karachi. “But even then, the situation is being controlled through extensive checking, patrolling and intelligence.
CPLC report highlights surge in Karachi street crimes
The Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) on April 9 released a report on Karachi street crimes in the first three months of 2024, reports ARY News. The report revealed that as many as 22,627 crimes were reported in the first three months (Jan, March) of 2024.
During the 91 days, 59 people lost their lives while resisting robberies in the port city, while over 700 people sustained injuries. 373 cars, 15,968 motorbikes and 6,102 mobile phones were snatched or stolen in Karachi during the first three months of 2024.
The CPLC report further said that 25 incidents of extortion and five incidents of kidnapping for ransom were reported in Karachi. Overall 154 people lost their lives in the first three months of 2024 in various incidents, the report said.
On April 9, In-charge Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Raja Umar Khattab accused the Sindh Home Ministry of ‘non-cooperation’ on weapons supply line data in Karachi, reports ARY News. In an exclusive interview with ARY News, Raja Umar Khattab said IG Sindh tasked CTD on the weapons supply line in the province especially in Karachi, but ‘despite numerous attempts, Sindh Home Ministry failed in sharing data’.
CTD head reportedly claimed investigation revealed that weapons in Karachi are being provided by 17 weapon dealers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Illegal weapons are being trafficked to Karachi by crossing two provinces via transport and online delivery. Khattab said street criminals in Karachi have the bulk of illegal weapons and they do share them for street crimes with each other.
Nine bus passengers shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Balochistan
Unidentified gunmen on April 12 shot dead nine passengers on N-40 Regional Corporations Development (RCD) highway after checking their identification from a passenger bus in the Nushki District of Balochistan, reports The Khorasan Diary. The gunmen blocked the N-40 Regional Corporations Development (RCD) highway that connects Pakistan and Iran and taken the nine passengers to nearby mountain region where they were gun down.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) on April 13 claimed the killing of 11 bus passengers on Quetta-Taftan N-40 Highway in Nushki District of Balochistan on April 12, alleging that they were Government employees, reports The Khorasan Diary.
The gunmen blocked the N-40 Regional Corporations Development (RCD) highway that connects Pakistan and Iran and taken the nine Punjabi passengers, after checking their identification, to nearby mountain region where they were gun down. The nine Punjabi victims were from Wazirabad, Mandi Bahauddin and Gujranwala Districts of Punjab, adds The Nation. Two other persons, said to be local, were killed during the gunman’s raid on bus.
During the same attack on the same highway, a car that tried to force its way through the gunmen’s cordon was fired upon, killing two passenger and injuring three others.
Seven terrorists killed during infiltration attempt at Afghan-Pakistan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Seven terrorists were killed while trying to infiltrate the Afghan-Pakistan border in Spinkai area of Ghulam Khan Tehsil (revenue unit) in North Waziristan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on April 17, reports Dawn. “The infiltrators were surrounded, effectively engaged and after an intense fire exchange, all seven territories were sent to hell.
A large quantity of weapons, ammunition and explosives was also recovered,” the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. The terrorists were identified as affiliates of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, adds The Khorasan Diary.
A ‘spokesman’ of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, confirmed that seven militants affiliated with its Jaish-ulUmari suicide squad were killed, also claiming casualties from the other side.
AFGHANISTAN INTERNAL DYNAMICS
Taliban abduct young girl in Ghor Province
On March 28, several local Taliban ‘commanders’ in Pasaband District of Ghor Province forcefully abducted a young girl, without any semblance of consent or compensation, reports Hasht-e Subh. Those involved are: that Khairullah Khairkhah, District Governor; Abdul Hamid Khalid, security commander; Mohammad Moshfeq, the intelligence deputy, and Tawhidi, the intelligence officer of Pasaband District. Afghanistan International adds that she was forcibly married to an individual named Shah Wali, who is a member of the Taliban.
Taliban enforce closure of multiple educational centers in Kabul, says report
On April 1, Taliban imposed blockades at entrances of numerous educational centers within the city of Kabul, citing the presence of female students beyond the sixth grade as their rationale, reports Hasht-e Subh. This measure was initiated by Taliban primarily in 7th and 10th Districts of Kabul.
The plan is purportedly slated for extension across the entirety of the city. Officials of Kabul’s educational institutions have been warned by the Taliban of severe consequences should they persist in their educational endeavors.
Taliban announces plan to block Facebook in Afghanistan
Najibullah Haqqani, Taliban’s Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology, declared that his ministry has completed a plan to limit or entirely block access to specific social platforms, including Facebook, in Afghanistan, afintl. com reports on April 7.
Haqqani argued that shutting down Facebook would help to “prevent the waste of youth’s time and resources” and curb exposure to “immoral content.” Additionally, Taliban cabinet has instructed the Ministry to block other platforms and channels, including TikTok and PUBG, citing their potential to mislead youth. This move to restrict access to Facebook in Afghanistan comes as Meta, Facebook’s parent company, has already blocked accounts associated with the Taliban and Afghan government institutions under US anti-terrorism laws.
Three Taliban fighters killed in Kabul City, Afghanistan
On April 13, the National Resistance Front (NRF) forces of Afghanistan stated on the social media platform ‘X’, formerly ‘Twitter’, that in two separate incidents, three Taliban fighters were killed and three others were injured in attacks by the NRF in the fourth and fifth security districts in Kabul, Afghanistan.
In the first attack, two Taliban fighters were killed and another was injured when the NRF forces targeted the entrance gate of the building in the fourth security district of Kabul city.
In the second incident, one Taliban fighter was killed and two others were injured in the Kote Sangi neighbourhood of the fifth security district of Kabul City, Afghanistan.
First Afghan female Olympian calls on International Olympic Committee to ban Afghanistan, says report
Friba Rezayee, the first woman to represent Afghanistan at the Olympics, has called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ban Afghanistan due to the Taliban’s human rights record, Arab News reports on April 16.
She has argued that under such a ban, Afghan women should still be allowed to participate as part of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team. “Given tons and tons of evidence about the Taliban, about their brutal treatment of women and children, they are very dangerous,” Rezayee, who now lives in Vancouver, Canada, stated. “If the IOC allows them to enter the Olympics at the heart of Europe, in Paris in 2024, it’s very dangerous for the people”, she added.
Taliban suspends operations of Noor and Barya TV Networks
On April 16, Taliban’s Media Violations Commission has decided to suspend operations of two networks- Noor and Barya, reports Hasht-e Subh.
The commission made this decision citing the networks’ disregard for its recommendations and journalistic principles. Zabih Sadat, Head of Tolo News TV and a commission member, emphasized that these networks have repeatedly flouted principles and were instructed to adhere to journalistic standards.
Pending a court verdict, their operations will remain halted. Despite claims of compliance with media laws and national values, sources within the networks assert that the Taliban’s decision stems from perceived violations of Islamic and national principles.
BANGLADESH INTERNAL DYNAMICS
Eight civilians abducted in Cox’s Bazar District
On March 26-27, eight civilians, including four children and two shepherds, were abducted from the Bodibonya area and Kombonia hilly area in the Whykong Union of Teknaf Upazila (Sub-District) of Cox’s Bazar District in Chittagong Division, reports The Daily Star.
Noor Ahmed Anwari, UP Chairman of Whykong Union, confirmed it and said that six civilians named Junaid, Mohammad Noor, Shakil, Farid Alam, Akhtar, and Nazir Hossain were abducted from Bodibonya area, while two shepherds, Ali Ahmed, and Noor Mohammad, were abducted from the Kombonia hilly area.
However, Muhammad Osman Gani, Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of Teknaf Model Police Station, said they have received no complaints regarding these incidents of abduction.
Rohingya youth arrested with weapons in Cox’s Bazar
On April 1, a Rohingya youth identified as Jane Alam was arrested, along with a shotgun and three rounds of bullets, by the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) during a raid in Ukhiya Upazila (Sub-District) in Cox’s Bazar District of Chittagong Division, reports Daily Bangladesh. The Deputy Commander of 14 APBN and the Superintendent of Police (SP), Arefin Jewel, confirmed the arrest.
KCNF opens fire in Bandarban District
More than 100 male and female cadres of the Kuki-Chin National Front (KCNF) carried out an attack and opened fire in Thanchi Upazila (Sub-District) in Bandarban District of Chittagong Division, reports Dhaka Tribune. Thanchi Upazila Chairman, Thowaihla Mong Marma confirmed the incident around 8:30pm, with gunshots heard near Shahjahan Para behind Thanchi Bazar (market).
Raihan Kazemi, the Additional Superintendent of Police (SP) in Bandarban, stated that KNF cadres had attacked twice in an attempt to rob the Sonali Bank branch in Thanchi around 8:30pm. However, the police retaliated and foiled KNF’s attempt.
INDIA INTERNAL DYNAMICS
Two persons including Indian-origin Gurdwarapresident shot dead in Canada
On April 8, a Gurdwara president and also the owner of a construction firm, identified as Buta Singh Gill, was killed along with another person, identified as Nik Dhaliwal, in Edmonton City in the Millwoods area of Canada, reports Times of India. Edmonton police said, “At around 12 pm, police located three injured males.
Emergency medical services responded and determined two males – a 49-year-old and a 57-year-old – were deceased, and a 51-year male was seriously injured.” According to the report, Indian gangsters have tied up with pro-Khalistan elements in Canada and are extorting funds from rich Indian-origin Canadians.
The incident was part of a series of extortions targeting Indian-origin individuals in Canada, linked to a criminal network in India.
Arms and explosives recovered in Manipur
On April 8, a joint team of Assam Rifles and Manipur Police recovered a huge cache of arms and explosives along the hill bases at Champhai hill range under Sagolmang Police station in Imphal East District of Manipur, reports Northeast Now.
The recovered items included eleven.22 rifle, ninety-nine live ammunitions, fifteen blank cartridges, eighty-eight ILLUM JMK ammunition, sixty MK 12 T ammunition, fifteen high explosive hand grenades, seven tube launchers, one magazine box and one walkie-talkie set with charger.
Three persons injured in IED blast in separate incidents in Chhattisgarh
Two security personnel were injured in a Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) triggered Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in a forest near Itwar village under Gangaloor Police Station limits in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on April 10, reports The Times of India.
A Special Task Force (STF) team was out on a search operation when one of them inadvertently stepped on a camouflaged pressure-activated IED. The blast injured personnel Shivlal Mandavi and Mithilesh Markam and they were taken to hospital, where they were stabilised, officials said.
IED blast
A JCB operator was injured when he stepped on a pressure Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh on April 10, reports The Week.
The JCB machine was engaged in road construction work between Kamraguda and Kormeta villages under the Jagargunda Police Station limits bordering Dantewada, a Police official said. “The driver got down from the JCB machine and was walking along the road when he inadvertently stepped on the pressure IED, triggering an explosion which left him injured,” the official said.
Civilian killed in an IED blast in Chhattisgarh
On April 12, one person, identified as Munna Bharti (40), was killed in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED)-triggered blast allegedly planted by cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) between Dumripalnar and Gangaloor villages under the Mirtur Police Station limits in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh, reports The Wire.
Weapons and explosives seized in Manipur
A combined team of the Central and State Forces on April 18 launched search operations at Langza area of Churachandpur District of Manipur and seized weapons and explosives, reports Northeast Now.
The seized items included three single barrel 12 mm bore rifles, one 9mm CMG with the magazine, one tear gas gun, 14 live ammunition rounds, two 38mm anti-riot cartridge with a rubber bullet, three tear smoke shell (CSS), two improvised long range mortar, one improvised long range mortar ammunition.
At Aigejang and Irengbam Maning villages Bishnupur District of Manipur, the Security Forces (SFs) team recovered a cache of arms and ammunitions on April 18, reports Northeast Now.
The seized items included one carbine with one empty magazine, two pistol with three empty magazines, one revolver pistol, one flare pistol, one IED weighing about 1.4 kilograms, three 21 mm high-explosive (HE) mortar shell, one 51mm HE mortar shell, two 2-inch smoke shell, one 2-inch mortar ILLU ammunition, four HE hand grenade without a detonator, one PEK (Plastic Explosive) IED bomb, 107 (one hundred and seven) live ammunition rounds, five ballistic cartridges, one IED remote control, 16 IED fuse, one heavy morse key, CW Key with 3.5mm plug for IED, two Motorola walkie talkie set, one Icom walkie talkie, two empty magazines of AK-47, eight USA Carbine charger, 24 HE detonator, twelve 7.62 ammunition chargers, five .303 chargers, two tube launcher with two rings, 1 of 36 INDIA INTERNAL DYNAMICS M O N T HLY S E C U R I T Y R E P O R T 81 HE hand grenade lever, and three helmets.
CRPF trooper killed and another injured in two separate blasts in Chhattisgarh
A 32-year-old Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Constable Devendra Kumar was killed in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast triggered by the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) near a polling booth in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on April 19, reports The Indian Express.
Devendra of the CRPF’s Battalion 196 was among those out on an area domination exercise around 500 metres from the polling booth, where voting was underway, in the Galgam area – around 55 kilometres from Bijapur district headquarters.
Following the blast, injured Kumar was air-lifted to Jagdalpur city in Bastar district and admitted to Jagdalpur Medical College Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
In the other incident, Mannu, a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) assistant commandant suffered serious injuries to his hands and legs when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) suspected to have been planted by the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) went off in the Chihaka area in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on April 19, reports The Indian Express. Other troopers with him also suffered minor injuries and are out of danger.
SRILANKA INTERNAL DYNAMICS
TID arrests former LTTE cadre in Colombo District
On March 26, Sri Lanka’s Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) arrested a former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadre and activist, identified as Selvanayagam Aravinthan for suspectedly supporting LTTE in Colombo District of Western Province, reports Tamil Guardian. Following the second summons, he went to the TID in Colombo, where he was arrested.
| Monthly Fatalities The following casualties, related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism occurred during the period March 26, 2024 to April 25, 2024 | ||||
| Civilian | Indian Security Personnel | Militant | Total | |
| Chhattisgarh | 15 | 01 | 48 | 64 |
| Manipur | 04 | 00 | 02 | 06 |
| Maharashtra | 02 | 00 | 02 | 04 |
| Total | 21 | 01 | 52 | 74 |
INTERNATIONAL
Nearly 100 people reported missing after Moscow attack
As many as 95 people are still missing after last week’s attack near Moscow when gunmen sprayed concertgoers with automatic weapons and set the venue on fire, a Russian news outlet reported on Wednesday.
The official toll from the attack on Crocus City Hall now stands at 140 dead and 182 wounded. But the Baza news service, which has good contacts in Russian security and law enforcement, said 95 more people appeared in lists compiled by the emergency services based on appeals from people about missing relatives.
“These lists include people with whom relatives have not been able to get in touch since the terrorist attack, but who are not on the lists of wounded and dead,” Baza said. “Some of these people died, but have not yet been identified.”
Russian investigators said the attack was carried out by four shooters using Kalashnikov automatic weapons. More than 500 rounds were found at the scene.
Russian social media channels have been flooded in the days since the shooting with appeals to help find victims.
Gathering in a Telegram chat called “Crocus. Help Centre,” friends and relatives shared names of missing concertgoers and offered support.
Southeast Asia human trafficking now a global crisis, says Interpol
Organised crime rings who fuelled an “explosion” of human trafficking and cyber scam centres during the pandemic have expanded from Southeast Asia into a global network making up to $3 trillion a year, the head of Interpol said on Wednesday, March 27.
“Driven by online anonymity, inspired by new business models and accelerated by Covid, these organised crime groups are now working at a scale that was unimaginable a decade ago,” Interpol secretary-general Jurgen Stock told a briefing at the global police coordination body’s Singapore office.
“What began as a regional crime threat in Southeast Asia has become a global human trafficking crisis, with millions of victims, both in the cyber scam centres and as targets.”
The new cyber-scam centres, often staffed by unwilling staff trafficked with the promise of legitimate jobs, had helped organised crime groups diversify their revenue from drug trafficking, Stock said.
Drug trafficking businesses still contributed 40 percent to 70 percent of criminal groups’ income, he said.
“But we see groups clearly diversifying their criminal businesses using drug trafficking routes also for trafficking of human beings, trafficking of arms, intellectual property, stolen products, car theft,” Stock said.
About $2 trillion to $3 trillion in illicit proceeds are channeled through the global financial system annually, he said, adding that an organised crime group can make $50 billion a year.
The United Nations said last year that more than 100,000 people had been trafficked into online scam centres in Cambodia.
In November, Myanmar handed over thousands of fugitive Chinese telecom fraud suspects to China.
Putin says Russia will not attack Nato, but F-16s will be shot down in Ukraine
Russia has no designs on any Nato country and will not attack Poland, the Baltic states or the Czech Republic but if the West supplies F-16 fighters to Ukraine then they will be shot down by Russian forces, President Vladimir Putin said late on Wednesday, March 17.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has triggered the deepest crisis in Russia’s relations with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Speaking to Russian air force pilots, Putin said the US-led military alliance had expanded eastwards towards Russia since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union but that Moscow had no plans to attack a Nato state.
“We have no aggressive intentions towards these states,” Putin said, according to a Kremlin transcript released on Thursday.
“The idea that we will attack some other country – Poland, the Baltic States, and the Czechs are also being scared – is complete nonsense. It’s just drivel.”
The Kremlin, which accuses the US of fighting against Russia by supporting Ukraine with money, weapons and intelligence, says relations with Washington have probably never been worse.
Asked about F-16 fighters which the West has promised to send to Ukraine, Putin said such aircraft would not change the situation in Ukraine.
“If they supply F-16s, and they are talking about this and are apparently training pilots, this will not change the situation on the battlefield,” Putin said.
“And we will destroy the aircraft just as we destroy today tanks, armoured vehicles and other equipment, including multiple rocket launchers.”
Putin said that F-16 could also carry nuclear weapons.
“Of course, if they will be used from airfields in third countries, they become for us legitimate targets, wherever they might be located,” Putin said.
Putin’s remarks followed comments earlier in the day by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba that the aircraft should arrive in Ukraine in the coming months.
Ukraine, now more than two years into a full-fledged war against Russia, has sought F-16s for many months.
Belgium, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands are among countries which have pledged to donate F-16s. A coalition of countries has promised to help train Ukrainian pilots in their use.
Turkey’s resurgent opposition knocks Erdogan in pivotal local elections
Turks punished President Tayyip Erdogan and his party on Sunday, March 31 in nationwide local elections that reasserted the opposition as a political force and reinforced Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as the president’s chief future rival.
With more than half of votes counted, Imamoglu led by nearly 10 percentage points in the mayoral race in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, while his Republican People’s Party (CHP) retained Ankara and gained nine other mayoral seats in big cities nationwide.
Analysts said Erdogan and his AK Party (AKP) – which have ruled Turkey for more than two decades – fared worse than polls predicted due to soaring inflation, dissatisfied Islamist voters and, in Istanbul, Imamoglu’s appeal beyond the CHP’s secular base.
“The favour and trust our citizens have in us have indeed been demonstrated,” said Imamoglu, 53, a former businessman who entered politics in 2008 and is now seen by analysts as a potential presidential challenger.
In Ankara, the capital, thousands of supporters gathered into the night waving CHP flags for a speech by CHP Mayor Mansur Yavas, who trounced his AKP challenger in another blow for Erdogan.
Erdogan had campaigned hard ahead of the municipal elections, which analysts described as a gauge of both his support and the opposition’s durability.
The president’s disappointing showing could signal a change in the major emerging economy’s divided political landscape.
Hours after voting ended, the president was headed to Ankara from Istanbul to address the nation.
According to 79.77 percent of ballot boxes opened in Istanbul, Europe’s largest city with more than 16 million people, Imamoglu had 50.53 percent support compared with 40.73 percent for AKP challenger Murat Kurum, a former minister in Erdogan’s national government.
Polls had predicted a tight contest in Istanbul and possible CHP losses across the country. Yet partial official results reported by state-run Anadolu Agency showed AKP and its main ally giving up mayoralties in 10 big cities including Bursa and Balikesir in the industrialised northwest.The CHP is leading nationwide by almost 1 percent of the votes, a first in 35 years, the results showed.
Russia says it is working on removing Taliban from terrorist list
Russia said on Tuesday, April 02 it had important matters to discuss with Afghanistan’s Taliban leaders and was working to remove the Taliban from its list of banned terrorist organisations.
“This is a country that is next to us, and one way or another we communicate with them,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“We need to resolve pressing issues, this also requires dialogue, so in this regard we communicate with them like practically everyone else – they are the de facto authority in Afghanistan.”
Peskov did not elaborate on the “pressing issues”, but Russia suffered its deadliest attack for 20 years last month when gunmen stormed a concert hall outside Moscow, killing at least 144 people.
Islamic State militants claimed responsibility and US officials said they had intelligence that it was the network’s Afghan branch, Islamic State Khorasan, that was responsible.
The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021 after the withdrawal of US-led foreign forces, but have remained until now on a list of organisations that Russia designates as terrorist.
Over 200,000 American Sikhs vote in Khalistan referendum in California
Over 60,000 American-Sikhs took part in Khalistan Referendum second phase voting on Sunday, April 07 in a historic event organized by secessionist group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) at the California State Capitol in Sacramento under the protection of US snipers & police.
In the first phase, over 127,000 American Sikhs had voted for Khalistan Referendum for the first time on American soil on 28th January just weeks after the US government announced it had prevented the Indian state from assassinating on the US soil the prominent pro-Khalistan leader and India’s most wanted man, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Several thousand Sikhs were unable to cast their votes in the first phase. The March 31 voting was organised by the SFJ to accommodate those Sikhs who were unable to vote at the end of the first voting phase, overseen by the independent Punjab Referendum Commission (PRC).
Nearly 20,000 Sikh men and women queued to cast their votes. The voting was held months after Khalistan referendum’s Canada lead Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed by the Indian agents inside Canada’s biggest Gurdwara and the US secret services foiled a plot by the Indian govt to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is leading the worldwide Khalistan Referendum campaign.
The voting took place on Sunday 31st March but the grand activity started two days earlier with Akhand Path Sahib to honour and declare Sikh religious head Jathedar Gurdev Singh Kaunke, who was extra-judicially killed by the Indian Government, as “Quami Shaheed” (martyr of Sikh nation).
The referendum voting centre is also named after and dedicated to Shaheed Jathedar Kaunke.
Gurdev Singh Kaunke was unanimously declared as head of Sri Akal Takht Sahib in 1986 by the grand assembly of Sikh people (Sarbat Khalsa). He was extra-judicially killed by Indian Police on January 01, 1993 for his active role in leading the Sikh people’s movement for their religious and political rights.
Recently, in December 2023, Punjab Human Rights Commission acknowledged that Jathedar Kaunke was extra-judicially killed by the Indian Security officials.
The Punjab referendum commission announced a new date for the Khalistan referendum, which is scheduled to take place on July 28th, 2024 in Calgary, Canada.
27 die in militant attacks on Iran security forces
Suspected militants killed at least 11 Iranian security force members and suffered 16 fatalities in attacks on Iran’s Revolutionary Guards headquarters in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, state media reported on Thursday, April 04.
The overnight clashes between the Jaish al-Adl group and security forces took place in the towns of Chabahar and Rask, state TV said.
“The terrorists failed to succeed in achieving their goal of seizing the Guards headquarters in Chabahar and Rask,” deputy Interior Minister Majid Mirahmadi told state TV.
State TV said 10 other security officers were also injured in the fighting in the impoverished region.
The area, which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan, has long been the site of frequent clashes between Iranian security forces and militants as well as drug traffickers.
Iran is a key transit route for narcotics smuggled from Afghanistan to the West and elsewhere. In December, the militant group attacked a police station in the town of Rask, killing 11 security personnel. Meanwhile, Pakistani Ambassador to Iran Mudassir condemned the two heinous terrorist attacks in Iran.
He said Pakistan expressed solidarity with Iran in fighting terrorism.
“Pakistan strongly condemns 2 heinous terrorist attacks at police & security posts in Rask & Chabahar resulting in martyrdom of brave Iranian security forces.
We stand in full solidarity with our brotherly neighbour Iran in fighting terrorism & protecting its interests. Terrorism must be curbed,” he tweeted.
Indian govt ordered killings in Pakistan: UK paper
The Indian government assassinated individuals in Pakistan as part of a wider strategy to eliminate alleged terrorists living on foreign soil, according to Indian and Pakistani intelligence operatives who spoke to the Guardian.
Interviews with intelligence officials in both countries, as well as documents shared by Pakistani investigators, shed new light on how India’s foreign intelligence agency began to carry out assassinations abroad as part of an emboldened approach to national security after 2019.
The agency, the Research & Analysis Wing (Raw), is directly controlled by the office of India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, who is running for a third term in office in elections later this month.
The accounts appear to give further weight to allegations that Delhi has implemented a policy of targeting those it considers hostile to India. While the new allegations refer to individuals charged with serious and violent terror offences, India has also been accused publicly by Washington and Ottawa of involvement in the murders of dissident figures, including a Sikh activist in Canada and of a botched assassination attempt on another Sikh in the US last year.
The fresh claims relate to almost 20 killings since 2020, carried out by unknown gunmen in Pakistan.
While India has previously been unofficially linked to the deaths, this is the first time Indian intelligence personnel have discussed the alleged operations in Pakistan, and detailed documentation has been seen alleging Raw’s direct involvement in the assassinations.
The allegations also suggest that Sikh separatists in the Khalistan movement were targeted as part of these Indian foreign operations, both in Pakistan and the West.
According to Pakistani investigators, these deaths were orchestrated by Indian intelligence sleeper-cells mostly operating out of the United Arab Emirates.
The rise in killings in 2023 was credited to the increased activity of these cells, which are accused of paying millions of rupees to local criminals or poor Pakistanis to carry out the assassinations. Indian agents also allegedly recruited jihadists to carry out the shootings, making them believe they were killing “infidels”.
One Indian officer said India had drawn inspiration from intelligence agencies such as Israel’s Mossad and Russia’s KGB, which have been linked to extrajudicial killings on foreign soil. He also said the killing of Saudi journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in 2018 in the Saudi embassy, had been directly cited by Raw officials. Senior officials from two separate Pakistani intelligence agencies said they suspected India’s involvement in up to 20 killings since 2020.
They pointed to evidence relating to previously undisclosed inquiries into seven of the cases – including witness testimonies, arrest records, financial statements, WhatsApp messages and passports – which investigators say showcase in detail the operations conducted by Indian spies to assassinate targets on Pakistani soil.
The Guardian has seen the documents but they could not be independently verified.
The intelligence sources claimed that targeted assassinations increased significantly in 2023, accusing India of involvement in the suspected deaths of about 15 people, most of whom were shot at close range by unknown gunmen.
In a response to the Guardian, India’s ministry of external affairs denied all the allegations, reiterating an earlier statement that they were “false and malicious anti-India propaganda”.
The ministry emphasized a previous denial made by India’s foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, that targeted killings in other countries were “not the government of India’s policy”.
Pakistan’s foreign secretary, Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi, publicly acknowledged two of the killings in a press conference in January, where he accused India of carrying out a “sophisticated and sinister” campaign of “extraterritorial and extrajudicial killings” in Pakistan. Analysts and Pakistani officials described the alleged systematic targeted killings of dissidents by Indian agents on Pakistani soil since 2020 as “new and unprecedented”.
Walter Ladwig, a political scientist at King’s College London, said the alleged shift in strategy was in line with Modi’s more aggressive approach to foreign policy and that just as western states have been accused of extrajudicial killings abroad in the name of national security, there were those in Delhi who felt “India reserves the right to do the same”.
Daniel Markey, a senior adviser on South Asia at the United States Institute of Peace, said: “In terms of India’s involvement, it all kind of adds up. It’s utterly consistent with this framing of India having arrived on the world stage.
Being willing to take this kind of action against perceived threats has been interpreted, at least by some Indians, as a marker of great power status.”
The allegations of extrajudicial killings, which would violate international law, could raise difficult questions for western countries that have pursued an increasingly close strategic and economic relationship with Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, including pushing for intelligence-sharing agreements.
Nigerian airstrike killed 33 villagers during Eid, say witnesses
An airstrike on a village in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara state killed at least 33 people last week, four residents and a traditional leader said, after a military operation targeting armed kidnapping gangs and their hideouts. The incident, on April 10, is the latest in a pattern of deadly aerial assaults by the military that have killed civilians and were the subject of a special Reuters report last year.
The military said on Thursday the airstrikes had eliminated armed gangs, known locally as bandits, in several locations in Zamfara, including Maradun local government area.
But Lawali Ango, the traditional head of Dogon Daji village in Maradun, told Reuters there were no bandits in his area of mainly Muslim Zamfara.
Ango said he was away from his village on April 10, preparing for Eid prayers marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramazan at around 0700 GMT when he saw aircraft passing. This was followed by loud explosions.
When he tried to contact his village, the calls did not go through and he and a group of men raced back home on motorbikes.
“Arriving at the scene, I saw children, men and women … were killed and trapped inside the collapsed buildings that were hit by a bomb,” Ango said by phone, adding that 33 people had been killed.
Austrian ruling party accuses far right of enabling Russian spying
Austria’s ruling Greens party accused the far-right Freedom Party of enabling Russian espionage on Friday, April 12 as a scandal involving a fugitive former executive of failed German payments firm Wirecard gathered momentum.
Allegations and evidence have been mounting that Austrian former Wirecard executive Jan Marsalek orchestrated Russian spying activities in his home country and ran double agents in its domestic intelligence service. Last week’s arrest of former domestic intelligence agent Egisto Ott has thrown up new revelations, prompting both ruling parties to accuse Freedom Party leader Herbert Kickl, the interior minister from 2017 to 2019, of being at fault over failings in the security apparatus.
“We have the potential infiltration of our secret services by Russian agents. This is very, very serious and the Freedom Party and … Kickl are directly linked to it,” Greens parliamentary leader Sigrid Maurer told reporters.
Her party has accused the Freedom Party (FPO) of acting as “an extension of Russia’s arm” in Austria.
The FPO has taken a pro-Russia stance, opposing EU sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
Under a previous leader, it also struck a cooperation agreement with Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party.
Kickl denies being pro-Russian and says his party is defending Austrian neutrality. The FPO has denied all allegations involving Marsalek.
The FPO is leading in opinion polls, capitalising on concerns about immigration and issues like inflation. A parliamentary election is due this year.
Prosecutors have said only that Ott was arrested on suspicion of misuse of office and spying activity detrimental to Austria, without elaborating. Ott denies any wrongdoing.
25 civilians killed in militia attack in eastern Congo
The death toll from an attack in a village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri province rose to 25 on Sunday, April 21 a local chief and civil society leader said, after a government spokesman and a UN document confirmed the attack on Saturday.
The Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO) group, one of many militias operating in the conflict-ridden east, carried out the killings in the village of Galayi, 70-km northwest of the city of Bunia, they said.
Fifteen bodies were discovered on Sunday, in addition to 10 bodies recovered on Saturday, Banzala Danny, a local chief, and Vital Tungulo, a civil society leader said.
Unpopular Sunak in ‘doom loop’ as UK PM stares at election defeat
He’s failed to meet key pledges, hit an opinion poll low, and even cramped the style of a popular Adidas shoe: Britain’s beleaguered Conservative leader Rishi Sunak appears destined to lose a looming general election.
Two tax cuts and a slightly improving economy have failed to boost Sunak’s political fortunes, while criticism from ex-prime minister Boris Johnson and speculation over Brexit figurehead Nigel Farage’s intentions are adding to his woes.
Political scientist Rob Ford reckoned Sunak has been left looking “hapless” in the face of seemingly unstoppable political momentum away from his ruling Tories. “When the herd moves, it moves. There’s not much you can do,” he said.
Sunak, 43, has yet to announce the date of the election. He is expected to call it for October or November but is legally allowed to wait until January at the latest.
Surveys overwhelmingly show that Britons want an end to 14 years of Tory rule, and nothing that Sunak has done since he became PM 18 months ago appears to be changing their minds.
A YouGov poll released this month found that the Conservatives would win just 155 seats in the UK parliament, down from the 365 that they won under Johnson at the last election in December 2019.
Keir Starmer’s opposition Labour Party would win 403 seats, the same survey found, leading to a whopping 154-seat majority.
Sunak succeeded Liz Truss in October 2022 after Tory MPs forced her out following a disastrous 49 days in office, during which her mini-budget spooked financial markets, sank the pound and sent mortgage payments skywards.
She had followed Johnson, who himself had been defenestrated by colleagues following a series of scandals, including over illegal parties in Downing Street during Covid-19 lockdowns.
While the turmoil of the two previous administrations has hamstrung Sunak, political analysts say he has also contributed to his own plight by falling short on promises and failing to connect with voters.
Despite promising to, he has not stopped migrants arriving from France on small boats. National Health Service waiting lists are higher than when he took office. Economic growth is stagnant, although inflation has more than halved.
Sunak has also tried a number of leadership and policy resets that have fallen flat, including watering down carbon net zero commitments in a pitch to motorists and recently talking about extremism.
The survey gave Sunak a net favorability rating of minus 38, the lowest of any politician included.
Critics often accuse the wealthy ex-financier of being out of touch with average Britons.
Teenager detained for plotting terrorist attack on UK music festival
A British teenager who planned a terrorist attack on the Isle of Wight music festival was sentenced to seven years’ detention on Monday, April 22.
The 16-year-old had converted to Islam and developed what the sentencing judge, Maura McGowan, described believing it was justified to kill those he felt insulted his faith.
The teenager, who cannot be identified because of his age, pleaded not guilty but was convicted in February of the charge of preparing a terrorist act.
He was also found guilty of the offences of disseminating terrorist publications and possession of a bladed article after a trial at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court in London.
Myanmar’s Suu Kyi being used as ‘human shield’, son fears
Myanmar’s detained former leader and Aung San Suu Kyi was moved from prison to house arrest possibly to be used by the Southeast Asian nation’s ruling junta as a human shield in its conflict with resistance fighters, her son said on April 22.
Suu Kyi has been detained by the Myanmar military since it overthrew her government in a 2021 coup.
The 78-year-old Nobel laureate was held under house arrest for a total of 15 years under a previous junta.
A spokesperson for the junta said this week that Suu Kyi had been moved to house arrest as a step to protect her and other elderly prisoners from the hot weather. It was not clear where exactly she had been moved to.
Her son, Kim Aris, who lives in London, told Reuters that he had heard Suu Kyi was suffering from the heat, but that the junta’s official reason for moving her was “not very likely”.
“I think they have their own reasons for moving her, namely that they’d like to use her as a human shield or a bargaining chip,” Aris said in an interview.
“As the fighting’s getting closer and closer to the military strongholds, I think they may just want to keep her close to use as a human shield, or they might like to negotiate with the resistance forces on her release, trying to gain some sort of, you know, footing for the future,” he said.
Anger against the junta in Myanmar has turned into a nationwide armed resistance movement that is now increasingly operating in coordination with established ethnic rebel groups to challenge the military across large parts of the country.
Ukraine downs Russian strategic bomber after airstrike kills eight, says Kyiv
Ukraine shot down a Russian strategic bomber 300-km from its border on April 21 after the warplane took part in an airstrike that killed at least eight people, including two children, in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, Kyiv said.
Missiles rained down on the city of Dnipro and the surrounding region in the early hours, damaging residential buildings, the main train station and wounding at least 28 civilians, regional officials said.
Russia has stepped up its longrange aerial assaults on Ukraine’s energy system and other targets in recent weeks, ratcheting up the pressure on Kyiv far behind the front lines where Russian forces have been slowly advancing in the east.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called for urgent supplies of air defences from Kyiv’s allies as Ukraine’s stocks dwindle due to a slowdown in vital Western military aid.
“Russia must be held accountable for its terror, and every missile, every Shahed (drone) must be shot down,” he said.
“The world can guarantee this, and our partners have the necessary capabilities.”
In a first for Ukraine during the invasion, Kyiv’s air force commander and military spy agency said they had shot down a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber that had fired missiles at Ukraine during the overnight attack.
The warplane, they said, had been flying in Russian airspace 300-km from the Ukrainian border.
An intelligence source told Reuters that Kyiv had used a modified S-200 air defence missile for the attack, but did not say where it had been fired from.
The S-200 is a Soviet-era longrange surface-to-air missile system.
| 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 Singh | 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 Indicates there is 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. Level dictates that Foreigners should rehearse plans for evacuation. | *** |
| Threat Level 4 IIndicates complete breakdown of civil administration and law and order leading to possible anarchy. All foreigners advised 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. | ***** |
