Terrorist Activities in Pakistan

Bomb/IED attacks

One person was killed while another was wounded in a remote­ controlled blast in Mastung town (Mastung District) of Balochistan in the morning of September 3, reports Daily Times. The deceased was identified as teacher Abdul Rauf, while his son was wounded in the explosion.

At least three Levies personnel were killed and two others injured in a blast at Pishin bypass area in Pishin town on September 14 while Assistant Commissioner of Barshore’s vehicle was passing from there, reports Dawn. The dead Levies personnel were identified as Asmatullah, Abdul Baqi and Jaffar Khan. Assistant Commissioner of Barshore, Amir Zaman Kakar, was not in his vehicle when the blast occurred.

Targetted Killings

Awami National Party’s (ANP) leader Ibrar Khalil and his nephew Rashid were shot dead on September 5 by unidentified assailants in Subhanabad area of Peshawar, reports Daily Times. According to Police sources, assailants sprayed bullets on the ANP leader and man­ aged to flee from the spot.

Two bullet-riddled bodies of missing persons were found in the Hoshab Thal area of the Kech District on September 22, reports Dawn. People in the area informed the local administration about the two bodies that had been dumped in an abandoned area. The dead were identified as Ghous Bakhsh and Sahil. The two were targeted from close range with injuries to the head and chest area. Locals claimed that both victims were abducted by armed men five day ago from the Hoshab area of Kech District.

Miscellaneous

At least five people, including three Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, were injured in a hand grenade attack and firing on their vehicle in front of National Bank in Turbat town of Kech District in Balochistan on August 26, reports Daily Times. According to details, unidentified persons hurled a hand grenade and opened firing on the FC vehicle in front of National Bank. Five people, including three FC men, were injured in the hand grenade blast and firing. The attackers managed to flee from the scene.

A Frontier Corps (FC) personnel was killed and another injured on September 2 when unidentified militants from Afghanistan opened cross-border fire at a border check post located in Kurram District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reports Dawn. The incident of cross-border firing originating from Afghanistan’s Khost province, which took place early in the morning at around 6:45am, was targeting a picketing party of the Khataka Post some three kilometres south east of Beza Sar. Lance Naik Rehmanullah of the FC was killing during the attack.

Separately, District Police Officer (DPO) of Dera Ismail Khan issued a notification on September 3 regarding suspected life threat to Jamiat Ulema-e-lslam-Fazl (JUl-F) chief Fazl-ur Rehman’s son and Member of National Assembly (MNA) Asad Mehmood, reports Daily Times. According to the notification, Fazl-ur Rehman’s son is under suspected threats from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) Noor Wali group. To avoid any unpleasant incident, Mehmood was urged to limit politi­cal gatherings and to keep his visits private. Moreover, he was asked to move with strict security.

Police on September 3 killed three militants, who had ties with pro­ scribed outfit, in an encounter in Ittehad Town area of Karachi, reports The News. Acting on a tip-off by intelligence agencies regarding the presence of some militants in the Ittehad Town area, contingents of Police along with Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) unit conducted a targeted raid. Having sniffed the raid, the suspects resorted to firing, in retaliation three of them got killed. Police recovered two suicide jackets packed with explosives, and weapons from the possession of the slain militants.

Police on September 3 thwarted a terrorist attack planned on the upcoming Defence Day (September 6) and arrested three Islamic State (IS) militants during a raid near Basti Shorkot in Multan city, reports The New Indian Express. Muhammad Iqbal, Usman Zia and Hasnain Muavia had plans to target an event on the Defence Day in Multan, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab Police said. Four hand grenades, explosive material and other weapons have also been recovered from the possession of arrested militants.

A Karachi Anti-terrorism Court (ATC} on September 5 handed down a collective imprisonment of 29 years to a former student on charges of terrorism, possessing explosives and illicit arms, reports Dawn. Syed Rehan Zaidi alias Ali Budha was found guilty of possessing explosives and an illicit weapon , terrorism, encounter with law enforcers and attempting to murder in the remit of Mochko Police Station on October 2, 2017.The ATC judge, who conducted the trial in the judicial complex inside the Karachi central prison, pronounced his verdict after recording evidence and arguments from both sides. The judge also ordered the convict to pay PKR150, 000 fine or serve an additional sentence of six months on default.

Residence of journalist and columnist Malik Ramzan lsra was attacked by unknown miscreants under Parwa Police Station in Dera Ismail Khan town on September 7, reports Daily Times. According to a letter written to Station House Officer (SHO) Parwa Police Station by lsra, unknown miscreants banged the door of his residence with sticks at around 9:15 pm. lsra added that he did not open the door out of shock and fear. A few minutes later, however, the attackers left the place only to return an hour later and resume banging the door.

Four Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) militants and one soldier were killed during an intelligence­ based operation (IBO) in Jhao near of Awaran District of Balochistan on September 9, reports Dawn. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), a cache of arms and ammunition was also recovered from their possession. These terror­ ists were involved in an ambush against military convoy in Mashkai area where five soldiers were killed earlier this year. The ISPR said Sepoy Ramz Ali was killed while another soldier Naik Yaqub received bullet injuries during an exchange of fire with the terrorists.

Frontier Corps (FC) foiled a ter­rorist bid and recovered arms and ammunition from Qamar Din Karaiz town in Zhob District of Balochistan on September 11, reports Daily Times. According to a press release, FC recovered 21 explosive devices of 235 kilogram from Qamar Din Karaiz town.

The Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on September 10 confirmed the death sentences awarded to “13 hardcore terrorists” by special Army courts, reports Dawn. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) a press release said the terrorists “were involved in heinous offenses related to terrorism, i.e. attacking armed forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan, destruction of educational institutions and killing of innocent civilians”. The ISPR press release further said the convicts were involved in the “killing of 202 persons, including 151 civilians, 51 armed forces/Frontier Constabulary/ police officials, and injuring 249 others”. Arms and explosives were also recovered from their possession, the ISPR statement added.

The Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) arrested three Islamic State (IS) militants from Gulistan-i-Jauhar area of Karachi on September 12, reports Dawn. Speaking at a press conference at his office, CIA Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Dr. Amin Yousufzai said the arrested militants were involved in kidnappings and targeted killings in Karachi and recovered over PKR 10 million and weapons from their possession.

Four militants and three soldiers were killed during an intelligence­ based operation (IBO) in Khattey Kalley area of North Waziristan District on September 13, reports The News. According to the Inter­ Services Public Relations (ISPR), the IBO was conducted to hunt down the suspects responsible for the September 12 attack on Security Forces (SFs).

Two Levies personnel, identified as Munir and Akram, were killed and another injured when unidentified militants opened fire at the security officials at Junction Chowk area of Killa Saifullah town (Killa Saifullah District) in Balochistan on September 18, reports Dawn.

A seminary in the Airport Housing Society of Rawalpindi city (Rawalpindi District) of Punjab was shot at by some unidentified per­ sons, causing damage to its windows and doors, on September 19, reports Dawn. However, no one was injured in the attack. The windows of the Usman Ghani Madrassah were broken after some unidentified motorcycle riders opened fire on the seminary. The Police said 140 students and staff members were housed in the building when it was attacked at about 3:15 am.

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Sindh Police on September 20 claimed to have arrested five suspected militants in separate incidents who belonged to the Islamic State group, Tehreek-e­ Taliban Pakistan and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), reports Dawn. In the first raid, the CTD arrested three suspects Hafiz Imran Khan, Zahid Khan and Asmatullah in Orangi Town, who provided financial assistance to militants and collected donations besides treating injured militants , said CTD Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Junaid Shaikh. The suspects were also involved in an attack on an Army convoy in Swat in 2016.The suspects belong to Islamic State group, TTP and BLA. The SSP claimed that the Police had reports that the militants could plan terrorist acts during Muharram in the city.

Separately, the CTD conducted a raid in a Korangi locality and arrested two militants – Rasheed Ahmed and Ghulam Dastagir linked with the BLA. They were experts in making bombs and involved in carrying out bomb attacks on railway tracks, added the CTD official. “They allegedly carried out a bomb attack on a railway track in Ubauro, Ghotki in 2017,” said the CTD official.

Nine militants and seven soldiers including a captain were killed in an exchange of fire during an intelligence-based operation in Gharlamai area of North Waziristan District on September 22, reports Dawn. A statement issued by the Inter-Services Public relations (ISPR) said that a group of “terrorists was reported to have infiltrated from across and was hiding in a compound” in Gharlamai area. The dead personnel were identified as Captain Junaid, Havaldar Amir, Havaldar Atif, Havaldar Nasir, Havaldar Abdul Razzaq, Sepoy Sammi, and Sepoy Anwar.

Three tribesmen were killed and two others injured after unidentified militants attacked the camp of a pro­ government tribal militia in the Dasht Goran area of Dera Bugti District in Balochistan on September 22, reports Dawn. The attack was carried out at 3am, after which the militants fled the scene. The dead were identified as Tahir Shambani, Ghulam Sharif Shambani and Pir Bakhsh Shambani, while Rezakh Shambani and Hafizullah Shambani were injured. The victims belong to the Shambani tribe.

PAKISTAN

Bid to attack Gilgit-Baltistan girls’ school foiled

Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Police on August 25 claimed to have foiled a terror bid targeting a girls’ school in Ghizer District and arrested 13 suspected terrorists, reports Dawn. According to Deputy Inspector General Gohar Nafees, all the arrested suspects are students of a local seminary run by a local named lnayatullah. Police had also recovered explosive material and petrol during their raid on the seminary late on August 25-night, adding that the plot to target the school and college was hatched at the seminary.

Won’t accept any unjust US demand, says Prime Minister Imran Khan

Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on August 31 said his Government will not accept any unjust demand by the United States (US), reports The Nation. Speaking to television anchorpersons in Islamabad, the PM said Pakistan cannot fight with the US and wanted good ties with the superpower. He, however, added this did not mean that Pakistan will accept any unjust demand by Washington. The premier’s comments came as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Joseph Dunford are preparing to visit Islamabad for talks with the new Government. The duo is expected in Islamabad on September 5.

No conflict ends through kinetic operations alone: COAS

Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday, Aug 29 said that no conflict ends through kinetic operations alone, adding that there is always a post-operation rehabilitation and development effort. He asked all the stakeholders, particularly the local population, to remain vigilant to maintain peace and stability in the region. Addressing a Jirga of elders from North Waziristan and South Waziristan tribal districts in Wana, he warned that inimical forces were eyeing to reverse the gains made in stabilising the erstwhile tribal region.

The army chief visited South Waziristan where he was briefed about the stabilisation operations and fencing along the Pak-Afghan border at Angoor Adda. According to officials, he appreciated the quality and speed of work.

The elders thanked General Bajwa for the restoration of peace in the area, merger of the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and ongoing efforts for socio-economic development of the region. They assured him of their unflinching support to the security forces and the state.

The Army chief thanked the local elders for their support and cooperation with the security forces. He said though peace had largely returned, a few blasts caused by improvised  explosive devices (IEDs) recently took place in North Waziristan. He said that no conflict could be ended through military operations alone. “There is always a post-operation rehabilitation and development effort,” he maintained. He said that stabilisation operations are continuing alongside border fencing while progress on socio-economic sector is also gaining momentum. General Bajwa said that terror­ ism and development cannot go together. “Therefore, we have to collectively make sure that unrest does not return,” he said and added that the suggestions offered by elders were valid for the long-term development plan of the government.

Treason case: Interpol declines Pak request for arresting Musharraf

The Ministry of Interior on Wednesday, Aug 29 informed the Special Court hearing the high treason case against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf that Interpol has declined Pakistan’s request for the arrest of Musharraf.

The Special Court comprising Justice Yawar Ali and Justice Nazar Akbar resumed hearing on the complaint lodged by the former PML-N government seeking initiation of high treason proceedings against Musharraf for imposing emergency rule on November 3, 2007. Secretary Interior Yousaf Nasim informed the court that Interpol has refused to issue red warrants of Musharraf, saying red warrant cannot be issued in political nature cases.

“Interpol officials had said that the high treason case doesn’t fall under their legal ambit,” he added. Justice Yawar Ali directed the federal government to decide as to how the treason case against the former president could be decided in his absence.

Adjourning the case till September 10, the court ordered that during the next hearing arguments be given over whether Musharraf’s statement can be recorded via Skype or the investigations can move forward without it.

Musharraf had expressed his willingness to face the trial under the army’s protection and on a surety from the court that he would be given a safe passage to return to Dubai.

6,450 Pakistanis incarcerated in seven jails of Gulf States

As many as 6,450 Pakistanis were incarcerated in jails of seven Gulf countries in 2017-18, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Thursday, Aug 30 according to a Geo News report.

In a written reply to the question of Senator Bahramand Khan Tangi, he said 2,970 Pakistanis were incarcerated in various jails of Saudi Arabia, 2,600 in jails of United Arab Emirates (UAE), 657 in Oman, 128 in Bahrain, 54 were incarcerated in Qatari jails, 38 in jails of Kuwait and three Pakistanis were incarcerated in jails of Yemen in 2017-18.

The foreign minister said teams from Pakistani missions regularly visit jails and meet prisoners for any assistance that might be provided as per the law. He said after completion of the jail terms air tickets are provided to those Pakistanis who could not financially afford return to their country.

Pakistan will never fight anyone else’s war, says Prime Minister Imran Khan

Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on September 6 said Pakistan will not fight anyone else’s war, adding that all institutions were determined to work together to safeguard country’s own interests, reports Daily Time .”Pakistan will never participate in anyone’s war. We have a commitment to stand by our people and protect our interests,” Imran Khan said in his address to the Defense and Martyrs Day ceremony on the lawns of the General Headquarters (GHQ) of the Pakistan Army. Rubbishing the myth of a civil-military divide in the country, the PM said the Pakistani nation was destined to rise as all state institutions were determined to work together. “We both [civil, military] have a common goal and that is to take this country forward. There is a myth of civil-military rift. There is no such issue. We have to elevate this country. Our life and death is for this country,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on September 6 vowed to avenge the blood being shed on the border of the country, reports Daily Times. Addressing the main ceremony with regard to defense and Martyrs Day at the GHQ in Rawalpindi, the Army Chief said September 6 was the day of expressing solidarity with the martyrs of Pakistan and that they all were united for the defense of the motherland. “September 6, 1965, is an important day in the country’s history. It is the day when the armed forces, with the full support of the nation, defeated an evil adversary. Every Pakistani was the nation’s soldier. We were all united to defend our country and played our respective roles. Our soldiers jumped into the fiery pits of warfare but did not let our nation be harmed,” he said.

PM Imran Khan hails ISI’s role in war against terror

Prime Minister Imran Khan on September 12 lauded the contribution of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) towards national security, especially in the ongoing war against terrorism, reports Daily Times. “ISI is our first line of defence, and stands out as the best intelligence agency in the world,” he said during a visit to the ISI Headquarters. Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Director General (DG) of ISI Lieutenant General Naveed Mukhtar received Imran Khan on arrival at the headquarters. The PM said that Government and people of Pakistan firmly stand behind their armed forces and the intelligence agencies and greatly acknowledge the unprecedented achievements of these institutions.

Former PM Nawaz Sharif freed from jail on court orders

Pakistani authorities released former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam from jail on September 19 after a court suspended prison sentences they got in July 2018 over the purchase of upscale apartments in London, Reuters reports on September 21, reports Fiji Times. “The prisoners have been set free,” lshaq Cheema, an official at Adyala jail, told Reuters. Earlier in the day Islamabad High Court suspended the 10-year jail term of Nawaz Sharif. The court also freed Sharif’s daughter and political heir Maryam, who was jailed for seven years on corruption charges relating to the family’s acquisition of the London flats. “The prose­cution has failed to show the proper­ ties belong to Nawaz Sharif,” Justice Athar Minallah told the court. The convictions are still under appeal with the same court, but the judge said they should be freed immediately while the case continues.

REGIONAL

Bangladesh – Internal Dynamics

Four JMB militants arrested in Chapainawabganj District

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested four militants of Jama’at-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) when they were holding a secret meeting in Dakhhinsahar village of Chapainawabganj District in Rajshahi Division on August 27, reports The Daily Star. The arrestees are Akhtar-ul Islam (46), Abdul Kader (30), Amin-ul Islam (30) and Abdur Rahman (39) RAB also recovered one pistol, one magazine, five bullets, 400 grams of gunpowder and books on jihad from their possession.

Sajal Bahini ‘second­ in-command’ killed in shootout in Rajbari District

Abdul Matin Mondal (35), the ‘second-in-command’ of Sajal Bahini was killed in a shootout between Police and his armed cohorts at Alokdanga village in Rajbari District of the Dhaka Division on September 2, reports The Daily Star. Police said recovered one shooter gun and 15 rounds of bullet from the scene.

Five JMB militants arrested in Bogra District

Five militants of Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) are arrested in Mirzapur Ranirhat Bazar area of Bogra District in the Rajshahi Division on September 5, reports The Daily Star. The arrestees are identified as Shahidullah alias Masum, Bulbul alias Sohag, Masud Rana, Atikur Rahman alias Saikat and Mizanur Rahman Mizan alias Tailor. Police also recovered one 7.65 pistol, one 9mm pistol, two magazines, 10 rounds of bullets and three sharp Burmese knives from them.

Nine madrasa teachers arrested in Satkhira District for clandestine meeting

Police on September 6 arrested nine teachers from Bakchara Madrasa in Satkhira District of Khulna Division for joining a clan­ destine meeting in the madrasa, reports Dhaka Tribune. The arrested are Maulana Shahadat Hossain, Maulana Abdus Samad, Galam Sarwar, Hafizur Rahman, Abul Khair, Mojammel Haque, Mozaffor Hossain, Azam Faruque and Abdul Hamid. Police said “Several Jamaat­e-lslamis have been employed at Bakchara Ahmedia Dakhil Madrasa as teachers. They were arrested during their secret meeting from one of the rooms in the madrasa.”

Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies have said that the extremists are plumbing the hidden depths of the “dark web” to avoid closer Police monitoring of social media platforms, reports Dhaka Tribune on September 6. “Although members of the fundamentalist groups are mod­ erately educated, they are all techies. On top of that, they are trained very well so it is not too difficult for them to use the dark web,” a senior police officer told. Amanul Islam Murad, a cyber-security expert in national infra­ structure, warned that the dark web could become “a source of serious trouble”. “Militants could come back strongly if the dark web menace is not addressed,” he told. Head of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTIC) unit, Monirul Islam, also said encrypted extremist publications were available on the dark web. “We are trying to enhance our expertise in that regard,” he said.

Two JMB militants killed in gunfight in Munshiganj District

Two militants of Jama’at-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh were killed in a gunfight in Munshiganj District of the Dhaka Division on September 7, reports Dhaka Tribune. The suspects were involved in the murder of pub­lisher Shahjahan Bachchu on June 11. The deceased were identified as Mohamad Shamim alias Kaka alias Boma Shamim and Ekhlasur Rahman. Three policemen were also injured during the gunfight. Police recovered one pistol, one magazine, three bullets, three knives, and one motorcycle from the scene.

India – Internal Dynamics

Two persons, including a civilian, killed in separate incidents in Chhattisgarh

A shopkeeper was killed by suspected Communist Party of India­ Maoist (CPI-Maoist) accusing him of being a ‘Police informer’, in Kawardha District of Chhattisgarh on August 26, reports Mid-Day. The bullet-ridden body of Hemprasad Sharma (50) was found on the banks of a stream near his village Bolda under Jhalmala Police Station limits in the District, according to Police. Around a dozen rebels arrived in the village last night and asked Sharma, who ran a grocery shop, to come with them, a local Police official said. According to some villagers, Maoists accused Sharma of being a ‘Police informer’, the official said. He was not associated with Police in any way, the official added. He might have refused to supply groceries to the Maoists which could have angered them, he said.

Meanwhile, a Maoist cadre was killed in an exchange of fire between Security Forces (SFs) and Maoists in Narayanpur District of Chhattisgarh on August 26, reports Odisha TV. The encounter took place in a forest near Kalepal village under Benoor Police Station area, informed District Superintendent of Police (SP), Jitendra Shukla. After receiving information about presence of rebels between Chinari and Kalepal villages, around 350 kilometers from State capital, Raipur, a squad of the Police’s District Reserve Guard (DRG) was sent to the spot, he said. The SFs came under fire from the Maoists near Kalepal, leading to a gun battle, Shukla said. After a brief exchange of fire, the Maoists fled and the body of Soma Vadde, a member of Bayanar Local Organisation Squad (LOS) of Maoists, was found subsequently, he said. Police also recovered a country­ made gun, the SP said.

Indian MP expressed his ‘personal opinion’ and does not reflect Indian Government’s view, states MEA

Following the statement of Indian Member of Parliament (MP) Subramniam Swamy about ‘India shall invade the Maldives’, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has stated on August 26 in its press release that his opinion does not reflect the policies or view of the Indian government, reports Raajje. The bilateral relations between India and Maldives hit an all-time low in recent times, especially over China’s increased influence in the Island nation.

Maoist posters ask locals to stay off from Police and CRPF in Odisha

Communist Party of India-Maoist put up posters asking the locals not to cooperate with the Police and Paramilitary Forces in three tribal villages of Rayagada District of Odisha, reports Odisha TV. The posters were put up at the Anganwadi centers of Muniguda and Rajulguda village and at various intersections, shops and trees in Bhuriskhma village of the District, and asked the locals to stay off from Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). “Maoists have been fighting for freedom and rights of the tribals. However, the Police and CRPF personnel are polluting the minds of innocent tribal children against the red rebels by bribing them through money and mobile phones,” the posters read. “They are trying to create differences among Maoists and tribals with an intention to weaken the Niyamgiri protest,” the posters said.

Policeman Killed and three others injured in Maoist­ triggered blast In Chhattisgarh

One Policeman, identified as Gyandhar Pradhani was killed and three others were injured in an IED blast triggered by Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres in Sukma District on September 1, reports NDTV. Inspector General (IG) of Bastar range Vivekanand Sinha said that a search party of Sukma District’s Reserve Police Force, which had gone to the forests for an anti-Maoist operation two days ago, was targeted by the Maoists while returning.

Maoists behead woman in Bihar

A large number of Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres abduct­ed a woman, identified as Basanti Devi (35), the wife of Umesh Paswan, from her house and later, beheaded her near a remote hill area under Kajra Police Station limits in Lakhisarai District of Bihar late on September 2, reports The Telegraph. “Preliminary Police investigations indicated that the beheading of Basanti Devi was a clear case of Maoist brutality. She has been killed by Maoists on allegations of being a police informer,” Lakhisarai Superintendent of Police (SP), Kartikeya K. Sharma said. “Kajra forest area has begun a shelter and training place for Maoists again. A large number of rebels have been camping and training new youths there these days,” a villager on condition of anonymity said.

Retired army soldier arrested for selling arms to Maoists in Madhya Pradesh

A retired army soldier was arrested from Jabalpur cantonment town in Jabalpur District of Madhya Pradesh on September 5, on the charge of supplying advanced weapons such as AK-47 to the cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist, reports UNI. “Recently, Police arrested Bihar’s Mungerresident Irfan with three AK-47 rifles, 30 magazines, pistols and other weapon parts. Munger Police informed that Irfan had procured AK-47 assault rifle from a retired soldier in Jabalpur,” said Superintendent of Police (SP), Amit Singh. On the basis of his interrogation, Purushottam Lal, who was residing in Gorakhpur locality in Jabalpur District, following his retirement from the Ordinance Factory, Kham aria town in the District in 2008, was called for questioning and was arrested after he was found to be in possession of objectionable material.

Maoists building ‘New Battle Zone’ on Madhya Pradesh­ Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra Border, says an Intelligence Report

Fear of action on them has forced top Communist Party of India­ Maoist ‘commanders ‘ to build a ‘new battlefield’ in Madhya Pradesh­ Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra (MMC) tri-junction border for a new guerilla zone, reports India.com on September 5. As per an Intelligence report, the Maoists plan to target Security Forces (SFs). The report says that Maoists wish to expand their battle zone towards north and then east to create a link corridor between Balaghat-Rajnandgaon-­Kabirdham-Gondia. The decision of expansion of Maoist activities on a larger scale in the MMC area was taken long ago, said Intelligence inputs, and a division of Maoists has been found active in the bordering area of Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh, Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh and Gandia in Maharashtra Districts. The report says that the movement of Maoists the cadre suggests that they were planning to launch offensive actions against the SFs in Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Odisha. Senior members of the area committee of Maoists have reportedly instructed their small action teams to identify and kill Special Police Officers (SPOs) and Intelligence staff of SFs as well as ‘Police informers’. The report adds that Maoists were opposed to Government-sponsored development activities. Their ‘commanders’, active in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh, held a meeting with the villagers and were contemplating to destroy the power plant situated at Penta village. They had also urged the villagers to help Maoists in stopping road construction activities, damage vehicles and Government property in the area.

Suspected Bangladesh national arrested in Tripura

Tripura Police on September 5 arrested a suspected Bangladeshi Army officer who crossed into Indian territory under a pseudonym, reports Indian Express on September 6. According to Police the arrestees real name was Azam Khan and he was using the name Raju Choudhary as his alias. He was arrested from Akhaura Road in West Tripura District. Primary investigation reportedly revealed that that he worked with Bangladesh Army but deserted it during his training. A senior Police official stated that the detainee was a government contractor who did all plumbing works at the Chief Minister’s official residence during its renovation earlier this year. Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) stated that ‘We are investigating whether he was involved in any sort of espionage’.

Maoists spreading to more Districts, says Intelligence report

The Western Ghats Special Zonal Committee (WGSZC) of Communist Party of India-Maoist has been increasing the strength of its armed wing People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) in five Districts of State of Kerala, said a report from the Intelligence wing of the anti-Naxal [Left Wing Extremism, LWE] squad of the State Police, reports The Times of India on September 8. The report submitted to the Government said there was alarming increase in the number of PLGA members trooping to these regions after the death of senior leaders of the party in an encounter in Nilambur forest two years ago. Around 45 PLGA members attended a martyrdom observance programme held in Wayanad­Kozhikode forest border in the last week of August, it said.

The meeting, in which central committee members of the party and members of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) attended, has decided to strengthen five branch committees in Kannur, Kozhikode, Palakkad, Wayanad and Malappuram. The squad has already confirmed the presence of Maoist leaders Danish, Ganesh and Prasanna in Nilambur forest last week (date not specified). It was expected that the death of ‘central committee (CC) member’ of the party Kuppu Devraj and his aide Ajitha, in an encounter with Police on November 24, 2016 in Nilambur would be a major setback to the activities of Naxal forces in the region. But the lat­est report points out that the number of PLGA members in Kerala has been increased from 25-28 to 45 as a group of unidentified people, including cadres from North Indian states have also joined the group recently, aiming to scale up the activities in tri-junction of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu (KKT). According to sources in anti­ Naxal squad, only cadres from Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu worked for the group in the region earlier, but the presence of cadres from Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand in Kerala forests is a cause of a major concern to Security Forces (SFs).

Meanwhile, posters that appeared in the name of CPI-Maoist in various parts of rural Kozhikode blame State Government for the recent flood disaster, reports The Times of India on September 8. A poster appeared in the name of ‘Kabani area committee’ of the party alleges that the Government, which had received proper warning on heavy rain and flood, miserably failed to take proper action to evacuate people on time.

Over 60 AK-47s supplied from Jabalpur to Maoists in Bihar

More than 60 AK-47 assault rifles and several other weapons have been smuggled for Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres and criminals in Bihar from the Central Ordnance Depot at Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh in the last several years, reports The Times of India on September 8. It was revealed during the investigation after three AK-47 assault rifles with spares were seized from Jubli Well locality under the Jamalpur Police Station area in Munger on August 29. One Mohammad lmran Alam (42) of Wardha village under the Mufassil Police Station area in Munger was arrested with the consignment.

The investigation led to recovery of three more AK-47s from Wardha on September 6 by the Special Task Force (STF) of Bihar Police. One Mohammad Shamsher (45) was also arrested from Wardha in the District. While a team of Jabalpur police had reached Munger after recovery of the first consignment, a Munger police team went to Jabalpur after that. Inspector General (IG), operation, Kundan Krishnan said Shamsher was hiding at Wardha with three more AK- 47s. “He was nabbed (arrested) after retired Army personnel Purushottam Rajak was arrested by Jabalpur police,” Krishnan said, adding that Jabalpur zonal IGAK Singh was coor­dinating with the Bihar Police in the case. “These weapons were sold to Maoists and criminals in Bihar according to demand,” Krishnan said and added that STF was gathering more information about the arms smuggling. “This is a big case and it is for the first time that direct links of depot officials with arms smuggling in Bihar has come to light,” he said.

Militant groups involved in drug trade, states East Khasi Hills SP

East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police (SP) Davis N.R. Marak stated that arrest of drug dealers in Shillong have led to the discovery of some mil­ itant groups being involved in the lucrative drug trade, reports The Telegraph on September 10. Marak said militant groups ‘from other states’ were selling drugs from Myanmar in various places, including Shillong. However, he ruled out the involvement of local militant groups. He stated that ‘These militant groups are using drugs to finance terrorism, apart from dealing with arms trade and extortion’. The SP also said the city has become a base and an end point where drugs were being sold, as well as a transit route to other parts of the country. He cited the recent seizure of narcotics which were meant to be sent to Guwahati, Bihar and other places. East Khasi Hills police in 2017 registered 56 drug-related cases where 109 individuals were arrested and 652.13 grams of heroin were seized. From January till July this year, 27 cases were registered and 40 people were arrested, and 579.07 grams of heroin seized.

SSB trooper shot dead by Maoists in Bihar

A jawan (trooper) of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), identified as Sikandar Yadav was shot dead out­ side his home by the cadres of Communist Party of India-Maoist in Pondeythika village in Jamui District of Bihar on September 17 night, reports The New Indian Express. According to Police, Sikandar Yadav, who was working with SSB’s 48^th battalion in Jaynagar in Madhubani District, was dragged out of his house and shot dead with AK-47 guns as the Maoist believed he was a ‘Police informer’. The cold­ blooded murder was perpetrated by a group of about 20 Maoists, some of them women, at Pondeythika village under Barhat Police Station on September 17 night. The Maoists, dressed in police uniforms, knocked on Yadav’s door. When he came out, the Maoists tied up his hands and feet, dragged him outside the house and shot him dead, said Police sources. While leaving the village, the Maoists chanted slogans, including “Death for all police informers,” sources also said.

Cybercrime increased to 50% since demonetization in 2016 in Gujarat, says report

The Ahmedabad Crime branch Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Deepan Bhadran has said that the proposal to recognise Cyber cell as a ‘Cyber’ Police Station is being considered and could be approved soon; as for the last three years, 60% of cyber-related incidents pertaining to digital fraud and cheating, reports The Times of India on September 22. Since 2009, the city Cyber cell used to receive about 1,500 applications of Cyber-related incidents every year. In 2016, the counts were shot up to about 3,000-having the majority of applications coming after demonetization in November 2016, as there was a ‘flood’ of digital trans­ actions, said an unnamed Cyber cell official. In 2017, the cell received about 4,000 complaints. However, the estimates show that only about 5% of calls made by fraudsters now result in fraud,” said Cyber cell DCP Rajdeepsinh Jhala .

Seven migrant labourers injured in IED blast in Manipur

Seven non-local labourers were injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Imphal West District of Manipur on September 24, reports Imphal Free Press. According to doctors, all the injured labourers have minor injuries. Nagaland Post further adds that the IED was planted in front of a shop opposite to the main entrance gate of Major Khul in Thangal Bazar, around 50 meters away from city Police Station. All the injured per­ sons were non-local labourers hailing from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Monthly Fatalities

The following casualties, related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism occurred during the period Aug 26, 2018 to Sept 25, 2018:
	Civilian	Indian Security Personnel	Militant	Total
Manipur	03	01	01	05
Left wing	13	02	08	23
Total	16	03	09	28

Nepal – Internal Dynamic

Civil society groups accuse Government of trying to tire out victims

Civil society groups during an event on the International Day of Disappeared in the Capital Kathmandu on August 29 accused the Government of trying to tire out the victims so they get frustrated and give up, reports Kathmandu Post. Ram Kumar Bhandari, President of Nepal Society of Families of the Disappeared and Missing, said “We won’t give up unless we know about the status of our relatives and those involved in the heinous crime are punished. The CIEDP hasn’t even cared to investigate into the disappeared cases in Bhairavnath, Chisapani, Charaali, Bhorletar, and Dhanusha Battalions-which have been accused of forcibly disappearing dozens of people. None of the battalion commanders has been interrogated, let alone asked to release a statement, on the accusations by hundreds of victims’ families. Justice delayed is justice denied. The com­ mission should either deliver or give up.” According to the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP), by the end of the decade-long insurgency, there were 3,196 complaints of disappearances by the state and the Maoists, of which at least 2,369 have been identified as ‘genuine’ cases. Officials at the commission say they can understand the pain and frustration among the families and are working to resolve the cases despite different constraints. Lakendra Mallick, the chairperson of CIEDP, told that the commission has completed a preliminary investigation of 1,210 cases from 43 different Districts. Mallick said the commission hasn’t been able to recommend the actions against the perpetrators because there are no legal provisions to criminalise the forceful disappearance. The criminal code that came into effect on August 17 has criminalised forceful disappearance, but it does not apply to crimes committed before the law went into effect, essentially ignoring all the war­ era disappearances. “I urge the victims to put pressure on the government as well, so it can introduce such a law,” Mallick said, reiterating that the commission is committed to pro­ viding justice to the victims.

Tarun Dal Chairman shot dead in Rolpa District

Rohit Pun Chairman of Tarun Dal, the youth wing of Nepali Congress (NC) was shot dead in Rolpa District of Province 5 on September 9, reports The Himalayan Times. Dev Bahadur Ghartimagar, a local, had fired Pun. After shooting Pun, Dev had surrendered to the police. Dev is considered close to Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Police said and added that Dev was arrested with the weapon.

Extremist elements want to destabilise Nepal, says Chief of Army Staff Puma Chandra Thapa

Newly appointed Chief of Army Staff Puma Chandra Thapa on September 9 said some extremist elements wanted to destabilise the country and turn it into a failed state, reports The Himalayan Times. “These elements are working against national interest, albeit their activities are being closely monitored. The state is doing all it can to resolve this problem,” Thapa told Army officers at the Nepa Army Headquarters.

Gunmen shot dead Sunsari man on broad daylight

A man was shot dead on a broa daylight at Bhutaha Bazaar Harinagar Rural Municipality-2 Sunsari District in Province No. 1 on September 20, reports Kathmandu Post. Police said four motorcycle­ borne gunmen shot dead Khursid Ansari, chairman of a local school management committee, at the town centre before fleeing to India. As the gunmen were fleeing to India, they also shot Police Constable Shiva Poudel who had tried to stop them at Ghuksi Bazaar. The injured constable was taken to Dharan for treatment. Besides chairing the management committee of Rohiyan National Public School, Ansari was also the vice­ chairman of Dawat-e-lslam, a Muslim social organisation, and a member of Nepal Communist Party (NCP). Friends and family members suspect that there is a powerful force behind Ansari’s death, the one that did not like his growing influence in the community. The Sunsari chapter of NCP condemned Ansari’s killing and demanded the authorities concerned to arrest the culprits and provide a suitable compensation to his family.

Indian Mujahideen ‘ringleader’ shot dead in Nepal, confirms Nepal Police

The Nepal Police confirms that the Principal of a private school who was murdered on September 20 in Sunsari District of Province No. 1, has been identified as Khurshid Alam-a ‘ringleader’ of Indian Mujahideen (IM), reports ANI News on September 22. Khurshid Alam was working as a Principal of Raiyan National School and was shot dead by unidentified bike­ borne gunmen. Alam was on the ‘radar’ of Indian Intelligence agen­cies as he was suspected to be involved in the 1993 Mumbai attack. About two decades ago, the Indian government had requested the Nepal government to hand over him but that could not happen as Nepal government denied the request, said an unnamed senior Nepal Police official.

Sri Lanka – Internal Dynamics

One person killed and another one injured while de-mining in Mullaitivu District

A 25-year-old worker was killed and another was injured after an antipersonnel mine exploded while demining activities at Thekkawatte along the Mallavi Road in Mankulam of Mullaitivu District in Northern Province on September 3, reports Daily Mirror. The victims, attached to an international de-mining organization, were injured in the explosion, when they tried to defuse a mine. They were admitted to the Mallavi Hospital and the 25-year-old R. S. Nidarshan, a resident of Omanthai, succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment.

Select Committee appointed to study and recommend ways and means of ensuring ethnic and religious harmony in Sri Lanka

A Select Committee has been appointed to study and recommend ways and means of ensuring ethnic and religious harmony in Sri Lanka on September 7, reports Daily Mirror. Deputy Speaker Ananda Wijesiri who was in the Chair said the Select Committee would be headed by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and include the Deputy Speaker, Opposition Leader R. Sampathan, Rauff Hakeem, D. M. Swaminathan, Susil Premajayantha, Dinesh Gunawardene, C. B. Ratnayake, Vijitha Herath, Douglas Devananda, Selvam Adekaranathan, Gamini Jayawickrama Perera, Gayantha Karunatilleke, Mano Ganesan, Wijedasa Rajapakshe, Ali Zahir Mawlana, John Amaratunga, Thalatha Athukorala and Ranjith Madduma Bandara. The committee will also look at ways of preventing the propagation of defamatory views that undermine national har­mony or the engagement in such activities and the necessity of taking legal action against individuals who engage in such activities. It will dis­cuss the suitability of including hate speech as a crime in the Penal Code, categorizing the schools system on nonracial or no religious basis, on establishing a parliamentary committee empowered to entertain complaints about the issues faced by minority ethnic groups in the North and the East, on formulating relevant legal provisions required for general implementation of the law when establishing places of worship and erecting statues and look into the possibility of banning news which disturb national amity.

Earlier, the Steering Committee of the Constitutional Assembly met on September 6 under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to consider the expert panel report which was submitted on August 8, reports Daily News. Steering Committee sources told that it intends to present a report containing draft Constitutional reforms to the Constitutional Assembly at the next Parliamentary sitting week starting from September 18. Leader of the House and Minister Lakshman Kiriella on September 7 told the House that the Government is ready to present a draft Constitution Bill to Parliament and facilitate two-three days’ debate on it.

Meanwhile, newly-appointed United Nations (UN) Permanent Representative for Sri Lanka, Hanna Singer on September 6 assured President Maithripala Sirisena that while continuing the ongoing programmes, she would also explore the possibility of widen­ing assistance to Sri Lanka, reports Daily Mirror. She expressed these when she called on the President at his official residence in Colombo. The President thanked Ms. Singer for the support extended over a long period of time for the development programmes in Sri Lanka.

Cabinet endorses Counter­ Terrorism Bill to repeal PTA

The Cabinet on September 11 endorsed the Counter-Terrorism Bill to be enacted by Parliament repealing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) applied during the wartime in dealing with the activities of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), reports Daily Mirror. However, Higher Education Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe proposed amendments to be incorporated into the Bill during the committee stage of the debate later in Parliament. In the present draft, only life imprisonment is stipulated for murder. Mr. Rajapakshe reportedly said capital punishment had been envisaged for murder under the Penal Code under normal circumstances, and there­fore there could not be any exemption for the same crime to be covered under the new piece of legislation. Another amendment was pro­ posed to include separatism as an offence. Finally, the Cabinet cleared the bill on condition that the amendments proposed by Mr. Rajapakshe would be incorporated during the committee stage.

JHU calls for general amnesty to all military personnel and LTTE cadres charged for war crimes

Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), an ally of the Government, on September 17 called for a general amnesty to all the military personnel and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam cadres charged for war crimes, reports Daily Mirror. Its stalwart Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka told that the Attorney General’s Department should determine war related crimes in this case. The JHU proposed to the Government to appoint a committee comprised of specialists under the aegis of the Attorney General’s Department, to identify war crimes and crimes committed for private motives, during the civil war.

Sri Lanka remained vulnerable to money laundering and terrorist financing, says US Country Reports on Terrorism

US Country Reports on Terrorism released on September 19 said Sri Lanka remained vulnerable to money laundering and terrorist financing although it is neither an important regional financial Centre nor a preferred center for money laundering, reports Daily Mirror. According to the report which was, Sri Lanka belongs to the Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering, a Financial Action Task Force (FATF)-style regional body. The FATF has added Sri Lanka to its Public Statement entitled “Improving Global AML/ CFT Compliance: On-going process,” also known as the “grey list.” “Sri Lanka agreed to an action plan to address several vulnerabilities, including improving mutual legal assistance, issuing customer due diligence rules for designated non­financial businesses and persons, and enhancing risk-based supervision,” the report said.

INTERNATIONAL

Myanmar army chief be prosecuted for ‘genocide’: UN

UN investigators called Monday, Aug 27 for Myanmar’s army chief to resign and for him and five other top military commanders to be prosecuted in an international court for genocide against the country’s Rohingya minority.

The call prompted Facebook, which has been criticised for allowing hate speech against the Rohingya to flourish, to ban the army chief and remove other pages tied to the country’s military.

Some 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fled northern Rakhine state to Bangladesh after Myanmar launched a brutal crackdown in August last year on insurgents amid accounts of arson, murder and rape at the hands of soldiers and vigilante mobs in the mainly Buddhist country. Myanmar has vehemently denied allegations of ethnic cleansing, insisting it was responding to attacks by Rohingya rebels.

But on Monday, a UN-backed fact-finding mission into violations in Myanmar said the country’s “top military generals, including Commander­ in-Chief Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing, must be investigated and prosecuted for genocide in the north of Rakhine State.”

They should also be investigated and prosecuted for “crimes against humanity and war crimes” against the Rohingya in Rakhine, as well as against other minorities in the northern Kachin and Shan States, the mission said in a report. The army tactics have been “consistently and grossly disproportionate to actual security threats,” it said. Speaking to journalists in Geneva, the head of the mission, Marzuki Darusman, insisted that “the only way forward is to call for (Min Aung Hlaing’s) resignation and stepping down immediately.”

The mission, which was created by the UN Human Rights Council in March 2017, concluded in its report that “there is sufficient information to warrant the investigation and prosecution of senior officials in the Tatmadaw (Myanmar army) chain of command.”

Iran has full control of Gulf, US Navy does not belong there

Iran has full control of the Gulf and the US Navy does not belong there, the head of the navy of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, General Alireza Tangsiri, was quoted by Tasnim news agency as saying on Monday, Aug 27.

Tehran has suggested it could take military action in the Gulf to block other countries’ oil exports in retaliation for US sanctions intended to halt its sales of crude. Washington maintains a fleet in the Gulf that protects oil shipping routes. Tangsiri said Iran had full control of the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz that leads into it. Closing the strait would be the most direct in way of blocking shipping.

“We can ensure the security of the Persian Gulf and there is no need for the presence of aliens like the US and the countries whose home is not in here,” he said in the quote, which appeared in English translation on Tasnim.

He added, “All the carriers and military and non-military ships will be controlled and there is full super­ vision over the Persian Gulf. Our presence in the region is physical and constant and night and day. “Separately, the head of the Revolutionary Guards, Major General Mohammed Ali Jafari, said Iran’s enemies would not prevail in a conflict.” “The enemies are strictly avoiding any conflict with Iran because they know that it will not be beneficial for them, “Jafari said, according to Tasnim. Tension between Iran and the US has escalated since President Donald Trump pulled out of a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers in May and reimposed sanctions.

Israel developing missiles to hit anywhere in ME

Israel is working on a new missile system capable of hitting targets anywhere in the Middle East, Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Monday, Aug 27.

State-owned arms manufacturer Israel Military Industries (IMI) would deliver “within a few years” an advanced integrated system “allowing precise hits by remote launching”, he said in a statement.

Lieberman added that the con­ tract with IMI was budgeted at “hundreds of millions of shekels”. The Israeli shekel is currently trading at 3.63 to the US dollar. “The project for setting up a precision rocket and missile system is underway,” Lieberman said in the statement. “Part of it is already in production and part is in the final phases of research and development.”

Foreign military experts say it has several batteries of its Jericho ballistic missile, capable of delivering nuclear warheads. IMI said in 2004 that it had produced a cruise missile, the Delilah, with a range of 250 kilo­metres (150 miles). It also has an array of anti-missile rocket systems but Monday’s statement quoted IMI chairman Yitzhak Aharonovitch say­ing that the new armament would “reflect the company’s technological capabilities, which specialise in the ability to fire accurately, to strike at a variety of ground targets”.

Israel faces a variety of threats and considers Iran its most danger­ous foe in the region. It is regularly targeted by rockets and mortar fire from the Gaza Strip, ruled by lslamist movement Hamas. Another of its enemies is the Iran-backed group Hezbollah based in neigh­bouring Lebanon.

North Korea still ‘serious and imminent threat’: Japan

North Korea still poses a “serious and imminent threat”, Japan said on Tuesday, Aug 28 in its first annual defence review since tensions eased on the Korean peninsula.

Japan’s 2018 defence white paper also took aim at China’s rise as a military power, saying Beijing was sparking “strong security concerns in the region and international community, including Japan”.

Last year ‘s defence review was published at the height of the ten­sions with North Korea, amid nuclear and missile tests and with US President Donald Trump threat­ening to rain down “fire and fury” on Pyongyang if it kept up its threats. But since then, a spectacu­lar diplomatic detente has taken place, culminating in the historic summit between Trump and the North’s leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12. Nevertheless, Tokyo insisted on Tuesday: “There is no change in our basic recognition concerning the threat of North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missiles.”

Pyongyang continues to post “an unprecedentedly serious and imminent threat to Japan’s security and (to) significantly damage the peace and security of the region and the international community”, according to Tokyo.

Japanese Defence Minister ltsunori Onodera acknowledged in the document that North Korea had begun dialogue with its former foes the US and South Korea. “But we cannot overlook the fact that, even to this day, it possesses and fully deploys sev­eral hundred missiles that put nearly all of Japan within range,” the minister stressed.

In response, Japan is steadily upgrading its capacity to shield the nation from the North’s arsenal, including a plan to spend some $4.2 billion over the next three decades on installing and operating US radar systems.

UN points to possible ‘war crimes’ in Yemen conflict

All sides in Yemen’s bloody conflict may have committed war crimes, UN investigators said on Tuesday, Aug 28 highlighting deadly air strikes, rampant sexual violence, and the recruitment of young chil­dren as soldiers.

In their first report, a team of UN-mandated investigators said they had “reasonable grounds to believe that the parties to the armed conflict in Yemen have com­ mitted a substantial number of vio­lations of international humanitari­an law.”

Many of these violations may amount to “war crimes”, the report said, pointing to wide­ spread arbitrary detention, rape, torture and the recruitment of children as young as eight to take part in hostilities .

Kamel Jendoubi, who heads the UN’s so-called Group of Independent Eminent International and Regional Experts, said the investigators had identified a number of alleged perpetrators. “A confidential list of these individuals will be presented to the UN High Commissioner” for Human Rights, he told journal­ists in Geneva.

The devastating conflict in Yemen has left nearly 10,000 peace dead since March 2015, when a Saudi-led coalition intervened to fight Huthi rebels closing in on the last bastion of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi’s gov­ernment. The UN human rights office said on Tuesday that some 6,660 civilians were among the dead, while more than 10,500 had been injured.

7 security personnel killed in Burkina Faso

Seven members of the security forces were killed early on Tuesday, Aug 28 after their vehi­cle struck a roadside bomb in eastern Burkina Faso, security sources said.

The fatalities were gendarmes and troops who had been sent to the town of Pama as reinforce­ments after a police station there came under attack, they said. One of the sources said the blast, caused by an improvised explo­sive device, killed eight people. The earlier attack in Pama lasted an hour and but caused no casu­alties, although the police station was set ablaze.

There were no immediate details about on the roadside blast, but it bore the hallmark of attacks attributed to Jihadists that have shaken the country’s east in recent months. The Sahel state, one of the poorest countries in the world, has been battling lslamist violence since 2015, starting with cross-bor­der incursions in the north.

Car bomb kills 11 in west Iraq after IS chief jihad call

A suicide bomber killed at least11 people in Iraq on Wednesday, Aug 29 in an attack that under­ scored the threat still posed by the Islamic State group despite a string of defeats.

The assailant blew up a vehi­cle at a checkpoint on the out­ skirts of Al-Qaim, one of the last towns in Iraq to be recaptured from IS, near the Syrian border. Five members of the security forces were among 11 people killed in the blast, which also wounded 16 other people, mostly civilians, police Captain Mahmud Jassem told AFP.

IS said in a statement that it car­ried out the attack, which it claimed had left 50 people dead or wound­ ed. Al-Qaim, around 340-km from Baghdad, was retaken from IS in November last year.

One month later, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over the jihadists. But since then, the security forces have announced a number of campaigns to flush out holdout IS fighters from sparsely populated areas from which they have continued to mount attacks.

Iraq’s security services said the vehicle used in the attack had been rigged with explosives in a desert area on the edge of Syria. The attacker drove past two roadblocks before detonating the bomb at a third checkpoint after security forces opened fire.

The latest bombing is intended by IS to send a message that “we can act quickly and strike wherev­er we want”, said Hisham al­ Hashemi, an expert on radical lslamist groups.

Iran complying with N-deal restrictions: IAEA

Iran has remained within the main restrictions on its nuclear activities imposed by a 2015 deal with major powers, a confidential report by the UN atomic watchdog indicated on Thursday, Aug 30. In its second quarterly report since President Donald Trump announced in May that the Un ted States would quit the accord and reimpose sanctions, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran had stayed within the caps on uranium enrichment levels, enriched uranium stocks and other items.

In its last report in May, the IAEA had said Iran could do more to cooperate with inspectors and thereby “enhance confidence”, but stopped short of saying the Islamic Republic had given it cause for concern.

Thursday’s report to member states seen by Reuters contained similar language. It said the Vienna­ based UN nuclear watchdog was able to carry out all so-called com­plementary access inspections needed to verify Iran’s compliance with the deal.

“Timely and proactive coopera­tion by Iran in providing such access facilitates implementation of the Additional Protocol and enhances confidence,” said the report, which was distributed to IAEA member states. “The production rate (of enriched uranium) is constant. There is no change whatsoever,” a senior diplomat added. With the United States reimposing its sanctions on Iran that were lifted under the nuclear deal, many diplomats and analysts now doubt that the accord will survive despite European Union efforts to counter some of the effect of Trump’s move.

Speaking after the report was sent to member states, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the deal was still hold­ing, despite the US withdrawal. He urged his fellow ministers, who met in Vienna on Thursday to dis­ cuss EU policy on Iran, to do more to protect Tehran from US sanctions, calling for “permanent finan­cial mechanisms that allow Iran to continue to trade.”

Bahrain charges 13 with ‘terrorism’

Bahrain’s attorney general on Thursday, Aug 30 said 13 people have been charged with terrorism offenses, over suspected ties to an anti-government protest movement that first emerged in 2011.

“Charges of forming and funding a terrorist cell have been filed against six persons in custody and another seven charged in absentia,” said attorney general Ahmad al-Hamadi. Hamadi said the 13 had ties to Bahrain’s so-called “February 14 Coalition” a reference to a protest movement that emerged in 2011 against the al-Khalifa dynasty, which has ruled Bahrain for more than two centuries. The group will also face charges of targeting police in a trial which is due to open on September 19. Protests have continued to rock the kingdom as authorities escalate their clampdown on political dissent, frequently accusing opposition fig­ures of links to Iran.

30 Nigerian cops killed in Boko Haram raid

At least 30 Nigerian soldiers died in combat with Boko Haram jihadists who overran a military base in the northeast near the border with Niger, two military sources told AFP on Saturday, Sept 1.

Scores of Jihadists in trucks stormed the base at Zari village in northern Borno state late on Thursday and briefly seized it after a fierce battle, they said.

Boko Haram has intensified attacks on military targets in recent months. The attacks appear to undermine repeated claims by the military that Boko Haram had been defeated. The militants took weapons and military equipment before they were pushed out of the base by troops with aerial support, said a second military source who gave a similar death toll.

The militants were pursued and bombarded by a fighter jet, said the military sources. Zari is located 30 kilometres from the town of Damasak on the border with Niger.

The Jihadists are thought to have attacked the base from the nearby Garunda village, where 17 troops were killed and 14 injured in an attack on another military base last month, the sources said.

Blasts at Syrian airbase kill two

At least two pro-government forces were killed overnight in a string of explosions at a military airport near the Syrian capital, a monitoring group said on Sunday, Sept 2.

Syrian state media also report­ed the blasts at the Mazzeh air­ base, on the western outskirts of Damascus, but did not mention any casualties. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said Mazzeh was hit by a “possible Israeli missile, which hit a munitions store setting off suc­cessive explosions”.

An Israeli military spokeswoman declined to comment on Sunday. AF P’s correspondents in Damascus heard multiple blasts overnight, one of which lit up the sky in a deep red hJ. Je, but reported calm on Sunday morning. A Syrian military source said the Mazzeh air­ base “was not the target of Israeli aggression”, according to the offi­cial SANA news agency.

The Mazzeh airbase houses Syrian Air Force intelligence, and in early 2017 the Syrian government accused its neighbour Israel of bombing the base.

Philippines bombing kills one

A bomb ripped through an inter­net cafe in the southern Philippines on Sunday, Sept 2 killing one per­ son and wounding 15 in the second deadly blast to strike the same city in days , authorities said. The explosion in lsulan was a short dis­tance from where an improvised bomb under a motorcycle blew up on August 28, killing three and wounding dozens.

These attacks are the latest vio­lence in the south of the majority Catholic archipelago, where mili­tants have been of fighting a decades-long insurgency. There was no immediate claim of respond­ sibility for Sunday’s bombing, but authorities’ suspicion immediately fell on the Islamic State-linked Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). “It is the BIFF who is responsible,” Army General Cirilito Sobejana told AFP. “This group is out to sow chaos.”

Car bomber kills three in Mogadishu

A suicide car bomb killed three security guards and injured several more people in the heart of the Somali capital Mogadishu on Sunday, Sept 2 authorities said.

Extremists of the Al-Shabaab movement immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. “There was a car bomb blast targeting the district administration offices and three people died and several oth­ers wounded,” Mogadishu adminis­tration spokesman Salah Hassan Omar told reporters at the scene. He said the dead were security guards at the building’s main entrance where the blast occurred.

Witnesses said the explosion destroyed the building. “The blast was very huge, it affected several nearby buildings including a Quranic school and a mosque,” said witness Abdukadir Dahir.

“Eight people were wounded among them several students who stayed at a nearby madrasa,” he added. The militants’ claim came in a brief statement posted on a pro­shabaab website.

“The Mujahedeen attacked the headquarter of the apostate adminis­tration. using a vehicle loaded with explosives, there are casualties,” it said. Somalia suffered the worst ter­ror attack of its history in October last year. More than 500 people were killed in Mogadishu in a truck bomb­ing attributed to Al-Shabaab.

Spain cancels sale of 400 bombs to Saudi Arabia

Spain said on Tuesday, Sept 4 it has cancelled a 2015 deal to sell 400 laser-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia, which is leading a coalition fighting rebels in Yemen.

A defence ministry spokesman confirmed a Cadena Ser radio report that said Spain’s new Socialist government planned to return the 9.2 million euros already paid by the Saudis for the arms under a deal signed by the previous conservative administration.

The spokesman declined to elaborate but the announcement comes after an August air strike by the Saudi-led coalition battling rebels in Yemen that killed dozens of civilians, including 40 children.

The incident sparked a wave of international anger and calls by the United Nations Security Council for a “credible and transparent” investigation. The coalition had claimed to have targeted a bus carrying rebels.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other allies inter­vened in Yemen in March 2015 after Huthi rebels linked to Iran ousted President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi’s government from the capital Sanaa and seized swathes of the country. Nearly 10,000 people have been killed in the conflict since then, 2,200 of them children, and sparked what the UN has described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

‘US, Israel wage media war to discourage Iranians’

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the United States and Israel on Thursday, Sept 6 of waging a media war to discourage Iranians, state TV reported, as the country faces economic hard­ ship after the reimposition of US sanctions.

The rial currency has lost about two-thirds of its value this year under the threat of the sanctions, reim­ posed by President Donald Trump after he withdrew Washington from a 2015 nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers. The cost of living has also soared, sparking sporadic demonstrations against profiteering and corruption, with many protestors chanting anti-gov­ernment slogans.

“Today, Iran’s Islamic system faces an all-out economic war that is carefully guided by a war room, but along with this war, there is a major media and propaganda war­ fare that is often neglected,” Khamenei told members of a sen­ior clerical body.

Iranian officials have blamed popular messaging apps and social media campaigns which they say are organised overseas for protests against the flagging economy which erupted in December, spreading to more than 80 cities and towns and resulting in 25 deaths.

“The goal of this media war is to create anxiety and pessimism among people towards each other and the authorities, and to exagger­ate economic problems in the minds of the public,” the television quoted Khamenei as saying.

“Based on our intelligence, the US and Zionist (Israeli) spy agen­cies, financed by the super-rich of our region, have set up an organi­sation for this media war and are seriously planning and trying to infect the advertising space and the minds in our community,” Khamenei said.

Egypt sentences 75 Muslim Brotherhood supporters to death

An Egyptian court sentenced 75 prominent members and affili­ates of the Muslim Brotherhood to death on Saturday, Sept 8 as part of a mass trial that included 739 people charged after the violent dispersal of a protest camp in sup­ port of former Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi in 2013. The sentencing concluded the mass trial of some 700 people accused of offences including murder and inciting violence during the pro­ Muslim Brotherhood protest at Rabaa Adawiya square in Cairo. The government says many pro­ testers were armed and that eight members of the security forces were killed. It initially said more than 40 police had died.

Rights groups say more than 800 protesters died in the single most deadly incident during the unrest that followed Egypt’s 2011 popular uprising. Amnesty International condemned Saturday’s decision, calling the trial “disgraceful”.

Following weeks of protests in 2013 against the ouster of lslamist President Mohamed Mursi by the military led at the time by Egypt’s current president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi security forces violently broke up the demonstrators at Rabaa square. They arrested hundreds of people who were charged with inciting violence, murder and organising illegal protests.

Rights groups have criticised the trial for including many peaceful protesters and journalists.

“We condemn today’s verdict in the strongest terms,” Amnesty International said in a statement. “The fact that not a single police officer has been brought to account shows what a mockery of justice this trial was. “Since Sisi was elected president in 2014, authorities have justified a crackdown on dissent and free­doms as being directed at mili­tants and saboteurs trying to undermine the state.

Gunmen attack headquarters of Libya national oil firm, two dead

Armed men on Monday, Sept 10 stormed the headquarters of Libya’s National oil company in Tripoli killing at least two people, officials said, as witnesses spoke of hearing a blast and gunfire.

The attack targeted the coun­try’s vital oil sector, repeatedly disrupted by violence since a 2011 uprising against toppled late dictator Moamer Qadhafi. Witnesses said the building near the city Centre had caught fire and was rapidly surrounded by securi­ty services, who evacuated its staff, including the NOC chairman Mustafa Sanallah.

Two people were killed and 10 wounded, the health ministry said. Sanallah confirmed to the Libya 218 news channel that staff members had been killed and others wound­ed, some of whom were in a “seri­ous condition”.

Ahmed Ben Salem, a spokesman for the Deterrence Force, a militia that operates as Tripoli’s police force said “the sit­uation is under control.” He was not able to provide details on the identity of the attackers. The Deterrence Force labelled the incident a “terrorist” attack and posted on its Facebook page pho­tos it said showed the remains of suicide bombers.

An oil company official, who asked not to be named, said masked gunmen had exchanged fire with guards and attacked the firm’s headquarters. “I jumped out of the window with other colleagues, and then we heard an explosion,” the official said.

No group has so far claimed the attack. Early this month, days of clashes between rival armed groups in Tripoli left at least 63 people dead before a fragile UN-backed cease­ fire took hold.

The attack on the NOC head­ quarters comes four months after suicide bombers struck the head­ quarters of Libya’s electoral commis­sion, killing 14 in an attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.

57 murders a day in South Africa!

South Africa’s murder rate rose again last year, official statistics showed on Tuesday, Sept 11 with over 20,000 people killed across the country about 57 a day as police admitted they were struggling to keep control.

A total of 20,336 people were murdered in the 12 months to March this year, a rise of 6.9 percent over the previous year and one of the sharpest increases since the end of apartheid 24 years ago.

“Fifty-seven a day that’s how many South Africans are murdered. It borders close to the war zone, while there is a peace. And there is no war in South Africa,” Police Minister Bheki Cele told lawmakers in Cape Town. “South Africans must not take it as a norm that they can be hijacked, robbed and killed every day.”

Cele admitted that the figures revealed that the police had “dropped the ball” in their crime­ fighting efforts. Presenting the fig­ures to parliament, Norman Sekhukhune, the police official responsible for crime statistics, said the murder rate had increased for six consecutive years. Lawmaker Francois Beukman, who heads the police oversight committee in parliament, described the numbers as “alarming and totally unacceptable”.

29 killed in Iran military parade attack

Militants shot dead at least 29 people including women and children in an attack on an Iranian mili­tary parade claimed by the Islamic State group, as Tehran accused a US ally in the region of the assault. The attack in the southwestern city of Ahvaz on Saturday, Sept 22 came as the country marked the anniversary of the start of its 1980-1988 war with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and prompt­ed President Hassan Rouhani to warn of a “crushing response”. “The response of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the smallest threat will be crushing”, Rouhani said on his offi­cial website. “Those who give intelli­gence and propaganda support to these terrorists must answer for it.” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a tweet that the attack near the Iraqi border was carried out by “terrorists recruited, trained, armed and paid by a foreign regime”. “Iran holds regional terror sponsors and their US masters accountable for such attacks,” he wrote.

The IS via their propaganda mouthpiece Amaq claimed that “Islamic State fighters attacked a gathering of Iranian forces” in Ahvaz. The state television gave a casualty toll of 29 dead including 20 Iranian troops and 57 wounded, while official news agency IRNA said those killed included women and children among spectators at the rally. Many of the wounded were in critical condition.

Khuzestan deputy governor Ali­ Hossein Hosseinzadeh told the semi-official ISNA news agency that 20 troops were among those killed, as well as a journalist. In a message of condolence to Russia’s close regional ally, President Vladimir Putin said he was “appalled by this bloody crime”. “This event once again reminds us about the necessi­ ty of an uncompromising battle against terrorism in all of its mani­festations.” The attack in Ahvaz came as President Rouhani was among dignitaries at the main anniversary parade in Tehran.

In a keynote speech, Rouhani vowed to boost Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities despite Western concerns that were cited by his US counterpart Donald Trump in May when he aban­doned a landmark nuclear deal with Tehran. “We will never decrease our defensive capabilities. we will increase them day by day,” Rouhani said at a military parade.” The fact that the missiles anger you shows they are our most effective weapons,” he said, referring to the West.

Russia to give Syria S-300 air defence after accusations against Israel

Russia announced on Sept 24 it will supply an S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Syria in two weeks against strong Israeli objections, a week after Moscow blamed Israel for indirectly causing the downing of a Russian military plane in Syria.

Last week’s crash, which killed 15 Russian service members, had forced Moscow to take “adequate retaliatory measures to increase the safety of Russian military fighting international terrorism in Syria,” Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Monday in a televised address.

Russia, which fights in Syria to support the government, has said Syria shot the IL-20 surveillance plane down by mistake shortly after Israeli jets hit a nearby target. Russia blamed Israel for creating dangerous conditions that caused the crash.

Israel, which has struck Syria scores of times during the seven­ year war, said after the incident that it would work to improve “deconflic­tion” of its missions with Russian forces , but would not halt them .

It has long lobbied Moscow not to provide the S-300 to Syria. Krelmin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told jour­nalists on a conference call that the decision to supply the weapons was “not directed at any third country”.

Shoigu said Russia will equip Syrian anti-aircraft units with Russian tracking and guidance systems in order to identify Russian aircraft. Russia in April had hinted that it would supply the S-300 to Assad’s government despite Israeli objections.

The missile system, originally developed by the Soviet military, but since modernised and available in several versions with different capa­bilities, fires missiles from trucks and is designed to shoot down military air­ craft and short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. Israel says its air strikes on Syria are not a threat to Russia’s ally Assad, but that it must carry them out to halt arms shipments to Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah. It has made repeated efforts to persuade Moscow not to sell S-300s to Syria, as it fears this would hinder its aerial capability.

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.