Combined effort of PATHFINDER GROUP Task Force
Terrorist Activities in Pakistan
Suicide Bombings
The police on May 5 claimed to have thwarted a suicide bombing bid and killed two would-be bombers riding an explosives-laden vehicle near Sabu village on the Zhob Road, official sources said. The sources said that acting on a tip-off, District Police Officer Muhammad Hussain beefed up security measures and deployed police on all entry and exit points of the district. The sources said two suspected persons riding an explosives-laden van were on their way from Luni area in Kulachi tehsil. The police sig-nalled them to stop when the suspected vehicle reached near Sabu village at 6 p.m., they said, adding that the occupants opened fire on the police and tried to speed away. The police returned the fire and a huge explosion took place as the bullets hit the vehicle. Both the occupants whose identity could not be ascertained were killed on the spot.
70 people, including 65 paramilitary forces and five civilians, were killed on May 13 (today) when a suicide bomb attack targeted Pakistan paramilitary personnel as they were about to leave from a Frontier Constabulary training centre in the Shabqadar tehsil (revenue unit) in Charsadda District, reported Express Tribune. “Sixty-five of them are from the paramili-tary Police and five were civilians”, Charsadda District Police Chief Nisar Khan Marwat said. “The explosions detonated as newly trained cadets were getting into buses and coaches for a 10-day leave after their course, and they were wearing civilian clothes. The first bomb was a suicide attack. We are investigating the nature of the second bomb,” added Marwat. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed their first major strike in revenge for Osama bin Laden’s death, adds Dawn. “This was the first revenge for Osama’s martyr-dom. Wait for bigger attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan,” TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.
Bomb Attacks
Twin bomb blasts targeting two Pakistan Navy buses carrying officials to work in Karachi killed four persons, including one civilian female doctor and injured 56 others on April 27, reported Daily Times. According to sources, the first blast hit a naval staff carrier bus with 50 personnel onboard in Defence area, killing’ two people, Sub-Lieutenant lqbal and Doctor Shazia, and injuries 37 others. The second navy vehicle carrying 35 officials was hit by a timed bomb concealed inside a garbage drum placed by the side of a road in Baldia Town near Northern Bypass, killing two others, identified as Umar Farooq and a civilian employee Muhammad Sharif, and injuring nineteen others. Later, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed the responsibility for the blasts, and vowed more attacks on Security Forces (SFs).
On April 28, at least five per-sons were killed and eight others injured after a bomb hit a Pakistan Navy bus in the Karsaz area of Karachi, reports Dawn. According to sources, a bomb planted on a roadside exploded when a Pakistan Navy bus was passing by, killing five persons including a pedestrian, a female doctor and one naval officer.
Four persons, including a woman and three children, were killed and five others, including two Policemen, were injured when a bomb exploded near a mosque in the Umerzai Police Station area of Charsadda District on May 2, reports Daily Times. The bomb destroyed the mosque and damaged the outer wall of the Police Station which appeared to be the main target. Two persons were injured in a rocket attack in Awaran District on May 8, reports Daily Times. It was reported that unknown armed militants fired a rocket from a hilly area, which landed at a nearby agriculture field, injuring two farmers.
A bomb attack targeting a court in Nowshera District on May 10 killed two Police constables including a female Police officer and wounded four others including two Policemen.
Unidentified militants blew up the building of a Government-run primary school in Gul Bacha Korona under Saro Police Station in Shabqadar tehsil (revenue unit) of Charsadda District on May 18, reports Dawn. The entire building, including two rooms and a veranda, was destroyed in the blast.
One person was killed and 10 others were injured in an explosion on University Road in Peshawar on May 20, reports Dawn.
One person identified as Shamsul Qamar, was killed and seven others, including two Policemen, sustained injuries in a remote controlled road-side explosion at Jehangira Chowk in Nowshera District on May 19.
Ambushes
A soldier was killed and four others were injured on May 4 when Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ambushed a Security Forces convoy in Serwakai area of South Waziristan Agency, reports Dawn. The SFs were returning to their base camp after conducting a raid and search operation in the area when they came under attack. The SFs retaliated but the militants man-aged to escape.
Targetted Killings
Two PPP workers, identified as lqbal and Hussain Abid, were shot dead while two activists of the People’s Students Federation (PSF) were injured in firing by unidentified armed assailants near Safari Park, within the jurisdiction of Gulshan-e-lqbal Police Station on April 27.
One Mohammad Haris, an activist of JSQM was gunned down in Port Qasim Industrial Area within the limits of Sukkhun Police Station.
An ANP activist Asif was shot dead in the limits of Shahrah-e-Faisal Police Station.
On April 28 two brothers, Kamran and Khalid, who were also cadres of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan were shot dead by unidentified assailants at Manzoor Colony within the limits of Baloch Colony Police Station while they were sitting at their furniture showroom.
In another incident, an activist of Kachhi Rabita Council, identified as Zubair, was abducted and later shot dead near Rehmania Mosque with-in the limits of Surjani Police Station. Separately, two persons who appeared to be Afghanis were shot dead in the jurisdiction of Surjani Police Station.
Six people, including a senior leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Farooq Baig, were killed in Babar Market near Landhi in Karachi on May 2, reports Daily Times.
A cadre of Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi (MQM-H) Amir Khan Group, identified as Hyder alias Lamba, was killed and a passerby injured in firing by undefined armed assailants near Sindhi Hotel in Karachi on May 3, reports Daily Times.
An activist of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), identified as Arif, was killed near Noor Decoration House within the limits of Surjani Police Station in Karachi on May 4, reports Daily Times.
The bullet-riddled body of an unidentified Balochi man was found from Lyari River in Old Golimar in the limits of Pak Colony Police Station on May 4.
A member of the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), Haji Masood-ur-Rehman. was killed and two other members were injured when unidentified assailants fired at them at Khando Goth area of North Nazimabad in Karachi on May 5, reports Daily Times. Later, Police claimed to have arrested one 101 Hussain on suspicion of the murder.
A cadre of Sunni Tehreek (ST), identified as Salamuddin alias Shahzad Lahoti, was killed in Narainpura area within the precincts of Eidgah Police Station on May 5. Later, Rangers claimed that they arrested one Mahmood and recovered a TT pistol from his possession.
Atta-ur-Rehman, an imam (cleric) and a member of the Jama’at Ulema-e-lslam (JUI), was shot dead on May 5 near Mubarak Masjid in the jurisdiction of Mochko Police Station.
Police found a dead body of a youth, identified as Abdul Wahab. belonging to People’s Student Federation (PSF), from an abandoned plot in Altaf Nagar within the precincts of Manghopir Police Station. It was reported that Wahab was abducted three days ago.
A Journalist of a Sindhi Mohram All Shaikh, was killed by unidentified assailants in Rahooia town of Karachi on May 17, report-ed Dawn.
Pakistan
Four TTP militants arrested in Islamabad
Security Forces arrested four Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), identified as Mohammad Zahir, Umair Khalil, Zia and Zakir, from Tarnol area of Islamabad on April 26, reports Dawn. Sources said that they had a plan to target Islamabad’s Red Zone and sensitive installa-tions in Rawalpindi. They are cadres of Qari Zia group of the TTP, Bajaur chapter. The maps of Islamabad’s Red Zone and sensitive installations and buildings located in Rawalpindi were recovered from their possession.
Osama bin Laden’s son stayed in Karachi, reveals WikiLeaks
Quoting from the secret files of WikiLeaks, Dawn on April 29 reported that Abdul Rabbani Abu Rahman aka Abdul Rahim Ghulam Rabbani admitted to United States investigators that he had been directly working for Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, one of the masterminds of the 9/11 attacks, and that one of the sons of Osama bin Laden, Saeed Bin Laden, had been living in Karachi with his wife and son in 2002. According to revealed files, Rabbani had been in detention at the Guantanamo Bay camp since September 19, 2004, two years after his arrest in Karachi. Rabbani, according to the report, admitted that he was an al Qaeda facilitator from early 2002 to September 2002. During this period he managed a number of safe houses in Karachi and had direct link to many senior al Qaeda cadres, including Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri. These safe houses provided logistical support to most of the September 11, 2001, hijackers, the investigation report said. He was directly involved with terrorist plans and operations. Rabbani further said that Osama’s son, Saeed Bin Laden, lived in Karachi with his wife and son, from January 2002 through at least June 2002. Umar Sheikh provided a safe haven for Saeed in Karachi. While Saeed was there, he would occasionally come with Sheikh to one of the detainee’s safe houses at house number D-255, Block 13 D, Gulshan-i-lqbal area of Karachi.
Any ‘misadventure’ or `miscalculation’ in future will be catastrophic
Pakistan warned the United States on May 5 of “disastrous consequences” if it carries out any more raids against terrorists like the one that killed Osama bin Laden, and hit back at international allegations it may have been harbouring the al Qaeda `chief’, reports Daily Times. Briefing media personalities at the Foreign Office about different aspects and questions regarding the US operation in Abbottabad, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir said that Pakistan’s military and political leadership was well-equipped and mindful of the defence requirements of the country.
Salman Bashir said the US action, which led to the killing of Osama bin Laden, was a covert operation and Pakistan armed forces were not consulted. He said that Admiral Mike Mullen had telephoned Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani at about 3am and informed him about the operation. Bashir pointed out that the American action involved legal issues concerning violation of sovereignty and these should be addressed for the sake of global peace and stability. Even Americans were mindful of the sovereignty issue and Admiral Mullen, among other things, also raised this issue during the conversation with the Army Chief, he added. The secretary recalled that the UN Security Council had emphasised that “member states must ensure that any measure taken to combat terrorism complies with their obligations under inter-national law and in particular human rights, refugee and humanitarian law”.
Two would-be suicide bombers killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Police on May 5 shot dead two would-be suicide bombers during an encounter at Draban check post in Dera Ismail Khan District, reports Dawn. “They were travel-ling in an explosive-laden Suzuki pick-up. Police targeted the vehicle and both the would-be suicide bombers were killed in it,” said District Police Officer Mohammad Hussain. The vehicle was coming to Dera city from Frontier Region of Drazenda, a tribal area along the Waziristan border.
Meanwhile, Police neutralised a six-kilogram bomb packed in canister along Ring Road in the limits of Pishtakhara Police Station in Peshawar.
US to lose if Pakistan alienated, says Former President General Pervez Musharraf
Former President General Pervez Musharraf warned in an interview on May 11 that the United States would be ‘a loser’ if it alienated Pakistan in the war against al Qaeda and militants, reports Daily Times. General Musharraf, speaking about the US raid in Pakistan which eliminated Osama bin Laden, also told ABC News there was no deal between his Government and Washington almost a decade ago allowing US forces to conduct a unilateral raid in Pakistani territory, as reported by the British newspaper “Never! And this is the assertion being cast by the Guardian and I rejected that. I condemn such an insinuation,” General Musharraf said. “There was no such deal.”
Politicians must unite to counter threats to country: Prime Minister Gilani
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, on May 11, exhorted political leadership from across the party line to stand united and give a. collective strategy on national policy on security to face the serious challenges facing the country, reports Daily Times. “I request you to stand united and give us a strategy on our national policy on security,” said the PM in his address to the Senate, adding, “We shall not allow our territory to be used for terrorism.” “Our political leaders may have their differences. But, across the world, they stand united on the issue of national foreign policy,” said Gilani as he asked the senators not to give anyone a chance to destabilise the country. “It is our (government and legislators) responsibility to unite over the issues of national importance. There would be differences in the methodology, strategy, approach, but on the issue of national interests, we are all one,” added the prime minister, saying unless the state institutions were strengthened, the country couldn’t be made stronger.
Pakistan and US should rebuild trust, says PM Yousaf Raza Gilani
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on May 16 said that it was the need of the hour that the United States and Pakistan should rebuild the trust and confidence between their govemments and institutions, reports Daily Times. PM said Pakistan desired due recognition and support of the international community, particularly that of the US, at this stage rather than negative messaging and uncalled-for criticism. Talking to a US delegation led by US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, Gilani reiterated Pakistan’s strong commitment and resolve to fighting the menace of extremism and terrorism. He, however, underlined the imperative of mutual trust, interest and respect for Pakistan’s sovereignty to strengthen its national consensus in the war against terror to achieve common objectives.
Saudi diplomat among three people killed in Karachi
A Saudi diplomat was shot dead by unidentified militants on his way to the Saudi Consulate in Khayaban-e-Shahbaz area within the limits of the Darakhshan Police Station in Karachi on May 16, reports Daily Times. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the killing, and warned United States against attacking its close ally al Qaeda.
Seven people killed in sectari an violence in Balochistan
At least seven Shia people, including a passerby girl, were killed and six others sustained bullet injuries in an attack near Killi Kamalo area of Quetta on May 18, reports Daily Times. Meanwhile, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claimed respon-sibility for the attack and a spokesman of the outfit, Ali Sher Hadri, threatened to carry out such attacks in the future as well against the Shia community.
TTP vows to continue fight, says TTP Deputy Commander Waliur Rehman
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) vowed to fight with “new zeal” in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s death to complete the al Qaeda chief’s mission of waging holy war against the West, the ‘deputy commander’ of TTP Waliur Rehman told the Associated Press on May 16, Daily times reported on May 18. Rehman said that terrorists would continue to stage attacks in the coming days. Rehman spoke to the AP along the border between North and South Waziristan.
US would act unilaterally again, Osama
US President Obama has indicated he would order an Abbottabad type operation that killed Osama Bin Laden early this month if another militant leader was found in Pakistan. He said the US was mindful of sovereignty issue but said the US could not allow “active plans to come to fruition without us taking some action”. He was speaking to the BBC ahead of a European visit. Asked what he would do if one of al-Qaeda’s top leaders, or the Taliban leader Mullah Omar, was tracked down to a location in Pakistan or another sovereign territory, he said the US would take unilateral action if required. “Our job is to secure the United States,” Obama said.
Regional
Bangladesh — Internal Dynamics
PBCP – Red Flag militant shot dead in Pabna District
The Ataikula Unit ‘Chief’ of Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP)-Red Flag, Tikka Khan was killed in an encounter in Ataikula in Pabna District on April 26, reports Daily Star. Police recovered a sawed-off shotgun and six bullets from the spot. This was the fourth ‘crossfire’ incident in the District this year.
39 cocktail bombs recovered from Brahmanbaria District
Brahmanbaria Police recovered 39 cocktail bombs in an abandoned condition from a field near Ashik Plaza in the town on April 27, reports Daily Star. Official sources claimed that, more than 100 cocktail bomb were recovered in the last 35 days from several areas of Brahmanbaria town in Brahmanbaria District.
Meanwhile, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested one of the most wanted leaders of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) Rahmatullah (aliases Sheikh Farid and Shawkat Osman) from the Tongi Railway Station area of Gazipur District on April 26. Farid was playing a vital role to reunite Afghan War participants with some other top leaders of HuJI-B for the last few years, sources in Security Forces stated.
RAB claimed that Farid was acting as the HuJI-B ameer (chief) and under his leadership the outfit was reuniting and recruiting members through its District and different madrassa units. He had also served HuJI-B as the ‘general sec-retary’ and organising secretary and ameer of Dhaka and Chittagong District units.
PBCP-Sarbahara ‘regional leader’ shot dead by rivals in Pabna District
The prime accused in a case filed for killing three Policemen in July 20, 2010, identified as ‘region-al leader’ of Purbo Banglar Communist Party PBCP-Sarbahara faction, Rafique alias Chalak Rafique was shot dead in Bera Sub-District in Pabna District on May 3, reports Daily Star. The Police suspected that Rafique, might have been killed by rivals in internal party conflict.
Jel Chief admits of 1971 genocide
Jamaat-e-lslami (Jel) Ameer (chief) Motiur Rahman Nizami on May 5 admitted during interroga-tion that he was involved with Al-Badr and Al-Shams in 1971 under ‘death threat’, reports Daily Star. He also admitted that genocide, mass rape and killing of country’s intellectual took place during the Liberation War but denied his involvement in such heinous activities. The Jel Chief however claimed he “had to be involved” with Al-Badr and Al-Shams, auxiliary forces of Pakistani Occupation Army, in the face of death threats. The investigation agency said they would again appeal to the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) for permission to quiz Nizami for what they said he did not give a clear picture about his role in 1971.
BSF kills cattle trader in Satkhira
A Bangladeshi cattle trader was shot dead early Friday, May 6 by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) at Gazipur border in Satkhira Sadar upazila. The deceased was identi-fied as Shahadat Hossain, 35, son of Karim Morol of Bharukhali village in the upazila. Locals said BSF jawans fired at Shahadat, leaving him wounded while he along with 15/20 other cattle traders was returning home from India with cows. Other traders res-cued and rushed him to a local clinic in critical condition. Bhomra Helal, Company Commander of Border Guard Bangladesh, said he heard about the incident.
Khaleda urges India to stop border killings
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Friday, May 6 urged the Indian government to put an end to the regular killing of Bangladeshi citizens in border areas. Khaleda made the request when she paid a courtesy visit to visiting Indian Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari at his Hotel Sonargaon suite this morning. She said Bangladeshi people in border areas feel insecure as innocent people are being killed regularly, and the Indian government should take the matter seriously.
BCP ‘regional leader’ arrested from Jhenaidah District
Police arrested a ‘regional leader’, identified as Karom Ali, of the outlawed party Biplobi Communist Party (BCP) with a sawn off rifle, a shutter gun and five bullets at Protappur village under Sadar sub-district of Jhenaidah District on May 10, reports Daily Star. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on May 12 modified the High Court verdict on fatwa (religious sermon), saying that no person can pronounce it (fatwa), which violate or affect the right or reputation or dignity of any individual.
HuJI-B leader Maulana Farid discloses several names involved in CPB rally blast of 2001
Maulana Sheikh Farid alias Shawkat Osman, a leader of Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami Bangladesh has disclosed names of his accomplices who were involved in the bomb attack on a Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) rally May 16, 2001, reports Daily Star. He was earlier remanded in the August 21, 2004 grenade attack case. During his remand period, Farid dis-closed several names of his accom-plices who were also involved with the bomb attack at Paltan Maidan in Dhaka on January 20, 2001.
Bullets recovered in Sherpur District
Police recovered 867 rifle bullets from Gazni village in Jhenaigati sub-district of Sherpur District on May 17, reports Daily Star
HuJ1-B operative arrested in Jhenidah District
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested a suspected operative, identified as Abdul Alim alias Hakim of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh and recovered arms, explosives and bomb making mate-rials from Jhenidah District on May 17, reports Daily Star. Recoveries included two live bombs, half kilo-gram of gunpowder, two magazines, cartridge making equipment, bomb making materials, batteries of mobile phones and eight books on jihad. Earlier in 1998, he was arrested along with firearms and bomb making materials from Jibonnagar sub-district of Chuadanga District but was later released on bail.
India —Internal Dynamics
Constable leaked information to GNLA in Meghalaya
Sentinel reports on April 28 that the alleged involvement of some police personnel in “passing information” to the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) has much to do in the failure of the State Police Department in its operations against the outfit. Despite concrete intelligence inputs on the movement and activities of the Garo outfit, operations launched by the State police against the out-fit failed to yield the desired results. It is alleged that Armed Branch constable Stemilbert T Sangma, a resident of village (Bolkengre) had provided information to the outfit on the movement of police during the operations. The police constable was arrested on April 26, after fixing in place a mechanism (like tapping phones of suspects) to determine “information leakage”. Admitting that the leakage of vital information by the said policeman has had a “jeopardizing effect” on police operations against the militant out-fit, the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP), however, said that those who indulged in such activities were influenced by GNLA ‘chairman’ Champion Sangma, the deserted Deputy Superintendent of the State police.
Mining Engineer shot dead by Maoists in Jharkhand The Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres killed a mining engi-neer, Ranjan Kumar, at Chama Village in Latehar District on April 27, reports AN1.
Five Policemen injured in Maoist landmine blast in Bihar
Times of India reports that five Policemen, including the Station Head Officer (SHO) of Rajepur Police Station in East Champaran District, were injured when Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres triggered a landmine blast under the jeep they were travelling in near Dera Chowk at Ramnagar village under the Shivaipatti Police Station in Muzaffarpur District on May 2. Muzaffarpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajesh Kumar said the incident occurred when a Police party from East Champaran District entered the village in the District to arrest some absconding criminals.
Maoists kill 11 Security Force personnel in Jharkhand
Times of India reports that 11 Security Force personnel were killed and nearly 40 injured when Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres set off landmines in an ambush in Lohardaga District on May 3. After a tip off about Maoists having assembled there, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Jharkhand Jaguar, Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP) and District Armed Police personnel went to Urumuru village, but returned after not finding anyone. While the SFs were returning from Urumuru the Maoists ambushed them at Dhardhariya hills under Senha Police Station in the District.
Naxals get training to counter aerial strikes, says Andhra Pradesh Police: The People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), the military wing of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), is training its cadres to counter aerial attacks in the event of air strikes by the Indian Air Force. Sources said that the Maoists are also planning to carry out strikes on airports.
Maoists kill six civilians in Maharashtra
The Hindu reports that a land-mine blast triggered by the Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres killed six persons of a family, including a five-year-old boy, on Gadchiroli-Rajnandgaon road near Tavitola village in Dhanora Police Station limit in Gadchiroli District on May 5. The police said that Maoist pamphlets were recovered in Chhattisgarh say that the Maoists would now target civilians in order to obliterate Police Force.
Pune based student organisation under terror radar for alleged al Qaeda links
A student organisation based in Pune in Maharashtra is under the terror radar for allegedly propagating the ideology of al Qaeda across the country, Times of India reported on May 9. According to intelligence and security agencies, the group, Islamic Students Congregation, played host in Pune in 2007 to a Sudanese al Qaeda leader who came to India to study the possibility of carrying out terror attacks in the country. Confirming this information, former Joint Intelligence Committee Chief S D Pradhan, (who was formerly a Deputy National Security Advisor) who was then heading the joint intelligence task force under M K Narayanan, said that this congregation is active-ly spreading al-Qaeda’s philosophy including material on Osama bin Laden. The congregation formed in Pune comprises mainly Arab students. “While there is no evidence yet of this group planning to carry out a terror strike in India, they are clandestinely spreading al-Qaeda ideology in the form of CDs and other al-Qaeda literature. It is still very much active and remains a security threat,” said Pradhan.
One trooper killed in Maoist violence during polls in Chhattisgarh
Indian Express reports that one trooper, identified as Ishwar Lal, deployed on election duty was killed by the Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres at Khutepal near Bhusaras in Dantewada District in the morning of May 8. The Maoists also triggered landmine blasts at three separate places in South Bastar and tried to blow up vehicles to terrorise polling parties. Incidents of random firing were reported at several places in Narayanpur and Bijapur Districts, Police sources said.
SULFA men extend support to ULFA in Assam Assam
Tribune reports that about 200 Surrendered United Liberation Front of Asom (SULFA) militants of the outfit’s 709th battalion for the first time after their surrender met the ULFA leadership which con-vened the meeting at Helacha village in Nalbari district on May 9. The ‘commander’ of the 709th battalion Hira Saraniya invited the surrendered militants for a meeting at the temporary base at Helacha for their cooperation in the peace talks with the Central Government. The deputy ‘com-mander-in-chief’ of the outfit Raju Baruah and ‘Foreign Secretary’ Sasha Chaudhry called upon the former colleagues to extend their full coop-eration to the outfit. The former militants from Nalbari and Baksa Districts attended the meeting.
Three SF personnel killed in Chhattisgarh
A Special Police Officer (SPO) was shot dead reportedly by a group of Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres in the Dantewada District on May 17, reports Hindustan Times. About a dozen Maoist cadres cornered SPO Koasalal Markam at a weekly market at Chintagarh village and shot him dead.
20 Maoists and four Police Personnel killed in separate encounters in Maharashtra
The Hindu reports that four Police personnel, including two Special Police Officers (SPOs) and over 20 Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres were killed in two different encounters in Gadchiroli District on May 19. At around 7.30 a.m. in Nalgonda forest, four C60 commando search parties were ambushed by Naxalites. The ambush and exchange of fire went on for more than 1 hour and 15 minutes. One Police constable, Chinna Gilla Venta was killed and two were injured. 12-14 Naxals were killed. In the other encounter, two C60 teams on a search operation from Tadgao post in Gadchiroli were ambushed by Naxalites. Two SPOs and one constable died while around eight to 10 Naxals were killed. But their colleagues took away their bodies with them. The Police also did not recover any weapon as “the Naxals ran away with all their weapons,” according to a police officer.
| Monthly Fatalities The following deaths related to ongoing insurgencies occurred during the period April 26 to May 25, 2011: | ||||
| Civilians | Indian Security Personnel | Militant | Total | |
| Assam | 02 | 00 | 03 | 05 |
| Manipur | 01 | 00 | 04 | 05 |
| Nagaland | 02 | 00 | 00 | 02 |
| Left-wing | 27 | 19 | 14 | 60 |
| Total | 32 | 19 | 21 | 72 |
Nepal —Internal Dynamics
Extra-judicial killings rampant in Terai, says DFHRI report
A study by the Democratic Freedom and Human Rights Institute (DFHRI) demonstrates various instances of extra-judicial killings that took place there between 2008-2010, according to Kantipuronline. “The state and various armed groups are competing in perpetrating extra-judicial killings in Terai. The State was involved in 133 extra-judicial killings while armed groups were guilty in 129 cases during the 2008-2010 period,” read the report. It has inputs from National – Human Rights Commission and Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal (OHCHR-Nepal).
Three Policemen injured in Morang District
Three Policemen were injured when over 200 cadres of Khumbuwan Mukti Morcha (KMM) on April 23 attacked a Police post in the Belbari area of Morang District demanding release of their fellow cadres, Nepal News reports. They had gone to release their fellow cadres — Susan Limbu, Arjun Dhimal and Suman Dhimal — who were arrested on April 22 from
Jedaha. Lim.bu and Dhimal were arrested from on charges of attacking the Police van and involving in a fight. KMM is an underground armed outfit, which has been claiming to be fighting for securing the rights of Khumbu region.
Police constable injured in Jhapa District
One Police Constable, Ambika Pokharel was injured when a group of unidentified assailants shot at him in Jhapa District in the evening of May 1, reports Nepal News. Sources said that the armed assailants opened fire at Constable Ambika Pokharel, who was currently posted at Birtamod Area Police Office, near the Aduwa Bridge in Birtamod at around 6 pm.
Explosives found in passenger bus in Jhapa District
Explosives were found in a pas-senger bus that was heading for Janakpur (Dhanusa District) from Kakdbhitta in Jhapa District on May 5, reports Kantipuronline. Police found the explosives in the bus at Purano Bhansar in Kakadbhitta in the course of checking the vehicle.
Maoist shot dead in Siraha District
Unidentified gunmen shot dead a Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist cadre in Rampurbirta area of Siraha District in the night of May 6, reports Nepal News. Mahato was a Siraha District committee member of the UCPN-M. The UCPN-M Siraha District In-Charge Harinarayan Chaudhary said that Mahato was shot due to inter-party feud in the village.
Maoists still on UN watch list for using child soldiers
The United Nations continues to list Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist “as a party to conflict using child soldiers” in its latest report, reports Kantipuronline. The Secretary General’s report on Children and Armed Conflict presented before the UN Security Council on April 23 has included Maoist in the list of 52 armed forces from Asian and African countries that recruit or use children, kill or maim children or commit sexual violence against children during the armed conflict. This is the sixth annual report that has put the Maoists on a watch list for using minors.
UCPN-M vice chairman Baburam Bhattarai receives death threat from rival faction
The Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist vice chairman Baburam Bhattarai received death threat from a member of labour union affiliated to his own party, reports Nepal News. On May 16, party cadres and security guards at party headquarters Paris Danda heard Janak Gadtaula, a central member in the dissolved labour union headed by Shalikram Jammar Kattel and a bouncer at Casino Tara in Hotel Hyatt, saying ‘we need to finish vice chairman Baburam in a few days’. Maoist members present at the head-quarters at the time of the incident said they also heard Gadtaula instructing his supporters to come in motorcycles and vans to ‘finish Baburam.’ Gadtaula had gone with about two dozen friends to the party headquarters to pressure the leadership for releasing their peer Kuldip Rai, chairman of the Maoist labour union at Casino Anna, arrested on several charges few days ago. Gadtaula is consid-ered a labour union leader close to Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda. Labour union members close to Dahal have blamed Baburam Bhattarai for Rai’s arrest.
12 persons injured as PLA cadres attack locals in Ilam District
A group of 60 Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist cadres from the Chulachuli-based People’s Liberation Army (PLA) first division camp of Ilam attacked local people of Kamal Jhoda, injuring at least 12 people, in the night of May 16, reports Kantipuronline. According to the account of the local people, the Maoists had entered the village at around 11pm and launched the attack in seven houses. The Maoists also ‘captured’ five local youths and took them to the camp. They were freed 16 hours after they were captured in the afternoon of May 17. Two others, who had gone missing after the incident, came in contact in the morning. The PLA first division owned up the attack but refuted the local people’s claim of abducting the five youths. “They were not kid-napped. They were brought to the camp for treatment, as they were injured in the incident,” said Sangram Thapa, ‘secretary’ of the PLA first division camp.
Sri Lanka —Internal Dynamics
Government takes a defiant stand vis-a-vis the Darusman Report
Commenting upon the report of the UN Panel of Experts which was appointed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to investigate accountability issues during the later stages of the Sri Lanka’s war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam militants, Sri Lankan Media Minister and Cabinet Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said on April 28 that the Government would hold talks with all relevant local and foreign actors on the controversial report which had been rejected outright in Sri Lanka, according to Colombo Page. The Minister added that the Government had opposed the entire process, from the appointment of the panel, its functioning and finally the report. Rambukwella further maintained that the report was biased and blatantly one sided, was prepared on unfounded evidence that lacked credibility and seriously undermined the unity efforts those were being pursued to bring the communities together and also interfered with the Country’s development process.
Arms and ammunitions recovered in the North
Sri Lanka Army reports that troops on their search and clear operations in Monarawewa and Nayaru areas in the North recovered four Anti Personnel Mines (APMs) and four 81-mm mortar bombs on April 28.
Meanwhile, Army troops combined with Air Force recovered 18 hand grenades, 170 rounds of T-56 ammunition, 14 rounds of 12.7-mm ammunition, 210 rounds of Multi Purpose Machine Gun (MPMG) ammunition and four T-56 maga-zines from Wellamullivaikkal area.
UN report opens old wounds healing after the war, says External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris
Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris on May 3 said that in response to the report of the Panel of Experts on Sri Lanka appointed by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon the Government would explain to the UN Secretary-General about the post war reconciliation and development work in North and East, reports Colombo Page. Commenting on the UN report, Peiris said, “What this report does is open old wounds that are healing after the war. It will only cause mistrust and hatred among the communities”.
Arms and ammunition recovered in North and East
Sri Lanka Army reports that troops on their search and clear operations in Wahalkada and Kilinochchi areas in the North recovered two Anti-Personnel Mines (APMs) and one 81-mm mortar bomb on May 4.
Further, De-mining groups recovered 79 APMs and nine electric mines from Thammennakulam, Navatkulam, Mahilankulam and Marathamadu. Meanwhile, troops in the East recovered one 81-mm mortar bomb, four APMs, one Rocket Propeller Grenade (RPG), one 60 -mm mortar bomb and one 82-mm mortar bomb from Pankulam, Muttur and Mukaral areas in Trincomalee District.
Government asks UN to include the definition of terrorism in its charter
The Sri Lanka Government on May 5 requested the United Nations (UN) to include the definition for the term ‘terrorist’ or ‘ter-rorism’ in its Charter and said that the absence of such a definition had led to contradictory positions adopted by the UN system, reports Daily News. Elaborating upon the argument on this, Youth Affairs Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said that UNICEF which is a sister organisation of the UN, on one hand stressed on violation of human rights by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the recruitment of child soldiers while on the other hand the controversial Darusman report described the outfit as a disciplined organisation. Alahapperuma noted that at present there was no definition for “terrorist” or “terrorism” in the UN Charter even after 65 years of its signing and this was the appropriate time to include this definition in the Charter.
President says LLRC report would be credible unlike Darusman report
Colombo Page reports that Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on May 10 said the report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) would be credible unlike the Darusman report (The report of panel of experts appointed by UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon). The President also said that the term of the Commission had been
extended following a request made by it, as the Government was keen on ensuring the credibility of the LLRC report.
Newspaper report alleges Norway of secretly aiding LTTE cadres to flee Sri Lanka
Colombo Page, quoting Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten, reported on May 14 that Norwegian authorities had helped dozens of suspected Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam militants to flee Sri Lanka and had given them asylum in Norway. The Norwegian newspaper alleged that the staff at the Norwegian Embassy in Sri Lankan capital Colombo had helped around 12 persons to migrate to Norway, with help from the Norwegian authorities and about twice as many were standing in line to get similar help. The reported said that in some cases, the employees at the Norwegian Embassy had personally bought tickets, taken people to the air-port, and smuggled then them out of the country “right under the nose of the Sri Lankan authorities.” It was further alleged that the Norwegian Embassy had issued visas on short notice both for emigrants and those who had already escaped from Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, Erik Solheim, Norway’s International Development Minister and one-time peace broker between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE, defended the practice on the grounds that the Norwegian authorities were saving victims of persecution and were acting out of a humanitarian obligation.
Authorities intercept Canada-bound LTTE propaganda material
Authorities discovered Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam propaganda material inside a cargo container bound for Canada from the Tamil Nadu port of Chennai (India) through Colombo, according to Colombo Page. The authorities on May 17 asked the Police to investigate the shipment from Chennai and detained the Canada-bound container with a consignment of pro-motional material for the LTTE. “There were 45 cartons of LTTE books to an address in Canada,” an AFP report quoting a Police official said.
Pillayan loyal and two others arrested for killing of Karuna’s aide
Colombo Page reports that Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Sri Lanka arrested three persons under suspicion for the killing of coordinating secretary of Deputy Minister Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman. One of the arrested persons is a local Government councilor, identified as Edwin Krishnananda Silva alias Pradeep Master of Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) led by Eastern Province Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan. The murder is suspected to be a result of a clash between the two rival groups. Deputy Minister Muralitharan, who was the ‘Eastern Commander’ of LTTE, broke away from the LTTE and formed TMVP. Later he joined the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). Madyalahan alias Madhi, the coordinating secretary of the Minister was shot dead at his house on May 12.
Army’s integration proposal suitable, says Maoists
The Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist has decided to adopt the Army integration proposal floated by the Nepal Army, according to Kantipuronline. The Standing Committee meeting of the party decided to accept the NA’s proposal on the integration of its combatants — a key part of the peace process. “Nepal Army’s proposal on integration is suitable,” said Maoist Standing Committee member Barsa Man Pun after the meeting, adding, “This proposal can be taken as the base of consensus.” The Maoists has also hinted that it could depict flexibility on the number of combatants to be integrated. Earlier, the NA had submitted a proposal to Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal suggesting that a joint security body be constituted incorporating 50 percent former Maoist combat-ants and fifty percent personnel of all three security agencies—Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force.
International
Death toll in South Sudan clashes reaches 55
Clashes between south Sudan’s army and rebel militia-men killed at least 55 people, a government official said on Sunday, April 25 in the soon to be independent state gripped by a bloody wave of unrest. The fighting raged for about three hours on Saturday in Jonglei state between the southern Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and gun-men led by former militia leader Gabriel Tang, also known as Tang-Ginye. South Sudan is reeling from a series of violent rebel-lions that have already soured the mood ahead of full international recognition in July, with at least seven separate militia groups battling the southern government.
In a separate incident in troubled Jonglei state, the UN’s World Food Programme said a Sudanese staff member had been killed in an ambush Friday in the Duk Payuel area, south of Kaldak, when gun-men attacked his vehicle.
Tajik forces kill terrorist’s leader
According to Reports from Dushanbe, Tajikistan Special Forces say the country’s most wanted terrorist man, militant leader Abdullo Rahimov, was killed in an operation by Tajik forces. Abdullo Rahimov, widely known as Mullah Abdullah, was killed along with 14 of his followers during a search operation by government forces in the village of Samsoliq in the Nurobod district, some 135 kilometers east of Dushanbe. Two other former United Tajik Opposition field commanders, Shoh Iskandarov and Mirzokhuja Ahmadov, helped government forces during the operation in Rasht.
Blast in Morocco tourist cafe kills 14
An explosion killed 14 people, including foreigners on April 28 in a busy cafe in the Moroccan tourist destination of Marrakesh, and authorities said the initial signs were that it was a criminal act. The blast ripped through the second storey of a cafe overlooking Marrakesh’s Jamaa el-Fnaa square, a spot that is usually bustling with foreign tourists and local vendors. Officials did not say if they suspected the involvement of Islamist militants, The militants’ last big attack was a series of suicide bombings in Morocco’s commercial capital, Casablanca, in 2003 in which more than 45 people were killed.
Qaddafi survives Nato strikes, son killed
Libya said on Sunday (May 1) Muammar Qaddafi’s youngest son and three grandchildren were killed in a Nato air strike and Britain said while it was not targeting the leader, it was homing in on his military machine. Libyan government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim said Qaddafi was unharmed and in good health despite what he called ‘a direct operation to assassinate the leader of this country’. Nato denied targeting Qaddafi, or his family, but said in a statement it had launched air strikes on military targets in the same area of Tripoli as the bombed site seen by reporters.
Russia kills top al-Qaeda militant
Russian security forces have killed a top al-Qaeda militant in Chechnya who coordinated foreign rebels in the North Caucasus, the national anti-terror committee said on Wednesday, May 4. The militant, named as Doger Sevdet, was a Turkish national who had taken on the nom-de-guerre of Abdullah Kurd and “was an envoy of al-Qaeda in the Northern Caucasus,” it said in a statement published on Russian news agencies. It said that Sevdet, who arrived in the region in 1991, had taken part in the planning of numerous acts of terror and attacks on mem-bers of the public and security forces. His death comes two weeks after Russia killed another top Al-Qaeda militant, a Saudi operative known as Moganned.
CIA honing in on Bin Laden allies
Computer files obtained during the Monday (May 2) morning raid that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden reveal that the leader of Al Qaeda had the means to contact scores of high-level cur-rent and former Pakistani, Saudi and United Arab Emirate intelligence and military officials. Intelligence sources told the National Security News Service that the names on the computer files include top officials in the Saudi Arabia’s General Intelligence Directorate as well as Pakistan’s ISI.
One CIA source says it is too early to make any conclusions from the initial name checks “because it is possible we don’t know why Bin laden had these names. One conclusion is that they were considered allies, but another possibility is that they may have been potential Al Qaeda targets or recruits.”
The United States intelligence community has begun the painstaking process of combing through millions of recorded phone calls and emails of officials in the region as well as financial transactions to see if patterns can be ascertained from Bin Laden’s contact list.
Intelligence officials point out that the first priority is to determine locations on other high value Al Qaeda targets.
Bahrain touted intelligence ties with Israel
Bahrain’s King Hamad boasted of his ties with Israel’s intelligence services and told his government to stop referring to the Jewish state as the “Zionist enemy,” a leaked US cable from 2005 showed. The cable, which was given exclusively to Israel’s Haaretz newspaper by the whistleblower website WikiLeaks, was written after talks between the king and Washington’s ambassador to Bahrain, William Monroe, in February of that year. The cable also indicated King Hamad had ordered his public information minister to stop refer-ring to Israel as the “Zionist entity” or “enemy” in official statements, Haaretz quoted the cable as saying. But the king reportedly baulked at the idea of establishing trade ties with Israel.
Yemen protest: Crackdown kills 16, hurts hundreds
Yemeni forces sprayed bullets at crowds of thousands calling for the ouster of veteran President Ali Abdullah Saleh, killing at least 16 protesters and injuring hundreds, medics and witnesses said on Thursday, May 12. At the main demonstration in the capital, security forces and plainclothes gunmen shot dead 12 people in a bid to disperse protesters marching on Wednesday from Sanaa University Square towards the government headquarters, medics and witnesses said. And the toll may mount, with 10 of the 226 demonstrators wounded by gunfire were in critical condition.
NATO missiles hit Gadhafi’s complex
NATO missiles struck Moammar Gadhafi’s compound early on Thursday, May 12 hours after the longtime leader appeared on state television to dispel rumours that he had died. The attacks continued a major escalation of strikes on sites that NATO describes as “command-and-control targets” but that the Libyan government says are possible locations for Gadhafi. NATO attacks on Tripoli have spiked in the past two days since a spokesman said allies had entered the second phase of the campaign. Attacks on bunkers and other sites in the city that NATO defines as key targets, including tanks, missile launchers and ammunition depots as well as command-and-control sites, rose from three on Monday to 11 on Tuesday and 10 on Wednesday.
Saif al-Adel named new al Qaeda leader, says CNN Report
Al Qaeda has chosen a former Egyptian Special Forces officer as its leader in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s death on May 2, Times of India reported on May 18. Saif al-Adel, a top al-Qaeda strategist and senior military leader, has been tapped as care-taker ‘chief’ of the group, CNN reported, citing former Libyan militant Noman Benotman, who has renounced al Qaeda’s ideology. The decision to choose Adel, also known as Muhammad Ibrahim Makkawi, came as militants grew increasingly restive over the lack of a formal successor to bin Laden, Benotman told CNN. Bin Laden’s long-time deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri, another Egyptian, is considered to be his presumed successor. Benotman said the appointment of Adel on a temporary basis may be a way for the group to gauge reaction to having someone outside the Muslim holy region of the Arabian Peninsula at the helm.
Syria blasts US sanctions amid calls for Friday protests
Syria denounced US sanctions targeting President Bashar al-Assad and top aides, saying on May 19 they were part of long-time efforts by Washington to serve Israeli interests. The Syrian Revolution 2011, a Facebook group spurring anti-regime protests, called for nationwide demonstrations on Friday for -liberty and national unity.” France, which has been pushing for a UN resolution condemning repression in Syria, urged the Damascus authorities to send troops deployed in cities and towns back to their barracks, free detainees and launch reforms. The SANA news agency said “Any aggression against Syria is akin to US support for Israeli aggressions against Syria and the Arabs,” the state news agency said. Sanctions “have not and will not” affect decisions taken by the Syrian government or its struggle against US hegemony.
35 killed in Kirkuk blasts
A spate of bomb attacks against police in the disputed northern oil-rich city of Kirkuk on May 19 killed at least 35 people, the worst violence to hit Iraq in nearly two months. A further 89 people were wounded in the three attacks, with just months to go before US forces must with-draw from the country. And in separate bombings in Baghdad and the central city of Baquba, a woman and an imam were killed and 10 others wounded, security officials said.
Libya frees four journalists
Libya freed on May 18 four arrested journalists — two Americans, a Briton and a Spaniard — an AFP journalist witnessed as they arrived at the capital’s Rixos Hotel. American James Foley of GlobalPost, an online news agency, and free-lance writer Clare Morgana Gillis, as well as Spain’s Manu Brabo disappeared on April 4 while covering the conflict in Libya. They were released along with Briton Nigel Chandler, about whom no details were immediately available.
| 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 Perceptions | |
| Threat Level 1 Indicates there is 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 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 | ***** |
