Terrorism Watch

Ethnic Baloch guerrillas have been fighting the government for decades for a separate state, saying the central government unfairly exploits Balochistan's rich gas and mineral resources. Quetta: Separatist insurgents in the Pakistani province of Balochistan have attacked two military bases, killing one soldier while losing four of their own men, the army said, in the latest violence in the resource-rich province where China is investing. The overnight attacks came hours before Prime Minister Imran Khan set off for Beijing for the opening of the Winter Olympic Games. "We salute our brave security forces who repulsed terrorist attacks," Khan said in a statement on Thursday. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLF) insurgent group claimed responsibility in a statement sent to a Reuters reporter, saying its suicide bombers had detonated explosive-laden vehicles at the entrance of the bases killing more than 50 soldiers. Last week, the insurgents killed 10 soldiers in an attack on a p

  ILOILO CITY   – The Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) is no longer significant in Panay with two of its top leaders being among the 12 ranking officials in Western and Central Visayas neutralized by government troops in 2021. “When neutralized it could be killed, it could be surrendered, it could be apprehended or captured. They could no longer go back to their movement,” said Capt. Kim L. Apitong, officer-in-charge of the 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) Public Affairs Office, in an interview Wednesday. Among those neutralized were Joven Ceralvo alias Lex, commanding officer of the Front Operational Command and deputy secretary of the Southern Front, Komiteng Rehiyonal Panay; and Reynaldo Bocala alias Russ/Bading, the chief regional finance bureau of Komiteng Rehiyon-Panay. Ceralvo was among those killed in the Dec. 1 operation of government forces in the NPA hideout at Sitio Burak, Barangay Alimodias, Miagao while Bocala was sla

  Atme, Syria |AFP:   US special forces carried out a nighttime airborne raid Thursday in northwestern Syria during which the head of the Islamic State group blew himself and his family up, the White House said. © Provided by Jagran English The operation was the biggest blow to the jihadist organisation since his predecessor, the better-known Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed in a similar raid in the same region of Idlib in 2019. "Thanks to the skill and bravery of our Armed Forces, we have taken off the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi -- the leader of ISIS," US President Joe Biden said in a statement, using another acronym for IS. A senior White House official speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of an address by Biden said Qurashi detonated a bomb during the raid on the house where he was staying in the town of Atme. In doing so, he also killed members of his own family, including women and children, the official said. Qurashi, an Iraqi from the Turkmen-maj

US President Joe Biden said a US special forces counter-terrorism raid in northwest Syria on Thursday targeted the leader of Islamic State, adding he would address the operation in remarks later on Thursday. "Thanks to the skill and bravery of our Armed Forces, we have taken off the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi—the leader of ISIS. All Americans have returned safely from the operation," Biden said in a statement, referring to the acronym by which the Sunni Islamist militant group is sometimes known. A senior US administration official told Reuters al-Quraishi was killed in the raid. Biden planned to deliver remarks on the Syria operation at 9:30 am ET/1430 GMT, the White House said. After the killing of Islamic State founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in October 2019, the group named al-Quraishi, an Iraqi who was once held in US custody, as his successor.   Source:  Biden announces death of ISIS leader in US raid in Syria (msn.com)

The Klaxon, an Australian tabloid, stated in an investigative report that China had suffered a devastating loss in the Galwan Valley encounter in 2020. According to the exclusive findings of the editor, Anthony Klan, China's casualties were significantly more than what was stated, since many men drowned while crossing a river in the valley. According to the author, data and photographs from two distinct clashes in Galwan were mixed to obscure facts.  Also read | Mixing sports with politics? Chinese soldier involved in Galwan clash becomes torchbearer at Winter Olympics Though China did not reveal the number of casualties in the Galwan fight, it did award posthumous medals to four soldiers who died in the combat, according to the article. However, only four names were published, while the total number of losses was up to 38. The Klaxon assembled an independent team of social media researchers for this inquiry, who discovered that China's casualties went much beyond the four sold

  The powerful body also reiterated its call for the release of “all those who remain arbitrarily detained,” including Aung San Suu Kyi, The United Nations Security Council called Thursday, February 3, 2022, for an immediate cessation of violence throughout Myanmar as the country's military coup  entered a second year , and it reaffirmed support for the country's democratic transition and democratic institutions. The UN's most powerful body also reiterated its  call for the release  of “all those who remain arbitrarily detained,” including  Aung San Suu Ky i, whose elected government was ousted by the military on Feb. 1, 2021. Also read:  Min Aung Hlaing | The man behind the coup In a statement approved by all 15 members, the council expressed “deep concern” at the continuing state of emergency imposed by Myanmar's military rulers a year ago and “the dramatic increase in humanitarian need, particularly among women, children and vulnerable groups, against the backdrop of

CEBU CITY  – The Visayas Command (Viscom) on Tuesday said an additional Army battalion will be deployed to Samar as part of the move of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to end local communist terrorism in the province.   In a statement, Viscom said the move was in accordance with the directive of AFP chief of staff, Gen. Andres Centino, to end armed conflict with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) before the term of President Rodrigo Duterte ends.   Viscom commander, Lt. Gen. Robert Dauz, said he welcomed the addition of the new battalion, saying it will play a significant role to further boost the internal security operation and expedite the dismantling efforts against the remaining guerilla fronts in the province.   "The servant in the Visayas welcomes the additional member of our team. The addition of this unit only manifests the sincerity of our government to eradicate the menace of the communist terrorists in this part of the country,

Nairobi — One suspect has been arrested in connection with the Mandera terrorist attack that left seven people dead and 13 injured, according to Police Spokesperson Bruno Shioso. Shioso told Capital FM on telephone that the incident occurred around 7:30 am when a 14-seater public service vehicle ran over an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) along the Arabia-Mandera Road. "It was reported today 31/1/2022 by team of GSU who were on routine patrol along Mandera - Arabia Road that at around 0730hrs at Hargrasu location map REF BJ 290350 about, 16 km South West of the station, they saw some motor vehicles diverting from the main road evading a culvert and became suspicious and decided to inquire on what had happened," read a police report "On reaching the said culvert a loud explosion was heard and all over sudden the said motor vehicle parts and its occupants were spread all over the scene," the police added. Police further said that the officers who responded engaged t

The three largest United States drug distributors and drugmaker Johnson & Johnson have agreed to pay $590m to resolve claims by Native American tribes that the companies fuelled an opioid epidemic in their communities, according to court filings. The filing in US District Court in Cleveland, Ohio lays out details of settlements with Johnson & Johnson and distribution companies AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson. The tribal settlements are part of more than $40bn worth of settlements, penalties and fines rung up over the years by companies for their role in the opioid epidemic that has swept across the US. The drugs, including prescription ones such as  OxyContin  and illicit ones like heroin and illegally made fentanyl, have been linked to more than 500,000 deaths across the country in the past two decades. Many US tribes have been hit hard by the addiction and overdose crisis. One study cited in the settlement found that Native Americans in 2015 had the highest p

  The terrorist was killed and his body was retrieved from the site of encounter, police said. Srinagar: A Hizbul Mujahideen militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, police said. He has been identified as Umar Ishfaq Malik alias Musa, a categorised terrorist, they said. "Based on a specific input generated by police regarding the presence of terrorists in Nadigam village area of Shopian, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by police, Army and CRPF there," a police spokesman said. During the operation, as the search party proceeded towards the suspected spot, a hiding terrorist fired indiscriminately upon the security forces, which was retaliated, he said. "In the ensuing encounter, one terrorist was killed and his body was retrieved from the site of encounter, the spokesman said. He said, Malik alias Musa, a resident of Bongam in Shopian, was linked with proscribed outfit Hizbul Mujahidee

  According to a Turkish defense ministry statement, the strikes hit targets, including shelters, caves, ammunition depots and training camps, on Sinjar Mountain and in the Karacak region in northern Iraq, and the Derik region in northern Syria.   Turkish warplanes struck suspected Kurdish insurgent positions in Iraq and Syria early on Wednesday in a new aerial offensive that Ankara said aimed to protect Turkey's borders from “terrorist threats." The airstrikes killed at least four people, a Britain-based war monitoring group reported, and drew condemnation from U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters who said the attack came days after the Kurdish-led forces in Syria battled Islamic State group militants. A Turkish defense ministry statement said the strikes hit targets, including shelters, caves, ammunition depots and training camps, on Sinjar Mountain and in the Karacak region in northern Iraq, and the Derik region in northern Syria. The operations dubbed “Winter Eagle” were ai

  At least 1,500 people are known to have been killed in year-long protests against the coup in Myanmar, with thousands more possibly killed in the armed conflict, the United Nations human rights office said on Tuesday. At least 11,787 people were unlawfully detained in Myanmar in that period, including 8,792 who remain in custody, UN human rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said. ALSO READ:  'Everything is burnt': Junta troops torch Myanmar village to quell anti-coup protests Myanmar's ruling junta has disputed past estimates of the death toll made by rights groups. Shamdasani announced the figures for arbitrary detentions at a U.N. briefing in Geneva, adding: "This is for voicing their opposition to the military, whether in peaceful protests or through online activities even." ALSO READ:  'Living in a dark era': one year since Myanmar's coup "We have documented 1,500 people who have been killed, but this is only in the context of protests,&qu

  The eastern Ladakh border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas. China, known for its expansionist policies, has kicked off another row after it selected a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) solider — who was deployed at Galwan Valley during clashes with India in 2020 — as a torchbearer at Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Torch Relay on Wednesday. The standoff had became one of the fiercest border clashes between the two armies since the 1962 war. Qi Fabao, the regimental commander from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Xinjiang military command, who suffered a serious head injury during the Galwan Valley border skirmish on June 15, 2020, took the flame from Wang Meng, China’s four-time Olympic short track speed skating champion, at Winter Olympic Park on Wednesday, China’s  Global Times  reported. The eastern Ladakh border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5, 2020, follow

  This story has already receded into the background, but it was quite startling when it took place recently: A Pakistani-Briton named Malik Faisal Akram held four Jews hostage in a Texas synagogue. He was demanding the release of a Pakistani woman, Aafia Siddiqui, sentenced to an 86-year prison term in the US. Why she is important is a good question, but that need not detain us here. What is intriguing is the fact that Akram was apparently shot by a US military sharpshooter. The reports were bland, and they just said that the hostages had been freed unharmed; the fate of their captor was barely mentioned at all: It was as though he had been executed, as a matter of course, and that was the proper and normal thing to do. Without condoning the man, one can look at the interesting implications. Akram may indeed have been a dangerous and unstable armed terrorist, but he was, after all, a foreign national. And he had not actually harmed anybody physically. Aren’t there norms about citizens