Terrorism Watch

In the wake of the confrontation with three Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) terrorists in Pilibhit on Monday (23 December), security agencies are ramping up their efforts to locate their local accomplices in the Terai region of Uttar Pradesh (UP). The encounter in Pilibhit resulted in the death of three alleged Khalistani terrorists, suspected to be involved in the Gurdaspur grenade attack. Punjab's Director-General of Police, Gaurav Yadav, labeled this as a significant breakthrough against a terror module sponsored by Pakistan. Rakesh Singh, the Inspector-General (IG) of Bareilly Range, indicated that due to numerous threats, both the police and intelligence agencies have heightened their alert levels. He added that investigations are currently ongoing and that security protocols in border regions have notably increased. "Action will be taken against anyone who is found to have helped the terror elements," the Bareilly IG said. The event has also rekindled focus on the se...

According to sources, “local gangs, including those from Delhi, joined these rival syndicates to survive and expand their area of influence."   Two men. A similar beginning, a common story, and two divergent paths. Notorious gangsters Arshdeep and Lawrence, who have grabbed headlines recently, may stand far apart today but their stories are indistinguishable. Arshdeep Singh Gill aka Arsh Dalla is 27. He was designated a terrorist by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in January last year and has over 70 cases – ranging from extortion to terrorism registered – against him in India. On October 29, he was detained by police in Canada. Lawrence Bishnoi is 31. With an alleged criminal empire of 700 operatives, he has escaped his gangster image to become an icon of extra-judicial power and vigilante justice. Lawrence is currently lodged in Sabarmati jail and has 84 cases, ranging from murder and extortion to terrorism, registered against him across India. His name has popped up in ...

  DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Clashes between   Islamists who took over Syria   and supporters of ousted President   Bashar Assad's government   killed six Islamic fighters on Wednesday and wounded others, according to a British-based war monitor. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the fighters were killed while trying to arrest a former official in Assad's government, accused of issuing execution orders and arbitrary rulings against thousands of prisoners. The fighters were from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which led the stunning offensive that toppled Assad earlier this month. Syria’s transition has been  surprisingly smooth  but it’s only been a few weeks since Assad fled the country and his administration and forces melted away. The insurgents who ousted Assad are  rooted in fundamentalist Islamist ideology , and though they have vowed to create a pluralist system, it isn’t clear how or whether they plan to share power. Since Assad’s fal...

Sarah Latifa had feared that her Christian community in Syria may struggle to celebrate its first Christmas since Islamist-led rebels toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad earlier this month. But at a church in Damascus's historic centre, surrounded by some 500 faithful who were singing psalms on Christmas Eve on Tuesday, she could breathe a sigh of relief. "It wasn't easy to come together in the current circumstances and to joyfully pray, but thank God, we did it," Latifa told AFP at mass at the capital's Syriac Orthodox cathedral of Saint George. Syria's rulers who toppled Assad's government on December 8 have since sought to assure religious and ethnic minorities that their rights would be upheld. But for some in the Christian community of several hundred thousands, the promises made by the new Islamist leadership have done little to soothe their fears in a country scarred by years of civil war. Hundreds took to the streets of Damascus on Tuesday to de...

(Bloomberg) -- China abruptly ousted two military lawmakers from its national parliament without explanation, as a purge of key personnel in the upper echelons of the nation’s defense establishment shows no sign of easing. Most Read from Bloomberg Ho Chi Minh City Opens First Metro Line After Years of Delay The country’s top legislative body revoked the membership of You Haitao and Li Pengcheng during a Wednesday meeting, according to a report from the National People’s Congress Standing Committee. You was once a deputy commander of the People’s Liberation Army Ground Force. Li is the navy commander of the Southern Theater Command, which oversees the South China Sea region that has been fraught with territorial tensions. Li’s predecessor — Ju Xinchun — was purged from the parliament a year ago. The legislative body only said You and Li were suspected of violating law and discipline, which is typically how the Communist Party refers to corruption. Their departures are the latest sign th...