Detail Of Terrorism Update

Armed militants dressed in military uniforms killed at least 18 Shias, all men, from Gilgit-Baltistan, on the Karakoram Highway in Kohistan District while they were returning in a convoy from a pilgrimage in Iran on February 28, reported Express Tribune. Eight people were wounded in the attack, including two women and three children. According to the Police, the militants flagged down four buses, boarded them and asked the passengers whether they were Shia or Sunni. The assailants then asked the Shias to step out of the buses and checked their identity cards before opening fire. The buses were travelling from Rawalpindi to Gilgit-Baltistan through the mountainous Harban Nullah area of Kohistan District.

The Jundullah claimed responsibility for the attack. “They were Shias and our mujahideen shot them dead,” said Ahmed Marwat, a purported ‘commander’.

Separately, two unidentified armed militants killed two people, including a Chinese woman, identified as Jiang Hua (30) in Jahangirpura Bazaar of Peshawar, reported Dawn. Police said the woman was a Beijing University student, who was in the town on a leisure trip, while the slain man, Suleman Shams, was her host.

In addition, unidentified militants blew up a Government primary school Mir Aftab Kohtay at Aman Kote village in Swabi District, reported Daily Times.   

In another incident, a bomb exploded in Surizai village on the outskirts of Peshawar, reports Dawn. However, no loss of life was reported in both the incidents.

Peshawar Police recovered a toy bomb, weighing 15 kilograms, placed in a bag full of hashish near Tata Park in Hayatabad. Bomb Disposal Squad officials said the toy bomb had no explosives but a detonator, some wires and plastic cover.

Unidentified assailants shot dead one Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) activist, identified as Noor Hussain (26), at Kunwari Colony in Manghopir Road within Pirabad Police limits in Karachi on February 28, reports Daily Times. The victim was an activist of MQM’s sub organisation, Punjabi Pakhtoon Organising Committee (PPOC), and used to live in Iqbal Nagar area of Orangi Town. 

Separately, one Ali Raza (32) was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants in a hair salon situated at Qasba Colony within Pirabad Police precinct.

The Times of India reports that two civilians were injured in a grenade explosion near Punjab National Bank branch at the Nursery area in Ganeshguri area of Guwahati City on February 28. "Two people were injured in the blast and they were taken to Gauhati Medical College Hospital. We can't comment on any militant outfit's involvement before we investigate the matter," said G P Nath, Inspector General of Police -Central Western Range (IGP-CWR). However, intelligence sources suspect the hand of Anti-Talks faction of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA-ATF) behind the incident. No militant formation has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Meanwhile, Security Forces arrested three persons, including a top Pro Talks faction of ULFA (ULFA-PTF) militant, Ashim Bora alias Pankaj Gogoi, from the Lakua area of Sivasagar District on charges of extortion. They served an extortion note of INR 2 million on Assam Petroleum Limited (APL) in Sivasagar recently. The other arrestees were identified as Mukul Saikia and Manabjyoti Bhuyan. Police said Ashim is close to the ULFA-PTF ‘chairman’, Arabinda Rajkhowa. While Manabjyoti is a surrendered ULFA (SULFA) militant, Mukul is from the Gaurisagar area of the District. Police have records of illegal activities against him.

The Shillong Times reports that a Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Ampati, Sacheng R Marak, narrowly survived an ambush laid by heavily-armed Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) militants near Machangpani close to Dalu in West Garo Hills District on February 28. Marak was travelling to Dalu for an inspection when the incident took place. When his convoy was passing through Rangapara area, 13 kilometres beyond Kherapara on the road to Dalu border town, as many as 12 well-armed GNLA militants, hiding inside a forest on the right side of the road, opened automatic fire from AK rifles. The vehicle sustained three bullet holes but the officer escaped unharmed. The Police retaliated and forced the militants to escape into the thick jungle.

Meanwhile, the Court of the First Class Magistrate, Khliehriat Civil Sub-division, remanded former Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) ‘chief’, Julius Dorphang and seven other surrendered HNLC cadres in 14-day judicial custody. Sources also informed that the court also rejected the bail plea of Dorphang and his associates. The former HNLC chief and his seven associates were arrested on February 23 from Khliehriat on the basis of a complaint lodged by Testlang Rymbai, a local coal merchant of Wapungskur, who had accused the former HNLC chief of trespassing into Rymbai’s coal mine at Madan Briwar in Jaintia Hills District and assaulting his drivers, besides demanding INR 500, 000 from him.

IBN Live reports that about 40 armed cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) raided the office of a private road construction company and set ablaze a JCB and a hot mixing plant for not complying with their extortion demand at Bakhra in Muzaffarpur District on February 28. The Maoists also assaulted company employees when they tried to put up a resistance, Police said adding that they also snatched two mobile phones from the labourers.

In the night of February 25, about 150 cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) raided a stone-mine in Bastar region for explosives, reports Daily Bhaskar. However, when they could not find any explosive, they set ablaze eight stone crusher machines at Partha and Darbha areas of the region.

In another incident, Maoists allegedly set ablaze seven vehicles used for construction of road in Sukma District on February 26, the Police said.

IBN Live reports that Bihar Police on February 28 recovered Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs) of the face value of INR 37,000 and arrested six persons from Bharatpur village in Saran District. One scanner, a laptop, printing machines, besides four weapons were also recovered during the operation.

Kanglaonline reports that Security Forces (SFs) arrested a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) cadre, identified as Leiphrakpam Gopen alias Roshan alias Khangba, in the area of Singda Bazaar in Imphal West District on February 27. He revealed that he is working with PLA since 2008 under ‘2nd Lieutenant’ Ajit of Jiribam. One .9mm Pistol, three live rounds and one magazine were recovered from the cadre.

SFs also arrested a People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) cadre, identified as Kshetrimayum Premjit aka Beeky aka Manimatum near Shanker Talkies in Lamphel, reports Nagaland Post. One .9 mm pistol with a magazine loaded with three live rounds and a Chinese hand grenade were seized from his possession.

Elsewhere in the District, another PREPAK cadre, identified as Aheibam Inaobi Singh aka Sunil, was arrested by SFs from Langol area on February 28.

Police arrested two cadres of Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) from a students' mess at Baluchar village in Chatmohar sub-district of Pabna District on February 27, reports Daily Star. The arrestees were, identified as Robiul Islam (25) ‘president’ of ICS Chatmohar sub-district unit, and Delwar Hossain.

Times of India reports that a suspected Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy was arrested in a joint operation by the Kolkata and Delhi Police on February 28 in Delhi. The arrest comes after another spy- Kamran Akbar- was arrested on February 13 near New Delhi Railway Station hours before he was to board a Kolkata-bound train.  Police believe the Pakistani national may have provided logistical support to Kamran Akbar and said that they are investigating whether the arrested person had access to an Army officer at the Eastern Command headquarters in Kolkata.

The one-day bandh (shut down strike) called by the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) in all the 24 Districts of the State on February 27 was largely peaceful, reports Ranchi Express. The bandh was called by the Maoists who are not in favour of changes in the Chhotanagpur Tenancy Act (CNT).

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain on February 28 said that militants maintain a significant presence in several parts of Nowshera District and warned that their protectors would not be spared any longer, reports Dawn. He said militants had maintained presence in several pockets of the District, including Badrushee, Bahadur Baba, Akora Khattak and Nowshera. “Nowshera terrorists have links with Darra Admakhel and this channel goes up to North Waziristan Agency,” Hussain said, adding that the fresh wave of terrorism in Peshawar and Nowshera had its origin in Nowshera’s pockets of militants. He said the Darra Adamkhel militants couldn’t access Peshawar from the main routes and therefore, they had selected Nowshera hills to access Peshawar. “Hosting militants in hujras (prayer room), religious seminaries, houses and hills for weeks and months is not lawful. The tolerance for such acts has been fading away. The time has come to put a strong hand on all those providing refuge to militants anywhere in Nowshera District,” he said.

The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Military Intelligence (MI) on February 28 explained before the Supreme Court that they treated court orders with great sanctity, but could not shut their eyes to rebellious acts of internal and external elements involved in serious cases of terrorism, reports Dawn. The statement asserted that agencies had no enmity or bears no grudge against anyone or any section of people.

A statement was submitted on behalf of the agencies two days ahead of a scheduled hearing by the Supreme Court on production of seven of 11 suspects picked up by Intelligence Agencies for their alleged involvement in the October 2009 attacks on the General Headquarters (GHQ) and the ISI’s Hamza Camp in Rawalpindi District of Punjab. Four of the 11 have died in mysterious circumstances. On February 13, 2012 Intelligence Agencies had produced the seven who met their family members after over a year.  The court had sought explanation why the detained prisoners were not proceeded against under any law and under what circumstances they were allowed to be admitted to the internment centre in Parachinar area of Kurram Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

More than 25 cases of terrorist attacks in Islamabad have been pending in the Anti-Terrorism Courts (ATCs) of Rawalpindi District in Punjab for over a year due to the lackadaisical attitude of the capital territory administration, reported Dawn on February 29 (today). High profile cases such as the terror attacks on the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) office the Naval Complex and the trial of the alleged facilitators of the Times Square (New York) bomber were among two dozen cases pending in the ATCs. The reason for this is failure of authorities to pay the PKR 50,000 monthly salary to the special prosecutor, Syed Mohammad Tayyab, who had been hired to pursue the cases.

United States (US) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and lawmakers on February 28 expressed concern over diversion of its aide money by Pakistan for other purposes, even as the US has tried to build a firewall in this regard, reports Indian Express. "Well, we certainly have constructed one," Clinton told lawmakers.  She further said that the US was winding down the war in Afghanistan but wanted to maintain a challenging but crucial relationship with Pakistan, adds Dawn. She noted that the State Department and USAID were requesting USD 51.6 billion for their programmes in the next fiscal year, which begins in October 2012. “Our request allows us to sustain our vital national security missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and reflects the temporary extraordinary costs of operating on the front lines,” she observed.  “… We have a challenging but critical relationship with Pakistan, and we remain committed to working on issues of joint interest, including counter-terrorism, economic stability and regional cooperation.” Even al Qaeda, she noted, was transforming itself into “a more dispersed but still dangerous” terrorist threat.

Times of India reports that Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on February 28 endorsed the recommendation of various committees on speedy delivery of justice and pitched for separation of investigation and prosecution from 'law and order' wing of State Police by amending the existing criminal justice system. Chidambaram said that expeditious trial of cases had to be ensured by making necessary changes in procedure and a proposal to this effect was sent to state governments for their approval.

Nagaland Post major General (retd) N. George, who was recently appointed as chairman of Cease-Fire Supervisory Board (CFSB), on February 28 said Government of India (GoI), has decided against allotting anymore designated camps except the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) sub-office at Dimapur. George said this while addressing media after a separate meeting with the NSCN-Khole-Kitovi and NSCN-K CFSB at Police Conference hall Chumukedima. George said the CFSB members of both the factions gave a positive response to his appeal to stop factional clashes. 

Meanwhile, in what could prove a damper to the much hyped ‘Naga Reconciliation’ convened by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR), the NSCN-K will not be attending the ‘Naga reconciliation meeting’ called by FNR on February 29 (today) at at Agri expo centre, Dimapur.

Tripura Times reports that following Central Government’s approval on February 17 for extending financial package to 83 Mizo families who were displaced from the State in 1997-98, the Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum (MBDPF) has demanded compensation for 116 Bru families stationed outside the refugee relief camps in Kanchanpur Sub-Division. Central Government will help in the rehabilitation of 32 Mizo families in Tripura through the Tripura Government and 51 families in Mizoram through Mizoram Government. The Bru militants drove away the Mizo families from their land in 1998 a year after the Brus left Mizoram for Tripura following ethnic violence with Mizos. Most of the Mizos fled home following threat and sought shelter with other Mizo families living in Jampui hills in Tripura and Mizoram.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa on February 28 said that the Protest in North and East along with other parts of country on February 27, irrespective of all differences, against a resolution before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva against Sri Lanka proved that ruthless terrorism was defeated without rousing racist passions by the State, according to Daily News. The President also stated that the international community does not have a genuine desire to build unity among peoples of this country.

Meanwhile, main opposition United National Party (UNP) General Secretary Tissa Attanayake claimed that Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe in his speech at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions in Geneva had agreed to implement the demands being made by the UNHRC and US contradicting to Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa's stand that the Government would not bow down to the UNHRC reports Colombo Page. Attanayake said the Government could have avoided all these issues had it implemented the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).

Nepal News reports that the Prime Minister (PM) Baburam Bhattarai and Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda on February 29 (today) held discussion on ways to accelerate the stalled constitution-drafting and peace process. During the meeting, Dahal is learnt to have urged PM Bhattarai to come up with a clear work plan with definite time-frame to complete the important task of army integration. In response, PM Bhattarai said that Nepal Army (NA) will come up with a clear work plan regarding army integration after agreement is reached on the issue in the political level.

Meanwhile, senior leader of Nepali Congress (NC), Sher Bahadur Deuba, on February 28 said that going to the election to get a fresh mandate of the people will be the only option left if new constitution is not drafted within the stipulated dead-line. He said that there exist great differences and rift among the parties regarding various aspects of the new constitution.

Further, a bandh (general shutdown) called by Rastriya Jana Morcha (RJM) on February 28 affected normal life in the six Districts - Rupandehi, Nawalparasi, Arghakhanchi, Gulmi, Kapilvastu, reports Inseconline.org. The RJM had called the bandh demanding annulment of federal structure, timely constitution and election at the local bodies.