Detail Of Terrorism Update

On July 19, in three separate incidents in capital Srinagar, terrorists opened fire on police personnel killing two of them and injuring another. Police sources said that the attacks took place at the Bus Depot near Hazratbal Shrine, Soura Sabzi Mandi and Lal Chowk. Subsequently, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) claimed responsibility for the attacks. 

An encounter between terrorists and Security Forces (SF) was reported from Braripora Pulwama on July 18 in which one terrorist was killed. Official sources said that a terrorist, hiding in a residential house, opened fire at the SF injuring a trooper. In the retaliatory fire, the terrorist, identified as Sheeraz Ahmed Chowpan of Warangam was killed. 

SF killed a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorist at Ari in Mendhar. The terrorist reportedly was involved in the July 16 attack on Gursai police station in the Poonch district.  

In a separate incident, unidentified terrorists shot dead a civilian, near Higher Secondary School Palhalan Pattan on July 19. Terrorists opened fire inside the house of a police personnel at village Upper Juddah in Mahore area of Reasi police district on July 18 killing a six-year old child. Separately, terrorists attacked the house of a Special Police Officer (SPO) Aijaz Ahmed at Sheen Dara in Poonch. Unable to find him terrorists assaulted his mother leaving her critically injured.  

In another incident, a group of terrorists opened fire at Gursai police station of Poonch district on July 19. They fled after police personnel opened retaliatory fire.  

Elsewhere, police recovered a mine from the forward village of Harapir in Arnia on July 19 and destroyed it.

On July 19, three Sri Lankan Army personnel were killed after their bus was hit by a claymore mine in Jaffna. Eleven others, including two police constables, were injured. The Army personnel and police constables were traveling in a bus headed to the Palaly Airport, where they were to board a flight that would have taken them home on leave. However, their bus was hit by a claymore mine concealed in a tree on the Jaffna-Chunnakam road near Maradanamadam, Lankapage reports.  

Meanwhile, government authorities have arrested four women suspected to be suicide bombers at Tissamaharama. Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told a news conference that the four were trained Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) operatives, who were intending to carry out attacks in the south of the country. One of those arrested was reported to be carrying cyanide capsules, to swallow in case she was arrested, but had been overpowered by police before she could take them.

Assam Tribune quoting official sources reports that the Tripura police recovered the body of a National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) cadre, Swapan Talanga, reportedly killed in clashes with rival group from Rajkumarbasti under Champahowar police station limits in the West Tripura district on July 19.

According to Daily Star, Siraj, the second-in-command of Gono Bahini, was killed in 'crossfire' during a shootout between the outfit’s cadres and the police at Shrirampur in Alamdanga sub-district of Chuadanga district on July 19. Chuadanga police had arrested Siraj in Lalbridge area of Alamdanga on July 18. A shutter gun and seven bullets were recovered from the encounter site.

Imphal Free Press reports that a woman was killed in crossfire when firing broke out between cadres of two rival militant groups at Hmar Veng in the Churchandpur district on July 19. 

Four civilians were wounded when suspected United National Liberation Front (UNLF) cadres fired several lethod bombs and 2-inch mortars from across the international border at a security post at the border town of Moreh in the Chandel district on July 19.  

Separately, an Assam Rifles personnel, Pramesh Kumar, was wounded in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion at Water Point in Moreh town. 

Meanwhile, unidentified gunmen shot at and injured a civilian at Khoimoi in the Churachandpur district on July 18. 

The UNLF produced two persons including a woman before media persons at an unspecified place in the Thoubal district on July 19 for extorting money in the name of the outfit.  

Elsewhere, the United Kuki Liberation Front (UKLF) in a statement made available to the local media on July 19 warned the people of Chandel district against giving any sort of support or monetary assistance to any Kuki militant outfits other than UKLF and Kuki National Army (KNA).

Special Tribunal-2 in Gaibandha on July 19 convicted two Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) ehsars (permanent cadres) in an August 17, 2005 bomb blast case under Explosive Substances Act and sentenced them to 48 years of rigorous imprisonment. The cadres have been identified as Ziaur Rahman Badal also known as Reaz and Abdul Quiyum. They have also been fined Taka 7,000 each.

Balochistan police arrested two suspected Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) cadres, Babu Allah Bakhsh and Sher Mohammed during a raid at Naushki in the Dera Bugti district on July 19.  

Dawn reports that the security force (SF) personnel have launched a massive operation against ‘farari camps’ in the hilly areas of Harnai, Sibi and Karmo-Wadh in the Dera Bugti district since July 19. Officials said that SF had neutralised several terrorist camps. Further details are unavailable. 

Separately, a huge cache of arms and ammunition including three SAMs, 404 mortar bombs, 184 landmines, 23 rifles, 304 rocket bombs, 838 kilogrammes of high explosives and 1,150 detonators were seized during raid conducted in the Toba Kokhani and Lop Sherani areas of the Dera Bugti district on July 19. 

In another raid, SF seized seven landmines, 11 rockets, two hand-grenades and 38 kilograms of high explosives during a raid at Mangocher area in the Kalat district. 

Meanwhile, Daily Times quoting official sources reports that a number of key BLA cadres have decided to surrender to the government in Sui on July 21.

Addressing a 45-member inter-tribal jirga at the Governor’s House in capital Peshwar on July 19, the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Governor Lt-Gen (retd) Ali Muhammad Jan Aurakzai urged the tribal elders to help the government establish its writ and urged the militants to leave Pakistan “with honour and dignity”.  

Daily Times has reported that the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) had joined the government-backed jirga to broker peace with militants in North Waziristan.

Sentinel has reported that the Union Government have asked the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) to establish direct contact with the government without which, it said, there would be no scope for the proposed peace process to move forward. “The ULFA must communicate their demands, including release of jailed leaders, in black and white directly to the Centre for the peace process to proceed further,” the Union Home Secretary V.K. Duggal is learnt to have told interlocutor Indira Goswami on July 19. Speaking to Sentinel over phone from New Delhi, Goswami said that the Union Home Secretary had informed her on July 19 that ULFA must make direct contact with the government and place their demands instead of communicating through intermediaries. Only then can their demands be considered.