The Taliban Minister of Interior Affairs reported that unidentified gunmen killed an Afghan citizen and three Spanish tourists, with four foreign nationals and three Afghan citizens injured in an attack in Bamyan Province on May 17, reports Al Jazeera. Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the fatalities and said that at least one Spanish national was also among those injured.No group immediately claimed responsibility for the late evening attack.
The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested an individual, identified as Abdur Rahim who supplied arms and ammunition to the Jama’atul Ansar Fil HInal Sharqiya (JAFHS), form Gazipur District of Dhaka Division on May 16, reports The Daily Star. Following his arrest, CTTC chief Mohammad Asaduzzaman said that a subsequent operation in Naikhongchhari Upazila (Sub-District) of Bandarban District led to the recovery of a foreign pistol, nine locally-made firearms, and bomb-making chemicals and equipment.
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested the 'chief coordinator' of the Kuki-Chin National Front's (KCNF) women's wing for Bandarban Sadar and Rowangchari zones, identified as Akim Bam, from the Laimi Para area in Sadar Upazila (Sub-District) in Bandarban District of Chittagong Division, reports The Daily Star. Squadron leader of RAB-15, Touhidul Mubin Khan, said that she has received military training both at home and abroad.
On May 16, Police arrested Sukhwinder Singh, alias Sukh Uppal, associate of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) designated terrorist Harwinder Singh Rinda, and recovered an unlicensed pistol and two live rounds in Sector 62 (commonly known as Phase 8), in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (Mohali) District of Punjab, reports The Tribune.
On May 15, Police arrested Sharanjit Singh alias Sunny, (24) an associate of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) designated terrorist Harwinder Singh Rinda, and recovered six pistols and 20 live rounds in an unspecified area in Tarn Taran District of Punjab, reports Hindustan Times. He was arrested in connection with the probe of a case registered in Lalru area in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar District of Punjab.
On May 14, Police arrested Karanpreet Singh Raja, an associate of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) designated terrorist Harwinder Singh Rinda, in Sector 65 (Phase 11) in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (Mohali) District of Punjab, reports The Tribune. Investigations revealed their involvement in smuggling drugs and sophisticated weapons across the border using drones, which they then distributed to customers across the state.
On May 16, Police arrested Jagroop alias Bikram, alias Jupa, a close associate of US-based gangster Pavitar Chaura, in Chananke village of Baba Bakala tehsil (revenue unit) of Amritsar District in Punjab, reports The Tribune. Police seized two pistols, a 9 mm calibre Zigana (manufactured in Pakistan), and a .32 bore pistol, along with 10 live cartridges, a mobile phone, and two magazines from his possession. Chaura is associated with Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) militant and designated terrorist Lakhbir Singh Landa.
Police busted a hideout of Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) and recovered three Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) from a forest area under the Shobha Police Station area in Gariabandh District of Chhattisgarh on May 17, reports The Print. A Police team was out on a search operation launched in the forests of Kodomali, Ichradi, Gariba, and Sahbinkachhar villages following a tip-off about the movement of Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists, LWEs], an official said. On sensing the presence of security personnel, Naxalites escaped, leaving behind their belongings, he said. One tiffin bomb and items of daily use were recovered from their hideout, while two cooker bombs that were planted beneath the earth in a nearby forest were also seized, he said. The three explosives weighed three kilogrammes each, the official said, adding that the bombs were later neutralised by the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS).
Border Security Force (BSF) stated on the social media platform ‘X’, formerly ‘Twitter’ that BSF troops successfully recovered one drone (quadcopter) in a farming field ahead of the border fence near Ballharwal village in Amritsar District of Punjab on May 16.
34 cadres belonging to United National Liberation Front – Pambei faction (UNLF-P) surrendered before the Assam Rifles while trying to enter Manipur from Myanmar, Northeast Now reports on May 18. The insurgents, equipped with automatic weapons, were compelled to seek refuge in Manipur after facing heavy resistance from the rival People’s Defence Force (PDF) within Myanmar.During their escape, Assam Rifles intercepted them at the border and the insurgents chose to surrender along with their weapons to the Assam Rifles.
On May 16, National Investigation Agency (NIA) chargesheeted the key accused identified as Aman Salim Shaikh, a resident of Mumbai (Maharashtra) in the Indian Navy spying case involving Pakistani intelligence operatives in the NIA Special Court at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, reports NIA. The accused was charge sheeted under various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Apart from involving in the conspiracy case to honey trap Indian Navy personnel to gather secret information on defence establishments, the accused was also an anti-India conspirator with a suspected Pakistani agent, Usman, and received money from other suspected Pakistani operatives, Meer Balaj Khan, Alven, and other individuals through Crypto channels assigned by Pakistani intelligence operatives. Earlier, NIA had chargesheeted two accused in the case on November 6, 2023.
On May 17, State Investigation Agency (SIA) filed a supplementary charge sheet against two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists, identified as Mohammadd Qasim alias Salman alias Waseem and Talib Hussain Shah, involved in several terror acts and activities in Kandi area of Budhal tehsil (revenue unit) in border of Rajouri District of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), reports Daily Excelsior. Earlier, Talib Hussain Shah was earlier arrested in July, 2023, along with sophisticated weapons in Reasi District of J&K and Qasim, was exfiltrated to Pakistan for arms training in 1990.
On May 17, Indian Express reported that National Investigation Agency (NIA) has attached 33 properties belonging to Khalistani separatists and their supporters since 2019
On May 17, Indian Express reported that NIA has attached 100 properties in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) linked to terrorists and separatist leaders, since the amendment of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in 2019.
A high school for girls was destroyed in an explosion in Wana tehsil (revenue unit) of South Waziristan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on May 17, reports The Khorasan Diary. No casualties were reported in the blast. The building of the school has been severely damaged. The school was inaugurated in March 2024 with the cooperation of the Wana Welfare Association. The Khorasan Diary quoting locals reported that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had been asking for five percent of the earnings from the school, and had sent at least 3 letters of warning in this regard.
Tension escalated on the Danday - Pattan Kharlachi border along Pak-Afghan border in Kurram District Pakistan border crossing with Paktia province of Afghanistan when heavy firing ensued throughout the night of May 16, reports The Khorasan Diary. “There were heavy arms and ammunition used from both sides,” Pakistani Security Official from the area told The Khorasan Diary. “However there were no loss of life reported on the Pakistani side.” The interim Afghan Government also did not comment on casualties on the Afghan side.
Six Baloch persons, including two brothers, were ‘forcibly disappeared’ by Security Forces (SFs) from Mashkay tehsil (revenue unit) of Awaran District in Balochistan on May 16, reports The Balochistan Post. The individuals, identified as Amjad and Ali, sons of Deen Muhammad; Mehboob, son of Yar Jan; Taj Muhammad, son of Muhammad Ibrahim; Baloch, son of Dil Murad; and Abdullah, son of Abdul Qadir, were allegedly detained by SFs following their participation in a protest rally. The rally, which spanned from Gorjak to Malashband, was organized to voice opposition against the ongoing issue of forced disappearances. During the events, Abdullah, son of Abdul Qadir was reportedly taken into custody. When Abdullah’s brother Taj Muhammad, who approached the camp to inquire about Abdullah’s disappearance, also went missing. Since then the whereabouts of six persons remained unknown.
In a joint operation, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and intelligence agencies arrested a wanted Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorist, identified as Yousaf Khan alias Gul Yousaf, on Manghopir Road in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, on May 17, reports ARY News. According to CTD spokesperson, the arrested terrorist has confessed to involvement in multiple terrorist activities in South Waziristan, including an attack on the Frontier Corps (FC) in 2009. Yousuf Khan joined the TTP in 2006 and was involved in various terrorist activities, including a remote-control bomb blast on an FC vehicle in Sarokai of South Waziristan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He was also involved in an attack on the Sela Sui Kala in South Waziristan in 2009, led by terrorist commander Nur Wali.
In the last four years, 62 people working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) have been killed in eight attacks across Pakistan, The Balochistan Post reported on May 17 quoting Federal Interior Ministry. According to Federal Interior Ministry, a total of eight attacks on foreigners working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) took place between 2020 and 2024, resulting in the death of 62 people. Two attacks on Chinese engineers working on CPEC projects took place in Balochistan, four in Sindh and two in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Notably, a “pro-freedom” Baloch insurgent group, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) Majeed Brigade, has been behind most of the high profile attacks on Chinese citizens working on the CPEC project. Meanwhile, contrary to the Government’s official data, the number of deaths and attacks is higher.