Two people died and nine others injured as clashes broke out between Taliban forces tasked with clearing poppy crops and farmers in Argo District of Badakhshan province on May 14, reports Dawn. Poppy cultivators threw rocks and demanded Taliban security units not destroy their crops, said Jamaluddin, a resident of Barlas Shalmar village in Argo District of Badakhshan.In response, Taliban authorities fired their guns to disperse villagers.Afghanistan was the largest producer of opium in the world before poppy cultivation was banned in a decree by the Taliban supreme leader in April 2022.
On May 13, a Rohingya “head Manjhi” (community leader) and an active operative of the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO), identified as Mohammad Ilias, was shot dead at a refugee camp in Ukhiya Upazila (Sub-District) in Cox’s Bazar District of Chittagong Division, reports The Daily Star. Ukhiya Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OIC), Shameem Hossain stated that 10-15 armed assailants entered Ilia's house, took him behind a nearby NGO office, and killed him.
On May 12, a Rohingya, identified as Syed Noor, was killed at Camp No. 4 in Ukhiya Upazila (Sub-District) in Cox’s Bazar District of Chittagong Division, reports The Daily Star.
A top Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) ‘commander’ and two women cadres were shot dead in an encounter near Katrangatta village in Bhamragad Taluka (revenue division) in Gadchiroli District of Maharashtra on May 13, wiping out an entire Dalam (armed squad) that lorded over a 1,000-square-kilometre patch in the Maharashtra, reports The Times of India. Permili Dalam, ‘commander’ Vasu Samar Korcha, carried an INR 2.2 million bounty. One of the women, Reshma Madkam, was an ‘area committee member (ACM)’ of the People's Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA). The other was Kamla Madavi. “Korcha and the two women were the last of the three remaining members of the dalam. The trio was trying to mobilise villagers and plan subversive activities,” Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police (SP) Neelotpal said. Arms, including three automatic weapons—one AK47, one carbine, and one INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) assault rifle—and Maoist literature and belongings were also recovered from the firing spot.
On May 13, Assam Police arrested two operatives of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), linked to the Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), identified as Bahar Mia (30) and Rasel Mia (40), both residents of Bangladesh from Guwahati in Kamrup (Metro) District of Assam, reports Northeast Now. The duo was illegally staying in India without having passports and obtaining Indian documents through fraudulent means to spread a terror network in Assam and India.
On May 14, the State Investigation Agency (SIA) carried out raids at multiple locations in Anantnag, Kulgam and Shopian districts in connection with investigations into a terror case, reports The Hindu. The raids were carried out in connection with investigations into a Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) terror case, officials said adding further details were awaited.
On May 13, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar said that India gave a 'clear message' against terrorism with the surgical strike and airstrikes after the terror attacks in Uri and Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), reports NDTV. He said that the world was sympathetic with India after 26/11 but also wanted New Delhi not to create any 'tensions' with Islamabad.He emphasized that India's retaliatory measures in Uri and Balakot sent a clear message that perpetrators of terrorism would not find safe havens across borders. The EAM added that it was because India had not worked to "delegitimize terrorism" and convince the world that it is a danger for everyone globally. The EAM further said that India had not lobbied the world against terrorism and could not make them understand that anyone can be the victim of the menace.
At least five people were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion in a house in Tangi Badin zai area of Ladha tehsil (revenue unit) in South Waziristan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on May 13, reports The Khorasan Diary. Locals said it as a ‘drone strike’. However, an unnamed security official from the area said the area was infested with militants. “Our initial investigation shows that it was an IED explosion inside the house”, he said. Residents said that the family had moved back to their home recently and those that were killed included two women.
Two militants were killed and unverified number of other militants injured during an attempt by militants from Afghanistan to infiltrate into Pakistan was foiled by Security Forces (SFs) on the Pak-Afghan border in the Kaga Pass area of Mamund tehsil (revenue unit) in Bajaur District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on May 13, reports The Khorasan Diary.
The Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU) defused an improvised explosive device (IED) planted at the house of a candidate for National Assembly from Hangu District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on May 13, reports The Khorasan Diary. A six-kilogram heavy bomb was planted at the house of Abdul Hadi.
Three non-local coal miners from Shangla District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and two Security Forces (SFs) personnel were injured in a militant attack on a Coal Field Number 9 in Duki District of Balochistan on May 13, reports The Khorasan Diary.
Hundreds of protesters, including women, children and elders, took to the streets in the Gwadar city of Balochistan on May 12 to rally against Army’s plans to erect a fence encircling the city, reports The Balochistan Post. The protest was organized by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), with participants from various areas marching while carrying banners and placards opposing the fencing, as well as condemning enforced disappearances and the genocide of the Baloch people. The rally met at Shahda-e-Jiuni Chowk, where speakers from the Committee addressed the protesters. Sabghat Ullah Baloch, a senior leader, questioned the need for fencing off Gwadar in the name of security for locals. “At one time, people used to come here from Punjab with sacks of money to buy land from Baloch owners, but their dreams were dashed. The Baloch still live on this land, and their aspiration of keeping it will never be defeated,” he said. He said that rather than posing a threat, the Baloch have co-existed peacefully with all communities in Gwadar, which he hailed as a site where “mosques and temples stand side-by-side.” They warned that attempts to “grab” Baloch lands by fencing them off will not succeed. The Army is fencing the city to safeguard its and Chinese interests and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) rather than securing the local population.
Pakistan and the United States on May 13 recognised that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Daesh terrorist group are posing a threat to regional and global security, underscoring close cooperation between the two countries to deal with the challenge, reports The Express Tribune. The two countries held a counter terrorism dialogue in Washington and a joint statement issued on May 13. Additional Foreign Secretary for the UN and OIC, Ambassador Syed Haider Shah, and US Department of State Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Ambassador Elizabeth Richard, co-chaired Pakistan-US Counterterrorism Dialogue on May 10 in Washington DC. The joint statement said the Counterterrorism Dialogue underscored the cooperation between Pakistan and the United States in addressing the most pressing challenges to regional and global security, including TTP and ISIS-Khorasan. The statement is seen as significant as the US recognised the TTP posed a threat to regional and global security. Previously, the TTP was seen as a threat to Pakistan only. Islamabad has been telling the outside world, particularly the key stakeholders that ignoring the TTP threat may eventually haunt them.