Recent Appearances...

Warning: Undefined array key "rbname" in /data/rantburg.com/www/rantburg/pgrecentorg.php on line 14
Hello !
Recent Appearances...

India-Pakistan

New explosions hit India after ceasefire announcements with Pakistan

2025-05-11

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Paks can't control their jihadi militants.

The Pakistanis have indeed claimed that ever since they first sent jihadis in to conquer Kashmir before Pakistan was separated from India at independence. Granted, they only managed to get partway across before the Indians stopped them, but one of these times the jihadis they’ve financed, equipped, and trained will finally succeed in finishing the job — completely uncontrolled, really.

[Regnum] Several explosions occurred in the capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the city of Srinagar, on the evening of May 10. This was reported by the region's chief minister Omar Abdullah.

The blasts came hours after India and Pakistan announced a ceasefire agreement.

"What just happened to the ceasefire? Explosions are heard all over Srinagar," Abdullah wrote on his social media page.

CNN reported that there were “multiple” explosions. ANI reported that drones were seen in the skies over Udhampur. According to these reports, the air defense system was activated and the city’s electricity was cut off.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, earlier on May 10, US President Donald Trump said that India and Pakistan, with Washington's mediation, had agreed to a complete ceasefire. The parties confirmed this statement, and the ceasefire came into effect.

And very exciting it was, too, until the parties of the Pakistani part broke it. Mr. Wife, who worked in India once upon a time, thought it might actually last only minutes. I thought they would hold on at least until midnight, to keep President Trump sweet. Mr. Wife won, darn it.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio added that, in addition to the ceasefire, the parties to the conflict also agreed to meet on neutral territory and discuss "a wide range of issues."

The conflict between India and Pakistan began to escalate on April 22, after a terrorist group attacked tourists in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. At least 27 people were killed in the attack. The attackers managed to escape.

Pakistan’s Lashkar-e Taiba pretending to be a local “resistance” group.

On May 6, India launched Operation Sindoor, declaring it was targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan. Pakistani authorities said the Indian military had targeted civilian targets.

They did say that, yes. That’s how they define where they park their pet jihadi groups — the traditional Arabic term is ribat, a base to house fighters while they rest and prepare for the next attack to expand the ummah.

There have been several exchanges of fire along the border between the two countries, and there have been reports of dogfights between fighter jets, drone strikes and missile strikes. Both sides have accused each other of attacking civilian targets and have expressed their willingness to stop escalating in the wake of their adversary.

More from regnum.ru
Indian Foreign Ministry Accuses Pakistan of Ceasefire Violation

The Pakistani side violated the agreement with India on establishing a ceasefire, Indian First Deputy Foreign Minister Vikram Misri said on May 10.

"There have been repeated violations of the agreement reached earlier this evening between the Directors General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan in the last two hours," Misri told reporters.

He stressed that the Indian Armed Forces are giving an adequate response to violations. The Indian diplomatic mission called on Pakistan to take appropriate measures to eliminate violations and "treat the situation seriously and responsibly."

Misri added that the Indian Armed Forces "have been instructed to deal decisively with any instance of recurrence of border violations along the international border."

As reported by Regnum news agency, the conflict between India and Pakistan escalated after a terrorist group attacked a group of tourists in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir on April 22. At least 26 people were killed in the attack.

Two days later, India blocked the flow of the Indus River into Pakistan and expelled Pakistan's military attachés. In turn, Pakistani authorities suspended bilateral agreements with New Delhi, closed Indian airspace, and declared that any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water would be considered an act of war.

There have been several exchanges of fire along the border between the two countries, and there have been reports of dogfights between fighter jets, drone strikes and missile strikes. Both sides have accused each other of attacking civilian targets and have expressed their willingness to stop escalating in the wake of their adversary.

Link

India-Pakistan

Jammu And Kashmir: Terrorists Kill Two Migrant Workers From Uttar Pradesh In Budgam

2024-11-04

[OneIndia] In a distressing development from Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district, two migrants hailing from Uttar Pradesh became the latest victims of terrorism. They were targeted by gunmen while engaged in work related to the Jal Jeewan Project. Fortunately, their conditions have been reported as stable following the attack. This incident adds to a series of terror-related events that have shaken the Union territory over the past few months, underscoring the volatile security situation in the region.

The attack in Budgam is part of a disturbing trend of violence aimed at disrupting peace and development in Jammu and Kashmir. Only days before this incident, terrorists associated with the Pakistan-backed Jaish-e-Mohammed group ambushed an ambulance that was part of an Indian Army convoy in the Akhnoor sector. The relentless efforts of security forces, however, led to the neutralization of three terrorists during counter-terrorism operations, showcasing the ongoing battle between state forces and militants.

Link

India-Pakistan

Security forces recover arms, ammunition, explosives dropped by quadcopter in Jammu

2023-11-28

24 November
[OneIndia] On Thursday, security forces in Jammu and Kashmir
...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there....
's Akhnoor sector recovered arms, ammunition, and explosives dropped by a quadcopter along the Line of Control (LoC). The haul included nine grenades and an improvised bomb (IED).

JOINT SEARCH OPERATION
The recovery was made during a joint search operation conducted by the police and the army in the Palanwallah area near the LoC early in the morning. Officials stated that the box containing the arms and ammunition was scanned by a bomb disposal squad before being opened.

IED, PISTOL, AND GRENADES
Upon opening the box, the authorities discovered an IED, a ~~The Sick Man of Europe~~ Turkey
<del>The Sick Man of Europe</del> Turkey

<del>The Sick Man of Europe</del> Turkey

...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire...
-made pistol, two magazines, 38 rounds of ammunition, and nine grenades. The search operation was initiated based on reports of a quadcopter-like noise from troops deployed in the forward areas.

BIGGEST HAUL IN AKHNOOR SECTOR
A defence front man called the discovery one of the biggest hauls of quadcopter-dropped war-like stores in the Akhnoor sector. He suggested that the arms and ammunition were aimed at reviving terrorism in the Rajouri and Akhnoor sectors of Jammu and Kashmir.

INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY
An FIR has been registered at the Khour Police Station, and an investigation into the incident has commenced. The authorities are determined to uncover the source of the arms and ammunition and apprehend those responsible for the attempted infiltration.

The recovery of arms, ammunition, and explosives along the LoC underscores the continued threat of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. The security forces remain vigilant in their efforts to thwart any attempts to disrupt peace and stability in the region.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

French government repatriates little girl of ISIS families in ‘Self-Administration’ areas

2020-04-25

[SYRIAHR] The French government has evacuated a seven-year-old orphan little girl of ISIS families in "Self-Administration" areas, who has been suffering from a heart disease and her health condition has tanked in recent days.

The little girl is a child of two parents who were in the ranks of the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
of French nationality. She was transferred to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in preparation for her transfer to La Belle France.

The department of foreign relations of "Self-Administration" handed over 35 children of ISIS families in al-Hawl camp to the Russian Child Rights Commissioner Anna Kuznetsova, for repatriating them to Russia in February this year.

Link

Afghanistan

Key ISIS leader having links with Haqqani Network, Lashkar-e Taiba arrested in Afghanistan

2020-04-23

[KhaamaPress] A key ISIS leader who had close links with the Taliban
Taliban

...Arabic for students...
’s Beautiful Downtown Peshawar
...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistain's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire...
Council, Haqqani Network and Lashkar-e Taiba, was arrested during an operation in Afghanistan.

The National Directorate of Security
...the Afghan national intel agency...
in a statement said the NDS forces arrested the ISIS leader, Muneeb, during a raid in Afghanistan.

Without disclosing further information, NDS said Muneeb having aliases of Abu Bilal, Abu Halal adn Abu Humam, is originally a resident of Pakistain.

The statement further added that Muneeb is a key member of the central Council of ISIS Khorasan who was also in charge of shadow court, coordination and contact with the other groups including Lashkar-e Taiab, Haqqani Network, Sepa-e Sahaba, Jamaat-e Ulema-e Islam and the Peshawar Council of Taliban.

The National Directorate of Security also added that the detained ISIS leader has confessed that he had close cooperation with Lashkar-e Taiba and the Haqqani terrorist network.

This comes as the Afghan forces arrested the leader of ISIS Khorasan during a similar raid in Afghanistan.

Link

Afghanistan

Pentagon calls terror groups key obstacle in Taliban talks

2019-05-26

[DAWN] The US Department of Defence has highlighted the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan as the key issue that would determine the fate of the ongoing talks between the United States and the Taliban
...Arabic for students...
The latest report by the Pentagon’s ’Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel’ reviews the quarter ending March 31 and covers the activities of terrorist groups in both Afghanistan and Pakistain.

It focuses "particularly (on) Al Qaeda and ISIS-K," noting that those two groups "remain a central focus of the Operation Freedom Sentinel (OFS) mission and has emerged as one of the key concerns in the ongoing peace negotiations."
So....the Taliban are Moderate Muslims™? Go ahead, pull the other one
Operation Freedom’s Sentinel (OFS) is the official name used by the US government for the US-led global war on terrorism.

"As the peace talks continue, the questions of whether the Taliban can help influence and deny sanctuary to these groups, and the extent to which an ongoing US counter-terrorism presence may be required, have become more prominent," says the report while highlighting Washington’s concerns in Afghanistan.

US and Afghan officials have stated that there are at least 20 terrorist organizations operating in Afghanistan and Pakistain. The report includes estimates of how many fighters these groups have in the region.

The report notes that most of these groups do not have global aspirations or reach. "For example, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain, one of the larger groups, focuses on fighting the Pak government," it adds.

According to these estimates: ISIS-K, Haqqani Network and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain are the three largest groups in the region. Each has between 3,000 to 5,000 fighters.

The Islamic Emirate High Council is the fourth with 1,000 fighters. Al Qaeda, one of the strongest terrorist groups in the region before the US invasion has now been reduced to 300 fighters.

Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and Lashkar-e Taiba also have about 300 fighters. Tariq Gidar Group has 100-300 fighters, Jamaat ul-Ahrar
...a splinter group of the Pak Taliban led by Maulana Qasim Khurasani. The group has pledged allegiance to Mullah Omar and has agreed to follow his ideology, such as it is. It's probably the latest incarnation of the splinter group Ahrarul Hind since Khurasani used to head that group...
200, Islamic Turkestan Movement 100, Islamic Jihad
...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah...
Union 25 and Jamaat Dawa Koran 25.

Link

Afghanistan

Ex-Pakistani MP: Security establishment’s support for Taliban an open secret

2016-08-11

[Khaama (Afghanistan)] A prominent Pak politician and former politician Afrasiab Khattak has said the Pak security establishment’s support to the Afghan Taliban is an open secret as he joined several other politicians and critics in slamming the slamming the security establishments of the country for their ’good’ and ’bad’ ~~bandidos~~ Death Eaters approach.

The remarks by Khattak came after a deadly attack on a hospital in Quetta city, the picturesque provincial capital of Balochistan

...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it...
province of Pakistain.

Critics accusde Pakistain’s powerful security institutions of aiding and protecting the "good" snuffies -- those who launch attacks in India and Afghanistan -- while going after the "bad" ~~bandidos~~ Death Eaters whose attacks have killed more than 60,000 civilians and soldiers since 2004.

"It is also public knowledge that non-state actors find no obstacles to their agenda," Khattak was quoted as saying in a report by Gandhara/RFERL.

He said "Proscribed organizations not only indulge in public activities but also give themselves the right to determine Pakistain’s regional policy," he said.

Khattak, a longtime critic of Islamabad’s support for hard-line Islamist groups, said he sees no benefit to the current approach. "Our country is at daggers drawn with three out of four neighbors and faces growing international isolation," he concluded.

Another politician, Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani, said "Does the security establishment exist to protect Pakistain, or does Pakistain exist to [perpetuate] the security establishment?"

"We deserve to know the truth. Powers within this country are backing the terrorists. These people attacking us are from among us," he told the National Assembly or lower house of Pak Parliament, where he represents Balochistan.

Sherani rejected claims by a senior Balochistan official that India’s main foreign intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), orchestrated the attack. Barely an hour after the attack on August 8, Balochistan’s most senior elected official, Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri, blamed RAW for the attack. Pak officials frequently blame its regional archrival for the country’s domestic security woes.

"There is no RAW in Balochistan," Sherani told politicians. "They are the same people we nurtured," he said, referring to Pakistain’s decade-old support for Afghan Death Eaters and Islamist factions often blamed for launching attacks in India.

"Blaming RAW for everything will not work," politician Mahmood Khan Achakzai told the Pak National Assembly in an impassioned speech on August 9. "Our [intelligence] agencies can find a needle in a haystack, and now they should also do this [unmasking the perpetrators of the Quetta attack]."

Achakzai’s Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party is part of the provincial administration in Balochistan, yet he has consistently criticized the alleged covert support Pak intelligence services extend to factions of the Afghan Taliban and Salafist factions such as Lashkar-e Taiba, which New Delhi and Western government blame for attacks in India.

Link

India-Pakistan

Lashkar e Taiba Islamists call for boycott of French products

2015-01-19

[ABC.NET.AU] A Lion of Islam group in Pakistain has urged supporters to boycott French products in protest against the magazine Charlie Hebdo
...

A lefty French satirical magazine, home of what may well be the majority if the active testicles left in Europe...
's most recent cover, which featured an image of the Prophet Muhammad.
Lashkar-e-Taiba is of course "banned" in Pakistain.
Fresh protests broke out Sunday in Pakistain where thousands gathered in almost all major cities, including Lahore, Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
and Islamabad, chanting angry slogans and burning French flags.

Around 5,000 people demonstrated against the French magazine in Pakistain's eastern city of Lahore.

Hafiz Muhammad Saeed

...who would be wearing a canvas jacket with very long sleeves anyplace but Pakistain...
, the founder of Lashkar e Taiba - the group deemed to be behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks and several other attacks in India - told the demonstrators he had launch a movement against what he called the insulting caricatures of the beloved prophet.

Mr Saeed urged traders to stop importing French products and for Pak leaders to try to get an international law against blasphemy passed.

Link

India-Pakistan

Interpol issues Pakistan army arrest warrants over Mumbai attacks

2010-10-08

A third military figure, a retired Pakistan Army Major was also named as a suspect along with an al-Qaeda-linked commander and a leader of the Pakistan-based terrorist group, Lashkar e Taiba (LeT), which carried out the Mumbai attacks in which 166 were killed.

By asking Interpol to issue warrants against two apparently senior Pakistan Army officers, India has intensified its campaign against Islamabad and strengthened its claim that some elements within Pakistans security forces supported the Mumbai attacks.

The development follows an admission by the former military ruler General Musharraf earlier this week that Pakistan had raised terrorist groups to attack India because of its refusal to negotiate over the dispute on the future of Kashmir.

Those named in the warrants include Muhammad Ilyas Kashmiri, a militant commander believed to be close to al Qaeda, Sajid Majid, a senior LeT figure also known as Sajid Mir, Major Syed Abdur Rehman, a retired Pakistan Army officer, and two serving officers named as Major Sameer Ali and Major Iqbal.

The officers are alleged to serve in Pakistans ISI intelligence agency and were named by the LeT operative David Headley, who was arrested in Chicago last year as he was about to travel to Pakistan.

Headley, the son of an American mother and a Pakistani diplomat, was raised in Pakistan and educated at a military school. During interrogation he revealed he had carried out reconnaissance missions for the Mumbai terrorist attack and claimed that the two officers were his handlers.

Headley said both men spoke English, Hindi and Urdu, and alleged that Major Iqbal gave him $25,000 in cash in 2006 to visit India. Indias Ministry of External Affairs and its Ministry for Home Affairs, which is responsible for counter-terrorism, declined to comment on the Interpol notices yesterday.

But B. Raman, a retired senior Indian intelligence officer, said it was unlikely the warrant would have been issued without corroboration for Headleys claims.

Indian investigators are alleged to have found evidence in an investigation into a man suspected of being an ISI agent in Uttar Pradesh.

Waqas Ahmad, who was arrested near Kanpur last year, was suspected of reporting back to the same telephone number in Pakistan that Headley said he had used to speak to his alleged handlers three serving Pakistan officers. B Raman however said it was highly unlikely the officers would ever be identified or arrested.

No one knows if these are their real names, its on the basis of what Headley said, he said.

Link

India-Pakistan

Al-Qaeda suspects sneak into India

2010-05-05

[Iran Press TV Latest] Unconfirmed intelligence reports say around 140 suspected al-Qaeda terrorists may have sneaked into India through the Assam border.

India's home ministry officials say they have asked the police force to be on high alert to look out for al-Qaeda terrorists trying to sneak into the country from the western coast.

This was one of the reasons behind the high alert sounded over the weekend, the officials who demanded anonymity said.

Though the input has not been confirmed yet, the officials said they did not want to leave anything to chance at a time when the Lashkar-e Taiba and other Pakistan-based terrorist groups are determined to launch huge attacks on India, Indian newspapers reported.

Over the past two weeks, news has been trickling in that around 140 alleged al-Qaeda members may have sneaked into India, using Sri Lankan fishing boats.

Police say the suspected terrorists have formed small groups and have dispersed to various parts. There was no corroboration from any other sources.

However, the home ministry issued alerts last Friday to the affected states, not wanting to take any chances. This is the second time in the past two weeks that the center has issued terror warnings to several states.

Link

Afghanistan

Lashkar-e Taiba Behind Kabul Assault

2010-03-04

[Quqnoos] The Afghan intelligence agency Tuesday blamed Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba for last week's attacks in Kabul.

At least 16 people, including 9 Indians, were killed Friday in a string of explosions and gunfire in a commercial district in central Kabul.

Sayed Ansari, a spokesman for Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security, or NDS, said that they have evidence that Lashkar-e-Taiba was involved in the attacks. The accusation comes after the Taliban claimed responsibility for the assault on an Indian guest house that also left at least 56 others wounded.

"We are very close to the exact proof and evidence that the attack on the Indian guest house ... is not the work of the Afghan Taliban but this attack was carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba network," Ansari told journalists.

The Afghan intelligence agency's spokesman said Lashkar-e Taiba are dependent on the Pakistan military.

There were four men armed with rifles and suicide vests, one of them was heard speaking Urdu, and that they wore burqas to hide their gear, Ansari added.

Friday's assault was the second major attack this year in the fortified Afghan capital. The last incident took place Jan 18, when three teams of gunmen attacked a popular shopping centre and several surrounding buildings near the presidential palace.

The Indian Embassy in Kabul has twice come under attack over the past two years, leaving dozens of casualties.

Link

India-Pakistan

2010-02-28

NEW DELHI: The terror attack in Kabul was on the pattern of the 26/11 Mumbai carnage, with six to eight terrorists targeting two hotels and hunting for victims during the strike in which nine Indians were killed.

Investigators suspect involvement of the Taliban, particularly the Haqqani group, in league with elements of Lashkar-e Taiba in Friday's assault, sources said.

The attack was carried out in a coordinated manner with the terrorists first exploding bombs and then launching the armed assault, hunting for the targets, particularly the members of the Indian medical mission, a pattern seen in Mumbai during the 26/11 attack, they said.

About six to eight terrorists are suspected to have been involved in the assault at around 6.30 am at the Park Residence Hotel and adjacent Noor guest house, where Indians on transit usually stay, the sources said.

Two or three of the attackers might have been killed in the gunfight with Afghan security forces, they said.

Two major-rank officers of the army were among the nine Indians killed and some others, including five army officers, were injured in the assault.

The terrorists targeted those Indians who were engaged in helping Afghan people and building partnership between the two countries, Indian Ambassador Jayant Prasad said.

He said those targeted were earning goodwill for India by bringing the people of the two countries closer through their developmental efforts.

"It is the handiwork of enemies of Afghan people and friendship between people of India and Afghanistan," Prasad said and asserted that these attempts would not deter India from pursuing its goal of helping Afghanistan.

Taliban, at the behest of Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI, has been expressing opposition to India's developmental works in Afghanistan. They have been demanding that India should end its presence in Afghanistan.

The sources said the attack reflected a change of pattern by Taliban terrorists, as this time they went for the soft targets, unlike the protected installations and persons as in the past.

Yesterday's attack was the fourth on Indian interests in Afghanistan since July 2008 when a car laden with 100 kgs of explosives was blown up at the gate of Indian Embassy, killing 60 people, including four Indians -- a Brigadier-rank officer, a senior IFS officer and two ITBP personnel.

In October last year, terrorists struck again at the Embassy, carrying out a car bomb explosion near its outer wall and killing 17 people.

Subsequently, in December, a hotel housing staff of an Indian IT company was targeted. Eight people were killed and two IT executives, an Indian cook and a cleaner were among those injured.

Link

Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$T in /data/rantburg.com/www/rantburg/pgrecentorg.php on line 132
-12 More