The Afghan forces clashed with Taliban militants in Wardak and Paktiya provinces in the past 24 hours killing or wounding at least 12 militants, like reported by khaama.com.

The 203rd Thunder Corps said in a statement the security forces clashed with Taliban militants in Ibrahim Khel and Kashmiryan areas of Wardak province.

The statement further added the security forces killed 4 Taliban militants during the clashes and wounded at least 6 others.

Furthermore, the security forces repulsed a Taliban attack in Rohani Baba area of Zurmat district in Paktiya, the 203rd Thunder Corps said, adding that the security forces wounded 2 Taliban militants during the clash.

The 201st Silab Corps also added that the security forces discovered and defused 4 improvised explosive devices during the operations in Ghazni province.

An airstrike in northern Faryb province killed two group commanders of the Taliban group in northern Faryab province, the Afghan military said according to khaama.com.

The 209th Shaheen Corps said in a statement the Afghan Air Force conducted an airstrike in Gurziwan district at around 11:40 pm local time on Sunday.

The statement further added that the airstrike killed Mullah Ahmad and Qari Meraj, the two group commanders of Taliban.

The airstrike also wounded two other Taliban militants, the 209th Shaheen Corps added in its statement.

Meanwhile, the 209th Shaheen Corps said a clash broke out between Afghan forces and Taliban militants in Qarqeen district of Jawzjan at around 4:20 pm local time on Sunday which left 2 Taliban militants dead and 3 others wounded.

A militant of ISIS Khurasan terrorist group handed himself over to the Afghan Special Forces in Achin district of Nangarhar province, like reported by khaama.com.

According to a statement released by Special Operations Corps, the ISIS militant also handed over 45 family members of his comrades to Special Forces, including 17 women, 13 children and 15 girls.

The statement further added that the militant also handed over an Ak-47 assault rifle to Special Forces.

The ISIS sympathizers have not commented in this regard so far.

The Special Operations Corps also added that the Special Forces intensified pressure on ISIS militants and the terror group is on the verge of total defeat in East of Afghanistan.

Following clashes between Afghan security forces and Pakistani militaries along Durand Line, Pakistan militaries have increased mortar shelling on eastern areas of Afghanistan, like reported by thekabultimes.gov.af.

According to Afghan local officials, Pakistani military personnel wanted to establish check-posts on Durand Line. Resistance from the Afghan forces triggered a clash between the two sides.

“Clashes between the two sides have entered to third straight days,” said governor of Kunar Abdul Satar Mirzakwal, adding that three people have been killed and four others wounded in the clashes so far.
Governor of Kunar said that it was not the first Pakistan militaries trying to establish check-posts along Durand Line but the militaries have tried repeatedly to do so in the past.

In reaction to clashes and mortal attacks by Pakistan militaries, presidential office has asked for stopping the clashes and mortar attacks as soon as possible. The spokesperson office of presidential palace told media that they seriously asked the Pakistan side to stop its attacks along the Durand Line and they would also follow the issue through diplomatic channels.

According to Afghanistan presidential office, the Afghan national defense and security forces are ready to respond any aggressive steps of the Pakistan militaries and defend their people and country.

Afghanistan parliament has also condemned mortar shelling and rocket attacks by Pakistan militaries on Afghan soil and considered establishment of check-posts and military installations along Durand Line as aggressive, asking the government to address the issue through diplomatic channels.
Afghan lawmakers say Pakistan militaries by launching rocket and mortal attacks on Afghanistan bordering areas have declared their enmity with the people of Afghanistan as dozens of innocent Afghan civilians have been killed due to their mortar attacks in the past few years.
Afghan lawmakers have asked the international community in particular the US to take serious step towards stopping mortar shelling on Afghan soil by Pakistan militaries.

Meanwhile, a number of Afghan political experts believe that Afghanistan government should take the issue of mortar shelling by Pakistan militaries as serious and file a complaint to the UNSC.

“Unfortunately Pakistan is playing double role in the region as the country has followed such double policies in connection with having relations with Afghanistan for the past few decades,” said Omar Sharif, an Afghan political expert.

According to Afghan political experts, although Afghan government has repeatedly asked the Pakistan side for stopping mortar shelling and rocket attacks on Afghan soil, unfortunately the country has not paid any attention to the demand of Afghan side; therefore, the government of Afghanistan should share the issue with its international partners in particular the US.

They believe that it will be better if the government of Afghanistan can clearly and with the support of world and regional countries find a permanent solution to the problem so that border tensions between the two countries end permanently.

It is worth mentioning that due to continued mortal shelling by Pakistan militaries on eastern parts of Afghanistan, hundreds of families have been displaced and dozens of innocent people killed and wounded.

A series of airstrikes killed 31 Taliban and ISIS Khurasan militants in six provinces of Afghanistan in the past 24 hours, like reported by khaama.com.

The military officials said Monday airstrikes in Deh Bala and Achin districts of Nangarhar province killed 12 militants of ISIS Khurasan group.

The officials further added an airstrike in Pashtun Kot district of Faryab killed 6 militants of the Taliban group.

Furthermore, airstrikes in Nahr-e Saraj and Lashkar Gah districts of Helmand killed 5 Taliban militants and destroyed a small cache of weapons, the officials said.

Another airstrike in Giro district of Ghazni killed a Taliban militant and destroyed a cache of weapons, the officials said, adding that a similar airstrike killed another Taliban militant in Sayyid Karam district of Paktiya.

The officials also added that an airstrike in Pashtun Kot district of Faryab killed additional six Taliban militants.

The Afghan Special Forces killed 4 Taliban militants, arrested 3 others and destroyed multiple caches of weapons in 5 provinces, like reported by khaama.com.

The military officials said the special Forces conducted the operations in the past 24 hours.

The officials further added that the Special Forces killed 4 Taliban militants in Baraki Barak district of Logar and destroyed a small cache of weapons.

The Special Forces arrested 3 Taliban militants during separate operations in Chak-e Wadak district of Wardak, Pul-e Alam district of Logar and Deh Yak district of Ghazni, the officials said, adding that they also destroyed a cache of weapons in Wardak.

The officials also added that the Special Forces destroyed another cache of weapons of Taliban in Tarin Kot district of Uruzgan province.

The Taliban group has not commented regarding the operations so far.

A series of airstrikes targeted Taliban militants in northern Balkh province killing or wounding at least 23 of them, like reported by khaama.com.

The 209th Shaheen Corps said in a statement the Air Force carried out airstrikes against Taliban positions in Aaqtapa Village of Chahar Bolak district.

The statement further added that the security forces conducted the airstrikes at around 8:00 pm on Sunday amid ongoing clashes.

Furthermore, the 209th Shaheen Corps said the airstrikes killed 8 Taliban militants and wounded at least 15 others.

The Taliban group has not commented regarding the clashes and airstrike so far.

Meanwhile, the 209th Shaheen Corps said the clashes and airstrikes did not harm civilians but a member of the security forces sustained minor injuries during the exchange of fire.

Indonesia’s Security Minister Wiranto was attacked by a knife-wielding man with links to the Islamic State terrorist group, the police said according to bnnbloomberg.ca.

Wiranto, a former military chief who uses only one name like many Indonesians, was stabbed twice by the assailant as he exited his vehicle while visiting an Islamic boarding school at Pandeglang in the province of Banten west of Jakarta on Thursday. Wiranto was taken to a hospital and two other people were also injured in the attack, Dedi Prasetyo, a spokesman for the national police said.

“The attacker is suspected of being exposed to the radical group ISIS,” Prasetyo said, adding the police have also detained a woman suspected to be an accomplice of the assailant.

Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, has been the target of a string of terrorist attacks in recent years by extremists inspired by Islamic State. In May, police said they had arrested dozens of militants linked to Islamic State who authorities suspected were plotting attacks on political rallies.

Three Myanmar army soldiers were killed and three were wounded on Wednesday when members of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) ambushed a convoy of seven army trucks in northern Shan State’s Hseni Township, according to local sources and irrawaddy.com.

Seven civilians also sustained minor injuries in the attack, which occurred as the convoy was leaving Hseni Town, Sai Oo Kham, a Lower House lawmaker from the town, told The Irrawaddy.

“As soon as the attack broke out in the town, I went to meet the township authorities to discuss how we could help residents,” Sai Oo Kham said after visiting the site of the attack with local officials.

“I saw the bodies of two dead soldiers, and three others who were wounded,” he said, adding that he called an ambulance to help attend to the wounded. He said that later another ambulance took away the body of a third soldier who had been killed.

The attack began at 6:30 a.m. local time and lasted for two hours.

Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, a spokesperson for the Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) confirmed to The Irrawaddy that a number of soldiers had been killed and wounded, but did not provide precise casualty figures.

According to TNLA spokesman Major Tar Aike Kyaw, the ethnic armed group planned the attack in advance. He claimed that two Myanmar army trucks were destroyed in the attack.

“The main reason we attacked them is that they [the Tatmadaw] have continued to deploy troops and launch military offensives in our area of control. Therefore, we had to attack them,” he said.

“These seven army trucks were leaving Hseni and planned to travel into our zone of control. Therefore, we ambushed them to block them from entering our area,” he said.

According to Sai Oo Kham, the TNLA deployed many fighters in Hseni Town prior to the attack. He speculated that if the TNLA forces had not encountered the convoy, they would likely have attacked the Myanmar army base in the town.

“For the town, we could say this was both positive and negative; it was good that they left the town early after attacking the army trucks. If they had decided to attack the Tatmadaw base, there would have been serious fighting in the town. That would have been terrible,” Sai Oo Kham said.

After the two-hour attack, the TNLA troops withdrew into the town before heading back into the surrounding jungle, pursued by Myanmar army troops.

The Myanmar army recently allowed a unilateral ceasefire it had declared in five military regions, including Shan State, to lapse. An alliance of three ethnic armed groups comprising the TNLA, the Arakan Army and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army announced their own ceasefire effective until the end of the year.

The TNLA has warned that the Tatmadaw’s decision not to extend its ceasefire could result in an escalation in fighting in northern Shan State.

The Myanmar military and members of the Northern Alliance, which includes the three ethnic armed groups plus the Kachin Independence Army, are due to meet for a third time in Kengtung, Shan State this month, though the precise date has yet to be agreed.

The two sides are due to negotiate conditions for the signing of bilateral ceasefire agreements between the members of the Northern Alliance and the Myanmar government. There are many outstanding areas of disagreement that would need to be resolved before any agreements could be signed, however.

South Asia region Al Qaeda chief Asim Omar killed in Afghanistan in US airstrike, like reported by indiatoday.in.

Asim Omar, the leader of Al Qaeda’s South Asian branch, was killed in a US-Afghan joint airstrike in Musa Qala district in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province in September.

Maulana Asim Omar was a resident od Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh in India, and migrated to Pakistan in 1990.

According to a report in the AFP, Asim Omar led Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) from its inception in 2014. He was killed during a raid on September 23.

Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security tweeted, “#NDS can now confirm the death of Asim Omar, leader of #Al_Qaeda in the #Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), in a joint US-Afghan raid on a Taliban compound in Musa Qala district of Helmand province on Sep. 23.”

“Omar, a #Pakistani citizen, was #killed along with six other AQIS members, most of them Pakistani. Among them was Raihan, Omar’s courier to Ayman #Al_Zawahiri. They had been embedded inside the Taliban compound in the #Taliban stronghold of Musa Qala,” the Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security further tweeted.

The raid was part of a lengthy and confusing overnight operation from September 22-23 for which the US provided air support. Authorities said they would investigate reports that 40 civilians, including children, were killed in an air strike during the operation, according to an AFP report.

The NDS said that among the six other AQIS members killed in the raid was a man identified as “Raihan”, a courier for Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

US Forces-Afghanistan declined to comment.

Under a stalled withdrawal plan negotiated between the US and the Taliban, Washington agreed to pull troops from Afghanistan if the insurgents abide by security guarantees and cut all ties with Al Qaeda.