A total of 26 militants including seven foreign nationals have been confirmed dead after unmanned planes targeted the positions of Daesh militants in Darzab district of the northern Jawzjan province in Afghanistan on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported provincial police chief, Faqir Mohammad Jawzjani, as saying, according to bernama.com.

“Acting upon intelligence report, the security forces conducted drone strikes against IS (Daesh) rebels in Darzab district early today morning killing 26 fighters including seven foreigners on the spot,” Jawzjani told Xinhua.

Some 20 more insurgents sustained injuries in the raids, the official added.

Without identifying the nationality of the foreign fighters, the official said that foreign nationals from some countries are fighting alongside Daesh insurgents in Darzab district.

However, he said that investigation has been initiated.

Meantime, Afghan defence ministry has confirmed that five Daesh commanders including notorious Raes Ghani and Agha Rahim are also among those killed in the air strikes.

Indonesia’s counter-terrorist police force is to get 600 extra personnel next year to monitor Islamic State networks and head off so-called lone wolf attacks, the chief of police in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country said on Friday, like reported by reuters.com.

Hundreds of investigators and surveillance personnel will join an existing force of about 500 officers at Detachment 88, a police unit tasked with uprooting militant networks and foiling attacks.

“We will do this to monitor terrorist networks more closely since ISIS networks remain in Indonesia and Southeast Asia,” National Police Chief Tito Karnavian told Reuters, referring to Islamic State.

“We will do this to monitor terrorist networks more closely since ISIS networks remain in Indonesia and Southeast Asia,” National Police Chief Tito Karnavian told Reuters, referring to Islamic State.

“It’s more due to increasing ‘lone wolf’ activity and the dynamics of ISIS networks around the world,” he said, when asked if the increase in personnel was in response to a specific threat.

Indonesia has seen a resurgence in homegrown militancy in recent years, largely inspired by Islamic State. Hundreds of Indonesians are believed to have traveled to Syria to join the group, but many have returned as it has lost territory.

Authorities worry militants returning from the Middle East may include battle-hardened fighters who could pass on what they have learned about weapons and attacks.

Karnavian, a former chief of the counter-terrorism unit himself, said the extra personnel will be deployed to certain provinces where “we perceive ISIS networks exist”.

The counter-terrorist force was set up in 2003, after bomb attacks on the holiday island of Bali in 2002 killed more than 200 people.

It was initially trained, funded and equipped by Australia and the United States.

Islamic State-linked militants killed for people in a gun and bomb attack in the heart of the capital, Jakarta, in 2016, but the assault, and a series of others since then, have been poorly planned and executed.

The counter-terrorist unit, known as Densus 88, foiled several attacks and arrested dozens of suspected militants this year.

More than 40 insurgents have been killed during security operations over the past 24 hours in various parts of the country, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said on Friday, like reported by pajhwok.com.

The ground offensives, backed by artillery and air support, were carried out in Nangarhar, Ghazni, Maidan Wardak, Paktika, Kandahar, Uruzgan, Zabul, Farah, Faryab and Helmand provinces, a MoD statement said.

It said two Pakistanis were among 10 militants killed and four others wounded and their weapons destroyed in an operation in Khak-i-Safid district of western Farah province.

Separately, eight Daesh militants were killed in Achin and Deh Bala districts of eastern Nangarhar province and as many Taliban were killed in Helmand’s Marjah, Nad Ali and Greshk districts and two others were killed in Maiwand district of Kandahar province.

Nine Taliban were killed and six others wounded in operations in Alingar district of eastern Laghman province, three were killed in Shah Joy district of Zabul province and one in Qarah Bagh district of Ghazni province and three others were wounded, the statement said.

Three motorcycles and some weapons were also destroyed in these operations, the statement said, but provided no information about casualties among the security forces.

After being routed from Syria and Iraq, the Islamic State (IS) is now attempting to create its presence in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Kashmir, like reported by tribune.com.pk

The first time the black flag of IS was seen in Srinagar was in 2014, after which an inquiry launched by the local police revealed that a local “small-time” cleric was involved in encouraging the waving of this flag at protests, particularly outside the Grand Mosque.

The director general of police has denied the presence of the group in the valley, while the Indian Home Ministry has also denied its presence in IoK. However, despite these recurring denials, the IS are trying to create a base in the region, and there seems to be growing support for the terrorist group, especially amongst the youth. The security agencies have noticed some youths engaging in internet chats and establishing contacts with possible handlers in Syria and Iraq.

However, what is disquieting is that a certain fundamentalism is slowly taking root in the valley. Kashmir has always been known as the seat of Sufism, as it had spread a pluralistic culture in IoK by spreading the message of interfaith harmony through love and brotherhood. Sadly, this is all changing. With the spread of Wahhabism, many terrorist groups have also embraced this ideology, seen when a suicide bomber detonated his vest at a famous Sufi shrine in Pakistan. The IS appear to be pursuing a nefarious game plan to turn the Muslim-majority IoK into a caliphate. Moreover, the IS ideology of establishing a caliphate has now metastasised beyond the shores of Iraq and Syria.

There is no denying that a certain section of youth in Kashmir has been attracted to fundamentalist groups, as more and more youth have either joined such groups or are contemplating to join them, defying the sane voices in the family. In fact, the death of Burhan Wani has been the turning point in the movement, as more people are now taking up arms. IoK has witnessed unprecedented unrest since his death, with more than 300 people alone injured in the clashes that erupted after Wani’s death.

Zakir Rashid Bhat, a local commander of Hizbul Mujahideen who took over the leadership after Wani’s death, is ascribing to practices quite similar to that of the IS. He threatened to behead Hurriyat leaders for terming the Kashmir conflict a political one instead of a religious one, and also warned them to not become a thorn in the imposition of Shariah. Hizbul Mujahideen disassociated itself from the statement after his threatening message, leading Bhat to quit the organisation and start a new group.

The IS have openly advocated eliminating all traces of Sufism, as they label Sufis as heretics. Despite this, the youth has been misled in supporting their unsubstantiated narrative for establishing a caliphate in the valley. The appeal of this ideology is motivating them to sacrifice their lives, perhaps because they are seeing the IS as their saviour, and would prefer to join them in an effort to secure independence.

Another interesting development is that people pledging allegiance to the IS have been asked not to raise pro-Pakistan slogans, as they consider their fight to be apolitical, and want to establish a caliphate in the valley. Recently, two masked gunmen appeared at the grave of a member of Hizbul Mujahideen, and asked the gathering to not only follow the rules and ideology of the IS, but also to stop supporting Pakistan.

Syed Salahuddin, the supreme commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen who has a big following in IoK, has categorically said that their freedom movement is indigenous and has no global agenda. He has also reiterated that the Kashmiri freedom movement has no international agenda, thus precluding the rule of any global organisation, including the IS.

Unnerved by a rise in stone pelting against them, the Indian forces resorted to firing of pellets which received severe backlash as it resulted in impairment of one or both eyes of over 1,000 Kashmiri people, including children, inviting international condemnation.

The government of India is aware that the Kashmir issue cannot be solved by brute force alone, and needs a political solution. It had recently appointed Dineshwar Sharma as an interlocutor to visit all major cities and towns and meet a cross-section of people to understand their problems and submit a report to the Indian government. They are also examining ways to end the unrest, and exploring a political solution that is acceptable to all in order resolve the problem. However, the separatists refused to meet, as they said no solution is possible without involving all parties, including Pakistan.

The Kashmir issue defies any political solution in the absence of a unified leadership in Kashmir. The separatists, who once had total control, are losing to people like Bhat who are now enjoying the support of the locals.  There are far too many players involved in order to peacefully reach a settlement. Unfortunately, the local elected representatives have also been marginalised, as they are in no position to facilitate a dialogue between the interlocutor and the locals to understand their grievances and look for ways to resolve them.

There is no denying that the Kashmiri people in the valley feel alienated, with both the central and state governments unable to solve the problem. In this state of flux, there is no immediate hope for finding a solution acceptable to all. It is unlikely that both India and Pakistan will agree to an independent Kashmir, mainly because of its geopolitical significance. It is, therefore, advisable to revisit Pakistan’s former President General Pervez Musharraf’s four-point formula on Kashmir which calls for,

– Demilitarisation or phased withdrawal of troops,

– No change in borders of Kashmir, however, allowing people free ingress and egress across the Line of Control,

– Self-governance without independence,

– A joint supervision mechanism involving India, Pakistan and Kashmir.

Both India and Pakistan should adopt a flexible approach to solve this vexed problem left by their historical legacy. If they continue with their ostrich-like approach, there is a great danger of the IS successfully setting up base in Kashmir and furthering the already volatile situation in Kashmir, just as they did in Syria and Iraq, where millions of innocent lives were snuffed out by the terrorists.

It is in the interest of both countries to not allow Kashmir to go in the same route as Iraq and Syria, and not let terrorist organisations like the IS take over in lieu of finding a solution to the Kashmir issue.

The Ministry of Defense of Afghanistan claims that nearly fifty militants affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group have been killed in the latest operations of the Afghan national defense and security forces, like reported by khaama.com.

The ministry of defense in a statement said Wednesday that ISIS militants suffered the casualties in a series of airstrikes conducted in Achin district.

The statement further added that three depots of ammunition, explosives, and weapons of the terror group were also destroyed in the raids.

According to the defense ministry, the airstrikes also resulted into the elimination of a safe haven of the terror group in this province.

The anti-government armed militant groups including the ISIS insurgents have not commented regarding the report so far.

Nangarhar is among the relatively calm provinces in East of Afghanistan but the security situation of the province has started to deteriorate during the recent years.

The provincial government said Tuesday at least 15 ISIS militants were killed in the latest drone strike of the US forces in this province.

The provincial government media office in a statement said the latest airstrike was carried out Bandar area of Achin district.

The statement further added that fifteen ISIS militants were killed and their weapons, ammunition, and explosives cache was destroyed in the air raid.

The government of India is mulling to buy more Mi-35 gunship helicopters for the Afghan Air Force in a bid to bolster the fighting the capability of the Afghan national defense and security forces, it has been reported according to khaama.com.

The proposal comes after a request from the Ghani government, including during a visit to Delhi by Afghanistan’s National Security Advisor Hanif Atmar in October, and follows several visits to Moscow by Indian officials to discuss the logistics, according to a local news outlet, The Hindu.

An Indian Defence Ministry team is also expected to travel to an East European country, possibly Serbia or Ukraine, that still operate Soviet-era aircraft, and an Afghan defence team is expected in Delhi “shortly” to follow up on the discussions, a diplomat told the paper.

The Afghan officials have not formally commented in this regard so far but Kabul has long been urging New Delhi to provide support to the Afghan security force as the country has invested billions of Dollars in reconstruction so far.

The new reports regarding New Delhi’s intention to buy gunship helicopters for the Afghan forces emerge as the United States Department of Defense, Pentagon, earlier said the United States welcome additional support by the Indian government to Afghanistan, noting the country’s contribution to the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

In its latest report, Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan, Pentagon said Pentagon called India as Afghanistan’s most reliable regional partner and the largest contributor of development assistance in the region.

The report further adds that this assistance includes civil development projects such as the Afghanistan-India Friendship Dam and the Afghan parliament building.

According to Pentagon, India provides significant training opportunities for Afghan officers and enlisted personnel and has frequently offered to increase its burden sharing for Afghanistan. Approximately 130 Afghans travel to India each year to attend various military academy and commissioning programs.

The Russian military has deployed heavy military equipment along the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan apparently to prevent the threats posed by the terror groups to the Central Asian countries, it has been reported according to khaama.com.

Chief of the Main Directorate of the International Military Cooperation at the Russian Defense Ministry, Maj. Gen. Aleksandr Kshimovsky on Tuesday informed regarding the deployment of the military equipment in support of the Tajikistan border forces.

He told the RT TV that the armaments will make it possible to expand the capabilities of Tajikistan’s armed forces “to repel the terrorist threat and create an effective barrier along the Tajik-Afghan border.”

He said Russia delivered T-72B1 tanks, BTR-80 and BTR-70 armored personnel carriers, BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters, D-30 howitzers, anti-aircraft mounts, surveying equipment, communications equipment and logistics property.

This comes as Russia has long been expressing concerns regarding the deteriorating security situation in northern parts of Afghanistan.

The country is mainly concerned regarding the attempts being made by the ISIS terrorist group loyalists to expand their foothold in northern parts of Afghanistan.

Earlier, reports emerged suggesting that some foreign militants belonging to the ISIS terrorist group have migrated from Syria and Iraq after they were hardly suppressed during the military operations.

With the demise of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and the fall of Marawi in the Philippines, how will Malaysia handle the prospect of returning fighters, like reported by globalriskinsights.com?

Malaysia’s Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed recently expressed concerns over the threat of returning militants from the Middle East and the Philippines. The fall of Marawi, following the deaths of the insurgency’s two most senior commanders, came days after the Syrian city of Raqqa was recaptured by a US-backed coalition of Arab and Kurdish fighters.

Several hundred Malaysians have travelled to the Islamic State since 2013. In a new development, around thirty joined forces with the pro-IS Maute group in Marawi earlier this year. This article examines Malaysia’s capacity to handle the return of some of its fighters. Although coordinated IS-led attacks remain unlikely, the government will take a tough stance in order to mitigate the threat of localised terror cells and ‘lone wolf’ violence.

Will Malaysia be targeted?

The almost simultaneous losses of Raqqa and Marawi, cities of similar size, will force IS to shift to more guerrilla-based tactics. Aside from significant loss of manpower, Raqqa’s loss will yield a mass of information about IS’ strategies and personnel. IS’ de facto capital, Raqqa had generated millions of dollars in oil revenues annually; consequently, funding for its Southeast Asian operatives will be drastically cut. There is always the possibility that wealthy Arab donors will re-inject ISIS with cash. According to one estimate, $40 million was raised this way over the past two years. If so, IS will be able to regroup, re-arm and re-strategise.

IS’ Malaysia operations suffered a heavy blow this year with the death of ‘Malaysia leader’ Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi, in Syria, at the hands of a drone strike. Wanndy was a commander of Khatibah Nusantara, the joint Indonesian-Malaysian wing of IS. He had threatened to ‘wreak havoc’ in Malaysia, despite frustrating his superiors for failing to do so. Bahrun Naim, the man behind the 2016 Jakarta attack, has allegedly taken Wanndy’s place, and will be looking to fulfil Wanndy’s failed mission objective. The time to attack is ripe, given Malaysia’s approaching elections, which will provide a useful government distraction.

After the death of Filipino Isnilon Hapilon, leader of the regional militant organisation Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and IS’ apparent ‘emir’ in Southeast Asia, several Malaysians had been rumoured to assume his title. They were Mohammad Amin Baco, Muhammad Joraimee Awang Raimee and Mahmud Ahmad. Baco and Raimee are skilled in bomb-making and experienced in combat, with Baco heading one of three IS Philippines divisions, Jund al-Tawhid. Meanwhile, Ahmad, a 38-year-old former Islamic Studies lecturer from Universiti Malaya, on Malaysia’s most-wanted list since 2014, adept at fundraising and well-connected, had acted as chief recruiter for the Marawi siege.

However, evidence suggests that chauvinist attitudes are likely to prevent these Malaysians from becoming regional leader. Instead, a Filipino is preferred for the post, with ASG cell leader Furuji Indama the most likely candidate. Indama led a bloody conflict with ASG last year in the Basilan jungle; the Philippines will likely continue to provide his primary battleground. Moreover, regional militant groups like the pro-IS Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) have generally been less successful infiltrating Malaysia. Militants have poor military capability and lack of support among local people in Sabah

A new generation

Regardless of whether Malaysia is an official ‘target’, returning fighters will inspire a new wave of young and impressionable recruits and provide the foundation for a new network of terror cells. Successful returnees will be battle-hardened, with military training and deep knowledge of IS’ tactical operations.

While the known militant groups in Malaysia are now defunct, pro-IS sleeper cells remain a threat, particularly in Sabah (although past reports have been unsubstantiated). Counterterrorism units will face challenges in locating these cells. Verifying their existence is problematic given the growing problem of distinguishing between actual accounts and ‘fake news’ on social media

Fighters who slip through the security net carry the latent threat of ‘lone wolf’ and suicide attacks. For security authorities, single figures are much harder to track, thus thwart. Admittedly, lone wolves are usually frustrated amateurs who have not been able to join up with their comrades in Iraq and Syria. But last year’s grenade attack in Kuala Lumpur, organised by Muhammad Wanndy, was also relatively minimal and poorly planned. Nevertheless, one successful attack in the capital or another tourist hotspot risks mass casualties.

Malaysia’s response

Malaysian security officials will not be complacent. Along with Indonesia and the Philippines, Malaysia is already making sustained efforts to increase border security in the porous Sulu region, Malaysia’s long-time Achilles heel. Other border areas need tightening, like the Sungai Golok which separates the southern Thailand province of Narathiwat from Kelantan, north Malaysia. In the past, this area has been exploited by pro-IS weapons-smuggling groups.

Generally, there is a strong likelihood that returning fighters will be caught and detained under relevant laws, as over 260 have been since 2013. The police’s special branch anti-terrorism unit closely tracks national terror suspects, and collaborates with other regional and global agencies. Safe in this knowledge, Malaysian fighters will not likely seek to return home in vast numbers. Most will stay on and continue to fight, or join other countries struggling with Islamic insurgencies like Myanmar or Thailand. Unlike Malaysia, many other places will also provide these fighters with refuge.

In July this year, thousands of undocumented migrant workers were arrested, in one of Malaysia’s biggest crackdowns in years. That month also witnessed ‘Operation Joker’, in which 400 terror suspects were arrested and their backgrounds checked against Special Branch’s Lookup database and Interpol’s Foreign Terrorist Fighter Database. More operations on this scale, across major towns and cities, are likely in the future. Despite Malaysia’s stringent enforcement of immigrant background checks, one key weak link is the use of sophisticated fake identity cards by terrorists.

Successful security efforts – so far

Although deemed excessive by opposition and human rights groups, thus far these efforts have prevented a major attack on Malaysian soil. Since April 2014, counterterrorism units have successfully disbanded the majority of Khatibah Nusantara’s Kuala Lumpur cell. Special Branch Counterterrorism Division Head, Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, is consequently wanted dead by IS central command; an important obstacle to a successful Malaysia attack.

Measures have been taken to starve the terrorists’ funding networks, through the closure of informal remittance channels, although risks from money laundering remain. More also needs to be done on social media, which continues to undermine central intelligence efforts. Although authorities have terminated a number of pro-IS websites, digital recruitment via Twitter and Whatsapp remains a large threat. Authorities the world over have faced resistance from Whatsapp in getting past its encrypted messaging service.

Despite IS’ limited success in Malaysia and the robust capabilities of national counterterrorism forces, the country remains vulnerable to an attack. Although it remains unlikely that IS will attack Malaysia in the near future, the threats from lone wolf attacks and digital recruitment will keep counterterrorism authorities busy. Overall, despite attracting criticism, Malaysia’s efforts have achieved their purpose. But the next 6-12 months will certainly test this theory.

At least nine ISIS militants were killed or wounded during the latest operations of the Afghan forces in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, like reported by khaama.com.

The provincial government media office in a statement said at least four ISIS militants were killed and five others were wounded during the operations in Khogyani district.

The statement further added that the militants were killed as part of the ongoing Silab-4 and 9 operations in this province.

According to the Nangarhar government, at least four villages have been cleared from the presence of the IS militants in Khoza Khel and Peera Khel areas of the district.

The anti-government armed militant groups including the ISIS militants have not commented regarding the report so far.

This comes as the Nangarhar government said Sunday at least fourteen militants affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group were killed or wounded during the latest operations in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

The provincial government media office in a statement said the Afghan security forces conducted counter-terrorism operations against the terror group in Khogyani and Haska Mina districts in the past 24 hours.

The statement further added that the operations were conducted with the air support and as a result at least nine IS militants were killed and five others were wounded.

At least seven of the militants were killed in Khogyani district and five others were wounded while two others were killed in Haska Mina district.