At least four key Taliban commanders were killed in an operation by Afghan commandos in western Herat province on Tuesday, local officials confirmed according to tolonews.com.

The operation was launched in Gozara district of the province and the forces also “seized weapons during the operation,” a spokesman for 207th Zafar Military Corps Abdul Qayoum Nuristani said.

However, he did not provide further details.

The Taliban have not yet commented over the operation.

The sleepy township of Sarangani, long known for farming, fishing and peaceful Muslim migration, has emerged as a global terror passage point, like reported by atimes.com.

At every stroke of midnight, Sarangani township on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao is plunged into darkness until the break of dawn as electricity is cut to save on scarce energy.

Nine hours away by boat from the nearest urban center of General Santos City, few four-wheeled vehicles ply the streets of the township’s fish-producing island, the southernmost tip of Mindanao.

Here, Indonesians have mixed well with Filipinos, with thousands eventually forging intermarriages in an island-to-island migration that has thrived for at least four generations.

It’s now also viewed by Philippine security forces as a stepping stone for global jihadists bent on wreaking havoc on the southern island of Mindanao, where Islamic State-aligned groups are now active.

In search of greener pastures, the first Indonesian migrants crossed the Celebes Sea (known as the Sulawesi Sea by Indonesians) separating the Philippines and Indonesia in the early 1900s.

“In three to four hours by pump boat, we can be at the nearest Indonesian territory,” Cesar Hadir, an Indonesian descendant married to a Filipina on the island’s municipality told Asia Times.

The migratory route was off-the-radar of Philippine security enforcers, which until now allowed Indonesian families to engage in coconut farming and fishing activities on the remote island.

Months ago, however, the Celebes Sea emerged as a vital security flashpoint in the wake of the siege of Marawi City by the Islamic State-linked Maute Group.

Manila and Jakarta have since closely cooperated to intensify security measures in Celebes Sea waters to thwart the possible reinforcement of Indonesian militants with the Maute Group fighting the Philippine military in a battle that has raged for over four months and destroyed most of Marawi, a major Islamic city in the Catholic-dominated nation.

Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Eduardo Año told reporters in June that some 40 foreign Islamic State members, mostly Indonesians, are fighting alongside the Maute Group in Marawi.

The revelation prompted President Rodrigo Duterte, who previously warned that foreign militants often blended in as sheepishly clothed Islamic missionaries, to place all of Mindanao under martial law. Other foreign fighters in the Marawi battle have hailed from Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Pakistan.

Año claims that Islamic State eyes Asia as its next theater of war, with its first gaze set on the Philippines, as the terror organization faces defeat in the Middle East.

Military officials say the Maute Group’s siege of Marawi, joined by forces with the notorious Abu Sayyaf Group, another Islamic State-aligned militant group based in Mindanao, was an attempt to establish an Islamic State “wilayah”, or province, in Southeast Asia.

Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, who carries a US$5 million bounty on his head from the United States and about US$195,000 from the Philippine government, is known to have been designated Islamic State’s ‘emir’ in Southeast Asia.

Sarangani’s backdoor for foreign jihadists is increasingly important for security forces to close. According to the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC), there are two Islamic State-aligned militant groups in Indonesia allegedly aiding their counterparts in Marawi.

IPAC names them as the Jamaah Ansharud Daulah (JAD) and the little-known al-Hawariyun, whose leader, Abu Nusaibah, was arrested in November 2016 for trying to stir violence at mass street protests against Jakarta’s then-governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, also known as Ahok, who was accused and convicted of insulting the Koran.

IPAC claims the two Indonesian jihadist groups sent 20 fighters to Marawi, some travelling by plane and others likely through the Celebes Sea from Kalimantan and Sulawesi, Indonesian provinces that are closest to Sarangani township and General Santos City.

“It is likely that a few have found their way to Marawi,” the 29-page report states, noting that calls for Indonesian militants to go to the Philippines became more explicit in early May, citing a Telegram Messenger intercept that reads:

“If you find it difficult to go to Sham [greater Syria] because of cost and security concerns, why not try the Philippines? Truly, our brothers in the Philippines are awaiting your arrival, why are you so slow in answering their call?”

In December 2015, IPAC cited that a boat hired by a JAD operative from General Santos City smuggled firearms to North Sulawesi, passing through the Celebes Sea.

The entry of Indonesian militants and successful contraband smuggling underscore how accessible Mindanao and Indonesia’s islands are, an issue both Philippine and Indonesian security agencies are now trying to address via new security measures along the decades-old migratory route.

Lieutenant General Rey Leonardo Guerrero, chief of the Philippine military’s Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom), stresses the need to strengthen border security as a proactive measure against terrorists hiding among peaceful migrants into the southern Philippines.

“We need to continuously strengthen the security of our border to prevent terrorists from using it as a mobility corridor,” Guerrero said.

Eastmincom recently renovated a border crossing station on Balut Island, the sleepy commercial center of Sarangani township, which also serves as an inter-agency observatory and monitoring station for both the Philippines and Indonesia on the Celebes Sea.

It was only in 2014 that Manila and Jakarta signed a landmark agreement that established boundaries to their overlapping maritime territories in the Celebes Sea, ending a decades-old dispute.

Both countries have since conducted annual coordinated patrols intended to strengthen security in sea lanes and enhance the inter-operability of the two countries’ maritime operations, a cooperation that has intensified in the wake of the Marawi siege.

The Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, which the Philippine military says also has militant nationals fighting alongside the Maute Group at Marawi, also established the Trilateral Maritime Patrol at the Tarakan Naval Base in North Kalimantan, Indonesia.

The Sulu Sea, which separates the Mindanao Muslim provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi from Malaysia’s Sabah state, has been cited by the military as another possible entry point for pro-Islamic State militants from Malaysia.

The Islamic State-aligned Abu Sayyaf Group, known to finance its operations from kidnapping-for-ransom and piracy activities, has been known to prey on the Sulu Sea to abduct tourists and sailors and disrupt maritime trade.

Hadir, an Indonesian descendant who married a Filipina, says the Indonesians who have settled on the island-municipality of Sarangani are simple farmers and fishermen.

But he and other island residents recognize through a rising security presence that their hometown is now seen as a passage point for Islamic State militants from Indonesia to sneak in and out of Mindanao, and that their once sleepy town will likely never be the same.

Faryab officials said on Tuesday that heavy clashes between security forces and Taliban insurgents have been ongoing in Pashtonkot district of the province since Monday night, like reported by tolonews.com.

The Afghan National Army (ANA) media officer for the north, Nasratullah Jamshidi, said the clash started on Monday night in Sar Hawoz village of Pashtonkot when the Taliban attacked a local police check post.

Two local police soldiers were wounded in the clash, Jamshidi said.

Meanwhile, a source told TOLOnews that a police check post fell to the Taliban in the district but Jamshidi rejected this claim.

In a statement released by the ANA in the north, four Taliban insurgents were also killed in an Afghan airstrike in Bilchiragh district of Faryab province.

Two other Taliban insurgents surrendered to the security forces in Qaisar district of Faryab province. According to the statement, these insurgents also handed over their weapons.

The Taliban has not yet commented.

At least four militants affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group were killed in the latest airstrike on ISIS hideouts in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, like reported by khaama.com.

The provincial government media office in a statement said the latest airstrike was carried out late on Saturday night in Achin district.

The statement further added that a hideout of the terror group as hit in Mamand Dara area of Achin, leaving four of them dead.

Several weapons, ammunition, and explosives belonging to the terror group were also destroyed in the airstrike, the statement added.

According to the provincial government, the local residents and security personnel did not suffer any casualties in the airstrike.

Nangarhar is among the relatively calm provinces in East of Afghanistan but the anti-government armed militants have increased their insurgency activities in some districts of the province during the recent years.

At least eleven militants affiliated with the terror group were killed in the airstrikes of the US forces last week.

The airstrikes were carried out in Achin district on Tuesday targeting the militants in Mamand Dara and Dab village areas of the district.

The British special forces, who left Afghanistan three years ago, are back in southern Helmand province and are working with Afghan security forces to hunt down a Taliban bomb-maker behind roadside blasts in Kabul, The Sun reports.

According to the report, the forces are hunting down the bomb-maker believed to be hiding out in house belonging to Helmand Taliban’s second in command.

This comes after a former senior UK defense commander reportedly told British media last week that the UK had pulled out of Afghanistan too soon, saying they had abandoned local forces before they were ready to cope on their own.

According to The Sun, a special forces source said the Taliban are well-armed and better organized than when UK forces left three years ago.

“The Taliban have an iron grip on Helmand. We rely on electronic intercepts and elements of the Afghan security services who are very good,” he said added that: “In recent operations we have been forced to deploy AC-130 gunships to hit back at the Taliban as we have little else to call on apart from Apache helicopters.”

“The situation here is very challenging. The bad guys have huge influence – all we can do is bounce in and out of the area to capture or kill the targets we are given,” he added.

According to The Sun, almost 600 British troops are on the ground fighting the Taliban in Helmand.

Army thwarted major terror attack on an Army Unit location in Akhnoor town in Jammu District on October 5, as they detected movement of the militants well in time and recovered large quantity of explosives and other material including an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), which the militants had planted near the Unit, reports Daily Excelsior.

Sources said during area sanitization process, Security Forces (SFs) recovered large quantity of explosive material and other items from the spot which included one fully installed IED, two mines, Army combat dresses, identity cards, sharp-edged weapons, sensitive route and other maps and various incriminating stores, which clearly indicated that the militants were planning a terror attack on “sensitive and soft targets” in Akhnoor.  

Immediately after recoveries were made, Army and Police launched massive search operations in Akhnoor town and surroundings including the routes leading to the border with Pakistan to track down the militants responsible for planting the IEDs near the Army Unit. Though searches continued, there were no reports of any arrests. SFs said that alert and vigilant troops of Army observed suspicious movement close to an Army Unit location near Akhnoor market in wee hours of October 5 morning and immediately activated the “response mechanism”, wherein entire area was cordoned off and massive search operation was conducted. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jammu Vivek Gupta said that Police have initiated high mechanism of alert after the reports.  

Reliable sources, however, said since movement of the suspects was observed close to the Army Unit, the possible target of the militants could be the same Unit but in view of high degree of alert being maintained by the troops, the attack was thwarted and militants failed in their nefarious designs. 

Immediately after affecting the recoveries Army and Police teams carried out massive search operations in Akhnoor town including areas leading the border with Pakistan to track down the militants. However, no contact was established with militants or their Over Ground Workers (OGWs). 

Meanwhile, Police foiled a rifle snatching bid by two to three unidentified persons in down town area of Srinagar city in Srinagar District on October 5, reports Daily Excelsior. The youth tried to snatch the Self Loading Rifle (SLR) of a constable Fayaz Ahmad of IRP (Indian Reserve Police) 2nd Battalion outside Jamia Masjid Srinagar at around 4.45 pm. However, he resisted and foiled the attempt. The youth later fled from the spot. Soon after the incident, a joint team of Special Operation Group (SOG), Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) arrived at the spot and started searches to nab the youth who tried to snatch the rifle. 

This is the second incident of its kind in less than 24-hours as some youth snatched a rifle from an IRP constable who was guarding Khankahi Moula shrine in down town on October 4 evening, adds Daily Excelsior.

In response to US senator’s remarks on links between Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) and a number of terrorist groups in the region, the Pakistani military argued that it is the job of intelligence agencies to maintain such connections, like reported by tolonews.com.

However, the Pakistani military rejected support to any terrorist group in the region.

“Please understand, having links, and supporting (armed groups) are two different things,” said Major General Asif Ghafoor, the Pakistani military’s spokesperson, at a press conference in the northern garrison city of Rawalpindi on Thursday.

“Name an intelligence agency of any country that does not have links (to armed groups). Everyone does. If you have the links to finish the threat, then that is a positive contribution,” he said as quoted in a report by Al Jazeera.

The remarks were made in response to Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, who told members of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee during a Congressional hearing this week that Pakistan’s ISI has connections with terrorist groups.

“I think it’s clear to me that the ISI has connections with terrorist groups,” Dunford said.

He was responding to a question from Senator Joe Donnelly.

Donnelly had asked Dunford if he thought the ISI was still helping the Taliban.

Over the past several years, Dunford said, the US has had a bilateral approach to trying to effect a change in Pakistan’s behaviour.

The strong statements on ISI and Pakistan from top officials of the Trump Administration came hours before the Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif landed in Washington on a three-day visit.

Asif is scheduled to meet the Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and the National Security Adviser H R McMaster and address the think-tank community at the US Institute of Peace.

A suicide bombing at a shrine in southwestern Pakistan on Thursday killed six people and left many wounded, a provincial government spokesman said according to reuters.com.

“It was a suicide blast and a police constable was also killed in the blast,” Baluchistan spokesman Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar told Reuters.

He added that the constable was killed while attempting to stop the suicide bomber from entering the shrine.

ISIS militants fleeing from Iraq and Syria create new threat in South-Eastern Asia, Kazakhstan’s Permanent Representative to UN Kairat Umarov said, like reported by akipress.com.

“As well as exiting the current hot-spots where they are losing ground, those Daesh militants who are still alive are also moving their money to other parts of the world, particularly to South-Eastern Asia,” Sputnik reported Chair of the UN Security Council Committee on counter-terrorism Umarov as saying.

“Foreign mercenaries and militants are trying to leave Iraq and Syria as repatriates and emigres, thus creating new threats for the international community,” Umarov said on Wednesday during a meeting of the heads of security services held in the Russia’s southwestern city of Krasnodar.

He further cited the data of the UNSC monitoring group on counter-terrorism, which reveals that Daesh is trying to transfer its financial resources from Syria and Iraq to other regions as they prepare for military defeat in this conflict zone and in hope of continuing their activities in other parts of the world.

The diplomat specifically stressed that large numbers of militants are settling in South-Eastern Asia, paying special attention to this region and stepping up their propaganda efforts there.

The excessive presence of Daesh in Afghanistan and the potential strengthening of its allied forces there, which threaten not only this country but other Central Asian states, is also an issue of special concern, he said.

“The global threat posed by Daesh is changing and is taking new forms,” Umarov concluded.

At least 24 Afghan security forces were killed in the past four days in clashes in central Uruzgan province, local officials confirmed like reported by tolonews.com.

The clashes started four days ago in Chora district of the province, officials said adding that 18 army soldiers and six policemen were killed.

“Nearly 30 Taliban insurgents were also killed in clashes,” officials said adding that “some parts of the district fell to the Taliban but with arrival of reinforcements, we have re-taken the areas.”

However, the officials did not provide more details about the clashes.

The Taliban have confirmed the clash.