A day after a lethal Taliban assault on an Army base in northern Afghanistan, an official said on Saturday that at least 140 soldiers had been killed, making it the single deadliest known attack on an Afghan military base in the course of the long war, like reported by nytimes.com.

“Today, there was even a shortage of coffins,” said the official, Ibrahim Khairandish, a member of the provincial council in Balkh Province, where the attack occurred. Citing information from army officials, Mr. Khairandish said 60 soldiers had also been wounded in the attack.

The soldiers, most of them unarmed, were gunned down while eating lunch or emerging from Friday Prayer at the headquarters of the Afghan Army’s 209th Corps in Balkh by assailants in military uniforms who entered after another attacker had detonated explosives at a check post. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the assault.

“Most of those killed were in the mosque; some of them were in the dining facility,” Mr. Khairandish said.

Details were still emerging on Saturday, but other officials said the death toll had been staggeringly high. Another Balkh official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the news media, said 137 soldiers had been killed. A Western military official in Kabul, who insisted on anonymity because of a policy against commenting on Afghan security forces’ casualty figures, put the death toll at more than 100.

Gen. Dawlat Waziri, a spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defense, said on Saturday that “more than a hundred soldiers were killed and wounded” in the attack, but he declined to discuss precise numbers.

“In continuing with their barbarism and criminality, the Taliban carried out a group attack in the 209th Corps mosque when our soldiers were standing for group prayers. This was against all human and Islamic values,” General Waziri said.

President Ashraf Ghani arrived in Balkh Province on Saturday to visit the Army base.

The Taliban released the names and a picture of 10 men who they said had taken part in the assault. All were dressed in Afghan military uniforms, down to helmets and kneepads. A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the assailants had been led by four soldiers in the base who had long been working for the militants.

The attack came weeks after militants entered the Afghan Army’s main hospital in Kabul, the capital, and killed more than 50 people in a siege that lasted nearly seven hours. The Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, claimed responsibility for that assault. In that attack, security officials said, the militants also had inside help.

While ISIS has been getting attention in recent days because of the American military’s use of its largest conventional bomb against an Islamic State cave complex in eastern Afghanistan, the Taliban remain the biggest security threat to the country. The latter group has expanded its territory over the past couple years and threatens several cities.

Such a major security breach in Balkh, even before the start of the insurgents’ spring offensive, is a major concern to Afghan forces who are already struggling in the fight against the Taliban.

In 2016, more than 6,700 Afghan forces were killed in battle. The repeated ability of a few militants to cause tremendous bloodshed in highly secure areas was an especially troubling sign.

Heavy gun battle followed by an explosion is underway in the vicinity of 209^th Shaheen Corps of the Afghan National Army (ANA) forces in northern Balkh province, like reported by khaama.com .

According to reports, the incident took place in Mazar-e-Sharif city, the provincial capital of northern Balkh province at around 1:30 pm local time.

There are no reports regarding the casualties and the type of the explosion so far.

Preliminary reports indicate at least one person has been killed and around 30 others have been wounded in the attack.

The local government and security officials have not commented regarding the incident so far and no group has yet claimed responsibility behind the attack.

The Abu Sayaff Group bids to extend its kidnapping-for-ransom racket into new central region tourist areas outside of its usual southern stronghold

Abu Sayyaf Group, the Philippines most lethal and disruptive terror organization, is expanding its reach across the island nation, like reported by atimes.com . The expansion comes in apparent response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s military drive to eliminate the group entirely within this year.

It’s an increasingly important government imperative since ASG openly affiliated with Islamic State, raising the prospect the Islamist group could shelter and support fighters fleeing or returning from the battlefields of Iraq and Syria. ASG finances itself through kidnapping-for-ransom activities that have often targeted Western nationals. 

Duterte has sought public support for both his peace initiatives and counterinsurgency campaigns to prevent ISIS from joining forces with local Islamist groups, many of which have fought against Manila for decades. Dozens of small armed groups have recently declared their allegiance to ISIS’ global jihadist cause.

Earlier this month, the Philippine defense establishment was caught off-guard when for the first time in ASG’s history it’s fighters launched a week-long surprise attack in the central Philippines – an upward migration to a traditionally peaceful region outside of the group’s volatile and wild southernmost stronghold in the Sulu peninsula.

Security officials reported that around 11 heavily armed ASG members sailed from Sulu and landed in the early dawn on the central island of Bohol in apparent search for possible kidnapping targets. The central island region, including Bohol and Cebu provinces, is home to several sites and destinations popular with foreign tourists.

A week before ASG’s attack, the US embassy in Manila had warned its nationals to in the region be vigilant when traveling in the central region due to heightened risks of possible ASG kidnapping activities in Cebu and Bohol. The Australian foreign ministry also recently released a travel advisory on the rising risks to its nationals in the Philippines.

Renowned for its kidnapping-for-ransom activities, and more recently piracy in the Sulu Sea, ASG’s head-on attack with government forces was staged well outside its traditional areas of operation. The gun battle reportedly killed six ASG fighters and four government soldiers near the once peaceful village of Napo Bohol’s Inabanga town.

The fighting displaced around 3,200 villagers who fled their home to avoid being caught in the crossfire. Many have stayed in evacuation centers due to fears of possible indiscriminate ASG reprisals.

Those fears seem justified. ASG sub-leader Muammar Askali, also known as Abu Rami, the son of a police officer who was previously a teacher in Sulu, was shot and killed in the firefight. Rami was believed to be responsible for beheading kidnapped Western tourists whose relatives failed or refused to pay ransom money for their release. 

He is held responsible for the kidnapping of two Canadians, a Norwegian and a Filipina on Davao City’s Samal Island in September 2015. Rami’s group later beheaded Canadians Robert Hall and John Ridsdel when ransom negotiations failed. Norwegian Kjartan Serkingstad and Filipina Maritess Flor were freed after a huge ransom was paid to Rami’s group.

While Rami’s death has been trumpeted by security forces as a win in the fight against terrorism, some Sulu residents will view his demise with a measure of remorse. The Philippine Inquirer, a local English newspaper, quoted a local source saying that Rami had used some of his ransom money to feed impoverished communities where he resided.

Rami was reportedly being groomed to eventually take-over ASG’s leadership, which could explain his daring maneuver to expand the group’s franchise to Bohol.

Government sources say that Rami’s group had collected at least US$12 million since it accelerated and expanded its kidnap-for-ransom activities beginning in 2012. Those funds have reportedly afforded ASG’s leaders and top operatives increasingly luxurious lifestyles in one of the sprawling country’s most impoverished regions.

Philippine defense officials claim to have killed 116 ‘terrorists’ in the country’s restive southern regions since Duterte handed down last year a June 2017 deadline to eradicate ASG. His government has deployed 10,000 battle-tested soldiers to Basilan and Sulu in pursuit of that still elusive goal. 

Indeed, ASG’s apparent recent expansion to the central Philippines has sent a dangerously different message that, rather than being contained, the terror group is instead expanding its kidnapping-for-ransom franchise into new regions popular with Western tourists and retirees.

Last week, 11 alleged ASG members surrendered to security officials in the southernmost province of Tawi-Tawi after government forces overran their remote secret hideouts. Tawi-Tawi’s southernmost town is situated just 30 kilometers from Malaysia in a maritime region that has recently become a globally recognized piracy hotspot.

But while government forces claim certain successes in known ASG-infested areas, it’s increasingly unclear where the shadowy terror group might strike next.

An estimated 300 U.S. Marines are heading to a Taliban stronghold in the southern Afghanistan province of Helmand, one of the deadliest regions of the ongoing war for coalition forces located along the Pakistan border, reports Marine Corps Times.

The American troops are expected to reach their destination — where the Taliban has largely reversed previous U.S./NATO coalition gains — by the end of this month. Nearly all of Helmand has once again fallen under the control of the Taliban. Helmand sits next to Kandahar province, widely known as the birthplace of the Taliban.

The 300 additional Marines, with the appropriate support, “can absolutely make a difference in Helmand province,” retired Gen. David Petraeus, who served as the top commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan between 2010 to 2011, told Marine Corps Times.

He added that the Marines’ advise-and-assist mission could provide the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) “the support they need to reverse the momentum of the Taliban in that important province that sits astride the critical ‘Ring Road’ that connects the southern and western parts of the country to Kabul.”

The ANDSF includes police and army units.

Marine Corps Times reports:

The deployment of Marines from the II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, will be the largest Marine deployment to Afghanistan since 2014, when the U.S. military’s combat mission known as Operation Enduring Freedom officially ended.

By the end of April, the Marines will be in Helmand province as Task Force Southwest, replacing the Army’s Task Force Forge. During their nine months in Helmand, the Marines will train the Afghan National Army’s 215th Corps and the 505th Zone National Police in marksmanship, indirect fire and small-unit tactics and other skills, Marine Corps officials said.

According to various assessments, the Taliban controls more territory now than during any time since U.S./NATO troops removed the jihadist group from power in 2001.

Long War Journal recently reported that the terrorist group controls (7) or contests (6) nearly all of the 14 districts in Helmand.

The United States military has long considered Helmand to be a major Taliban stronghold.

“Helmand province is becoming increasingly dangerous for U.S. troops. In March, three American soldiers were shot at an Afghan military base in an apparent insider attack and in February, a Special Forces soldier was severely wounded in Sangin,” notes Marine Corps Times.

Although the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) has established a presence in the Afghanistan region, the Taliban remains the strongest jihadist group there. The two groups have fought one another for turf, influence, and recruits.

However, some Afghan officials and the U.S. military believe they have also worked together.

Former President Barack Obama reportedly approved the deployment of the 300 Marines before leaving office.

In the year after the former commander-in-chief declared an end to the U.S. combat mission and withdrew most American troops from the war-devastated country, the State Department deemed Taliban jihadists the world’s chief perpetrators of terrorism in 2015, with 1,093 individual attacks.

“Make no mistake, though we are no longer in a combat role in Afghanistan, it is still a combat environment,” Col. Matthew Reid, deputy task force commander, told Marine Corps Times in January. “As Marines, we train and deploy with a combat mindset.”

This year, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A) revealed that the American-backed Afghan government had lost control of nearly half (43 percent) of the country, primarily to the Taliban.

The rest of the country was either contested or under the control/influence of terrorists.

Nevertheless, U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster sounded optimistic over the weekend that U.S.-backed forces will defeat the Taliban.

He told TOLO News during his first trip to Afghanistan:

The Taliban must be defeated as well. They can be defeated in a number of ways. For those that are reconcilable, who are now willing to join their Afghan brothers to strengthen the Afghan state, to end the violence, to be part of the political process, I think your president and the chief executive officer they will welcome them back in. So it is their choice now.

The Taliban has refused to participate in peace negotiations with the Afghan government, saying they have no reason to engage in talks because they are winning the war.

American Gen. John Nicholson, the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said late last year that the Taliban generates nearly 60 percent of its funding from trafficking opium primarily cultivated in Helmand.

In its most recent assessment, the United Nations reported that Helmand remains the top opium-producing province in Afghanistan.

The war-ravaged country is the world’s top supplier of opium and its heroin derivative.

A local leader of the Taliban group was killed in an ambush of the Afghan National Police (ANP) forces in eastern Nuristan province, like reported by khaama.com .

According to the local government officials, the Taliban insurgents were ambushed late on Monday afternoon in the vicinity of Wanat Waigal district.

Provincial governor Hafiz Abdul Qayum confirmed the ambush against the Taliban insurgents and said a local leader of the group was killed.

He said another two Taliban insurgents who were accompanying the Taliban leader were also wounded in the ambush.

Qayum further added that the Taliban insurgents managed to take away the two wounded militants but their leader’s body was left behind.

The Taliban insurgents group has not commented regarding the report so far.

Nuristan is among the relatively volatile provinces in eastern Afghanistan where anti-government armed militants are actively operating in a number of its remote districts and often carry out insurgency activities.

Insurgents belonging to Taliban group as well as foreign militants are operating in this province which is located along the Durand Line bordering the tribal regions of Pakistan.

Russian authorities recently revealed that the suspected suicide bomber who attacked the metro in St. Petersburg was a Kyrgyz citizen born in Russia. This attack followed another that had targeted Reina nightclub in Istanbul on New Year’s Eve. That attack was executed by a Uighur from China who came to Turkey from Kyrgyzstan, like reported by aawsat.com .

These two attacks shed light on the complicated dynamic of recruiting extremists in Kyrgyzstan and other central Asian countries and Russia’s efforts to alleviate terrorist threats by facilitating the travel of local extremists to Syria.

Earlier this month, a Kyrgyz citizen, who was born in Russia, blew himself up in St. Petersburg’s metro station, killing 13 people. A few days later, Russian police dismantled a bomb found in an apartment in the same city.

The St. Petersburg attack was a reminder that terror threats are still a cause for concern for the Russian leadership and community, Russia expert Max Sokov told Asharq Al-Awsat. This was the first time terrorism hit the northern capital of Russia even though two dangerous attacks were thwarted in November of last year and February earlier this year.

According to a report published by The Diplomat Magazine, over 350 Kyrgyz citizens, including around 80 women, went to Syria. Another report prepared by Radio Liberty Europe said the vast majority of Kyrgyz citizens, who left to fight with ISIS in Syria, are from the southern parts of the country.

Over 2,000-4,000 people from Central Asia, including Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Tajiks, Turkmen and Uighurs, have joined ISIS’s ranks. According to Sokov, the longest land border in the world is that separating Russia and Kazakhstan. Infiltrations across that border have increased, which has allowed different groups coming from “deep inside” Central Asia, such as Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, to move with relative freedom.

ISIS members hailing from central Asian countries have remarkably increased, especially in the past two years. Yet, it seems that ISIS does not consider Central Asia an important center for recruitment, like Europe and Tunisia.

For Central Asia’s residents, joining radical groups can be triggered by many factors, such as the failure of public institutions, level of education, poverty and wealth, the growing use of social media and the lack of opportunities for youth.

The Diplomat divided ISIS’s militants into different categories. The first includes citizens opposing their countries’ regime and politicians. They are not necessarily poor, but they dream of political and social changes in their countries. Driven by depression and disappointment, they decided to fight in Syria to feel that they are part of an important cause and to feel that they are heroes in an ideal battle for change. Some of them believe that they are fighting for freedom against an oppressive regime, while others think that the secular political regime has failed in providing them with a dignified life and that only an Islamic state can improve their future.

The second category is composed of people who have been oppressed or are escaping oppression. “Authorities in countries like Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are oppressive and do not allow the existence of an opposition. Some of this category’s members, particularly those who ran away from oppression, consider regions controlled by ISIS as a safe haven,” continued The Diplomat.

The third category includes those who are looking for a better life. They are often lured by false promises that include money and new job opportunities. ISIS has promised many of them high salaries that may reach $5,000 and $10,000, which are a fortune in this region. But, eventually, they discover that these promises are false.

Sokov said evidence in the St. Petersburg attack points to the involvement of al-Nusra Front and members from Central Asia. It turned out that the suspect came from the Osh region in Kyrgyzstan where people from the Uzbek ethnicity live. Sokov noted that Central Asian and Caucasus citizens who have joined terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq are a concern to Moscow and the Central Asian authorities.

The Diplomat mentioned that terrorist groups tend to recruit central Asian members living in Russia. Those migrants often work in low-paying jobs or suffer from unemployment, which isolates them.

Amid these circumstances, some fall under the influence of Chechens, who recruit extremists at mosques, and end up traveling to Syria through Moscow, Grozny or Turkey.

The fourth category of ISIS militants is composed of people who come from religious backgrounds or are very interested in Islam, said The Diplomat. Religious knowledge in Central Asian countries is generally low, which makes members practicing Islam an easy target for recruiters, who convince them that ISIS will unify all Muslims and save them.

The last category includes girls and young women, who believe false promises of love and marriage. They are often lured through social media.

According to an article published by Reuters in 2016, Russian authorities worked on easing the threat of extremists by providing direct or indirect help for would-be militants wanting to head to Syria. Moscow sought to eliminate the threat of local terrorist attacks and therefore, intelligence and police officials overlooked or even facilitated the departure of militants to Syria. According to Reuters, this plan persisted up until at least the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games and it was even heightened out of fear that the extremists would carry out attacks at the sports event.

Two suicide bombers and a Vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) were eliminated in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, like reported by khaama.com.

The provincial police commandment said the suicide bombers were looking to target the police commandment of Achin district.

The suicide bombers and the VBIED were eliminated in an airstrike conducted by the US forces based in Afghanistan, the police commandment said.

It also added that the local residents and security personnel did not suffer any casualties in the airstrike.

Nangarhar is among the relatively calm provinces in eastern Afghanistan but the anti-government armed militant groups have recently increased their insurgency activities in some parts of the province during the recent years.

This comes as the Afghan forces conducted counter-terrorism operations in the restive districts of Nangarhar under the Hamza operations launched nearly two weeks ago.

The United States on Thursday launched a major airstrike against the terror group using the Mother of All Bombs, GBU-43 bomb to destroy the tunnels network and other hideouts of the terror group in Achin district.

The provincial government said Saturday that 94 ISIS militants including four leaders of the terror group were killed in the airstrike and no casualties were incurred to the local residents.

Pakistan says security forces have foiled a ‘major terrorist attack’ on minority Christians on Easter Sunday by killing a militant and detaining his associate in Lahore, like reported by livemint.com

Pakistan’s military says security forces foiled a “major terrorist attack” on minority Christians when they killed a militant and detained his associate in the eastern city of Lahore.

In a statement, the military said Saturday four soldiers were wounded in an overnight raid.

It was unclear which militant group wanted to target Easter Sunday in Lahore, where more than 70 people were killed in a 2016 suicide bombing at a park, which was crowded with Christians and Muslims at the time.

The latest raid came hours after Christians celebrated Good Friday by worshipping at city churches.

Security forces in recent months have stepped up operations against militants but Friday’s raid and shootout came as Christians prepared to celebrate the day followers believe Jesus was resurrected from the dead

Three soldiers of Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) lost their lives in an exchange of fire with Islamic militants in Dera Ghazi Khan on Friday morning, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said according to dawn.com .

ISPR said “9-10 hardcore terrorists” affiliated with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed during the joint security operation launched by Rangers, intelligence agencies and Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel near Choti Zareen area of Punjab’s Dera Ghazi Khan district.

The suspected militants and their facilitators were holed up in a hideout in Basti Dadwani near Choti Zareen, 15 kilometres south of DG Khan when the raid was launched.

The ensuing exchange of fire killed at least nine militants including Muhammad Asghar Dadwani alias Ustad Gorchani and Muhammad Naeem alias Waqas Dadwani, ISPR said.

The Punjab Rangers personnel slain in the shootout were identified as Havaldar Asif, Sepoy Aftab and Sepoy Azizullah.

Two soldiers who sustained injuries were airlifted to Combined Military Hospital Multan by an army helicopter.

“The operation is still continuing to flush the area of terrorists who were involved in heinous crimes, ransom and terrorist activities,” the military’s media wing said.

The raid is a part of ongoing Operation Raddul Fasaad, which the army launched in February following a spate of terror attacks in the country, which claimed more than a hundred lives and left hundreds others injured.

The operation seeks to eliminate the “residual/latent threat of terrorism”, consolidating the gains made in other military operations, and further ensuring the security of Pakistan’s borders.

Hundreds of suspected terrorists have reportedly either been killed or arrested in raids carried out by security personnel since the start of the operation.

While al Qaeda’s affiliates in North Africa, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen continue to grab headlines, the terrorist network has surreptitiously expanded eastward, entrenching itself throughout the Indian subcontinent, like reported by thecipherbrief.com.

“Al Qaeda’s reach in South Asia is deeper than what not only the news headlines, but also the U.S. government, may suggest,” explains Michael Kugelman, Asia Program Deputy Director and Senior Associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Center. “Institutionally, al Qaeda’s influence in the Indian Subcontinent is embodied by Al Qaeda in the India Subcontinent (AQIS) – a regional faction of al Qaeda with a presence in multiple South Asian countries,” says Kugelman.

Al Qaeda in the India Subcontinent was officially born in September 2014 when al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri released a video announcing the creation of an al Qaeda affiliate spanning Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. Zawahari said the objective of AQIS is to “raise the flag of jihad, return the Islamic rule, and empowering the Shariah of Allah across the Indian subcontinent.”  Zawahiri also appointed Asim Umar, a former commander in the Pakistani Taliban, as AQIS’ leader.

According to Kevin Hulbert, Cipher Brief Network Expert and former CIA Chief of Station, the formation of an AQIS branch sets off alarms for the U.S. Intelligence Community.

“Any effort to unite and direct jihadist elements operating across several countries is always problematic, but in this case, it was doubly concerning, because it is a wide swath of territory that includes over a billion people and hundreds of millions of Muslims that al Qaeda core would hope to radicalize,” says Hulbert.

The U.S State Department designated AQIS as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Umar as a Designated global terrorist in June 2016.

Over the last few years, AQIS has carried out several attacks in the region, most notably a spree of hacking deaths against secular activists, bloggers, and academics in Bangladesh and Pakistan. In May 2015, Umar published a video in which he claimed AQIS responsibility for these attacks, declaring that the group “assassinated several blasphemers of the Prophet and insulters of Islamic law.”

“The targets AQIS is choosing in Bangladesh appear to be very consistent with al Qaeda’s playbook in Tunisia, which is a good example of how al Qaeda intends to take a country from discriminant efforts on behalf of some of the jihadism all the way to an active battlefield,” says Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Choosing specific targets, such as people who are atheists, or who are critical of Islam, or who identify as LGBT, “is designed to rally sympathy for their cause because the targets are seen as acceptable,” says Gartenstein-Ross. “These are all people who they think targeting them will appeal to AQIS’ constituency.”

Earlier this week, five AQIS members were arrested by Pakistani authorities for attempting to carry out attacks in the city of Karachi. Two of those detained, Tahir Zaman and Bilal Ahmad, were also wanted in connection with the killing of policemen and civilians in Pakistan. A third individual, Mohammad Nawaz, was one of the organization’s leading bomb-makers.

A further cause of concern is that AQIS may have its sights set on moving further eastward. “I believe that AQIS will try to expand to Myanmar,” says Gartenstein-Ross. “The Rohingya issue has lived large in al Qaeda’s messaging. Given the messaging out of Myanmar, I suspect AQIS will make a play to move into there.”

Although AQIS has successfully carried out smaller scale attacks against individuals, the group has demonstrated a limited ability to conduct large-scale operations in South Asia or against Western targets.

“AQIS is problematic, as are all these terrorist groups, but thank goodness, frankly, that they’ve not developed into the big threat that we once feared,” affirms Hulbert. “Since AQIS declared war on India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and on the U.S., they have been rather ineffective in carrying out terrorist attacks.”

And while AQIS may ultimately aspire to strike the West, the terrorist group remains on unstable footing.

“Part of that is because their leadership keeps dying in sudden explosions in the middle of the night,” Hulbert says. “That’s a good thing and the first order effects of these deaths has constrained the group’s ability to operate and to carry out attacks.”