A young woman was beheaded by the militants in northern Sar-e-Pul province of Afghanistan, local officials said to khaama.com.

The officials further added that the woman was beheaded late on Sunday night in a remote village located in the capital of Sar-e-Pul.

Provincial director of the women’s affairs Nasima Arzoo confirmed the incident and said the woman was beheaded in the village which is under the control of the Taliban group.

However, the Taliban insurgents reject the allegation and said the woman was beheaded by irresponsible gunmen.

In the meantime, Arzoo said the Taliban insurgents beheaded the woman after she started a verbal clash with them.

This comes as the Taliban insurgents executed at least two people including a woman in northern Jawzjan province of Afghanistan late last month.

Earlier, at least three women were shot dead by unknown gunmen who were riding a motorcycle in western Herat province of Afghanistan around two weeks ago.

The officials said the main motive behind the murder is not clear and search operation is underway to arrest the perpetrators.

Another woman shot by her in-law’s family after she attempted to elope with her love in Ghor province of Afghanistan.

Taliban attack on a checkpoint in Khan Abad district of Afghanistan’s northern Kunduz province claimed the lives of three police on Friday, senior district official Qudratullah Safi said.

The Taliban militants, according to the official, stormed a police checkpoint in Mullah Ghulam area of Khan Abad district on Friday morning, killing the checkpoint commander Abdul Jabbar along with two others on the spot.

Taliban militants also suffered casualties in the firefight that lasted for a while, the official added.

The relatively troubled Kunduz province has been the scene of increasing Taliban-led militancy over the past few years.

xinhuanet.com

Daesh has become cancer and there is no treatment for it, but only its elimination. Afghan people and government know this very well. Despite having meager resources and little support from the international community, Afghan government has tightened grip over the notorious terrorist group which has global designs and posing serious security threats not only to Afghanistan but also to China, Iran and Central Asian Republics (CAR). Many Chinese, Uzbek and Chechens militants have joined Daesh, also known as the Islamic State in the global north. Their goal was to establish strongholds in Afghanistan and later launch small and large scale attacks in their countries of origin. China witnessed several terror attacks as the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) or the Uighur militants have got full support of the Islamic State; though, there seem to be split in the TIP, especially after clash between the Taliban and Daesh in Zabul province.

Similarly, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and Chechen militants are also determined to go back to their areas and challenge writ of their governments. Unfortunately, the CAR, China and Russia have not provided the essential military and financial support to Afghanistan. Although, China has a strong economy than India but the latter is providing all possible support to the Afghan government to make the region peaceful and stable.

In the fight which is not only for survival of Afghanistan but also CAR, China, Iran and other countries, Afghan people and security forces have suffered heavy casualties. Yet, there is no moral and material support. That’s why people in Nangarhar province have come to the front to fight alongside their brothers in uniform to defeat the terror group which has become a hot potato. Spirit and courage of the local people who stood against Daesh is unprecedented. They are waiting in long queues to register their names in order to become part of the militia force that would dig the grave for the Islamic State and bury it forever, so the future generations in Afghanistan and neighboring countries would feel safe inside and outside their houses.

Leaving Afghanistan alone to fight terrorists is a great injustice that the history would record. Thus, the neighboring countries that have strong economies should come forward and support the people and government of Afghanistan in all possible ways. As a first step, these countries should establish a joint anti-terrorism mechanism to share intelligence and allocate resources to fight the terror outfits who are posing threat to regional stability. Last but not least, these countries should pressure all those state actors who are providing breathing space to the extremists and terrorists.

afghanistantimes.af/

The United States (US) embassy in India warned its citizens in India to remain vigilant and stay away from places frequented by Westerners after certain media reports that the Islamic State (IS/ISIS) terror group may be planning to attack such targets, reports The Times of India on December 22.

“As we head into holiday season, please be reminded that recent Indian media reports indicate ISIL’s (Islamic State’s) desire to attack targets in India.

The US embassy warns of an increased threat to places in India frequented by Westerners, such as religious sites, markets, and festival venues,” said the US embassy in a statement.

“All US citizens are reminded to maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness as detailed in the State Department’s Worldwide Caution of September 9, 2016,” it added.

satp.org

Taliban gunmen have stormed the home of an MP in Kabul, killing eight people and leaving the parliamentarian wounded after he jumped from the roof to escape.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which began late on Wednesday, saying they targeted a meeting of military officials.

Police officer Sadiq Muradi said the gunmen attacked the house of Mir Wali, a politician from the troubled southern Helmand province.

They fought his guards for several hours, eventually killing eight people, including family members, friends and members of his security detail. Three attackers were killed.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack.

belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Militants have attacked an army base in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing at least 17 soldiers, the army says.

All four of the attackers were killed. Carrying guns and grenades they stormed a base in Uri, close to the Line of Control with Pakistan in a pre-dawn ambush.

Indian Home Affairs Minister Rajnath Singh reacted by calling Pakistan a “terrorist state”.

It is the deadliest attack on security forces in Kashmir in two decades.

It comes as violent protests against Indian rule in the disputed region continue, with a strict curfew imposed.

More than 80 people, nearly all anti-government protesters, have died in more than two months of violence.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack and Pakistan denied any role.

“This is an old tactic of India. They immediately put the blame on Pakista.

But Singh said on Twitter that “there are definite and conclusive indications that the perpetrators of Uri attack were highly trained, heavily armed and specially equipped”.

“I am deeply disappointed with Pakistan’s continued and direct support to terrorism and terrorist groups,” he said.

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson condemned the attack and said the UK “stands shoulder to shoulder with India in the fight against terrorism, and in bringing the perpetrators to justice”.

Both India and Pakistan claim all of Muslim-majority Kashmir but only control parts of it.

Indian army military operations head Lieutenant-General Ranbir Singh said there was evidence the attackers were members of an Islamist militant group in Pakistan.

The terrorists had some items which had Pakistani markings on,” he said.

The militants infiltrated across the Line of Control from Pakistan before attacking the base, west of Srinagar, an army officer told the BBC.

Gunfire and explosions were heard for several hours.

the-star.co.ke

The trio of suspects killed by Indonesian police were said to be planning a strike on Christmas Day or New Year’s eve. More than 14 people are being interrogated in connection with plots for attacks during the holidays

Indonesian anti-terrorism police killed three terror suspects on the outskirts of Jakarta on Wednesday, foiling suicide bomb plot in the process, according to police.

The raid was the latest in a series in that have taken place in recent weeks, which police say have disrupted terror attacks. But they have also raised concerns that homegrown militants in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation are getting bolder in their attempts to launch attacks.

Earlier this week at least 14 people were interrogated over suicide bomb plots targeting the presidential palace in Jakarta and an undisclosed location outside Java island. Both involved a female suicide bomber – a new tactic for Indonesian militants.

The terror attacks were being planned for Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve, Jakarta police chief Mochamad Iriawan said in a television interview.

The plot called for police officers to be stabbed in order to attract a crowd and then for the detonation of bombs, he said.

Three men were killed in a shoot-out with the police’s anti-terror squad after refusing an appeal from authorities to surrender and come out of the house in a quiet, residential compound in Tangerang, a Jakarta satellite city.

The men threw explosives and fired guns at police, according to National Police spokesman Rikwanto who, like many locals, uses only one name.

Suspect leads police to house

A fourth man, who was arrested in the neighborhood, had led police to the house used by the militants.

“Every year, Christmas and New Year’s events are the target of terrorists to carry out amaliyah,” Rikwanto told a press conference, using an Arabic term that’s a byword for suicide bombing in militant circles.

Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, has carried out a prolonged crackdown on Islamic militants since the Bali bombings in 2002 that killed 202 people.

But a new threat has emerged in recent years from militants who have switched allegiance to the self-styled “Islamic State” group and from new recruits. An attack in the capital Jakarta in January by IS sympathizers left eight people dead, including the attackers.

Police said the latest holiday season plot was discovered during the interrogation of militants arrested December 10 on the outskirts of Jakarta. They were planninga suicide bomb attack on a guard-changing ceremony at the presidential palace the next day.

In all, a total of five bombs were found at the house in South Tangerang, according to police.

Television footage showed a bomb squad officer wearing a blast-resistant suit entering the house as locals watched from behind a police line.

“During the raid, we tried to be careful but they threw something from inside the house and it was a bomb but it did not explode, Rikwanto earlier told Metro TV. “Then they fired from inside.”

dw.com

Taliban militants have publicly executed a mother-of-two for divorcing her first husband and living with another man in Afghanistan. The Islamists murdered the woman after her husband reportedly complained to them about his wife.

The incident is said to have taken place in Ab Kamari district in the northwestern province of Badghis. Taliban insurgents stormed Maida Qul village late on Sunday, 18 December when the victim was at her father’s house. The militant group has not yet commented on the reported incident.

Local reports suggest the woman’s first husband was furious when he found his wife had married another man without his knowledge. The first husband was in Iran when the woman chose another life partner.

The extremists had initially forced the woman to divorce her second husband and made her live in her father’s village before executing her. A local official was quoted as saying that all the perpetrators involved in the incident have been identified but it is still unclear whether they have been arrested.

Incidents involving punishment for women have been reported across the country in the recent past. It is not uncommon to see people being punished for not following Islamic codes in rural parts of Afghanistan. The Islamist organisation seeks to enforce Sharia-compliant laws in the territories it controls.

ibtimes.co.uk/

Sixteen Daesh militants have been killed in a US drone strike in the Achin district of eastern Nangarhar province, an official said on Saturday.

Police Spokesman Lt.Col Hazrat Hussain Mashraqiwal told Pajhwok Afghan News the attack took place in the Abdulkhelo locality on Friday.

Arms cache of the hardcore terrorist group was destroyed in the unmanned aircraft strike, said Mashraqiwal, adding no civilian or security official sustained causalities in the attack.

Daesh have not yet commented over the killing of its fighters in the attack.

pajhwok.com