Fifteen Daesh or Islamic State (IS) Militants have been killed and seven others wounded in a US drone strikes in the Haska Mena district of eastern Nangarhar province, an official said on Sunday.

Attaullah Khogyani, the governor’s spokesman said 13 IS rebels were eliminated and seven others wounded in a US drone strike in Paen locality late on Saturday.

Cache of arms belonged to the insurgents were also destroyed in the drone missile strikes, he said.

Two more Daesh rebels were killed in another drone strike in the Langari Khoar locality, said Police Spokesman Hazrat Hussain Mashraqiwal.

Militant group have not yet commented over the drone strikes.

pajhwok.com

About 69 militants have been killed in fresh military operations across Afghanistan within one day, said the country’s Defense Ministry on Friday.

“The Afghan National Security and Defense Forces (ANDSF) carried out operations to clean areas from terrorists and enemies of peace and stability over the past 24 hours, killing 69 insurgents, including 11 militants of Islamic State (IS) group,” the ministry said in a statement.

The joint Afghan security forces backed by army’s artillery and air power also injured 43 insurgents and captured two others, the statement noted.

In one operation, 11 Taliban militants were killed, 13 wounded and four militants’ bunkers were destroyed in Dasht-i-Archi district of northern Kunduz province while 13 terrorists were killed and 21 wounded in neighboring Badakhshan province, according to the statement.

In eastern Wardak province, six Taliban militants died after a mortar round they tried to fire on a district exploded accidently, the statement said.

The security force killed 11 Taliban militants in Nirkh district of Wardak and confiscated 11 suicide bomb vests besides seizing 180 kg explosive materials.

Some four Afghan army soldiers also died in separate incidents over the same period of time, the statement added.

The Taliban-led violence continues in Afghanistan. Security forces have pressed on to clear the militants in restive provinces but the militants responded by armed attacks and bombings.

The Taliban and the IS militant group have yet to make comments.

xinhuanet.com

As tensions continue to run high between India and Pakistan over the current situation in Kashmir, the al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) has hit out at the Nawaz Sharif government for ‘betraying’ Kashmiris

According to an Indian Express report, the AQIS released a statement criticising not just the Pakistani government, but also the army and intelligence agencies, accusing them of being unfaithful to the Kashmir cause for their own “vested interests”.

“History testifies to the fact that fighting under the supervision and with the cooperation of Pakistani agencies is tantamount to wasting the fruitage of jihad and getting injustice on oppressed Kashmiris to increase,” said a message which was released by the AQIS’ spokesperson Ustadh Usama Mahmood.

The message was released in English, Hindi, Bengali and Urdu to target Muslims in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Mahmood also made a direct appeal to Kashmiris to say ‘goodbye’ to those who are milking the issue for political gains.

“My dear Kashmiri brothers, is it not time that we say goodbye to those who have asserted sympathy and well-wishes, and yet want the Kashmir dispute to remain a dispute. Whether they be Satan’s parliament in the form of the UN, or traitors of the ummah in the form of the Pakistani military and government, the issue of oppressed Kashmiris is no more than a dirty game, and an ugly trade for these corrupt people,” he said.

The AQIS in its message asserted following Pakistan’s path would only lead to failure, helplessness and agony and that their interest in Kashmir was only political and if their cause wasn’t “liberated from the influence of the Pakistani military and intelligence agencies, then this night of oppression on the Kashmiri people would not only become long; it would never end.”

“Keeping away the wound of Kashmiris from healing is part of their politics. Their business flourishes with the screams of mothers and sisters. Keeping the blazing fire burning in the valley of Kashmir safeguards their extravagant spending and enjoyment,” the statement said.

“In 2002, when the Indian Army approached the border and showed Pakistan Army a bit of force, the latter became completely submissive… Showing resolve in the face of Indian military pressure and American discontentment is not part of their (Pakistan army’s) doctrine to begin with,” it added.

deccanchronicle.com

gulf-times.com

Defense ministry tracking dozens of suspected Daesh sympathizers who returned from war-torn country

Indonesia’s defense minister announced Wednesday that the country is on alert against any possible terror attacks as dozens of its citizens suspected of joining Daesh have returned from Syria.

Ryamizard Ryacudu was quoted by detik.com as saying that his ministry is tracking 23 suspected Daesh sympathizers who returned from the war-torn country over the last three months.

“They’re [back] from Syria since two or three months ago. I’ve been wary of them,” he stressed, adding that those suspected reportedly mingled with other citizens to reduce the suspicion of security officials.

According to the National Counter Terrorism Agency, around 500 Indonesians have traveled to Syria citing a variety of reasons as of the end of May, with many believed to have joined Daesh.

The minister expressed hope that a revised anti-terrorism law currently being discussed in parliament would be better suited to dealing with the influence of Daesh in Indonesia — including detailing penalties for nationals who join the terror group.

Putting the number of Daesh members in the Middle East at “no more than 30,000”, Ryacudu underlined that the group was nonetheless able to spread terror in many countries — meaning that Indonesia needed to exert serious efforts to prevent its influence in the world’s most populous Muslim country.

“The number of Muslims in Indonesia is very big, making it a recruitment target,” he said.

“There are 200 million Muslims here. If one percent of those were radicals such as ISIS [Daesh], then there would be 2 million extremists. Then the world would be finished.”

Suhardi Alius, National Counter Terrorism Agency chief, also confirmed the return to Indonesia of some nationals who had joined Daesh, but refrained from providing a figure.

He said that of the hundreds of Indonesians fighting with terror groups, 69 have died in Syria.

He stressed that related ministries are now coordinating to prevent the spread of radical thinking, including among inmates and nationals who returned from Syria.

“We must be able to anticipate [the spread of radical thinking]… Because they’ve got militants’ ability,” he was quoted as saying by kompas.com, warning that such suspects’ children and families could have potentially been radicalized.

Indonesia has been on alert against extremist activities over the past year, further heightening security measures after an attack in Jakarta left eight people — including four Daesh-linked suspects — dead in January.

aa.com.tr

Tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad have reportedly hit boiling point following Sunday’s attack on a military base in Kashmir killing 18 soldiers.

According to America’s CNBC, although tension is high, military escalation isn’t expected—for now.

Four gunmen stormed an Indian army brigade headquarters in the Indian-administered town of Uri, killing 18 soldiers on Sunday.

Many called it the deadliest attack on security forces in nearly a decade.

However, no group has claimed responsibility but India has accused Pakistan of involvement, labeling it a terrorist state for supporting militants believed to be the perpetrators of Sunday’s attack.

India claims the gunman were members of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a terror group based in Pakistan and known for brutal tactics in India-controlled Kashmir to force the withdrawal of troops.

Islamabad has categorically rejected the allegations, describing the charges as New Delhi’s attempt to deflect attention from the deteriorating human rights situation in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

The severity of Sunday’s attack has raised public anger in India, with protesters burning the Pakistani flag and calling for revenge. In a Pew Research Center survey of 2,464 Indians released on Monday, half disapproved of Modi’s relationship with Pakistan while three-fifths supported the use of force against the war on terror.

“Domestic pressure is clearly growing on Modi to retaliate quickly, but that’s easier said than done…The government is unlikely to risk a serious miscalculation,” observed Jan Zalewski, senior India analyst at global risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft.

“Delhi doesn’t appear to have a clear game-plan on how to calm the situation, and so it will want to desist from any knee-jerk reactions to the attack that could make things even worse,” CNBC quoted Zalewski as saying.

The bickering between the two arch-enemies is currently playing out at the on-going United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York, where Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to raise the issue during his address on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Indian forces killed at least 8 suspected militants along the 800 kilometre border with Pakistan, Reuters said. Known as the Line of Control (LOC), the partition separates areas under Indian administration, primarily Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), from Pakistan’s territories, which include.

In recent years, India has refrained from aggressive responses to terrorism, which included the 2008 Mumbai attacks carried out by Pakistani militants that left 166 dead. Instead, New Delhi has used international gatherings to highlight what it calls Pakistani support of terrorists.

For now, it appears the government will continue this approach. The Indian Express reported on Monday that military commanders warned Modi against calls for immediate surgical strikes inside Pakistan.

At least 33 fighters were killed during air attack led by Afghan air forces in eastern Nangarhar province.

According to information of 201 Selab army corps press office to BNA, the ISIS affiliates were killed by air attack in relevant areas of Koot and Acheen districts of Nangarhar province.

Also some weapons and ammunitions belong to the terrorist group have been destroyed following the air strike.

bakhtarnews.com.af

Pakistani security forces claimed to have broken a key terrorist recruitment network connected to Islamic State (Daesh) in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.

The operatives of security agencies have also arrested top ten commanders of Islamic State militant group who were said to be on a mission in the country to recruit thousands of foot soldiers for the Middle East’s terrorist outfit.

“A key terrorist recruitment network for Daesh has been broken up in Rawalpindi and Attock today (Monday). We’ve arrested around four dozen militants (including top ten commanders) of Daesh who swore allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Syria and Hafiz Saeed Khan in Afghanistan,” a senior official of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in Punjab police claimed.

These top ten commanders just returned after meeting the Daesh head of Khorasan (Pak-Afghan) region namely Hafiz Saeed Khan in Afghanistan before his death in a US drone strike in Afghanistan a few weeks ago, he revealed. Many of them have also been met Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, kingpin of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, he added.

“He (Hafiz Saeed Khan) had ordered them to spread chaos in Pakistan and create situation for Daesh caliphate in Pakistan,” reads an official document exclusively with Geo News.

Official document further revealed that the CTD police arrested two terrorists belonging to Daesh from Taxila and two from Attock who had planned to attack military and civilian installations. Their names are Hashim Khan from Mehmand Agency and Shakeel Khan from Bajuar Agency, Shaheen from Orkazai Agency and Imran from Gujrat, document continued to reveal.

Hashim Khan S/o Inzar Gul Khan was a key commander of Daesh and running a recruitment camp in Pakistan. Before joining Daesh, he was commanding Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Abdul Wali Group. Shakeel Khan and Shaheen were recruiting militants for Daesh in Rawalpindi and Attock. Imran Mehdi S/o Mehdi Khan, who is resident of Gujrat, was in direct contact with Daesh top leadership in Syria. Before joining Daesh, he was a key commander with Al-Badar and Jamatul Muslimeen. Explosives and arms were also recovered from them including 2,000 gram explosives, detonators, batteries, wires, fuses etc.

The security agencies in intelligence based operation arrested four Daesh terrorists from Allama Iqbal Town, Lahore. Their names are Syed Abdul Alam, Hafeezur Rehman, Nisar Ahmad and Tusawwar Amin. “They were following command of the Daesh Syria through its journal, Dabiq, in which the organisation had directed its followers all over the world to launch local attacks,” reads the document. Hafizur Rehman S/o Sajjadur Rehman, resident of Khushab, was running a training camp in heart of Lahore. Before joining Daesh, he got training in Afghanistan with Al-Badar Mujahideen and also worked for TTP Malik Yaqoob Group.

Recoveries from them included 1,600 gram explosives, 8 safety fuses, 4 non-electric detonators, rifles and ammunition. Laptops were also recovered with large amount of data about their group. In their interrogation, they told that they had a network spread in different cities of Punjab. “They (Daesh terrorists) had decided to make their presence felt and were about to launch attack on office of an intelligence agency,” it further read.

They were planning attacks on military and police installations through explosives, if explosives were not available, by firing at public, if firearms were not available, through stabbing with knives and finally if nothing was available, by running over people with vehicles.

Security agencies have also arrested four key militants of Daesh namely Saleemullah, Muhammad Ali, Gul Zada and Abdullah in Gujranwala. Saleemullah Salfi S/o Abdullah Salfi, resident of Mandi Bahauddin was head of recruitment centre for Daesh in Gujranwala. He is Afghan trained individual and linked with al-Qaada Abu Ali Tunisi Group. Mohamad Ali S/o Muhammad Sattar, resident of Palandari Azad Kashmir, who is also an Afghan individual, was helping Saleemullah. Gul Zada S/o Ameer Zada, resident of Mohmand Agency was a part of TTP Mohmand and recently shifted to Daesh.

Explosives and arms were recovered from them. “They (Daesh militants) had planned to attack police officials deployed on pickets as their other fellows had earlier done in Lahore and Faisalabad. In interrogation, they also confirmed that some of their fellows had been working in Rawalpindi to launch similar attacks. Details have been given in paras above,” reads the document.

These Daesh militants had visited Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq many times, as they belonged to Daesh Walaya Khorasan, document disclosed further. In interrogation, they disclosed that many families had gone to Syria for fighting for Daesh, it disclosed. “They (Daesh militants) have also told that Daesh has now given a policy to its followers not to arrive in Syria now but conduct terrorist activities locally,” reads the document.

thenews.com.pk

Militants said they ambushed an unmarked vehicle ferrying soldiers on Sunday morning near the congested Daudzai area of Peshawar

Three Pakistani soldiers were killed in an ambush in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Sunday, militants said, in an attack for which both Islamic State and a Pakistani Taliban faction claimed responsibility.

Militants said they ambushed an unmarked vehicle ferrying soldiers on Sunday morning near the congested Daudzai area of Peshawar. Military sources confirmed the attack but said the killed men were army employees and not soldiers.

The Pakistan army often uses unmarked vehicles for transportation of soldiers and other employees in volatile areas around Peshawar to avoid being identified and attacked.

“They were travelling in a civil van when unknown armed men opened fire at them,” said a security official who declined to be named. “Three of them died on the spot.”

ATTACK RESPONSIBILITY

Pakistan’s military this month declared that it had foiled Islamic State’s attempts to establish operations in the country. But the group’s Amaq news agency said Islamic State was behind the ambush, also claimed by Jamaat-ur-Ahrar, an offshoot of the Islamist militant Pakistani Taliban group.

Jamaat-ur-Ahrar, which carried out the Easter Sunday bombing in Lahore in which 70 people were killed, at one time swore fealty to Islamic State’s Middle East leadership, but later switched back to the Taliban.

The two groups also both claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a hospital in the Pakistani city of Quetta that killed 74 people last month.

CONCERN ON INCREASING ISLAMIC STATE ATTACKS

Pakistan’s military said on September 1 it had arrested more than 300 Islamic State militants and sympathisers, thwarting the ultra-hardline group’s attempts to expand there.

But concern has been growing that Islamic State – which controls parts of Iraq and Syria and is known for especially brutal treatment of religious minorities – might replicate their model in Pakistan, especially after Islamic State loyalists seized small pieces of territory in neighbouring Afghanistan.

On Friday, Pakistani authorities said they arrested four Islamic State militants plotting attacks in the city of Lahore. The four men had 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) of explosives as well as fuses and detonators, officials said.

Most Islamic State recruits in the region are believed to be Pakistani or Afghan defectors from other Islamist movements.

Pakistan is home to several militant groups including the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaeda and the Haqqani network, giving Islamic State both a rich pool of potential recruits but also fierce competition.

Islamic State last year declared Afghanistan and Pakistan as the state of “Khorasan”, part of its self-declared global caliphate, and appointed longtime militant Hafiz Saeed Khan as its regional leader.

A US drone strike killed Khan last month in eastern Afghanistan.

indiatoday.intoday.in/

Three Taliban militants were killed and 12 others detained after Afghan Special Operation Forces launched a raid against a militants’ hideout in northern Kunduz province of Afghanistan on Friday night, a military statement said on Saturday.

“The raid was conducted in surrounding areas of Archi district. The detainees were shifted to an army camp and would be handed over the concerned authorities for questioning,” Afghan army’s 209 Shaheen Corps based at the region said in the statement.

The province bordering Tajikistan has been the scene of sporadic clashes between security forces and Taliban militants over the past couple of months.

In addition, six Taliban militants were killed following a clearance operation in Gilan district, in southern Ghazni province of Afghanistan, a separate statement highlighted.

The Afghan security forces have beefed up security operations against militants since April after Taliban militants started their so-called annual spring offensive and stepped up attacks across the country.

The militant groups have yet to make comments.

ariananews.af