FACTBOX-Security developments in Pakistan, July 5

July 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

July 5 (Reuters) – Following are security developments in Pakistan at 0835 GMT on Monday:

* denotes new or updated developments.

LOWER DIR – Four suicide bombers were killed in a failed attack on a paramilitary fort in the northwestern district of Lower Dir that wounded 11 soldiers and two policemen, police and intelligence officials said.

One bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a gate, killing himself. Troops killed another bomber on foot and blew up a second vehicle which managed to reach inside the fort compound, killing two more suspected bombers.

* ORAKZAI – Air strikes killed 10 militants and destroyed five hideouts in the northwestern region of Orakzai, where the army has intensified attacks in recent months to target insurgents fleeing offensives in neighbouring regions, political official Asghar Khan said.

(Compiled by Augustine Anthony; Edited by Michael Georgy)

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FACTBOX-Security developments in Pakistan, June 30

July 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

ORAKZAI – Fighter planes bombed militant positions in the northwestern region of Orakzai, killing 15 militants and destroying four hideouts, a government official in the region said.

There was no independent verification of the official figures of casualties, and militants often dispute government accounts.

Orakzai is one of seven semi-autonomous regions where al Qaeda-linked militants had strongholds before the military began offensives there last year. The army says the regions have largely been cleared.

*HUB – A roadside bomb blast killed one man and wounded three in the southwestern town of Hub, 725 km (450 miles) south of Baluchistan’s capital, Quetta, police said.

Baluch rebels have waged a low-level insurgency for decades for a greater provincial autonomy and bigger share in the income from natural gas and mineral resources.

(Compiled by Kamran Haider; Editing by Chris Allbritton) (For more Reuters coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan, see: here)

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FACTBOX-Security developments in Pakistan, June 27

June 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Following are security developments in Pakistan at 1036 GMT on Sunday.

ORAKZAI – Warplanes targeted militants’ positions in the northwestern region of Orakzai, killing eight militants and destroying two hideouts, a government official said.

SOUTH WAZIRISTAN – Security forces killed four militants and wounded six in a clash after militants attacked them in the region of Makeen, 70 km (43 miles) north of the area’s main town of Wana, a military official said.

(Compiled by Kamran Haider; Editing by Chris Allbritton) (For more Reuters coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan, see: here)

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Pakistan detains German man near militant stronghold

June 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Pakistan, June 22 (Reuters) – Pakistani security forces have detained a German man clad in a head-to-toe veil in the northwest as he was being driven from the militant bastion of North Waziristan on the Afghan border, police said on Tuesday.

The man, in his mid-20s, was caught at a security checkpost on the border between North Waziristan and Bannu city on Monday, Shafqat Khan, a senior police officer in Bannu, told Reuters.

“He was in a car with two tribesmen, one of them was also wearing a burqa. They were carrying a girl in a bid to pretend they’re a tribal family,” he said.

Khan said the German was being interrogated by a joint investigation team.

Khan did not give further details but he suspected the German man could have links with militants in the the lawless region.

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(For more stories on Afghanistan and Pakistan, click on [ID:nAFPAK])

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North Waziristan is a known stronghold for al Qaeda and Taliban militants, and the United States has been pushing Pakistan to launch a military offensive there. But the Pakistan army says it lacks resources to do it.

Last week, police in northern Chitral detained an American for allegedly trying to sneak into Afghanistan to hunt and kill al Qaeda kingpin Osama bin Laden.

Separately, Pakistani warplanes bombed militant positions in the northwestern region of Orakzai on Tuesday, killing eight militants and destroying several hideouts, security officials said.

(Additional reporting and writing by Kamran Haider; Editing by Chris Allbritton and Sanjeev Miglani)

(For more Reuters coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan, see: here)

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Over 1,000 landmines found in Colombia

May 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Bogota, May 26 (IANS/EFE) At least 1,053 landmines, which rebel guerrillas were planning to use in attacks ahead of the May 30 presidential elections in Colombia, have been found buried in a rural area in the northwestern region, police said.

The mines found in Antioquia province belonged to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), ‘which planned to utilize the landmines to carry out terrorist attacks against the upcoming elections’, the National Police said Tuesday.

Last week, the commander of an army explosives disposal team was killed in a landmine blast, while the team was clearing a mine field in Antioquia province.

Capt Victor Hugo Valencia was killed May 17 near a place where the rebels blasted electricity transmission towers using dynamite, leaving residents of four towns without power.

Since 1990, over 1,700 people have been killed in landmine blasts planted by guerrillas and drug traffickers, the defence ministry said.

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Briefly World

April 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

China quake toll surges past 1000

Beijing: The death toll crossed the 1000-mark in China’s quake-hit Qinghai province, where rescuers raced against time to save hundreds of people buried under the rubble, three days after the 7.1 magnitude temblor flattened the remote northwestern region. The death toll had climbed to 1,144 and another 417 remained missing on Friday evening, state-run Xinhua news agency said.

Lanka govt may convict Fonseka to deny seat

Colombo: Detained former Sri Lankan Army Chief Sarath Fonseka may be convicted by early next week to prevent him from taking oath as a lawmaker, his party alleged on Friday. “We strongly suspect a court martial convened on Monday would convict him by Thursday to prevent his entry into Parliament to take oath,” Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a senior leader of the Marxist JVP, said here.

Ousted Kyrgyz leader’s kin hand over weapons

TEYIT: Relatives of Kyrgyzstan’s ousted President were submitting weapons to officials on Friday in their home village, a day after the President fled the country. While the move appeared to reduce the likelihood of resistance by Kurmanbek Bakiyev backers, Kyrgyzstan’s interim authorities were still searching for one of his brothers after issuing a warrant for his arrest, and it was unclear if Zhanybek Bakiyev would submit peacefully.

Obama orders hospitals to allow gays visitation

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama directed all hospitals that participate in Medicare and Medicaid to allow visitation rights for gay, lesbian and transgender couples. “There are few moments in our lives that call for greater compassion and companionship than when a loved one is admitted to the hospital. In these hours of need and moments of pain and anxiety, all of us would hope to have a hand to hold, a shoulder on which to lean — a loved one to be there for us, as we would be there for them,” Obama said in his memorandum

Olmert faces corruption charges in property deal

Jerusalem: Close on the heels of three suspected cases of graft, which cost him the premiership, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is now allegedly involved in what is being dubbed as the “biggest corruption scandal” in the history of Israel. The Rishon Letzion Magistrate’s Court has lifted its gag order on the identity of the senior official suspected of taking bribes being described as the “Holyland affair” after the name of the highrise buildings, revealing the suspect to be Olmert, who served as mayor of Jerusalem from 1993-2003, Ha’aretz reported on Friday.

Nepal to accept 3,000 Maoist combatants

Kathmandu: The Nepal government on Friday said that it will accept only 3,000 of the 19,000-strong Maoist combatants in various security agencies. All major political parties other than the Unified CPN-Maoist have agreed in principle on the integration of the former rebels at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal. Prachanda, who abstained from the meeting, rejected the offer saying “all 19,000 Maoist combatants should get the chance to be integrated into the Army”.

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Well-known missing Chinese rights lawyer alive

March 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

China’s best known rights lawyer, missing for a year and feared dead, appears to be alive and is staying at a Buddhist landmark in north China after speaking to Reuters reporters and another dissident lawyer on Sunday.

Gao Zhisheng, a Christian lawyer who helped defend members of China’s banned Falun Gong spiritual group, was abducted from his relative’s home in Shanxi province on Feb 4, 2009. Authorities have failed to provide consistent information on his fate.

Gao told Reuters by telephone on Sunday that he had been released about half a year ago and was in Wutai mountain, a sacred Buddhist landmark in coal-rich Shanxi province.

“I want to live a quiet life for a while,” said Gao, who was able to answer questions about past conversations and the venue of previous meetings he had with a Reuters reporter.

Asked if he planned to join his family in the United States, Gao said: “It’s not that easy.”

He appeared to be under some sort of police surveillance and declined further comment.

Human rights lawyer Li Heping, who had a lot of contact with Gao before the latter was jailed, confirmed he spoke to Gao by phone on Sunday.

“It’s certainly him. I spoke to him over the phone. I could tell from the way he spoke and the way he spoke to me that it’s him,” Li said, adding that Gao would not speak much about his current circumstances.

Last month Dui Hua Foundation, a U.S.-based group which campaigns for the rights of Chinese prisoners, said it had been told by the Chinese embassy in Washington that Gao was working in Urumqi, capital of the remote, northwestern region of Xinjiang, and has been in contact with his wife and relatives in China.

At the time of Gao’s disappearance, his wife and children had already escaped from their home, ultimately arriving in Bangkok where they applied for asylum in the United States.

Gao’s family had feared he was dead, after a cryptic comment from police that he had “lost his way and gone missing” in September.

He was sentenced to four years in jail for subversion in 2006 but won a good behaviour reprieve. He has, however, since been under constant police watch and periods of secretive detention, his wife, Geng He, told Reuters after her escape.

Gao had previously published instances when he was tortured while in detention. Self-educated, he had grown disenchanted with the Chinese system while representing Falun Gong practitioners and underground Christians.

In 2005, he wrote an open letter to China’s president and premier, calling for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong, which China regards as an “evil” cult.

(Reporting by Chris Buckley and Benjamin Kang Lim; Editing by Sugita Katyal)

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Well-known missing Chinese rights lawyer alive

March 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – China’s best known rights lawyer, missing for a year and feared dead, appears to be alive and is staying at a Buddhist landmark in north China after speaking to Reuters reporters and another dissident lawyer on Sunday.

World | China

Gao Zhisheng, a Christian lawyer who helped defend members of China’s banned Falun Gong spiritual group, was abducted from his relative’s home in Shanxi province on Feb 4, 2009. Authorities have failed to provide consistent information on his fate.

Gao told Reuters by telephone on Sunday that he had been released about half a year ago and was in Wutai mountain, a sacred Buddhist landmark in coal-rich Shanxi province.

“I want to live a quiet life for a while,” said Gao, who was able to answer questions about past conversations and the venue of previous meetings he had with a Reuters reporter.

Asked if he planned to join his family in the United States, Gao said: “It’s not that easy.”

He appeared to be under some sort of police surveillance and declined further comment.

Human rights lawyer Li Heping, who had a lot of contact with Gao before the latter was jailed, confirmed he spoke to Gao by phone on Sunday.

“It’s certainly him. I spoke to him over the phone. I could tell from the way he spoke and the way he spoke to me that it’s him,” Li said, adding that Gao would not speak much about his current circumstances.

Last month Dui Hua Foundation, a U.S.-based group which campaigns for the rights of Chinese prisoners, said it had been told by the Chinese embassy in Washington that Gao was working in Urumqi, capital of the remote, northwestern region of Xinjiang, and has been in contact with his wife and relatives in China.

At the time of Gao’s disappearance, his wife and children had already escaped from their home, ultimately arriving in Bangkok where they applied for asylum in the United States.

Gao’s family had feared he was dead, after a cryptic comment from police that he had “lost his way and gone missing” in September.

He was sentenced to four years in jail for subversion in 2006 but won a good behavior reprieve. He has, however, since been under constant police watch and periods of secretive detention, his wife, Geng He, told Reuters after her escape.

Gao had previously published instances when he was tortured while in detention. Self-educated, he had grown disenchanted with the Chinese system while representing Falun Gong practitioners and underground Christians.

In 2005, he wrote an open letter to China’s president and premier, calling for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong, which China regards as an “evil” cult.

(Reporting by Chris Buckley and Benjamin Kang Lim; Editing by Sugita Katyal)

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Muslims protest killings of their community in China ethnic clashes

July 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Ludhiana, July 9 (ANI): Muslims here have protested against the ethnic violence between Han Chinese and Muslim Uighurs that has left at least 156 dead in China’s northwestern region of Xinjiang.

Congregating outside the Jama Masjid, they burnt the national flag of China and raised slogans to stop atrocities on Muslims.

“Two Muslim workers in a factory were killed in China. Hundreds of Muslims had gathered to stage a silent protest against the killings, which we came to know through the press. The Chinese Government could not tolerate this and ordered a crackdown killing 150 Muslims. This bloodshed of Muslims will not be wasted,” said Maualana Habib-ur-Rehman, a Muslim cleric.

Rehman also threatened that if the violence on Muslims does not stop in the coming days then they would issue a fatwa calling for boycott of Chinese products.

“Chinese items will be boycotted. If needed, we will talk to Muslim councils in the country and issue a fatwa forbidding Chinese products,” he said.

Xinjiang province has long been a hotbed of ethnic tension in China. Uighurs make up around half the 20 million population.

They’re angry about a recent influx of Han Chinese and government controls on their religion and culture.

The violence was triggered by a rumour that Uighurs had raped two women.he allegations sparked a brawl at a factory, which spread. The government is clearly trying to halt that spread.

Almost one and half thousand people have been arrested and soldiers have been told not to let their guard down. (ANI)

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China riots: 140 killed, 816 injured (Update-China)

July 6, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Beijing, July 6 (ANI): At least 140 people have been killed in China’s northwestern region of Xinjiang in what has been described by the government as the area’s worst case of ethnic unrest in years.

Hundreds of rioters have been arrested, the official Xinhua news agency reported, after rock-throwing Uighurs took to the streets of the regional capital on Sunday, some burning and smashing vehicles and confronting ranks of anti-riot police.

Li Zhi, the Communist Party boss of Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province, told reporters that the death toll from the rioting had risen to 140, and added that 816 people had been injured and hospitalised.

“Police have tightened security in downtown Urumqi streets and at key institutions such as power and natural gas companies and TV stations to prevent large-scale riots,” Xinhua quoted Xinjiang police chief Liu Yaohua as saying.

The riot in Urumqi, a city of 2.3 million residents 3,270 km (2,050 miles) west of Beijing, followed a protest against government handling of a June clash between Han Chinese and Uighur factory workers in southern China.

The China Daily put the number of protesters at 300 to 500 while the exiled Uighur American Association had it as high as 3,000.

An unnamed Chinese official said the “unrest was masterminded by the World Uighur Congress led by Rebiya Kadeer”, according to Xinhua.

Rebiya Kadeer is a Uighur businesswoman now in exile in the United States after years in jail, and accused of separatist activities. She did not answer calls for comment.

Exiled Uighur groups adamantly rejected the Chinese government claim of a plot. They said the riot was an outpouring of pent-up anger over government policies and Han Chinese dominance of economic opportunities.

The government’s claims of conspiracy by pro-independence exiles echo the handling of rioting across Tibetan areas in March last year, which Beijing also called a plot hatched abroad.

Xinjiang is the doorway to China’s trade and energy ties with central Asia, and is itself rich in gas, minerals and farm produce. But many Uighurs say they see little of that wealth.

Almost half of Xinjiang’s 20 million people are Uighurs. The population of Urumqi is mostly Han Chinese, and the city is under tight police security even in normal times. (ANI)

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Militants want to destabilise Pakistan: Rehman Malik

May 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Militants want to destabilise Pakistan: Rehman MalikLahore, May 27 (IANS) The car bomb blast that killed 40 people in Lahore Wednesday was an attempt by militants to “destabilise” the nation as they are facing defeat in the country’s northwest, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said.

Malik told reporters in Karachi that terrorists want to destabilise the country as “they are facing defeat in Swat and FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas)”.

He said after the militants faced defeat in the country’s northwestern region, militants were “dispersing in the cities”.

The Pakistani military went into action April 26 after the Taliban violated a controversial peace accord with the North West Frontier Province and moved south from their Swat headquarters to occupy Buner, which is just 100 km from Islamabad.

Malik said investigations into the Lahore blast were underway. He warned militants to lay down their arms otherwise they would be eradicated.

On Wednesday morning, a massive car bomb exploded outside a building in the busy Civil Lines area.

The car bomb, which packed about 100 kg of explosives, went off just outside the three-storeyed Rescue-15 Building that collapsed with the impact of the blast.

The building that housed emergency police is located close to the provincial headquarters of Pakistan’s spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Two suspects were arrested and helicopters could be seen hovering over the area as troops took positions on the rooftops of the nearby buildings.

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Karzai says, Afghanistan will target Taliban

May 14, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, May 14 (ANI): Afghan President Hamid Karzai has announced plans to launch a military offensive against the Taliban to flush out militants from its side of the border with Pakistan.

Karzai’s declaration comes after conducting bilateral talks with Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who had made a similar announcement on May 7.

Currently, the Pakistani military is engaged in a fight with the Taliban in Pakistan’s northwestern region, which borders with Afghanistan.

Karzai said Afghanistan supported Pakistan’s efforts to combat terrorism.

During the meeting, both leaders expressed the resolve to eliminate the threat of militants from both sides of their shared border, the Daily Times reports.

Karzai agreed with Gilani that drone attacks hurt the government’s strategy to isolate the Taliban from the tribesmen. (ANI)

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US working to jam radio stations, websites of Taliban: Report

April 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

US is trying to prevent the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan from using radio stations and websites to intimidate civilians and plan attacks, pushing deeper into “psychological operations” against the militants who have an edge in the “information war”, a media report said on Saturday.

Under the broad effort launched by the Obama Administration, US military and intelligence personnel are working to jam the unlicensed radio stations that the Taliban fighters use to broadcast threats and decrees in Pakistan’s restive northwestern region bordering Afghanistan, The Wall Street Journal reported citing senior American officials.

It said the US personnel are also trying to block the Pakistani chat rooms and websites that frequently contain videos of attacks and inflammatory religious material that attempts to justify acts of violence.

The push takes the administration deeper into “psychological operations,” which attempt to influence how people see the US, its allies and enemies, the report said.

Psychological operations are necessary part of reversing deterioration of stability in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, it said citing officials involved with the new programme.

US officials believe that the Taliban enjoy an advantage by being able to freely communicate threats and decrees. “The Taliban aren’t just winning the information war — we’re not even putting up that much of a fight,” a senior US official in Afghanistan was quoted as saying.

“We need to make it harder for them (Taliban) to keep telling the population that they’re in control and can strike at any time,” the official said.

The paper noted that Taliban leaders in Pakistan use unlicensed FM stations to recite the names of local government officials, police officers and other figures who have been marked for death by the group. Hundreds of people named in the broadcasts have later been killed, it said quoting officials.

The US may also provide radio-jamming equipment to the Pakistani government, the report said citing officials familiar with the plans.

The new push reflects the influence of Gen. David Petraeus, who runs the military’s Central Command and has long been a major proponent of using psychological operations to reduce popular support for armed Islamist groups, it said.

Richard Holbrooke, Special US Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, had earlier likened the Taliban radio stations to Rwanda’s Radio Mille Collines, a virulently sectarian broadcaster widely believed to have helped fuel the Rwandan genocide, the Journal said.

“Nothing has been done so far” about impeding the Taliban communications, Holbrooke had said. “We have identified the information issue … as a major, major gap to be filled.”

The US has started American-funded radio stations in many rural parts of Afghanistan, the paper said.

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Colombian authorities arrest drug lord “Don Mario”

April 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Bogota – Colombian police arrested Wednesday Daniel Rendon, known with the alias “Don Mario,” the boss of a paramilitary gang devoted to drug trafficking.

Cesar Mauricio Velasquez, press secretary at the government palace in Bogota, said that the man – one of the most sought after suspects in Colombia – was arrested in the town of Apartado, in the northwestern region of Antioquia.

Police said that the operation that led to the arrest started a month earlier, when 600 elite officers cornered “Don Mario” between Apartado and Necocli, a town in the Urabab region, on the Panamanian border.

Rendon was the leader of a group of some 1,000 paramilitaries known as the Autodefensas Gaitanistas, which was regarded as one of Colombia’s main drug cartels.

Colombian authorities had offered a reward of some 2.1 million dollars for information leading to the arrest of “Don Mario,” 43. The United States is seeking his extradition.

Police said last month that 11 gangs with a total of 2,500 armed men currently control the drug business in Colombia.

Rendon and a handful of others took over the business following the death, arrest or extradition to the United States of the more prominent bosses of the Medellin and Cali cartels, which dominated drug trafficking in the 1980s and 1990s, and of the North of the Valley Cartle, which the authorities think disappeared more recently.

Freddy Rendon, a brother of “Don Mario,” was arrested a few months ago in the framework of negotiations between the government and the extreme-right paramilitaries, which led close to 32,000 people to lay down their weapons 2003-2006.(dpa)

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