#Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan

[arrahmahcom]

TTP Membantah Menerima Dana dan Pelatihan dari Al Qaeda

WAZIRISTAN (Arrahmah.id) – Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) telah membantah menerima dana dan pelatihan dari Al-Qaeda dan beroperasi dari tanah Afghanistan atau warga negara Afghanistan yang terlibat dalam serangan-serangan mereka. Dalam sebuah pesan tertulis kepada para ulama dan pemimpin nasional dan politik Pakistan, Noor Wali Mehsud, pemimpin TTP mengatakan bahwa mereka tidak menerima kerja…

[mariacallous]

Al Qaeda has set up nine new terrorist camps in Afghanistan in 2024, a sign of the Taliban’s increasing tolerance of terror groups in their backyard in spite of pledges to crack down, according to an Afghan resistance leader visiting Washington this week. 

“These are training centers; these are recruitment centers,” said Ali Maisam Nazary, the top diplomat for Afghanistan’s National Resistance Front (NRF) based in the country’s Panjshir Valley north of Kabul. “The Taliban have even allowed al Qaeda to build bases and munitions depots in the heart of the Panjshir Valley. [That’s] something unheard of, something impossible even in the 1990s for al Qaeda to have achieved.” 

Nazary said that since the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban in August 2021, just before the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country, terror groups including al Qaeda, the Islamic State’s Khorasan branch, Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan have exploded in size and scope, as the country’s unguarded borders have allowed foreign fighters from Arab countries, Central Asian neighbors, and Europe to pour into Afghanistan. Nazary said that 21 known terror groups are currently operating inside the country.

“We’re seeing all the lights are blinking red,” said Doug Livermore, a former U.S. Navy official and a member of the Special Operations Association of America. The United Nations believes that al Qaeda has training camps in at least 10 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, even as the Taliban publicly deny that the terror group has a presence in the country. 

The movement of al Qaeda forces into the Panjshir Valley—long a stronghold of the NRF—has been a shock to the resistance, which still controls about 60 percent of the area to the Taliban’s 40 percent, according to Nazary.

Al Qaeda leader Saif al-Adel has explicitly called for foreign fighters to migrate to Afghanistan and prepare to attack the West. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, a U.S. government watchdog group, said in a July report that though the Taliban have targeted the Islamic State and some other groups, the fundamentalist organization has tolerated the presence of al Qaeda and TTP. 

Terror groups control much—if not all—of Afghanistan’s border, Nazary said. “Al Qaeda didn’t have any presence in northern Afghanistan in 2001,” he said. “Today, al Qaeda has a presence throughout the country, and the other terrorist forces.” The country has become an “open black market” of leftover weapons, many of them American, he added. 

“The Taliban is having the same problem that we did for 20 years,” Livermore said. “You can control the core, you can control the ring road—to an extent. But then once you start looking out from there, particularly in the east and some of that rough terrain, that seems to be where they [the Islamic State] have managed to establish a pretty solid base of operations.” 

Nazary described the relationship between the Taliban and terror groups as “ironclad,” suggesting the group had even provided passports to allow foreign terrorist fighters into the country. The same U.N. report in July said that the Islamic State’s Khorasan branch has facilitators in both Afghanistan and Turkey who can move terrorist fighters into Europe to conduct attacks. 

But some experts are doubtful that the NRF’s message will resonate in Washington. “They are refusing to acknowledge that it’s not 2001 anymore,” said Michael Kugelman, the director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington. “They don’t recognize that, quite frankly, the U.S. and other Western capitals are not interested in getting dragged into a conflict in Afghanistan. There’s no interest in providing arms or money to anti-Taliban groups.”

U.S. intelligence officials are skeptical—at least publicly—about the extent to which Afghanistan could become a terrorist launching pad. The CIA remains in contact with the Taliban in an effort to stanch terror activities, the agency’s deputy director, David Cohen, said at a conference in Maryland on Wednesday, and he said that U.S. intelligence was able to tip Austrian authorities to an Islamic State threat against a planned Taylor Swift concert in Vienna earlier this month. 

“We have been engaging with them, all throughout this period, in various ways, as they have taken on the effort to combat both al Qaeda and ISIS-K,” Cohen said of the U.S. contact with the Taliban, using a common acronym for the Islamic State’s Khorasan branch. “And so this isn’t a ‘mission accomplished’ sort of thing. But it is worth noting that in Afghanistan today, the dire predictions have not come to pass.”

Kugelman said the NRF is trying to leverage growing U.S. concerns about terrorism risks stemming from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s harsh crackdown on women’s rights and perceived political opponents. But, he said, it doesn’t have the power to challenge the Taliban head-on.

“I do think that the NRF might perhaps overstate the dangers in Afghanistan, particularly when it comes to terrorism risks, in order to make a stronger case for support,” he said. “I’d also argue that at the end of the day, the Taliban really does not face any threat at all to its political survival.”

[ari0921]

「宮崎正弘の国際情勢解題」　

令和六年（２０２４）４月９日（火曜日）弐

　　　通巻第８２０８号

　ＩＳ─Ｋ（イスラム国ホラソン派）次の標的は中国

　　　７月のＳＣＯ（上海協力機構）北京大会が危ない

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

　サウスチャイナモーニングポスト（４月９日、電子版）が一面トップで伝えた。

　ロシアとイランで大がかりなテロを展開したＩＳ─Ｋ（イスラム国ホラソン派）が次の標的は中国で７月に開催されるＳＣＯ（上海協力機構）ではないか、と。

北京はつねに厳戒態勢にあるが、テロリストは警戒に緩い場所を狙うから、１２０％の警戒など出来るわけがない。

背景には東トルキスタン独立運動がある。

タリバンがカブールを制圧する以前、アフガニスタンで相当数のＥＴＩＭ（東トルキスタン独立運動）など亡命ウイグル人が、タリバンに協力し、またタリバンの庇護下にあった。

タリバンが政権の座につくと、ウイグル人たちは居場所を喪った。中国の圧力に負けてタリバンがウイグル人過激派に国外に出るよううながし始めた。

ＩＳ─Ｋはアフガニスタンに拠点を抱えており、兵士のリクルートを展開している。タジク人のほか、ここに行き場所を喪ったウイグル人多数が、ＩＳ─Ｋに加入した形跡がある。

　米国司法省の解説では「ＩＳ─Ｋ」は「ＩＳＩＳ─Ｋ」とされ、次のようだ。

　「イスラム国ホラサン州（ISIS-K）は、アフガニスタンに拠点を置くテロ集団であり、アフガニスタンとパキスタンで活動している。ISIS-Kは、主にパキスタン・タリバン運動（Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan）、アフガニスタン・タリバン（Afghan Taliban）、およびウズベキスタン・イスラム運動（Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan）の旧メンバーからなり、2015年、ISISに忠誠を誓った。

　2016年7月、アフガニスタン、カブールで平和的な抗議活動に爆撃を行って80人を殺害し、230人を負傷させた。2016年8月には、パキスタン、クウェッタの病院で94人の死者を出した銃撃および自爆テロに対し、犯行声明を出した。

　ISIS-Kは、2020年5月、アフガニスタン、カブールの産科病院で新生児と母親を含む24人の死者を出した攻撃に対しても、犯行声明を出している。

　2016年1月14日、米国国務省は、米国改正移民国籍法第219条に基づき、ISIS-Kを外国テロ組織に指定した。それ以前の2015年9月29日、国務省は、改正大統領令第13224号に基づき、ISIS-Kを特別指定国際テロリストとして指定した」

[beardedmrbean]

At least 41 people - including women and children - have been killed after unidentified gunmen opened fire on a convoy of 200 passenger vehicles traveling through a remote area of Pakistan.

The vehicles were attacked as they travelled through the tribal district of Kurram in Pakistan, close to the Afghan border, according to the area's deputy police commissioner.

The gunmen initially targeted the convoy's police escort, the provincial spokesman said in a statement.

Police were protecting the convoy following months of sectarian violence in the area, which has claimed dozens of lives this year.

Police have told the BBC that 41 people were killed in Thursday's attack and an additional 16 more were critically injured.

Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, the chief secretary of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, told Reuters news agency the attack was "a major tragedy", with the death toll "likely to rise".

Saeeda Bano - who was in the middle of the convoy - described to BBC Urdu how she feared she would be killed as she hid under the car seats with her children during the attack.

When the gunfire finally stopped after several minutes, she saw injured people and bodies lying in the road.

Details of exactly what happened are still emerging, but Javed ullah Mehsud, a senior administration official, told AFP "approximately 10 attackers" were involved, "firing indiscriminately from both sides of the road".

Women and children had hidden in nearby houses, while police hunted for the attackers, he added.

Most the passengers travelling in the convoy through the mountainous area were Shia, he said in an earlier statement.

Sunni and Shia Muslim tribes have clashed repeatedly this year. An earlier series of attacks ended after a tribal council called for a ceasefire, according to Reuters news agency.

Then last month, there was another attack on passenger vehicles along a road in the region which killed 15 people.

The road Thursday's convoy was travelling along had only reopened in recent days, with travel limited to convoys with police protection.

Sectarian violence is often linked to land disputes in the region.

However, Kurram, in Pakistan's north-west, also borders several Afghan provinces which are home to anti-Shia militant groups, including the Islamic State group and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 9.18 (after 1920)

1922 – The Kingdom of Hungary is admitted to the League of Nations. 1927 – The Columbia Broadcasting System goes on the air. 1928 – Juan de la Cierva makes the first Autogyro crossing of the English Channel. 1931 – Imperial Japan instigates the Mukden Incident as a pretext to invade and occupy Manchuria. 1934 – The Soviet Union is admitted to the League of Nations. 1939 – World War II: The Polish government of Ignacy Mościcki flees to Romania. 1939 – World War II: The radio show Germany Calling begins transmitting Nazi propaganda. 1943 – World War II: Adolf Hitler orders the deportation of Danish Jews. 1944 – World War II: The British submarine HMS Tradewind torpedoes Jun'yō Maru, killing 5,600, mostly slave labourers and POWs. 1944 – World War II: Operation Market Garden results in the liberation of Eindhoven. 1944 – World War II: The Battle of Arracourt begins. 1945 – General Douglas MacArthur moves his general headquarters from Manila to Tokyo. 1947 – The National Security Act reorganizes the United States government's military and intelligence services. 1948 – Operation Polo is terminated after the Indian Army accepts the surrender of the army of Hyderabad. 1948 – Margaret Chase Smith of Maine becomes the first woman elected to the United States Senate without completing another senator's term. 1954 – Finnish president J. K. Paasikivi becomes the first Western head of state to be awarded the highest honor of the Soviet Union, the Order of Lenin. 1960 – Fidel Castro arrives in New York City as the head of the Cuban delegation to the United Nations. 1961 – U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld dies in an air crash while attempting to negotiate peace in the Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 1962 – Burundi, Jamaica, Rwanda and Trinidad and Tobago are admitted to the United Nations. 1962 – Aeroflot Flight 213 crashes into a mountain near Chersky Airport, killing 32 people. 1964 – The wedding of Constantine II of Greece and Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark takes place in Athens. 1973 – The Bahamas, East Germany and West Germany are admitted to the United Nations. 1974 – Hurricane Fifi strikes Honduras with 110 mph winds, killing 5,000 people. 1977 – Voyager I takes the first distant photograph of the Earth and the Moon together. 1980 – Soyuz 38 carries two cosmonauts (including one Cuban) to the Salyut 6 space station. 1981 – The Assemblée Nationale votes to abolish capital punishment in France. 1982 – The Sabra and Shatila massacre in Lebanon comes to an end. 1984 – Joe Kittinger completes the first solo balloon crossing of the Atlantic. 1988 – The 8888 Uprising in Myanmar comes to an end. 1988 – General Henri Namphy, president of Haiti, is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by General Prosper Avril. 1990 – Liechtenstein becomes a member of the United Nations. 1992 – An explosion rocks Giant Mine at the height of a labor dispute, killing nine replacement workers in Yellowknife, Canada. 1997 – United States media magnate Ted Turner donates US$1 billion to the United Nations. 1997 – The Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention is adopted. 2001 – First mailing of anthrax letters from Trenton, New Jersey in the 2001 anthrax attacks. 2007 – Buddhist monks join anti-government protesters in Myanmar, starting what some call the Saffron Revolution. 2011 – The 2011 Sikkim earthquake is felt across northeastern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and southern Tibet. 2012 – Greater Manchester Police officers PC Nicola Hughes and PC Fiona Bone are murdered in a gun and grenade ambush attack in Greater Manchester, England. 2014 – Scotland votes against independence from the United Kingdom, by 55% to 45%. 2015 – Two security personnel, 17 worshippers in a mosque, and 13 militants are killed during a Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan attack on a Pakistan Air Force base on the outskirts of Peshawar. 2016 – The 2016 Uri attack in Jammu and Kashmir, India by terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed results in the deaths of nineteen Indian Army soldiers and all four attackers.

[warningsine]

Al Qaeda has set up nine new terrorist camps in Afghanistan in 2024, a sign of the Taliban’s increasing tolerance of terror groups in their backyard in spite of pledges to crack down, according to an Afghan resistance leader visiting Washington this week. 

“These are training centers; these are recruitment centers,” said Ali Maisam Nazary, the top diplomat for Afghanistan’s National Resistance Front (NRF) based in the country’s Panjshir Valley north of Kabul. “The Taliban have even allowed al Qaeda to build bases and munitions depots in the heart of the Panjshir Valley. [That’s] something unheard of, something impossible even in the 1990s for al Qaeda to have achieved.” 

Nazary said that since the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban in August 2021, just before the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country, terror groups including al Qaeda, the Islamic State’s Khorasan branch, Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan have exploded in size and scope, as the country’s unguarded borders have allowed foreign fighters from Arab countries, Central Asian neighbors, and Europe to pour into Afghanistan. Nazary said that 21 known terror groups are currently operating inside the country.

“We’re seeing all the lights are blinking red,” said Doug Livermore, a former U.S. Navy official and a member of the Special Operations Association of America. The United Nations believes that al Qaeda has training camps in at least 10 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, even as the Taliban publicly deny that the terror group has a presence in the country. 

The movement of al Qaeda forces into the Panjshir Valley—long a stronghold of the NRF—has been a shock to the resistance, which still controls about 60 percent of the area to the Taliban’s 40 percent, according to Nazary.

Al Qaeda leader Saif al-Adel has explicitly called for foreign fighters to migrate to Afghanistan and prepare to attack the West. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, a U.S. government watchdog group, said in a July report that though the Taliban have targeted the Islamic State and some other groups, the fundamentalist organization has tolerated the presence of al Qaeda and TTP. 

Terror groups control much—if not all—of Afghanistan’s border, Nazary said. “Al Qaeda didn’t have any presence in northern Afghanistan in 2001,” he said. “Today, al Qaeda has a presence throughout the country, and the other terrorist forces.” The country has become an “open black market” of leftover weapons, many of them American, he added. 

“The Taliban is having the same problem that we did for 20 years,” Livermore said. “You can control the core, you can control the ring road—to an extent. But then once you start looking out from there, particularly in the east and some of that rough terrain, that seems to be where they [the Islamic State] have managed to establish a pretty solid base of operations.” 

Nazary described the relationship between the Taliban and terror groups as “ironclad,” suggesting the group had even provided passports to allow foreign terrorist fighters into the country. The same U.N. report in July said that the Islamic State’s Khorasan branch has facilitators in both Afghanistan and Turkey who can move terrorist fighters into Europe to conduct attacks. 

But some experts are doubtful that the NRF’s message will resonate in Washington. “They are refusing to acknowledge that it’s not 2001 anymore,” said Michael Kugelman, the director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington. “They don’t recognize that, quite frankly, the U.S. and other Western capitals are not interested in getting dragged into a conflict in Afghanistan. There’s no interest in providing arms or money to anti-Taliban groups.”

U.S. intelligence officials are skeptical—at least publicly—about the extent to which Afghanistan could become a terrorist launching pad. The CIA remains in contact with the Taliban in an effort to stanch terror activities, the agency’s deputy director, David Cohen, said at a conference in Maryland on Wednesday, and he said that U.S. intelligence was able to tip Austrian authorities to an Islamic State threat against a planned Taylor Swift concert in Vienna earlier this month. 

“We have been engaging with them, all throughout this period, in various ways, as they have taken on the effort to combat both al Qaeda and ISIS-K,” Cohen said of the U.S. contact with the Taliban, using a common acronym for the Islamic State’s Khorasan branch. “And so this isn’t a ‘mission accomplished’ sort of thing. But it is worth noting that in Afghanistan today, the dire predictions have not come to pass.”

Kugelman said the NRF is trying to leverage growing U.S. concerns about terrorism risks stemming from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s harsh crackdown on women’s rights and perceived political opponents. But, he said, it doesn’t have the power to challenge the Taliban head-on.

“I do think that the NRF might perhaps overstate the dangers in Afghanistan, particularly when it comes to terrorism risks, in order to make a stronger case for support,” he said. “I’d also argue that at the end of the day, the Taliban really does not face any threat at all to its political survival.”

[mybharatguru]

3 people, including 2 children, were killed in a blast in Pakistan

3 people including 2 children were killed in the blast in Pakistan. Balochistan is the largest province in the southwestern part of Pakistan. Some of the armed groups have been fighting for a long time for a separate country here. They accuse the Pakistani and Chinese governments of exploiting the natural resources in Balochistan. In particular, the banned organization Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan…

[xtruss]

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan

Exclusive: Pakistani Leader Imran Khan Says Taliban Can Be America's Partner For Peace

— Published: September 24, 2021 | By Tom O'Connor (Senior Writer, Foreign Policy & Deputy Editor, National Security and Foreign Policy)

In a candid and wide-ranging interview, Newsweek Senior Foreign Policy Writer Tom O'Connor conversed with Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan, a nation that straddles Afghanistan and China both geographically and strategically. Khan discussed his goals and fears for his country and the region, and explained why he believes America must remain engaged in Afghanistan.

This conversation, conducted via email, offers a rare glimpse into one of the world's most troubled regions through the eyes of the leader of one of its most important and influential countries.

Khan rose to fame as a cricket star who led Pakistan's national team to its first World Cup victory in 1992. After his sporting career, he began philanthropic work raising funds for medical facilities and research, and established the populist Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Pakistan Movement for Justice) in 1996. Through this party, he capitalized on popular dissatisfaction over corruption, religious discrimination and economic stagnation over the course of the next two decades to rise to the forefront of national politics, securing positions in parliament and rising to prime minister in 2018.

For Americans, the leading concern in the region is that the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August could empower militant groups seeking to lash out abroad. Khan says he shares those anxieties. But his greatest worry doesn't stem from the Taliban, with which Islamabad has fostered close ties. Rather, it's a slew of other outlawed organizations whose aims are more immediately focused on wreaking havoc in the region.

When it comes to China, the Pakistani leader rejects President Joe Biden's hard line as "unnecessary." Khan sees not a rival but a partner, both for his nation and potentially for the U.S. as well. And at a time when the U.S. is increasingly embracing Pakistan's top rival, India, he emphasizes that Pakistan remains a ready and willing companion in counterterrorism and other endeavors.

Cooperation between the U.S. and all major powers in the region is the only way to avoid catastrophe, Khan says.

This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

U.S. troops sit on a wall as Afghans gather on a roadside near the military part of the airport in Kabul on August 20, 2021, hoping to flee from the country after the Taliban's military takeover of Afghanistan. Wakil Kohsar/AFP Via Getty Images

Newsweek: What do you feel will be the immediate impact for both Pakistan and the region as a result of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan?

Khan: Following the U.S. withdrawal, Afghanistan faces a difficult transition from the past 20 years of a US-NATO supported governance structure. The Taliban appear to have gained control over the entire country, for the first time in 40 years. There is, therefore, a hope that security can be established throughout Afghanistan. A peaceful Afghanistan will be beneficial for Pakistan, opening up possibilities for trade and development projects.

However, Afghanistan faces a humanitarian crisis due to the Covid pandemic, conflict, and the failures of the previous governments. This must be addressed as a priority. Also, we need to work with the authorities in Kabul to neutralize terrorists' groups present in Afghanistan, particularly the TTP [Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, the country's largest armed opposition group], which has been responsible for thousands of terrorist attacks against Pakistan.

Do you think U.S. credibility and influence in Asia will be affected by the move? Are countries looking to alternative security partners such as China, or might countries seek to cling to a U.S. presence, given the chaos that resulted amid the withdrawal?

For its part, the United States has divested a liability—its costly military intervention—which, as the U.S. President has himself admitted, was not a strategic priority for the United States. Both Pakistan and the United States need to prevent terrorism emanating from Afghanistan. To this end, we should cooperate to help in stabilizing Afghanistan by addressing the humanitarian crisis in that country and supporting its economic recovery. Of course, there may be an immediate negative impact in the U.S. due to the chaotic nature of its evacuation from Kabul. The U.S. has withdrawn voluntarily from Afghanistan. Therefore, I don't think that the U.S. withdrawal will erode U.S. credibility globally in the long term.

As for China, if China offers economic support to Afghanistan, it's natural that the Afghans will accept it. The Taliban have welcomed the prospects of being incorporated in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and establishing close relations with China.

However, the U.S. too can play an important and positive role in Afghanistan by providing humanitarian assistance, contributing to Afghanistan's recovery and reconstruction, and cooperating in containing terrorism from Afghanistan. During the Doha peace process, the U.S. established a working relationship with the Taliban. There was direct cooperation between the U.S. and the Taliban during the evacuation process. I believe that the U.S. can work with a new government in Afghanistan to promote common interests and regional stability.

The Taliban on Tuesday announced a caretaker Cabinet stacked with veterans of their harsh rule in the late 1990s and subsequent 20-year battle against the U.S.-led coalition and its Afghan government allies. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid speaks during a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021. Muhammad Farooq/AP Photo

Does Pakistan intend to recognize the new Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan as it did during the previous Taliban takeover, and what kind of developments would you like to see in Afghanistan before establishing such formal diplomatic ties?

The Taliban have established an "acting government" and will no doubt announce a more permanent governance structure later. Pakistan is obliged to engage with the de-facto authorities in Afghanistan to prevent an economic and humanitarian collapse in this neighboring country and the resurgence of terrorism.

Once a government in Kabul establishes control over the entire country, it would legally qualify for recognition. However, Pakistan would prefer to reach a decision regarding recognition of the new government together with other neighbors of Afghanistan.

Among the most pressing concerns for the international community right now is the potential for militant and separatist groups to take advantage of the unrest in Afghanistan to plot attacks against other countries. One example has been attacks against Chinese citizens in Pakistan. Does Pakistan share these concerns, and how do you plan to address them?

There is indeed a plethora of terrorist groups which, taking advantage of the conflict in Afghanistan, located themselves in that country. Pakistan is extremely concerned about the threat of terrorism from Afghanistan, particularly from the TTP, which has conducted thousands of attacks against Pakistan from the territory of Afghanistan with the sponsorship and support of certain hostile intelligence agencies.

The TTP has also been responsible for most of its attacks on Chinese citizens working in Pakistan, perhaps with the support of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM). Pakistan will work with the authorities in Afghanistan to halt TTP and other terrorism from Afghanistan.

While the U.S. is withdrawing from Afghanistan, it has focused more closely on defense ties with other regional countries, especially India. Does this concern Pakistan, given the tensions that exist in Kashmir and India's membership in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue?

Pakistan desires to promote a comprehensive, not selective, approach to neutralizing terrorists' threats from Afghanistan. We will cooperate with the international community, including the U.S., in this effort.

We understand that the U.S. military support to India is designed to contain China, including through the so-called Quad. Pakistan has its own views on the credibility of this strategy. In our view, India will never confront China, especially not to serve U.S. strategic objectives. India's purpose in arming itself so massively is to establish its hegemony in South Asia and specially to threaten and coerce Pakistan. Seventy percent of all Indian military capabilities are deployed against Pakistan, not China. Therefore, Pakistan has legitimate concerns about the provision of the most advanced weapons and technology to India. Apart from increasing the likelihood of a conflict, an arms race in South Asia will divert both India and Pakistan from investing in socio-economic development and the welfare of their people.

"The current U.S.-China rivalry is unnecessary," says Prime Minister Imran Khan. China's President Xi Jinping, right, shakes hands with Pakistani leader Khan before a meeting at the Great Hall of the People on April 28, 2019 in Beijing, China. Madoka Ikegami-Pool/Getty Images

Pakistan has built a close strategic partnership with China. Is there concern that Pakistan could be caught up in the broader U.S.-China rivalry?

Pakistan's relationship with China is 70 years old. It covers economic, technological, military and other sectors. Throughout this time, Pakistan has simultaneously maintained a close relationship with the United States as well. Indeed, it was Pakistan which first brought the U.S. and China together in 1971. We see no reason for our strategic partnership with China to erode our ability to continue a cooperative relationship with the United States. We believe that the current U.S.-China rivalry is unnecessary and contrary to the interests of both these global powers. Cooperation between them would be beneficial to both and is essential to address the myriad global problems we face—the COVID pandemic, the economic crisis in the developing world and the existential threat of climate change. We hope that both Beijing and Washington will reach the same conclusion in the near future.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council of Heads of State met on September 17. What message did you have for them as it relates to the role of Pakistan and the SCO states in addressing Afghanistan and other regional issues?

We attach importance to the SCO as a regional organization grouping the countries in the Asian heartland. At the SCO Summit, I presented Pakistan's viewpoint about the situation and presented the possible way out to address the challenges posed to the region due to the current situation in Afghanistan.

If India adopts a positive position in relations with Pakistan, the SCO could serve as a useful platform to promote stability and prosperity across this vast area of the Asian Continent.

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the end of the war in Afghanistan in the State Dining Room at the White House on August 31, 2021 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

There have been concerns over the pace of progress in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects. How has Pakistan's economic alignment with China benefited the country, and do you expect other countries to follow Pakistan's example, or might President Joe Biden's "Build Back Better World" prove a challenge to Belt and Road Initiative projects?

China has already invested around 25 billion dollars under the umbrella of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Additional projects worth 20 billion are under implementation. Projects worth a further 25 billion dollars are in the pipeline. The COVID-19 pandemic may have slowed the implementation of some projects. However, the CPEC's objectives are being achieved on schedule, and their implementation will be accelerated in the future.

The United States and G7 initiative—"Build Back Better World"—has been welcomed by Pakistan. We do not see this as being in competition with China's "Belt and Road Initiative." It is an initiative which can contribute to building the infrastructure and other projects which are so vital to enable developing countries to achieve their development objectives and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Supporters of the pro-Taliban party shout anti-US slogans at a protest in Quetta on May 2, 2011, after the killing of Osama Bin Laden. Banaras Khan/AFP, Getty Images

This year marked the 10th anniversary of Osama bin Laden's killing on Pakistani soil, and the world just marked the 20th anniversary of 9/11. How would you evaluate the successes and failures of the United States' "War on Terror" over the course of the past two decades?

Al-Qaeda, the organization responsible for 9/11, has been decimated in Afghanistan, largely due to Pakistan-U.S. counter terrorism cooperation over the past 20 years.

However, the root causes of terrorism—the underlying conflicts and disputes, and economic and social injustice—have not been addressed. As a result, the ideology and narrative of terrorist groups have proliferated across several regions of the world, including Africa, and new terrorist organizations have emerged.

In addition, anti-Muslim extremist movements and terrorist groups have emerged in several parts of the world. We see the strongest manifestation of such Islamophobia in India's extremist Hindutva ideology, which has unleashed state-sponsored terrorism against the Muslims of occupied Jammu and Kashmir and the 200 million Indian Muslim "minority."

The world needs a new and comprehensive global counterterrorism strategy to address these new manifestations of terrorism.

Longer term, what do you think the impact of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan will be on the region? If you look out, say, five years from now, what do you think the most profound difference will be—and what wild card development might change that outlook?

Four decades of war and conflict has had a devastating impact on Afghanistan's economy, society, and polity. There is a ray of hope today to end the "long war" and bring peace, stability and development to Afghanistan and the broader region.

The last thing Pakistan wants is more conflict and turbulence in Afghanistan.

After 20 years of military intervention in Afghanistan, the international community cannot exonerate itself from its responsibilities towards the people of Afghanistan. It must stay engaged with Afghanistan.

It is our hope that Afghanistan will be stabilized, through humanitarian help, economic support, and connectivity and infrastructure projects, and that the U.S., China and Russia will all contribute to pacifying and reconstructing Afghanistan.

On the other hand, if rivalry persists within Afghanistan, and between regional states and global powers, it could lead to a new round of violence and conflict in Afghanistan. This would create new flow of refugees, escalate the threat of terrorism from Afghanistan, and destabilize the entire region.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, In An Exclusive Newsweek Interview.

[williamkergroach55]

Afghanistan, well done Uncle Sam…

For years, Muslim fundamentalists have been aided by Pakistani (and American) intelligence services in their fight for control of Afghanistan. Like their predecessors in power between 1996 and 2001, the current Taliban are almost all from the Pashtun ethnic group, dominant in southern Afghanistan and neighboring north-western Pakistan. Today, the Pashtun Taliban are the masters of Afghanistan, and they in turn are supporting Muslim fundamentalists to take over Pakistan.

According to UN sources, the Afghan Taliban are currently providing increasing support to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a terrorist group operating mainly in Pakistan. Reports indicate that the Taliban have established eight new training camps in Afghanistan, where they provide training to TTP militants. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) itself maintains close links with several affiliated terrorist groups: Al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Islam and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. All of them are strengthening their operational capacity and strategic reach. The Afghan Taliban have close ties with regional affiliate Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), which is allied to the TTP. Relations between the two organizations date back to the early years of the TTP's formation. Al-Qaeda has provided financial, logistical and ideological support to the TTP, enabling it to carry out large-scale terrorist operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda members were often integrated into the ranks of the TTP, facilitating operational cooperation between the two entities. Al-Qaeda training camps and operational bases in Afghanistan have also served as safe havens for TTP militants, enabling them to plan and execute cross-border attacks. Lashkar-e-Islam, based in the tribal regions of Pakistan, is mainly active in the Khyber district. The group has been involved in terrorist activities and clashes with Pakistani security forces. Links between the TTP and Lashkar-e-Islam are manifested in operational collaboration. Together, they have carried out coordinated attacks against Pakistani security forces and sought to extend their influence in the tribal regions. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi operates in Pakistan. It is mainly involved in attacks against the country's Shiite minority. The TTP maintains links with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, taking advantage of its knowledge of the terrain. Together, they have carried out targeted attacks against civilians and religious minorities, exacerbating sectarian tensions in Pakistan. Collaboration between the TTP and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi threatens Pakistan's national security and stability.

This collaboration between the Afghan Taliban and fundamentalist groups in the region raises major security concerns, particularly for Pakistan. The TTP has already carried out numerous deadly attacks against Pakistani security forces and civilians. The continued support of the Afghan Taliban is likely to further aggravate the security situation in the region. In geopolitical terms, this cooperation highlights the pitiful results of the US invasion of Afghanistan and its historic support for the most radical jihadist groups. In the name of the fight against communism, Washington has supplied the bearded men with weapons, military training and funding for decades. The occupation of Afghanistan by over-equipped "boys", unprepared for the realities on the ground, until August 2021, only served to drive the population into the arms of the Taliban.

Having consolidated their power in Afghanistan, the Godless are now preparing to take over Pakistan. Bravo, Pentagon strategists…

[shahananasrin-blog]

[ad_1] A middle-aged lawyer, Nia Beg, is anxious after a large incursion by Islamist militants rattled his homeland in northwestern Pakistan this month. Beg is Kalash, and he follows the ancient pagan religion practiced in Bumburet and other remote valleys collectively called Kalash in the northwestern district of Chitral, which borders eastern Afghanistan. He says that attacks by scores of Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on several villages in Kalash pose hard questions about the security of Chitral, which had rarely seen Taliban violence and is one of Pakistan's top tourist destinations because of its unique culture and natural beauty. "My children ask me, 'How will we now go to school or walk freely in our village?'" he told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal after the Taliban incursion into Chitral that began on September 6. Pakistan claimed to have repulsed the attack and forced the TTP militants to retreat into Afghanistan. Pakistani Army personnel evacuate a resident injured in flooding in Chitral. (file photo) On September 6, the military said four soldiers and 12 militants were killed in clashes. In a sign that all was not well in Chitral, the government imposed a three-day curfew in the mountainous region. On September 10, the military said it killed seven more militants in ongoing "sanitization" operations. Gunship helicopters were also used, which suggests some of the TTP militants were well entrenched. "Residents of Kalash are extremely frightened because the Taliban are religious extremists," Abdul Majeed Qureshi, a local Muslim leader, told Radio Mashaal. "We want the Taliban attacks to end permanently," he added. The once-peaceful Chitral region now appears to be in the crosshairs of the TTP, whose insurgency has grown remarkably after its ideological and organizational ally, the Afghan Taliban, returned to power in Afghanistan two years ago. Experts say the surprise incursion into Chitral showcases the TTP's attempt to reestablish a territorial foothold in Pakistan. After its emergence in 2007, the TTP controlled large areas in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. But by 2014, Islamabad's military operations had forced it to flee into neighboring Afghanistan, which shares a more than 2,600-kilometer border with Pakistan. "Chitral's complex terrain and geographical importance made it a significant option for the TTP to challenge the state’s territorial control," said Abdul Sayed, a Sweden-based researcher who tracks the TTP. "The TTP's attack on Chitral is part of its ambition to establish a stronghold on the Pakistani side of the border," he added. Chitral, now divided into Upper and Lower Chitral districts, consists of high-altitude valleys in the Hindu Kush Mountains. It borders the eastern Afghan provinces of Kunar, Nuristan, and Badakhshan. A narrow strip of Afghan territory separates it from China and Tajikistan, which gives the region great strategic significance. "The TTP wants to carve out a new safe haven that could serve its objectives," said Ihsanullah Tipu Mehsud, director of news at Khorasan Diary, a website tracking militant groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Mehsud argues that the TTP's incursion into Chitral "is very dangerous" because the group might want to carve out other sanctuaries in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, which form Pakistan's western border with Afghanistan. After its emergence in 2007 as an umbrella alliance of Pakistani Taliban groups, the TTP swiftly extended its control over large parts of the South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Mohmand, Bajaur, and Swat districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Years of TTP attacks and the Pakistani Army's counterinsurgency killed more than 80,000 Pakistanis, predominantly ethnic Pashtuns. The violence also displaced more than 6 million Pashtuns. "The TTP is seeking to restore some of the territorial control it once enjoyed in regions such as Swat and Waziristan," Mehsud said. TTP violence has risen dramatically since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021. The Taliban-led government brokered negotiations between Islamabad and the TTP, but these ended in November after the TTP formally declared that its cease-fire with Islamabad was over. According to the Pakistani Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, a think tank in Islamabad, this August was the most violent month since November 2014. The TTP claimed some 147 attacks that month. During the first eight months of the year, 227 Pakistanis were killed and 497 were injured in 22 suicide attacks, mostly claimed by the Pakistani Taliban. The Pakistani military and law enforcement have endured mounting losses. At least 120 soldiers and military officers were killed in militant attacks in the first six months of this year. The police, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have had similar losses. Rising TTP violence has sharply deteriorated relations between longtime allies Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban. Kalash women wear traditional dresses during a religious festival celebrating the arrival of spring in Bumburet. (file photo) Islamabad swiftly closed its main border crossing with Afghanistan in Torkham, which is some 400 kilometers to the south. It has also launched a crackdown on an estimated 3 million Afghan refugees and migrants in the country. “We expect the Afghan interim authorities…to ensure that Afghan territory is not used as a launching pad for terrorist attacks against Pakistan," said the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad on September 11 in response to a Taliban statement demanding the reopening of Torkham. The border crossing was reopened on September 15. Sayed said the mountainous border between Chitral and the eastern Afghan province of Nuristan comprises deserted areas known as No-Man's Land. “This could give the Afghan Taliban the pretext that the TTP has not attacked from areas under their control,” he said. Mehsud said the TTP attack was also encouraged by the relatively small presence of security forces in Chitral. It is also the only region where the Pakistani border fencing with Afghanistan is incomplete. "Things are reaching a boiling point between the two countries," Mehsud noted. "Pakistan might launch surgical attacks or kinetic actions inside Afghanistan to target the TTP leaders and their bases." On September 10, an improvised explosive device targeted a senior TTP commander, Badshah Khan, in the southeastern Afghan province of Paktika. In Chitral, civilians remain anxious in the aftermath of the TTP attack. "People are worried that if the Taliban continues to attack, tourists will stop coming," said Ihkamuddin, a local politician in Bumburet. [ad_2]

[arrahmahcom]

Mujahid Tolak Klaim Kehadiran Kelompok Asing di Afghanistan

KABUL (Arrahmah.id) – Zabihullah Mujahid, juru bicara Imarah Islam Afghanistan, telah menolak laporan Tim Pemantau Dukungan Analitik dan Sanksi PBB mengenai keberadaan Al-Qaeda, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), dan kelompok-kelompok lain di Afghanistan. Mujahid mengatakan kepada Tolo News bahwa tidak ada kelompok asing yang hadir di negara tersebut dan ancaman yang ditimbulkan oleh kelompok ISIS…

[mariacallous]

The results of Pakistan’s general elections on Feb. 8 reflected widespread dissatisfaction with the country’s civil and military establishment, but they seem to have brought about the opposite of what many voters wanted. Independent candidates affiliated with former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party—barred from running under its banner—won more seats in parliament than any major party, but not enough for a majority. Parliamentary arithmetic necessitates a coalition, and Khan, who is in prison on corruption charges, refuses to negotiate with his rivals.

Pakistan’s next government will instead be formed by a coalition of legacy parties, including the center-right Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and the center-left Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), led by former President Asif Ali Zardari and his son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. On Feb. 8, Pakistan’s entrenched political order—in which parties vie for votes as well as the powerful military’s favor—was jolted but did not crumble. Although PTI’s surprising performance damaged the military’s reputation and mystique, the military’s ability to influence the course of events remains intact.

The latest episode in Pakistan’s game of thrones comes amid a serious economic crisis as well as security threats from the resurgent Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups. Political polarization makes it difficult to address Pakistan’s swelling debt and deficit. With a GDP of $340 billion, Pakistan must repay nearly $78 billion in external debt before 2026. Imposing taxes on key sectors of the economy—agriculture, real estate, retail—is difficult without political consensus. And amid the uncertainty, various loss-making state-owned enterprises, from Pakistan International Airlines to the country’s power distribution companies, which collectively cost the government around $1.7 billion annually, cannot be privatized.

Pakistan also needs a comprehensive strategy to deal with jihadi groups, which are now responsible for terrorist attacks inside the country but were once encouraged or tolerated as part of unconventional warfare against India and a way to secure influence in Afghanistan. Populist narratives blaming India, Israel, and the United States for holding back Pakistan’s progress hinder action against extremists, who portray themselves as Islamist heroes. Meanwhile, peace with India, relations with the West, and ties to economic benefactors in the Arab world are now held hostage to Pakistan’s internal divisions: Those holding office at any given time are often accused by their opponents of selling out Pakistan’s interests.

If there was ever a time for Pakistan’s squabbling politicians to form a government of national unity, it would be now. Given the fragmented election results and allegations of vote-rigging, a stable cross-party government could pave the way for the military’s withdrawal from politics. It could also help Pakistan transition away from its long-standing tradition of one major politician or another being in jail—such as Khan—while their supporters are harassed. Parliamentary debates on alternative policy ideas could replace the current shouting matches between rival leaders’ supporters about who is more corrupt.

But rather than inspiring unity, the coalition government that is taking shape will immediately face opposition from Khan’s supporters. As things stand, it seems unlikely that Pakistan’s divisions will end anytime soon. The results of last week’s elections confirmed voters’ weariness with the political elite and dynastic politics, as well as with the meddling—both overt and covert—by the country’s generals. Widespread dissatisfaction with the economy and the absence of opportunities for Pakistan’s burgeoning young population have given rise to populist politics that will not lead to reconciliation.

Khan, the cricket star-turned-quintessential populist leader, dismisses the idea of a negotiated settlement with his political opponents. He has built a powerful narrative of victimhood that blames Pakistan’s political elites and foreign conspiracies for the country’s problems. His grandiloquence may not offer realistic solutions, but it does create an outlet for powerless people to vent their rage and frustration. Khan seems to believe that a revolution could give him greater power than embracing the idea of a new national pact. Instead of using PTI’s electoral success to talk to the other major parties, Khan has offered an alliance proposal to two minor religious parties, although one of them has already refused the partnership.

After his initial arrest in May 2023, the former leader encouraged attacks against military installations, according to an aide; he could now encourage violent protests against alleged election rigging in another attempt to ignite a street revolution. But the May 9 attacks paved the way for a harsher crackdown on PTI than if there had not been violent turmoil. Hundreds of party activists were arrested while thousands faced intimidation from security services. It would be irresponsible of Khan to put his supporters’ lives and freedom at risk.

Ironically, Khan came to power in 2018 with the help of Pakistan’s military and security services as a crusader against corrupt civilian politicians. The generals built up Khan as an alternative to these politicians, many of whom had quarreled with the military at some point in the past. But Khan also ran afoul of the military as prime minister because he defied the generals’ wishes and mismanaged the economy; his populism harmed Pakistan’s precarious external relations. To remove Khan from office, the military turned to the same politicians it had sought to discredit.

After his ouster in a parliamentary no-confidence vote, Khan saw an opportunity to continue his anti-elite bombast, adding the country’s top generals to the list of villains from whom he would save Pakistan. His supporters lapped it up. The military has influenced the country’s politics for decades, but it now faces a unique challenge. Khan has poisoned even traditionally pro-army constituencies by arguing that the generals were acting at the behest of the United States—allegations that Washington denies—and against Pakistan’s interests. Military leaders have now been trying to get an entire nation to change direction away from Khan for nearly two years with little success.

The generals and their new civilian allies may have assumed that jailing Khan, bringing back Sharif from exile, and implementing repressive measures—such as barring PTI-affiliated candidates’ access to the media—would ensure the election result that they wanted. Instead, young PTI activists used social media to mobilize voters and upended the establishment’s plans.

Still, the reaction of voters to the Pakistani military’s highhandedness is unlikely to unleash a revolution. In the short term, the country will continue to have a weak civilian government willing to work closely with the military while Khan will remain in prison and his party will remain out of power. Any widespread political violence will only result in a clamor for the military to take over and restore order.

For years, Pakistan’s military has repeated the cycle of “elect, dismiss, disqualify, and arrest” for civilian politicians. But in the long term, the country’s leaders must collectively address the widespread frustration and polarization that has contributed the success of Khan’s populism. Although unlikely, Khan changing tack and accepting political compromise could also help ease Pakistan’s pain. In any case, the hostility toward the military’s political role among its former supporters makes it difficult for generals to act as if nothing has changed.

[wikiuntamed]

On this day in Wikipedia: Friday, 22nd September

Welcome, Välkommen, Willkommen, Benvenuta 🤗 What does @Wikipedia say about 22nd September through the years 🏛️📜🗓️?

22nd September 2022 🗓️ : Death - Hilary Mantel Hilary Mantel, British author (b. 1952) "Dame Hilary Mary Mantel ( man-TEL; born Thompson; 6 July 1952 – 22 September 2022) was a British writer whose work includes historical fiction, personal memoirs and short stories. Her first published novel, Every Day Is Mother's Day, was released in 1985. She went on to write 12 novels, two..."

22nd September 2018 🗓️ : Death - Mike Labinjo Mike Labinjo, Canadian football player (b. 1980) "Michael Labinjo (July 8, 1980 – September 21, 2018) was a Canadian professional gridiron football player who played as a defensive end. He was a member of the Calgary Stampeders, Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins...."

22nd September 2013 🗓️ : Event - Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: All Saints Church in Peshawar, Pakistan, was attacked by two suicide bombers who killed 127 people. "The insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, also known as the War in North-West Pakistan or Pakistan's war on terror, is an ongoing armed conflict involving Pakistan and Islamist militant groups such as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jundallah, Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI), TNSM, al-Qaeda, and their..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0? by Pahari Sahib

22nd September 1973 🗓️ : Birth - Stéfan Louw Stéfan Louw, South African tenor and producer "Stéfan Louw is a South African operatic tenor, regarded as one of South Africa's leading tenors. He has been performing opera since 1995. ..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0? by Emlo SA

22nd September 1923 🗓️ : Birth - Dannie Abse Dannie Abse, Welsh physician, poet, and author (d. 2014) "Daniel Abse CBE FRSL (22 September 1923 – 28 September 2014) was a Welsh poet and physician. His poetry won him many awards. As a medic, he worked in a chest clinic for over 30 years...."

22nd September 1823 🗓️ : Event - Joseph Smith Joseph Smith claims to have found the golden plates after being directed by God through the Angel Moroni to the place where they were buried. "Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805 – June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and the founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. Publishing the Book of Mormon at the age of 24, Smith attracted tens of thousands of followers by the time of his death fourteen years later. The..."

Image by Likely William Warner Major see http://silverepicent.com/photofound/photofound/Photograph_Found/Appendix_C.html

22nd September 🗓️ : Holiday - Christian feast days: Digna and Emerita "Saints Digna and Emerita (died 259 AD) are venerated as saints by the Catholic Church. They were Roman maidens seized and put to the torture as Christians in the persecution of Valerian (A.D. 254-A.D. 259) at Rome.Their feast day is celebrated on September 22. Their relics are said to lie at the..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0? by Alekjds

[etudegenerale]

✍️ Malala Yousafzai est une militante pakistanaise des droits des femmes, née le 12 juillet 1997 à Mingora, dans la province de Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, où elle s'est opposée au Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan qui tentaient d'interdire la scolarisation des filles.

etude-generale.com

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 9.18 (after 1940)

1940 – World War II: The British liner SS City of Benares is sunk by German submarine U-48; those killed include 77 child refugees. 1943 – World War II: Adolf Hitler orders the deportation of Danish Jews. 1944 – World War II: The British submarine HMS Tradewind torpedoes Jun'yō Maru, killing 5,600, mostly slave labourers and POWs. 1944 – World War II: The Battle of Arracourt begins. 1945 – General Douglas MacArthur moves his general headquarters from Manila to Tokyo. 1947 – The National Security Act reorganizes the United States government's military and intelligence services. 1948 – Operation Polo is terminated after the Indian Army accepts the surrender of the army of Hyderabad. 1948 – Margaret Chase Smith of Maine becomes the first woman elected to the United States Senate without completing another senator's term. 1954 – Finnish president J. K. Paasikivi becomes the first Western head of state to be awarded the highest honor of the Soviet Union, the Order of Lenin. 1960 – Fidel Castro arrives in New York City as the head of the Cuban delegation to the United Nations. 1961 – U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld dies in an air crash while attempting to negotiate peace in the Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 1962 – Burundi, Jamaica, Rwanda and Trinidad and Tobago are admitted to the United Nations. 1962 – Aeroflot Flight 213 crashes into a mountain near Chersky Airport, killing 32 people. 1973 – The Bahamas, East Germany and West Germany are admitted to the United Nations. 1974 – Hurricane Fifi strikes Honduras with 110 mph winds, killing 5,000 people. 1977 – Voyager I takes the first distant photograph of the Earth and the Moon together. 1980 – Soyuz 38 carries two cosmonauts (including one Cuban) to the Salyut 6 space station. 1981 – The Assemblée Nationale votes to abolish capital punishment in France. 1982 – The Sabra and Shatila massacre in Lebanon comes to an end. 1984 – Joe Kittinger completes the first solo balloon crossing of the Atlantic. 1988 – The 8888 Uprising in Myanmar comes to an end. 1988 – General Henri Namphy, president of Haiti, is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by General Prosper Avril. 1990 – Liechtenstein becomes a member of the United Nations. 1992 – An explosion rocks Giant Mine at the height of a labor dispute, killing nine replacement workers in Yellowknife, Canada. 1997 – United States media magnate Ted Turner donates US$1 billion to the United Nations. 1997 – The Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention is adopted. 2001 – First mailing of anthrax letters from Trenton, New Jersey in the 2001 anthrax attacks. 2007 – Buddhist monks join anti-government protesters in Myanmar, starting what some call the Saffron Revolution. 2011 – The 2011 Sikkim earthquake is felt across northeastern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and southern Tibet. 2012 – Greater Manchester Police officers PC Nicola Hughes and PC Fiona Bone are murdered in a gun and grenade ambush attack in Greater Manchester, England. 2014 – Scotland votes against independence from the United Kingdom, by 55% to 45%. 2015 – Two security personnel, 17 worshippers in a mosque, and 13 militants are killed during a Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan attack on a Pakistan Air Force base on the outskirts of Peshawar. 2016 – The 2016 Uri attack in Jammu and Kashmir, India by terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed results in the deaths of nineteen Indian Army soldiers and all four attackers. 2021 – A ferry capsizes in Guizhou province, China due to bad weather, leaving ten people dead and five missing.

[warningsine]

A bomb in a parked motorcycle exploded near a police vehicle in north-west Pakistan on Friday, killing at least five people and wounding 20 others, local police said.

The explosion happened in Dera Ismail Khan, a city in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which borders Afghanistan, according to police officer Gul Sher Khan.

The motorcycle was parked near a bus stop and the bomb was detonated remotely when a police bus carrying officers from the city to the nearby Takwara area passed by, Mr Khan said.

All of the dead were locals, and the explosion at the busy stop wounded both civilians and police constables, he said.

Rescue officials said the wounded were moved to a nearby hospital, with three in serious condition.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility from any group, but the suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, who have stepped up attacks on security forces since 2022.

Authorities say the insurgents have become emboldened while living openly in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover of that country in 2021.

Dera Ismail Khan is located near the former militant stronghold of South Waziristan, which was a sanctuary for militants.

Pakistan's army carried out massive operations against militants in tribal regions along the Afghan border after an army-run school was attacked by militants in 2014, killing more than 150 mostly school children.

The army years ago announced that it had cleared the region of local and foreign militants.

Occasional attacks have continued, however, raising concerns that the local Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, are regrouping in the area.

The Pakistani Taliban are a separate group but allies of the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 as the US and NATO troops were in the final stages of their pullout.

AP