Attacks by TTP have been rising since peace talks with government broke down in November Three Pakistani soldiers were killed in a gun battle with Taliban militants near the Afghan-Pakistan border on Saturday, the latest violent incident in the restive, semi-mountainous frontier region. Pakistan’s army has been battling an escalating number of attacks from Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or the Pakistani Taliban […]
Read more ›Category: South East Asia
UN report finds ‘strong and symbiotic’ links between Afghan Taliban, TTP
The link between the Afghan Taliban and proscribed militant outfits Al-Qaeda and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remains “strong and symbiotic”, a report published by the United Nations (UN) said. The fourteenth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team of the UN Security Council’s 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee — released on Friday — noted that a “range of terrorist groups […]
Read more ›Two militants neutralised in J&K’s Kupwara; operation continues
Two terrorists have been neutralised in a joint operation by the army and Kashmir Police on Tuesday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara. “Two (02) terrorists have been neutralised in a joint operation of Army and Kupwara Police in Dobanar Machhal area (LoC) of Kupwara district. Search still continues,” informed Kashmir Police in a tweet.
Read more ›China, Pakistan and Turkey Eyeing Kashmir
The history of the Islamization of indigenous non-Muslim populations of Kashmir is similar to that of the Middle East and North Africa: native non-Muslim peoples were first conquered by Islamic armies and then subjected to discrimination and persecution, which led to either death, conversion to Islam or departure/flight. Due to killings and forced conversions, there are no Hindus remaining in […]
Read more ›CTD arrests three terrorists in Karachi
The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Monday nabbed three terrorists in Gulistan-e-Jauhar in an intelligence-based operation (IBO). The CTD authorities said that the terrorists belonged to a banned outfit, adding that they wanted to launch attacks on important installations. “They also wanted to attack important personalities,” the authorities added. The authorities recovered three hand-grenades and six pistols from the arrested terrorists.
Read more ›China-Saudi Ties Boost While U.S. Influence Wanes
Days after welcoming Secretary of State Antony Blinken as part of efforts to reset relations with the U.S., Saudi Arabia turned its attention to boosting ties with one of Washington’s main competitors: China, says Bloomberg. A Bloomberg report — Saudi Arabia Looks to China for Business as US Influence Wanes — said on June 13, 2023: For the past two […]
Read more ›The Afghan And Ukrainian War Contexts And Features: A Comparative Perspective
It was Afghanistan’s irresistible desire for independence from foreign occupation that bled and weakened the Soviet Union substantially during its nine-year occupation and led to its subsequent disintegration. Thus, Ukraine emerged as an independent sovereign state from Afghanistan’s unremitting desire for independence. Now that Ukraine is fighting for its own independence, it is worthwhile to make a comparison between the […]
Read more ›Taliban Vs. ISKP: Warring Actors In An Unstable Afghanistan – Analysis
Recent DevelopmentsUnconfirmed reports arguing that the Afghan Taliban has neutralised Sanaullah Ghafari alias Shahab al-Muhajir, the Emir of Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) during a raid in Kunar (bordering Pakistan), have trickled in gradually this month. However, besides speculative rhetoric, there is little to go on, considering there is a lack of eulogising by pro-ISIS media or celebratory announcements […]
Read more ›Averting A Civil War In Bangladesh: Critical Role Of International Intervention And Qatar’s Potential Mediation – OpEd
Bangladesh, a vibrant South Asian country, finds itself in the heart of a burgeoning political crisis. As the nation prepares for national elections scheduled for late 2023 or early 2024, escalating violence and civil discord are cause for concern. At this critical juncture, immediate international attention and proactive intervention are required. The nation seems to be inching towards a full-scale […]
Read more ›What Does the West Really Know About Xi’s China?
Why Outsiders Struggle to Understand Beijing’s Decision-Making Figuring out how policy decisions are made in authoritarian regimes has always been hard. Winston Churchill famously referred to Soviet policymaking as “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma”—and he was not much wrong. Observers in the West could see the policy output of the Soviet Union, be it under Joseph […]
Read more ›