Blasphemy killing in pakistan

A senior Pakistani militant with $3 million U.S. bounty on his head has been killed along with three aides in neighbouring Afghanistan, three militant commanders and an intelligence official said on Monday. Pakistani officials said the death of Abdul Wali, also known as Omar Khalid Khurasani, could deal a blow to nascent peace talks between Pakistan’s Taliban, known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, and the Pakistani government after meetings facilitated by the Taliban rulers in Kabul. Khurasani and his aides were killed in an explosion from an apparent roadside bomb while travelling in a car in southeastern province of Paktia on Sunday, the sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity. They did not say who they believed was behind the attack. A fourth militant commander confirmed the death on Twitter: ”He’s no more with us,” Ehsanullah Ehsan wrote in a tweet. Khurasani was the chief of Jamat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), a TTP branch that is designated a terrorist group by the … [Read more...] about Pakistani Militant with $3 Million US Bounty Killed in Afghanistan: Report

In the biggest blow to terror modules across the world since Osama Bin Laden was shot dead more than a decade ago, the United States killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri with a drone missile while he stood on a balcony at his home in Kabul on Tuesday. A day later, an eyewitness account of the attack has revealed to CNN-News18 that the attack on al-Zawahiri happened at around 6.15am in Kabul’s Shripur area, which is very close to foreign diplomatic missions. The guesthouse where the dreaded terrorist was staying is in the deep of Afghanistan government’s secret offices. Interestingly, a delegation of outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was also staying near this guesthouse. The moment they realised the building was hit, chief of Haqqani network and interior minister of Afghanistan Sirajuddin Haqqani fled to Logar province of Afghanistan, which is 40 kilometres from Kabul, in 4-6 armoured vehicles. Haqqani, who also carries a US bounty, possibly fled due to the … [Read more...] about Exclusive | Eyewitness Recounts Drone Attack on al Qaeda’s Al Zawahiri, Reveals Pakistan Link

The U.S. drone strike that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri on the balcony of a Kabul safe house intensified global scrutiny on August 2 of Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers and further undermined their efforts to secure international recognition and desperately needed aid. The Taliban had promised in the 2020 Doha Agreement on the terms of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan that they would not harbor al-Qaeda members or those seeking to attack the U.S. Also Read World is safer place after Ayman al-Zawahiri's death: U.S. Secretary of State Blinken Yet a mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks, who has called for striking the United States in numerous video messages in recent years, lived for months apparently sheltered by senior Taliban figures. The safe house where al-Zawahri was staying in Kabul’s upscale Shirpur neighbourhood was the home of a top aide to senior Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, according to a senior U.S. intelligence official. Haqqani is … [Read more...] about Taliban under scrutiny as U.S. kills al-Qaeda leader in Kabul

At least one person was killed and 14 others, including two children, were injured when unidentified miscreants threw a hand grenade at a roadside stall selling Pakistani national flags in the country’s restive Balochistan province, a media report said on Friday. The incident happened on Thursday night in Quetta’s Joint road area when unknown motorcyclists hurled the grenade at the stalls selling national flags and other decoration items ahead of the Independence Day on August 14, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. Police said one person was killed in the attack. There are at least 14 others injured including two children and they were all taken to the hospital. Doctors say the condition of those injured is stable, the report said. So far no militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Resource-rich Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is home to a long-running violent insurgency. Baloch insurgent groups have previously carried out several attacks … [Read more...] about One Killed, 14 Injured in Grenade Blast in Pakistan’s Restive Balochistan Province: Report

A top Pakistani army general and five senior military officials were killed when their helicopter crashed while on a flood relief operation in troubled Balochistan province, the army said on Tuesday. The six individuals on board included the Commander XII Corps Lt. Gen. Sarfraz Ali, who was supervising the flood relief operations in Balochistan province. The wreckage of unfortunate helicopter which was on flood relief operations was found in Musa Goth, Windar, Lasbela. All six officers and soldiers including Lt. Gen. Sarfraz Ali died, said Major General Babar Iftikhar, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations—the media wing of Pakistan's armed forces. He said the accident occurred due to bad weather as per initial investigations. The Pakistan Army Aviation helicopter was on flood relief operations in Lasbela, Balochistan when it lost contact with ATC on Monday. Incidentally, General Sarfraz was one of the contenders interviewed by then Prime Minister Imran Khan for … [Read more...] about Pakistan Army Lt. Gen. among 6 dead in helicopter crash in Balochistan province

A suicide bomber attacked a military convoy in a Pakistani tribal region along the Afghan border, killing four soldiers, the army said on Tuesday. The incident took place in Mir Ali, North Waziristan district, according to an army statement, which didn’t say when the attack too place. Police and intelligence officials told Reuters the bomber rammed a three-wheeler into the convoy late on Monday in the remote district, which has seen a rise in militant violence in recent weeks. The region was once a hotbed of local and foreign Islamist militants but they have mostly been driven out by various Pakistani military operations. No one has claimed the responsibility for the bombing, which came a day after a senior Pakistani militant, Abdul Wali also known as Omar Khalid Khurasani, with a $3 million U.S. bounty on his head, was killed in an explosion in Afghanistan. Khurasani’s Jamat-ul-Ahrar, designated as a terrorist group by the United States and the United Nations, had claimed … [Read more...] about Suicide Attack Kills Four Pakistani Soldiers Along Afghan Border

A day after the United States announced that al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri had been killed in a drone strike in Kabul on July 30, Indian government officials on Tuesday said they were assessing its impact in India. Unlike other terror groups, al-Qaeda is not an organisation-led group but is driven by a strong ideology, independent of territorial limits, an official said. There are only 18 Indians known to have joined al-Qaeda between 2012 and 2015, said a Delhi Police official, adding that the number of persons who owed allegiance to the group was much bigger. Five of them are in prison, while the others are absconding. G.P Singh, Special Director-General of Police, Assam, told The Hindu that since February, the police had arrested 22 members affiliated to the global terror group or were inspired by its ideology. Mr. Singh said that over the past two years, surveillance had been mounted in Assam following reports that the Bangladesh-based Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), … [Read more...] about Central officials assessing impact of Zawahiri’s killing on al-Qaeda’s presence in India

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A top Pakistani militant who had a $3 million U.S. bounty on his head has been killed along with three others in Afghanistan , three senior leaders of his group told NBC News. Abdul Wali, also known as Omar Khalid Khurasani, was killed in an explosion Sunday while traveling by car in the southeastern province of Paktika, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the attack had not yet been publicly announced. Khurasani was a senior leader of the Pakistani Taliban, known as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, which seeks to overthrow the nuclear-armed government of Pakistan and replace it with a strict version of Islamic law. Though the Pakistani Taliban are a separate group, they are allied with the Taliban militants who seized back power in Afghanistan as the United States withdrew one year ago. Khurasani’s death could jeopardize peace talks he was participating in between the TTP and the Pakistani government, which are being … [Read more...] about Pakistani militant leader with $3 million U.S. bounty killed in Afghanistan, sources say

By STEFANIE DAZIO and MARIAM FAM Authorities on Monday identified the fourth victim in a series of killings of Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the deaths sent ripples of fear through Islamic communities nationwide. Three of the slayings happened in the past week. Now law enforcement officials are seeking help finding a vehicle believed to be connected to the killings in New Mexico’s largest city. The common elements were the victims’ race and religion, officials said. Naeem Hussain was killed Friday night, and ambush shootings killed three other Muslim men over the past nine months. Police are trying to determine if the homicides are linked. The killings have spread fear beyond New Mexico, where Muslims comprise less than 1% of adults in the statewide population of 2.1 million, according to the Pew Research Center. “The fact the suspect remains at large is terrifying,” Debbie Almontaser, a Muslim community leader in New York, wrote on Twitter. “Who is next?!” … [Read more...] about Albuquerque killings send fear through Islamic communities

The U.S. Department of State on Tuesday warned American citizens overseas of an increased threat of “anti-American violence” following the announcement this week that an American airstrike had eliminated al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al Arabiya reported on Wednesday. Washington issued the warning to U.S. embassies and consulates on August 2 as part of a “Worldwide Caution” notice. The U.S. State Department last updated its Worldwide Caution notice on January 15, 2019, demonstrating the significance of Tuesday’s announcement. “Following al-Zawahiri’s death, supporters of al- Qa’ida, or its affiliated terrorist organizations, may seek to attack U.S. facilities, personnel, or citizens,” the press release read, in part. The State Department said that it “believes there is a higher potential for anti-American violence given the death of Ayman al-Zawahiri on July 31, 2022.” “Current information suggests that terrorist organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks … [Read more...] about State Department Warns of ‘Anti-American Violence’ After al-Qaeda Killing