The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/monsoon-likely-to-be-slightly-delayed-will-arrive-over-kerala-on-june-6th-imd-218999">Kerala coast</a> has been put on high alert following intelligence reports that boats allegedly carrying 15 Islamic State Terrorists had set off from Sri Lanka to the Lakshadweep islands, police said Saturday.

According to highly places sources in the police department, the coastal police stations and coastal district police chiefs have been alerted.

"Such alerts are usual practice but this time we have a piece of specific information about the number.

We have alerted the coastal police stations and the police chiefs of coastal districts to be on alert in case of any sighting of suspicious vessels," a top police source told PTI.

The coastal police department said it was on alert since May 23, the day the alert came from Sri Lanka.

"We were on alert since the Sri Lankan attack took place. We have also alerted the fishing vessels and others venturing into the sea to be cautious of suspicious activities," coastal department sources confirmed to PTI.

After the serial bomb blasts in Sri Lanka, Kerala was on alert, especially after NIA investigations revealed that IS operatives had planned attacks in the State.

Intelligence agencies believe that a considerable number of Keralites are still with the ISIS which was recently wiped out from Iraq and Syria.

Sri Lanka witnessed a deadly terror attack on April 21 when eight blasts rocked the Island nation killing over 250 people.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the incident.&nbsp;

The Kerala coast has been put on high alert following intelligence reports that boats allegedly carrying 15 Islamic State Terrorists had set off from Sri Lanka to the Lakshadweep islands, police said Saturday.

The Kerala coast has been put on high alert following intelligence reports that boats allegedly carrying 15 Islamic State Terrorists had set off from Sri Lanka to the Lakshadweep islands, police said Saturday. According to highly places sources in the police department, the coastal police stations and coastal district police chiefs have been alerted. "Such alerts are usual practice but this time we have a piece of specific information about the number. We have alerted the coastal police stations and the police chiefs of coastal districts to be on alert in case of any sighting of suspicious vessels," a top police source told PTI. The coastal police department said it was on alert since May 23, the day the alert came from Sri Lanka. "We were on alert since the Sri Lankan attack took place. We have also alerted the fishing vessels and others venturing into the sea to be cautious of suspicious activities," coastal department sources confirmed to PTI. After the serial bomb blasts in Sri Lanka, Kerala was on alert, especially after NIA investigations revealed that IS operatives had planned attacks in the State. Intelligence agencies believe that a considerable number of Keralites are still with the ISIS which was recently wiped out from Iraq and Syria. Sri Lanka witnessed a deadly terror attack on April 21 when eight blasts rocked the Island nation killing over 250 people. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the incident.

Kerala coast on high alert after IS boat reportedly sets off from Sri Lanka

At least four militants, including a local Islamic State (IS) commander, were killed in an operation carried out by Afghan Special Forces in Nangarhar province, local media reported on Saturday.

According to Afghanistan's Interior Ministry, the operation was carried out in the Deh Bala district of the said province on Friday.

Six other IS sympathisers sustained injuries during the operation, reported Sputnik.

Nangarhar lies 120 kilometres east of capital Kabul. The province witnesses scenes of clashes between the security forces and IS militants from time to time. This has forced more than 9000 families living in the province to flee to safer places.

Afghanistan is suffering from an unstable political, social, and security situation due to the activities of the Taliban and Islamic State.

The Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) regularly conduct joint offensive operations to combat terrorism across the country.&nbsp;

At least four militants, including a local Islamic State (IS) commander, were killed in an operation carried out by Afghan Special Forces in Nangarhar province, local media reported on Saturday.

At least four militants, including a local Islamic State (IS) commander, were killed in an operation carried out by Afghan Special Forces in Nangarhar province, local media reported on Saturday. According to Afghanistan's Interior Ministry, the operation was carried out in the Deh Bala district of the said province on Friday. Six other IS sympathisers sustained injuries during the operation, reported Sputnik. Nangarhar lies 120 kilometres east of capital Kabul. The province witnesses scenes of clashes between the security forces and IS militants from time to time. This has forced more than 9000 families living in the province to flee to safer places. Afghanistan is suffering from an unstable political, social, and security situation due to the activities of the Taliban and Islamic State. The Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) regularly conduct joint offensive operations to combat terrorism across the country.

Local Islamic State commander among 4 killed by Afghan forces

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has vowed to take security measures to prevent Islamic State (IS) terrorism raising its head again in the country as he appealed people not to support extremism or religious fanaticism.

The premiere after meeting with a group of representatives of civil societies and trade union collective at Temple Trees on Saturday said the security forces and police have been able to apprehend everyone involved in the Easter Sunday attacks that killed 258 people, the Colombo Page reported.

"But this doesn't mean that this is the end of this type of terrorism. We now have to take certain measures of counterterrorism to ensure that the country will not face terrorism again," he cautioned.

He said the government is discussing the counterterrorism measures that are being taken, with the country still on edge after the attacks on three hotels and three churches that were blamed on a local jihadi group, the National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ). The Islamic State group has also claimed a role in the attacks.

"We have also had the help of the Muslim community in bringing about many changes and suggestions - Madrasa education bill not allowing sharia universities, ensuring name boards in only the three national languages," the premier said.

Civil societies and trade union representatives inquired the prime minister on the political and institutional responsibilities which have failed to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks and also on the security situation in the country after the attacks.

The premier responded, saying the parliamentary select committee (PSC) has been appointed to investigate the issue.

He pointed out that the attacks in Sri Lanka is one instance that the ISIS did not have the support of the local Muslim community for their actions and that should be maintained.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe requested not to drive people to extremism by supporting religious fanaticism and racism.

"We must maintain it that way and not allow extremism to come in, racial and religious hatred to come in, whereby driving some people to the other side," he said.

Christians make up 7.6 per cent and Muslims 10 per cent of mainly Buddhist Sri Lanka.

The prime minister said the government will appoint a resident committee of parliament to look into all the incidents and circumstances surrounding the Easter bomb blasts.

Wickremesinghe said a methodology will be devised preventing Islamic State (IS) terrorism to raise its head again in the country by safeguarding the law and order of the country.

He also said that the Speaker has agreed to open the proceedings through the media in order for people to gain access to the activities of the PSC.

"Today we have taken all the measure to restore law and order. We've been able to observe Ramadan, We've been able to hold prayers, Sunday Mass, and

Vesak Poya has been observed very, very successfully," he said.

He said schools have started and life is getting back to normal. The security forces and police have been able to apprehend everyone involved in the attacks and detained while legal proceedings are yet to be decided by the Attorney General.

"But this doesn't mean that this is the end of this type of terrorism. We now have to take certain measures of counterterrorism to ensure that the country will not face terrorism again," the Premier cautioned adding that the government is discussing the counterterrorism measures that are being taken and being presented.

"We have also had the help of the Muslim community in bringing about many changes and suggestions - Madrasa education bill not allowing sharia universities, ensuring name boards in only the three national languages," the Premier said.

He pointed out that the attacks in Sri Lanka is one instance that the ISIS did not have the support of the local Muslim community for their actions and that should be maintained.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has vowed to take security measures to prevent Islamic State (IS) terrorism raising its head again in the country as he appealed people not to support extremism or religious fanaticism.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has vowed to take security measures to prevent Islamic State (IS) terrorism raising its head again in the country as he appealed people not to support extremism or religious fanaticism. The premiere after meeting with a group of representatives of civil societies and trade union collective at Temple Trees on Saturday said the security forces and police have been able to apprehend everyone involved in the Easter Sunday attacks that killed 258 people, the Colombo Page reported. "But this doesn't mean that this is the end of this type of terrorism. We now have to take certain measures of counterterrorism to ensure that the country will not face terrorism again," he cautioned. He said the government is discussing the counterterrorism measures that are being taken, with the country still on edge after the attacks on three hotels and three churches that were blamed on a local jihadi group, the National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ). The Islamic State group has also claimed a role in the attacks. "We have also had the help of the Muslim community in bringing about many changes and suggestions - Madrasa education bill not allowing sharia universities, ensuring name boards in only the three national languages," the premier said. Civil societies and trade union representatives inquired the prime minister on the political and institutional responsibilities which have failed to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks and also on the security situation in the country after the attacks. The premier responded, saying the parliamentary select committee (PSC) has been appointed to investigate the issue. He pointed out that the attacks in Sri Lanka is one instance that the ISIS did not have the support of the local Muslim community for their actions and that should be maintained. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe requested not to drive people to extremism by supporting religious fanaticism and racism. "We must maintain it that way and not allow extremism to come in, racial and religious hatred to come in, whereby driving some people to the other side," he said. Christians make up 7.6 per cent and Muslims 10 per cent of mainly Buddhist Sri Lanka. The prime minister said the government will appoint a resident committee of parliament to look into all the incidents and circumstances surrounding the Easter bomb blasts. Wickremesinghe said a methodology will be devised preventing Islamic State (IS) terrorism to raise its head again in the country by safeguarding the law and order of the country. He also said that the Speaker has agreed to open the proceedings through the media in order for people to gain access to the activities of the PSC. "Today we have taken all the measure to restore law and order. We've been able to observe Ramadan, We've been able to hold prayers, Sunday Mass, and Vesak Poya has been observed very, very successfully," he said. He said schools have started and life is getting back to normal. The security forces and police have been able to apprehend everyone involved in the attacks and detained while legal proceedings are yet to be decided by the Attorney General. "But this doesn't mean that this is the end of this type of terrorism. We now have to take certain measures of counterterrorism to ensure that the country will not face terrorism again," the Premier cautioned adding that the government is discussing the counterterrorism measures that are being taken and being presented. "We have also had the help of the Muslim community in bringing about many changes and suggestions - Madrasa education bill not allowing sharia universities, ensuring name boards in only the three national languages," the Premier said. He pointed out that the attacks in Sri Lanka is one instance that the ISIS did not have the support of the local Muslim community for their actions and that should be maintained.

PM Ranil Wickremesinghe vows to stop Islamic State terrorism raising its head again in Lanka

Bank accounts of 41 terror suspects in Sri Lanka having links with the outlawed Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jammath (NTJ) that was behind the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lankan-parliament-approves-committee-to-investigate-easter-bombings-220887">Easter Sunday bombings</a> in the country have been frozen, according to a media report.

Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said that the suspects are under the custody of the Terrorist Investigations Department (TID) and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

Nine suicide bombers, including a woman, carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and three luxury hotels, killing 258 people and injuring over 500 others.

The accounts have a total amount of Rs 134 million ($759,335) which was in addition to Rs 14 million ($79,333) seized from the possession of the suspects at the time of their arrest, Gunasekara was quoted as saying by the Times Online on Friday.

Meanwhile, the CID has also launched an investigation into assets worth Rs 7 billion ($ 30 million) belonging to the suspects, he said.

The IS terror group claimed the attacks, but the government blamed the local NTJ for the bombings.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Wednesday extended by a month the state of emergency imposed in the wake of the deadly blasts, citing "public security".

The emergency law gives police and the military extensive powers to arrest, detain and interrogate suspects without court orders.

Sri Lanka initially imposed the emergency on April 23 to crack down on the nine suicide bombers.&nbsp;

Bank accounts of 41 terror suspects in Sri Lanka having links with the outlawed Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jammath (NTJ) that was behind the Easter Sunday bombings in the country have been frozen, according to a media report.

Bank accounts of 41 terror suspects in Sri Lanka having links with the outlawed Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jammath (NTJ) that was behind the Easter Sunday bombings in the country have been frozen, according to a media report. Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said that the suspects are under the custody of the Terrorist Investigations Department (TID) and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID). Nine suicide bombers, including a woman, carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and three luxury hotels, killing 258 people and injuring over 500 others. The accounts have a total amount of Rs 134 million ($759,335) which was in addition to Rs 14 million ($79,333) seized from the possession of the suspects at the time of their arrest, Gunasekara was quoted as saying by the Times Online on Friday. Meanwhile, the CID has also launched an investigation into assets worth Rs 7 billion ($ 30 million) belonging to the suspects, he said. The IS terror group claimed the attacks, but the government blamed the local NTJ for the bombings. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Wednesday extended by a month the state of emergency imposed in the wake of the deadly blasts, citing "public security". The emergency law gives police and the military extensive powers to arrest, detain and interrogate suspects without court orders. Sri Lanka initially imposed the emergency on April 23 to crack down on the nine suicide bombers.

Sri Lanka freezes bank accounts of 41 terror suspects

In central Kabul last month, two men stabbed a teenager and left him for dead before escaping on a motorcycle &nbsp;-- a brazen attack amid a rising tide of killings and kidnappings as war-scarred residents complain of increasing lawlessness.

The brutal mugging happened near the green zone, home to many of the Afghan capital's foreign diplomats, but numerous armed guards posted along the street did not try to help the victim, thanks to arcane local liability laws and restrictions.

The attackers fled after snatching the boy's mobile phone and camera. He survived, but it took about an hour for authorities to arrive and take him to hospital.

Officials and stressed-out residents say crime is surging in Kabul, where police are already pushed to their limits attempting to prevent insurgent attacks by the Taliban and other groups including Islamic State.

Jan Aqa Naweed, spokesman for Afghanistan's chamber of commerce, said crime has grown so bad that business people and entrepreneurs were fleeing the country for fear they could be targeted.

"The increase in the crime rate, the killing and kidnapping of businessmen -- this has forced many traders to leave the country," he told AFP.

"Some of them take their families and money to countries such as Turkey and Uzbekistan. The crime in the city has negatively affected investment."

Authorities have started to take note. On Saturday, the interior ministry sacked Mohammad Salim Almas, the head of Kabul's criminal investigation department, because of what officials called a "dramatic increase" in crime.

The rise is hard to quantify. The interior ministry this month said it had recorded 100,000 crimes over a five-year period, but did not provide a breakdown.

Abdul Khaliq Zazai Watandost, a member of Kabul's provincial council who helps monitor crime rates, told AFP that criminals have killed 70 people in the capital and its surrounding areas in the past two months, with dozens more locals kidnapped.&nbsp;

"Crime has become a bigger problem than terrorism for Kabul residents," Watandost said.

"Terrorism is a big phenomenon -- but at least we should be able to control the crime."

Aside from murder and kidnappings, car thefts are common, the narcotics trade is booming and criminal gangs sometimes target foes by slapping "sticky bombs" under their cars.

Shamsuddin, a shopkeeper who only wanted to give his first name, said when he goes into central Kabul to buy groceries, he splits his cash in two.

"I give some to my son and keep some with myself," he told AFP.&nbsp;

"This is because if criminals find out you have a good amount of money on you, they will kill you and take your money."

Residents are changing their routes to work, while carrying guns and keeping weapons at home are also common.

'Nobody cares'

Taxi drivers are wary of driving after dark for fear of being attacked by a passenger or having their car stolen.

"I don't care about myself, but I am scared of losing the car because I am working for someone else and it is not my car," taxi driver Mohammad Omar told AFP.

"Nowadays every Afghan is so worried."

Deputy interior minister General Khoshal Sadat acknowledged the psychological toll crime is taking.

"It is threatening the physical and mental security of people in the city," Sadat said,

Kabul's crime came to the fore again this month when former journalist Mena Mangal was murdered in broad daylight on a busy street.&nbsp;

Her killing appears tied to a domestic dispute, but many observers viewed the brutal and public slaying as a bellwether demonstrating just how cheap life has become -- even in a war-torn city which has already seen so much bloodshed.

Kabul resident Nasir Ahmad said someone is killed daily in the capital "for no reason".

"Nobody cares about these lives. I am even scared to go to university," Ahmad said.

Fellow resident Mohammad Elham wrote on Facebook that the security in the capital "is so bad that criminals kill people in the daylight, in front of a police checkpoint -- and nobody cares".

According to interior minister Massoud Andarabi, authorities have created a "roadmap" to identify offenders.

"The police will act differently, more forcefully against the criminals," he said.

"We know where they are hiding, we are chasing them to their hideouts and will bring them to justice."

But Hazargul, a taxi driver who only wanted to give his first name, said police often appear "incapable of doing anything".

"We never saw a police officer arresting a thief on the spot and bring him to justice. Even if police see thieves, they don't dare chase them because the thieves are also armed," he told AFP.

In central Kabul last month, two men stabbed a teenager and left him for dead before escaping on a motorcycle -- a brazen attack amid a rising tide of killings and kidnappings as war-scarred residents complain of increasing lawlessness.

In central Kabul last month, two men stabbed a teenager and left him for dead before escaping on a motorcycle -- a brazen attack amid a rising tide of killings and kidnappings as war-scarred residents complain of increasing lawlessness. The brutal mugging happened near the green zone, home to many of the Afghan capital's foreign diplomats, but numerous armed guards posted along the street did not try to help the victim, thanks to arcane local liability laws and restrictions. The attackers fled after snatching the boy's mobile phone and camera. He survived, but it took about an hour for authorities to arrive and take him to hospital. Officials and stressed-out residents say crime is surging in Kabul, where police are already pushed to their limits attempting to prevent insurgent attacks by the Taliban and other groups including Islamic State. Jan Aqa Naweed, spokesman for Afghanistan's chamber of commerce, said crime has grown so bad that business people and entrepreneurs were fleeing the country for fear they could be targeted. "The increase in the crime rate, the killing and kidnapping of businessmen -- this has forced many traders to leave the country," he told AFP. "Some of them take their families and money to countries such as Turkey and Uzbekistan. The crime in the city has negatively affected investment." Authorities have started to take note. On Saturday, the interior ministry sacked Mohammad Salim Almas, the head of Kabul's criminal investigation department, because of what officials called a "dramatic increase" in crime. The rise is hard to quantify. The interior ministry this month said it had recorded 100,000 crimes over a five-year period, but did not provide a breakdown. Abdul Khaliq Zazai Watandost, a member of Kabul's provincial council who helps monitor crime rates, told AFP that criminals have killed 70 people in the capital and its surrounding areas in the past two months, with dozens more locals kidnapped. "Crime has become a bigger problem than terrorism for Kabul residents," Watandost said. "Terrorism is a big phenomenon -- but at least we should be able to control the crime." Aside from murder and kidnappings, car thefts are common, the narcotics trade is booming and criminal gangs sometimes target foes by slapping "sticky bombs" under their cars. Shamsuddin, a shopkeeper who only wanted to give his first name, said when he goes into central Kabul to buy groceries, he splits his cash in two. "I give some to my son and keep some with myself," he told AFP. "This is because if criminals find out you have a good amount of money on you, they will kill you and take your money." Residents are changing their routes to work, while carrying guns and keeping weapons at home are also common. 'Nobody cares' Taxi drivers are wary of driving after dark for fear of being attacked by a passenger or having their car stolen. "I don't care about myself, but I am scared of losing the car because I am working for someone else and it is not my car," taxi driver Mohammad Omar told AFP. "Nowadays every Afghan is so worried." Deputy interior minister General Khoshal Sadat acknowledged the psychological toll crime is taking. "It is threatening the physical and mental security of people in the city," Sadat said, Kabul's crime came to the fore again this month when former journalist Mena Mangal was murdered in broad daylight on a busy street. Her killing appears tied to a domestic dispute, but many observers viewed the brutal and public slaying as a bellwether demonstrating just how cheap life has become -- even in a war-torn city which has already seen so much bloodshed. Kabul resident Nasir Ahmad said someone is killed daily in the capital "for no reason". "Nobody cares about these lives. I am even scared to go to university," Ahmad said. Fellow resident Mohammad Elham wrote on Facebook that the security in the capital "is so bad that criminals kill people in the daylight, in front of a police checkpoint -- and nobody cares". According to interior minister Massoud Andarabi, authorities have created a "roadmap" to identify offenders. "The police will act differently, more forcefully against the criminals," he said. "We know where they are hiding, we are chasing them to their hideouts and will bring them to justice." But Hazargul, a taxi driver who only wanted to give his first name, said police often appear "incapable of doing anything". "We never saw a police officer arresting a thief on the spot and bring him to justice. Even if police see thieves, they don't dare chase them because the thieves are also armed," he told AFP.

Never mind the war: Kabul residents in Afghanistan fear surge in violent crime

Sri Lanka's president marked the 10th anniversary of the end of a protracted war with Tamil rebels Sunday by vowing to crush terrorist responsible for Easter bombings that killed 258 people.

Maithripala Sirisena said Sri Lankan security forces and intelligence units could use their experience in defeating separatist Tamil guerrillas a decade ago to meet the new challenge from religious extremists.

The government has blamed a local jihadist group for the April 21 attacks against three churches and three luxury hotels that also left 500 injured and shattered a fragile decade-long peace in the island of 21 million people.

"With experience from a war that lasted over three decades, we are now compelled to meet a completely different threat," Sirisena told a commemoration ceremony.

"We have been able to arrest all those who were behind the Easter attacks. Some have been killed in confrontations," he said.

"This gives me confidence that we can completely eliminate the threat from international terrorism."

Muslims account for 10 per cent of the population in the mainly Buddhist nation, which has been under a state of emergency since the attacks that were also claimed by the Islamic State group.

Army chief Mahesh Senanayake said the military was paying tribute to around 28,000 soldiers who died in the war that ended on May 18, 2009, with the killing of Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.

Some 5,000 government troops and police are also listed as missing since the end of the insurgency.

Sri Lankan forces have been accused of killing about 40,000 Tamil civilians in the final months of the conflict, a charge successive governments have denied. Nearly 16,000 others are also reported missing, according to the newly established Office of Missing Persons.&nbsp;

The official remembrance ceremonies in Colombo took place a day after members of the 2.5-million-strong Tamil community mourned their war dead in the northeastern coastal district of Mullaittivu where the rebels mounted their unsuccessful last stand.

Hundreds of Tamils gathered at a public park Saturday to light lamps and offer flowers before a makeshift memorial showing photographs of hundreds of men and women who went missing, in many cases after being captured or surrendering to troops.

Sri Lanka's president marked the 10th anniversary of the end of a protracted war with Tamil rebels Sunday by vowing to crush terrorist responsible for Easter bombings that killed 258 people.

Sri Lanka's president marked the 10th anniversary of the end of a protracted war with Tamil rebels Sunday by vowing to crush terrorist responsible for Easter bombings that killed 258 people. Maithripala Sirisena said Sri Lankan security forces and intelligence units could use their experience in defeating separatist Tamil guerrillas a decade ago to meet the new challenge from religious extremists. The government has blamed a local jihadist group for the April 21 attacks against three churches and three luxury hotels that also left 500 injured and shattered a fragile decade-long peace in the island of 21 million people. "With experience from a war that lasted over three decades, we are now compelled to meet a completely different threat," Sirisena told a commemoration ceremony. "We have been able to arrest all those who were behind the Easter attacks. Some have been killed in confrontations," he said. "This gives me confidence that we can completely eliminate the threat from international terrorism." Muslims account for 10 per cent of the population in the mainly Buddhist nation, which has been under a state of emergency since the attacks that were also claimed by the Islamic State group. Army chief Mahesh Senanayake said the military was paying tribute to around 28,000 soldiers who died in the war that ended on May 18, 2009, with the killing of Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. Some 5,000 government troops and police are also listed as missing since the end of the insurgency. Sri Lankan forces have been accused of killing about 40,000 Tamil civilians in the final months of the conflict, a charge successive governments have denied. Nearly 16,000 others are also reported missing, according to the newly established Office of Missing Persons. The official remembrance ceremonies in Colombo took place a day after members of the 2.5-million-strong Tamil community mourned their war dead in the northeastern coastal district of Mullaittivu where the rebels mounted their unsuccessful last stand. Hundreds of Tamils gathered at a public park Saturday to light lamps and offer flowers before a makeshift memorial showing photographs of hundreds of men and women who went missing, in many cases after being captured or surrendering to troops.

Sri Lanka president Maithripala Sirisena vows to eliminate terrorism threat

The Indian subcontinent is obviously high on the Islamic State (IS) agenda. Ever since the Sri Lanka suicide bombings, IS statements, some genuine and others probably false, are focusing much on the subcontinent and India in particular.&nbsp;

Geo-strategically it makes a lot of sense to a strategic observer; the Indo-centric nature of the subcontinent does ensure that nations on the periphery are linked socially and economically. Besides, that IS hopes to exploit the presence of Muslims across the length and breadth of the country through attempts at radicalisation. Its initial efforts at drawing recruits from India largely failed. &nbsp;

The Rohingya issue in Myanmar and Bangladesh is looked upon as one with great trigger potential. It is something the IS has not been able to exploit. Little realised is also the fact that South Asia is the home to almost 500 million followers of Islam, the biggest regional entity the faith has anywhere in the world. Syria and Iraq had the emotive appeal for the so-called Caliphate due to proximity to the main Islamic shrines, with money and territory available by different means. Similarly, it should be the Indian subcontinent that should attract the next priority simply on the basis of religious affiliation and large strength of Muslims within the subcontinent.

The attempts to penetrate Pakistan and Afghanistan failed due to the lack of space and none of the other radical extremist groups willing to yield ground. The IS obviously has succeeded in ensuring trust deficit with other radical groups affiliated to Islam. It now appears to have changed its strategy of a direct entry to the heart of the subcontinent and possibly decided to enter it in right earnest through the periphery; Sri Lanka’s territory and vulnerable minority Muslim population facilitate this entry to the southern region of India. Indian intelligence agencies have been warning for some time that areas in Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been witnessing increasing radicalisation. The IS was also probably keeping its eyes and ears open particularly due to the large footprint of expatriates in the Gulf. &nbsp;

Selecting Sri Lanka as the peripheral area seems to have been fully borne out because the relative ease with which the IS managed its operations. However, a lot of thought probably went into the selection of locations and the modus operandi. It was probably aware that the focus of Sri Lanka’s intelligence and security services was entirely on the Tamil and Sinhala threats; the Muslim issue was a sideshow which emerged once in a while with the eight per cent (less than two million) Muslims of the island.&nbsp;

The Sri Lanka intelligence services were fed enough intelligence, of the impending action, by India and the US but they could not get their act together. Political and bureaucratic rivalries may have contributed to that but there is no doubt that it was the IS innovative modus operandi which also made the difference to its success. With intelligence bias focused on Tamils and Sinhala, a &nbsp;Sri Lanka Muslim network with Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamath (TNTJ) remained under the radar; the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) of Sri Lanka is the chief suspect for the entire carnage. Even more than that, the system of radicalisation and networking was nothing short of brilliant. The IS returnees had set up cells which were based upon a few families instead of spreading them wide with a large array of individuals. Efforts were focused upon radicalising a whole family so that chances of information leakage were minimised. In January 2019, police had discovered a cache of explosives and detonators in Colombo and could not link it with anything. The phenomenon of radicalising families to take on bombings was also witnessed in Indonesia.&nbsp;

The selection of suicide bombers as weapons of destruction rather than simply placing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at target locations was a deliberate choice. The social impact of suicide bombers on a society being addressed for greater radicalisation is much higher.&nbsp;

The choice of targets was made for maximum impact. High profile hotels in Colombo’s central district would mean foreign tourists, especially at breakfast time on a holiday, Easter. Congregations were simultaneously gathering at churches which were the other targets elsewhere; that made coordination so much easier. Foreign tourists in body bags meant an international furore and message of IS capability to hit at will.

“Sri Lanka is a developing country with divided politics and weak institutions. The same has happened in countless countries, many of them wealthy and with highly skilled intelligence services”, wrote the New York Times in an elaborate post-event report, referring to the inability of the Sri Lankan intelligence services to prevent the carnage despite adequate intelligence. &nbsp;Why is this important for us in India? The arrests that have taken place in Sri Lanka, some genuine and some on mere suspicion do not reflect the busting of the network which perpetrated the suicide blasts. Handlers and potential suicide bombers appear to be yet on the loose considering the assessment of the numbers. In India’s southern region where the support base exists for the networks in Sri Lanka, the authorities have arrested Rias Abu Bakr who allegedly was planning suicide attacks in Kerala. The mindless politics of Kerala and the extent of radical penetration in the southern region should worry India’s intelligence services who have had a creditable record in the anti-terror domain particularly since 26/11. The long drawn general election period of 2019 in India has taken its toll on intelligence and police services which have been stretched.&nbsp;

If the IS really has the intent of penetration into India it would have exploited this period and would be planning several decoys. One among them is the focus it has managed to draw to the southern region while something devious could be under planning for potential targets elsewhere in the country. One of the major challenges for the next government at the Centre would be the dilution of divisiveness a phenomenon promoting potential IS effectiveness. The political community does not realise the immense harm it is doing to the internal security and laying an open invite to devious entities such as IS to exploit.&nbsp;

(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-sri-lanka-and-islamic-state-2750250">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

The Indian subcontinent is obviously high on the Islamic State (IS) agenda. Ever since the Sri Lanka suicide bombings, IS statements, some genuine and others probably false, are focusing much on the subcontinent and India in particular.

The Indian subcontinent is obviously high on the Islamic State (IS) agenda. Ever since the Sri Lanka suicide bombings, IS statements, some genuine and others probably false, are focusing much on the subcontinent and India in particular. Geo-strategically it makes a lot of sense to a strategic observer; the Indo-centric nature of the subcontinent does ensure that nations on the periphery are linked socially and economically. Besides, that IS hopes to exploit the presence of Muslims across the length and breadth of the country through attempts at radicalisation. Its initial efforts at drawing recruits from India largely failed. The Rohingya issue in Myanmar and Bangladesh is looked upon as one with great trigger potential. It is something the IS has not been able to exploit. Little realised is also the fact that South Asia is the home to almost 500 million followers of Islam, the biggest regional entity the faith has anywhere in the world. Syria and Iraq had the emotive appeal for the so-called Caliphate due to proximity to the main Islamic shrines, with money and territory available by different means. Similarly, it should be the Indian subcontinent that should attract the next priority simply on the basis of religious affiliation and large strength of Muslims within the subcontinent. The attempts to penetrate Pakistan and Afghanistan failed due to the lack of space and none of the other radical extremist groups willing to yield ground. The IS obviously has succeeded in ensuring trust deficit with other radical groups affiliated to Islam. It now appears to have changed its strategy of a direct entry to the heart of the subcontinent and possibly decided to enter it in right earnest through the periphery; Sri Lanka’s territory and vulnerable minority Muslim population facilitate this entry to the southern region of India. Indian intelligence agencies have been warning for some time that areas in Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been witnessing increasing radicalisation. The IS was also probably keeping its eyes and ears open particularly due to the large footprint of expatriates in the Gulf. Selecting Sri Lanka as the peripheral area seems to have been fully borne out because the relative ease with which the IS managed its operations. However, a lot of thought probably went into the selection of locations and the modus operandi. It was probably aware that the focus of Sri Lanka’s intelligence and security services was entirely on the Tamil and Sinhala threats; the Muslim issue was a sideshow which emerged once in a while with the eight per cent (less than two million) Muslims of the island. The Sri Lanka intelligence services were fed enough intelligence, of the impending action, by India and the US but they could not get their act together. Political and bureaucratic rivalries may have contributed to that but there is no doubt that it was the IS innovative modus operandi which also made the difference to its success. With intelligence bias focused on Tamils and Sinhala, a Sri Lanka Muslim network with Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamath (TNTJ) remained under the radar; the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) of Sri Lanka is the chief suspect for the entire carnage. Even more than that, the system of radicalisation and networking was nothing short of brilliant. The IS returnees had set up cells which were based upon a few families instead of spreading them wide with a large array of individuals. Efforts were focused upon radicalising a whole family so that chances of information leakage were minimised. In January 2019, police had discovered a cache of explosives and detonators in Colombo and could not link it with anything. The phenomenon of radicalising families to take on bombings was also witnessed in Indonesia. The selection of suicide bombers as weapons of destruction rather than simply placing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at target locations was a deliberate choice. The social impact of suicide bombers on a society being addressed for greater radicalisation is much higher. The choice of targets was made for maximum impact. High profile hotels in Colombo’s central district would mean foreign tourists, especially at breakfast time on a holiday, Easter. Congregations were simultaneously gathering at churches which were the other targets elsewhere; that made coordination so much easier. Foreign tourists in body bags meant an international furore and message of IS capability to hit at will. “Sri Lanka is a developing country with divided politics and weak institutions. The same has happened in countless countries, many of them wealthy and with highly skilled intelligence services”, wrote the New York Times in an elaborate post-event report, referring to the inability of the Sri Lankan intelligence services to prevent the carnage despite adequate intelligence. Why is this important for us in India? The arrests that have taken place in Sri Lanka, some genuine and some on mere suspicion do not reflect the busting of the network which perpetrated the suicide blasts. Handlers and potential suicide bombers appear to be yet on the loose considering the assessment of the numbers. In India’s southern region where the support base exists for the networks in Sri Lanka, the authorities have arrested Rias Abu Bakr who allegedly was planning suicide attacks in Kerala. The mindless politics of Kerala and the extent of radical penetration in the southern region should worry India’s intelligence services who have had a creditable record in the anti-terror domain particularly since 26/11. The long drawn general election period of 2019 in India has taken its toll on intelligence and police services which have been stretched. If the IS really has the intent of penetration into India it would have exploited this period and would be planning several decoys. One among them is the focus it has managed to draw to the southern region while something devious could be under planning for potential targets elsewhere in the country. One of the major challenges for the next government at the Centre would be the dilution of divisiveness a phenomenon promoting potential IS effectiveness. The political community does not realise the immense harm it is doing to the internal security and laying an open invite to devious entities such as IS to exploit. (This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Islamic State is focusing on subcontinent and India in particular

Two guards loyal to Khalifa Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army were killed in an attack Saturday claimed by the Islamic State group, an LNA source said.

Four guards were also kidnapped in the attack on a checkpoint in the central region of Zella, the same source said.

IS said in a brief statement that it had targeted "Haftar's militias".

The media arm of Haftar's LNA said in a statement a "terrorist attack" had been repelled but did not give any details.

The raid in Zella, close to an oilfield some 800 kilometres (500 miles) southeast of the capital Tripoli, is the third IS attack targeting Haftar's forces in recent weeks.

At least nine people were killed in a May 4 attack in the southern city of Sebha, then five days later gunmen killed two civilians in Ghodwa in southern Libya.

The LNA launched an operation in January to purge southern Libya "of terrorist groups and criminals".&nbsp;

After securing support from local tribes, it seized several towns.&nbsp;

Haftar then launched an offensive on April 4 against Tripoli, the seat of the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).

The LNA made initial gains but pro-GNA forces launched a counter-offensive, resulting in a stalemate on the southern outskirts of the city.

The fighting around Tripoli between Libya's two main factions has created fears that IS could re-emerge in the country.

The jihadists were pushed out of their stronghold Sirte by forces loyal to the GNA in December 2016.

But despite losing its main territory, east of Tripoli, IS has repeatedly shown itself capable of launching deadly attacks.

Libya has been mired in chaos since the NATO-backed uprising that deposed and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

Two guards loyal to Khalifa Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army were killed in an attack Saturday claimed by the Islamic State group, an LNA source said. Four guards were also kidnapped in the attack on a checkpoint in the central region of Zella, the same source said.

Two guards loyal to Khalifa Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army were killed in an attack Saturday claimed by the Islamic State group, an LNA source said. Four guards were also kidnapped in the attack on a checkpoint in the central region of Zella, the same source said. IS said in a brief statement that it had targeted "Haftar's militias". The media arm of Haftar's LNA said in a statement a "terrorist attack" had been repelled but did not give any details. The raid in Zella, close to an oilfield some 800 kilometres (500 miles) southeast of the capital Tripoli, is the third IS attack targeting Haftar's forces in recent weeks. At least nine people were killed in a May 4 attack in the southern city of Sebha, then five days later gunmen killed two civilians in Ghodwa in southern Libya. The LNA launched an operation in January to purge southern Libya "of terrorist groups and criminals". After securing support from local tribes, it seized several towns. Haftar then launched an offensive on April 4 against Tripoli, the seat of the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA). The LNA made initial gains but pro-GNA forces launched a counter-offensive, resulting in a stalemate on the southern outskirts of the city. The fighting around Tripoli between Libya's two main factions has created fears that IS could re-emerge in the country. The jihadists were pushed out of their stronghold Sirte by forces loyal to the GNA in December 2016. But despite losing its main territory, east of Tripoli, IS has repeatedly shown itself capable of launching deadly attacks. Libya has been mired in chaos since the NATO-backed uprising that deposed and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

Two dead in Libya attack claimed by Islamic State: Report

The wife of a Sri Lankan suicide bomber, who blew himself up at the St Anthony's Church, delivered their first baby two weeks after the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/multiple-blasts-in-sri-lanka-churches-hit-during-easter-sunday-mass-212200">deadly Easter Sunday attacks</a> that killed more than 250 people including the attackers, the Colombo magistrate's court has been told.

Alawddin Ahmed Muath, the 22-year-old law graduate, was one of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/we-forgive-the-perpetrators-of-church-attack-says-head-priest-of-st-anthonys-church-to-wion-212804">nine suicide bombers</a> who carried out a series of coordinated attacks on three churches and three luxury hotels on the Easter Sunday.&nbsp;

During a court hearing on Tuesday, Muath's 59-year-old father Ahmed Lebbe Alawddin informed Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne that the bomber was the fourth of his five children. He was about to be enrolled into the Colombo Law College to further his law studies.

Muath got married 14 months ago and his wife delivered their first baby on May 5, he told the judge.

Alawddin said that he last saw his son on April 14 when he visited his elder sister after the delivery of her first baby on April 13.

On the day of the attacks, Muath's wife had called his eldest brother to find out if he had visited parents house.

Alawddin informed the court that he identified his son by the remains of his head. He said that he had arranged to send Rs 30,000 for the expenses of his son every month.

Muath's mother said that he was not employed but had been married to a woman in Sainthamaruthu.

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One of Muath's brothers-in-law said that he had written a note to the husband of one of his sisters which said, "please do not look out for me, I will not be coming hereafter. Please look after parents well and pray for me". The note was only found after his death.

Meanwhile, two brothers of the bomber were taken into custody by the Criminal Investigations Department upon detention orders issued by court.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, but the government has blamed local Islamist extremist group, the National Thawheed Jama'ath (NTJ), for the bombings.

The wife of a Sri Lankan suicide bomber, who blew himself up at the St Anthony's Church, delivered their first baby two weeks after the deadly Easter Sunday attacks that killed more than 250 people including the attackers, the Colombo magistrate's court has been told.

The wife of a Sri Lankan suicide bomber, who blew himself up at the St Anthony's Church, delivered their first baby two weeks after the deadly Easter Sunday attacks that killed more than 250 people including the attackers, the Colombo magistrate's court has been told. Alawddin Ahmed Muath, the 22-year-old law graduate, was one of the nine suicide bombers who carried out a series of coordinated attacks on three churches and three luxury hotels on the Easter Sunday. During a court hearing on Tuesday, Muath's 59-year-old father Ahmed Lebbe Alawddin informed Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne that the bomber was the fourth of his five children. He was about to be enrolled into the Colombo Law College to further his law studies. Muath got married 14 months ago and his wife delivered their first baby on May 5, he told the judge. Alawddin said that he last saw his son on April 14 when he visited his elder sister after the delivery of her first baby on April 13. On the day of the attacks, Muath's wife had called his eldest brother to find out if he had visited parents house. Alawddin informed the court that he identified his son by the remains of his head. He said that he had arranged to send Rs 30,000 for the expenses of his son every month. Muath's mother said that he was not employed but had been married to a woman in Sainthamaruthu. × One of Muath's brothers-in-law said that he had written a note to the husband of one of his sisters which said, "please do not look out for me, I will not be coming hereafter. Please look after parents well and pray for me". The note was only found after his death. Meanwhile, two brothers of the bomber were taken into custody by the Criminal Investigations Department upon detention orders issued by court. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, but the government has blamed local Islamist extremist group, the National Thawheed Jama'ath (NTJ), for the bombings.

Wife of Sri Lanka church bomber delivers their first baby post Easter attacks

<a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/malaysias-hopes-of-economic-revival-under-mahathir-fade-217450&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwi-vu7AhaDiAhUFsY8KHYlmDTQQFjAFegQIAxAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2F8B3FUVjYwXI8noAknA_j">Malaysia</a> has detained three men on suspicion of supporting the Islamic State militant group and <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/four-arrested-in-malaysia-suspected-of-plotting-ramadan-attacks-218402&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwi-vu7AhaDiAhUFsY8KHYlmDTQQFjAEegQIDBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw02WrsKHywwi-bfsADhdrM0">planning attacks in Indonesia and Malaysia</a>, police said on Thursday.

Authorities have been on high alert and made hundreds of arrests in <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/malaysian-teen-took-own-life-after-instagram-poll-218977&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwi-vu7AhaDiAhUFsY8KHYlmDTQQFjACegQIEBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2GgjMzF30F6VdF0yh0Gek0">Malaysia </a>since gunmen allied with the Islamic State carried out a series of attacks in the Indonesian capital Jakarta in 2016.

A 34-year-old Indonesian member of an Islamic State-linked cell was arrested in Selangor state on Tuesday, police said.

"The suspect is believed to have been radicalised after being exposed to Islamic State teachings while in prison for five years in Surabaya, Indonesia," Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador said in a statement.

Four other cell members were detained on Monday on suspicion of planning killings and attacks around Kuala Lumpur during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Police said on Thursday they detained two men from the northern Malaysian state of Kedah who turned themselves in after their families agreed to cooperate with authorities.

The pair, both aged 27, had learned how to build large-scale explosives and car bombs in 2018 while training with the Jemaah Ansharut Daulah, an Islamic State-linked extremist network based in Indonesia, Abdul Hamid said.

Both suspects had scouted several churches in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta as potential targets.

One of the men was planning a suicide bomb attack on non-Muslim places of worship in Malaysia, Abdul Hamid said.

Malaysia has arrested hundreds of people in the past few years for suspected militant links.

A grenade attack on a bar on the outskirts of the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, in June 2016 wounded eight people.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, the first such strike on Malaysian soil.

Malaysia has detained three men on suspicion of supporting the Islamic State militant group and planning attacks in Indonesia and Malaysia, police said on Thursday.

Malaysia has detained three men on suspicion of supporting the Islamic State militant group and planning attacks in Indonesia and Malaysia, police said on Thursday. Authorities have been on high alert and made hundreds of arrests in Malaysia since gunmen allied with the Islamic State carried out a series of attacks in the Indonesian capital Jakarta in 2016. A 34-year-old Indonesian member of an Islamic State-linked cell was arrested in Selangor state on Tuesday, police said. "The suspect is believed to have been radicalised after being exposed to Islamic State teachings while in prison for five years in Surabaya, Indonesia," Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador said in a statement. Four other cell members were detained on Monday on suspicion of planning killings and attacks around Kuala Lumpur during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Police said on Thursday they detained two men from the northern Malaysian state of Kedah who turned themselves in after their families agreed to cooperate with authorities. The pair, both aged 27, had learned how to build large-scale explosives and car bombs in 2018 while training with the Jemaah Ansharut Daulah, an Islamic State-linked extremist network based in Indonesia, Abdul Hamid said. Both suspects had scouted several churches in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta as potential targets. One of the men was planning a suicide bomb attack on non-Muslim places of worship in Malaysia, Abdul Hamid said. Malaysia has arrested hundreds of people in the past few years for suspected militant links. A grenade attack on a bar on the outskirts of the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, in June 2016 wounded eight people. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, the first such strike on Malaysian soil.

Malaysia detains three accused of planning attacks, links to IS

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has ordered the police to charge perpetrators of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/police-imposes-night-curfew-in-sri-lanka-again-amid-violence-218754">communal violence in the country</a> on May 12 and 13 under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act.An offence under the ICCPR Act is non-bailable.

A person found guilty of an offence under the Act can be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a maximum term of ten years, reported Colombo Page.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/wife-of-sri-lanka-church-bomber-delivers-their-first-baby-post-easter-attacks-219107">Wife of Sri Lanka church bomber delivers their first baby post Easter attacks</a>

The police arrested 14 persons in connection with incidents in Minuwangoda town and nine of them were remanded until May 29 after being produced before a court.

The remaining five persons are due to be produced.

Over 60 persons were arrested in connection with the acts in the northwestern province for their alleged involvement in violent acts and curfew violation.

The Prime Minister`s office announced yesterday that the situation in the country has been brought under control by the police and security forces.

Clashes had broken out on Sunday between members of Christian and Muslim communities after mobs threw stones at mosques and Muslim-owned stores in Chillaw town.

Following this, the police had a imposed a curfew in the region and the government had blocked various social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook and Youtube, to prevent the circulation of rumours in the aftermath of violence.

Tensions are brewing in the island nation since April 21, when eight coordinated bombings left at least 250 people dead and scores of others injured amid Easter celebrations.&nbsp;

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has ordered the police to charge perpetrators of communal violence in the country on May 12 and 13 under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has ordered the police to charge perpetrators of communal violence in the country on May 12 and 13 under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act.An offence under the ICCPR Act is non-bailable. A person found guilty of an offence under the Act can be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a maximum term of ten years, reported Colombo Page. Also read: Wife of Sri Lanka church bomber delivers their first baby post Easter attacks The police arrested 14 persons in connection with incidents in Minuwangoda town and nine of them were remanded until May 29 after being produced before a court. The remaining five persons are due to be produced. Over 60 persons were arrested in connection with the acts in the northwestern province for their alleged involvement in violent acts and curfew violation. The Prime Minister`s office announced yesterday that the situation in the country has been brought under control by the police and security forces. Clashes had broken out on Sunday between members of Christian and Muslim communities after mobs threw stones at mosques and Muslim-owned stores in Chillaw town. Following this, the police had a imposed a curfew in the region and the government had blocked various social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook and Youtube, to prevent the circulation of rumours in the aftermath of violence. Tensions are brewing in the island nation since April 21, when eight coordinated bombings left at least 250 people dead and scores of others injured amid Easter celebrations.

Perpetrators of communal violence to be charged under ICCPR: Sri Lankan Prime Minister

The UN has sanctioned ISIS' South Asia Branch, a terrorist group formed in 2015 by a Pakistani national and a former commander of the TTP, for its links with al-Qaeda and involvement in several deadly attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan that killed over 150 people.

The United Nations Security Council's 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee on Tuesday sanctioned Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant - Khorasan (ISIL-K), which is also known as 'ISIS' South Asia Branch, ISIL Khorasan, Islamic State's Khorasan Province' and 'South Asian Chapter of ISIL'.

The listing comes two weeks after the Sanctions Committee designated Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as "global terrorist" on May 1, capping a decade-long effort by India and its allies including the US, the UK, France to sanction the mastermind of several attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack and the February 14 Pulwama terror attack which killed 40 CRPF soldiers.

The group is now subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo.

The Sanctions Committee said in a statement that ISIS-K was formed on January 10, 2015, by a former Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander and was established by former Taliban faction commanders "who swore an oath of allegiance" to ISIS and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

ISIS-K has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Sanctions Committee said the group was listed as being associated with ISIS or al-Qaida for "participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing or perpetrating" acts or activities by supplying, selling or transferring arms and related material.

It said the group engaged in "other acts or activities indicating an association with al-Qaeda, ISIS, or any cell, affiliate, a splinter group of al-Qaeda in Iraq". 
The group had announced its formation in an online video in January 2015.

ISIS spokesman Abou Mohamed al Adnani had announced its expansion into the area historically known as Khorasan, by acknowledging ISIS K leader's pledge of allegiance to al-Baghdadi and claiming the leader of the Islamic State had accepted his pledge and appointed him as governor of the Khorasan Province.

The Sanctions Committee said ISIS-K had carried out numerous attacks since its formation that have killed more than 150 people.

In November 2016, the group carried out a suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine in Quetta, Pakistan that killed at least 50 people and injured over 100 people, it said.

In December 2017, the outfit claimed multiple suicide bombings at a Shia cultural centre and news agency in Kabul, Afghanistan that killed more than 41 people, including women and children, and injured over 84 people, it added.

In July 2018, the group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing outside a polling station in Quetta, Pakistan that killed at least 31 people and injured over 24 people.

According to leading Washington-based think tank for defence and national security Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), in 2014, Pakistani national Hafiz Saeed Khan was chosen to spearhead ISIL-K province as its first "emir".

Khan, a senior TTP commander, "brought along other prominent TTP members including the group's spokesman Sheikh Maqbool and many district chiefs - when he initially pledged allegiance to al-Baghdadi in October 2014," the CSIS, a nonprofit policy research organisation, noted on its website.

The website said the group's "early membership included a contingent of Pakistani militants who emerged in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province around 2010, just across the border from the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan".

It also said many of these militants were "estranged members" of TTP and Lashkar-e Islam, who had fled Pakistan to escape from the security forces.

According to Combatting Terrorism Center, an academic institution at US Military Academy in New York, as of 2017, some members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the Haqqani Network and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) had also "defected" to ISIS-K.&nbsp;

The UN has sanctioned ISIS' South Asia Branch, a terrorist group formed in 2015 by a Pakistani national and a former commander of the TTP, for its links with al-Qaeda and involvement in several deadly attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan that killed over 150 people.

The UN has sanctioned ISIS' South Asia Branch, a terrorist group formed in 2015 by a Pakistani national and a former commander of the TTP, for its links with al-Qaeda and involvement in several deadly attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan that killed over 150 people. The United Nations Security Council's 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee on Tuesday sanctioned Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant - Khorasan (ISIL-K), which is also known as 'ISIS' South Asia Branch, ISIL Khorasan, Islamic State's Khorasan Province' and 'South Asian Chapter of ISIL'. The listing comes two weeks after the Sanctions Committee designated Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as "global terrorist" on May 1, capping a decade-long effort by India and its allies including the US, the UK, France to sanction the mastermind of several attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack and the February 14 Pulwama terror attack which killed 40 CRPF soldiers. The group is now subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo. The Sanctions Committee said in a statement that ISIS-K was formed on January 10, 2015, by a former Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander and was established by former Taliban faction commanders "who swore an oath of allegiance" to ISIS and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. ISIS-K has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Sanctions Committee said the group was listed as being associated with ISIS or al-Qaida for "participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing or perpetrating" acts or activities by supplying, selling or transferring arms and related material. It said the group engaged in "other acts or activities indicating an association with al-Qaeda, ISIS, or any cell, affiliate, a splinter group of al-Qaeda in Iraq". The group had announced its formation in an online video in January 2015. ISIS spokesman Abou Mohamed al Adnani had announced its expansion into the area historically known as Khorasan, by acknowledging ISIS K leader's pledge of allegiance to al-Baghdadi and claiming the leader of the Islamic State had accepted his pledge and appointed him as governor of the Khorasan Province. The Sanctions Committee said ISIS-K had carried out numerous attacks since its formation that have killed more than 150 people. In November 2016, the group carried out a suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine in Quetta, Pakistan that killed at least 50 people and injured over 100 people, it said. In December 2017, the outfit claimed multiple suicide bombings at a Shia cultural centre and news agency in Kabul, Afghanistan that killed more than 41 people, including women and children, and injured over 84 people, it added. In July 2018, the group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing outside a polling station in Quetta, Pakistan that killed at least 31 people and injured over 24 people. According to leading Washington-based think tank for defence and national security Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), in 2014, Pakistani national Hafiz Saeed Khan was chosen to spearhead ISIL-K province as its first "emir". Khan, a senior TTP commander, "brought along other prominent TTP members including the group's spokesman Sheikh Maqbool and many district chiefs - when he initially pledged allegiance to al-Baghdadi in October 2014," the CSIS, a nonprofit policy research organisation, noted on its website. The website said the group's "early membership included a contingent of Pakistani militants who emerged in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province around 2010, just across the border from the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan". It also said many of these militants were "estranged members" of TTP and Lashkar-e Islam, who had fled Pakistan to escape from the security forces. According to Combatting Terrorism Center, an academic institution at US Military Academy in New York, as of 2017, some members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the Haqqani Network and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) had also "defected" to ISIS-K.

UNSC sanctions terror group ISIS' South Asia Branch

One of the Easter Sunday suicide bombers, who attempted to bomb the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-province-under-indefinite-curfew-after-first-riot-death-218558">luxury Taj Samudra hotel</a>, was radicalised by British-Pakistani radical preacher Anjem Choudary while he was studying at a university in London, according to a media report.

Abdul Latheef Mohamed Jameel, 37, who hailed from <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/sri-lankan-software-engineer-under-indian-surveillance-key-in-easter-attack-218596">a</a><a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-one-person-killed-in-mob-attack-despite-nationwide-curfew-218497"> wealthy family involved</a> in the tea trade, reportedly met the radical preacher while studying at Kingston University, the BBC reported.&nbsp;

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Choudary, 52, is considered one of the UK's most influential and dangerous radical preachers. He was convicted and jailed in 2016 for inviting support for the Islamic State(IS) group but was released in 2018.

Counter-extremism experts early this year had warned that Choudary's extremist group al-Muhajiroun network was regenerating itself.

&nbsp;

Jameel, a father of four children, was the link between local radicals and IS or other Islamist groups based abroad, Sri Lankan security officers told the BBC.

Jameel was one of the nine bombers who carried out a series of blasts targeting three churches and three hotels in Colombo in which nearly 360 people were killed.

Jameel's target on April 21 Easter bombings was the Taj Samudra hotel of Tata Group's hospitality arm, Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL). But his bomb probably failed and he was seen leaving the premises.

He later blew himself up at a motel in the suburb of Dehiwala, killing two guests.&nbsp;

Jameel studied in the UK and Australia before he tried to go to Syria.&nbsp;

Several years ago, his family became concerned about his hardline views and enlisted the help of a security official.

A security official told the BBC: "He (Jameel) was completely radicalised and supported the extremist ideology. I tried to reason with him.

"When I asked him how he got into this? he said that he attended the sermons of the radical British preacher Anjem Choudary in London. He said he met him during the sermons."

One of the Easter Sunday suicide bombers, who attempted to bomb the luxury Taj Samudra hotel, was radicalised by British-Pakistani radical preacher Anjem Choudary while he was studying at a university in London, according to a media report.

One of the Easter Sunday suicide bombers, who attempted to bomb the luxury Taj Samudra hotel, was radicalised by British-Pakistani radical preacher Anjem Choudary while he was studying at a university in London, according to a media report. Abdul Latheef Mohamed Jameel, 37, who hailed from a wealthy family involved in the tea trade, reportedly met the radical preacher while studying at Kingston University, the BBC reported. Choudary, 52, is considered one of the UK's most influential and dangerous radical preachers. He was convicted and jailed in 2016 for inviting support for the Islamic State(IS) group but was released in 2018. Counter-extremism experts early this year had warned that Choudary's extremist group al-Muhajiroun network was regenerating itself. Jameel, a father of four children, was the link between local radicals and IS or other Islamist groups based abroad, Sri Lankan security officers told the BBC. Jameel was one of the nine bombers who carried out a series of blasts targeting three churches and three hotels in Colombo in which nearly 360 people were killed. Jameel's target on April 21 Easter bombings was the Taj Samudra hotel of Tata Group's hospitality arm, Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL). But his bomb probably failed and he was seen leaving the premises. He later blew himself up at a motel in the suburb of Dehiwala, killing two guests. Jameel studied in the UK and Australia before he tried to go to Syria. Several years ago, his family became concerned about his hardline views and enlisted the help of a security official. A security official told the BBC: "He (Jameel) was completely radicalised and supported the extremist ideology. I tried to reason with him. "When I asked him how he got into this? he said that he attended the sermons of the radical British preacher Anjem Choudary in London. He said he met him during the sermons."

Suicide bomber who targeted Taj Samudra hotel in Sri Lanka was radicalised in London: Report

The Islamic State Is On The Ropes, But There Are Fears That The Group May Make A Comeback.

Gravitas: ISIS' Ever-Evolving Modus Operandi

On May 19, 2009, then president of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, clad in his traditional white sarong and shirt, solemnly averred before the Parliament: “The writ of the state now runs across every inch of our territory … we have completely defeated terrorism.” &nbsp;&nbsp;

Photographs of the corpse of rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran flashed across the local newspapers on the same day, signalling the end of a long and internecine civil war, which had pitted the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) against the security forces of the government of Sri Lanka since 1983.

Nearly a decade since then, Sri Lanka is in ferment again following the Easter Sunday bombings that killed over 250 people giving rise to concerns about the Islamic State’s expansion into South Asian and re-emergence after its near-total decimation in Iraq and Syria. &nbsp;

The message that the destruction of the physical caliphate does not extinguish the ideological threat of Islamic terrorism, must not be lost on anyone, as radical Islam is no longer a fringe element seen as an outlier of the Muslim world. &nbsp;

As per reports, the Lankan government has ordered complete prohibition on all types of face covers including burqas, which followed a social media blackout for fear of provocation and a call for retribution. &nbsp;

The entire Muslim community in Sri Lanka — constituting just about 10 per cent of the population — are fearful of becoming easy targets of reprisals in an atmosphere of paranoia and distrust. &nbsp;

The Mawalagatta Jama Masjid, for instance, held prayers and put out hoardings saying,”There is no place in Islam for extremism”.

As the authorities suspect members of two little-known groups —National Thawheedh Jamaath (NTJ) and Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim — of carrying out those attacks, with Islamic State claiming responsibility, it is clear that the attacks were primarily directed against Christians. &nbsp;

With the rise of such incidents, the real danger is the popular tendency to classify Muslims based on Islamophobic jargon: “moderate” Muslim as against Muslims, who are possibly violent and “radical”.

The perception that moderate Muslims feel a reflexive and religiously-mandated solidarity with other Muslims, no matter how barbaric their commitments, get firmed up by their silence, perhaps out of fear.

Sam Harris in a book titled “Islam and the Future of Tolerance: A Dialogue”situated the Muslims in several concentric circles with groups like the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, al-Shebab and the Boko Haram at the centre, who are eager to “kill infidels and apostates” and be “martyred in the process”. &nbsp;

It is circumscribed by a larger circle of Islamists who are more politically motivated, but appear less eager “to kill and be killed”. &nbsp;It is encircled by a wider circle of Muslims who probably support jihad and Islamism —“financially, morally, or philosophically” — but are careful not to sully their hands. &nbsp;

All the three circles are encompassed by a much larger circle of so-called moderate Muslims, who possibly do not subscribe to the view of the Islamic State, who may not be quite secular, but who want to live by modern values. &nbsp;

Millions of truly secular Muslims bear the brunt of the social opprobrium for not raising a voice against the excesses of Islamic terrorism and not expunging violent interpretations of the Koran and thus are complicit in the crime of their radical co-religionists.

The IS had recruited thousands of youth from South Asian nations such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka who, hunted down from Iraq and Syria, are now returning to their home countries. &nbsp;

Today, radical Islam’s war has spanned throughout the world, not just against Christians and Jews in the West, but also against Hindus, Buddhists, indeed all non-Muslim ‘infidels’. &nbsp;

The radical Islamists have been attacking other denominations within Islam itself. The long list of Islamist organisations includes some with memberships of just a few dozen and others that count thousands of adherents. &nbsp;

Such movements exist in virtually every Muslim country, and they often either draw inspiration from or are linked to one another.

While the rest of the world is held hostage to fear, a great religion becomes the handmaiden of a puritanical and jihadist-Salafism. &nbsp; 
&nbsp;

(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-islam-has-become-handmaiden-of-jihadist-salafism-2748685">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

On May 19, 2009, then president of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, clad in his traditional white sarong and shirt, solemnly averred before the Parliament: “The writ of the state now runs across every inch of our territory … we have completely defeated terrorism.

On May 19, 2009, then president of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, clad in his traditional white sarong and shirt, solemnly averred before the Parliament: “The writ of the state now runs across every inch of our territory … we have completely defeated terrorism.” Photographs of the corpse of rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran flashed across the local newspapers on the same day, signalling the end of a long and internecine civil war, which had pitted the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) against the security forces of the government of Sri Lanka since 1983. Nearly a decade since then, Sri Lanka is in ferment again following the Easter Sunday bombings that killed over 250 people giving rise to concerns about the Islamic State’s expansion into South Asian and re-emergence after its near-total decimation in Iraq and Syria. The message that the destruction of the physical caliphate does not extinguish the ideological threat of Islamic terrorism, must not be lost on anyone, as radical Islam is no longer a fringe element seen as an outlier of the Muslim world. As per reports, the Lankan government has ordered complete prohibition on all types of face covers including burqas, which followed a social media blackout for fear of provocation and a call for retribution. The entire Muslim community in Sri Lanka — constituting just about 10 per cent of the population — are fearful of becoming easy targets of reprisals in an atmosphere of paranoia and distrust. The Mawalagatta Jama Masjid, for instance, held prayers and put out hoardings saying,”There is no place in Islam for extremism”. As the authorities suspect members of two little-known groups —National Thawheedh Jamaath (NTJ) and Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim — of carrying out those attacks, with Islamic State claiming responsibility, it is clear that the attacks were primarily directed against Christians. With the rise of such incidents, the real danger is the popular tendency to classify Muslims based on Islamophobic jargon: “moderate” Muslim as against Muslims, who are possibly violent and “radical”. The perception that moderate Muslims feel a reflexive and religiously-mandated solidarity with other Muslims, no matter how barbaric their commitments, get firmed up by their silence, perhaps out of fear. Sam Harris in a book titled “Islam and the Future of Tolerance: A Dialogue”situated the Muslims in several concentric circles with groups like the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, al-Shebab and the Boko Haram at the centre, who are eager to “kill infidels and apostates” and be “martyred in the process”. It is circumscribed by a larger circle of Islamists who are more politically motivated, but appear less eager “to kill and be killed”. It is encircled by a wider circle of Muslims who probably support jihad and Islamism —“financially, morally, or philosophically” — but are careful not to sully their hands. All the three circles are encompassed by a much larger circle of so-called moderate Muslims, who possibly do not subscribe to the view of the Islamic State, who may not be quite secular, but who want to live by modern values. Millions of truly secular Muslims bear the brunt of the social opprobrium for not raising a voice against the excesses of Islamic terrorism and not expunging violent interpretations of the Koran and thus are complicit in the crime of their radical co-religionists. The IS had recruited thousands of youth from South Asian nations such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka who, hunted down from Iraq and Syria, are now returning to their home countries. Today, radical Islam’s war has spanned throughout the world, not just against Christians and Jews in the West, but also against Hindus, Buddhists, indeed all non-Muslim ‘infidels’. The radical Islamists have been attacking other denominations within Islam itself. The long list of Islamist organisations includes some with memberships of just a few dozen and others that count thousands of adherents. Such movements exist in virtually every Muslim country, and they often either draw inspiration from or are linked to one another. While the rest of the world is held hostage to fear, a great religion becomes the handmaiden of a puritanical and jihadist-Salafism. (This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Islam has become the handmaiden of jihadist-Salafism

Crowded into "ghettos" surrounded by armed checkpoints, Pakistan's Shiite Hazara minority say they are being slaughtered by sectarian militants in the southwestern city of Quetta, with authorities seemingly unable to halt the killings.

For years, hundreds of thousands of the Shiite community's members have been hemmed into two separate enclaves cordoned off by numerous checkpoints and hundreds of armed guards designed to protect the minority from violent militants.

"It's like a prison here," said Bostan Ali, a Hazara activist, about conditions inside the enclaves.

"The Hazaras are experiencing mental torture," he added, complaining the community has been effectively "cut off from the rest of the city" and "confined" to such areas.

The Shiite community's presence is particularly strong in Quetta -- the uneasy capital of impoverished Balochistan province where sectarian violence, suicide bombings, and banditry are common.

Hazaras are technically free to roam around Quetta at their will, but few do, fearing attacks.

To further protect the group, day traders and market vendors are also given armed escorts when they leave their neighbourhoods, while ongoing military operations are said to be targeting militants in the restive province.

But even these measures have proven inept at stopping major attacks on Hazaras.

Just last month a bombing at a vegetable market left 21 dead and 47 more wounded -- with the majority of the victims identified as Hazara.

The incident is all the more disturbing considering the group was under the protection of Pakistani paramilitary forces, who failed to stop the suicide bomber from detonating in the crowd.

The attack -- claimed by the Islamic State and its local anti-Shiite affiliate Lashkar-e-Jhangvi -- is just the latest in a long series of assaults targeting the group, including back-to-back bombings in early 2013 that killed nearly 200 of its members.

The situation across the border in Afghanistan is equally if not more dangerous, with Hazara mosques, schools, and community events regularly attacked by insurgents.

'Prison'

Pakistan has long been a cauldron of unrest and sectarian violence, with the officially Islamic Republic home to myriad sects of Islam and religious minorities that have been targeted by violent extremists for decades.

The Hazara have proven to be particularly vulnerable with their distinct Central Asian features making the members of the community easy targets for Sunni militants who consider them heretics.

At the entrance to Hazara town -- one of the two enclaves in Quetta -- a grim scene plays out every day as Hazara men squeeze into the backs of a long line of trucks headed in the city to buy food from the markets.&nbsp;

Once there, they are flanked by soldiers as they buy supplies before heading back to their homes in a heavily armed convoy.

Authorities insist the measures are a necessity.

In the last five years, 500 Hazaras have been killed and another 627 wounded in Quetta alone, according to a Pakistani security source familiar with the situation who asked not to be named.&nbsp;

"We know that we are passing through a killing field" explained Nauroz Ali, about life outside the enclaves.

He added,&nbsp;"But we have to earn a living for our families."

Criticised for their inability to stop the attacks, officials point to their own casualties in the fight against sectarian extremists as proof that they are trying their best.

Over the past six years, in their efforts to protect them "more police officers have died than Hazaras" says local police officer Abdur Razzak Cheema, adding that many terrorists have been arrested and others eliminated due to their efforts.

He explained,&nbsp;"New groups emerge. We're trying to track them down and eradicate the threat."

'No escape'

There are also plans to begin installing surveillance cameras at markets to improve security but Hazara community leaders are sceptical of the plans saying the existing measures have failed to stem the bloodshed.

"If three checkpoints in 3 km cannot keep (us) safe, can escorts, barriers and CCTV do any better?" wrote Muhammad Aman, a professor and activist, in a recent editorial in the Pakistani daily newspaper, Dawn.

"It seems that the terrorists are winning this war... there is no escape," he added.

Even the enclaves are not safe, as the bloody bombings in 2013 that struck inside the protected areas demonstrated.

As a result between 75,000 and 100,000 Hazaras have fled violence elsewhere in the country or abroad in recent years, according to the Hazara Democratic Party, &nbsp;

"We are hopeless," said Tahir Hazara, describing their neighbourhoods as nothing more than "ghettos".

He asked, "From whom should we expect protection to save our lives?"

Crowded into "ghettos" surrounded by armed checkpoints, Pakistan's Shiite Hazara minority say they are being slaughtered by sectarian militants in the southwestern city of Quetta, with authorities seemingly unable to halt the killings.

Crowded into "ghettos" surrounded by armed checkpoints, Pakistan's Shiite Hazara minority say they are being slaughtered by sectarian militants in the southwestern city of Quetta, with authorities seemingly unable to halt the killings. For years, hundreds of thousands of the Shiite community's members have been hemmed into two separate enclaves cordoned off by numerous checkpoints and hundreds of armed guards designed to protect the minority from violent militants. "It's like a prison here," said Bostan Ali, a Hazara activist, about conditions inside the enclaves. "The Hazaras are experiencing mental torture," he added, complaining the community has been effectively "cut off from the rest of the city" and "confined" to such areas. The Shiite community's presence is particularly strong in Quetta -- the uneasy capital of impoverished Balochistan province where sectarian violence, suicide bombings, and banditry are common. Hazaras are technically free to roam around Quetta at their will, but few do, fearing attacks. To further protect the group, day traders and market vendors are also given armed escorts when they leave their neighbourhoods, while ongoing military operations are said to be targeting militants in the restive province. But even these measures have proven inept at stopping major attacks on Hazaras. Just last month a bombing at a vegetable market left 21 dead and 47 more wounded -- with the majority of the victims identified as Hazara. The incident is all the more disturbing considering the group was under the protection of Pakistani paramilitary forces, who failed to stop the suicide bomber from detonating in the crowd. The attack -- claimed by the Islamic State and its local anti-Shiite affiliate Lashkar-e-Jhangvi -- is just the latest in a long series of assaults targeting the group, including back-to-back bombings in early 2013 that killed nearly 200 of its members. The situation across the border in Afghanistan is equally if not more dangerous, with Hazara mosques, schools, and community events regularly attacked by insurgents. 'Prison' Pakistan has long been a cauldron of unrest and sectarian violence, with the officially Islamic Republic home to myriad sects of Islam and religious minorities that have been targeted by violent extremists for decades. The Hazara have proven to be particularly vulnerable with their distinct Central Asian features making the members of the community easy targets for Sunni militants who consider them heretics. At the entrance to Hazara town -- one of the two enclaves in Quetta -- a grim scene plays out every day as Hazara men squeeze into the backs of a long line of trucks headed in the city to buy food from the markets. Once there, they are flanked by soldiers as they buy supplies before heading back to their homes in a heavily armed convoy. Authorities insist the measures are a necessity. In the last five years, 500 Hazaras have been killed and another 627 wounded in Quetta alone, according to a Pakistani security source familiar with the situation who asked not to be named. "We know that we are passing through a killing field" explained Nauroz Ali, about life outside the enclaves. He added, "But we have to earn a living for our families." Criticised for their inability to stop the attacks, officials point to their own casualties in the fight against sectarian extremists as proof that they are trying their best. Over the past six years, in their efforts to protect them "more police officers have died than Hazaras" says local police officer Abdur Razzak Cheema, adding that many terrorists have been arrested and others eliminated due to their efforts. He explained, "New groups emerge. We're trying to track them down and eradicate the threat." 'No escape' There are also plans to begin installing surveillance cameras at markets to improve security but Hazara community leaders are sceptical of the plans saying the existing measures have failed to stem the bloodshed. "If three checkpoints in 3 km cannot keep (us) safe, can escorts, barriers and CCTV do any better?" wrote Muhammad Aman, a professor and activist, in a recent editorial in the Pakistani daily newspaper, Dawn. "It seems that the terrorists are winning this war... there is no escape," he added. Even the enclaves are not safe, as the bloody bombings in 2013 that struck inside the protected areas demonstrated. As a result between 75,000 and 100,000 Hazaras have fled violence elsewhere in the country or abroad in recent years, according to the Hazara Democratic Party, "We are hopeless," said Tahir Hazara, describing their neighbourhoods as nothing more than "ghettos". He asked, "From whom should we expect protection to save our lives?"

Pakistan's Hazaras fear for their lives in besieged 'ghettos'

Malaysian police have detained four men suspected of plotting a wave of killings and attacks in and around the capital during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, police said on Monday.

The Southeast Asian nation has been on high alert since gunmen allied with Islamic State carried out a series of attacks in Jakarta, the capital of neighbouring Indonesia, in January 2016.

The four suspects are two Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar, an Indonesian and a Malaysian, Inspector General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador told reporters.

Dubbed the "wolf pack" cell, he said its members had planned to launch large-scale attacks during the first week of Ramadan to avenge a Muslim fireman who was allegedly beaten to death during a racially charged riot at a Hindu temple in November.

The fireman's death angered majority Malay Muslims, some of whom had accused Hindu leaders of inciting the riot through racial remarks.

"This cell had also planned an operation to assassinate high-profile personalities accused of insulting and failing to uphold Islam," Abdul Hamid said in a video recording of a press conference seen by Reuters.

He declined to identify the targets of the planned killings.

Muslims all over the world fast during daylight hours during Ramadan.

One of the Rohingya suspects, a 20-year-old waiter, told police he was a supporter of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), an insurgent group said to be behind a number of killings and attacks in Myanmar's Rakhine state, Abdul Hamid said.

The man possessed a UNHCR identification card issued by the UN&nbsp;refugee agency, he said.

Police also seized a gun and six homemade explosives during the arrests.

The Rohingya have for years fled persecution in Myanmar, which denies them citizenship as they are seen as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. They often arrive on Southeast Asian shores in rickety boats seeking asylum.

More than 90,000 Rohingya are registered with the United Nations in Malaysia but non-profit groups estimate as many as 200,000 Rohingya are living in the country.

Malaysian police have detained four men suspected of plotting a wave of killings and attacks in and around the capital during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, police said on Monday.

Malaysian police have detained four men suspected of plotting a wave of killings and attacks in and around the capital during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, police said on Monday. The Southeast Asian nation has been on high alert since gunmen allied with Islamic State carried out a series of attacks in Jakarta, the capital of neighbouring Indonesia, in January 2016. The four suspects are two Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar, an Indonesian and a Malaysian, Inspector General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador told reporters. Dubbed the "wolf pack" cell, he said its members had planned to launch large-scale attacks during the first week of Ramadan to avenge a Muslim fireman who was allegedly beaten to death during a racially charged riot at a Hindu temple in November. The fireman's death angered majority Malay Muslims, some of whom had accused Hindu leaders of inciting the riot through racial remarks. "This cell had also planned an operation to assassinate high-profile personalities accused of insulting and failing to uphold Islam," Abdul Hamid said in a video recording of a press conference seen by Reuters. He declined to identify the targets of the planned killings. Muslims all over the world fast during daylight hours during Ramadan. One of the Rohingya suspects, a 20-year-old waiter, told police he was a supporter of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), an insurgent group said to be behind a number of killings and attacks in Myanmar's Rakhine state, Abdul Hamid said. The man possessed a UNHCR identification card issued by the UN refugee agency, he said. Police also seized a gun and six homemade explosives during the arrests. The Rohingya have for years fled persecution in Myanmar, which denies them citizenship as they are seen as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. They often arrive on Southeast Asian shores in rickety boats seeking asylum. More than 90,000 Rohingya are registered with the United Nations in Malaysia but non-profit groups estimate as many as 200,000 Rohingya are living in the country.

Four suspected of plotting Ramadan attacks arrested in Malaysia

The Central Intelligence Bureau (IB) has issued an alert, warning of a fidayeen attack by Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) or Islamic State (IS) on the occasion of Buddha Purnima at West Bengal or Bangladesh, according to the sources in Intelligence Bureau.

The alert adds that the fidayeen, who could be impersonating as a pregnant lady may enter Hindu or Buddhist temples to launch attacks in India's West Bengal and Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, an alert was received by the West Bengal government on Friday afternoon from the Central government asking to take all the necessary precautionary measures.

Reacting to the alert, the West Bengal Police has beefed up security across the Hindu and Buddhist temples in the state.

"We have received an alert. We have strengthened the security outside the temples in the city as well as other parts of the state. We are taking no chances," said a senior official of the West Bengal Police.

Two weeks back, pro-IS telegram channels in Bangla had released a message, threatening of an attack in West Bengal and Bangladesh.

"A similar alert was ignored by Sri Lanka authorities and we saw the number of casualties. We have immediately responded to this input and alerted all our branches to maintain the highest level of alertness and preparedness to prevent any such attacks," added the official of West Bengal Police.

The Central Intelligence Bureau (IB) has issued an alert, warning of a fidayeen attack by Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) or Islamic State (IS) on the occasion of Buddha Purnima at West Bengal or Bangladesh, according to the sources in Intelligence Bureau.

The Central Intelligence Bureau (IB) has issued an alert, warning of a fidayeen attack by Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) or Islamic State (IS) on the occasion of Buddha Purnima at West Bengal or Bangladesh, according to the sources in Intelligence Bureau. The alert adds that the fidayeen, who could be impersonating as a pregnant lady may enter Hindu or Buddhist temples to launch attacks in India's West Bengal and Bangladesh. Meanwhile, an alert was received by the West Bengal government on Friday afternoon from the Central government asking to take all the necessary precautionary measures. Reacting to the alert, the West Bengal Police has beefed up security across the Hindu and Buddhist temples in the state. "We have received an alert. We have strengthened the security outside the temples in the city as well as other parts of the state. We are taking no chances," said a senior official of the West Bengal Police. Two weeks back, pro-IS telegram channels in Bangla had released a message, threatening of an attack in West Bengal and Bangladesh. "A similar alert was ignored by Sri Lanka authorities and we saw the number of casualties. We have immediately responded to this input and alerted all our branches to maintain the highest level of alertness and preparedness to prevent any such attacks," added the official of West Bengal Police.

IB issues alert of fidayeen attack on Buddha Purnima in West Bengal, Bangladesh; security beefs up

Security forces on Friday morning killed a top terrorist associated with the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Islamic state (ISJK) in south Kashmir’s Shopian district.&nbsp;

According to sources, Ishfaq Sofi, a top terror commander was also featured in group's Al Risala magazine a few months ago and was among the few ISJK men left in the state.&nbsp;

Acting on a specific input about the presence of terrorists in the area, the joint forces of J&amp;K Police, Indian Army and the CRPF launched a pre-dawn operation to flush out the hiding terrorists.

The ISJK hasn’t come to the spotlight in the Valley given the less ground support and tiff with other pro-Pakistan outfits. The police here have been maintaining that the ISJK wasn’t an immediate threat but needs to be looked into.&nbsp;

Over the years, the terror outfit has been instrumental in spreading online propaganda using magazines and videos to lure people into joining them in the state.&nbsp;

According to sources, Ishfaq Sofi’s interview was published in Al Risalah magazine, an ISJK propaganda magazine, in which he narrated his journey from pro-Pakistan Harkat-ul-Mujahideen to joining the ISJK. He lashed out at Hizbul and other pro-Pakistan outfits in the interview.

Security forces on Friday morning killed a top terrorist associated with the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Islamic state (ISJK) in south Kashmir’s Shopian district.

Security forces on Friday morning killed a top terrorist associated with the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Islamic state (ISJK) in south Kashmir’s Shopian district. According to sources, Ishfaq Sofi, a top terror commander was also featured in group's Al Risala magazine a few months ago and was among the few ISJK men left in the state. Acting on a specific input about the presence of terrorists in the area, the joint forces of J&K Police, Indian Army and the CRPF launched a pre-dawn operation to flush out the hiding terrorists. The ISJK hasn’t come to the spotlight in the Valley given the less ground support and tiff with other pro-Pakistan outfits. The police here have been maintaining that the ISJK wasn’t an immediate threat but needs to be looked into. Over the years, the terror outfit has been instrumental in spreading online propaganda using magazines and videos to lure people into joining them in the state. According to sources, Ishfaq Sofi’s interview was published in Al Risalah magazine, an ISJK propaganda magazine, in which he narrated his journey from pro-Pakistan Harkat-ul-Mujahideen to joining the ISJK. He lashed out at Hizbul and other pro-Pakistan outfits in the interview.

Top Islamic State commander killed in Kashmir's Shopian

A Russian-backed Syrian government offensive in the rebel-held northwest has killed dozens of people and forced more than 150,000 to flee, the biggest <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/escalation-in-syrias-idlib-rattles-months-old-truce-216774">escalation in the war </a>between President Bashar al-Assad and his enemies since last summer.

Government barrel-bombing and Russian air strikes have been accompanied by limited ground assaults, straining a Russian-Turkish deal that spared the region from an offensive in September and generating new concerns for its 3 million people.

Watch- <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-clashes-erupt-in-syria-as-un-calls-the-situation-alarming-217104">Gravitas: Clashes Erupt In Syria As UN Calls The Situation 'Alarming'</a>

WHO CONTROLS IDLIB?

The northwest - Idlib province and a belt of territory around it - is mostly held by the jihadist Tahrir al-Sham, the latest incarnation of the former Nusra Front, which was part of al Qaeda until 2016.

The group tightened its grip earlier this year in a campaign against other rebels. Some of these still have a presence as part of the "National Front for Liberation", backed by Turkey.

Foreign jihadists have a significant presence, many of them members of the Huras al-Din group.

The Turkish military has established about a dozen military positions in the area under its agreements with Russia.

WHY HAS THE CONFLICT ESCALATED AGAIN?

The Russian-Turkish deal created a demilitarised zone from which jihadists were required to withdraw, effectively putting the onus on Turkey to tackle the problem while leaving the northwest within a sphere of Turkish influence.

But Russia's patience has been wearing thin over what it views as Turkey's failure to curb Tahrir al-Sham. Damascus, determined to recover "every inch" of Syria, has also publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the status quo.

The government accuses the Nusra Front of igniting the violence through attacks on its areas. The rebels accuse the government and "Russian occupiers" of trying to invade.

WHERE IS THE ATTACK FOCUSED, WHAT ARE ITS AIMS?

Most of the bombardment has been in the southern part of the rebel territory including areas in the demilitarised zone.

The full scope of the attack is not yet clear, though Russian President Vladimir Putin recently said a full-scale assault in Idlib was unpractical for now.

Rebel sources believe the government's aim is to seize two highways to Aleppo that run to the south of Idlib city through rebel-held areas. Russia and Turkey had previously agreed these roads should be opened.

Russia's motives in the northwest include securing its Latakia air base from rebel attacks.

WHAT IS THE CIVILIAN IMPACT?

The UN&nbsp;Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says more than 152,000 people fled between April 29 and May 5, doubling the number of displaced in the northwest since February.

Air strikes have struck 12 health facilities, killed more than 80 civilians and wounded more than 300, OCHA said. Shelling, air strikes and fighting in more than 50 villages have destroyed at least 10 schools and teaching is suspended.

The UN&nbsp;regional humanitarian coordinator has said the barrel bombing is the worst for at least 15 months. Barrel bombs are containers filled with explosives dropped from helicopters.

COULD TURKEY BE DRAWN IN?

Turkey's response to the latest escalation has been muted, even when shelling from government-held territory struck a Turkish military position on Saturday.

Turkey has recently focused on rolling back Kurdish militia in other parts of northern Syria, notably the area near Tel Rifaat north of Aleppo. Turkey and Russia are in talks over the status of this area.

Turkey, Russia and Iran reaffirmed their commitment to the September agreement on the eve of the latest escalation.

In a joint statement after an April 25-26 meeting, they expressed concern about Tahrir al-Sham's efforts to increase its control and "reaffirmed the determination to continue cooperation" to eliminate jihadists including the Nusra Front.

Turkey's concerns would grow if the attack widened to the point of threatening another major influx of Syrian refugees. It already hosts 3.6 million.

HOW DO THE FORCES STACK UP?

The Syrian army can draw on the overwhelming fire power provided by the Russian air force and Iran-backed militias that have enabled it to defeat rebels across western Syria. The rebels do not have significant anti-aircraft defences.

Tahrir al-Sham has said it will confront any ground assault by "the Russian occupiers" with "steel and fire". The rebel arsenal includes guided anti-armour missiles, ground-to-ground rockets and jihadist suicide bombers.

In a video address this week, a Tahrir al-Sham spokesman said that rebels driven from other parts of Syria - Ghouta, Deraa and Homs - stood ready to defend the territory.

A Russian-backed Syrian government offensive in the rebel-held northwest has killed dozens of people and forced more than 150,000 to flee, the biggest escalation in the war between President Bashar al-Assad and his enemies since last summer.

A Russian-backed Syrian government offensive in the rebel-held northwest has killed dozens of people and forced more than 150,000 to flee, the biggest escalation in the war between President Bashar al-Assad and his enemies since last summer. Government barrel-bombing and Russian air strikes have been accompanied by limited ground assaults, straining a Russian-Turkish deal that spared the region from an offensive in September and generating new concerns for its 3 million people. Watch- Gravitas: Clashes Erupt In Syria As UN Calls The Situation 'Alarming' WHO CONTROLS IDLIB? The northwest - Idlib province and a belt of territory around it - is mostly held by the jihadist Tahrir al-Sham, the latest incarnation of the former Nusra Front, which was part of al Qaeda until 2016. The group tightened its grip earlier this year in a campaign against other rebels. Some of these still have a presence as part of the "National Front for Liberation", backed by Turkey. Foreign jihadists have a significant presence, many of them members of the Huras al-Din group. The Turkish military has established about a dozen military positions in the area under its agreements with Russia. WHY HAS THE CONFLICT ESCALATED AGAIN? The Russian-Turkish deal created a demilitarised zone from which jihadists were required to withdraw, effectively putting the onus on Turkey to tackle the problem while leaving the northwest within a sphere of Turkish influence. But Russia's patience has been wearing thin over what it views as Turkey's failure to curb Tahrir al-Sham. Damascus, determined to recover "every inch" of Syria, has also publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the status quo. The government accuses the Nusra Front of igniting the violence through attacks on its areas. The rebels accuse the government and "Russian occupiers" of trying to invade. WHERE IS THE ATTACK FOCUSED, WHAT ARE ITS AIMS? Most of the bombardment has been in the southern part of the rebel territory including areas in the demilitarised zone. The full scope of the attack is not yet clear, though Russian President Vladimir Putin recently said a full-scale assault in Idlib was unpractical for now. Rebel sources believe the government's aim is to seize two highways to Aleppo that run to the south of Idlib city through rebel-held areas. Russia and Turkey had previously agreed these roads should be opened. Russia's motives in the northwest include securing its Latakia air base from rebel attacks. WHAT IS THE CIVILIAN IMPACT? The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says more than 152,000 people fled between April 29 and May 5, doubling the number of displaced in the northwest since February. Air strikes have struck 12 health facilities, killed more than 80 civilians and wounded more than 300, OCHA said. Shelling, air strikes and fighting in more than 50 villages have destroyed at least 10 schools and teaching is suspended. The UN regional humanitarian coordinator has said the barrel bombing is the worst for at least 15 months. Barrel bombs are containers filled with explosives dropped from helicopters. COULD TURKEY BE DRAWN IN? Turkey's response to the latest escalation has been muted, even when shelling from government-held territory struck a Turkish military position on Saturday. Turkey has recently focused on rolling back Kurdish militia in other parts of northern Syria, notably the area near Tel Rifaat north of Aleppo. Turkey and Russia are in talks over the status of this area. Turkey, Russia and Iran reaffirmed their commitment to the September agreement on the eve of the latest escalation. In a joint statement after an April 25-26 meeting, they expressed concern about Tahrir al-Sham's efforts to increase its control and "reaffirmed the determination to continue cooperation" to eliminate jihadists including the Nusra Front. Turkey's concerns would grow if the attack widened to the point of threatening another major influx of Syrian refugees. It already hosts 3.6 million. HOW DO THE FORCES STACK UP? The Syrian army can draw on the overwhelming fire power provided by the Russian air force and Iran-backed militias that have enabled it to defeat rebels across western Syria. The rebels do not have significant anti-aircraft defences. Tahrir al-Sham has said it will confront any ground assault by "the Russian occupiers" with "steel and fire". The rebel arsenal includes guided anti-armour missiles, ground-to-ground rockets and jihadist suicide bombers. In a video address this week, a Tahrir al-Sham spokesman said that rebels driven from other parts of Syria - Ghouta, Deraa and Homs - stood ready to defend the territory.

Explainer: Why the war in Syria's Idlib escalated again

The Islamic State-linked <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-min-asks-security-forces-to-avoid-incidents-that-may-lead-to-radicalisation-of-muslims-216474">Sri Lankan extremist group</a> National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ), blamed for the Easter Sunday bombings, has been found possessing more than Rs 140 million&nbsp;in cash and other assets worth over &nbsp;Rs 7 billion, police said on Monday.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has identified more than Rs 140 million&nbsp;in&nbsp;cash and other assets worth over&nbsp;Rs 7 billion&nbsp;belonging to the terror group involved in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-extends-deadline-by-48-hours-for-public-to-hand-over-swords-sharp-weapons-216367">Easter Sunday attacks</a>, Police spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekera said.

The assets and the cash were found during the investigations by the CID, police said.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/cid-find-cash-and-assets-worth-over-rs-7-billion-belonging-to-the-national-thowheed-jamath-216546/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"Half of the cash has been taken under CID custody and the remainder was found deposited in several bank accounts. The CID has taken measures to suspend those accounts," Gunasekera said.

Gunasekera said since the April 21 attacks in which over 250 people were killed, around 73 suspected members of the NTJ have been arrested and are being questioned by the CID and the Terrorist Investigation Department (TID).

"There are 54 suspects including seven women under CID custody while 19 others including two women are under TID custody,"&nbsp;he said

More than 250 people, including 11 Indians, were killed and nearly 500 others injured in the co-ordinated suicide bombings, which targeted three Catholic churches and three luxury hotels.

The Islamic State terror group claimed the attacks, the island nation's worst, but the government blamed ISIS-linked local Islamist extremist group NTJ.

More than 250 people, including 11 Indians, were killed and nearly 500 others injured in the co-ordinated suicide bombings, which targeted three Catholic churches and three luxury hotels.

The Islamic State terror group claimed the attacks, the island nation's worst, but the government blamed NTJ. The government has banned the NTJ and arrested over 100 suspects in connection with the blasts.

The move to ban the outfits came after the Lankan Parliament adopted a newly-enforced emergency regulation on Wednesday following a series of eight coordinated blasts, which ripped through three churches and three high-end hotels frequented by tourists on April 19 in the country's deadliest violence since the devastating civil war ended in 2009.&nbsp;

The Islamic State-linked Sri Lankan extremist group National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ), blamed for the Easter Sunday bombings, has been found possessing more than Rs 140 million in cash and other assets worth over Rs 7 billion, police said on Monday.

The Islamic State-linked Sri Lankan extremist group National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ), blamed for the Easter Sunday bombings, has been found possessing more than Rs 140 million in cash and other assets worth over Rs 7 billion, police said on Monday. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has identified more than Rs 140 million in cash and other assets worth over Rs 7 billion belonging to the terror group involved in the Easter Sunday attacks, Police spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekera said. The assets and the cash were found during the investigations by the CID, police said. "Half of the cash has been taken under CID custody and the remainder was found deposited in several bank accounts. The CID has taken measures to suspend those accounts," Gunasekera said. Gunasekera said since the April 21 attacks in which over 250 people were killed, around 73 suspected members of the NTJ have been arrested and are being questioned by the CID and the Terrorist Investigation Department (TID). "There are 54 suspects including seven women under CID custody while 19 others including two women are under TID custody," he said More than 250 people, including 11 Indians, were killed and nearly 500 others injured in the co-ordinated suicide bombings, which targeted three Catholic churches and three luxury hotels. The Islamic State terror group claimed the attacks, the island nation's worst, but the government blamed ISIS-linked local Islamist extremist group NTJ. More than 250 people, including 11 Indians, were killed and nearly 500 others injured in the co-ordinated suicide bombings, which targeted three Catholic churches and three luxury hotels. The Islamic State terror group claimed the attacks, the island nation's worst, but the government blamed NTJ. The government has banned the NTJ and arrested over 100 suspects in connection with the blasts. The move to ban the outfits came after the Lankan Parliament adopted a newly-enforced emergency regulation on Wednesday following a series of eight coordinated blasts, which ripped through three churches and three high-end hotels frequented by tourists on April 19 in the country's deadliest violence since the devastating civil war ended in 2009.

Sri Lanka terror group NTJ linked to Easter bombings had millions in cash, assets: Police

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-terror-group-linked-to-easter-bombings-has-over-rs-140-mn-cash-rs-7-bn-worth-assets-police-216553">Sri Lanka terror group NTJ linked to Easter bombings had millions in cash, assets: Police</a>

The Islamic State-linked Sri Lankan extremist group National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ), blamed for the Easter Sunday bombings, has been found possessing more than Rs 9,70 crore in cash and other assets worth over Rs 7,00 crores, police said on Monday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/jet-crashes-in-mountain-region-in-mexico-no-survivors-found-216542">Jet crashes in mountain region in Mexico, no survivors found</a>

A plane crash in a remote mountain region in northern Mexico claimed the lives of all 13 people on board, including a family of five that were flying back from watching a boxing match in Las Vegas, authorities and local media said on Monday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinas-pattern-of-aggressive-behaviour-elsewhere-informs-how-it-treats-the-arctic-pompeo-216537">China's pattern of aggressive behaviour elsewhere informs how it treats the Arctic: Pompeo</a>

The US on Monday said it planned to beef up its Arctic presence to keep Russia's and China's "aggressive behaviour" in check in the resource-rich region. "The region has become an arena of global power and competition" owing to vast reserves of oil, gas, minerals and fish stocks, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned in a speech in Rovaniemi, northern Finland.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-china-reneged-on-trade-commitments-sparking-trump-tariff-hike-216534">China reneged on trade commitments, sparking Trump tariff hike: US officials</a>

China backtracked on substantial commitments it made during trade talks with the United States, prompting President Donald Trump to impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods slated to go into effect on Friday, top US trade officials said on Monday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/turkey-election-body-orders-istanbul-vote-re-run-after-erdogans-akp-defeat-216530">Turkey election body orders Istanbul vote re-run after Erdogan's AKP defeat</a>

Turkey's top election body ordered a re-run of Istanbul's mayoral election on Monday after the party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan complained about its shock defeat in the vote, the state news agency reported.&nbsp;

Sri Lanka terror group NTJ linked to Easter bombings had millions in cash, assets: Police The Islamic State-linked Sri Lankan extremist group National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ), blamed for the Easter Sunday bombings, has been found possessing more than Rs 9,70 crore in cash and other assets worth over Rs 7,00 crores, police said on Monday.

Sri Lanka terror group NTJ linked to Easter bombings had millions in cash, assets: Police The Islamic State-linked Sri Lankan extremist group National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ), blamed for the Easter Sunday bombings, has been found possessing more than Rs 9,70 crore in cash and other assets worth over Rs 7,00 crores, police said on Monday. Jet crashes in mountain region in Mexico, no survivors found A plane crash in a remote mountain region in northern Mexico claimed the lives of all 13 people on board, including a family of five that were flying back from watching a boxing match in Las Vegas, authorities and local media said on Monday. China's pattern of aggressive behaviour elsewhere informs how it treats the Arctic: Pompeo The US on Monday said it planned to beef up its Arctic presence to keep Russia's and China's "aggressive behaviour" in check in the resource-rich region. "The region has become an arena of global power and competition" owing to vast reserves of oil, gas, minerals and fish stocks, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned in a speech in Rovaniemi, northern Finland. China reneged on trade commitments, sparking Trump tariff hike: US officials China backtracked on substantial commitments it made during trade talks with the United States, prompting President Donald Trump to impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods slated to go into effect on Friday, top US trade officials said on Monday. Turkey election body orders Istanbul vote re-run after Erdogan's AKP defeat Turkey's top election body ordered a re-run of Istanbul's mayoral election on Monday after the party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan complained about its shock defeat in the vote, the state news agency reported.

News brief: Big stories of the day

Sri Lankan authorities Monday lifted an overnight curfew in the western coastal town of Negombo where violence erupted between groups of people over the weekend, days after the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-police-discover-suspected-training-camp-for-islamist-militants-216185">Easter bombings by Islamist extremists</a> that killed more than 250 people in the island nation.

The curfew was imposed on Sunday after a group of miscreants carrying swords attacked some people travelling on a three-wheeler in Porathota area of the town. The vehicle was set on fire.

Several people were injured in clashes in Negombo, where St. Sebastian's Church was targeted in the Easter attacks carried out by suicide bombers who had pledged support for the IS.

Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said on Monday that Negombo was calm and curfew had ended at 7 am.

The government also blocked some social media sites overnight, including Facebook and WhatsApp, in order to control the situation. The block was lifted early Monday.

The police said an argument had instigated the clash and it was escalated after a drunken man's intervention. The curfew was imposed in the town as a precaution. Two people have been arrested in connection with the clashes.

Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, the Archbishop of Colombo, said that it was a personal clash between two groups. "The situation was brought to my notice and we have restored calm," he said.

A senior police officer said an investigation was underway into the clashes.

Negombo is a majority Christian town where the St Sebastian's church was attacked by a suicide bomber on the Easter Sunday.

The Islamic State terror group claimed the attacks, but the government blamed local Islamist extremist group National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ).

Sri Lanka banned the NTJ and arrested over 100 people in connection with the blasts.

Meanwhile, the schools reopened Monday after the Easter Sunday blasts.

Police and soldiers combed school premises and the surrounding areas to make sure it is safe for children to go back on Monday, a senior police officer said.

Armed soldiers were seen guarding all leading schools in the city. However, the normal school traffic was not seen.

The education ministry's announcement to reopen schools after security guarantees were received from the military was still debated. Some leading Buddhist prelates had urged the government to delay the re-opening due to further possible attacks from the jihadists.

Sri Lanka has a population of 21 million which is a patchwork of ethnicities and religions, dominated by the Sinhalese Buddhist majority.

Muslims account for 10 per cent of the population and are the second-largest minority after Hindus. Around seven per cent of Sri Lankans are Christians.&nbsp;

Sri Lankan authorities Monday lifted an overnight curfew in the western coastal town of Negombo where violence erupted between groups of people over the weekend, days after the Easter bombings by Islamist extremists that killed more than 250 people in the island nation.

Sri Lankan authorities Monday lifted an overnight curfew in the western coastal town of Negombo where violence erupted between groups of people over the weekend, days after the Easter bombings by Islamist extremists that killed more than 250 people in the island nation. The curfew was imposed on Sunday after a group of miscreants carrying swords attacked some people travelling on a three-wheeler in Porathota area of the town. The vehicle was set on fire. Several people were injured in clashes in Negombo, where St. Sebastian's Church was targeted in the Easter attacks carried out by suicide bombers who had pledged support for the IS. Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said on Monday that Negombo was calm and curfew had ended at 7 am. The government also blocked some social media sites overnight, including Facebook and WhatsApp, in order to control the situation. The block was lifted early Monday. The police said an argument had instigated the clash and it was escalated after a drunken man's intervention. The curfew was imposed in the town as a precaution. Two people have been arrested in connection with the clashes. Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, the Archbishop of Colombo, said that it was a personal clash between two groups. "The situation was brought to my notice and we have restored calm," he said. A senior police officer said an investigation was underway into the clashes. Negombo is a majority Christian town where the St Sebastian's church was attacked by a suicide bomber on the Easter Sunday. The Islamic State terror group claimed the attacks, but the government blamed local Islamist extremist group National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ). Sri Lanka banned the NTJ and arrested over 100 people in connection with the blasts. Meanwhile, the schools reopened Monday after the Easter Sunday blasts. Police and soldiers combed school premises and the surrounding areas to make sure it is safe for children to go back on Monday, a senior police officer said. Armed soldiers were seen guarding all leading schools in the city. However, the normal school traffic was not seen. The education ministry's announcement to reopen schools after security guarantees were received from the military was still debated. Some leading Buddhist prelates had urged the government to delay the re-opening due to further possible attacks from the jihadists. Sri Lanka has a population of 21 million which is a patchwork of ethnicities and religions, dominated by the Sinhalese Buddhist majority. Muslims account for 10 per cent of the population and are the second-largest minority after Hindus. Around seven per cent of Sri Lankans are Christians.

Sri Lanka lifts curfew in Negombo; police says situation under control

How did a small, fringe Wahhabi splinter group, led by a fiery speaker with a sixth-grade education, known mainly for defacing Buddhist symbols, carry out a coordinated and sophisticated terrorist attack on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka?

The answer is, it didn’t, not without external support, both direct and indirect.

The Sri Lanka attack reinforces the notion that the Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the attack, is more a brand around which forces with overlapping goals coalesce to exploit local or regional opportunities than an entity.

The events in Sri Lanka were soon followed by the propaganda video reappearance of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who, acknowledging defeat in Syria and specifically citing the Sri Lankan attack, exhorted his followers to expand the fight.

Defeat in Syria has triggered a diaspora of Islamic State fighters either to their native lands or to targets of opportunity such as the thriving extremist networks in South Asia.

The instigators of that extremism and operating continuously in the background are the global promoters of austere and often intolerant forms of Islam such as Wahhabism-Salafism, financed either by wealthy individuals or nation-states that offer forums for radicalisation and sources for potential jihadi recruits.

The main group behind the Sri Lankan bombings, the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), is an ideological offspring of the rapidly growing, Saudi-funded Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamath (TNTJ), which has a headquarters in Chennai, India. The TNTJ, a Wahhabi-based organisation, helped establish the Sri Lanka Thowheed Jamath, from which the NTJ emerged as a splinter.

It is a now well-known fact that some Islamic clerics and preachers play a significant role in the radicalisation of young Muslims and their recruitment for terrorist attacks.

As the late Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew said about preventing terrorist attacks:&nbsp;

“You must use force. But force will only deal with the tip of the problem. In killing the terrorists, you will only kill the worker bees. The queen bees are the preachers, who teach a deviant form of Islam in schools and Islamic centers, who capture and twist the minds of the young.”

Today, drug trafficking not only provides funding for terrorism, but there is a growing use of the organisational and logistical capabilities of criminal cartels to support terrorist operations, some of which contribute to the geopolitical ambitions of nation states.&nbsp;

In the South Columbo Muslim area of Dehiwala, a drug trafficker named Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, who was designated by the US Department of Treasury as a terrorist supporter in 2003, reportedly set up a distribution hub. In 2018, authorities seized 736 kilograms of Dawood’s heroin.

According to one article, Dawood’s D-Company cartel obtains opium from Afghanistan, where production is overseen by the Taliban. &nbsp;From there, logistics and transportation are arranged by Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence agency (ISI), which provides protection for Dawood in his Karachi base and stipulates the distribution of a portion of the profits to various jihadist and militant groups.

There is much concern about the growth of the Islamic State in Afghanistan. There are reports that Islamic State jihadis, who fought in Syria and Iraq, are migrating to Afghanistan, joining disaffected Taliban fighters seeking greater Islamic purity.

Although Afghanistan offers a potential power vacuum, which the Islamic State can fill, a far more fertile ground for expansion is in Pakistan.

It is a little-known fact that the Islamic State now operating in Afghanistan, originated in Pakistan.

Members of the Pakistani Taliban, the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan or TTP began migrating to Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province as “refugees” in 2010 after Pakistani military operations against the TTP in Orakzai and Khyber Agencies of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

It was those “refugees” who provided a foundation for the Islamic State. That base support was augmented by thousands of Pakistanis who fought for the Islamic State in Syria and returned starting in 2013.

In January 2015, the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP) was declared with former TTP commander Hafiz Saeed Khan of Orakzai as the leader, whose twelve-member Shura had nine Pakistanis.

It is the growing level of extremism and intolerance in Pakistan that should be of concern, which has been a threat to Afghanistan and will be the main contributor to instability in South Asia.

It is the direct result of official Pakistani policy and the activities of Pakistan’s ISI.

The “Islamisation” programme initiated by Pakistani President Muhammad Zia ul Haq in the late 1970s, which involved the proliferation of Islamic schools, “madrasas” and the promotion of Islamic law “Sharia,” was specifically designed to create national unity by suppressing ethnic separatism and religious diversity.

Not surprisingly, radical groups have proliferated in Pakistan, becoming increasingly more extreme and intolerant.

The Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), a Deobandi anti-Shia organisation was created, in the wake of the Iranian revolution to counter Shia influence in Pakistan. The rapid spread of fundamentalist Deobandi ideology in Pakistan has been widely attributed to funding from Saudi Arabia.

When the SSP proved insufficiently militant for its growing population of zealots, the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) was formed as a splinter group of the SSP.

In the search for ever purer forms of Islam, the ever more violent and intolerant Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al-Alami (LeJ-A) was created out of the LeJ which, over the last two years, has claimed responsibility for several bloody atrocities in Balochistan, Pakistan’s southwest province. It has been reported that elements of the LeJ-A now comprise the senior cadres of the Islamic State in Pakistan.

Another so-called Islamic State affiliate operating in western Balochistan out of the city of Turbat, also known as a center for drug trafficking, is Laskar-e-Khorasan, a group accused of killing religious minorities.

Saudi support gradually shifted from the Deobandi to the more radical Ahle-Hadith movement, the Pakistani equivalent of Wahhabism. It is a small ideological step from Ahl-i-Hadith to the Islamic State, which explains the growth of its affiliates in Pakistan.

Among such Sunni-supremacist groups, believed to have received Saudi funding, is Jaish al-Adl which has carried out attacks on Iran from safe havens in Pakistan and reportedly has links to the Islamic State.

While downplaying the Islamic State threat in Afghanistan, US officials have virtually ignored the explosive potential of Islamic State influence in Pakistan, which will only accelerate in the expected power vacuum left after a US withdrawal. 
 
(This article was originally published on <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/feature/next-islamic-state-battlefield-will-be-south-asia-55687">The National Interest)</a> 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

How did a small, fringe Wahhabi splinter group, led by a fiery speaker with a sixth-grade education, known mainly for defacing Buddhist symbols, carry out a coordinated and sophisticated terrorist attack on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka?

How did a small, fringe Wahhabi splinter group, led by a fiery speaker with a sixth-grade education, known mainly for defacing Buddhist symbols, carry out a coordinated and sophisticated terrorist attack on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka? The answer is, it didn’t, not without external support, both direct and indirect. The Sri Lanka attack reinforces the notion that the Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the attack, is more a brand around which forces with overlapping goals coalesce to exploit local or regional opportunities than an entity. The events in Sri Lanka were soon followed by the propaganda video reappearance of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who, acknowledging defeat in Syria and specifically citing the Sri Lankan attack, exhorted his followers to expand the fight. Defeat in Syria has triggered a diaspora of Islamic State fighters either to their native lands or to targets of opportunity such as the thriving extremist networks in South Asia. The instigators of that extremism and operating continuously in the background are the global promoters of austere and often intolerant forms of Islam such as Wahhabism-Salafism, financed either by wealthy individuals or nation-states that offer forums for radicalisation and sources for potential jihadi recruits. The main group behind the Sri Lankan bombings, the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), is an ideological offspring of the rapidly growing, Saudi-funded Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamath (TNTJ), which has a headquarters in Chennai, India. The TNTJ, a Wahhabi-based organisation, helped establish the Sri Lanka Thowheed Jamath, from which the NTJ emerged as a splinter. It is a now well-known fact that some Islamic clerics and preachers play a significant role in the radicalisation of young Muslims and their recruitment for terrorist attacks. As the late Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew said about preventing terrorist attacks: “You must use force. But force will only deal with the tip of the problem. In killing the terrorists, you will only kill the worker bees. The queen bees are the preachers, who teach a deviant form of Islam in schools and Islamic centers, who capture and twist the minds of the young.” Today, drug trafficking not only provides funding for terrorism, but there is a growing use of the organisational and logistical capabilities of criminal cartels to support terrorist operations, some of which contribute to the geopolitical ambitions of nation states. In the South Columbo Muslim area of Dehiwala, a drug trafficker named Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, who was designated by the US Department of Treasury as a terrorist supporter in 2003, reportedly set up a distribution hub. In 2018, authorities seized 736 kilograms of Dawood’s heroin. According to one article, Dawood’s D-Company cartel obtains opium from Afghanistan, where production is overseen by the Taliban. From there, logistics and transportation are arranged by Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence agency (ISI), which provides protection for Dawood in his Karachi base and stipulates the distribution of a portion of the profits to various jihadist and militant groups. There is much concern about the growth of the Islamic State in Afghanistan. There are reports that Islamic State jihadis, who fought in Syria and Iraq, are migrating to Afghanistan, joining disaffected Taliban fighters seeking greater Islamic purity. Although Afghanistan offers a potential power vacuum, which the Islamic State can fill, a far more fertile ground for expansion is in Pakistan. It is a little-known fact that the Islamic State now operating in Afghanistan, originated in Pakistan. Members of the Pakistani Taliban, the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan or TTP began migrating to Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province as “refugees” in 2010 after Pakistani military operations against the TTP in Orakzai and Khyber Agencies of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. It was those “refugees” who provided a foundation for the Islamic State. That base support was augmented by thousands of Pakistanis who fought for the Islamic State in Syria and returned starting in 2013. In January 2015, the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP) was declared with former TTP commander Hafiz Saeed Khan of Orakzai as the leader, whose twelve-member Shura had nine Pakistanis. It is the growing level of extremism and intolerance in Pakistan that should be of concern, which has been a threat to Afghanistan and will be the main contributor to instability in South Asia. It is the direct result of official Pakistani policy and the activities of Pakistan’s ISI. The “Islamisation” programme initiated by Pakistani President Muhammad Zia ul Haq in the late 1970s, which involved the proliferation of Islamic schools, “madrasas” and the promotion of Islamic law “Sharia,” was specifically designed to create national unity by suppressing ethnic separatism and religious diversity. Not surprisingly, radical groups have proliferated in Pakistan, becoming increasingly more extreme and intolerant. The Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), a Deobandi anti-Shia organisation was created, in the wake of the Iranian revolution to counter Shia influence in Pakistan. The rapid spread of fundamentalist Deobandi ideology in Pakistan has been widely attributed to funding from Saudi Arabia. When the SSP proved insufficiently militant for its growing population of zealots, the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) was formed as a splinter group of the SSP. In the search for ever purer forms of Islam, the ever more violent and intolerant Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al-Alami (LeJ-A) was created out of the LeJ which, over the last two years, has claimed responsibility for several bloody atrocities in Balochistan, Pakistan’s southwest province. It has been reported that elements of the LeJ-A now comprise the senior cadres of the Islamic State in Pakistan. Another so-called Islamic State affiliate operating in western Balochistan out of the city of Turbat, also known as a center for drug trafficking, is Laskar-e-Khorasan, a group accused of killing religious minorities. Saudi support gradually shifted from the Deobandi to the more radical Ahle-Hadith movement, the Pakistani equivalent of Wahhabism. It is a small ideological step from Ahl-i-Hadith to the Islamic State, which explains the growth of its affiliates in Pakistan. Among such Sunni-supremacist groups, believed to have received Saudi funding, is Jaish al-Adl which has carried out attacks on Iran from safe havens in Pakistan and reportedly has links to the Islamic State. While downplaying the Islamic State threat in Afghanistan, US officials have virtually ignored the explosive potential of Islamic State influence in Pakistan, which will only accelerate in the expected power vacuum left after a US withdrawal. (This article was originally published on The National Interest) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

The next Islamic State battlefield will be in South Asia

The Islamic State terror group chose Sri Lanka to stage a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-extends-deadline-by-48-hours-for-public-to-hand-over-swords-sharp-weapons-216367">massive attack on Easter Sunday</a> to tell the world that they exist, President Maithripala Sirisena said Monday, amid reports that the plot was hatched in war-torn Syria way back in 2017.

More than <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/post-terror-attack-in-sri-lanka-schools-reopen-to-empty-classrooms-216336">250 people, including 11 Indians, were killed</a> and nearly 500 others injured in the coordinated suicide bombings, which targeted three Catholic churches and three luxury hotels.

The Islamic State terror group claimed the attacks, the island nation's worst, but the government blamed <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-police-discover-suspected-training-camp-for-islamist-militants-216185">local Islamist extremist group</a> National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ). The government has banned the NTJ and arrested over 100 suspects in connection with the blasts.&nbsp;

Commenting on the claim of the ISIS that it carried out the attacks in Sri Lanka, President Sirisena said, "To be very honest, I am shocked and can't understand why they chose Sri Lanka for this attack."

He said the ISIS chose Sri Lanka as a target because the terror group has lost the ability to confront the world's powerful nations.&nbsp;

"So they chose a country that had recently established peace to make the statement that ISIS still exist," Sirisena told the BBC in an interview broadcast on Monday.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/sri-lanka-police-discover-suspected-training-camp-for-islamist-militants-216437/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Days after the carnage, the elusive ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a propaganda video claimed the bombings in Sri Lanka was a revenge attack for the fall of the Syrian town of Baghuz, the terror group's final bastion.

The US-led Kurdish fighters took over the last pocket of land in Syria held by ISIS recently.

Meanwhile, a group of terrorists who had gone to Syria to be trained by ISIS, had struck a deal in 2017 with the National Tauheed Jamaat Organisation to launch a fierce attack in Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Mirror reported.

This consensus has been reached between the NTJ led by Mohomad Saharan Hashim and the ISIS group at a location in Malwana, Biyagama, the paper quoted an intelligence report as saying in the Island newspaper.

Following the deal, Hashim was hiding, using the internationally accepted defence strategies to escape the security forces, it said, quoting intelligence sources.

Hashim did not use his mobile phone at all during this period, the report quoted intelligence sources as saying.&nbsp;

During the BBC interview, President Srisena denied reports of a rift with Prime Minister Ranil Ranil Wickremesinghe. Both leaders are under attack by the Opposition for not acting on prior intelligence on the attack.

But Sirisena said he was not to be blamed and refused to quit.&nbsp;

"It's clear that information had been received by those occupying top positions in the intelligence services. However, I was not apprised of this information. They neglected their duties, which is why I have taken action against them," he said.

"These persons have been removed from their offices and I have appointed a committee to investigate the matter," he said, referring to the sacking of the defence secretary Hemasiri Fernando and the police chief Pujith Jayasundara.

"Nowhere in the world have heads of states resigned or relinquished their responsibilities after bomb blasts. I believe my duty right now is to take the necessary action to face this challenge," Sirisena, who is at loggerheads with the prime minister for a long time, asserted.&nbsp;

But president Sririsena dismissed reports of a rift with prime minister Wickremesinghe as "rumours".&nbsp;

"Contrary to the rumours, the prime minister and I do not have such serious issues to be cleared when it comes to action being taken with regards to matters relating to national security, political differences and issues are set aside," he said.&nbsp;

The Islamic State terror group chose Sri Lanka to stage a massive attack on Easter Sunday to tell the world that they exist, President Maithripala Sirisena said Monday, amid reports that the plot was hatched in war-torn Syria way back in 2017.

The Islamic State terror group chose Sri Lanka to stage a massive attack on Easter Sunday to tell the world that they exist, President Maithripala Sirisena said Monday, amid reports that the plot was hatched in war-torn Syria way back in 2017. More than 250 people, including 11 Indians, were killed and nearly 500 others injured in the coordinated suicide bombings, which targeted three Catholic churches and three luxury hotels. The Islamic State terror group claimed the attacks, the island nation's worst, but the government blamed local Islamist extremist group National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ). The government has banned the NTJ and arrested over 100 suspects in connection with the blasts. Commenting on the claim of the ISIS that it carried out the attacks in Sri Lanka, President Sirisena said, "To be very honest, I am shocked and can't understand why they chose Sri Lanka for this attack." He said the ISIS chose Sri Lanka as a target because the terror group has lost the ability to confront the world's powerful nations. "So they chose a country that had recently established peace to make the statement that ISIS still exist," Sirisena told the BBC in an interview broadcast on Monday. Days after the carnage, the elusive ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a propaganda video claimed the bombings in Sri Lanka was a revenge attack for the fall of the Syrian town of Baghuz, the terror group's final bastion. The US-led Kurdish fighters took over the last pocket of land in Syria held by ISIS recently. Meanwhile, a group of terrorists who had gone to Syria to be trained by ISIS, had struck a deal in 2017 with the National Tauheed Jamaat Organisation to launch a fierce attack in Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Mirror reported. This consensus has been reached between the NTJ led by Mohomad Saharan Hashim and the ISIS group at a location in Malwana, Biyagama, the paper quoted an intelligence report as saying in the Island newspaper. Following the deal, Hashim was hiding, using the internationally accepted defence strategies to escape the security forces, it said, quoting intelligence sources. Hashim did not use his mobile phone at all during this period, the report quoted intelligence sources as saying. During the BBC interview, President Srisena denied reports of a rift with Prime Minister Ranil Ranil Wickremesinghe. Both leaders are under attack by the Opposition for not acting on prior intelligence on the attack. But Sirisena said he was not to be blamed and refused to quit. "It's clear that information had been received by those occupying top positions in the intelligence services. However, I was not apprised of this information. They neglected their duties, which is why I have taken action against them," he said. "These persons have been removed from their offices and I have appointed a committee to investigate the matter," he said, referring to the sacking of the defence secretary Hemasiri Fernando and the police chief Pujith Jayasundara. "Nowhere in the world have heads of states resigned or relinquished their responsibilities after bomb blasts. I believe my duty right now is to take the necessary action to face this challenge," Sirisena, who is at loggerheads with the prime minister for a long time, asserted. But president Sririsena dismissed reports of a rift with prime minister Wickremesinghe as "rumours". "Contrary to the rumours, the prime minister and I do not have such serious issues to be cleared when it comes to action being taken with regards to matters relating to national security, political differences and issues are set aside," he said.

Islamic State chose Sri Lanka to tell the world that it exists: President Sirisena

Islamic State (IS) killed 10 Nigerian soldiers in an attack on the northeastern town of Magumeri, the group claimed through its news agency AMAQ on Saturday.

The jihadist organisation said the attack on the soldiers took place in the town in northeastern Borno state on Friday. It published pictures of burned barracks and dead bodies it claimed belonged to the soldiers. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Several sources in Nigeria, including one military source, confirmed the claim. They said the fighters stormed the town at roughly 1745 local time (1645 GMT), overran military personnel and raided local shops.

The fighters fled after the military called in air force support and reinforcements from a battalion in Gubio, a neighbouring town.

Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has carried out a string of attacks in Nigeria in recent months.

The group split in 2016 from Nigeria-based Boko Haram, which has waged a decade-long insurgency in northeast Nigeria that has killed some 30,000 people and displaced a further 2 million.

Islamic State (IS) killed 10 Nigerian soldiers in an attack on the northeastern town of Magumeri, the group claimed through its news agency AMAQ on Saturday. The jihadist organisation said the attack on the soldiers took place in the town in northeastern Borno state on Friday.

Islamic State (IS) killed 10 Nigerian soldiers in an attack on the northeastern town of Magumeri, the group claimed through its news agency AMAQ on Saturday. The jihadist organisation said the attack on the soldiers took place in the town in northeastern Borno state on Friday. It published pictures of burned barracks and dead bodies it claimed belonged to the soldiers. Several sources in Nigeria, including one military source, confirmed the claim. They said the fighters stormed the town at roughly 1745 local time (1645 GMT), overran military personnel and raided local shops. The fighters fled after the military called in air force support and reinforcements from a battalion in Gubio, a neighbouring town. Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has carried out a string of attacks in Nigeria in recent months. The group split in 2016 from Nigeria-based Boko Haram, which has waged a decade-long insurgency in northeast Nigeria that has killed some 30,000 people and displaced a further 2 million.

Islamic State claims it killed 10 soldiers in northeastern Nigeria

Pakistan's interior ministry has asked the provincial governments to ensure that the ban on outlawed groups, including Jaish-e-Mohammed, LeT and Jamaat-ud-Dawa, from collecting donations was strictly enforced during the month of Ramazan, a media report said Sunday.

The ministry issued instructions to the provinces on Saturday to keep banned and under-observation organisations under strict surveillance, the Express Tribune reported.

The provincial governments have started monitoring these outfits, it said.

Citing sources, the paper said that the ministry directed the provincial governments to ensure that the ban on outlawed outfits from collecting Zakat, alms or donations was strictly enforced during the month of Ramazan.

The provincial governments have been instructed to inform the public that under the Anti-terrorism Act 1997 and UN Security Council Act 1948, banned organisations could not be provided with any support or financial assistance as it was a crime punishable by imprisonment between five and 10 years and fine, the paper said.

According to reports, people in Pakistan donate up to $4.5 billion annually, mostly in the Muslim holy month of Ramazan, to help the poor and needy in the name of charity.&nbsp;

The government often claims that it is cracking down on banned groups, but many continue to raise money and collect Zakat or donations.

Last year, the authorities announced a programme to prevent banned militant groups from getting hands on billions of rupees in public donations and charities.

The dozens of banned groups include Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, East Turkmenistan Islamic Movement, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, ISIS, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation and Pak-Turk international CAJ Education Foundation.&nbsp;

According to the ministry, the government has taken 589 madrassas, schools, dispensaries, hospitals and ambulances belonging to banned groups into its custody.&nbsp;

Pakistan's interior ministry has asked the provincial governments to ensure that the ban on outlawed groups, including Jaish-e-Mohammed, LeT and Jamaat-ud-Dawa, from collecting donations was strictly enforced during the month of Ramazan, a media report said Sunday.

Pakistan's interior ministry has asked the provincial governments to ensure that the ban on outlawed groups, including Jaish-e-Mohammed, LeT and Jamaat-ud-Dawa, from collecting donations was strictly enforced during the month of Ramazan, a media report said Sunday. The ministry issued instructions to the provinces on Saturday to keep banned and under-observation organisations under strict surveillance, the Express Tribune reported. The provincial governments have started monitoring these outfits, it said. Citing sources, the paper said that the ministry directed the provincial governments to ensure that the ban on outlawed outfits from collecting Zakat, alms or donations was strictly enforced during the month of Ramazan. The provincial governments have been instructed to inform the public that under the Anti-terrorism Act 1997 and UN Security Council Act 1948, banned organisations could not be provided with any support or financial assistance as it was a crime punishable by imprisonment between five and 10 years and fine, the paper said. According to reports, people in Pakistan donate up to $4.5 billion annually, mostly in the Muslim holy month of Ramazan, to help the poor and needy in the name of charity. The government often claims that it is cracking down on banned groups, but many continue to raise money and collect Zakat or donations. Last year, the authorities announced a programme to prevent banned militant groups from getting hands on billions of rupees in public donations and charities. The dozens of banned groups include Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, East Turkmenistan Islamic Movement, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, ISIS, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation and Pak-Turk international CAJ Education Foundation. According to the ministry, the government has taken 589 madrassas, schools, dispensaries, hospitals and ambulances belonging to banned groups into its custody.

Keep banned groups in check during Ramazan: Pakistan interior ministry to provinces

Pakistan continues to sponsor terror outfits that launched deadly attacks in India because Islamabad has "paid no price for its perfidy", a prominent think-tank expert has told American lawmakers.

Pakistan continues to sponsor terrorist groups that launched deadly attacks in India. It has paid no price for its perfidy," Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told lawmakers during a Congressional hearing early this week.

"We must continue to combat state sponsors of terror and make hard decisions about countries such as Pakistan,"&nbsp;he added.&nbsp;

Referring to Pakistan's "unwavering support" to Taliban, much to the detriment of the US in Afghanistan, Roggio also disapproved the US move to withdraw troops from there.&nbsp;

"Its support for the Taliban has been unwavering and is leading us to defeat in Afghanistan. I would argue that we have already lost Afghanistan. We are merely attempting to negotiate the terms of our exit,"&nbsp;he told the members of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Middle East, North Africa and International Terrorism.

The United States disengaging itself from the battlefronts would lead to an easy victory of its enemies, he cautioned.

"As our enemies have expanded their base of operations and remain committed to the fight, our will has faltered,"&nbsp;he said.

"This is a long war and commitment is key. If we hope to end this threat, we must renew our commitment and to present a united front,"&nbsp;he asserted. 
In his deposition to the panel, Roggio called for "hard decisions" by the US.

"We must rethink our goals and strategy and recognise our enemies' goals and strategy. We have to figure out a way to effectively fight our enemies both in the military sphere and the sphere of ideas," he said.

"We must continue to combat state sponsors of terror and make hard decisions about countries such as Pakistan,"&nbsp;he added. 
Roggio also accused Iran of trying to establish an Islamic state.

Iran, which alongside Pakistan, is amongst the biggest state sponsors of terrorism, also seeks to establish an Islamic state, he said.&nbsp;

"It backs loyal militias in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. These militias are organised and trained along the same lines as has been law. The long-term impact of these militias is still not fully understood," said the anti-terror strategy and security expert.

While Iran primarily backs Shia groups, it has openly battled the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and is not opposed to forming alliances with Sunni jihadists, said Roggio.

"This secret deal was documented by the US Treasury Department in 2011 and several times since. Pakistan also continues to harbour numerous terrorist groups and uses them as a tool of its foreign policy,"&nbsp;Roggio said.

Pakistan continues to sponsor terror outfits that launched deadly attacks in India because Islamabad has "paid no price for its perfidy", a prominent think-tank expert has told American lawmakers.

Pakistan continues to sponsor terror outfits that launched deadly attacks in India because Islamabad has "paid no price for its perfidy", a prominent think-tank expert has told American lawmakers. Pakistan continues to sponsor terrorist groups that launched deadly attacks in India. It has paid no price for its perfidy," Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told lawmakers during a Congressional hearing early this week. "We must continue to combat state sponsors of terror and make hard decisions about countries such as Pakistan," he added. Referring to Pakistan's "unwavering support" to Taliban, much to the detriment of the US in Afghanistan, Roggio also disapproved the US move to withdraw troops from there. "Its support for the Taliban has been unwavering and is leading us to defeat in Afghanistan. I would argue that we have already lost Afghanistan. We are merely attempting to negotiate the terms of our exit," he told the members of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Middle East, North Africa and International Terrorism. The United States disengaging itself from the battlefronts would lead to an easy victory of its enemies, he cautioned. "As our enemies have expanded their base of operations and remain committed to the fight, our will has faltered," he said. "This is a long war and commitment is key. If we hope to end this threat, we must renew our commitment and to present a united front," he asserted. In his deposition to the panel, Roggio called for "hard decisions" by the US. "We must rethink our goals and strategy and recognise our enemies' goals and strategy. We have to figure out a way to effectively fight our enemies both in the military sphere and the sphere of ideas," he said. "We must continue to combat state sponsors of terror and make hard decisions about countries such as Pakistan," he added. Roggio also accused Iran of trying to establish an Islamic state. Iran, which alongside Pakistan, is amongst the biggest state sponsors of terrorism, also seeks to establish an Islamic state, he said. "It backs loyal militias in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. These militias are organised and trained along the same lines as has been law. The long-term impact of these militias is still not fully understood," said the anti-terror strategy and security expert. While Iran primarily backs Shia groups, it has openly battled the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and is not opposed to forming alliances with Sunni jihadists, said Roggio. "This secret deal was documented by the US Treasury Department in 2011 and several times since. Pakistan also continues to harbour numerous terrorist groups and uses them as a tool of its foreign policy," Roggio said.

Pakistan backs anti-India terror groups, has paid no price for its perfidy: US think-tank

Finance Minister <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/long-awaited-action-victory-for-us-diplomacy-mike-pompeo-on-unsc-listing-azhar-as-terrorist-215231">Arun Jaitley </a>said on Thursday the government will request that Pakistan be downgraded by the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global body created to counter terrorism financing and money laundering.

"There is a meeting of FATF in mid-May," Arun Jaitley told reporters. "We would want that the FATF for Pakistan should be downgraded."

The development comes a day after the UN sanctions committee on the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda on Wednesday announced the designation of Masood Azhar, leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), over its ties to Al-Qaeda.

The JeM has claimed responsibility for the Pulwama suicide attack that killed 40 CRPF soldiers and led to a spike in military tensions between India and Pakistan.

It took ten years for the listing of Masood Azhar. India had proposed the listing in 2009, but China had continued to block the listing citing lack of consensus. In March of 2019, when China had put a hold at the listing of Masood Azhar, 14 out of 15 members of UNSC backed his listing.&nbsp;

The development has been welcomed by the US, UK. A British high commission spokesperson said it is "positive development for the security and stability of the South Asia region."&nbsp;

France was the first country to react on the listing of Masood Azhar on Wednesday calling it "successful realisation" of its efforts.

Azhar was released from prison in exchange for 155 hostages held on an Indian Airlines flight that had been hijacked to Kandahar in 1999. Since then, he is responsible for many terror attacks in India including the 2001 Parliament attack and 2019 Pulwama attack.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Thursday the government will request that Pakistan be downgraded by the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global body created to counter terrorism financing and money laundering.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Thursday the government will request that Pakistan be downgraded by the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global body created to counter terrorism financing and money laundering. "There is a meeting of FATF in mid-May," Arun Jaitley told reporters. "We would want that the FATF for Pakistan should be downgraded." The development comes a day after the UN sanctions committee on the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda on Wednesday announced the designation of Masood Azhar, leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), over its ties to Al-Qaeda. The JeM has claimed responsibility for the Pulwama suicide attack that killed 40 CRPF soldiers and led to a spike in military tensions between India and Pakistan. It took ten years for the listing of Masood Azhar. India had proposed the listing in 2009, but China had continued to block the listing citing lack of consensus. In March of 2019, when China had put a hold at the listing of Masood Azhar, 14 out of 15 members of UNSC backed his listing. The development has been welcomed by the US, UK. A British high commission spokesperson said it is "positive development for the security and stability of the South Asia region." France was the first country to react on the listing of Masood Azhar on Wednesday calling it "successful realisation" of its efforts. Azhar was released from prison in exchange for 155 hostages held on an Indian Airlines flight that had been hijacked to Kandahar in 1999. Since then, he is responsible for many terror attacks in India including the 2001 Parliament attack and 2019 Pulwama attack. (With inputs from agencies)

India to seek downgrading of Pakistan on terrorism financing list

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/police-arrest-suspect-in-university-of-north-carolina-shooting-214919">Police arrest suspect in University of North Carolina shooting; 2 killed</a>

Police have arrested a suspect in a shooting that left two people dead and four others injured, three critically, on Tuesday at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/is-leader-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-made-latest-video-in-remote-area-iraq-pm-adel-abdul-mahdi-214903">IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made latest video in 'remote area': Iraq PM Adel Abdul Mahdi</a>

Islamic State remains a potent threat around the world despite reduced capabilities, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said on Tuesday, adding its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had made his latest video appearance in a "remote area".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/cyclone-fani-imd-issues-yellow-warning-in-odisha-predicting-heavy-rainfall-214909">Cyclone Fani: IMD issues 'yellow warning' in Odisha predicting heavy rainfall</a>

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued a 'yellow warning' for Odisha coast predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places such as Boudh, Kalahandi, Sambalpur, Deogarh, and Sundargarh.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/calling-on-armed-forces-to-continue-operation-freedom-venezuelas-guaido-214896">Maduro appears with defence minister as Guaido calls to continue 'Operation Freedom'</a>

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido called for a fresh round of protests on Wednesday against President Nicolas Maduro, after clashes broke out between security forces and anti-regime demonstrators.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/got-a-crush-on-another-facebook-user-the-social-network-will-help-you-connect-214893">Got a crush on another Facebook user? The social network will help you connect</a>

As part of a revamp unveiled Tuesday Facebook aims to foster real-world relationships and make the platform a more intimate place for groups of friends.

Police arrest suspect in University of North Carolina shooting; 2 killed Police have arrested a suspect in a shooting that left two people dead and four others injured, three critically, on Tuesday at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Police arrest suspect in University of North Carolina shooting; 2 killed Police have arrested a suspect in a shooting that left two people dead and four others injured, three critically, on Tuesday at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made latest video in 'remote area': Iraq PM Adel Abdul Mahdi Islamic State remains a potent threat around the world despite reduced capabilities, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said on Tuesday, adding its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had made his latest video appearance in a "remote area". Cyclone Fani: IMD issues 'yellow warning' in Odisha predicting heavy rainfall The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued a 'yellow warning' for Odisha coast predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places such as Boudh, Kalahandi, Sambalpur, Deogarh, and Sundargarh. Maduro appears with defence minister as Guaido calls to continue 'Operation Freedom' Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido called for a fresh round of protests on Wednesday against President Nicolas Maduro, after clashes broke out between security forces and anti-regime demonstrators. Got a crush on another Facebook user? The social network will help you connect As part of a revamp unveiled Tuesday Facebook aims to foster real-world relationships and make the platform a more intimate place for groups of friends.

Islamic State remains a potent threat around the world despite reduced capabilities, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said on Tuesday, adding its leader <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/islamic-state-airs-video-purporting-to-be-leader-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-214624">Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi</a> had made his latest video appearance in a "remote area".

PM Abdul Mahdi did not say which country that area was in.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-gravitas-experts-question-the-authenticity-of-the-baghdadi-video-214877/embed" width="560" height="350" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" autoplay=1 allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

A video released late on Monday by Islamic State's media network showed a man it said was Baghdadi in what would be his first appearance since he declared the jihadists' now-defunct "caliphate" five years ago.

&nbsp;

The authenticity and date of the recording could not be independently verified.

Abdul Mahdi said Baghdadi's appearance was an attempt to boost militants and that Islamic State would attempt to carry out more attacks.

"Regarding the location of Baghdadi, we can't give intelligence information right now but it's clear from the video that he's in a remote area," Abdul Mahdi said at a news conference on a visit to Berlin.

Baghdadi, an Iraqi, is believed to be hiding out in an isolated area of either Iraq or Syria, part of vast desert regions Islamic State once held and from where it is thought the jihadists are now waging regular insurgent-style attacks against security forces in both countries.

Hisham al-Hashemi, a security adviser to the Iraqi government, said officials had narrowed his whereabouts from 17 to a possible four locations.

"These are in the desert of Iraq's Anbar (province) or in the (eastern) desert of Homs in Syria," he said.

Abdul Mahdi said Islamic State's capabilities had "greatly reduced" but that the group still posed a threat.

"Daesh (Islamic State) is not just a small organisation, it's widespread and will try to put confidence back in its militants and carry out acts such as those in Sri Lanka," he said, referring to the Easter Sunday attacks claimed by the group which killed more than 250 people.

In the 18-minute video from the Al Furqan network, a bearded man with Baghdadi's appearance says the bombings in Sri Lanka were Islamic State's response to losses in its last territorial stronghold of Baghouz in Syria.

The video would be the first from Baghdadi since he was filmed in the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2014. More recent speeches have been released as audio recordings.

A US-backed campaign ended Islamic State's control of territory in Iraq in late 2017 and in Syria last month, nearly five years after the group took over vast areas in both countries.

Islamic State remains a potent threat around the world despite reduced capabilities, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said on Tuesday, adding its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had made his latest video appearance in a "remote area".

Islamic State remains a potent threat around the world despite reduced capabilities, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said on Tuesday, adding its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had made his latest video appearance in a "remote area". PM Abdul Mahdi did not say which country that area was in. A video released late on Monday by Islamic State's media network showed a man it said was Baghdadi in what would be his first appearance since he declared the jihadists' now-defunct "caliphate" five years ago. The authenticity and date of the recording could not be independently verified. Abdul Mahdi said Baghdadi's appearance was an attempt to boost militants and that Islamic State would attempt to carry out more attacks. "Regarding the location of Baghdadi, we can't give intelligence information right now but it's clear from the video that he's in a remote area," Abdul Mahdi said at a news conference on a visit to Berlin. Baghdadi, an Iraqi, is believed to be hiding out in an isolated area of either Iraq or Syria, part of vast desert regions Islamic State once held and from where it is thought the jihadists are now waging regular insurgent-style attacks against security forces in both countries. Hisham al-Hashemi, a security adviser to the Iraqi government, said officials had narrowed his whereabouts from 17 to a possible four locations. "These are in the desert of Iraq's Anbar (province) or in the (eastern) desert of Homs in Syria," he said. Abdul Mahdi said Islamic State's capabilities had "greatly reduced" but that the group still posed a threat. "Daesh (Islamic State) is not just a small organisation, it's widespread and will try to put confidence back in its militants and carry out acts such as those in Sri Lanka," he said, referring to the Easter Sunday attacks claimed by the group which killed more than 250 people. In the 18-minute video from the Al Furqan network, a bearded man with Baghdadi's appearance says the bombings in Sri Lanka were Islamic State's response to losses in its last territorial stronghold of Baghouz in Syria. The video would be the first from Baghdadi since he was filmed in the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2014. More recent speeches have been released as audio recordings. A US-backed campaign ended Islamic State's control of territory in Iraq in late 2017 and in Syria last month, nearly five years after the group took over vast areas in both countries.

IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made latest video in 'remote area': Iraq PM Adel Abdul Mahdi

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Sri Lanka terror group NTJ linked to Easter bombings had millions in cash, assets: Police

News brief: Big stories of the day

Sri Lanka lifts curfew in Negombo; police says situation under control