By Nafisa Hoodbhoy
WASHINGTON — Pakistan’s Punjab province Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) this week said it killed two prominent Islamic State (IS) operatives in the province and closed “a big chapter” in the history of Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) in the country.
Continue reading “Pakistan Says it Struck a Blow Against Islamic State-Khorasan”
The United States and Pakistan this month started cracking down against armed militant groups, in what analysts describe as establishing a groundwork ahead of the meeting between the U.S. President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Washington early next week.
Continue reading “Pakistan, US Take Action Against Militants Ahead of Trump-Khan Meeting”
A series of Islamic State (IS) announcements of new provinces it controls in recent weeks has renewed debate over the group’s possible resurgence after its self-proclaimed caliphate fell, with some analysts warning an increasingly decentralized IS could recover and spread its tentacles to other parts of the world.
Continue reading “IS Decentralizing Into ‘Provinces’ in Bid to Return”
Pakistani feminists say they are determined to fight blasphemy charges filed in mid-April by militant Islamic groups opposed to their International Women’s Day rallies held on March 8.
Continue reading “Pakistan’s Feminists Fight Blasphemy Cases”
Indian authorities are stepping up efforts to investigate and bring charges against Indian citizens allegedly linked to Islamic State (IS). This comes in the wake of the Easter bombings in April in neighboring Sri Lanka that killed 259 people and wounded hundreds, according to Indian officials.
Continue reading “India Makes it Easier to Charge Citizens With Alleged Ties to IS”
India’s recent decision to revoke the special status of Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir, a Muslim-majority state, has some experts concerned that the action could raise the stakes for militancy among several active terror groups in the region.
Continue reading “Experts: Kashmir Issue Could Raise the Stakes for Militancy”
The renewed tension with India has pushed Pakistan to move some of its troops from the border region with Afghanistan to the Indian Line of Control (LOC), leaving fewer resources to contain the cross-border infiltration of militants along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, a senior Pakistani army official tells VOA.
Continue reading “Pakistani Official: Kashmir Issue Forced Troop Pullback From Afghan Border”
Three months after India’s central government abruptly stripped Indian-administered Kashmir of its autonomy, cut off internet service and censored media coverage of the situation, isolated reports from the northern territory indicate residents say the situation remains tense with a continuing heavy military presence.
Continue reading “Kashmir Remains Tense Three Months After India Tightens Control”
The United Kingdom’s decision to add Pakistan to its list of “high-risk countries” for money laundering and terror financing may make it harder for Islamabad to exit the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) “gray list” in June, experts warn.
Continue reading “British ‘High-Risk’ Designation for Pakistan Seen as Bad Sign for Anti-Corruption Efforts”
The Afghan government’s media spokesperson has said his country wants Pakistan to take “practical steps” to close the Taliban bases and end its support for the insurgent group in the wake of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“Afghanistan’s demands are very clear,” Dawa Khan Menapal, director of Afghanistan’s Government Media and Information Center, told VOA. “We all believe that the terrorists have bases and support in Pakistan.”
Continue reading “Afghanistan Asks Pakistan to Take ‘Practical Steps’ Against Taliban Ahead of US Pullout “