Yasin Bhatkal is IM bombmaker, now in Karachi: Probe team

The Indian Express, 22 Feb 2010

Banglore: One name has been a recurring figure during investigations into every major bomb blast linked to the Indian Mujahideen in India over the past three years. Identified after the September 13, 2008 Delhi blasts as ‘Shah Rukh’, he is believed to be involved — directly or indirectly — in the process of making bombs. Investigators now believe ‘Shah Rukh’ is Yasin Bhatkal alias Mohammed Yasin alias Ahmed, a 27-year-old member of the inner circle of Indian Mujahideen founder Riyaz Bhatkal, now believed to be in Karachi, Pakistan. Like Riyaz, Yasin is believed to be in Karachi. Mohammed Khaja, a Hyderabadi resident recently arrested by Indian agencies, has identified Yasin in pictures shown to him and said he had seen him in the Pakistani city recently, sources said. Syed Noushad, arrested in October 2008 from Mangalore in the aftermath of the Delhi blasts, has told the police that Yasin was involved in the assembly of the failed integrated circuit chip timer-operated bombs attempted to be used in Surat in July 2008. These bombs were assembled in a Pune safe house with material brought from Kerala and Karnataka. www.indianexpress.com/news/yasin-bhatkal-is-im-bombmaker-now-in-karachi-probe-team/582699/

Three Sikhs beheaded by Pak Taliban

Indian Express:  Feb 22, 2010

Three Sikh men were said to have been beheaded by Taliban groups in the FATA area of Pakistan and their heads sent to a gurudwara in Peshawar. According to information available with India late this evening, one of the Sikhs has been identified as Jaspal Singh. He and his two friends were residents of Badi near Peshawar. This attack, sources said, comes in the backdrop of repeated threats to the Sikh community there to convert if they wanted to stay on. India has in the past taken up the issue of security of Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan. While the Pakistan government has been committed to providing security to minority groups, this incident has certainly made matters far more dangerous and sensitive. www.indianexpress.com/news/three-sikhs-beheaded-by-pak-taliban/582704/

Another major Taliban operative captured in Pakistan
The Hindu, Feb 22, 2010
Netting another big catch, Pakistan’s security agencies have captured a top Afghan Taliban leader following information provided by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Mullah Omar’s second in command. Mulvi Kabir, former Taliban governor in Afghanistan’s Nangahar Province, and a key figure in the Taliban regime was recently captured in Pakistan, Fox News reported. The arrest is one of the few big catches after Baradar, who is Taliban’s number two leader.  http://beta.thehindu.com/news/international/article111186.ece

Ex-LeT man behind attack on Lahore ISI HQ shot dead
The Times of India, Feb 22, 2010
LAHORE: Pakistani law enforcement personnel on Friday shot dead former Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Dr Muaz alias Omar Kundi, who allegedly masterminded the May 2009 attack on the headquarters of the Inter-Services Intelligence in Lahore. Intelligence agencies located Mauz in Faisalabad city of Punjab province on the basis of information provided by one of his close associates who was arrested recently, a senior police officer in Faisalabad said.  Authorities used the detained associate to convey a message to doctor Mauz that he should provide weapons for carrying out an attack on the ISI office in Faisalabad, located about 100 km from Lahore.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Ex-LeT-man-behind-attack-on-Lahore-ISI-HQ-shot-dead/articleshow/5594379.cms

Pakistani Sikhs want to flee to India
The Times of India, Feb 23, 2010
ISLAMABAD/CHANDIGARH: Hundreds of fear-stricken Sikhs clamoured to escape to India after the Pakistani Taliban beheaded one of three Sikh men they abducted over a month ago. The killing was condemned in India by the government and political parties. The body of Jaspal Singh was found in Pakistan’s restive tribal region Sunday, triggering panic in the small community that has faced the ire of the Taliban for some time.
The abducted Sikhs — their number varying from three to four — were seized 34 days ago. The Taliban demanded Rs.3 crore as ransom for their release, media reports said.
According to arzePakistan.com, the kidnapping occurred in an area where the Pakistan government has virtually no control. ince the Taliban began enforcing "jaziya" in the tribal belt, particularly Aurakzai Agency, many Sikhs fled to cities elsewhere in the country fearing for their lives.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistani-Sikhs-want-to-flee-to-India/articleshow/5604045.cms

Now, a Hindu abducted in Pak
The Pioneer, Feb, 24, 2010
Peshawar:  Close on the heels of the killing of two abducted Sikhs by Taliban in the restive tribal belt, the case of kidnapping of a Pakistani Hindu has come to light. The victim, Robin Singh, was abducted by unknown persons from a market on the University Road in Peshawar in broad day light on Friday last, an official statement said. President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the kidnapping of the Hindu man and asked authorities to take steps for his recovery. The incident comes to light days after the recovery of the beheaded bodies of two abducted Sikhs — Mahal Singh and Jaspal Singh — in Pakistan’s tribal belt. Another two to four Sikhs are still being held by the Taliban. www.dailypioneer.com/238286/Now-a-Hindu–abducted-in-Pak.html

Christians in Karachi fear violence
Indian Express, Feb 25, 2010
Karachi: The minority Christian community in Karachi is living in fear after being attacked by enraged mobs after a young boy allegedly stole fruit from a vendor. The attack on the congested Christian colony came around the same time that two Sikhs were beheaded in the tribal areas after their families failed to pay ransoms to militants. According to Asif Stephen, a Christian MPA from the area, violent and heavily armed mobs attacked the colony in Pahargang and desecrated two churches in the area and caused heavy damage to Christian homes, school and shops owned or run by Christians. "The trouble started over a small incident where a Christian boy was caught by a Pashtun fruit seller stealing from his cart. www.indianexpress.com/news/christians-in-karachi-fear-violence/583981/

Explosions rock Kabul
The Hindu, Feb 26, 2010
A series of explosions rocked an area near a hotel in the heart of the Afghan capital on Friday. Witnesses said suicide bombers were to blame and that gunmen opened fire at the site.

Abdul Ghafor Sayedzada, a top investigator for the Kabul police, confirmed the blasts, which woke up residents near the Kabul City Center, a nine-story shopping area that includes the Safi Landmark Hotel. Najibullah, a 25-year-old hotel worker, said he saw two suicide bombers on the site.
http://beta.thehindu.com/news/international/article113797.ece

Punjabi Taliban leader Qari Zafar killed
The Dawn, Feb 26, 2010
MIRAMSHAH: Qari Zafar, an important leader of so-called Punjabi Taliban, was reported to be among the people killed in Wednesday’s drone attack in the Dandi Darpakhel area of North Waziristan. Officials said that six militants critically wounded in the missile strike died on Thursday, taking the death toll to 14. He added that all of them were believed to be members of the Punjabi Taliban. It is said that Qari Zafar headed the Badar Mansoor organisation whose members are mostly militants from Punjab. Hailing from Karachi, he formerly belonged to Lashkar-i-Jhangvi. The US has announced a reward of $5 million for information leading to the capture or death of Qari Zafar. www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/03-taliban-leader-qazi-zafar-killed-in-drone-attack-ss-06
 

 
10 die in al-Qaida-linked attack in Philippines: Officials
The Times of India, Feb 27, 2010
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines: Al-Qaida-linked Muslim militants attacked a town in the southern Philippines on Saturday, killing 10 people, military and police spokesmen said. 

Members of the Abu Sayyaf extremist group and other gunmen raided the town of Maluso on the island of Basilan before dawn, killing a government militiaman and nine civilians, said Lieutenant Steffani Cacho.

The attack, led by Abu Sayyaf commander Puruji Indama, was motivated by a personal grudge with the village chairman, said Basilan police chief Senior Superintendent Antonio Mendoza. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/10-die-in-al-Qaida-linked-attack-in-Philippines-Officials-/articleshow/5623041.cms

Three killed, several injured in Karak suicide attack
The Dawn, Feb 27, 2010
PESHAWAR: A suicide blast killed at least three people and injured several others near a police station near Peshawar on Saturday. The explosion took place as an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into the Karak police station, police officials told DawnNews.

Eyewitnesses said the explosion took place at the main gate of the police station as the car entered its premises. When police officials stopped the car, the attacker blew the car up, causing massive damage. Hospital sources have confirmed the death of three victims, while the number of casualties is feared to rise.

While Karak district lies between violence hit areas of Lakki Marwat and Kohat, this was the first suicide attack in the area.www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/provinces/07-three-killed-several-injured-in-peshawar-suicide-attack-ha-04