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TTP claims to have killed 8 Pakistani soldiers, injured 8 in multiple attacks in Pakistan

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) cadre in specialised gear. File pic released by TTP

Peshawar, Dec 27 (NVI) In its latest series of attacks under Operation Al-Khandaq, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed to have killed 8 Pakistani soldiers and injured 8 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

The biggest among these was the counter-attack in Gomal in Tank district, where TTP claimed to have killed 5 Pakistani soldiers and injured 7.

The counter-attack by TTP took place after a raid by the Pakistani military, its spokesman Mohammad Khorasani said in a statement.

TTP fighters also seized military equipment after the gunfight in Kot Azam, he said.

When the surviving Pakistani soldiers were fleeing Kot Azam, TTP fighters carried out an ambush on them, which resulted in unspecified number of casualties among the military personnel, the spokesman said.

In the same Tank district, a soldier was killed in an attack on Gomal Police Station on the night of December 25, he said.

In South Waziristan, a soldier was killed and another injured in an attack in Baski area of Sarvekai, the spokesman said.

One more soldier was killed in a TTP attack in Splatoi in Sarvekai in South Waziristan district, Khorasani said.

An army ration supply vehicle was also targeted in an attack at Shaga De Chowk in South Waziristan, he said.

The spokesman said TTP has been warning people repeatedly to refrain from supplying rations to the army.

In Orakzai district, a soldier was injured in a sniper attack on an under-construction post in Sherindara, he said.

In Lakki Marwat district, a clash took place between TTP fighters and the police in Naurang and Takhtikhel, resulting in casualties among the enemy, Khorasani said.

In Bannu district, an MI spy injured in an attack in Norr 10 days back succumbed to the wounds, he said.

TTP also carried out an attack on a center of Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in Dera Ghazi Khan in Punjab Province on the night of December 25, resulting in casualties among the government forces, the spokesman said. (NVI)

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq removes Hurriyat Conference tag from X handle

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq delivering Friday sermons at Jamia Masjid, Srinagar

Srinagar, Dec 26 (NVI) In a major development, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has removed the title of ‘Chairman’ of separatist and banned Hurriyat Conference from his X handle.

He invited trolling and criticism from radicals for this action after which he sought to justify, saying he was compelled to do so to retain his X handle.

“For some time now, I was being pressed by the authorities to make changes to my X (formerly Twitter) handle as Hurriyat chairman, as all constituents of Hurriyat Conference, including the Awami Action Committee that I head have been banned under the UAPA, making Hurriyat a banned organisation, failing which they will take down my handle,” he posted on his X handle.

“At a time when public space and avenues of communication stand severely restricted, this platform remains among the very few means available to me to reach out to my people and share my views on our issues with them, and the outside world. Under such circumstances, it is a Hobson’s choice I was left to make,” he added.

Umar Farooq, who is the Mirwaiz (Islamic religious head) of Kashmir, has been associated with the separatist Hurriyat Conference since its inception in 1993 at the behest of Pakistan.

He has been its Chairman for several years during this period.

The Hurriyat Conference was a conglomerate of various separatist groups and was formed at part of Pakistan’s machinations to hurt and bleed Jammu and Kashmir.

It was the nodal organisation for fomenting terrorism and violence in Kashmir, following direct diktats from Pakistan.

Waheed Para, an MLA of J&K PDP, appreciated the act of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and equated it to what Prophet Mohammad had done once for the sake of peace.

“In the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, the Prophet ﷺ agreed to erase the words “Muhammad-ur-Rasoolullah”—the very foundation of the Kalima—solely in the interest of peace. History remembers this not as compromise, but as wisdom, foresight, and moral courage,” Parra posted on his X handle.

“If Mirwaiz Kashmir has removed the APHC tag as an act of peace, it must never be weaponized against him. Choosing peace over rigidity is not weakness; it is leadership,” he added.

“Mirwaiz has acted within the framework of law and circumstances. Those attacking and trolling him for this decision are deliberately trying to undermine him, making his path harder despite the extraordinary challenges he has endured and the supreme sacrifice of his father. Such attacks do not serve justice or peace, they only deepen division,” Parra said. (NVI)

TTP says it killed 9 Pakistani soldiers, injured several in multiple attacks

Special squad of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) undergoing training. (File Pic)

Peshawar, Dec 24 (NVI) Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) today said it killed at least 9 Pakistani soldiers and injured several more as it carried out seven operations at various places in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province over the last two days.

The TTP operations included 2 in Karak district, and one each in Khyber district, North Waziristan Province, Bannu, Orakzai and Tank district.

The biggest among the attacks was in Karak district, where five Pakistani soldiers were killed in an ambush on a patrol party in Gargri area of Banda Dawood Shah yesterday, according to TTP spokesman Mohammad Khorasani.

He said a vehicle carrying the soldiers was completely destroyed in the attack after which TTP seized 5 guns and other equipment from the slain military personnel.

Suggesting that it was a revenge strike, Khorasani pointed out it was the same area where TTP lost its three cadres in a military drone attack some time back.

He identified the killed Pakistani soldiers as Shahid Iqbal, Safdar, Samiullah, Arif, driver Muhammad Abrar.

In Khyber district, three military personnel were killed and two injured in an ambush on two check posts in Momandri in Bara area, he said.

One soldier was killed in a sniper attack on an army post in Kalai area of  Orakzai district, he said.

In Tank district, a Police Constable Shakirullah was injured in a targeted attack last evening, the TTP spokesman said.

In other attacks too, there is a strong possibility of casualties but the numbers were not confirmed, he said.

Giving details, he said, two days ago, the Pakistan Army attempted a raid in Takht Nusrat from two sides of Lakki Marwat and Karak, but the TTP retaliated in a timely manner.

The armed clash lasted five hours and there were reports of enemy casualties, Khorasani said.

In North Waziristan, a Pakistan Army convoy was ambushed by TTP near Hasokhel in Mir Ali district, the spokesman said.

He added that there was a strong possibility of casualties among the soldiers as three military vehicles were partially destroyed in the ambush.

There is also a strong possibility of several soldiers being killed and injured in a mortar attack by TTP on the military in Sardi Khel area of Bakakhel district last night, the spokesman said. (NVI)

Martyr Karima Baloch remembered at BNM event

London, Dec 22 (NVI) An event organised here to remember Karima Baloch, a martyred woman leader of Baloch freedom struggle, became a platform for political leaders, intellectuals, human rights activists of various sections oppressed by the Pakistani establishment to voice the tales of their sufferings.

Karima, former Chairperson of Baloch Students Organisation (Azad) who had taken asylum in Canada to escape persecution by Pakistani intelligence agencies, was found murdered on this day in 2020 near the Ontario Lake in mysterious circumstances.

The 30-year-old activist who was named one of the world’s 100 most “inspirational and influential” women in 2016 by the BBC had gone missing on December 20, 2020, two days before her body was found.

The killing was clearly the handiwork of notorious Pakistani intelligence agencies but nobody has been punished so far for the gruesome crime.

The Baloch National Movement (BNM) organized a seminar here to mark the 5th anniversary of the martyrdom of Karima Baloch.

Political leaders, intellectuals, human rights activists, and representatives of oppressed nations attended the event and expressed solidarity with the Baloch struggle, said BNM in a statement.

Participation by people from various nations—particularly Sindhi, Pashtun, Kashmiri, and Gilgit-Baltistan communities—was seen as a symbol of unity among oppressed nations, it said.

At the beginning of the programme, the participants observed a one-minute silence to remember Karima’s life, struggle, and sacrifice.

A short documentary titled ‘Banuk Karima: Life, Struggle, and Legacy’ was then screened, highlighting Banuk Karima Baloch’s political journey, her fearless leadership, and her enduring legacy as a global symbol of resistance.

The seminar also featured the launch of the book “Karima Baloch: From Student Leader to a Global Symbol of Resistance,” published by Zurbesh Publications.

Speakers at the event included BNM Chairman Dr. Naseem Baloch; author Dr. Naseer Dashti; University of London scholar and SOAS South Asia Centre member Burzine Waghmar; Fahmeeda Khushik, Deputy Organizer of the World Sindhi Congress (UK & Europe); human rights activist Noor-e-Maryam Kanwar; Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) representative Brakhna Sayyad; and Banuk Karima’s cousin, Mehlab Kambar.

Dr. Naseem Baloch described Karima Baloch as a leader with extraordinary political insight and consciousness.

He said that although the suffering of the Baloch, Sindhi, Pashtun, and Kashmiri nations may appear different, the root cause is the same: a Punjabi-dominated military state that calls itself Pakistan.

He emphasized that Karima’s exile was imposed upon her and was not a personal choice, yet she continued her struggle for dignity and freedom for her people.

According to Dr. Naseem Baloch, her life and martyrdom exposed the colonial nature of the Pakistani state and its systematic repression of oppressed nations.

He criticized Western governments for the selective application of human rights principles and questioned why occupation and oppression are condemned in some regions but ignored in Balochistan and other oppressed areas.

He stated that Karima challenged not only military occupation but also the occupation of history, language, resources, and political authority.

Concluding, he said that freedom is not extremism but a natural human instinct, and peace in the region is impossible until Pakistan’s colonial structure is dismantled and oppressed nations attain freedom.

Author and political analyst Dr. Naseer Dashti said that Karima Baloch will be remembered as a pioneer who transformed the foundations of the Baloch national struggle.

Comparing her historical role to that of Nawab Akbar Bugti, he said Karima inspired a new generation—especially Baloch women—to actively participate in politics and resistance.

He stressed that today’s Baloch leadership must make bold and principled decisions, adapt to global conditions, and work to secure dignity and unity for the nation.

University of London scholar and SOAS South Asia Centre member Burzine Waghmar strongly criticized Pakistan’s human rights record and held Pakistan’s deep state responsible for the killing of Karima Baloch.

He said Pakistan exploits international neglect and impunity to target peaceful activists even in exile.

He also questioned the failure of Canadian authorities to conduct a transparent investigation and raised concerns about the role of international interests in the exploitation of Balochistan’s resources.

Waghmar warned that silence over such crimes is often bought through financial and political collusion.

Fahmeeda Khushik, Deputy Organizer of the World Sindhi Congress in the UK and Europe, said that Karima Baloch played a central role in organizing Baloch youth and raising global awareness about enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

She emphasized that Karima’s struggle transcended gender and geography, and that her martyrdom represents a shared loss for both the Baloch and Sindhi nations.

According to her, Karima Baloch’s legacy continues to inspire political activism and resistance among oppressed nations.

Human rights activist Noor-e-Maryam Kanwar said that collective punishment is among the most brutal methods used against the Baloch nation.

She referred to the enforced disappearance of the father of prominent human rights activist and young leader of the movement for the recovery of enforced disappeared persons, Mahzeb Shafiq, explaining how the state targets families to suppress resistance.

She described the Baloch Women’s Red March as a historical continuation of Karima Baloch’s struggle and said that Karima provided leadership in organizing women even under extreme pressure.

Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) representative Barkhna Syed expressed solidarity with the Baloch struggle and said that enforced disappearances and collective punishment have become a daily reality in Pashtun regions as well.

She described Karima Baloch as a symbol of hope who broke patriarchal barriers and stood firmly against state repression. Rejecting official claims regarding Karima’s death, she said her martyrdom symbolizes resistance against international pressure and oppression.

Karima Baloch’s cousin, Mehlab Kambar, highlighted Karima’s continuous struggle for justice, national identity, and collective strength.

She said Karima organized rallies and protests for enforced disappeared persons and consistently raised her voice against the genocide of the Baloch nation.

She emphasized that Karima never confined the struggle to herself but encouraged collective participation and always worked for a better future for the Baloch nation.

She further stated that Karima was born into a politically conscious family, where her uncles—Wahid Kambar and Dr. Khalid—devoted their lives to the national struggle.

Despite repeated state raids and threats, Karima remained a source of strength, courage, and resilience for her family.

Mehlab said that Karima’s presence, guidance, and unwavering commitment made her a central figure in sustaining and advancing the Baloch movement. (NVI)

Hadi killing & Attacks on Indian interests in Bangladesh, some history lessons needed there
Internal involvement and ISI role must be probed

Osman Hadi who was killed in Bangladesh by some unknown persons

By Ajay Kaul

Bangladesh is in turmoil since last few days after the mysterious killing of radical Islamist leader Osman Hadi by fellow Muslim countrymen and for intriguing reasons his followers are targeting Indian interests in the country.

Hadi, a staunch India-hater who emerged as a national leader during the massive student agitation that led to ouster of Sheikh Hasina government months back, was shot at by masked gunmen in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka in broad daylight on December 12.

The 32-year-old spokesperson of Inqilab Moncho organisation and independent candidate for the upcoming February Parliament elections, was shot in his head and died on December 18 in a hospital in Singapore where he was taken for specialised treatment at government expense.

According to reports, one of the assailants has been identified as Faisal Karim, a Bangladeshi Muslim.

Although the motive is not clear yet, the reasons for the killing clearly seem to be domestic.

The killing may be the result of some internal fued or machinations of Pakistan’s notorious intelligence agency ISI.

However, Hadi’s followers are targeting India’s interests in the country in the wake of the killing.

Two days back, the residence of India’s Assistant High Commissioner in Chattogram was attacked, with mobs pelting stones at the premises.

In view of this incident, India suspended visa operations in Chittagong (Chattogram) till further notice.

So the question arises, why are Indian interests in Bangladesh being targeted by Hadi’s followers? Isn’t it intriguing?

Do the attacks on Indian interests suggest, in any way, that his followers suspect India’s role in the killing?

It would then mean that his followers are being led down the wrong path by some interests inimical towards India. Who could be these vested interests?

It is no secret that Pakistan’s notorious intelligence agency ISI is very active in Bangladesh and over the last two decades or so, it has penetrated deep into the Bangladeshi society as well as the military, helped by the increasing Islamisation and radicalisation.

ISI, out to avenge the utmost humiliation suffered by the Pakistani military in the 1971 war that led to Pakistan’s partition and creation of Bangladesh, has been fanning hatred against India among the Bangladeshis for decades.

It started achieving success in this endeavour over the last two decades but Sheikh Hasina was a huge hindrance in its efforts.

She kept suppressing the anti-India activities but finally, thanks to a huge let down by her military, she was made to succumb and flee the country to save her life.

It is so ironic that Bangladesh, which was born just because of India, has today so many people nursing hatred for the same birth-giver.

It has been just 54 years and the ungrateful people of Bangladesh have forgotten what oppression and torment their forefathers suffered at the hands of brutal Pakistani military when it was ‘East Pakistan’.

They have forgotten how their forefathers — Bengali-speaking people of ‘East Pakistan’, including Muslims, were humiliated and treated in a derogative manner by the Punjabi-dominated Pakistani establishment based in Islamabad.

They have forgotten how their grandmothers were raped and brutalised, how their grandfathers were tortured and massacred.

They have forgotten how their forefathers lived like suffering pigeons before India intervened militarily and gave them freedom to prosper as proper citizens who could decide their future by themselves.

They need to be reminded that their forefathers, despite being Muslims, suffered extreme brutalities at the hands of Muslim military of Pakistan.

The East Pakistanis were facing anhiliation at the hands of Punjabi army of Pakistan.

India, by defeating the Pakistani military in a short war, saved the people of Bangladesh, including Muslims of course, from a genocide after humiliation which had peaked by then.

In doing so, India had to make many sacrifices, including the ultimate ones in the shape of losing soldiers in the war.

Had India not intervened, Bangladesh would have been another Balochistan of Pakistan.

Those nursing antipathy for India need to be referred to the extreme brutalities being committed by the Pakistani military in occupied Balochistan against the ethnic Baloch people every day.

The Baloch people are yearning and fighting for independence from Pakistan as they also want to live as free citizens who can decide their future by themselves.

Like the Baloch people, Bangladeshis too would have been suffering even today, had India not intervened before it was too late.

There is still time for the Bangladeshis to realise that they are on a path that leads only to destruction and devastation and must take steps backwards.

People of Bangladesh need to realise that Pakistani agencies, who are using Islam to incite them, do not wish well for them. If they need any help in understanding this, they may contact the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, it is shocking that the US, European Union, Germany, France and some others are giving so much undue importance to the killing of a student leader, who was an extremist radical Islamist and was nursing the dream of ushering in Islamic rule in Bangladesh.

Osman Hadi was no proponent of peace but a votary of violent means to achieve the Islamist goals.

Hadi and his followers indulged in widespread arson and violence during the agitation against Sheikh Hasina. They even vandalised and destroyed iconic monuments associated with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the legendary founder of Bangladesh.

By giving so much importance to Hadi, these western nations seem to be approving of the actions he and his followers have been undertaking. (NVI)

Bondi Beach terror strike: Surge of antisemitism spans multiple ideological lines

Father-Son terrorist duo Sajid and Naved while firing at Bondi Beach in Australia

Column

By Ruchika Kakkar

On December 14, a mass shooting took place at Bondi Beach in Sydney during the Hanukkah celebration, attended by members of the Jewish community. At least 16 people were killed and at least 39 injured, when two gunmen – a father-and-son duo, Sajid Akram (50), of Pakistani origin, and Naveed Akram (24), from the city’s south-west – deliberately targeted Jewish attendees.

Sajid Akram was killed by the Police, while Naveed Akram is in custody. Authorities also discovered and safely removed improvised explosive devices (IEDs) near the scene.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the attack as a terrorist act fueled by hate, describing it as an “act of evil anti-Semitism.”

The incident underscores the rise of anti-Jewish sentiments worldwide. Within Australia, on July 4, 2025, around 20 pro-Palestinian protesters stormed the Israeli-owned Miznon restaurant on Hardware Lane in Melbourne, chanting “Death to the IDF” (Israel Defence Forces).

On January 21, 2025, a childcare centre in Maroubra, Sydney – a non-religious facility located near a synagogue and Mount Sinai College Jewish school – was targeted in an arson attack. The building was set alight, causing extensive damage, and walls were sprayed with antisemitic graffiti, including phrases like “Fuck the Jews.”

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry reported 1,654 anti-Semitic incidents from October 2024 to September 2025.

On the other side of the globe, on October 2, a violent incident occurred in Manchester, United Kingdom (UK), targeting Jewish worshippers during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

As Second Sight noted, a terrorist attack took place outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, north Manchester, resulting in the deaths of two members of the Jewish community and injuries to another three.

The attacker, Jihad al-Shamie, 35, was a British citizen of Syrian origin. Several lesser anti-Semitic incidents were also reported across the UK in August and September. In the United States (U.S.), in early June at Boulder, Colorado, Mohamed Sabry Soliman targeted a pro-Israel solidarity gathering using Molotov cocktails and a makeshift flamethrower, injuring several people.

In May, two Israeli Embassy staff members, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, were fatally shot outside Washington’s Capital Jewish Museum as they left a young diplomats’ event; the suspect, Elias Rodriguez, was arrested after reportedly shouting “Free Palestine.”

Earlier, on April 13, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Cody Balmer threw Molotov cocktails into the residence of Governor Josh Shapiro, a Jewish public official, causing extensive damage, while the Governor and his family were inside during Passover; Balmer was arrested and later pleaded guilty.

In Germany, on January 2, a 19-year-old Syrian asylum seeker stabbed a 30-year-old Spanish tourist from behind at the Holocaust Memorial (Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe), seriously injuring him in an attack motivated by a desire to kill Jews. The suspect was arrested at the scene and later linked to radical Islamist and antisemitic views.

A rapid surge in antisemitic violence and hatred worldwide can be directly attributed to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.

This conflict served as a powerful trigger, igniting unprecedented spikes in harassment, vandalism, assaults, mass protests and online hate against Jewish communities far beyond the Middle East.

The Anti-Defamation League, for instance, reported 8,873 incidents in the U.S. in 2023 (a 140 per cent increase over 2022) and 9,354 in 2024.

The Combat Antisemitism Movement documented a global total of 6,326 incidents in 2024 (107.7 per cent rise from 2023 and 3,883 from January to July 2025. UK’s Community Security Trust recorded 4,103 incidents in 2023 (a 147 percent increase) and 3,528 in 2024.

Australia’s Executive Council of Australian Jewry noted over 2,000 incidents in the year following October 2023. And Canada’s B’nai Brith reported a record 6,219 incidents in 2024.

Legitimate criticism of Israeli policies frequently blurred into outright anti-Semitism during global protests and online discourse, with anti-Israel rhetoric often incorporating classic tropes, conspiracy theories, or calls for indiscriminate violence against Jews.

This surge of antisemitism spans multiple ideological lines, from jihadist-inspired attacks to far-left activism and far-right opportunism, highlighting how geopolitical crises can quickly amplify age-old prejudices.

Historically, Jews have often been alternately portrayed as an inferior or threatening group – a narrative that remains a core component in the rhetoric of organisations such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which depict Jews as eternal religious enemies.

Extreme Right groups in the West portray Jews as secret manipulators of power; corrupt, avaricious and morally degenerate; and the architects of the ‘great replacement’, a purported conspiracy to demographically engineer the marginalization of White Christian communities by orchestrating mass immigration, among others.

These cross-ideological narratives fuel a pervasive ‘ambient’ hatred, turning Jewish communities into convenient scapegoats during times of crisis. These anti-Jewish narratives are deeply embedded in historical memory and ideological dogma, passed down from generation to generation, perpetuating harm not only to social cohesion and peace, but also threatening the security of current and future generations, and the stability of states.

(Ruchika Kakkar is Research Assistant at the Institute for Conflict Management).

Muslim clerics not in tune with military face persecution in Pakistan

Maulana Manzoor Ahmad Mengal

Islamabad, Dec 21 (NVI) In Pakistan, Muslim clerics are being selectively persecuted in mysterious manner if they do not toe the line of the military establishment, leading to suspicion over the role of the country’s notorious intelligence agencies.

In view of this kind of persecution, Pakistani Muslim clerics are contemplating to migrate to Afghanistan for safety.

Reflecting the fear and frustration, prominent Islamic scholar and head of Jamia Aisha Siddiqia in Karachi’s Gulshan-e-Maymar area Dr. Maulana Manzoor Ahmad Mengal openly slammed Pakistan’s security establishment recently.

“I am tired of the government’s actions. If they no longer need our religious services or presence, then the intelligence agencies should inform us, & we will leave this country & move to Afghanistan,” Maulana Mengal said.

“If we can’t even survive through the call to prayer or leading prayers, we’ll polish the shoes of the Afghan people. Even then, we’ll manage to live,” he added.

Mengal, who is known for raising his voice for truth and defending Islamic values, expressed his views in the wake of a number of Muslim religious figures being killed in mysterious manner in Pakistan, particularly in Pashtun-dominated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Several other Islamic clerics share his feelings and views but are afraid of speaking out for the fear of being targeted by the Pakistani intelligence agencies. (NVI)

Balochistan: BLA says it killed 6 Pakistani soldiers

Quetta, Dec 20 (NVI) Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) today said it killed 6 Pakistani soldiers and injured 2 in three attacks in Balochistan.

The attacks were carried out on the occupying Pakistani army in Quetta, Kachi and Kech districts of Balochistan, BLA spokesman Jeeyand Baloch said in a statement.

Giving details, he said BLA freedom fighters targeted a contingent of Pakistan army with a remote-controlled IED in the Daghari area adjacent to Quetta yesterday.

The Pakistani soldiers were resting after performing security clearance of a railway track, he said.

As a result of the explosion, four occupying army personnel were eliminated on the spot, while two more were wounded, he added.

Freedom fighters of Baloch Liberation Army alsottacked a Pakistani army post in Saami, Kulag area of Kech last night, firing several rockets and using automatic weapons.

As a result of the attack, two occupying army personnel were eliminated on the spot, the spokesman said, adding the enemy also suffered property losses.

In another operation, Baloch Liberation Army freedom fighters targeted a foot patrol party of occupying Pakistani army in the Kalamuddin area of Dhadar in Kachi this evening when they left their post, the spokesman said.

The freedom fighters used automatic weapons and rockets, resulting in casualties among the enemy army, he said. The details of the losses suffered by the Pakistani Army were not immediately known. (NVI)

16 Indian seafarers detained by Iran, families seek Modi’s help

Cargo ship
Cargo ship (Representative pic)

New Delhi, Dec 19 (NVI) Sixteen Indian seafarers are under detention of Iran since last 11 days after the Navy of the Persian country seized their cargo vessel on high seas for some unknown reasons, prompting their families to approach Prime Minister Narendra Modi for help in securing the release of the  detenues.

The vessel M.T. Valiant Roar, operated by Prime Tankers LLC of Dubai, was intercepted on December 8 in international waters off Dibba Port, UAE, by the Iranian Navy which directed the vessel to move to Bandar-e-Jask port of Iran and anchor off there, according to the information available.

Along with the 16 Indians, there is a national of Sri Lankan and Bangladesh each who too have been detained.

The detained Indians are from various parts of the country.

The vessel commander, Captain Vijay Kumar is from Bainswal in Uttar Pradesh.

The reason for the detention is unknown.

According to their family members, Iran has not granted even Consular Access to the detained people.

Vijay Kumar’s wife Siniya, in a letter to the Prime Minister, has said she was seeking “urgent and compassionate intervention in the matter that has caused immense distress to our entire family”.

She wrote that on December 8, her family member Capt. Vinod Panwar received a voicemail from her husband stating that the vessel was “being chased by the Iranian Navy while sailing in international waters off Dibba Port, UAE”.

She added that “through industry contacts and personal efforts, we later learned that the vessel and all crew members were subsequently escorted by the Iranian Navy and instructed to anchor off Bandar-e-Jask, Iran.”

Since that day, Siniya said, there has been no communication whatsoever from her husband or any of the crew.

“This prolonged silence has caused severe anxiety and anguish to all families involved,” Capt. Vijay Kumar’s wife wrote.

“Your timely support is our only hope during this extremely difficult and uncertain period. We place complete trust in the Government of Indiato safeguard the lives and dignity of our  seafarers,” she concluded. (NVI)

13 Pakistani Army personnel eliminated in attacks in Balochistan: BLA

Quetta, Dec 19 (NVI) Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed to have killed 13 Pakistani soldiers and injured 7 in two attacks on the occupation forces in Balochistan.

In one operation, BLA freedom fighters targeted a vehicle of occupying Pakistani Army using a remote-controlled IED in Katgari area of Panjgur district on December 17, said its spokesman Jeeyand Baooch in a statemen.

As a result of the explosion, four occupying army personnel were eliminated and two more were wounded, while their vehicle was severely damaged.

A day earlier, BLA fighters targeted an occupying Pakistani Army convoy at Bulbul in the Zehri area of Khuzdar district of Balochistan.

The freedom fighters ambushed the convoy after attacking one of its vehicles using a remote-controlled IED, the spokesman said.

BLA freedom fighters targeted occupying army while they were engaged in an offensive in Bulbul and surrounding areas, he said.

In this attack, nine enemy army personnel were eliminated and more than five were wounded, he said.

The freedom fighters also seized a large quantity of ammunition and weapons, including occupying army vehicles, Jeeyand Baloch said.

After suffering humiliating defeat in Zehri and surrounding areas, the occupation forces have intensified atrocities against innocent Baloch civilians, the BLA spokesman said.

“The enemy (Pakistan) army is trying in vain to hide its failures by using civilians as human shields. Its policy of conducting house raids, unjustified harassment and collective punishment is a clear example of these atrocities,” he said.

“Baloch Liberation Army freedom fighters are always ready to target occupying army and every act of atrocity, oppression and aggression inflicted on the Baloch people will be held accountable.

“The occupying army should know that its military power and state violence cannot weaken the resolve of Baloch national resistance,” Jeeyand Baloch declared. (NVI)

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