Afghanistan Theater

Pakistan: jihadi terror targets mosque —again

A suicide bombing at a Shi'ite demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinians in the western Pakistani city of Quetta (Balochistan province) on Sept. 3 left at least 65 people dead. That same day, a suicide attack during Friday evening prayers at an Ahmadiyya mosque in the town of Mardan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province) killed at least two people. Local Ahmadi spokesman Saleemudin faulted authorities for not taking adequate security measures at the mosque given recent deadly attacks on the Ahmadiyya elsewhere in Pakistan. But he added that the Ahmadiyya would remain peaceful and not take the law in their own hands. (WP, Kashmir Observer, Pakistan Daily Times, Sept. 4)

Pakistan: jihadi terror targets mosque —again

In the latest in a series of jihadist attacks on mosques in Pakistan, three suicide bombers blew themselves up amid a procession of thousands of the faithful outside a Shi'ite mosque in Lahore Sept. 1, killing at least 37. Shi'te protesters clashed with police following the attack. Both Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (Army of Jhangvi, named for an anti-Shia cleric) and Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud are said to have claimed responsibility for the attack. Thousands of Shi'ites marched in mourning in Lahore the following day. (Indian Express, Foreign Policy Journal, Sept. 3; MEMRI, NYT, Sept. 2)

US files criminal charges against Pakistan Taliban leader

The US Department of Justice announced Sept. 1 that it has charged Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimulla Mehsud in connection with the Dec. 30 attack on CIA Afghan outpost Camp Chapman that left nine people dead. Mehsud identifies himself as the head of Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

US bombs Pakistan —again

At least six militants were killed in a presumed US drone strike in Miranshah, in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region. The missiles hit a small convoy of vehicles minutes before the scheduled iftar time, when the Ramadan fast is broken. After the attack, Taliban militants barricaded the site and shifted the bodies to an undisclosed location. At least four drones continued to hover over the region for an hour after the attack. Over 900 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in more than 200 drone strikes in Pakistan's northwest tribal areas since 2008. (ANI, Aug. 22)

Afghanistan: Taliban stone again, demand probe of civilian casualties

A man and a woman who allegedly had an adulterous affair were stoned to death in the northern Afghan province of Kunduz Aug. 15, according to the local governor, Mohammad Omar. The stoning was carried out in a crowded bazaar in the Taliban-controlled village of Mullah Quli, Tal Dasht-e Archi district. The Taliban have not commented on the incident. The punishment was reportedly carried out by hundreds of the victims' neighbors and even their family members.

Afghanistan: villagers block road after claims of civilian deaths

A crowd of about 300 villagers blocked a main road in eastern Afghanistan Aug. 12 and chanted "Death to the US!" The protest came after a raid by US forces in which they said three innocent villagers were killed at Zarin Khil, Sayed Abad district, Wardak province. Village elders said US troops stormed into a family’s house and shot three brothers—all young men—and then took their father into custody. Local police are said to be investigating the allegations. NATO forces rejected the claim, saying those killed in the overnight raid were "suspected insurgents", and that a local Taliban commander was detained.

Amnesty International: Taliban should be prosecuted for war crimes

From the Amnesty International, Aug. 10:

The Taleban and other insurgent groups should be investigated and prosecuted for war crimes, Amnesty International said, following the release of a UN report showing a rise in targeted killings of civilians in Afghanistan by anti-government fighters.

Afghan refugees hit hard in Pakistan floods

Dozens of Afghan refugees have been reported missing and thousands displaced by severe floods in Pakistan over the past two weeks, according to refugees, aid workers and officials. Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa (KP) province, northwestern Pakistan, where most of the 1.7 million Afghan refugees registered in Pakistan are living, has been worst affected, officials said.

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