Afghanistan – A complex bomb, shooting attack in Pul-e-Charkhi area highlights persistent militant threat. At least two people were killed on the 18 Nov when militants attacked the compound of an international security firm in the Pul-e-Charkhi area of the capital Kabul, located to the east of the city. The attack began with a suicide car bombing at around 0630 hrs (local time), directed at the gates of the compound, which was followed by a shoot-out between the security forces and three assailants. The violence ended at around 0710 hrs. The Taliban later claimed responsibility for the attack. The complex attack underlines the persistent militant threat in the city. The incident illustrates militants' continued ability to carry out significant bomb and shooting attacks in the country's urban centres, including Kabul. While most militant attacks continue to focus on the security forces and government personnel, diplomatic and other compounds linked to the international presence also represent high value targets for militants. This, coupled with insurgents' proven willingness to attack on ‘soft' targets such as shopping centres, restaurants, cinemas and marketplaces, means that the direct and incidental terrorism risks to business travellers and foreign employees of international organisations remain significant. The 18 Nov compound attack illustrates a common militant modus operandi, wherein an attack commences with an attempt to bomb the exterior of a secure compound, which is intended to allow other assailants to breach the premises. Such attempts are usually followed by a shoot-out between the security forces and the attackers, though the latter are rarely able to breach more than the outer perimeter of such compounds due to high levels of security, and the non-militant fatality rate is generally relatively low. The attack underlines that travellers should minimise movement outside secure premises and also minimise the time spent around likely targets for insurgent attack, both static and in transit.
On the 19 Nov 14 it was reported that an explosion at around 2050 hrs (local time) occurred near the Green Village compound in the east of the capital Kabul along the Jalalabad Road. The blast was reportedly caused by a car bomb and was followed by gunfire. The security forces have been deployed to the area and there have been no immediate reports of casualties. The Green Village is home to a number of ex-pats who live and work in Kabul and is a secure location. The NATO camp Phoenix and a United Nations compound are also along that road. The Taliban later claimed responsibility.
A suicide bomber attacked a volleyball tournament in eastern Afghanistan on the 23 Nov 14 killing at least 45 people. Dozens more were wounded when the bomber, who was on foot and mingling with the crowd, detonated his explosives. The attack happened during an inter-district volleyball tournament attended by large crowed in Yahyakhail district late on the afternoon of the 23 Nov. Paktika, bordering Pakistan, is one of Afghanistan's most volatile regions, where a Taliban-led insurgency is waging an intensifying war against the government in Kabul. It was thought that the Haqqani group were responsible for the attack.
A suicide attack on a foreign convoy in Afghanistan capital Kabul killed five and injured more it was reported on the 27 Nov 14. The suicide bomber was thought to have been on a motorcycle on the Jalalabad Road. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that it had killed many foreigners. The British embassy in Kabul confirmed that one of their vehicles was hit in the attack, adding that there were no diplomats in the vehicle, and that a number of its staff were being treated for injuries. The vehicle contained one Afghan member of staff and a two man Close Protection Team, one of the CP team survived. The Taliban have struck numerous targets along Jalalabad Road in recent weeks. The fighters promised to step up attacks after the Afghan president (Ashraf Ghani) gave the go ahead for some foreign forces to remain behind and train Afghan troops at the end of the year. It seems that the militants are doing exactly that. The Jalalabad Road is a main route that houses many foreign compounds and military facilities.
An explosion followed by extended gunfire rocked the embassy district of the Afghan capital, Kabul. Afghan officials say that heavily armed men assaulted a compound of an international organization in the Wazir Akbar Khan diplomatic district late on the 27 Nov 14. Witnesses described hearing multiple explosions in an area that contains numerous foreign embassies and compounds housing international agencies and companies, as well as the homes of some senior Afghan government officials. One of the attackers had explosives strapped to his body and blew himself up at the entrance of the building that houses staff of the International Relief and Development aid agency.
Up to 26 Taliban fighters were killed in the attack on Shorabak, formerly Camp Bastion, which began overnight on the 28 Nov 14 and continued to the early hours of the 29 Nov 14. At least 26 Taliban fighters had been killed, six of whom detonated their suicide vests. Eight Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers had been killed and many more injured. The Taliban had vowed to continue to step up their attacks on both foreign targets and the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in the wake of the approval of the security agreement. Under the agreement, recently approved by Afghanistan's upper house, foreign troops will remain in the country to fight the Taliban and train the Afghan army. Other attacks that were reported on the 29 Nov 14 were suicide bombers attacked another military base in the Snagin district, killing five soldiers and wounding seven. Elsewhere in Helmand, two police officers were killed and two wounded in a suicide attack on the 28 Nov. In the eastern Nangahar province, 31 people were wounded when a mosque was bombed during Friday prayers. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.
AFGHANISTAN 361 COMMENT: Personnel should defer non-essential travel to Afghanistan at the moment due to the withdrawal of NATO forces and an uncertain future with the Afghan forces taking control of security and their future. Those on essential travel should seek professional security support and ensure they are fully briefed on the prevailing threats prior to deployment to Afghanistan. Personnel should also have an extremely good medical insurance and follow up team should an injury occur. Terrorist groups will attempt to test the Afghan Security with numerous attacks and even plan on a spectacular to discourage business and others from investing in the country. As seen during this reporting period there have been many reported attacks on civilian compounds. With security being tight in the capital around military installations easier targets and much softer ones will be sought by the Taliban and other affiliated terrorist groups. COMMENT ENDS
China/Pakistan – On the 17 Nov 14 The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) splinter group, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, threatened to attack Chinese investments in Pakistan in an article published in its official magazine on 14 Nov 14. The article, purportedly written by the group's spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan, accused the Chinese government of persecuting Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang province. The article comes days after China signed USD32 billion-worth of foreign direct investment projects in Pakistan on the 8 Nov 14 including solar parks, hydro- and wind-power projects, and coal mining in Thar, Sindh. Although China has an established strategic alliance with Pakistan that has normally entailed high-profile investment and large soft loans, this agreement was accompanied for the first time by an official Pakistani pledge to continue countering the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which is based in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
India – A group of heavily armed men killed at least one soldier and wounded three others in an attack on an army base in Indian-administered Kashmir reports claimed on the 27 Nov 14. The fighting on the 27 Nov came as the leaders of India and Pakistan attended a regional summit aimed at boosting trade between almost a quarter of the world's people. There were unconfirmed reports that three of the attackers had also been killed. The fire-fight commenced at 0847 hrs (IST) when four to five rebels occupied one of the several abandoned army bunkers at Pindi Kathyaar, Arnia sector on the working border that separates the south-western portion of Kashmir into India and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
India/Pakistan/Nepal/Kashmir – At least 10 people were killed on the 27 Nov 14 in Kashmir when gunmen attacked an Indian Army base near the border with Pakistan, just as leaders of the two long-time rivals were exchanging pleasantries in Nepal. Four or five gunmen who were split in two groups attacked an army bunker in the town of Arnia, about three miles from the border, and fought a gun battle with the police while holed up in a house. The militants killed three soldiers and three civilians before at least four of them were killed as well, the chief minister of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, told reporters. India has long accused Pakistan of arming and training militants to attack India, and dozens of militants have confirmed over the years that they trained in camps in Pakistan-controlled territory. Pakistan denies arming militants. Such attacks tend to occur when the leaders of India and Pakistan are meeting, perhaps in hopes of disrupting any movement toward peace.
The attack on Thursday occurred while Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan shook hands and exchanged pleasantries at an informal retreat of South Asian leaders during a summit meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. The two men did not hold substantive talks, and little was accomplished during the summit meeting besides an electricity cooperation agreement that still needs to be signed by all the leaders. India says that Pakistan must end its long-time consultations with Kashmiri separatist leaders before it will agree to bilateral discussions, a demand that Pakistan has refused.
On the 19 Nov 14 it was reported that an explosion at around 2050 hrs (local time) occurred near the Green Village compound in the east of the capital Kabul along the Jalalabad Road. The blast was reportedly caused by a car bomb and was followed by gunfire. The security forces have been deployed to the area and there have been no immediate reports of casualties. The Green Village is home to a number of ex-pats who live and work in Kabul and is a secure location. The NATO camp Phoenix and a United Nations compound are also along that road. The Taliban later claimed responsibility.
A suicide bomber attacked a volleyball tournament in eastern Afghanistan on the 23 Nov 14 killing at least 45 people. Dozens more were wounded when the bomber, who was on foot and mingling with the crowd, detonated his explosives. The attack happened during an inter-district volleyball tournament attended by large crowed in Yahyakhail district late on the afternoon of the 23 Nov. Paktika, bordering Pakistan, is one of Afghanistan's most volatile regions, where a Taliban-led insurgency is waging an intensifying war against the government in Kabul. It was thought that the Haqqani group were responsible for the attack.
A suicide attack on a foreign convoy in Afghanistan capital Kabul killed five and injured more it was reported on the 27 Nov 14. The suicide bomber was thought to have been on a motorcycle on the Jalalabad Road. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that it had killed many foreigners. The British embassy in Kabul confirmed that one of their vehicles was hit in the attack, adding that there were no diplomats in the vehicle, and that a number of its staff were being treated for injuries. The vehicle contained one Afghan member of staff and a two man Close Protection Team, one of the CP team survived. The Taliban have struck numerous targets along Jalalabad Road in recent weeks. The fighters promised to step up attacks after the Afghan president (Ashraf Ghani) gave the go ahead for some foreign forces to remain behind and train Afghan troops at the end of the year. It seems that the militants are doing exactly that. The Jalalabad Road is a main route that houses many foreign compounds and military facilities.
An explosion followed by extended gunfire rocked the embassy district of the Afghan capital, Kabul. Afghan officials say that heavily armed men assaulted a compound of an international organization in the Wazir Akbar Khan diplomatic district late on the 27 Nov 14. Witnesses described hearing multiple explosions in an area that contains numerous foreign embassies and compounds housing international agencies and companies, as well as the homes of some senior Afghan government officials. One of the attackers had explosives strapped to his body and blew himself up at the entrance of the building that houses staff of the International Relief and Development aid agency.
Up to 26 Taliban fighters were killed in the attack on Shorabak, formerly Camp Bastion, which began overnight on the 28 Nov 14 and continued to the early hours of the 29 Nov 14. At least 26 Taliban fighters had been killed, six of whom detonated their suicide vests. Eight Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers had been killed and many more injured. The Taliban had vowed to continue to step up their attacks on both foreign targets and the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in the wake of the approval of the security agreement. Under the agreement, recently approved by Afghanistan's upper house, foreign troops will remain in the country to fight the Taliban and train the Afghan army. Other attacks that were reported on the 29 Nov 14 were suicide bombers attacked another military base in the Snagin district, killing five soldiers and wounding seven. Elsewhere in Helmand, two police officers were killed and two wounded in a suicide attack on the 28 Nov. In the eastern Nangahar province, 31 people were wounded when a mosque was bombed during Friday prayers. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.
AFGHANISTAN 361 COMMENT: Personnel should defer non-essential travel to Afghanistan at the moment due to the withdrawal of NATO forces and an uncertain future with the Afghan forces taking control of security and their future. Those on essential travel should seek professional security support and ensure they are fully briefed on the prevailing threats prior to deployment to Afghanistan. Personnel should also have an extremely good medical insurance and follow up team should an injury occur. Terrorist groups will attempt to test the Afghan Security with numerous attacks and even plan on a spectacular to discourage business and others from investing in the country. As seen during this reporting period there have been many reported attacks on civilian compounds. With security being tight in the capital around military installations easier targets and much softer ones will be sought by the Taliban and other affiliated terrorist groups. COMMENT ENDS
China/Pakistan – On the 17 Nov 14 The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) splinter group, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, threatened to attack Chinese investments in Pakistan in an article published in its official magazine on 14 Nov 14. The article, purportedly written by the group's spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan, accused the Chinese government of persecuting Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang province. The article comes days after China signed USD32 billion-worth of foreign direct investment projects in Pakistan on the 8 Nov 14 including solar parks, hydro- and wind-power projects, and coal mining in Thar, Sindh. Although China has an established strategic alliance with Pakistan that has normally entailed high-profile investment and large soft loans, this agreement was accompanied for the first time by an official Pakistani pledge to continue countering the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which is based in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
India – A group of heavily armed men killed at least one soldier and wounded three others in an attack on an army base in Indian-administered Kashmir reports claimed on the 27 Nov 14. The fighting on the 27 Nov came as the leaders of India and Pakistan attended a regional summit aimed at boosting trade between almost a quarter of the world's people. There were unconfirmed reports that three of the attackers had also been killed. The fire-fight commenced at 0847 hrs (IST) when four to five rebels occupied one of the several abandoned army bunkers at Pindi Kathyaar, Arnia sector on the working border that separates the south-western portion of Kashmir into India and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
India/Pakistan/Nepal/Kashmir – At least 10 people were killed on the 27 Nov 14 in Kashmir when gunmen attacked an Indian Army base near the border with Pakistan, just as leaders of the two long-time rivals were exchanging pleasantries in Nepal. Four or five gunmen who were split in two groups attacked an army bunker in the town of Arnia, about three miles from the border, and fought a gun battle with the police while holed up in a house. The militants killed three soldiers and three civilians before at least four of them were killed as well, the chief minister of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, told reporters. India has long accused Pakistan of arming and training militants to attack India, and dozens of militants have confirmed over the years that they trained in camps in Pakistan-controlled territory. Pakistan denies arming militants. Such attacks tend to occur when the leaders of India and Pakistan are meeting, perhaps in hopes of disrupting any movement toward peace.
The attack on Thursday occurred while Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan shook hands and exchanged pleasantries at an informal retreat of South Asian leaders during a summit meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. The two men did not hold substantive talks, and little was accomplished during the summit meeting besides an electricity cooperation agreement that still needs to be signed by all the leaders. India says that Pakistan must end its long-time consultations with Kashmiri separatist leaders before it will agree to bilateral discussions, a demand that Pakistan has refused.
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