Afghanistan/Taliban – The Taliban has announced on the 12 Apr 16 the start of its warm-weather offensive, declaring suicide bombings and assassinations will be used in its jihad against the American 'infidel army'. Naming their spring mission 'Operation Omari' in honour of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, it said the war would use guerrilla warfare-style tactics to undermine their opponents' morale. Fighting subsides in Afghanistan during the winter, when snow and the cold hits the mountainous border with Pakistan, making it difficult for the militants to travel back and forth to stage attacks. The Taliban's resurgence has raised serious questions about Afghan forces capacity to hold their own following the 2014 U.S. troop withdrawal, with an estimated 5,000 troops killed last year. It marked the worst-ever toll since the 2001 invasion, as the Taliban clawed back regions and at one point, seized and held the northern city of Kunduz for three days. At one point, the former governor of the Helmand province, Abdul Jan Rasoolyar, issued a plea for help on his Facebook page, warning the entire province could fall. 'Without good leadership and coordination between the security forces, they just let the Taliban gain control over more territory,' Khan said. The Taliban's statement said: 'Jihad against the aggressive and usurping infidel army is a holy obligation upon our necks and our only recourse for re-establishing an Islamic system and regaining our independence. 'The present operation will also employ all means at our disposal to bog the enemy down in a war of attrition that lowers the morale of the foreign invaders and their internal armed militias. It added: 'By employing such a multifaceted strategy it is hoped that the foreign enemy will be demoralised and forced to evict our nation.' It marks the 15th year of the group's jihad as it seeks to topple the U.S.-backed Afghan government in Kabul and re-establish an Islamic state. The Taliban added that in areas under their control, 'mechanisms for good governance will be established so that our people can live a life of security and normalcy.' The Taliban said they would try to avoid killing civilians or destroying civilian infrastructure, and would carry out a 'dialogue with our countrymen in the enemy ranks' to try to convince them to join the insurgency. And in recent months, Mansoor has consolidated power, bringing several onetime rivals back into the fold. The Kabul government has meanwhile been working with the U.S., China and Pakistan - which has some influence over the Taliban - to revive peace negotiations, but the insurgents earlier this year refused to take part in any talks. But the Taliban remained on the march in the warmer south of the country, where they threatened or briefly seized strategic territory in three provinces. The violence is expected to intensify once the poppy harvest in the southern provinces is finished in coming weeks. The Taliban will deploy extra forces to protect smuggling routes used for arms, minerals and other contraband that fund the insurgency. Jabbar Qahraman, presidential envoy to Helmand, said most of the estimated 5,500 government troops and police killed in action in 2015 lost their lives in the opium-producing southern province. He blamed not only the Taliban but an 'opium mafia' working with the insurgents. The drugs gangs 'are a big headache as they are so active, and they have the full support of Taliban fighters in Helmand, each helping the other to their own benefit,' he said. Most of the world's heroin is produced from Helmand's poppy crop, worth up to $3 billion a year, with much of the profits going to fund the insurgency. Officials and diplomats in Kabul have said that Mansoor is the kingpin of this illicit trade. Local officials say security forces have been overwhelmed by months of heavy fighting across Helmand. Ali Shah Khan, a tribal elder in Sangin district said Kabul had been warned of the Taliban threat 'so many times but no one listened and that is why the Taliban have gained control of more than half of the province.'
Korea/North – A senior North Korean military officer who oversaw spying operations has defected, say South Korean officials on the 11 Apr 16. The officer has not been named, but the defence ministry in Seoul said he was a senior colonel in the Reconnaissance General Bureau and left last year. South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted a source as saying the colonel was seen as elite by other defectors. More than 28,000 people have fled North Korea since the end of the Korean War, but high level defections are rare. During the reporting period, 13 North Koreans who had been working in one of the North's restaurants abroad defected as a group. Yonhap said a number of senior political figures had defected while working overseas recently. It quoted government officials as saying this was a sign the leadership of Kim Jong-un was cracking. Defence Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun said the South could not release further information on the colonel. One unnamed official told Yonhap the man was the highest-level military official ever to have defected. "He is believed to have stated details about the bureau's operations against South Korea to the authorities here," said the official. The Reconnaissance General Bureau handles intelligence gathering and spying operations, as well as cyber warfare, said Yonhap. The BBC's Stephen Evans in Seoul said such a figure would likely have valuable information about the workings of Kim Jong-un's government. For most North Koreans it is almost impossible. The borders are heavily guarded and few people have to resources to fund an escape. Those who do make it out usually cross the river borders into China. They either lay low to avoid being sent back by China to face severe punishment, or try to reach a third country. There are many cases of diplomats, athletes, musicians and others defecting and claiming asylum while representing North Korea in other countries. Some border guards have simply walked away from their posts. Relatives they leave behind are almost certain to face persecution or jail. Numbers are not widely available but dozens of senior level officials are thought to have defected in the past few years. The most high-profile defection to date was Hwang Jang-yop, a politician who was considered the architect of North Korea's policy of "juche", or self-reliance. He claimed asylum at the South Korean embassy in Beijing while on a work visit in 1977. He died in 2010. About 29,000 people have defected in total since the 1950s, though numbers have fallen in recent years. Any North Korean who makes it to the South enters into a rehabilitation programme and is given an aid package to help them start a new life. Despite this, many find it hard to adjust. High-level defectors are questioned closely for valuable information, and to ensure they are not acting as double agents. South Korea denies North's Korea's accusations that is enticing people to defect.
Philippines – At least 18 soldiers were killed and more than 50 others injured on the 9 Apr 16 in fierce fighting with the armed group Abu Sayyaf and allied fighters on a southern island in the Philippines. It was the largest single-day combat loss by government forces this year in the restive south, where the military has long battled Muslim separatist rebels and Communist fighters. Three military officials said the heavy daylong fighting took place on Mindanao island of Basilan. Local media reports said about 100 Abu Sayyaf fighters clashed with troops and four soldiers had been decapitated. The evacuation of wounded soldiers was continuing late on the 9 Apr 16. In 2015, more than 30 police commandos were killed by Muslim rebels during a government raid on mainland Mindanao. Some Muslim rebel groups in the area have reportedly allied themselves with Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) followers. Abu Sayyaf is known to maintain a base in Basilan, as well as the neighbouring Sulu archipelago, where a former priest from Italy was released on the 8 Apr 16 after millions of pesos in ransom was reportedly paid. Abu Sayyaf was founded in 1991 in Basilan, about 880km south of the capital, Manila. The United States and the Philippines have separately blacklisted Abu Sayyaf as a "terrorist" organisation for deadly bombings, extortion, kidnappings for ransom, and beheadings of locals and foreigners, including Christian missionaries in the south. More than a decade of US-backed Philippine offensives have weakened the armed group, but it remains a key security threat.
Russia – Three suicide bombers carried out explosions in a village in Russia's Stravropol region, close to the North Caucasus, police said on the 11 Apr 16. The three suicide bombers were killed by the blasts and no one else was hurt, according to RIA news agency. "At least two explosions went off outside the entrance to a district police station in the village of Novoselitskoye in the Stavropol region," a police spokesman said. Russia's state news agency (TASS) said there were no casualties aside from the attackers. "Two militants who attempted to attack the Novoselitsky police station were liquidated today," Tass reported. "There have been no casualties [among civilians and police]." The city is located in the northern tip of Russia's North Caucasus Mountains, where authorities have struggled with home grown armed groups for decades.
Turkey – The United States and Israel on the 9 Apr 16 warned their citizens of a high-level, imminent threat of attacks in Turkey - urging them to immediately leave the country. Turkey has been rocked by four suicide bombings already this year, the most recent last month in Istanbul. Two of those have been blamed on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), while Kurdish fighters have claimed responsibility for the other two. The US embassy emailed what it called an "emergency message" to Americans, warning of "credible threats" to tourist areas in Istanbul and the resort city of Antalya. Israel announced "immediate risks". "The US Mission in Turkey would like to inform US citizens that there are credible threats to tourist areas, in particular to public squares and docks in Istanbul and Antalya," it said. Later on the 9 Apr 16, three people were slightly wounded after a small bomb left on the side of a road exploded in Istanbul's central Mecidiyekoy district, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported. The blast came from a non-lethal stun grenade, designed to create a loud noise and blinding flash. Earlier on the 9 Apr, two news agency reporters in central Istanbul saw an extremely heavy police presence with roads sealed off. Armed special police units were deployed outside foreign consulates, including the German and Italian missions.
Turkey/PKK – Turkish police have smashed a cell of Kurdish militants in a usually tranquil region between Istanbul and Ankara who had hoarded explosives, guns and suicide vests, the Dogan news agency reported the 10 Apr 16. Police in the Bolu province east of Istanbul, said they had detained seven members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) as part of an investigation into plans for a suicide attack. The arrests come three days after Bolu police killed two suspected PKK members in an unusual raid in the province which is about half-way between Turkey's biggest city Istanbul and the capital Ankara, and far from the Kurdish-dominated southeast. Police uncovered two pistols, four homemade explosive devices, two Kalashnikovs, C4 plastic explosives and two suicide vests, the Dogan news agency reported. The haul comes with Turkey on a knife's edge after four militant attacks that have killed 79 people this year alone in Istanbul and Ankara. The two bombings in Ankara were claimed by a group calling itself the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), a radical splinter group of the PKK which has which has fought a decades-long insurrection against the Turkish state. Those in Istanbul have been blamed on the Islamic State group. Since the collapse of a two-year ceasefire with the PKK last year, Turkish government forces have been waging a blistering military campaign against the group in the southeast of the country.
Turkey – Four soldiers were killed and two wounded when a bomb hit a military vehicle travelling in the south-eastern Turkish province of Mardin on the 15 Apr 16 security sources said. The vehicle was on patrol between the villages of Yazdir and Taslikli in Mardin’s Savur district when a handmade explosive was detonated. The two injured soldiers were being treated in hospital, they said. In another attack in Sirnak, east of Mardin, one police officer died and seven security force members were injured by a bomb during the search of a house by security forces. Turkey’s largely Kurdish southeast has been hit by waves of violence in clashes between government security forces and members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) after a ceasefire fell apart last year. On the 15 Apr 16 authorities lifted a curfew imposed to fight Kurdish militants in an area of southeast Turkey’s largest city, Diyarbakir. The one-day curfew in Silwan district was lifted from 1630 hrs. The government has ruled out any return to the negotiating table and has said it will crush the PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies. The bombing of security force vehicles and installations is common in the southeast.
Korea/North – A senior North Korean military officer who oversaw spying operations has defected, say South Korean officials on the 11 Apr 16. The officer has not been named, but the defence ministry in Seoul said he was a senior colonel in the Reconnaissance General Bureau and left last year. South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted a source as saying the colonel was seen as elite by other defectors. More than 28,000 people have fled North Korea since the end of the Korean War, but high level defections are rare. During the reporting period, 13 North Koreans who had been working in one of the North's restaurants abroad defected as a group. Yonhap said a number of senior political figures had defected while working overseas recently. It quoted government officials as saying this was a sign the leadership of Kim Jong-un was cracking. Defence Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun said the South could not release further information on the colonel. One unnamed official told Yonhap the man was the highest-level military official ever to have defected. "He is believed to have stated details about the bureau's operations against South Korea to the authorities here," said the official. The Reconnaissance General Bureau handles intelligence gathering and spying operations, as well as cyber warfare, said Yonhap. The BBC's Stephen Evans in Seoul said such a figure would likely have valuable information about the workings of Kim Jong-un's government. For most North Koreans it is almost impossible. The borders are heavily guarded and few people have to resources to fund an escape. Those who do make it out usually cross the river borders into China. They either lay low to avoid being sent back by China to face severe punishment, or try to reach a third country. There are many cases of diplomats, athletes, musicians and others defecting and claiming asylum while representing North Korea in other countries. Some border guards have simply walked away from their posts. Relatives they leave behind are almost certain to face persecution or jail. Numbers are not widely available but dozens of senior level officials are thought to have defected in the past few years. The most high-profile defection to date was Hwang Jang-yop, a politician who was considered the architect of North Korea's policy of "juche", or self-reliance. He claimed asylum at the South Korean embassy in Beijing while on a work visit in 1977. He died in 2010. About 29,000 people have defected in total since the 1950s, though numbers have fallen in recent years. Any North Korean who makes it to the South enters into a rehabilitation programme and is given an aid package to help them start a new life. Despite this, many find it hard to adjust. High-level defectors are questioned closely for valuable information, and to ensure they are not acting as double agents. South Korea denies North's Korea's accusations that is enticing people to defect.
Philippines – At least 18 soldiers were killed and more than 50 others injured on the 9 Apr 16 in fierce fighting with the armed group Abu Sayyaf and allied fighters on a southern island in the Philippines. It was the largest single-day combat loss by government forces this year in the restive south, where the military has long battled Muslim separatist rebels and Communist fighters. Three military officials said the heavy daylong fighting took place on Mindanao island of Basilan. Local media reports said about 100 Abu Sayyaf fighters clashed with troops and four soldiers had been decapitated. The evacuation of wounded soldiers was continuing late on the 9 Apr 16. In 2015, more than 30 police commandos were killed by Muslim rebels during a government raid on mainland Mindanao. Some Muslim rebel groups in the area have reportedly allied themselves with Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) followers. Abu Sayyaf is known to maintain a base in Basilan, as well as the neighbouring Sulu archipelago, where a former priest from Italy was released on the 8 Apr 16 after millions of pesos in ransom was reportedly paid. Abu Sayyaf was founded in 1991 in Basilan, about 880km south of the capital, Manila. The United States and the Philippines have separately blacklisted Abu Sayyaf as a "terrorist" organisation for deadly bombings, extortion, kidnappings for ransom, and beheadings of locals and foreigners, including Christian missionaries in the south. More than a decade of US-backed Philippine offensives have weakened the armed group, but it remains a key security threat.
Russia – Three suicide bombers carried out explosions in a village in Russia's Stravropol region, close to the North Caucasus, police said on the 11 Apr 16. The three suicide bombers were killed by the blasts and no one else was hurt, according to RIA news agency. "At least two explosions went off outside the entrance to a district police station in the village of Novoselitskoye in the Stavropol region," a police spokesman said. Russia's state news agency (TASS) said there were no casualties aside from the attackers. "Two militants who attempted to attack the Novoselitsky police station were liquidated today," Tass reported. "There have been no casualties [among civilians and police]." The city is located in the northern tip of Russia's North Caucasus Mountains, where authorities have struggled with home grown armed groups for decades.
Turkey – The United States and Israel on the 9 Apr 16 warned their citizens of a high-level, imminent threat of attacks in Turkey - urging them to immediately leave the country. Turkey has been rocked by four suicide bombings already this year, the most recent last month in Istanbul. Two of those have been blamed on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), while Kurdish fighters have claimed responsibility for the other two. The US embassy emailed what it called an "emergency message" to Americans, warning of "credible threats" to tourist areas in Istanbul and the resort city of Antalya. Israel announced "immediate risks". "The US Mission in Turkey would like to inform US citizens that there are credible threats to tourist areas, in particular to public squares and docks in Istanbul and Antalya," it said. Later on the 9 Apr 16, three people were slightly wounded after a small bomb left on the side of a road exploded in Istanbul's central Mecidiyekoy district, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported. The blast came from a non-lethal stun grenade, designed to create a loud noise and blinding flash. Earlier on the 9 Apr, two news agency reporters in central Istanbul saw an extremely heavy police presence with roads sealed off. Armed special police units were deployed outside foreign consulates, including the German and Italian missions.
Turkey/PKK – Turkish police have smashed a cell of Kurdish militants in a usually tranquil region between Istanbul and Ankara who had hoarded explosives, guns and suicide vests, the Dogan news agency reported the 10 Apr 16. Police in the Bolu province east of Istanbul, said they had detained seven members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) as part of an investigation into plans for a suicide attack. The arrests come three days after Bolu police killed two suspected PKK members in an unusual raid in the province which is about half-way between Turkey's biggest city Istanbul and the capital Ankara, and far from the Kurdish-dominated southeast. Police uncovered two pistols, four homemade explosive devices, two Kalashnikovs, C4 plastic explosives and two suicide vests, the Dogan news agency reported. The haul comes with Turkey on a knife's edge after four militant attacks that have killed 79 people this year alone in Istanbul and Ankara. The two bombings in Ankara were claimed by a group calling itself the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), a radical splinter group of the PKK which has which has fought a decades-long insurrection against the Turkish state. Those in Istanbul have been blamed on the Islamic State group. Since the collapse of a two-year ceasefire with the PKK last year, Turkish government forces have been waging a blistering military campaign against the group in the southeast of the country.
Turkey – Four soldiers were killed and two wounded when a bomb hit a military vehicle travelling in the south-eastern Turkish province of Mardin on the 15 Apr 16 security sources said. The vehicle was on patrol between the villages of Yazdir and Taslikli in Mardin’s Savur district when a handmade explosive was detonated. The two injured soldiers were being treated in hospital, they said. In another attack in Sirnak, east of Mardin, one police officer died and seven security force members were injured by a bomb during the search of a house by security forces. Turkey’s largely Kurdish southeast has been hit by waves of violence in clashes between government security forces and members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) after a ceasefire fell apart last year. On the 15 Apr 16 authorities lifted a curfew imposed to fight Kurdish militants in an area of southeast Turkey’s largest city, Diyarbakir. The one-day curfew in Silwan district was lifted from 1630 hrs. The government has ruled out any return to the negotiating table and has said it will crush the PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies. The bombing of security force vehicles and installations is common in the southeast.
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