Militants kill and injure dozens in attack on Pakistani military base – media
An assault on a military base in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday evening has left at least 18 people dead and 42 injured, the AP has reported. The militant group Jaish Al-Fursan, affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the outlet.
The attack in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province began when two suicide bombers detonated explosive-laden vehicles against the base’s perimeter wall, creating a breach that allowed additional militants to storm the compound. A fierce gunfight ensued, during which security forces repelled the intruders. The military reported that five soldiers and 16 insurgents were killed in the confrontation.
The explosions occurred shortly after sunset, coinciding with the time when many residents were breaking their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The powerful blasts caused significant damage to nearby structures, including a mosque, where the collapsing roof trapped worshippers inside. Rescue workers recovered the body of the building’s imam from the rubble.
Local hospitals have been overwhelmed with casualties. Bannu District Hospital reported receiving 42 victims, including 12 fatalities, including at least four children. The hospital spokesperson noted that the majority of the casualties were civilians affected by collapsing buildings and walls.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has condemned the attackers as “cowardly terrorists who target innocent civilians during the holy month of Ramadan,” and stated that “the evil ambitions of the enemies of Pakistan will never be allowed to succeed.” He expressed deep sorrow over the loss of innocent civilian lives and praised the bravery of the security forces in thwarting the militants’ assault.
Pakistan has experienced a surge in militant attacks over the past few months, with several incidents occurring in the region, according to reports. Last year, a foiled attack on the Iqbal Shaheed Police Lines resulted in the death of four police officials and five militants, who were wearing burqas and suicide vests.
In December, Pakistan launched airstrikes which reportedly targeted suspected insurgent camps in the Waziristan border area. A spokesman for the Taliban government in Afghanistan claimed 46 people were killed in the attack, mostly women and children.
Syrian security forces "executed" 90 civilians on Friday in the Mediterranean heartland of ousted president Bashar al-Assad's Alawite minority, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
"Ninety Alawite civilians, at least six of them women, were executed by the security forces in the districts of Baniyas, Latakia and Jableh," the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, taking the overall toll from two days of unrest in Latakia and Tartus provinces to 185.
Syria's new authorities launched the sweeping security operation after clashes with fighters loyal to former president Bashar al-Assad, the biggest challenge to their rule so far.
The violence saw the fiercest attacks on the country's authorities since Assad was ousted in December in a lightning offensive by Islamist-led rebels.
A curfew was imposed in the coastal province of Latakia, the Assad clan's former stronghold and home to a sizeable Alawite community, the same religious minority as the former president.
Security forces began what official news agency SANA described as a "large-scale" operation in cities, towns and the mountains of Latakia and neighbouring Tartus, following the arrival of reinforcements.
The operation "targeted remnants of Assad's militias and those who supported them", a security official cited by SANA said, as he called on civilians to "stay in their homes".
The authorities also imposed curfews in Homs and Tartus.
Mustafa Kneifati, a security official in Latakia, said that in "a well-planned and premeditated attack, several groups of Assad militia remnants attacked our positions and checkpoints, targeting many of our patrols in the Jableh area".
Kneifati said security forces would "work to eliminate their presence". "We will restore stability to the region and protect the property of our people," he said.
SANA said meanwhile that security forces had detained Ibrahim Huweija, a general who was "accused of hundreds of assassinations" under the rule of Assad's father and predecessor, Hafez al-Assad.
'Everyone's afraid'
Ali, a farmer living in Jableh, told AFP he saw "urban battles and street fighting. All night, we heard the sounds of gunfire and explosions," he added. "Everyone's afraid ... we are trapped at home and we can't go out."
Thursday's clashes saw security forces conduct helicopter strikes after they clashed with gunmen loyal to Assad-era special forces commander Suhail al-Hassan in the village of Beit Ana, also in Latakia.
Tensions had erupted after residents of Beit Ana, the birthplace of Suhail al-Hassan, prevented security forces from arresting a person wanted for trading arms, the Observatory said.
Security forces subsequently launched a campaign in the area, resulting in clashes with gunmen, it added. The killing of at least four civilians during a security operation in Latakia also sparked tensions, the monitor said on Wednesday.
Security forces launched the campaign in the Daatour neighbourhood of the city on Tuesday after an ambush by "members of the remnants of Assad militias" killed two security personnel, state media reported.
Islamist rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched an offensive that toppled Assad on December 8, when he fled the country to Russia with his family.
Multiple high-ranking Assad loyalists have also fled since the former president's ouster, but many others remain in the country.
Syria's new security forces have since carried out extensive campaigns seeking to root out Assad loyalists from his former bastions.
Residents and organisations have reported violations during those campaigns, including the seizing of homes, field executions and kidnappings.
Syria's new authorities have described the violations as "isolated incidents" and vowed to pursue those responsible.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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Democratic Republic of the Congo: Muslims murder 23 in jihad massacre, take 20 hostage
“As for the captives, the amir [ruler] has the choice of taking the most beneficial action of four possibilities: the first to put them to death by cutting their necks; the second, to enslave them and apply the laws of slavery regarding their sale and manumission; the third, to ransom them in exchange for goods or prisoners; and fourth, to show favor to them and pardon them. Allah, may he be exalted, says, ‘When you encounter those [infidels] who deny [the Truth=Islam] then strike [their] necks’ (Qur’an sura 47, verse 4)” — Al-Mawardi, al-Ahkam as-Sultaniyyah (The Laws of Islamic Governance).
At least 23 killed in Islamist attack in north-east DR Congo
AFP, March 1, 2025:
BUNIA, DR Congo – At least 23 people were killed and about 20 taken hostage this week in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by a group linked to Islamic State, local sources told AFP Friday.
The attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) were carried out Tuesday and Wednesday in Ituri province along the border with Uganda.
“A total of 23 people executed by these rebels” in the villages of Matolo and Samboko, Jospin Paluku, coordinator of one of the main civil society organizations in Mambasa territory, told AFP, specifying that the toll is provisional.
At least another 20 civilians were “taken hostage, including the son of the village chief of Matolo”, he added.
Humanitarian groups confirmed the numbers and said they were likely to rise. The victims were mostly farmers working in the fields, a local police chief said….
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