The National Resistance Front (NRF) stated on ‘X’ that two Taliban fighters, including Mullah Karim, were killed during an attack on the Herat Border Brigade in the 12th Police District (PD) of Herat City of Herat Province on July 1.
On July 2, Taliban flogged 18 civilians accused of theft and other unlawful acts in the city of Tirin Kot, the capital of Uruzgan Province, reports Amu TV. The statement from the Taliban-run Supreme Court detailed that three individuals received 30 lashes each and were sentenced to 10 months in prison. Five others received 19 lashes each. Two individuals were lashed 39 times and sentenced to eight months in prison, while three others received 29 lashes each and were sentenced to two years in prison. One person received 25 lashes and a two-year prison sentence, and another received 30 lashes along with a one-year prison sentence.
Following the conclusion of the third round of Doha talks, where Afghanistan’s banking system, private sector, and drug policy were discussed with Taliban representatives, Vedant Patel, Deputy Spokesperson for the United States (US) Department of State, attributed Afghanistan's banking restrictions to the Taliban's "atrocious" human rights record, as reported by Amu TV on July 2. Patel stated, "I don’t have a specific readout from the conference at the moment, but what I can say is that Tom [West] made clear that the primary reason private banks have reservations about doing more business in Afghanistan is reputational, rooted in the Taliban’s atrocious human rights conduct. We know that the Taliban often complain about sanctions, but given the broad general license issued by the Treasury Department, relief organizations as well as businesses have the leeway they need to support the Afghan people."
Zabihullah Mujahid, hief spokesman for the Taliban, stated that Pakistani diplomats held a positive meeting with Afghanistan’s Taliban-led interim government representatives in Qatar, discussing bilateral and regional issues aimed at easing tension and improving strained ties between the neighboring countries, reports Etemaad on July 2. Mujahid described his meeting with Pakistani diplomats as “good” and expressed the hope for developing “positive relations” with Pakistan.
On July 1, an Ansar al-Islam operative, identified as Parvin Akhtar (24) who was secretly training and recruiting members under the guise of running a fish farm, was arrested by the Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) in Netakona District of Dhaka Division, reports Dhaka Tribune and The Daily Star. A Police official said, "Arrested Parvin Akhter and her associates were giving training and recruiting members for the banned group under the guise of running a fish farm. They used the fish farm as a training centre, discreetly gathering and training recruits from across the country using their vehicles."
On July 1, the Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) recovered three Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) from a flat in a four-story residential building rented by operatives of Ansar al-Islam in Rupganj Upazila (Sub-District) in Narayanganj District of Dhaka Division and later defused them through controlled explosions, reports The Daily Star. Mohammad Sanowar Hossain, Superintendent of Police (Operations) of ATU, said, "The flat was rented by militants as a hideout. Two men and one woman, along with two children, were living in this flat for a few months. Those three adults have connections with Ansar al-Islam."
Five Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres were killed in an encounter with the Security Forces (SFs) comprising personnel from the District Reserve Guards (DRG), the Special Task Force (STF), the Border Security Force (BSF), and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in a forest under the Kohakmeta Police Station area in Narayanpur District in the Bastar division of Chhattisgarh on July 2, reports The Indian Express. A huge cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from the encounter site, along with the bodies of five Maoists. The identity of the slain Maoists is yet to be ascertained.
Border Security Force (BSF) stated on X that troops killed an infiltrator from Pakistan at the International border (IB) in Sardarpura village of Fazilka District of Punjab on July 1. No recovery of arms and ammunition was reported.
On June 30, in a joint operation of Sopore Police, 22 Rashtriya Rifles and 179 Battalion of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), a terror associate, identified as Waheed ul Zahoor was arrested along with arms, and ammunition, including two Turkish Pistols, three Turkish Pistol Magazine, 41 Pistol Rounds, two Chinese Grenade, one Turkish Pistol Silencer, and incriminating Improvised Explosive Device (IED) materials, and other incriminating material from his vehicle from Machipora village in Handwara Tehsil (revenue unit) in Kupwara District of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), reports Daily Excelsior.
A Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadre, identified as Sadho alias Sadho Hembram, was arrested by Police from his house under Arki Police Station area in Khunti District of Jharkhand on July 1, reports The Avenue Mail. During this, 45 pieces of Maoist posters and a banner were recovered from the house. A bike was also seized. Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Varun Rajak said that a total of three cases are registered against him in Arki police station. In which there is also a case of murder. In which he is accused of murder in the case registered on 22 December 2023. Sado Hembram is also accused of murder. He was involved in the murder of Jeevan Hembram in Bohanda of Arki police station area on 22 December 2023.
Security forces (SFs) recovered a cache of arms and ammunition including, eight AK magazines, 445 live AK rounds, a pistol, three pistol magazines, 13 live pistol rounds, and a hand grenade during a search operation in the Nangari forest of Dardpora Kralpora area in Kupwara District of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) on July 2, reports Daily Excelsior.
On July 2, security forces (SFs) carried out a search operation at Laimanai Laimaton Hill areas under Waikhong Police station in Kakching District of Manipur and recovered a cache of arms, ammunition and explosives, reports The Sangai Express. The recovery included one AK-56 Rifle with an empty magazine, one baofeng walkie talkie set, three hand grenades, one tube launcher, four blank cartridges, two bullet proof vests and 12 detonators.
Border Security Force (BSF) stated on X that, troops recovered one drone (China-made DJI Mavic 3 classic) along with one packet of heroin (357 grams) in Machhiwara village in Ferozepur District of Punjab on July 1. The narcotics were wrapped in yellow color adhesive tape and one nylon loop along with an illuminating ball were found attached to the packet.
A Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) ‘militia’ (people’s army of the Maoists) member, identified as Madivi Joga of Jettipadu in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh, surrendered before Cherla Police in Bhadradri Kothagudem District of Telangana on July 2, reports Telangana Today. Bhadrachalam Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Paritosh Pankaj, informed that the ‘militia’ member joined the Maoists two years ago at the behest of Puttapadu ‘militia commander’ Madakam Deva. He surrendered to the Police voluntarily as he was vexed by the Maoists’ ideology and violent acts.
Tahawwur Rana (63), accused in 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks is extraditable under the plain provision of United States (US)-India Extradition Treaty, stated Assistant US Attorney, Criminal Appeals Chief Attorney Bram Alden in his closing argument before US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, reports The Indian Express on July 3. The statement was an outcome of a denial of a writ of habeas corpus filed by Rana in May, 2024 challenging the US District Court’s order in California which acceded with the request of the US government that he be extradited to India. With the denial of the writ, Alden said “Rana is extraditable to India under the plain provisions of the treaty, and India has established probable cause to prosecute him for his role in terrorist attacks that resulted in 166 deaths and 239 injuries”. Currently, Rana is lodged in a jail in Los Angeles, California, in the US on charges of his role in 26/11 Mumbai attacks and is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
On July 3, The Kathmandu Post reported that Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, following the formation of a new political alliance between the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML), refused to step down and decided to face a vote of confidence in parliament.
According to data released by an Islamabad-based think-tank, Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), militants carried out 69 attacks across the country in the month of June, Dawn reported on July 2. These attacks resulted in 60 deaths, including 33 Security Forces (SFs) personnel, 26 civilians, and one militant. Additionally, 65 people were injured: 33 civilians, 31 SF personnel, and one militant. Compared to May, there was a 20 per cent decline in militant attacks, a 33 per cent decrease in resultant deaths, and a 25 per cent decrease in injuries. The month of June also witnessed the arrest of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) top ‘commander’ Nasrullah alias Maulvi Mansoor, a member of the TTP’s Shura. The data shows that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) remained the most affected province, followed by Balochistan. In KP, militants carried out 27 attacks, resulting in 21 deaths, including 15 SF personnel and five civilians, while 18 people were injured, including nine civilians, eight SF personnel, and one militant. Militants also kidnapped five people, highlighting a rising trend in kidnapping in the province. In tribal Districts of KP (erstwhile FATA), militants carried out 28 attacks, resulting in 30 deaths, including 18 civilians and 12 SF personnel, and 28 injuries, including 16 SFs personnel and 12 civilians. Balochistan witnessed 11 attacks, resulting in six deaths, including four SF personnel and two civilians, while 14 people were injured, including eight civilians and six SF personnel. Insurgents also kidnapped 10 people from Balochistan, three of them were later released. Balochistan recorded a 52 per cent decline in militant attacks, an 80 per cent decline in resultant deaths, and a 69 per cent decline in injuries in June, which is significant in the context of the prevailing security situation. Punjab and Sindh also saw improvement in security, with the former witnessing one and the latter two militant attacks, resulting in one death in Punjab and two in Sindh.
The talks were held at the residence of Pakistan’s Ambassador to Qatar, between Pakistan’s special envoy on Afghanistan Ambassador Asif Durrani and Chief Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid on Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) at the third meeting of the Doha process on Afghanistan on July 1, reports The Express Tribune. Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban held crucial talks, first in several months, in the Qatari capital as part of the latest push to iron out their differences on TTP. Durrani and Mujahid were leading their countries' respective delegations. On the sidelines, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Qatar invited Zabiullah Mujahid over a dinner where they held formal talks with Ambassador Asif Durrani. Mujahid termed his interaction with Pakistan as “good” and expressed the hope that relations between the two neighbours would improve. Durrani, meanwhile, said he discussed the Doha meeting and regional issues with the Taliban delegation. The meeting took place against the backdrop of simmering tensions between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban government. Tensions deepened further after Pakistan indicated it might resort to cross border strikes to target the terrorist hideouts of TTP.