Mariam Ellahi

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s security forces killed more than 70 militants linked to the proscribed Hafiz Gul Bahadur faction during overnight precision strikes in Paktika province in eastern Afghanistan, security sources said on Saturday.&nbsp;The strikes, carried out late on Friday, targeted what sources described as &ldquo;verified militant hideouts&rdquo; across the border. &ldquo;Over 70 terrorists belonging to the Khwaraji Gul Bahadur group, including several key commanders, were eliminated.&rdquo;&nbsp;Those killed included &ldquo;11 key ringleaders,&rdquo; among them commanders identified as Firman alias Al-Karama, Siddiqullah Dawar, Ghazi Madakhel, Muqarib, Qismatullah, Gulab alias Diwana, Rahmani, Adil, and Fazlur Rehman, the latter described by officials as a close relative of Hafiz Gul Bahadur.&nbsp;&ldquo;This is a major operational success that has significantly degraded the group&rsquo;s command and control structure,&rdquo; the sources said.&nbsp;The Hafiz Gul Bahadur faction, active in Pakistan&rsquo;s northwestern border regions, has been blamed for several deadly attacks in recent months, including a vehicle-borne suicide attack in North Waziristan that killed one soldier and several civilians, and an assault in Bannu Cantonment that left eight soldiers martyred.&nbsp;Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed the operations in a statement posted on social media earlier in the day, saying Pakistan&rsquo;s security forces had &ldquo;neutralized more than 100 terrorists&rdquo; in retaliatory actions along the Pak-Afghan border over the past 48 hours.&nbsp;&ldquo;The precision strikes targeted verified camps of the Gul Bahadur group, known locally as &lsquo;Kharjis,&rsquo;&rdquo; Tarar said. &ldquo;More than 100 Kharjis were sent to hell.&rdquo;&nbsp;He dismissed online claims that civilians were targeted as &ldquo;false propaganda aimed at garnering sympathy for terrorist groups.&rdquo;&nbsp;Tarar added that Pakistan &ldquo;reserves the right to act in self-defense&rdquo; but &ldquo;continues to seek diplomatic engagement with Afghan authorities&rdquo; to curb cross-border terrorism.&nbsp;Security analysts note that Gul Bahadur recently announced the formation of Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan (IMP), an umbrella alliance that includes Lashkar-e-Islam and Harkat-e-Inqilab-e-Islami Pakistan, seen as one of the most potent new militant networks in the region.&nbsp;Sources say the latest strikes have dealt &ldquo;a serious blow&rdquo; to the IMP&rsquo;s ability to conduct cross-border infiltration and vehicle-borne attacks, but caution that splinter groups often re-emerge under new leadership.&nbsp;The strikes come amid growing tensions between Islamabad and Kabul over the presence of militant sanctuaries inside Afghanistan and a surge in cross-border attacks targeting Pakistani troops and civilians.

Security

Pakistan’s latest cross-border strikes reflect escalating tensions with Afghanistan over militant sanctuaries, as Islamabad attributes recent deadly attacks in its northwestern border region to the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group and affiliated militant networks.

Over 70 militants killed in Afghan border strikes: security sources

BEIRUT: Israel carried out intense airstrikes on southern Lebanon early Saturday, killing one person, wounding seven, and briefly cutting a highway that links Beirut with parts of south Lebanon, the Health Ministry said. The pre-dawn airstrikes on the village of Msayleh struck a place that sold heavy machinery, destroying a large number of vehicles. A vehicle carrying vegetables that happened to be passing by at the time of the strikes was hit, killing one person and wounding another, according to Hezbollah&rsquo;s Al-Manar TV. The Health Ministry later said that the one slain was a Syrian citizen, while the wounded were a Syrian national and six Lebanese, including two women. The Israeli military said it struck a place where machinery was stored to be used to rebuild infrastructure for the militant Hezbollah group. Since the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war ended in late November with a US-brokered ceasefire, Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes killing dozens of people. Israel accuses Hezbollah of trying to rebuild its capabilities after the group suffered heavy losses during the war. Earlier this month, the UN human rights chief, Volker T&uuml;rk, called for renewed efforts to bring a permanent end to hostilities in Lebanon following the war. He said that until the end of September, they have verified 103 civilians killed in Lebanon since the ceasefire. The most recent Israel-Hezbollah war killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon, including hundreds of civilians, and caused an estimated $11 billion worth of destruction, according to the World Bank. In Israel, 127 people died, including 80 soldiers. The war started when Hezbollah began firing rockets across the border on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after a deadly Hamas-led incursion into southern Israel sparked the war in Gaza. Israel responded with shelling and airstrikes in Lebanon, and the two sides became locked in an escalating conflict that became a full-blown war in late September 2024.

Middle East

A pre-dawn Israeli strike hit a machinery site in Msayleh early Saturday, damaging infrastructure and civilian vehicles. The strikes targeted equipment allegedly tied to Hezbollah, amid ongoing post-war tensions that persist despite last year’s ceasefire.


Israel strikes south Lebanon, killing 1 and wounding 7

CAIRO: A US delegation headed by presidential envoy Steve Witkoff will take part in talks on Wednesday focused on a Gaza truce and a possible hostage-prisoner exchange, Egypt&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said.&nbsp;Speaking at a joint press conference with his German counterpart, Abdelatty said Tuesday that he and Johann Wadephul &ldquo;held an extensive discussion with Steve Witkoff, who is due to arrive in Egypt within hours.&rdquo; <span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The first day of talks focused on discussions around a proposed prisoner and captive exchange, a ceasefire, and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, a<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" id="isPasted">ccording to Egypt&rsquo;s state-linked Al-Qahera News<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">. The talks in Egypt&rsquo;s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh are brokered by the US and aim at hammering out details for the plan&rsquo;s first phase. That includes a ceasefire to allow for the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Trump&#39;s plan has received wide international backing and raised hopes for an end to a devastating war that has upended global politics, left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead and the Gaza Strip in ruins. The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, following a Hamas-led attack on Israel. Many uncertainties remain around the latest plan, including the demand for Hamas to disarm and the future governance of Gaza. Tuesday marks two years since the war began. Here&rsquo;s what we know: Who&rsquo;s at the talksUS envoy Steve Witkoff is leading the US negotiating team, according to a senior Egyptian official Saturday. Local Egyptian media said that Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump&rsquo;s son-in-law, arrived in Egypt and are expected to join the talks. The Israelis are led by top negotiator Ron Dermer, while Khalil al-Hayyah leads the Hamas delegation. Netanyahu&rsquo;s office said that foreign policy adviser Ophir Falk would also be present for Israel among others. It&#39;s not clear how long the talks would last. Netanyahu said they would be &ldquo;confined to a few days maximum,&rdquo; and Trump has said that Hamas must move quickly, &quot;or else all bets will be off.&quot; Hamas officials have warned more time may be needed to locate bodies of hostages buried under rubble. The plan&rsquo;s essentialsAll hostilities would &mdash; in theory &mdash; immediately end. Under the deal, Hamas would release all hostages it holds, living or dead, within 72 hours. The militants still have 48 hostages. Israel believes about 20 of them are alive. Israel would free 250 Palestinians serving life sentences in its prisons and 1,700 people detained from Gaza since the war began, including all women and children. Israel also would hand over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for each body of a hostage handed over. Israeli troops would withdraw from Gaza after Hamas disarms, and an international security force would deploy. The territory would be placed under international governance, with Trump and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair overseeing it. An interim administration of Palestinian technocrats would run day-to-day affairs. Hamas would have no part in administering Gaza, and all its military infrastructure, including tunnels, would be dismantled. Members who pledge to live peacefully would be granted amnesty. Those who wish to leave Gaza can.&nbsp; Palestinians wouldn&#39;t be expelled from Gaza. Large amounts of humanitarian aid would be allowed and would be run by &ldquo;neutral international bodies,&rdquo; including the United Nations and the Red Crescent. What Hamas has saidA Hamas statement on Friday said that it was willing to release the hostages and hand over power to other Palestinians, but that other aspects of the plan require further consultations among Palestinians. The statement made no mention of Hamas disarming, which is a key Israeli demand. The statement also reiterated its longstanding openness to handing power over to a politically independent Palestinian body. What Israel has saidNetanyahu said on Friday that Israel was prepared for the implementation of the &ldquo;first stage&rdquo; of Trump&rsquo;s plan, apparently referring to the release of hostages. But his office said in a statement that Israel was committed to ending the war based on principles that it has set out before. Netanyahu has long said that Hamas must surrender and disarm. Israel&rsquo;s army on Saturday said that the country&rsquo;s leaders had instructed it to prepare for the first phase of the US plan. What remains uncertainQuestions include the timing of key steps. One Hamas official said that it would need days or weeks to locate some hostages&#39; bodies. And senior Hamas officials have suggested that there are still major disagreements requiring further negotiations. A key demand is for Hamas to disarm, but the group&#39;s response made no mention of that. It&rsquo;s not clear that Hamas officials can agree among themselves on the plan. A senior official, Mousa Abu Marzouk, said that Hamas was willing to hand over its weapons to a future Palestinian body that runs Gaza, but there was no mention of that in the group&#39;s official statement responding to Trump&#39;s plan. Another official, Osama Hamdan, told Al Araby television that Hamas would refuse foreign administration of the Gaza Strip and that the entry of foreign forces would be &ldquo;unacceptable.&rdquo; Parts of the plan remain unclear. Hamas wants Israel to leave Gaza completely, but the plan says Israel would maintain a &ldquo;security perimeter presence,&rdquo; which could mean it would keep a buffer zone inside the territory. And the future of Gaza remains in question. The plan says that if the Palestinian Authority, which administers the occupied West Bank, reforms sufficiently and Gaza redevelopment advances, &ldquo;the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.&rdquo; With additional input from AFP.

Israel and Hamas begin US-brokered talks in Egypt on Trump’s peace plan, aiming for a Gaza ceasefire, hostage-prisoner exchange, Hamas disarmament, Israeli withdrawal, and international governance to end the two-year war.

US envoy Witkoff to lead delegation joining Gaza talks Wednesday: Egypt FM

YEMEN: Israeli strikes on Sanaa killed at least nine people and wounded more than 170 on Thursday, Yemen&#39;s Houthis said, a day after they launched a drone attack on southern Israel. AFP correspondents heard explosions and saw plumes of smoke rising from three locations in the Sanaa area, in the latest retaliatory attack since the Houthis began targeting Israel in the wake of the Gaza war. Israeli forces hit several Houthi-linked targets in the rebel-held capital, Israeli officials said, warning of more attacks to come. Houthi media said the targets included a detention facility. The Israeli military later said &quot;a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted&quot;, with sirens blaring in central Israel. Rescuers in Yemen were still searching for victims of Israeli strikes, which left &quot;nine martyrs and 174 wounded,&quot; Houthi health ministry spokesman Anees Alasbahi said in an updated toll on X. The Houthis&#39; Al-Masirah television channel, citing a security source, said Israel &quot;targeted one of the (security and intelligence) service&#39;s correctional facilities, which houses a number of prisoners and detainees&quot;. Al-Masirah earlier said that a power station and two residential neighbourhoods had been targeted, sharing pictures that showed low-rise buildings with bombed-out windows. One picture showed twisted metal and pieces of concrete filling the street as people looked on, with another photo showing people on the roof of a badly damaged building. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the strikes &quot;dealt a powerful blow to numerous terror targets of the Houthi terror organization in Sanaa.&quot; They hit &quot;several military camps... eliminated dozens of Huthi terror operatives, and destroyed stockpiles of UAVs (drones) and weaponry,&quot; Katz said on X. The Israeli military said the targets included the Houthis&#39; general staff headquarters, as well as other security and intelligence sites, including some used to store weapons and &quot;plan and execute&quot; attacks on Israel. It added that the rebels&#39; &quot;military public relations headquarters&quot; was also targeted. The military statement warned Israel would &quot;conduct additional offensive operations against the Houthi regime in the near future.&quot; Failed interceptionThe Israeli strikes on Sanaa came moments before Al-Masirah began broadcasting rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi&#39;s weekly pre-recorded speech. The impact sites were cordoned off, an AFP correspondent said. The Houthi authorities have previously warned Yemenis against publishing footage of locations hit in strikes, describing it as &quot;a service to the enemy.&quot; On Wednesday, a drone attack claimed by the Houthis struck the southern Israeli tourist resort of Eilat after failed attempts by Israel&#39;s air defences to intercept it. Rescuers reported 22 wounded, including two in serious condition. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Katz warned of a severe response. The Iran-backed Huthi rebels began targeting Israel with missiles and drones, as well as attacking vessels they deem linked to the country, after the 2023 start of the Gaza war. The Houthis say they act in solidarity with Palestinians. Israel, in response, has carried out strikes in Yemen, mainly targeting infrastructure such as ports, power stations, and Sanaa&#39;s international airport. In August, Israel assassinated the head of the Houthi government, Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, together with other senior officials. Israeli strikes killed 46 people earlier this month, according to Houthi authorities. The dead include journalists working for the September 26 and al-Yaman newspapers, who were killed in an attack on Sanaa that targeted the Houthis&#39; military media operation.

Israeli strikes on Sanaa killed at least nine people and wounded more than 170 on Thursday, Yemen's Houthis said, a day after the rebels launched a drone attack on southern Israel.


Articles tagged with "Strikes"

Over 70 militants killed in Afghan border strikes: security sources

Israel strikes south Lebanon, killing 1 and wounding 7

US envoy Witkoff to lead delegation joining Gaza talks Wednesday: Egypt FM

Israeli strikes kill 9 in Yemen's rebel-held capital: Houthis