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Ministry of defense
PAO
Media Analysis section
Media Analysis Executive Summary for
6- May – 2015
27 Taliban Insurgents Killed in Nationwide ANSF Operations
TOLOnew
At least 27 insurgents have been killed in a series of coordinated operations over the past 24 hours by the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said in a statement on Tuesday.
In addition, 35 insurgents were injured.
The operations were conducted in Kandahar, Uruzgan, Nangarhar, Helmand, Badghis, Farah, Paktiya and Zabul provinces, the statement said.
"During the same 24 hour period, Afghan National Police discovered and defused four different types of IEDs placed by enemies of Afghanistan for destructive activities in Arghistan district of southern Kandahar province," it said.
The MoI, however, did not comment on whether any security force members were injured during the operations.
3 people killed in gun battle between LPC members in Mehtarlam
Khaama news
Three people lost their lives and six others sustained injuries during a gun battle erupted between two members of Laghman Provincial Council on Tuesday.
Sarhadi Zwak, spokesman for the governor of Laghman province says that the gun battle erupted between Ajmal Waf, the deputy head of the provincial council and Mohammad Yousuf Malangzoi a member of the council today.
He said both sides exchanged fire in the provincial capital Mehtarlam leaving three people killed and six others wounded.
Zwak further said that those killed included Ajmal Wafa’s brother, a guard and a civilians.
Those wounded included a brother of Mohammad Yousuf Malangzoi.
The cause of the skirmish is not yet identified.
Al-Qaeda accuses Indian PM for conspiracies against Muslims
Khaama news
Al-Qaeda’s branch of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) in a video has blamed Indian Prime Minister for conspiracies against Muslims.
Maulana Asim Umar has said that a war has been initiated through the utterance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi against Muslims.
The video released by Al-Qaeda’s media wing As-Sahab on May two is titled “‘From France to Bangladesh: The Dust Will Never Settle Down” which mentions Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in war against Muslims.
AQIS’s chief, Indian-born Maulana Asim Umar says in the video “through World Bank and IMF policies, drone attacks, satanic conspiracy of Kerry-Lugar bill, Charlie Hebdo’s writings, UN charter, official sermons by muftis and Narendra Modi’s speeches which call for Muslims to be burnt alive- this is the same war.”
However, analyzers believe by sending out such a message AQIS wants to attract attention.
Umar is believed to be from northern part of India who migrated to Pakistan in early nineties.
AQIS under the leadership of Umar has claimed responsibility for the assassination of several secular writers and intellectuals in Pakistan and Bangladesh, including Avijit Roy, a Bangladeshi-American activist who was killed in Dhaka in February.
The authenticity of the video released on May 2 is not ascertained yet.
AQIS was announced by the Al-Qaeda leader Ayaman Al-Zawahiri last year.
Some Progress Is Reported in Informal Afghan-Taliban Talks
New York times
KABUL, Afghanistan — Two days of informal talks between Afghan government and Taliban representatives produced a series of agreements that, while not binding, raised the prospect of advancement in Afghanistan’s long deadlocked peace process, judging from a summary of the talks released by the organizers on Monday.
Both sides agreed that the Taliban should open a political office in Doha, Qatar, which would serve as a place where future negotiations might take place; the government of Afghanistan had previously opposed that. Both agreed that the Constitution of Afghanistan was up for discussion; that had once been a so-called red line for the Afghan government.
The Taliban signaled that they might be willing to drop their demand that all foreign troops, such as the residual American and NATO force of 13,000 trainers and counterterrorism troops, would have to be withdrawn before peace talks could take place.
“In general, the peace process should be speeded up!” read a summary of the talks issued by the Pugwash Conferences, the international organization that hosted them in Qatar on Saturday and Sunday. “Some would welcome the possibility of talks between the Taliban and the government.”
The Taliban also joined with Afghan government figures in committing to education for women, which the Taliban had mostly stamped out during their years in power.
“The value of education for both men and women was underlined by everybody,” the Pugwash summary of the talks said. Pugwash, a Nobel Prize-winning organization that promotes world peace, has hosted several conferences involving indirect talks between the Afghan parties, known as “track two” talks.
This was the first one, however, in which the parties seemed willing to publicize their points of agreement.
While everyone involved emphasized that the talks were among individuals and represented their personal opinions, those present included leading figures from the Taliban ranks, as well as important government officials and allies.
In a separate statement, the Taliban denounced the American role in the country and demanded a withdrawal, but did not appear to make that a precondition for peace talks, as they often have in the past.
“Peace cannot be achieved just in talks and slogans,” the Taliban statement, posted on the group’s website, read. “There is a need for determination and good intentions.” They also appeared to dismiss a role for Pakistan in future talks, criticizing “peace talk offers that are usually made to neighboring countries.”
Pakistan has long allowed the Taliban’s senior leadership to take refuge on its side of the border and has been wary of peace overtures that its government does not control.
“Everybody agreed that foreign forces have to leave Afghanistan soon,” the summary of the talks said. But it added, “Some expressed concern that there should be an agreement among Afghan political forces before the departure of the foreign forces.
8 soldiers martyred, 27 militants killed in military operations
Khaama news
Eight soldiers embraced martyrdom while 27 militants killed during separate military operations across the country in past 24 hours, statements issued this morning by the ministries of defense and interior state.
According to the Ministry of Defense statement the eight soldiers embraced martyrdom due to a landmine explosion and militant fire. There is no mention of exact location of the terrorist actions.
Another statement issued by the Ministry of Interior states that 27 militants were killed and 10 wounded during separate military operations in eight provinces in past 24 hours.
The statement adds that the operations were jointly conducted by Afghan National Police, Afghan National Army and personnel from the National Directorate of Security in Uruzgan, Nangarhar, Helmand, Badghis, Paktiya, Farah, Zabul and Kandahar province.
National security forces also defused several Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) during the operation in Arghistan District of Kandahar province, the statement adds.
Nepal earthquake: UK agencies warn of serious disease after disaster
BBC News
Aid workers from around the world have been helping with relief and rescue operations
There is a risk of serious outbreaks of disease in the aftermath of the Nepal earthquake, aid agencies have warned.
A lack of shelter, contaminated water and poor sanitation could lead to cholera, dysentery and other water-borne diseases, the charities said.
The UK's Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) said in some areas people were living and defecating in the open.
The umbrella organisation, formed of 12 charities, said immediate action was needed to tackle the problem.
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake is now known to have killed more than 7,500 people and injured more than 14,500.
More than 4,000 aid workers from around the world have been helping with relief and rescue operations.
Charities are relying on volunteers to treat those wounded in Nepal
A spokesman for the DEC, which has been running a major appeal to provide aid to the country, said there had already been reports of diarrhoea outbreaks and chest infections.
DEC member agencies have been working to provide better emergency shelter and to ensure drinking water and sanitation are a part of the emergency response.
The scale and cost of this aspect of the response are still being assessed but it was clear action was needed now before the rainy season starts in June, a spokesman said.
"Cholera is endemic in Nepal, so an outbreak would not be unprecedented; last year 600 people caught cholera and in 2009 a major outbreak affected more than 300,000 people," he added.
Nepal earthquake relief
The DEC appeal has so far raised more than £33m. The UK government has matched the first £5m of public donations to the DEC and committed a further £17.8m in humanitarian aid, making it the largest international donor with a total contribution of £22.8m.
The money is being used to provide drinking water, toilets and family hygiene kits at camps for displaced people.
The Royal Air Force has flown aid into Nepal after the devastating earthquake
British rescuers have also been playing a key role in the relief effort which has followed the Nepal earthquake.
Among the work by the UK International Search and Rescue team deployed by the Department for International Development has been taking a four-year-old girl with a serious leg injury to a field hospital for treatment and treating a young boy's broken arm using a plastic bottle as a splint.
Glynnis Brooks, head of health, water, sanitation and hygiene at the British Red Cross, said: "Water and sanitation remain critical at this stage of the disaster, as those affected are generally much more susceptible to illness and death from disease.
"Given the scale of the damage to infrastructure near the epicentre of the quake, rehabilitation of water supplies will take time, so it is essential that humanitarian agencies assist the government by providing people affected with clean, safe water supplies."
Among the DEC member agencies, Oxfam has been providing water and sanitation in four camps in the Kathmandu Valley and Action Aid has distributed disinfectant kits for cleaning to 2,500 people in Khokana and Paanga just outside Kathmandu.
Care has been delivering jerry cans and hygiene items including soap, and is also distributing water purification tablets to people who are particularly susceptible to water-borne illness such as diarrhoea.
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