Turkey
Daily Sabah: 794 Terrorists Eliminated In 320 Operations This Year: Ministry
“Some 794 terrorists were eliminated in 320 operations since the beginning of the year, the Defense Ministry said Thursday. ‘As of Jan. 1, 320 operations, 19 large and 301 medium-scale have been carried out in northern Iraq and Syria, and 794 terrorists have been eliminated, 21 of which took place last week. Since July 24, 2015, 38,137 terrorists have been eliminated, including in the north of Iraq and Syria,’ the ministry said. All of Türkiye's operations against the terrorist threat are carried out in line with international law, respecting the borders and territorial integrity of all its neighbors, especially Iraq, within the scope of the right of self-defense and targeting only terrorist elements in the region, an official said, referring to operations targeting terrorist hideouts over the border. ‘Our army is fighting with great devotion to contribute to the peace and security of our country and the peace and stability of our region, the world and all humanity against all terrorist organizations,’ said the official, citing in particular the YPG/PKK, Daesh, and the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).”
Pakistan
Voice Of America News: Pakistan Army Major, 3 Soldiers Killed In Latest Militant Attacks
“Clashes with militants and a suicide car bombing in northwestern Pakistan overnight killed at least four soldiers, including an army major. A military statement said Thursday the violence occurred in Khyber and North Waziristan districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, both bordering Afghanistan and known former strongholds of militants. The statement said that Pakistani security forces late Wednesday conducted an ‘intelligence-based operation’ against a ‘terrorist’ hideout in Khyber, and the ensuing gunfight killed Major Mian Abdullah Shah, who was leading the operation. ‘Three terrorists and their facilitators were apprehended,’ the statement added. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, an outlawed group waging deadly attacks against security forces in the country, confirmed that its fighters were the target of the military raid.”
Dunya News: CTD Foils 133 Terrorism Attempts In Punjab
“The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Punjab has released its annual performance report, claiming to foil at least 133 attempts of terror attacks and arresting 177 suspects. According to a Punjab Police spokesperson, the department conducted 901 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in various districts, including Lahore, resulting in the arrest of 177 individuals involved in terrorist activities and anti-state activities. Moreover, 142 FIRs were registered. The spokesperson further stated that among the arrested individuals, three highly wanted terrorists included in the Red Book were also arrested. They were affiliated with the banned organisations. A large quantity of explosive materials such as suicide jackets, rockets, hand grenades, detonators, IEDs, and explosive substances were recovered from the possession of terrorists.”
Middle East
The Washington Post: Israeli Forces Kill 2 Wanted Palestinians In Shootout In The Occupied West Bank
“Israeli forces killed two wanted Palestinians in a flashpoint city in the occupied West Bank Friday, days after Israel concluded a major two-day offensive meant to crack down on militants. The persistent violence raised questions about the effectiveness of the raid earlier this week in the Jenin refugee camp, which saw Israel launch rare airstrikes on militant targets, deploy hundreds of troops and cause widespread damage to roads, homes and businesses. As a result of the raid, 12 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed. The Israeli domestic security agency Shin Bet said Friday the two men, who it said were behind a shooting attack this week on a police vehicle, were killed in a gun battle with Israeli forces in the heart of the city of Nablus, the West Bank’s commercial capital. The Palestinian Health Ministry said two men were killed by Israeli fire, identifying them as Khayri Mohammed Sari Shaheen, 34, and Hamza Moayed Mohammed Maqbool, 32.”
Reuters: Palestinian Gunman Kills Israeli Soldier In West Bank
“A Palestinian gunman shot and killed an Israeli soldier near a settlement in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, the military said, in an attack the Hamas militant group said it carried out in response to a two-day raid this week in Jenin. The gunman fired at security forces who had stopped to inspect his vehicle by the Kdumim settlement near the Palestinian city Nablus, the Israeli military said. He then fled the scene before he was tracked down and ‘neutralized,’ the military said. Hamas claimed him as a member and confirmed his death. ‘The heroic operation comes as a quick response to the occupation's aggression against our people in Jenin camp,’ Hamas's armed wing Izzeldeen Al-Qassam Brigades said. Israel's two-day operation in nearby Jenin was its biggest in the West Bank in years, as escalating violence has caused increasing international alarm. The Israeli military said the operation targeted infrastructure and weapons depots of militants.”
Kurdistan24: 13 ISIS Suspects Killed In Partnered Operations In Iraq And Syria In June: CENTCOM
“During the month of June 2023, US Central Command (CENTCOM, along with coalition and other partners, conducted a total of 37 anti-ISIS operations in Syria and Iraq, resulting in 13 ISIS operatives killed and 21 detained. ‘The continued reduction in ISIS activities in Iraq and Syria are a testament to our partner forces’ commitment to the safety and stability of the region,’ said Maj. Gen. Matthew McFarlane, CJTF-OIR Commanding General, said in a press statement. ‘The Coalition continues to advise, assist, and enable our partners in the lead toward an enduring defeat of ISIS.’ The coalition said the ‘operations showcase our enduring commitment to the lasting defeat of ISIS to preserve regional security and stability.’ A total of 12 ISIS suspects were killed and 7 detained in Iraq. While in Syria, one 1 ISIS suspect was killed and 14 were detained.”
Nigeria
The Guardian: Troops Kill Five Terrorists Attempting To Enter Nigeria From Cameroon Border
“Nigerian Troops have killed five members of Boko Haram and Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) terrorists attempting to cross the Nigerian territory from the Cameroon border. The troops are attached to Operation HADIN KAI in the North East. This was disclosed by the newly appointed Director, of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. ES Buba at Defence Headquarters, Abuja. Buba revealed that the five Boko Haram members were gunned down following an intelligence report that they laid ambush along Bula Yobe-Darel Jamel in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State. He said no fewer than 10 terrorists were captured alive.”
Sahara Reporters: ISWAP Fighters Clash With Boko Haram Members, Kill Rival Terrorists’ Wives, Children, Others In Nigeria’s Sambisa Forest
“The Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) terrorists have killed many Boko Haram fighters, including their women and children during a fresh clash in Sambisa Forest in Borno State, northeast Nigeria. This was disclosed by a popular counter-insurgency expert and security analyst in Lake Chad, Zagazola Makama in a Twitter post, where he claimed that the two terrorist groups clashed against each other on Wednesday, July 5, 2023. He said the ISWAP terrorists stormed the hideouts of Boko Haram in Bula Alhaji Garwaye, killing members of the rival group and their families. ‘They killed all the women and their children. Even little babies were not spared. The dead bodies could be more than 50. There are many of them. The dead bodies were scattered all over the place as we speak,’ a source privy to the incident was quoted by Zagazola. It was further noted that only a few Boko Haram members escaped while their belongings, including motorbikes, bicycles, and guns, were looted by the invaders.”
Africa
AFP News: 20 'Militants' Killed In Suspected Al-Shabaab Attack In Kenya: Police
“Kenya's national police force said on Thursday that 20 ‘militants’ had been killed and eight officers injured in a suspected Al-Shabaab attack near the country's border with Somalia. A special unit of police officers came under ‘heavy’ fire in an ambush on Wednesday while patrolling in Mandera, a county in northern Kenya that shares an extensive frontier with Somalia. The exchange ‘left 20 militants fatally injured’ and eight officers injured, the national police service said in a statement on its official Twitter account. ‘Police also recovered assorted weapons from the scene of crime,’ it added, alongside photographs of a heavy machine gun and rocket launchers."
United Kingdom
The Guardian: UK Shies Away From Designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guards As Terrorist Group
“The UK has rejected calls to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist group in favour of expanding the criteria by which supporters and companies can be put under sanctions. The new sanctions regime will for the first time allow ministers to sanction individuals for their activities inside the UK, and not just in Iran. The announcement to MPs on Thursday by the foreign secretary, James Cleverly, appears to resolve a long-running internal government debate over whether the IRGC, an Iranian state body, should be proscribed on the grounds that it had undertaken terrorist activities in the UK. The IRGC, the Basij Resistance Force, the ‘morality police’, and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani have already been placed under sanctions, but proscription would have made it a criminal offence in the UK to belong to the group, fund or express support for its activities. It would have effectively labelled the entire Tehran regime as a terrorist group since the IRGC is so central in the Iranian military structure.”
Germany
The Jerusalem Post: Germany Arrests 7 On Suspicion Of Forming ISIS-Like Terrorist Group
“German police arrested seven people on Thursday on suspicion of founding a terrorist organization with the aim of carrying out high-profile attacks similar to Islamic State, prosecutors said. The Turkmen, Tajik, and Kyrgyz nationals arrested in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia had known each other for a long time and entered the country from Ukraine shortly after the war began in 2022, said prosecutors. They formed a terrorist organization in June 2022 and had been considering targets in Germany and trying to procure weapons, but at the time of arrest did not have concrete plans for an attack, according to a statement from prosecutors. Except for the Kyrgyz national, the suspects arrested in Germany had also been collecting money for Islamic State since April 2022 and repeatedly transferred it to the group abroad.”
Europe
BBC: Sweden Jails Kurd For Financing Terrorism After Turkey Calls For Crackdown
“It is the first time Sweden's updated terror laws have been used in a case involving the Kurdish militant PKK. Turkey has long called on Stockholm to crack down on Kurdish separatists. Sweden's bid to join Nato has been delayed principally by Turkey's demand that it extradites dozens of people it views as terrorists. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet the Swedish prime minister in Lithuania on Monday ahead of a Nato summit, where Sweden is hoping to be welcomed into the Western defensive alliance. President Joe Biden told Sweden's leader Ulf Kristersson this week that the US was ‘anxiously looking forward’ to his country's membership.”
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