Militancy Flexes Muscles-Strong Muscles, This Time

Capture of Mosul

Hundreds of cars carrying Mosul residents caused a giant traffic jam outside the nearby city of Irbil–AFP

For two days, starting from June 9th, armed militants, reportedly belonging to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS), gained control over most parts of the city of Mosul. The militants claimed to have seized government offices, army facilities and Mosul International Airport.

Iraq’s prime minister has asked parliament to declare a state of emergency after Islamist militants effectively took control of Mosul and much of its province of Nineveh.

Nouri Maliki said “vital areas” of the city had been seized; some 150,000 people are believed to have fled.

BBC News’ Jim Muir reports: Nouri Maliki, who is struggling to form a government in the wake of the April elections, has vowed to drive the ISIS “terrorists” out of mainly-Sunni Mosul in short order.

He is unlikely to succeed soon. He made similar vows when Sunni militants took over Falluja, west of Baghdad, in January, and they are still there.

It is not yet clear whether it is only ISIS involved in the Mosul takeover. In Falluja and its province, Anbar, Mr Maliki has clearly alienated many Sunni tribesmen and others, creating fertile soil for the radicals.

The Karachi Siege

Smoke rises above the Jinnah International Airport where security forces continue to battle militants, June 9, 2014, in Karachi, Pakistan… AP

Yesterday, the whole subcontinent was gripped by fear, as militants, supposedly belonging to Taliban, retaliated against military airstrikes by attacking security forces at Karachi’s international airport.

This was the second occurrence of militancy after the first attack on Sunday night, in which at least 36 people were killed.

The second wave of attacks caused temporary closure of the Jinnah International Airport, Pakistan’s busiest airfield. In the following shootout between the army and the militants, the former claimed to have killed all the militants who had been holed up in the airport.

The Shia Martyrs

On Monday, at least 23 Shia pilgrims and are reported to have been killed by militants who attacked their buses in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province. Around 18 pilgrims are said to have been injured in the attack. The pilgrims were on their way back from Iran after the visit of holy sites. The banned Jaish-ul Islam outfit has reportedly claimed the responsibility of the attack.

It is surprising that the places militants chose to attack are of strategic importance. They are all the loci of the war against the terror, where airstrikes and anti-militancy engagement keep going on.

International community is concerned over the spillover effects of the attacks and is looking forward to the tactics both of Pakistan and Iraq in association with the US and allied forces in curbing the menace.