ABUJA: Daesh-allied Boko Haram militants have killed another kidnapped female aid worker in northeast Nigeria, the government said, a month after one of her colleagues was murdered.
Three female health workers were kidnapped during a Boko Haram raid on the remote town of Rann, in Borno state, on March 1 that killed three other aid workers and eight Nigerian soldiers.
Two of the kidnapped women, Hauwa Liman and Saifura Khorsa, worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), while the third, Alice Loksha, worked for the UN children’s agency, UNICEF.
There had been no news of the trio until last month when the ICRC said it had received footage of Khorsa’s killing from the Daesh-backed Boko Haram faction Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
ISWAP then threatened to kill Liman and Loksha, as well as a 15-year-old Christian schoolgirl Leah Sharibu who was kidnapped from the town of Dapchi, in Yobe state, in February.
The ICRC last weekend appealed for the captives’ release and for the militants to show mercy, as they were “doing nothing but helping communities” in the conflict-riven region.
But Nigeria’s Information Minister Lai Mohammed announced the latest death as a deadline expired and said the government was “shocked and saddened” at the unjustified killing, calling it “dastardly, inhuman and ungodly.”
He did not initially identify the victim but later added in a tweet that he “commiserated with the family of Hauwa Liman.”
The ICRC said it did not have official confirmation, adding: “We desperately hope not. We will provide an update when we have accurate information.
“This situation is heartbreaking, and our thoughts remain with her family,” it added.
Mohammed said: “It is very unfortunate that it has come to this. Before and after the deadline issued by her abductors, the federal government did everything any responsible government should do to save the aid worker.
“As we have been doing since these young women were abducted, we kept the line of negotiations open all through. In all the negotiations, we acted in the best interest of the women and the country as a whole.
“We are deeply pained by this killing, just like we were by the recent killing of the first aid worker.
“However, we will keep the negotiations open and continue to work to free the innocent women who remain in the custody of their abductors.”
More than 27,000 people have been killed in northeast Nigeria since the Boko Haram insurgency began in 2009, while nearly two million others remain homeless.
Nigeria’s military and government maintain the Islamist rebels are weakened to the point of defeat but fighters from the Daesh-backed faction have conducted repeated raids on military bases in recent months.
ISWAP split from the faction led by long-time Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in August 2016 in protest at the latter’s indiscriminate targeting of civilians in raids and suicide bombings.
Analysts tracing the conflict believe the switch from attacking “hard” government and military targets to killing hostages is the result of a hard-line takeover of the IS-backed faction.
Boko Haram has used kidnapping as a weapon of war during the conflict, abducting thousands of women and girls, and forcing young men and boys to fight in their ranks.
The mass abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls from the Borno state town of Chibok in April 2014 brought global attention to the insurgency and was widely condemned. Some 107 girls have since been released or found.
Boko Haram kills another aid worker in northeast Nigeria
Boko Haram kills another aid worker in northeast Nigeria
- The death came just a month after one of her colleagues was murdered
- More than 27,000 people have been killed in northeast Nigeria since the Boko Haram insurgency began in 2009
Eight Chinese Hangor submarines to enter Pakistan fleet ‘very soon’— naval chief
- Joint construction of eight Hangor-class submarines is key project in China-Pakistan naval cooperation
- Pakistan signed agreement with China to procure eight Hangor-class conventional submarines in 2015
ISLAMABAD: Chief of the Pakistan Naval Staff, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, has said this month eight Hangor-class submarines built for Pakistan by China would be included in the South Asian country’s fleet “very soon.”
The joint construction of eight Hangor-class submarines is a key project in China-Pakistan naval cooperation. This type of submarine is equipped with the latest weapons and sensors and with an air independent propulsion (AIP) system on board, the submarine has significantly enhanced submerged endurance capabilities.
Pakistan signed a contract with China to procure eight Hangor-class conventional submarines in 2015, with the first four to be constructed by China and the other four to be assembled by Pakistan under a technology transfer agreement. The plan was that Pakistan will obtain the eight advanced submarines between 2022 and 2028. In December 2021, the fifth Hangor-class conventional submarine, also the first one built in Pakistan, officially received a steel cutting ceremony.
In an interview to China’s Global Times newspaper this month, Ashraf said the Hangor-class submarines would “significantly enhance” Pakistan’s naval capabilities, improving stealth, maneuverability and firepower.
“The project is proceeding as per the timeline. We expect that these submarines will join the Pakistan Navy fleet very soon,” Ashraf said.
The initial Hangor delivery timetable would have seen the four Chinese-built submarines delivered by 2023. But there have been widespread reports that Germany had refused to approve export licenses for its MTU 396 diesel engine, which the submarine was designed to use. The German government had also declined to grant export licenses for its engines in regard to Thailand’s order of the S-26T, a variant of the Chinese Type 039B submarine. The Thai deal eventually fell through.
Neither Germany nor Pakistan have confirmed whether export clearance was ultimately approved or denied.
When Pakistan’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) ordered the eight submarines from China in 2015 at an approximate cost of $4–5 billion, it was the largest arms export contract in China’s military history.
Trump ‘not confident’ Gaza deal will hold
- Donald Trump however believes Hamas had been ‘weakened’ in the war
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Monday he was not confident a ceasefire deal in Gaza would hold, despite trumpeting his diplomacy to secure it ahead of his inauguration.
Asked by a reporter as he returned to the White House whether the two sides would maintain the truce and move on in the agreement, Trump said, “I’m not confident.”
“That’s not our war; it’s their war. But I’m not confident,” Trump said.
Trump, however, said that he believed Hamas had been “weakened” in the war that began with its unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
“I looked at a picture of Gaza. Gaza is like a massive demolition site,” Trump said.
The property tycoon turned populist politician said that Gaza could see a “fantastic” reconstruction if the plan moves ahead.
“It’s a phenomenal location on the sea — best weather. You know, everything’s good. It’s like, some beautiful things could be done with it,” he said.
Israel and Hamas on Sunday began implementing a ceasefire deal that included the exchange of hostages and prisoners.
The plan was originally outlined by then president Joe Biden in May and was pushed through after unusual joint diplomacy by Biden and Trump envoys.
Trump, while pushing for the deal, has also made clear he will steadfastly support Israel.
In one of his first acts, he revoked sanctions on extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank imposed by the Biden administration over attacks against Palestinians.
Afghan prisoner in US custody freed in exchange for American citizens, Kabul says
An Afghan prisoner in American custody was freed in exchange for US citizens, Afghanistan’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan considers this exchange a good example of resolving issues through dialogue and extends special gratitude to the brotherly nation of Qatar for its effective role in this process,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Imran Khan party to boycott talks with Pakistan government unless truth commissions announced
- First round of talks aimed at cooling political instability took place on Dec. 23 with follow ups on Jan. 2 and 16
- Pakistani court last week sentenced Khan to 14 years jail in a land corruption case, a setback to nascent talks
ISLAMABAD: Salman Akram Raja, a lawyer and close aide of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, said the jailed leader had told the party not to participate in the next session of ongoing reconciliatory talks with the Pakistan government unless it announced judicial commissions into accusations Khan’s party and supporters had led violent protests.
The first round of talks aimed at cooling political instability in the 241-million South Asian nation took place between Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the government on Dec. 23, with follow up talks on Jan. 2 and 16.
The PTI party’s demands to the government mainly include the release of all political prisoners including Khan, and the formation of two judicial commissions to probe into the events which led to his arrest in August 2023, and violent protest rallies, including one on May 9, when PTI supporters rampaged through military offices and installations, and a second one on Nov. 26 in which the government says four troops were killed.
A Pakistani court last week sentenced Khan to 14 years imprisonment in a land corruption case, a setback to the nascent talks’ process.
“He [Khan] has said we will not play committee-committee,” Raja told reporters after meeting Khan at the Rawalpindi Adiala prison on Monday.
“Our demands that judicial commissions be formed, if commissions are not announced into the events of May 9 and Nov. 26, then we will not sit in the next round [of talks].”
The talks opened last month as Khan had threatened a civil disobedience movement and amid growing concerns he could face trial by a military court for allegedly inciting attacks on sensitive security installations during the May 9 protests.
The negotiations also began two days after 25 civilians were sentenced by a military court to periods of two to 10 years of “rigorous imprisonment” in connection with attacks on military facilities on May 9, 2023. Just days later on Dec. 26, another 60 civilians were sentenced by a military court to jail time ranging from 2 to 10 years in connection with the May 9 attacks.
Khan’s first arrest in May 2023 in the land graft case in which he was sentenced last week sparked countrywide protests that saw his supporters attack and ransack military installations in an unprecedented backlash against Pakistan’s powerful army generals. Although Khan was released days later, he was rearrested in August that year after being convicted in a corruption case. He remains in prison and says all cases against him are politically motivated.
Protests demanding Khan’s release in November also turned violent, with the PTI saying 12 supporters were killed while the state said four troops had died.
Pakistan’s Reko Diq mine to generate $74 billion in free cash flow over 37 years — Barrick CEO
- Bristow says project’s timeline on track, with fencing, accommodation, and surveys already completed
- Saudi mining firm Manara Minerals could invest in Reko Diq in next two quarters, Pakistani petroleum minister has said
KARACHI: The Reko Diq copper and gold project in Pakistan is expected to generate approximately $74 billion in free cash flow over the next 37 years, based on consensus long-term prices, the CEO of joint owner Barrick Gold said in a media interview.
Barrick Gold owns a 50 percent stake in the Reko Diq mine and the governments of Pakistan and the province of Balochistan own the other 50 percent. Barrick considers the mine one of the world’s largest underdeveloped copper-gold areas, and its development is expected to have a significant impact on Pakistan’s struggling economy.
The project, which was delayed due to a long running dispute that ended in 2022, is expected to start production by the end of 2028. It will produce 200,000 tons of copper per year in its first phase, with an estimated cost of $5.5 billion. The first phase is expected to be completed by 2029, Barrick’s CEO Mark Bristow told Pakistani digital media outlet Dawn News English.
A second phase, estimated to cost $3.5 billion, will double production, he added.
The mine is estimated to have reserves lasting 37 years but Bristow said that through upgrades and expansions it could potentially be mined for much longer.
A free cash flow of $74 billion could generate significant dividends, royalties and taxes for Pakistan, which currently has only around $11 billion in foreign reserves.
Barrick is also in talks with railway authorities and infrastructure providers to revamp the coal terminal in Port Qasim, on the outskirts of Pakistan’s port city Karachi, to develop infrastructure to transport copper in the country and for export.
Bristow said the project’s timeline is on track, with fencing, accommodation, and surveys already completed.
Saudi Arabian mining company Manara Minerals could invest in Pakistan’s Reko Diq mine in the next two quarters, Pakistani Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik said last week.
Executives from Manara visited Pakistan in May last year for talks about buying a stake in the project. Pakistan is also in talks with other Gulf countries about mining opportunities, Malik said.
