Earlier this month, during his visit to the UAE, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed an agreement with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed on the operation of the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC). The corridor, itself the product of an MOU signed on the sidelines of last September’s G-20 summit in New Delhi, promises to transport goods … Read more
In August 2022, given that there had been no incident of attacks on merchant shipping off the coast of Somalia since 2018, industries representing various sectors such as shipping, cargo, tanker, and insurance conveyed their position to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) concerning the removal of the Indian Ocean High Risk Area, effective January 1, … Read more
Indian and Seychelles forces separately rescued Monday two fishing vessels hijacked by Somali pirates and freed 23 crew members from Iran and Sri Lanka, both countries said in statements. The Seychelles’ defense forces and coast guard rescued six Sri Lankan fishermen whose vessel was hijacked by Somali pirates two days earlier while the Indian navy … Read more
On January 3, the Islamic State (IS) group targeted a gathering (and sent a message) at Kerman in Iran to honor the memory of the late commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC)’s Quds Force Qasem Soleimani, on the occasion of his fourth death anniversary. The attack claimed the lives of over 90 people, … Read more
Last week, Pakistan and Iran fired missiles on militant camps in each other’s territories. Both nations justified their actions, stating that the other country had failed to act against these rebel groups despite attacks on each other’s security forces. While Islamabad has conducted retaliatory attacks in India and Afghanistan in the past, it had never … Read more
Despite Gaza’s great distance from Central Asia, the Israel-Hamas war has had an impact on the religious and security landscape in the region. While al-Qaida-affiliated Central Asian Sunni extremist groups in Syria and Afghanistan limited their engagement to expressing support for Palestinian Muslims through ideologically strong statements, the Tajik militants of the Islamic State Khorasan … Read more
On January 16 and 17, Iran and Pakistan engaged in tit-for-tat airstrikes in the border provinces of Balochistan and Sistan-Baluchestan. Both sides claimed they had targeted militant camps across the border. However, Iran’s strikes hit Sabz Koh, a small village in Panjgur district in Balochistan, Pakistan, where allegedly civilians, mostly children and women were killed … Read more
Iran’s surprise air raids in Pakistan’s Balochistan province earlier this week sent shockwaves through the corridors of power in Islamabad. The attack allegedly targeting a militant group has not only caught Pakistan’s policymakers off guard but also has left the public bewildered. Pakistan retaliated by expelling the Iranian envoy in Islamabad. It carried out counterattacks … Read more
Pakistan’s air force launched retaliatory airstrikes early Thursday in Iran allegedly targeting militant hideouts, an attack that killed at least nine people and further raised tensions between the neighboring nations. The tit-for-tat attacks on Tuesday and Thursday appeared to target two Baloch militant groups with similar separatist goals on both sides of the Iran-Pakistan border. … Read more
In the early hours of December 16, 2023, a swarm of drones headed toward the USS Carney, a warship patrolling the southern Red Sea. Crew members on board the ship shot down the 14 UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), which had been launched from north Yemen. The “drone wave” targeting the USS Carney was one of more than … Read more