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India Arrests 9 Qaeda Militants Planning Attack in New Delhi

An Indian Army soldier displays a seized rifle during a news conference in Srinagar, August 2, 2019. REUTERS/Danish Ismail
An Indian Army soldier displays a seized rifle during a news conference in Srinagar, August 2, 2019. REUTERS/Danish Ismail
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India Arrests 9 Qaeda Militants Planning Attack in New Delhi

An Indian Army soldier displays a seized rifle during a news conference in Srinagar, August 2, 2019. REUTERS/Danish Ismail
An Indian Army soldier displays a seized rifle during a news conference in Srinagar, August 2, 2019. REUTERS/Danish Ismail

India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Saturday it has arrested nine al-Qaeda militants who were planning attacks in several locations including the capital New Delhi.

"The group was planning to undertake terrorist attacks at vital installations in India with an aim to kill innocent people and strike terror in their minds," the country's main counter-terrorism arm said in a statement.

Those arrested "were motivated to undertake attacks at multiple places" including the capital region, Reuters reported.

Six of the militants were arrested in the eastern state of West Bengal and while three in the southern state of Kerala, the NIA said, adding the individuals were "associated with Pakistan sponsored module of al Qaeda".

The militants will be produced in court for police custody and further investigation.

India has stepped up an offensive against militants in Kashmir and elsewhere. Last year, Indian forces killed the leader of an al Qaeda-affiliated militant group.

In the latest raids, the NIA seized sharp weapons, domestically made firearms and locally fabricated body armor.

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Pakistan Says it Killed 10 Civilians during Anti-militant Operation in Northwest

People wait to board a train to travel to their hometowns to celebrate Eid al-Fitr at the Lahore Railway Station in Lahore, Pakistan, 28 March 2025. EPA/RAHAT DAR
People wait to board a train to travel to their hometowns to celebrate Eid al-Fitr at the Lahore Railway Station in Lahore, Pakistan, 28 March 2025. EPA/RAHAT DAR
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Pakistan Says it Killed 10 Civilians during Anti-militant Operation in Northwest

People wait to board a train to travel to their hometowns to celebrate Eid al-Fitr at the Lahore Railway Station in Lahore, Pakistan, 28 March 2025. EPA/RAHAT DAR
People wait to board a train to travel to their hometowns to celebrate Eid al-Fitr at the Lahore Railway Station in Lahore, Pakistan, 28 March 2025. EPA/RAHAT DAR

Pakistan said it killed 10 civilians during an anti-militant operation in the country’s northwest and promised to investigate the circumstances.

Authorities made the admission Saturday evening about the deaths, which occurred in the early hours of that morning in a remote hilltop area of Katlang, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

It is rare for Pakistan to reveal civilian casualties resulting from anti-militant activities and it was not immediately clear how the Saturday operations were carried out.

According to provincial government spokesman Muhammad Ali Saif, reports indicated the location was being used as a “hideout and transit point for terrorist” elements. Subsequent information revealed that some unarmed civilians were present in the vicinity of the site, Saif added.
According to The Associated Press, locals said 10 bodies, including those of women and children, were recovered from the area where government officials claimed the anti-militant operation had taken place.

They belonged to the Swat region and were nomads with livestock in the Shamozai mountains, the locals added. Their families protested the deaths by placing the bodies on the Swat Highway.
The loss of unarmed individuals was deeply regrettable and the tragic incident occurred as a consequence of targeting terrorists, said spokesman Saif.
“The safety of civilians is always a top priority during such operations. However, due to complex geography, terrorists using civilian populations as cover, and the urgent nature of the operation, unintended consequences can sometimes occur.”
Immediate medical assistance was being provided to the injured and compensation for the families of the deceased was being ensured, he added.
A statement from the provincial government said the operation “successfully neutralized several high-value targets” linked to ongoing militant activities in the region. It also said, “the fog of war can sometimes lead to unintended consequences.”