Conflict watch: From Syria to Afghanistan, all you need to know about the week that was

Pakistan: A senior journalist was shot dead last Wednesday by gunmen outside his house in Karachi, a day after a similar attack by gunmen in the city resulted in the death of a technician of a media house. Forty-two-year-old Aftab Alam, who had been associated with different channels including Geo News and Samaa TV, was […]

Pakistan: A senior journalist was shot dead last Wednesday by gunmen outside his house in Karachi, a day after a similar attack by gunmen in the city resulted in the death of a technician of a media house. Forty-two-year-old Aftab Alam, who had been associated with different channels including Geo News and Samaa TV, was shot multiple times in his car after dropping his children at home by two gunmen on a motorbike.

Syria: The Islamic State last Thursday released photos of two foreign hostages, wearing signs that read “For Sale.” The photos appeared in the Islamic State’s magazine Dabiq, which identified the hostages as two men from Norway and China. The victims were identified as 48-year-old Johan Grismgaard Ofstaf from Oslo and 50-year-old Fan Jinghui from Beijing. Meanwhile, dozens of Syrian government troops and IS fighters were killed in fighting last Thursday around a government-held air base in eastern Syria. The IS also seized the last major oilfield under Syrian government control — the Jazal field.

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Yemen: The Saudi-led coalition continued with it its relentless airstrikes in rebel-held areas in Yemen over the past week. After initial reports of close to 20 Indians having been killed in an airstrike at Hodeidah port last Tuesday, the Indian government later confirmed that six Indians had been killed in the strike. Meanwhile, shelling by the Arab coalition killed 35 people last Friday, taking the death toll from the entire week to over 100. A major chunk of those killed in the past week were reportedly civilians, according to news reports.

Turkey: A roadside bomb allegedly placed by Kurdish rebels killed 14 policemen in eastern Turkey last Tuesday, state media reports said Tuesday. In retaliation, Turkish warplanes bombed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq through last Friday as the conflict escalates in southeast Turkey. Kurdish militants Sunday detonated a car bomb near a police checkpoint in the country’s southeast, killing two cops and wounding five others.

— Compiled by Jamie Mullick

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