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Cedric: Welcome to the Geopolitical
Report Daily for December 24,
2024 and Merry Christmas Eve.
Complete reports with casualty
information, interactive web maps, and
our IntelHub dashboard are available with
a Geopolitical Report Pro subscription.
Monday brought us 49 events,
so let's get started.
Terrorism Events
"India
On Monday, police killed three Khalistan
Zindabad Force (KZF) terrorists
during a clash in the Puranpur
area of Pilibhit, Panjur district.
Police stated that the militants were
involved in a grenade attack at a police
checkpost in Gurdaspur and in attacking
the Bakshiwala Police Station in
Kalanaur in Punjab's Gurdaspur district."
"India
On Monday, a clash with three Khalistan
Zindabad Force (KZF) terrorists in the
Puranpur area of Punjab province resulted
in the wounding of two police constables.
Police killed the three militants."
"Iraq
On Sunday, unidentified gunmen opened
fire on a car in Al-Sulaimaniyah, wounding
two Asayish security force members."
"Israel
A suspect who tried to stab a
soldier near the Hizme checkpoint
in Jerusalem was shot and injured.
The assailant got out of a vehicle,
brandished a knife, and the soldier
fired at him, seriously wounding him.
The suspect was taken to a hospital.
Police believe it was an attempted
attack, and there were no other injuries."
"Israel
The Israeli Air Force successfully
shot down a drone launched
from Yemen towards Israel.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported
that the drone was intercepted before
it could enter Israeli airspace, and no
sirens were activated as per protocol."
"Kenya
Last Tuesday night, December 17,
an IED blast hit a police vehicle
while patrolling between Korof
Harar and Konton, Wajir County,
wounding eight police officers.
Police stated that al-Shabab
terrorists were operating in the area."
"Nigeria
On Saturday, Nigerian forces ambushed
and killed 13 suspected Indigenous
People of Biafra (IPOB) along the
Amouka-Umouka Road in the 9th Mile area
of Udi Local Government Area (LGA).
During the operation, troops also
clashed with several kidnappers
in the area, killing one of them"
"Pakistan
On Sunday, counter-terrorism
forces killed a suspected terrorist
during a clash in the Shagai area
of the Lakki Marwat district.
Troops recovered weapons and
ammunition from the dead militant."
"Pakistan
On Monday, unknown assailants threw
a hand grenade at the District Police
Officer (DPO) office in Tank, critically
injuring two police officers."
"Pakistan
Gunmen riding on motorbikes ambushed
and killed a man and injured another
in the border town of Chaman."
"Philippines
Three members of the Intelligence
Service Unit of the Intelligence
Service of the Armed Forces of the
Philippines (ISAFP) were killed
in an ambush in Basilan province.
The incident occurred in Barangay
Baimbing, Lamitan City on
December 23, shortly after 6 p.m.
A gray van with three individuals
inside was attacked by armed men
while passing through the highway.
The Western Mindanao Command confirmed
the ambush but has not released further
details pending an official report."
"Somalia
Jubbaland Security and Intelligence
Agency forces safely dismantled a
landmine planted by al-Shabab in
Kismayo's Farjano neighborhood.
The operation was successful due
to a tip-off from a local resident.
The landmine was removed without
detonation, preventing harm to residents."
"Syria
Gunmen from ISIS attacked a checkpoint
in Al-Arisha displacement camp,
injuring two members of the Internal
Security Forces and one ISIS member.
The attackers escaped in a car."
"Syria
ISIS cells on a motorbike attacked an
Internal Security Forces checkpoint in
Al-Sabha Town in Deir Ezzor countryside.
The checkpoint members engaged
in a clash with the attackers,
but no casualties were reported."
"Syria
A mass graveyard containing
over 1,200 unidentified bodies
was discovered in Homs city.
These individuals are believed
to have been arrested during
the rule of Bashar Al-Assad.
The bodies were brought from Homs military
hospital, according to sources from
the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
(SOHR)."
"Syria
ISIS attacked Kurdish security
forces west of Deir Ezzor, wounding
two security forces members.
The injured individuals
were brought to a hospital."
"Turkey
On Monday, Turkish security forces
arrested five Daesh/ISIS terrorist
financiers during raids in Istanbul.
A search was underway for two
other suspects still at large."
"West Bank
A Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)
terrorist was arrested for setting
up a weapons manufacturing facility
in his home in Kalkilya, West Bank.
The IDF and West Bank unit conducted a
joint operation targeting the location.
The suspect's home was found with a
dismantled submachine gun, pipe bomb
parts, ammunition, and magazines.
The terrorist had been
manufacturing weapons and selling
them to terrorist organizations.
The suspect was arrested and
transferred for interrogation."
Military Conflict Events
"Gaza Strip
Israeli airstrikes on the
Gaza Strip killed at least 20
people, including two children.
One strike hit a tent camp in a
humanitarian zone, while the Israeli
military claims only to target militants."
"Gaza Strip
A senior member of Hamas's
general security forces, Tharwat
Muhammad Ahmad al-Bayk, was killed
in an airstrike in Gaza City.
Al-Bayk served as the head of
the security directorate in
Hamas's General Security Service.
The strike targeted a Hamas command
center located within a school serving
as a shelter for displaced Gazans.
The IDF and Shin Bet state that the
security directorate is responsible
for intelligence gathering and
protecting top Hamas officials.
The IDF took measures to minimize
civilian casualties in the strike."
"Gaza Strip
Three Israeli soldiers were killed in
the northern Gaza Strip during fighting.
The soldiers were named as Cpt.
Ilay Gavriel Atedgi, Staff Sgt.
Netanel Pessach, and Sgt.
First Class (res.) Hillel Diener.
They served in the Kfir
Brigade's Shimshon Battalion.
The soldiers were killed by an explosive
device in the Beit Hanoun area."
"Myanmar
On Sunday, the Chin Brotherhood
Alliance announced that its
resistance forces seized Kanpetlet
Township after junta forces withdrew
without a fight the night before."
"Myanmar
On Saturday, Chin Brotherhood Alliance
Insurgents captured the Infantry Battalion
(IB) 274 base near Mindat Township,
completing the seizure of the town."
"North Korea
On Monday, the South Korean Joint
Chiefs of Staff stated that based on
multiple intelligence assessments, North
Korea was likely preparing to rotate
or increase the deployment of troops
to Russia while currently supplying
240-millimeter rocket launchers and
170 mm self-propelled artillery."
"Pakistan
On Sunday, Pakistani forces killed
ten Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
terrorists, including their commander,
and wounded four others during a clash
in the Pir Mela area in the Tirah Valley
region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province."
"Russia
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff
(JCS) believes that Pyongyang may be
preparing to deploy more North Korean
soldiers to support Russia's war
in Ukraine after 1,100 North Korean
soldiers have been killed or wounded.
North Korea has sent troops to reinforce
the Russian military, and there are
concerns about additional deployments.
North Korea is also providing
drones and artillery to Russia."
"Russia
The Millerovo airfield in the
Rostov region of Russia is under
attack, with shots and explosions.
The airfield serves as a base
for frontline aviation supporting
Russian infantry in Ukraine.
Social media reports a drone attack,
but there have been no casualties.
Eight drones have been shot
down, and mobile fire groups
are repelling the attack.
The Russian Defense Ministry claims to
have downed nine UAVs in the region."
"Syria
Following 12 days of clashes between
the National Army and Syrian Democratic
Forces (SDF) forces, the SDF and Manbij
Military Council Forces have advanced
into three villages near Teshreen dam
in the eastern countryside of Aleppo.
Earlier today, fierce clashes with heavy
weapons erupted between the SDF and
Turkish-backed factions at the frontlines
of Teshreen dam and Qarrah Qarquzaq dam
in the eastern countryside of Aleppo.
Casualties on both sides
were not reported."
"Syria
Last Friday, the Turkish Ministry
of Defense announced that its forces
neutralized six PKK terrorists during
operations in the Euphrates Shield and
Peace Spring Zones of northern Syria.
Turkey uses the term âneutralizeâ
to indicate that a PKK member has
been killed, injured, or captured."
"Taiwan
Taiwan tracked seven Chinese naval
vessels and two military aircraft
around its country between 6 a.m.
on Sunday and 6 a.m.
on Monday.
None of the aircraft crossed
the Taiwan Strait median line."
"Ukraine
Russian forces targeted 28 settlements
in the Kherson region, resulting
in three deaths and one injury.
The affected settlements
include Kachkarivka, Beryslav,
Bilozerka, and others.
Residential areas were struck, causing
damage to houses, a gas pipeline,
a store, and private vehicles."
"Ukraine
Russian forces shelled the Esman
community in the Sumy region twice.
Five mortar explosions were recorded.
Ukraine's Defense Forces downed 12
Russian kamikaze drones over the region."
"Ukraine
Ukrainian forces claimed to have
killed or wounded 1,990 Russian
soldiers over the past day.
Around 175 pieces of military equipment
were destroyed in the fighting."
"Ukraine
Over the past 24 hours, Russian forces
conducted 400 attacks on eight settlements
in the Zaporizhzhia region, according to
Ivan Fedorov, Chief of the Zaporizhzhia
Regional Military Administration.
The attacks involved 204 drones
and 22 rocket artillery strikes,
as well as 174 artillery strikes.
Fortunately, there were no
reports of damage to residential
buildings or infrastructure,
and no civilians were harmed."
"Ukraine
A man was wounded in the Kharkiv
region due to the Russian shelling
of Dvorichna, Kupiansk district.
The 66-year-old resident
was hospitalized."
"Ukraine
Ukraine's Defense Forces shot
down 47 Russian drones and
diverted 25 decoy attack drones.
The attack occurred between December
22 and December 23, 2024, with drones
launched from Bryansk and Orel in Russia.
The drones were shot down over
various regions in Ukraine.
Air defense forces, electronic
warfare units, and mobile fire
groups repelled the attack.
Some drones veered off course
due to countermeasures.
There were no casualties, but drone
debris affected private businesses and
homes in Khmelnytskyi and Kyiv regions."
"West Bank
A Palestinian Authorities officer
was killed in clashes with
terrorists in the West Bank.
The incident occurred during a crackdown
against terror groups in the Jenin area."
"Western Sahara
On Sunday, the Central Directorate of
Political Commissariat of the Sahrawi
People's Liberation Army (SPLA)
stated that its forces shelled the
Moroccan Royal Army base in the Ashrak
Taurtah area of the Guelta Sectory.
The shelling allegedly resulted in
heavy losses of lives and equipment
among the ranks of the Moroccan forces."
Civil Unrest Events
"Croatia
Hundreds of people marched in Croatia's
capital to demand action after a pupil
was killed and three others were injured
in a knife attack at a school in Zagreb.
Teachers' unions organized the march to
call for increased school safety measures.
The Ministry of Education is considering
measures such as locking school
doors or implementing entry control."
Weapons Events
"India
On Saturday, Manipur police recovered
a large cache of weapons and explosives
during a search operation at the
Dampi foothills range in between
Minjang village and Wathalambi area.
The cache included four seven kg IEDs,
two modified sniper 7.62 rifles, one 51
mortar, one 7.62 SLR rifle with magazine,
one modified grenade launcher, two barrel
guns, three hand grenades without a
detonator, one misfired 51 mortar bomb,
one battery with flexible wire length
about 10 meters, two live rounds of 7.62
ammunition, two live rounds of single
barrel, two 51 mortar fired case, nine
anti-riot shells, five empty cases of .303
rifle, and five empty cases of 7.62mm."
"Iraq
The Turkish Ministry of Defense
announced that its forces seized
a weapons cache during a raid on
a PKK hideout in Duhok Province.
The cache included a thermobaric
rocket launcher, AK-47 assault
rifles, over 500 rounds of ammunition,
grenades, IED mechanisms, radios,
and organizational documents."
Accident Events
"Iran
On Monday, a bus collided with a
fuel truck near Zahedan, killing
nine people and injuring 13 others."
"Mexico
On Sunday, a light aircraft crashed
in a heavily forested area of
Jalisco in western Mexico, killing
at least seven people on board."
"Russia
Three individuals aboard a small plane
that made an emergency landing in Russia's
remote Kamchatka region have been found
alive and well after a three-day search.
The plane, carrying commercial
goods, was forced to land
on snow due to ice build-up.
The survivors dug a hole in the
snow to stay warm and rationed their
food while waiting for rescue."
"United Kingdom
On Sunday, an Emerald Airlines passenger
aircraft crash-landed after its nose
wheel collapsed during high winds at
the Belfast International Airport.
The four crew members on board
were not injured in the incident.
No passengers were on board
at the time of the crash."
"United Kingdom
A 50-year-old man died in a light aircraft
crash near Fife Airport in Scotland.
The plane crashed shortly after
takeoff, and the pilot was
pronounced dead at the scene.
No one else was injured.
Emergency services are still at the crash
site, and investigations are ongoing."
"United States
Sunday night, a two-seat airplane crashed
outside the runway while attempting to
land at the Brawley Municipal Airport.
The pilot and passenger
were unharmed in the crash.
An investigation was underway."
"United States
On Sunday, a small plane crashed into
a tree at the Victoria Golf Course in
Carson, injuring two people on board."
"United States
Amtrak Michigan service is experiencing
cancellations due to a Norfolk
Southern derailment in Gary, Indiana.
Eight cars of ethanol derailed, resulting
in a spill of about 250 gallons.
The leak has been secured, and
there is no danger to the public."
Thanks for joining us for the December
24, 2024 Geopolitical Report Daily.
As a reminder, complete reports with
casualty information, interactive
web maps, and our IntelHub dashboard
are available with a Geopolitical
Report Pro subscription, which you
can try with a seven-day-free-trial
at www.geopolitical.report.
I hope you have a Merry Christmas, and
don't forget to tune in again tomorrow
once you get done opening your presents.