Hanwei Global Security Intelligence
According to the security risk assessment, regional security levels are as shown on the Global Risk Map. Afghanistan, Syria, Myanmar, Pakistan, Nigeria, Sudan, Ukraine, Palestine and Venezuela are classified as extreme-high-risk regions. During this period, armed conflicts, terrorist attacks and other security incidents occurred frequently in these regions. Overseas Chinese-funded enterprises are advised to enhance their own security precautions.
(This bulletin is for the company's internal risk assessment use only.)
Middle East
(1) Syria
Two attacks in Hama Province kill 4. On October 13, unidentified armed personnel attacked rural areas of Hama Province in central Syria, killing 3 road safety personnel; on the same day, a checkpoint in the rural areas of Hama Province came under armed attack, killing 1 person and injuring 1. No group or individual has yet claimed responsibility for either incident.
(2) Iraq
Explosion attack in Kirkuk leaves 3 dead, 2 injured. On October 14, Iraqi security forces came under an IED roadside attack in the Wadi al-Zaghaitun area south of Kirkuk, killing 3 soldiers and injuring 2. Two militants killed in the north. On October 14, Iraqi security forces' F-16 fighter jets carried out three airstrikes on an ISIS hideout in northern Kirkuk, killing at least 2 members of the group.
(3) Iran
Continued standoff with the United States in the Strait of Hormuz. From October 12 to 18, Iran and the United States remained in a standoff in the Strait of Hormuz. On the US side, on October 13, US Central Command stated that US forces continued the blockade of all vessels entering and leaving Iranian ports, and that the Strait of Hormuz remained under the control of US forces and regional partners. The previous day, US forces assisted Gulf-region partners in shipping more than 19 million barrels of crude oil out through the Strait of Hormuz. On the Iranian side, on October 12, the navy of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a statement saying it had struck a large tanker violating regulations in the Strait of Hormuz. The tanker in question ignored IRGC navy warnings, switched off its navigation system and attempted to exit the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC navy also warned that any merchant vessel or tanker cooperating with US forces in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf would face decisive action. From October 14 to 16, three vessels caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC navy stated that these vessels had been "violating regulations" by navigating an unauthorized and dangerous route through the Strait of Hormuz; one container ship struck a sea mine, exploded, caught fire and sank. Kidnap ring dismantled in Sistan-Baluchestan Province. On October 13, the IRGC dismantled a kidnap ring affiliated with a terrorist organization in Sistan-Baluchestan Province in southeastern Iran, killing 5 members of the ring. The "raid" left 1 IRGC member dead. The Iranian side said the ring members, "colluding with a terrorist organization," had on October 12 kidnapped a construction project engineer west of Zahedan and attempted to move the hostage to a neighboring country. The hostage has since been rescued.
(4) Palestine and Israel
Israeli-Palestinian conflict has killed 74,000 in Gaza. From October 12 to 18, Israel carried out attacks on multiple locations in Gaza, causing numerous casualties. Notably, on October 13, Israeli airstrikes hit Khan Younis and other areas in the southern Gaza Strip, killing at least 5 and injuring several more; on October 14, multiple locations in the southern Gaza Strip were again hit by Israeli airstrikes, killing 2 and injuring several. According to data released by the Gaza Strip health authorities on October 18, since the first-phase ceasefire agreement took effect in October 2025, Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have killed 1,512 people and injured 5,386. Since the outbreak of the new round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in October 2023, Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have killed 74,082 people and injured 175,400. Explosion in northern Israel kills 1, injures 19. On October 12, a bomb explosion occurred in the Ramim Ridge area of northern Israel near the Lebanese border, killing 1 person and injuring 19. That day, teachers and students from a school were hiking at a scenic spot in the area. A student discovered a cluster munition, picked it up and placed it in a backpack; shortly afterward the munition exploded.
(5) Saudi Arabia
Houthi attack causes multiple casualties. On October 14, Yemen's Houthi forces launched a large-scale military strike using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones against Saudi Aramco facilities in Dhahran, eastern Saudi Arabia, as well as King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and an Aramco refinery, causing damage and fire to the target facilities; no casualty figures were reported. The Houthis said the operation was retaliation for Saudi Arabia's recent airstrikes on Yemen's capital Sanaa and Houthi-controlled areas. In response, the Saudi Ministry of Energy issued a statement in the early hours of the 14th saying that an office building of Saudi Aramco in Dhahran had been attacked on the night of the 13th, causing a fire of "limited scale" with no casualties. In addition, on October 15, Turki al-Malki, spokesman for the Saudi-led multinational coalition, said that Houthi attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh since October had killed a total of 17 people and injured 333.
(6) Yemen
Saudi airstrikes kill 11, injure 9. On October 12, a government office facility and a residential building in the Khabashaf area of northern Jawf Governorate, near the Saudi border in northern Yemen, were hit by Saudi airstrikes, killing at least 9 and injuring 7; on October 13, the Saudi-led multinational coalition carried out airstrikes on multiple fuel facilities in Sanaa and the western governorate of Hodeidah, killing 2 and injuring 2.
13th: Sanaa, Yemen hit by strikes
Houthi attack on capital Aden kills 5, injures 16. On October 15, the presidential palace in Aden, Yemen's interim southern capital, was struck by 6 ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis, killing 5 and injuring 16. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree subsequently issued a statement saying the attack on the "Saudi enemy military operations command" in Aden was "within the established scope and a legitimate strike." On October 16, the Yemeni Houthis again launched a missile attack on Saudi targets in Aden, Yemen's interim capital; the specific casualty toll is unknown.
Asia-Pacific
(1) Afghanistan
Armed clash on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. On October 17, Pakistani security authorities said Afghan armed personnel had opened fire without provocation that day in the border area of the Kurram district between Pakistan and Afghanistan, attempting to facilitate the cross-border movement of terrorists. In response, Pakistani security forces struck a border post and a military camp of Afghan armed forces, killing several Afghan armed personnel. 20 police officers abducted in Balochistan. On the night of October 16, a group of armed men on motorcycles intercepted a coach carrying police officers on the Quetta–Karachi highway in the Mastung area of Pakistan's Balochistan province, abducting 20 police officers. The missing officers remain unaccounted for. No organization has yet claimed responsibility for the abduction. School roof collapse in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa kills 33. On October 15, a roof collapsed at a school in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in northwestern Pakistan, killing 33 people and injuring 20. A committee has been set up to investigate the cause of the incident.
(2) South Korea
Knife attack in Incheon injures 8. On October 13, a stabbing incident occurred at a large supermarket in Incheon, South Korea, injuring 8 people. The male assailant has been arrested by police, who are investigating the details of the incident.
(3) Thailand
Shooting in Nong Bua Lamphu Province kills 1. On October 14, a shooting incident occurred in Ban Khok, Nong Saeng District, Nong Bua Lamphu Province, Thailand, killing 1 person. The shooting is said to have been triggered by a land dispute. The suspect has since been arrested by police.
(4) India
Stampede in the east kills 17, injures 25. On the evening of October 17, a stampede occurred at a Hindu festival event in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal in eastern India, killing at least 17 people and injuring 25. At the time, heavy rain suddenly fell, and the crowd surged forward, triggering the stampede. Boat capsize in Bihar kills 13. On the evening of October 13, a boat capsized in Bihar in eastern India, killing at least 13 people. That day, a boat carrying about 20 people heading to a village across the river for a feast capsized in the Ganges waters of the Vaishali district of Bihar. Three to four people remain missing; the cause of the incident is under investigation.
(5) Kazakhstan
Shooting incident in Zhetysu Region injures 1. On October 13, a shooting incident occurred in the city of Zharkent in Zhetysu Region, Kazakhstan, injuring 1 person. Two suspects have been arrested by police, and the case is under further investigation.
Africa
(1) Nigeria
Multiple attacks leave 49 dead, 23 abducted. According to a monitoring report from Hanwei International's West Africa Security Officer, on October 11, a convoy in the Bukkuyum area of Zamfara State in the northwest came under armed attack, killing 27. That morning, a group of businessmen escorted by Nigerian Army soldiers were heading to Gwashi market when they were attacked by suspected bandits en route. The attackers also looted 3 villages and set 12 vehicles on fire. On October 12, suspected bandits launched a series of attacks on several communities in the Mashegu local government area of Niger State, killing 5 farmers and abducting 18 people, with houses and shops burned down; on the same day, Lamido Muhammad, a supervising councilor for special duties in the Zaria local government area of Kaduna State, and his two sons were abducted by bandits. On October 13, suspected Boko Haram militants attacked a military position in the Mairari community of the Guzamala local government area of Borno State, killing at least 14; on the same day, Rev. Fr. John Otache, parish priest of a Catholic church in the Ohimini local government area of Benue State, was abducted; also on the same day, Jatau Yohanna Samkwar, a traditional leader of the Daffo community in the Bokkos local government area of Plateau State, was shot at his residence and died en route to hospital. On October 15, a community in the Ogbadibo local government area of Benue State came under armed attack, killing 1 and abducting 1. 40 militants killed in Borno State. On October 12, the Nigerian military issued a statement saying that on the 10th it had carried out an airstrike in Borno State in the northeastern part of the country, killing more than 40 "suspected terrorists" and a senior commander of the extremist group "Islamic State West Africa Province" (ISWAP). Prior to that, the military had conducted intelligence gathering and aerial surveillance on a stronghold of ISWAP in the state, after which it carried out the airstrike on suspected terrorists who were assembling and preparing to launch an attack.
(2) South Africa
Shooting in Gauteng Province kills 4, injures 3. On October 13, a shooting incident occurred in the town of Katlehong in Gauteng Province, South Africa, killing 4 people and injuring 3. The suspect has surrendered to police, and the case is under investigation.
(3) DRC
(Democratic Republic of the Congo)Shooting in Ituri Province kills 3. On October 13, a shooting incident occurred on National Road No. 27 in the Djugu area of Ituri Province, DRC, killing 3 civilians. In addition, the Chinese Embassy in the DRC has reminded Chinese citizens in the country not to travel to very high-risk areas such as Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Upper Uele provinces, and that Chinese citizens and enterprises still in those areas should evacuate as soon as possible or move to safe areas. They should refrain from traveling unless necessary to 9 other provinces: Lualaba, Haut-Katanga, Lower Uele, Tanganyika, Maniema, Kasai-Central, Sankuru, Lomami and Upper Lomami. Ebola outbreak kills 4,536. On October 18, an epidemic report released by the DRC Ministry of Health showed that cumulative confirmed cases in the country's current Ebola outbreak had exceeded 9,415, with 4,536 deaths and a case fatality rate of 48.2%. The outbreak has spread to 66 health zones across 8 provinces nationwide.
(4) Sudan
Armed conflict continues. From October 12 to 18, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces continued to clash in multiple locations across Sudan. This week, the clashes were concentrated mainly in North Kordofan and South Kordofan in the center, Blue Nile State in the southeast, and the Darfur region. The continued armed conflict has caused heavy civilian casualties. Notably, on October 16, the capital of South Darfur State in western Sudan, Nyala, was hit by a drone attack, killing at least 30 civilians and injuring dozens more. The armed conflict, now in its third year, has killed at least 59,000 people in Sudan. Shooting in capital Khartoum kills 2. On October 12, a shooting incident occurred in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, killing 2 Egyptian citizens and injuring 1. That day, a gunman opened fire on Egyptian truck drivers, killing 2 drivers and injuring 1. The suspect has been arrested; the motive remains unknown.
(5) Mauritius
Violence erupts in multiple areas. From October 12 to 13, violent incidents broke out in multiple parts of Mauritius. The trigger was that a woman was shot and injured by police on her way home from work on the 9th, sparking public anger. From the night of the 12th, violent incidents including road blockades, ransacking of police stations and shops, and burning of vehicles broke out in multiple parts of Mauritius, and some schools suspended classes on the 13th. On the 13th, Mauritian police said the situation had been brought under control and that an investigation into the shooting of the 9th was under way. On October 14, Mauritius issued a Cabinet communiqué deciding to impose a curfew in multiple areas from 20:30 to 05:00 local time on the 14th–15th and from 20:30 to 05:00 on the 15th–16th.
Europe and the Americas
(1) United States
Three shootings kill 9. On October 12, media reported that a shooting had occurred at a residence in Marin County, California, on the 11th, killing 3. Police have not yet released information on the victims or the specific circumstances of the shooting; the case remains under investigation. On October 15, a shooting occurred at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, killing 5 people, including 3 children, and injuring 2. Police said the gunman had been shot and died, and a relevant investigation is under way. On October 17, a shooting occurred at a subway station in Manhattan, New York, killing 1 man.
Scene of the Bend, Oregon shooting
(2) Ukraine
Russia-Ukraine armed conflict continues. From October 12 to 18, Ukraine and Russia continued to engage in armed conflict. In a recent combat bulletin, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that over the past week, Russian forces had carried out cluster strikes using ground-based high-precision weapons and long-range drones against some of Ukraine's military-industrial facilities, logistics centers, railway and port infrastructure, and vessels transporting military supplies for Ukrainian forces, and had taken control of 3 residential areas in the Kharkiv direction. On the Ukrainian side, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that during the week Ukrainian forces had repelled Russian attacks in multiple directions and carried out local counterattacks in Donetsk, while recapturing some positions. Ukrainian forces continued to use long-range drones and missiles to strike rear military facilities, fuel storage and other energy facilities inside Russia. In addition, multiple energy facilities in Kyiv, Volyn Oblast and Kharkiv City came under attack from several ballistic missiles, causing dozens of casualties. Power, communications and energy facilities in multiple areas were damaged.
(3) Russia
Large-scale drone attack on the Moscow region. On October 13, Moscow was hit by a large number of drones. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that from October 12 to 13, 417 drones headed toward the Moscow region; most were suppressed at a distance, and 65 were destroyed as they approached the city. During the same period, 604 Ukrainian drones were intercepted and destroyed across Moscow Oblast, Bryansk Oblast and the Sea of Azov.
(4) Mexico
Shooting in Mexico City injures 2. On October 15, a shooting incident occurred in the Azcapotzalco district of Mexico City, Mexico's capital, injuring 2 people. Hurricane and tropical storm kill 5. On October 12, Hurricane "Simón" and Tropical Storm "Rachel" struck multiple locations along Mexico's Pacific coast, triggering floods, landslides and other disasters that have killed at least 5 people, with 5 missing.
(5) France
Shooting in Bouches-du-Rhône injures 2. On October 12, a shooting occurred at a secondary school in Aubagne in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of southern France, injuring the principal and one teacher. A 14-year-old gunman has been arrested by police; the motive for the shooting is not yet clear.
Scene of the shooting
(6) Ecuador
Prison break in Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas Province. On October 12, a prison break occurred at a prison in Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas Province in north-central Ecuador, with at least 6 inmates escaping after drilling through the cell wall. After the incident, Ecuador's national police and armed forces quickly launched ground searches around the prison, while deploying drones for aerial patrols. Ecuadorian police have launched a reward mechanism, soliciting leads on the fugitives from the public.
(7) Germany
Knife attack in Olfen kills 1, injures 2. On October 16, a knife attack occurred at a nursing home in Olfen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, killing an 86-year-old woman and seriously injuring 2 elderly women. Police said a 72-year-old male resident was suspected of attacking several female residents with a knife in the nursing home's dining room. The attacker has been arrested by police; the motive is not yet clear.
(8) Albania
Protests in the capital Tirana trigger violent clashes. From October 13 to 16, protests and demonstrations in Tirana, Albania's capital, triggered violent clashes. On the 13th, some students gathered in front of the Ministry of Education, calling on the government to address issues such as university teaching conditions and education costs. During the events, some demonstrators threw stones and other objects at police and government buildings, and police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd. The violence caused damage to local public institutions, banks, enterprises and public facilities, with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Justice and the central bank all affected. So far, 56 people have been arrested in connection with the events, and criminal investigation proceedings have been initiated against 97 others.
Maritime Security
(1) Strait of Hormuz
Multiple vessels attacked. On October 12, the IRGC said it had struck a large tanker violating regulations in the Strait of Hormuz that day; on October 14, a container ship struck a sea mine while sailing in the Strait of Hormuz, exploded, caught fire and sank; on the same day, 2 container ships registered in Singapore were hit by unidentified projectiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz — one caught fire and sank, the other sustained hull damage, and all 22 crew members aboard were safe; on October 17, a supertanker struck a mine in the Strait of Hormuz, then exploded and caught fire.
(2) Black Sea
Ship attacks leave 5 injured and 19 missing. On October 13, a Maltese-flagged Ukrainian vessel was hit by 3 drones, injuring 5; on the same day, a vessel was sunk in waters off northeastern Bulgaria, with 11 crew members missing and 1 rescued; on October 15, the San Marino-flagged tanker Wine Trader caught fire about 13 nautical miles southeast of Sulina, Romania, in the Black Sea, leaving 8 crew members missing and 4 rescued. It is not yet clear whether the vessel was attacked.
(3) Saudi Arabia
Oil tankers attacked. On October 17, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) office reported that two oil tankers had been attacked that day in waters near Jubail, Saudi Arabia. One was struck by an unidentified projectile about 68 nautical miles northeast of Jubail, and all crew members aboard safely evacuated; the other came under a rocket attack about 78 nautical miles northeast of Jubail, sustaining damage to the port quarter, and all crew members aboard were confirmed safe.
(4) Ecuador
Fishing vessel sinks, 14 crew missing. On October 16, the fishing vessel Domenica L sank in waters off Santa Elena Province, Ecuador, after encountering extreme weather, leaving 14 crew members missing. The vessel carried a total of 20 crew members, of whom 6 were rescued. Rescue forces from the Ecuadorian Navy and Coast Guard are currently searching for the missing personnel.
