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Showing posts from June 15, 2014

Iraq militants take Syria-border post in drive for caliphate

By Kamal Namaa ANBAR, IRAQ(Reuters) - Sunni fighters seized a border post on the Iraq-Syria frontier, security sources said on Saturday, smashing a line drawn by colonial powers almost a century ago with the aim of creating an Islamic Caliphate stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to Iran. The militants, led by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), first moved into the nearby town of al-Qaim on Friday, pushing out security forces, the sources said. Once border guards heard that al-Qaim had fallen, they left their posts and militants moved in, the sources said. Sameer al-Shwiali, media adviser to the commander of Iraq's anti-terrorist squad, told Reuters that the Iraqi army was still in control of al-Qaim. Al-Qaim and its neighbouring Syrian counterpart Albukamal are on a strategic supply route. A three-year civil war in Syria has left most of eastern Syria in the hands of Sunni militants, including the Albukamal-Qaim crossing. The Albukamal gate is run by al Qaeda's

Cyber Attack On 'Code Spaces' Puts Hosting Service Out of Business

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Code Spaces , a code-hosting and software collaboration platform used by different organizations for project management and development needs, was forced to shut down operations after an attacker compromised its internal system and deleted its customer’s data and backups as well. This is really a nightmare for the code-hosting company based in Coventry, UK that claimed to offer " Rock Solid, Secure and Affordable Svn Hosting, Git Hosting and Project Management. "  Codespaces.com homepage shows a lengthy explanation on the attack and an apology from its customer. “ Code Spaces will not be able to operate beyond this point, the cost of resolving this issue to date and the expected cost of refunding customers who have been left without the service they paid for will put Code Spaces in an irreversible position both financially and in terms of ongoing credibility, ” read the note. “ As such at this point in time we have no alternative but to cease trading and concentrate on suppor

Family 'heartbroken' after British man appears in jihadist film

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Ahmed Muthana, father of Nasser: "Somebody is driving those kids to do this" The father of a British man who has appeared in a video aimed at recruiting jihadists has said he is "heartbroken" his son left the UK to fight in Syria. In the film, would-be medical student Nasser Muthana, 20, from Cardiff, urges others to fight in Syria and Iraq. His father, Ahmed Muthana, told the BBC his other son had gone with Nasser, and that someone must be "driving" them. UK police are trying to get the film, posted by accounts linked to Islamist militant group Isis, taken off-line. The 13-minute video, entitled "There is No Life Without Jihad", emerged on Friday and appears to show six fighters - apparently including three Britons - urging Muslims to join the conflicts abroad. Nasser Muthana's family said they were "heartbroken" he had gone to Syria Sir Peter Fahy, who leads on the Prevent counter-terrorism strategy for the Association of Chief Co

30 militants killed in Pakistan military operation in tribal belt

At least 30 militants were killed today in targeted airstrikes conducted by Pakistan's military in the restive northwest tribal region, taking the total number of terrorists killed in the army's all-out offensive against the Taliban to over 260. "At 0500 hours three hideouts were destroyed in Hassu Khel in North Waziristan Agency, killing 20 terrorists," Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa said. Ten terrorists were killed when jets attacked and destroyed two hideouts close to the Pak-Afghan border in Khyber Agency, he said in a statement. These targeted strikes were made in areas with no civilian population. So far more than 260 militants have been killed in the all-out offensive against the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) known as operation 'Zarb-i-Azb' that was launched on Sunday, according to the army.  The operation was launched following a deadly attack on Karachi international airport which killed 37 people, including the 10 attackers.  The militants are mos

Afghan suicide attack targets top adviser

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Police has cordoned off the area, launching an investigation A suicide attack in Afghanistan targeting a senior government official has killed one civilian and injured several others in Kabul, police say. But Mohammed Masoom Stanikzai, an adviser to the government body tasked with conducting peace talks with the Taliban, escaped unhurt. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Taliban militants have recently launched a series of attacks. Meanwhile, three US soldiers were killed in southern Afghanistan. The Nato-led Isaf force said the soldiers - and a military dog - died "following an improvised explosive device attack" on Friday. Local Afghan officials were quoted as saying the explosion happened in the Nad Ali district of Helmand province. 'Very strong' blast A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near Mr Stanikzai's car early on Saturday, the police say. But the government adviser was not hurt because he was travelling in an armou

US boosts aid to Central America to cope with migrants

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The number of migrants from Central America to the United States has doubled from last year The United States is boosting aid and speeding up deportations to cope with the growing number of migrants from Central America. Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras will all receive millions of dollars to combat gang violence. The money will also be used to help citizens repatriated from the US The White House said it would also step-up the removal of illegal migrants from the country and open additional detention centres. But, in a statement, it added it would protect the rights of those seeking asylum. From October 2013 to 15 June, 52,000 unaccompanied children arrived on the US border with Mexico, according to the US Homeland Security department. The agency is looking for more facilities to house the minors and has said it will bring more immigration lawyers to the border to deal with the influx. It is believed that criminal violence is responsible for the surge of Central American migrants,

Iraq crisis: Shia militia show of force raises tensions

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Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr has rallied followers for a military parade across Iraq, as Jim Muir reports Thousands of Shia militia loyal to the powerful cleric Moqtada al-Sadr have paraded through the streets of Baghdad, raising sectarian tensions amid continued fighting in areas of Iraq. The cleric, whose Mehdi Army fought the US in Iraq for years, had called for a military parade across the country. Correspondents say the show of force will be seen as a very disturbing development by the Baghdad government. Sunni extremists have seized control of large swathes of territory across Iraq. The militants, led by jihadist group Isis, are battling pro-government forces for the Baiji oil refinery and Tal Afar airport in northern Iraq. Fergal Keane reports: ''Isis suspects surrender (to the Kurdish snipers) and are made to strip for fear they are wearing suicide vests'' Thousands of largely Shia Iraqis have volunteered to fight Isis, urged on by a call from the country's high

Police target social media to fight radicalisation

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Clips are not currently available to view on all mobile devices. Duration: 03:02 Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police Sir Peter Fahy, who leads the Association of Chief Police Officer's "Prevent" strategy on counter-terrorism, spoke after online videos emerged of members of the outlawed ISIS Islamist group trying to recruit people to fight in Iraq and Syria.  His comments come after Ahmed Muthana the father of two brothers from Cardiff who've allegedly gone to fight in Syria, urged the hundreds of British people involved with extreme groups in the region to stop fighting and come home.  This clip is originally from 5 live World Cup Breakfast 21st June. Available since: Today Source  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p021d3zk

Iraq's top cleric increases pressure on al-Maliki

The most respected voice for Iraq’s Shiite majority on Friday joined calls for the country’s prime minister to form an inclusive government or step aside, a day after President Barack Obama challenged Nouri al-Maliki to create a leadership representative of all Iraqis. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani’s thinly veiled reproach was the most influential to place blame on the Shiite prime minister for the nation’s spiralling crisis. The focus on the need to replace al-Maliki comes as Iraq faces its worst crisis since the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2011. Over the past two weeks, Iraq has lost a big chunk of the north to the al-Qaeda-inspired Sunni militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, whose lightning offensive led to the capture of Mosul, the nation’s second-largest city. The gravity of the crisis has forced the usually reclusive al-Sistani, who normally stays above the political fray, to wade into politics, and his comments, delivered through a representative, coul

13 shot dead in Xinjiang after attack on police

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The attack in Kashgar Prefecture is the latest in a series of attacks in the sprawling Chinese region. Police in China’s western Xinjiang region shot dead 13 assailants who drove one or more vehicles into a police office building and set off explosives in an attack on Saturday that injured three officers, the news website for the regional government said. The Tianshan website said in a one-line report that no civilians were hurt in the attack in Kashgar Prefecture in Xinjiang’s southwest. The official Xinhua News Agency said one vehicle was used, though it did not provide specific details. Officials in the region contacted by phone either said they were unclear about the situation or refused to comment. It was the latest in a  series of attacks  in the sprawling region of Xinjiang. Last month, a  market bombing killed  43 people in Xinjiang’s capital, Urumqi. Chinese authorities have blamed the  attacks on extremists  bent on overthrowing Beijing’s rule. The governmen

As Ukraine Announces Cease-Fire, White House Points Finger at Russia

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WASHINGTON — On a day that the Ukrainian government announced a unilateral cease-fire in its battle with separatists in the country’s east, the Obama administration raised the stakes with Russia on Friday, accusing the Kremlin of continuing to covertly arm the rebels. A spokesman for the Ukrainian military, Vladislav Seleznyov, said the cease-fire would begin at 10 p.m. local time on Friday. Ukraine’s new president, Petro O. Poroshenko, has stressed that the plan hinges on the sealing of the porous border with Russia, to prevent the flow of fighters and arms. There was no immediate reaction from separatist leaders, but the Kremlin issued an angry statement complaining about artillery fire that struck a Russian border post, with demands for an investigation and an apology. “The statement by the president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, on the temporary cessation of hostilities was accidentally or deliberately made against the backdrop of shelling of Russian territory,” the Kremlin