Terrorism Watch

Washington:  As an October chill fell on the mountain passes that separate the militant havens in Afghanistan and Pakistan, a small team of Afghan intelligence commandos and U.S. special operations forces descended on a village where they believed a leader of al-Qaida was hiding. That night the Afghans and Americans got their man, Abu Bara al-Kuwaiti. They also came away with what officials from both countries say was an even bigger prize: a laptop computer and files detailing al-Qaida operations on both sides of the border. U.S. military officials said the intelligence seized in the raid was possibly as significant as the information found in the computer and documents of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, after members of the Navy SEALs killed him in 2011. In the months since, the trove of intelligence has helped fuel a significant increase in night raids by U.S. special operations forces and Afghan intelligence commandos, Afghan and U.S. off

The government of China has reportedly forced Muslim imams to dance in the street in a move which is seen as yet another crackdown on religious freedoms. According to a report published World Bulletin on Monday, the incident took place in Xinjiang district which is inhabited mostly by the Muslims. The imams were also forced to swear to an oath that they will not teach religion to children as well telling them that prayer is harmful to the soul. The newspaper citing reports by the statement media reportd that the imams were also forced to chant out slogans such as ‘peace of the country gives peace to the soul”. In the meantime, the public servants are forced to brandish the slogan that “our income comes from the CKP not from Allah”. Female teachers were instructed to teach children to stay away from religious education and made to swear an oath that they will keep children away from religion, the report added. According to reports, around 13.4 million Muslims ar

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, left, speaks during a meeting with Pakistan's Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Feb. 12, 2015. ISLAMABAD— China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi has reaffirmed Beijing’s support for Afghanistan’s national unity government during a visit to Pakistan.  Wang is in Islamabad at the start of a two-day official visit to Pakistan, during which he will discuss bilateral relations and peace efforts in neighboring Afghanistan. Wang says a broad-based, inclusive national reconciliation government with multiple factions, including the Taliban, will be the right direction for Afghanistan's long-term stability and security. At a news conference with Pakistani Advisor on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Wang emphasized the need for the international community to remain engaged with Kabul and support the unity government led by President A

CAPITOL HILL— The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan says President Ashraf Ghani has requested greater flexibility in the final drawdown of America’s military presence in the country, expected to be completed by 2017. General John Campbell appeared to confirm recent media reports that the Obama administration is looking at options to adjust the pace of withdrawal this year - while remaining firm that the military mission in Afghanistan will end on time. The longest war in U.S. history continues to wind down, but this year’s target of reducing U.S. troop levels to less than 6,000 could be in flux, according to General John Campbell, who appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee. “President Ghani is a credible and effective partner. He has asked for NATO and the United States to provide some flexibility in our planning to account for the fact that his government remains in transition.  I have provided options on adjusting our force posture throug

Police continued to investigate the slaying of three Muslims in North Carolina Thursday. The victims' family and friends insist it was a hate crime and are urging police to fully investigate. A neighbor, Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the killings of Deah Barakat, 23, his wife, Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister, 19-year-old Razan Abu-Salha. Chapel Hill police chief Chris Blue issued a statement saying investigators are exploring what could have motivated Hicks to commit such a "senseless and tragic act." "We understand the concerns about the possibility that this was hate-motivated and we will exhaust every lead to determine if that is the case," Blue said. Police said Wednesday they believe a long-simmering dispute over a parking space at the complex sparked the shootings, but Mohammad Abu-Salha, the father of the slain women, said he believed the shootings to be a hate crime.

FILE - Nigerian soldiers patrol in an armored vehicle in Abuja, Nigeria, Feb. 7, 2015. A suspected suicide bomber attacked a crowded market in Nigeria’s troubled northeast Thursday, witnesses and officials said, killing at least seven people and wounding many others. The blast went off ahead of a political rally and a visit by a former state governor in the Borno State town of Biu. It was the latest in a string of violent attacks that have roiled Africa’s most populous nation ahead of critical national elections that had been scheduled for Saturday.​ Much of the violence is linked to the nearly six-year insurgency by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram, which has terrorized Borno and other states in Nigeria’s northeast​. The inability of the security forces to quell the violence has turned into a major election issue, prompting officials to postpone Saturday’s vote until March 28.​ A trader in the

President Barack Obama, left, waves upon his arrival at San Francisco International Airport with San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, right, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015. President Barack Obama plans to sign an executive order Friday aimed at encouraging companies and organizations to share more information about cybersecurity threats with the government and each other. Obama will sign the order at a White House conference on cybersecurity and consumer protection at Stanford University in California. He arrived in California Thursday. The order will also direct the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to work on voluntary standards for the entities sharing the information. The move follows high-profile hack attacks against Sony Pictures Entertainment, Anthem health insurance, Target, Home Depot, EBay and JPMorgan Chase. The U.S. government also has suffered cyberattacks, including the hacking of unclassified computers at the White House a

TEHRAN / BAGHDAD: An influential Iranian general was quoted Thursday as saying that ISIS militants were “nearing the end of their lives,” as the jihadi group seized a town in western Iraq and attacked a nearby air base where U.S. Marines are training Iraqi forces. Gen.Qassem Soleimani, the once rarely seen commander of the powerful Quds Force, has become the public face of Iran’s support for the Iraqi and Syrian governments against jihadis. He has frequently been pictured on social media in Iraq with pro-government forces, including Kurdish fighters and Shiite militia units in battle areas. “Considering the heavy defeats suffered by ISIS and other terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria, we are certain these groups are nearing the end of their lives,” Soleimani was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency. His extremely rare published remarks came in a speech made Wednesday in his home province Kerman to mark the 36th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic Revolution. Soleim

BEIRUT: The Al-Qaeda-affiliated Abdullah Azzam Brigades is reportedly planning attacks across Lebanon as well as for the assassination of political or non-political figures, according to local newspaper As-Safir Friday. The report, according to information made available to security and military agencies, said groups of Abdullah Azzam Brigades were preparing to carry out bomb attacks and firing rockets on a Lebanese city and its surrounding and also on a main highway linking a Lebanese region with the capital Beirut. This has prompted authorities to take measures, including informing a number of political and non-political figures about the need to take extreme caution and restrict their movements, a well-informed security source told As-Safir. The report said a Syrian national identified only by his initials F.Sh. has rigged three cars with explosives: a silver Kia, a navy blue Nissan Maxima and a BMW X5. As-Safir said the source would not confirm or deny information about a

RAYAGADA:A Maoist camp was destroyed and explosives seized from a village located on Rayagada-Kalahandi border on Wednesday. The seizure followed an encounter between police and the Maoists. Giving details about the encounter, Rayagada SP K Siva said on getting information about the movement of a group of armed Maoists in Balasaraj village in Niyamgiri area on the border of Rayagada and Kalahandi districts, a joint combing operation was launched by the police of both the districts on Wednesday. During the combing operation, the Maoists suddenly opened fire at the police near Semlabhata village under Lanjigarh police limits at about 3 pm. Security personnel retaliated and unable to face the counter attack, the Maoists fled. Police later seized a switch board for landmine, a tiffin bomb, four electric detonators, electric wires measuring 30 metres, a walkie-talkie set, torch lights, Maoist literature and books from the spot. “The Maoist cadres belonged to Bansadhara-Ghumusar-Nagavali div

Balangir (Odisha):   A jawan of Odisha's elite Special Operaton Group (SOG) was seriously injured in a landmine explosion triggered by Maoists in Turekala area of Balangir district, police said on Friday. "The jawan was engaged in combing operation in a forest area near Kameimunda village yesterday when the landmine went off," Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Titilagarh, Dillip Purohit said.      The jawan was first taken to Patnagarh Sub-Divisional hospital and then shifted to District Headequarters Hospital here. He was later shifted to VSS Medical College Hospital at Burla where his condition was stated to be serious, police said. Three days ago, Maoists had set afire a JCB machine and tractors in the forest of Turekela which were used for road construction works. Combing operation is being intensified in the area after the incident, the SDPO said. Latest News  from  State News Desk For Best deals Click here Powered By Buyt.in Source http://post.jagran.com/jawan-in

Maoists gun down deputy sarpanch in Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh branding him a police informer

YANGON, Myanmar: Clashes between Myanmar troops and ethnic Kokang rebels near the Chinese border have left 47 government soldiers dead and 73 wounded, state media said Friday. The Global New Light of Myanmar said Friday that there have been more than 13 clashes in the last several days between government troops and Kokang rebels near Laukkai close to the border, with the government carrying out five airstrikes. The number of rebel casualties was not immediately known. It said thme fighting has been serious enough for the government to inform China, which is concerned about the clashes because they force civilians to flee across the border. The report said a Kokang renegade group led by former Kokang leader Phone Kya Shin attacked military stations with the objective of capturing Laukai, capital of the self-administered Kokang zone near the border more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) northeast of Yangon. The newspaper quoted local residents as saying that Kokang rebels had i

ISTANBUL, Feb 13 (Reuters) - An explosion hit an area near a Turkish police checkpoint in the southeastern town of Suruc, near the Syrian border, on Friday and some people were wounded, the private Dogan news agency reported. It said ambulances were sent to the area, around 10 km (six miles) north of the Syrian town of Kobani, from which Kurdish fighters recently forced out Islamic State militants. A security source told Reuters the cause of the blast was being investigated and that one police officer was slightly wounded. Source: http://www.trust.org/item/20150213092849-tbu16/

WASHINGTON— After months of turmoil and the president's resignation last month, Yemen appears to be collapsing as its various population groups cannot find common ground. Houthi rebels have taken control of the capital, Sana'a, and their leaders say they want to share power with others in Yemen. However, there have been no apparent steps in that direction. Thousands marched in Sana'a and other Yemeni cities against the Houthi takeover. The leaders of the Houthis, a Shiite faction which comes from the northern mountains, have moved into the presidential palace and residence.  They have dismantled the government and are forming a new council to run the country's affairs. They also have supporters in Sana'a. The head of the Houthi media office told VOA the departure of foreign diplomats will have no influence over the situation in Yemen. “The coincidence of the closure of these embassies in Sana'a is that they found out they have no powe

MUZAFFARABAD: At least two children died while two others critically injured in a toy bomb explosion at Kharal Maldialan near Bagh Azad Kashmir, some 80 kilometres on Thursday. According to police, the children were playing with a toy and suddenly it exploded killing one brother and sister while their mother and another sister sustained severe injuries. The children, who died were identified as Muhammad Moheed and Shabana Bibi, they added. Source: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/13-Feb-2015/bomb-blast-kills-two-children

At least 15 passengers, including women, were injured and were taken to Civil Hospital, Jacobabad. PHOTO: INP SUKKUR:  At least 15 people were injured when four coaches of Khushal Khan Khatak Express were derailed due to a bomb blast on the railway tracks near Dil Murad railway station on Thursday. The spot is located about seven kilometres from Jacobabad. The train was on its way to Peshawar from Karachi when a powerful explosion occurred on the tracks. A heavy contingent of police and Rangers rushed to the scene, cordoned the area off and started the rescue operation. At least 15 passengers, including women, were injured and were taken to Civil Hospital, Jacobabad. The injured include Salamullah, a resident of Peshawar, Shababa Bibi and Mehr Bibi from Nowshera, Meher Angez and his son, Irfan Khan, from Mardan, Mehran Khan, Abdul Jabbar and special ticket checker Hidayat Ali Shah. Railway SHO Dil Murad Mir Muhammad Mirani told The Express Tribune that the bom

N'Djamena: Boko Haram fighters attacked a Chadian village overnight, killing several people in the first known lethal attack by the Islamist group in the country, local sources and a security source said. They came on board three canoes and succeeded in killing about ten people before being pushed back by the Army," said a resident of the village of Ngouboua on the shores of Lake Chad.  The security source said that about 30 militants attacked the village at around 0300, setting houses ablaze. Source: http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/boko-haram-attacks-chadian-village-overnight_1545951.html

Ukrainian military officials say eight soldiers have been killed and 34 wounded in fighting in east Ukraine in the past day, despite a four-nation cease-fire deal that was reached Thursday but is not yet in effect. The leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France signed the deal in the Belarussian capital, Minsk, after 16 hours of talks. They announced a pullback of forces battling near the Russian border, an exchange of prisoners, and a cease-fire set to begin Sunday. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised the efforts of the four leaders to end the pro-Russia uprising in eastern Ukraine, saying he expects the truce deal to be honored by all parties. French President Francois Hollande said the deal, if honored, amounts to a "comprehensive political solution," while German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it offers "a glimmer of hope." She also said "we have no illusions," and that "much work" remains to establish a la

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on February 13, 2015, on page 8. PARIS: Media freedom suffered a “drastic decline” worldwide last year in part because of extremist groups such as ISIS and Boko Haram, the watchdog group Reporters without Borders said in its annual evaluation released Thursday. “There has been an overall deterioration linked to very different factors, with information wars and action by non-state groups acting like news despots,” the head of the Paris-based group, Christophe Deloire, told AFP. The Reporters without Borders 2015 World Press Freedom Index stated there was an 8 percent increase in violations of freedom of information in 180 countries in 2014 compared to 2013, according to its statistically weighted calculation. All parties in conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine were waging “a fearsome information war” where media personnel were directly targeted to be killed, captured or pressured to relay propaganda

WASHINGTON: One of the two police officers who allegedly assaulted the 57-year-old Indian man in Alabama has been arrested and FBI will be conducting a probe into the matter to find out if there were any federal violations in the incident. Larry Muncey, the Madison City Chief of Police while apologizing to the victim Sureshbhai Patel, who was wrongfully assaulted by two police officers, without any provocation just because he did not know English and was unable to answer to their questions, informed that Federal Bureau of Investigation will also be conducting a probe into the matter. "I sincerely apologize to Mr Patel, Mr Patel's family and our community. We strive to exceed expectations," Muncey told reporters at a news conference. "Additionally FBI would be conducting a parallel inquiry to ascertain if there were any federal violations," Muncey said after he released audio and videos related to the incident. "As a result of the investigations, I

The treatment of journalists during the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, last summer was a blow against press freedom in the U.S., according to the latest  World Press Freedom Index compiled by press safety and freedom group Reporters Without Borders. The U.S.’s ranking on the 180-country index slipped for the third year in a row, dropping from 32nd place in 2012 and 2013 to 49th in 2015. Reporters Without Borders has placed the U.S. in its  “satisfactory situation” category. Malta, Niger and Burkina Faso precede it on this year’s list. Source http://www.newsweek.com/treatment-ferguson-reporters-knocks-us-press-freedom-ranking-306505

Al Qaida-affiliated fighters seized an army base in Southern Yemen and held soldiers prisoner on Thursday. The United States, Britain and France have closed their embassies in Sana’a, citing security concerns. Benomar said Yemen’s economy was facing imminent collapse and called for more dialogue to reach a peaceful settlement. “They are all party to what has happened so far, they have all made mistakes and follies and sometimes groups resorted to violence to realise political aims,” the envoy said. Yemen, which borders top oil exporter Saudi Arabia, is home to Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, one of the global network’s most active arms that has carried out attacks abroad. Soldiers killed Meanwhile, Al Qaida militants overran an army camp in Southern Yemen on Thursday following clashes that killed at least seven people, a local government official said. The militants seized the camp of the 19th Infantry Brigade in Baihan, a town in southern Shabwa province, the official said, adding

The ceasefire agreement in Minsk over Ukraine was better than no outcome at all. But only a little better. After  all-night talks  in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, the  outcomes  of the four-party talks in the so-called Normandy format (Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany) have neither brought a major breakthrough nor a complete disaster. As a deal, it is not a solution, but perhaps a step towards one. It almost seems to be business as usual—yet another ceasefire deal and commitments to further negotiations on a more durable political settlement — but, by the standards of this crisis, this is not the outcome Ukraine’s people may have hoped for. Not least because the deal, as soon as it was announced, ran into its first set of problems, with rebels  demanding Ukrainian forces withdraw from the strategic town of Debaltseve before they would agree to the ceasefire.  At the very least, this might mean two more days of heavy fighting before the ceasefire starts on 15 February; at worst it

Opening statements were held on Wednesday as the trial began in Texas Driving his pickup truck on 2 February, 2013, Chris Kyle – the Navy Seal popularised in the film  American Sniper  – texted his friend sitting in the passenger seat that the man in the truck with them was “nuts”. That man, Eddie Ray Routh, is alleged to have killed Mr Kyle and his friend, Chad Littlefield, shortly after that text was sent. A defence lawyer told this story to the jury during opening statements in the trial for Mr Routh, aiming to prove that his client was in a psychotic state and was not aware of the gravity of his actions. The prosecution claims that Mr Routh acted “knowingly and intentionally” when he shot Mr Kyle and Mr Littlefield at a firing range about 70 miles south of Fort Worth, Texas, according to Reuters . Mr Kyle had been attempting to help Mr Routh with his post-traumatic stress disorder when he took him to the firing range, as he had done with