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Showing posts from November 13, 2011

Military claims proof of NPA ‘child warriors’

Source: Inquirer MANILA, Philippines – Months after an international human rights group slammed them for allegedly fabricating stories of child recruits in the New People’s Army rebel group, the Armed Forces of the Philippines claimed that they have proof disproving these accusations. In an interview with Colonel Arnulfo Burgos, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman, he said that 19 of the 80 rebel returnees who surrendered in Bukidnon earlier this week were minors. Burgos said the “former NPA rebels” were from 10 to 18 years old. Others who surrendered were 19 years old and have been with the rebel ranks for more than five years. “This only validates and confirms the recruitment of children in the armed conflict which is against the law. This shows that they continue to exploit children,” Burgos said. He added that military records showed that between the years 2000 to 2010, the NPA rebel group recruited at least 340 minors and were used in the

NPA ‘shadow gov’t’ in Davao uncovered

THE Armed Forces of the Philippines’ 10th Infantry Division rushed more “Peace and Development Teams” (PDT) in the tri-boundary area of Davao del Norte after confirming the existence there of a “shadow government” being run by the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (CPP-NPA). Col. Leon Galon, spokesman of the East Mindanao Command (Eastmincom), said the discovery came after a bombing incident last month in the vicinity of San Isidro, Davao del Norte, where the rebels blew a passing military convoy hurting one soldier. “It later turned out that the entire area is already under direct communist influence thru their so-called ‘Hukpong Organisadong Masa’ (HOM) wherein the CPP-NPA actually runs the local affairs,” Galon said. “We consider that incident a ‘blessing in disguise’ of sort,” he said. Specifically, the areas now under immersion activities by the AFP thru its PDTs are the tri-boundary towns of Laak, San Isidro and Asuncio

Police, soldiers overrun NPA camp

Nov 19, 2011 ( The Manila Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- COMBINED elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) seized a New People's Army (NPA) camp in the hinterlands of Catarman, Northern Samar. Lieutenant Colonel Noel A. Vestuir, Commanding Officer, 20th Infantry Battalion (20 IB) in his report to 803rd Brigade Commander, Col.Oscar Lopez, disclosed Friday that the camp was seized by the troops of 3rd Regional Public Safety Mobile Company, which is under the control of 20IB. According to Vestuir, the camp has 14 bunkers that can accommodate about 20 people. "It has just been abandoned by the communists as they evaded armed engagement with the operating troops," he said. The troops also recovered one empty bandolier, ammunition pouch and dry cell batteries. The camp was discovered after 20IB launched sustained combat operations in the area of Catarman in response to the series o

Nepal to begin asking ex-rebels: army or money?

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Government monitors reached seven camps spread across Nepal by Friday to begin asking 19,000 former rebels whether they will join the army or leave with cash to start new lives, five years after ending their insurgency to join a peace process. Enlarge Former Maoist rebels play a game of chess at the Shaktikhor cantonment in Chitwan, about 220 kilometers (138 miles) southwest of Katmandu, Nepal, Friday, Nov. 18, 2011. The Maoists gave up their decade-long armed revolt in 2006, confined their fighters to U.N.-monitored camps, locked up their weapons and joined mainstream politics. Under an agreement, 6,500 of the 19,000 former Maoist rebels who had been demobilized and living in camps for five years will be integrated into the national army, but only in noncombat roles. The remaining ex-fighters will be offered a rehabilitation package with up to 900,000 rupees ($11,500) in startup cash to begin their new lives. T

Timor-Leste’s Veterans: An Unfinished Struggle?

  Dili/Jakarta/Brussels   |   18 Nov 2011 Ten years after the demobilisation of its guerrilla liberation army, Timor-Leste must strike a balance between recognising veterans’ role and promoting strong and independent institutions in order to ensure stability. Timor-Leste’s Veterans: An Unfinished Struggle? , the latest briefing from the International Crisis Group, examines attempts by the young state to recognise and honour those who fought for its independence. While these efforts initially targeted on symbolic measures, the state’s increasing wealth means that they have increasingly focused on cash benefits. The government has deferred difficult decisions on who will qualify for these payments. It has done so because of the complexity of Timor-Leste’s 24-year resistance and fears that refusing benefits to claimants could create potential spoilers to the st

Girls recruited as sexual slaves by Colombia’s largest rebel group

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FARC rebels pose with an unidentified girl holding a weapon in southern Colombia in this undated photo confiscated by Colombian police and released to the media on November 12, 2009. REUTERS/National Police/Handout By Anastasia Moloney BOGOTA (TrustLaw) - Girls forcibly recruited by Colombia’s illegal armed groups are being used as sexual slaves, said the country’s defence minister. Child soldiers make up around 13 percent of the ranks of Colombia’s largest 8,000-strong rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia ( FARC ), according to government figures. “The majority of girls who are recruited by illegal armed groups (the FARC) are forced to become sexual slaves, in many cases the lovers of commanders, or they are simply seen as objects of desire to motivate guerrillas,” Defence Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon told reporters at a Bogota press conference earlier this week. “All the

Hundreds of thousands uprooted as Colombia hunts rebel chiefs

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A police officer surveys the area after an attack on a nearby police station, blamed on FARC, in Piendamo, Cauca province, November 6, 2011. REUTERS/Jaime Saldarriaga By Anastasia Moloney When the leader of Colombia’s largest FARC rebel group, Alfonso Cano, was killed in a gun battle this month, his death was hailed by the government as the biggest blow to the guerrilla movement in its 47-year history. The killing of FARC’s top commander in a stealth air raid on a rebel jungle camp in the verdant mountains of Colombia’s south-western province of Cauca made world headlines. But far less attention was given to the hundreds of thousands of Colombians who have been forced to flee their homes to escape almost daily skirmishes between the rebels and Colombia’s security forces as they hunt down FARC commanders. When Cano took over the guerrilla group’s leadership following the death of veteran leader Manuel Marulanda from natural causes in 2008, he became the nu

Hackers attack Norway's oil, gas and defence businesses

Oil, gas and defence firms in Norway have been hit by a series of sophisticated hack attacks. Industrial secrets and information about contract negotiations had been stolen, said Norway's National Security Agency (NSM). It said 10 firms, and perhaps many more, had been targeted in the biggest wave of attacks to hit the country. Norway is the latest in a growing list of nations that have lost secrets and intellectual property to cyber thieves. The attackers won access to corporate networks using customised emails with viruses attached which did not trigger anti-malware detection systems. Targeted attacks The NSM said the email messages had been sent to specific named individuals in the target firms and had been carefully crafted to look like they had come from legitimate sources. Many of the virus-laden emails were sent while the companies were in the middle of negotiations over big contracts.

Colombia Unable to Halt FARC, New-Generation Drug Gangs: Report

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Two new studies argue that not only has the Colombian government failed to contain the FARC rebel group, but it has not stopped new generation drug gangs, known as BACRIMs, from expanding their activity across the country. The first report by the Center for Security and Democracy at Sergio Arboleda University agrees with several of the same trends highlighted by other observers of the conflict. Kidnappings overall are going up , and are increasingly carried out by street gangs, not guerrilla groups like the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia ( FARC ) or the National Liberation Army ( ELN ). The university argues that the FARC have increased their military actions and the security forces have not been able to keep up. This is in agreement with the analysis of Corporation Nuevo Arco Iris , but not with· the Ideas for Peace Foundation (FIP)  -- two of Colombia's most important policy think tanks, who have presented radically different view

U.S. investigates cyber attack on water system

(Reuters) - Federal investigators are looking into a report that hackers managed to remotely shut down a utility's water pump in central Illinois last week, in what could be the first known foreign cyber attack on an industrial system on U.S. soil. The November 8 incident was described in a one-page report from the Illinois Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center, according to Joe Weiss, a prominent expert on protecting infrastructure from cyber attacks. State police investigators believe the hackers broke into the water utility's network by using credentials stolen from an undisclosed U.S. company that produces software to control industrial systems, said Weiss, who read excerpts from the report to Reuters over the phone. "An inform

Trouble lurks for Indonesia's 'last paradise'

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Enlarge A tourist snorkles over a coral reef in Raja Ampat's Mansuar Island located in Indonesia's Papua region. The archipelago is referred to by some as the "last paradise on Earth". Huts on stilts perch above the coral of the turquoise lagoon, hammocks awaiting a lazy siesta and sunset cocktails. The Indonesian archipelago of Raja Ampat is a modern-day garden of Eden. But for how long?   This remote pearl of Asia between the Pacific and Indian oceans in Indonesia's Papua province has remained a closely guarded secret and one of the last frontiers of tourism, known only to intrepid travellers and avid divers. Raja Ampat's palm-fringed islands, surrounded by an underwater kaleidoscope of coral and fish, are described by the regional tourism office as "the last paradise on earth". A 2002 report by US-based Conservation International (CI) classed the waters

Jakarta says resolution to Freeport industrial dispute in Papua is nearing

Indonesia’s government says a compromise has nearly been reached between a striking workers union and the management of the Papua operations of US gold and copper mining giant Freeport McMoran. The strike by thousands of workers at Freeport’s giant Grasberg mine in Timika has entered a third month. Workers are demanding better wages and improved working conditions however collective bargaining has failed to break the industrial action. The labor strike and the violence have prompted Freeport to declare force majeure in its Papua operation. The company’s current production is 5 percent of its normal output. Under normal conditions, Freeport recorded US$8 million in revenue per day. However, Indonesia’s Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik says that the union’s salary demand had come down to US$4 per hour from the initial demand of $35 per hour. Freeport Indonesia’s management recently agreed to a 28 percent salary increase to $3.09 per

Three Syrian troops killed in Hama blast

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Hundreds of Syrian security forces have been killed since the beginning of unrest (File Photo). At least three Syrian law enforcement agents have been killed in a bomb explosion in the central province of Hama, SANA reported. An officer was also critically wounded in the blast which occurred in al-Qussour neighborhood on Friday. Two law enforcement agents were also injured in a terrorist attack in Dara'a Province. According to the London-based Observatory for Human Rights, six people were killed and more than 20 others were injured in clashes in crisis-hit cities, including Homs and Hama, on Friday. Meanwhile, thousands of Syrians have rallied in the capital, Damascus, following the Friday Prayers to express support for President Bashar al-Assad and his reform program. The demonstrators also condemned foreign interference in Syria's internal affairs and the Arab League's decision to suspend the country's membership. Syria has been experiencing unres

Bahraini troops attack protesters

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Bahraini troops (File Photo) Bahraini forces attack anti-regime protesters in and around the capital, Manama, injuring scores of demonstrators. Witnesses say regime forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters in Manama and several villages, including Sanabis and Daih, on Friday as thousands of Bahrainis took to the streets to demand an end to the rule of Al Khalifa dynasty. Security forces also arrested dozens of protesters. According to Bahraini protesters, a huge blast has been heard near the capital. Source: Presstv

Iraq bombings kill 9, injure scores

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Iraqi security personnel inspect the site of a car bomb blast in Hilla, 100 km south of Baghdad which left at least 18 people dead on October 1, 2011. At least nine people have been killed and many others injured in a series of bomb blasts targeting Iraqi security personnel in and around the capital, Baghdad. Five Iraqi civilians were killed on Friday after a bomb exploded at dawn outside a policeman's house in Saqlawiyah district outside Fallujah, about 60 kilometers west of Baghdad. The policeman, a member of the local anti-terrorism force, was not present at the time of the attack. Those killed were all members of his family, including his 55-year-old mother. Two other members of his family were also wounded in the blast. Hours later, several bombs planted near three mosques exploded in Baghdad suburb of Abu Ghraib, killing at least four people, including two policemen and a soldier. Iraqi police officials said 18 people were wounded and added that the b

Somalia overtakes Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Colombia to become world’s terror capital – Global study

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Al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula pulls Yemen into 'extreme risk' but Greece sustains more attacks 15/11/2010 Somalia is now more at risk from terrorist attacks than Iraq , Pakistan , Afghanistan and Colombia according to a global ranking assessing the frequency and intensity of terrorist incidents in 196 countries. Sixteen countries are rated as ‘extreme risk’ with Somalia (1), Pakistan (2), Iraq (3), Afghanistan (4), Palestinian Occupied Territory (5), Colombia (6), Thailand (7), Philippines (8), Yemen (9) and Russia (10) at the bottom of the ranking. The Terrorism Risk Index (TRI) is developed by global risks advisory firm, Maplecroft, to enable organisations to identify and monitor terrorism risks to human security and international assets. The index uses data from June 2009 to June 2010 to assess the frequency of terrorist incidents and the intensity of attacks, which includes the number of victims per attack and the chances of ma

Three shot dead, three hurt by home-made bombs

The bombs yesterday followed the fatal shooting of three people at a petrol station in the same province on Sunday. The first incident took place at 7am yesterday when a civilian defence volunteer was inspecting trees felled to block a road in Waeng district. He stepped on one of the home-made bombs and lost his right leg. Police said the bomb was a plastic water pipe filled with 1kg of explosive. A banner tied to tree branches at the scene had a message in Thai, which said: "October of Tak Bai: As long as those who killed Malays are in power, Thai Buddhists pay for it with their lives." Later, at a rubber plantation in Sri Sakhon district, a 16-year-old and a 10-year-old were wounded after the elder boy stepped on a similar device and lost his left ankle. The younger boy was hit with shrapnel in the torso and both legs, sustaining minor injuries. Police found debris similar to the first bomb. At about 10am, a roadside bomb was detonated on a road in Bah Choh district

Five civilians killed, three injured in Falluja

11/18/2011 ANBAR / Aswat al-Iraq: Five civilians killed and three injured from one family in bomb blast around the residence of a cop in Saqlawiya, north of Falluja, security sources said here today. The source told Aswat al-Iraq that an armed group implanted a number of bombs around the house, 22 km north of Falluja city. The explosion resulted in killing five civilians and injuring three from the same family, while the cop himself was not at home. The blast resulted in material damages in the house and nearby houses. Saqlawiya lies 22 km north of Falluja, Anbar province. Source http://en.aswataliraq.info/Default.aspx?page=article_page&c=slideshow&id=145647

Police: 2 wounded in bomb blast in north Nigeria

Friday, Nov. 18, 2011 | 3:11 a.m. Authorities say two people were wounded after a bomb exploded in a city in northern Nigeria. Bauchi state police spokesman Mohammed Barau said Saturday that the explosion happened around 7 p.m. Friday in the state capital of Bauchi. Barau said explosive experts visited the scene of the blast inside the city and have begun an investigation. Barau said police continued to investigate the blast, but had no idea of the motive behind the attack. The attack comes after more than 100 people died in bombings and gunfights carried out Nov. 4 in northeast Nigeria. A radical Muslim sect known as Boko Haram claimed responsibility. Boko Haram has been carrying out a string of targeted assassinations for more than a year by gunmen on motorcycles and carrying out bombings in the north. Source http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/nov/18/af-nigeria-violence/

Syria’s Friday protests turn deadly

Syrian security forces shot dead at least six people on Friday as they opened fire to disperse protesters urging countries to expel Syria's ambassadors, activists said. Meanwhile SANA, the state news agency, quoted an official source as saying two members of the security forces were killed and an officer was critically wounded in a bomb blast in the restive central city of Hama. The latest bloodletting comes on the eve of a deadline by the Arab League for Syria to stop the lethal crackdown on protesters seeking the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, or face new sanctions. Three people were killed in the Damascus countryside, while one was shot in the central protest city of Homs and another in the restive city of Hama, also in the center of the protest-wracked country, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. A 14-year-old boy was shot dead in the southern town of Daraa, cradle of the uprising against Assad's autocratic regime, said the Britain-b

LEAD: Two roadside explosions kill seven Afghan children

Kabul - Seven children and an elderly man were killed in two separate roadside bombings on Friday in Afghanistan, officials said. Three children and an old man were killed in Uruzgan province Friday afternoon. 'A three-wheeler carrying three children and an old man was hit by a roadside bomb in the provincial capital Tarin Kot this afternoon,' Farid Ayel, provincial spokesman told dpa. The second incident took place in eastern Nangarhar province, killing four children while they were playing. 'Four children were martyred and six others were wounded in the explosion,' said Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, spokesman of the governor of Nangarhar province. 'The children were playing in a green area when the blast took place,' he said. Source http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/southasia/news/article_1676052.php/LEAD-Two-roadside-explosions-kill-seven-Afghan-children

4 hurt in Manipur blasts

4 hurt in Manipur blasts Newmai News IMPHAL, Nov 17 – An explosion inside a scrap shop caused injuries to two persons this afternoon here and, in a separate incident, two persons were wounded when a bomb exploded in a market in Ukhrul district today . In the first incident, a blast took place at around 12:30 pm in front of a scrap shop at Uripok Yambem Leikai in Imphal West. The injured have been indentified as Opendrakumar, 36, s/o Sorbon Rai of Sitawari district in Bihar at present staying at Major Khul here and the other as Laishram Kaoba, 42, s/o (L) Tomba of Langthabal. In another incident, two non-locals were injured in a bomb attack at a busy market in Ukhrul district, police said today. At around 5.10 this evening, a hand-grenade lobbed by assailants at a hardware shop at Dewland Market in Ukhrul district exploded wounding two shopkeepers. The injured have been identified as Vijay Sharma, 45 of Tikai village, Rajasthan and Ashok Rai, 30 from Majab Thakur district of Raj

Dagestan's political parties agreed on methods to combat extremismand terrorism

Makhachkala, November 17, 2011. On November 16 in Makhachkala, the Republican National Library named after Rasul Gamzatov hosted a roundtable discussion on "The role of political parties and civil society in combating extremism and terrorism." The event was attended by the Acting Head of Information Policy Department and the presidential press service Zubayru Zubayruev, the Minister for National Policy, Religious Affairs and External Relations RD Bekmurza Bekmurzaev, the Chairman of the Committee on Press and Mass Communications RD Umarosman Hajiyev, the deputy of the republican parliament and the heads of regional parties and public organizations. Opening the meeting, Z. Zubayruev noted that the event was initiated by the Dagestani Head Magomedsalam Magomedov with a view that political parties and civil society institutions once again expressed their views on the fight against extremism and terrorism. According to Zubayruev, some republican media thrust their opinion on t

Bomb blast: Health unit destroyed in Charsadda

PESHAWAR: A Basic Health Unit (BHU) was partially destroyed as a bomb planted on the outer walls of the building went off in the Shabqadar area of Charsadda District in the small hours of Thursday. However, there were no deaths or injuries, police said. Station House Officer (SHO) Janzada confirmed the incident and added that it took place in the Jan Banda village. “The militants placed the bomb near the gate, which exploded around 2am,” he explained. The Shabqadar area is located near the Mohmand tribal belt and has been the centre of terrorist activities following a military operation in the agency. The same BHU was blown up two years ago. However, this time the remaining rooms and the walls were destroyed, said Janzada. Last week a policeman was killed and another injured when a remote control bomb exploded at a police checkpoint in Shabqadar. The areas close to the tribal region have often been targeted by militants, where more than 90 people were killed in twin suicide atta

FC vehicle escapes bomb blast in Khuzdar

QUETTA: A Frontier Corps (FC) vehicle escaped a remote-controlled blast in Arbab Complex area of Khuzdar, on Thursday. According to the sources, a remote-controlled bomb was planted along the roadside near Arbab Complex area and detonated when a FC vehicle was passing by. However, no casualty was reported as explosion occurred after few seconds after the FC vehicle had passed by. Police and Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) officials rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area. A case has been registered against the unidentified persons. Source http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C11%5C18%5Cstory_18-11-2011_pg7_32

American Islamists and Iranian Propaganda

The Investigative Project on Terrorism Tune in to Press TV, the Iranian government's English-language broadcast outlet, and you will see reports of the pervasive evil represented by the United States. It seeks war. It fabricated an international report on Iran's nuclear weapons program. It leads an elaborate "Iranophobic" conspiracy aimed at invading Iran and "plundering its natural resources." » If you like this article, please subscribe to our daily newsletter Watch long enough and you'll also see a parade of American Muslim activists, all lamenting their problems with government policies and decrying the plight of life here for Muslims. In the past 12 months, representatives of American Islamist groups have appeared on Press TV for interviews more than 35 times, the most recent example taking place Tuesday. Most of those included representatives of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), who appeared at least 29 times. Muslim Public

NATO Working with Private Sector to Deter Cyber Attacks

17/11/2011 As stated in the NATO Strategic Concept, cyber attacks are one of the top three threats facing the Alliance in today's world in which life without computers is unimaginable. As such, in order to help resist and deter new threats to international security through the multiplication of often sophisticated cyber attacks, NATO has been working with some of the world’s biggest private cyber security companies to share knowledge and experience. In 2012, a new cyber defence package, with a first tranche of €28 million, will enhance NATO's capabilities to monitor and react to cyber incidents with its networks; equipment will be modernised and reaction teams upgraded. This, NATO believes, will represent an important increase in its investment in protecting its networks. The Alliance is also working with private cyber security companies to strengthen its ability to support Allies in case of cyber attacks Dave De Bie, a Technology Strategist at Microsoft explains that,