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Showing posts from September 22, 2013

Know about Syria's 'Sex Jihad'

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  New Delhi: First of all we must know the true meaning of the word Jihad before we go further in knowing this latest and unique form of so-called Jihad. Jihad is an Arabic word which means struggle. It is a struggle of will power of human beings which will restrict them from doing evil deeds. In terms of holy war, the word refers to fighting against injustice and for the cause of safeguarding humanity. But, these days some Islamic outfits and hypocrites use the holy word for spreading terror by misguiding and brainwashing Muslim youths. One of the unique and latest type of so-called Jihad is 'Sex Jihad'. So let's know about this mischievous type of Jihad. Sex jihad, also known as Jihad-al-Nikah, is a latest fatwa or religious order allegedly given by Saudi Wahabi cleric Sheikh Mohamad al-Arifi in 2013 in the ongoing Syrian civil war. This fatwa invited women cohorts to volunteer for sex jihad to provide battle comfort to the mujahideen fighting the

Tunisia's ruling Islamists accept plan to step down

Sat Sep 28, 2013 1:00pm BST TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia's Islamist government has agreed to resign after negotiations that start next week with secular opponents to form a caretaker administration and prepare for elections, a senior ruling party official said on Saturday. The negotiations aim to end weeks of crisis involving the Islamist-led coalition government and secular opposition parties that has threatened to scuttle the transition to democracy in the North African country where the Arab Spring uprisings began in 2011. Tunisia's powerful UGTT labour union, mediating between the two sides, proposed the ruling Islamist Ennahda party agree to three weeks of negotiations, after which it would step down and make way for an independent transitional administration and set a date for elections. "The dialogue will start on Monday or Tuesday," Lotfi Zitoun, an Ennahda party official, said. "Ennahda has accepted the plan without conditions to get the country

Three killed in gunfight in Lebanon's Baalbek

Sat Sep 28, 2013 12:16pm BST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Three people were killed in clashes in the Lebanese town of Baalbek on Saturday after gunmen opened fire on a checkpoint manned by militant group Hezbollah, security sources said. One Hezbollah member was killed and two others were wounded when gunmen opened fire from a car at the checkpoint, the sources said. Hezbollah gunmen returned fire, killing two men and wounding three, they said. Baalbek lies in the eastern Bekaa Valley close to the border with Syria, across which Lebanese Shi'ite Hezbollah guerrillas and Sunni Muslim fighters have travelled to join opposing forces in the Syrian civil war. Their involvement in the two-and-a-half-year conflict has fuelled sectarian tensions across Lebanon which has erupted at times into street fighting, car bombings and rocket fire. Several rockets have been fired at Shi'ite areas in the Bekaa Valley by suspected Syrian rebels or their supporters. Hezbollah has sent thousands o

US intelligence claims al-Shabab planning new Kenya-like attacks

The US intelligence community has reportedly said that the al-Qaeda linked terrorist group al-Shabab, which claimed responsibility for the Nairobi mall-attack, may be planning new attacks in East Africa, particularly Kenya. The intelligence community monitored a specific stream of classified information, but it did not include details of specific target or date.  One US intelligence official said that there are data points which are worrisome and now the intelligence is focused on how to prevent any more attacks, CNN reports. The officials said that the classified information they tracked is different from the public claims and tweets made by the Somalia-based terror group.  The US State Department has reissued a travel specific warning to Kenya saying Americans already there or planning to go there should evaluate their personal security situation, the report added. Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/world/1895102/report-us-intelligence-claims-al-shabab-pla

Kenya vows no Somalia pullout after Shabab attack

Nairobi: Kenya has vowed not to bow to Shabab threats of more attacks if troops are not pulled out of Somalia, following a devastating mall attack in Nairobi by the al Qaeda-linked insurgents. "We went to Somalia because Al-Shabab was a threat to national security... We will continue to take action on that front until our security and interests in the country are protected," Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku told reporters yesterday. Somalia's Shabab chief Ahmed Abdi Godane said the Nairobi Westgate mall carnage in which at least 67 people were killed would be followed by "more bloodshed" unless Kenya left Somalia. Kenya invaded southern Somalia to attack Shabab bases two years ago, and later joined the 17,700-strong African Union force deployed in the country. Funerals continued yesterday for the victims on the third and final day of official mourning, with President Uhuru Kenyatta attending the service of his slain nephew. As well as sc

Pak Taliban commander killed in infighting

Islamabad: A top Taliban commander has been killed in clashes with a rival group in Pakistan's Sindh province. Hatim Mehsud, affiliated with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Hakimullah Mehsud, was killed during exchange of fire with the rival Waliur Rehman group, police said today. The incident took place yesterday in Gulshan-e-Bunair area on the outskirts of Karachi, the financial hub of Pakistan. "The fighting erupted as part of a turf war," an official said. A contingent of security personnel, including Rangers and police, conducted a targeted operation in the area and detained around two dozen suspects following the incident. They also recovered a huge cache of arms including a 7.5 kg bomb. Around half dozen operatives of the TTP's Hakimullah Mehsud group have so far been killed in a couple of months in the metropolis, the Express Tribune reported. Mehsud group's chief operational commander in Karachi, Sher Khan Mehsud was also

Mali Tuareg separatists suspend participation in peace process

OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Tuareg separatists pulled out of a peace agreement with the Mali government on Thursday, accusing Bamako of not respecting its commitments to a truce reached in June. The ceasefire in the West African nation allowed Mali's government and military to return to the separatists' northern stronghold of Kidal and enabled national elections to take place in July and August. "Following multiple difficulties implementing the Ouagadougou agreement, mainly caused by non-observance by the Malian government of its commitments, (we have) decided to suspend participation in the structures of implementation of the agreement," three organizations representing the Tuaregs said. They did not specify the difficulties. Following a meeting in neighboring Burkina Faso's capital of Ouagadougou, the separatist groups - the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), High Council for the Unity of Azawad (HCUA) and the Arab Movement of Azawa

Greek police arrest leader of far-right Golden Dawn party

Athens: Greek police arrested the leader and the spokesman of the far-right Golden Dawn party on Saturday on charges of founding a criminal organization, and have issued arrest warrants for dozens more party members and lawmakers, police officials said. Police are investigating the party for links with the killing of an anti-fascist rapper by a self-proclaimed Golden Dawn supporter. The stabbing to death of Pavlos Fissas on September 17 sparked violent protests in the capital of Athens. "The Secretary General and one lawmaker of the Golden Dawn Party were arrested a short while ago after arrest warrants were issued," Greek police said in a text message to journalists. The two men arrested were party's leader Nikolaos Mihaloliakos and spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris, officials said. Golden Dawn - Greece's third most popular party, according to opinion polls - has denied any links to the rapper's killing and Mihaloliakos has warned it may pull its 18 l

Nigeria Islamists release video of French hostage: SITE

Lagos: Nigerian Islamist group Ansaru has released a video of a French national kidnapped in December, the SITE jihadi tracking website said. In the video, posted online yesterday, the hostage identifies himself as 63-year-old Francis Collomp, an engineer with the French firm Vergnet, who was "kidnapped in Rimi in Katsina state on 19 December 2012 till today, 25 September 2013." The hostage appears wearing a white t-shirt, with an unidentified person holding a weapon in the background. If authentic, it would be the first video of Collomp to emerge since his abduction. The abductee's brother, Denis Collomp, told AFP of his relief at seeing the images, while still fearing for his safety. "I'm relieved, it's good, even though he looked tired," he said from his home in southeastern France. But he added: "Ansaru have never released a single hostage, so it's still very worrying," recalling that his brother had undergone a tripl

Militants target security forces convoy in Srinagar; 1 injured

Srinagar: Two scooter-borne militants opened fire on a convoy of security forces in Sanat Nagar on the outskirts of the city on Saturday afternoon. The terrorist organisation - Shohada Brigade - is believed to be responsible for the attack. "Our two men carried out the attack on Army at Sanat Nagar in Srinagar," a person introducing himself as Shamsul Haq, spokesman of the group, told agencies on phone. Also Read: Suspected terrorists spotted in J&K's Kathua district The militants opened fire on vehicles of the security forces between Sanat Nagar and Hyderpora bypass road this afternoon, official sources said. They said a civilian was injured in the brief firing. The whole area has been cordoned off and a hunt has been launched to nab the militants involved in the firing. On September 26, three terrorists had stormed a police station and then an army camp in Jammu region, killing 10 people including an army officer in twin 'fidayeen' a

Oslo's Roots: Kissinger, the PLO, and the Peace Process

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s highly publicized efforts to foster negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Oslo Accords. The conventional wisdom is that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) -- weakened and on the verge of   by safesaver">bankruptcy   after the end of the Cold War and the first Gulf War -- signed the Oslo Accords to stave off the emergence of an alternate leadership from the occupied Palestinian Territories and irrelevancy. However, Al-Shabaka Policy Advisor Osamah Khalil draws on declassified U.S. diplomatic documents to argue that the roots of Oslo can be traced to the aftermath of the 1973 October War. He demonstrates that the PLO’s willingness to make considerable concessions occurred before entering negotiations or being recognized by the United States. Nor did these concessions occur when the organization was at its nadir, but rather after its most notable diplomatic achievements, securing Un

Lawmaker wants OPAPP budget cut for ‘bungling’ peace process with MNLF

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Rep. Carlos Zarate. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate has proposed that Congress trim down the 2014 budget of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (OPAPP) and suggested a review of how the Malacañang-attached agency performed in recent years. Zarate told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that OPAPP “fail(ed) to address issues in the peace negotiations between the government of the Philippines and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which resulted in the standoff between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the MNLF in Zamboanga City.” Earlier, Zamboanga City Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar also blamed the OPAPP for the crisis that had gripped her city since Sept. 9. “Because of the incompetence of the OPAPP in reaching out to them (MNLF) and the two leaders with their ideologies…the people are suffering. We are all victims here. Despite numerous appeals to OPAPP to go to Sulu and address the problem of Nur Mi

Pakistan supports Afghan peace process: pak PM

Prime Minister (PM) Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to enhancing peace and stability in the Northern regions, particularly in Afghanistan. Meeting with Secretary General North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Anders Fogh Rasmussen on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the PM said that the Pakistani government will fully support an Afghan led peace process keeping in mind the shared goal of a comprehensive reconciliation. On this occasion, Secretary General NATO hoped that cooperation between Pakistan and NATO would continue in order for them to achieve the shared objective of peace and stability in Afghanistan. He also appreciated Pakistan’s support in facilitating the transit cargo to and from Afghanistan through its Ground Lines of Communication (GLOCs). The two sides also discussed collaboration including training courses to officers of the Pakistan Armed Forces to enhance their professional capacities. PM invited NATO Secretary General to visit

Deteriorating situation in Darfur could undermine peace process, warns joint UN-African envoy

25 September 2013 – The head of the joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur has warned that the deteriorating security situation in the region could undermine the peace process and development programmes. In his remarks to a  meeting  in Qatar on Monday on the implementation of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), Mohamed Ibn Chambas told parties that progress on the ground was critical to the success of the Document. “The absence of such progress could lead to scepticism and diminishing faith in the Doha Document,” he emphasized. Negotiated with the support of the Government of Qatar, the DDPD forms the basis for a permanent ceasefire and comprehensive peace agreement to end the fighting in Darfur. The Sudanese Government and two major rebel groups have committed to the DDPD. The Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) signed on last year; the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) signed a framework agreement in January 2013. Mr. Chambas, the Joint Speci