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Showing posts from August 31, 2014

Dalai Lama: Things are changing for Tibet

The 79-year-old made the comments to Dateline during an interview for SBS’s Dateline  to commemorate Tibetan Democracy Day. “It is difficult, but things are changing,” he says on the subject of China, which invaded Tibet over 50 years ago and eventually forced the Dalai Lama to flee to India. “I always looked, last 60 years, like Chairman Mao's era, I consider an era of ideology. Then, Deng Xiaoping - they find economy more important than just ideology. So, Deng Xiaoping's era concentrated on the economic field.” “Now, in some ways, China becomes a capitalist country. Socialist country - socialist, just a name. So now, Xi Jinping era. There's not much choice, but to accept some liberalisation in political field.” Tibetan Democracy Day marks 54 years since the first elections for exiled Tibetans, but their continued frustrations have been most evident recently through a wave of protesters setting fire to themselves. “There is tremendous sadness about the restriction, about T

23 Chechens killed in Sulaiman Bek district, east of Tikrit, Iraq

2014, 02 September 1:23 PM On Monday, Iraq’s counter-terrorism office announced the killing of 23 fighters of Chechen nationality who belong to the organization of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, in Sulaiman Bek district, east of tikrit On Monday, Iraq’s counter-terrorism office announced the killing of 23 fighters of Chechen nationality who belong to the organization of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, in Sulaiman Bek district, east of Tikrit. Sabah Numan, a counter-terrorism unit spokesman said in an interview for IraqiNews.com that, “Elite counter-terrorism forces managed to kill 23 Chechens today; they were fighting among the organization of ISIS in the area of Sulaiman in Tuz district (90 km east of Tikrit).” Numan added, that “Among the dead were 10 snipers; they were concentrated in there. On Monday, government counter-terrorism units cleansing Sulaiman Bek from ISIS fully.” Source http://www.abna.ir/english/service/middle-east-west-asia/archive/2014/09/02/635117/story.

Austrian police arrest suspected Mideast fighter

VIENNA  — Austrian police say they have detained a man suspected of having fought with Islamic extremists in Syria as he was planning to leave the country. They say the 29-year-old Chechen was arrested in the village of Haidenreichstein near the Czech border on suspicion of participation in a terrorist organization. The man wasn't identified in keeping with Austrian confidentiality rules. The arrest Saturday came less than two weeks after the detentions of nine other Chechens suspected of seeking to join Islamic extremists fighting in Syria. Participation in a terrorist organization can be punished by up to 10 years in prison. Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner told the Austria Press Agency on Tuesday the arrests send "a very clear message to all jihadists in Austria: You are not safe here." Source  http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2014/09/02/4446954/austrian-police-arrest-suspected.html

Chechen leader, Putin pal vows to crush ISIS after threat against Russia

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Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, himself a Muslim, vows to destroy Islamic State fighters who threatened his land and ally Vladimir Putin. (Reuters) The latest recipients of an Islamic State threat are responding in kind, with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov vowing that "these bastards" will be "destroyed." Kadyrov, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, went on an Instagram rant after Islamic State posted a video  threatening Putin over his support for Syria's Bashar al-Assad and vowing to liberate Chechnya. The Muslim strongman, who has fought Islamic militants in his backyard for years, seemed to take special umbrage at a threat aimed at his patron in Moscow. "I state with full responsibility that the one who had the idea to express a threat to Russia and say the name of the president of the country Vladimir Putin, will be destroyed, where he did it," Kadyrov seethed. "I emphasize that they finish their days under the hot sun in Syria an

Self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic states ceasefire fully settled in Ukraine two hours after declared

A ceasefire reached between the Kyiv authorities and the militias on Friday fully took effect at about 8:00 p.m. local time, i.e. two hours later than was agreed upon, the headquarters of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) told Interfax on Saturday Source  http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/self-proclaimed-donetsk-peoples-republic-states-ceasefire-fully-settled-in-ukraine-two-hours-after-declared-363593.html

Islamic State Poses 'Immediate' Threat to Europe: US

Washington:  Islamic State extremists fighting in Iraq and Syria pose an "immediate" threat to Europe as a significant number carried European passports, top US intelligence officials said Friday. The danger presented by jihadists potentially returning to the West to carry out attacks has prompted more cooperation between US and European intelligence agencies in a bid to track terror suspects, the officials said. Matthew Olsen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, suggested IS militants presented a more serious danger for European states than for America, given the number of recruits from EU countries. "The threat is quite immediate for Europe," Olsen told reporters. "They see it really as right on their doorstep." In remarks on Wednesday, Olsen said the IS extremists that have seized territory in Iraq and Syria do not pose an imminent threat to the United States, but would eventually try to attack America if left unchecked br />Olsen's

Somalia on High Alert After Shebab Leader Confirmed Dead

Mogadishu:  Somalia's government warned on Saturday of a wave of retaliatory attacks by the country's Al Qaeda-linked Shebab rebels after their leader was confirmed to have been killed in a US air strike. The Horn of African nation's president also offered Shebab fighters the chance to lay down their arms and seize on a 45-day amnesty, telling them government troops and the African Union's AMISOM force was on the brink of overrunning their territory. On Friday the Pentagon confirmed that Ahmed Abdi Godane, the leader of Al Qaeda's main affiliate in Africa, perished in an attack on Monday in which US drones and manned aircraft rained Hellfire missiles and laser-guided bombs on a gathering of Shebab commanders. There was no comment from the Shebab, who throughout the week have refused to confirm or deny reports of Godance's death. Somalia's national security minister said he believed they were now bent on revenge. "Security agencies have obtained informat

NATO allies agree to take on ISIS threat

The new NATO coalition will be able to mount a sustained effort to push back the militants, Mr. Obama said. The United States and nine key allies agreed Friday that the Islamic State group is a significant threat to NATO countries and that they will take on the militants by squeezing their financial resources and going after them with military might. With the Islamic State militants spreading across eastern Syria and northern and western Iraq, President Barack Obama noted that the moderate Syrian rebels fighting both the group and the government of Bashar Assad are “outgunned and outmanned.” In addition to the action pledged by fellow NATO leaders, he pressed Arab allies to reject the “nihilism” projected by the group. The new NATO coalition will be able to mount a sustained effort to push back the militants, Mr. Obama said. The U.S. secretaries of State and Defence, meeting with their counterparts at the international gathering, insisted the Western nations build a plan by the time th

Deoband condemns al-Qaeda move

A day after al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri announced the terror outfit’s plans to put the Indian subcontinent on its radar, Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband on Friday condemned the move, asserting that Indian Muslims would never be convinced by un-Islamic and false arguments of organisations such as the al-Qaeda. Muslim groups such as the All-India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, an apex body of over 12 Muslim groups representing different sects, too condemned al-Qaeda. Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha said the country was ready to tackle such threats. “The nation is prepared for it,” he told presspersons on the sidelines of a seminar. The Darul Uloom Deoband, which has substantial influence in South Asia, was among the first seminaries to have issued a fatwa against terrorism. Mufti Abul Qasim Nomani, director of the seminary, said, “Indian Muslims are non-violent and they love their country. They will never be persuaded by a terrorist group.”Reacting to the video

Delhi police arrest suspected IM operative from Saharanpur

The special cell of the Delhi police have arrested a suspected Indian Mujahideen from Saharanpur Uttar Pradesh. According to  NDTV,  the IM operative has been identified as Ejaz Sheikh and is a tech expert for the group. According to the channel, Sheikh, who worked at a call center in Pune, allegedly helped IM operatives with fake identity cards and forged documents. Times Now  said he was part of the Pune module and is thought to have been involved in a number of IM attacks including the Jamma Masjid blast in Delhi. He is believed to have joined the terror group in 2009. Police have said that his arrest from Saharanpur may indicate that the Indian Mujahideen were planning a strike in the region. Uttar Pradesh has seen a number of communally charged incidents in the recent past. The arrest also comes in the wake of an announcement by terrorist group al Qaeda that it has expanded its operations into the Indian sub continent. The Delhi police special cell is expected to have a briefing r

Recent success sparks rivalry between 'Islamic State,' al Qaeda

Speaking in an  online video message this week , al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri announced that his group has gained a foothold in India, the next step to establishing a caliphate in the subcontinent. With this latest move, the terrorist organization has moved into a region "which was once part of the land of the Muslims, until it was occupied, fragmented and divided by the infidels." The establishment of a caliphate would be a new step for al Qaeda, which until now has not pursued such an ambitious goal. Albrecht Metzger, an Islam expert and journalist, suspects the announcement was made mainly for one reason: the terrorist group feels the need to assert itself against the emergent "Islamic State" (IS), which is threatening to replace al-Qaeda as the dominant extremist Muslim group. Compared to the recent "IS" military successes, in particular its territorial conquests in Iraq, al Qaeda's activities have taken a backseat. For several years now, al-Q

US denies cooperation with Iran against ISIS

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June 12, 2009: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks live on television in Iran. Reuters The State Department said Friday it was not coordinating military action or sharing intelligence with Iran, despite an earlier report claiming Iran’s supreme leader had authorized his top military commanders to work with United States, Iraqi and Kurdish forces to fight terror group ISIS. BBC Persian reported Friday  that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had told his top commander Major General Qasem Soleimani to coordinate military operations against the extremist Sunni Islamic State group. The reported comments would mark a surprising reversal for Iran which has traditionally opposed America’s involvement in Iraq. Though State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf repeatedly denied U.S. officials were working with Iran in a military or intelligence capacity, she did say that the U.S. was open to “engaging Iranians” -- though she did not specify what that meant.  Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzei

Al-Shabaab Terrorists Seek Successor to U.S-Killed Leader

For the second time in six years, there’s a vacancy at the top of the radical Islamist al-Shabaab group in Somalia  after a U.S. airstrike killed its leader. The Pentagon yesterday confirmed the death of Ahmed Abdi Godane, 37, who led the group since U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles killed his predecessor, Aden Hashi Ayro, in May 2008. Just as Godane replaced Ayro, there may be another  al-Shabaab  leader ready to step up, limiting the operational setback for the al-Qaeda affiliate that was declared a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department in 2008. The U.S. had offered a $7 million reward for help locating Godane, who claimed responsibility for the attack last year on the Westgate shopping mall in Kenya’s capital of Nairobi, in which at least 67 people died. He had survived past attacks that cut into his group as he transformed it from a nationalist Islamic insurgency into an al-Qaeda affiliate with larger ambitions. “It is highly likely, given multiple targeted strikes again

Obama skeptical as Ukraine cease-fire takes hold

NEWPORT, Wales — At the close of a two-day NATO summit Friday, President Obama expressed doubts that new cease-fire in Ukraine would hold and promised a new round of sanctions to keep pressure on Russia to respect its neighbor's borders. "We are hopeful, but based on past experience also skeptical that in fact the separatists will follow through and that Russia will stop violating Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Obama said. "It has to be tested." To maintain Western pressure, he said, the U.S. and Europe are finalizing measures "to deepen and broaden our sanctions across Russia's banking, energy and defense sectors." Those new sanctions could be lifted if the cease-fire and a peace deal are successful in ending the fight between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russia separatists. The president also praised the firmness by the Western alliance in confronting Russia, including the creation of a new rapid response force to defend NATO m

Obama recruits 9 allies to help in the battle against ISIS

NEWPORT: US President Barack Obama escalated the American response to the marauding Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on Friday, recruiting at least nine allies to help crush the organization and offering the outlines of a coordinated military strategy that echoes the war on terror developed by his predecessor, George Bush, more than a decade ago.  In his most expansive comments to date about how the United States and its friends could defeat ISIS, a once-obscure group of Sunni militants that has now upended the Middle East and overshadowed al-Qaida, Obama said the effort would rely on American airstrikes against its leaders and positions, strengthen the moderate Syrian rebel groups to reclaim ground lost to ISIS, and enlist friendly governments in the region to join the fight.  While the president's aides maintained that he has not yet decided to authorize airstrikes in Syria — which he has already done on a limited basis in Iraq — Obama likened his developing strategy on ISIS to th

Another 26/11? LeT, ISI may strike India to protect turf from al-Qaeda

The announcement of a new al-Qaeda branch to target India in the sub-continent has generally been seen as an effort by this terror group to advertise its own potency and attract new recruits against strong competition from the more bloody-minded Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), complete with its own caliph. The  US has dismissed the new threat out-of-hand , with Caitlin Hayden, spokesperson of the National Security Council at the White House, claiming that the US has “seriously degraded al-Qaeda in the region” and that it does not “regard the announcement as an indication of new capabilities by al-Qaeda.” The Indian reaction has been more sensible, with  Home Minister Rajnath Singh going into a huddle  with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and other intelligence agencies, and Narendra Modi getting a briefing on the potential threat. A nation-wide alert has been sounded. The US can afford to dismiss the threat as over-rated because it is getting out of Afghanistan later this

Pakistan army, ISI stage-managing al-Qaida advance into India'

6 Sep, 2014,  Pak military is stage-managing the latest al-Qaida advance into India in order to strengthen its stranglehold over domestic politics, a former US official said. WASHINGTON: Pakistan should be warned that it will be placed on the list of states sponsoring terrorism, a former US official and intelligence analyst said on Thursday, while accusing the Pakistani military of stage-managing the latest al-Qaida advance into India in order to strengthen its stranglehold over Pakistani domestic politics.  Amid growing concern in New Delhi over the formation of new al-Qaida affiliate in India and the spread of the ISIS, Bruce Riedel, a former CIA analyst and National Security Council official for South Asia, bluntly pointed to the Pakistan military and its intelligence outfit ISI for the renewed terror threats against India. He said there was no doubt that al-Qaida leader Ayman Al Zawahiri made the latest tape (threatening jihadist attacks across India) in his hideout in Pakistan, pr