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Showing posts from October 26, 2014

81 militants killed in Kashmir Valley this year

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As many as 81  militants  have been killed in  Kashmir Valley  so far this year, with security officials saying the number is higher than that in the last two years. "A total of 81 terrorists have been killed in different operations along the Line of Control (LoC) and in the hinterland which is higher than the number of terrorists killed in the previous two years," a defence spokesman said after a review meeting of the top security officials. According to official figures, 97 militants were killed in 2013 while 110 militants were gunned down in 2012. The spokesman also said during this year, seven Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were also detected and defused by the security forces averting major tragedies. The Core-Group meeting of security agencies in the state was held at the army's Badami Bagh Cantonment to review the overall situation and to draw out the security strategy for the forthcoming events in the Valley like Assembly elections, Darbar mo

UK warns travelers they could be terror targets

LONDON — Britain has taken the unusual step of issuing a general terror warning to all U.K. travelers overseas because of fears that they could be targeted by Islamic State group terrorists seeking revenge for coalition actions in the Middle East. The Foreign Office normally offers travel warnings for individual countries. The government, for example, already warns against travel to Syria, where the Islamic State group has seized territory. But the Foreign Office updated travel advice pages Friday to reflect a generalized threat of terrorism globally. “There is considered to be a heightened threat of terrorist attack globally against U.K. interests and British nationals from groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria,” the Foreign Office said in a statement. “You should be vigilant at this time.” Source  http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/uk-warns-travelers-they-could-be-terror-targets/2014/11/01/f23d0ad6-61b6-11e4-827b-2d813561bdfd_story.html

Parents Of Chibok Girls In Shock Over B'Haram's Claims

Parents of the 219 Chibok girls being held captive by the Boko Haram sect have expressed shocked at the new claims made by the leader of the group, Abubakar Shekau. It was reported today, that  Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the dreaded Boko Haram sect, in a new video obtained by AFP claims the girls have been married off  and will not return to their families. Contrary to the reports that the  Federal Government had reached an ceasefire agreement with the sect  over the release of the school girls, Abubakar Shekau has denied the claims and possible peace talks. The head of the Chibok Elders Forum, Pogo Bitrus, whose four nieces are among the abducted girls told AFP saying:  “It (the claim about marriage) is shocking to us, although we know that Boko Haram is not a reliable group. “ We were sceptical about the talks to release our girls and we never took the ceasefire seriously because since the announcement, they have never stopped attacking communities.  ” READ ALSO :  Islamic Schola

Boko Haram says kidnapped schoolgirls ‘married off’ #BringBackOurGirls

Islamist group’s leader Shekau denies claims by Nigeria government that it had agreed to a ceasefire AFP November 1, 2014 Boko Haram says kidnapped schoolgirls ‘married off’
 KANO, Nigeria:) Boko Haram has claimed the 219 schoolgirls it kidnapped in Nigeria earlier this year have embraced Islam and been married off, according to a new video obtained by AFP on Friday. The Islamist group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, also denied claims by Nigeria’s government that it had agreed to a ceasefire and apparently ruled out future talks. In addition, Shekau said the Islamists were holding a German national, who was kidnapped in Adamawa state in northeast Nigeria in July. The schoolgirls were kidnapped from the remote northeast town of Chibok in Borno state in April, raising global awareness about the group whose five-year insurgency in northern Nigeria has claimed an estimated 13,000 lives. The new video comes after a surprise announcement by the Nigerian military and presidency on October 17 that

Sharia law or gay marriage critics would be branded ‘extremists’ under Tory plans, atheists and Christians warn

New Extremism Disruption Orders would class secularists or evangelical Christians alongside Islamic state or Boko Haram, campaigners claim Anyone who criticises Sharia law or gay marriage could be branded an “extremist” under sweeping new powers planned by the Conservatives to combat terrorism, an alliance of leading atheists and Christians fear. Theresa May, the Home Secretary, unveiled plans last month for so-called Extremism Disruption Orders, which would allow judges to ban people deemed extremists from broadcasting, protesting in certain places or even posting messages on Facebook or Twitter without permission. Mrs May outlined the proposal in a speech at the Tory party conference in which she spoke about the threat from the so-called Islamic State – also known as Isis and Isil – and the Nigerian Islamist movement Boko Haram. But George Osborne, the Chancellor, has made clear in a letter to constituents that the aim of the orders would be to “eliminate extremism in all its forms”

Counter-terrorism bank will give cash to combat extremism

The world’s first global counter-terrorism “bank” will begin funding projects to stop violent extremism in five of the most “at risk” countries from next year, its interim director has said. In his first major interview since the  Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund  (GCERF) was established in Switzerland last month,  Khalid Koser  said the organisation will soon be giving out grants of around $10-$30,000 to small-scale counter-radicalisation programmes in Mali, Pakistan, Nigeria, Morocco and Bangladesh, and expects to be financing thousands of such programmes over the next decade. The initiative was proposed by the Obama administration some years ago, and is now backed by the UK, the EC, Australia, Canada and Qatar,  a country accused of financially supporting jihadi groups in Syria . Koser says the fund is a retort to the tens of billions of dollars that have been spent on arms and security in the fight against militants. “There is a frustration that governments are spend

The dogs bark in Colombia

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Despite the intransigence of the FARC and the opposition, the peace process is still alive Nov 1st 2014  IT IS two years since President Juan Manuel Santos’s government began peace negotiations with the FARC guerrillas in Havana, and the going has been slow. The two sides have reached provisional agreements only on the easiest three of the six points on the agenda—on rural development, participation in politics and how to fight drug trafficking. The FARC’s leaders seem to be in no hurry to abandon a 50-year habit of war for the uncertainties of peace. Now, as Mr Santos sets off on a tour of Europe seeking political support and money to implement the hoped-for peace deal, the talks are facing ever-shriller opposition at home. That opposition is led by Álvaro Uribe, Colombia’s president in 2002-10, whom Mr Santos served as defence minister for three years. Mr Uribe, now a senator, unleashes a daily blast of vituperation against his former colleague. To follow Mr Uribe’s Twitter account,

Car bomb kills at least 10 at bus stop in northeast Nigeria

Fri Oct 31, 2014 8:32pm IST * Blast near end of morning rush hour; several wounded * Witness says death count may climb * Violence up since government announced ceasefire (Adds refugees from Mubi, emergency coordinator, Mubi witness) By Isaac Abrak ABUJA, Oct 31 (Reuters) - A car bomb killed at least 10 people at a crowded bus stop in the northeast Nigerian city of Gombe on Friday morning, emergency services said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, but Islamist group Boko Haram has been blamed for a string of bomb attacks in the region this year. People continued to flee on Friday from the northeastern town of Mubi, captured and ransacked by Boko Haram this week. Witness Godfrey Anebo told Reuters he saw emergency workers pull eight people from the wreckage in Gombe, all of whom appeared to be dead. "I am not sure what the death toll will be at the end but it will shoot up very high because the bus stop was very full of commuters," Anebo said. An emergen

Almost half of FARC fighters entered rebel group as minor: Study

Almost half of the approximately 8,000 fighters in the FARC were recruited by the rebel group as minors, according to a university study on Colombia’s largest guerrilla organization. After studying official and FARC documents, and interviewing guerrilla deserters, the Bogota-based Sergio Arboleda university concluded that 47% of the FARC’s current fighters entered the group when they were still under 18. According to the Geneva conventions, the recruitment of fighters under 18 is a war crime. Nevertheless, “official documents, and the statutes and other material from the FARC show that the recruitment [of minors] has been part of their practices,” Luis Andres Fajardo of the university told Spanish news agency EFE. According to the report, the guerrillas have mainly allowed the entry of fighters over 15 years old. All armed groups active in Colombia have been responsible for child recruitment, “but the group that absolutely has generated more victims and of who exists most information i

We are liable for each and every act of war carried out by our forces: FARC

Colombian rebel group FARC on Wednesday admitted to causing harm to the population during the 50 years of its war against the state and vowed to assume responsibility towards their victims. The FARC had already admitted to be a victimizer in the conflict when agreeing to discuss conflict victims during peace talks with the government, but had yet to admit that rebel actions affected the civilian population. MORE:   FARC formally admits responsibility for victims of Colombia conflict “We explicitly recognize that our actions have affected civilians at different times and under different circumstances throughout the conflict,” rebel commander “Pablo Atrato” said at a press conference already subbed “historic” by Colombian media. “We are aware that not always the results of our actions were what the FARC had foreseen or expected, and we assume the consequences because there can not be another way. The FARC will assume the responsibility that belongs with us,”  the rebel negotiator added.

Exodus of FARC leaders to Cuba drains rebels’ military command

While being able to maintain operations against state forces and infrastructure, the FARC’s military command in Colombia has been significantly weakened due to the rebel organization’s participation in peace talks in Cuba. “Pastor Alape,” second in command to FARC commander-in-chief “Timochenko,” is the latest addition to the list of high-ranking FARC commanders who have left their military command posts in Colombia to dedicate their time to the peace talks underway in Cuba. Alape is the third member of the secretariat, the highest military command of the FARC, to have arrived in Havana to discuss the rebels’ possible demobilization and reintegration. PROFILE:   Pastor Alape With his arrival, three of seven of the guerrilla group’s top military commanders are currently in Cuba and not in the Colombian jungles where fighting with the military is ongoing. How the FARC is drained To organize their fight against the Colombian state, the guerrillas have divided their rebel army in seven div

FARC says rebels will not surrender weapons in event of peace

The FARC on Tuesday said the rebels refuse to demobilize and surrender their weapons in the event of peace during the installation of the rebel commission in charge of negotiating the end of the conflict with the military. As the 30th round of peace talks got underway in Havana, Cuba, the FARC rebel group introduced their new technical sub-committee team, while rejecting concepts recently expressed by the government regarding the “End of Conflict” agenda point. In August, the government announced the creation of a sub-committee called the “Strategic Transition Command.” According to government pronouncements – including those of President Juan Manuel Santos -the team was to be involved in the transition, demobilization, and the surrender of weapons of the FARC. MORE:  Colombia announces 10 member sub-committee to discuss bilateral ceasefire with FARC The rebel group has complained that the announcement of the government committee, led by General Javier Alberto Flórez, “generated confus

Analyst Sees Shining Path Strategy Manual as Drug Traffic Smoke Screen

News of Peru’s Shining Path insurgency changing strategies and targeting specific people is being met with deep skepticism by sociologist and recognized Shining Path expert Jaime Antezana. Antezana believes the news is more likely to be a smoke screen, to draw attention away from the Shining Path’s full dedication to drug trafficking and from the current news headlines of corruption and money laundering networks that implicate politicial figures, lawmakers and magistrates. On Sunday night, the  television news program Panorama  reported that remnants of the Shining Path insurgency appear to have changed their strategy to protect their leadership and carry out targeted attacks. Panorama reported that it had obtained a document showing that the rebels in Peru’s remote Apurimac, Ene and Mantaro river valleys, known strategically as the VRAEM, had focused on new strategies. The document, called “Strategy and Tactics of the Heroic and Militarized Communist Party of Peru,” calls for “selecti

4 Maoists surrender in Bastar

Oct 31, 2014 12:01 AM  A deputy commander of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army, the military wing of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), and three members of the Maoist Jan Militia surrendered in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh on Thursday. They are Podiyami Hidma, deputy commander of Platoon no.3 of the Indravati area committee of the Maoists; Murami Lachchi, member, Barsoor area local operating squad; Madavi Batti and Ramo Veko, a police press release said. Source  http://thehindu.com/news/national/4-maoists-surrender-in-bastar/article6549458.ece/

Localized peace talks won’t solve conflict

LOCALIZED peace talks are not the best way to attain a lasting truce between the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Philippine government (GPH). This was the call of Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) Supreme Bishop Ephraim Fajutagana and the 15 other IFI bishops from Visayas and Mindanao as they urge for the resumption of peace talks between the two parties. For the peace talks to work, Fajutagana said it must not be localized, but must be national in scope. During the IFI church leaders’ meeting in Barangay Bulua Thursday, the bishops have reiterated its stand to hold a nationalized peace talks so both parties could move on to the next level. Fajutagana said now is the best time to continue with the dialogue, as its second phase would focus on the socio-economic reforms. He said the second round would be very vital since it would impact the people, especially those living in the countryside. With this agenda in mind, the IFI bishops believed that a localize