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Showing posts from April 5, 2015

Egypt court confirms death sentence for Brotherhood head, 11 others

A Cairo court confirmed death sentences for Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie and 11 other defendants on Saturday, and a US-Egyptian citizen was jailed for life over Islamist protest violence. Judge Mohamed Nagy Shehata also sentenced to death two Islamists who have fled the country, and he handed life terms to 23 detained defendants. The defendants were accused of plotting unrest from their headquarters in a sprawling Cairo protest camp in the months after the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. Among those sentenced to life in prison was Mohamed Soltan, a US-Egyptian citizen who is on hunger strike. His father Salah Soltan was among the 11 detainees sentenced to death. Soltan's family called for Mohamed's immediate release in a statement after the verdict, charging that there was no evidence against him. The US embassy, in a statement, said it was "gravely concerned" about Mohamed Soltan and would "continue to m

Kenya orders U.N. to move massive Somali refugee camp after attack

NAIROBI:  Kenya  said on Saturday it had given the  United Nations three months to move a massive refugee camp mostly used by Somalis over the border into Somalia, after militants from that country killed 148 people in a Kenyan university. Kenyan authorities have in the past accused Islamist militants from Somalia  of hiding out in Dadaab camp. The Kenyan government has come under increasing pressure to do more to secure its citizens after a series of attacks claimed by Somalia's Al-Qaeda-linked group al Shabaab. Source:  http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/World/2015/Apr-11/294168-kenya-orders-un-to-move-massive-somali-refugee-camp-after-attack.ashx

Bangladesh moves to hang top Islamist

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DHAKA: Bangladesh authorities on Saturday moved to hang a top Islamist leader for overseeing a massacre during the nation's 1971 independence war, after he refused to seek clemency from the country's president. Mohammad Kamaruzzaman, the third most senior figure in the Jamaat-e-Islami party, was originally expected to be hanged in the early hours of Saturday morning, but the execution was postponed at the last minute. No official reason was given for the delay, but junior home minister Asaduzzaman Khan  told reporters the 62-year-old was now set to be hanged in the capital's main jail on Saturday. "The hanging of Kamaruzzaman... will take place today (Saturday)," Khan said in remarks published by the mass circulation Bengali daily Prothom Alo. On Friday, security was stepped up outside the jail where Kamaruzzaman was being held, police said. Two magistrates visited him in prison to find out whether he would seek clemency from President Abdul Hamid, b

UNRWA chief heads to Syria on `urgent` Yarmuk aid mission

Damascus: The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees is to start an "urgent mission" to  Syria  on Saturday to discuss aid to civilians in a camp stormed by jihadists, his organisation said. Pierre Krahenbuhl, who heads the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA, is to discuss the situation in the Palestinian camp of Yarmuk on the outskirts of the Syrian capital and meet with displaced refugees.  The visit is "prompted by UNRWA`s deepening concerns for the safety and protection of some 18,000 Palestinian and Syrian civilians, including 3,500 children" remaining in the Yarmuk camp, the agency said in a statement. "Yarmuk remains under the control of armed groups, and civilian lives continue to be threatened by the effects of the armed conflict in the area," it said.  On April 1, the Islamic State jihadist group launched an assault on Yarmuk, Syria`s largest refugee camp that lies seven kilometres (yards) south of Damascus. Armed Palesti

20 sleeping labourers killed by gunmen in Pakistan's Baluchistan

Gunmen attacked a Pakistani construction site and killed 20 labourers as they slept on Saturday, a government official said, in what appeared to be further violence by rebels seeking to control resources in gas- and mineral-rich  Baluchistan  province. Separatists have been fighting a low-intensity insurgency in the province for decades, demanding an end to what they see as the exploitation of their resources by people from other parts of Pakistan. The workers killed at a construction site 15 km (9 miles) from the town of Turbat were mostly from outside Baluchistan, suggesting the Baluch rebels were responsible, according to provincial interior minister Akbar Hussain Durrani. "All were sleeping in their camp when they were targeted," he said. He quoted three wounded survivors as saying that around 15-20 gunmen overpowered eight guards from a government paramilitary force, then opened fire on the sleeping men with automatic weapons. They escaped on motorcycles A man clai

Syria: 13 Palestinians killed in fighting against Islamic State

Ban Ki-moon urges world to not 'stand by and watch a massacre unfold' as IS overruns refugee camp Thirteen Palestinians lost their lives Saturday in battles against the Islamic State terror group in the refugee camp of Yarmuk near the Syrian capital of Damascus, the Palestinian  Ma'an  news agency has reported. According to some reports, the men were killed in southern Syria, while fighting the extremists alongside President Bashar Assad's forces. About 18,000 people, mostly Palestinians, are trapped in fighting between IS jihadists, government forces and other rebel groups. The situation has prompted an international outcry, with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon saying "What is unfolding in Yarmuk is unacceptable. We simply cannot stand by and watch a massacre unfold." The Palestinian leadership, meanwhile rejected the idea of joining the conflict in the camp, apparently ruling out involvement in a joint military operation to expel the Islamic Sta

Kansas Man Arrested For Alleged ISIS-Inspired Bomb Plot

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A water tower at Fort Riley, Kan., in a photograph taken in February. John T. Booker Jr. is accused of plotting a car bomb attack on the U.S. Army post. Orlin Wagner/AP A man who authorities say was sympathetic to the self-declared Islamic State and plotting to carry out a suicide bombing at a U.S. Army base in Kansas, has been arrested and charged following a lengthy FBI sting operation. John T. Booker Jr., 20, of Topeka, was apprehended Friday morning "while making final preparations for the suicide car bomb attack" he'd been planning at Fort Riley,  Kansas Public Radio's Stephen Koranda reports. U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom says there was never any danger to the public. "The perimeter of Fort Riley was never penetrated, there was never any concern on our part that he would get onto the fort and, unbeknownst to him, the materials that were used to make up this bomb were inert," Grissom said. According to KPR: "Booker is charged with three federal crime

Rebels bombard Syria's government-held Aleppo

BEIRUT, April 11 (Reuters) - Insurgents bombarded a government-held part of Syria's second city Aleppo overnight, killing at least five people, a group monitoring the war said. State TV broadcast pictures showing heavily damaged buildings and streets strewn with rubble in the Suleimaniyah district of Aleppo, a city near the border with Turkey which is split between government and rebel control. State media put the confirmed death toll at eight and said dozens more people were trapped under rubble. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based organisation that tracks the war, said the number of dead was likely to increase. Syria's Grand Mufti Ahmed Badr al-Din al-Hassoun, speaking on state TV, urged the complete destruction of insurgent-held areas from which shells were being fired. "We inform the civilians there, be they supporters (of the insurgents), or not, to leave the area. Every area from which a shell is fired, should be completely destroyed," he said. A

Chhattisgarh: Seven policemen killed, 10 injured in Naxal attack

Raipur:   Seven policemen were today killed and ten persons injured in a gunbattle with Naxals in the Maoist hotbed of Sukma district in Chhattisgarh. The encounter took place in the worst-affected Pidmel-Polampalli area of the district when a squad of state police STF was out on operations around noon. "Seven of our troops have been martyred while at least ten injured in the encounter," Additional Director General of Police (Anti-Naxal operations) R K Vij said. Officials said the encounter broke out when the 61-strong STF squad confronted an armed Maoist squad in the south axis of Dornapal-Chintagufa area where several ambushes and killings of security forces had taken place in the past. They said the injured jawans are being air moved in two choppers to Jagdalpur. The jawans, who were killed sustained bullet injuries and more information is awaited, they said. Two teams of Central Reserve Police Force have rushed to the ecounter site for assisting the police squad and launc

3 BSF Soldiers Injured in Shootout With Alleged Smugglers

Attari, Punjab:  Three Border Security Force (BSF) troopers were injured in cross border firing in Amritsar sector of Punjab by smugglers from the Pakistani side, BSF officials said today. The injured troopers were rushed to hospital, officials said. BSF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) RPS Jaswal told IANS that the personnel were injured in an exchange of fire with smugglers from Pakistan side early today. He said the firing took place at the Daoke Border Out Post (BoP), about 5-6 km from Attari border check post. BSF officials said the area was being searched following the incident. The troopers are always on high alert along the sensitive India-Pakistan border in Punjab. The border, which has an electrified fence inside the Indian territory, is used by Pakistani and Indian smugglers for heroin smuggling. The BSF has recovered nearly 125 kg of heroin along the Punjab border with Pakistan this year. Nearly 65 kg was recovered in the Amritsar sector. The BSF had recovered over 361 kg her

Is the Hacktivist Group ‘Anonymous’ Still a Threat?

The hacktivist group Anonymous has been well known for years now. In its early days, the group succeeded in pulling off some successful attacks like the   HBGary attack ,   Stratfor , and some high-profile campaigns like the   Los Zetas opposition . But it’s been a while since Anonymous has managed to do anything too major (save for its efforts in   taking down ISIS social media accounts ), leaving some wondering whether, with apparently limited capabilities, the group still poses any sort of threat. What is Anonymous? Before we go into whether Anonymous is still a threat, let’s make sure we understand what Anonymous is. Anonymous has been described as many things, including  a  “loose, decentralized group,”  a hacktivist organization, and a loosely associated international network of activist and hacktivist entities. It’s the group’s unique characteristics that make it difficult to describe accurately. Anonymous is very “fluid;” some hacktivist groups might use the Anonymous name in c

U.N. Warns of ‘Slaughter’ in ISIS-Held Refugee Camp

Palestinian refugees demonstrating in solidarity with Palestinians in Yarmouk refugee camp, overrun by Islamic State militants last week, in the Ein el-Hilweh camp near the southern city of Sidon, Lebanon, Lebanon, on Apr. 10, 2015. ISIS controls roughly half of the Palestinian refugee camp in Syria The United Nations warned Friday of a “potential massacre”in the Palestinian refugee camp in Syria that was partially seized by militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS). ISIS now controls roughly half of the Yarmouk camp, which is home to some 18,000 people, according to the U.N. “Today, this hour, we are looking at nothing short of the potential massacre of the innocents,” Chris Gunness, a spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, said in a call with journalists on Friday. “We have called for a cease-fire,” Gunness said. “We have called for humanitarian access so that people can have aid administered to them where they are.” The camp is loca

PLO says no to military action in Syria's embattled Yarmouk

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Palestinian refugees, including some who fled from Yarmouk camp in Damascus, hold Palestinian flags and an Arabic placard that reads "be strong Yarmouk," to show their solidarity with thousands of besieged Palestinians in Yarmouk which was overrun by Islamic State militants last week, during a demonstration in the Ein el-Hilweh camp near the southern city of Sidon, Lebanon, Lebanon, Friday, April 10, 2015. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)  The Associated Press Palestinian refugees, including some who fled from Yarmouk camp in Damascus, chant slogans as they hold an Arabic placard that reads "Yarmouk camp, steadfast camp, we do not want aid, we need you to stop the barrel bombs," to show their solidarity with thousands of besieged Palestinians in Yarmouk which was overrun by Islamic State militants last week, during a demonstration in the Ein el-Hilweh camp near the southern city of Sidon, Lebanon, Lebanon, Friday, April 10, 2015. The Palestine Liberation Organization say

Islamic State strives for control over Aleppo

Aleppo, Syria  – After taking over the Yarmouk neighborhood in southern Damascus, militant fighters of the Islamic State (IS/ISIL) is trying to advance in the northern city of Aleppo. The group has reportedly attacked several districts in Aleppo in the last few days, according to military sources.    The IS militants launched two separate car bomb attacks against rebel headquarters in Aleppo earlier this week, killing more than 30 opposition fighters, including leading members.  On Friday, the group launched an attack against regime-held areas in an Aleppo suburb, local sources reported. No reports of casualties were reported.  “The radical group is attacking both rebels and regime areas, trying to show its capacity of reaching new gains in Aleppo,” a local media activist told ARA News on the condition of anonymity. “Civilians are mostly concerned with IS attacks, fearing the group’s militants more than pro-regime forces,” he said. “The recent operations by the IS caused a state of pan

UN calls for humanitarian pause in Yemen as violence escalates

GENEVA, April 10 (Xinhua) -- The  United Nations  High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Friday said some 900 refugees from  Yemen  had arrived in the Horn of Africa since the start of the conflict. As violence rages in 14 out of Yemen's 22 governorates, an increasing number of people are crossing the Gulf of Aden to flee air strikes, armed conflict and a worsening humanitarian crisis. A total of 317 Yemeni refugees arrived at Obock, Djibouti over the last 10 days, while 582 Somalis and Yemenis and a small number of Ethiopians and Djiboutian refugees were reported in Somalia. World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Yemen, Dr. Ahmed Shadoul, said that Aden has been especially affected over the last three weeks by shortage of medical equipment, supplies and personnel. "WHO is very keen on trying to ensure basic services, but we are facing problems such as power cuts and fuel shortages which hinder the work carried out in hospitals" he said. According to Shadoul

US conveys 'grave concern' to Pakistan over Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi release

WASHINGTON: Conveying its grave concern over the release of Mumbai terror attacks' mastermind  Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi , the US has asked   Pakistan  to follow through on its commitment to bring attacks' perpetrators to justice.  "We are gravely concerned about the release on bail of alleged Mumbai attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi," State department spokesperson Jeff Rathke told reporters Friday in response to a question.  The US has "communicated that concern to senior Pakistani officials over the course of many months, and as recently as yesterday," he said, urging Islamabad to follow through on its commitment to bring the perpetrators of Mumbai attacks to justice.  "Terrorist attacks are an assault on the collective safety and security of all countries," Rathke said.  Lakhvi was released from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi Friday, a day after Lahore high court suspended his detention and ordered his immediate release.  Pakistan, the spokesman note

Fort Hood Terror Victims Getting Purple Hearts — But No Benefits

The victims of the Fort Hood shootings are receiving Purple Hearts, but the military is continuing to deny benefits for the injuries that the soldiers sustained in the attack, something one man who was shot says is "unheard of." "I think it's almost unheard of for someone to receive the Purple Heart but not have their injuries deemed combat-related," former Staff Sgt. Shawn Manning, who still carries two bullets in his body from the attack,  told Fox News . "I know that was not what Congress intended to have happen, but it is what currently the Army has determined is going to happen." Manning has also been suffering from PTSD since the Nov. 5, 2009, incident, when Maj. Nidal Hasan shot him and several other victims in a terrorist attack that has since been linked to al-Qaida.   The Defense Department initially classified the attacks as workplace violence, but changed the designation to terrorism. In this year's defense budget, the National Defense

Number of Iranian terror victims is almost six times greater than 9/11’s

 - Tehran Times TEHRAN (FNA)-  The managing editor of Veterans Today from Atlanta said the number of Iranian terror victims is “in effect almost six 9/11’s,” but these attacks never got enough coverage in international media. Jim W. Dean said even now, very few people know the scale of the Iranians who were killed in terrorist acts. “I would imagin your maimed casualties would also be high, and those statistics should be publicized as well.” He went on to say that despite this great number of terror victims, “Iran did not crank up a huge War on Terror that slaughtered countless thousands of innocents, as happened with the Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld gangsters and their army of helpers.” The US political analyst underscored that the story of Iranian victims of terror, “with all of its gory details,” still has to be brought to the international audience. “The Western media blackout shows they fear their audiences wanting to know more about why this was being covered up and eventually figur