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Showing posts from March 27, 2016

Turkey detains ‘perpetrator of Diyarbakir car bombing’: report

Turkish authorities on Saturday detained the suspected perpetrator of a car bomb attack in its main Kurdish-majority city that killed seven police, as a new bombing hit the troubled southeast. The suspect, named as AC, was detained in the Kocakoy district of Diyarbakir, where the seven police were killed and 27 others wounded by Thursday’s massive car bomb attack on a police bus, the Dogan news agency reported. The attack was claimed on Friday by the military wing of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which had been battling the security forces since a truce broke down last summer. The bombing — unlike previous recent attacks in Turkey — was not a suicide attack but remotely detonated, officials said at the time. Dogan said AC is believed to be the man recorded on security camera footage walking away just before the attack from a parked white car which would later explode when the police bus passed. The Dogan report said nine others suspected of links to the attac

Jharkhand: Four CRPF jawans injured in IED blast in Dhanbad

Four CRPF personnel were injured in a series of IED blasts carried out by Naxals on Saturday in Dhanbad district of Jharkhand. Officials said the incident occurred near Topchanchi-Jitpur axis when bike-borne troops of the force were out on patrol in the Left Wing Extremism affected areas of the district. "Four troops have been injured after a series of IED blasts occurred in the area. The team was led by a senior officer in the rank of Second-in-command.The injuries are not critical," they said.  CRPF troops belonging to the 154th battalion, along with those from state police, were out for a Long Range Patrol when they encountered a series of IED blasts around 1215 PM. Reinforcements have reached the spot and the injured are being evacuated to a nearby hospital, they said. Jharkhand DGP DK Pandey and senior officials are reaching the spot, they added. Few days back, seven CRPF men were killed in a deadly landmine blast executed by Maoists in Dantewada district of C

IS leader Baghdadi will 'taste justice': US official

Washington (AFP) - The Pentagon warned Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi that he will eventually "taste justice" as the US military continues to target the jihadist group's upper ranks. "We are hunting him, and we will find him," military spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said. "Just like we found his mentor, (Abu Musab) al-Zarqawi and killed him. Just like we found the grand master of terrorism, Osama bin Laden, we killed him. We are going to find Baghdadi, and he will taste justice." Warren's prediction comes after the US-led coalition has targeted several senior IS leaders in Iraq and Syria in recent weeks, including Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli -- also known as Haji Imam -- who was second-in-command of the extremist group. "I don't know if that justice will look like a Hellfire missile, or if it will look like a dark prison cell somewhere, but he will find justice one day," Warren said of Baghdadi. The US Ju

AU, Somali forces kill top Al-Shabaab commander, 22 others in Mogadishu

MOGADISHU, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The Africa Union peacekeeping mission (AMISOM) and Somalia National Army (SNA) forces on Friday night killed a senior commander of the terrorist group Al-Shabaab in a joint security operation in Janaale, south of the capital Mogadishu. AMISOM's Sector One Commander Brigadier General Sam Okiding confirmed on Saturday that Al-Shabaab commander for the region of Janaale Abdirashir Buqdube, together with 22 others, was killed following air strikes and ground operations against the insurgents' hideout along the Buufow road. "Al-Shabaab cannot hide and we shall continue to work hard to deny them safe haven until the people have been liberated from Al-Shabaab terror," Okiding said in a statement issued in Mogadishu. He said a further dozen terrorists had been killed over the last two days as they attempted to ambush and disrupt AMISOM and SNA troops that were undertaking developmental activities such as borehole repairs and clearing up of roads

Saudi-led interventions differ from the ones by Russia in Syria: Butwhere is the endgame in Yemen?

Saudi Arabia's intervention in Yemen - although extremely unpopular internationally - has three basic elements that makes it different from the Russian intervention in Syria. First, three UN security Council resolutions (2201, 2204, 2216) unequivocally support the legitimacy of the first elected president of Yemen Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi, and demand Houthi militia to unconditionally withdraw their forces from government institutions, including in the capital. Second, the UN resolutions also disapprove of the efforts of former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh and his family for using the sectarian divide within the Yemeni military whose command allied with his son when he chose to support Houthi militia. Third, the Security Council also calls on all member States to refrain from external interference and instead to support the political transition - an indirect reference to Iran whose official media had been using an entirely different vocabulary: "Fugitive former

Obama's ISIS remark: Do we smile or nod our heads in despair

Washington, Apr 2: Going by what President of the United States of America had to say on the ISIS, it appears that the outfit was one up in this battle. He said yesterday that as the ISIS continues to get squeezed out in Syria and Iraq, it will unleash terror elsewhere in the world. It is extremely difficult to decide whether one needs to feel happy or disgusted with the statement by by Obama. The writing was on the wall and the ISIS was using Syria and Iraq as a stage. Radicalised youth would go to Iraq and Syria only to return to their home countries and unleash terror. The war was always beyond Iraq and Syria: What many failed to see or did not want to see is the manner in which the ISIS was building its army on the world stage. Thousands would flock ISIS camps in Syria and Iraq, train hard and return to their home countries. France and Belgium are classic examples of this scenario. The ISIS believes in the concept of networked cells. It has set up camps for every

US Drone Strike Targets Senior Shebab Leader in Somalia

WASHINGTON: The United States has conducted another drone strike in Somalia, this time targeting a senior Shebab leader thought to have been plotting attacks against Americans in Mogadishu, the Pentagon said Friday. The announcement came shortly before President Barack Obama offered detailed remarks about America's controversial drone program, saying some criticism of it had been "legitimate," and acknowledging there was "no doubt" the unmanned aircraft have killed innocent people in the past. Thursday's strike was conducted in cooperation with Somali officials and targeted Hassan Ali Dhoore, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said. A US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the strike targeted a vehicle Dhoore was riding in with two other Al-Qaeda-aligned Shebab members. "We have been watching him off and on for a long time," the official said. The strike comes less than a month after US drones and warplan

Saudi-led interventions differ from the ones by Russia in Syria: But where is the endgame in Yemen?

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Saudi Arabia's intervention in Yemen — although extremely unpopular internationally — has three basic elements that makes it different from the Russian intervention in Syria. First, three UN security Council resolutions (2201, 2204, 2216) unequivocally support the legitimacy of the first elected president of Yemen Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi, and demand Houthi militia to unconditionally withdraw their forces from government institutions, including in the capital. Second, the UN resolutions also disapprove of the efforts of former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh and his family for using the sectarian divide within the Yemeni military whose command allied with his son when he chose to support Houthi militia. Third, the Security Council also calls on all member States to refrain from external interference and instead to support the political transition — an indirect reference to Iran whose official media had been using an entirely different vocabulary: “Fugitive form

Mass grave of victims of IS found in Syria's Palmyra: army source

Damascus (AFP) - The Syrian army has found a mass grave containing the bodies of 42 civilians and soldiers executed by the Islamic State jihadist group in Palmyra, a military source said Saturday. The military on Friday "uncovered a mass grave of officers, soldiers, members of the popular committees (pro-regime militia) and their relatives," the source told AFP. He said that 24 of the victims were civilians, including three children. "They were executed either by beheading or by shooting," the source said. The bodies have been transferred to a military hospital in the provincial capital Homs and some have been identified, he added. On Sunday the Syrian army, backed by Russian forces, recaptured Palmyra and its UNESCO-listed ruins, which IS had overrun in May 2015. During their nearly 10-month occupation of Palmyra, the jihadists executed at least 280 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor which confirmed the discovery o

Nuclear terrorism a 'terrifying possibility'

There are 'terrifying possibilities' that terrorists could get access to nuclear material to make dirty bombs, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop warns. Speaking on the sidelines of a global nuclear summit in Washington on Saturday, Ms Bishop said Australia was committed to the global effort to secure nuclear material amid fears of the potential for a nuclear terrorist attack. 'There is a high level of concern that nuclear material could fall into the hands of terrorists or terrorist groups or that they would get sufficient material to make what is called a dirty bomb,' Ms Bishop told reporters. US President Barack Obama says terrorists will find it harder to obtain nuclear material thanks to a 'key treaty' ratified by 102 nations and expected to be effective soon. 'Working together, our nations have made it harder for terrorists to get their hands on nuclear material,' he said on Friday at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington referring to the C

ISIS turns Saudis against the kingdom, and families against their own

BURAIDA: The men were not hardened militants. One was a pharmacist, another a heating and cooling technician. One was a high school student. They were six cousins, all living in Saudi Arabia, all with the same secret. They had vowed allegiance to the Islamic State — and they planned to kill another cousin, a sergeant in the kingdom's counterterrorism force. And that is what they did. In February, the group abducted Sgt. Bader al-Rashidi, dragged him to the side of a road south of this central Saudi city, and shot and killed him. With video rolling, they condemned the royal family, saying it had forsaken Islam. Then they fled into the desert. The video spread rapidly across the kingdom, shocking a nation struggling to contain a terrorist movement seen as especially dangerous not just because it promotes violence, but also because it has adopted elements of Saudi Arabia's conservative version of Islam — a Sunni creed known as Wahhabism — and used them to delegitimize the m

India to get access to FBI’s terror database

NEW DELHI: India is set to partner a US initiative for real-time exchange of terrorist screening information through the latter's Terrorist Screening Centre, a multi-agency organisation administered by the FBI which maintains a single, consolidated terrorist database. The terrorists' watchlist, which supports the ability of front-line screening agencies to positively identify known or suspected terrorists trying to obtain visas, enter the country, board aircraft or engage in other activity, is one of the most effective counter-terrorism tools not only for the US government but also its international partners. India will be the latest entrant to the list of 30 countries that have signed agreements with TSC to share their respective terrorist databases. "It will help us tackle the threat from IS with many Indian youth having travelled in the past to Iraq/Syria. Many others were prevented from doing so. By being an international partner in TSC, India will be able to track IS

14 out of 15 nations back India’s bid at UN to ban JeM chief Masood Azhar, China blocks it again

United Nations:  China  has once again blocked India’s bid at the  United Nations  to ban Pathankot terror attack mastermind and Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar. Out of 15 countries, 14 have strongly supported India’s bid. However, China has alone opposed the bid without stating any reason, ANI quoted sources.  The fourteen countries include the US, UK and France. The sources further add that China’s move is closely collaborated with Pakistan and the former has now become an only country that has stood up for Masood Azhar more than once. Ahead of the Nuclear Summit 2016, India had expressed its desire to ensure that Azhar was proscribed by the UN."As regards the attack by JeM, we assure you that we will pursue the cause for justice. It is not a cause that we will leave or have forgotten about. I can assure you that we are proceeding with our efforts to ensure that this organisation which is alr

70 pct of netizens believe nuclear terrorism threat is getting graver:poll

BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- As world leaders and envoys gather in Washington D.C. for the ongoing Nuclear Security Summit (NSS), Xinhua News Agency posted three polls on Twitter to find out netizens' views on nuclear security, and here is what has been found. When asked "Is the threat of nuclear terrorism getting graver?", 72 percent of the respondents voted "yes", while only 28 percent voted "no". As of 6:00 p.m. (1000GMT) on April 1, a total of 979 people cast votes. In the poll with the question of "Are we inching closer to a world free of nuclear weapons?", only 29 percent voted "yes", while 71 percent voted "no", with a total of 1,022 votes collected. On a similar note, Xinhua also asked whether netizens believe in U.S. President  Barack Obama ' s utopian vision of a nuclear weapons-free world. Out of the 1,062 respondents, 61 percent voted " no", while 39 percent voted "yes."

US appalled by deadly air strikes in Damascus suburb

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Syrian Civil Defence The Syrian Civil Defence posted a video showing an emergency worker rushing towards the scene of an air strike in Deir al-Asafir shortly before he was killed The US says it is "appalled" by reports that Syrian government air strikes killed more than 30 people in a rebel-held suburb of Damascus on Thursday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 12 children were among those who died in the raids near a school and a hospital in Deir al-Asafir. The US said it condemned any attacks directed at civilians. The air strikes came despite a month-long cessation of hostilities between government and rebel forces. The partial truce has resulted in a significant reduction in violence in much of Syria and has largely held despite both sides accusing each other of violations. White Helmets 'targeted' Thursday's attack on Deir al-Asafir, a town in the rebel-dominated rural eastern Ghouta region, was one of the deadliest incidents invo

US airmen terror attack: Junead Khan found guilty

A delivery driver from Luton has been convicted of plotting to kill a US airman outside a base in East Anglia. Junead Khan, 25, a supporter of so-called Islamic State (IS), was found guilty of preparing terrorist acts. Khan had driven past RAF Lakenheath and other US bases on his delivery route, and had discussed staging a car crash and attacking a soldier with a knife. He was also convicted of preparing to join IS in Syria. His uncle Shazib Khan was also convicted of the same charge. BBC home affairs correspondent Daniel Sandford said the attack planned by Junead Khan was similar to the killing of Fusilier Lee Rigby in Woolwich in 2013. Police said he planned to stage a car crash outside an airbase and then use a knife to attack a member of the US military. He had also done extensive research on how to make a bomb, said Commander Dean Haydon of the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command. 'Embroiled in extremism' During the trial, the court hea

At least 15 Islamic State suspects arrested in Turkey

Ankara: At least 15 suspected members of Islamic State militant group were arrested by Turkish police in tourist city of Izmir. Several Izmir police teams were sent on Friday morning to catch the IS suspects in several districts of the city, and arrested the 15 IS suspects, Xinhua reported. The detained IS suspects conducted attacks in the provinces of Adana and Mersin in Turkey in 2015, said the report. The arrests came at a time when the Turkish troops are on high alert to catch IS militants who have been detected inside the country and are allegedly in pursuit of carrying out bomb attacks across the country. Source:  http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/at-least-15-islamic-state-suspects-arrested-in-turkey_1871494.html