Terrorism Watch

The leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist group, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has reportedly pledged allegiance to the new Taliban leader in Afghanistan. Zawahri pledged assistance to Haibatullah Akhundzada — the new leader of Taliban — in a 14-minute online audio message on Saturday, the report said. The authenticity of the recording, however, could not be immediately verified. Zawahiri rose to the position of al-Qaeda’s top leader after the terrorist group’s then-leader, Osama bin Laden, was killed in Pakistan by US forces in 2011. He is believed to be hiding in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region. Haibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban militant group (file photo) Akhundzada was picked the Taliban’s leader, when former ringleader Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in an American drone attack in a remote border area inside Pakistan on May 21. Al-Qaeda has recently been seeing defections to the Daesh terrorist group. Some Afghan militant commanders have left the Taliban to p

The Polish parliament has approved a bill to amend the country’s anti-terrorism laws, giving authorities more flexibility in monitoring the movements of foreign citizens without court approval, and allowing the holding of suspects without charges for up to two weeks Under the bill, Poland’s state security service would be allowed to conduct surveillance of foreign citizens for up to three months without prior court approval, Reuters reported. Authorities would also be allowed to hold suspects for 14 days without charges but with court approval, drastically lengthening the current period of 48 hours. The legislation would also make it easier for foreigners to be deported if they were deemed a threat, and would regulate the sale of pay-as-you-go SIM cards, which are currently sold freely and anonymously. Such SIM cards, combined with  “throwaway phones,” are often used in crimes as they cannot be easily traced to a particular individual. The changes are being pushed forward ahea

The first government-funded imam training course will start in Stockholm this autumn. It is aimed at introducing potential spiritual leaders with a “locally anchored” version of Islam, instead of any radical interpretations which they may have adopted abroad. Starting next school year, an annual central government educational grant distributed to Sweden’s adult education centers, will fund an Islamic vocational program at Kista Folkhögskola in Stockholm. The one-year program aims at providing a basis in Islamic theology and leadership for those who want to continue their education to become spiritual leaders. “We will teach Islamic theology and leadership. The first year is only an introduction. Over, the next few years, the study program will be broadened and deepened,”  Abdulkader Habib, the headmaster explained to Sveriges Radio. View image on Twitter  Follow RT   ✔ @RT_com # ISIS  fighters in Sweden to attack ‘civilian targets’ in Stockholm - reports  http

ISLAMABAD:   Pakistan's powerful army chief  General Raheel Sharif  has asked the US to target the hideouts of  Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan  terrorists and their chief  Mullah Fazlullah in Afghanistan. General Raheel made the demand during a high-level meeting with Commander Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan General John Nicholson and US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Olson in Islamabad yesterday. In a late night statement, the army said Gen Raheel demanded targeting of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan terrorists and  Mullah Fazlullah  in their hideouts in Afghanistan. "Raising the demand of targeting TTP and  Mullah Fazlullah  in their bases in Afghanistan, COAS reiterated Pakistan's resolve not to allow hostile intelligence agencies' efforts, especially RAW and NDS, of fomenting terrorism," it said. It was the first visit of high-level officials from the US since fresh tension with Pakistan after the killing of the Afghan Taliban

On Thursday, barrel bombs were dropped from helicopters on Daraya just as residents were sharing food received from United Nations The United States has condemned Bashar al-Assad's Syrian regime, accusing it of bombing starving civilians just hours after they received a long-delayed UN aid shipment. Late on Thursday, the besieged rebel-held town of Daraya received its first United Nations food delivery since 2012, a lifeline for the suffering population. Shortly afterwards, according to a witness and human rights monitors, Assad's forces bombarded the town, dropping indiscriminate barrel bombs from helicopters as residents shared food. "The Syrian regime conducted multiple barrel bomb attacks on Daraya this morning," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Friday. "That came just hours after the UN convoy arrived," he told reporters. "Obviously such attacks are unacceptable in any circumstance but in this case they also hampered the deliv

DHAKA,BANGLADESH:   Authorities have rounded up about 1,600 suspected petty criminals, including some believed to be  ISIS  extremists, in a nationwide crackdown aimed at halting a wave of brutal attacks on m inorities and activists in Bangladesh. Police spokesman Kamrul Islam said today that officers and paramilitary soldiers had fanned out across the country on Thursday night to raid suspected terrorist hideouts and detain about 1,600 people within 24 hours. He said the detainees included only 37 alleged radical  ISIS  terrorists while most were suspected to be petty criminals. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had announced the planned  anti-militancy campaign  after the wife of a police superintendent was shot and stabbed to death on June 5. Meanwhile, SITE Intelligence Group says the  ISIS  claimed responsibility for killing monastery worker on Friday morning. Source:  http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/bangladesh-detains-1-600-suspected-radicals-to-end-attacks-1417890

KABUL:    Afghan officials  say six police officers, including a district police chief, have been killed by gunmen affiliated with the  ISIS  group in the restive eastern Nangarhar province, which borders Pakistan. Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor, says that  ISIS  affiliated insurgents attacked the administrative headquarters in Haska Mina district at 2:00 am today. He says 15  ISIS  fighters were killed and seven wounded in the battle that followed. Hazrat Hussain Mashreqiwal, spokesman for the Nangarhar police chief, says six police officers were wounded. Nangarhar has long been plagued by insurgent groups. Last year terrorists there claimed allegiance to  ISIS  and the Taliban sent fighters against them. In recent months, government troops backed by air strikes have claimed success against ISIS  fighters, who are believed to be former Taliban members. Source:  http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/6-police-officers-killed-in-battle-with-isis-afghan-officials-141

French police fire tear gas as they clash with English football fans at The Queen Victoria pub in Marseille (Picture: PA) English football fans have been in fresh clashes with police this evening ahead of the first match of Euro 2016. Officers fired tear gas on supporters as they gathered in the streets drinking with flags of the St George cross draped in the background. It comes after local young people are believed to have confronted England supporters gathered outside the Queen Victoria pub and O’Malley’s Irish bar yesterday. England will play their first game against Russia tomorrow. Tensions around the tournament have risen over security fears, with fans banned from swimming in the sea in case of attacks and told to limit their celebrations to official fan zones protected by armed police. An England fan walks through tear gas today (Picture: AFP/Getty) MORE:  Surgeons ‘remove live grenade from soldier’s skull’ There have been clashes in Marseilles (Picture: Getty) Fans had been dr

(Adds new death toll and details) AMMAN, June 11 (Reuters) - At least eight people were killed and scores wounded in twin suicide and car bomb blasts on Saturday in a Damascus suburb that contains Syria's holiest Shi'ite Muslim shrine, state television said. State media, which flashed the news, did not give further details about the bombings in the Sayeda Zeinab area, where at least three bomb attacks claimed by Islamic State militants have killed and injured scores of people this year. A Shi'ite religious cleric on the state-run Ikhbariyah TV channel said the car bomb blast was not far from the shrine area in the main al-Taen street. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the death toll was at least nine. The heavily garrisoned area is a well known stronghold of Lebanon's powerful Shi'ite Hezbollah group, a major backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Thousands of Iraqi and Afghan Shi'ite militia recruits who volunteer to fight against the S

DHAKA: A Hindu ashram worker was on Friday hacked to death by unidentified assailants while he was out for the morning walk, days after another priest was killed by suspected ISIS jihadists in the Muslim-majority nation which has seen a string of brutal attacks by Islamists on religious minorities and secular activists.  60-year-old Nityaranjan Pandey of Thakur Anukul Chandra Satsanga Paramtirtha Hemayetpurdham ashram was attacked by several assailants who hacked him in the neck, said ASP (Sadar Circle) Selim Khan.  Pandey, who was working at the ashram as a volunteer for the past 40 years, was attacked near the ashram in Pabna's Hemayetpur Upazila during his regular morning walk, Khan was quoted as saying by bdnews.  There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the murder.  This is the second such murder within three days. On June 7, a Hindu priest was hacked to death by three suspected Islamic State jihadists  who nearly severed his head.  There have been systematic ass

Belgian police investigating the Brussels airport and metro attacks have arrested a man in connection with “terrorist murders”, the federal prosecutor said on Friday. According to the prosecutor’s office, a 31-year-old man, identified only as Ali E H A, was detained on Thursday during a house search in the Schaerbeek area of the capital. Watch Video: What’s making news  Several people have previously been charged over the March 22 suicide bombings at Zaventem airport and Maalbeek metro station which killed 32 people. “In connection with the federal investigation after the terrorist attacks in Zaventem and Brussels, a house search was conducted,” the statement said. “The Belgian national Ali E H A, born on 23rd September 1984, was arrested and later put in detention by the Investigating Judge for participation in the activities of a terrorist group, terrorist murders and attempted terrorist murders, as a perpetrator, co-perpetrator or accomplice.” It added, “Currently

By Mehreen Zahra-Malik ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Hafiz Saeed, a Pakistani Islamist with a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head, led prayers at a mosque in Islamabad on Friday and called on his country's military to shoot down any American drones entering Pakistani territory. The anti-U.S. rhetoric came as the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan visited Islamabad for the first time since last month's killing of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a drone strike in western Pakistan. U.S. and Pakistan relations have been strained by the strike, which Islamabad has protested against as a violation of its sovereignty. Friday's public appearance by Saeed, whom the U.S. and India accuse of masterminding a 2008 attack on India's financial capital Mumbai that killed 166 people, was another reminder of the many sore points in the Pakistani-U.S. relationship. The United States has offered $10 million for information leading to Saeed's arrest and conv

Geneva (AFP) - Unabated attacks by Boko Haram in Cameroon have sparked soaring food insecurity and driven 190,000 people from their homes, creating fertile ground for recruitment by the jihadists, the UN warned. Nigeria-based Boko Haram fighters have in recent months carried out fewer spectacular attacks and suicide bombings in neighbouring Cameroon. But the UN humanitarian coordinator for the country Najat Rochdi said the jihadists were attacking villages and burning homes and fields across northern Cameroon on a daily basis. "The impact of the violence by Boko Haram is not over, and we have to remain vigilant," she told AFP this week. While the current attacks are less eye-catching, they have a more devastating effect, Rochdi said. She said that in the last six months alone, the number of Cameroonians displaced within their own country had jumped from 60,000 to 190,000. In addition, Cameroon is hosting 60,000 refugees from Nigeria and another 312,000 from the Central Africa

OTTAWA, Canada ( JTA ) — Canada’s Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal in the case of a man whose will was overturned because he bequeathed his estate to a U.S. neo-Nazi group. On Thursday, the country’s highest court without explanation chose not to review two lower court rulings that blocked the transfer of Robert McCorkill’s estate, estimated at $250,000, to the National Alliance. The appeal was filed by the Canadian Association for Free Expression. McCorkill, a one-time chemistry professor, died in 2004 and bequeathed his valuable coin collection, ancient artifacts and investments to the white supremacist group based in West Virginia. In 2013, his sister asked that the bequest be declared void. The following year, a New Brunswick court invalidated the will, saying such a bequest would run counter to Canadian public policy. The ruling said written materials of the National Alliance were “racist, white-supremacist and hate-inspired,” and that the group “stan

Hezbollah ’s terrorism finance operations are thriving across Latin America months after the  Drug Enforcement Administration  linked the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group to drug cartels in the region, U.S. lawmakers were told Wednesday. Former  DEA  operations chief Michael Braun said  Hezbollah  is “moving [multiple] tons of cocaine” from South America to Europe and has developed “the most sophisticated money laundering scheme or schemes that we have ever witnessed.” The agency announced in February that it had arrested several  Hezbollah  operatives accused of working with a major Colombian drug cartel to traffic drugs to Europe and launder money through Lebanon. Those arrests come against a backdrop of rising fears in Washington about smuggling connections between Middle East terrorist groups and the Western Hemisphere. Hezbollah  has “metastasized into a hydra with international connections that the likes of [the Islamic State] and groups like al Qaeda could only hope t