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Showing posts from September 25, 2016

Islamic State says over 7,000 fighters ‘ready to defend Mosul’

ERBIL  – The US-led coalition said that ISIS has some 3,000 to 4,500 fighters in Mosul, and that there are no signs that the radical is leaving its main bastion in northern Iraq. “We think anywhere from 3,000 to 4,500 [ISIS] fighters are in Mosul, somewhere in that ball park. It’s a mixture of Iraqi and foreign fighters,” US-led coalition’s spokesman Air Force Col. John Dorrian said.  However, Saudi fighter of ISIS, Abu Azzam al-Muhajir, told ARA News they have at least 7,000 fighters in Mosul, the ISIS main bastion in northwestern Iraq. “Over 7,000 fighters are ready to defend Mosul,” he said.  “Also, there are still 500,000 civilians living in Mosul, and they will not accept to return to the central government’s authority and be rule by the Shia,” al-Muhajir told ARA News.  The US-led coalition said it will continue to attack ISIS in Mosul. “They show no signs of really trying to leave Mosul at this point. Really, what they’ve done is they’ve continued to dig

Nigeria’s Anti-Terrorism War and Lessons from Civilian JTF

In war situations, there are always the unsung heroes. But it does not belittle their sacrifices in consummating the war. Not many Nigerians have inkling about the lofty contributions the innocuous bands of youths in Borno state, self- styled as the Civilian Joint Task Force (C-JTF) made in the counter-insurgency battles. They are even confused as a replication of the more popular Military Joint Task Force (M-JTF), mainly populated by the Nigerian security agencies. But C-JTF shares no similarity with M-JTF, but they are only conjoined by a common motivation- the freedom of their country from the fangs of Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs). Initially, C-JTF members were a bunch of idle, but angered young men, domiciled in different parts of the Northeast, who tolerated years of the decimation of their population and annexation of their territories by insurgents. Provoked, they decided to willingly enlist into the anti-terror war to save their communities. Such guts deserved special commen

Hero Syrian rescue worker tells of the moment he pulled a month-old baby to safety from the rubble of a bombed building

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I hope making Kate Silverton cry on TV helps the West understand our plight, says Syrian hero who pulled month-old baby girl to safety from rubble   Air strikes on city of Idlib trapped the baby girl under rubble on Thursday Abu Kifah was praised as a hero after salvaging the girl in the city of Idleb The rescue worker says he feels like a father when he saves children Baby Maartouk is now in hospital and is reportedly doing well Thousands killed since Russian bombings began on September 30, 2015 At least 20,000 civilians have also been wounded in the Russia The United Nations warns that a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding   WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES  His face wet with tears, a rescue worker clutched 30-day-old baby Maartouk to his chest as she wailed in distress, her yellow baby grow covered in dust from the attack that almost killed her. However, he was unaware that he would be the only person connected to the story crying, and he is hoping that the raw emoti

Pakistan’s infrastructure systems vulnerable: Cyber security expert

An Indian cyber security organisation has claimed to have entered Pakistan’s critical infrastructure systems, including the country’s defence infrastructure, and would be ready to destroy the infrastructure system if the need arose, and if there was a go-ahead from the Indian government, a top official of the organisation said. “We have entered the critical infrastructure of Pakistan. The moment we get the go-ahead, we will destroy these,” S. Amar Prasad Reddy, Additional Director- General, National Cyber Safety and Security Standards, said at seminar here on Friday. He was speaking at a “National Cyber Defence Summit 2016” at Anna University. Mr. Reddy said work on infiltrating the infrastructure started after the Pathankot attack. ‘Websites penetrated’ “If necessary, we can damage their digital assets…We have penetrated into their defence infrastructure,” Mr. Reddy told reporters on the sidelines of the conference. He added that the team had penetrated the en

Preparing for Battle: In Mosul, ISIS Builds Walls, Tunnels, Trenches

ISIS is boasting that, like the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century, its fighters will be able to withstand any attacks. Locals doubt it. In Mosul, members of the Islamic State extremist group that control the city know full well that they can expect it to be attacked soon by those who oppose them. Rumor has it the fight for Mosul , ISIS’s last large stronghold in Iraq, could begin as soon as October. As a result, they are preparing night and day to try to defend the city they have controlled for more than two years now. Residents say that for the past two weeks, the noise from large vehicles and construction equipment hasn’t stopped. “Trucks owned by the Mosul city council have been moving large concrete barriers to the outskirts of the city,” one local, who could not be named for security reasons, told Niqash. “Large cranes are unloading these and they are being arranged in a similar way to how the Iraqi military used to arrange them when they controlled Mosu

Chad, Niger forces kill 123 Boko Haram in crackdown: Official

Allied Chadian-Nigerien forces launched an offensive against the Islamists after a surprise attack in Niger killed 30 of the country's troops in early June, its deadliest ever attack there A joint military operation between Chad and Niger has killed 123 Boko Haram militants since July and recovered a significant quantity of weapons, Niger’s Defence Ministry said on Friday. Allied Chadian-Nigerien forces launched an offensive against the Islamists after a surprise attack in Niger killed 30 of the country’s troops in early June, its deadliest ever attack there. Defence Ministry spokesman Colonel Moustapha Ledru said 14 of the two nations’ own troops had also died and 39 had been wounded in fighting with the Nigerian militant group over the same period. “An important quantity of arms and weapons were recovered,” he added. Boko Haram is waging a guerrilla war to establish a breakaway Islamic caliphate around the Lake Chad region, where Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and

French military bolsters Iraq presence with fighter jets for Mosul offensive

PARIS: On board the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle: French warplanes are flying over Iraq after the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier rejoined the U.S.-led fight against Daesh (ISIS) extremists – and as the coalition prepares to try to take back the key city of Mosul. France, which has suffered repeated attacks at home from Daesh-linked extremists, is ramping up its military presence in Iraq ahead of the offensive in Mosul, the largest city held by the militants. The Iraqi government has been gearing up with support from the United States and other allies for the mission, which could mark a turning point in the fight against Daesh. Eight jets took off from the Charles de Gaulle carrier in the eastern Mediterranean in the first operations since it left port in France on Sept. 20, an AFP journalist on board reported. French military officials refused to say whether the Rafale jets were carrying out airstrikes or were on a reconnaissance mission. But the re

China’s stand on Pakistan terrorism will be clearer at U.N. next week

It all depends on Beijing for the world body to designate JeM founder Masood Azhar a terrorist.. China has described itself as a “friendly neighbour to India and Pakistan” in the wake of tensions between the two countries, but its equivocation on terrorism will come to a head at the United Nations on Monday. A ‘technical hold’ that China put on a move initiated by India to designate Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) founder Masood Azhar a terrorist will lapse next week. China’s move in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was at the instance of Pakistan, and unless it positively decides to extend the hold, it expires on Monday after a six-month period. China can extend the ‘hold’ by three more months, or block the move altogether. Another embarrassment for Pakistan? If the hold lapses due to Chinese inaction, Azhar will be designated a terrorist by the U.N. Pakistan will face the embarrassment of hosting another U.N. designated terrorist and face international pre

Retreating Isis fighters leave dark pall in their wake in Iraq

Islamist militants burn towns and oil wells as they flee ahead of the battle for Mosul  Plumes of thick black smoke, which can be seen for miles across the horizon, get deeper and darker the closer one gets to Qayyarah . Islamic State is retreating, burning the earth behind it, two years after it captured a third of Iraq’s territory and shocked the world with its brutality. A military offensive to push the terror group out of Mosul , the largest city it holds, is expected to begin within weeks. Crucial to the offensive is Qayyarah, 60km south of Mosul, on the banks of the river Tigris. As Iraqi forces stormed the area on August 21st, Islamic State fighters burned several oil wells, some within metres of the town.

French attack threat:15-year-old student charged

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A 15-year-old high school student was charged and held Friday on suspicion of wanting to commit a terror attack directed by a notorious Syria-based French jihadist, a judicial source said. The teenager was charged over criminal associations with a terrorist group, the source said. The minor had been in contact using Telegram — the encrypted messaging app popular among French radicals — with Rachid Kassim, a French extremist based in the areas of Syria and Iraq held by the Islamic State group. The adolescent, who was not previously known to intelligence services, was taken in for questioning early Wednesday from his parents house in Domont and held in police custody for 48 hours before appearing before the court Friday morning. “There was a suspicion he was going to commit an act,” said one source close to the investigation, adding that the minor had said while in custody that he had abandoned the plan. In the last few weeks, around ten adolescents have been he

Bangladesh to seize assets of war criminals, killers of Mujib

Government will enact a new law to confiscate properties; army veterans welcome the move The Bangladesh Parliament has moved to impound all movable and immovable assets of the assassins of the nation’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and those convicted for war crimes in 1971. A resolution in this regard was passed unanimously on Thursday and was welcomed by nation’s liberation war veterans and the war crimes trial campaigners. Welcoming the resolution, Law Minister Anisul Huq said properties of the executed war criminals would be confiscated after enacting a new law. The minister also told Parliament that the government would also seize assets of the absconding killers of Mujibur Rahman. Mujibur Rahman was killed three-and-a-half years after the country’s independence from Pakistan, along with most of his family members on August 15, 1975, by a group of rogue army officers. Their trial was stopped through an Indemnity Ordinance that saved the self-p

Saudi Arabia warns of 'disastrous consequences' over US 9/11 law

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has warned of "disastrous consequences" from a United States law allowing 9/11 victims to sue the kingdom, in a major spike in tension between the longstanding allies. The warning came after the US Congress voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to override President Barack Obama’s veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA). JASTA allows attack survivors and relatives of terrorism victims to pursue cases against foreign governments in US federal court and to demand compensation if such governments are proven to bear some responsibility for attacks on US soil. A Saudi foreign ministry source late on Thursday called on the US Congress "to take the necessary measures to counter the disastrous and dangerous consequences" of the law. The unnamed spokesman, cited by the official Saudi Press Agency, said the law is "a source of great worry." This law "weakens the immunity of states", and will have a