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Showing posts from April 16, 2017

'Pak sheltering Qaida's al-Zawahari whose last wish is big attack on US', says Newsweek

NEW DELHI:  Al-Qaida  chief  Ayman al-Zawahiri  is being sheltered by Pakistan's ISI, possibly in Karachi, and the Islamic terrorist's "desperate last wish" is a last, big, blowout attack on the US "before folding his eyes", multiple sources told  Newsweek . As for Hamza bin Laden, al-Zawahiri's dead protege's son, he, too, is in Pakistan, also being sheltered by the ISI, a former top Pakistani official said to Newsweek. The Pakistani intelligence agency been protecting al-Zawahiri since US forces evicted Al-Qaida from Afghanistan in late 2001, according to several sources that Newsweek terms "authoritative". And the US was likely in the know about his whereabouts, because last year in January, the  Barack Obama  administration went after him with a drone and almost got him. "The drone hit next to the room where Dr. Zawahiri was staying," a "senior" militant from region told Newsweek. "The shared wall collapsed, an

Taliban attack underlines shortcomings in Afghan security

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Taliban militants have attacked an army compound in northern Afghanistan, killing more than 140 army personnel. Some say intelligence failures and other mistakes by Kabul and its foreign allies led to the incident. Thirteen Taliban militants disguised in military uniforms launched an attack on the Afghan army base in northern Balkh province on Friday, storming it in three military vehicles. They killed most of their victims in a mosque inside the compound where army personnel were at Friday prayers. "They are getting closer to our building and shooting anyone they see," a medical staffer of the 209th Shaheen Military Corps told DW only minutes after the attack on the army base had started. "Pray for me," the medical staffer begged in his telephone conversation with DW, as if those were his last words. DW was able to establish contact with the corps medical staffer only one hour after the first call. Fortunately, he was alive and in a secure location, bu

Chinese jihadis' rise in Syria raises concerns at home

BEIRUT: Many don't speak Arabic and their role in Syria is little known to the outside world, but the Chinese fighters of the  Turkistan Islamic Party  in Syria are organized, battled-hardened and have been instrumental in ground offensives against President Bashar Assad's forces in the country's northern regions. Thousands of  Chinese jihadis  have come to Syria since the country's civil war began in March 2011 to fight against government forces and their allies. Some have joined the al-Qaida's branch in the country previously known as Nusra Front. Others paid allegiance to the Islamic State group and a smaller number joined factions such as the ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham. But the majority of Chinese jihadis are with the Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria, whose vast majority are Chinese Muslims, particularly those from the Turkic-speaking Uighur majority native to  Xinjiang  in China. Their growing role in Syria has resulted in increased cooperation between Sy

Cologne readies for demos as AfD comes to town

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Some 50,000 protesters and 4,000 police officers were expected in Cologne for the populist-right AfD's party conference. In the city’s old town, residents expressed unease with the nationalists - and the heavy security. "No beer for Nazis!" reads a large banner at the Malzmühle brewery, a bar across from the Maritim hotel in the western German city of Cologne. It's a slogan that's been appearing across the city for weeks leading up to Saturday's  Alternative for Germany (AfD) party convention . The  Maritim is hosting the convention .  This brewery and bar is offering 'no beer for Nazis' (Kein Kölsch für Nazis) Nearby, more than 4,000 police officers were drafted in to keep the peace as some 50,000 protestors were expected to descend on the city center with the goal of blocking the convention entrance. Enormous crowd control vehicles and officers in riot gear were deployed in the city's famous Heumarkt square, usually known for its jov

Angry Muslim-American flashes guns, warns Christians to be ‘terrified’

Ehab Jaber, a Muslim man living in South Dakota, caused an uproar when he recorded himself online showing off several firearms and making threatening comments. The Facebook Live rant took place in the parking lot outside a Christian conference in Sioux Falls. Jaber, who believed the event was anti-Muslim, reportedly has permits for the guns. Source:  https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/64f894ce-3d4c-3c20-9bbf-2a5537971eab/ss_angry-muslim-american-flashes.html

Alleged neo-Nazi gunman attacks Russian intelligence office

Two people have died after a gunman opened fire at a regional FSB intelligence office in the eastern Russian city of Khabarovsk. He is also suspected of killing a shooting instructor to steal guns for the attack. An 18-year-old man opened fire at a local office of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) on Friday, killing one FSB employee and a civilian in a far eastern Russian city, authorities said. Authorities said the attacker began shooting as soon as he entered the reception area of the agency's office in Khabarovsk. One other visitor was also wounded in the attack. The assailant was subsequently shot dead, according to the FSB, the domestic intelligence agency that is the main successor of the Soviet KGB. The suspect is also believed to have shot and killed a shooting instructor to steal two handguns and a carbine, the intelligence agency said later on Friday. Both the visitor who was killed and the one who was injured were from former Soviet states outside

Kenya military kills 52 al-Shabaab militants in Somalia

Kenya Defense Forces attack militants' camp in Badhaadhe in Lower Juba near the border with Kenya NAIROBI, Kenya  The Kenyan military early Friday killed 52 al-Shabaab militants in Badhaadhe region in southern Somalia, military spokesman Col. Joseph Owuoth confirmed in a statement.  Owuoth said that Kenya Defense Forces soldiers working under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) attacked an al-Shabaab camp at around 1 a.m. East African Time (2200GMT on Thursday). “The initial assessment indicates that 52 terrorists were killed, while others fled with injuries,” Col. Owuoth said. He added that Kenyan soldiers seized seven AK-47 rifles, one PK machine gun, two phones, 104 rounds of ammunition, three improvised explosive devices, and assorted materials used for manufacturing IEDs.  The Kenyan military said that the intelligence-led operation was launched after surveillance assets sighted al-Shabaab terrorist concentration in Lower Juba in Somalia close to the

21 Ferrari commanders among 434 lay down arms

QUETTA -  As many as 434 Ferraris, including 21 commanders, 16 sub-commanders of Baloch Republican Army (BRA), Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and other proscribed outfits, surrendered before Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri and Southern Command Commander Lt-Gen Aamir Riaz on Friday. “We have decided to join the national mainstream and work for the prosperity and development of Pakistan after realising that we were mistaken, exploited by vested interests and misguided by their foreign agenda,” the ex-militant commanders said at a ceremony held on this occasion. They pledged to work for the nation’s wellbeing. Balochistan Assembly Speaker Raheela Hamid Khan Durrani, Commander Southern Command Lt-General Aamir Riaz, Inspector General of Frontier Corps Balochistan, Maj-Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum, ministers and high security officials and MPAs attended the ceremony held at the assembly lawn. Spokesman for the Balochistan government, Anwarul Haq, said the number of those

Marine Le Pen demands closure of all Islamist mosques in France

It was unclear whether the Thursday night attack would tip the balance of the vote in favour of Marine Le Pen, who has vowed to take a tough line on "Islamic terrorism". Paris: The deadly attack on a police bus in the French capital here has dramatically changed the course of the presidential poll campaign with the far-right candidate, Marine Le Pen, demanding the closure of all Islamist mosques, a media report said. It was unclear whether the Thursday night attack would tip the balance of the vote in favour of Le Pen, who has vowed to take a tough line on "Islamic terrorism", CNN reported. At a televised news conference on Friday, Le Pen called for the closure of all "Islamist" mosques in France, the expulsion of hate preachers and the reinstatement of French borders. People on the French security services` watch list for radicalisation should also be expelled from France and have their French citizenship revoked, she said. The three main cand

Australia plans ''terror lockdown'' on Anzac Day

Australian authorities are preparing to put major cities on `terror lockdown` for the country`s national day of remembrance. Canberra: Australian authorities are preparing to put major cities on `terror lockdown` for the country`s national day of remembrance, a media report said on Saturday. Celebrated on April 25 every year, Anzac Day commemorates members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac) who served and died in all wars and conflicts, Xinhua news agency reported. Australian counter-terrorism agencies would be on high alert for the day following the lone-wolf terror attacks being carried out by the Islamic State terror group. The latest one in Paris in which a police officer was shot dead on Thursday night. Frontline police and specialist officers will spend the eve of Anzac Day in Melbourne scouring streets, gardens and buildings for anything suspicious. Hi-tech cameras would be used by authorities throughout the day to monitor persons of interest in t

Death toll in Afghanistan base attack rises to 140: Officials

Afghanistan: As many 140 Afghan soldiers were killed on Friday by Taliban attackers apparently disguised in military uniforms in what would be the deadliest attack ever on an Afghan military base, officials said. One official in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, where the attack occurred, said on Saturday at least 140 soldiers were killed and many others wounded. Other officials said the toll was likely to be even higher. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because the government has yet to release official casualty figures. A US official in Washington on Friday had put the toll at more than 50 killed and wounded. As many as 10 Taliban fighters, dressed in Afghan army uniforms and driving military vehicles, talked their way onto the base and opened fire on soldiers eating dinner and leaving a mosque after Friday prayers, according to officials. The attackers used rocket-propelled grenades and rifles, they said. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a s

Blast in southeast Turkey

According to preliminary reports, an assailant has been killed in the blast in Suruc, Sanliurfa province A car bomb exploded near a state hospital in southeastern Sanliurfa province on Friday, killing one person inside the car, according to police and provincial governor. The incident took place in the province's Suruc district. Sanliurfa Governor Gungor Azim told Anadolu Agency that intensive security measures had been taken in the region, adding that an operation had been launched against "the collaborators of the [PKK] terrorist organization". Meanwhile, Sanliurfa Police Department said the slain terrorist was preparing “an attack against the [Labor Day] May 1 and [Children's Day] April 23 activities and the groups protesting the [result of the] referendum”. Turkish voters went to the polls on Sunday to decide whether to approve changes to the country’s constitution which would usher in an executive presidency. Unofficial results show the Yes campa

US forces kill Islamic State leader blamed for nightclub attack

Officials identified the slain militant as Abdurakhmon Uzbeki, and described him as a close associate of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State`s self-declared "caliphate." District of Columbia: US forces operating in Syria have killed a senior member of the Islamic State group blamed for an attack on a nightclub that left 39 dead, officials said Friday. "We will reach you anywhere," Brett McGurk, the US diplomat who coordinates the coalition fighting the jihadist group in Iraq and Syria, said in a tweet confirming the death. Officials identified the slain militant as Abdurakhmon Uzbeki, and described him as a close associate of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State`s self-declared "caliphate." They said he helped coordinate the movement and funding of foreign fighter cells, and was behind the January 1 gun attack on revellers at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul. He is said to have been killed on April 6 in Mayadin, a tow

What We Know About Paris Shooting Suspect Karim Cheurfi

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On Thursday night, a gunman opened fire with an automatic weapon on a police bus parked on the famous Champs Élysées in Paris, killing one officer and wounding two others before being shot dead as he tried to flee the scene. The attack came just three days before the first round of France’s presidential elections. Now, a picture is emerging of the man believed to be the attacker, named by the Associated Press Friday as 39-year-old Karim Cheurfi. A violent serial offender who held radical Islamist beliefs, he had a history of targeting police officers. Police had arrested Cheurfi in February on suspicion of planning to kill police but released him because of a lack of evidence. After the attack, police carried out raids in the suburb of Chelles, east of Paris, where Cheurfi’s family home was located and took three members of his family into custody. It has since emerged that Cheurfi had been convicted in 2005 on three counts of attempted murder, with police officers as two of

War in Afghanistan: Former President Hamid Karzai Claims There Is No Difference Between ISIS and America

Former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai claimed Wednesday that the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) was a tool of the U.S. Karzai, a former ally to Washington who has become increasingly critical of U.S. foreign policy, said America’s’ two-year fight against ISIS has been “weak.” Speaking to Voice of America’s (VOA) Afghan Service, Karzai criticized a recent U.S. attack on ISIS in Afghanistan. On April 13, the U.S. dropped the largest ever non-nuclear weapon —known as the mother of all bombs—on an ISIS stronghold in the country’s east. Karzai said the attack, which he condemned at the time, failed to eliminate the group. (The assault killed 95 ISIS militants). “I consider Daesh [the U.S.’] tool,” Karzai went onto say, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State. “I do not differentiate at all between Daesh and America.” The U.S. is currently battling ISIS in Afghanistan, along with NATO forces and local troops. Washington has promised to defeat the group by the end of t

Decoding the ISIS threat to India

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 27 May 2016 On May 19, the Islamic State, or ISIS, released a major video campaign against India in which about half a dozen fugitive Indian Muslims threaten to wage jihad against the country. While India cannot be dismissive about the jihadist threat, Indians must bear in mind that for the first time since the Mauryan Empire, which lasted two-and-a-half centuries from the 4th century BCE, India today is strong enough to meet any challenge to its security. Revelation  The ISIS video, reviewed by this author, reveals the following: one, it proves conclusively that several militants escaped from the Batla House encounter site.  Two, it features one of the four jihadist youths who left Mumbai in May 2014, weeks before Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi declared himself the caliph of all Muslims.  Three, a major emphasis of the video is on the message of hijrah (migration), urging Muslims to migrate from the lands of unbelief to the land of Islam (the Iraq-Syria region), as Prop