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Showing posts from May 28, 2017

Egypt's Battle Against Islamic Extremism

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For a Western audience, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is a complex figure, who was shunned by the Obama administration. There appear truly pressing, immediate priorities in Egypt, such as developing the economy and combating the avalanche of extremist attempts to overthrow him. Among Middle East and North African territories, Egypt stands out as a primary target, given the cocktail of challenges that position it as a center of radical Islam. President Sisi faces violent extremist hotbeds in the Sinai Peninsula, and the still-destabilizing influence of the Muslim Brotherhood (a political arm of violent radicals). Most notably, Sisi brought a reality check to the Arab Spring when he led the military overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood government in 2013, ushering a spiritual and cultural Islamic reformation with widespread  popular support  from Egyptians on a grass-roots level. Sisi faces more than just militant and political extremists within Egypt's borders; he is

ISIS failed to establish hold in India despite large Muslim population: Interior minister Rajnath Singh

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India has the largest Muslim population in the world but ISIS had been unable to establish itself in the country, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday. Singh was giving a report card of his ministry on the completion of three years of the Narendra Modi government. "We have been successful in countering the challenges posed by the ISIS. Despite having a large Muslim population, ISIS has been unable to establish a hold in India," Singh said. View image on Twitter  Follow PIB India   ✔ @PIB_India LIVE: Despite India having largest Muslim population in the world, ISIS has not been able to establish itself in India: HM  @ rajnathsingh 11:40 AM - 3 Jun 2017 HMO India   ✔ @HMOIndia There is an improvement in the security situation in the country. We have been successful in countering the challenges posed by the ISIS: HM 11:40 AM - 3 Jun 2017 "We have strived to provide security for the nation, with full responsibility,

Pakistani ambassador claims Haqqani network has shifted to Afghanistan

A top Pakistani diplomat has claimed the notorious Haqqani terrorist network has moved to Afghanistan, rejecting the claims of the Afghan officials after the deadly Kabul bombing was attributed to the network and Pakistan’s military intelligence. The Pakistani Ambassador to Washington, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, told reporters in Washington that the Afghan officials must focus on eliminating the terror network inside its soil rather than blaming Pakistan. Chaudhry also claimed that the network is on the run after the operations were launched in North Waziristan, insisting that “They have moved into Afghanistan and need to be taken care of there.” “It is outright barbaric terrorism, and we should condemn it with all the might that we have,” he said, adding that the attack should serve to “strengthen our resolve” to work with Kabul on counterterrorism operations. The Afghan intelligence said late Wednesday that credible intelligence information confirms the attack was carried out by

US-led fight against Islamic state claimed 484 civilian lives in Iraq and Syria, says Pentagon

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Washington:  Attacks on Islamic State group targets by US-led coalition forces have killed 484 civilians since mid-2014, the US military reported. The Operation Inherent Resolve coalition added 132 civilians to the total in its April report, including 105 who died when a US aircraft dropped a bomb on an IS sniper target in west Mosul on 17 March. Representational image. Reuters The bomb inadvertently set off a large cache of explosives, collapsing a building on top of civilians sheltering below. The Inherent Resolve task force "takes all reports of civilian casualties seriously and assesses all reports as thoroughly as possible," the US-led task force said in a monthly statement. It stressed only 0.27 percent of its 21,035 strikes since the operation began had produced "credible" civilian death reports. The total reported Friday was still far short of what non-governmental organizations estimate for civilian deaths in the conflict in Iraq and Syria.

Taliban says not behind the attack on funeral ceremony in Kabul

The Taliban insurgents group in Afghanistan has rejected the role of the group in the consecutive explosions in capital Kabul that left several people dead or wounded. The group’s spokesman in a statement said the fighters of the group have no role in the explosions that took place during the burial and funeral ceremony in Sarai Shamali area of Kabul. Mujahid claimed that the incident has links to internal dispute and enmity among the enemies of the group. According to the security sources, three back to back explosions took place as burial and funeral ceremony of Mohammad Salim Izadyar, the son of the deputy speaker of the Afghan Senate House was underway in the area. The officials are saying that the death of at least eighteen people can be confirmed at the moment and around thirty others were wounded. Source:  http://www.khaama.com/taliban-says-not-behind-the-attack-on-funeral-ceremony-in-kabul-02860

NIA raids in Kashmir, Delhi, Haryana over terror funding

SRINAGAR/NEW DELHI: In a pre-dawn swoop, the  National Investigation Agency (NIA) today raided 23 locations in  Kashmir , Haryana and the national capital in connection with a case of alleged funding received by separatist groups for carrying out subversive activities in the Valley.   After registering an FIR earlier this week, various NIA teams, which had been camping in the Valley for few days, moved under heavy escort from their camp office located at Humhama, on the outskirts of the Srinagar city.   Among those raided by the NIA were Altaf Fantoosh, the son-in-law of hardline leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, businessman Zahoor Watali, Shahid-ul-Islam, leader of Awami Action Committee led by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, and some second rung separatist leaders belonging to both factions of the Hurriyat Conference and the JKLF.   The agency seized nearly Rs 1.5 crore from various locations in the Kashmir Valley, besides documents which were being scrutinised, officials said.   This is for the f

Philippines violence: Dozens flee Islamist gunmen in war-torn Marawi

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Marawi:  Dozens of people ran to freedom through a terrifying gauntlet of military air strikes and Islamist gunmen on Saturday, nearly two weeks after being trapped in a deadly battle for a Philippine city. The group of 38 said they ran from their hiding place in a part of Marawi city controlled by self-styled Islamic State group gunmen as soldiers seized a key bridge in the area to give the civilians safe passage. "We lay on the floor in the dark each night whenever we heard gunshots or explosions. We barricaded the doors with furniture and a refrigerator," high school teacher Jerona Sedrome, 27, told  AFP . "The ISIS tried to force their way into the house and got in at the second attempt, so we hid in a tunnel beneath the house," she added, using the acronym for an alternative name for Islamic State. Hundreds of gunmen rampaged through the city of 200,000, the Islamic capital of the mainly Catholic Philippines, on 23 May after government forces attempte

368 militants killed in last three years in Jammu & Kashmir: India

Stating that situation has improved in Kashmir valley, union home minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that 368 militants have been killed between 2014-2017, in Kashmir. "The security situation in Jammu and Kashmir has improved. 368 terrorists have been neutralized between 2014-2017, in Kashmir,” he said while addressing media on the completion of three years by the Modi government. Singh also stated that there has been decline in infiltration. “Infiltration from Pakistan has come down by 45 per cent in six months after surgical strikes as compared to corresponding period in the previous year,” he said. Source:  http://www.kashmirlife.net/368-militants-killed-last-three-years-kashmir-142300/

'Hoped We Would Be Killed, Not Raped': ISIS Slave, Now Free, Returns Home

KOJO, Iraq:  Nadia Murad made an emotional return on Thursday to the Yazidi village in northern Iraq where she was captured and sold as a slave by ISIS three years ago. She broke down in tears as she approached the school where the terrorists rounded up the population of Kojo and separated the men from the women, part of a series of crimes the United Nations described as a genocide against the Yazidi minority. "We hoped our fate would be to be killed like the men instead of being sold and raped by Syrians, Iraqis ... Tunisians and Europeans," Murad said after composing herself, speaking from the roof of the school in presence of journalists.  "Today the village is surrounded by mass graves," said Murad, who received the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought, along with another Yazidi woman, Lamiya Aji Bashar. Murad, now aged 24, was taken in the summer of 2014 to Mosul, ISIS's de facto capital in Iraq. She escaped in November 2014

Manila casino attack: By attacking 'soft' targets, terror outfits want to derail tourism, create barriers of fear

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At least 36 people were killed after a gunman burst into a Manila casino on Friday, firing shots and setting gaming tables on fire. This incident is indicative of a recent terror trend, of targeting people who are having fun – it makes the attack more sinister if the background is a fun place. This is why city ports – modern airports that are cities onto themselves – as compared to plain functional airports of old, are such popular targets. Istanbul, Brussels, Paris; these are all popular tourist destinations and the fallout strikes directly at their bottom line as everything, including businesses, is adversely affected. Smoke rising from the Resorts World Manila complex, Philippines. AP Whoever sits on the terror think-tank panel is pretty clear in their planning as with each such incident, a new dimension is added to the existing ripples of fear. In fact, ripples is putting it mildly, it’s more of a tidal wave. Following the series of truck and car ploughings to intimidat

Narendra Modi in Russia: Countries should rise above good and bad terrorism, says PM

St Petersburg:  In a veiled attack on Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said some countries arm, finance and provide communication support to terrorists and called upon all nations to rise above ideas like "good terrorism, bad terrorism" to save humanity from destruction. Look at the discourse on terrorism. Terrorists do not manufacture weapons. Some country must be giving them. They do not print currency. But some country must be bank rolling them. They don't have telecommunication system and social media. Somebody must be providing them with such facilities," he said in an oblique reference to the support the terrorists get from across the border as a reply to a question at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). Seeking to disapprove the tendencies among some countries to see terrorism in different light, Modi said, "some countries see...good terrorism, bad terrorism, my terrorism, your terrorism. They should come out of this mindse

Children strapped with explosives kill nine in north Cameroon

By Josiane Kouagheu DOUALA, Cameroon, June 2 (Reuters) - Two children carrying explosives blew themselves up on Friday near a camp in northern Cameroon housing civilians displaced by Nigeria's Boko Haram militants, killing nine people and wounding 30, officials said. They entered the town of Kolofata, around 10 km (6 miles) from the border with Nigeria, before dawn, posing as refugees looking for food before the start of the daytime fast for Ramadan. "Two suicide bomber adolescents aged between 10 and 15 years infiltrated the town of Kolofata," Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary told state radio, adding that both had detonated their explosives. "The death toll is 1l, including the two suicide bombers, and 30 wounded, of which 10 are seriously wounded," he added. A local government official said the 10 gravely wounded had been transported to a hospital in a nearby town. "It was unbearable. People were screaming. Others were moaning. I

38 dead due to suffocation inside casino

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T hirty-eight bodies of victims who supposedly died of suffocation and smoke inhalation were recovered from the gaming room of Resorts World Manila, according to police authorities. A lone gunman stormed a casino in Pasay City shortly after midnight armed with a baby armalite, fired at the stock room of chips, carted away with P113 million worth of it, and was later found dead inside one of the hotel’s rooms on Friday morning. Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa said they are not considering terrorism as the motive behind the shooting that happened at Resorts World Manila (RW) since the gunman, whom he described as Caucasian and tall, did not fire at people but only at the chips stockroom. The suspect also started a fire inside the RW which as of press time was still razing at the 2nd and 3rd floors. At least 54 individuals were hurt when they jumped for safety after the gunman started firing at the chips stockroom and brought to ho

Buddhism Versus Islam: Clash Of Civilisations In South And South-East Asia?

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Buddhism Versus Islam: Clash Of Civilisations In South And South-East Asia? Ananth Krishna Snapshot From Myanmar to Thailand and all the way to Sri Lanka, one of the oldest conflicts of Asia seems to be turning more violent by the day. The Buddhist and the Islamic worlds seem to be increasingly in conflict in south and south-east Asia. In Myanmar and Sri Lanka, Buddhist nationalist organisations are in open conflict with Muslims; in Thailand, Islamist insurgency has resurrected itself in the Patani region; In Indonesia, tensions between the Muslim majority and Buddhist minority have surged. The conflicts between the Muslims and Buddhists in the region represent a clear faultline between two cultures, as theorised in Samuel Huntington’s  Clash of Civilizations . As Islamic invasions made their way towards the east, the repression and persecution that came in their wake ransacked Buddhist temples, destroyed the famous Nalanda University, as well as the Mahabodhi tem