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Showing posts from October 8, 2017

Islamabad to revive talks on terror

In a surprise move, the Afghanistan Foreign Ministry has announced a revival of the Pakistan-led Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) to bring the Taliban into talks, saying that the next meeting of the group comprising officials from the U.S., China, Pakistan and Afghanistan, would be held in Oman, Muscat on October 16. “Two topics will be discussed: counterterrorism, and Pakistan’s honesty in fulfilling its promises that it will make in the presence of China and the U.S. at the meeting,” Afghan deputy spokesperson Sebghat Saba told journalists in Kabul this week. The meeting is also significant for its timing just ahead of the visit of American Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who will travel to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India from October 23.  Mr. Tillerson is the most senior U.S. State Department official to visit all three countries after the announcement of U.S. President Donald Trump’s new ‘South Asia policy’ for Afghanistan which suggested a tougher line on Pakista

The Chechen War Moves to Ukraine—And So Does a Wave of Criminal Violence

Some are refugees, some criminals, some terrorists, some freedom fighters. And some of the Chechens in Ukraine are all of the above. KIEV—Anna Moliar, an outspoken Ukrainian attorney, has watched with growing concern reports about the criminality of Chechen gangs and militia recruits in her country, which already is torn by the ongoing war with pro-Russian militants in the east and south.  “It seems anybody can travel across the eastern border controlled by separatists, sneak in, and commit a crime in Ukraine,” Moliar told The Daily Beast. But the situation is complicated by the fact that some Chechens in  Ukraine  are just refugees, some are just criminals, some are terrorists, and some have been embraced as freedom fighters because they’re fighting the Russians and their proxies, too. In fact, some Chechens fit all those categories. Almost every week Moliar, a prominent independent criminologist, appears on Kiev’s local television channels taking note of the alarming numb

Evacuees can’t go home yet even if Marawi conflict ends

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SCAR OF WAR The government is preparing a rehabilitation plan for Marawi City after intense fighting between the military and Islamic State-inspired terrorists in the last four months left sections of the picturesque lakeside capital of Lanao del Norte province devastated. —JEOFFREY MAITEM MARAWI CITY—Even if the war here ends in the next few days as the military had earlier projected, it would still take time for the more than 50,000 families displaced by the almost five-month fighting to even visit their villages, a military commander said. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., deputy commander of the Joint Task Group Ranao, said the end of the fighting would not automatically mean immediate homecoming for Marawi residents as the military still had to conduct clearing operations for unexploded ordnance or booby traps while other government agencies had to look for and retrieve bodies and skeletal remains in the city. This developed as the Task Force Bangon Marawi, which is tasked to l

Amnesty director in Turkey facing 15 years in jail on terrorism charges

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Amnesty International demonstrators protest against the arrest of human rights activists in Turkey By Alexander J Martin, Technology Reporter A Turkish prosecutor is seeking to jail human rights activists, including an Amnesty International director, for 15 years on terror charges. The activists have been charged with membership of, and with aiding, an "armed terrorist organisation", reported the Dogan news agency. Eight people including Amnesty International's director in Turkey, Idil Eser, were arrested in July when Turkish police raided a "digital security and information management workshop". The workshop aimed to offer "routine" digital security advice as well as function as a retreat for staff and activists, Amnesty told Sky News. NGOs operating in repressive jurisdictions are often targeted by government-sponsored hackers who may have been tasked with accessing privileged information, or discrediting those challenging them.

How a Malaysian birthed an anti-nuclear arms campaign that won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize

KUALA LUMPUR — Shortly after the failed 2005 review of the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Dr Ronald McCoy, who is the former co-president of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), emailed his colleagues in the global federation his idea to build a grassroots movement to advocate a ban on nuclear weapons. That movement was inspired by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines that eventually led to the 1997 anti-landmine Ottawa treaty. “We can call it an International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, with the acronym ICAN. Let’s startworking on this right now,” the Malaysian obstetrician had written in his open letter. Ten years after ICAN’s 2007 launch, the United Nations adopted last July 7 a new treaty that imposed a total ban on nuclear arms called the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, hailed as a significant milestone in the seven decades’ effort to prevent a nuclear war since the United States dropped two atomic

International mediation is not the answer in Catalonia

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On the evening of October 10, Catalonia’s separatist president, Carles Puigdemont, stood before the regional parliament to deliver what was widely expected to be a unilateral declaration of independence. But he ended up offering a fudge. Despite asserting “the mandate that Catalonia become an independent state in the form of a republic,” he proposed “suspending the effects of the declaration of independence to undertake talks in the coming weeks.” The performance left more questions than answers, but that was precisely the point. Puigdemont was not addressing anti-independence protesters on the streets of Barcelona, or Spanish citizens more broadly. He was speaking to the international community. Like his fellow Catalan separatists, Puigdemont knows that the movement’s only chance of moving forward lies in internationalisation. Since the Catalan regional government held an illegal referendum on independence on October 1, its separatist leaders and their sympathisers have called

Disintegration of Britain and Spain both possible

Constitutional turmoil in Spain over Catalonia and in the United Kingdom over Brexit invites comparisons between their understandings of political order and the best vocabulary to describe it. Both states are going through a real-time experiment in change with wider lessons for the European Union. The Spanish government cannot agree that Catalonia is entitled to decide whether to be an independent state. It refuses to recognise the recent referendum, saying it is not provided for in the 1978 constitution. It calls on the Catalan government to say whether it has declared independence. If so it will impose direct rule to counter disobedience and illegality and probably call fresh regional elections. It disregards Catalan calls for international mediation and unconditional negotiations, saying independence must be off the table. This approach by the ruling Partido Popular expresses an intransigent Spanish unitary nationalism with clear echoes of the Francoist past. The party h

Tensions flare between Kurds and Baghdad

Over the last 48 hours, tensions and rumors of conflict have risen between Baghdad’s central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government’s autonomous region.  This comes more than two weeks after Iraq's Kurds held an independence referendum. Since then, the Iraqi government has signaled to the Kurds that it wouldn't accept any kind of secession, by threatening to close the border and shutting down two international airports in the Kurdish region. On October 11, the Kurdistan Region Security Council tweeted that Iraqi forces, including the Shia militias called Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) and Federal Police, were “preparing a major attack in South/West Kirkuk and North Mosul on Kurdistan.” Overnight, one road linking Mosul and the Kurdish region was temporarily blocked amid fears of conflict. The area around Kirkuk is particularly sensitive because Baghdad claims Kirkuk should not be part of the Kurdish autonomous region.  But Peshmerga forces have been defending Kir

ISIS Training 2,000 Rohingyas To Carry Out Suicide Attacks In Nagaland, Claim Police

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The intelligence branch of Nagaland Police has highlighted a major security threat that Rohingya pose to the national security. The report also said that Rohingya are most likely to attack Nagaland.  afp According to the report by the Nagaland Intelligence sources, the Rohingya rebels are in contact with the Imam of Dimapur and has also started to collecti huge amount of arms and ammunition from Bangladesh. According to officials, as many as 2,000 Muslims have volunteered to take up arms against the Nagas, if the latter try to drive them out. The Imam is planning to attack Hebron and Kehoi camps post which it will be convenient for them to capture Nagaland. Around 20 ISIS terrorists have entered Nagaland and are training the volunteers. afp Suicide bomb attacks and bomb blasts are likely throughout Nagaland. The authorities have directed to track the movement of Muslims in Dimapur. Highlighting the gravity of the Rohingya influx, BSF Inspector General (RETD) V

6 Egyptian Soldiers Killed in Armed Sinai Attack

Gunmen attacked a checkpoint in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula where authorities are fighting an insurgency, leaving six Egyptian soldiers dead, a military statement said. “Armed terrorists attacked one of the security checkpoints in Arish city, using hand bombs and firearms,” the statement said. Security searched the area and chased the gunmen, the army added. Two of the gunmen were killed and one was injured during the exchange of fire that lasted about half an hour, security sources said. Four army personnel were also injured, they added. Egypt is fighting an insurgency against militants affiliated with ISIS in the Sinai Peninsula where hundreds of security forces have been killed since 2013. Source:  https://english.aawsat.com/asharq-al-awsat-english/news-middle-east/6-egyptian-soldiers-killed-armed-sinai-attack

18 Terrorists Killed, Dozens Arrested during Security Raids in Turkey

Ankara – Turkish security forces neutralized 41 terrorists in operations it carried out in different cities last week, announced the Interior Ministry on Monday. It said in a statement that the security forces carried out, in the period between October 2 and 9, 1,648 raids against terrorist organizations. The ministry added that eight terrorists surrendered, 15 were arrested and 18 were killed during the raids. The statement added that the Turkish security forces also detained 136 people on suspicion of supporting terrorist groups, 52 people on suspicion of belonging to ISIS and 27 people on suspicion of belonging to banned left-wing terrorist organizations. Moreover, Turkish counter-terrorism forces carried out a series of successful operations against ISIS during the last few days, during which six Syrians were arrested in the western city of Bursa on Friday, revealed security sources. In this context, the Turkish authorities announced on October 3 that security authori

Since Jan, 70 terrorists have infiltrated into J&K

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Rattled by the attrition of militants in ‘Operation All Out’, Pakistan has infiltrated around 70 new ultras to replenish the depleting ranks and keep the terror pot simmering in Jammu and Kashmir. Data available with different security agencies reveal that 70 new terrorists have been able to infiltrate into Kashmir since January this year. Last year, the estimated net infiltration (number of militants who managed to sneak in) was 112 compared to 33 in 2015. Similarly, estimated net infiltration was 65 in 2014 compared to 97 in 2013. “Mostly militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed have managed to infiltrate this year. Though the estimated infiltration is 70, it is less than last year,” said a senior Army officer. Around 60 to 70 militants are waiting on the launch pads for infiltration across the Line of Control (LoC) in North Kashmir. Indian Army has strengthened their counter infiltration grid given the reports that militants may sneak into the Valley before t

Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) 2017 in New Delhi to host over 3500 cyber experts

NEW DELHI: Over three dozen events have been held in leading institutions in India and abroad over the last seven months, involving the participation of more than 3000 experts as a run up to the Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) 2017. The fifth edition of the conference is being hosted by India and will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 23, 2017.   Over 3500 participants will take part in the weeklong event directly and millions virtually from India and abroad through video conference, webinars and webcast, the ministry said in a press release.   Ravi Shankar Prasad , minister for electronics & IT and Law & Justice, said “As we approach November, I look forward to warmly welcome 3000+ delegates at GCCS 2017, New Delhi.”   Cyber4All’ will be the main theme of the event with four sub-themes -  Cyber4InclusiveGrowth ,  Cyber4Digitalinclusion , Cyber4Security and  Cyber4Diplomacy  and will provide an opportunity for discussion on topics such as B

Family freed from captivity in Afghanistan returns to Canada

‘God has given me and my family unparalleled resilience and determination’ U.S.-Canadian couple Caitlan Coleman and Joshua Boyle landed in Canada late Friday, five years after they were kidnapped in Afghanistan. They arrived with their three young children, who were all born in captivity. Mr. Boyle provided a written statement to The Associated Press on the plane saying his family has “unparalleled resilience and determination”. Coleman and Boyle were rescued on Wednesday , five years after they had been abducted by a Taliban-linked extremist network while in Afghanistan as part of a backpacking trip. Coleman was pregnant at the time. Coleman is from Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, and Boyle is Canadian. The final leg of the family’s journey was an Air  Canada  flight Friday from London to Toronto. Ms. Coleman, wearing a tan-colored headscarf, sat in the aisle of the business class cabin. She nodded wordlessly when she confirmed her identity to a reporter on board the flight.

J-K: Top LeT commander among two militants killed in Pulwama encounter

Lashkar's district commander for Shopian , Waseem Shah, was killed along with an associate Nasir Ahmad Mir at Litter village of Pulwama in a gun fight. top Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) commander was among two militants killed in an early morning operation at Pulwama on Saturday. Lashkar’s district commander for Shopian, Waseem Shah, was killed along with an associate Nasir Ahmad Mir at Litter village of Pulwama in a gun fight. “Both LeT terrorists killed in a clean operation. Well done JKP boys and other SF (security forces),” J-K’s Director General of Police (DGP) S P Vaid tweeted Source http://indianexpress.com/article/india/jammu-and-kashmir-pulwama-encounter-live-updates-lashkar-e-toiba-militant-killed-army-4889581/

Former AfD leader Petry sets up new party, hoping for more success than predecessor

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The former chairwoman of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), Frauke Petry, has established the Blue Party, aiming to win over voters disenchanted by the far-right direction of the AfD. Petry confirmed to Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) on Thursday that she had set up the new party. “Blue stands for conservative as well as liberal politics in Germany and Europe. Blue is the colour that the Christian Social Union first made politically popular in Bavaria. So it has appeal across the country,” she said. According to election officials the Blue Party was registered on September 17th, a week before the national election. The 42-year-old told RND that she had lost hope in the AfD at the party convention in April when “it became apparent that the party had given a free hand to idiocy.” Petry dramatically announced that she was leaving the AfD at a press conference the day after the September 24th election. The conference, given by the four most senior members of the p

How Austria's far-right leader Strache brought the Freedom Party back from the brink

Heinz-Christian Strache, the head of Austria's far-right tipped to become deputy chancellor after Sunday's elections, dismisses his youthful dalliance with neo-Nazis as "stupid, naive and young". Now, three decades after German police detained him at a torch-lit protest by a group aping the Hitler Youth, Strache, 48, is the besuited, statesmanlike head of Freedom Party (FPÖ), rejecting all extremism. But it remains to be seen whether the man who in 2016 called German Chancellor Angela Merkel "the most dangerous woman in Europe", has mellowed enough to be part of a coalition government in a European Union member state. When the former dental technician took over the FPÖ in 2005 aged 35, the movement was a mess. Jörg Haider, its controversial but magnetic leader from 1986-2000, had broken off to form his own party. But "HC", his striking blue eyes matching the party colours, restored its fortunes and on Sunday the FPÖ is predicted to win