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Showing posts from May 27, 2018

Philippine president asks exiled Maoist leader to return home for talks

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Thursday he had invited a self-exiled Communist rebel leader home for “make or break” peace talks, and would let him leave the country afterwards, despite moves to declare him a terrorist.  Philippines communist party founder Jose Maria Sison, 68, poses in front of a poster of the National Democratic Front (NDF), the political arm of the Maoist rebels, in Utrecht July 16, 2007. REUTERS/Michael Kooren/Files Before becoming president, Duterte promised to revive a stuttering peace process to end nearly five decades of conflict that has killed more than 40,000 people.  But that effort has been fraught with problems and he abandoned talks in November, complaining of duplicity and repeated rebel attacks.  On Thursday, Duterte said he had invited Jose Maria Sison, founder and leader of the Communist Party of the Philippines, to return after three decades in exile to restart the stalled negotiations.  “He has agreed,

The Islamic State Attacks Indonesia—and Its 'Middle Way'

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IVAN DAMANIK/AFP/Getty Images This picture taken on May 13, 2018, shows a candlelight vigil in the city of Medan on Indonesia's Sumatra island to support the victims and their relatives of a series attacks at churches in Surabaya, East Java. A family of six, including two young daughters, staged suicide bombings at three Indonesian churches during Sunday services in attacks claimed by the Islamic State group. May 30, 2018 1:00 PM The country is a working model of political Islam capable of coexisting with the West. That makes Indonesia a target for the terrorist group. E arlier this month, after experiencing a long hiatus from violent extremism, Indonesia succumbed anew to Islamist terrorism when a family of suicide bombers struck three different churches in the country’s second-largest city, Surabaya. The coordinated attacks during Sunday services on May 13 killed at least 12. The following day, another family of extremists attacked Surabaya’s police headquarte

Israel in panic over losing their ‘dear’ ISIS & Al-Nusra terrorists in Syria – Assad

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Striking targets in Syria and threatening to assassinate the leader on the pretext of fighting Iranian influence is a sign that Israel is in “panic” after losing its “dear” terrorist assets, President Bashar Assad told RT. Over the last couple of months, Israel has intensified its bombing of military infrastructure in Syria, arguing that the Iranian presence in the Arab Republic jeopardizes its own national security. However, Israel’s justification for its air strikes based on alleged Iranian assets is a  “lie,”  Assad told RT’s Murad Gazdiev in an exclusive interview. Netanyahu vows to keep fighting Iran 'anywhere in Syria' “We don’t have Iranian troops,”  Assad said.  “We always said that we have Iranian officers, but they work with our army, we don’t have [Iranian] troops.” Some Israeli politicians have threatened to  “liquidate”   Assad and topple his government if Iran continues to operate in Syria and transfer weapons to the Lebanese Hezbollah. The Syrian presid

3 Red rebels killed in Mindanao clash

MANILA: Three members of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) were killed in an encounter with soldiers in Misamis Oriental province in restive Mindanao even as their representatives prepared to return to the negotiating table to talk peace with the government, the military confirmed on Monday. Lieutenant Tere Ingente, the provincial military spokesman, said members of the 4th Infantry Division were on security patrol in a mountain “barangay” (village) in the town of Lagonglong, Misamis Oriental on Sunday morning when they clashed with about 30 NPA members. The heavy gunbattle lasted for 15 minutes when the insurgents withdrew and left behind not only their three slain comrades but also assorted weapons like AK47 and M16 Armalite rifles, according to Ingente. Ingente added: “Outgunned and out-positioned, the rebels fled leaving behind their three slain comrades and were seen dragging along with them their still undetermined number of wounded.”  Government forces, she said, immediatel

Assailants kill Saudi policeman, attack military site: Report

Two assailants have stabbed a Saudi traffic policeman to death in the western city of Ta’if and then moved on to launch an attack on a nearby National Guard facility, media reports say. Saudi online newspaper  Sabq  reported on Thursday that the assailants had stolen the policeman’s vehicle and service weapon before entering the military facility and exchanging gunfire with security forces. One of the attackers fled the scene and the other sustained injuries, the report said. It also noted that the wounded assailant had been taken to the hospital and would be interrogated about the incident. Sabq further reported additional injuries among the Saudi security forces. Meanwhile, the Saudi Interior Ministry issued a statement, warning against the release of any information, photos and videos of the incident. The officials have not yet made any comments on the incident. Source:  http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/05/31/563422/Saudi-Arabia-Taif

Iran security forces smash terrorist cell in southeast, seize weapons

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Iranian security forces have disbanded a terrorist cell in the southeast of the country, seizing a considerable amount of weapons and munitions from the group. The police chief of Sistan-and-Baluchestan province, Brigadier General Mohammad Qanbari, said Wednesday the terrorist cell was disbanded in Saravan region. He said that the clash between security forces and terrorists took place near the border region of Saravan. “During this operation, significant amounts of light and heavy weapons, several booby traps and suicide vests, and significant amounts of ammunition were confiscated from terrorists,” he added. He said that the bomber of the terrorist group was killed in the conflict, but police forces suffered no casualty. Qanbari said that the police force would firmly confront any terrorist group seeking to endanger the security and peace of the country, and would not allow them to go ahead with their plans. Over the past years, Iranian security forces and border guar

Children of Jihad: Terrorism shifting gears in Indonesia

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Extremist ideology is spreading among families as a new wave of female and child jihadists emerges The ability to carry out a series of attacks in a shorter period of time — with better explosives and a higher number of casualties — indicates that terrorist groups in Indonesia are becoming ruthlessly efficient and potentially more dangerous. They have changed their strategy of attack and, what is more frightening still, have shown how the so-called Islamic State (IS) group is flourishing and wielding its influence to make Indonesia its hotbed. In fact, Islamic State has become increasingly vocal in claiming responsibility for a wave of recent attacks, beginning with deadly riots at a police detention facility in Depok, West Java on May 9. The group also claimed a number of successful attacks on churches and a police station in Surabaya, the capital of East Java province, and in Sumatra's Riau. Those attacks led to the deaths of 12 civilians and seven police officers.

Peace on The Horizon as Philippine Congress Heeds Duterte and Passes Autonomy Legislation for Moros

The Philippine Congress has passed the long awaited Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) which will give Moro communities (Philippine Muslims) in Mindanao and nearby islands political autonomy. The new law which President Rodrigo Duterte had promised to deliver irrespective of the success of his plans to turn The Philippines into a federal republic, looks to end decades of conflict between Moro insurgents and Philippine authorities. In a sign that Duterte intends to implement the BBL as soon as possible, he certified the legislation as “urgent” in what amounts to a stern message to any obstructionist law makers. One of President Duterte’s key election pledges was working to use federal solutions to end the decades long Moro conflict in Mindanao that has seen armed insurgents wage war against The Philippines in attempts to create autonomous Islamic political units in parts of Mindanao. As part of his push for wider federalism throughout The Philippines, when it comes to Moro regions of Mind

Left wing Extremism: Worth Rs 2,000 crore how naxalites procure arms, raise funds through their urban friends

The busting of a huge ammunition dump belonging to the naxalites was a major breakthrough for the security agencies. The agencies recovered 15 weapons and over 260 bullet rounds, from a Left-Wing Extremism-hit area of Jharkhand. The cache was found during a raid by a joint team of the CRPF, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the state police in the 'Lugu Pahar' jungle area in the Bokaro district based on leads provided by an arrested Naxalite, a senior official said. As many as 10 303 rifles, a carbine and 13 other types of guns, detonators, 269 rounds of live bullets, a 12-kg improvised explosive device and Rs 3 lakh in cash was seized after the raid on the Maoists' dump today, the official said. The tip-off about the Naxals' dump was provided by one of the arrested Naxals in the case - Mahavir Manjhi alias Charlees - during interrogation by the NIA. The urban naxalites: In the crackdown against naxalites, the security agencies have gone into detai

Opinion #FreeTommy: Why Israeli Fanboys Back a U.K. Far Right anti-Muslim Campaigner

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At their Tel Aviv rally, supporters of the alt-right’s latest free speech ‘martyr' accused the U.K. of 'subservience to Islam.' But Jews who think the far right is offering them authentic 'friendship' are clearly capable of particularly delusional thinking It’s a thrilling time to be a racist nationalist. Forget the old days of being marginalized, of the painstaking efforts to recruit activists, of de rigueur haircuts and uniforms. Now, you can build an international grassroots nationalist coalition online with a simple narrative and single hashtag.  Anti-Muslim prejudice travels particularly well across borders and feeds so many of today’s dark nationalist fears.  So when a British far right activist was recently arrested, now jailed, for live videoing defendants midtrial - alleged Muslim sex abusers - it was an obvious trigger for protests online and in the streets, from  Texas  to  Tel Aviv :  #FreeTommyRobinson. Now in Tel Aviv w