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Showing posts from August 19, 2018

Senior Maoist leader carrying bounty of Rs 25 lakh surrenders in Chhattisgarh

Singh was a member of the newly-formed Special Zonal Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh Committee (SZMMC) since it was formed. Senior police officials believe that Singh’s surrender is one of the most important ones in the past few years. “Pahad Singh is resident of Rajanandgaon and joined the party in the late 90s after he met some Maoists in the jungles of Rajanandgaon. He was a crucial man in the SZMMC and was given various roles in the party,” said Inspector general of police (IGP), Durg, GP Singh. The IG further said that Singh was disillusioned with the Maoist ideology, which was one of the important causes of surrender. “Pahad Singh told us that he was fed up with discrimination in his party between cadres of Andhra Pradesh and local ones. The local cadres were also seen as outsiders and are always under suspicion for AP and Maharashtra cadres,” the IG added.  Notably, intelligence reports suggest that Maoists are expanding in MMC (Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chh

Twitter does it again clamping FoE: Twitter suspends multiple Baloch accounts

Baloch users of Twitter face ‘clampdown’ as many accounts of Baloch activists, leaders and organisations have been partially restricted or fully suspended. Twitter took the action against many accounts, including some famous handles, on Thursday night causing uproar among other Baloch tweeps. The clampdown comes only days after Pakistan’s telecom authority threatened to ban Twitter altogether in Pakistan if it does not comply with the directives to block objectionable content. No details of the objectionable content were provided when the ‘final warning’ to Twitter was given. However, it now appears Pakistan was referring to Baloch users active on Twitter. The Balochistan Post (TBP) has learnt that many Baloch accounts were also given warnings or had to recover their accounts after following a process to provide additional security details and phone numbers in last few days. TBP itself become a victim of the clampdown and had to recover its handles multiple times. TBP is on

Presumed dead, Baghdadi resurfaces, calls on Muslims to attack the West

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Iraq, Aug 23:  Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who has been presumed dead several times, has resurfaced after a year. In his first speech after almost a year, he has called on the Islamic State to persevere, according to a statement posted on the group's media outlet. "For the Mujahideen (holy warriors) the scale of victory or defeat is not dependant on a city or town being stolen or subject to that who has aerial superiority, intercontinental missiles or smart bombs," Baghdadi said in a recording posted on his al-Furqan media group. BREAKING: # isis releases speech from leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi amid reports of his status (ranging from being in a vegetative state to being killed). I’ll be giving details and analysis in this thread. 12:13 AM - Aug 23, 2018 His speech is titled, : Give Glad Tidings to the Patient and is around 55 minutes. It may be recalled that his last audio message came on September 28 2017, where he had called on his fighters to mount attacks

Rohingya crisis: 132 MPs across region call for Myanmar to be referred to ICC

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The statement was released ahead of the first anniversary of the start of the violence against the Rohingya in Rakhine state.   Photograph: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters More than 130 members of parliament, across five countries in south-east Asia, have demanded that Myanmar be investigated by the International Criminal Court (ICC), the most united condemnation from the region since the violence began against the Rohingya a year ago. In a joint statement released by Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights, they called for the Myanmar military to be “brought to justice” for its “ murderous operation in Rakhine State”. Speaking on behalf of those 132 who had issued the statement, APHR member Charles Santiago, a Malaysian politician in the ruling coalition, said: “As Myanmar is clearly both unwilling and unable to investigate itself, we are now at a stage where the international community must step in to ensure accountability.” He added: “I stand together with 131 of my el

Colombia goes quiet as the FARC’s most feared former guerrilla chiefs disappear

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The disappearance of feared former  FARC  commanders “ El Paisa ” and “ Romaña ” should put Colombia’s authorities on their highest alert. Instead they’ve gone quiet. Hernan Dario Velasquez, a.k.a. “El Paisa,” fled his reintegration camp in  Caqueta together with  Luciano Marin , a.k.a. “ Ivan Marquez ” after being warned of an impending military raid. Tensions in Colombia rise after FARC leaders disappear According to Paz y Reconciliacion, a think tank that has been monitoring the peace process, the two have been missing for two weeks already, but their disappearance had been kept under wraps. It is unclear when “Romaña” disappeared. “El Zarco,” another former top military chief of the demobilized guerrilla group, has reportedly also gone off the grid. Don’t worry, they were only the most powerful guerrilla chiefs “El Zarzo” (left), “Romaña” (center) and “El Paisa.” Romaña, El Paisa and El Zarco were without a doubt among the most powerful former FARC commanders, a

US, Mexico plan to target drug cartels' $29bn fortune

The US and Mexico have announced a new front in their battle against drug cartels, modelled on the capture of Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman. Senior US and Mexican drug enforcement officers have a new plan to take down Mexico’s infamous  drug cartels . They are targeting the groups' finances. Estimates have said that the cartels generate about $29bn dollars in revenue annually and have been blamed for about 150,000 murders since 2006. From the two countries feuding over immigration, the joint announcement comes as a sign that they have a mutual foe in the increasing levels of violence from the drug syndicates. John Hendren reports from Chicago. Source:  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/us-mexico-plan-target-drug-cartels-29bn-fortune-180816063315416.html

‘Pak is the villain in heroin smuggling’

AHMEDABAD: The  Gujarat  Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) which seized a 5kg consignment of heroin from Salaya in Devbhoomi Dwarka on Sunday suspects a larger conspiracy involving the Pakistani terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed. The ATS says that the Pakistan-based terror outfit has a substantial role in pushing drugs into India as part of the narco-terror plan to raise funds for attacks in India.  “Opium is grown in Afghanistan. From there, it is taken to Bahawalpur in Pakistan where it is processed into heroin and later smuggled into India and the European Union,” an ATS official said. “Bahawalpur is Jaish’s headquarters. Hence, we suspect the narco-terror angle in the smuggling of drugs into India.”  The official said there is evidence to show a link between the seizure and a case in which the Australian navy had intercepted a  dhow  carrying a huge stock of heroin in 2014. “The dhow was loaded with heroin in Pakistan,” the official said.  Senior ATS sources said they have also determined t

Parents sending 300 children as young as SEVEN to Isis training camps

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CHILDREN as young as seven are being sent by their parents to five secret Isis terrorist training camps in Kosovo. PUBLISHED:  16:14, Mon, Aug 20, 2018   | UPDATED:  16:14, Mon, Aug 20, 2018 Children as young as seven are being sent to these ISIS training camps   (Image: GETTY [stock image]) Local media report that 300 children ranging from seven to 17 years old have been sent to the hidden terror camps by their parents. The founder and president of the Centre for Security, Investigation and Defence, Dragan Djokic made the claims about the the camps to local media. Every camp can reportedly accommodate 60 children and the largest is allegedly located in the village of Debelde, east of the town of Kacanik on the border with Macedonia. The other terror camps are reportedly located in the hills in the area of the cities of Prizren and Pec, the town of Decani and close to the Urosevac-Decani road near the town of Orahovac. In the past the camps were used to train

The terror of masculinity: It’s violent extremism and terrorism

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Reports of sexual and physical violence against women in Western contexts are increasing. In Australia, for example, intimate partner violence is the greatest health risk factor for women aged between 25 and 44, and reported rates of sexual assault nationally have been climbing for the past five years. Reports are increasing in wealthy global cities in particular including London, Paris, Toronto and New York. This has been at least partially attributed by some to the success of the #MeToo movement, though in the absence of quality data, this alone cannot explain what is occurring. Globally, violence against women has been treated by international institutions as a “global pandemic” (World Bank), as a “global issue” (Unesco) and as a “major public health problem” (WHO). Such definitions draw on epidemiological terminology as though such violence is an illness that may be directly treated by controlled interventions. In this context, factors such as poverty, lack of education an

King Salman: Saudi to continue fight terrorism and extremism

MINA, SAUDI (Pajhwok) The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud says, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia affirms its firm stance to fight terrorism and extremism, eradicate their forms and manifestations. King Salman bin Abdulaziz held at the Royal Court at Mina Palace the annual reception for heads of state, Islamic dignitaries, guests of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, guests of government bodies and heads of delegations and pilgrim affairs offices, who performed  Hajj  rituals this year. He delivered a speech during which he congratulated the guests on the blessed occasion of  Eid Al-Adha , "Allah honored the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with serving the Two Holy Mosques, taking care of their visitors and protecting the visitors' safety and comfort. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has given the Two Holy Mosques all the care and attention since it was founded by late King Abdulaziz until today. "he said We will continue to do so, as we deepl

J&K: SPO shot dead by militants in Shopian while coming out to offer Namaz

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Srinagar, Aug 22 : A special police official (SPO) was shot dead by suspected militants after he came out of Eid prayers in a Kulgam village, police said. The deceased has been identified as Fayaz Ahmad Shah, son of Mohammad Ramzan Shah, the resident of Zangalpora who was coming out of Eidgah in Augam village when suspected militants shot him dead. Reports said that the cop was coming out from a local mosque after Eid prayers and was on way to home when the gunmen fired upon him at Awgam village. Shah, who was earlier working as a Special Police Officer (SPO) was recently promoted as constable. He had come home on leave few days back from Manigam where he was undergoing training. A police officer confirmed the incident and said that the constable was immediately shifted to nearby hospital where he succumbed to injuries. So far, no militant outfit has staked the claim for the Eid day killing. Source:  https://in.news.yahoo.com/j-k-spo-shot-dead-050051651.html

Cyber attack spreads terror propaganda via SMS to millions of phones in southern Turkey

Over 4.5 million of Turkish citizens in the southern Mersin province have been subjected to terror propaganda via text messages from the Mersin Metropolitan Municipality's hacked help line "Alo 153," an investigation revealed Friday.  The hacker used the title "Mersin153," sending messages on behalf of the municipality, angering and scaring millions. Mayor Burhanettin Kocamaz stated that if they hadn't have intervened at the right time, the propaganda would have reached more than 9 million residents. A police investigation has been launched to track down the user that sent the text messages through an Istanbul-based SMS company. Kocamaz stated that they will be taking the matter to court and launch a compensation case against the company. Initially, the company did not claim responsibility for the attack, stating that it might have been the municipality's mistake in order to avoid a probe against them. Police continue to investigate the

Pope Francis to Meet Sexual Abuse Victims in Ireland as Scandal Jars Church

Vatican City:  Pope Francis will meet victims of clergy sexual abuse during his trip to Ireland this weekend, the Vatican said on Tuesday, as scandals in several countries mire the Catholic Church in its worst credibility crisis in more than 15 years. Last week a grand jury in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania released the findings of the largest-ever investigation of sex abuse in the U.S. Church, finding that 301 priests in the state had sexually abused minors over the past 70 years. The damning U.S. report, combined with scandals in Australia and Chile, have coalesced to form what one Vatican official called "a perfect storm" not seen since the first abuse crisis erupted in Boston in 2002. On Monday, Francis wrote an unprecedented letter to all Catholics, asking each one of them to help root out "this culture of death" and vowing there would be no more cover-ups. Spokesman Greg Burke told reporters at a briefing on the Aug. 25-26 trip that details of the me

The Role Al Qaeda Plays in Cyberterrorism

One specific example of how Al Qaeda uses the internet to further their agenda is through an English-written online magazine called  Inspire —which is run by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP); the online magazine is decently followed, provides information on Al Qaeda’s viewpoints as well as the jihadist movement, and commentates on the group’s kill list (Holt, T. J., Bossler, A. M., & Seigfried-Spellar, K.C., 2015). Because Al Qaeda’s  Inspire  does a great job at publishing content that resonates with likeminded individuals, they are victorious in “spreading the call for jihad” online (Rudner, 2017).  Another example of Al Qaeda’s success in the cyber realm is how effectively the terrorist organization reaches its target audience through film and on-the-ground reporting (Holt, T. J., Bossler, A. M., & Seigfried-Spellar, K.C., 2015). By recording their experiences at Arab Spring protests, videoing beheading executions (such as Jewish journalist Daniel Pearl’s death),

Speed Of Rohingya's Return Is Up To Bangladesh: Aung San Suu Kyi

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Singapore:  Aung San Suu Kyi said Tuesday it was up to Bangladesh to decide how quickly Rohingya refugees would return to Myanmar, appearing to blame Dhaka for the delay. More than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Buddhist-majority Myanmar to Bangladesh after a brutal military crackdown on the stateless minority almost a year ago. The two countries last November signed a deal to repatriate them but it has stalled. Many fear returning to a place where villages were burned to the ground and where they say security forces murdered, tortured and raped members of their communities. Bangladesh insists the Rohingya are on its soil temporarily but has not forced them back. In rare public remarks on the crisis, civilian leader Suu Kyi said in a speech in Singapore that Myanmar has been ready to receive Rohingya returnees since January 23 as agreed in the memorandum of understanding. "It's very difficult for us to put a time frame on it by ourselves unilaterally because we h