Posts

Showing posts from April 7, 2019

Returning from Syria, Iranian-Backed Afghan Fighters Could Pose Threat

Image
With Syria's eight-year war waning, many foreign fighters who have fought in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are returning to their home countries. Some of those fighters are Iranian-backed Afghan refugees. Since 2011, Iran has sent thousands of undocumented Shi'ite Afghan refugees to Syria to fight alongside forces of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces. These Afghan fighters are part of the Fatimiyoun Brigade, the second-largest group of foreigners fighting for Assad in Syria. At the peak of the war, media reports estimated they numbered between 10,000 and 12,000 fighters. One of the returning Afghan fighters is 22-year-old Hamid, who commanded a unit within the Fatimiyoun Brigade. He said that he was 17 when he moved to Iran to find a job. "After working there for six months, Iranian authorities gave me two options: Either go back to Afghanistan or fight in Syria," Hamid told VOA.

Yemeni snipers shoot dead 15 Saudi mercenaries in Saudi Arabia’s Asir

Image
More than a dozen Saudi-backed militiamen loyal to ex-president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi have been killed when Yemeni army soldiers and fighters from allied Popular Committees launched an attack in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern border region of Asir. An unnamed military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Yemeni snipers fatally shot 15 Saudi mercenaries as they mounted a surprise attack against them in the al-Alab border crossing of the region on Tuesday evening, the media bureau of the Houthi Ansarullah movement reported. Separately, a number of Saudi-paid militiamen were killed and injured when Yemeni troopers and fighters from Popular Committees carried out an offensive in Yemen’s northern province of al-Jawf. In this file picture taken on February 21, 2019 armed Yemeni men raise their weapons as they gather near the capital Sana’a to show their support to the Houthi Ansarullah movement against the Saudi-led aggression. (By AFP) The developments came on the same day

US "Leader Of World Terrorism": Iran President On Blacklisting Of Guards

Teheran:  Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday that the United States was the real "leader of world terrorism" after Washington blacklisted Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a "foreign terrorist organisation". "Who are you to label revolutionary institutions as terrorists?" Rouhani asked in a speech broadcast live by state television. Speaking at a ceremony to mark Iran's national nuclear technology day in Tehran, Rouhani defended the Revolutionary Guards as a force that has fought terrorism ever since its creation in 1979. In contrast, the Islamic republic's president accused US forces of having always been directly or indirectly involved with terrorist groups or acts of terrorism. "You want to use terrorist groups as tools against the nations of the region... you are the leader of world terrorism. "Who is propagating and encouraging terrorism in today's world? Who wanted to use ISIS (the Islamic State group) a

Afghan forces battle Taliban for 5th day in western province

Afghan forces have launched an operation to drive back the Taliban four days after the insurgents attacked and besieged an army compound in the western Badghis province.  Col. Qais Mangal, a Defense Ministry spokesman, said Monday that at least 12 security forces have been killed in the last 48 hours, bringing the overall death toll to more than 40. Dozens more have been wounded. Mangal says dozens of insurgents have been killed and wounded by air and ground forces.  A provincial council member said last week that around 600 Afghan security forces were trapped inside the base, running low on ammunition, food and water. There was no immediate update on their numbers or condition.  The Taliban effectively control half the country and launch daily attacks on the army and police. source  https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/afghan-forces-battle-taliban-for-5th-day-in-western-province/article26769057.ece

Tripoli's only functional airport hit by air raid as clashes rage

Image
Forces under the command of  Libya 's renegade General  Khalifa Haftar  have launched an air raid against the only functioning airport in Tripoli as heavy fighting rages for control of the capital. Al Jazeera's Mahmoud Abdelwahed, reporting from Tripoli, said services at the Mitiga airport in the east of the city were temporarily suspended after the attack on Monday. "Passengers have been asked to evacuate the Mitiga airport after Haftar's aircraft raided the runway," he said, citing sources at the facility. "In the area around the airport, civilians were terrified immediately after this air strike." No casualties were reported in the airport strike. In a statement, Ghassan Salame, the United Nations' envoy to Libya, condemned the LNA's air raid which targeted the only airport in Tripoli that is available for civilian use. "As such, this attack constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law which pr

Jammu & Kashmir: Islamic terrorists kill RSS Sah Prant Sewa Pramukh, his security officer in Kishtwar

Image
Braveheart PSO of J&K Police Rajinder Kumar martyred in a terrorist attack in Kishtwar Shri Chandra Kant had been provided with an armed personal security officer after a review of the threat he faces for his association with RSS Islamic terrorists killed RSS Sah Prant Sewa Pramukh Shri Chandra Kant and his PSO Shri Chandra Kumar in a gun attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar town. The terrorists snatched away the weapon of the PSO who died on the spot. The incident took place at a government hospital in Kishtwar. Shri Chandra Kant later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. A curfew has been imposed in the town and the Army has been deployed. Shri Chandrakant, a medical assistant at the hospital, had been provided with an armed PSO of J&K police, Rajinder Kumar, after a review of the threat he faces for his association with RSS. As per reports, there were three terrorists and they opened fire when Chandrakant along with his PSO was coming out of the hospita

Suicide Bombers Attack Syria Army Post, Several Dead: Reports

BEIRUT :  Suicide bombers disguised as farmers struck an army position in western Syria on Tuesday in an attack that killed three people and all the militants, state-run media said. The attack north of Hama city adds to pressures on Russian-Turkish agreements that have contained the war in northwestern Syria, the last major foothold of the insurgency against President Bashar al-Assad. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the eight-year-long war, said 10 people were killed and the attack was carried out by a jihadist group in a "demilitarised" zone set up under the Turkish-Russian agreement. State media said the militants were dressed as local farmers when they hit the position near Taybat al-Imam around 3 a.m. (midnight GMT). A tank supporting them was destroyed. "The clash between the guards at the position and the terrorists resulted in three martyrs and the killing of all members of the te

Left wing Extremists: Bhima Mandavi, BJP Legislator From Dantewada, Among 5 Killed By Maoists

BJP lawmaker Bhima Mandavi and four others were killed this evening when his convoy was ambushed by Maoists in the Dantewada region of Chhattisgarh. The attack comes two days before the national elections begin. The Maoist-hit Bastar region goes to polls in the first phase. The lawmaker had been campaigning in the area when his convoy was targeted.   Photographs from the spot indicate the Maoists set off a blast through an Improvised Explosive Device that was buried on the road. A huge crater can be seen on the road and the vehicle mangled and overturned. Five people died instantly -- most of them suspected to be security personnel accompanying the lawmaker. The gunfight that followed is still on, sources said. The Central Reserve Police Force has rushed reinforcements in the area. Bhima Mandavi, 40, had snatched the reserved constituency of Dantewada from Congress's Devti Karma in last year's assembly elections. Chhattisgarh votes in three phases in the election

Trump Govt Designates Iran's Revolutionary Guards as Terrorist Organisation

Image
Trump said in a statement that the 'unprecedented' move 'recognises the reality that Iran is not only a State Sponsor of Terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in promoting terrorism'. AFP Updated:  April 8, 2019, 7:59 PM IST File photo of members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards. (REUTERS) Washington:  President Donald Trump on Monday announced the United States is designating Iran's elite military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a terrorist organization. Trump said in a statement that the "unprecedented" move "recognizes the reality that Iran is not only a State Sponsor of Terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft." source  https://www.news18.com/news/world/us-designates-irans-revolutionary-guards-as-terrorist-organization-2093957.html?ref=m_hp_top_pos_4

Women Play a Crucial Role in Building Peace in Myanmar

Since the passage of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) in 2000, the international community has devoted a great deal of attention to the importance of women’s participation in peace processes. The implementation of this ideal, however, often falls short. Myanmar, where the government is currently engaged in a peace process with multiple armed ethnic groups, is a case in point. Although the parties have committed to women’s participation at the negotiation table, women’s actual inclusion in the formal process has been limited — despite evidence of women’s powerful role at the grassroots level. In  an article  in the Journal of Peacebuilding & Development, Mollie Pepper examines how women are involved in informal peacebuilding activities in Myanmar even if they are not present in significant numbers in the formal process. The article finds that focusing too much on the formal peace process can unduly sideline the important work women are doing at the grassroots lev

The Christchurch Shooting and Definitional Problem of Terrorism

On Friday, March 15, 2019, the world was shocked by the news of shooting attack in two different mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. Fifty people were killed, while thirty-nine others were injured in the shooting and are currently receiving care in hospitals. The attack was unpredicted since it occurred in a relatively peaceful and stable country. After the incident, the suspect, a 28-year-old Australian, Brenton Tarrant, appeared in court with a charge of murder. A debate arises on whether the Christchurch shooting should be categorized as terrorism.  Indeed, defining whether an attack can be categorized as “terrorism” remains a complex task for scholars and counterterrorism agencies. The definition of terrorism is critical since our perception is heavily influenced by how the concept is elaborated. It also affects our communication and responses to the issue which potentially affects states’ politics and social dynamics.  One reason for the lack of clarity is because terror

Tory contempt for the Irish peace process is sowing dragon's teeth

Image
With Brexit continuing to engulf and dominate politics in the UK, complacency surrounding the fragile peace in Ireland is sowing dragon’s teeth. Those old enough to recall the 1970s, ‘80s and early ‘90s in Britain, when the bombings, killings, and violence of the euphemistically named  Troubles  were a regular feature on the nightly news, may have entertained the thought in recent days of having been transported back to this bleak period in a time machine. And with  multiple explosive packages  being sent from Ireland to locations across the UK by a group calling itself the IRA, who could blame them? READ MORE:  IRA claims responsibility for UK parcel bombs – police On reflection, such a regressive turn of events bespeaks more than mere complacency. More accurately, it reflects the contempt of a Tory establishment in London, and a unionist establishment in the North of Ireland, towards the  Good Friday Agreement  (GFA), which brought the decades-long conflict in Ireland to an e

Gentil Duarte’s Master Plan to Reunite Colombia’s FARC Dissidents

Image
FARC dissident commander Miguel Botache Santillana, alias “Gentil Duarte,” is leading a movement to unite Colombia’s former FARC fighters into a single fighting force — and he may well succeed. More than 1,000 fighters in Colombia and Venezuela are currently under the command of Duarte, who began his unification project almost a year after the signing of a historic peace agreement between the government and the  Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia  (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – FARC). In October 2017, Duarte held a summit in a rural area of El Retorno in Colombia’s Guaviare department where he presented the idea of forming a new force of between 6,000 and 8,000 fighters by 2019. He initially sought to expand the block of dissidents to the east and south, but was soon looking further afield to the Catatumbo region and the Pacific. Taking advantage of his popular support and leadership within the FARC prior to its dissolution, Duarte started calling on disside