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Showing posts from June 16, 2019

India reminds Pakistan it must act soon on curbing terror financing

Financial Action Task Force could blacklist Islamabad Reminding Pakistan that it has less than three months to show progress on curbing terror financing, India said it expected the Pakistan government to fully comply with the action plan set out by the global body Financial Action Task Force (FATF) by taking “credible, verifiable, irreversible and sustainable measures” against terrorist groups on its soil. On Friday, the FATF plenary session in Orlando, U.S., issued a stern statement at the end of its outcome document, telling Pakistan that it could face a blacklisting (the next step) at its next session in October, if it did not follow a 27-point check-list on bringing in stricter laws to curb the access of funds to terror groups inside the country, including the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammad. The FATF put off the blacklist, reportedly due to support for Pakistan from China, Turkey and Malaysia, but the entire 38-member body

Government neglect sunk Colombia's peace monitoring body in 'biggest crisis yet': FARC

The commission in charge of monitoring Colombia’s peace process is going through its biggest crisis yet because of constant state failures to cooperate, the FARC said Tuesday. In a press release, the FARC’s members of the CSIVI, the peace process monitoring commission made up of the government, the FARC and the United Nations, is “going through its greatest crisis since its inception” because of a the government’s lack of interest. The FARC’s CSIVI team asked guarantor countries Cuba and Norway, the United Nations peace observers “to guarantee the continuity, frequency and quality of the meetings” of the monitoring body. According to the FARC members of the commission, the administration of President Ivan Duque has to tried “to completely blur it into obscurity,” making it almost impossible for the commission to regularly meet up and “contribute to the improvement of conditions of the implementation” of the peace deal. The FARC said that the government’s skewed inte

'Jihadi Jack' parents funded terrorism

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Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption John Letts and Sally Lane's solicitor Tayab Ali reads their statement: "We tried to do the right thing" The parents of a Muslim convert dubbed "Jihadi Jack" have been found guilty of funding terrorism. John Letts, 58, and Sally Lane, 57, from Oxford, sent their son £223 while he was in Syria despite concerns he had joined the Islamic State group. An Old Bailey jury found the couple not guilty of sending him a further £1,000 and could not reach a verdict on a third charge of funding terrorism. The pair each received 15 months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. In a statement read by their solicitor, they said: "We have been convicted for doing what any parent would do if they thought that their child's life was in danger." Muslim convert Jack Letts left his home in Oxford at 18 for Jordan and Kuwait for study a

Colombia urged to act to protect ex-Farc rebels

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The leader of Colombia's former Farc rebels has called on the government to stop the "systematic murder" of ex-fighters following two killings. In an open letter to President Iván Duque, Rodrigo Londoño said the cases highlighted the lack of protection of Farc members by authorities. One ex-fighter was shot dead while working as a journalist and the other was killed after meeting a UN team. President Duque has condemned the killings and ordered an investigation. The 2016 peace deal between the government and the Farc put an end to more than five decades of armed conflict, and resulted in about 7,000 ex-fighters laying down their weapons. Since then, some 160 ex-fighters and their family members have been killed, the Farc said. Previously known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the Farc is now a political party, the Revolutionary Alternative Common Force. Anderson Pérez Osorio, who worked as a journalist for a Farc-linked outlet, was shot de

Erdoğan: Öcalan’s letter indicates struggle between outlawed PKK leader, Demirtaş

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Jailed outlawed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan ’s call for the Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (HDP) voters to remain “neutral” in the upcoming Istanbul re-election shows a rivalry between Selahattin Demirtaş, the party’s jailed former co-chair, and Öcalan , President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said. “There is a power struggle here… Öcalan gives a message to Demirtaş and the mountain [the PKK base on Mount Qandil in Iraq] in a leadership struggle,” he told a private broadcaster late June 20. Erdoğan said the rivalry between the HDP and the PKK was turning into a power struggle between Öcalan and Demirtaş. A part within the PKK “supports” the candidate of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Ekrem İmamoğlu, for the Istanbul municipal elections, the president said. He stressed the People’s Alliance, between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), has “nothing to do with any of these.” Erdoğan underlined t

Yemeni officials: Gunmen attack military, kill 3 soldiers

SANAA, Yemen — Yemeni security officials say gunmen attacked a military checkpoint in the eastern province of Hadramawt, killing three soldiers and wounding four. The officials say the attack occurred early on Friday in the town of Coton, a hotbed for al-Qaida militants. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. The security officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to reporters. Yemen’s civil war began with the 2014 takeover over of the country’s north and central regions by the Iranian-backed rebels who drove out the internationally recognized government from the capital, Sanaa. Months later, in March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition launched its air campaign to prevent the rebels, known as Houthis, from overrunning the country’s south. Al-Qaida and other militant groups have exploited the chaos. Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/yemeni-officials-gunmen-attack-military-kill-3-soldiers/20

US deploys 1,000 more troops to Middle East amid Iran tensions

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The United States said Mon June 17 it has approved the deployment of 1,000 additional troops to the Middle East, against the backdrop of soaring tensions with Iran . Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said in a statement that the troops were being sent "for defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats in the Middle East."    "The recent Iranian attacks validate the reliable, credible intelligence we have received on hostile behavior by Iranian forces and their proxy groups that threaten United States personnel and interests across the region," Shanahan said.   The U.S. has blamed Iran for last week's attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman , a charge Tehran has denied as "baseless."   "The United States does not seek conflict with Iran ," the statement said, adding that the deployment aimed "to ensure the safety and welfare of our military personnel working throughout the region an

Iran says has shot down US drone over its territory: state TV

Iran 's Revolutionary Guard said on June 20 it had shot down a U.S. "spy drone " over its territory after it violated Iranian airspace, according to Iranian state television. "The U.S.-made Global Hawk surveillance drone was brought down by its Air Force" in the country's southern coastal province of Hormozgan, the Revolutionary Guard added, according to the English-language Press TV. State television did not provide pictures of the drone .   The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions between Iran and the United States.    The U.S. has accused Iran of being behind a series of operations against oil tankers in highly sensitive Gulf waters.    Tehran has denied involvement and instead suggested Washington could be the author of the attacks, using the operation to justify force against Iran .   Hormozgan borders the Strait of Hormuz , where the tanker attacks took place.   The relationship between Tehran and Washington has bee

Teenage neo-Nazis jailed for threatening to attack Prince Harry and other targets

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Teenage neo-Nazis who incited terror attacks on targets including Prince Harry have been jailed. Michal Szewczuk and Oskar Dunn-Koczorowski were members of a group calling itself Sonnenkrieg Division, described as the “third generation” of banned terrorist group National Action . We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 USD 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras. After setting up online accounts for the faction last year, the pair shared a series of propaganda posters featuring swastikas and the Nazi “black sun” symbol alongside their own logo.

Belgium detains 2 PKK terrorists for recruiting members, training fighters: Europol

Two PKK members accused of recruiting and training terrorists were apprehended Wednesday by Belgium with the cooperation of Europol. "The Belgian judicial authorities, in effective cooperation with Eurojust and Europol, targeted a terrorist group involved in the recruitment and training of Kurdish terrorist fighters. Two suspects were apprehended by the Belgian authorities for hearings, following a number of house searches, conducted simultaneously in 5 countries," said a statement of Eurojust, the EU's Judicial Cooperation Unit. Headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands, Europol assists EU member states in their fight against serious international crimes and terrorism. The statement added that Eurojust facilitated the issuance and transmission of several European Investigation Orders that were swiftly executed in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany and Switzerland. Turkey has long been accusing Belgium of having an indifferent stance against PKK,

Terror Trail-IV: How India buried the domestic terror time capsule

When there is only one bullet in the chamber, you don't want to expend it needlessly, you want to ensure that you claim a victim with it. Indian deep state has been behind the eight ball for a long time in quelling terror, but 26/11 metamorphosed it and since then it has strong-armed the terror modules in a stone cold manner, enjoying win after win as documented by the earlier three parts of this series. Barring Kashmir Valley, where it continues to grapple with local and proxy fidayeen and mujhaidheen, it has pretty much bottled up the terror genie in the rest of the country and impressively enough made gains across the immediate neighbourhood. Intelligence bloodhounds have busted linkages between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Pakistan and southern India and Pakistan and Bangladesh. All the zealots have been buried in time capsules, hopefully never to return. The challenge, however, remains because the danger is clear and present. Attempts at mainstreaming Kashmiri

Millions of Dollars in Qatar Funds for Gaza 'Disappear' | Clarion Project

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Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip (Photo: MOHAMMED ABED/AFP/Getty Images) Ten million dollars in Qatar funds for Gaza transferred by Israel for humanitarian relief have apparently disappeared . Hamas, a designated terror organization, took over Gaza from the Palestinian Authority 12 years ago. One report says the funds, which were deposited in the Postal Bank late Sunday, June 16, 2019, and meant to be distributed to a list of poor families, were withdrawn by “unknown people.” The Palestinian Authority believes that the families were removed from the list and replaced by Hamas clerks. Yet another $15 million in cash was brought into the Strip by a Qatari delegation as well late Sunday. Residents, who were promised, $100 each, have yet to see the money . After months of haggling, Israel – which also continually transfers humanitarian aid to Gaza — agreed to the transfer of funds to help the people of Gaza who are suffering from a lack of basic necessities caus

Terror funds: Probe into ex-Bangladeshi colonel-D Corporation nexus

New Delhi: Indian intelligence agencies are probing a deep-rooted nexus involving underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and a London-based former Colonel of the Bangladesh army. The agencies suspect that the Bangladeshi army officer, allegedly involved in gun running, has links with Dawood Ibrahim's underworld activities operating from India's eastern borders. What prompted the intelligence agencies to probe the nexus between Dawood and the Bangladeshi army officer was a report published in a leading British daily recently. On May 25, British newspaper The Sunday Times, in an exclusive report, revealed that a former Colonel Md Shahid Uddin Khan had been charged with funding terror groups, arms dealing and money laundering offences in Bangladesh. According to the British newspaper, the former Colonel has political links in Britain and had funded an MP. Sources said that the former Bangladeshi Colonel migrated to London in 2009 under mysterious circumstances. He is said

Jammu Kashmir’s web of terror: A businessman who became centric to terror funding

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New Delhi, June 19: The National Investigation Agency has been kept busy in Jammu and Kashmir, where it is probing a series of cases relating to terror funding. Some of the key findings of the probe have been the route and source of the funds. More importantly, it was also found that several separatists had routed these funds for personal use and there was also a rift among them regarding the money. Investigation revealed that Zahoor Ahamad Shah Watali is one of the main hawala conduit who used to generate and receive funds from Pakistan, ISI, UAE and had floated various shell companies to disguise foreign remittances for further transfer to separatist leaders and stone pelters in the valley. These funds were used to fuel unrest in the Kashmir valley and organise violent agitations and anti-India activities which resulted in large scale violence leading to numerous injuries and deaths of civilians and security forces. ISIS module: 3 questioned in connect

Pakistan Channelising Terror Funds via Nepal Should Worry India: Analyst

New Delhi (Sputnik): The analyst also said New Delhi should try to take advantage of the growing rifts between separatist leaders in the Kashmir Valley to defeat the groups and stabilise the area. India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) recently claimed it has decisive evidence of separatist leaders in the country’s Kashmir Valley receiving funds and collecting donations from countries like Nepal and the UAE. The NIA has said the proof was obtained via the interrogation of arrested Kashmiri separatist leader Masarat Alam Bhat. NIA investigators have said Bhat has confirmed Pakistan-based agents routing funds through money laundering operators to key separatist leaders in the Kashmir Valley. The investigations also revealed these agents create shell companies in countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Nepal through which foreign remittances are transferred to these separatist leaders. Alam, the NIA said, has also revealed rifts emerging between these se

US provided heavy weaponry training to YPG, defected terrorist suspect says

U.S. soldiers provided heavy weaponry training to terrorists at camps of the PKK's Syrian affiliate People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria, a captured suspected terrorist confessed, once again revealing the ties between the U.S. and the terror group. The Chief Public Prosecutors Office in southeastern Turkey's Gaziantep province opened a case against a Syrian national on charges of "being a member of a terrorist organization," within the scope of a probe into the PKK terror group's affiliates in Syria. The suspect, identified as H.M., said in testimony that he came to Turkey approximately six years ago but returned to Syria after his father living in Aleppo got sick. The terrorist said that after spending two months in Aleppo, he went to the Pendir village located near northern Syria's Ayn al Arab, also known as Kobane, which is controlled by the YPG terrorists. The terror suspect confessed that the YPG terrorists had forcefully tak

Mumbai 'NGOs' under scanner for routing terror funds

Two non-government organisations (NGOs) and three hawala operators have come under the scanner for allegedly being involved in terror funding in the restive state. Updated: Jun 19, 2019, 05:20 AM IST While funding for the cause of separatists in Jammu and Kashmir has traditionally come from outside the country, highly placed sources in intelligence agencies say that money has been flowing from Mumbai too. Two non-government organisations (NGOs) and three hawala operators have come under the scanner for allegedly being involved in terror funding in the restive state. Agencies have learnt that these NGOs have been collecting donations in and around Mumbai, under the guise of zakat (charity proscribed in Islam) and medical expenses of the underprivileged. This money is then funnelled to separatist leaders and other anti-social elements in Kashmir, through hawala, to create unrest, viole

5 Hizbul Mujahideen workers arrested in J&K's Shopian, major terrorists attack on security forces averted

Security forces have arrested five people associated with the terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen in the Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said Wednesday. "Based on specific input, police arrested five associates of terrorists from Shopian district," an official statement said. The arrested individuals have been identified as Aqib Nazir Rathar, Amir Majeed Wani, Sameer Ahmed Bhat, Faisal Farooq Ahanger and Rayees Ahmed Ganai, the statement said. During the interrogation, the Hizb associates revealed that they were helping terrorists plan an IED attack against the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir. On their disclosure, a sophisticated IED was recovered from their possession and major terror attempt which they had planned was foiled, the police said. Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/hizbul-mujahideen-workers-arrested-in-shopian-kashmir-ied-blast-averted-1551998-2019-06-19

Russian Court Jails Five Crimean Tatars On Extremism Charges

ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia -- A court in Russia has sentenced five Crimean Tatars to lengthy prison terms on extremism charges that they say are politically motivated. The North Caucasus Regional Military court in the city of Rostov-on-Don on June 18 found the five men guilty of organizing and/or participating in the activities of the Hizb ut-Tahrir Islamic group that is banned in Russia but legal in Ukraine. Teymur Abdullayev was sentenced to 17 years, Rustem Ismaiylov received 14 years, and Uzeiyr Abdullayev 13 years, while Ayder Saledinov and Emil Dzhemadenov were sentenced to 12 years in prison each. The men were arrested in October 2016 after Russia-controlled authorities in Ukraine's Crimea searched their homes. Two months later, they were transferred to a detention center in the Russian city of Rostov-on Don. Last week, eight other Crimean Tatars were arrested in Crimea and charged with belonging to Hizb ut-Tahrir. Since Russia seized the peninsula in

NATO Should Stop Fighting The Cold War And Start Fighting Narco Terrorism in Central America And Mexico

Unlike most US politicians who seem impervious to the ticking time bomb south of its border that has been created by the proliferation of heavily armed drug cartels, Donald Trump understands that the the power of drug cartels in Mexico and Central America has caused supreme poverty which in turn sets off a chain reaction of migration north which is later politicised by ultra-liberal factions within the United States. Such a reality is a lose-lose situation for Central American nations, for Mexico, for the United States and for individuals caught between geopolitical chess matches and the barrel of a narco’s gun. In order to tackle these problems, one must acknowledged their roots. The fact of the matter is that in much of Central America and in parts of Mexico, the drug cartels are able to muster more firepower than the police and in many cases more firepower than the military. When one realises that due to overwhelming poverty and corrupt governance, ma