A forensics team examines a damaged bus at the scene of a bombing in Damascus’ Old City on March 11, 2017. A forensics team examines a damaged bus at the scene of a bombing in Damascus’ Old City on March 11, 2017.
Category: Terrorism
More U.S. boots on the ground
The Trump administration is signaling its readiness to put “boots on the ground” in Syria and Iraq to defeat the Islamic State and secure a stronger place for the United States in the negotiations on the future of both countries. It is a risky approach because of the presence of military forces from Russia, Iran, the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah and Turkey as well as various Syrian factions, including Kurds seeking to carve out an independent state along the Turkish border.
Bill addresses ‘toxic relationship between US and Pakistan
Entitled “Pakistan State Sponsor of Terrorism Act of 2015,” a bill introduced by Rep. Ted Poe would designate Pakistan one of the world’s originators of globalized state-sponsored terrorism. Poe said upon introducing the bill on Thursday, “Not only is Pakistan an untrustworthy ally, Islamabad has also aided and abetted enemies of the United States for years,” Poe is the chairman of Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade of the House Foreign Relations Committee.
Putin hosts Netanyahu for talks set to focus on Syria
Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday for talks focusing on the situation in Syria and Israeli concerns about the role of Iran and its proxies there. Greeting Netanyahu at the start of their Kremlin negotiations, Putin emphasized a high level of trust between them.
‘Peace partner’ Abbas meets terrorists
Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who is often touted by the West as a “peace partner” for Israel, recently met with Palestinian Arabs who carried out terrorist attacks and with the family of a terrorist, the Middle East Media Research Institute reveals. On March 5, he received in his office in Ramallah the family of Muhammad Al-Jallad, who died of his wounds after being shot while attempting to carry out a stabbing attack at a checkpoint in November 2016.
‘Peace partner’ Abbas meets terrorists
Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who is often touted by the West as a “peace partner” for Israel, recently met with Palestinian Arabs who carried out terrorist attacks and with the family of a terrorist, the Middle East Media Research Institute reveals. On March 5, he received in his office in Ramallah the family of Muhammad Al-Jallad, who died of his wounds after being shot while attempting to carry out a stabbing attack at a checkpoint in November 2016.
UN chief: Funding, support needed for AU troops in Somalia
The U.N. secretary-general has urged more support for African Union troops in Somalia battling Islamic extremists trying to take over the country. Antonio Guterres said Wednesday that the African Union Mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM, needs consistent funding in order to meet its objectives in fighting terrorism and stabilizing Somalia.
What is ISIS Khorasan module? Everything you need to know
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Monday that ISIS operatives were behind the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train. The statement comes as a shocker and raises massive safety alarms.
Iraq vows to target militants in neighboring countries
Iraq’s prime minister says it will continue to target militants in neighboring countries, as it did last month with airstrikes against Islamic State positions in Syria. Addressing a forum in the autonomous Kurdish region on Wednesday, Haider al-Abadi said he “will not hesitate” to target terrorism positions that pose a threat to Iraq from inside neighboring countries, adding that such actions would only be carried out with the consent of the neighboring government.
Up Ats operation: Terrorist linked to Ujjain train blast killed as Lucknow encounter comes to an end
One terrorist was killed as anti-terror operation in Lucknow’s outskirts ended after almost 12 hours of security operation in the wee hours of Wednesday. The terrorist has been linked with the Bhopal-Ujjain train blast and is said to be responsible for injuring at least 10 people-three are in critical condition- in the IED blast near Jabdi station in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh early on Tuesday.
Sinn Fein Makes Big Gains, Reshuffling Political Landscape In Northern Ireland
A cyclist rides past a mural on the Catholic Falls Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Saturday after results were finalized in the province’s snap election. Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images hide caption A cyclist rides past a mural on the Catholic Falls Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Saturday after results were finalized in the province’s snap election.
Why Trump won’t tear up Iran nuclear deal
He was referring, of course, to the Iran agreement that is meant to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of the ayatollahs for at least a decade. Candidate Trump boasted he would rip up the agreement, then renegotiate a much better document.
Syrian government takes back Palmyra from ISIS
Syrian government had previously seized back the town from Islamic State last March but lost it again 10 months later BEIRUT-Syria’s military announced on Thursday it has fully recaptured the historic town of Palmyra from the Islamic State group as the militants’ defences crumbled and IS fighters fled in the face of artillery fire and intense Russia-backed airstrikes. The development marks the third time that the town-famed for its priceless Roman ruins and archaeological treasures IS had sought to destroy-has changed hands in one year.
The PA Succession Struggle
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas made new appointments to the Fatah leadership on February 15, 2017, and also named a deputy Chairman of the movement. He did not, however, solve the problem of the Palestinian succession struggle for the chairmanship.
Sights set for modest achievements in Syria talks
Syria’s main opposition High Negotiations Committee leader Nasr al-Hariri, informs the media after the round of negotiation with the UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria Staffan de Mistura at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, March 1, 2017. less Syria’s main opposition High Negotiations Committee leader Nasr al-Hariri, informs the media after the round of negotiation with the UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria Staffan de … more GENEVA – Diplomats and negotiators have set their sights on modest achievements in the latest round of Syria talks in Geneva, after a week of discussions centering on setting an agenda for future talks.
UN panel alleges Aleppo war crimes; Syria talks inch forward
Paulo Pinheiro, Chairperson of the Independent Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, speaks to the media during a press conference, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, March 1, 2017. GENEVA – A U.N. panel said Wednesday the evacuation of eastern Aleppo, after months of siege and aerial bombing by Russian and Syrian forces, was one of many war crimes committed by those fighting for control of the city.
Pakistan hosts 10-nation regional economic summit
Participants in a regional economic summit agreed Wednesday to collectively fight the challenge of terrorism and push for greater collaboration in the areas of trade, energy and infrastructure development. Islamabad hosted the day-long 10-nation Economic Cooperation Organization summit to finalize a “Vision 2025” plan for expanding trade and prosperity among member nations.
The resurrection of ISIS
The so-called Islamic State is being driven out of its Iraqi and Syrian strongholds. But the organization has staged brutal comebacks before-and this one could be global.
Gujarat ISIS suspects remanded to police custody
Ahmedabad, Feb 27 – A local court on Monday remanded to 12-day police custody the two ISIS suspects arrested by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad from Rajkot and Bhavnagar on Sunday. Police said the two brothers — Wasim Ramodiya and Naeem Ramodiya — were learnt to be planning to conduct lone-wolf attacks in the state.
Gujarat ATS foils ISIS plot targeting ‘religious place’
Rajkot , Feb. 26 : The Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad on Sunday claimed to have successfully foiled an attack by two brothers who are alleged ISIS operatives. The ATS team nabbed Wasim Ramodia and Naem Ramodia, from Rajkot and Bhavnagar respectively, and also seized literature on making explosives, 90 grams gun powder, mobile phones and also Jihadi material from them.
UN hosts ‘Geneva IV’ talks: Sequel or new script for Syria?
After months of Syria bloodshed, stalled humanitarian aid deliveries and stop-and-start diplomacy, U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura is reconvening talks between government and opposition delegations on Thursday, in the latest bid to end the country’s catastrophic six-year war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions more. Hopes are not exactly high for “Geneva IV,” the fourth round of U.N-mediated intra-Syrian talks since early last year.
.com | 3 held in French anti-terrorism raids
French officials say three men have been arrested in widely spread anti-terrorism raids and a bomb squad has been deployed at the home of one of the men. Two officials said the arrests came in central Clermont-Ferrand, southern Marseille and the Paris region.
Pakistan says air strikes have killed ‘dozens’ of militants
Pakistan had vowed to fight back after a series of suicide bombings last week killed more than 100 people, including 88 worshippers gathered at a famed Sufi shrine. The attacks were claimed by various Islamic militant groups, which have long operated in the porous border region.
Coup-plotting soldiers go on trial for Erdogan assassination attempt
The trial of more than 40 Turkish soldiers accused of attempting to assassinate President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the July 2016 failed coup attempt started on Feb. 20. Under tight security, the defendants were bussed in to a courthouse in Mugla, not far from the resort where Erdogan and his family narrowly escaped the soldiers in a helicopter. Forty-four suspects, mainly soldiers, are under arrest, while three others still on the run are being tried in absentia.
Iraq begins battle to reclaim Mosul’s west from IS
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the start of the operation on state TV, saying government forces were moving to “liberate the people of Mosul from Daesh oppression and terrorism forever”, using the Arabic acronym for IS. US-led coalition jets struck militant positions southwest of Mosul early Sunday morning and militarised police fired artillery toward the city.
Report: Islamic State group’s ‘business model’ near collapse
A worker carried aid supplied at a camp for people displaced by fighting between security forces and Islamic State militants east of Mosul, Iraq, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017. The United Nations says they are temporarily pausing aid operations to neighborhoods in eastern Mosul retaken from the Islamic State group for security reasons as IS insurgent and counter attacks continue to inflict heavy civilian casualties there.
Security and emergency services put their training in use on Thursday during an anti-terrorist exercise ‘DEIMOS 2017’ at the Mall of Cyprus in Nicosia. The exercise was used to evaluate security and emergency services response to the asymmetrical threat of a blind terrorist attack directed at unsuspecting members of the public.
As Islamic State loses territory, it seeks to survive online
Al-Qaida’s main affiliate in Iraq avoided extinction at the hands of U.S. and Iraqi forces a decade ago by backing away from military engagements and moving the remnants of its network underground until its reemergence as the Islamic State. That successor organization, now confronting its own eventual fall, is devising a modified survival strategy that may involve surrendering control of its “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria but seeks to preserve a virtual version of it online.
Spanish police arrest Moroccan ISIS suspect
Moroccan man, 33, is arrested in Gran Canaria on suspicion of planning a terror attack after ‘posing with his wife and young son with ISIS badge’ Police in the Canary Islands have arrested a 33-year-old Moroccan whose hatred for the west was so great that he was prepared to ‘execute a terrorist attack with great repercussions’. The man, said to be a ‘violent jihadist supporter’, had been under constant watch since 2012 because of his potentially dangerous profile.
When Immigration Is Involved, The Left Doesn’t Care How Many Foreigners Die In Terror Attacks
Immigrants are the ” promise of America ,” and as long as they only kill foreigners, Democrats are happy to welcome them to the U.S. Trump signed an executive order Jan. 27 limiting immigration from seven Middle Eastern countries and indefinitely suspending Syrian refugees from entering the country. Protesters quickly gathered at airports across to protest Trump’s executive order , which he defended Jan. 29 as ” not a Muslim ban .”
Philippine army arrests communist rebel leader after peace bid collapses
Philippine soldiers arrested on Monday a communist rebel leader, days after President Rodrigo Duterte scrapped a ceasefire with the insurgents and as clashes between them and the army erupted in several places. Duterte announced on Friday the government was scrapping the ceasefire with the New People’s Army and he ordered soldiers to prepare to fight, saying the rebels were making “huge”, unacceptable demands despite government concessions.
Iranian exiles linked to Cabinet pick
An official in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet and at least one of his advisers gave paid speeches for organizations linked to an Iranian exile group that killed Americans before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Elaine Chao, confirmed last week as Trump’s transportation secretary, received $50,000 in 2015 for a five-minute speech to the political wing of the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, previously called a “cult-like” terrorist group by the State Department.
Not a lone wolvesa after all: ISIS guides terror plots from afar a ” with little trace
Mohammed Ishaq Yazdani, a brother of two men accused of plotting to carry out a terrorist attack in the name of the Islamic State group, at home in Hyderabad, India, Jan. 10, 2017. At each step, jihadist handlers kept in constant touch with their recruits through encrypted messaging applications, right up to the men’s arrest in June.
Alleged Louvre attacker’s father says son is not a terrorist
In this still image made from video provided by the Dubai-based news channel al-Hadath, the father of the alleged Louvre attacker, Egyptian-born Abdullah Reda Refaie al-Hamahmy, 28, Reda Refae al-Hamahmy, left, gives an interview to al-Hadath, in his Nile Delta home, aired Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017, in which he said he was shocked to learn of his son’s alleged involvement. “All I want is to know the truth and find out whether he is dead or alive,” the father said.
Trump Cabinet pick paid by ‘cult-like’ Iranian exile group
An official in U.S. President Donald Trump’s Cabinet and at least one of his advisers gave paid speeches for an Iranian exile group that killed Americans before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, ran donation scams and saw its members set themselves on fire over the arrest of their leader. Elaine Chao, confirmed this week as Trump’s transportation secretary, received $50,000 in 2015 for a five-minute speech to the political wing of the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, previously called a “cult-like” terrorist group by the State Department.
Malaysians demonstrate against Trump’s xenophobia
CITIZENS of Muslim-majority Malaysia are banding together in solidarity with those affected by U.S. President Donald Trump’s seven-country immigration ban , with several groups across different political affiliations staging a protest Friday at the U.S. embassy in the capital Kuala Lumpur . The protest dubbed #NoBanNoWall saw about 150 activists, politicians and student leaders gather at 2.30pm after the Muslim Friday prayers to deliver a memorandum to the embassy.
UN Removes Afghan Warlord Hekmatyar From Terrorist List
A screen shows the broadcast of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar during a signing ceremony with Afghan government at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 29, 2016.
Al-Qaida says Trump has ignited – the flame of jihad’ with Yemen raid
President Trump is “foolish” and has ignited the “flame of jihad” with a raid in Yemen in which civilians were killed, al-Qaeda said Friday in its first official comments on the new U.S. administration. That the raid came only days after Trump’s vow to eradicate Islamist terrorism in his inauguration speech makes it “clear for us that the threat was not directed to the Islamic militants only, but to all the Muslims, men, women and even children,” al-Qaida’s al-Nafeer bulletin said, accusing the Trump administration of intentionally killing women and children.
Analysis: US setting up a confrontational approach with Iran
In this Sept. 21, 2016 file photo, Iranian armed forces members march in a military parade marking the 36th anniversary of Iraq’s 1980 invasion of Iran, in front of the shrine of late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran.
UN refugee chief opposes ‘safe zones’ in Syria
The U.N.’s top official on refugees pushed back against a proposed initiative that has gained recent traction to create “safe zones” in Syria for refugees, saying the country was “not the right place” for the initiative. “Let’s not waste time planning safe zones that will not be set up because they will not be safe for people to go back,” said Filippo Grandi, the U.N. High Commissioner on Refugees.