Afghan Activists in US Protest against ‘Pakistan-Sponsored Taliban’; Call for Sanctions on Pakistan to Protect the World from Its Active Sponsoring Of Terrorists
New
Age Islam News Bureau
14
February 2022
On
eve of Afghan Liberation Day from Russia, Afghan activists in the USA
demonstrated, on Sunday, in front of the Pakistan Embassy in Washington DC
-----
• Respect
Muslims’ Rights, Grand Mufti of Oman Urges Indian Authorities, Slams Harassment
of Hijab-Wearing Girls and Women
• Indian
Muslim Students Say Hijab Ban Forces Choice of Religion or Education
• US
Steps into Hijab Row in India despite Islamophobia At Home
• Muslim
Immigrant Families Protest against Swedish Agency for Taking Their Children
South Asia
• Taliban
Govt Invokes Ahmed Shah Abdali, Names New Military Unit ‘Panipat’
• No
High School Graduates in 20 Yrs from Afghanistan's Paktika Province
• Iran’s
18th consignment of humanitarian aids arrives in Afghanistan
• People
of Australia donate over $1 M to Red Cross for Afghan aid
• Afghan
smugglers hike prices, expand networks after Taliban takeover
--------
Arab World
• Arab
Coalition asks civilians in ministries in Yemen's Sanaa to evacuate
• UAE
says Turkish president's visit to open new page in bilateral relations
• Islamic
State kills Iraqi forces in sparsely populated Anbar desert
• Syria
regime shelling on Idlib kills six: Monitor
• Iraq
foils attack against anti-Daesh coalition convoy
• Turkiye
'neutralizes' 4 PKK terrorists in northern Iraq
--------
India
• AIMPLB
Asks Muslim Women to Dispel Myths about ‘Hijab’ and ‘Purdah’
• Islamophobic
Comments To Garner Hindu Votes; Will There Be Jai Shri Ram Or Walekum Salam?
• Country
Will Be Run By Statute, Not Sharia: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath
• BJP
Won't Stop At Hijab, Will Erase All Muslim Symbols: Mehbooba Mufti
• In
Muslim belt, support for parties divided along community lines
--------
North America
• Biden
admin responsible for chaotic Afghanistan exit: Pentagon report
• US
F-22 fighter jets arrive in UAE following Houthi attacks
• Ex-Afghan
president: Biden order on frozen funds an ‘atrocity’
--------
Europe
• French
military kills 40 terrorists in operation with Burkina Faso
• Cyprus
minister pins blame for migration ‘emergency’ on Turkey
--------
Pakistan
• Jamaat-e-Islami
Striving For Enforcement of Sharia, Says Siraj
• Breaking
Terrorists-Supporters Nexus Imperative To Defeat Terrorism: COAS
• Boom
time in Pakistan for US firearms discarded in Afghanistan
• Pak
PM Calls for Strict Action after Mob Lynches Man for ‘Blasphemy’ in Khanewal
• Two
TTP men arrested in search operation in Chaman
• Imran
criticises war on terror as misguided venture
• Pakistan
to raise use of Iranian soil by Baloch terrorists as Iranian interior minister
arrives today
--------
Southeast Asia
• Aid
for Taliban but Not Malaysia’s Minorities? Guan Eng Asks Putrajaya
• 9
dead in feud between Philippine Muslim clans
• Mujahid
to ‘clueless’ Zailah: focus on policies, not marriage advice
• Newborn
stabbed to death by teen mum laid to rest in Kemaman
--------
Mideast
• Controversial
Far-Right Jewish Lawmaker’s Visit Sparks Clashes In Jerusalem
• Venezuelan
Envoy Calls for Formation of Bloc with Iran against US
• Palestinian
official threatens ‘open conflict’ with Israel
• Israeli
forces kill Palestinian teen in West Bank clashes
• Nuclear
talks harder as West ‘pretends’ to take initiative: Iran official
• Hamas
says Israeli settler violence ‘playing with fire’
--------
Africa
• Sudan’s
Military Leader Lauds Intelligence Ties with Israel
• Sudan’s
Burhan dismisses sanctions threats, says Israel visits not political
• UN
adviser tells Libya it must preserve calm, stability
• Tunisian
president cements power over judiciary
• False
information spread via social media endangers Somalia's political stability
• Supporting
force of Libyan army condemns election of Fathi Bashagha
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
--------
Afghan
Activists in US Protest against ‘Pakistan-Sponsored Taliban’; Call for
Sanctions On Pakistan To Protect The World From Its Active Sponsoring Of
Terrorists
On
eve of Afghan Liberation Day from Russia, Afghan activists in the USA
demonstrated, on Sunday, in front of the Pakistan Embassy in Washington DC
-----
14
February, 2022
Washington
[US], February 14 (ANI): On eve of Afghan Liberation Day from Russia, Afghan
activists in the USA demonstrated, on Sunday, in front of the Pakistan Embassy
in Washington DC and at the White House calling for the Second Liberation Day
of Afghanistan, this time from the clutches of “Pakistan-sponsored Taliban”.
Condemning
the August 15, 2021 invasion of Afghanistan by the Pakistani ISI-sponsored
“terrorist group Taliban”, the demonstrators called for sanctions on Pakistan
to protect the world from its active sponsoring of terrorists.
The
demonstrators also called upon the Biden administration and the global community
to protect the human rights and rights of Afghan women.
Demonstrators
were carrying placards and slogans against Pakistan. The slogans read — Free
Afghanistan from Invasion of terrorist groups — Taliban are terrorists
sponsored by Pakistan ISI.
The
protest was led by Khalida Nawabi of the organization Unheard Afghan Voices and
many activists joined the demonstrations braving the inclement weather and
snow.
They
were joined by other Afghan activists from the Afghan Diaspora. The activists
also demanded the immediate release of women protesters held by the Taliban.
The
Taliban took control of Kabul on August 15, causing the US-backed government to
step down and the regime faces the challenge of getting recognition from the
global community. (ANI)
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://theprint.in/world/afghan-activists-in-us-protest-against-pakistan-sponsored-taliban/830824/
--------
Respect
Muslims’ Rights, Grand Mufti of Oman Urges Indian Authorities, Slams Harassment
of Hijab-Wearing Girls and Women
The
Grand Mufti of Oman slammed recent anti-Muslims moves, especially harassment of
hijab-wearing girls and women, in India.
-----
February
14, 2022
The
Grand Mufti of Oman slammed recent anti-Muslims moves, especially harassment of
hijab-wearing girls and women, in India.
Sheikh
Ahmad bin Hamad Al-Khalili in a post on Twitter called for an end to pressures
and discriminations against India’s Muslims, alkhaleejonline.net reported.
He
voiced solidarity with Indian Muslims and criticized the New Delhi government
for failing to stop the anti-Muslim moves.
The
cleric said when India was ruled by Muslim rulers for centuries, the rights of
followers of other faiths used to be respected and the rulers treated others
with tolerance, justice and uprightness.
He
urged India’s government to respect the rights of Muslim minority in the South
Asian country.
Last
week, local media reported that several schools in the Indian state of
Karnataka had denied entry to Muslim girls wearing hijab, citing an education
ministry order.
Karnataka’s
chief minister Basavaraj Bommai announced on Tuesday that all high schools in
the state would be closed for three days. He also appealed for calm.
Female
Muslim students say wearing hijab is a fundamental right to religion guaranteed
by the constitution.
Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) governs
Karnataka, where 12% of the population is Muslim. The ban has galvanized fears
among the Muslim community about what they say is increasing persecution under
the Hindu nationalist government.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Indian
Muslim Students Say Hijab Ban Forces Choice of Religion Or Education
A
woman wears India's tri-colour (national flag) hijab during a protest against
the hijab ban imposed in the few colleges in Karnataka, outside Mira Road
Railway Station, in Mumbai on Friday.
Image
Credit: Nitin Lawate
-----
Feb
12, 2022
UDIPI:
Ayesha Imthiaz, a devout Indian Muslim who considers wearing a hijab an
expression of devotion to the Prophet Mohammad, says a move by her college to
expel hijab-wearing girls is an insult that will force her to chose between
religion and education.
"The
humiliation of being asked to leave my classroom for wearing a head scarf by
college officials has shaken my core belief," said the 21-year-old student
from southern Karnataka's Udupi district, where protests over the head covering
ban began.
"My
religion has been questioned and insulted by a place which I had considered as
a temple of education," she told Reuters.
"It
is more like telling us you chose between your religion or education, that's a
wrong thing," she said after studying for five years at the Mahatma Gandhi
Memorial college in Udupi.
Several
Muslim girls who protested the ban had received threatening calls and were
forced to stay indoors, she added.
College
officials say students are allowed to wear the hijab on campus and only asked
them to take it off inside the classroom.
Udupi
is one of three districts in Karnataka's religiously sensitive coastal region,
which is a stronghold of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's right-wing Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP).
The
stand-off has increased fear and anger among minority Muslims, who say the
country's constitution grants them the freedom to wear what they want. Protests
over the ban have escalated, with hundreds demonstrating this month in Kolkata
and Chennai.
Last
week, a judge at the state's high court referred petitions challenging the ban
to a larger panel.
The
issue is being closely watched internationally as a test of religious freedom
guaranteed by the Indian Constitution. The U.S. Office of International
Religious Freedom (IRF) on Friday said the hijab bans "violate religious
freedom and stigmatize and marginalize women and girls."
In
response, India's foreign ministry on Saturday said outside comments over
internal issues were not welcome and the matter was under judicial review.
Imthiaz
and six other Muslim girls protesting the ban say they are determined to fight
for their religious freedom in the face of some hardline Hindu students and
even some of their friends.
"It
is really hurtful to see our own friends going against us and telling 'I have a
problem with you wearing the hijab'...its affected our bonds and mental
health," Imthiaz said.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
US
Steps into Hijab Row in India despite Islamophobia At Home
Representative
Image
----
Feb
12, 2022
WASHINGTON:
Notwithstanding its own struggles at home with Islamophobia, the United States
stepped into the hijab row in India, with a leading US official saying the
government should not determine permissibility of religious clothing.
"Religious
freedom includes the ability to choose one's religious attire. The Indian state
of Karnataka should not determine permissibility of religious clothing. Hijab
bans in schools violate religious freedom and stigmatize and marginalize women
and girls," Rashad Hussain, the Biden administration's Ambassador at Large
for International Religious Freedom tweeted on Friday, as the issue inflamed
opinion across the world.
Hussain,
a former Obama White House aide, is of Indian-origin, his family having
emigrated from Bihar; his father, Mohammad Akbar Hussain, was a mining
engineer. and his mother Ruqaiya, his older sister Lubna and his younger
brother Saad are medical doctors.
Criticism
of the developments in Karnataka also came from the Muslim civil rights and
advocacy group Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which said the
hijab ban is "just one more example of the mistreatment of Indian Muslims
and the Islamophobic actions that nation’s government either carries out,
ignores or excuses.”
Leading
public intellectual Noam Chomsky was among those who came down on the Modi
government, accusing it at a Congressional briefing of "systematically
dismantling Indian secular democracy," and turning Muslims into a
"persecuted minority."
New
Delhi pushed back against the charges, accusing critics of "motivated
comments" that did take into account India's "constitutional
framework and mechanisms, as well as our democratic ethos and polity, (which)
are the context in which issues are considered and resolved."
Asserting
that "a matter regarding dress code in some educational institutions in
the State of Karnataka is under judicial examination by the High Court of
Karnataka," external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said,
"Those who know India well would have a proper appreciation of these
realities. Motivated comments on our internal issues are not welcome."
The
US is not on particularly solid ground with regards to lecturing the world on
Islamophobia with numerous and frequent infractions at home, including an
uptick in assaults on Sikhs and other minorities, including anti-semitic
attacks. The CAIR itself recently filed a complaint with a United States
District Court against a Missouri gun range that discriminated against a Muslim
woman wearing a hijab.
According
to the complaint, Rania Barakat, a hijab wearing Muslim woman, was denied
service at the Frontier Justice gun range in Missouri and told she would have
to remove it due to a policy at the range that banned headgear with the
exception of front-facing baseball caps.
The
hijab issue is also a flashpoint in Canada and France. CAIR recently
highlighted the case of Fatemeh Anvari, a grade 3 teacher who was told she would
no longer be allowed to teach at Chelsea Elementary School in Quebec because of
Bill 21, a state law that bans the wearing of religious symbols by certain
government employees in positions of authority while at work.
"Clearly
discriminatory laws like Bill 21 deny the religious freedom of Canadian
Muslims, Jews, Christians, and Sikhs who wear religious attire as part of their
faith. It is unconscionable that a nation claiming to uphold international
norms of human rights and freedom allows this unjust law to remain in
place," CAIR said in its critique.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Muslim
Immigrant Families Protest against Swedish Agency for Taking Their Children
Muslim
immigrant families in western Sweden protested Sunday against state social
services for allegedly unjustly taking their children from their homes.
-----
Atila
Altuntas
14.02.2022
STOCKHOLM
Muslim
immigrant families in western Sweden protested Sunday against state social
services for allegedly unjustly taking their children from their homes.
Protesters
holding photos of their children gathered in Gothenburg's Gustaf Adolf Torg
Square and chanted slogans such as "Give us our children back,"
"Our children were taken from us, we were subjected to injustice" and
"We want justice."
Swedish
officials say that children are removed from their families under certain
circumstances but have denied allegations of "kidnapping" and abuse
of children.
Mikail
Yuksel, head of the Swedish Nuance Party (Partiet Nyans), told Anadolu Agency
that he supports the protest and sympathizes with families whose children have
been taken away from their families, calling it a tragedy.
Yuksel
said that many people sought his help to have their rights protected from state
social services. While dismissing social media reports saying Muslim children
were taken and given to Christian families as “rumors,” he said discrimination
plays a role in the process.
"The
social services agency's justification for taking a child from a Swedish family
is not the same as the reason for taking a child from a Muslim and immigrant
family. Formidable prejudices come into play for Muslim and immigrant
families," he explained.
A
report has been prepared by the country's Discrimination Bureau showing
discrimination against immigrant families whose children have been taken away,
he said.
Violence,
abuse found, but state denies ‘kidnapping,’ other claims
Anders
Ygeman, the minister for migration and integration, also said they are
discussing the issue through dialogue with Muslim NGOs.
Ygeman
also denied reports that Muslim children in Sweden had been “kidnapped” from
their families.
Sunday’s
demonstration followed up on a protest last week in front of the parliament in
Stockholm in which Muslim families whose children had been taken away from them
by social services accused it of mistreatment and abuse.
Separately,
the city of Falkoping, western Sweden announced that it had ended a contract
with a company that provides child care and is responsible for removing
children from their families, state radio SR reported.
The
Swedish Health and Care Inspectorate said in a statement that it had found
violence and suspected sexual abuse associated with the company’s work.
Last
Thursday, the Swedish Consulate General in Istanbul, Turkiye, denied claims of
mistreatment and abuse of Muslim children by social services.
"A
very aggressive rumor campaign is currently underway on various social media –
both in Sweden and abroad – alleging that Swedish social services kidnap,
imprison and sexually exploit Muslim children. This information is, of course,
seriously misleading and the sole aim is to create tensions and spread
mistrust," it said in a statement.
The
statement added: "Swedish social services’ activities are governed
primarily by the Social Services Act, which is based on the principle of
voluntariness. However, complementary provisions in the Care of Young Persons
Act make it possible in certain cases to decide on measures even without
consent.”
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
South Asia
Taliban
Govt invokes Ahmed Shah Abdali, names new military unit ‘Panipat’
Pia
Krishnankutty
12
February, 2022
New
Delhi: That the same word, or reference could imply different things to
different people was highlighted by the Taliban when it announced the
inauguration of its new military unit in the country’s Nangarhar province — the
Panipat operational unit.
The
name draws inspiration from a famous historical battle that was fought in the
18th century and saw the Maratha army being defeated by the forces of an Afghan
ruler.
The
Kabul-based media website Aamaj News reported Friday that the unit was named
after the Third Battle of Panipat, fought between the Maratha Empire and the
invading Afghan army of Ahmad Shah Abdali (and his Indian allies) in 1761.
Abdali had won the battle, and it is estimated that 60,000–70,00 people were
killed in the fighting, while many were taken prisoners.
In
India though, many still talk of the valour displayed by the Maratha soldiers
in the battle. It had also inspired the Bollywood period drama, Panipat, in
2019, which dwelled heavily on the valour of the brave Marathas and did a great
job of churning nationalist sentiments.
The
film, however, prompted a letter from the Afghanistan embassy expressing
concerns to New Delhi over how a distorted depiction of the Afghan ruler might
hurt the sentiments of people in Afghanistan. Panipat had also drawn ire from
Jats in Rajasthan, causing theatres in Jaipur to stop screening the film.
Now
the naming of a new military unit as ‘Panipat’ by the Talibans could be seen as
a “clear sign” to Hindus in India, more so as it comes two days after Taliban’s
Deputy spokesperson Inamullah Samangani voiced support for Muslim girls in
Karnataka, engaged in a legal battle with their educational institution for the
right of wearing a hijab in classrooms.
“Indian
Muslim girls struggle for Hijab shows that Hijab is not an Arab, Iranian,
Egyptian or Pakistani culture, but an Islamic value for which Muslim girls
around the world, especially in the secular world, sacrifice with different
types and defend their religious value,” Samangani had said in a tweet.
The
US also criticised the hijab ban in Karnataka Saturday, to which India replied
that it is an internal matter.
India-Afghan
relations post Taliban
The
name of the new unit has also sparked social media interest.
A
Twitter user by the name Islam Paal, who identifies as a “proud” citizen under
the Taliban regime, said the new Panipat military unit by saying it is a “clear
sign” to Hindus.
“Hindus
should take this as a clear sign. We haven’t forgotten our ancestors. Muskan
sister, we hear your cries (sic),” he said.
Muskan
Khan, a 19-year-old student from Karnataka’s Mandya Pre-University (PU), has
become one of the major faces of the ongoing hijab row, after a video of her
standing up to alleged hecklers in saffron shawls went viral.
Ever
since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan last August, New Delhi and Kabul have
shared ups and downs in relations.
In
October last year, Taliban leader Anas Haqqani visited the tomb of Turkish
ruler Mahmud Ghaznavi in Afghanistan and referred to him as a “Muslim warrior”
who “smashed the idol of Somnath”.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
No
high school graduates in 20 yrs from Afghanistan's Paktika province
Feb
14, 2022
KABUL:
Due to the lack of a proper education system in place, there have been no high
school graduates across five districts in Afghanistan's Paktika province since
the last 20 years, according to residents.
The
districts are Worombai, Tarwi, Dila Khoshamand, Naka and Barmal, TOLO News said
in a report on Sunday.
Paktika
is located along the Durand Line -- the de-facto border between Pakistan and
Afghnaistan.
Since
the past 20 years, the education and health sectors of Paktika were yet to be
properly despite billions of dollars being provided by the international
community as part of the humanitarian support to Afghanistan.
Meanwhile,
the residents said that families whose economic conditions are good send their
children to educational institutions in the provincial capital Sharana, but
those who struggle with severe economic conditions cannot.
"No
school has been constructed in our district. Our youth migrated to other
countries," Tolo News quoted Zahid, a resident of Barmal district, as
saying.
"There
was no school in Khoshamand district during the former government's time. The
Islamic Emirate (Taliban) should construct us a school," said another
resident Mohammad Daud.
The
tribal elders called on the Islamic Emirate to construct schools and provide educational
opportunities for the residents of these districts.
"We
don't have any high school graduates in far areas and some districts of
Paktika. We call on the Islamic Emirate officials to construct schools for
us," said Abdul Rahim, a tribal elder in Khoshamand.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran’s
18th consignment of humanitarian aids arrives in Afghanistan
14
Feb 2022
Iran’s
embassy in Kabul announced that the country’s 18th consignment of humanitarian
aid consists of cooking oil, flour, and rice arrived in Ghazni province on
Monday, February 14, 2022.
The
Kabul-based embassy in a series of Twitter posts said that they have so far
delivered aid to people in need in ten provinces namely Herat, Balkh,
Nangarhar, Kandahar, Kabul, Badakhshan, Kunduz, and Panjshir.
The
aid comes a day after Australia announced that the people have collected $1
million to Red Cross for aid in Afghanistan.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
People
of Australia donate over $1 M to Red Cross for Afghan aid
14
Feb 2022
To
strengthen the operations and support the Red Cross in Afghanistan where
millions of people are subject to starvation, Aussies have donated one million
dollars to be used in the war-ravaged country.
Australian
Red Cross Head of International Humanitarian Programs Adrian Prouse said
Afghanistan was experiencing a “man-made catastrophe and that essential
services were on the verge of collapse.
“Essential
services are on the brink of collapse and the people of Afghanistan, in
particular the women and children, are bearing the brunt of harsh international
policies that have placed the country into economic free fall,” Prouse said.
Adrian
Prouse thanked the Australian people for the donation and called on the
government to expedite the remainder of its $100 million pledge in aid to
Afghanistan.
Meanwhile,
the Australian Red Cross has also asked the Federal government to increase the
number of Afghan refugees to the country by 20,000.
Australia
last month announced 15,000 visas for Afghan people that will be provided to
the people over the next four years.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/people-of-australia-donate-over-1-m-to-red-cross-for-afghan-aid-8675765/
--------
Afghan
smugglers hike prices, expand networks after Taliban takeover
14
February ,2022
As
a female prosecutor in Afghanistan, Shafiqa Sae knew she had to flee for her
life when the Taliban seized power – what she did not realise was just how much
it would cost.
Smugglers
are exploiting Afghans’ desperation to leave the country, hiking prices after
demand grew for their services and borders became harder to cross.
Afghans
who have fled to Pakistan since the Taliban takeover on August 15 last year
said members of the Pakistani security forces had also milked them for bribes
and some landlords had doubled or trebled rents.
“Everyone
is taking advantage of our plight to make money off us,” Sae told the Thomson
Reuters Foundation from Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.
The
Taliban’s lightning capture of the country has prompted a mass exodus of
Afghans fleeing persecution and poverty.
But
border closures by Pakistan, Iran and other neighbouring countries, combined
with the difficulty of obtaining a passport or visa, have pushed many to turn
to smugglers.
Those
making the risky journeys often take gruelling desert and mountain treks. Some
tunnel under border fences. Others use fake IDs.
The
Mixed Migration Centre, which monitors smuggler prices, said fees had already
jumped during the COVID-19 pandemic as travel curbs made it harder to move
around, but the scramble to get out of Afghanistan since August had sent prices
soaring.
MOUNTING
COSTS
Sae,
26, fled the capital, Kabul, with her mother and seven siblings on August 25
after a foreign benefactor paid a smuggler $5,000 to get them out.
The
prosecutor’s family are Hazaras, a predominantly Shia minority who were
targeted by the Taliban when they last ruled from 1996-2001.
The
group’s return to power left Sae in fear of her life. Not only had she helped
put Taliban members behind bars, but she had been active in protests against
the group and was a vocal advocate for women’s rights.
Before
leaving Kabul, Sae’s mother was fitted with a fake cannula and intravenous
drip.
Pakistan
still allows Afghans to cross for emergency medical treatment without visas,
and the family hoped the border guards would take pity.
The
trick worked, helped by a few dollars slipped to the right people.
Once
across the border, the demands for bribes mounted. Fourteen checkpoints later
and they were $300 poorer.
In
Islamabad, Sae said their landlord was charging them three times the local
rate. They had also handed him $700 to pay off the police as it is illegal to
rent to Afghans without visas.
RISING
FEES
People
smugglers now charge Afghans an average of $140-$193 to reach Pakistan via the
border town of Spin Boldak, up from $90 a year earlier, according to data from
the Geneva-based Mixed Migration Centre.
Average
fees for Iran via the smuggling hub of Zaranj are $360-$400, compared to about
$250 previously, it said.
Charges
vary depending on the length and difficulty of the route, the wealth and ethnic
background of the person making the journey, whether they have contacts, and the
number of people demanding bribes.
Several
Afghans interviewed by the Thomson Reuters Foundation cited much higher fees
than those reflected in data collected by the Mixed Migration Centre.
One
woman said she was recently quoted $1,000 for the trip to Islamabad with her
two children.
Abdullah
Mohammadi, an expert at the Mixed Migration Centre, said smugglers were usually
part of well-established organised criminal networks.
However,
with Afghanistan hammered by an economic crisis and severe drought, farmers
desperate for money to feed their families have also become involved.
“They
know what they’re doing is wrong, but say they don’t have any other options,”
Mohammadi said.
“The
criminal networks are benefiting because they can use these people to expand their
operations.”
The
Taliban also benefit. The BBC reported that smugglers openly ferrying Afghans
from Zaranj to Iran paid local Taliban about $10 per pickup truck.
‘LUCRATIVE
BUSINESS’
The
Norwegian Refugee Council reported in November that up to 5,000 Afghan refugees
were fleeing to Iran every day, although many are deported.
Most
go via Pakistan, but Mohammadi said smugglers were increasingly using a
shorter, more precarious route which requires climbing over or tunneling under
barriers erected on the Iranian border.
Although
there is a higher chance of getting caught, the route is often favoured by
Hazaras who risk attacks by militant groups on the traditional routes through
Pakistan because of their ethnicity.
Smugglers
can charge Hazaras about a third more than non-Hazaras because of the increased
risks from the Taliban, Jundallah and other militia, Mohammadi said.
Journalist
Ismail Lali, 28, said smugglers were making a fortune out of the crisis.
“People
are so desperate to leave that they can just charge them whatever they like,”
said Lali, who is also a Hazara.
He
paid a smuggler $700 in August to take him to the Pakistani city of Quetta,
including bribes, but friends report the fee is now $800.
“It’s
become a lucrative business for smugglers, and also for the Pakistani police,”
he added.
Since
arriving in Quetta, he said he had paid police $200 in bribes after being
repeatedly stopped and threatened with deportation. He dares not go out now.
A
senior police inspector in Quetta said officers were under strict instruction
not to harass Afghans.
Security
forces who staff checkpoints did not immediately respond to calls.
DEPORTATION
FEARS
Migration
experts expect some Afghans in Pakistan and Iran to move towards Turkey and
Europe in the spring.
In
January, the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) launched a $623 million appeal to
support Afghans in neighbouring countries and their host communities.
It
has also urged countries to keep their borders open and halt deportations.
The
UNHCR said Iran had returned more than 1,100 Afghans a day in January. Smaller
numbers have been deported from Pakistan.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab World
Arab
Coalition asks civilians in ministries in Yemen's Sanaa to evacuate
14
February ,2022
Arab
Coalition fighting in Yemen late on Sunday asked civilians in Yemeni ministries
in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa to immediately evacuate, the state news
agency (SPA) said, citing the coalition.
The
coalition said the Iran-backed Houthis use these headquarters to “launch
hostile operations,” and in response to the threat a site linked to the latest
attack on Saudi Arabia's Abha international airport would be destroyed.
Twelve
people were injured at the airport by shrapnel from an explosive-laden drone
intercepted by Saudi air defences on Thursday. Houthi military spokesperson
Yahya Sarea said the group had hit a military target at Abha airport with a
Qasef 2 drone.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UAE
says Turkish president's visit to open new page in bilateral relations
Mahmut
Geldi
14.02.2022
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s upcoming visit to the United Arab Emirates will
open a new page in bilateral relations, a top foreign policy adviser to
President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan said Sunday.
Anwar
Gargash said on Twitter that Erdogan's visit to the UAE, "which comes
after Al Nahyan's visit to Turkiye (last November), opens a new positive page
in bilateral relations between the two countries."
Gargash
said the visit "is in line with the UAE's direction towards strengthening
bridges of communication and cooperation aimed at stability and prosperity in
the region."
Saying
that the UAE continues to strengthen channels of communication with various
countries in order to support the stability and prosperity of the region and
well-being of its people, Gargash further noted that the "UAE's policy is
positive and rational and is in the interest of security, peace and regional
development."
"President
Erdogan's visit to Abu Dhabi comes within this framework that we are betting on
to ensure a prosperous future," he added.
The
Turkish president will embark on a two-day official visit to the UAE on Monday.
Erdogan’s
visit comes at the invitation of Al Nahyan, Turkiye’s Communications
Directorate said in a statement.
Bilateral
relations between Turkiye and the UAE and steps to deepen cooperation will be
discussed during talks, according to the statement.
Ahead
of the visit, the Turkish flag and the word "Welcome" in Turkish were
projected onto the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the UAE.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Islamic
State kills Iraqi forces in sparsely populated Anbar desert
Shelly
Kittleson
February
13, 2022 —
BAGHDAD
– The deaths of several soldiers in the western Anbar desert and attacks
further south in the same province have drawn attention to the vast expanses
that were long a hideout for insurgents.
Although
the danger had diminished in recent years, a Feb. 8 explosion reportedly killed
at least three soldiers and one civilian, as well as injuring others and
destroying the military vehicle in the desert near Rawa.
Several
attacks have meanwhile recently been carried out near Rutba in the southern
part of the Anbar desert, not far from Iraq’s border with Jordan.
Some
claimed that the soldiers near Rawa had been escorting Kuwaiti or Qatari
hunters and that the civilian killed had been the local guide. Questions to
security officers had not been answered by the time of publication.
The
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the incident.
However,
a security source claimed that the incident, 8 km from the town of Rawa, was
due to explosives that had been planted during the Islamic State (IS)
occupation of the area.
The
officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stressed that “the area is safe”.
But
a security official from western Anbar instead claimed that “there are now
close to a thousand” IS operating in the deserts of Anbar, Salah al-Din, and
Nineveh, and that IS activities in the Anbar desert had been stepped up after a
massive jailbreak in eastern Syria in recent weeks.
“But
there is absolutely no danger of their taking any cities or any area,” he said.
“The tribes, the local inhabitants — we fought against them and they will not
return. They just kill a few people in the desert or attack the military,
sometimes.”
Rawa
was the last urban area to be retaken from IS in Iraq, on Nov. 17, 2017, after
three and a half years under its control. At that time, the US-led
international coalition against IS had conducted an airstrikes against car
bombs and other attempted attacks on the large military convoys traversing the
desert. Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were a major problem then, slowing
the military’s advance and leading to casualties. In December 2017 Iraq
declared victory against IS.
Most
of Anbar, which is Iraq’s largest province but sparsely populated, is desert
land with many wadis long used by insurgents as hideouts.
In
recent years, Anbar has not seen as many IS attacks as the Kirkuk and Diyala
provinces, which continue to suffer from security gaps, poor coordination and
trust deficits between the multiple forces operating on the ground. However,
Anbar has at times been referred to as a “logistics hub” for IS in recent
months.
There
also continue to be tensions between the local inhabitants and some of the
non-local security forces deployed to the area.
The
border town of Qaim is key to supply lines between Iraq and Syria, and IS
militants fought harder to hold onto it than to Rawa in 2017, prior to
withdrawing into eastern Syria, where it was declared defeated in March 2019.
Thousands
of Iraqi IS fighters are still held in detention facilities in northeastern
Syria. Hundreds fled in a massive Jan. 20 jailbreak, and Iraq stepped up its
border control.
During
and after the 2017 liberation from IS, Qaim was also a focus of Iran-linked armed factions, some of which
were under the Iraqi government’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) but held to
be operating largely independently. These factions are generally known as the
muqawama, or resistance, led by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps
(IRGC). Much of the area south of the city of Qaim to Rutba is under their
control.
In
an October 2018 interview in Karbala,
PMU commander Qassim Musleh, the head of the Tufuf Brigade, had accused some of
the 7th Division of “spying” on his forces.
The
soldiers killed in the Feb. 8 explosion were from the Iraqi Army’s 7th
Division, which has a larger number of local Sunni officers than many other
divisions.
In
the same interview, Musleh also voiced common conspiracy theories espoused by
‘muqawama’ factions against the US and the international-led coalition.
Musleh
was arrested in late May 2021 under Iraq’s antiterrorism law but released
almost two weeks later.
Source:
Al Monitor
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Syria
regime shelling on Idlib kills six: Monitor
12
February ,2022
Syrian
regime shelling killed six civilians including women and children on Saturday
in Idlib province, the country's last main opposition bastion, a war monitor
said.
An
AFP photographer at the scene reported seeing several bodies being taken away
from a wrecked home in Maarat al-Naasan, an area close to regime-controlled
territory.
“The
shell fell on a civilian home,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a
Britain-based group with a network of sources on the ground in the war-torn
country.
The
monitor said two women and two children were among those killed, who were all
from the same family. Many others were wounded.
The
shelling had begun at around 11:30 GMT, with more shells fired intermittently
afterwards, the AFP photographer said.
The
Syrian regime and its ally Russia have regularly targeted hospitals and
civilian areas since the start of the war in 2011, according to the
Observatory.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Iraq
foils attack against anti-Daesh coalition convoy
Ali
Jawad
13.02.2022
BAGHDAD
Iraqi
security forces on Sunday thwarted an attack targeting a convoy for the US-led
coalition against Daesh/ISIS terrorist group in southern Iraq, according to the
defense ministry.
A
ministry statement said a roadside bomb was dismantled on a highway in the
Muthanna province. Another device was detonated by bomb disposal experts.
No
injuries or damage were reported.
Recent
months saw a spate of attacks targeting US-led coalition convoys in central and
southern Iraq.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/iraq-foils-attack-against-anti-daesh-coalition-convoy/2501543
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Turkiye
'neutralizes' 4 PKK terrorists in northern Iraq
Zehra
Nur Düz
13.02.2022
Turkish
security forces "neutralized" at least four PKK terrorists in
northern Iraq, the National Defense Ministry said on Sunday.
The
terrorists were targeted in the Operation Pence-Simsek zone, the ministry said
on Twitter.
Turkish
authorities use the word "neutralize" to imply the terrorists in
question surrendered or were killed or captured.
PKK
terrorists often hide out in northern Iraq, across Turkiye's southern border,
to plan terrorist attacks in Turkiye.
The
Pence operations are a series of offensives Turkiye has carried out since 2019
against terrorist groups in northern Iraq, particularly the PKK.
Operations
Pence-Kaplan and Pence-Kartal were initiated in June 2020 in Sinjar, Qandil,
Haftanin, and Zap regions, while Pence-Simsek and Pence-Yildirim were launched
last April in Metina and Avasin-Basyan regions.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/turkiye-neutralizes-4-pkk-terrorists-in-northern-iraq/2501436
--------
India
AIMPLB
Asks Muslim Women to Dispel Myths about ‘Hijab’ and ‘Purdah’
14th
February 2022
Lucknow:
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has said that Muslim women
must come forward to dispel misconceptions about ‘hijab’ and ‘purdah’ to
counter people who are spreading hate in the name of protests against it.
“My
dear sisters, use this time to inform people about hijab, dispel the prejudice,
express that you are not oppressed with the hijab but are respected, honoured
and free with it. Your success is the success of all Muslims,” said Maulana
Umrain Mahfooz Rahmani, general secretary of the board in a social media
session.
Muslim
women have freedom and are given respect and honour to the point that Jannat is
said to be under the feet of the woman, he added.
“Hijab
is the identity of a Muslim and a respectable woman. It protects from the
satanic aspects of the society. Over centuries, whichever society went towards
embracing nakedness got destroyed and plagued by Allah’s curse and wrath,” he
said.
The
cleric further emphasised that Islam has not stopped women from stepping out of
the house.
Source:
Siasat Daily
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https://www.siasat.com/aimplb-asks-muslim-women-to-dispel-myths-about-hijab-2275310/
--------
Islamophobic
Comments To Garner Hindu Votes; Will There Be Jai Shri Ram Or Walekum Salam?
13th
February 2022
A
video of the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party’s (BJP) MLA from Uttar Pradesh’s
Dumariyagan, Raghvendra Pratap Singh is circulating on social media, where he
is seen making Islamophobic comments to garner Hindu votes.
The
MLA was campaigning for his party in the ongoing state elections and can be
heard making polarising comments on Muslims. The MLA while addressing the
people in Dumariyagan asked “Will there be Jai Shri Ram or Walekum Salam?”,
People shouted slogans of Jai Shri Ram in response while applauding the MLA’s
Islamophobic question.
The
incumbent MLA further claimed, “If you make me MLA again, Muslims will stop
wearing skullcaps and start putting tilaks.”
He
also added that since Muslims were driven away from power, the city has become
safer. “No goons, notorious criminals are visible on the streets, anymore,” he
claimed.
“We
have changed the names of various places since we have come to power,” he
stated. The BJP has been an advocate of changing the names of places, in an
attempt to wipe out history. He said that the name of the locality Allahpur in
Uttar Pradesh was changed to Mahesh Yogi Nagar and that similarly others have
also been changed.
Source:
Siasat Daily
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/muslims-will-stop-wearing-skullcaps-start-putting-tilaks-bjp-mla-2274938/
--------
Country
will be run by statute, not sharia: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath
Feb
14, 2022
KANPUR:
During his whirlwind campaign in Auraiya on Sunday, chief minister Yogi
Adityanath warned religious fanatics "dreaming about Ghazwa-e-Hind
(Islamic conquest of India) that the nation would be run by the statute and not
by the sharia".
"Those
with a Talibani mindset should give up their dream. India will be run by the
constitution. And every institution has the right to formulate its own dress
code," he said in an apparent reference to the hijab controversy. He also
warned that gangsters trying to come of hideouts in poll season will be smoked
out of their dens, if they harassed women or took to crime.
‘UP
safe, eligible popn jabbed with first dose’
During
his campaign trail in neighbouring Farrukhabad district, the chief minister
said, people will give a befitting reply to the Opposition, which stoked false
romours on Covid vaccination for selfish political gains.
“Jis
teeke ko inhone Modi teeka, BJP teeka keh ke badnaam kiya, ussi teeke ne logon
ki jaan bachayi, ab vote bhi BJP ko milega (They maligned vaccines by terming
it Modi and BJP vaccine. But these saved your lives. Now, votes will also go to
BJP,” he said. Yogi also announced that a link expressway will be constructed
to connect Farrukhabad with Ganga Expressway if BJP came to power.
At
a rally in Bhojpur town of Farrukhabad, CM Yogi said those who tried to turn
the region into Islamabad had pushed the district into a dark zone. “In the
earlier regime, people would live in the dark. And there’s a popular saying
here that thieves hated moonlit nights. Today, everyone is getting electricity.
Now, every house will get tap water,” he said.
A
potato food processing centre has also been set up in Farrukhabad and wheels of
bulldozers and development have moved together in the state. He said, a medical
college each was being constructed in Kasganj, Etawah, Etah, Farrukhabad and
Hathras. Likewise, a medical college was being constructed in memory of former
CM and senior BJP leader late Kalyan Singh in Bulandshahr.
Source:
Times Of India
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--------
BJP
Won't Stop At Hijab, Will Erase All Muslim Symbols: Mehbooba Mufti
February
13, 2022
Srinagar:
Amid the hijab protests, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said the BJP wants to erase
all 'symbols' of Muslims like the Hijab.
"I
fear BJP won't stop at Hijab. They will come for other symbols of Muslims and
erase all. For Indian Muslims, it is not enough to be an Indian, they have to
be BJP as well," said Ms Mufti.
Further
attacking the BJP, Ms Mufti said, "Jammu and Kashmir is a political matter
but they (BJP) want to make it a community matter." According to her, the
situation has only become more complicated after the abrogation of Jammu and
Kashmir's special status.
The
PDP chief said that the draft recommendations of the Delimitation Commission
are an attempt to divide the people of Jammu and Kashmir into sectarian and
social grounds.
"The
rights and guarantees given by the Indian Constitution are being mutilated and
the Delimitation Report that has come recently is part of that. They have tried
to divide the people of Jammu and Kashmir on a sectarian level (and) on a
social level, so that the people fight with each other. But the PDP's struggle
would be against it," said Ms Mufti.
She
also claimed that the people from other states are exploiting Kashmir's
resources. "People from Punjab, Haryana are coming here and exploiting our
resources. They come and take away tenders. Our Kashmir people are
disempowered", said Ms Mufti.
Speaking
about the merger of Rajouri and Poonch with Anantnag parliamentary
constituency, Ms Mufti said, "In this delimitation, they have ruined
everybody other than the BJP. If you don't like Rajouri and Poonch and you want
to create an exclusive constituency, wait and you can give a separate seat to
Rajouri and Poonch."
Source:
ND TV
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--------
In
Muslim belt, support for parties divided along community lines
by
Amil Bhatnagar
February
14, 2022
The
winter sun bathes the pristine glasses of Moti Masjid as locals begin to gather
for afternoon prayers. The mosque is situated on the Asmoli-Sambhal road, which
is busier than usual with large convoys constantly on the move of candidates
making poll promises.
Mohd
Faheem (60), who lives in the lane next to the mosque and has seen many
elections, says now more than ever there is a need to defeat the communal
forces. “The Hindu-Muslim card is a political ploy. You place it on the table
and you get a certain section on your side. There are only a few Hindu families
that live in this area. They have never faced any issue and never will. But on
your televisions, leaders will make you believe there is enmity all the time.
The public is smarter than what everyone likes to believe. The mandate will
make it clear,” says Faheem.
The
Muslim-majority Sambhal district has four Assembly seats in total. While the
BJP had won Gannaur and Chandausi (SC) last time, the Samajwadi Party had won
Asmoli and Sambhal City.
The
SP-RLD candidate in Sambhal City again is Iqbal Mahmood, who has won the seat
for the SP the last four times.
Even
if locals wish Mahmood had paid more attention to development, he has their
“trust”. There is also hope that the rising tempo of communalism will cool down
should the BJP be dislodged from power.
Mohd
Areeb, a resident of Deepa Sarai, argues that even the SP paid price last time
for similar politics. “People do not want to live in a state of conflict and
eventually get tired of communal rhetoric. When the SP built boundary walls for
graveyards, they should have done the same for temples and cremation grounds.
It was communal on their part and the public showed them the door. If the
ruling party continues this narrative, it will anger people.”
The
Congress candidate in Sambhal City is former News Nation journalist Nida Ahmad.
The party has made tickets and promises to women the centrepiece of its
campaign, and campaigning door to door, Ahmad tells voters she is ‘Sambhal Ki
Beti’.
Mahmood,
on the other hand, goes by the title ‘Sambhal ka Badshah’, and Ahmad admits the
contest is tough. However, she has worked to a plan. “There are no degree
colleges in many areas, no parks… I am a journalist and even in this role, I
will continue to question the status quo till there is change,” she says.
Also
in the fray is BSP’s Shakeel Ahmad, who owns a meat company and is believed to
a strong contender for Muslim votes.
The
BJP candidate, Rajesh Singhal, starts from a position of disadvantage given the
numerical majority of Muslims. However, says a supporter, Anoop Sharma, there
is much to recommend in the Yogi Adityanath government. “Law and order is in
place, electricity supply has become regular. The Hindus are less in number but
our entire vote is for Yogi ji. We are also hoping that our Muslim brothers
will see the good since this government cares about everyone,” says Sharma.
A
similar divide is visible in Moradabad, nearly 30 km from Sambhal. The six
Assembly seats here are also Muslim-dominated. The SP had won four of the seats
last time, against the BJP’s two.
The
buzz is missing from the iconic brass market of Moradabad Sadar. With prices of
raw materials up by nearly 100%, retail has been heavily impacted.
Moradabad
Sadar was one of the seats won by the BJP last time. The party has fielded its
sitting MLA, Ritesh Kumar Gupta. The SP has fielded Mohd Yunus Ansari while the
BSP candidate is Irshad Hussain.
BJP
supporters, however, argue that the government alone can’t be blamed for rising
prices. Trader Bhushan Gupta lists reasons such as law and order, saying “the
present government has done a lot”.
Source:
Indian Express
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--------
North America
Biden
admin responsible for chaotic Afghanistan exit: Pentagon report
February
13, 2022
LONDON:
The administration of US President Joe Biden was at fault for the chaos
surrounding the US withdrawal from Kabul, a Pentagon report has said.
The
declassified report, published by The Washington Post on Saturday, said
decisions — or in some instances indecision — contributed to problems faced by
US forces who were trying to secure Kabul’s Hamid Karzai Airport as the Taliban
seized the city last August.
The
Pentagon’s after-action report blamed the State Department and the number of
its officials for issues and delays in the evacuation process.
“The
delay in embassy staff drawdown, NEO declaration and lack of agreed upon
(indications and warning procedures) increased risk to mission upon
(noncombatant evacuations operations) execution,” it said.
In
another section of the report, the same organization is faulted for phasing in
a new team of embassy staff in the middle of the evacuation process, which the
Defense Department said “caused confusion as the new consular team established
operations,” which led to hundreds of US civilians and Afghans seeking passage
out of the country through an unfamiliar application process.
“Consular
staff did not have sufficient manning to supervise all processing at the gates
which often led to Department of Defense personnel at the gates making on the
spot calls on paperwork,” the report added.
Too
many of these “on the spot calls” were being made by US soldiers, who had
little experience in the processes of the State Department, the report
concluded.
It
also said that “confusion” surrounding bureaucratic decisions affected the
capabilities of US forces attempting to conduct an orderly evacuation in the
final days of the occupation, which were marred by images of Afghan civilians
clinging to US aircraft.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2024031/world
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US
F-22 fighter jets arrive in UAE following Houthi attacks
13
February ,2022
US
F-22 fighter jets arrived at an air base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on
Saturday following a spate of unprecedented attacks in Abu Dhabi by Houthi fighters
in Yemen, the US Air force said on Saturday.
In
recent weeks, the Iran-backed Houthis have waged a string of largely failed
strikes on UAE targets that have triggered Emirati and US air defenses and have
even seen American troops based there briefly taking shelter.
The
jets arrived at the UAE base as part of a multifaceted demonstration of US
support after a series of attacks throughout January threatened US and Emirati
armed forces stationed at the host installation, the statement said.
The
US Secretary of Defense ordered the rapid deployment of the fifth-generation
aircraft in coordination with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al
Nahyan of the UAE, said a statement by the United States Air Forces Central.
It
will join a range of joint, coalition and allied and partner combat air power
capabilities already based across the region.
The
airmen and F-22s are deployed from the 1st Fighter Wing, located at Joint Base
Langley-Eustis, Virginia, the US Air Force said.
Last
week the US general overseeing Middle East operations told Reuters the US will
help the UAE replenish interceptors it uses to knock down incoming missiles.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Ex-Afghan
president: Biden order on frozen funds an ‘atrocity’
13
February ,2022
Afghanistan’s
former president on Sunday called a White House order to unfreeze $3.5 billion
in Afghan assets held in the US for families of 9/11 victims an atrocity
against the Afghan people.
Former
President Hamid Karzai at a packed news conference sought the help of
Americans, particularly the families of the thousands killed in the 9/11
terrorist attacks, to press President Joe Biden to rescind last week’s order.
He called it “unjust and unfair,” saying Afghans have also been victims of
al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Bin
Laden was brought to Afghanistan by Afghan warlords after being expelled from
Sudan in 1996. Those same warlords would later ally with the US-led coalition
to oust the Taliban in 2001. However, it was Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad
Omar who refused to hand over bin Laden to the US after the devastating 9/11
attacks that killed thousands.
“The
people of Afghanistan share the pain of the American people, share the pain of
the families and loved ones of those who died, who lost their lives in the
tragedy of September 11,” said Karzai. “We commiserate with them [but] Afghan
people are as much victims as those families who lost their lives...
Withholding money or seizing money from the people of Afghanistan in their name
is unjust and unfair and an atrocity against Afghan people.”
President
Biden’s order signed last Friday freed $7 billion in Afghan assets currently
held in the US, to be divided between 9/11 victims and humanitarian aid to
Afghans.
September
11 victims and their families have legal claims against the Taliban and the $7
billion in the US banking system. The $3.5 billion was set aside for a US court
to decide whether it can be used to settle claims by families of 9/11 victims.
US courts would also have to sign off before the release of humanitarian
assistance money.
We
“ask the US courts to do the opposite, to return the Afghan money back to the
Afghan people,” said Karzai. “This money does not belong to any government…
this money belongs to the people of Afghanistan.”
Meanwhile,
Biden’s order calls for the $3.5 billion allocated to humanitarian aid to be
put into a trust and be used to assist Afghans, bypassing their Taliban rulers.
But
Karzai demanded all $7 billion be returned to Afghanistan’s Central Bank to
further its monetary policy. He argued against giving Afghan reserves to
international aid organizations to provide humanitarian aid.
“You
give us our own money so that it can be spent for those foreigners who come
here, to pay their salaries, to give it to [non-governmental organizations],”
he said.
Afghanistan’s
economy is teetering on the brink of collapse after international money stopped
coming into the country with the arrival in mid-August of the Taliban. Last
month, the United Nations made a $5 billion appeal for Afghanistan. The UN
warns that one million children are in danger of starving and 90 percent of
Afghans live below the poverty level of just $1.90 a day.
Karzai
was Afghanistan’s first democratically elected president after the US-led
coalition ousted the Taliban in 2001. He served until 2014 before Ashraf Ghani,
who fled the country on August 15, leaving the doors open for the Taliban
takeover of Kabul.
arzai
was highly regarded as embracing all of Afghanistan’s many ethnic groups but
his administration, like subsequent Afghan administrations, was dogged by
charges of widespread corruption.
Karzai
spoke to a packed press conference inside his sprawling compound in the capital
of Kabul. Dozens of Afghanistan’s Pashto- and Persian-language journalists
jockeyed for space in a second-floor conference room with more than a dozen
television cameras.
Karzai
used the news conference to press the country’s Taliban rulers and their
opponents to find a way to come together. He lobbied for the traditional Afghan
grand council, or loya jirga, as a means to find consensus and establish a more
representative administration.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Europe
French
military kills 40 terrorists in operation with Burkina Faso
Alaattin
Doğru
13.02.2022
The
French military announced Saturday the killings of at least 40 terror group
members responsible for two Benin National Park attacks.
The
military shared a statement on Twitter that said the operation was carried out
jointly with the Burkina Faso army and it targeted terrorists active in
neighboring Benin.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Cyprus
minister pins blame for migration ‘emergency’ on Turkey
February
13, 2022
NICOSIA:
The small Mediterranean island of Cyprus has an outsized problem with irregular
migration, says the interior minister of the EU member state located closest to
the Middle East.
“For
us, this is a state of emergency,” Nicos Nouris told AFP, adding that 4.6 percent
of the country’s population now are asylum seekers or beneficiaries of
protection, the highest ratio in the EU.
The
Greek Cypriot minister accused Turkey, whose troops have since 1974 occupied
the island’s northern third, of encouraging much of the influx of Syrian
refugees and arrivals from sub-Saharan Africa.
Rights
groups and observers have criticized Cyprus for squalid conditions in its
overcrowded main migrant camp, which was rocked by clashes this month, and for
alleged brutal treatment of some arrivals.
But
Nouris shot back that “brutal is what Turkey has been doing to us” as new
asylum applications had multiplied to over 13,000 last year in the country of
850,000.
“The
migration issue in Cyprus is a huge problem because it’s been instrumentalized
by Turkey,” the minister from the conservative Democratic Rally party charged.
The
Republic of Cyrus remains sharply at odds with Turkey, which under a deal with
the EU hosts millions of Syrian refugees, and which contests potential offshore
oil and gas reserves claimed by Cyprus.
Nouris
charged that every day some 60 to 80 irregular migrants, guided by smugglers,
cross the UN-patrolled 184-kilometer (114-mile) long Green Line that dissects
the island, with 85 percent of asylum seekers last year having arrived in this
way.
The
top country of origin for pending asylum applications in 2021 remained Syria,
but next came Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria and Somalia,
according to the ministry.
Many
of the newcomers, Nouris said, fly via Istanbul to the northern breakaway
statelet recognized only by Ankara. “From there, with the smugglers, they find
a way through the Green Line.”
It
is only once they have crossed south that many discover they are not inside the
European Union’s visa-free Schengen area.
“They
are trapped on the island,” said Nouris. “They cannot travel to Germany or to
France, where they want to go, because Cyprus is not a member of the Schengen
zone.”
Cyprus
stresses that the Green Line is not a border but merely the cease-fire line,
beyond which lie “areas not under government control.”
Nonetheless,
said Nouris, his government — having recently fortified one section of the line
with razor wire — will soon build fencing, step up patrols and, from the
summer, install an Israeli-made surveillance system.
The
head of EU border agency Frontex, Fabrice Leggeri, is due to visit Cyprus
Wednesday, the minister said.
Nouris
said Cyprus would like Frontex to patrol waters south of Turkey, “from where
every night, especially during summertime, we had illegal departures of
migrants” — but he acknowledged that this would require Ankara’s approval.
Cyprus
is also asking the EU to expand the list of so-called safe countries of origin
for migrants, and to strike deals to facilitate repatriations.
Nicosia
recently sent back more than 250 Vietnamese migrants on a special flight, and
cooperated with Belgium to repatriate 17 Congolese.
A
joint flight with Germany is planned for March 8 to take back a group of
Pakistanis, Nouris said, in what would be a “forced” rather than voluntary
return.
Human
Rights Watch and other groups have accused Cyprus of sometimes heavy-handed
methods against migrants, including pushing back asylum seekers at sea.
Nouris
insisted that “Cyprus has never, never made a pushback” but had exercised its
right to intercept boats, which were usually escorted to Lebanon.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2023911/world
--------
Pakistan
Jamaat-e-Islami
Striving For Enforcement of Sharia, Says Siraj
February
14, 2022
MARDAN:
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Senator Sirajul Haq on Sunday asked the religious
scholars to join hands with his party for the implementation of Islamic system
in the country.
“The
JI has been striving for the implementation of Islamic system,” he said while
addressing a gathering held in connection with Khatm-e-Bukari Sharif and
dastarbandi at Jamia Islamia Tafhim-ul-Quran.
Sirajul
Haq added that the JI made alliance with former rulers for the implementation
of Islamic system, but they cheated the JI. He added that today no decision was
taken in the parliament.
Sirajul
Haq added that the rulers had handed over the country to the International
Monetary Fund. He said that the incumbent government was a threat to national
security. The JI leader said that the sovereign of the country was compromised
for securing loans.
He
added that corruption was rampant in the country. He added that Jamaat-e-Islami
had announced sit-ins across the country against the the corrupt and
incompetent government. Sirajul Haq said that the rulers were least bothered to
provide relief to the people. He said that the people had been exposed to a
host of problems.
Source:
The News Pakistan
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/933479-ji-striving-for-enforcement-of-sharia-says-siraj
--------
Breaking
terrorists-supporters nexus imperative to defeat terrorism: COAS
February
12, 2022
Chief
of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said that breaking a nexus
between terrorists and their supporters was imperative to defeat the menace of
terrorism, according to the military’s media wing.
The
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement said the army chief
visited Panjgur district in Balochistan on Saturday and spent the whole day
with troops who repulsed a terrorist attack on security forces camp in the same
area earlier this month.
On
arrival, the COAS was given a detailed update by the local commander on
security situation in the area and response mechanism to effectively check
emerging threats.
While
speaking to the troops, Gen Qamar appreciated professionalism and effective
response by the ground troops against recent terrorist activities.
He
emphasised on maintaining high standard of operational readiness to fail hostile
efforts to destabilise Balochistan and ensure safety and security of local
population.
The
army chief also paid tribute to shahuada [martyrs] for supreme sacrifice in
line of duty for defence of the motherland.
While
interacting with the notables and tribal elders of Panjgur, Gen Qamar
appreciated them for their support to law enforcement agencies in fighting the
menace of terrorism. “Breaking nexus between terrorists and their sympathisers
/ support base is imperative for defeating terrorism,” the ISPR quoted Gen
Qamar as saying.
The
army chief also assured local elders of military’s all-out support for creating
environment for prosperity and development of the area particularly ensuring
timely completion of ongoing socio-economic projects. The COAS said terrorists
won’t be allowed to reverse the hard-earned gains irrespective of the
challenges.
Earlier
on arrival, Gen Qamar was received by Lieutenant General Sarfraz Ali, Commander
Quetta Corps.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Boom
time in Pakistan for US firearms discarded in Afghanistan
Omer
Farooq Khan
Feb
14, 2022
LANDIKOTAL
(PAK-AFGHAN BORDER): The last vestiges of the US war in Afghanistan are being
preserved by a thriving illegal market for weapons and combat equipment left
behind by American, Nato and former Afghan troops.
Landikotal,
Pakistan’s farthest major town along the Durand Line in the tribal Khyber
district, no longer makes a secret of what is perhaps its most lucrative trade.
Firearms and equipment bearing military markings of the US and Nato countries
are openly displayed for sale here.
The
inventory is a hoplologist’s delight. Guns, long-range sniper rifl es, pistols,
night vision goggles, binoculars, daggers, grenades, military uniforms and
ammunition discarded by foreign or surrendered Afghan troops line the shelves
of gun shops. Easy availability means prices of these fi rearms and accessories
have already dropped significantly.
The
asking rate for M4 rifles of the A2 and A4 categories has slid from
$9,000-10,000 to $2,500-3,000. The value of the A2 and A4 versions of the M16
rifle ranges between $1,800 and $2,000, down from $5,000. The popular
American-make Glock, Beretta, Smith & Wesson 9mm pistols are now available
at almost throwaway prices. The Glock 9mm may still be expensive for most, but
the price is nowhere near what it used to be. A Beretta or Smith & Wesson
can be had for as little as $350-500 (Rs 26,000-37,000).
“These
pistols are far superior than the ones legally imported by Pakistan. The
American manufacturers use different metals in weapons for military and
commercial purposes,” said an arms dealer in Landikotal.
According
to arms merchants and security officials, weapons make their way from
Afghanistan into Pakistan in trucks laden with fruits and vegetables. The
trucks pass through border crossings in Torkhum (Khyber Agency), Chaman
(Balochistan), Ghulam Khan (North Waziristan) and Nawa Pass (Bajaur Agency).
On
entering Pakistan, the vehicles Kabul go through multiple layers of security
checks. They first pass through a checkpoint of the army and the paramilitary
Frontier Corps. The second security layer comprises personnel of the
Anti-narcotics Force, followed by security clearance by Customs officials.
After these three stages, the trucks have to be cleared by the police.
Scanners
have been installed at these posts to check the vehicles for weapons in hidden
compartments, but trafficking mysteriously continues. There is suspicion some
Pakistani security offi cials are involved in this, without which it wouldn’t
be possible to illegally take weapons past so many checks.
“This
is a big challenge for us — how to stop the smuggling?” said Kamran, a senior
customs official.
The
Taliban had recently warned people in Afghanistan that if anyone was found in
possession of a US-made fire-
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pak
PM Calls for Strict Action after Mob Lynches Man for ‘Blasphemy’ in Khanewal
Omer
Farooq Khan
Feb
14, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan PM Imran Khan said on Sunday that mob lynching will be dealt with
strictly under the law after a middle-aged man was stoned to death in Khanewal
district of Punjab province the day before for allegedly desecrating the Quran.
According
to police, residents of Jungle Dera village of Mian Channu tehsil accused a man
named Mushtaq of burning pages of the Quran and around 200-300 people tied him
up to a tree before killing him by throwing stones and bricks and him and then
beating him with rods and sticks.
The
killing revived memories of Sri Lankan national Priyantha Kumara being lynched
in Sialkot in December 2021. Blasphemy charges are often enough to trigger mob
violence in Pakistan. Such accusations, according to observers, are often aimed
at settling personal vendettas, especially against the minorities.
PM
Khan condemned Saturday’s lynching and wrote on Twitter: “We have zero
tolerance for anyone taking the law into their own hands and mob lynching
incidents will be dealt with full severity of the law. Have asked the Punjab
police chief for report on action taken against the perpetrators of the
lynching in Mian Channu and against the police who failed in their duty.”
Police
have identified 33 suspects. “They hung his body from a tree,” the police
report. The mob was apparently in no mood to let the cops cut loose the body
and send it for an autopsy.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Two
TTP men arrested in search operation in Chaman
Saleem
Shahid
February
14, 2022
QUETTA:
Two key suspects belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were
arrested in an operation conducted by the security forces in the border town of
Chaman on Sunday.
The
search operation was conducted on a tip-off about the presence of suspected
terrorists in the border town.
According
to security officials, the suspects confessed that they belong to
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and the TTP and were working under a TTP commander who is
operating from Spin Buldak, the border district of Afghanistan close to Chaman.
“They
have confessed to killing Levies Force personnel in Chaman and are also
involved in a grenade attack on Levies officials last week,” officials said.
Four
suicide jackets, 10kgs of explosive material, two hand-grenades, three bundles
of prima cards, eight IED controllers, two remote controls, four cells, 10
detonators, 100 rounds of SMG and 90 rounds of pistol, one mixer and one box
were seized from the possession of the suspects, they said.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1674964/two-ttp-men-arrested-in-search-operation-in-chaman
--------
Imran
criticises war on terror as misguided venture
February
13, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Imran Khan said the American “war on terror” bred more
terrorists, adding that Islamabad was virtually a “fortress” during this
period.
The
prime minister expressed these views during an interview with Fareed Zakaria
for CNN, which aired on Sunday when he was asked about his take on terrorism in
the broader Middle East.
“The
US war on terror actually bred terrorists. I can tell you from Pakistan’s
example because by joining the US, we had 80,000 people die,” he said, adding
the war produced more terrorists as it went along.
“I
am convinced it’s exactly the same what happened in Afghanistan. These night
raids and drone attacks […] the US must review its policy.”
Two
decades after the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush’s war on
terrorism has emerged as a wasteful, misguided exercise that poses its own
threat to US national security, experts say.
Khan
said US citizens were being told that the drone attacks were accurate and the
terrorists were targeted. “Bombs exploding in villages; how would they only
[target] terrorists?” he asked, adding that there was a lot of collateral
damage.
“I
am afraid, the public in the US didn’t know the amount of collateral damage
[that happened]. We bore the brunt.”
He
said that Pakistan was considered a collaborator of the US and, therefore, had
to face revenge attacks. “There were suicide attacks all over the country. We
lost 80,000 people.”
“But
the US has withdrawn and the terror continues,” Zakaria noted, to which Khan
said that the attacks now “are much less”.
“You
can’t compare […] during the height of the ‘war on terror’ Islamabad was a
fortress. You had suicide attacks going [on] everywhere. Compared to what used
to happen, terrorism is almost insignificant now.”
When
asked about the situation in war-torn Afghanistan, the premier said that it was
imperative for the US to understand that disliking the Taliban government was
one thing but it was ultimately about the country’s 40 million people.
“Half
of them are in a very precarious situation […] winter in Afghanistan is
extremely wicked, ruthless,” he said, adding that the Afghans were also facing
food shortages and there were concerns of the situation spiraling into a
humanitarian crisis.
Zakaria
also asked Khan about his experience in dealing with the Afghan Taliban and his
advice to the US.
“What
are the choices?” asked Khan.
“Is
there an alternative to the Taliban right now? No, there isn’t. Is there a
chance that if the Taliban government is squeezed there could be a change for
the better? No.”
He
went on to say that the only “alternative” that was currently available was to
work with the Taliban and incentivise them in achieving things, such as
inclusivity and human rights.
“That’s
the only way forward right now.”
Khan
said that if Afghanistan is abandoned, the neighbouring country could descend
into chaos. “Our best hope is that a stable Afghanistan will ensure stability
and peace in Pakistan,” he said, adding that peace in Afghanistan was in
everyone’s interest.
Asked
whether the US should recognise the Taliban government, Khan said recognition
would have to come “sooner or later”.
“The
world wants some guarantees before it recognises the Taliban. So how far is the
US going to push the Taliban to conform to [their expectations]. This is the
question. Can the Taliban go all the way? Are they capable of going all the way
bearing in mind this is a very strong ideological movement that represents a
culture that is completely alien to Western societies?”
The
premier said that there would have to be “give and take”. Not recognising the
government and freezing their accounts was only harming the people of the
war-torn country, he said.
During
the interview, Khan was also asked about China’s alleged mistreatment of
Muslims in Xinjiang.
He
said that Pakistan had sent its ambassador to Xinjiang who said the situation
was different than what was being portrayed by the Western media.
The
prime minister also highlighted that Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and
Kashmir (IIOJK) was a disputed territory between Pakistan and India.
“Over
the last 35 years, approximately 100,000 Kashmiris have died,” he said, adding
that in 2019 India unilaterally revoked the region’s special constitutional
status.
“There
are extra-judicial killings. There are no rights, there are clampdowns [and]
800,000 Indian troops in the valley.”
Khan
said that there was “hardly any indignation” about what was happening in IIOJK
compared to what was supposedly happening in Xinjiang, lamenting the fact that
the Kashmir issue “did not get the attention it deserved”.
“Are
you saying that the treatment of Muslims in Kashmir is worse than the treatment
of Muslims in Xinjiang?” Zakaria asked, to which the prime minister replied
that there would be “absolutely no comparison”.
“I
have only one source which is our ambassador in China […] what is happening in
Kashmir is criminal.”
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
to raise use of Iranian soil by Baloch terrorists as Iranian interior minister
arrives today
By
Mian Abrar
February
13, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan is set to raise the use of Iranian soil by Baloch terrorists to mount
terrorist attacks against its security
forces in Balochistan as Iran’s Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi arrives Pakistan
today on the invitation of Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed.
A
source told Pakistan Today that Islamabad had raised the alleged involvement of
Iranian elements in providing refuge and arms to Baloch terrorists. The
official said that Pakistan had lodged a strong protest with Tehran over the
recent attacks of Baloch terrorists and the martyrdom of around a dozen
personnel of the security forces in these attacks.
The
official said that Iranian official would discuss measures to clamp down on the
Baloch terrorists who are using Iranian soil to mount attacks against Pakistan.
The
interior ministry while detailing the visit shared that Sheikh Rasheed will
welcome the visiting dignitary at the Noor Khan Airbase in Islamabad.
“The
interior minister of Iran will meet several top government functionaries during
his visit to Pakistan,” it said and added that a meeting with Prime Minister
Imran Khan was also scheduled for Monday.
Sheikh
Rasheed will also hold delegation-level talks with Ahmad Vahidi and discuss
border management and the exchange of prisoners between the two countries.
Mr
Vahidi would also make a call on with Prime Minister Imran Khan today while he
is also expected to meet Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
In
October 2021, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has emphasized enhanced
economic integration and regional connectivity for peace and prosperity in the
region.
Addressing
a joint news conference with his Iranian counterpart Dr Hossein
Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran, he said the interests of Pakistan and Iran are
allied.
Shah
Mahmood Qureshi said both the countries want peace, stability and prosperity in
the region and realize that we have an important role to play.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast Asia
Aid
for Taliban but not Malaysia’s minorities? Guan Eng asks Putrajaya
13
Feb 2022
BY
DEBRA CHONG
KUALA
LUMPUR, Feb 13 — Opposition lawmaker Lim Guan Eng today questioned the federal
government’s priorities in providing financial aid after news reports
highlighted claims the ethnic Chinese community in Terengganu were marginalised
by the PAS-led state.
The
Bagan MP said the news reports showed a dichotomy between the government’s
treatment towards Malaysian minorities and its policies towards a foreign
Muslim-led government, citing the Taliban control of Afghanistan as an example.
“Such
discrimination is not only unfair but also unconstitutional to citizens and
those who pay tax.
“Questions
will be asked why citizens who happen to be minorities in Terengganu are not
given financial aid whilst Malaysia can offer aid to the extremist Taliban
government in Afghanistan?” Lim pointed out in a statement.
He
had referred to a February 12 news report by The Malaysian Insight titled
“Terengganu Chinese feel sidelined by PAS govt”, which he said related the
treatment of non-Malays in the peninsular east coast state as a result of the
policies of both the PAS and BN led state and federal governments.
Local
daily The New Straits Times reported on February 4 that PAS president Tan Sri
Abdul Hadi Awang who is also the prime minister’s special envoy to the Middle
East met with Afghanistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations,
Sheikh Mohammed Suhail Shaheen, during a four-day working visit to Qatar on
January 31 to discuss Malaysia’s readiness to help rebuild Afghanistan.
Another
local paper The Star reported Malaysia’s two-stage aid to Afghanistan on
December 18 last year.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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9
dead in feud between Philippine Muslim clans
February
12, 2022
COTABATO:
Nine people were killed and three injured in the southern Philippines today
when a convoy of SUVs was shot at in an ambush linked to a feud between rival
Muslim clans, police said.
The
attack occurred in a region with a long history of violence, and a short drive
from where 58 people – including 32 journalists – were murdered in the nation’s
worst political massacre in 2009.
Clan
leader Peges Mamasainged and eight others were killed as they travelled down a
farm-lined road in Maguindanao province, according to police.
Both
the victims and attackers were led by former commanders of a Muslim guerrilla
group that waged a bloody, decades-long insurgency in the region before a peace
agreement was signed in 2014, provincial police spokesman Fhaeyd Cana told AFP.
Authorities
are looking for suspects led by Mamasainged’s rival, Cana said, adding the two
families were involved in a long-running blood feud.
Well-armed
Muslim families in the mainly Catholic country’s lawless south at times resort
to clan warfare to settle disputes that can last for generations.
“(Guindulungan
town) police described this attack as a rido,” Cana said, using the local term
for blood feud.
The
attack was the province’s bloodiest since the 2009 massacre, he added.
Five
clan members were among the gunmen found guilty of those killings.
The
family’s leaders were sentenced to 30-year prison terms in 2019.
Both
the main suspect in today’s attack and the slain Mamasainged were once
commanders of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the military arm of the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front.
The
front signed a peace deal with Manila in March 2014, ending decades of
rebellion that claimed tens of thousands of lives.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Mujahid
to ‘clueless’ Zailah: focus on policies, not marriage advice
Dineskumar
Ragu
February
13, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Former Islamic affairs minister Mujahid Yusof Rawa says Siti Zailah Mohd
Yusoff is “clueless” about her role as a deputy minister in charge of women’s
development.
Mujahid
said instead of posting marriage advice videos, Siti Zailah as a deputy
minister, should be focussed on policy and issues like domestic violence, child
marriage and social illnesses.
“It
is not appropriate for a (deputy) minister or a lady to give advice in public
about how husbands should reprimand their wives. That clearly shows she herself
does not know what her function is and is trying to be something else,” he told
FMT.
Yesterday,
Siti Zailah had posted several video clips advising husbands to use a “gentle
but firm physical touch” to reprimand their wives while urging women to take a
softer approach with their husbands. Among the other tips she suggested were
counselling, sleeping separately for three days and praying.
Women’s
rights NGO, Sisters in Islam (SIS) also called out Siti Zailah for being ignorant
on the lived realities of women.
“The
rhetoric about husbands being allowed to discipline their wives is delivered
without deep reflection and connection with the reality that women face,” the
group said. “How can she be oblivious to the high reporting of domestic
violence during the period of this pandemic?”
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Newborn
stabbed to death by teen mum laid to rest in Kemaman
14
Feb 2022
SEBERANG
PERAI, Feb 14 — The newborn baby boy who was stabbed to death last Tuesday was
laid to rest at the Seri Nandi Muslim cemetery near Kemaman here today.
The
funeral arrangement and prayers for the baby were carried out by several staff
and officers from the Kemaman Islamic Religious Office.
Also
present were Kemaman Police chief Hanyan Ramlan and the baby’s family members.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Controversial
Far-Right Jewish Lawmaker’s Visit Sparks Clashes In Jerusalem
February
14, 2022
JERUSALEM:
Israeli police clashed with Palestinians in the flashpoint east Jerusalem
neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah on Sunday, during a visit by a controversial
far-right Jewish lawmaker that inflamed tensions.
Police
said they arrested eight people during the day for suspected involvement in
“public riots and violence,” in the area of annexed east Jerusalem that has
emerged as a symbol of Palestinian resistance against Israeli control of the
city.
Scuffles
broke out as Itamar Ben Gvir of the far-right Religious Zionism alliance opened
a parliamentary office in Sheikh Jarrah, in what he described as an effort to
show support for its Jewish residents.
Tensions
that erupted in Sheikh Jarrah last year — as several Palestinian families faced
eviction by settler groups — in part sparked the May war between Israel and
armed groups in the Gaza Strip.
More
than 200,000 Jewish settlers live in east Jerusalem, in communities widely regarded
as illegal under international law.
Efforts
by settler groups to expand the Jewish presence in east Jerusalem, which
Palestinians claim as their future capital, have further fuelled hostilities.
Ben
Gvir, a Jewish nationalist with a long history of incendiary comments about
Palestinians, accused police of failing to react to alleged arson attacks on a
settler home in Sheikh Jarrah.
“Jewish
lives have become worthless,” Ben Gvir charged in a tweet before his visit.
He
told reporters in Sheikh Jarrah, where he set up his “make-shift office” under
a tent, that he would remain there until police “looked after the security of
the (Jewish) residents”.
In
a move that risked sparking fresh hostilities, Ben Gvir urged supporters to
gather in the area. Palestinians were also called on to mobilise, while a
group of Jewish Israelis that oppose Ben Gvir circulated a petition online
urging people to head to Sheikh Jarrah as a show of support for its Arab
residents.
Voicing
concern over Sunday’s “violent clashes,” the European Union in a tweet said
“irresponsible provocations and other escalatory acts in this sensitive area
only fuel further tensions & must cease.” The Palestinian Authority, based
in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, condemned Ben Gvir’s visit as a “provocative
and escalating move that threatens to ignite... violence that will be difficult
to control.” Seven Palestinian facing eviction by settler groups have taken
their cases to Israel’s supreme court.
Hamas,
the Islamists who control Gaza, warned there would be “consequences” over
Israel’s repeated “attacks” on Sheikh Jarrah. Palestinians across east
Jerusalem accuse Israeli police of using heavy-handed tactics to quell
protests.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1674931/controversial-israeli-mps-visit-sparks-clashes-in-jerusalem
--------
Venezuelan
Envoy Calls for Formation of Bloc with Iran against US
2022-February-13
“We
in Latin America have great respect for the Islamic Revolution, the Iranian
people and leadership, who set a great example for us,” Cordones said.
He
also said what the revolutions in Iran, Cuba and Venezuela have in common is
their resistance and opposition to the US imperialism and its hegemonic
policies and doctrines.
“The
Islamic Revolution [in Iran], the Cuban Revolution, and the Venezuelan
Bolivarian Revolution oppose these policies,” Cordones said.
The
envoy drew a comparison between the revolutions in Iran and Venezuela, saying
they were both against imperialism and hegemonic regimes such as the United
States and Israel.
Other
commonalities, he said, include the holding of a referendum in both countries
to consult with the people about the constitution and both nations’
participation in the decision-making process through elections.
The
envoy underlined the need for the formation of a bloc consisting of Iran,
Venezuela, Russia, China, and etc. against the US, which has imposed sanctions
on all of them.
“A
measure that can help us confront the US and its allies is to unite, share
experience and information, socialize, and organize a bloc among the countries
that are sanctioned... In the face of American imperialism, we must unite
financially, economically, socially and culturally, as well as through art,
sports, science and technology,” he said.
“If
such a bloc is set up, Iran, Venezuela, Russia, China, and etc. can support
each other against their common enemy, the White House.”
The
ambassador hailed the character of General Qassem Soleimani, who was
assassinated by the United States in early 2020, saying a visit by Iran’s top
anti-terror commander to Caracas played a key role in reinforcing bilateral
relations.
Cordones
said General Soleimani was “a symbol of love and sacrifice for the homeland,
government and sovereignty of Iran, as well as a great example to be followed”.
He
said the legendary commander’s trip to the Latin American state was of
paramount importance to the Caracas government, and that it contributed to the
further expansion of bilateral ties between the two countries.
General
Soleimani was assassinated along with his Iraqi trenchmate Abu Mahdi
al-Muhandis, the deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Units, in a US drone
strike ordered by ex-president Donald Trump near Baghdad International Airport
on January 3, 2020.
Both
commanders were highly popular because of the key role they played in
eliminating the Daesh terrorist group in the region, particularly in Iraq and
Syria.
Venezuelan
President Nicolas Maduro said late last year that General Soleimani had visited
the country between March and April of 2019.
Additionally,
the ambassador expressed his gratitude to Iran for sending ships carrying fuel,
food and other products to Venezuela at a critical time and playing a key role
in revitalizing the country’s oil industry.
He
also hailed Iran’s opening of Magasis chain stores and pharmacies in Venezuela,
saying his countrymen are very thankful to Iran because the Islamic Republic,
as a friendly and brotherly country, has always supported the liberation of
Venezuela.
Cordones
stressed that Venezuela’s late president Hugo Chavez was the one who
reactivated a friendly relationship with Iran, adding that the current
administration in Caracas is pursuing the same strategy.
The
two countries, he noted, have signed agreements on the supply of medicines and
medical equipment and have now reached a financial strategy to facilitate
transactions.
He
further said that his three-year tenure in Iran, the two states have increased
their bilateral exchanges and inked several deals to boost cooperation in
energy, tourism, food industry, defense, healthcare and security sectors.
Iran
in December delivered the fourth shipment of its gas condensate to Venezuela in
line with concluding a contract with Venezuela for exporting gas condensate and
importing crude oil in return.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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Palestinian
official threatens ‘open conflict’ with Israel
Awad
al-Rajoub
13.02.2022
RAMALLAH,
Palestine
The
head of the Palestinian National Council (PNC), Rawhi Fattouh, has threatened
an “open conflict” with Israel, amid a deadlock in peace talks between Tel Aviv
and the Palestinians.
Speaking
on state television late Saturday, Fattouh said the international community has
until September to respond to Palestinian demands and hold an international
conference for the Middle East peacemaking.
“We
will be absolved of all our commitments if the international community fails to
respond and hold an international peace conference…and the conflict will be
open,” he said.
The
PNC is the legislative body of the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization
(PLO).
On
Wednesday, the Palestinian Central Council (PCC), a smaller assembly emanating
from the PNC, suspended its recognition of Israel until Tel Aviv recognizes a
Palestinian state on the pre-1967 border.
In
a statement after its meetings in the West Bank city of Ramallah, the PCC said
it decided to end its commitment to all agreements with Israel.
Fattouh
said the PCC decisions will be implemented “gradually”, without giving any
further details. He cited that the PLO Executive Committee will hold an
“important” meeting on Thursday.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Israeli
forces kill Palestinian teen in West Bank clashes
February
14, 2022
Israeli
forces have shot dead a 17-year-old Palestinian in West Bank clashes during
what Israel on Monday described as an operation to demolish the home of a
'terrorist' suspected of a recent attack.
The
Palestinian health ministry said Mohammad Abu Salah was killed in the village
of Silat al-Harithiya near the flashpoint town of Jenin in the Israeli-occupied
West Bank.
Israel's
army in a statement said its troops along with border police had entered the
village “to demolish the floor of the residence in which the terrorist Mohammad
Jaradat resided”.
It
claimed Jaradat and others had carried out the recent fatal shooting of a
Jewish settler in the West Bank.
The
army said “violent riots” broke out ahead of the planned demolition, “with the
participation of hundreds of Palestinians”, some of whom allegedly hurled
explosives at Israeli troops.
“The
troops identified a number of armed rioters, and fired towards them in order to
neutralise the threat,” the army statement claimed without commenting directly
on the teen's death.
Israel
regularly destroys the homes of individuals it claims have carried out attacks
on Israelis, in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
The
practice, which often fuels tensions, has been condemned by critics as a form
of collective punishment. Israel insists it deters attacks.
The
army claimed Jaradat was responsible for the death of Yehuda Dimentman, a
25-year-old religious student shot dead in the West Bank in December.
A
married father, Dimentman was studying at a religious school in the Homesh
settlement in the West Bank when he was killed in a shooting that wounded
several others.
Israel
arrested several people over the shooting days after it occurred.
Roughly
475,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank, alongside some 2.9 million
Palestinians, in communities widely regarded as illegal under international
law.
Homesh
is among the settlements that even Israel considers to be unauthorised.
Source:
Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1675045/israeli-forces-kill-palestinian-teen-in-west-bank-clashes
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Nuclear
talks harder as West ‘pretends’ to take initiative: Iran official
14
February ,2022
A
senior Iranian security official said on Monday that progress in talks to
salvage Iran's 2015 nuclear deal was becoming “more difficult” as Western
powers only “pretended” to come up with initiatives.
The
indirect talks in Austria between Iran and the US resumed last week after a
10-day break. Delegates have said the talks have made limited progress since
they resumed in November after a five-month hiatus prompted by the election of
hardline Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
“The
work of Iranian negotiators towards progress is becoming more difficult every
moment ... while Western parties 'pretend' to come up with initiatives to avoid
their commitments,” Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National
Security Council, said on Twitter.
Mikhail
Ulyanov, Russia's envoy to the talks in Vienna, said on Twitter hours earlier:
“Significant progress has been made in the course of negotiations.”
On
Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there was still a long
way to go before the 2015 deal could be revived. Iran's nuclear advances were
curbed in exchange for the loosening of US and other economic sanctions.
The
agreement imposed restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities that extended the
time Tehran would need to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear bomb,
if it chose to, to at least a year from around two to three months. Most
experts say that time is now shorter than when the deal was struck.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Hamas
says Israeli settler violence ‘playing with fire’
Mohammad
Majid
13.02.2022
GAZA
CITY, Palestine
Palestinian
resistance group Hamas on Sunday condemned Israeli settler attacks on
Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem.
In
a statement, group spokesman Mohammad Hamada termed settler violence as
“blatant aggression and playing with fire.”
Several
Palestinians were injured on Saturday night when Israeli settlers attacked
Palestinian homes in Sheikh Jarrah.
Hamas
called on the Palestinians “to rally support to our people in Sheikh Jarrah”
and to confront settler violence.
Palestinians
in Sheikh Jarrah have complained of repeated attacks by Israeli settlers, who
reside next to them in homes taken from Palestinians over past years.
Last
year, tensions ran high in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood after an Israeli
court ordered the eviction of several Palestinian families in favor of Israeli
settlers.
In
1956, 28 families settled in Sheikh Jarrah under an agreement with the
Jordanian government, which ruled the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,
before the Israeli occupation in 1967, and the UN Relief and Works Agency for
Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/hamas-says-israeli-settler-violence-playing-with-fire-/2501550
--------
Africa
Sudan’s
military leader lauds intelligence ties with Israel
February
14, 2022
Sudan’s
military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has praised intelligence
cooperation between the African country and the Israeli regime, which has seen
officials from the two former adversaries exchange meetings in unannounced
trips.
Speaking
in an interview with Sudan’s state-run TV aired on Saturday, Burhan claimed
that it was legitimate for Sudanese security and intelligence agencies to have
ties and exchange visits with Israel.
Burhan
said meetings between Israeli and Sudanese officials had not been high-level
and only involved the security and intelligence apparatuses. “It is no secret
that the information shared enabled us to catch several terrorist organizations
located inside Sudan,” he claimed.
The
head of the ruling Sovereign Council said the intelligence sharing has enabled
Sudan to dismantle and arrest suspected armed groups that “could have
undermined the security of Sudan and the region.”
Such
comments would have been unthinkable until recently in a country where public
hostility toward Israel remains strong.
Sudan
was once one of Israel’s fiercest foes in the Arab world and hosted the Arab
Summit in Khartoum after the Middle East war in 1967. The resolution of the
summit has long been known for the “three NO’s;” no peace with Israel, no
recognition of Israel, and no negotiations with Israel.
Sudan
agreed to normalize ties with the Israeli regime in October 2020 as part of the
US-led so-called Abraham Accords, a month after the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain
signed similar détente deals with Tel Aviv.
Israeli
and Sudanese officials have exchanged unannounced visits in recent weeks. Most
recently, a Sudanese security delegation visited Tel Aviv last week, following
a visit by Israeli officials, including Mossad intelligence officers, to
Khartoum in January.
Source:
ABNA24
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Sudan’s
Burhan dismisses sanctions threats, says Israel visits not political
12
February ,2022
Sudan’s
military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Saturday dismissed Western
threats of sanctions and said meetings between Sudanese and Israeli officials
were part of security cooperation rather than political in nature.
Burhan
led a military coup on October 25 that ended a partnership between the army and
civilian parties which was meant to lead to democratic elections, leading to
months of protests as well as Western condemnation.
US
officials have said they are looking into options to respond to the killing of
at least 79 protesters, according to a toll by medics, and to moves to impede
civilian-led government.
In
his first interview on state television since the coup, Burhan said Washington
was receiving inaccurate information.
“Sanctions
and the threat of them are not useful,” he said.
Burhan
said he took personal responsibility for investigations of protester deaths and
that five or six were ongoing. But he added that there were suspicions of
involvement by “outside groups,” without elaborating.
The
armed forces were committed to handing over power to an elected government or
to an arrangement decided through “national consensus,” he said, repeating a
commitment to holding elections in mid-2023.
The
military had met resistance committees that are leading the protest movement,
and they agreed on many points, he said. In statements, resistance committees
have rejected dialogue with the military.
Prior
to the coup, the military had led steps to reach an agreement in late 2020 to
normalize relations with Israel, a move also made by the United Arab Emirates,
Bahrain and Morocco.
Burhan
said meetings between Israeli and Sudanese officials since the coup had not
been high-level and only involved the security and intelligence apparatus.
“This
is a legitimate matter for these agencies, and it is no secret that the
information shared enabled us to catch several terrorist organizations located
inside Sudan,” he said.
Protesters
have accused the military of bringing back loyalists of ousted President Omar
al-Bashir. This week, two prominent politicians involved in a committee to
dismantle Bashir’s network were arrested.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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UN
adviser tells Libya it must preserve calm, stability
13
February ,2022
The
UN Secretary-General’s special adviser on Libya on Sunday called on both
Libya’s interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah and his
parliament-designated successor Fathi Bashagha to preserve calm and stability.
Dbeibah,
prime minister of the UN-recognized Government of National Unity (GNU), has
said he will hand over power only after an election and has rejected the
parliament’s move last Thursday to appoint former interior minister Bashagha to
head a new government.
Libya
was meant to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in December, but
arguments between factions and bodies of state over how they should take place
meant the process collapsed days before the vote.
UN
adviser Stephanie Williams held separate meetings with Dbeibah and Bashagha.
Williams
said on Twitter she highlighted in her meeting with Bashagha “the need to go
forward in an inclusive, transparent, and consensual manner, and to maintain
stability in Tripoli and throughout the country.”
She
added that the focus must continue to be on the holding of “free, fair and
inclusive national elections in the shortest possible time.”
Dbeibah
emphasized during his meeting with Williams the need to complete the roadmap
approved in Geneva, GNU’s Facebook page said.
All
parties are responsible for creating “the appropriate conditions for holding
national elections and holding a referendum on the constitution during this
year,” Dbeibah said.
For
his part, Bashagha said his meeting with Williams touched on efforts to form
the proposed government “in a transparent and fair manner.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Tunisian
president cements power over judiciary
13
February ,2022
Tunisia’s
president cemented his grip over the judiciary on Sunday with a decree that
lets him dismiss judges or block their promotion, helping consolidate his power
after he seized executive authority last summer in a move his foes call a coup.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
President
Kais Saied outraged his opponents and alarmed democratic foreign allies with
his announcement last week that he was dissolving the Supreme Judicial Council,
a body that guaranteed judicial independence.
Saied,
a former constitutional lawyer and the husband of a judge, has accused the
council of acting for political interests and has set up a temporary
replacement to oversee judges’ work while he prepares broader changes.
The
judiciary was seen as the last remaining institutional block on Saied’s actions
after he suspended the parliament last year and said he could rule by decree.
Saied
has said his actions were temporary and were needed to save Tunisia from a
corrupt, self-serving elite that had allowed its economy and politics to
stagnate for years and brought the state to the brink of collapse.
Some
Supreme Judicial Council members and other judges demonstrated last week and
shut down many courts with a two-day strike in protest at Saied’s moves on the
judiciary.
However,
Saied issued a new decree early on Sunday creating a temporary new council,
with no fixed term, to oversee the judiciary and saying judges had no right to
go on strike.
The
decree also said Saied has the right to object to the promotion or nomination
of any judges and is responsible for proposing judicial reforms, effectively
giving him sole power over the entire justice system.
With
Tunisia facing a rapidly looming crisis in public finances, the Western donors
that have previously bailed it out have voiced deep concern at Saied’s moves
and have said any political process needs to be inclusive.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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False
information spread via social media endangers Somalia's political stability
Mohammed
Dhaysane
13.02.2022
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
The
unfiltered flood of information through social media networks has confused
Somali people, who are struggling to differentiate between disinformation,
misinformation, and true information, particularly in relation to politics, as
the Horn of Africa country is in the middle of parliamentary elections.
Somalia,
which is struggling with drought, terrorism, and economic issues, is going to
complete the clan-based electoral process called the “4.5 system” on Feb. 25.
So far, 120 members of the 275-seat lower house have been elected, with the
remaining 155 members to be elected before the deadline.
However,
as the election process nears its completion, misleading or propaganda material
about rival candidates is spreading more, potentially jeopardizing the
country's political stability.
False
information is a worldwide problem, and certain individuals and groups are
actively involved in spreading various forms of hatred for personal gain.
Somalia
is in a similar situation, with people having easy access to the internet, as
well as technological advancements and the wide availability of smartphones.
And, because there is no mechanism in place to regulate or properly handle
social media content, some people are spreading false information for political
advantage.
Both
the government and the opposition have accused each other of operating a social
media disinformation campaign in the country.
False
information and propaganda are serious issues that can influence government
decision-making and undermine the economy, according to Abdirashid Mohamed
Hashi, the communications director of the Somali Presidency.
The
African Union (AU) annual summit in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, earlier
this month, which was also attended by Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi
Mohamed, discussed the issue and how to establish a continental media
development center, as well as the ways to combat "fake news" and
misinformation, according to Hashi.
"These
challenges pose a threat to the country's development and have the potential to
contribute to political instability and insecurity," he warned.
"Misinformation
reached a critical juncture during COVID-19 and the country's parliamentary
elections, affecting electoral commissions, and there is widespread
misinformation during election results, which is very dangerous and so
dangerous even before the country's most important presidential election,"
he added.
He
stated that Somalia is a fragile country recovering from civil war and
lawlessness, but that it has taken a "milestone step and progress toward
forwarding" and that it "cannot handle the problem of fake news at
this scale."
Help
sought to counter issue
To
tackle the issues, Hashi said, the government is seeking help from friendly
countries such as Turkiye. "We're working on these issues with countries
that are very close to us, like Turkiye, our brotherly country," he added.
He
stated that the government is striving to manage, combat and establish
guidelines to govern social media.
In
a tweet to his Somali counterpart earlier this month, Turkish Communications
Director Fahrettin Altun stated: "May our brotherhood prosper for working
even harder to combat disinformation, fake news, and any sort of manipulation
targeting our nations." Let's keep conveying truth forever, he added.
Character
assassination
Yusuf
Hassan Mursal, a senior opposition leader in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, told
Anadolu Agency that disinformation has increased significantly in the country
during the last five years
He
alleged that the country's top elites are contributing to the problem by
misleading the people and utilizing false news to carry out personal attacks.
"I
believe that the spread of misinformation on social media is part of a
malicious and damaging campaign against the country's politicians. It's
impossible to accept character assassination through social media," he
remarked.
He
pointed out that attacking opposition candidates, politicians, or elected
members on social media is damaging, but expressing one's viewpoint is normal
without weaponizing it or misleading the public.
"We,
the opposition, regard false news and misinformation as a threat to Somalia's
fledgling democracy," he said.
He
noted that politicians in the presidential candidates' council, including some
heavyweights such as Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, two former
heads of state, are among numerous politicians who have been politically attacked
by false information.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Supporting
force of Libyan army condemns election of Fathi Bashagha
Said
Ibicioglu
13.02.2022
TRABLUS,
Libya
Leaders
and revolutionaries of the force supporting the Libyan army condemned on
Saturday the election of Fathi Bashagha as head of the new government.
In
a statement read in Martyrs Square in the capital, Tripoli, they said the
supporting force denounces "the state of absurdity that contradicts the
outcomes of the political dialogue forum and wants the country to enter new
transitional stages."
Decisions
were taken in the House of Representatives in its last meeting in Tobruk were
not "in accordance with fair and transparent procedures," they said.
They
voiced "strong support for parliamentary elections, the referendum on the
constitution, and presidential elections as soon as possible," according
to the statement.
The
parliament in eastern Libya named Bashagha the country’s new prime minister on
Thursday.
Incumbent
Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, however, rejected the move, vowing to
remain in his post until national elections are held.
The
UN said it still recognizes Dbeibeh after the House's vote.
Libya’s
polls were scheduled on Dec. 24 but were postponed because of disagreements
among political rivals. No new date for the vote has been agreed to as of yet.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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