New
Age Islam News Bureau
01
March 2021
Mushariff
Khan with her mother Zeenat Khan. (Photo | Special Arrangement)
--------------
• Qaeda
offshoot accuses Pakistan of ‘backstabbing Kashmiris’ with ceasefire pact
• Al-Qaida
linked Turkish group expanding its network in Nepal: Report
• After
apex court ruling on Selangor religious enactment, PAS says will strive to
‘harmonise’ civil and shariah law
• US
forces transfer new batch of Daesh terrorists to Syria’s Dayr al-Zawr: SANA
• Iran
says time not ‘suitable’ for nuclear deal meeting with EU, US
• German
NGO Sea Watch rescues 147 migrants off Libyan coast
• Biden's
Syria strike unmasks US' two-faced policy, promises no fundamental change
• Over
400 EU lawmakers urge leaders to stop Israeli annexation
India
• Beyond
religion: Muslim schoolgirl from Chhindwara learns Bhagavad Gita
• Much
to Pakistan's dismay and India's delight, Saudi Arabia maintains neutrality
over Kashmir issue
• JeM
terror associate arrested by security forces in J-K's Pulwama
• Eatery
owner’s son dies after being shot by terrorists in J&K
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Pakistan
• Qaeda
offshoot accuses Pakistan of ‘backstabbing Kashmiris’ with ceasefire pact
• Operation
Raddul Fasaad a testimony to Pak struggle against terrorism: PUC
• Some
international forces trying to destabilise Pakistan, says FM
• Jamiat
Ulema-e-Islam Fazl cleric, two others killed in attack in Pakistan
• PM
to oversee PTI Senate election campaign himself
• PPP
repairs cracks with JUI-F; joint candidates agreed upon
• Strike
observed in Balochistan over ANP leader’s killing
• JI
rally demands fresh census in Karachi, abolition of quota system
--------
South
Asia
• Al-Qaida
linked Turkish group expanding its network in Nepal: Report
• Is
Bangladesh moving to normalize relations with Israel?
• US-Taliban
talks: India concerned as Pak wishes Taliban to lead Afghanistan govt
• India
versus Bangladesh over new Rohingya crisis ahead of PM Modi's Dhaka tour
• Taliban
calls for departure of all troops 1 year after Doha deal
• Afghan
forces inflict heavy casualties on Al-Qaeda in Kapisa
• Taliban
keeps ties with ‘international terrorism’, Peace hopes shattered
• Khalilzad
embarks on another trip to Afghanistan and regional countries
• Taliban’s
deputy head of military commission killed: MoD
• US
wasted billions on cars, buildings in Afghanistan: Report
--------
Southeast
Asia
• After
apex court ruling on Selangor religious enactment, PAS says will strive to
‘harmonise’ civil and shariah law
• Citizens
must be allowed to test laws deemed unlawful, says lawyer
• Indonesia
finds weapons on impounded Iranian tanker
--------
Arab
World
• US
forces transfer new batch of Daesh terrorists to Syria’s Dayr al-Zawr: SANA
• Khashoggi's
fiancée says Saudi crown prince should be punished 'without delay'
• Iraqi
warplanes, Hashd al-Sha'abi fighters take on Daesh remnants in Diyala
• Fire
kills 3 children in Syrian camp housing ISIS families
• Israel
to provide COVID-19 vaccines to peacekeepers in Egypt’s Sinai, official says
• UNICEF
calls for children in Syria camps to be allowed home
• Syria
intercepts Israeli missiles over Damascus: State media
• Oman
supports Saudi Arabia’s response on Khashoggi report
• In
Iraq, Pope Francis to visit Mosul churches desecrated by ISIS
• Iraq’s
PMU says US raid hit Iraqi-Syrian border, warns of ‘dangerous incident'
--------
Mideast
• Iran
says time not ‘suitable’ for nuclear deal meeting with EU, US
• Iran
Strongly Rejects Netanyahu’s Allegations
• Turkey
summons Iran envoy to Ankara in ongoing row over involvement in Iraq
• Iran
Stresses Cessation of Hostilities, Respect for Territorial Integrity in
Karabakh Region
• Tehran,
Baghdad Discuss Transfer of Iran's Frozen Assets
• Attacks
on Saudi targets to continue until aggression stops: Yemen’s Ansarullah
• Israeli
forces severally beat up, detain Palestinian teenager over alleged stabbing
attack
• Israel’s
Gantz held secret meeting with Jordanian monarch: Report
--------
Africa
• German
NGO Sea Watch rescues 147 migrants off Libyan coast
• 59
Algerian pro-democracy activists released from jail: Justice ministry
• Libya
speaker Aguila Saleh flags March 8 for government confidence vote
• 9
al-Shabaab terrorists dead in SW Somalia
--------
North
America
• Biden's
Syria strike unmasks US' two-faced policy, promises no fundamental change
• US
says ready to reengage in ‘meaningful diplomacy’ with Iran
• US
disappointed by Iran's latest move on nuclear deal, remains ready to re-engage:
WH
• Diplomat
says US report on Khashoggi murder is ‘manipulation’ for ‘political gain’
• US
condemns Yemen’s Houthis ‘egregious’ attack on Saudi Arabia
• Three
names mysteriously rubbed from US report on Khashoggi murder
• US
has never been asked to be in Syria, says analyst
--------
Europe
• Over
400 EU lawmakers urge leaders to stop Israeli annexation
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/muslim-schoolgirl-chhindwara-madhya-pradesh/d/124426
--------
Muslim
schoolgirl from Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, learns Bhagavad Gita: Religion is
no barrier in attainment of spiritual knowledge
01st
March 2021
Mushariff
Khan with her mother Zeenat Khan. (Photo | Special Arrangement)
--------------
BHOPAL:
Religion is no barrier in attainment of spiritual knowledge. Mushariff Khan
from Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district is a perfect example of this. The
Class VIII student can recite shlokas from the Bhagavad Gita with élan, much to
the delight of her parents and teachers.
Mushariff
started learning the holy Hindu scripture as part of memory retention training,
and now she and her parents are proud that she has imbibed the best tenets of
another religion.
The
talented girl has learnt by heart 500 out of the total 701 shlokas in the
Bhagavad Gita, using the memory retention technique taught by her Abacus and
Vedic Mathematics teacher Rohini Menon.
“Mushariff
is one of my best students. I gave her three options to showcase her memory
retention technique: memorising the entire dictionary, the entire Constitution
of India or the Bhagavad Gita. To the surprise of us all, she opted for
learning the Bhagavad Gita. She started learning when she was in Class VI and
has so far memorised 500 Sanskrit sholkas,” Menon told this newspaper.
Menon
said many of her other students, too, have tried to learn the shlokas from the
Bhagavad Gita, but only Mushariff has succeeded in memorising 500 shlokas till
now and is determined to learn and understand the remaining ones, too.
Mushariff,
whose father is a Mathematics teacher and mother a housewife, had joined the
short course of Memory Retention under Menon two years back.
“After
doing the short course, I wanted to do something unique and different. I chose
to memorise the Bhagavad Gita because my mother has always taught me that ‘out
of your house, you are a just a human being and not an individual following a
particular religion’. My parents permitted me to learn the Bhagavad Gita as
they wanted me to gain knowledge of every religion,” said Musharraf.
Proud
of Mushariff’s achievement, her mother Zeenat Khan said, “Yes, we are Muslims.
But we want to bring up our daughter in a manner that she grows up to be a
noble human being ingrained with the best tenets of every religion.”
https://www.newindianexpress.com/good-news/2021/mar/01/beyond-religion-muslim-schoolgirl-from-chhindwara-learns-bhagavad-gita-2270384.html
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Qaeda
offshoot accuses Pakistan of ‘backstabbing Kashmiris’ with ceasefire pact
Feb
28, 2021
SRINAGAR:
The Islamic Emirate of Kashmir Mujahideen Ghazwat-ul-Hind, a jihadi offshoot of
the Al Qaeda cell in Kashmir Valley, has expressed its anguish over the revival
of ceasefire truce between India and Pakistan agreed on by the two sides last
Thursday.
Khalid,
a commander of the Islamist terrorist organization, in a statement, castigated
Pakistan and said it is akin to “backstabbing the cause of Kashmir’s
independence”.
“Whether
we like it or not, both Pakistan and India have mutually degraded the
resistance movement in Kashmir. Pakistan has for long been trying to settle for
status quo, hence backstabbing the cause of Kashmir’s independence,” his
statement reads.
Ghazwat-ul-Hind
was formerly led by Zakir Rashid Bhat, also known as Zakir Musa, who was later
killed in an encounter in south Kashmir in October 2019.
Khalid’s
statement said, “We strongly condemn the recent meetings between the Indian and
Pakistani armies and castigate their resolve on ceasefire and unholy
agreements.”
The
group reaffirmed its “resolve of jihad in Kashmir valley” and asserted that “no
LoC, no agreements, no ceasefire will stop us from waging a war against
occupying Indian army in Kashmir” in the statement.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/qaeda-offshoot-accuses-pakistan-of-backstabbing-kashmiris-with-ceasefire-pact/articleshow/81261762.cms
--------
Al-Qaida
linked Turkish group expanding its network in Nepal: Report
Feb
28, 2021
STOCKHOLM(SWEDEN): An al-Qaida linked-charity group from Turkey has been working with Islamai Sangh Nepal (ISN), which is under the scanner of Indian intelligence agencies for allegedly providing sanctuary to terrorists, to expand its logistical hub for jihadist networks, according to an investigation by Nordic Monitor.
The
Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief or IHH has
been running multiple projects in Nepal, especially in areas close to the
Indian border, to broaden the support base among the country's minority Muslim
community and expand logistical operations in support of global jihadist
networks.
The
main facilitator for the IHH gaining a foothold in the Himalayan country was
the ISN, which has received funding directly from Turkey to finance various
projects.
The
IHH has been named in the UN Security Council documents and was investigated
for running a line of support to armed terrorist groups in Syria.
The
IHH is known as a tool of the Turkish intelligence agency MIT and has been
supported by the government of Islamist President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which
granted the organization special privileges for raising funds.
The
activities of the IHH focus on several provinces of Nepal, especially in
Province No. 1, Province No. 2 and Lumbini province. It has established
mosques, madrasas, orphanages and Islamic centers in several cities including
the capital city Kathmandu. It seems the IHH has taken a special interest in
places like Sunsari that are close to the Indian border.
The
Islami Sangh Nepal (ISN), a Kathmandu-based organisation, came under the
scanner of Indian intelligence agencies for allegedly providing sanctuary to
fugitive Indian terrorists in 2018.
The
ISN's connection to Turkey's radical Islamists is not only limited to the IHH.
It was also listed as a member of an organization called the Union of NGOs of
the Islamic World (Islam Dunyasi Sivil Toplum Kuruluslari Birligi, or IDSB), a
front outfit for Turkish paramilitary group SADAT.
Turkish
government's development agency TIKA is also one of the sponsors of ISN
activities in Nepal.
Ali
Fuat Yilmazer, former head of the Turkish police intelligence section that
specializes in radical religious groups, testified in court on August 16, 2016
that "the IHH campaigns are designed to provide aid for jihadists engaged
in terrorism around the world and supply medical aid, funding, logistics and
human resources for jihadists."
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/al-qaida-linked-turkish-group-expanding-its-network-in-nepal-report/articleshow/81256463.cms
--------
After
apex court ruling on Selangor religious enactment, PAS says will strive to
‘harmonise’ civil and shariah law
28
Feb 2021
BY
SYED JAYMAL ZAHIID
----------
KUALA
LUMPUR, Feb 28 — PAS will continue to uphold shariah law and maintain its
effort to “harmonise” Islam with civil jurisprudence, de facto law minister
Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said in a statement last night amid growing
conservative dissent against a recent Federal Court ruling that voided a
Selangor religious law on unnatural sex unconstitutional.
Takiyuddin,
who is PAS secretary-general, made no direct comment about the ruling itself
but suggested any challenge against state religious laws would be unwarranted
as it threatens “unity” and “social harmony”.
“Seeing
that Malaysia is among the many countries with a Muslim-majority population,
PAS will continue its effort to harmonise shariah with civil law that is built
upon common law,” he said.
“PAS
is convinced, based on the recognition of shariah law even by the country’s
British courts in the pre-independence era, the principles of such a law will
be able to create a new face and dynamic to the national legal system,” he
added.
The
Federal Court’s nine-judge panel unanimously declared on February 25 that a
Selangor state law’s provision that made unnatural sex a shariah offence was
invalid and against the Federal Constitution, as such offences fall under
Parliament’s powers to make laws and not under state legislatures’ law-making
powers.
The
state enactment had made it a shariah offence for “any person” performing
“sexual intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal”,
with the punishment being a maximum fine of RM5,000 or a maximum three-year
jail term or a maximum whipping of six strokes or any combination.
The
court had granted a declaration sought by a 35-year-old man that enactment is
invalid on grounds that it made provision with respect to a matter that the
Selangor state legislature was not empowered to make laws and was therefore
null and void. Pro LGBT groups had hailed it as a landmark verdict.
Takiyuddin
suggested that the court could have been pressured to make such a ruling.
“PAS
is worried that decisions by the judiciary made out of inappropriate pressure
will yield no benefit for the country nor its people,” he said.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/02/28/after-apex-court-ruling-on-selangor-religious-enactment-pas-says-will-striv/1953514
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US
forces transfer new batch of Daesh terrorists to Syria’s Dayr al-Zawr: SANA
28
February 2021
A
file photo of a US helicopter in Syria
------
The
US military has airlifted members of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group from
Syria's northeastern province of Hasakah to bases illegally occupied by its
forces in Dayr al-Zawr province, say local reports.
Syria's
official news agency SANA, citing local sources, said on Sunday that US
helicopters conducted the operation in al-Shadadi, a suburban of Hasakah, taking at least ten Daesh terrorists
towards al-Badia in Dayr al-Zawr province.
The
US forces have until recently been airlifting Daesh terrorists from one place
in Syria to another, under the cover of darkness, in order to save them in the
face of advancement and territorial gains by Syrian government forces.
The
US military forces have also transferred to safe sanctuaries hundreds of Daesh
terrorists and their relatives from Syrian territories to neighboring Iraq in a
number of batches.
There
have been many reports showing Washington's direct or indirect support through
its regional allies for the terrorist group in the past years.
Numerous
accounts have emerged alleging airlifts, weapon airdrops and aerial support for
the Takfiri outfit, especially as its strength diminished in Syria and Iraq.
Moreover,
hundreds of Daesh terrorists escaped from Syrian jails, as Kurdish prison
guards were focused on fighting back the Turkish military that has been engaged
in an operation against Kurds in northeastern Syria.
The
Turkish incursion officially started in October 2019 after former US President
Donald Trump gave his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan the green light
to proceed with his long-planned move against the Kurdish fighters.
Kurdish
officials at the time said that nearly 800 Daesh prisoners had managed to
escape from a prisoner camp after the Turkish offensive.
Daesh
has already been driven out of all its urban bastions both in Iraq and Syria,
but its remnants carry out sporadic terror attacks in both Arab countries.
The
US and its allies have also been conducting airstrikes against what they claim
are Daesh targets inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization
from the Damascus government or a UN mandate.
US
military convoy enters Syria's oil-rich Hasakah from Iraq
Syrian
media said that a new convoy of US trucks carrying military and logistical
equipment have crossed through the al-Walid border crossing point between Iraq
and Syria and been deployed in bases in north and northeast Syria.
The
convoy of at least 23 vehicles, including trucks and oil tankers, headed
towards their bases in Syria’s Hasakah Province.
Since
late October 2019, the United States has been redeploying troops to the oil
fields controlled by Kurdish forces in eastern Syria.
The
Pentagon alleges that the move aims to “protect” the fields and facilities from
possible attacks by Daesh, ignoring the fact that Trump had suggested that
Washington sought economic interests in controlling the oil fields.
The
Lebanon-based and Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network reported
earlier this month that the so-called US-led military coalition was reportedly
building a new base in Syria.
The
military site was being built in the town of Ayn Dewar, which lies just north
of the small Syrian city of al-Malikiyah.
Ayn
Dewar is located in the most northeastern point of Syria, and sits on the
border with Iraq and Turkey.
Syria,
which has not authorized the presence of the US military in its territory, says
Washington is “plundering” the country’s oil.
The
presence of US forces in eastern Syria has particularly irked the civilians,
and local residents have on several occasions stopped American military convoys
entering the region.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/02/28/646262/US-Syria-Iraq-Daesh-Dayr-al-Zawr--Hasakah-Kurds-Trump
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Iran
says time not ‘suitable’ for nuclear deal meeting with EU, US
28
February ,2021
Tuqa
Khalid
Iran
said on Sunday it does not consider the time to be "suitable" for an
informal meeting on reviving the abandoned 2015 nuclear deal, proposed by
European powers and involving the US.
"Considering
the recent positions and actions of the United States and the three European
countries, [Iran] does not consider the time suitable to hold the informal
meeting proposed by the European coordinator [of the deal],” state news agency
IRNA cited Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh as saying.
US
President Joe Biden’s administration has signaled to Iran its willingness to
return to talks to revive the nuclear deal Former President Donald Trump
abandoned in 2018.
Biden
reversed Trump’s determination that all UN sanctions against Iran had been
restored. And the State Department eased stringent restrictions on the domestic
travel of Iranian diplomats in New York.
Yet,
Tehran demanded that all Trump-era sanctions on Iran be lifted before taking
any real action to return to the deal.
"There
has still been no change in US positions and behaviour yet," Khatibzadeh
added, saying the Biden administration has continued "Trump's failed
policy of maximum pressure".
The
Iranian regime is trying to get more concessions from Washington before taking
any real action, especially in light of growing pressure at home due to
economic hardship worsened by the US sanctions.
Iranian
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last week Iran might enrich uranium
up to 60 percent purity if needed, while repeating a denial of any Iranian
intent to seek nuclear weapons, for which 90 percent enrichment would be
required.
The
UN's atomic watchdog IAEA reported last week that Iran's stockpile of enriched
uranium was more than 14 times over the limit set down in its 2015 nuclear deal.
Iran
also restricted site inspections by the IAEA after a US refusal to lift
existing sanctions, a step Britain, France and Germany condemned as
“dangerous.”
Biden's
administration said it had no plans to take additional steps on Iran before
diplomatic conversation, all the while facing mounting pressure from Republican
lawmakers to not "give up leverage" and "appease" Tehran by
lifting sanctions.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/02/28/Iran-nuclear-deal-Iran-says-time-not-suitable-for-nuclear-deal-meeting-with-EU-US
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German
NGO Sea Watch rescues 147 migrants off Libyan coast
27
February ,2021
German
charity Sea-Watch said Saturday it had saved nearly 150 migrants off the Libyan
coast in two operations.
Its
Sea-Watch 3 rescue ship picked up 102 migrants on Saturday morning from a
rubber dinghy in trouble, the organization said on Twitter.
The
previous day the vessel had rescued 45 migrants, including 15 minors.
The
Sea Watch 3 has rescued over 3,000 migrants in distress in the Mediterranean
Sea since 2017, the NGO said.
The
central Mediterranean migration route is known as one of the world’s deadliest.
UN
agencies say about 160 migrants and refugees have died so far this year trying
to reach Europe from North Africa.
Despite
unabated violence in Libya since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011,
the country remains an important transit point for migrants fleeing instability
in other parts of Africa and the Middle East and seeking to reach Europe.
International
agencies frequently denounce the return to Libya of migrants intercepted at sea
due to the chaotic situation in the country and poor conditions in detention
centers.
More
than 1,200 migrants and asylum-seekers died while crossing the Mediterranean in
2020, according to the International Organization for Migration.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/north-africa/2021/02/27/German-NGO-Sea-Watch-rescues-147-migrants-off-Libyan-coast
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Biden's
Syria strike unmasks US' two-faced policy, promises no fundamental change
27
February 2021
Syria
is a sovereign country, said at least one current member of Joe Biden's
administration when former US President Donald Trump authorized attacks against
Syria in 2017, a country that has neither attacked the United States’ territory
nor its regional positions.
The
remarks, made in a tweet on April 7, 2017, were those of Jen Psaki, who
currently serves as the White House press secretary.
“Also
what is the legal authority for strikes?” Psaki asked in that tweet, which came
after the US launched a barrage of 59 Tomahawk missiles against Syria for a
suspected chemical attack on the town of Khan Shaykhun in Syria’s Idlib
Province, which Washington blamed on Damascus.
Also
what is the legal authority for strikes? Assad is a brutal dictator. But Syria
is a sovereign country.
—
Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) April 7, 2017
The
tweet resurfaced right after the US – this time under President Biden –
attacked facilities belonging to anti-terror resistance fighters at a border
point in Syria’s eastern Day al-Zawr Province on Thursday. The attack killed
one and wounded four others.
Thousands
of Twitter users replied to Psaki’s old tweet, so as to point out the hypocrisy
of the new White House dwellers. It was as if they were expecting to see when –
not if – the Biden administration begins to conduct new illegal strikes against
Syria.
Progressive
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee,
brought up the tweet in response to the strike. “Great question,” Omar wrote.
Great
question. https://t.co/79K8uyzwGi
—
Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) February 26, 2021
Republican
Senator Rand Paul also responded. He condemned meddling in Syria and “attacking
a sovereign nation.” Paul also questioned what authority the US president has
to strike Syria, saying, “Perhaps someone should ask his @PressSec today?”
I
condemn meddling in Syria’s civil war. I also condemn attacking a sovereign
nation without authority.
What
authority does @POTUS have to strike Syria?
Perhaps
someone should ask his @PressSec today? https://t.co/nLxbZNLx4J
—
Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) February 26, 2021
With
the Thursday attack, Biden officially became the third consecutive US president
that waged war against Syria, a country that has been gripped by foreign-backed
militancy since 2011. Trump, who was attacked by the Democrats for his reckless
adventures in Syria and Afghanistan, waited three months to launch his illegal
strikes on Syria, compared to Biden who did the same just after a month into
his presidency.
In
another tweet on the same day Trump attacked Syria, Psaki asked, “The big
question now is what is next--is this a long term military commitment? Is there
a diplomatic plan to follow? What is our objective?”
The
big question now is what is next--is this a long term military commitment? Is
there a diplomatic plan to follow? What is our objective?
—
Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) April 7, 2017
She
was also quick to write an opinion piece for CNN later that day to question
Trump’s action, pointing out again that “Syria is a sovereign country” with
powerful friends, including Russia and Iran.
In
that article, she rightly argued that “we know from all too recent history that
military engagement can be a slippery slope,” asserting that the attack risked
retaliation from the Syrian military, or even Russia or Iran.
Interestingly,
all the issues she raised at the time, including the illegality of the attack,
remain legitimate questions to pose at the Biden administration. Syria
continues to be a sovereign state – whether the White House is occupied by
Obama, Trump or Biden – and the United States’ attacks against the Arab country
remain illegal and reckless under each and every US administration.
Meanwhile,
Psaki was not the only Biden administration official who received a strong
backlash for earlier remarks about Trump’s military actions in Syria. Vice
President Kamala Harris, who voiced deep concerns about the “legal rationale”
of Trump’s April 14, 2018 strikes
against Syria, faced the same criticisms.
I
strongly support our men and women in uniform and believe we must hold Assad
accountable for his unconscionable use of chemical weapons. But I am deeply
concerned about the legal rationale of last night’s strikes.
—
Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) April 14, 2018
Biden
himself was a staunch critic of Trump’s military actions in Syria. In a tweet
on October 16, 2019, he pointed to Trump's actions in Syria as “erratic” and
“impulsive” decisions that “endanger our troops and make us all less safe.”
This
afternoon, I'll be discussing Donald Trump's recent actions in Syria and how
his erratic, impulsive decisions endanger our troops and make us all less safe.
Tune in at 5PM ET to watch live: https://t.co/6hXwCuCLsr
—
Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 16, 2019
Background:
The
two neighboring countries of Iraq and Syria are illegally occupied by US
forces.
The
US invaded Iraq in 2003 to oust former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, but it
has continued to keep its forces in Iraq in spite of growing anti-American
sentiments in the Arab country.
Since
the Syrian conflict began in 2011, the US has conducted several rounds of
strikes against the positions of Syria’s legitimate government. The US has sent
its troops to Syria as well.
Several
terrorist groups such as the infamous Daesh (ISIS) have emerged in Iraq and
Syria since the US occupation of the two states.
In
reaction to the development, Iran, Iraq, Syria and regional resistance forces
joined hands with the aim of ridding the two countries of the terrorists. As a
result of their efforts, resistance forces were unified into groups such as
Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as Hashd al-Sha’abi.
Now,
while illegally occupying Iraq and Syria, the United States illegally attacked
the PMU’s facilities near Syria’s border with Iraq on Thursday, after a suspected
attack that killed a US military contractor in Iraq, for which Washington put
the blame on the PMU.
Under
Trump, the US conducted a high-profile drone strike that killed Abu Mahdi
al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of the PMU. The attack, directly ordered by
Trump, was conducted on January 3, 2020, near the Iraqi capital of Baghdad,
with its main target being Iran’s top anti-terror general Qassem Soleimani, who
was on an official visit to the neighboring country.
The
assassination was strongly criticized by Democrats, including Biden, who said
at the time that it “almost certainly will have the opposite effect” of the
Trump administration’s declared goal of deterring “future attacks by Iran.”
Yet, Biden himself launched the Thursday attack on the PMU with the same
anti-Iran rhetoric.
Two
days after the assassination of General Soleimani and his companions, the Iraqi
parliament, which recognizes the PMU as an official force with similar rights
as those of the regular army, passed a bill, demanding the withdrawal of all
foreign military forces led by the US from the country, a move that further
shed light on the illegality of the US presence in the region.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/02/27/646205/Syria-is-a-sovereign-country-Biden-team-used-to-say
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Over
400 EU lawmakers urge leaders to stop Israeli annexation
01
March 2021
More
than 400 European lawmakers have urged leaders to stop Israel's "de-facto
annexation" of the occupied West Bank.
The
parliamentarians said in a letter addressed to European foreign ministers and
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell that the administration of former US
President Donald Trump had left the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “farther away
from peace than ever”.
"The
Biden administration presents a chance to correct course," the
politicians, including members of national legislatures and senates, as well as
members of the European parliament said in the letter, cited by Agence
France-Presse.
Trump
adopted a pro-Israel policy during his presidency.
He
sparked controversy by officially recognizing Jerusalem al-Quds as the Israeli
"capital" in December 2017, before moving the US Embassy there from
Tel Aviv in May 2018.
Israel
lays claim to the entire Jerusalem al-Quds, but the international community
views the city’s eastern sector as occupied territory and Palestinians consider
it the capital of their future state.
United
Nations Security Council Resolution 478, adopted on August 20, 1980, prohibits
countries from establishing diplomatic missions in Jerusalem al-Quds.
Palestinians,
who seek an independent state in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, with East
Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital, have condemned the US pro-Israel agenda.
Emboldened
by the anti-Palestine policies of Trump, Israel stepped up its settlement expansion
in defiance of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, which
pronounces settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds “a flagrant
violation under international law.”
Israeli
prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year allegedly agreed to pause West Bank
annexation plans in exchange for normalization with the United Arab Emirates.
"However,
developments on the ground clearly point to a reality of rapidly progressing de
facto annexation, especially through accelerated settlement expansion and
demolitions of Palestinian structures," the letter said.
"Europe
must work with the Biden administration, countries in the region and the
parties on the ground to prevent unilateral action undermining the possibility
of peace, advance the rights and security of all people under Israel’s
effective control," it added.
More
than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli
occupation of Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem
al-Quds.
All
Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. The UN Security
Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied
territories in several resolutions.
The
former leader of Britain's Labor party, Jeremy Corbyn, and France's Jean-Luc
Melenchon were among the signatories of the letter.
Biden,
who indicated his administration will restore US opposition against settlement
expansion in the West Bank, does not intend to order the return of the US
embassy to Tel Aviv.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/03/01/646311/European-lawmakers-stop-Israel-de-facto-annexation
--------
India
Much
to Pakistan's dismay and India's delight, Saudi Arabia maintains neutrality
over Kashmir issue
Feb
28, 2021
NEW
DELHI: Much to Pakistan's dismay and India's delight, Saudi Arabia maintained
neutrality over the Kashmir issue, even when Islamabad is making all efforts to
mend its relations with the Gulf country and is wooing it to change its stance.
Since
Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, his government has had good
relations with Saudi Arabia. After the Indian Prime Minister's visit to Riyadh
in October 2019, Saudi Arabia has maintained neutrality over Kashmir and backed
India on cross-border terrorism, said Abhinav Pandya, a strategic analyst and
the CEO of Usanas Foundation, an India based think tank, told The Epoch Times.
The
Saudis have had ambiguous stands on Kashmir on various global diplomatic
forums--many times they supported Pakistan's stance before they recently took
to neutrality in India's favour.
"Three
events of 1979 had a direct impact on Kashmir [seizure of the Grand Mosque in
Mecca, the Islamic Revolution of Iran, and the Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan]," said Pandya.
"After
1979, the Saudis sponsored Wahhabism across the globe." Muslim majority
Kashmir became a "natural choice for Wahhabi proselytization" because
of the deep penetration of Pakistan, which had historically close relations
with the Saudis, added Pandya.
The
rift between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia started when Riyadh didn't heed
Pakistan's demand to call a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation
(OIC, which Saudi Arabia leads) to discuss the revocation of Jammu and
Kashmir's original political status by the Modi government.
"Pakistan
Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi asked Saudis to show
"leadership" and threatened that if Saudi doesn't call a meeting of
the foreign ministers of the OIC over Kashmir, Pakistan will be forced to go to
Iran, Malaysia, and Turkey for support," said Madiha Afzal, in an analysis
for the Brookings Institute.
Meanwhile,
the Saudis also denied permission to the Pakistan embassy in Riyadh and the
consulate in Jeddah to organise Kashmir black day programs on October 27 last
year.
The
ruler of Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India on October 27, 1947, and Pakistan
observes that date as the Kashmir Black Day every year.
In
recent years, India's relationships with the Arab countries have significantly
improved, particularly with Saudi Arabia because India is an emerging economy
and a key global market.
"Riyadh,
like many countries, sees India as an important player, as a key market and a
country that it doesn't want to antagonize. Obviously, if you refrain from
supporting the Kashmir cause publicly that certainly will help your cause with India,"
said Michael Kugelman, the Deputy Director of the Asia Program at the Wilson
Center in Washington, DC.
There
are multiple geopolitical reasons vis-a-vis Pakistan that have influenced the
Saudi stance over Kashmir.
Afzal
said that Saudis didn't take kindly to Pakistan's "overt pressure"
last year and immediately recalled a USD 1 billion loan it gave to Pakistan in
2018 as part of a USD 3 billion loan.
Hamid
Bahrami, author and an independent Middle East analyst based in Glasgow, told
The Epoch Times over a chat platform that new and asymmetric blocks are
emerging in the geopolitical arena, and the Saudis have lost some interest in
its relationship with Pakistan, which is impacting the Saudi stance over
Kashmir as well.
"Since
Pakistan has disappointed Saudi regarding the war in Yemen, and Pakistan took
neutrality between Saudi and Iran, MBS (Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman) has
been convinced that the current Pakistani approach is not favouring him,"
said Bahrami.
"Moreover,
Pakistan political establishment has a positive view of MBS' political rival
inside the Saudi royal family."
Bahrami
said the close relations of Saudis with the United States and Pakistan's close
ties with US rival China also add to the dynamics of foreign policies in
Kashmir.
"The
main threat is China, and unfortunately, Pakistan is paving Beijing's way to
access the Middle East through the port of Gwadar. This is a serious threat to
the Saudi-US camp. I consider Iran-Pakistan-Turkey-China-Russia as an
asymmetric camp with different interests but the same rivals," said
Bahrami. The United States and Saudis are moving closer to India than to
Pakistan to control China and the emerging asymmetric camp, he said.
"If
we want to get deeper, MBS' view about geopolitics and protecting Saudi
interests is not based on a religious agenda of supporting Wahhabism. MBS'
seeks economic development under 'Vision 2030' and Pakistan does not have
enough capacity for a profitable bilateral relation with Saudi," said
Bahrami.
Moreover,
the Chinese equation with Pakistan has complicated the situation, and MBS,
according to Bahrami, is sending a warning to Pakistan.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/much-to-pakistans-dismay-and-indias-delight-saudi-arabia-maintains-neutrality-over-kashmir-issue/articleshow/81256482.cms
--------
JeM
terror associate arrested by security forces in J-K's Pulwama
01st
March 2021
AWANTIPORA:
One terror associate Muzamil Qadir Bhat, who was in touch with terrorist
commanders of Jaish-e-Mohammad, was arrested in a joint operation by security
forces from Lorow Jagir Tral village in Pulwama on Sunday.
The
operation was carried out by Jammu and Kashmir Police, 42 Rashtriya Rifles and
180 battalions of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
During
questioning, the forces seized incriminating material of Jaish-e-Mohammad and
one hand grenade was recovered from him that he has kept concealed in the
compound of his home.
A
case under relevant sections of the law has been registered in Police Station
in Tral.
Further
investigation is going on.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2021/mar/01/jem-terror-associate-arrested-by-security-forces-in-j-ks-pulwama-2270586.html
--------
Eatery
owner’s son dies after being shot by terrorists in J&K
By
Ashiq Hussain
MAR
01, 2021
The
son of the owner of popular eatery who was shot by suspected terrorists on
February 17 near his shop, succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Srinagar
in the wee hours on Sunday.
Suspected
terrorists had opened fire on Aakash Mehra,25, outside Krishan Dhaba on February
17.
“He
died early morning, “ SSP Srinagar Haseeb Mughal told HT. Mehra was being
treated at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh hospital in Srinagar where he was on
ventilator. “He lost his life at around 3 am. He had bullet injuries in his
chest,”said medical superintendent of SMHS Hospital, Nazir Choudhary. Police
have already arrested three persons suspected to be involved in the attack.
IG
Kashmir Vijay Kumar on February 19 had said that they have also recovered the
bike and pistol used in the attack. He said that the three were “newly
recruited” terrorists.
Srinagar
Mayor Junaid Mattoo said expressed his condolences. “Woke up to extremely
distressing news. Young Akash Mehra who was shot at by terrorists at Krishna
Dhaba has succumbed to his injuries at SMHS Hospital. I share the pain and
grief of his family and stand by them as they mourn this inconsolable loss. May
his soul rest in peace, “ he said.
Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti also expressed her condolences.
“Shocked & saddened to know that Akash Mehra who ran Krishna Dhaba in
Srinagar succumbed to his injuries after being shot at by Terrorists. May his
soul rest in peace & deepest condolences to the bereaved family, “ she
tweeted.
Expressing
grief over the death, BJP leader Kavinder Gupta on Sunday said, “We heard the
sad news about the death of Krishna Dhaba’s owner’s son. This type of targeted
attack is proof that there are still ongoing attempts to oust the minorities
from the region. We will not tolerate such activities... It is very important
to stop such attacks.”
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/eatery-owner-s-son-dies-after-being-shot-by-terrorists-in-jk-101614555663738.html
--------
Pakistan
Operation
Raddul Fasaad a testimony to Pak struggle against terrorism: PUC
Sher
Ali Khalti
March
1, 2021
LAHORE:
The success of Operation Raddul Fasaad is an explicit testimony to the struggle
of the Pakistani nation and the security forces against terrorism.
This
was crux of the speeches delivered at the Ulema-Mashaikh Convention, held here
on Sunday at Alhamra under the aegis of the Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC).
“We
salute the martyrs and Ghazis of Operation Raddul Fasaad,” said speakers.
The
ulema said the National Action Plan (NAP) should be fully implemented. The
security, stability and sovereignty of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was very
dear to the Muslim Ummah and Pakistan was against foreign interference in all
Islamic Arab countries, added the speakers.
They
said Saudi Arabia had ensured all legal requirements of justice on the issue of
Khashoggi murder.
Praising
Prime Minister Imran Khan, they said that being a great leader of the Muslim
Ummah, the PM won the hearts of Muslims across the Islamic world by raising
voice on the issues of Namoos-e-Risalat, belief in the finality of prophethood
and burial of Sri Lankan Muslims.
The
ulema said that solution to problems of the Muslim Ummah lied in unity and
stability of the Islamic world.
They
said the rights of minorities living in Pakistan would be protected at all
levels. Forced conversions and forcible marriages had nothing to do with Islam
and those who do so bring Islam and Muslims into disrepute.
“No
person, party or group can be allowed to make hateful speech and the decision
of the new examination boards for Madaris-e-Arabia is a step in the right
direction,” they said.
The
ulema of different schools of thought, while speaking at the Ulema-Mashaikh
Convention, said reservations of ulema regarding Evacuee Properties Amendment
Bill would be addressed.
The
convention was attended by more than 1,000 leading religious scholars and
clerics from across the country. The event was presided over by central
chairman of Pakistan Ulema Council Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, special aide to
prime minister on religious harmony and Middle East.
A
resolution adopted at the convention thanked the Sri Lankan government and
Prime Minister Imran Khan for allowing the Sri Lankan Muslims to bury the
bodies of Muslims who die of coronavirus. The ulema and mashaikhs would
continue supporting every good deed of the government and hold it accountable
in case of the Sharia laws.
In
another resolution, adopted at the convention, the representatives of different
religious and political organisations announced endorsement of stance of the
government of Pakistan and the Foreign Ministry of Saudi Arabia and rejected
the US intelligence report regarding Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi murder.
The
convention said that Saudi Arabia had met all requirements of justice in the
case of Khashoggi. Peace, security and stability of Saudi Arabia were dear to
every Muslim. Pakistan and the Muslim Ummah would not accept any step against
Saudi Arabia, the resolution said. The resolution also called for an immediate
meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to address the growing
problems of the Muslim Ummah.
Another
resolution said Masajid-o-Madaris were serving Islam, Muslims and the country
at large. The affiliation of Madaris with the Ministry of Education and the
establishment of new examination boards for seminaries was a right decision of
the government and would lead to further improvement in religious and
conventional education.
Yet
another resolution, adopted on the issue of Evacuee Properties Act, demanded
the government address the reservations of Masajid-o-Madaris and constitute a
committee, headed by speaker of the National Assembly, to play an active role
in that regard.
Another
resolution welcomed the decision on ceasefire at the Line of Control as a
result of talks between the military leaderships of Pakistan and India.
Expressing
full solidarity with the oppressed Palestinian people, another resolution said
that Kashmir and Palestine were the most important issues of the Muslim Ummah.
The United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the world must
play an effective and immediate role in resolving the Kashmir and Palestine
issues.
An
edict was also presented at the Ulema and Mashaikh Convention, approved from
Darul Afta Pakistan regarding the coronavirus vaccine, which said that it is
legal to administer corona vaccine and no baseless propaganda should be made
against it.
PUC
told the participants that on the direction of the Prime Minister, efforts were
being made at all levels to solve the problems of ulema and mashaikh. In this
regard, coordinators are being appointed to resolve issues of ulema, mashaikh
and imams.
Ashrafi
said the PTI government wanted to take Pakistan towards the state of Madina,
adding that everyone had to work hard for a state on the pattern of Medina. He
said that all issues of seminaries relating to registration, bank accounts and
others would be resolved before the new academic year.
"We
want to make it clear to the world that the blasphemy law is protector of human
lives," he said. The blasphemy law is not being misused, and we assure all
minorities that their rights under the Constitution of Pakistan will be
protected. All Pakistanis have a role to play in the development and stability
of Pakistan, Ashrafi said.
He
said that Masajid-o-Madaris had nothing to do with any movement spreading chaos
in the country. The opposition should work with the government to solve the
problems of people. “We invite the political and religious parties of the
opposition to come forward and play a role in transforming the country on the
pattern of the state of Madina, the PUC chairman said.
“We
are the protectors of Masajid-o-Madaris and we will soon give good news to
ulema and mashaikh regarding the Evacuee Properties Act,” Ashrafi added.
He
said a 30-member Central Committee of Interfaith Harmony Councils would be
announced soon.
The
convention announced that from March 1 to March 30, the country-wide ‘stability
Pakistan conventions, conferences and congregations will be held on the theme
of "One Nation One Destiny" with respective topics of peace,
brotherhood and moderation.
Among
key note clerics and religious scholars who spoke at the event were: Maulana
Asad Zakaria, Allama Abdul Haq Mujahid, Qazi Matiullah Saeedi, Maulana
Asadullah Farooq, Maulana Haq Nawaz Khalid, Maulana Obaidullah Gormani, Allama
Tahirul Hassan, Maulana Muhammad, etc.
Others
were: Shafi Qasmi, Maulana Hanif Usmani, Pir Asad Habib Shah Jamali, Maulana
Muhammad Asghar Khosa, Maulana Noman Hashir, Maulana Tahir Aqeel Awan, Maulana
Abubakar Sabri, Maulana Anwarul Haq Mujahid, Shabbir Yusuf Gujjar, Maulana
Abdul Malik Asif, Maulana Aslam Siddiqui, Maulana Aseedur Rehman Saeed, Maulana
Abdul Hakim Athar, Qari Zubair Zahid, Maulana Islamuddin, Qari Muhammad Aslam
Qadri, Qari Shamsul Haq, Maulana Hassan Ahmad Hussaini, Maulana Muhammad
Khurshid Nomani, Maulana Fahimul Hassan Farooqi, Maulana Abdullah Haqqani,
Maulana Abdullah Rashidi, Mian Rashid Munir, Maulana Asim Shad, Maulana Abdul
Waheed Farooqi, Maulana Abubakar Hamza, Maulana Habibur Rehman Abid, Maulana Izharul
Haq Khalid, Sahibzada Hamza Tahirul Hassan, Maulana Saadullah Ludhianvi,
Maulana Anisur Rehman Baloch, Maulana Abdul Al-Rashid, Maulana Muhammad Shakeel
Qasmi, Mufti Mohammad Omar Farooq, Maulana Abdul Ghaffar Shah Hijazi, Maulana
Tanveer Ahmed, Maulana Mohammad Ahmed Makki, Maulana Mohammad Ashfaq Potafi,
Maulana Kaleemullah Muawiyah, Maulana Azizur Rehman Muawiyah, Maulana Aziz
Akbar Qasmi, Maulana Saadullah Shafiq, Hafiz Mohammad Tayyab Qasmi, Maulana
Hussain Ahmad Darkhasti, Mufti Iqbal Usmani, Maulana Yasir Alvi, Qari Abdul
Rauf, Maulana Matool Mahar, Hafiz Muhammad Talha Farooqi, Maulana Zubair
Khatana, Maulana Aqeel Zubair, Qari Azizur Rehman, Maulana Atif Iqbal, who
addressed the event participants.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/797470-operation-raddul-fasaad-a-testimony-to-pak-struggle-against-terrorism-puc
--------
Some
international forces trying to destabilise Pakistan, says FM
March
01, 2021
MULTAN
- Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Sunday that some international
forces were trying to destabilise Pakistan by creating chaos in the country.
“These
powers wanted to weaken Pakistan internally by pushing it towards extremism,”
Qureshi said while talking to Chief of Pakistan Sunni Tehreek Maulana Sarwat
Ejaz Qadri here in Multan.
According
to a press release issued after the meeting, the foreign minister said these
powers wanted to harm peaceful environment in the country. "We will have
to keep ourselves safe and secure and also foil nefarious designs of such
forces," he added. He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan emerged as great
leader of Islamic world. As head of state, Prime Minister Imran Khan for the
first time in last 74 years raised effective voice for Islam at different
international forums.
The
incumbent government raised voice against publication of blasphemous images.
Similarly, it was also for the first time that Prime Minister Imran Khan talked
about Islamophobia. He stated that Pakistan would continue to raise voice for
Islam. Qureshi mentioned that the role of Ulema and Mashaikh was very important
in the international hybrid war against the country.
https://nation.com.pk/01-Mar-2021/some-international-forces-trying-to-destabilise-pakistan-says-fm
--------
Jamiat
Ulema-e-Islam Fazl cleric, two others killed in attack in Pakistan
Feb
28, 2021
A
prominent local Pakistani cleric associated with Maulana Fazlur Rehman's Jamiat
Ulema-e-Islam Fazl has been shot dead along with his son and a seminary student
by unknown gunmen on the outskirts of the capital Islamabad, police said on
Sunday.
The
incident took place late Saturday night in the Bhara Kahu area when Mufti
Ikramur Rehman was going towards his car and came under the attack. His
13-year-old son Samiullah and the student were also killed.
At
least three gunmen fired at them and fled after the attack, local police
officer Shahzad Khan told the media, adding that the victims succumbed to
multiple bullet injuries at a hospital.
So
far, no one has taken responsibility for the attack which appears to be a
targeted killing.
The
local cleric was politically active and was associated with the Jamiat
Ulema-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F) whose chief Fazlur Rehman is leading the Pakistan
Democratic Alliance, the Opposition's anti-government alliance seeking Prime
Minister Imran Khan's resignation.
Rehman
condemned the killing and demanded the immediate arrest of the culprits. He
said the killing of the cleric showed "complete failure on the part of the
government to maintain law and order in the country?.''
The
JUI-F supporters staged a protest against the killing of the cleric and blocked
the Murree Road (N-75 highway) on Sunday. However, they dispersed after
negotiation with the administration of the city, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner
Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat said.
"Murree
Road has been reopened to traffic after talks with the administration and
police," Shafqaat wrote on Twitter.
Pakistan
has witnessed a surge in violence in recent weeks. Though the organised
presence of rebels has been destroyed, their remnants are still active to
incite violence, the Pakistan Army said in a statement.
https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/jamiat-ulema-e-islam-fazl-cleric-two-others-killed-in-attack-in-pakistan-366904
--------
PM
to oversee PTI Senate election campaign himself
Syed
Irfan Raza
March
1, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
As the Senate election is being held on Wednesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan
has cancelled all his official engagements and decided to directly supervise
the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) campaign for the upper house’s polls.
Finance
Minister Dr Hafeez Shaikh, PTI candidate for a seat from Islamabad, on Sunday
started canvassing for the election and went door to door to meet members of
National Assembly in Parliament Lodges.
The
government has again levelled allegations of corruption and misuse of authority
against former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, the joint candidate of the
Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) for the Islamabad seat.
“From
tomorrow (Monday) Prime Minister Khan will only focus on the Senate election
and will not attend any official meeting,” a source told Dawn on Sunday.
The
source said the prime minister would directly supervise the PTI’s campaign for
the Senate polls and meet MNAs of allied parties.
A
tough contest between Mr Gilani and Mr Shaikh is expected on a Senate seat for
Islamabad. The National Assembly is the electoral college for the seat and an
interesting session of the house will be held on March 3 in which voting for
the two candidates will take place.
Meanwhile,
the MQM-P’s absence from an important PTI reception in Karachi has raised
eyebrows of many, particularly after Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal
Bhutto-Zardari claimed that the MQM-P would support PDM candidate in the Senate
polls.
When
contacted, MQM-P leader and federal Minster for Information Technology Syed
Aminul Haq said his party did not attend the reception due to its own
engagements. He, however, categorically said the MQM-P would support the PTI
and allied parties in the polls.
He
said the coordination committee of the MQM-P met on Sunday and discussed Senate
elections. “The details of the meeting will be shared with the media later,” he
said.
Federal
Information Minister Senator Shibli Faraz said the nation knew well who stood
on which side of history on the issue of transparency in the electoral system.
In
a series of tweets, the minister said the opposition was supporter of the
system based on rigging and a hurdle in the way of transparency, while Mr Khan
stood firm with his unwavering commitment to transparency in the electoral
process.
He
said the opponents of open balloting in the Senate elections wanted
continuation of a corrupt system.
The
PTI, he continued, was the party which had led the struggle for transparency in
the system and eradication of corruption.
Mr
Faraz said the prime minister would never step back from his struggle to
achieve these objectives.
Later,
in a press conference, federal Communication Minister Murad Saeed reiterated
allegations against Mr Gilani and his family.
Showing
different news clips, the minister said Mr Gilani was involved in gifting
official vehicles to former president Asif Ali Zardari, illegally keeping a
necklace gifted by the Turkish first lady to help flood victims in Pakistan and
defaulting on a bank loan.
He
said the assets of Mr Gilani’s son, Abdul Qadir Gilani, had swelled more than
10 times in one year. “His (Abdul Qadir) assets in 2008 were Rs8.5 million and
the next year they amounted to Rs72m,” the minister said.
He
claimed that there was no match between Mr Gilani and Mr Shaikh as the former
had remained involved in corruption and sought an NRO while the latter was a
technocrat and educated man.
Mr
Saeed claimed that the PTI would not only win Senate polls but would also form
its government in Sindh for the first time.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1610083/pm-to-oversee-pti-senate-election-campaign-himself
--------
PPP
repairs cracks with JUI-F; joint candidates agreed upon
March
1, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday acted
timely to repair some cracks that had appeared in the Pakistan Democratic
Movement (PDM) by appeasing Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur
Rehman on the issue of distribution of seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) for the
upcoming Senate elections on March 3.
Insiders
told Dawn that the JUI-F chief had some reservations over distribution of
tickets in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following which the PPP leadership held a meeting
late on Saturday night and finalised candidates in consultation with Maulana
Fazl.
The
JUI-F chief later agreed on the final list of PDM candidates, and on Sunday Mr
Bhutto-Zardari visited Maulana Fazl’s house in Islamabad to express his
gratitude to him.
Accompanied
by former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, a joint PDM candidate from
Islamabad, and PPP leader Farhatullah Babar, Mr Bhutto-Zardari discussed with
the Maulana the Senate election strategy.
Later,
at a press conference with the JUI-F chief, the PPP chairman said the PDM was
ready to contest the Senate polls under both open and secret ballot modes,
adding that the treasury MNAs were not bound to support the government
candidates.
The
PDM is contesting the Senate polls on five of the 11 seats from Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa.
The
three candidates it has fielded on the general seats are Abbas Afridi (PML-N),
Hidayatullah (ANP) and one candidate from the JUI-F. Farhatullah Babar is
contesting on a technocrat seat.
The
development comes a day before the Supreme Court is expected to announce its
decision on the presidential reference seeking the court’s guidance on holding
Senate elections through open vote.
The
PPP chairman said he hoped the apex court’s opinion would be “in accordance
with law and the Constitution”, adding that secret ballot enjoyed
“constitutional protection” whether it were elections for the Senate or the
assemblies.
He
said in the upcoming polls, the opposition alliance wanted to show that “even
members of the parliament were not with the government but with the PDM”,
expressing the hope that the opposition’s candidates would be elected with
“good and surprising results”.
“[This]
will give power to every movement, march and move of ours and we will be
successful in our goal and mission of sending this puppet government and prime
minister [back] home,” Mr Bhutto-Zardari said.
He
said the PDM hoped to establish a national government which represented the
people and solved their problems while institutions worked within their spheres
and the parliament took decisions about the country’s future and fate.
Responding
to a question about an alliance with Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P),
Mr Bhutto-Zardari said he hoped the party “will be with us”.
He
pointed out that MQM-P — an ally of the PTI government — had been elected from
Karachi which was ‘abandoned’ by the federal government.
“We
think that they are asking the government for Karachi’s rights [but] there will
be more power in that demand [if raised] from the PDM or the opposition’s
platform,” the PPP chairman said.
He
admitted that the opposition alliance had been in contact with MQM-P as well as
other members of the treasury benches, adding that they had a free vote and
there was “no limitation on government MNAs or allies to support [only] the
government in the Senate elections”.
Speaking
on the occasion, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl endorsed the PPP chairman’s views and
said disappointment was visible in the ranks of the government. “Hopefully good
results will come out,” he added.
The
Maulana said the PDM’s unity in the four provinces was “good news for the
nation” and the alliance would be contesting the Senate elections under a
mutually agreed plan of action.
“The
different parties of the PDM did not break each other’s votes as the government
had hoped. We are united for the Senate elections and will achieve positive
results,” he added.
The
JUI-F chief clarified that the PDM was a movement and not an electoral alliance
even though they “personally try not to damage each other’s votes and contest
the elections together”.
He,
however, said the PDM members could contest elections separately under ‘special
circumstances’ — referring to the Awami National Party fielding its own
candidate in the PK-63 Nowshera by-poll.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1610078/ppp-repairs-cracks-with-jui-f-joint-candidates-agreed-upon
--------
Strike
observed in Balochistan over ANP leader’s killing
Saleem
Shahid
March
1, 2021
QUETTA:
A strike was observed in the provincial capital and several other cities and
towns of the province on Sunday in protest against the killing of provincial
information secretary of the Awami National Party (ANP) Asad Khan Achakzai.
All
business centres and shops remained closed in Quetta, Chaman, Loralai, Zhob,
Qila Saifullah, Sibi, Qila Abdullah, Pishin, Ziarat, Harnai, Mastung and
several other areas of the province and traffic remained thin on the roads
because of the strike call.
Mr
Achakzai went missing on Sept 25 last year while coming to Quetta from Chaman
to attend a party meeting.
His
mutilated and bullet-riddled body was found on Saturday when police arrested a
member of the Levies’ Force who confessed to the killing and pointed out the
place where he had thrown his body.
Meanwhile,
funeral prayers of Mr Achakzai were offered in his village near Chaman amid
tight security and he was later buried there.
The
funeral prayers were attended by a large number of people and central and
provincial leaders of the ANP.
A
heavy contingent of police, Levies Force, ATF and Frontier Crops was deployed
in the area to prevent any untoward incident.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1610085/strike-observed-in-balochistan-over-anp-leaders-killing
--------
JI
rally demands fresh census in Karachi, abolition of quota system
Imtiaz
Ali
March
1, 2021
KARACHI:
The Jamaat-i-Islami on Sunday stage a protest rally on New M.A. Jinnah Road as
part of its ongoing campaign for the rights of Karachi.
The
rally was largely attended by party leaders and workers.
Addressing
the protesters, JI-Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman said they were
protesting for a ‘correct’ population census and resolution of basic civic issues
being faced by the people of Karachi.
He
said that the JI movement was not for point-scoring, but it was aimed at
provision of water and power, reversal of price hike, end to unemployment,
repair of damaged roads, streets and sewerage system.
Hafiz
Naeem announces a rally from Quaidabad to Governor House on March 14
He
said that Balochistan was considered to be the most deprived province, but
actually Karachi was the most deprived city in the country.
He
accused the provincial governments and ruling parties of having pushed the city
of 30 million people into a quagmire of problems.
PPP,
PTI & MQM slammed
The
JI leader said that it was right to say that Balochistan, rural areas of Sindh
and districts of south Punjab had been subjected to injustices and these
injustices should be ended “but the city which generates 70 per cent of the
country’s revenue and 90pc budget of Sindh has been subjected to continuous
injustice and deprivation of rights”.
He
said the Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Muttahida Qaumi
Movement did nothing for the betterment of Karachi.
“The
ruling parties are on the same page against the interests of Karachi,” he said,
adding: “The PPP, PTI and MQM have established an alliance against the rights
of Karachi as they all want to deprive the people of the local government
system.”
Hafiz
Naeem strongly slammed the PPP government in Sindh and said that the party had
been ruling the province for the past 12 years but it had done nothing for
Karachi, rather looted its resources.
He
said the PPP was not willing to give rights to the city and was demonstrating a
biased attitude.
He
said the PPP was also against JI’s ongoing Karachi rights movement and was
trying to give it a colour of ethnicity.
The
JI leader also criticised the PTI government and said that the federal
government had first announced a Rs162 billion package for the city’s uplift
but without giving any project, and later it announced a Rs1.1 trillion package
for the metropolis.
He
pointed out that metro buses were being plied in Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar
and Multan but no such facility had so far completed for the people of Karachi.
Fresh
census in Karachi demanded
Hafiz
Naeem demanded that a new census be conducted in Karachi to ascertain the
actual population of the country’s largest city.
He
said an ‘injustice’ was meted out to the citizens of Karachi by the then
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government in the population census.
He
said the PPP had raised objections over the census results but in practice it
was not doing anything.
He
said the PTI and MQM-P had also declared that the population of Karachi was not
shown correctly in the census, but they were the ones who approved the results
of the census at a meeting of the federal cabinet.
The
JI leader also demanded abolishing of the job quota system, provision of
employment to youths in Karachi, an empowered LG system, 15-year audit of the
K-Electric, uninterrupted gas supply to citizens, early completion of the Green
Line bus service and an effective solid waste management system for the city.
He
announced that his party would take out a ‘Karachi rights’ rally on March 14
from Quaidabad to Governor House, where the party’s future line of action would
be decided.
JI
leader Dr Osama Razi said no one was willing to talk about the basic issues of
the city. He demanded an empowered local government for Karachi.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1610020/ji-rally-demands-fresh-census-in-karachi-abolition-of-quota-system
--------
South
Asia
Is
Bangladesh moving to normalize relations with Israel?
Arafat
Kabir
March
1, 2021
Israel
turns out to be on a diplomatic spree of late. After mending fences with
erstwhile foes in the Gulf and North Africa, a new door seems to have opened to
a country far away from its familiar turf: Bangladesh.
Yes,
you read that right. According to an investigative report by Al-Jazeera in
February, the two countries seem to have been on friendly terms for the past
few years, in secret, of course, since Muslim Bangladesh does not recognize
Israel and forbids its citizens from visiting there.
Bangladesh
vehemently denied the allegations, and Israel declined to comment on the story.
Still, the evidence points to the fact that the two countries might have been
exploring diplomatic avenues to normalize relations. The question is, what are
the odds?
Surprisingly,
Bangladesh would gain more than a few things by developing a working
relationship with Israel. If Al-Jazeera's report is accurate, the country's
military intelligence is already using the passive cellphone monitoring and
interception systems developed by the Israeli cyber-surveillance company
PicSix. Whether it is being used to monitor the opposition parties' movements
or the myriad security threats that the South Asian country faces due to its geographic
location, Israeli technology can meet Dhaka's strategic needs.
While
Bangladesh has denied its association with Israel, it did not rebuff
suggestions that it possessed the P6 Interception tool, which is essentially an
international mobile subscriber identity-catcher, or IMSI-catcher, and which
is, again, made by the said Israeli company based in Even Yehuda. How and why
Dhaka uses this surveillance system can only be answered by the Bangladeshi
government, but it does not minimize the significance of the fact that
Bangladesh felt compelled to resort to a technology domain that Israel is
arguably the world leader.
Aside
from this, Dhaka has genuine interests in learning more about Israel's arms
trade with Myanmar because that country poses the principal threat to
Bangladesh's physical security. According to a U.N. fact-finding mission,
Israel was among the seven countries that supplied Myanmar's military with
launched a series of attacks in 2017 against the Rohingya Muslims, forcing
around 800,000 refugees to flee across the border into Bangladesh. State-owned
Israel Aerospace Industries delivered two attack frigates to Myanmar shortly
after Bangladesh purchased and commissioned two Chinese-made submarines.
That
puts Dhaka in the awkward position of gathering intelligence about Israeli
activities in Myanmar while furnishing counteroffers to dissuade Tel Aviv from
engaging with the Tatmadaw, as Myanmar's armed forces are known.
One
way to accomplish this is through backchannel diplomacy with Israel. After all,
Bangladesh's recognition of Israel would constitute a major diplomatic victory
for the country that is actively recruiting support from other Muslim-majority
countries. Following recent gains according to various economic and social
indexes, Bangladesh is emerging as a leader in the Muslim world and must be an
increasingly attractive partner for Israel.
An
easier path toward greater bilateral cooperation might be in the agriculture
sector, where Israel has established itself as a leading exporter of irrigation,
desalination and water treatment technology. The pernicious effects of climate
change, compounded by a population of over 160 million people crammed inside a
landmass smaller than New York state has taken a significant toll on
Bangladesh's food security. In collaboration with Israel, Bangladesh can
develop solutions to problems created by its unique topography.
Despite
this, the irony of international politics is such that two countries can remain
estranged due to the inertia caused by the burden of carrying out historical
obligations. Bangladesh is a staunch supporter of an independent Palestine and
is likely to stay committed to that cause indefinitely. Aside from the ethereal
ties that exist between the two Muslim peoples, Bangladesh itself is a country
born out of immeasurable sacrifice with most Bangladeshis sharing the
Palestinian desire for statehood. Israel thus presents more than a sentimental
dilemma for Bangladesh that will be very difficult to reconcile.
Moreover,
it is not clear how other Muslim countries would react in the event of
Bangladesh's recognition of Israel. The Middle East remains the biggest source
of remittance income for Bangladesh, second only to the ready-made garment
industry which is looking at an uncertain future in the post-pandemic world.
Therefore, it is in the country's best interests to not disrupt current
diplomatic and economic relationships with the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation, even though key partners, including Bahrain, Oman and the United
Arab Emirates, have recently normalized the relations with Israel.
Ultimately,
Bangladeshis themselves will be the judge of whether to embrace Israel. And
many Muslims in Bangladesh, although largely moderate, are not there yet.
Israel does not occupy that big a place in the nation's collective
consciousness, rendering moot the discussion of possible diplomatic
relationship with the country. Furthermore, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would
be loath to trigger passionate sentiments among religious factions that might incur
political costs to her.
Domestic
opposition will likely be the primary reason why Bangladesh might refrain from
pursuing a public rapprochement with Israel. That does not mean the two
countries will continue a clandestine but mutually beneficial working
relationship. In fact, that might be the best arrangement for now.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Is-Bangladesh-moving-to-normalize-relations-with-Israel
--------
US-Taliban
talks: India concerned as Pak wishes Taliban to lead Afghanistan govt
MAR
01, 2021
US
State Department has announced the resumption of talks with Taliban as the US
Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad is set to visit Kabul,
Doha and other regional capitals for a durable political settlement in
Afghanistan.
"Special
Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and
his team will travel to Kabul, Doha and additional regional capitals," the
US State Department said in a statement on Sunday (local time).
"He
(Khalilzad) will resume discussions on the way ahead with the Islamic Republic
and Aghan leaders, Taliban representatives and regional countries whose
interests are best served by the achievement of just and durable political
settlement and permanent and comprehensive ceasefire," the release added.
This
will be Khalilzad's first trip since US President Joe Biden took office. He is
also expected to visit Islamabad and New Delhi as indicated in the release.
The
resumption of dialogue with the Taliban under Joe Biden clearly shows that the
US is continuing its Afghan policy on the lines of Donald Trump's
administration.
India,
which has completed huge developmental and infrastructure projects in
Afghanistan, will be watching the US move closely.
According
to informed sources, Pakistan is fully backing the Taliban and wants to install
them in Kabul, this can pose a major threat to India's efforts in building
democratic and development institutions in the war-torn country
India's
position is clear that any government formation in Kabul should be Afghan-led
and Afghan-owned.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/ustaliban-talks-india-concerned-as-pak-wishes-taliban-to-lead-afghanistan-govt-101614574461058.html
--------
India
versus Bangladesh over new Rohingya crisis ahead of PM Modi's Dhaka tour
Prabhash
K Dutta
New
Delhi
March
1, 2021
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to tour Bangladesh's capital Dhaka on March
26. During his three-day tour, PM Modi will join Bangladesh's celebrations of
50 years of independence. Right before PM Modi's Bangladesh visit, External
Affairs Minister S Jaishankar too will travel to Dhaka as the two countries aim
look to sign a comprehensive treaty for economic cooperation.
This
is PM Modi's first foreign visit since the coronavirus pandemic began, and it shows
how much importance India attaches to Bangladesh with China rooting itself
aggressively in the country.
However,
just ahead of PM Modi's Bangladesh visit, a fresh Rohingya crisis has brought
India and Bangladesh on opposing ends. More than 80 Rohingya refugees are
facing an uncertain future in the Andaman Sea as Bangladesh has refused to take
them back.
Rohingya
Crisis In Andaman Sea
These
Rohingya refugees were floating in a boat that malfunctioned in the Adaman Sea
where the Indian Coast Guard found the refugees exhausted out of hunger and
thirst last month. The refugees had set sail from Bangladesh for Malaysia on
February 11. The engine of their boat failed mid-journey leaving the occupants
adrift in the Indian Ocean.
When
they left the massive camp of Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh's district bordering
Myanmar, there were 90 Rohingya refugees onboard -- 56 women, 21 men, eight
girls and five boys. Four days later, the boat's engine failed.
At
least eight persons died before the Indian Coast Guard found their fishing
boat. They were hungry and thirsty and were suffering from extreme dehydration.
India
is feeding the survivors and providing medical treatment to them but it is not
planning, at least yet, to take them ashore. India has communicated informed Bangladesh
about the Rohingya survivors.
But
Bangladesh has refused to take them back. Its foreign minister AK Abdul Momen
last week told news agencies that Bangladesh has "no obligation" to
take Rohingya refugees back. India has kept the channel of communication with
Bangladesh open for the return of Rohingya survivors.
Why
Bangladesh refused to take back Rohingya survivors?
Rohingya
are residents of the Rakhine province of Myanmar but during a military
crackdown in and after 2017, thousands of them fled their homes. Rohingya had
been fleeing Myanmar for several years but rioting and military crackdown in
2017-18 saw a sudden exodus in larger numbers.
Bangladesh
has been a destination for Rohingya refugees for long. After the latest of
spate of exodus, Bangladesh is estimated to have up to 5 lakh Rohingya
refugees.
Bangladesh
has set up a massive refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, where the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is involved in their management. The UNHCR
has issued ID cards to Rohingya refugees so that their human rights abuse is
minimised.
At
the same time, Bangladesh is facing pressure from within to ease the Rohingya
refugee situation. It has been trying to de-congest Cox's Bazar camp. It
recently moved thousands of Rohingya refugees to a new and remote island called
Bhasan Char in the Bay of Bengal.
This
explains Bangladesh's reluctance in taking back the Rohingya survivors who left
the country's shores last month. On the other hand, India has been cautious
about accepting Rohingya refugees due to its own domestic compulsions.
What
Next?
Commenting
on the Rohingya survivors crisis, external affairs ministry's spokesperson,
Anurag Srivastava said, "We understand that around 47 of the occupants of
the boat are in possession of ID cards issued to them by the UNHCR office in
Bangladesh stating that they are displaced Myanmar nationals and person of
concern to UNHCR registered by the government of Bangladesh."
For
record, both India and Bangladesh are not signatories to the 1951 Refugee
Convention that spells out refugee rights and makes it a responsibility of the
camp country to protect them. Given the stand taken both India and Bangladesh,
the future of stranded Rohingya refugees looks unsure.
However,
both the countries would want to resolve the issue before PM Modi joins the
50th anniversary celebrations of the Bangladesh's independence. PM Modi's last
planned visit to Bangladesh for celebrating the centenary birth anniversary of
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was put off -- officially due to Covid-19 pandemic but
against the backdrop of the row over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that
provides for speedier granting of India citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from
Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
https://www.indiatoday.in/news-analysis/story/india-versus-bangladesh-over-new-rohingya-crisis-ahead-of-pm-modi-s-dhaka-tour-1774221-2021-03-01
--------
Taliban
calls for departure of all troops 1 year after Doha deal
FEB
28, 2021
The
Taliban on Sunday called for the withdrawal of all international forces from
Afghanistan within the timeline specified in the Doha agreement.
The
militant group issued a statement to mark the first anniversary of the peace
deal it signed with the United States in Qatar on Feb. 29 last year.
The
Taliban is also demanding the release of more prisoners and the removal of
their names from blacklists.
Following
the Doha deal, the Taliban stopped attacking the U.S.-led NATO forces in the
country but continued their attacks against the internationally backed Afghan
government.
According
to the agreement, all international forces would gradually leave Afghanistan by
May 1, 2021. In return, the Taliban committed to renounce violence and enter
into peace talks with the government.
The
intra-Afghan talks started in mid-September, but there has been no tangible
progress yet.
All
sides accuse each other of violating the provisions of the agreement.
Currently,
the new U.S. administration under President Joe Biden is reviewing the
agreement. NATO allies are weighing a possible extension amid fears that the
Taliban could seize power if troops withdraw too soon.
The
Taliban has warned of a "never seen before" war and is rejecting a
possible extension of the troops' withdrawal timeline.
https://www.dailysabah.com/world/asia-pacific/taliban-calls-for-departure-of-all-troops-1-year-after-doha-deal
--------
Afghan
forces inflict heavy casualties on Al-Qaeda in Kapisa
01
Mar 2021
Ministry
of Defense in a released statement on Monday said, at least 30 Taliban
including 16 Al-Qaeda members were killed in an operation conducted by Afghan
national defense and security forces in Kapisa on Sunday evening.
The
mission to target militants was launched in various parts of Afghania valley in
the Nijbrab district the operations were facilitated with commando units and
Afghan Air Forces, the statement added.
According
to the statement 30 Taliban fighters including 16 Pakistani Al-Qaeda affiliated
members were killed during the skirmish
Hjiyan,
Khalifagan, Badakhel, and Zakirkhel Kochan villages were clear of militant’s
influence.
This
comes as Rahmatullah Andar, spokesman for the National Security council posted
on his Facebook page that the US-Taliban agreement inked last year has failed
Afghanistan and only ensured a ceasefire between the United States and the Taliban.
He
added that the Doha agreement did not meet the expectations of the Afghans, the
deal only ensured the safety of US military personnel and the Afghan public
remained limited to “killings, horror, and terror”.
According
to Andar, the Doha Agreement has done More Harm than Good, It was a
time-wasting procedure for peace and inflict heavy life casualties and
financial losses on the Afghan people.
As
the review of the agreement was welcomed by the Afghan government, US Central
Command chief, General Kenneth F. McKenzie few said “I place a large measure of
the blame on the Taliban who have continued to mount offensive operations and
targeted killings of Afghan officials but the excessive violence has led the
government to launch their own defensive operations to protect themselves – the
violence while too high on both sides,” McKenzie said.
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-forces-inflict-heavy-casualties-on-al-qaeda-in-kapisa/
--------
Taliban
keeps ties with ‘international terrorism’, Peace hopes shattered
28
Feb 2021
Masoud
Andarabi, Interior Minister says the Taliban have kept up a close relationship
with “international terrorists” despite having promised to cut ties with
terrorist groups including al-Qaeda.
Interior
Minister Masoud Andarabi on Sunday said that the Taliban have not yet severed
ties with “international terrorism” despite the US-Taliban agreement in Doha.
During
his visit to Kandahar province where clashes have escalated in the recent
months, Andarabi said that the Taliban have not fulfilled their promise and
kept relation with Al-Qaeda and other “terrorist groups”.
He
also added that foreign fighters affiliated with the Taliban are fighting in
the battlefields, in an operation in Arghandab of Kandahar commandos have
witnessed foreign fighters alongside the Taliban, and observed the tactics the
Taliban used in digging tunnels, planting mines all indicate their relations
with international terrorism.
This
comes as parliament speaker, Mir Rahman Rahmani on his three-day visit to
Tajikistan on Sunday said that extreme level of violence and Taliban
arrangements and provisions for the battle in the upcoming warm seasons
shattered hopes for peace.
Taliban’s
disinterest for peace will never allow the collapse of the government system
nor will allow gains of two decades to be wasted.
While
maintaining the republic system the government is ready for any type of
negotiations as Afghans are waiting for peace but unfortunately are sure when
it will be ensured, Rahmani said.
Rahmani
noted that violence is increasing and the Taliban are not having plans for
peace while Afghan negotiators await the group to come to the table, it has
been one and a half months that they are running away from the talks.
Afghan
ambassador during the conference said terrorism is not the product of
Afghanistan and the Taliban’s continued violence is against the demands of
Muslim countries.
He
expressed that Afghanistan will never again allow unknown individuals to set
directions for it and take it towards division.
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-keeps-ties-with-international-terrorism-peace-hopes-shattered-4354322/
--------
Khalilzad
embarks on another trip to Afghanistan and regional countries
28
Feb 2021
Zalmay
Khalilzad to Afghanistan reconciliation has reportedly embarked on another trip
to countries involved in the Afghan peace process, the visits are aimed at
strengthening the peace negotiations in Doha, Qatar.
Khalilzad
who currently is in German will travel to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Qatar, and
UAE, and other regional countries, sources told media.
According
to reports, the Afghan State Ministry for Peace Affairs is hopeful of the US
envoy’s upcoming regional visits.
Sayed
Sadat Mansoor Naderi, State Minister for Peace has welcomed Khalilzad’s trip
and hoped that his upcoming trip will be more effective in supporting the peace
process in Afghanistan.
Earlier,
in a released statement on Sunday Taliban marked the first anniversary of the
Doha agreement and said that the group has done its part in the deal and that
is a practical way towards peace.
Taliban
added that any attempt to look for an alternative will result in failure in the
peace process.
Taliban
group in the statement urged the United States to be committed to the Doha
agreement, demanded the release of remaining Taliban prisoners, and asked for
the removal of their names from the UN blacklist.
While
blaming the United States for their continuous bombing operations on the group,
the Taliban said they have fulfilled their commitments and did not violate the
Doha deal.
Despite
efforts for peace violence in country remains extremely high and horrible.
https://www.khaama.com/khalilzad-embarks-on-another-trip-to-afghanistan-and-regional-countries/
--------
Taliban’s
deputy head of military commission killed: MoD
28
Feb 2021
Afghan
Ministry of Defense stated Sunday, that security forces have killed the deputy
head of the Taliban’s military commission and two other Taliban fighters in
Baghlan province.
Security
and defense forces conducted an operation in Nahrain district of Baghlan
province yesterday, in which the deputy head of Taliban’s military commission
and head of regional customs was killed along with two other Taliban members.
Mod
added, 3 insurgents including Qari Zahidullah, the deputy head of the Taliban’s
military commission were among the dead and further four Taliban militants are
wounded during the skirmish.
Some
weapons and ammunition belonging to the group were also destroyed, Afghan
Defense Ministry reported.
This
comes as the war in Afghanistan has intensified and besides many civilian and
military casualties, Taliban casualties are also on the rise.
Despite
peace efforts, the battle across the country has raged and humans in
Afghanistan are suffering heavily.
https://www.khaama.com/talibans-deputy-head-of-military-commission-killed-mod-2435555/
--------
US
wasted billions on cars, buildings in Afghanistan: Report
Mar
1, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
The United States wasted billions of dollars in war-torn Afghanistan on
buildings and vehicles that were either abandoned or destroyed, according to a
report released Monday by a US government watchdog.
The
agency said it reviewed $7.8 billion spent since 2008 on buildings and
vehicles. Only $343.2 million worth of buildings and vehicles “were maintained
in good condition,” said the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan
Reconstruction, or SIGAR, which oversees American taxpayer money spent on the
protracted conflict.
The
report said that just $1.2 billion of the $7.8 billion went to pay for
buildings and vehicles that were used as intended.
“The
fact that so many capital assets wound up not used, deteriorated or abandoned
should have been a major cause of concern for the agencies financing these
projects," John F. Sopko, the special inspector general, said in his
report.
The
US public is weary of the nearly 20-year-old war and President Joe Biden is
reviewing a peace deal his predecessor, Donald Trump, signed with the Taliban a
year ago. He must decide whether to withdraw all troops by May 1, as promised
in the deal, or stay and possibly prolong the war. Officials say no decision
has been made.
Meanwhile,
Taliban insurgents and the Afghan government have been holding
on-again-off-again talks in the Gulf Arab state of Qatar but a deal that could
bring peace to Afghanistan after 40 years of relentless war seems far off.
Analyst
Bill Roggio of the Long War Journal said the findings by SIGAR are not
surprising. The reasons for the financial losses include Taliban attacks,
corruption and “throwing money at the problem without considering the
implications,” he said.
“It
is one thing to build a clinic and school, it is another to operate, maintain,
and in many cases defend this infrastructure from Taliban attacks,” said
Roggio. "Additionally, the West has wildly underestimated the impact of
Afghan corruption and in many cases incompetence. It was always a recipe for
failure.”
US
agencies responsible for construction didn't even ask the Afghans if they
wanted or needed the buildings they ordered built, or if they had the technical
ability to keep them running, Sopko said in his report.
The
waste occurred in violation of “multiple laws stating that US agencies should
not construct or procure capital assets until they can show that the benefiting
country has the financial and technical resources and capability to use and
maintain those assets effectively,” he said.
Torek
Farhadi, a former adviser to the Afghan government, said a
"donor-knows-best” mentality often prevailed and it routinely meant little
to no consultation with the Afghan government on projects.
He
said a lack of coordination among the many international donors aided the
wastefulness. For example, he said schools were on occasion built alongside
other newly constructed schools financed by other donors. The construction went
ahead because once the decision was made — contract awarded and money allocated
— the school was built regardless of the need, said Farhadi.
The
injection of billions of dollars, largely unmonitored, fueled runaway
corruption among both Afghans and international contractors. But experts say
that despite the waste, the need for assistance is real, given the Afghan
governments heavy dependence on international money.
The
worsening security situation in Afghanistan also greatly impeded the monitoring
of projects, with shoddy construction going undetected, said Farhadi, the
former Afghan government adviser.
“Consult
with the locals about their needs and sustainability of the project once the
project is complete,” he urged US funding agencies looking to future projects.
“Supervise, supervise, supervise project progress and implementation and audit
every single layer of expenditure.”
Going
forward, Roggio said smaller, more manageable projects should be the order of
the day. To build big unmanageable projects that Afghanistan has neither the
capacity nor technical expertise for after 40 years of relentless war “feeds
into the Taliban narrative that the government is corrupt, incompetent, and
incapable of providing for the Afghan people,” he said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/us-wasted-billions-on-cars-buildings-in-afghanistan-report/articleshow/81268823.cms
--------
Southeast
Asia
Citizens
must be allowed to test laws deemed unlawful, says lawyer
March
1, 2021
PETALING
JAYA: It is not up to the law minister to deter challenges to unconstitutional
shariah laws, a lawyer said, amid an apex court ruling which declared last week
that the Selangor legislature is incompetent to pass a law which criminalises
unnatural sex.
Syed
Iskandar Syed-Jaafar-al-Mahdzar said every citizen has a
constitutionally-guaranteed right of access to justice.
“As
a lawyer, the minister should know that any attempt to deter access to justice
is a serious contempt of court. The House of Lords in Raymond v Honey laid this
down,” he said.
Instead,
of trying to interfere with the justice system, Syed Iskandar said Takiyuddin
Hassan should ensure that no unconstitutional laws were passed by state
legislators.
He
said this in response to Takiyuddin who called for no further challenges to be
made against state laws.
Takiyuddin,
who is also PAS secretary-general, said the party would continue its efforts to
harmonise civil law, based on English common law, with Islamic law.
However,
he said, the party was worried that “if the judiciary decides a case because of
public pressure, this will lead to future implications that do not benefit the
country”.
Last
Thursday, a nine-member Federal Court bench declared Section 28 of the Shariah
Criminal Offences (Selangor) as null and void, as the primary power to enact
criminal laws lies with Parliament.
The
ruling was made on a petition by a 35-year old man who had been charged in the
shariah court for “attempting to commit sexual intercourse against the order of
nature” with other men.
Meanwhile,
lawyer Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali said the apex court did not label the
offence as unIslamic, instead choosing to focus on the constitutionality of the
enactment.
“Only
that Selangor or state legislatures cannot enact unnatural sex as an offence as
it comes under Federal list,” he said.
Rafique
said there already existed offences like sodomy and buggery under the Penal
Code which applied to Muslim and non-Muslims.
Those
found guilty could be jailed up to 20 years, fined or whipped up to 24 times if
the male offender is 50 years and below.
He
said this in response to Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan’s statement on
Saturday that the Federal Court’s decision has raised more confusion following
its verdict.
Mohamad
said the highest court’s ruling had also drawn questions over the implications
on harmonisation of the civil and shariah courts.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2021/03/01/citizens-must-be-allowed-to-test-laws-deemed-unlawful-says-lawyer/
--------
Indonesia
finds weapons on impounded Iranian tanker
February
26, 2021
JAKARTA:
Indonesian authorities said on Friday that firearms and ammunition have been
found on an Iranian supertanker, one of the two vessels seized in the country’s
waters over a suspected illegal oil transfer last month.
The
Iranian-flagged MT Horse and the Panamanian-flagged MT Freya were impounded by
the Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) in waters bordering the South China Sea
off Pontianak, West Kalimantan province, on Jan. 24, over suspicions of illegal
fuel transfer between ships, polluting the water with oil, violation of the
right of innocent passage, turning off their identification systems, illegal
anchorage, and not flying their national flags.
On
Friday, authorities said they had also found weapons on the Iranian tanker.
“Investigators found a sniper rifle, three assault rifles, two pistols, and
ammunition on the Iranian-flagged tanker MT Horse,” Bakamla spokesperson Col.
Wisnu Pramandita told Arab News.
Earlier
on Friday, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Mahfud MD
said during a joint press conference with Bakamla that all other suspicions had
also been confirmed.
“We
concluded they deliberately did all those violations, and they were caught
doing them in tandem,” he said, as Bakamla chief Vice Admiral Aan Kurnia told
reporters that the two tankers had trespassed 25 nautical miles into
Indonesia’s territorial waters when the agency caught them.
The
tankers were impounded after a patrol ship detected an idle signal indicating
that the automatic identification system of the vessels was turned off. When
Bakamala personnel arrived at the location they caught the tankers conducting a
ship-to-ship fuel transfer from MT Horse to MT Freya, with their hulls covered
to conceal their identities.
The
vessels have been anchored at Bakamla’s base in Batam, Riau Islands province
near Singapore, since their seizure.
Investigators
are still questioning 25 crew from the MT Horse and 36 Chinese crew members of
the MT Freya, which is managed by a Shanghai-based company.
Deputy
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Sugeng Purnomo said
the inter-departmental task force investigating the case will soon press
charges against the suspects.
In
the wake of the incident, Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has ordered
stricter law enforcement in the country’s waters, ministry spokesperson Adita
Irawati told Arab News.
“We
are committed to enforcing the law on Indonesia’s territorial waters, in
accordance also with the international law as enforced by the International
Maritime Organization,” Irawati said.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1816366/world
--------
Arab
World
Khashoggi's
fiancée says Saudi crown prince should be punished 'without delay'
March
1, 2021
The
fiancée of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi called on Monday for Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman to be punished after a US intelligence report found
he had approved the killing.
Khashoggi,
a US resident who wrote opinion columns for the Washington Post criticising
Saudi policies, was killed and dismembered by a team linked to the crown prince
in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
A
US intelligence report on Friday found the prince had approved the killing, and
Washington imposed sanctions on some of those involved — but not Prince Mohammed
himself. The Saudi government, which has denied any involvement by the crown
prince, rejected the report’s findings.
“It
is essential that the crown prince [...] should be punished without delay,”
Hatice Cengiz said on Twitter. “If the crown prince is not punished, it will
forever signal that the main culprit can get away with murder which will
endanger us all and be a stain on our humanity.”
US
President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday imposed a visa ban on some
Saudis believed to be involved in the Khashoggi killing and placed sanctions on
others that would freeze their US assets and generally bar Americans from
dealing with them.
Asked
about criticism of Washington for not sanctioning Prince Mohammed directly,
Biden said an announcement would be made on Monday, but did not provide
details, while a White House official suggested no new steps were expected.
“Starting
with the Biden administration, it is vital for all world leaders to ask
themselves if they are prepared to shake hands with a person whose culpability
as a murderer has been proven,” Cengiz said.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1610129/khashoggis-fiancee-says-saudi-crown-prince-should-be-punished-without-delay
--------
Iraqi
warplanes, Hashd al-Sha'abi fighters take on Daesh remnants in Diyala
28
February 2021
Iraqi
warplanes and fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as
Hashd al-Sha'abi, have embarked on sweeping operations to clear the western
border province of Diyala of remnants of the Takfiri terrorist group of Daesh.
As
part of the operations, the terrorists’ important positions and headquarters
have been heavily bombed over the past three days, especially in the province’s
Sheikh Baba village and the mountainous Hamrin area, Abdulkhaliq al-Azzawi, a
member of Iraq's parliamentary Committee on Defense and Security, was quoted as
saying by al-Maloumah news agency on Sunday.
The
operations, he added, have destroyed Daesh’s underground facilities in the
areas, many of which contained explosive materials and ammunition.
“Daesh
has lost some of its elements during the recent aerial attacks,” he also
reported, but said the inaccessible terrain was preventing people on the ground
from keeping track of the exact death toll.
Sadiq
al-Husseini, the spokesman for the PMU’s division in Diyala, said the
airstrikes had killed a Daesh operations officer, who used to function as one
of the group’s notable ringleaders and had led attacks against security forces
over the past months.
Iraq’s
Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network, meanwhile, cited the PMU’s Media
Directorate as reporting that the joint security operations had resulted in
“cleansing” of “villages in [Diyala’s] Khanaqin District,” saying as a result
of the victory, “Nisimiyah roads were opened.”
According
to al-Maloumah, the operations are recruiting the Iraqi Army’s air force and
army aviation as well as Hashd’s fifth division.
Separately,
the PMU released a statement announcing the start of a similar joint operation
in Qaratappa in Diyala that lies to the southwest of the western oil-rich city
of Kirkuk.
Daesh
unleashed a campaign of bloodshed and destruction in the Arab country in 2014
amid the chaos and violence that had resulted from more than a decade of
military intervention by the United States and its allies.
Iraq
rooted out the outfit following three years of uphill struggle. The anti-terror
battle benefited from the assistance of Baghdad’s allies, including Iran that
lent it military advisory support, and resistance fighters.
The
terror group has, however, been maintaining sleeper cells in parts of Iraq, and
has escalated its sporadic attacks, especially in Diyala and western provinces
of Kirkuk, Salahuddin, and al-Anbar, over the past two months.
Observers
believe that the intensified terror activities by Daesh – which has received
foreign assistance throughout its existence -- could be designed to create the
impression that Iraq’s indigenous forces are incapable of securing the country
on their own.
Such
a perception would, in turn, help Washington and its allies justify their
continued military intervention in Iraq, they note.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/02/28/646233/Iraq-operations-Daesh-airstrikes-Hashd-al-Sha-abi-PMU-Diyala
--------
Fire
kills 3 children in Syrian camp housing ISIS families
28
February ,2021
A
fire in a camp housing families of members of ISIS killed three children and
injured 15 others in northeast Syria, the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, said
Sunday.
UNICEF
called for the safe reintegration and repatriation of all children in al-Hol
Camp and across the northeast of Syria following the fire the day before. It
was not immediately clear what caused the fire that burnt several tents in the
sprawling al-Hol camp, which has witnessed a sharp increase in crimes in recent
weeks.
Al-Hol
houses the wives, widows, children and other family members of ISIS militants —
more than 80 percent of its 62,000 residents are women and children. The
majority are Iraqis and Syrians, but it includes some 10,000 people from 57
other countries, housed in a highly secured separate area known as the Annex.
Many of them remain die-hard ISIS supporters.
Hundreds
of other teenagers are held in prisons for former membership in ISIS, which
once controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq. It lost its last sliver of territory,
in eastern Syria, in March 2019.
“Children
in al-Hol are faced not only with the stigma they are living with but also with
very difficult living conditions where basic services are scarce or in some
cases unavailable,” said UNICEF’s Regional Director for the Middle East and
North Africa Ted Chaiban.
More
than 22,000 non-Syrian children are stranded in al-Hol, in addition to
thousands of Syrian children. On January 30, UN counterterrorism chief Vladimir
Voronkov urged home countries to repatriate the children, warning that they are
at risk of radicalization.
Although
some countries have returned children and women from the camp, many others,
including Iraq, have so far abstained from doing so.
Chaiban,
the UNICEF official said that the detention of children “is a measure of last
resort and should be for the shortest time possible.” He added that children
should not be detained based solely on suspected family ties with armed groups
or the membership of family members in armed groups.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/02/28/Fire-kills-3-children-in-Syrian-camp-housing-ISIS-families
--------
Israel
to provide COVID-19 vaccines to peacekeepers in Egypt’s Sinai, official says
01
March ,2021
Israel
will provide the US-led Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in Egypt’s
Sinai peninsula with COVID-19 vaccines for its personnel, an Israeli official
said on Sunday.
The
official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said 2,400 doses would be
provided but did not elaborate on the terms or the timing of the handover.
An
MFO official said the force had requested vaccines for 1,200 personnel and was
willing to pay for them but was still awaiting a response from Israel.
The
MFO, which draws personnel from 13 countries, was installed to monitor the
demilitarization of the Sinai under the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace accord.
Israel
has been importing Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and administered two shots to
more than a third of its population and one shot to more than half.
Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced this month that Israel was giving surplus
COVID-19 vaccines to friendly foreign countries, but the initiative has faced
legal challenges from within his own coalition government.
https://english.alarabiya.net/coronavirus/2021/03/01/Coronavirus-Israel-to-provide-COVID-19-vaccines-to-peacekeepers-in-Egypt-s-Sinai-official-says
--------
UNICEF
calls for children in Syria camps to be allowed home
28
February ,2021
The
UN children’s agency called Sunday for all minors held in displacement camps or
jails in northeast Syria to be allowed home.
UNICEF
made its plea a day after three children died in a fire at the overcrowded camp
of al-Hol, for people displaced in the fight against ISIS terrorist group.
After
years of leading the US-backed fight against ISIS, Syria’s Kurds hold thousands
of alleged extremist fighters in jails and tens of thousands of their family
members in camps in northeast Syria.
They
hail from Syria, neighboring Iraq and dozens of other foreign countries. Many
are children.
“In
the northeast of Syria, there are more than 22,000 foreign children from at
least 60 nationalities who languish in camps and prisons, in addition to many
thousands of Syrian children,” UNICEF regional director Ted Chaiban said in a
statement, without giving a number of children held in jails.
He
urged authorities in the northeast of Syria and UN member states to “do
everything possible to bring children currently in the northeast of Syria back
home.”
They
should do this “through integrating Syrian children in their local communities
and the repatriation of foreign children,” he added.
The
Kurdish authorities have started sending thousands of displaced Syrians home
from the camps.
But
repeated calls for Western countries to repatriate their nationals have largely
fallen on deaf ears, with just a handful of children and even fewer women being
brought home.
Three
children and a woman died on Saturday after a stove exploded in the al-Hol
camp, starting a fire, a Kurdish official said.
The
UN humanitarian agency OCHA said at least 26 were injured.
Al-Hol
is home to more than 62,000 people, displaced family members and relatives of
alleged ISIS fighters, more than half of them children, it says.
A
spate of killings, including decapitations, has rocked the camp since the start
of the year, and humanitarian actors have repeatedly deplored living conditions
there.
On
February 1, the Save the Children charity also urged Iraq and Western countries
to repatriate children from northeast Syria faster.
ISIS
overran large parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014.
Kurdish-led
forces backed air strikes by a US-led coalition expelled ISIS from their last
patch of territory in Syria in March 2019, in a battle that displaced tens of
thousands.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/02/28/UNICEF-calls-for-children-in-Syria-camps-to-be-allowed-home
--------
Syria
intercepts Israeli missiles over Damascus: State media
01
March ,2021
Tuqa
Khalid
Syrian
air defenses intercepted and destroyed "most" of the missiles
launched by Israel from the direction of the Golan Heights toward Damascus on
Sunday, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.
Explosions
were heard in Syria’s capital Damascus, state TV reported earlier.
Syrian
state media broadcast footage of what it said were the air defenses firing,
with bright lights seen shooting across the night sky.
Israel's
military did not immediately comment on the latest strike.
Israel
routinely carries out raids in Syria, mostly against targets affiliated with
Iran in what it says is a bid to prevent its archfoe from securing further
foothold along its borders.
Last
month, Israel said it had hit about 50 targets in the neighboring country in
2020.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/03/01/Syria-says-its-defenses-responded-to-Israeli-missiles-over-Damascus-State-media
--------
Oman
supports Saudi Arabia’s response on Khashoggi report
Reem
Krimly
28
February ,2021
Oman
on Saturday said it stands in solidarity with Saudi Arabia in its position
regarding the report by the United States Congress on the murder of Jamal
Khashoggi, according to the official Oman News Agency.
The
Saudi government completely rejects the negative, false, and unacceptable
assessment of the US intel report pertaining to the Kingdom’s leadership
regarding the murder of the late Jamal Khashoggi, the Kingdom’s Foreign
Ministry said on Friday.
“The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the Sultanate’s solidarity with the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in its position regarding the report that was provided
to the US Congress on the murder of Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi, may God have
mercy on him,” Oman News Agency reported.
Oman’s
foreign ministry added that it appreciates “the efforts and actions of the
competent judicial authorities in the Kingdom regarding the case and its
circumstances.”
The
United Arab Emirates and Kuwait also support Saudi Arabia’s position on the US
intelligence report on the killing of Khashoggi.
The
Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation (GCC) Council Nayef al-Hajraf
expressed his support for the statements made by Saudi Arabia on the United
States’ intel report pertaining to the Kingdom’s leadership regarding the
murder of the late Jamal Khashoggi, the council said in a statement on
Saturday.
The
assessment on the Saudi Arabian leadership’s involvement in the murder of
Khashoggi is not based on conclusive evidence, al-Hajraf said.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/02/28/Oman-supports-Saudi-Arabia-s-response-on-Khashoggi-report
--------
In
Iraq, Pope Francis to visit Mosul churches desecrated by ISIS
28
February ,2021
In
Mosul, adjacent to the Biblical city of Nineveh, four churches representing
different denominations occupy a small square surrounded by low-rise houses,
testament to the role Iraq’s once flourishing Christian community played.
Today,
all four churches are either damaged or destroyed after ISIS terrorist group
occupied the city from 2014-2017, desecrated many of the buildings and used
them to run its administration, including as a jail and a court.
Airstrikes
as Iraqi forces tried to dislodge the extremist group in fierce fighting did
the rest. Those walls still standing are scarred with bullet and shrapnel
holes.
“It
used to be a bit like the Jerusalem of the Nineveh plains,” said Mosul and
Akra’s Chaldean Archbishop Najib Mikhael Moussa of “Church Square,” the name
given to the site that Pope Francis will visit on March 7 during his historic
trip to Iraq.
Mikhael
fondly recalled how, before the US invasion in 2003, Iraqi Christians from
different denominations would attend each other’s services on religious
festivals.
Those
days are gone. Today just one of Mosul’s surviving churches offers a weekly
Sunday service to a Christian population that has dwindled to just a few dozen
families from about 50,000 people.
Tolerated
by former President Saddam Hussein but persecuted by al-Qaeda and then ISIS,
Iraq’s Christians number around 300,000, one fifth of the total before 2003.
Some
are trickling back after ISISI’s defeat, but others still see little prospect
in staying in Iraq and are looking to settle overseas.
Mines
and memories
A
Syriac Catholic, Syriac Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox and Chaldean Catholic
church are situated cheek-by-jowl in and around the dusty square. Now the area
lies in ruins, as do other parts of the city.
The
pope is due to hold prayers for the victims of war at Hosh al-Bieaa, known as
Church Square in English, as part of a four-day trip starting on March 5, a
visit Archbishop Mikhael described as highly symbolic and a message of hope.
“Where
stones fell because of violence, there will always be life,” he said.
Workmen
have been busy cleaning up the site before Pope Francis arrives.
Funded
by the United Arab Emirates, the restoration of the Syriac Catholic church of
Al-Tahera is being carried out by UNESCO in collaboration with local partners
and began in 2020.
Holding
pictures of the church before its destruction, assistant site coordinator for
UNESCO in Iraq, Anas Zeyad, pointed to delicate Syriac carvings on pieces of
greyish alabaster stone referred to locally as “Mosul marble.”
Damaged
by ISIS before its roof was shredded by air strikes, the church was used as a
tribunal by the extremist movement’s religious police, Zeyad said.
The
adjacent Armenian Orthodox church, distinguishable by its dome, remains closed
off to the public.
“It
has not been de-mined yet,” Zeyad explained, pointing to the sealed door
leading to the church that ISIS commandeered as a prison.
“Nearly
all churches in Mosul were used by ISIS,” Archbishop Mikhael said.
Standing
next to a damaged piece of sculpted alabaster representing the Virgin Mary, Ali
Salem, from Iraq’s State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, said his team was
reviewing many such artefacts to determine which could be repaired and used
again.
“As
a Muslim I am proud to help rebuild these churches,” Zeyad said, adding that he
hoped “we see Christians come back to these places, so that we live together
again as we have for centuries.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/features/2021/02/28/In-Iraq-Pope-Francis-to-visit-Mosul-churches-desecrated-by-ISIS
--------
Iraq’s
PMU says US raid hit Iraqi-Syrian border, warns of ‘dangerous incident'
01
March 2021
Iraq’s
Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) says the recent US raid against its forces was
conducted on the Iraqi-Syrian border, and not on the Syrian soil as claimed.
In
a statement released on Sunday, the PMU warned that the US aggression is a
harbinger of “dangerous incidents” in the future.
“Given
the seriousness of this issue and its implications for the sovereignty,
security and stability of our beloved country of Iraq, Hashd al-Sha’abi waited
for a while for the full narrative of this attack to be completed, and to be
confirmed that our fighters were not deep in Syria, in contrast to the
narrative provided by US aggressive forces,” said the PMU, which is known in
Iraq as Hashd al-Sha’abi.
It
added that the PMU forces had been present at the Iraqi-Syrian border in order
to protect the Iraqi soil from acts of terrorism.
The
statement came days after the US administration of Joe Biden conducted its
first illegal military action on the Iraqi-Syrian border to target the
facilities of PMU fighters.
Observers
compared Biden’s militaristic approach to that of his hawkish predecessor,
Donald Trump. The attack killed one and wounded four others.
“Glory
and honor belong to that great martyr of ours and all the martyrs of Iraq who
bravely stood against terrorism,” said the PMU, which has been fighting the
remnants of Daesh terrorist group.
Nujaba:
Resistance forces have justified reasons to attack US targets
A
spokesman of al-Nujaba movement, which is part of the PMU, said the Iraqi
resistance forces from now will have justified reasons to attack US targets in
the country, as a result of the US military’s Thursday attack.
“All
previous agreements [with the Iraqi government] have been annulled and the
resistance now has the right to set its own goals,” Nasr al-Shammari told
Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen television news network on Sunday.
Al-Shammari
explained that while the resistance considered the US embassy in Iraq as the
“den of spies”, it had agreed not to target the embassy.
He
criticized the Iraqi government for not providing any explanation about the
attack, warning that if the government refuses to introduce the mercenary
elements who passed on intelligence about the PMU’s position to the US, the
resistance will reserve the right to directly take action.
Earlier,
al-Nujaba movement warned that the new US crime that targeted the PMU forces
would not go unanswered.
In
a statement issued after the US assault, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the
raid, authorized by Biden, had been “deliberate” and meant to “de-escalate the
overall situation in both eastern Syria and Iraq.”
Kirby
also thanked Baghdad for helping with what he called intelligence input, prompting
the Iraqi Defense Ministry to deny any role in the US assault.
Iraqi
MP urges government to take US to ICC
Meanwhile,
a member of the Iraqi parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee has asked the
country’s foreign ministry to file a complaint against the US at the
International Criminal Court (ICC).
“The
US aggression and repeated attacks on Hashd al-Sha’abi forces have led to
international condemnation of the US, and Iraq can launch cases against the US
at the international arena,” Mukhtar al-Musawi, who is also a former PMU
commander, told al-Maalomah news agency on Sunday.
Al-Musawi
said the attack must be followed by a measure by the Iraqi government at the
highest level to prevent such illegal acts and also activate the expulsion of
the US forces from Iraq.
“There
has been no move by the government or a real stance on these violations,” he
lamented.
US
giving pathway to Daesh to infiltrate Iraq
The
spokesman of al-Anbar Province’s nomads said Sunday the US is trying to bring
the terrorists from Syria to Iraq.
“A
recent US airstrike on Iraq’s Hashd al-Sha’abi facilities at the Iraqi-Syrian
border was aimed at opening a pathway for Daesh elements to enter Iraq,” Rabah
al-Karbouli told al-Maalomah news agency.
Al-Karbouli
also called on the Iraqi government to take a decisive stance with regard to
the US assault.
Since
the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and its military involvement in Syria, which
has been gripped by foreign-backed terrorists since 2011, several terrorist
groups such as the infamous Daesh have emerged in the two Arab states.
In
reaction to the development, regional resistance forces were unified into
groups such as Iraq’s PMU, which has been recognized by the Iraqi parliament as
an official force with similar rights as those of the regular army.
The
resistance groups defeated Daesh in 2017. They have been regularly targeted by
the US military since then.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/03/01/646302/Iraq-PMU-US-raid-hit-Iraqi-Syrian-border-not-Syria
--------
Mideast
Iran
Strongly Rejects Netanyahu’s Allegations
2021-March-1
“The
occupying regime is the root cause of all insecurities and instabilities, and
these projections are fully goal-oriented. The Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman
are our immediate area of security and we will not allow them to intimidate
others by these statements. The Prime Minister of the Zionist regime is
suffering from a mental illness. This regime knows that in our security sphere,
our response has been precise and strong,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh
told reporters in a press conference in Tehran on Monday.
“These
allegations are being made by the Quds occupying regime, and we not only
strongly reject them, but we have also been monitoring all the actions made by
the regime in security zone of Iran in the past few months, and we will give a
response where it happens,” he added.
Khatibzadeh
also strongly dismissed Netanyahu’s allegations that Iran seeks to acquire
nuclear weapons, and said, “This morbid obsessive-compulsive disorder of the Israeli
Prime Minister towards Iran is nothing new. All this indicates a strange
turmoil in the occupied territories and is the result of the adventurous
behavior in and outside the occupied territories.”
“The
Zionist regime is the root cause of many troubles, insecurities and problems in
the West Asian region, and the Islamic Republic of Iran is closely monitoring
developments, and these blame-games are only meant to benefit the corrupt
Zionist prime minister,” he added.
“Nuclear
weapons have never had a place in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s doctrine for
various reasons, and unfortunately, it is the West and the US which have turned
a blind eye to the stockpiled weapons and nuclear bombs of the Zionist regime,”
Khatibzadeh said.
His
comments came as new satellite photos showed a clearer view of a secretive
nuclear arms factory of the Israeli regime, which is the only possessor of
atomic bombs in the Middle East, revealing that the site is undergoing what
appears to be the biggest construction project in decades.
According
to the AP, a dig about the size of a soccer field now sits only meters from the
aging reactor at the Shimon Peres Negev nuclear factory, whose purpose is
believed to be the production of nuclear materials for Israel’s nuclear bomb
program. The nuclear facility is located near the city of Dimona.
What
Tel Aviv "is doing at this secret nuclear weapons plant is something for
the Israeli regime to come clean about”, the AP quoted Daryl G. Kimball,
executive director of the Washington-based Arms Control Association, as saying.
Kimball
indicated that Israel may want to produce more tritium, a relatively
faster-decaying radioactive byproduct used to boost the explosive yield of some
nuclear warheads.
It
also could want fresh plutonium “to replace or extend the life of warheads
already in the Israeli nuclear arsenal”, he added.
Last
week, the International Panel on Fissile Materials (IPFM), a group of
independent nuclear experts from 17 countries, noted it had seen “significant
new construction” at the nuclear site through satellite photos.
The
construction had “expanded and appears to be actively underway with multiple
construction vehicles present”, the IPFM reported, adding, however, that the
purpose of the construction was not known.
New
satellite images attained by the AP through Planet Labs Inc. provide a clearer
view of the site, which shows that in the Southwest of the reactor, workers
have dug a hole about 150 meters long and 60 meters wide. Some 2 kilometers
West of the reactor, boxes are stacked in two rectangular holes that appear to
have concrete bases.
Under
its policy of nuclear ambiguity, the Israeli regime neither confirms nor denies
having nuclear weapons. However, the regime is widely believed to be one of
only nine nuclear-armed countries in the world.
Israel
is among the four regimes that have never joined the Non-Proliferation Treaty
(NPT), which aims to stop the spread of nuclear arms.
At
the same time, Tel Aviv has repeatedly called for international action against
Iran’s nuclear program, which has been consistently verified by the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to be of peaceful nature, unlike that
of Israel which is not under the IAEA’s inspection.
Jeffrey
Lewis, a professor teaching nonproliferation issues at the Middlebury Institute
of International Studies at Monterey, hinted that Israel could be trying to
divert attention from its nuclear activity at Dimona by raising the alarm over
Iran’s nuclear program.
“If
you’re Israel and you are going to have to undertake a major construction
project at Dimona that will draw attention, that’s probably the time that you
would scream the most about the Iranians,” Lewis said.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991211000499/Iran-Srngly-Rejecs-Neanyah%E2%80%99s-Allegains
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Turkey
summons Iran envoy to Ankara in ongoing row over involvement in Iraq
Tuqa
Khalid
28
February ,2021
Turkey
summoned on Sunday Iran's ambassador to Ankara to demand support in the fight
against “terrorism” and protest Tehran’s remarks that Turkey violated Iraq’s
sovereignty, state news agency Anadolu reported citing diplomatic sources.
Ankara
rejected “the accusations leveled by Iran’s envoy in Baghdad” and stressed that
it was fighting the Kurdish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militias in Iraq.
Turkey
has launched multiple air strikes targeting PKK bases in northern Iraq
including the areas of Kandil and Sinjar.
The
PKK, which has fought an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, is
blacklisted as a terrorist organization by Ankara and its Western allies.
“This
was known by all parties, including the Iraqi authorities… Ankara also told
[the Iranian envoy] that it expects Iran to support, not oppose, Turkey’s fight
against terrorism,” Anadolu reported.
Iran
and Turkey are rivals in several parts of the Middle East and Central Asia, but
both have carried out operations against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq.
Earlier
this month, Turkey accused Kurdish militants of killing 12 Turks and an Iraqi
who were being held hostage in northern Iraq,
The
incident prompted Iranian envoy to Baghdad Iraj Masjedi to warn that Turkish
forces should not "pose a threat or violate Iraqi soil".
"We
do not accept at all, be it Turkey or any other country, to intervene in Iraq
militarily or advance or have a military presence in Iraq," Masjedi was
quoted as saying in an interview broadcast on Saturday.
Turkey's
Baghdad envoy Fatih Yildiz quickly hit back, writing on Twitter that Iran's
ambassador was "the last person to lecture Turkey" about respecting
Iraq's borders.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/02/28/Turkey-summons-Iran-envoy-to-Ankara-in-ongoing-row-over-involvement-in-Iraq
--------
Iran
Stresses Cessation of Hostilities, Respect for Territorial Integrity in
Karabakh Region
2021-March-1
“The
cessation of hostilities, the return of the occupied territories to Azerbaijan
and the establishment of transit routes between the countries of the region and
the establishment of human communication routes were among the most important
axes of Iran’s plan [for Karabakh conflict]”, Araqchi said during the
international conference on Karabakh conflict on Monday in the city of Qom.
"We believe that our good neighborliness
with Azerbaijan has created good capacities for broad communication," he
said.
The
Iranian diplomat also said that Iran has always been against any threat posed
to countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The
deputy Foreign Minister stated that while the international community,
including the Minsk Group, has failed to resolve decades of the territorial
dispute between Baku and Yerevan, Iran has a very good capacity in relation to
the countries of the region and can help address the issue.
Araqchi
said that Iran prepared a plan to resolve the conflict and presented it to the
officials of the two countries.
“The signing of the Khoda-Afarin Dam by Iran
and Azerbaijan showed Iran's serious opposition to the Armenian occupation of
Karabakh," he further said.
"There
was a concern about the presence of Takfiri groups in the region, and the Azeri
officials assured us that these groups have no place among the people and
officials of Azerbaijan,” Araqchi stated.
The
international conference on Karabakh conflict kicked off in the holy city of
Qom, Central Iran, on Monday morning. Senior religious and political figures
have attended the event, including Head of Iran's Islamic Seminaries Ayatollah
Alireza Arafi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, Secretary of
Expediency Council Mohsen Rezayee and Senior Advisor to Supreme Leader of the
Islamic Revolution Ali-Akbar Velayati.
Iranian
and international experts will touch upon the event from different aspects,
including the humanitarian responsibilities over the issue that have been
highlighted in the remarks of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei.
Among
other topics mention can be made to the necessity for freedom of the lands
belonging to Azerbaijan, ensuring the safety of the Armenians residing in those
regions and the need for mutual respect for the territorial integrity of both
sides.
Karabakh
is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but it has been held by
ethnic Armenian separatists backed by Armenia since 1992, when they broke from
Azerbaijan in a war that killed some 30,000 people.
The
conflict re-erupted in late September 2020, becoming the worst fighting in the
region in decades.
After
weeks of fighting in and around Karabakh, the separatist government of the
region finally acknowledged in November 2020 that it had lost control of the
mountain enclave’s second-largest city of Shusha and that Azerbaijani forces
were closing in on the main city of Khankendi, which Armenians call Stepanakert
after a Bolshevik militant in the early 20th century.
Armenia
and Azerbaijan eventually agreed to end hostilities in early November under a
deal that secured territorial advances for Azerbaijan in Karabakh and seven
surrounding districts.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991211000507/Iran-Sresses-Cessain-f-Hsiliies-Respec-fr-Terririal-Inegriy-in
--------
Tehran,
Baghdad Discuss Transfer of Iran's Frozen Assets
2021-February-28
Hemmati
and Chalabi conferred on methods of transferring and using Iran's resources and
frozen assets in Iraq.
The
Iraqi official further referred to recent payments to Tehran from its frozen
assets in Iraq, underlining that efforts are made to create financial channels
to facilitate the process.
In
a relevant development in mid-October, Hemmati announced that the volume of
Iran's blocked assets in Iraqi banks stood at five billion dollars.
"Tens
of billions of dollars of our assets are frozen in foreign banks and even
countries that have good relations with Iran cannot cooperate with us due to
the US pressure," he said at the time on the sideline of the Cabinet
meeting.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991210000898/Tehran-Baghdad-Discss-Transfer-f-Iran's-Frzen-Asses
--------
Attacks
on Saudi targets to continue until aggression stops: Yemen’s Ansarullah
28
February 2021
A
senior official of Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement says attacks on Saudi
targets will continue until the years-long Saudi war and siege come to an end.
In
an interview with Lebanon-based and Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news
network on Sunday, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of Yemen's Supreme Political
Council, made the remarks, saying the new US administration asks Yemenis to
halt their attacks while it does not ask the Saudi invaders to lift the
crippling siege imposed on Yemen.
“We
call on Saudis to keep away from Saudi military bases and we have the right to
target them,” he said, adding that Yemen’s operations against Saudi targets
would continue until the cessation of the aggression and the removal of the
siege, Yemen’s al-Masirah television network reported.
He
stressed that Yemenis were ready to discuss a political solution to the
conflict after the end of the aggression and the crippling siege. “The blockade
on Yemen is more dangerous than direct military aggression.”
Bukhaiti
also said that Riyadh had already realized that it could not eliminate Yemen’s
missile defense capabilities.
He
went on to say that Yemen’s military operation deep in Saudi territory was
different from previous operations. “In the latest missile operation, important
targets were hit with precision.”
Earlier
in the day, Armed Forces’ spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said that a
Yemeni ballistic missile and as many as nine combat drones targeted “sensitive”
spots in the Saudi capital.
The
latest operation was codenamed “the 5th Operation of Balanced Deterrence,”
which began on Saturday and lasted until early Sunday.
Saudi
Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched the devastating war on
Yemen in March 2015 to bring Hadi back to power and crush the popular Houthi
Ansarullah movement.
The
popular movement, backed by the Yemeni armed forces and allied popular groups,
has gone from strength to strength against the Saudi-led invaders, and
successfully defended Yemen, leaving Riyadh and its allies bogged down in the
county.
At
least 80 percent of the population of 28 million is reliant on aid to survive
in what the UN has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Earlier
this month, the UN agencies warned that about 400,000 Yemeni children aged
under five are in danger of losing life this year due to acute malnutrition.
The
war has destroyed or closed half of Yemen’s hospitals and clinics, leaving the
people helpless particularly at a time when they are in desperate need of
medical supplies to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/02/28/646281/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-missiles-siege-Houthi-Ansarullah-US
--------
Israeli
forces severally beat up, detain Palestinian teenager over alleged stabbing
attack
28
February 2021
Israeli
forces have severally beaten up and arrested a Palestinian teenager in the West
Bank after claiming he attempted to stab an Israeli settler.
The15-year-old
boy, identified as Majd Baida, was detained on Sunday in the village of Jayyus,
close to Qalqilya city in the occupied West Bank, Palestine’s official Wafa
news agency reported, citing local sources.
The
Israeli occupation forces claimed that the unidentified youth tried to stab an
Israeli settler who was waiting at a bus stop near the illegal settlement and
fled the scene, the Palestinian Information Center reported.
The
Hebrew-language Maariv daily quoted a military source as saying that the regime
forces chased the young man and detained him in the village of Salem near the
occupied northern West Bank city of Jenin.
Every
year, between 500 and 700 Palestinian children aged between 12-17 are arrested
and tried in Israeli military courts, the Defense for Children International
says.
Nearly
three out of four Palestinian children detained by the Israeli forces
experience some form of physical violence, according to documentation collected
by the NGO.
Israel
holds more than 7,000 Palestinians in its jails. Most of the prisoners are
being held without any charge, indictment or trial, under a controversial
policy known as "administrative detention."
Many
Palestinians have sustained injuries or lost their lives in similar incidents
due to allegations that they attempted stabbing or car-ramming attacks.
Israeli
troops have on numerous occasions been caught on camera brutally killing
Palestinians, with the videos going viral online and sparking international
condemnation.
Tel
Aviv has been criticized for its extensive use of lethal force and
extrajudicial killing of Palestinians who do not pose an immediate threat to
the occupation forces or to the Israeli illegal settlers.
Israel
has built more than 230 illegal settlements on the occupied Palestinian
territory since 1967 that have come to house some 600,000 settlers.
According
to B’Tselem, an Israeli rights group, Israel has clearly allowed its settlers
to assault Palestinians for years and inflict damage on their property as one
of its policies.
This
has included provision of military protection for the attackers, and in some
cases soldiers’ active participation in the assault.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/02/28/646278/Palestine-Israeli-forces-teenager-detention-West-Bank-children-stabbing-attack-settlements
--------
Israel’s
Gantz held secret meeting with Jordanian monarch: Report
28
February 2021
Israel's
minister of military affairs Benny Gantz and Jordanian King Abdullah II held a
secret meeting in Jordan on Friday, an Israeli report says.
Ynet
news website reported on Sunday that the meeting between Gantz and the monarch
took place on Jordanian soil.
On
Friday, Gantz hinted at his contacts with Jordanian officials, and criticized
prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s uneasy relationship with the Arab country.
“I
think Jordan is a great asset to Israel, and I think that our relationship with
Jordan could be 1,000 times better. Unfortunately, Netanyahu is an unwanted
figure in Jordan, and his presence harms” relations between Tel Aviv and Amman,
Gantz said.
“I
have a continuous and ongoing connection with the Jordanian king and other
senior Jordanian officials, and I know we can have great achievements,” he
said.
Israeli
foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi has also reportedly met at least twice with his
Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi in recent months.
Jordan
and Israel share strong security ties, but political relations have soured
recently over the Israeli regime’s policies toward Jerusalem al-Quds, because
King Abdullah's Hashemite dynasty is the custodian of the Muslim holy sites in
the city.
Last
May, Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi warned Britain and the United
States against the “unprecedented danger” posed by the Israeli scheme to annex
parts of the occupied West Bank and the strategic Jordan Valley.
Back
in October 2019, Jordan recalled its ambassador to Tel Aviv for consultation to
protest against Israel’s months-long detention of two citizens for unknown
reasons.
The
two Jordanians were freed and transferred to Jordan later that month. They were
held after entering the occupied West Bank in August and September 2019.
Until
recently, Jordan was one of only two Arab states with a peace accord with
Israel.
Many
Jordanians, however, are opposed to normalized ties with Israel and have called
on the government to scrap the peace treaty. Many citizens in Jordan are of
Palestinian origin.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/02/28/646230/Israel-Gantz-held-recent-secret-meeting-with-Jordanian-monarch-Report
--------
Africa
59
Algerian pro-democracy activists released from jail: Justice ministry
28
February ,2021
Algerian
authorities have released a total of 59 pro-democracy activists from jail under
presidential pardons issued earlier this month, the justice ministry said on
Saturday.
The
Hirak protest movement, which swept strongman Abdelaziz Bouteflika from power
in 2019, marked its second anniversary on Monday, with thousands marching in
the capital Algiers and other cities.
The
movement has gathered momentum in recent days after a year-long hiatus due to
the coronavirus pandemic.
On
Friday, thousands of anti-government protesters were back on the streets across
Algeria. Rights groups said 700 were detained but later released.
On
the eve of the Hirak’s anniversary, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced he
would pardon dozens of detainees held over acts linked to “the use of social
media networks.”
In
line with that decision, “the number of detainees released following the
completion of legal procedures had by Thursday reached 59,” the justice
ministry said on Saturday.
Among
those pardoned was prominent journalist Khaled Drareni, a correspondent for
French-language TV5 and press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
He
was jailed for his coverage of the Hirak protests and, like many other
detainees, was accused of incitement.
Following
his release, he told AFP: “I hope that my time in prison will contribute to
strengthening press freedom in Algeria and making it a sacred, untouchable
freedom.”
Tebboune,
who was elected in December 2019 on a very low turnout in a poll boycotted by
the protest movement, has made several bids to head off renewed anti-government
rallies.
Announcing
the pardons on February 18, he has also signed a decree dissolving parliament
to clear the way for early elections and said there would be a limited
government reshuffle.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/north-africa/2021/02/28/59-Algerian-pro-democracy-activists-released-from-jail-Justice-ministry
--------
Libya
speaker Aguila Saleh flags March 8 for government confidence vote
27
February ,2021
The
Libyan parliament will discuss holding a vote of confidence on a new unified
government for the divided country on March 8, its powerful speaker Aguila
Saleh said.
Oil-rich
Libya has been mired in chaos since dictator Muammar Gaddafi was ousted and
killed in a popular uprising backed by a NATO air campaign a decade ago.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
Government of National Accord (GNA) is based in Tripoli, while General Khalifa
Haftar supports a parallel administration based in the east.
“Parliament
will convene to discuss a vote of confidence on the government on Monday, March
8, at 11 am in Sirte if the 5+5 Joint Military Commission guarantees the
security of the meeting,” Saleh said in a statement late Friday, referring to a
city halfway between east and west.
The
military commission is a forum bringing together five representatives from each
side.
“If
that proves impossible, the session will be held in the temporary seat of
parliament in Tobruk at the same date and time,” he said, adding that the
military committee would need to advise the parliament in advance.
It
was unclear whether the vote itself would take place on March 8 or whether the
meeting would be limited to talks.
Interim
prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah on Thursday said he faced a Friday deadline
to form his government according to a UN road map.
He
said he had submitted to Saleh a “vision” for a cabinet line-up that would help
steer Libya to elections in December, and that the names of proposed ministers
would be disclosed in parliament during the confidence vote.
Parliament
has 21 days to vote on the line-up, according to the road map.
Dbeibah
was selected early this month in a UN-sponsored inter-Libyan dialogue, the
latest internationally-backed bid to salvage the country from a decade of
conflict and fragmented political fiefdoms.
Saleh
said Friday that Dbeibah should choose “competent people with integrity, from
across the country, in order to achieve (national) consensus” for his government.
“Everyone
should be represented so that (Libya) can emerge from the tunnel,” Saleh said.
If
approved, a new cabinet would replace the Tripoli-based GNA, headed by Fayez
al-Sarraj, and the parallel administration in the east.
The
premier will then face the giant task of unifying Libya’s proliferating
institutions and leading the transition up to December 24 polls.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/north-africa/2021/02/27/Libya-speaker-Aguila-Saleh-flags-March-8-for-government-confidence-vote
--------
9
al-Shabaab terrorists dead in SW Somalia
Mohammed
Dhaysane
28.02.2021
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
At
least nine al-Shabaab terrorists were killed in Somalia Sunday when the
al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group mounted an attack Sunday morning on an army
base in the country's southwest.
Mohamed
Mukhtar, the district deputy commissioner in the town of Qasahdhere in the Bay
region, told local media that the army, backed by Ethiopian forces serving
under the African Union peacekeeping mission forces in the Horn of Africa
country (AMISOM) killed at least nine terrorists during the attack.
Speaking
to Anadolu Agency over the phone, Qasahdhere district commissioner Abdirisaq
Abdi Ibrahim said his administration, along with the regional paramilitary
forces and AMISOM were aware that the attack was coming and ambushed the
terrorists.
"We
received intelligence about the imminent attack and our forces managed to
repulse the attack," Ibrahim said.
He
added that more than 11 terrorist fighters were also wounded in the attack and
their weapons seized.
Qasahdhere
is an agriculture town located some 346 kilometers (214 miles) southwest of the
Somali capital Mogadishu and 90 km west of Baidoa, Bay’s capital.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/9-al-shabaab-terrorists-dead-in-sw-somalia/2159708
--------
North
America
US
says ready to reengage in ‘meaningful diplomacy’ with Iran
01
March 2021
The
United States says it is disappointed that Iran has ruled out an informal
meeting on the 2015 nuclear deal, but it remains ready to reengage in
meaningful diplomacy on the issue.
In
comments on Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said the present juncture
is not a suitable time for holding an unofficial meeting with European Union
and American officials on the landmark nuclear deal that Iran clinched with
world powers in 2015, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of
Action (JCPOA).
A
few hours later, a White House spokeswoman said, “While we are disappointed at
Iran’s response, we remain ready to reengage in meaningful diplomacy to achieve
a mutual return to compliance with JCPOA commitments.”
She
said Washington would be consulting with its P5+1 partners, the four other
permanent members of the United Nations Security Council — China, France,
Russia, United Kingdom – plus Germany, on the best way forward.
The
remarks followed an earlier report by The Wall Street Journal, which quoted
senior diplomats as saying that Iran has rejected a European Union offer to
arrange direct nuclear talks with the US.
According
to The Wall Street Journal, two senior Western diplomats said Iran has ruled
out attending a meeting in Europe for now, saying it wanted a guarantee first
that the US would lift some sanctions after the meeting.
‘Biden
admin must consider good faith actions’
Kelsey
Davenport, the Director for Nonproliferation Policy at the Arms Control
Association, says delaying the talks increases the risk of the JCPOA
collapsing.
“Both
the US and Iran need to show restraint in the coming weeks to preserve the
chance for diplomacy,” she tweeted on Sunday.
“The
Biden administration should also consider good faith actions, such as waivers
for nuclear cooperation activities,” she added.
“This
would keep JCPOA required projects on track, provide civil nuclear benefits to
Iran, help facilitate a future return to compliance, benefit US
non-proliferation interests, and send a signal of US good faith toward
restoring the deal,” Davenport said.
However,
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh says the “implementation of
commitments by all parties [to the JCPOA] is not a matter of negotiation and
give-and-take, because all options for give-and-take were exhausted five years
ago.”
“The
way forward is quite clear. The US must end its illegal and unilateral
sanctions and return to its JCPOA commitments. This issue neither needs
negotiation, nor a resolution by the Board of Governors [of the International
Atomic Energy Agency],” he added in his Sunday comments.
“The
Islamic Republic of Iran will respond to actions with action and just in the
same way that it will return to its JCPOA commitments as sanctions are removed,
it will also answer in kind to all hostile measures and behaviors,” he
emphasized.
Back
in May 2018, former US President Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the
JCPOA, calling it the “worst deal ever”, and vowing to press Tehran into
negotiating a new deal through a “maximum pressure” campaign that included
tough economic sanctions and military provocations.
Tehran,
which has verifiably asserted that it does not seek to develop nuclear weapons,
adopted what it called the “maximum resistance” policy and successfully
weathered the US pressure, while pushing the other parties to the deal to honor
their commitments and stand up to US bullying.
Iran
maintains that the three European parties to the deal, also known as the E3,
have paid only lip service to Tehran’s calls to safeguard its interests against
the United States’ illegal sanctions.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/03/01/646292/Iran-US-diplomacy-jcpoa
--------
US
disappointed by Iran's latest move on nuclear deal, remains ready to re-engage:
WH
Tuqa
Khalid
01
March ,2021
The
United States is disappointed that Iran said the time was not “suitable” for an
informal meeting on reviving the abandoned 2015 nuclear deal, but remained
“ready to re-engage” in meaningful diplomacy, a White House spokeswoman said.
“While
we are disappointed at Iran’s response, we remain ready to reengage in
meaningful diplomacy to achieve a mutual return to compliance with JCPOA
commitments,” the spokeswoman said, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan
of Action, or Iran nuclear deal.
She
added that Washington would be consulting with its P5+1 partners, the four
other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council — China, France,
Russia, United Kingdom - plus Germany on the best way forward.
Iran’s
Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said earlier on Sunday:
“Considering the recent positions and actions of the United States and the
three European countries, [Iran] does not consider the time suitable to hold
the informal meeting proposed by the European coordinator [of the deal].”
Standoff
Washington
and Tehran are locked in a standoff over reviving nuclear talks.
US
President Joe Biden’s administration has signaled to Iran its willingness to
return to talks to revive the nuclear deal Former President Donald Trump
abandoned in 2018.
Biden
reversed Trump’s determination that all UN sanctions against Iran had been
restored. And the State Department eased stringent restrictions on the domestic
travel of Iranian diplomats in New York.
Yet,
Tehran demanded that all Trump-era sanctions on Iran be lifted before taking
any real action to return to the deal.
"There
has still been no change in US positions and behaviour yet," Khatibzadeh added,
saying the Biden administration has continued "Trump's failed policy of
maximum pressure".
The
Iranian regime is trying to get more concessions from Washington before taking
any real action, especially in light of growing pressure at home due to economic
hardship worsened by the US sanctions.
Iranian
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last week Iran might enrich uranium
up to 60 percent purity if needed, while repeating a denial of any Iranian
intent to seek nuclear weapons, for which 90 percent enrichment would be
required.
The
UN's atomic watchdog IAEA reported last week that Iran's stockpile of enriched
uranium was more than 14 times over the limit set down in its 2015 nuclear
deal.
Iran
also restricted site inspections by the IAEA after a US refusal to lift
existing sanctions, a step Britain, France and Germany condemned as
“dangerous.”
Biden's
administration said it had no plans to take additional steps on Iran before
diplomatic conversation, all the while facing mounting pressure from Republican
lawmakers to not "give up leverage" and "appease" Tehran by
lifting sanctions.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2021/03/01/US-disappointed-by-Iran-s-latest-move-on-nuclear-deal-remains-ready-to-re-engage-WH
--------
Diplomat
says US report on Khashoggi murder is ‘manipulation’ for ‘political gain’
01
March ,2021
The
latest report released by the Biden Administration on the murder of late
journalist Jamal Khashoggi was “manipulation of intelligence for political
gain,” according to former Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard
Grenell.
“There
is nothing new in the repackaged Khashoggi report released by the Biden team.
It was a gratuitous repackaging of intel and therefore a manipulation of
intelligence for political gain,” Grenell said in a tweet on Monday.
The
report declassified by US President Joe Biden alleged that Saudi Arabia’s Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the 2018 operation that led to the murder
of Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate, allegations that Saudi
Arabia’s Foreign Ministry denied following the report’s publication.
Saudi
Arabia’s government last week released a statement saying it completely rejects
the negative, false, and unacceptable assessment made by the US.
“The
government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia completely rejects the negative,
false and unacceptable assessment in the report pertaining to the Kingdom’s
leadership, and notes that the report contained inaccurate information and
conclusions,” the Saudi Arabian foreign ministry said in a statement.
Khashoggi
was murdered on October 20, 2018, after a fistfight broke out at the Saudi
Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor had said at the
time. He was visiting the consulate to complete paperwork related to his divorce.
At
the time, Saudi Arabian authorities arrested 18 Saudis for investigation in
connection with events surrounding Khashoggi’s murder.
The
Crown Prince told CBS “60 Minutes” in 2019 that he takes “full responsibility”
for the grisly murder of Khashoggi but denied allegations that he ordered it.
“When
a crime is committed against a Saudi citizen by officials, working for the
Saudi government, as a leader I must take responsibility. This was a mistake.
And I must take all actions to avoid such a thing in the future,” he said at
the time.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2021/03/01/Diplomat-says-US-report-on-Khashoggi-murder-is-manipulation-for-political-gain-
--------
US
condemns Yemen’s Houthis ‘egregious’ attack on Saudi Arabia
Tuqa
Khalid
01
March ,2021
The
United States condemned the latest attack on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s
Iran-backed Houthi militias, stressing its commitment to the “longstanding
partnership” with the Kingdom, the State Department said on Sunday.
“The
United States strongly condemns the Houthis’ attacks on population centers in
Saudi Arabia on Saturday, February 27. These attacks threaten not only innocent
civilians but also prospects for peace and stability in Yemen,” State
Department spokesman Ned Price said.
“We
call on the Houthis to end these egregious… The United States remains committed
to its longstanding partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to helping
Saudi Arabia defend its territory as it faces attacks from Iranian-aligned
groups,” he added.
The
Arab Coalition said on Saturday it intercepted a ballistic missile that
targeted the Saudi Capital Riyadh launched by the Houthis.
Fragments
of the missile scattered over several Riyadh neighborhoods, damaging at least
one home but no casualties were reported, Saudi's state-run al-Ekhbariya
television said.
Separately,
the coalition said it had intercepted six Houthi drones targeting the Kingdom,
including the southern cities of Khamis Mushait and Jizan.
US
President Joe Biden’s administration revoked a terrorist designation of the
Houthis introduced by former President Donald Trump in January.
Saudi
Arabia maintained that it will continue to treat the Houthis as a terrorist
organization regardless of whether the United States decided to designate the
group as such, according to the Kingdom's permanent representative to the UN.
Biden
also announced in February ending US support for the offensive operations of
the Arab Coalition which intervened in Yemen 2015.
The
Arab Coalition supports the internationally recognized government of Yemeni
President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi against the Houthis.
Yemen’s
Houthis have recently escalated aerial attacks on civilian areas in Saudi
Arabia. Riyadh said a Houthi drone attack caused a fire in a civilian aircraft
at an airport in Abha last week.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/03/01/US-condemns-Yemen-s-Houthis-egregious-attack-on-Saudi-Arabia
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Three
names mysteriously rubbed from US report on Khashoggi murder
01
March 2021
The
US intelligence community has replaced its long-awaited report on the murder of
Jamal Khashoggi with another version that saw the names of three men it had
initially identified as complicit removed.
CNN
reported on Monday that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence
(ODNI) switched the report several hours after it was published on Friday
afternoon.
The
first link to the report that was sent out by ODNI stopped working and was
replaced with a second version, whose file name on the ODNI website includes
"v2", that removed three of the men it had just announced had
"participated in, ordered, or were otherwise complicit in or responsible
for the death of Jamal Khashoggi".
CNN
said the change went largely unnoticed amid outrage over the failure of Joe
Biden's administration to impose sanctions on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman after the report confirmed that he had directly approved the
assassination.
Khashoggi,
a former advocate of the Saudi royal court who later became a critic, was
brutally murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018, after
he entered the premises to collect documents for his planned wedding to his
Turkish fiancée Hatice Cengiz.
According
to Turkish officials, Khashoggi was killed and his body was cut into pieces by
a 15-man Saudi squad inside the consulate.
The
Washington Post, where Khashoggi was a columnist, reported in November the same
year that the CIA had concluded that bin Salman had personally ordered the
murder.
During
his election campaign, Biden pledged to treat Riyadh as a “pariah”.
The
ODNI declined to clarify why the names were originally inscribed on the list
and what roles, if any, they may have had in the crime.
"We
put a revised document on the website because the original one erroneously
contained three names which should not have been included," an ODNI
spokesperson told CNN.
A
top administration official had argued on Friday afternoon before the change
was noticed that the report contained no new information.
"This
[is] information that has been known to the US government and briefed to select
committees and members of Congress over one year ago," the official said.
Yet
three of the names that ODNI had first listed had not previously been mentioned
in reports on Khashoggi's killing.
The
three names that disappeared are Yasir Khalid Alsalem, Ibrahim al-Salim and
Abdulla Mohammed Alhoeriny.
CNN
cited a person familiar with the inner workings of Saudi intelligence as saying
that Alhoeriny is the brother of General Abdulaziz bin Mohammed al-Howraini, a
minister who is in charge of the powerful Presidency of State Security which
oversees multiple intelligence and counterterrorism agencies. Abdulla appears
in Saudi reports as the assistant chief of state security for counterterrorism.
A
House Intelligence Committee official said ODNI has been asked for
clarification of the discrepancy between the two lists of names.
The
revised report concludes with a list of 18 names who US intelligence has
"high confidence" were involved in the brutal murder.
The
18 have also been sanctioned by the US for Khashoggi's murder.
Washington,
however, cited national interests to justify why Biden has let bin Salman,
commonly known as MBS, off the hook.
The
report assessed that “Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman approved
an operation in Istanbul, Turkey to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal
Khashoggi”.
Cengiz,
Khashoggi’s fiancée, said in a statement posted on her official Twitter account
on Monday, “It is essential that the Crown Prince, who ordered the brutal
murder of a blameless and innocent person, be punished without delay."
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/03/01/646300/Three-names-removed-US-report-Khashoggi-murder
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US
has never been asked to be in Syria, says analyst
28
February 2021
A
political analyst notes that the United States has never been asked to have a
presence in war-ravaged Syria.
Myles
Hoenig made the comments in an interview with Press TV on Saturday after the US
flagrant aggression against Syria under the administration of President Joe
Biden.
“The
latest Biden attack on Iraqi forces in Syria just shows that foreign policy in
the United States is fairly consistent, regardless of who is the
commander-in-chief or what party is in office. As an imperialist power with an
exceptionalist complex, it feels it can do whatever it wants to do, whenever,
and wherever,” he said.
Biden’s
first military engagement since taking office could determine the strategy the
administration has adopted in dealing with US nemeses.
“He
has always been a warmonger and this was his opportunity to bridge the gap
between Republicans and Democrats, knowing full well that he would have most of
their backings,” said the political commentator.
A
US-led military coalition has been active inside Syria under the pretext of
fighting Daesh since September 2014 without any authorization from the Damascus
government or a UN mandate. The US military strikes in the Arab country have on
many occasions resulted in civilian casualties and failed to fulfill their
declared aim of countering terrorism.
The
Syrian ministry emphasized that this act of aggression contradicts the supposed
role of the US, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, which is
tasked with safeguarding global peace and security.
“The
US has never been asked to be there to fight Daesh. That has been left to Iran,
Iraq and Russia. Claiming self-defense is patently ridiculous.”
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/02/28/646218/US-Syria-Biden-Iraq-Daesh
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