A TADA Court Orders Charges Be Framed Against Terrorist-Turned-Separatist Leader Yasin Malik and Nine Others in Rubaiya Sayeed Kidnapping Case
New
Age Islam News Bureau
12
January 2021
The TADA court had earlier issued non-bailable
warrants against Yasin Malik and seven others allegedly involved in the killing
of four IAF personnel in Kashmir in 1990.(PTI photo)
-----
•
PDM Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman: Ousting Imran Khan Is 'Jihad'
•
Turkish Religious Cult Leader, A Writer Of Over 300 Books Charged over Sexual
Assault, Abuse, Statutory Rape
•
Main Mauritanian Opposition Party Seeks To Send Bill to Parliament to
Criminalize Normalization with Israel
•
US Lawmakers: Designating Houthis as Terrorist, Death Sentence For Thousands Of
Yemenis
•
Albania Races to Rescue Children From Jihadist Camp
•
Afghan Leaders Sideline Spokesmen in an Escalating Misinformation War
India
•
A TADA Court Orders Charges Be Framed Against Terrorist-Turned-Separatist
Leader Yasin Malik and Nine Others in Rubaiya Sayeed Kidnapping Case
•
Yogi Govt Plans New Law to Regulate Temples, Mosques, Churches, Will Keep Tab
on Donations
•
16 Anti-Conversion Law Cases, Key Accused Muslims, But UP Govt Insists Law Is
Religion-Neutral
•
14yr-old injured in Pak shelling along LoC in Poonch
•
Shiv Sena Targets BJP Over Bird Flu, Asks If Pak, Khalistanis Behind Outbreak
•
PAGD not for petty electoral gains but for restoration of J&K’s special
status, reiterates Mufti
•
30 years later, charges to be framed against Malik, others
--------
Pakistan
•
PDM Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman: Ousting Imran Khan Is 'Jihad'
•
If PDM Comes To Rawalpindi, We'll Offer Them 'Chai-Pani': Pakistan Army Spokesman
•
Army rejects allegation of meddling in political affairs
•
PM forms ministerial body on law, order in Islamabad
•
Two ‘IS-inspired militants’ get life in Navy officer’s killing case
•
Terrorist with explosives held in Nowshera
•
PA flays miners’ killing, seeks steps against fresh terror wave
•
Operation against terrorists launched, says Langove
--------
Mideast
•
Turkish Religious Cult Leader, A Writer Of Over 300 Books Charged over Sexual
Assault, Abuse, Statutory Rape
•
Hezbollah: US 'terror' designation for Yemen’s Ansarullah criminal act
•
Houthis condemn US move to designate them as terrorist
•
Hamas warns of Israeli scheme to dismantle Dome of Rock
•
Iran, UN Voice Concern over Escalation of ISIL Terrorist Activities in Syria
•
Iran Asks Interpol to Issue Red Notice for 4 Culprits in Nuclear Scientist’s
Assassination
•
Official: Sanctions Removal Pre-Requisite for US’ Return to N. Deal
•
Reviving Iran’s nuclear deal must be within coming weeks: UN atomic watchdog
•
Coronavirus: Palestine approves Russian COVID-19 vaccine, Russian wealth fund
says
•
Advocacy group B’Tselem calls Israel apartheid regime for first time
--------
Africa
•
Main Mauritanian Opposition Party Seeks To Send Bill to Parliament to
Criminalize Normalization with Israel
•
Israel to Reopen Morocco Mission in ‘The Next Days’ After Normalizing Ties
•
Sudan voices frustration as latest Nile Dam talks stall
•
Cameroon Says Boko Haram, Separatists on Offensive
•
Nigeria: Military Kills 28 Boko Haram Terrorists in Gujba Clash
•
Boko Haram kills commuters, seizes 11 vehicles in Borno
•
Tunisia nabs senior al Qaeda member
--------
North
America
•
US Lawmakers: Designating Houthis as Terrorist, Death Sentence For Thousands Of
Yemenis
•
25 Domestic Terrorism Cases Opened As Result Of US Capitol Riots
•
Fear Spreads in Minnesota Town as ‘Extremist Group’ Moves to Open Church
•
US Secretary Pompeo to release new information on Iran’s ties to al-Qaeda
•
US designates Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism: Pompeo
•
Pompeo meets with Mossad chief ahead of anti-Iran speech: Report
•
US military continuing Afghan troop withdrawal despite new law
•
Cuba raps as ‘political opportunism’ US return of Havana to ‘terror sponsors’
list
•
US Veteran Diplomat Kissinger Criticizes Possible Return To Nuclear Deal With
Iran
--------
Europe
•
Albania Races to Rescue Children From Jihadist Camp
•
Iran Must Undo Uranium Enrichment, Help Nuclear Diplomacy: EU
•
Spain court remands three suspected ISIS members
•
Man arrested in Redhill over Islamic terrorism
--------
South
Asia
•
Afghan Leaders Sideline Spokesmen in an Escalating Misinformation War
•
Female Military Personnel ‘Assassinated’ in Balkh
•
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh agree to promote maritime cooperation
--------
Southeast
Asia
•
Dr M Hits Back At Being Named On Extremist List
•
Malaysia’s Pharmaniaga signs Covid-19 vaccine agreement with China’s Sinovac
•
After Machang MP, Umno's Nazri Aziz withdraws support for Muhyiddin
•
Indonesia using unmanned vehicle to search for air crash victims in sea
--------
Arab
World
•
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry Welcomes US Designation Of Houthis As Terrorist
Group
•
Oman’s Sultan Announced New Law Allows Oman to Get First Crown Prince
•
Egypt reopens airspace with Qatar, resumes flights: Report
•
UAE official welcomes US designation of Iran-backed Houthis as terrorist group
•
Bahrain welcomes US designation of Houthis as a terrorist group
•
First Qatari flight arrives in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh from Doha
•
Senior Bahraini Shia cleric sympathizes with Pakistan’s Hazara Muslims after
Daesh bloodshed
•
Badge of honour for Iraqi PMU chief to be put on US sanctions list: Bahraini
opposition
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/a-tada-court-orders-charges/d/124055
--------
A TADA Court Orders Charges Be Framed Against Terrorist-Turned-Separatist Leader Yasin Malik and Nine Others in Rubaiya Sayeed Kidnapping Case
By
Ravi Krishnan Khajuria
JAN
11, 2021
The TADA court had earlier issued non-bailable
warrants against Yasin Malik and seven others allegedly involved in the killing
of four IAF personnel in Kashmir in 1990.(PTI photo)
-----
A
TADA court on Monday ordered that charges be framed against
terrorist-turned-separatist leader Yasin Malik and nine others for their
alleged roles in the abduction of Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of the then Union
home minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed in December 1989.
Special
Judge TADA Court Sunit Gupta ordered that charges be framed against Yasin
Malik, Ali Mohamad Mir, Mohammad Zaman Mir, Iqbal Ahmad Gandroo , Javed Ahmad
Mir , Mohammad Rafiq Pahloo alias Nana Ji alias Saleem , Manzoor Ahmed Sofi,
Wajahat Bashir , Mehraj-ud-Din Sheikh and Showkat Ahmad Bakshi.
Rubaiya
Sayeed who is the younger sister of former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister
Mehbooba Mufti, was kidnapped by the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front from Nowgam
in Kashmir on December 8, 1989.
According
to the CBI, the accused had kidnapped Rubaiya Sayeed to force the government to
release five militants.
Yasin
Malik has been accused of playing a key role in the kidnapping that he and his
associates executed.
Rubaiya
Sayeed was eventually released December 13 that year.
The
court after hearing public prosecutor of the CBI Vijay Kumar Dogra and advocate
MA Goni besides going into confessional statements of other accused observed
that sufficient grounds existed to presume that all the accused had committed
offences.
“Hence,
charges are required to be framed against each of the accused persons,
separately,” the court stated.
In
March last year, a TADA court had also framed charges against Yasin Malik and
six others allegedly involved in the killing of four unarmed Indian Air Force
(IAF) officials in 1990 in Kashmir. Malik is currently in Delhi's Tihar jail.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/yasin-malik-9-others-to-be-charged-in-rubaiya-sayeed-kidnapping-case-101610377073110.html
--------
PDM
Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman: Ousting Imran Khan Is 'Jihad'
Jan
12, 2021
PDM Chief Fazlur Rehman
----
MALAKAND
(Khyber Pakhtunkhwa): Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur
Rehman has termed the 11-party movement against the incumbent government of
Imran Khan a 'jihad', reported Dawn.
At
a PDM rally organised at Malakand in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he declared that the
nation is ready to offer any sacrifice for this cause. He pledged that jihad
would continue till 'rulers stopped oppressing the poor'.
The
Malakand rally is among the several rallies organised by PDM to oust the
corrupt government of Imran Khan. Earlier this month, a rally was held at
Bahawalpur, including those in Peshawar, Karachi, Quetta, Multan and Lahore
since October 16. It has demanded the resignation of Imran Khan by January 31
on corruption charges.
Maulana
in Malakand rally equated the Imran-led government with General Zia-ul-Haq and
General Pervez Musharraf's repressive regime and said that there was no
democracy in the country and government was conspiring against the Constitution
and provinces and "martial law is in place which is worse than General
Zia's and Gen Musharraf's eras," reported Dawn.
He
urged the people to gather under the umbrella of PDM to kick out this
'incompetent government' and restore real democracy in the country and remove
the 'incompetent and selected' government from power who had snatched the
mandate of the people.
Charging
the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) of acting on the orders of
Imran-government he criticised the ongoing accountability process in the
country and termed it partial and challenged NAB officials to come and arrest
him if they had the courage. He said NAB was only filing cases against leaders
of opposition parties and it had closed eyes on the corruption of leaders of
the incumbent government, reported Dawn.
He
also informed that PDM will stage a protest in front of the Election Commission
in Islamabad on January 19 and also hold a protest million march in Karachi on
January 21 against conspiracy to recognise Israel.
Earlier,
Imran Khan has begun to take steps toward ending a decades-old diplomatic
impasse with Israel, following its key ally, Saudi Arabia, settling on an
unstated position of discrete contacts but no diplomatic ties due to shifting
geopolitics in the Middle-east. The recent recognition of Israel by the United
Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan is a case in point.
Islamabad
has introduced the emotive issue to the public through pro-establishment media,
so as to condition them for a prospective shift in policy as they have never
recognised Israel. The Pakistani passport is the only one in the world that
explicitly states that you can travel anywhere using the document -- except
Israel.
Reiterating
his resolve to march on Islamabad, he added that the entire country was ready
to oust the corrupt government of Imran Khan.
Pakistan
Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also addressed the public
meeting and said that this rally was a referendum against the 'selected
government', adding that the people of Malakand had given their verdict to oust
incompetent rulers from power, reported Dawn.
Taking
a shot at Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, he said the people had become fed up with rulers due to their
continued suffering at the hands of these incompetent and fake rulers for a
long time. He charged them with non-fulfillment of promises made with the
people during the election campaign.
Bilawal
vowed to get rid of this 'puppet government' and restore true democracy in the
country with the support of the masses. He said the people of Malakand were
brave as neither they bowed down before terrorists nor dictators.
Terming
Imran Khan as 'coward', he said that when the Army Public School in Peshawar
had been attacked, this Imran Khan was dancing at the D-Chowk in Islamabad and
now when families of Shia Hazara victims of the Mach tragedy were staging the
sit-in, the prime minister had called them 'blackmailers', reported Dawn.
"This
proved that blood of the people is cheaper in Naya Pakistan than their
life," he added.
He
also took a shot on the plunging economy of the country, the economy of the
country had been ruined by policies of the 'selected government', adding that
"even economies of poor countries like Afghanistan and Bangladesh are
going up at a rapid pace than Pakistan", he added.
Reminding
Imran of his promised ten million jobs to the unemployed youth and building
five million houses for the homeless, he said that after coming to power
Imran-led government 'incompetent govt' had started destroying houses in the
name of encroachments.
He
also termed the NAB ongoing accountability process one-sided and selected one,
adding that corruption could only be eliminated from society when the process
of accountability was fair, even-handed and was the same for everyone including
politicians, judges and army generals, reported Dawn.
Earlier,
the rally was also addressed by PML-N provincial chief Amir Muqam, PkMAP chief
Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Amir Haider Khan Hoti, Maulana Owais Noorani, Agha
Hassan and others, reported Dawn.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/for-pak-opposition-ousting-imran-khan-is-jihad/articleshow/80228607.cms
--------
Turkish
Religious Cult Leader, a Writer Of Over 300 Books Charged over Sexual Assault,
Abuse, Statutory Rape
By
Mohammad Haroon Alim
12
Jan 2021
Turkish televangelist/Photo Source: Social Media
-----
Turkish
televangelist on Monday was sentenced to more than 1000 years in Jail, the
defendant was ordered jail time for crimes, like criminal Gang establishment
and leading, sexual abuse and fraud, state media said.
Adnan
Oktar and 200 others were detained over sexual assault, sexual abuse of minors,
attempted political and military espionage.
Oktar
had close to 1000 girlfriends, he previously ran his own TV channel A9 on which
he used to discuss Islamic values.
Video
footage on some occasions revealed him dancing with young women he used to call
them kittens and he nicknamed male singers he used to sing with as “Lions”.
He
was also known as Harun Yahya who wrote many books such as “the evolution
deceit”, the blamed culprit has written over 300 books.
In
2018 he and 77 others were arrested by the Turkish government and were kept
until the trial.
The
religious cult leader was sentenced to 1,075 years and three months in prison
on 10 consecutive accounts, according to Anadolu news outlet, Oktar denied the
charges against him and demanded his release.
During
the last months of the 1970s, Oktar faced a number of trials including forming
a gang but was released,
https://www.khaama.com/turkish-televangelist-charged-over-sexual-assault-abuse-statutory-rape-554455/
--------
Main
Mauritanian opposition party seeks to send bill to parliament to criminalize
normalization with Israel
11
January 2021
Mauritania’s
largest opposition political party says it intends to submit a bill to
parliament seeking to criminalize normalization and establishment of diplomatic
relations with the Israeli regime.
“In
line with our principles, values, and constitutional texts, which cite Sharia
as a source of law, and fulfillment of the aspirations of Muslims to support
just causes of nations, especially the issue of al-Aqsa [Mosque] and the
Palestinian cause, we highly demand the enactment of a law to criminalize
normalization [of relations with Israel], and we declare our full readiness to
do whatever necessary for such an honorable purpose,” the National Rally for
Reform and Development said in a statement.
The
party then called on all Mauritanian parliamentary factions and political
movements to throw their weight behind the initiative, saying the bid preserves
public dignity and is in line with attempts to stand against the Tel Aviv
regime’s wills.
The
development comes as three other opposition parties, namely Union of the Forces
of Progress, the People's Progressive Alliance and the Alliance for Justice and
Democracy/Movement for Renewal, called last week for legislation against normalization of ties
with Israel.
Mauritania
fully severed diplomatic ties with Israel in March 2010,
The
northwest African country had expelled Israeli representatives and closed the
regime’s embassy in Nouakchott a year earlier. The move came after it froze
ties in response to Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip.
The
Mauritanian government has frequently affirmed its firm support for Palestinians
and their right to establish an independent and sovereign state with Jerusalem
al-Quds as its capital.
Last
September, Mauritania’s Foreign Minister Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a
statement that his country “firmly supports the right of the Palestinian nation
to an independent state with al-Quds as its capital, in accordance with the
provisions of relevant United Nations resolutions and the Arab Peace
Initiative.”
The
so-called Arab Peace Initiative, which was proposed by Saudi Arabia and endorsed
by the Arab League in 2002, calls on Israel to agree to a “two-state solution”
along the 1967 lines and a “just” solution to the Palestinian refugee issue.
Morocco
and Israel agreed on December 10 to normalize relations in a deal brokered with
the help of the administration of outgoing US President Donald Trump, making
the North African country the fourth Arab state last year to strike a deal
aimed at establishment of relations with the regime. The others were the United
Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan.
Trump
sealed the agreement in a phone call with Morocco’s King Mohammed VI. As part
of the agreement, the US president agreed to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty
over the Western Sahara region.
The
Algerian Foreign Ministry later rejected Trump's stance, saying the US decision
“has no legal effect because it contradicts UN resolutions, especially UN
Security Council resolutions on Western Sahara.”
“The
proclamation would undermine the de-escalation efforts made at all levels in
order to pave the way for launching a real political process,” the ministry
said in a statement.
Additionally,
the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement reacted to the announcement that
Morocco will normalize relations with Israel, denouncing the deal.
“This
is a sin and it doesn’t serve the Palestinian people. The Israeli occupation
uses every new normalization deal to increase its aggression against the
Palestinian people and increase its settlement expansion,” Hazem Qassem, a
Hamas spokesman said at the time.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/11/642773/Main-Mauritanian-opposition-party-seeks-to-criminalize-normalization-with-Tel-Aviv-regime
--------
US
lawmakers: Designating Houthis as terrorist, death sentence for thousands of
Yemenis
11
January 2021
A
group of US lawmakers have warned against the United States plans to designate
Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement as a foreign “terrorist” group, urging
Washington to reverse the decision.
In
a post on his Twitter account on Monday, US Democratic Senator Chris Murphy
said, "The designation of the Houthis as a terrorist organization is a
death sentence for thousands of Yemenis," adding that the move will cut
off humanitarian aid and make intra-Yemen peace talks nearly impossible.
He
further said President-elect Joe Biden should reverse this policy as soon as he
takes office.
Murphy’s
remarks came a day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he intends to
designate the Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist group in defiance of aid
groups who fear the move will worsen a humanitarian crisis in the war-torn
country.
The
Houthis will be blacklisted on January 19 -- one day before Biden’s
inauguration -- unless US Congress blocks the decision.
Democratic
lawmaker Gregory Meeks also said, "No solution in Yemen will be
sustainable unless the Houthis are involved.”
He
further said the outgoing administration of US President Donald Trump “is only
pushing a political solution to the conflict further out of reach,” by
designating the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization.
Meeks
also urged a "speedy reversal" of the decision, but warned that “the
damage will be done” even if the designation were to be reversed quickly by the
Biden administration.
Republican
Senator Todd Young also said Pompeo's move "will further destabilize a
war-torn country" and block aid groups from delivering vital relief.
"I
look forward to working with President-elect Biden and his team to overturn
this misguided decision,” he said.
UN
warns of serious repercussions if US blacklists Yemen's Houthis
In
a related development, the United Nations warned on Monday that the US plan to
designate Yemen's Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organization is
"likely to have serious humanitarian and political repercussions."
UN
spokesman Stephane Dujarric was quoted by Reuters as saying it is imperative
that the United States "swiftly grant the necessary licenses and
exemptions to ensure that principled humanitarian assistance can continue to
reach all people ... without disruption."
The
UN official added that the United Nations was "concerned that the
designation may have a detrimental impact on efforts to resume the political
process in Yemen, as well as to polarize even more the positions of the parties
to the conflict."
Saudi
Arabia has been leading a war on Yemen since March 2015, in hopes of
reinstating former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and destroying the Houthi
movement.
The
war, which the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, has claimed the
lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the impoverished Arab country over
the last six years.
The
United States and a number of European countries are major suppliers of weapons
to the Saudi-led coalition.
The
Houthi Ansarullah movement, backed by armed forces, has been defending Yemen
against the Saudi-led alliance, preventing the aggressors from fulfilling the
objectives of the atrocious war.
Diplomats
and aid groups worry the US designation of Ansarullah could threaten peace
talks and complicate efforts to combat the world’s largest humanitarian crisis
caused by the Saudi-led coalition’s aggression against the Yemeni nation.
In
November, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Yemen was in “imminent
danger of the worst famine the world has seen for decades,” warning against any
unilateral moves as the United States threatened to blacklist the Houthis.
Under
US law, Congress has seven days to review and reject a designation of a
terrorist group.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/11/642798/US-lawmakers-Yemen-designation-terrorist-group-Ansarullah-movement-Houthis-Pompeo
--------
Albania
races to rescue children from jihadist camp
By
Nick Thorpe
09
January 2021
Eva's
pale, triangular face glows in the frame created by her coal-black shawl and
hood. Her pale brown eyes gaze straight into the camera.
Now
16, she was kidnapped by her father Shkelzen and taken to Syria when she was
nine. After seven years of war and then captivity, she looks like she is from
another world, capable of nothing, or anything.
We
cannot print her photograph because it might endanger her life. She is still in
the al-Hol camp in northern Syria, where she was taken with over 70,000 other
orphans and widows of jihadist Islamic State fighters, when Barghuz, the last
IS stronghold, fell in March 2019.
Her
brother Endri, 14, is luckier. He was brought home from Syria by Albanian
special forces in late October 2020, with a woman and three other children.
Frail, thin as a rake, he grins with his uncle Xhetan, who is barely able to
believe he can hold his nephew again in his arms.
"That
camp," Albanian Interior Minister Sander Lleshaj tells me, "is hell
on Earth, as witnessed by our police officers."
In
the UK, the al-Hol camp is better known as the temporary home of former London
schoolgirl and "IS bride" Shamima Begum, who joined the jihadists in
2015 and later had her UK citizenship revoked.
'Moral
obligation'
The
interior minister in Tirana says it is currently home to 30 Albanian children
and 10 Albanian women - and the bottom line for Albania is to get all the
children home in the next few months.
"We
think there is a moral obligation to repatriate at least the kids, because they
are not terrorists, they are victims of their irresponsible parents," he
told the BBC. "But they could be raised up into real monsters if we leave
them in the camps and ignore them."
Their
mothers, on the other hand, should face trial, he believes. Negotiations are
going on with both the Kurdish authorities, who run the camps, and the mothers
to allow repatriation.
I
meet Xhetan in the lobby of a Tirana hotel. His hands shake as he shows
pictures of the children on his phone. He has dedicated seven years of his life
to getting the children home.
He
has negotiated with smugglers, militiamen, and aid agencies, but it was his own
government in the end which delivered. But now it's a race against time to get
the other children out, either before they are harmed in the camp, or spirited
away to form the core of a new IS.
The
Kurdish authorities running al-Hol are losing control.
'We
never talk about conflict'
Across
the border in Gostivar in North Macedonia, I meet Habib Fidani. His brother
Bekim abandoned the family pizza and pie business in 2013 to fight first for
al-Nusra Front in Syria, and later for IS.
Habib
hasn't heard from his brother for two years, since he was taken captive by
Kurdish forces. But he knows that Bekim's wife and four children - Fidan,
Usama, Adnan and Reyana - are still alive in Camp Roj, a smaller and slightly
less dangerous place than al-Hol. Reyana, now five, is the only one born in
Syria.
"Just
two days ago, they sent me a text. We never talk about the conflict. Only about
family matters."
Habib's
mother travelled to Syria to try to bring the children back. She died there of
illness. His father tried to get them back too, travelling widely in the region,
negotiating - like Xhetan from Tirana - with anyone who would speak to him, but
he died last year too.
Now
Habib has taken over the task on behalf of the family.
His
main hope lies in the efforts of the Albanian government but, as the interior
minister told me, those efforts are focused exclusively on Albanian citizens,
not on ethnic Albanians from North Macedonia and Kosovo.
In
2018, the Kosovo government managed, with US mediation, to bring back over 100
women and children from Syria.
Can
de-radicalisation help?
In
the Macedonian capital Skopje, Samet Shabani of the Bridge-Horizon NGO works
for a de-radicalisation programme for the small number of former fighters and
their family members who have returned from Syria, mostly under their own
steam.
"Fighters
who have come home from those battlefields to the Balkans feel like [they're]
native to this country," he says, arguing that their strong Albanian
national identity helps former fighters and their families shed the kind of
militant Islamist brainwashing they were exposed to in the Middle East.
The
de-radicalisation work was funded by the UK government until April 2019, when
the programme ended. The Dutch government, the Islamic community in North
Macedonia and the prison authorities are now taking the work forward.
In
early November, a 20-year-old ethnic Albanian, Kujtim Fejzullai, born in
Austria to second-generation migrants from North Macedonia, opened fire on
passers-by in downtown Vienna, killing four people and injuring 23 others.
Fejzulai
had served eight months of a 20-month sentence for trying to join IS fighters
in Syria. He had been radicalised in Austria.
"This
illustrates my point exactly," says Samet Shabani. "If we do not
rehabilitate, reintegrate and re-socialise those fighters, we will end up,
unfortunately, with such dramatic incidents in other countries as well."
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55435069?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1890069_
--------
Afghan
Leaders Sideline Spokesmen in an Escalating Misinformation War
By
Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Fahim Abed and Najim Rahim
Jan.
10, 2021
KABUL,
Afghanistan — After Ahmad Jawad Hijri saw the wounded children in the hospital
and learned of the Afghan airstrike that put them there, killing nine others
around their age in northern Afghanistan, he never expected that his response
would land him in jail.
But
Mr. Hijri, then the spokesman for the governor of Takhar Province, was
arrested, imprisoned for three days and then fired after telling the news media
what had happened — a standard part of his role which he had performed many
times before. Top officials in Kabul insisted that only Taliban fighters had
been killed in the strike, not children, and that anyone who said otherwise was
to be prosecuted.
“At
the hospital I saw the wounded children,” Mr. Hijri said. “I did not make a
mistake.”
The
war in Afghanistan has long been one of competing narratives. But the
government’s response to the Oct. 22 strike in Takhar Province signaled a shift
in tactics by President Ashraf Ghani’s administration: an overt declaration of
its willingness to suppress and deny information on the deaths of innocent
people. It also highlighted the changing political landscape as peace
negotiations continue in Qatar and the Taliban move to take advantage of the
attention they are attracting on the world stage.
The
news briefings that defined the early years of the war as both sides jockeyed
to win Afghan hearts and minds have nearly ceased. That leaves its main players
— the United States, the Taliban and the government — all testing different
communication strategies to achieve their desired ends.
But
with the Americans set to possibly withdraw from the country in the coming
months, the Afghan government — inundated by Taliban attacks, slumping morale
among its security forces and waves of targeted killings across the country —
has only shrunk away from portraying itself as a bastion of democratic values.
The
October airstrike, experts said, was a turning point for the Afghan government.
Even the pretense of accountability shifted to outright condemnation of those
going against the government’s bottom line, probably because of a fear of
losing public standing further.
The
clampdown has only emboldened the Taliban, eager to prove themselves capable of
leading Afghanistan better than the current leaders, who are increasingly
losing credibility.
The
Afghan government is “so afraid of criticism, they are unwilling to admit to
errors or hold themselves accountable,” said Patricia Gossman, the associate
Asia director for Human Rights Watch. “It’s ultimately self-destructive, but
they’re desperate to control information.”
Earlier
in the war, the Afghan government was reticent about civilian casualties
inflicted by the coalition or by Afghan forces, often pledging to investigate
but offering results that were rarely publicized. But at the least the episodes
were acknowledged, and local officials from areas where civilians were wounded
or killed were allowed to speak about them freely.
The
Taliban have used civilian deaths as a propaganda tool for the entirety of the
war, pointing to U.S. and NATO airstrikes and night raids as glaring crimes
against the Afghan people. And the Afghan and U.S. governments have often
responded in turn by using the same tactic — exploiting civilian casualties —
against the Taliban.
But
as Western troops scaled back their presence, and Afghan forces leveled their
own weapons against the insurgent group, the ensuing errant airstrikes and
misguided artillery fire that have wounded and killed innocents have become an
ever more powerful propaganda tool, this time leveled directly at the Afghan
government.
One
such example involved photos of dead civilians and destroyed property posted to
Twitter last week by a Taliban spokesman who highlighted them as war crimes
committed by the Afghan and U.S. militaries. Such images are often catalysts
for public outcry that aims both ways: blaming the government for an inability
to protect its people and the Taliban for their unwavering commitment to violence.
As
the Taliban have scaled up their propaganda distribution, the Afghan government
has tightened the reins on official dialogue with the public. Since October,
the Ghani administration has muzzled provincial spokesmen and district
governors, demanding that they stop relaying information to the news media,
several Afghan officials from multiple provinces told The Times, especially
relating to civilian casualties.
The
crackdown has prompted fears among provincial spokesmen that they could lose
their jobs or face arrest. One spokesman, who spoke on the condition of
anonymity, said that journalists often had to wait hours or days to hear from
the provincial governors because their spokesmen were not allowed to respond.
American
officials and members of Mr. Ghani’s administration attributed the clampdown to
a lack of coordination between local and national agencies and said that the
provincial spokesmen were barred from talking only about security issues.
Sediq
Seddiqi, Mr. Ghani’s spokesman, denied that the government was trying to limit
information, saying that the Afghan government has “been a pioneer in
supporting our vibrant media and the enforcement of access to information laws
which are unprecedented in the region.”
Ultimately,
the Afghan government’s decision to stifle information at the local level means
that the Taliban have more space to control the narrative in the country’s
districts where they are present but that Afghan officials have greater command
over the national narrative, a former U.S. official said.
This
dynamic played out on Sunday in southern Afghanistan. Local officials in Nimruz
Province claimed an Afghan airstrike there killed at least a dozen civilians a
day earlier, only to have the governor later say that 12 Taliban had been killed
and that a report of civilian casualties was being investigated. That same day,
protesters took the remains of those killedto the provincial capital, saying
women and children were among the dead.
The
repression of information has been a boon for the Taliban, an insurgent group
that once banned televisions and rarely talked to reporters. Their Feb. 29
agreement with the United States on a timetable for withdrawal, experts say,
helped legitimize the group on an international level, prompting the Taliban’s public
relation apparatus to grow considerably.
Taliban
opinion pieces written in English are often posted now on the group’s website,
Voice of Jihad, and sometimes appear in international news media outlets,
including the Op-Ed page of The New York Times. Local Afghan news outlets post
statements from Taliban spokesmen on social media, much as they would Afghan
officials. It’s a far cry from a decade ago, when the Taliban’s messaging was
often dismissed as lies.
The
Taliban often lie about death tolls in their attacks, denying civilian
casualties and at times blaming coalition forces for them. The group has denied
taking any role in the recent string of targeted killings across the country,
despite being directly implicated by the U.S. military and Afghan security
officials.
Zabihullah
Mujahid, the chief Taliban spokesman, said that their media strategy was
focused on “sharing the truth for the people.” In reality, the group has two
lines of effort: one supporting the peace talks and the other discrediting the
Afghan government on the battlefield and supporting Taliban fighters.
To
help counter the Taliban’s narrative, the United States started a small
psychological operations unit called the Information Warfare Task
Force-Afghanistan, according to U.S. military officials. The shadowy outfit was
formed at the request of Gen. Austin S. Miller, the commander of U.S. forces in
Afghanistan, in the wake of the 2018 killing of Gen. Abdul Raziq, the police
chief of Kandahar. After his death in an insider attack, rumors quickly
attributed his killing instead to the Americans.
By
combining cybertools, intercepted communications and social media, the unit
acts as an immediate counter to disrupt messaging and information channels of
the Taliban and terrorist groups in the country, officials said.
Mr.
Hijri, the former provincial spokesman, still refuses to cover up the civilian
casualties he saw on Oct. 22. An Afghan Independent Human Rights commission
report backed up his assertions on the episode, saying that an Afghan government
airstrike had killed nine children, aged 7 to 13, and wounded more than 14
others. Taliban fighters were also hurt.
“I
am amid two stones: One side is the Taliban and from another side is the
government,” Mr. Hijri said. “Now my fate is not clear.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/10/world/asia/afghanistan-taliban-information-war.html
--------
India
Yogi
Govt Plans New Law to Regulate Temples, Mosques, Churches, Will Keep Tab On
Donations
PRASHANT
SRIVASTAVA
12
January, 2021
Lucknow:
The Yogi Adityanath government is preparing to bring in an ordinance to
regulate operations at places of worship across Uttar Pradesh, with an eye on
managing donations and offerings at these sites.
According
to sources in the government, the proposed ordinance — to be called the
Regulation and Registration of Religious Places Ordinance — will likely set
rules for registration, function, operational practices and security at
religious places.
In
the making since October 2019 after a Supreme Court remark in a religious
dispute over donations, the law aims to cover the religious places of all
religions. The state has not seen any such law before this.
While
a formal announcement about the legislation has not yet been made by the
government, sources told ThePrint that officials in the Dharmarth Karya Vibhag
have already made a presentation to the CM.
A
cabinet meeting to clear the ordinance could be called soon, said the sources.
Speaking
to ThePrint, cabinet minister and government spokesperson Siddharth Nath Singh
confirmed that the department has made a presentation, but said he couldn’t
divulge more information until the ordinance is introduced.
The
sources added that the government aims to bring in the law without much noise
to avoid controversies.
What
the ordinance aims to do
Sources
said the state government is bringing in the law as it wants to completely
resolve disputes over management rights at religious places.
According
to an official in the Uttar Pradesh government, the ordinance will make the
registration of all religious places, including the prominent sites, mandatory.
It
will also have a provision for a financial body, which will keep all the
details about the donations and offerings being made at these institutions.
Moreover, the proposed law will also carry parameters for safety of all
religious institutions.
Guidelines
related to livelihoods dependent on such religious places are also proposed,
apart from provisions to ensure greater convenience of the devotees and better
maintenance of the places.
According
to the sources in the CM’s Office (CMO), Adityanath has suggested that
officials must collect feedback from legal experts to incorporate necessary
improvements in the ordinance.
The
proposed law seeks a comprehensive policy framework for better management of
places of worship. For this, it had announced the formation of Directorate of
Charitable Affairs Department under the Dharmarth Karya Vibhag in the state
last month. The headquarters of the directorate will be based in Varanasi, with
a sub-head office in Ghaziabad.
The
department’s formation was seen as an indication that the government was
planning to bring in an ordinance for regulation of religious places.
According
to an official in the newly formed department, preparations for this ordinance
had been on for over a year now, in view of a top court remark in a case
related to a religious site in Bulandshahr.
On
22 October 2019, the Supreme Court had asked why there was no law to control
and/or regulate temples and other religious institutions in the state. The
court had said the UP government should “seriously” consider enacting a law in
this regard, through which the state can bring religious institutions, where
there are allegations about mismanagement, under its jurisdiction.
The
court was hearing a petition challenging an order by the Allahabad High Court
that gave the priests working at a temple all the rights related to donations
and offerings being offered at the temple.
Since
then, the UP government has sought to bring a law to resolve disputes related
to the management of religious places.
According
to sources, while there are several committees already working at many places
to resolve such disputes, larger disputes often reach courts.
Avoiding
controversies
While
the CM has given his nod to the ordinance, the UP government wants to bring it
“without creating much noise” as it fears possible resentment among saints and
priests, the CMO sources said.
All
the ministers and officials in the government are avoiding any official comment
on the issue before the cabinet meeting to avoid controversies, said the
sources.
Last
month, Akhara Parishad president Mahant Narendra Giri had said if the
government brings any such ordinance, it should have some prior discussion with
saints.
He
said it would not be appropriate to bring activities of saints and priests
residing in monasteries and temples under the purview of state government in
any manner, adding that the system already in place in the state is adequate
and should be continued with.
However,
he later said the CM is himself a saint, the Peethadheeshwar of Gorakshpeeth,
so he would take any action only after thinking it through.
Muslim,
Christian religious leaders say no idea about law
Speaking
to ThePrint, prominent Lucknow-based Shia cleric Maulana Saif Abbas said he has
not received any kind of information related to the ordinance, but has only
reports in local media that an action in this regard is likely.
According
to him, the UP government should not repeat the mistake in a matter related to
religion that the Centre made while bringing in farm laws.
“In
the Muslim religion, there are already provisions for Shia and Sunni waqf
boards, through which all the information related to the religious sites,
including their registration, can be obtained. Therefore, some clarification on
this ordinance is necessary,” he said.
Father
Morris Kumar, priest at Assembly of Believers’ Church, Lucknow, also said he
has not received any information about the proposed law or called for any
discussion.
“It
is absolutely necessary to have prior discussion before bringing any ordinance
related to religious issues,” he said, adding that he would certainly
participate if there is an invite from the government.
https://theprint.in/india/governance/yogi-govt-plans-new-law-to-regulate-temples-mosques-churches-will-keep-tab-on-donations/583376/
--------
16
Anti-Conversion Law Cases, Key Accused Muslims, But UP Govt Insists Law Is
Religion-Neutral
ANANYA
BHARDWAJ
12
January, 2021
Uttar
Pradesh: In over a month since the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful
Conversion of Religion Ordinance was notified, 86 people have been booked in 16
cases involving allegations of conversion for love or marriage among Hindus and
Muslims. In all, 54 people have been arrested — including friends and family
members of the main accused. The key accused in all the cases are Muslims.
On
the ground, the law seems to have deepened communal fault lines, instilled fear
among Muslims, and made it tougher for interfaith couples to exercise their
choice.
While
fringe Hindu Right-wing groups seem to be thriving off this fear, saying it is
“important” for “this community”, the government maintains that the law is
religion-neutral.
The
UP government describes the ordinance as a “good legislation” that is necessary
to “check cases of deceitful, fraudulent and forceful conversions”.
“The
law does not espouse any motive to single out any religion or faith. Such
legislation was necessary to prevent only those marriages that are done with
the sole purpose of conversion. The law, in fact, safeguards human rights by
preventing fake, fraudulent or deceitful premises of marriage,” a senior UP
government functionary said.
But
in many of the cases filed under the law, the details don’t seem to add up.
ThePrint
travelled across Sitapur, Kannauj, Kanpur, Hardoi, Bijnor, Moradabad,
Shahjahanpur and Bareilly to track eight of the 16 cases, visiting families of
both the accused and the “victims”, sifting through FIRs and case diaries, and
speaking to police officers privy to the investigations.
What
came out were several discrepancies in some of the cases made out by police and
the facts narrated by the women involved and their families. Here is what we
found.
‘Pressured
to give statements, no forceful conversion’
Seven
of the eight FIRs that ThePrint examined mentioned that the woman was “cajoled”
by the Muslim man with an intention to marry her and change her religion.
However,
in four of these seven cases, the women portrayed as victims of a forceful
conversion bid denied the claim outright and told ThePrint that there was no
talk of forced conversion.
While
one of the four claimed she was pressured to give a statement against her
Muslim partner by her parents, another said her mother’s complaint to police
was the result of pressure from a fringe Hindu Right-wing group active in their
area.
Of
the seven cases, there are two where the women involved have alleged forced
conversion. In the seventh case, the woman had eloped with her Muslim partner,
and thus could not be reached for comment.
In
this incident, police initially registered an abduction case when it was
discovered that the woman had eloped. Sections under the anti-conversion law
were invoked after it was discovered that her partner was a Muslim neighbour.
In
all the eight cases, the complainants, mostly fathers of the women, have
claimed that the accused Muslim men hid their identity and “fooled” their
daughters.
But
this claim has also come into question. Only one woman has claimed that a
Muslim man lied to her about his identity, while a teenager involved in another
case claimed the man — a former classmate — initially lied about his identity
but came clean when she told him she didn’t like Muslims.
Among
the others, one said she hid her boyfriend’s identity so her parents would
allow their marriage, while another stated that she willingly married her
Muslim partner in Uttarakhand in July, four months before the law was notified.
This case also appears dubious because the law doesn’t apply retrospectively.
In
the eight cases analysed, seven involved Hindu-Muslim couples who were in a
relationship — romantic or friendly — that their families did not approve of.
In the eighth case, the teenager described the accused as a friend that “she
liked very much” until she came to know his religion.
In
seven of these cases, the Muslim men accused have been jailed. The one who
eloped is on the run. In the elopement case, police have declared the man an
absconder and arrested 13 members of his family — including his widowed mother
— for “conspiracy”. Six police and two SWAT teams have been put on duty to
track down the couple, even though both the man and woman are adults and the
woman’s family told ThePrint that they know she eloped willingly.
The
reaction to the laws has been different, depending largely on a family’s
religion. While one Hindu woman’s family claimed they are grateful to the
anti-conversion law and police, saying they “helped them separate the couple
for the woman’s good”, a Muslim household said they had now warned their sons
against going out.
Ismail,
the pradhan of all-Muslim Kirarkhedi, claimed all the men in the village “have
been warned” since one of the residents was arrested in a controversial case
under the law.
“It
is better that they are cautious. These are very poor families. If they get
caught in these love matters and get jailed, they will not even have money to
pay for their bail,” the pradhan added. “This law has certainly given a message
that all Muslim men should stay away from Hindu women and that is what is
happening now.”
This
fear, members of local Hindu Right-wing groups say, is “necessary”.
“This
fear is very important among this community. Even if an innocent man is getting
arrested, it does not matter. At least it will instill fear in the others and
keep them away from our daughters and sisters,” Jitendra Bains, a Bijnor-based
leader of the fringe group Hindu Jagran Manch, said.
According
to Bains, the achievement of this law is that a “Muslim will think a thousand
times before befriending a Hindu”. “That was our aim and we have achieved it,”
he said.
The
law is being ‘misread’
Despite
examples of the law being misused in several parts of Uttar Pradesh to separate
adult couples, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant
Kumar said the intention of the law is not to target a specific community but
to stop forceful conversions.
“This
law is being misread by many. It is a law that is gender- and religion-neutral.
There are many instances in Meerut where women have been deceitfully converted
and then brutally murdered, which cannot be ignored,” he added. “This has
become a rampant problem that is now being dealt with by this law.”
When
asked about the involvement of Right-wing groups in the filing of these cases, and
allegations of police pressure in at least one, Kumar said no one misusing the
law will be spared.
“The
job of police is to register a case if a complaint comes to them, not to
initiate one. If any complaints of police pressure come to us, they will be
dealt with sternly,” he said.
In
a state with a population of 24 crore, he added, only 16 cases have been
registered so far. “Just 16 cases in such a big state is not a lot,” he said.
Kumar
noted that the ordinance is “for all religions, does not single out any
particular religion, and is not against interfaith marriages”.
Apart
from the 16 aforementioned cases involving Hindus and Muslims, one other case
had been filed under the law as of 31 December. Filed in Greater Noida, the
case led to the arrest of four people, including a South Korean national, for
allegedly influencing some local residents to convert to Christianity.
https://theprint.in/india/governance/16-anti-conversion-law-cases-key-accused-muslims-but-up-govt-insists-law-is-religion-neutral/581856/
--------
14yr-old
injured in Pak shelling along LoC in Poonch
Jan
12, 2021
JAMMU:
A 14-year-old boy was injured when Pakistan violated the ceasefire twice along
the Line of Control (LoC) in Shahpur sector in J&K’s Poonch district on
Monday, police said.
The
first breach of truce was made around 11.30am with Pakistan resorting to
unprovoked firing and heavy mortar shelling along the LoC, targeting forward
Indian posts and civilian areas in Shahpur. The Army retaliated effectively and
the initial exchange of fire continued till 12.50pm.
Around
4pm, Pakistan again violated the ceasefire and took to indiscriminate firing
and intense shelling along the LoC. “Jahangir Ahmed, a resident of Shahpur’s
Mendhar area, was hit by splinters when a mortar shell exploded near his house.
He was hospitalised,” Poonch SSP Ramesh Angral said.
The
cross-border exchange of fire continued intermittently till the time this
report went to press.
Earlier
in the day, IGP (Jammu Zone) Mukesh Singh visited Mendhar to review the security
situation along the LoC after numerous terror hideouts were busted in the area
recently. He was accompanied by DIG (Poonch-Rajouri Range) Vivek Gupta and
Poonch SSP Ramesh Angral.
The
trio visited KG Brigade headquarters and interacted with the brigade commander
and other officers about the spate in ceasefire violations along the LoC.
“Discussions were also held on the terror module of J&K Ghaznavi Force
busted in the past few weeks, and guidelines were provided regarding the
investigation of the case,” said a source. IGP Singh also inspected the
recoveries of arms and ammunition made by security forces in Mendhar and
discussed the information revealed by terrorist associates during
interrogation.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/14yr-old-injured-in-pak-shelling-along-loc-in-poonch/articleshow/80221832.cms
--------
Shiv
Sena targets BJP over bird flu, asks if Pak, Khalistanis behind outbreak
JAN
12, 2021
Shiv
Sena on Tuesday slammed its former ally BJP and questioned it on whether there
was any Pakistani, Khalistani or Naxalites hand behind bird flu outbreak in the
country.
In
its editorial mouthpiece 'Saamana', Shiv Sena pointed out that BJP leaders had
earlier targeted farmers' agitation alleging that Pakistanis, Khalistani,
Chinese, Naxalites, and Maoists are behind the protest.
"Farmers
are agitating against the new agricultural law and meanwhile new crisis of bird
flu outbreak has emerged. Government officials say that Pakistanis, Khalistani,
Chinese, Naxalites and Maoists are behind the farmers' agitation. BJP
spokesperson has not declared if Khalistani, Pakistani and Naxalites have a
hand in mysterious deaths of the chickens and bird," read the editorial.
Shiv
Sena said that farmers and those involved in poultry farming have been
adversely affected due to bird flu.
"The
sale of chickens and eggs is more in rural areas. They have the economics of
their own and there is no place for poor egg seller's economy in the new farm
laws. According to the new agricultural law, corporates will not deal in
chickens and eggs infected with bird flu. Then who will support the farmers
involved in poultry farmer?" the editorial asked.
The
party said that several poultry markets have been shut down across the country
that has increased the difficulties of traders dealing in chickens and eggs.
"Due
to fear, people will not eat chickens and eggs for a few days and this will
affect the business of the area, which will spoil the economic
administration," it said.
Avian
Influenza has been confirmed in 10 states of the country so far.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/shiv-sena-targets-bjp-over-bird-flu-asks-if-pak-khalistanis-behind-outbreak-101610423039330.html
--------
PAGD
not for petty electoral gains but for restoration of J&K’s special status,
reiterates Mufti
By
Mir Ehsan
JAN
12, 2021
Former
Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has reiterated that the
six-party People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) was not formed in
October for petty electoral gains but for the restoration of Jammu & Kashmir’s
special status.
In
a series of tweets, Mufti on Monday said the PAGD has rattled Delhi and there
was speculation regarding the future of PAGD, which swept the District
Development Councils polls in the Kashmir Valley last month. The polls were the
first major electoral exercise in the region after it was stripped of its
special semi-autonomous status under Constitution’s Article 370, which was
nullified in 2019.
“Amidst
all the unnecessary speculation about PAGD, Id like make a few things absolutely
clear. The purpose of this grand alliance [PAGD] is not for petty electoral
gains. It exists for a much larger cause & purpose i.e to restore J&Ks
special status,” tweeted Mufti, who heads the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
“A
lot of baseless theories are being deliberately floated to discredit PAGD
amongst masses since they overwhelmingly voted for us in the DDC elections.
Regardless of who fought how many seats, our purpose to deny BJP [Bharatiya
Janata Party] & its proxies democratic space has been achieved.”
Mufti
said that all parties of PAGD stand united. “Delhi is deeply rattled by PAGD so
I expect this false campaign to intensify in the coming days. Many PDP leaders
are already arrested & I expect the situation to worsen. But this will not
break our resolve to stand united & fight for whats rightfully ours.”
Mufti’s
tweets came after two leaders of PAGD constituent People’s Conference and PDP
leader Fiyaz Ahmad Mir questioned National Conference, which leads the
grouping, for allegedly fielding proxy candidates in DDC polls.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/pagd-not-for-petty-electoral-gains-but-for-restoration-of-j-k-s-special-status-reiterates-mufti-101610434126103.html
--------
30
years later, charges to be framed against Malik, others
By
Ravi Krishnan Khajuria
JAN
12, 2021
A
special court on Monday ordered that charges be framed against separatist
leader Yasin Malik and nine others for their alleged role in the kidnapping of
Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of then Union minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, in 1989.
Special
TADA court judge Sunit Gupta ordered that charges be framed against Yasin
Malik, Ali Mohamad Mir, Mohammad Zaman Mir, Iqbal Ahmad Gandroo, Javed Ahmad
Mir, Mohammad Rafiq Pahloo alias Nana Ji alia Saleem, Manzoor Ahmed Sofi, Wajahat
Bashir, Mehraj-ud-Din Sheikh and Showkat Ahmad Bakshi.
Rubaiya
Sayeed, the younger sister of former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba
Mufti, was kidnapped by the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front from Nowgam in
Kashmir on December 8, 1989. She was released on December 13.
According
to the Central Bureau of Investigation, the accused had abducted Rubaiya Sayeed
to force the government to release five militants.
Yasin
Malik, who shunned terrorism to join politics in 1994, has been accused of
playing a key role in the kidnapping that he and his associates allegedly
executed.
The
court, after hearing public prosecutor Vijay Kumar Dogra and advocate MA Goni
(both representing CBI) and the confessional statements of other accused,
observed that sufficient grounds existed to presume that all the accused had
committed offences. “Hence, charges are required to be framed against each of
the accused persons, separately,” the court stated.
In
March last year, a court under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention)
Act, or TADA, had also framed charges against Yasin Malik and six others for
their alleged involvement in the killing of four unarmed Indian Air Force (IAF)
officials in 1990 in Kashmir.
Malik
is currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/30-years-later-charges-to-be-framed-against-malik-others-101610405826588.html
--------
Pakistan
If
PDM comes to Rawalpindi, we'll offer them 'chai-pani': Pakistan Army spokesman
11th
January 2021
ISLAMABAD:
The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leaders will be offered 'chai-pani' and
looked after if they march towards Rawalpindi, an Army spokesman said on
Monday, as he asserted that the country's powerful institution was not
interfering in the politics.
Maj
Gen Babar Iftikhar, the spokesman of the army's media wing - the Inter-Services
Public Relations (ISPR), made the remarks during a press conference in
Rawalpindi, where the Pakistan Army's General Headquarters is located.
"I
don't see a reason for (them) coming to Pindi.And if at all they want to come,
we will offer them chai-pani (refreshments) and look after them. What more can
I say?" Maj Gen Iftikhar said while responding to a question about the
threat of the PDM to march on Rawalpindi.
His
remarks came days after PDM president Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the
opposition alliance's movement would no longer be directed only at the Prime
Minister Imran Khan-led government but also "his backers", in an
apparent reference to the army.
He
hinted that a possible long march to the capital "could also be to
Rawalpindi".
The
PDM – an alliance of 11 opposition parties – was formed against the Pakistan
Army's interference in politics and installing "puppet" Prime
Minister Khan through a manipulated election.
Opposition
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo Nawaz Sharif has repeatedly blamed Army
chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and spy agency ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed for
Pakistan's current situation.
When
asked why action was not being taken against those targeting the army, the
spokesman said the armed forces were doing their job and not worried about such
criticism.
"When
it comes to criticism or allegations levelled, the army is doing its job. As to
why are we not responding to that, only such allegations are responded to which
have some weight or are based on facts.
"We
have our hands full and we neither want to get involved in such things nor will
we. We have stayed the course [and] we will stay the course. There is nothing
to worry about; we are not worried," he added.
The
Army, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 70 plus years of
existence, has hitherto wielded considerable power in the matters of security
and foreign policy.
However,
the military has denied meddling in the country's politics.
Khan
also denies that the army helped him win the election in 2018.
Prime
Minister Khan faces a serious challenge as the PDM set a January 31 deadline
for him to step down or face a "Long March" to Islamabad.
The
PDM has held massive rallies in major cities to seek Khan's ouster and press
the powerful military to stop interfering in politics.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2021/jan/11/if-pdm-comes-to-rawalpindi-well-offer-them-chai-pani-pakistan-army-spokesman-2248711.html
--------
Army
rejects allegation of meddling in political affairs
Baqir
Sajjad Syed
January
12, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
The Army has rejected opposition’s criticism of meddling in political affairs,
saying there is no reason for the opposition alliance — Pakistan Democratic
Movement (PDM) — to march on Rawalpindi, the home to the military headquarters.
“I
do not see any reason for them to come to Rawalpindi. If they ever come we will
serve them ‘chai-pani’ (tea and water). We will look after them well,” said
military spokesman Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar while responding to a question at a
presser on Monday.
PDM
chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had after a meeting of the 10-party alliance at
Raiwind on Jan 1 hinted that the planned long march could also be directed to
Rawalpindi.
Opposition
parties have lately been vocal in their criticism of the army for allegedly
bringing Prime Minister Imran Khan to power by manipulating the 2018 general
elections and later influencing governance through a façade of civilian rule.
They have demanded that PM Khan step down by Jan 31 or else they would hold a
long march to push for his ouster.
Maj
Gen Iftikhar, who heads the military’s media wing Inter-Services Public
Relations (ISPR), said the army saw no substance in opposition’s allegations.
“We have stayed the course and will stay on it,” he asserted.
Rejecting
the allegation of manipulation of 2018 polls, the ISPR director general said
the government had asked the army for supporting the electoral exercise. “We
conducted the elections with full responsibility and honesty,” he maintained.
“If
anyone has any doubt then national institutions are working, they can be
approached and they can decide,” he added.
Regretting
the criticism, Maj Gen Iftikhar said: “It’s not a good thing.”
“The
army does not need to enter the political fray, nor should it be dragged into
it,” he said asking the politicians to keep the military out of their
squabbles.
The
military sees the allegations as an attempt to draw a wedge between the army
and the masses.
The
presser was seen in military circles to be containing a ‘powerful message’ that
“unity and singleness of purpose was the way forward and reply to enemy’s grand
design of creating chaos and wedge between people and institutions.”
Security
situation
The
spokesman, while giving an overview of the internal security situation, said
the capacities of the terrorist groups to operate in the country had been
significantly diminished.
“There
is [no] organised terrorist infrastructure on the ground now. … The terrorists
are on the run. It may look that there is a surge in the terrorism incidents,
but as a matter of fact there aren’t high impact incidents anymore. Their
capacity to execute high impact incidents has been diminished significantly,”
he said.
The
reduction in number of terrorism incidents and the resulting casualties is
being seen as an indicator of the weakening of the terrorist groups because of
relentless counter-terrorism operations.
About
Daesh, the DG ISPR acknowledged the existence of its footprint, but said it was
very limited in scale. “It’s there. They are trying. There are splinter groups
of different organisations, which keep taking their names to gather some mass
or achieve credibility,” he said.
Daesh,
or the so-called Islamic State, has lately been in focus because of the Jan 3
Mach killing of 11 coal miners.
“We
are aware about the capability of this organisation, who is supporting them,
where the money is coming from and we are going after them,” he further said
alluding to Indian support for the global terror outfit.
“They
will not be able to establish any kind of permanent foot print here with the
way our (counter-terrorism) operations are going,” Maj Gen Iftikhar said.
The
spokesman said that Balochistan was facing threats, but the situation was under
control. He expressed the hope for further improvement in near future.
Chief
of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Bajwa is scheduled to visit Quetta later this week.
COAS
calls on PM
Meanwhile,
COAS Gen Bajwa and Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen
Faiz Hameed met Prime Minister Imran Khan for a discussion on national
security.
PM’s
Office, in a statement, said it was resolved that the perpetrators of Mach
incident would be brought to justice.
The
continuous human rights violations in India-held Kashmir and the frequent
ceasefire violations by Indian forces over the Line of Control also came under
discussion.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1601016/army-rejects-allegation-of-meddling-in-political-affairs
--------
PM
forms ministerial body on law, order in Islamabad
Iftikhar
A. Khan
January
12, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Imran Khan has constituted a five-member ministerial committee
to monitor law and order situation in the context of protests planned by
multiple organisations and groups in the federal capital.
According
to a notification issued with the signature of Zafar Yab Khan, joint secretary
security and administration, Ministry of Interior, the committee will be headed
by Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and comprise Law Minister Dr Farogh
Naseem, Defence Minister Pervez Khatak, Minister for Federal Education and
Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood and Minister for Planning, Development
and Special Initiatives Asad Umar.
Step
has been taken ahead of protests planned by PDM, govt employees
Though
the notification appears to be general in nature, it has been issued around a
week ahead of the anti-government Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDM)’s plan to
stage a protest outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Jan 19.
Besides
the concerned ministers, copies of the notification have also been sent to the
secretary to the prime minister, secretary interior, chief commissioner and the
inspector general of police Islamabad.
On
Jan 6, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the head of PDM, announced that the opposition
parties will stage a protest outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)
office in Islamabad on Jan 19.
“A
founding Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) member has revealed that the party
received funding from India, Europe and Israel,” Mr Rehman said at a rally in
Bannu. He regretted that the ECP failed to hold the PTI accountable in the
foreign funding case.
“We
do not accept the rule of ones who did politics by taking funds from India and
Israel,” he remarked.
The
PDM, an alliance of 11 opposition parties, is currently holding anti-government
protests in major cities. As part of the campaign, the alliance has already
announced a march on Islamabad in February.
Prime
Minister Imran Khan had last week allowed the PDM to protest outside the
Election Commission of Pakistan, warning the opposition parties that “no breach
of law will be allowed.”
“If
anyone desires to protest, they may, no obstacle should be put in the way of a
demonstration,” said the prime minister during a meeting with Interior Minister
Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.
Some
believe that the high-powered ministerial committee had been constituted not
only to keep a watch on PDM’s activities in the capital but also to oversee
other upcoming protests, including one by federal government employees demanding
better salaries and pension benefits.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1601004/pm-forms-ministerial-body-on-law-order-in-islamabad
--------
Two
‘IS-inspired militants’ get life in Navy officer’s killing case
January
12, 2021
KARACHI:
An antiterrorism court has sentenced two men inspired by the militant Islamic
State group to life imprisonment in a case pertaining to the killing of a
Pakistan Navy officer in 2013.
Accused
Saad Aziz alias Tin Tin and Tahir Hussain Minhas alias Saeen were found guilty
of murdering Captain Ahmed of the PN and wounding his foreign wife in an armed
attack in Karachi.
The
judge of the ATC-VIII pronounced the verdict reserved after recording evidence
and final arguments from both sides.
Both
the accused, who were sentenced to death by a military court for the 2015
Safoora Goth bus carnage in which around 43 members of the Shia Ismaili
community were killed, were produced in court from prison.
The
judge also imposed a fine of Rs500,000 each on them and in case of default Aziz
would have to undergo an additional six-month imprisonment, while Minhas would
have to undergo an additional three-month imprisonment.
According
to the prosecution, on Sept 4, 2013 Capt Ahmed, 40, was travelling with his
Swedish wife in a car when two gunmen on a motorcycle targeted them. Ahmed died
on the spot while his wife suffered bullet wounds, but survived the attack, it
added.
It
further said that the couple was on their way to the Navy Engineering College
on Karsaz Road from their residence when they came under attack. The naval
officer and his wife held PhD degrees.
Cop’s
murder case
The
same court also awarded life imprisonment to accused Saad Aziz in a policeman’s
murder case.
According
to the prosecution, Constable Waqar Hashmi, who was posted in the Rapid Response
Force, was attacked and killed at the Powerhouse Chowrangi in New Karachi’s
Sector 11-K when he was returning home from duty on Oct 16, 2014. The assailant
fled from the scene, it added.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1600981/two-is-inspired-militants-get-life-in-navy-officers-killing-case
--------
Terrorist
with explosives held in Nowshera
January
12, 2021
NOWSHERA:
The Mardan Counter-Terrorism Department on Monday foiled a terrorism bid by
arresting a terrorist and recovering explosives from him in Rashakai area here.
Official
sources said Mohammad Yaqoob was a key member of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban
Afghanistan. They said the CTD acting on a tip-off apprehended the outlaw while
standing near Shereen Kothe area with a blue shopping bag in his hands.
They
said the bag contained three detonators and six meter prima cord.
The
officials said investigation was underway and important information was
expected to be retrieved from the terrorist.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1601010/terrorist-with-explosives-held-in-nowshera
--------
PA
flays miners’ killing, seeks steps against fresh terror wave
January
12, 2021
PESHAWAR:
Condemning the brutal killing of 10 people in Balochistan’s Mach coalfield, the
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Monday called upon the federal government to take
concrete steps to stop the fresh wave of terrorism in the country.
The
resolution unanimously passed by the house also flayed the killing of a
youngster by the police in Islamabad and expressed solidarity with the families
of the victims of both incidents.
Speaker
Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani chaired the sitting, which was held after a break of one
month.
Pakistan
Peoples Party MPAs Nighat Orakzai and Ahmad Karim Kundi jointly tabled the
resolution, which said the current wave of terrorism, especially the killing of
people of Hazara community in Mach area, had sparked restlessness across the
country and therefore, the government should take serious steps for eradicating
terrorism and bring killers to justice.
Earlier,
minister for law and parliamentary affairs Sultan Mohammad Khan said credible
intelligence reports confirmed the involvement of foreign hands in Mach
incident.
Members
also call for ban on two-finger test of rape victims
He
said enemies were conspiring against the country to divide its people along
sectarian and linguistic lines.
The
lawmakers through another resolution moved by Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal MPA
Inayatullah Khan demanded of the federal government to restore 3G and 4G
Internet service in the far-flung areas of the province, especially hard areas
of Upper Dir district.
The
mover said the universities and other educational institutions had begun online
classes after the outbreak of coronavirus.
He
said thousands of students belonging to tail-end districts of the province
couldn’t attend online classes due to the unavailability of Internet and 3G and
4G mobile Internet facilities.
Mr
Inayatullah pointed out that the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited
didn’t provide services to some remote areas of KP, while mobile phone companies
didn’t provide 3G and 4G service there.
He
said thousands of expatriate Pakistanis living in Gulf countries couldn’t
communicate with their families due to the non-existence of mobile phone
service.
“The
federal government should ask mobile phone companies to restore 3G and 4G
service in remote areas of the province,” read the resolution.
The
assembly through another resolution demanded of the provincial government to
immediately ban the ‘two-finger’ test of rape victims during their medical
examination.
According
to the resolution, the government should adopt internationally certified and
latest procedures in this regard.
It
said the two-finger test had already been declared against the Constitution and
human values.
MPA
Ahmad Kundi of the PPP also resented the recent attack on the shrine of a Hindu
saint in Karak district of the province and termed it the government’s failure.
He
said Islam didn’t permit attacks on and destruction of warship places of
religious minorities and such attacks were against the teachings of Holy
Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
During
question hour, special assistant to the chief minister on higher education
Kamran Khan Bangash informed the house that the department concerned had
planned to overcome the shortage of lecturers and professors in colleges.
He
said 1,900 lecturers were being appointed across the province and the finance
department had also sanctioned posts.
He
assured lawmakers that the seats reserved for students of merged tribal
districts in universities and medical colleges of Punjab would be restored.
He
said the KP government had contacted Punjab government for the purpose.
Speaking
on a point of order, MPA Mir Kalam Khan expressed concern about the arrest of
the activists of Pakhtun Tahafuz Movement and insisted that the people raising
voice for the rights of the residents of the former Fata were being arrested.
He
said MNA Ali Wazir and other PTM activists had been held after they attended a
ceremony marking the APS carnage anniversary. Later, Dr Said Alam Mehsud was also
taken into custody, he added.
The
government introduced the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Amendment of Certain Fiscal Laws
Bill, 2021, in the house.
Earlier,
Speaker Mushtaq Ghani issued a ruling turning down a point of order of ANP MPA
Khushdil Khan advocate, who objected that the chair didn’t have powers to
adjourn the sitting for an indefinite period.
The
lawmaker had pointed that the speaker had adjourned the current sitting for one
month, which was unconstitutional and in violation of the assembly’s rules of
business.
He
pointed out that the governor had summoned the session and therefore, the
speaker didn’t have powers to adjourn the sitting indefinitely.
Speaker
Mushtaq Ghani ruled that he was following the rules and Constitution in matters
related to the assembly’s business.
He
said the mover’s point of order was irrelevant. The law minister also endorsed
the speaker’s ruling.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1601012/pa-flays-miners-killing-seeks-steps-against-fresh-terror-wave
--------
Operation
against terrorists launched, says Langove
Saleem
Shahid
January
12, 2021
QUETTA:
Balochistan Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove on Monday said a province-wide
operation had been launched against the terrorists involved in the Mach
massacre and other terrorist attacks.
Presiding
over a meeting to discuss the overall law and order situation in the province,
he said the government would go to any extent till the elimination of
terrorism.
The
meeting reviewed a progress report about tracing out the terrorists involved in
slaughtering 11 innocent coal miners in Mach recently.
Additional
Chief Secretary Home Hafiz Abdul Basit, Inspector General of Police Mohsin
Hassan Butt, Deputy Inspector General, Counter Terrorism Department Aitzaz
Goraya, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Quetta, Yaqoob Khan and other officials
concerned also attended the meeting.
The
home minister said that Balochistan was in the war zone where terrorists had
been carrying out operations under a plan to destabilise the province by
creating a law and order situation. “Terrorists want to divide us on the basis
of sectarianism and language by carrying out such tragic incidents, but the
people always thwarted their attempts,” he added.
He
said that all conspiracies against the country and the province would be foiled
with the cooperation of the people and the state would fulfill its
responsibilities regarding protection of life and property at all costs.
Mr
Langove said action would be taken against terrorists and their facilitators
involved in these activities to prevent such incidents.
Official
sources said the meeting was briefed about the Mach incident and overall law
and order situation and decided to continue intelligence-based operation
against the terrorists in the province.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1601024/operation-against-terrorists-launched-says-langove
--------
Mideast
Hezbollah:
US 'terror' designation for Yemen’s Ansarullah criminal act
12
January 2021
The
Lebanese Hezbollah resistance group has denounced the outgoing US
administration’s decision to designate Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement as a
foreign “terrorist” organization, terming it as a criminal act aimed at
undermining the Yemeni nation’s morale.
Hezbollah
said in a statement late on Monday that Washington is not content with
supporting and participating in the Saudi-led aggression on Yemen, and intends
to target the Ansarullah movement and three of its leaders, namely Abdul Malik
al-Houthi, Abd al-Khaliq Badr al-Din al-Houthi and Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim,
with sanctions.
“It
is a criminal move that seeks to hurt the morale of Yemenis, who have been
resiliently confronting the unfair blockade and aggression,” the statement
added. “The United States bears the responsibility for all potential
humanitarian and health repercussions.”
Hezbollah
highlighted that the US measure, besides similar hostile moves it had adopted
against resistance movements in the region, is meant to punish all those who
reject America’s hegemony and dominance over the region’s capabilities and
resources, and oppose Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands and
normalization of ties with the Tel Aviv regime.
The
Lebanese resistance movement then voiced solidarity with Ansarullah and its
leaders, stressing that the Yemeni movement will become more steadfast and
determined to safeguard the country’s resources and national interests in the
face of the US sanctions.
US
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced that the move against Yemen’s
Ansarullah movement will come into effect on January 19 — one day before the
inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, whose aides have hoped to mount a
fresh push to end Yemen’s devastating six-year war.
Separately,
the Iraqi al-Nujaba movement expressed solidarity with Ansarullah and strongly
condemned the US move to blacklist the Yemeni movement.
“Men
like Sayyed Abdul Malik al-Houthi and his fellow Yemeni combatants do not need
the approval of a deceiver who ignores thousands of innocent victims, and turns
a blind eye to Yemen’s destruction, hunger as well as the aggression of the
Wahhabi-Zionist-American alliance,” Nasr al-Shammari wrote in a post published
on his Twitter page.
He
added, “It is of enormous honor and dignity for any free resistance fighter to
be on the side of this great commander [Abdul Malik al-Houthi] and brave Yemeni
combatants.”
Meanwhile,
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — a key party to the Riyadh-led
coalition waging the war on Yemen — welcomed the US administration’s decision
to blacklist Yemen’s Ansarullah movement.
Lawmakers
from Biden’s Democratic Party had already told Pompeo that the step would both
jeopardize aid and peace efforts in Yemen.
“This
designation would almost certainly prevent the critical delivery of food,
medical supplies and other items necessary to combat both COVID-19 and famine,”
said a joint appeal late last year by three senators, Democrats Chris Coons and
Chris Murphy and Republican Todd Young.
In
an open letter to Pompeo last month, retired US diplomats, including six former
ambassadors to Yemen, also doubted that the Houthi Ansarullah movement met the
legal definition of a terrorist group.
“In
fact, designating the Houthi movement will be perceived as politically
motivated and will undermine the credibility of US counterterrorism programs
and policies,” they wrote.
Additionally,
aid groups have warned Pompeo against the blacklisting of Ansarullah, saying
that they have no option but to deal with what is the de facto government in
northern Yemen.
“We
must be able to negotiate access for our aid and protection of civilians with
all sides to all conflicts. Our humanitarian work must not be criminalized,”
Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said last
November.
Since
late 2014, the Houthi movement has been running state affairs in the absence of
an effective administration, after former Riyadh-back president Abd Rabbuh
Mansur Hadi resigned amid a conflict with Ansarullah and fled to the Saudi
capital.
Months
later, the Saudi regime and a number of its allies launched the deadly war on
Yemen to reinstall Hadi, but the US-backed campaign has flatly failed in the
face of stiff resistance put up by the Yemeni armed forces led by the Houthis
and allied popular groups.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/12/642825/Hezbollah-slams-US-blacklisting-Yemen-Houthi-movement
--------
Houthis
condemn US move to designate them as terrorist
11
January 2021
Abdullatif
al-Washali
Yemen's
Ansarullah movement slammed the US administration for its decision to designate
the movement as terrorist saying it reserves right to respond to any US move in
this regard.
In
a twit, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of Yemen's Supreme Political Council
said “America is the source of terrorism and the Trump administration’s policy
and actions are terrorist. We reserve the right to respond to any designation
issued by the Trump administration or any administration.”
It
came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Sunday plans to
designate the Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist group.
The
condemnation was echoed by other members of the council, saying the decision
will not undermine Yemenis' will to continue their resistance against any
aggression.
This
US decision, as officials in Yemen say, carries great repercussions on the
humanitarian situation in the country which is still suffering from war and
siege imposed by the Saudi-led coalition for years.
Saudi
Arabia has been leading a war on Yemen since March 2015. The war, which the UN
calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, has claimed the lives of hundreds
of thousands of people in the impoverished Arab country over the last six
years. The US and a number of European countries are major suppliers of weapons
to the Saudi-led coalition.
Observers
say the US move is aimed at justifying any form of aggression against Yemen and
paving the way for further attacks by Saudi-led coalition on the impoverished
nation.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/11/642810/Houthis-condemn-US-move-to-designate-them-as-terrorist
--------
Hamas
warns of Israeli scheme to dismantle Dome of Rock
11
January 2021
The
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has warned about an Israeli scheme to
dismantle the Dome of the Rock in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
In
a statement on Monday, Hamas said the compound with all its chapels, squares,
and the Dome of the Rock Mosque is an Islamic holy site and a right for Muslims
only, the Palestinian Information Center reported.
The
compound sits just above the Western Wall plaza and houses both the Dome of the
Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The
resistance movement stressed that continuous attempts by Israeli settlers under
the regime’s protection to alter conditions at the Al-Aqsa Mosque will
certainly fail.
“We
will defend our Al-Aqsa Mosque, the first of the two Qiblahs, with all our
strength and whatever sacrifices it costs us,” Hamas added.
The
resistance movement urged all Palestinians to intensify presence at Al-Aqsa
Mosque, calling on the Palestinian Authority, which runs the occupied West
Bank, to support the Jerusalemites by all means.
Hamas
further called on Arab and Islamic nations to unite in their defense of the
Palestinian cause and Al-Aqsa Mosque.
On
January 7, Sheikh Abdel Azeem Salhab, head of the Islamic Waqf (Endowment)
organization, also warned about such a move after Jewish settler groups
requested to build a temple in place of the Dome of the Rock prayer building.
The
senior Muslim cleric warned that the move would trigger an all-out religious
war in the region.
Palestinians
have long been wary of Israeli attempts to change the status quo of Al-Aqsa
Mosque, which is Islam’s third holiest site and where only Muslim prayers are
allowed under the status quo reaffirmed in 1967 between Israel and Jordan.
The
holy compound is administered by the Islamic Waqf (Endowment) organization on
behalf of Jordan and Palestine. Non-Muslims can visit the site, but cannot pray
there.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/11/642788/Hamas-Israeli-scheme-Dome-of-Rock
--------
Iran,
UN Voice Concern over Escalation of ISIL Terrorist Activities in Syria
2021-January-12
During
the conversation on Wednesday, Khaji and Pedersen reviewed the latest
developments in Syria.
The
Iranian and UN diplomats underlined the movements of the ISIL terrorist group
in Syria is worrying, and stressed the need to continue the fight against
terrorism.
Both
sides discussed the latest developments in Syria, including the forthcoming
meeting of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, the Astana Peace Process, as
well as the escalation of ISIL terrorists in Syria.
According
to the agreement of the Syrian parties, the fifth round of meetings of the
Constitutional Committee is scheduled to be held in Geneva in late January.
The
Constitutional Committee's fifth round of the Syria talks is set to be held at
the United Nations' Geneva office on Jan. 25-29, 2021.
The
fourth session of Syria's Constitutional Committee was held on November 27 in
Geneva to hammer out the roots of the basic laws for a peaceful Syria.
In
his November meeting with Pedersen in Tehran, Khaji had said that the western
states are using the humanitarian issues in Syria to attain their political
goals.
Khaji
lauded Pedersen for his efforts to find a political solution to the crisis in
Syria and continued meetings of the constitution committee, blasting certain
countries, specially the western states, for non-participation in the
conference on refugees.
“The
western states which claim to be supporting the humanitarian issues, have taken
hostage the humanitarian issues in Syria to attain their political goals and
have attempted to prevent holding the conference (on refugees),” he added.
Pedersen,
for his part, elaborated on the latest coordination with members of Syria’s
constitution committee about their next meeting, appreciating Iran’s efforts to
support the political process to resolve the crisis in Syria.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991023000215/Iran-UN-Vice-Cncern-ver-Escalain-f-ISIL-Terrris-Aciviies-in-Syria
--------
Iran
Asks Interpol to Issue Red Notice for 4 Culprits in Nuclear Scientist’s
Assassination
2021-January-11
“The
request for issuance of red notice has been given to the Interpol on 4 culprits
of the terror attack against martyr Fakhrizadeh,” Hajian said.
He
added that a defense bill has also been prepared for Interpol’s issuance of red
notice on assassins and those who have ordered the assassination of anti-terror
commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.
In
relevant remarks last week, Iran’s Judiciary Spokesman Gholam Hossein Esmayeeli
said that Tehran has asked Interpol to issue a red notice for all perpetrators
and masterminds of the assassination of Islamic Revolution Guards Commander
(IRGC) anti-terror Commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.
“Iran
has asked the Interpol for the apprehension of the US president and 47 others
in connection with the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani
near the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, last year,” Esmayeeli announced on Tuesday.
He
added that Iran has identified 48 people in connection with the targeted terror
attack and that includes US President Donald Trump, Pentagon officials and
terrorist American forces in the region.
The
spokesman said Tehran has made it clear in its request the role each individual
played in the brutal assassination and emphasized that Iran would seriously
pursue the case to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Lieutenant
General Soleimani was assassinated in a US drone strike on Baghdad
International Airport in Iraq on January 3, 2020.
The
airstrike also martyred Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. The two were martyred in an
American airstrike that targeted their vehicle on the road to the airport.
Five
Iranian and five Iraqi military men were martyred by the missiles fired by the
US drone at Baghdad International Airport.
On
January 8 and after the funeral ceremony of General Soleimani, the IRGC
Aerospace Force started heavy ballistic missile attacks on US Ein Al-Assad
airbase in Southwestern Iraq near the border with Syria and a US operated
airbase in Erbil in retaliation for the US assassination of General Soleimani.
Ein
Al-Assad is an airbase with a 4km runway at 188m altitude from sea levels,
which is the main and the largest US airbase in Iraq. Early reports said the
radar systems and missile defense shields in Ein Al-Assad failed to operate and
intercept the Iranian missiles. Unofficial reports said the US army's central
radar systems at Ein Al-Assad had been jammed by electronic warfare.
The
second IRGC reprisal attack targeted a US military base near Erbil airport in
Iraqi Kurdistan Region in the second leg of "Martyr Soleimani"
reprisal operation.
Iraq
said the attacks had not taken any toll from its army men stationed at these
two bases. The US army had blocked entrance into Ein Al-Assad to everyone,
including the Iraqi army.
The
IRGC officials said none of the missiles had been intercepted.
Meantime,
Iran announced in late June that it had issued arrest warrants for 36 officials
of the US and other countries who have been involved in the assassination of
the martyred General Soleimani.
"36
individuals who have been involved or ordered the assassination of Hajj Qassem,
including the political and military officials of the US and other governments,
have been identified and arrest warrants have been issued for them by the
judiciary officials and red alerts have also been issued for them via the
Interpol," Alqasi Mehr said at the time.
He
said that the prosecuted individuals are accused of murder and terrorist
action, adding that US President Donald Trump stands at the top of the list and
will be prosecuted as soon as he stands down presidency after his term ends.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991022000825/Iran-Asks-Inerpl-Isse-Red-Nice-fr-4-Clpris-in-Nclear-Scienis%E2%80%99s
--------
Official:
Sanctions Removal Pre-Requisite for US’ Return to N. Deal
2021-January-11
“If
the US seeks to return to the JCPOA, it should first lift the sanctions imposed
on Iran,” Velayati said, adding, “Whether the US rejoins the Nuclear Deal is
not significant and the Islamic Republic does not insist on this matter.”
He
noted that the US and Europe are responsible for lifting the sanctions.
The
official referred to Iran’s reduction of JCPOA commitments, stressing that the
country needs to enrich uranium up to 20 percent for scientific and medical
purposes.
Velayati
underlined that Iran as a member of NPT has the right to enjoy the peaceful
benefits of the nuclear industry, noting, “Sooner or later, fossil fuels will
finish, and the Islamic Republic needs to use the nuclear capacity to generate
electricity to advance its industrial and scientific work.”
He
also emphasized that Iran wants to be self-sufficient in the field of nuclear
energy and does not want to be dependent on other countries especially those
who are constantly breaching their relevant commitments.
In
relevant remarks on Friday, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah
Seyed Ali Khamenei said that the US must first lift all sanctions against Iran
if it wants to return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, stressing that
the West is duty-bound to lift all wicked sanctions immediately.
“The
United States should remove all sanctions prior to returning to the JCPOA,” the
Supreme Leader said, adding that the US’ return to the nuclear deal before
lifting of the sanctions will be to Iran’s detriment.
Ayatollah
Khamenei made the remarks in a live televised speech on the occasion of the
January 9, 1978 uprising of the people of Qom which sparked the nationwide
uprisings and the Islamic Revolution resulting in the overthrow of the
dictatorial monarchy of the Pahlavi regime and establishment of the Islamic Republic
in the country.
“The
people’s movement on January 9 [1978] was the first blow of the ‘Abrahamic Axe’
on the body of the ‘Big Idol’,” he said, adding, “This movement continued so
that you can see the situation of the Big Idol [The US] now. This is their
election system. This is their human rights condition, every few hours or days,
a black man is killed with no guilt. These are the American values that have
become the source of ridicule and this is their paralyzed economy with missions
of jobless and hungry people.”
“The
Western front is duty-bound to end this malicious move, namely the sanctions,
and stop it instantly,” the Supreme Leader stressed, adding, “Yet, we should
design the economy in a way that we would administer the country even with the
sanctions.”
Ayatollah
Khamenei made it clear that the sanctions are gradually becoming ineffective.
“As
for our regional presence, our establishment has the duty to behave in a way
that its friends are strengthened in the region,” he said, and added, “Our presence
is a source of stability, and this has been proved in the issue of ISIL and the
like, while the US is a source of instability and Iran is standing against the
US destabilizing moves.”
“Today,
our defense power is in a way that our enemies have no choice but to consider
Iran’s abilities in their calculations,” Ayatollah Khamenei went on to say,
noting, “We should not leave the country defenseless as it emboldens the
enemy.”
Elaborating
on the JCPOA, the Supreme Leader said that Iran’s obligations should be
completely proportionate to the measures of the US and Europe which have not
fulfilled any of their commitments.
Iran
signed the JCPOA with six world states — namely the US, Germany, France,
Britain, Russia, and China — in 2015.
Outgoing
US President Donald Trump, a stern critic of the historic deal, unilaterally
pulled Washington out of the JCPOA in May 2018, and unleashed the “toughest
ever” sanctions against the Islamic Republic in defiance of global criticism in
an attempt to strangle the Iranian oil trade, but to no avail since its
"so-called maximum pressure policy" has failed to push Tehran to the
negotiating table.
In
response to the US’ unilateral move, Tehran has so far rowed back on its
nuclear commitments four times in compliance with Articles 26 and 36 of the
JCPOA, but stressed that its retaliatory measures will be reversible as soon as
Europe finds practical ways to shield the mutual trade from the US sanctions.
Tehran
has particularly been disappointed with failure of the three European signatories
to the JCPOA -- Britain, France and Germany -- to protect its business
interests under the deal after the United States' withdrawal.
On
January 5, Iran took a final step in reducing its commitments, and said it
would no longer observe any operational limitations on its nuclear industry,
whether concerning the capacity and level of uranium enrichment, the volume of
stockpiled uranium or research and development.
Meantime,
US President-elect Joe Biden has recently said in a CNN article that he wants a
renegotiation of the contents of the deal before he agrees to rejoin the
agreement.
“I
will offer Tehran a credible path back to diplomacy. If Iran returns to strict
compliance with the nuclear deal, the United States would rejoin the agreement
as a starting point for follow-on negotiations. With our allies, we will work
to strengthen and extend the nuclear deal's provisions, while also addressing
other issues of concern,” he wrote, mentioning that he wants changes to the
contents of the nuclear deal and guarantees from Tehran that it would be open
for compromise to strike multiple deals over its missile and regional powers as
well as a number of other issues that have been the bones of contention between
the two sides in the last four decades.
In
response, Zarif had stressed that the US has violated the nuclear deal and is
in no position to ask for any conditions for its return to the JCPOA, adding
that it's Tehran that has its own terms to allow the US back into the
internationally endorsed agreement.
The
foreign minister has reiterated time and again that Tehran would not change
even a single word of the agreement, and cautioned the US that it needs to pay
reparations for the damage it has inflicted on Iran through its retreat from
the nuclear agreement and give enough insurances that it would not go for
initiating the trigger mechanism again before it could get back to the deal.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991022000858/Official-Sancins-Remval-Pre-Reisie-fr-US%E2%80%99-Rern-N-Deal
--------
Reviving
Iran’s nuclear deal must be within coming weeks: UN atomic watchdog
11
January 2021
Reviving
Iran’s nuclear deal must happen within the coming weeks, UN atomic watchdog
chief Rafael Grossi said on Monday after Tehran resumed 20 percent uranium
enrichment and its parliament threatened to curb access for UN inspectors in
February.
“It
is clear that we don’t have many months ahead of us. We have weeks,” Grossi
said in an interview for the Reuters Next conference.
Iran
resumed enriching uranium to 20 percent fissile strength at the underground
Fordow nuclear plant earlier this month in a further breach of the nuclear pact
with major powers since the United States withdrew from it in 2018, possibly
complicating efforts by US President-elect Joe Biden to rejoin the deal.
Its
parliament passed a law in November that obliges the government to halt
inspections of its nuclear sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency and
step up uranium enrichment if US sanctions are not eased.
An
Iranian lawmaker said on Jan. 9 said it would give the incoming Biden
administration, which takes office on Jan. 20, until Feb. 21 to reverse
sanctions.
“I
must take it seriously because it’s the law,” Grossi said, adding that he
believed the Islamic Republic’s government intended to implement it.
Grossi
said Iran was progressing “quite rapidly” in 20 percent enrichment and that
based on estimations it would be able to reach about 10 kilograms a month at
its facility in Fordow.
Uranium
refined to 20 percent fissile purity is well above the 5 percent generally
regarded as suitable for producing civilian nuclear energy and shortens Iran’s
potential path to 90 percent purity required for a nuclear bomb. Iran denies
any intent to weaponize enrichment.
“There
will have to be a clear understanding on how the initial terms and provisions
of the JCPOA (nuclear deal) are going to be recompiled with,” Grossi said.
Tehran
started violating the 2015 accord in 2019 in a step-by-step response to
President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from it in 2018 and to the reimposition of
US sanctions that had been rescinded under the deal.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/11/Reviving-Iran-s-nuclear-deal-must-be-within-coming-weeks-UN-atomic-watchdog-
--------
Coronavirus:
Palestine approves Russian COVID-19 vaccine, Russian wealth fund says
11
January 2021
The
Palestinian health ministry has approved the main Russian vaccine against
COVID-19, known as Sputnik V, for use in Palestinian self-ruled territory,
Russia’s sovereign wealth fund said on Monday.
The
first shipment of the shot is expected to arrive next month, with all
deliveries expected in the first quarter of this year, according to the Russian
Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which is responsible for marketing the vaccine
abroad.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Outside
Russia, where authorities say over a million people have now been inoculated
with Sputnik V, the vaccine has also been approved for emergency use by local
regulators in Algeria, Argentina, Bolivia and Serbia, RDIF has said.
RDIF
did not disclose how many doses would be shipped to the Palestinian Authority -
which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank under interim peace deals
with Israel - but said the supplies would be facilitated by manufacturing
partners in India, China, South Korea, and elsewhere.
Russian
authorities have said that any Sputnik V export deals would involve only doses
produced by such manufacturing partners abroad, with Russian-made vaccines
primarily used to meet domestic needs.
Hence
Russia’s first major international shipment of vaccine doses - 300,000 that
left Moscow for Argentina last month - caused an outcry at home, as critics
questioned why exports were being prioritized over domestic requirements.
The
Palestinian Authority said on Sunday it expected to receive its first COVID-19
vaccine doses from British drugmaker AstraZeneca in March, and accused Israel
of shirking a duty to ensure vaccines are available in occupied territory.
While
Israel has become the world leader in vaccinations per capita, Palestinians in
the Israeli-occupied West Bank and in the Gaza Strip - where Hamas rules - have
yet to obtain their first supplies.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/11/Coronavirus-Coronavirus-Palestine-approves-Russian-COVID-19-vaccine-Russian-wealth-fund-says
--------
Advocacy
group B’Tselem calls Israel apartheid regime for first time
12
January 2021
An
Israeli advocacy group says Israel is not a democracy but an “apartheid regime”
that systematically oppresses the Palestinians via military occupation and
racist laws.
In
a position paper published on Tuesday, B’Tselem, for the first time in its
31-year history, called Israel an apartheid regime — which is a crime under
international law — for using “laws, practices and organized violence to cement
the supremacy of one group over another.”
It
said, “Israeli apartheid, which promotes the supremacy of Jews over
Palestinians, was not born in one day or of a single speech. It is a process
that has gradually grown more institutionalized and explicit, with mechanisms
introduced over time in law and practice to promote Jewish supremacy,”
“These
accumulated measures, their pervasiveness in legislation and political
practice, and the public and judicial support they receive – all form the basis
for our conclusion that the bar for labeling the Israeli regime as apartheid
has been met,” it added.
Israel
occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds during the Six-Day War in
1967. It later annexed East Jerusalem al-Quds in a move not recognized by the
international community.
Palestinians
want the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinian state with East
Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.
But
Israel’s aggressive settlement expansion and annexation plans have dealt a
serious blow to any prospects of peace.
The
Gaza Strip has also been under an inhumane Israeli land, air and sea siege
since 2007 and witnessed three wars since 2008.
Elsewhere
in its report, dubbed “A regime of Jewish supremacy exists from the Jordan
river to the Mediterranean Sea. This is apartheid,” B’Tselem rejected the
assumption that Israel operates two separate systems of rule concurrently, a
democracy within the occupied territory and a military grip over the
Palestinians.
“The
entire area between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River is organized
under a single principle: advancing and cementing the supremacy of one group –
Jews – over another – Palestinians. All this leads to the conclusion that these
are not two parallel regimes that simply happen to uphold the same principle.
There is one regime governing the entire area and the people living in it,
based on a single organizing principle,” it said.
The
rights group further said Israel was creating a system over all the occupied
lands in which Jewish citizens have full rights while Palestinians are divided
into four tiers with various levels of rights, but always below the Jews.
At
the lowest end is the roughly 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, where the Israeli
blockade gives the regime “effective control.”
Above
them, is the roughly 2.7 million Palestinian “subjects” in the West Bank, who
live in “dozens of disconnected enclaves, under rigid military rule and without
political rights.”
Next
on its hierarchy are the roughly 350,000 Palestinians in East Jerusalem
al-Quds. They are offered Israeli citizenship, although many have refused on
principle and for those that try, the process has a high rejection rate.
The
highest tier is Arab-Israelis, who have full citizenship, but are also kept
below Jewish citizens.
“Israel
is not a democracy that has a temporary occupation attached to it; it is one
regime from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, and we must look at the
full picture and see it for what it is: apartheid,” B’Tselem executive director
Hagai El-Ad said.
“The
fundamental tenets of Israel’s regime, although already implemented for many
years, have recently grown more explicit,” he added.
He
also condemned the controversial “nation-state” law that was passed by the
Israeli Parliament (Knesset) in 2018, saying the legislation “took the existing
discrimination against Palestinians and turned it into an open constitutional
principle.”
The
law permits institutionalized discrimination in favor of Jews in settlement,
housing, land development, citizenship, language and culture, according to
B’Tselem.
The
rights group further explained that Israel has, over the past years, used the
occupied land to build hundreds of communities for Jewish citizens – yet not a
single one for Palestinian citizens.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/12/642828/Israel-Palestine-apartheid
--------
Africa
Israel
to reopen Morocco mission in ‘the next days’ after normalizing ties
12
January 2021
The
Israeli foreign ministry has selected a diplomat to reopen Israel’s liaison
office in Morocco, an official said, weeks after the two countries normalized
ties.
David
Govrin, who was Israel’s ambassador to Egypt from 2016 to 2020, will be the
charge d’affaires in Rabat, taking up his position in “the next days,” an
Israeli official told AFP.
Morocco
and Israel in December signed a US-brokered normalization agreement in Rabat,
with bilateral deals centering on direct air links, water management,
connecting financial systems and a visa waiver arrangement for diplomats.
Morocco
closed its liaison office in Tel Aviv in 2000, at the start of the second
Palestinian intifada, or uprising.
A
Moroccan technical delegation visited the site two weeks ago to lay the
groundwork for its reopening.
The
North African kingdom was one of three Arab nations last year to normalize ties
with the Israel under US-brokered deals after the United Arab Emirates and
Bahrain, with Sudan following suit last week.
Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also invited Morocco’s King Mohammed VI
for a visit.
The
kingdom has North Africa’s largest Jewish community of about 3,000 people, and
Israel is home to 700,000 Jews of Moroccan origin.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2021/01/12/Israel-to-reopen-Morocco-mission-in-the-next-days-after-normalizing-ties
--------
Sudan
voices frustration as latest Nile Dam talks stall
11
January 2021
Sudan
warned Sunday it cannot continue the "vicious cycle" of negotiations
with Egypt and Ethiopia in the long-running dispute over Addis Ababa's
controversial Blue Nile mega dam.
Last
week, the three countries had agreed to hold further talks to agree the filling
and operation of the vast reservoir behind the 145-meter (475-foot) tall
hydropower Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
But
the latest meetings between foreign and water ministers "failed to reach
an acceptable agreement to resume negotiations", Khartoum's state-run SUNA
news agency said Sunday.
Sudan's
water and irrigation minister, Yasser Abbas, warned that Khartoum cannot
"continue this vicious cycle of indefinite talks".
Tensions
have been high in the Nile basin ever since Ethiopia broke ground on the dam in
2011.
Ethiopia,
the second most populous country in Africa, says the hydroelectric power
produced by the dam will be vital to meet the power needs of its 110 million
people.
Egypt,
which depends on the Nile for about 97 percent of its irrigation and drinking
water, sees the dam as an existential threat.
Khartoum
hopes Ethiopia's dam will regulate annual flooding, but has also warned that
millions of lives would be at "great risk" if no agreement was
reached.
It
says the water discharged from the GERD dam "poses a direct threat"
to the safety of Sudan's Roseires Dam downstream on the Blue Nile.
The
African Union, which is supporting the talks, suggested the three nations
"hold bilateral meetings" with AU experts, Ethiopia's foreign
ministry said in a statement Sunday.
While
Ethiopia and Egypt accepted this proposal, "Sudan refused to have the
bilateral meeting", the statement added.
Addis
Ababa said it was "immediately" establishing a system to "cater
for the concerns of Sudan on dam safety, data exchange and other technical
issues", the ministry said.
Relations
between Addis Ababa and Khartoum have deteriorated in recent weeks, with
clashes reported along their frontier on the sidelines of an Ethiopian military
operation in the Tigray region, bordering Sudan.
Ethiopia,
which has said it reached its first-year target for filling the dam's
reservoir, has recently signalled it would proceed with the filling regardless
of whether a deal was concluded.
The
Nile, the world's longest river, is a lifeline supplying both water and
electricity to the 10 countries it traverses.
Its
main tributaries, the White and Blue Nile, converge in the Sudanese capital
Khartoum before flowing north through Egypt to drain into the Mediterranean
Sea.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/11/Sudan-voices-frustration-as-latest-Nile-Dam-talks-stall
--------
Cameroon
Says Boko Haram, Separatists on Offensive
By
Moki Edwin Kindzeka
January
09, 2021
YAOUNDE,
CAMEROON - Cameroon said Saturday that at least 22 people, including four
soldiers, were killed in two Friday morning attacks – one by Boko Haram
fighters on its northern border with Nigeria and the other by separatists
fighting to create an independent English-speaking state in the country’s
western regions. Officials warn of a new wave of violence and killing they say
is being prepared by the separatists and Boko Haram terrorists.
Midjiyawa
Bakari, governor of Cameroon’s Far North region, says there was general
confusion in the town of Mozogo when militiamen warned civilians about Boko
Haram suicide bombers from neighboring Nigeria in their midst.
He
said some scared people fled into the bush, where they always go for safety,
but many Nigerian suicide bombers were already hiding there. He said 11
civilians were killed on the spot when bombers detonated explosives. He said
three were shot by the terrorist group in Mozogo, a town in Cameroon’s Mayo
Sava administrative unit.
"Yesterday
(Friday) we got an attack of Boko Haram in Mayo Tsanaga Division. Fourteen
people died," said Bakari. "We have been instructed by the hierarchy
to extend a message of condolence and we condemn this act of Boko Haram and all
measures will be taken with our vigilant committees [militias], who are working
day and night alongside our forces to secure our populations."
Bakari
said the wounded were rushed to hospitals in Mozogo and the neighboring town of
Mokolo. He said the military had been deployed in Mozogo to secure Cameroon’s
northern border with Nigeria’s Borno state, an epicenter of Boko Haram
activity.
Cameroon
government spokesperson Rene Emmanuel Sadi in a release said heavily armed Boko
Haram fighters have infiltrated villages around Mozogo and called for
vigilance.
The
release also says separatist fighters attacked a military post at Matazen at
the western entrance to the English-speaking North-West, region killing four
soldiers and two civilians. Two civilians died while being rushed to hospitals.
Among
the survivors of the attack is 43-year-old trader Clarence Tatah, who was
driving from the English-speaking northwestern town of Bamenda to the coastal
city of Douala. He says God saved his life from more than half an hour of
crossfire.
"I
opened that door behind there and jumped out of the car," said Tatah.
"Then I rolled and came under the car. After the shooting lasted for about
30 to 40 minutes, I discovered that a bullet went through my chair [seat] and
came out behind. God protected me. The Lord preserved me."
General
Valere Nka, commander of the Cameroon military forces fighting the separatists,
says his troops transported several wounded people to hospitals. He says
physical damage was enormous. Nka says civilians should help the military find
the fighters by reporting suspects in their communities.
He
says the task ahead is still enormous because there are many rebel camps his
troops must destroy. He says it is imperative for everyone to know that the
military is there primarily to protect civilians. He says he is urging the
population to collaborate with the military, which is doing everything possible
to protect civilians and their goods and restore peace.
Cameroon
has been fighting to secure its northern border with Nigeria from Boko Haram
incursions and combating separatist fighters in its English-peaking western
regions.
No
one has claimed responsibility for the attacks in the northern town of Mozogo
and the western locality of Matazen.
The
government, however, blames Boko Haram and separatist fighters for the separate
attacks.
The
separatist crisis that is in its fourth year has killed over 3,000 people and
displaced more than 500,000 others according to the United Nations.
Boko
Haram terrorists have been fighting for 11 years to create an Islamic caliphate
in northeast Nigeria. The fighting has spread to Cameroon, Chad, Niger and
Benin.
The
United Nations says Boko Haram violence has cost the lives of 30,000 people and
displaced about 2 million in Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
https://www.voanews.com/africa/cameroon-says-boko-haram-separatists-offensive?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1890069_
--------
Nigeria:
Military Kills 28 Boko Haram Terrorists in Gujba Clash
10
JANUARY 2021
By
Michael Olugbode
Nigerian
military said it obliterated Boko Haram terrorists in a major victory on
Saturday, leaving 28 dead and few others injured and fleeing the battle front.
The
military gained a major mileage in the ongoing war against elements of Boko
Haram/ISWAP who invaded Gujba town in Yobe state on Saturday.
A
statement on Sunday signed by Acting Director, Defence Media Operations,
Brigadier General Benard Onyeuko, said the troops of the newly launched
Operation Tura Takaibango, a subsidiary Operation of Operation Lafiya Dole, had
continued to obliterate elements of Boko Haram/Islamic State's West Africa
Province criminals with uncommon ferocity.
Onyeuko
said: "the latest encounter with the marauding Boko Haram criminals
occurred on 9 January 2021 at Gujba local government area of Yobe State where
the gallant troops identified and encycled a Boko Haram criminals ambush site.
"The
troops from HQ Sector 2 who were led by the Commander Sector 2 and later
reinforced by troops from 27 TF Bde Buni Gari and Special Forces Training
School Buni Yadi tactically out-manouevered the criminals and engaged them with
superior fire power resulting in high casualty on the terrorists.
"In
the aftermath of the decisive encounter, 28 Boko Haram Terrorists were
neutralized while few others are believed to have escaped with gunshot
wounds."
He
added: "In the same vein, one Boko Haram gun truck was destroyed with its
occupants while another gun truck was captured from the fleeing criminals.
Other equipment captured from the criminals include; two Anti Aircraft Guns, 13
AK 47 Rifles, four extra magazines and a Vulcanizing Machine."
He
however lamented that a gallant soldier was lost in the operation with another
one wounded.
He
noted that the wounded had been evacuated to a military medical facility and
was responding positively to treatment.
He
said: "The renewed onslaught against the remnants of Boko Haram/Islamic
State's West Africa Province criminals by the dogged troops of Operation TURA
TAKAIBANGO is indicative of the end of all criminal elements within the North
East."
He
added that: "The troops of Operation TURA TAKAIBANGO are highly commended
for their dedication and determination in flushing out remnants of the
terrorists from their hideouts. They are also encouraged not to relent but
build on the successes recorded."
Onyeuko
said: "The entire populace of the North East region are hereby assured of
the Nigerian Army's renewed vigour and determination to crush the remnants of
Boko Haram/Islamic State's West Africa Province criminals from their enclaves
in this zone."
https://allafrica.com/stories/202101110078.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1890069_
--------
Boko
Haram kills commuters, seizes 11 vehicles in Borno
January
9, 2021
Boko
Haram terrorist sect has killed some commuters at Aligambori, near Gajiram,
along the Maiduguri-Monguno Road in Borno State.
Eyewitnesses
said the incident happened on Wednesday, and the casualty figure was yet known
as of press time.
According
to an eyewitness and driver plying the route, Ya lawan Dawo, the terrorists
also snatched 11 vehicles from drivers and took them to the bush.
“They
snatched 11 vehicles and killed the passengers at Aligambori, where they
(terrorists) usually mount checkpoints,” Dawo told our correspondent.
Another
transporter, Abba Monguno, said the Maiduguri-Monguno Road had been a nightmare
to both drivers and commuters as they were always fearful of being attacked by
the insurgents at any of their four checkpoints along the road.
Abba
said the insurgents usually operated at will at the checkpoints, looting
commuters’ belongings and demanding money from drivers.
He
said, “They have four roadblocks along that road. There is one each at Tuhuba,
Kwanan Tsamiya, Aligambori, and Ayikime. They stop commuters at these
checkpoints and rob them of their belongings like phones and money. Sometimes,
they even strip passengers of their clothes.
“If
you ply the route any time from 8-9am, you will surely meet them. Also at 4pm
every day. When they stop us, we obey them. They will ask for money, the least
being N1,000. If anybody refuses to heed their commands, they can shoot the
person straight away.”
Abba
further stated that despite the discomfort and risk to their lives, they could
not stop plying the route because they had to go out to make income to meet
their daily needs.
“Sometimes,
we do not know specifically when or where we will meet them. They could decide
to come out at a time you least expect them. They operate and go back into the
forest. We ply the road in fear,” he added.
https://punchng.com/boko-haram-kills-commuters-seizes-11-vehicles-in-borno/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1890069_
--------
Tunisia
nabs senior al Qaeda member
January
8, 2021
Tunisian
Interior ministry Thursday announced the arrest of a prominent member of global
terror group al Qaeda preparing terror attacks in the North African country.
The
ministry did not provide details on the name of the al Qaeda official, the
place of his arrest but indicated that the “dangerous terrorist” was planning
terror attacks in conjunction with Okba Ibn Nafaa brigade which takes its name
from an 7th century Arab general who led the Muslim conquest of North Africa.
The
ministry also added that the man had been in communication with al Qaeda
members outside Tunisia. Tunisia has been in a state of emergency since 2015
after three major terror attacks. They killed dozens of the people including
foreign tourists and security forces.
The
attacks were claimed by the Islamic state group, ISIS, but the country also
struggles with several other terror groups including al Qaeda militants.
https://northafricapost.com/46672-tunisia-nabs-senior-al-qaeda-member.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1890069_
--------
North
America
25
domestic terrorism cases opened as result of US Capitol riots
11
January 2021
US
officials say 25 domestic terrorism cases have been opened regarding last
week’s attack on the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump.
US
Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told a Democratic lawmaker on Sunday said that
those under investigation are suspected of taking part in the insurrection that
shut down Congress.
Representative
Jason Crow, a member of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee,
said McCarthy told him the Pentagon was aware of “further possible threats posed
by would-be terrorists” in the days up to and including the inauguration of
Democratic President-elect Joe Biden on January 20, Reuters reported.
“Long
guns, Molotov cocktails, explosive devices and zip ties were recovered, which
suggests a greater disaster was narrowly averted,” Crow said in a summary of
his call with McCarthy.
McCarthy
assured the lawmaker the Pentagon was working with local and federal law
enforcement to coordinate security preparations after “deficient law
enforcement threat reporting” ahead of last Wednesday.
The
Pentagon official said there's concern that military members may have been
involved in the protest.
The
Pentagon also asked to review all members who will be a part of the security
detail for the January 20 inauguration of Biden. Authorities said that's to
ensure they are not sympathetic to domestic terrorists.
Five
people, including a Capitol officer, were killed after pro-Trump protesters
breached the Capitol building.
Meanwhile,
the Justice Department has charged nearly two dozen people with regard to
Wednesday's incident.
US
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday said she spoke with the country’s army
chief about preventing the “unstable” Trump from initiating military
hostilities or ordering a nuclear attack.
Pelosi
called Trump an “unhinged president,” adding that the president must be stopped
from using his assigned codes to launch America’s nuclear weapons.
The
action was taken by her office in a letter to House Democrats under a section
titled “Preventing an Unhinged President from Using the Nuclear Codes.”
House
Democrats will introduce legislation on Monday calling for the impeachment of
Trump following the violence in which five people, including a US Capitol
police officer, died.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/11/642781/25-domestic-terrorism-cases-opened-as-result-of-US-Capitol-riots
--------
Fear
Spreads in Minnesota Town as ‘Extremist Group’ Moves to Open Church
By
Maria Cramer
Jan.
9, 2021
Maria
Barron came to rural Minnesota 10 years ago from Mexico so her husband could
work in a nearby dairy farm.
They
quickly grew to love the pastoral fields in Murdock, a town of fewer than 300
people. They joined a Roman Catholic church and felt safe when their children,
12 and 14, played outside with children of Mexican and Central American
families that settled nearby.
But
in December, that feeling of security crumbled when Murdock’s mayor and City
Council gave an organization for “ethnic European folk,” known for excluding
anyone who is not white, a permit to open a church on Main Avenue, about four
blocks from Ms. Barron’s church.
The
group, the Asatru Folk Assembly, which describes itself as centered around a
“native, pre-Christian spirituality,” has been identified as a white
supremacist hate group by other Pagan believers and organizations like the
Southern Poverty Law Center.
The
3-1 vote in December to approve a permit for the group has made Murdock, which
was mostly known for soybeans, corn and its proximity to enormous dairy farms,
the subject of intense national attention.
The
decision alarmed many residents, particularly residents of color who until
recently lived comfortably in the majority-white town. Ms. Barron said she and
other mothers had discussed taking turns to watch their children when they play
outside. When the elementary school asked Latino families to participate in a
video production, Ms. Barron said, many declined.
“I
don’t feel threatened right now. But I feel worried,” she said. “What worries
me is losing our sense of peace.”
Many
residents fear that similar groups will try “to get some sort of toehold here
because they feel this is some refuge where they can come and foment this
hate,” said Pete Kennedy, 59, an engineer who has lived in the town for about
50 years.
Town
leaders have insisted they had no choice but to grant a conditional-use permit,
or CUP, because of legal protections that forbid governments from using
land-use regulations to impose a substantial burden on people trying to
practice their religion.
The
approval “was strictly a zoning issue the Council felt like it needed to
legally abide by,” Mayor Craig Kavanagh said in a statement to residents last
month.
He
added, “If you think this decision was a cake walk and you jump to a conclusion
that, because we approved the CUP zoning, we are racists, you are dead wrong.”
Allen
Turnage, a member of the Asatru Folk Assembly who attended town hearings, did
not respond to messages seeking comment. The group has about 500 members
nationwide, said Lecia Brooks, chief of staff at the Southern Poverty Law
Center, a nonprofit known for its analyses of hate groups.
According
to its website, the Assembly believes “those activities and behaviors
supportive of the white family should be encouraged while those activities and
behaviors destructive of the white family are to be discouraged.”
The
Anti-Defamation League has called the Assembly an “extremist group.” In 2015,
the F.B.I. stopped a plot to bomb or shoot Jewish synagogues and Black churches
by two men who subscribed “to a white supremacy extremist version of the Asatru
faith,” an agent wrote in a federal affidavit. It is one of several like-minded
groups that have adopted the imagery of Vikings, Norse mythology and medieval
Europe.
While
the group may be small, Ms. Brooks said, “We’re concerned about it because it
continues to advance the desires of white nationalists to create a white
ethno-state.” Such groups sometimes set up in largely white communities because
they believe it will help them recruit more members, she said.
Mr.
Turnage told The Star Tribune of Minneapolis that the Assembly was
“specifically a Northern European religion, and that’s it.”
“We
think our faith is worthy of honor and respect like anyone else’s,” he said.
Such
explanations hide other intentions, said Karsonya Wise Whitehead, an associate
professor of African and African-American Studies at Loyola University
Maryland.
“They’re
trying to act as if we don’t recognize racism when we see it and when we hear
it,” she said. “The explanation that ‘we want to engage in and protect our
heritage’ — that’s just an update on language that was used to set up Jim
Crow.”
The
group has said that no more than 20 to 30 members will be at the building, a
wooden former Lutheran church, said Donald Wilcox, the city’s attorney.
In
June, it was sold to the Assembly for $45,000, according to county records.
Since then, people have been seen clearing brush and fixing up the building. None of the
members live in Murdock, according to city officials.
Mr.
Wilcox said residents made it clear — through letters and demonstrations — that
they did not want the group to open a church.
The
question for the Council, however, was whether the group was a legitimate
religion with the protected right to use the building.
“We
arrived at the decision that there wasn’t any sufficient evidence to say that
they weren’t,” Mr. Wilcox said. The church has not opened yet and the group
still needs to meet with the city’s building inspector, he said.
The
city could have denied the permit by arguing that it had a compelling interest
in prohibiting race discrimination, said Timothy Zick, a professor at William
& Mary Law School. But it would have been a difficult fight, he said.
The
group could have argued that it was protected by the same federal law that
protects Muslims or Jews from discrimination by municipalities that would
prevent them from opening a mosque or a synagogue, he said.
City
Councilor James Diederich, who voted to approve the permit, said he did not
want to see the town pulled into a protracted legal battle. He said that before
the vote, residents told him they opposed the organization’s presence. Others
left letters on his doorstep.
“Some
nice and some not so,” Mr. Diederich said. “All anonymous.”
At
a nearby church, the Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart, the Rev. Jeremy
Kucera said that last month his assistant called the police after finding a
profanity-laced message on the church voice mail. Apparently, the caller had
confused the church with the Assembly.
“I
hope someone shoots up your church,” the caller said, according to a recording
of the message.
The
Assembly’s opponents plan to spread information about its beliefs and prevent
it from recruiting, said Victoria Guillemard, a student at the Mitchell Hamline
School of Law in St. Paul, who lives in Murdock and formed the Murdock Area
Alliance Against Hate.
Christian
Duruji, a Black lawyer who lives in Pennock, a town about 12 miles away, said
he was heartened last fall when dozens of residents challenged Mr. Turnage at a
public hearing.
He
attended the meeting with his wife, who grew up in Murdock and joined Ms.
Guillemard’s group. The couple frequently visit Murdock to visit their
2-year-old daughter’s grandparents.
“The
fact that this little itty-bitty town in the back pocket of Minnesota came out
and spoke out against racism — that was really encouraging to me,” Mr. Duruji
said.
Mr.
Diederich, the city councilor, said he expected that residents would watch
carefully for any permit violations and swiftly report them.
“Until
then,” he said, “we’re going to watch and wait and see.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/us/minnesota-asatru-folk-assembly.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1890069_
--------
US
Secretary Pompeo to release new information on Iran’s ties to al-Qaeda
Joseph
Haboush
12
January 2021
Outgoing
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to provide new evidence that
shows ties between Iran and al-Qaeda, political sources familiar with the top
American diplomat’s plans to speak later Tuesday have said.
Pompeo
and the Trump administration, soon entering their last week in office, have
continued to push ahead with their maximum pressure campaign on Iran.
Pompeo
is expected to make a televised speech in Washington at the National Press
Club, according to a State Department schedule.
Reuters
first reported that Pompeo would publicize declassified information on the
killing of al-Qaeda’s number two in Tehran last August.
Sources
familiar with Pompeo’s plans confirmed to Al Arabiya English that the secretary
of state would provide details on the operation, which was reportedly carried
out in cooperation with the Israeli intelligence agency.
On
Monday night, the White House reporter for US-based POLITICO said Pompeo was
seen dining with the head of Israel’s Mossad, Yossi Cohen, in Washington.
A
man and his daughter who were killed in Tehran last summer were not Lebanese
nationals as Iran’s Fars news agency reported at the time. In fact, the man was
al-Qaeda’s Egyptian-born number two Abou Mohammed al-Masri, who was wanted by
the US for his role in the bombing of multiple US embassies in Africa,
according to a previous New York Times report which cited intelligence
officials.
Al-Masri,
who the Times said was around 58 years old, was one of al-Qaeda’s founders and
the successor to the terrorist group’s current leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Miriam
is reportedly the widow of Osama bin Laden’s 11th son, Hamza, who was his
father’s heir in the terrorist group. US President Donald Trump announced the
killing of Hamza in September 2019.
Despite
Iran denying links to al-Qaeda terrorists, a 19-page report that was found
among Osama Bin Laden’s items during the US raid on his compound, Iran allowed
al-Qaeda members to pass through its borders without stamping their passports
or with visas from its consulate in Karachi, Pakistan before 2001.
Since
Trump entered the Oval Office in 2016, he has launched a pressure campaign
aimed at forcing Iran back to the negotiating table after he withdrew from the
Iran nuclear deal signed under Barack Obama.
An
aggressive sanctions campaign was part of this policy and it is anticipated
that more sanctions will be announced in the final days of the Trump
administration.
Last
week, the US blacklisted the leader of a state umbrella group in Iraq for
mainly Iran-backed Shia militia.
Washington
imposed sanctions on Friday on Falih al-Fayyadh, head of Iraq’s Popular
Mobilization Forces (PMF).
The
US Treasury accused him of leading militia that killed hundreds of protesters
with live ammunition during a crackdown on anti-government demonstrations in
2019. It said he had coordinated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
While
sanctions have sharply lowered Tehran’s oil exports and increased the economic
hardship of ordinary Iranians, it has failed to bring Iran back to the
negotiating table.
US
President-elect Joe Biden has said the United States will rejoin the nuclear
deal “if Iran resumes strict compliance.”
Former
and current Iraqi and Lebanese officials have also been slapped with sanctions
for dealing with Iran-backed militias and groups.
On
Sunday, Pompeo also announced the intention to designate Yemen’s Houthi militia
as a terrorist organization. The group is backed and supported by Iran and
continues to launch rockets and ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2021/01/12/US-foreign-policy-US-Secretary-Pompeo-to-release-new-information-on-Iran-s-ties-to-al-Qaeda
--------
US
designates Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism: Pompeo
Rawad
Taha
12
January 2021
The
US State Department has designated Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism for
repeatedly providing support for acts of international terrorism in granting
safe harbor to terrorists.
The
statement released by the US state department added that the Trump
Administration has been focused from the start on denying the Castro regime the
resources it uses to oppress its people at home, and countering its malign
interference in Venezuela and the rest of the Western Hemisphere.
“With
this action, we will once again hold Cuba’s government accountable and send a
clear message: the Castro regime must end its support for international
terrorism and subversion of U.S. justice,” the statement added.
The
designation has been made on the grounds that Cuba continues to harbor American
fugitives and refuses a Colombian extradition request for National Liberation
Army members linked to a 2019 bombing, along with the Cuban’s intelligence and
security apparatus infiltration of Venezuela’s security and military forces,
assisting Nicholas Maduro to maintain his stranglehold over his people while
allowing terrorist organizations to operate.
According
to the statement, the Cuban government has fed, housed, and provided medical
care for murderers, bombmakers, and hijackers, while many Cubans go hungry,
homeless, and without basic medicine. Members of the National Liberation Army
(ELN), a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, traveled to Havana to
conduct peace talks with the Colombian government in 2017.
“Cuba
has refused Colombia’s requests to extradite ten ELN leaders living in Havana
after the group claimed responsibility for the January 2019 bombing of a Bogota
police academy that killed 22 people and injured more than 87 others,” the
statement added.
Cuba
also harbors several US fugitives from justice wanted on or convicted of
charges of political violence, many of whom have resided in Cuba for decades.
The
statement added that Cuba has been returned to the list following its broken
commitment to stop supporting terrorism as a condition of its removal by the
previous administration in 2015.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2021/01/12/US-designates-of-Cuba-as-a-State-Sponsor-of-Terrorism-Pompeo
--------
Pompeo
meets with Mossad chief ahead of anti-Iran speech: Report
12
January 2021
Outgoing
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has reportedly been spotted dining with Yossi
Cohen, head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, at a café in Washington ahead of a
planned anti-Iran speech by the top US diplomat.
The
White House reporter for US-based POLITICO broke the news in a tweet published
on Monday night.
The
meeting came one day before Pompeo’s televised speech at the National Press
Club in Washington, where he reportedly plans to use what is said to be
“declassified US intelligence” to publicly accuse Iran of ties with the
al-Qaeda militant group, an allegation roundly rejected by Tehran.
Speaking
on condition of anonymity, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters
that Pompeo is expected to claim that Iran has given safe haven to al-Qaeda
leaders despite skepticism within the intelligence community and Congress.
He
could cite the information on what the US and Israel claim to be the killing of
al-Qaeda’s suspected second-in-command in Tehran last year, they added.
Citing
unnamed intelligence officials, The New York Times claimed last November that
Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, the al-Qaeda’s second-in-command who went by the nom
de guerre Abu Muhammad al-Masri, had been gunned down by two armed assassins on
a motorcycle in northern Tehran in August.
The
paper said al-Masri, who had been charged with helping to mastermind the 1998
bombings of two US embassies in Africa, had been killed in Iran by Israeli
operatives acting at the behest of the United States.
Iranian
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the report was based on
“false information,” rejecting the presence of any of the terrorist group’s
members in the country.
Underlining
that the al-Qaeda has been the brainchild of the United States and its allies’
wrong policies, he stressed, “From time to time, Iran’s foes — the United
States and Israel — try to shirk responsibility for the criminal acts of
al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups in the region and link Iran to such outfits
by lying and leaking false information to the media.”
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/12/642834/US-Pompeo-Israel-Mossad-Iran
--------
US
military continuing Afghan troop withdrawal despite new law
12
January 2021
The
Pentagon says the US military is pressing ahead with outgoing President Donald
Trump’s order to further withdraw American troops from Afghanistan, despite a
new law that bans further reductions without verifying that it was in America’s
national interest.
“Currently,
no new orders have been issued which impact the progression of the
conditions-based drawdown expected to reach 2,500 (troops) by January 15,
2021,” the Department of Defense said on Monday, according to Reuters.
The
Pentagon’s move will likely stir outrage among Republican and Democratic
lawmakers opposed to further troop cuts and renew concerns about the Trump
administration’s disdain for Congress, even in its final days.
“If
they are continuing the drawdown, that would be a violation of the law,”
Reuters cited a congressional aide, who asked not to be named, as saying.
The
US invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 under the pretext of the so-called war
on terror, overthrowing a Taliban regime.
Since
the US invasion of Afghanistan, Washington has spent more than two trillion
dollars waging the war on the impoverished country. Over 2,400 American
soldiers and tens of thousands of Afghan civilians have been killed.
The
US military’s phased withdrawal from Afghanistan is part of a deal signed between
the US and Taliban in February 2020, which apparently aims to end the almost
two-decade war in Afghanistan.
Under
the deal, the Taliban have agreed to halt their attacks on international
forces.
The
deal was intended to result in the reduction of bloodshed, but violence
continues to take a heavy toll in the country.
A
report said last year that Taliban bombings and other assaults had increased by
70 percent after the US-Taliban agreement.
In
November last year, the Pentagon said it would reduce troops level in
Afghanistan from 4,500 to 2,500 by mid-January.
But
the Congress earlier this month enacted a defense policy bill that blocks
funding for cutting the number of troops in Afghanistan from 4,500 to 2,500
until acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller submits to Congress a
“comprehensive, interagency assessment of the risks and impacts.”
One
defense official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the US
troop level was already close to 3,000.
Another
US official said the drawdown was already underway when the legislation went
into effect, and it was not something that could be changed “at a drop of a
hat.”
According
to the report, the law gave Trump emergency waiver power to continue the
withdrawal of US forces. But it said that he must explain to the Congress why a
waiver is “important” to the national interest.
The
congressional aide said the White House had not provided such waiver
communication.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/12/642826/US-military-continuing-to-Afghan-troop-withdrawal-despite-new-law
--------
Cuba
raps as ‘political opportunism’ US return of Havana to ‘terror sponsors’ list
11
January 2021
Cuba’s
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez has condemned the US’ “hypocritical and
cynical” move to return Havana to its list of “state sponsors of terrorism”,
describing it as political opportunism.
“We
condemn the US-announced hypocritical and cynical designation of Cuba as a
State sponsoring terrorism,” Rodríguez tweeted on Monday night.
“The
US political opportunism is recognized by those who are honestly concerned
about the scourge of terrorism and its victims,” he added.
His
comments came after the US administration announced it was returning Cuba to
the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, a move that could complicate any
efforts by the incoming Biden administration to revive Obama-era detente with
Havana.
Just
nine days before Republican President Donald Trump leaves office, Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo said Monday Cuba was being blacklisted for “repeatedly
providing support for acts of international terrorism” by harboring US
fugitives as well as Colombian rebel leaders.
Pompeo
also cited Communist-ruled Cuba’s security support for Venezuelan President
Nicolas Maduro.
The
US top diplomat urged the government of Raul Castro to end its support for what
he called “international terrorism and subversion of US justice”.
Returning
Cuba to the list is a further rollback of the detente that Democratic former
President Barack Obama orchestrated between the old Cold War foes. Obama’s
decision to formally remove Cuba from the terrorism list in 2015 was an
important step toward restoring diplomatic ties that year.
He
also became the first US president to visit the island in more than eight
decades. Cuba was first added to the terrorism list by the Reagan
administration in 1982.
Now
it would require lengthy legal deliberations for Democratic President-elect Joe
Biden to reverse the designation.
Trump
has clamped down on Cuba since coming to power in 2017, tightening restrictions
on US travel and remittances to Cuba, and imposing sanctions on shipments of
Venezuelan oil to the island.
Trump’s
hardline Cuba policy was popular among the large Cuban-American population in
South Florida, helping him win the state in November though he lost the
election to Biden, who was Obama’s vice president.
Biden
said during the election campaign he would promptly reverse Trump policies on
Cuba that “have inflicted harm on the Cuban people and done nothing to advance
democracy and human rights.”
But
Trump’s move could make it more difficult for Biden to resume rapprochement
when he takes office.
“I
denounce Sec of State Pompeo maneuvers to include Cuba in the list of States
sponsoring terrorism to please the anti-Cuban minority in Florida,” the Cuban
Foreign Minister had tweeted on Dec. 30 amid earlier speculation about the
move.
Cuban
President Díaz-Canel also said in a tweet on December 31 that Havana condemns
“a unilateral, absurd, hypocritical and unjust maneuver of the US
administration to include Cuba in their list of state sponsors of terrorism.”
“This
administration protects terrorist groups acting against #Cuba,” he said.
Díaz-Canel
also wrote that Havana “will constantly and rightfully denounce every mercenary
and imperialist action against #Cuba.”
Trump
has kept up a steady stream of 11th-hour sanctions announcements and other
actions against targets including Cuba, Venezuela and Iran, and Biden aides
have said some appear designed to tie his hands when he is sworn in on Jan. 20.
“We’ve
taken note of these last-minute maneuvers,” a Biden official said. “The
transition team is reviewing each one.”
Democratic
Senator Patrick Leahy, a staunch supporter of Obama’s rapprochement, condemned
Pompeo for a “blatantly politicized designation,” saying “domestic terrorism in
the United States poses a far greater threat to Americans.”
The
designation carries a prohibition on US economic aid, a ban on US arms exports,
controls on “dual-use” items with military and civilian applications, and a
requirement that the United States oppose loans to Cuba by international
financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary
Fund.
But
many of those restrictions are already in place - or have even been tightened
by Trump - and a decades-old US economic embargo remains and can only be lifted
by Congress.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/11/642817/Cuba-US-terrorist-sponsor
--------
US
veteran diplomat Kissinger criticizes possible return to Nuclear deal with Iran
11
January 2021
The
new US administration should not return to the same Iran deal’s spirit, which
could spark an arms race in the Middle East, former US secretary of state Henry
Kissinger said Monday, The Jerusalem Post reported.
“We
should not fool ourselves. I don’t believe that the spirit [of the Iran deal],
with a time limit and so many escape clauses, will do anything other than bring
nuclear weapons all over the Middle East and therefore create a situation of
latent tension that sooner or later will break out,” the 97-year-old diplomat
added.
“The
test case is the evolution of nuclear capacities in Iran. If these can be
avoided, I do not say we shouldn’t talk to them,” he added.
Kissinger
added that the US should not give up on what has recently been achieved in the
agreements between the Arab world and Israel.
“I
would tell the incoming administration that we are on a good course. The
accords have opened a window of opportunity for a new Middle East,” Kissinger
said.
He
added that the Arab countries understood that they could not survive in
constant tension with parts of the West and Israel, so they decided they had to
take care of themselves.
Normalization
with Israel show that the four states taking part “have concluded that their
national interests transcend their ideological interests,” added Kissinger.
He
added that the Palestinians need to give up on their “ultimate aims” and look
for possible interim achievements.
Kissinger
served under the Presidents, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford from 1969 to 1976,
as advisor for national security affairs, and secretary of state. He won the
Nobel Prize in 1973, negotiating with North Vietnam, to end the Vietnam War.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/11/US-veteran-diplomat-Kissinger-criticizes-possible-return-to-Nuclear-deal-with-Iran
--------
Europe
Iran
must undo uranium enrichment, help nuclear diplomacy: EU
12
January 2021
Iran
must reverse its decision to enrich uranium at higher levels and give
international diplomacy a chance to save the 2015 nuclear accord, the European
Union said in a statement.
“The
initiation of uranium enrichment to up to 20 percent by Iran at the underground
Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant ... is a very serious development and a matter of
deep concern,” the EU’s 27 governments said in a statement released late on
Monday.
“At
this critical juncture, Iran’s action also risks undermining efforts aimed at
building upon the existing diplomatic process. We urge Iran to refrain from
further escalation and reverse this course of action without delay.”
Iran
started pressing ahead with plans to enrich uranium to 20 percent fissile
strength at its underground Fordow nuclear plant last week, a level Tehran
achieved before striking the deal with world powers to contain its disputed
nuclear ambitions.
The
head of the global atomic watchdog told Reuters on Monday that world powers and
Iran had weeks, not months to save the nuclear accord once US President-elect
Joe Biden takes office on January 20.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2021/01/12/Iran-must-undo-uranium-enrichment-help-nuclear-diplomacy-EU
--------
Spain
court remands three suspected ISIS members
11
January 2021
A
court in Spain on Monday remanded in custody three suspected members of ISIS
arrested last week in Barcelona, including an Algerian man who had fought for
the extremist group in Iraq.
Spanish
authorities began their investigation after becoming aware just before
Christmas that the “potentially dangerous” Algerian man was in Spain, police
said in a statement.
The
man, a “jihadist” who had fought for ISIS in Iraq, was arrested at a building
occupied by squatters in Barcelona’s seaside neighborhood of Barceloneta, the
statement added.
Police
detained two other Algerian men as part of the operation, one suspected of giving
him “logistical support” in Spain and another described by police as has
“acolyte”.
The
operation was carried out in cooperation with European Union law enforcement
agency Europol and the FBI, as well as the intelligence services of Spain and
Algeria, the statement said.
The
three men appeared before a court on Monday where the presiding judge ordered
they be remanded in custody on suspicion of membership in a terrorist
organization.
Their
arrest comes as the trial of three men accused of helping the extremists behind
the August 2017 attacks in Barcelona and a nearby town that killed 16 people is
wrapping up at a court near Madrid.
ISIS
claimed responsibility for the attacks, one of which involved a van ramming
people in the center of Barcelona.
While
none of the three men on trial are charged with direct responsibility, they are
in the dock for helping the attackers, who were all shot dead by police.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2021/01/11/Spain-court-remands-three-suspected-ISIS-members
--------
Man
arrested in Redhill over Islamic terrorism
09
January 2021
A
man has been arrested in Surrey on suspicion of terrorism offences, Counter
Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) has said.
The
47-year-old man was arrested earlier in the Redhill area in a joint operation
with Surrey Police.
A
search is being carried out at the scene, police said.
The
arrest is linked to Islamic terrorism and there is not believed to be any
imminent threat to the public, a CTPSE spokesman said.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-surrey-55588062?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1890069_
--------
South
Asia
Female
Military Personnel ‘Assassinated’ in Balkh
12
Jan 2021
At
least two female security members were killed in an unknown gunmen attack in
PD5 of Mazar-e-Sharif in Balkh province.
Officials
confirmed to the media that 2 female officers were killed and 2 other female
security members were injured.
Mohammad
Hanif Rezaei, the spokesman for the 209th Shaheen Corps, told media that the
unknown gunmen burst into attacking the officials on their way to work.
Reports
indicate the security officials were on their way to their duties when the
incident happened.
During
the attack, the driver was also wounded, no further detail was provided by the
officials.
Media
reported, that motorcyclists opened fire on a vehicle carrying the 209 Shaheen
Corps.
This
comes in a time, as NDS arrests five members of the Haqqani Network cell on
charges of espionage.
Haqqani
militant members were captured in Paktika province, one of the captured
suspects known as Naqibullah was directly in contact with the Pakistani
Inter-services Intelligence (ISI).
Naqibullah
and four of his accomplices were arrested by the Afghan National Directorate of
Security.
https://www.khaama.com/female-military-personnel-assassinated-in-balkh-445544/
--------
Sri
Lanka and Bangladesh agree to promote maritime cooperation
1/11/2021
The newly appointed High Commissioner of the
People's Republic of Bangladesh to Sri Lanka Tareq Md. Ariful Islam presented his
credentials to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the President's House on Monday.
Explaining
the current economic situation in Sri Lanka and the steps taken by the
government to contain the COVID – 19 pandemic President Rajapaksa stated that
it is his intention to promote bilateral relations in identified areas with
countries in the region including Bangladesh to the highest possible level, the
President's Media Division said.
The
President pointed out that there is a great potential for the development of
maritime cooperation between States in the Indian Ocean. The new High Commissioner said his country
had made maritime security a high priority.
Agriculture
and export crops promotion, tourism, education and trade relations were named
by the President as other areas in which relations could be expanded. Enhancing
educational cooperation at the university level is a necessity, President
added.
The
High Commissioner said that a large number of Sri Lankan students are already
pursuing higher education in Bangladesh and his country is ready to expand
educational opportunities for Sri Lankans in a mutually beneficial manner.
Stating
that no Sri Lankan Head of State had visited Bangladesh since 2018, High
Commissioner Islam recalled an earlier invitation to President Rajapaksa to pay
an official visit to his country.
Emphasizing
the need for strengthening relations at the Head of State level the President
said that he would consider the invitation once the current difficult period is
over.
Foreign
Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Foreign Secretary Admiral Jayanath Colombage were
also joined the discussion.
https://menafn.com/1101419948/Sri-Lanka-and-Bangladesh-agree-to-promote-maritime-cooperation
--------
Southeast
Asia
Dr
M hits back at being named on extremist list
January
11, 2021
PETALING
JAYA: Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was included in a list of the world’s top 20
most dangerous extremists, said today he was being vilified for his thoughts
while others got away with acts of terrorism and violence.
Dr
Mahathir was responding to his inclusion last week on a list put up by the
US-based Counter Extremism Project website which said he supports extremist
violence against the West and has criticised lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender communities and Jewish people.
“The
website regurgitates half of what I wrote and twisted it so as to imply that I
advocate terrorism. I specifically stressed that Muslims are not revengeful,”
he said in an article on his blog today.
“So,
one can be an extremist for criticising the West, saying things they do not
like to hear, even if it’s the truth. You don’t have to do anything. It seems
that I am vilified for my thoughts while others get away with acts of terror
and violence resulting in death and destruction of the weak and the oppressed.”
The
list includes leaders or members of Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic State, Muslim
Brotherhood, Al Qaeda, as well as the head of a Nazi movement, a white
supremacist movement, and an anti-Muslim group in Myanmar.
Mahathir
said outgoing US president Donald Trump should be labelled an extremist for the
storming of the US Capitol by his supporters, which has been largely attributed
to his incitement.
Facebook
banned Trump until the end of his presidency for using the platform to “incite
violent insurrection against a democratically elected government” but Trump was
not included on the list. (The list was published before the attack took
place.)
Mahathir
said former US president George Bush and former British prime minister Tony
Blair were responsible for the “complete destruction” of Iraq through the
invasion of the country based on falsified claims of having weapons of mass
destruction.
“Would
Bush and Blair be held as extremists considering that all those lives lost were
due to their lies about Iraq,” he asked. “Their shock and awe assault which
they claim would solve the problem of Iraq’s dictatorship in three months is
now in its 18th year. The destruction is still going on.”
Mahathir
also pointed out that according to the Human Rights Watch, Israeli security
forces killed 189 Palestinian demonstrators, including 31 children and three
medical workers, and wounded more than 5,800 with live fire between March 30
and November 19, 2018.
“Since
the creation of Israel thousands of Palestinian lives have been lost due to
Israeli action,” he said. “Yet not a single Israeli is listed among the
terrorist-extremists by this website.”
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2021/01/11/dr-m-hits-back-at-being-named-on-extremist-list/
--------
Malaysia’s
Pharmaniaga signs Covid-19 vaccine agreement with China’s Sinovac
12
Jan 2021
KUALA
LUMPUR, Jan 12 — Malaysia Pharmaniaga Bhd has signed an agreement with China’s
Sinovac to purchase ready-to-fill Covid-19 vaccines and later to manufacture
the vaccine domestically, it said on Tuesday.
Pharmaniaga
said in a filing to the bourse that the company will carry out a
fill-and-finish process of the vaccine in Malaysia, and will subsequently enter
into local manufacturing, under license from Sinovac for its technology and know-how.
“This
will also help Pharmaniaga in long-term partnerships, including technology
transfer to grow the sector in Malaysia,” the company said.
Malaysia
has been in talks to secure a total of 23.9 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines
from Sinovac and another Chinese manufacturer CanSino Biologics, and from
Russia’s Gamaleya Institute, the maker of the Sputnik V vaccine.
The
Southeast Asian nation has also procured coronavirus vaccines from U.S. and
German drugmakers Pfizer and BioNTech, as well as British-Swedish
biopharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca PLC. — Reuters
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/01/12/malaysias-pharmaniaga-signs-covid-19-vaccine-agreement-with-chinas-sinovac/1939689
--------
After
Machang MP, Umno's Nazri Aziz withdraws support for Muhyiddin
12
Jan 2021
BY
YISWAREE PALANSAMY
KUALA
LUMPUR, Jan 12 — Padang Rengas MP Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz today announced
his withdrawal of support for Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is
from Bersatu.
The
former minister is the second Umno lawmaker to do so since the year started,
after Machang MP Datuk Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub
“I
want to announce that I, Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz from the Padang Rengas Umno
division, and an Umno-BN parliamentarian for Padang Rengas, hereby and officially
withdraw my support for Tan Sri Muhyiddin to form the government,” he said in a
press conference at the Umno headquarters this afternoon.
He
said that his withdrawal was endorsed by the Padang Rengas Umno division and
the party's supreme council.
He
said that Muhyiddin is now left with the backing of only 109 MPs, and by
convention, has already lost support.
Nazri
hinted that “there may be two or three more” MPs who may follow his suit.
He
also said that Umno has also decided against continuing to work with Bersatu,
adding that it will be formalised during the Umno general assembly at the end
of this month..
Nazri
also lashed out at Muhyiddin for invoking a state of Emergency to remain in
power when he no longer commands the majority in the Dewan Rakyat.
According
to Nazri, Muhyiddin was admitting defeat by doing so.
“So
actually to me, it is a logical action to be taken by Muhyiddin. It is an
admission of defeat that he has lost the majority.
“Because
when we look at it, when he has no more majority, he has to resort to an
election, but we all know, how to have an election when Covid-19 has hit us?”
he said.
Malaysia
is now in a nationwide state of Emergency that will last until August 1, or
until Covid-19 cases in the country that number in the four digits decrease to
manageable levels.
The
proclamation by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin
Al-Mustafa Billah Shah this morning followed yesterday’s announcement of the
return to the movement control order (MCO) for six states and three federal
territories that was first imposed last March and lasted nearly three months.
Nazri
said he is not sure who currently commands the support of the majority to form
government.
“I
do not know who can. Just that I retract my support to enable the general
election to happen.
“That’s
why I never thought that it should be this person or that. If it’s the best, it
would definitely be someone representing Barisan Nasional to be in government,”
he said when asked to reveal as to whom he fel, would make the best prime
minister candidate.
However,
he is confident that Umno and PAS through their Muafakat Nasional (MN)
partnership would win a general election if it were to be held now.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/01/12/after-machang-mp-umnos-nazri-aziz-withdraws-support-for-muhyiddin/1939666
--------
Indonesia
using unmanned vehicle to search for air crash victims in sea
12
January 2021
Indonesia
has deployed a remotely operated underwater vehicle to help divers search for
the remains of victims and recover the flight recorders from a Sriwijaya Air
jet that crashed into the sea three days ago soon after takeoff.
The
Boeing 737-500 plane with 62 people on board plunged into the Java Sea Saturday
afternoon, four minutes after taking off from Jakarta’s main airport.
Indonesian
police made the first identification of a victim from the crash on Monday.
Flight attendant Okky Bisma was identified by his fingerprints, said a police
official.
“My
super kind husband... Heaven is your place... Until we meet again darling,”
Okky’s wife, who is also a flight attendant, wrote on her Instagram account.
The
Boeing 737-500 jet was headed on a domestic flight to Pontianak on Borneo
Island, about 740 km from Jakarta, before it disappeared from radar screens.
It
was the second major air crash in Indonesia since 189 passengers and crew were
killed in 2018 when a Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX also plunged into the Java Sea
soon after taking off. The jet that crashed on Saturday is a largely different
design.
“Today
we are focusing on finding the victims,” Yusuf Latif, a spokesman for search
and rescue agency Basarnas, said on Tuesday.
Divers
have narrowed down an area where they believe the flight recorders, known as
black boxes, are believed to be but search efforts have been hindered by
debris, officials said.
A
remotely operated underwater vehicle has been deployed to help scour the
seabed, while navy vessels with sonar search from the surface.
Once
the flight data and cockpit voice recorders are found, Indonesia’s National
Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) expects to be able to read the
information in three days.
With
few immediate clues on what caused a catastrophic loss of control after
take-off, investigators will rely heavily on the flight recorders to determine
what went wrong.
The
Sriwijaya Air plane was nearly 27 years old, much older than Boeing’s
problem-plagued 737 MAX model. Older 737 models are widely flown and do not
have the stall-prevention system implicated in the MAX safety crisis.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/12/642832/Indonesia-using-unmanned-vehicle-to-search-for-air-crash-victims-in-sea
--------
Arab
World
Saudi
Arabia’s foreign ministry welcomes US designation of Houthis as terrorist group
Tamara
Abueish
January
12, 2021
Saudi
Arabia welcomes the United States’ decision to designate the Iran-backed Houthi
militia as a terrorist organization and to classify three of its leaders as
Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), the Saudi Press Agency cited
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying.
The
move is in line with the Yemeni government’s efforts to “put an end to the
violations of the Iran-backed militia and the real dangers it poses, which has
led to the deterioration of the humanitarian situation of the Yemeni people,
and the ongoing threats to the international peace and security,” the ministry
said.
The
United States will designate the Iran-backed Houthi militia as a terrorist
organization, and three of its leaders as Specially Designated Global
Terrorists (SDGTs), US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in an official
statement on Monday.
“The
Department of State will notify Congress of my intent to designate Ansarallah –
sometimes referred to as the Houthis – as a Foreign Terrorist Organization
(FTO), under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and as a
Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity, pursuant to Executive
Order 13224,” the statement from the US added.
“I
also intend to designate three of Ansarallah’s leaders, Abdul Malik al-Houthi,
Abd al-Khaliq Badr al-Din al-Houthi, and Abdullah Yahya al Hakim, as SDGTs,”
Pompeo added.
The
Kingdom’s foreign ministry said it hoped the move would put an end to the
Houthis’ terrorist acts and discourage its backers from supplying the group with
missiles, drones, weapons, and funds, according to SPA.
Yemen’s
foreign ministry also welcomed the US’ decision on Monday and said that the
move aligns with the government’s efforts to punish the militia.
“After
six years of war, and the imposition of numerous sanctions against individuals,
we believe that all political and legal pressures on the Houthis should
continue to escalate and intensify in order to create conditions conducive to a
peaceful solution to the conflict,” Yemeni foreign minister Ahmad Awad bin
Mubarak said in a statement.
The
Iran-backed group should be classified as a foreign terrorist organization “not
only for their terrorist acts, but also for their permanent efforts to prolong
the conflict and cause the worst humanitarian catastrophe in the world,” the
minister added.
The
group’s crimes include bombing civilian homes and places of worship, arresting
and torturing journalists and political activists, using health and educational
facilities for military purposes, destroying economic institutions in Yemen, as
well as targeting civilians in Saudi Arabia, according to the foreign ministry.
Iran’s
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) supplies the Houthis with missiles,
drones, and training, allowing the group to target airports and other critical
infrastructure, Pompeo said.
Iran
backs the Houthis in Yemen’s civil war against the internationally-recognized
government.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2021/01/11/Saudi-Arabia-s-foreign-ministry-welcomes-US-designation-of-Houthis-as-terrorist-group
--------
Oman’s
Sultan Announced New Law Allows Oman to Get First Crown Prince
January
12, 2021
DUBAI:
Oman’s sultan announced on Monday a constitutional shakeup that includes the
appointment of a crown prince for the first time and new rules on how
parliament will work, state media said.
A
new basic law issued by Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said also emphasises the
role of the Gulf Arab state in guaranteeing more rights and freedoms for
citizens — including equality between men and women, state news agency ONA
said.
Sultan
Haitham came to power a year ago after the death of his predecessor Sultan
Qaboos, who transformed an impoverished backwater riven by internal conflicts
into a state that plays a small but important role in international diplomacy.
Qaboos,
who was childless, ruled Oman for 49 years without a publicly designated heir,
naming his preferred successor in a sealed envelope to be opened after his
death should the royal family disagree on the succession line. The family went with
his choice.
The
secrecy about the succession to Qaboos resulted in rumours and raised concerns
for the country’s stability in the last years of his rule. Haitham’s plan to
designate a crown prince could add predictability to Omani politics.
The
new basic law sets out mechanisms for the appointment of a crown prince and his
duties. The report did not say who would become the new crown prince or provide
other details.
It
also sets the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary as the basis
for governance in the sultanate, a small oil producer and a regional US ally.
A
separate decree created a new law for the parliament — the bicameral Council of
Oman. The published text says changes to conditions of membership and the
council’s terms of reference have been made, but no further details were given.
Sultan
Haitham has shaken up the government and state entities and moved to enact
long-awaited fiscal reform since taking power, appointing finance and foreign
affairs ministers and a central bank chairman — portfolios held by the late
sultan. Elana DeLozier, senior fellow at the Washington Institute said the
decision announced on Monday is a further devolution of the Sultan’s power.
In
October he approved a medium-term fiscal plan to make government finances
sustainable.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1601018/new-law-allows-oman-to-get-first-crown-prince
--------
Egypt
reopens airspace with Qatar, resumes flights: Report
Joanne
Serrieh
12
January 2021
Egypt
reopened its airspace with Qatar on Tuesday and announced the resumption of
flights between the two countries, according to a local media report.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“The
decision allows EgyptAir and Qatar Airways, as well as other Qatari airlines,
to resume air traffic and send flight operating schedules to the Egyptian and
Qatari civil aviation authorities for approval,” news outlet Ahram Gate
reported, citing the head of the Egyptian civil aviation authority Ashraf
Noyer.
The
decision comes days after the signing of the AlUla declaration at the GCC
Summit held in Saudi Arabia last week, in which the Kingdom announced a
breakthrough in ending a bitter dispute between Gulf Arab states and Qatar ,
with its foreign minister saying Riyadh and its allies would restore all ties
with Doha severed in mid-2017.
Egypt’s
foreign minister Sameh Shoukry flew to Saudi Arabia to take part in the 41st
GCC Summit and signed the declaration, Reuters reported citing an official
source.
The
decision to sign the declaration was in line with Egypt’s continued support and
solidarity with the countries of the Arab Quartet, and in an effort to enhance
joint Arab action in facing the grave challenges in the region, the minister
said.
Saudi
Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have also announced reopening their borders
with neighboring country Qatar, in addition to the resumption of flights.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2021/01/12/GCC-dispute-Egypt-reopens-airspace-with-Qatar-resumes-flights-Report
--------
UAE
official welcomes US designation of Iran-backed Houthis as terrorist group
11
January 2021
The
United Arab Emirates’ minister of state for foreign affairs on Monday welcomed
the United States’ move to designate Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen as a
foreign terrorist organization.
“We
welcome the US administration’s decision to classify the Houthi militia as a
terrorist organization, and to place its leaders on terrorist lists,” Anwar
Gargash said in a tweet.
The
United States will designate the Iran-backed Houthi militia as a terrorist
organization, and three of its leaders as Specially Designated Global
Terrorists (SDGTs), US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in an official
statement on Monday.
Earlier
on Monday, both Saudi Arabia and Bahrain welcomed the United States’ decision
to designate the Iran-backed Houthi militia as a terrorist organization.
Saudi
Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the move is in line with the
Yemeni government’s efforts to “put an end to the violations of the Iran-backed
militia and the real dangers it poses, which has led to the deterioration of
the humanitarian situation of the Yemeni people, and the ongoing threats to the
international peace and security.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2021/01/12/UAE-official-welcomes-US-designation-of-Iran-backed-Houthis-as-terrorist-group
--------
Bahrain
welcomes US designation of Houthis as a terrorist group
Rawad
Taha
January
12, 2021
The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain welcomed the US administration’s decision
to classify the Houthi group as a terrorist organization and to place its
leaders on the terrorist list, state news agency BNA reported.
“The
classification is a necessary step to put an end to the serious violations it
[Houthi group] commits against the brotherly Yemeni people, and to confront its
continued insistence on destabilizing security and stability in the region, in
implementation of the agenda of the Iranian regime that supports it,” the
statement released by the Foreign Affairs added.
The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that the decision to designate the Houthi
militia as a terrorist organization has great importance.
“The
international community needs to take similar measures against this terrorist
group, because the sinful attacks it commits against the Yemeni people and the
neighboring countries and the threat it possesses to international shipping,
and its continued obstruction of all efforts aimed at reaching a lasting peace
and a political solution that preserves the Yemeni Republic, its unity and
territorial integrity,” the statement added.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2021/01/11/Bahrain-welcomes-US-designation-of-Houthis-as-a-terrorist-group
--------
First
Qatari flight arrives in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh from Doha
Tamara
Abueish
11
January 2021
A
Qatar Airways plane arrived in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh from Doha on Monday, the
first commercial flight between the two countries in three and a half years.
The
move comes after the Kingdom and Qatar agreed to restore diplomatic and trade
ties following a more than three-year dispute.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
Qatar Airways flight took off from Doha at 10:45 a.m. GMT and touched down at
12:10 p.m. GMT, according to the airline’s timetable.
An
AFP video showed passengers lining up in front of a check-in counter at Qatar’s
Hamad International Airport ahead of the historic flight.
Qatar
Airways had said earlier this week that it would begin resuming flights to
Riyadh on Monday, Jeddah on Jan. 14, and Dammam on Jan. 16.
Last
week, the leaders of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) signed the
AlUla declaration at the conclusion of the 41st Gulf summit, ending the dispute
with Qatar and restoring full ties with it.
The
UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, had severed diplomatic, trade and
transport ties with Qatar in June 2017over Doha’s support of terrorism.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2021/01/11/GCC-dispute-First-Qatari-flight-arrives-in-Saudi-Arabia-s-Riyadh-from-Doha-after-three-year-dispu
--------
Senior
Bahraini Shia cleric sympathizes with Pakistan’s Hazara Muslims after Daesh
bloodshed
12
January 2021
Bahrain’s
most prominent cleric Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim has expressed sympathy with
members of the ethnic Pakistani Hazara community, after the Takfiri Daesh
terrorist group killed nearly a dozen coal miners from the Shia Muslim group in
a targeted attack in southwest Pakistan earlier this month.
Sheikh
Qassim, in a statement released on Monday, strongly condemned the massacre,
stating that the victims were neither harboring any grudge against anyone, nor
involved in ideological and sectarian conflicts.
“It
is practically obligatory for all sects of the Muslim world to stand up against
the devastating menace of Daesh. Daesh has remained and will remain a falsified
and distorted representation of Islam. It will ruin the image of Islam in the
eyes of all those who believe in the truth and purity of the religion, its
denunciation of savagery, its respect for humanity, as well as its sanctity of
blood and human life,” he said.
Sheikh
Qassim added, “Daesh continues to shed the blood of innocents, brutally kills
people, promotes ignorance about Islam, alienates from the ethics of the Muslim
world, violates many principles of Islam, exercises heresy and murders Muslims
who have uttered the Shahada, pray, fast and perform Hajj, and believe in the
oneness of God.”
“Daesh
still loves bloodshed and destruction within the ranks of the Muslim world, and
its desire is to spread division and discord among Muslims,” the senior Shia
cleric said. “All Muslim nations, whether Sunni, Shia or else, are required to
stand up against this destructive plague and to educate future generations
against the guile, savagery and ignorance of Daesh, and the enormous danger it
has posed [to the world].”
Daesh
militants captured and shot 11 coal miners from the Pakistani Shia Hazara
community on January 3 in Machh, an area located east of Quetta, capital of
Pakistan’s troubled Balochistan Province.
Shia
Muslims across the country later joined in the demonstrations against the
massacre, demanding that Prime Minister Imran Khan visit the grieving community
in Quetta and assure their protection.
Authorities
on Friday promised the arrest of the attackers, payment of compensation to the
bereaved families and better security for the Hazara.
More
than 4,000 people attended the funeral of the miners whose bodies were laid to
rest amid tight security six days after their deaths.
Ethnic
Hazaras in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least populated and poorest
province, have long been persecuted for their faith, facing targeted attacks
and large-scale bombings that have killed hundreds in the last two decades.
Quetta
is home to roughly 600,000 Hazara Shia Muslims, largely confined to two
fortified enclaves on either side of the city, Hazara Town and Alamdar Road.
The
enclaves are ringed with high walls topped with barbed wire, and security
personnel heavily restrict entry to non-Hazaras.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/12/642835/Senior-Bahraini-Shia-cleric-sympathizes-with-bereaved-families-of-Pakistani-Hazara-coal-miners
--------
Badge
of honor for Iraqi PMU chief to be put on US sanctions list: Bahraini
opposition
11
January 2021
A
Bahraini opposition protest movement has denounced the recent US sanctions
against the chairman of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units – better known by
the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha’abi, saying the sanctions serve as “a badge of
pride” for the official.
The
February 14 Youth Coalition —named after the date of the beginning of a popular
uprising against Bahrain’s ruling Al Khalifah regime, in a statement on Sunday
slammed the sanctions against Falih al-Fayyadh as cowardly, and said the move
represents an attack on Iraq's sovereignty, national security, as well as its
people.
“The
current US administration [led by President Donald Trump] knows that Fayyadh is
one of the national Iraqi leaders, who protected the Iraqi nation against US
and Takfiri terrorism represented by Daesh and its collaborators. He was among
those who thwarted Trump's failed scheme in Iraq and the region,” the statement
added.
The
February 14 Youth Coalition further noted that recent US sanctions on the PMU
chairman denotes the fall of Trump, his Republican party as well as their
defeated regional allies.
He,
however, added that the sanctions represent a badge of pride for Fayyadh, all
PMU leaders and members in addition to the Iraqi Armed Forces.
The
Bahraini opposition movement underlined that no future administration at the
White House can discourage Fayyadh from continuing his struggle against the US
occupation of Iraq, reiterating his solidarity with him and Iraqi people.
The
US Treasury Department said in a statement on January 8 it had blacklisted
64-year-old Fayyadh, accusing him of being responsible for a crackdown by
security forces on anti-government demonstrations that gripped the Iraqi
capital, Baghdad, and later swept through several other cities in late 2019.
The
rallies erupted as a result of public anger at corruption, mass unemployment
and failing public services. Reports say some 550 people were killed and 30,000
injured as the anti-government rallies took a violent turn.
The
protests caused then prime minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s resignation.
Top
Iraqi official rejects US sanctions on PMU chairman
Separately,
Iraq's National Security Adviser, Qassem al-Araji, has dismissed sanctions
against the head of the Popular Mobilization Units, while reiterating that the
Baghdad government seeks to resolve lingering crises in the country.
“We
want Iraq to be a meeting point [for various parties], and it can actually
perform this role. All should realize that Iraq’s interests come before
anything else,” Araji said during a meeting with US Ambassador to Baghdad
Matthew Toller on Monday.
Toller,
for his part, said US Treasury’s measure against Fayyadh was not a wise
decision as he is an Iraqi state official and should not be put on the
sanctions list.
On
March 27 last year, the New York Times reported that the Pentagon had ordered a
secret directive, which called on US military commanders to prepare a campaign
against Kata'ib Hezbollah, which is part of Hashd al-Sha’abi.
But
the United States’ top commander in Iraq at the time, Lieutenant General Robert
P. White, warned that such a campaign could be bloody and counterproductive.
Hashd
al-Sh’abai fighters have played a major role in the liberation of Daesh-held
areas to the south, northeast and north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, ever
since the terrorists launched an offensive in the country in June 2014.
Back
in November 2016, the Iraqi parliament approved a law giving full legal status
to the fighters. It recognized the PMU as part of the national armed forces,
placed the forces under the command of the prime minister, and granted them the
right to receive salaries and pensions like the regular army and police forces.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/11/642795/Badge-of-honor-for-Iraqi-PMU-chief-to-be-put-on-US-sanctions-list-Bahraini-opposition
--------
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/a-tada-court-orders-charges/d/124055
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism