Al-Qaeda Chief in Region May Be Of Indian Origin: Intel Agencies
New Age Islam News Bureau
3
Oct 2014
Muslim devotees bring out the procession in Dhaka on Friday demanding capital punishment of Latif Siddique. Photo: Prabir Barua
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• Al-Qaeda
Chief in Region May Be Of Indian Origin: Intel Agencies
• Pakistan
Says Kashmir a ‘Legal Issue'; Demands Plebiscite
• As
J&K battled flood, vigilant Army killed 14 terrorists
Arab World
• Islamic
State Leads Mideast into Warlord Era as Nations Dissolve
• 16
Islamic State Fighters Killed In Syria
• 13 ISIL
Terrorists Killed in Salahuddin Province
• IS Lays
out Case for ‘Allegiance’ To Its Leader
• Murder Is
the Greatest Sin, Haram in Islam: Grand Mufti
• Islamic
State seizes Hit, assaults Iraqi military headquarters in Anbar
• Hajj
rituals begin, pilgrims to observe 'Wuquf' Friday
• Faced
with IS horror, Iraqis retaliate with humour
• Saudi
group performs hajj on behalf of Syria ‘martyrs’
Pakistan
• Jet
Fighters Kill 15 Suspected Militants In Khyber
• TTP,
Lashkar-E-Islam Hideouts Destroyed In Khyber Agency Air Strikes
• Religious
scholars must play role in countering terrorism: PM Nawaz
• 29
suspects arrested in Quetta operation
• Sit-ins
aim to incite civil war: Hashmi
• The
worst form of censorship is killing journalists: Media analyst
• Qadri
announces to take part in next elections
Europe
• Chechen
unit from Islamic State reportedly fighting at Kobane
• Islamophobic
attacks increase 65% in London
• EU
condemns new Israeli settlements in east Jerusalem
• UK PM
lands unannounced in Afghanistan to meet President
• Facing
fears over extremism, Austria unveils new law on Islam
North America
• Pro-al
Qaeda ideologues propose truce between Islamic State, rivals
• U.S.
Embassy in Damascus mocks Syrian FM’s U.N. speech
• American
joins Kurds fighting ISIS in Syria
• U.S.
House members press Kerry on nuclear talks with Iran
• US
should not have withdrawn forces from Iraq: former Pentagon chief
• US
welcomes Turkey vote to use military in Iraq, Syria
• US envoy
lands in Iraq to drum up support for coalition against IS
Mideast
• Turkey
‘will do whatever’ to stop ISIS taking Kobani
• Motion
is actually against Syria, not ISIL: Turkish opposition
• 500
Mideast scholars call for academic embargo of Israeli institutions
• Palestinian
government calls for $4 bn for Gaza reconstruction
• Iran
warns Turkey against aggravating regional tensions
• Houthis
dictate state spending in absence of Yemen govt
• Palestinians:
ICC if no Israeli pullout deadline
Australia
• Australia
to join anti-ISIS strikes in Iraq
• Australian
PM seeks re-think on parliament Burqa ban after backlash
South Asia
• Bangladesh
Islamic parties seek capital punishment to Minister
• Nato
soldiers in Afghanistan have made the world a safer place: Afghan President
• Young
Bangladeshis called upon to join British politics
• Centre
for Law and Democracy suggests Maldives failing to protect journalists
Southeast Asia
• FPI
Members Riot at Jakarta City Council over Non-Muslim Governor
• Insanity
the norm in Indonesian politics
Africa
• Libya’s
fugitive parliament shelters in hotel
• French
troops edge closer to Libya border to cut off Islamists
• Libya
death toll rises as clashes in Benghazi continue
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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India
Al-Qaeda
Chief in Region May Be Of Indian Origin: Intel Agencies
Oct 3,
2014
India’s
intelligence agencies have begun investigating information that the head of
al-Qaeda’s new unit in the subcontinent is a former Uttar Pradesh resident, highly-placed
government sources have told The Indian Express.
Maulana
Asim Umar, earlier reported to be a Pakistani national, is now believed to have
studied at the famous Dar-ul-Uloom seminary in Deoband, before emigrating from
India in the late-1990s.
The
investigations were under way even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a
Washington, DC-based think tank that terrorism in India was “exported, not
home-grown”.
Both the
UP Police and Intelligence Bureau (IB) have questioned figures linked to the
Islamist movement in India in the 1990s, seeking details on any Indian national
who may have moved abroad. Intelligence sources said their inquiries had
focussed on former members of the now-proscribed Students Islamic Movement of
India (SIMI), whose cadres were enthusiastic in their support for al-Qaeda and
the Taliban regime that took power in Afghanistan in 1996. “No firm details
have emerged so far,” one intelligence official said. “But from the bits and
pieces of information we have, we’re increasingly convinced that Maulana Umar
is likely of Indian origin, perhaps even an Indian national.” The fact that the
cleric has never appeared without a digital mask, the official said, “suggests
he has something to hide, since the top jihadist leadership in Pakistan generally
do not hesitate to show their faces”. Maulana Ashraf Usmani, a spokesperson for
the Deoband seminary, said that in the absence of identifying pictures, or
approximate dates of residence, it was impossible to confirm — or deny —
whether Maulana Umar had been a student there. “Thousands of students go
through here,” he said, “and we don’t have full records of the many who drop
out”. However, Maulana Usmani said, “I want to emphatically underline that the
Dar-ul-Uloom Deoband is unequivocal in its condemnation of terrorism, and,
indeed, in its opposition to all forms of wrongdoing. Wherever this man got his
ideas, it was not here.” From three separate Pakistani sources familiar with
the jihadi movement, The Indian Express learned that Maulana Umar arrived in
Pakistan in the late-1990s, and began studies at the Jamia Uloom-e-Islamia, a
Karachi seminary that has produced several top jihadist leaders, including
Maulana Masood Azhar, leader of the Jaish-e-Muhammad, Quari Saifullah Akhtar,
who headed the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, and Fazl-ur-Rehman Khalil, the leader
of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. Maulana Umar, the sources said, was mentored by
Nizamuddin Shamzai, a cleric with close links to the Taliban, who once bragged
about having been a “state guest” in Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar’s
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. E-mail requests to the Jamia Uloom-e-Islamia,
seeking confirmation of Maulana Umar’s residence and nationality, went
unanswered. The seminary says on its website, though, that students from 60
countries, including India, have studied there. After finishing his studies in
Karachi, Maulana Umar is believed to have joined Fazl-ur-Rehman Khalil’s
Harkat-ul-Mujahideen; teaching briefly at the Dar-ul-Uloom Haqqania seminary in
Peshawar, and serving at the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen’s training camps in
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Following the events of 9/11, the sources said,
Maulana Umar moved back to Karachi, living from 2004-2006 at the
Harkat-ul-Mujahideen’s office in Haroonabad. He also authored a number of
best-selling books, which gave him rock-star status among Pakistani Islamists.
The Pakistani state’s growing confrontation with jihadists pushed Maulana Umar
towards al-Qaeda. The decision, the sources said, appeared to have been made
final by President Pervez Musharraf’s storming of the Lal Masjid in Islamabad,
a seminary run by Maulana Umar’s old Jamia Uloom-e-Islamia friend, Maulana
Abdul Rashid Ghazi. He then made contact with Muhammad Ilyas Kashmiri, a top
jihadist with close links to al-Qaeda. Interestingly, Lashkar-e-Toiba operative
David Headley had told the FBI about a “Karachi project” run by Kashmiri, with
plans to target India. Maulana Umar delivered exhortations specifically
targeting Muslims in India for the first time last year — also the first of its
kind in global jihadist writing. Published in the June-July 2013 issue of the
jihadist magazine Azan, and made available online as digital audio, the essay
said, “The global jihad leadership feels justified in asking the Indian Muslim
scholars and masses as to why the jihad battlefields remain deprived of their
blessed presence — especially when history shows that their ancestors always
raised the banner of jihad against the enemies of Islam. In it, Maulana Umar
invoked anti-Muslim communal violence in India, saying “the Red Fort in front
of the mosque cries tears of blood at your slavery and mass killing at the
hands of the Hindus”. He asked, “Is there no mother left in UP (Uttar Pradesh)
who can sing to her sons the songs that would inspire them to decorate the
battlefield of Shamli instead of wasting their time in marketplaces, parks and
sports fields? Have the inheritors of Shaykh-ul-Hind left out Hijrah and jihad
from their lives forever? “Has the land of Bihar become so barren that it is
unable produce even one Jama’ah [group] of the likes of the Mujahideen of
Azeemabad? And which Kafir’s evil sight affected the land of Bengal that the
eyes of history became weary awaiting another Siraj-ud-Daula?” India-specific
memes like these have been frequent in Maulana Umar’s work — especially calls
directed at Indian Muslims, such as ‘Why is there no storm in your ocean?’,
released by al-Shahab, al-Qaeda’s media house, in 2013. Internet forums used by
Islamists have long contained hints of Maulana Umar’s Indian origins. In a 2012
discussion on the absence of Indians in global jihadist movements, a
commentator on the popular SunniForum.com platform lamented that just one
Indian — “one mujahid made hijrah (holy emigration, modelled on the Prophet Muhammad’s
migration from Mecca to Medina) to where the sword is being used. Only one out
of billions of Indian Muslims. His name is Maulana Asim Umar Sahab (rh). Just
one (sic).” The forum member, ‘mh16388’, used Maulana Umar’s story to make the
case that jihad was incumbent on all Muslims, writing: “could Muslims even do
half the Tableegh (missionary work) in India that they do today had India not
been conquered by (the medieval warlord Muhammad) Bin Qasim (rh) and other
subsequent Muslim rulers?” In another discussion the same year on another
Islamist forum, forum member ‘Mullah’ argued that “the Prophet (PBUH) migrated
to a safer place and then formed a state. Which is what they should do too if
they are serious about Khilafah (a caliphate). (and Alhamdulillah [praise the
lord] done by Maulana Asim Umar)”. Following news that Maulana Umar had been
appointed chief of the new al-Qaeda unit, @Pak_Witness, a reliable Twitter feed
followed by many Pakistani journalists for information on the jihadist movement
in that country, reported that “@Pak_witness … Maulana Asim Omar is a graduate
from Darul Uloom Deoband in India, he taught in various madrasas in Karachi”
(sic).
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/al-qaeda-chief-in-region-may-be-of-indian-origin-intel-agencies/99/#sthash.g1WN1aaU.dpuf
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Pakistan
Says Kashmir a ‘Legal Issue'; Demands Plebiscite
Oct 3,
2014
Needling
India, Pakistan on Thursday asserted that Kashmir is a “legal issue” and must
be resolved through plebiscite as per the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
At the
weekly briefing here, Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam also made it
clear that Indo-Pak talks were not a substitute to the UN resolutions on
Kashmir which envisage plebiscite in the region.
“Kashmir
is a legal issue also and its legal position demands that the dispute must be
resolved as per the aspirations of Kashmiri people through plebiscite,” she
said.
Aslam
said that Simla Agreement between the two countries does not make UN
resolutions ineffective. Her remarks come within days of Pakistan Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif raking up the Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly
where he said the UN had passed resolutions to hold a plebiscite in Jammu and
Kashmir more than six decades ago. “The people of Jammu and Kashmir are still
waiting for the fulfillment of that promise,” Sharif said. India had strongly
rejected the “untenable comments” made by Sharif, asserting that the people of
the state have peacefully chosen their destiny in accordance with universally
accepted democratic principles. Speaking at UNGA, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
had offered to engage in a serious bilateral dialogue “without the shadow of
terrorism” while asking Pakistan to create an “appropriate environment” for
that. At Thursday’s briefing, Aslam also claimed that India never responded
positively on Pakistan’s proposals to resolve the Siachen issue and for
declaring Siachen a Peace Park including demilitarization of the territory. The
Foreign Office spokesperson termed that Indian policy towards resolution of
Siachen as “inflexible”. Former President Pervez Musharraf had claimed that
Pakistan and India were close to clinching a deal on Siachen during his tenure.
Aslam said India and Pakistan would have to resume talks for the sake of sustainable
peace in the region. India had called off Foreign Secretary-level talks in
August after Pakistan’s High Commissioner in New Delhi Abdul Basit had met
Kashmiri separatist leaders ahead of the meeting, ignoring India’s warning that
the move could derail the parleys. Aslam saw nothing wrong in Basit’s meeting
with Hurriyat leaders, saying Pakistan regularly consults with them.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/pakistan-says-kashmir-a-legal-issue-demands-plebiscite/#sthash.CMaunTdc.dpuf
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As
J&K battled flood, vigilant Army killed 14 terrorists
M Saleem
Pandit,TNN | Oct 3, 2014
SRINAGAR:
The Army killed at least 14 terrorists while Kashmir was facing worst floods in
recent memory, a defence spokesman said on Thursday.
"September
also saw a number of terrorist infiltration attempts along the line of control.
But their attempts were foiled by vigilant soldiers, killing 14 terrorists and
apprehending six others.''
"In
the beginning of September, even as the rains were lashing Kashmir and causing
large scale flooding of parts of South Kashmir, the Army eliminated three
terrorists in an encounter at Hanjan Bala near Shopian on 2nd September.''
He said
when Srinagar was reeling under worst floods, four terrorists were killed at
Laribal and Pharkian in north Kashmir on September 9 and 10.
"While
the situation was stabilizing in Srinagar and other flood affected parts of the
valley, two terrorists were eliminated at Machhal in Kupwara district on
September 17 followed by four more at Tangdhar on September 19," the
spokesman said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/As-JK-battled-flood-vigilant-Army-killed-14-terrorists/articleshow/44157468.cms
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Arab World
Islamic
State Leads Mideast into Warlord Era as Nations Dissolve
Oct 3,
2014
The
Middle East may be sliding toward a warlord era, with nation-states
increasingly struggling to control all their territory and millions living
under the rule of emergent local chiefs and movements.
Armed
irregular forces hold effective power over growing areas of Iraq, Syria, Yemen
and Libya where central government authority barely reaches. Motivated by
religious ideology or regional separatism, they have grabbed oil facilities and
weapons, imposed taxes or changed school curriculums, and fought each other as
well as national armies.
“It is
almost like the whole regional order that was built in the 20th century is
collapsing,” Nadim Shehadi, associate fellow at the Middle East and North
Africa Programme at Chatham House in London, said in an interview. “Non-state
actors are filling the vacuum.”
The
breakdown, in a region that holds more than half the world’s oil, has allowed
extremist groups to thrive and drawn in external powers bent on stopping them.
Underlying many of the conflicts is the inability of governments to provide
security and basic services. In turn, economic failure will be even harder to
remedy without functioning administrations.
It’s not
clear whether interventions such as the U.S.-led bombing campaign in Iraq and
Syria can put the pieces back together, said James Coyle, director of global
education at Chapman University in California. Military operations will only
achieve short-term gains, unless governments are “given legitimacy by the
people through the provision of security and basic social services,” he said by
e-mail.
‘Too
Fragile’
Islamic
State, which declared a caliphate on the territory it controls in Iraq and
Syria, is the most visible challenge to a Middle Eastern system of nation
states that was largely imposed by European colonial powers after the Ottoman
Empire collapsed in World War I.
Other
non-state forces have also emerged, especially since the Arab revolts of 2011,
which plunged Syria into civil war. The latest fighting in northern Syria pits
Islamic State against Kurdish forces that have also won de-facto autonomy from
Damascus. In Iraq, where the collapse of central authority dates to the U.S.
invasion of 2003, much of the fighting against Islamic State has also been done
by non-state forces -- Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, or Iran-backed Shiite
militias.
In some
countries, “the state has been too fragile to withstand the combination of
internal challenges and foreign intervention,” Jane Kinninmont, a senior
research fellow at Chatham House, said in response to e-mailed questions.
Government
Eclipsed
Libya,
holder of Africa’s biggest oil reserves, hasn’t suffered as much bloodshed as
Syria yet the eclipse of government power is even more complete, as the country
slid into chaos after the overthrow of Muammar Qaddafi by NATO-backed rebels.
Two rival parliaments and premiers emerged, and separatist groups seized oil
terminals and at one point sought to sell the crude themselves. The past few
weeks of fighting between rival militias has displaced more than 140,000
people, the United Nations estimates.
Yemen
was convulsed by almost a year of protests that toppled its longtime leader in
late 2011, and his successor, President Abdurabu Mansur Hadi, hasn’t been able
to restore stability. Last month, Shiite Muslim Houthi rebels advanced from the
north, seized key buildings in the capital, Sana’a, and forced authorities to
change the cabinet and revoke tax increases. Yesterday, they barred the Finance
Ministry from making any payments except salaries.
Oil
Advantage
Other
national governments have experienced lower-level challenges to their authority
over parts of their territory. Militants have repeatedly targeted the Egyptian
army and police in the Sinai Peninsula, drawing air strikes in retaliation. In
the mountainous interiors of Tunisia and Algeria, insurgents elude government
efforts to hunt them down. An Algerian militant group kidnapped and beheaded a
French mountain guide last month.
The
region’s biggest crude producers, many of which have close military or economic
ties to the U.S., have largely escaped the centrifugal forces, and maintained
strong central governments.
“Oil
countries did have an advantage in the Arab Spring,” said Gregory Gause, head
of the International Affairs Department at Texas A&M University. “Only
Libya saw major upheaval, and that’s largely because Qaddafi didn’t spread the
money around. The Saudis actually did a much better job than he did at that.”
Angry
Youth
Saudi
Arabia, which pumps almost $1 billion-worth of crude every day, has expanded
spending on jobs and welfare. Elsewhere, where governments are less flush with
cash, efforts to rein in the militias and extremist groups will be difficult as
long as there are few economic opportunities for Arab youths, said Eckart
Woertz, a Persian Gulf specialist at the Barcelona Centre for International
Affairs.
The
region has the world’s highest rate of youth unemployment, according to the
International Labour Organization.
“There
is no shortage of angry young men,” Woertz said. “Sectarianism, religious
intolerance and conspiracy theories are unfortunately widespread. Islamic State
can thrive in such an environment.”
The U.S.
has vowed to crush the militant group, and there are signs that the threat from
non-state actors is making some of its regional allies more assertive too.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are among five Arab nations to join
in the U.S. airstrikes in Syria. Egypt and the U.A.E. have been involved in
attacks on Islamist militias in Libya, according to the U.S., though neither
country has confirmed it.
Hezbollah
Example
It’s not
clear whether all non-state actors can be conclusively beaten, and Lebanon
offers an alternative route. There, the Shiite militia Hezbollah, classified as
a terrorist group by the U.S., has been at least partially integrated into the
state structure, retaining its own militia yet also joining coalition
governments.
That’s
unlikely to be repeated because Lebanon is a “special case,” according to
Theodore Karasik, director of research at the Institute for Near East and Gulf
Military Analysis in Dubai. He said Hezbollah emerged three decades ago during
“a different era in terms of political powers -- regional and international --
and their designs on the Middle East.”
The
region-wide clash between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran, which both
support proxies in other countries, has deepened the recent instability.
Beneath the sectarian and ethnic divisions, though, are similarities in
political culture that helped enable the rise of non-state actors.
Most
Middle Eastern countries are classified as autocracies by the Economist
Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index, and their leaders have typically
cultivated an image as strongmen at the head of powerful regimes.
For all
that, “the problem in the Middle East is not a surplus of government, but a
deficit,” said Coyle, who was also director of Middle East studies at the U.S.
Army War College.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-02/islamic-state-leads-mideast-into-warlord-era-as-nations-dissolve.html
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16
Islamic State fighters killed in Syria
Oct 3,
2014
The
armed Kurdish militia killed 16 fighters of the Islamic State (IS) Sunni
radical group near the city of Kobane in northern Syria on Thursday, the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights said.
The IS fighters
were targeted by the Kurdish People’s Protection Unites (YPG) in the village of
Halang, close to the predominantly Kurdish city of Kobane, where the militant
group is on a crushing offensive against the Kurdish militants.
In the
south-eastern parts of Kobane, at least seven Kurdish fighters were killed
during clashes with IS, according to the Observatory.
In
earlier reports, the Observatory said the IS fighters were just metres away
from the city, warning of a mass massacre if the IS militants succeeded to
storm the Kurdish city.
Tens of
thousands of Kurds have fled to the Turkish borders since IS started its
bombardment on Kobane and the surrounding Kurdish towns and villages. Kurdish
activists accused Turkey of aiding IS in battling the Kurds in Kobane to create
a pretext for military intervention and to establish a buffer zone in Syria.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/16-islamic-state-fighters-killed-in-syria/article6468601.ece
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13 ISIL
Terrorists Killed in Salahuddin Province
Oct 3,
2014
An Iraqi
tribe clashed with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorists,
and killed 13 terrorists in Balad district in Salahuddin province on Thursday.
"Bani
Saad tribe clashed with the ISIL terrorists in the district, killing 13 of the
terrorists and burning 2 of their vehicles," a security source said.
The
Takfiri terrorists currently control parts of Syria and Iraq. They have
threatened all communities, including Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians, Ezadi
Kurds and others, as they continue their atrocities in Iraq.
Senior
Iraqi officials have blamed Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and some Persian Gulf Arab
states for the growing terrorism in their country.
The ISIL
has links with Saudi intelligence and is believed to be indirectly supported by
the Israeli regime.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13930710000750
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IS lays
out case for ‘allegiance’ to its leader
Reuters
Oct 3,
2014
Islamic
State (IS) insurgents in Iraq and Syria have issued a pamphlet calling for
Muslims to pledge loyalty to their chief, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, pressing a
campaign to establish a “caliphate” even as US-led forces bomb their positions.
Baghdadi’s
claim to the mantle of Islam’s caliphate, the Muslim state established by the
Prophet Mohammad’s first followers after his death, has infuriated many Islamic
leaders and ignited an ideological battle for legitimacy.
Islamist
sources in Syria said the pamphlet, distributed widely online by supporters of
the al Qaeda offshoot, was a step in the group’s campaign to establish the
caliphate and familiarise people with Baghdadi.
Entitled
“Extend your hands and pledge loyalty to Baghdadi,” the pamphlet appeared to be
based largely on a longer statement written last year by IS religious figure
Turki al-Binali arguing why Baghdadi deserved to command the loyalty of
believers.
Addressing
itself “to whoever fought and still fights in the path of God ... to commanders
of groups,” the pamphlet traced Baghdadi’s purported lineage to the Prophet
Mohammad, outlined his studies of Islamic law, and listed his battlefield
achievements while asking supporters to unite against the group’s enemies.
A
coalition of the United States and Arab allies including Saudi Arabia, which
follows the ultraconservative Wahhabi school of Sunni Islam, has been carrying
out air strikes against IS in Syria.
“Isn’t
it time for you to unite with your brothers? To establish and elevate your
state? The enemy has allied to fight you, so unite to fight him,” said the
pamphlet.
The
US-led campaign has pushed some members of al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, the
Nusra Front, to pressure their leaders to reconcile with IS after the two
groups clashed earlier in the year.
Among
other historical religious scholars, the pamphlet quoted Mohammad ibn Abd
al-Wahhab, founder of Saudi Arabia’s Wahhabi school, whose 18th century
alliance with the Saudi ruling family continues to underpin the country’s
politics.
The
kingdom’s religious establishment has campaigned against militancy in recent
weeks, describing both Islamic State and al Qaeda as Islam’s foremost enemy. In
August, the country’s Grand Mufti urged young people to ignore calls to jihad
from people representing “deviant principles.”
Power
struggles
IS has
its roots as al Qaeda’s affiliate in Iraq, but split with the central
organization headed by Ayman Zawahri this year after falling out over its
expansion into Syria.
Leading
figures affiliated with al Qaeda this week launched an initiative to establish
a “truce” with IS and asked the group to respond by the Muslim holiday of Eid
al-Adha, which starts on Saturday. The rise of IS has appeared to capture the
imaginations of at least some militants previously affiliated with al Qaeda.
Algerian Islamist militants who pledged their loyalty to IS beheaded a French hostage
last month.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/world/2014/oct/03/lays-out-case-%E2%80%98allegiance%E2%80%99-its-leader#sthash.T7K8ix1L.dpuf
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Murder
is the greatest sin, haram in Islam: Grand Mufti
Oct 3,
2014
MOUNT
ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia: Mufti Azam Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah
delivered Hajj sermon in Masjid-e-Nimra at Mount Arafat and said that murder is
a great sin and ‘haram’ in Islam, Geo News reported on Friday.
He also
urged the Muslims to shun evil, practice unity and teachings of Islam.
“Islam
is a complete code of life, it’s a perfect and definite religion of Allah, it
teaches brotherhood among Muslims and provides spiritual, moral and social
training,” said the grand Mufti while addressing millions of Hajj pilgrims.
The chief
mufti urged Muslims to keep away from crimes, such as murder and other evil
deeds.
Full
report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-161573-Murder-is-the-greatest-sin,-haram-in-Islam:-Grand-Mufti-
----------
Islamic
State seizes Hit, assaults Iraqi military headquarters in Anbar
Oct 3,
2014
The
Islamic State continues its offensive to consolidate control of Iraq's Anbar
province. Today, the jihadist group is reported to have taken control of the
town of Hit and has launched assaults on the Anbar Operations Command north of
Ramadi and the 7th Division headquarters at Al Asad Airbase in Al Baghdadi.
Iraqi
officials confirmed that much of Hit, a town just 20 miles west of the
provincial capital of Ramadi, is under the control of the Islamic State.
"Ninety
percent of Hit has been overrun by militants," a member of the Anbar
provincial council told Reuters. Witnesses stated that "scores" of
heavily armed fighters are patrolling the town and the Islamic State's black
flag is flying over several government buildings, including the mayor's office
and the police station. Sporadic fighting between Islamic State fighters and
the local Albu Nimr tribe has also been reported.
The
Islamic State began its attack on Hit with a complex suicide assault, according
to the National Iraqi News Agency (NINA).
Full
report at:
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/10/islamic_state_seizes.php#ixzz3F4bRKWEb
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Hajj
rituals begin, pilgrims to observe 'wuquf' Friday
Oct 3,
2014
More
than two million Muslim pilgrims from across the world have gathered at the
holy city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia to perform hajj.
On the
first official day of the hajj on Thursday, pilgrims converged in Mina, where
they offered Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha' prayers, shortening the four-unit
prayers so as to make them two units each.
Later
they spent the night praying and seeking divine blessings in the sprawling
tents of Mina.
The
pilgrims will set out for Arafat right after sunrise chanting Talbiyah and
Takbeer on Friday.
Full
report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2014/oct/02/hajj-rituals-begin-pilgrims-observe-wuquf-friday#sthash.Nov07fjd.dpuf
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Faced
with IS horror, Iraqis retaliate with humour
Oct 3,
2014
How can
societies shield themselves from the worst horrors? Sometimes humour helps.
The
situation in Iraq is no laughing matter, but artists of all stripes are turning
to humour to wage war on the Islamic State (IS), an entity so terrifying by
nature that no distortion is needed to achieve the goal of ridicule, according to
a report by The Christian
Science
Monitor.
“The
purpose of comedy and cartoons is to pick something peculiar and exaggerate it,
but what is happening now in Iraq is so abnormal that I can’t pump it up any
further,” says veteran Iraqi cartoonist Diyaa al-Hajjar.
“Hollywood
movie monsters like Dracula and zombies are sweet compared to ISIS and its
brutality,” adds Mr. Hajjar, known also for his children storybooks.
Published
across national newspapers and picked up on Facebook, his political cartoons
depict the sliced up victims of terrorism; IS executioners and fighters; Gulf
states bankrolling terrorists; and the purported profiteers – namely the US and
Israel, who he says are the only ones to benefit from Iraq’s chaos.
Full
report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/world/2014/oct/03/faced-horror-iraqis-retaliate-humour#sthash.ijMkEjp0.dpuf
----------
Saudi
group performs hajj on behalf of Syria ‘martyrs’
Oct 3,
2014
One
hundred and twenty young Saudis are performing hajj this year on behalf of
Syrians who died fighting the Damascus regime, Mohammad al-Nuaimi, supervisor
of the “hajj campaign for Syrian martyrs,” has said.
The
Saudi youth are part of the 450-strong contingent offering hajj on behalf of
those who have laid down their lives in fighting the brutal regime of President
Bashar al-Assad, al-Nuaimi was quoted by Makkah daily as saying.
About
100 Syrian extremists have been barred from entering Saudi Arabia for the hajj,
Makkah daily, citing the founder of the relief organization for Syrian
refugees, reported.
“These
terrorists tried to come to the Kingdom to perform the hajj but we obstructed
their attempts,” said al-Nuaimi.
Full
report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/special-reports/hajj-2014/2014/10/02/Saudis-perform-Hajj-on-behalf-of-Syrian-martyrs.html
----------
Pakistan
Jet
fighters kill 15 suspected militants in Khyber
Oct 3,
2014
PESHAWAR:
At least 15 militants were killed early on Friday in jet strikes in the Jamrud
and Bara areas of northwestern Pakistan's Khyber tribal region, the Inter-Services
Public Relations (ISPR) said.
Sources
told Dawn that three militant hideouts were also destroyed in the strikes when
jets bombed suspected militant positions in Sipah, Malakdinkhel and Chapri
areas of Jamrud.
The
information could not be independently verified as journalists have limited
access to the restive tribal region.
Khyber
is one of Pakistan’s seven semi-autonomous regions governed by tribal laws and
lies near the Afghan border. The Taliban and other Al Qaeda-linked groups, who
stage attacks in both countries, are known to have strongholds in the zone.
The
latest strikes are part of the ongoing military operation named Zarb-i-Azb,
initiated on June 15 against anti-state militants hiding in the North
Waziristan Agency.
The
operation was launched after the Taliban and their ethnic Uzbek allies both
claimed responsibility for the attack on Karachi airport and peace talks failed
between the government and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan negotiators.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1135951/jet-fighters-kill-15-suspected-militants-in-khyber
----------
TTP,
Lashkar-e-Islam hideouts destroyed in Khyber Agency air strikes
Oct 3,
2014
KHUBER
AGENCY: Five militant hideouts were destroyed as security forces bombard their
havens in the tribal belt on Friday.
Sources said
that the Pakistan Air Force warplanes also targeted hideouts belonging to the
proscribed Lashkar-e-Islam and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in Bara, Nala
Khajoori and Yousuf Talaab area of Khyber tribal region.
The air
strikes are part of Pakistan’s drive against militants in tribal areas
bordering Afghanistan.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-161530-TTP,-Lashkar-e-Islam-hideouts-destroyed-in-Kyber-Agency-air-strikes-
--------
Religious
scholars must play role in countering terrorism: PM Nawaz
Oct 3,
2014
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday said it was imperative for religious
scholars to come forward and play their part in countering terrorism.
Addressing
a delegation of religious leaders from different schools of thought at the
Prime Minister House in Islamabad, the premier said religious scholars had the
responsibility to preach their fellow Muslims that Islam was a religion of
peace and not violence.
The
premier termed the role of ulema as extremely vital for the country, which he
said was going through a critical phase in its history. The premier also called
upon religious scholars to show unity in their ranks.
Full
report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1135960/religious-scholars-must-play-role-in-countering-terrorism-pm-nawaz
----------
29
suspects arrested in Quetta operation
Oct 3,
2014
QUETTA:
At least 29 suspects were arrested on Friday during a joint search operation
carried out by police and Frontier Corps personnel in the Killi Kirani area of
Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province.
Upon
receiving a tip-off regarding the presence of suspects in Killi Kirani and
Ittehad Colony, a joint team of security personnel conducted a raid in the
vicinity.
A senior
police officer, who requested anonymity, told Dawn that the suspects were shifted
to Brewery Police Station for further investigation.
He said
innocent people would be set free after interrogation whereas those involved in
subversive activities would be held.
The
arrests come two days after a hand grenade attack occurred at two barber shops
on Quetta's Double road.
Subsequently,
three people were killed in the attack.
Chief
Minister Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik Baloch took notice of the incident and
ordered law enforcers to arrest the culprits.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1135957/29-suspects-arrested-in-quetta-operation
----------
Sit-ins
aim to incite civil war: Hashmi
Oct 3,
2014
MULTAN:
Veteran politician Javed Hashmi has said the participants in the sit-ins want
civil war.
Speaking
at a press conference here on Thursday, the disgruntled politician reiterated:
“The plan was to roll back the (democratic) system and impose ban on all
political parties. I not only saved democracy but also saved all political
parties including the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf,” he said.
He said
there was a risk of disintegration of the county if the ban on political
parties was imposed. He said politics was another name of tolerance and the
prime minister and chief minister must exhibit it.
“The
present government has all along shown tolerance and not used power against the
protesters and they should continue to do so,” he advised.
He said
he had requested PTI chairman Imran Khan not to push the party workers towards
civil war. “I told Imran Khan that any mishap in sit-ins can lead to killing of
many innocent people. There are some foreign forces working to ignite civil war
in the country and I would reveal about them at a suitable time,” he said.
Full
report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1135907/sit-ins-aim-to-incite-civil-war-hashmi
----------
The
worst form of censorship is killing journalists: Media analyst
Oct 3,
2014
LAHORE:
Censorship in Pakistan appears in many forms, but of them is the worst is:
intimidating, threatening, torturing and even killing journalists.
Media
analyst Adnan Rehmat said this at a seminar on ‘Media Ethics in the Time of
Threat’ on Thursday. The seminar was held by Rozan’s Secretariat of Pakistan
Coalition for Ethical Journalism with the Digital Rights Foundation and the
Human Right Commission of Pakistan.
Mr
Rehmat said censorship today had become much worse than ever when even cable
operators who were not content producers could easily block out channels on
their own.
He read
out excerpts from his book ‘Reporting Under Threat’, where the compelling
personal accounts of three journalists were highlighted. Later these
journalists -- Shumaila Jafary (BBC), Rana Azeem (PFUJ), and Yousuf Ali (The
News) spoke as part of a panel.
Mr
Rehmat said telling stories was important as they helped us understand what the
ground reality was. The job of journalists is to tell these stories but they
faced several dangers in uncovering these stories.
“A free
media is intrinsic of an open society and a democracy, where people can freely
communicate and air their opinions and issues,” he said. Unfortunately, he
said, journalists were threatened commonly by non-state actors and sometimes by
the government too in different ways, and when in 2002 UNESCO recorded that 612
journalists were killed globally, of them 10 per cent belonged to Pakistan.
Full
report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1135867/the-worst-form-of-censorship-is-killing-journalists
----------
Qadri
announces to take part in next elections
Oct 3,
2014
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri on Thursday announced that his
party will take part in the electoral politics by contesting the next general
elections.
“PAT
will provide a platform to likeminded people in the next general elections to
bring revolution,” said Qari while addressing his workers at the sit-in at the
Constitution Avenue. On the 50th day of the landmark sit-in Qadri said that we
will take part in the next general elections whenever they are held. “Our doors
are open for people who want to bring a revolution in the country. We will
field candidates across the country in the elections. We will develop our party
to a number one party in the country,” he said.
Qadri
vowed to demonstrate his political strength by holding two public meetings, one
on October 12 and the other on the 19th in Faisalabad and Lahore, respectively.
Addressing the party workers twice in the day, Qadri severely criticised the
incumbent government for borrowing money from local and international banks.
The government borrows hundreds of billions of rupees each month from local
banks, he said. “They also borrow billions of dollars from the international
financial institutions and banks,” Qadri said, adding that the government has
no economic policy whatsoever. “The whole economy is running on borrowed
money,” he said.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/islamabad/03-Oct-2014/qadri-announces-to-take-part-in-next-elections
----------
Europe
Chechen
unit from Islamic State reportedly fighting at Kobane
Oct 3,
2014
In a
video released by 'Amaq News, an unofficial news organization affiliated with
the Islamic State, several Russian-speaking fighters are shown taking positions
overlooking the Kurdish city of Kobane (or Ayn al Arab in Arabic). The
fighters, according to the video's title, are Chechen and more than likely
belong to a group loyal to Omar al Shishani, a senior military leader in the
Islamic State. The Islamic State has been battling forces from the PKK-linked
People's Protection Units, or YPG, for control of the Syrian town. [See Threat
Matrix report, Islamic State advances near Kobane.]
According
to Joanna Paraszczuk of From Chechnya to Syria, a website that tracks
Russian-speaking fighters in Syria, this group is known as the al Aqsa Brigade.
The group is comprised of those fighters who left the Chechen Jaysh al
Muhajireen wal Ansar (Muhajireen Army) with Omar after he swore allegiance to
the Islamic State. The Muhajireen Army is a Chechen-led group that considers
themselves to be the Syrian branch of the Islamic Caucasus Emirate. The US
State Department added the Muhajireen Army to its list of Foreign Terrorist
Organizations on Sept. 24. [For more on the Muhajireen Army, see LWJ report
State Department adds Chechen, Moroccan-led jihadist groups to terrorist list]
Full
report at:
http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2014/10/chechen_unit_from_islamic_stat.php#ixzz3F4cO5Wnd
----------
Islamophobic
attacks increase 65% in London
World
Bulletin / News Desk
Oct 3,
2014
Islamophobic
hate crimes against Muslims in London has risen by 65% over the last 12 months,
Metropolitan Police figures have shown.
Offences
have increased from 344 to 570 in the last year, with many attacks targeting
women wearing the headscarf.
BBC's
Asian Network reporter Shabnam Mahmood spoke to a mother-of-two, Asma Sheikh,
who has been a victim of abuse.
She said
that after major events such as the beheading of the British journalists in
Iraq by ISIL militants, there is a spike in attacks, noting that her car and
the cars of her friends have been vandalized.
In
addition to having her tyres burst, the small business owner said she had the
words 'Go Back Home' left on her windscreen.
'Why
should I have to re-route my life in the fear of not being accepted?' she
asked, pointing out that some of her female Muslim friends have resorted to
removing their veils due to intimidation by the public.
http://www.worldbulletin.net/muslim-world/145517/cuba-rejects-plans-for-first-mosque
----------
EU
condemns new Israeli settlements in east Jerusalem
3
October 2014
The
European Union on Wednesday condemned an Israeli plan to build 2,610 new
settler homes in annexed east Jerusalem, calling it “highly detrimental” to
diplomatic efforts for Israeli-Palestinian peace.
Brussels
called on Israel to “urgently reverse” actions leading to settlement expansion
in east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians hope to make the capital of a future
state alongside Israel.
“This
represents a further highly detrimental step that undermines prospects for a
two-state solution and calls into question Israel’s commitment to a peaceful
negotiated settlement with the Palestinians,” the EU’s diplomatic service said.
The
housing units, which have been slated for construction since 2012 in the
neighborhood of Givat Hamatos, were given final approval last week, according
to the Peace Now watchdog.
The
project has also drawn sharp criticism from the United States, with President
Barack Obama on Wednesday telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of
Washington’s deep concern over the proposed development, and from France.
Full
report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/10/03/EU-condemns-new-Israeli-settlements-in-east-Jerusalem.html
----------
UK PM
lands unannounced in Afghanistan to meet President
Oct 3,
2014
Kabul:
UK Prime Minister David Cameron landed in Kabul on Friday for an unannounced visit
to meet with new Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who took office four days ago.
Cameron flew into the Afghan capital on a C-17 military transport plane after
earlier meeting with an air crew at a UK base in Akrotiri, Cyprus, from where
British bombers are flying sorties against Islamic State militants in Iraq. The
UK is winding down combat operations 13 years after first sending forces to
Afghanistan as part of an international coalition to fight the Taliban and hunt
for al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The focus of the fight against Islamic
militants has now shifted to Iraq and Syria, where Islamic State has seized a
swath of the two countries, carrying out mass executions and beheading western
journalists. “We are fighting a generational struggle against Islamist
extremist terrorism,” Cameron told reporters in Kabul before talks with Ghani
and other officials.
Full
report at:
http://www.livemint.com/Politics/fMFpCDAtBUA2yoSOPXU5LN/David-Cameron-lands-unannounced-in-Afghanistan-to-meet-Presi.html?utm_source=copy
----------
Facing
fears over extremism, Austria unveils new law on Islam
Oct 3,
2014
VIENNA
(Reuters) - Austria called on Thursday for standardised German-language
translations of the Koran and moved to prohibit foreign funding of Muslim
organisations on its soil in a draft law aimed in part at tackling Islamic
extremism.
The bill
will overhaul a 1912 law governing the status of Austrian Muslims, prompting
concern from a major local Islamic body, which saw it mirroring widespread
mistrust of Muslims.
The
initiative comes at a time of robust support for the far-right in Austria and
also alarm over reports of Muslims from the small, neutral country joining
Islamist militant forces fighting in the Middle East.
"The
clear message should be that there is no contradiction between being a faithful
Muslim and a proud Austrian," said Foreign Affairs and Integration
Minister Sebastian Kurz, a member of the conservative People's Party.
Full
report at:
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/facing-fears-over-extremism-austria-unveils-law-islam-181556484.html#WC9UI5I
----------
North America
Pro-al
Qaeda ideologues propose truce between Islamic State, rivals
Oct 3,
2014
Leading
jihadist ideologues, including several openly allied with al Qaeda, have
proposed a truce between the Islamic State and its rivals. The initiative,
which is being promoted on Twitter, aims to bring together the warring jihadist
factions in Iraq and Syria against the West.
The
proposal, titled "An Initiative and Call for a Ceasefire Between Factions
in Syria," was released online on Sept. 30. "Due to the Crusader
attack on our Muslim brothers in Syria and Iraq," the authors argue, the
jihadists must set aside their violent disagreements.
They
claim that the US-led bombing campaign is part of a war "against Islam and
not against a specific organization."
The
Islamic State, headed by Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, has been warring with the Al
Nusrah Front, al Qaeda's official branch in Syria, and other jihadist
organizations since last year. Some of the signatories were involved in
previous efforts to reconcile the Islamic State with its rivals. Those efforts
failed, but the jihadist ideologues are trying once again.
"We
call on all factions in Syria and Iraq to cease fighting among themselves no
later than the evening of [Oct 3, 2014], for perhaps Allah most high will
descend his mercies upon Syria and its people in the prayer of Muslim crowds on
that great day," the proposal reads.
Full
report at:
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/10/leading_pro-al_qaeda.php#ixzz3F4cSWMks
----------
U.S.
Embassy in Damascus mocks Syrian FM’s U.N. speech
3 October 2014
The U.S.
Embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus has mocked Syrian Foreign Minister Walid
al-Muallem’s recent U.S. speech, posting on its Facebook page a photo showing
the address being delivered to a near-empty auditorium, with the caption “Empty
Chairs for Empty Words.”
The
social media post, which was published on Wednesday, has since been shared over
300 times and has garnered 128 comments.
In
Muallem’s speech made at the U.N. General Assembly late last month, the veteran
Assad-regime diplomat slammed Washington’s “dual policy” of launching air
strikes on some militants in Syria while providing assistance to others.
“This is
a real recipe for the increase of violence and terrorism, shedding of Syrian
blood, [and] prolonging of the Syrian crisis,” Muallem said.
Full
report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/10/03/U-S-Embassy-in-Damascus-mocks-Syrian-FM-s-U-N-speech.html
---------
American
joins Kurds fighting ISIS in Syria
3 October 2014
BEIRUT/CHICAGO:
A U.S. citizen has joined Kurdish forces fighting against ISIS militants in
northern Syria, a spokesman for the main Kurdish armed group in the country
said Thursday.
The
Kurdish official said that Jordan Matson had joined the Kurdish People’s
Protection Units (YPG), which is mainly battling advances by ISIS close to
Syria’s borders with Turkey and Iraq.
“Yes it
is true,” YPG spokesman Redur Xelil said in an online message. “He is fighting
in the Jazaa area.” Jazaa is a town in Syria’s northeastern Hassakeh province,
close to the Iraqi border and has been the site of heavy fighting between the
two groups.
The YPG
said last month it has lost 35 of its fighters in a two-week battle for control
of Jazaa and said Kurdish forces had killed hundreds of ISIS fighters. Xelil,
who said he had met Matson, sent a link to online photos on a Kurdish news
agency which he said were of the American.
Full
report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Oct-03/272833-american-joins-kurds-fighting-isis-in-syria.ashx#ixzz3F5AaRdb7
---------
U.S.
House members press Kerry on nuclear talks with Iran
3
October 2014
Hundreds
of U.S. lawmakers pressed Secretary of State John Kerry to lean harder on Iran
in talks over its nuclear program in a letter released on Thursday after Israel
warned Washington not to go easy on Tehran.
Three
hundred and fifty-four members - four-fifths - of the U.S. House of
Representatives signed the letter sent to Kerry on Wednesday night, expressing
concerns that an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program might not require
sufficiently strict inspections of its nuclear facilities.
The U.N.
nuclear watchdog said on Sept. 5 that Iran had failed to address concerns about
suspected atomic bomb research by an agreed deadline.
Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Barack Obama on Wednesday that
he must make sure any final nuclear deal with Iran does not leave it at the
“threshold” of being able to develop nuclear weapons.
Netanyahu
has been attempting to shift the global spotlight away from Islamic State
fighters in Iraq and Syria and back to Iran, warning that a nuclear-armed
Tehran would pose a far greater threat than the militant Islamists.
On
Thursday, Netanyahu voiced doubts that his talks with Obama would lead to a
tougher U.S. line.
Full
report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/10/03/U-S-House-members-press-Kerry-on-nuclear-talks-with-Iran.html
---------
US
should not have withdrawn forces from Iraq: former Pentagon chief
Oct 3,
2014
WASHINGTON:
Former Pentagon chief Leon Panetta has denounced the White House in a new
memoir, accusing President Barack Obama's top aides of undercutting efforts to
secure a deal in 2011 that could have kept US troops in Iraq.
Retaining
a small US force would have helped contain sectarian violence and prevented the
conditions that helped open the door to the onslaught of the Islamic State
group, which has seized a large area of Iraq in recent months, Panetta argues
in a soon-to-be released book, “Worthy Fights".
“In the
fall of 2011, it was clear to me — and many others — that withdrawing all our
forces would endanger the fragile stability then barely holding Iraq together,”
Panetta wrote in an adapted excerpt published in Time magazine Thursday.
“Privately,
the various leadership factions in Iraq all confided that they wanted some US
forces to remain as a bulwark against sectarian violence,” he wrote.
While
Defence and State Department officials tried to broker an agreement with the
Baghdad leadership, the White House took a back seat and showed little
determination to make the deal happen, Panetta said.
Full
report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1135958/us-should-not-have-withdrawn-forces-from-iraq-former-pentagon-chief
--------
US
welcomes Turkey vote to use military in Iraq, Syria
Oct 3,
2014
The
Obama administration welcomed Turkey's parliamentary vote on Oct. 2 authorizing
military action in Syria and Iraq to fight any group threatening the country.
The
motion was submitted by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu's Cabinet, and passed by
a vote of 298-98 in the 550-seat Parliament.
U.S.
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel hailed the vote as a "very positive
development."
"We appreciate the Parliament's
overwhelming vote," Hagel said. "We will continue to consult with the
Turkish government on the specifics of how the implementation of that authority
would be carried out, and we welcome it very much."
The
State Department also welcomed the vote.
"We welcome the Turkish Parliament's vote
to authorize Turkish military action," State Department spokeswoman Jen
Psaki said. "We've had numerous high-level discussions with Turkish
officials to discuss how to advance our cooperation in countering the threat
posed by ISIL in Iraq and Syria."
Full
report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/us-welcomes-turkey-vote-to-use-military-in-iraq-syria-----.aspx?pageID=238&nID=72483&NewsCatID=359
-----------
US envoy
lands in Iraq to drum up support for coalition against IS
3 October 2014
US
President Barack Obama's envoy charged with building the coalition against the
Islamic State militant group arrived in Iraq on Thursday and will also visit
Belgium, Jordan, Egypt and Turkey, the State Department said.
Retired
General John Allen's trip aboad, his first in his new role, is "in support
of international coalition efforts to degrade and defeat ISIL," the State
Department said in a brief statement, referring to the Islamic State group.
Allen,
accompanied by his deputy, Brett McGurk, arrived in Iraq on Thursday to meet
Iraqi officials and regional leaders "on US support for and cooperation
with Iraq in the fight against ISIL," the State Department said.
http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/US-envoy-lands-in-Iraq-to-drum-up-support-for-coalition-against-IS-377951
---------
Mideast
Turkey
‘will do whatever’ to stop ISIS taking Kobani
3
October 2014
Turkey
will do whatever it can to prevent the predominantly Kurdish town of Kobani,
near its border with Syria, falling to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
insurgents, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said late on Thursday.
Just
hours before Davutoglu’s comment, parliament gave the government powers to
order cross-border military incursions against ISIS, and to allow foreign
coalition forces to launch similar operations from Turkish territory.
“We
wouldn’t want Kobani to fall. We’ll do whatever we can to prevent this from
happening,” Davutoglu said in a discussion with journalists broadcast on the A
Haber television station.
“No
other country has the capacity to affect the developments in Syria and Iraq. No
other country will be affected like us either,” he said.
Full
report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/10/03/Turkey-will-do-whatever-to-stop-ISIS-taking-border-town.html
----------
Motion
is actually against Syria, not ISIL: Turkish opposition
Oct 3,
2014
The
motion brought to Parliament by the government is not aimed at broadening the
struggle against terror, but is directed against Syria itself, according to
main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
“We
would support a motion on the struggle against the Islamic State of Iraq and
the Levant [ISIL] or the Kurdistan Workers’ Party [PKK], in short, against
terrorist organizations. This was also what the Western coalition was looking
for: A struggle against the terrorist organization of ISIL,” Kılıçdaroğlu said
during an Ankara meeting Oct. 2 with journalists from the International Press
Institute (IPI) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
“But
this is not the motion that came to Parliament. On the contrary, it is about
struggling against Syria,” he added, The CHP leader said there was a perception
in the West that Turkey was "backing ISIL."
Full
report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/motion-is-actually-against-syria-not-isil-turkish-main-opposition.aspx?pageID=238&nID=72470&NewsCatID=338
----------
Palestinian
government calls for $4 bn for Gaza reconstruction
Oct 3,
2014
The
Palestinian government on Thursday in a reconstruction plan for Gaza ahead of
an October 12 donor conference called for $4 billion to rebuild the
strike-battered territory.
Gaza's
infrastructure was devastated during a 50-day Israeli military offensive which
killed nearly 2,200 Palestinians.
The
76-page report, released ahead of the donor conference in Cairo, said $4
billion (3.2 billion euros) would be needed for the "direct costs" of
rebuilding the besieged coastal territory.
It would
include $1.9 billion for public and private infrastructure repairs, and $1.2
billion for "reactivating economic productivity", according to The
National Early Recovery and Reconstruction Plan for Gaza.
Full
report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/112264/World/Region/Palestinian-government-calls-for--bn-for-Gaza-reco.aspx
----------
Iran
warns Turkey against aggravating regional tensions
Oct 3,
2014
Iran
warned neighbouring Turkey Thursday against doing anything that might aggravate
tensions in the region, after the parliament in Ankara voted to authorise
military intervention in Syria and Iraq.
Foreign
Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif spoke by telephone with his Turkish counterpart,
Mevlut Cavusoglu, and "criticised the method chosen to fight terrorism,
expressing concern about any action that might aggravate the situation,"
state news agency IRNA reported.
"In
the current situation, the countries of the region must act with responsibility
and avoid aggravating" matters, he addedEarlier Thursday, Turkish MPs
voted to allow the use of armed forces against jihadists of the Islamic State
(IS) group in Syria and Iraq, both of which border Turkey.
Full
report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/112284/World/Region/Iran-warns-Turkey-against-aggravating-regional-ten.aspx
---------
Houthis
dictate state spending in absence of Yemen govt
3 October 2014
Yemeni
rebels in control of the capital ordered the finance ministry on Thursday to
suspend all payments except salaries to state employees, in an apparent
tightening of their control over government bodies.
Abdelmalek
al-Ejri, a member of the political bureau of the Shiite Muslim Houthi movement,
or Ansarullah, told Reuters the measure was at the request of employees anxious
that public funds be protected at a time of uncertainty.
Houthi
fighters seized Sanaa with little resistance on Sept. 21 after overrunning an
army brigade affiliated to the rival but moderate Islamist Islah party, making
them effectively the power brokers in the country.
Full
report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/10/03/Houthis-dictate-state-spending-after-seizing-Sanaa.html
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Palestinians:
ICC if no Israeli pullout deadline
3 October 2014
UNITED
NATIONS: The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations says his government
will join the International Criminal Court if the U.N. Security Council refuses
to set a deadline for Israel to withdraw from all Palestinian territory.
Joining
the court would enable the Palestinians to pursue war crimes charges against
key Israelis.
Riyad
Mansour also said in an interview Thursday with The Associated Press that if
the council shuts the "door to peace," the Palestinians will keep
seeking new doors, including holding an international conference leading to
Palestinian independence.
Mansour
expressed hope that the Security Council will approve a recently circulated
draft resolution that would set a deadline of November 2016 for an Israeli
pullout. But the draft is almost certain to face opposition from the United
States, Israel's closest ally.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Oct-02/272810-palestinians-icc-if-no-israeli-pullout-deadline.ashx#ixzz3F5AhscWj
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500
Mideast scholars call for academic embargo of Israeli institutions
3 October 2014
In
excess of 500 Middle East studies scholars and librarians signed a petition
boycotting Israeli academic institutions and submitted it for publication to
the Jadaliyya website.
“We, the
undersigned scholars and librarians working on the Middle East, hold that
silence about the latest humanitarian catastrophe caused by Israel’s new
military assault on the Gaza Strip - the third and most devastating in six
years - constitutes complicity,” read the letter.
“World
governments and mainstream media do not hold Israel accountable for its
violations of international law. We, however, as a community of scholars
engaged with the Middle East, have a moral responsibility to do so,” it said.
“The
ongoing Israeli massacres in Gaza have been ghastly reminders of the complicity
of Israeli academic institutions in the occupation and oppression of
Palestinians. Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Bar-Ilan
University, Haifa University, Technion, and Ben-Gurion University have publicly
declared their unconditional support for the Israeli military.”
http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/500-Mideast-scholars-call-for-academic-embargo-of-Israeli-institutions-377977
---------
Australia
Australia
to join anti-ISIS strikes in Iraq
3
October 2014
Australia’s
prime minister said Friday that the nation’s air force will launch airstrikes
against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) targets in Iraq.
The
announcement has been widely anticipated since six F/A-18F Super Hornet jet
fighters were pre-deployed to the United Arab Emirates more than two weeks ago
in response to a formal request from the United States for specific
contributions to the international coalition.
Prime
Minister Tony Abbott told reporters that the deployment to Iraq “could be quite
lengthy. Certainly, months rather than weeks.”
“Yes, it
is a combat deployment, but it is an essentially humanitarian mission to
protect the people of Iraq and ultimately the people of Australia from the
murderous rage of the ISIL (ISIS) death cult,” Abbott said.
“ISIL
must be disrupted and degraded at home and abroad, so it is absolutely in
Australia’s national interests that this mission go ahead,” he said.
The
seven cabinet ministers who make up the government’s National Security
Committee approved the deployment after an official request was received from
Iraq overnight.
Two
unarmed Australian air force planes - an E-7A Wedgetail surveillance and
communications jet and a KC-30A refueling plane - joined operations over Iraq
from the al-Minhad Air Base outside Dubai for the first time on Wednesday in
support roles.
Full
report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/10/03/Australia-to-join-air-strikes-against-ISIS.html
----------
Australian
PM seeks re-think on parliament burqa ban after backlash
3
October 2014
Australian
Prime Minister Tony Abbott asked officials on Friday to re-think restrictions
on members of the public wearing face-coverings such as burqas in parliament
following a public backlash against the measures.
The
restrictions, which would have forced women wearing head coverings to view
chambers of parliament from a glassed-in gallery, had sparked criticism that
the government was inflaming tensions with the Muslim community following a
series of security-related raids.
“I asked
the Speaker to re-think that decision and my understanding is that it was an
interim decision, that it would be looked at again in the light of security
advice that will come in coming days and I’m sure that the matter will be fully
resolved before the parliament comes back in a fortnight,” Abbott told
reporters in Canberra.
Full report
at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/2014/10/03/Australian-PM-seeks-re-think-on-parliament-burqa-ban-after-backlash.html
----------
South Asia
Bangladesh
Islamic parties seek capital punishment to Minister
Oct 3,
2014
Different
Islamic parties brought out a huge protest procession from Baitul Mukarram
after Jum’ah prayers on Friday demanding capital punishment of minister Abdul
Latif Siddique for his recent anti-Islamic comments.
Islamic
parties like Hefazat-e-Islam, Islami Andolon, Dawat-e-Tabligh and Khelafat
Majlish under the banner of ‘Sammilita Islami Dal’ brought out the procession
with brooms and shoes from the north gate of the national mosque which paraded
Paltan and Motijheel areas.
They
chanted slogans demanding arrest and capital punishment of Latif Siddique for
his derogatory comments that hurt the religious sentiment of Muslims.
A large
number of police and Rab members were deployed in the area as many devotees of
the Friday prayers also joined in the protest programme.
Full
report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2014/oct/03/islamic-parties-seek-capital-punishment-latif#sthash.y3m5Wslz.dpuf
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Nato
soldiers in Afghanistan have made the world a safer place: Afghan President
Oct 3,
2014
KABUL:
Newly-inaugurated Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Friday set a fresh tone in
relations with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) countries that
have fought in the country against the Taliban, paying a fulsome tribute to
foreign soldiers who died in battle.
Ghani,
speaking alongside British Prime Minister David Cameron in Kabul, said the Nato
soldiers in Afghanistan had made the world a safer place.
“I want
to say thank you to those families for the loss of their loved ones,” Ghani
said. “They stood shoulder-to-shoulder (with Afghan forces) and we will
remember them."
“Your
presence here has meant London has been safe as well as the rest of the
world."
Ghani
has already begun to reset ties with the US and Nato military by signing a
long-delayed agreement allowing about 12,000 foreign troops to stay on into
2015 to further train the Afghan army and police.
Full
report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1135959/nato-soldiers-in-afghanistan-have-made-the-world-a-safer-place-ghani
----------
Young
Bangladeshis called upon to join British politics
Oct 3,
2014
Renowned
Bangladesh-born British politicians have called upon the young Bangladeshis to
get involved in the mainstream politics in UK.
The
young leaders of British-Bangladeshi community made the call saying that “the
representation of Bangladeshi-origin youths in the British parliament doesn't
reflect the proportions of Bangladeshis to the entire UK population.”
They
came up with the invitation while attending a programme titled “Meet Your
Future MPs” at the Atrium in East London on Thursday, a press release said.
The
event was organised celebrating the achievements of five British-Bangladeshi
prospective parliamentary candidates, who have been nominated by their parties
from five different constituencies to represent their local residents at the
general election of 2015.
Conducted
by Urmi Majhar, the programme was addressed by Rushanara Ali, British Labour
Party MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, Tulip Siddiq, Labour candidate for
Hampstead and Kilburn, Barrister Anwar Babul Miah, Labour candidate for Welwyn
Hatfield, Rupa Haq, Labour's Candidate in Ealing Central and Acton, Mina Rahman
Conservative Party's Candidate for Barking.
Full
report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2014/oct/03/young-bangladeshis-called-upon-get-involved-british-politics#sthash.eWLtxSvf.dpuf
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Centre
for Law and Democracy suggests Maldives failing to protect journalists
By
Daniel Bosley | October 3rd, 2014
The
Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) has accused the Maldives of failing to
protect journalists following recent attacks on media and the disappearance of
Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan.
In an
open letter to President Abdulla Yameen, the Canadian Human Rights NGO
described Rilwan’s disappearance 55 days ago as fitting into “a broader pattern
of violence and intimidation directed towards the media in the Maldives”.
“CLD
calls on the government of the Republic of Maldives to do everything within its
power to rescue Mr. Rilwan and to bring the perpetrators of this and other
crimes against the media to justice,” wrote CLD Executive Director Toby Mendel.
Rilwan
was last seen in the early hours of August 8 travelling home, just minutes
before a man was seen being forced into a car outside his apartment.
The
release of a private investigation’s findings into the case last week suggested
that – among a number of possible lines of inquiry – gang-related abduction was
a strong possibility in the case.
Full
report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/centre-for-law-and-democracy-suggests-maldives-failing-to-protect-journalists-90356
----------
Southeast Asia
FPI
Members Riot at Jakarta City Council Over Non-Muslim Governor
Oct 3,
2014
Jakarta.
Hundreds of protesters from Indonesia’s most notorious hard-line rent-a-mob
threw rocks at police on Friday and demanded that Basuki Tjahaja Purnama be
prevented from serving as Jakarta governor.
The
demonstration by the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) in front of the City Council
building in Kebon Sirih turned violent and police refused to back down against
the protesters, who tried to break police lines and push farther into the
grounds of the council. A line of police behind riot shields crept forward
toward the rock-throwing protesters in a measured attempt to not escalate the
situation.
Detik.com
reported that at least three officers suffered head injuries from projectiles
thrown by the mob, who were shouting “God is great.” The men were taken into
the council’s clinic to receive treatment. The Jakarta Globe could not confirm
whether these injuries were serious in nature.
Full
report at:
http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/jakarta/fpi-members-riot-jakarta-city-council-non-muslim-governor/
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Insanity
the norm in Indonesian politics
Oct 3,
2014
In
Indonesia, people have always been forced to vote for figures they do not
exactly know as their representatives. It is the political parties that decide
who should be on the candidate list, of which the public then gets to vote into
power.
Therefore,
the quality of Indonesian politics and democracy, and in turn, law and policy,
very much depends on the quality of the parties’ candidates.
However,
political parties are among the country’s most corrupt institutions, which are
known for recruiting people based on how much they are willing to pay. It is never
about capacity, capability or achievement. It is always a matter of money and
how close a candidate is to the party’s powerful.
It is
how close you are to Aburizal Bakrie, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Megawati
Soekarnoputri, or Prabowo Subianto that is the foundation for a fruitful career
in politics. There has never been a system of merit. There has never been
proper recruitment that allows people to work their way up the ladder.
Full
report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/insanity-the-norm-in-indonesian-politics-jakarta-globe#sthash.YnwaHdCS.dpuf
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Africa
Libya’s
fugitive parliament shelters in hotel
3
October 2014
Trucks
with anti-aircraft cannon, troops and cement roadblocks protect the five-star
hotel in Tobruk that is now the last bastion of Libya’s fugitive parliament.
Holed up
in the Dar al-Salam seaside resort and pretending that all is normal, elected
legislators debate laws and plan the future from the eastern city where they
fled to last month after losing control of Tripoli and much of the country.
A
thousand kilometers away across the desert in the capital, a rival parliament
sits, internationally unrecognized and made up of members of an earlier
assembly whose mandate has expired. It is making its own decisions, taking over
ministries and staking a competing claim to ruling the country.
Three
years after NATO missiles helped overthrow Muammar Qaddafi, North Africa’s
major oil producer is effectively divided, with two governments and two
parliaments, each backed by rival groups of armed men.
Full
report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/africa/2014/10/03/Libya-s-fugitive-parliament-shelters-in-hotel.html
---------
French
troops edge closer to Libya border to cut off Islamists
Oct 3,
2014
France
is setting up a base in northern Niger as part of an operation aimed at
stopping al Qaeda-linked militants from crisscrossing the Sahel-Sahara region
between southern Libya and Mauritania, officials said.
Paris,
which has led efforts to push back Islamists in the region since intervening in
its former colony Mali last year, redeployed troops across West Africa earlier
this year to form a counter-terrorism force.
Under
the new plan, about 3,000 French troops are now operating out of Mali, Burkina
Faso, Niger and Chad -- countriesstraddling the vast arid Sahel band -- with
the aim of stamping out Islamist fighters across the region.
Another
1,000 soldiers are providing logistical support in Gabon and Senegal.
"A
base is being set up in northern Niger with the throbbing headache of Libya in
mind," a French diplomat said.
Full
report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/112281/World/Region/French-troops-edge-closer-to-Libya-border-to-cut-o.aspx
----------
Libya
death toll rises as clashes in Benghazi continue
Oct 3,
2014
Up to 13
Libyan soldiers were killed and 50 others wounded in clashes between army
forces and militant Islamist groups in the eastern port city of Benghazi on
Thursday, Al Arabiya News Channel reported.
Two cars
loaded with explosives targeted a military checkpoint near Benina International
Airport in Benghazi, Al Arabiya’s Benghazi correspondent quoted the commander
of army’s special forces in Benghazi, Wanis Bukhmada, as saying.
An Al
Hawari Hospital source, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security
reasons, said some of the wounded required surgery and special care.
Many of
the wounded are members of Ansar Shariah, according to the same source.
Four
airstrikes have targeted Islamist militants’ positions and more will be carried
out soon, an army source said.
Full
report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/africa/2014/10/02/Seven-Libyan-soldiers-killed-in-Benghazi-bombs-and-clashes-army-official-says.html
----------