India Foils Beheading Plans in Kerala by ISIS Loyalists Based In Afghanistan
New Age Islam News Bureau
16 Oct 2016
Photo: India foils beheading plans by ISIS loyalists based in Afghanistan
• Syrian Rebels Attack Dabiq to DESTROY ISIS at Apocalypse Site in FINAL SHOWDOWN
• Nine-Nation Meeting on Syria Ends with Fresh Ideas, But No Agreement or Pledges
• Syrian Refugees Battle Stereotypes in Fight to Fit In To Western Pennsylvania
-----
India
• India Foils Beheading Plans in Kerala By ISIS Loyalists Based In Afghanistan
• Barelvi Sect Opposes Govt on Triple Talaq, Uniform Civil Code
• Govt’s Stand on Triple Talaq In Sync with Constitution: Indian Union Minister
• Cross-Border Tension Puts Fate of Pakistani Patients In A Limbo
• India to nail Pakistan's lie on LeT funding at international meet
• Long Wait Ahead Before SC Hears Triple Talaq, Polygamy
-----------
Arab World
• Syrian Rebels Attack Dabiq to DESTROY ISIS at Apocalypse Site in FINAL SHOWDOWN
• Nine-Nation Meeting on Syria Ends with Fresh Ideas, But No Agreement or Pledges
• 55 Killed In Suicide Bombing, Attacks in Iraq
• Aleppo: Chilling Photos Show How the Ancient City Has Changed Since the Syrian Conflict Started
• 'Chemical weapons and tunnels' in Mosul as Isis prepares for final assault
• Syrian Soldiers Engage in Fierce Clashes with ISIL Terrorists East of Ancient Palmyra
• ISIL's Camp, Arms Depot Smashed by Syrian Warplanes in Eastern Homs
• Iraqi Army Troops Deploy 15 KM from Mosul, Zero Hour for Operation Approaching
• Saudi Arabia's Key Military Base in Dhahran Destroyed by Yemen's Zalzal-3 Ballistic Missile
• KCK Member: Kurds to Stand against Turkey's Occupation of Northern Syria
• Jund Al-Aqsa's Religious Judge Killed in Syrian Air Raids in Hama
• Terrorists' Offensive on Gov't Positions Repulsed by Syrian Army Soldiers in Sweida
• Dubai’s Islamic Economy Vision came together at a Remarkable GIES 2016
• Iraqi PM on ISIS-held cities: 'We will go in soon'
• Syria and energy complicate Russia-Turkey relations
• Iran: Ceasefire, Separation of Terrorist Groups Main Pivots of Lausanne Talks
-----------
Europe
• Syrian Refugees Battle Stereotypes in Fight to Fit In To Western Pennsylvania
• Channel Ferries ISIS Threat: Armed Cops Deployed To Protect Brits on Holiday
• Members of Kansas anti-Muslim group arrested after FBI discovered their plot to bomb Somali immigrants
• New Syria talks to open in Switzerland
• Berlin bomb plotter called Islamic State - report
-----------
Mideast
• SAS Hero Kills Isis Fiend with Axe As Jihadi Girls Are Freed In Swoop
• IS Attack on Syrian-Turkish Border in Idlib Leaves 29 Dead
• 3 killed, 8 wounded after suicide bombings in Turkey
• Iranian shipping line’s global ranking jumps to 19
• Turkey-backed Syrian rebels reportedly attack Islamic State's Dabiq
• Turkey-backed forces attack Islamic State stronghold in Syria
• Turkish PM slams foreign media’s coverage of Turkey
• Turkish-backed FSA captures Dabiq, Soran from ISIL
• As Iran-Saudi Tensions Worsen, Israel And Nigeria Are Also Growing More Anxious
-----------
Africa
• Islamic State in the Greater Sahara Claims Second Attack In Burkina Faso
• Libyan Forces Advance In Sirte, 14 Troops Killed, Officials Say
• 3 arrested in alleged bomb plot targeting Somalis in Kansas
• Egypt retaliates against Islamist militants after North Sinai attack
• ISIS's last stand: Western-backed fighters advance into Libyan stronghold of extremists already suffering heavy losses in Syria and Iraq
• Around 100 said killed as Egypt strikes jihadists in Sina
• US aid worker kidnapped in Niger
----------
South Asia
• Bangladesh Set To Hang Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh Leader amidst Tight Security
• ISIS Plans To Deploy 7,000 Fighters in North Of Afghanistan: Dostum
• Jundullah terrorist group members arrested in North of Afghanistan
• $179 million Emirates housing project to be inaugurated in Kabul
-----------
Pakistan
• Pak Cuts down PIA Flights from Karachi to Delhi, Mumbai
-----------
North America
• Obama Weighing Option to Strike Assad in Syria
• US, Russia, others making renewed diplomatic push on Syria
• Barack Obama meets with national security team on Syria, Islamic State
• Hillary Clinton to gain majority of Muslim votes — CAIR survey
-----------
Southeast Asia
• Indonesia to Launch Quran Writing Event
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
--------
India Foils Beheading Plans in Kerala By ISIS Loyalists Based In Afghanistan
By KHAAMA PRESS - Sun Oct 16 2016
A group of six men have reportedly been arrested in India as they were planning to behead some people on instructions of a loyalist of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group based in Afghanistan.
According to local media reports, citing the security sources, the six men were part of an Islamic State-inspired group and were arrested from Kerala earlier this month.
The Afghanistan-based handler had allegedly asked the men to behead at least three people and release the gruesome footage of the execution after recordings.
One of the accused — Abu Basheer, 29, alias Rashid, a mechanic — had been asked to procure swords, an official told The Hindu newspaper.
They had been under watch for four months and were arrested on October 2 as they assembled at a hilltop in Kannur of Kerala to plan an attack at a rally planned for November by the RSS in Tamil Nadu, the official said.
Officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had earlier told The Hindu that the module had been under surveillance for four months, and they arrested the group on October 2 after one of the accused — Manseed alias Omar al Hindi, 30, a Kerala resident working in Qatar — made an unscheduled visit to India in the last week of September.
This comes as the terror group has been attempting to expand operations in South Asia by recruiting fighters from different countries as thousands of loyalists of the terror group are already fighting in Afghanistan.
Earlier, reports emerged suggesting at least 22 Indian nationals who went missing earlier this year have joined the loyalists of the terror group in Afghanistan.
The revelation was made during the interrogation of an Indian woman, 29-year-old Yasmin, who was arrested by the authorities from New Delhi airport earlier in August as she was planning to join the terror group in Afghanistan.
khaama.com/india-foils-beheading-plans-by-isis-loyalists-based-in-afghanistan-02088
-----------
Syrian rebels attack Dabiq to DESTROY ISIS at apocalypse site in FINAL SHOWDOWN
Oct 15, 2016
The end of ISIS could be near after Turkish-backed rebels swooped on the phrophecy town in Syria.
Warplanes have been carrying out bombing rads on the small town where ISIS militants are desperately holding out despite the fierce onslaught.
Dabiq has great religious significance to ISIS as it is named in Islamic mythology as the site of an apocalyptic battle between Muslim and Christian armies.
The Battle for Dabiq is under way after Syrian Free Army fighters launched a ground offensive
Turkish-backed Syrian Free Army forces prepare for Battle of Dabiq
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, said ISIS had stationed around 1,200 of its fighters in the northern Syrian town.
Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebel groups have been pushing into Isis territory in an operation backed by Turkey since 24 August.
Free Syrian Army fighters have been preparing to launch an assault on Dabiq
Before the battle, Mostafa Sejari of the FSA-linked al-Mutasim Brigade, said: "We expect that the battle of Dabiq will be the fiercest ever.
"Daesh [ISIS] has brought hundreds of fighters into the area, including their special forces, to confront us.
"Daesh has built its myth in Dabiq, exploiting the ignorance and lack of knowledge among people and taking advantage of history and religion to achieve its evil project.
"By controlling Dabiq, we break the myth of Daesh and open a road to reach Marea.
"Controlling Dabiq is just a matter of time, God willing."
Turkish military sources said the latest developments were part of an ongoing operation which began ten days ago.
A source said: "The operation for Dabiq started ten days ago. We started the effort to take control of the region from the south. Islamic States targets are being hit by Turkish fighter jets and artillery."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "We entered Jarablus with opposition forces and now we're advancing on Dabiq."
He said a 5,000km/s safety zone would be established in Syria to securely accommodate the three million Syrian refugees in live in Turkey.
express.co.uk/news/world/721462/Dabiq-ISIS-Islamic-State-prophecy-apocalypse-Syrian-rebel-forces-Turkish-ground-assault
-----------
Nine-Nation Meeting on Syria Ends With Fresh Ideas, But No Agreement or Pledges
Octt. 15, 2016
LAUSANNE, Switzerland—A meeting of top diplomats from nine nations, including the U.S., Iran, Saudi Arabia and Russia, ?produced new ideas to end the violence in Syria but no concrete agreements or a definitive pledge to meet again.
After more than four hours of talks on Saturday, which also included foreign ministers from Turkey, Qatar, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt, as well as the U.N.’s special envoy to Syria, Secretary of State John Kerry said the sides hadn’t found a way to resume aid deliveries or restore calm. But he said they had candid talks about “a number of ideas from a number of different ministers” that are promising and “need to be quickly followed up on.”
Those proposals, which Mr. Kerry declined to spell out so as not to “create speculation about things,” might help “contribute to filling the gaps in the cease-fire that existed previously,” he said. ?He said staff from the countries would follow up on Monday and would see where they are after those conversations.
“There were a lot people there who wanted to be able to close the loop rapidly, but…also nobody wants to do this in a sloppy way,” Mr. Kerry said.
?Mr. Kerry told reporters after Saturday’s meeting that the diplomacy was continuing because of the urgent situation in the beleaguered Syrian city of Aleppo and “the urgency of trying to find something that works other than military action.”
Obama administration officials have said they are considering military options, but President Barack Obama is seen as being wary of getting more militarily involved in Syria’s more than five-year-long civil war that has killed more than 400,000 people.
?In a sign of the limits of U.S. options and the influence of Russia on the conflict, Mr. Kerry has continued to talk with his Russian counterpart even after shutting down talks on a failed cease-fire deal with him last week.
As years of diplomatic efforts have failed to create the calm the U.S. and other powers see as necessary to return to political talks, Mr. Kerry said Saturday’s? “skinnied down” grouping of countries, including Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s key backers Iran and Russia, as well as the main backers of the opposition—the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey,—had allowed for a free-flowing brainstorming session.
Previous meetings that had all of these countries plus Europeans and others interested in the conflict “were too big,” he said. ? ?
Though Mr. Kerry said he had refined the format, it was unclear how he could pressure Russia or Iran to agree to a calming of the violence when previous tactics, such as offering Russia closer military cooperation in the Geneva deal, had failed.
??Mr. Kerry said the sides also discussed “some very specific steps for a road map to Geneva talks, which everybody unanimously agreed should begin as soon as possible—and possible is obviously linked to a reduction in the violence.”
Before the larger session, Mr. Kerry huddled separately with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and then with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. ? The one-on-one with Mr. Lavrov was the first since Mr. Kerry shut down bilateral talks on a cease-fire last week, and it lasted for about 40 minutes. Mr. Kerry said he had raised Russia’s role in cyberattacks aimed at disrupting U.S. elections as well as tensions related to the Syria process.
The big session had “obvious tension, but everybody was constructive, nobody spoke with rancor,” Mr. Kerry said.
Mr. Obama convened a meeting of his national security council on Friday to discuss the fight against the Islamic State extremist group and the civil war in Syria. It isn’t clear if any decisions were made in the meeting but officials have said the White House is considering nondiplomatic efforts in Syria.
Officials have said they have discussed the possibility of more lethal weapons to rebels, limited military strikes on positions of the Assad regime and sanctions.
According to a White House account of the meeting, Mr. Obama “emphasized that preventing attacks on the United States and countering terrorist threats from ISIL and al Qaeda in Syria remains the top priority.” The account referred to Islamic State by one of its acronyms used in the West—ISIL.
According to the White House, the president directed officials to continue to pursue diplomatic talks on the more than five-year civil war that has killed more than 400,000 people and said they should “encourage all sides to support a more durable and sustainable diminution of violence and, more broadly, a diplomatic resolution to the civil war.”
The Syrian government, aided by Russia, launched a fresh offensive in eastern Aleppo last month. That offensive followed a strike on a humanitarian aid convoy near Aleppo, which U.S. officials have blamed on Russia. The offensive on Aleppo continued into the weekend and has killed hundreds so far.
Mr. Kerry will travel on Sunday to London to meet with British, French and German diplomats about the Syria crisis. The Saudis and the Jordanians will also join those meetings.
wsj.com/articles/options-limited-kerry-includes-russia-in-latest-efforts-to-stem-syria-violence-1476543694
-----------
Syrian refugees battle stereotypes in fight to fit in to Western Pennsylvania
Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016
Sabha Al-Ali, 28, practices one of her favorite English phrases, a scrum of kids circling her in their cramped apartment in Pittsburgh's Crafton Heights neighborhood.
She hasn't learned a lot of English yet, but what she knows is important.
“I'm alive. My babies are alive,” she says.
Motab, her 31-year-old husband, stands next to her, taking turns playing with their children: Mohammed, 8; Shadid, 6; Najdah, 4; Ahmed, 3; Hassan, 2; and baby Iman, born in Pittsburgh in February — the only family member who is an American citizen.
They're Sunni refugees from the war-torn Syrian city of Aleppo. They arrived here shortly before Christmas 2015, a handful of the 13,000 who arrived nationwide before the end of September.
“Every day, they bombed,” said Motab, pointing on a map to his home neighborhood of Al-Ansari, its blocks reduced to rubble by barrel bombs dropped by the aircraft of President Bashar Al-Assad's regime.
“They bombed the airport. Bombed the hospital,” he said. “No bread, no diesel.”
Over the past 12 months, Allegheny, Beaver and Washington counties absorbed without incident 139 Syrian refugees, including this family, according to the Pennsylvania Refugee Resettlement Program.
They're the lucky ones. The civil war in Syria has claimed more than 400,000 lives and left 12 million citizens internally displaced or cast out as refugees, according to the United Nations.
Motab and Sabha realize they and their children unwittingly have become political fodder in the American presidential election. As Syrian refugees in the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania, they've been castigated as terrorism risks for months by Republican nominee Donald Trump. He repeatedly has pledged to bar refugees like them — and other Muslims — from entering the United States.
Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, last week lost again in court as the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals reiterated that Pence cannot block aid to Syrian refugees resettling in Indiana.
Trump's son, Donald Jr., a surrogate on the campaign stump, recently compared Syrian refugees to a bowl of poison-laced Skittles in interviews with the Tribune-Review and other media. Some refugees are safe, but others might be lethal, so none should come, he suggested.
It's an idea that seems crazy to Motab, his Al-Ali kin and three other Syrian refugees interviewed by the Trib.
“Terrorists? The terrorists are taking over Syria,” said Motab, pointing on the map to militias loyal to Al Nusra and “Daesh,” the pejorative Arabic abbreviation for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.
“That's why we came here! We came to escape terrorists!” he said. “I think America is good for me. I'm happy to be here. We're safe, and you're nice people.”
NOT AN EASY JOURNEY
Fleeing the devastation and encroachment of jihadist militias opposed to the Damascus government, Motab and his family spent five years in a pair of refugee camps in Jordan, the neighboring Arab nation that has taken in nearly 600,000 Syrian refugees.
Daughter Shadid bears the scars of their journey: disfigured flesh running like ivy up her back, caused by a vat of boiling water that fell over in a tent city sprawling across the desert.
With an estimated 65 million people displaced worldwide by violence — the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II — the White House has urged Congress to resettle 110,000 refugees from across the globe in the new fiscal year that began in October, a tally 29 percent higher than in last fiscal year.
A divided Congress has been reluctant to act. Last year, lawmakers OK'd funding for 75,000 refugees, and President Obama's administration flew in 10,000, forcing federal and state agencies to stretch resources to accommodate their resettlement.
More than 3.2 million refugees from around the world have arrived in America since 1975, many of them Russian Jews escaping the former Soviet Union and people fleeing communist Vietnam, according to the U.S. State Department.
Since 2001, the United States has become a home for more than 800,000 refugees arriving from conflicts or persecution worldwide.
In Allegheny, Beaver and Washington counties, 598 refugees from all conflicts have been resettled — all but 10 in Pittsburgh and surrounding suburban communities.
MORE VETTING
Before they arrive here, refugees are vetted by agents from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and its Citizens and Immigration Services wing.
For those coming from nations like Syria, families must obtain special Security Advisory Opinion clearances from U.S. law enforcement and security and spy agencies before they can be resettled here.
Applicants have their names and biometric information — such as fingerprints — checked against federal and international databases to detect criminals or militants.
“I think that the odds of a Syrian refugee becoming a terrorist are very, very low,” said Anne Speckhard, an adjunct psychiatry professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine and director of the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism.
While “sleeper cells” loyal to ISIS infiltrated Europe alongside tens of thousands of refugees fleeing Syria, they didn't face the same battery of database searches and face-to-face interviews over a long span of time like Motab and his family, Speckhard pointed out.
“But that doesn't mean that some (won't) become radicalized once they're here,” she said.
Authorities arrested a pair of Iraqi refugees in 2011 in Kentucky for plotting to send weapons to insurgents killing American soldiers. An Uzbek refugee was caught in 2013 in Idaho while planning to carry out attacks in the United States.
More lethal terrorist attacks came from Muslim-American citizens or immigrants who arrived in the United States through different programs, such as the Boston Marathon bombing by the ethnic Chechen brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Omar Mateen, the nightclub shooter in Orlando, Fla., who was born in New York to Afghan parents.
“So what does that tell us? What that tells us is that we need to do a good job of integrating this family when they arrive,” Speckhard said.
HELPING THEM FIT IN
A top international expert on radicalization and violence, Speckhard said, “If you reach out to them and help integrate the (Syrian refugees), then the risks are very low. In fact, they're far more likely to help us root out those who are becoming radicalized here and abroad.”
Robyn McCall couldn't agree more.
A self-described “law-and-order type,” the 56-year-old McKeesport woman retired last year from her job as a senior official at the Allegheny County Jail.
McCall, the granddaughter of Syrian Christians who came here to escape persecution in the early 20th century, volunteered to help Motab, Sabha and their children when they arrived. She said she is boggled by people's fears of them.
“If you're really afraid of these six beautiful children blowing you up with a bomb, you shouldn't ever leave your home. You're too afraid of anything,” she told the Trib while cradling baby Iman.
“Instead of opposing these innocent people, you should work with us to assimilate them, like the Irish and Italians who came to Pittsburgh before them. Bring them into our fold. If my heart is big enough for these people, and my table is big enough for these people, then you should pull up a chair, too.”
McCall and her daughters routinely visit with the family, bringing gifts of winter coats, toys for the children and food. They also have become cultural ambassadors for Pittsburgh, introducing the family to Kennywood, Sandcastle and the closest thing the Iron City has to a Syrian souk: the Strip District.
“When they first got here, we couldn't communicate,” McCall said. “We literally played charades to communicate. That's when I began to realize how amazing they were. If you dropped me off today in Aleppo, it would take me 800 years to learn what they've learned in just months.”
Formerly a taxi driver in Aleppo, Motab now works for FedEx as a package sorter.
“I like to say that we help give families a hand up, not a handout,” said Leslie Aizenman, director of Refugee and Immigrant Services for the Jewish Family & Children's Service of Pittsburgh, the nonprofit that assisted Motab and his family when they arrived. “They have to go to work. And the jobs that they get mean that they're usually starting at the bottom.”
The State Department provides $1,100 per head in assistance when refugees arrive but nothing after that. Part of each paycheck goes to reimbursing the taxpayer for resettling his family.
Aizenman said many Syrians differ from other refugees because they believe the situation in their homeland is temporary and that they'll return when the war ends.
But Motab and Sabha told the Trib that they plan on becoming citizens over the next five years. Their kids already have discovered Spider Man, Tom and Jerry, and American football, and they believe in the American dream.
“I'm working at my very good job now. My son goes to school every day,” Motab said. “More people want to help me. I'm looking at myself as an American now.”
triblive.com/news/editorspicks/11050841-74/refugees-motab-syrian
-------
India
India Foils Beheading Plans in Kerala By ISIS Loyalists Based In Afghanistan
By KHAAMA PRESS - Sun Oct 16 2016
A group of six men have reportedly been arrested in India as they were planning to behead some people on instructions of a loyalist of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group based in Afghanistan.
According to local media reports, citing the security sources, the six men were part of an Islamic State-inspired group and were arrested from Kerala earlier this month.
The Afghanistan-based handler had allegedly asked the men to behead at least three people and release the gruesome footage of the execution after recordings.
One of the accused — Abu Basheer, 29, alias Rashid, a mechanic — had been asked to procure swords, an official told The Hindu newspaper.
Full report at: khaama.com/india-foils-beheading-plans-by-isis-loyalists-based-in-afghanistan-02088
-----------
Barelvi sect opposes govt on triple talaq, uniform civil code
TNN & Agencies | Oct 16, 2016
NEW DELHI/BAREILLY: Influential Muslim organisations appeared to be heading for a collision with the Modi regime on its move to oppose triple talaq, with two bodies of clerics joning All India Muslim Personal Law Board to attack the Centre.
Two days after AIMPLB asked Muslim outfits not to engage with the law commission which has sought opinion from the entire socio-political spectrum on the "revision and reform of family laws' and took exception to Centre's stand to oppose triple talaq before SC, the Barelvi sect of Muslims said that the twin moves mark an infringement on personal laws and rights of minorities under the Constitution.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Barelvi-sect-opposes-govt-on-triple-talaq-uniform-civil-code/articleshow/54875075.cms
-----------
Govt’s Stand on Triple Talaq In Sync with Constitution: Indian Union Minister
16 October, 2016
He said there must be a discussion on the status of a large section of women in a secular country.
The Centre on Saturday said its stand on triple talaq is perfectly in sync with the spirit of the Constitution which is based on the principles of gender equality and justice.
On October 7, the Centre had opposed in the Supreme Court the practice of triple talaq among Muslims, maintaining that it cannot be regarded as an essential part of religion.
“Our stand on triple talaq which we had to be spelt out in response to a query by the apex court is precisely in accordance with the principles of gender justice, equality and dignity enshrined in the Constitution of India,” Union Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters in Dehradun.
Full report at: thehindu.com/news/national/union-minister-for-law-and-justice-ravi-shankar-prasad-talks-to-reporters-on-triple-talaq-in-dehradun/article9224521.ece
-----------
Cross-border tension puts fate of Pakistani patients in a limbo
Durgesh Nandan Jha | TNN | Updated: Oct 16, 2016
NEW DELHI: The hostility between India and Pakistan notwithstanding, dozens of patients from the neighbouring country continue to visit hospitals in the capital for treatment.
TOI spoke to the heads of several hospitals, including Apollo, Fortis and Medanta Medicity, who confirmed that there were at least 30 patients still recuperating from treatment in their liver transplant and paediatric cardiac surgery units.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Cross-border-tension-puts-fate-of-Pakistani-patients-in-a-limbo/articleshow/54872506.cms
-----------
India to nail Pakistan's lie on LeT funding at international meet
Neeraj Chauhan | TNN | Updated: Oct 16, 2016
NEW DELHI: When delegates from 190 countries, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), United Nations and multilateral agencies sit together from Sunday in Paris for a weeklong discussion on financing of terrorism, the Indian representatives will turn the spotlight on the free run given to banned outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba and its UN co-listed entities Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF) for raising funds for terrorism in the name of charity in Pakistan.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-to-nail-Pakistans-lie-on-LeT-funding-at-international-meet/articleshow/54874631.cms
-----------
Long wait ahead before SC hears triple talaq, polygamy
Written by Utkarsh Anand | New Delhi | Updated: October 16, 2016
The seven-judge bench will be headed by Chief Justice of India T S Thakur, who also leads the bench that has been hearing petitions on the validity of triple talaq and polygamy. There may be a long wait ahead before the Supreme Court expresses its views on the Constitutional legitimacy of triple talaq and polygamy in the Muslim community. The next hearing on the matter, which involves Muslim women petitioners, religious organisations, rights groups and the government, was slated to be held on October 18. But the hearing is now expected to be deferred indefinitely owing to the setting up of a seven judge-bench that would commence adjudication on a batch of Constitution matters on the same day.
Full report at: indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/long-wait-ahead-before-sc-hears-triple-talaq-polygamy-3085306/
-----------
Arab World
Syrian rebels attack Dabiq to DESTROY ISIS at apocalypse site in FINAL SHOWDOWN
Oct 15, 2016
The end of ISIS could be near after Turkish-backed rebels swooped on the phrophecy town in Syria.
Warplanes have been carrying out bombing rads on the small town where ISIS militants are desperately holding out despite the fierce onslaught.
Dabiq has great religious significance to ISIS as it is named in Islamic mythology as the site of an apocalyptic battle between Muslim and Christian armies.
The Battle for Dabiq is under way after Syrian Free Army fighters launched a ground offensive
Full report at: express.co.uk/news/world/721462/Dabiq-ISIS-Islamic-State-prophecy-apocalypse-Syrian-rebel-forces-Turkish-ground-assault
-----------
Nine-Nation Meeting on Syria Ends With Fresh Ideas, But No Agreement or Pledges
Octt. 15, 2016
LAUSANNE, Switzerland—A meeting of top diplomats from nine nations, including the U.S., Iran, Saudi Arabia and Russia, ?produced new ideas to end the violence in Syria but no concrete agreements or a definitive pledge to meet again.
After more than four hours of talks on Saturday, which also included foreign ministers from Turkey, Qatar, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt, as well as the U.N.’s special envoy to Syria, Secretary of State John Kerry said the sides hadn’t found a way to resume aid deliveries or restore calm. But he said they had candid talks about “a number of ideas from a number of different ministers” that are promising and “need to be quickly followed up on.”
Full report at: wsj.com/articles/options-limited-kerry-includes-russia-in-latest-efforts-to-stem-syria-violence-1476543694
-----------
55 killed in suicide bombing, attacks in Iraq
Reuters, Baghdad | Updated: Oct 15, 2016 22:55 IST
Around 55 people were killed in attacks in Iraq on Saturday that targeted a Shia Muslim gathering, a police check-point and the family of a Sunni paramilitary leader opposed to Islamic State, according to security and medical sources.
The escalation comes as Iraqi forces are getting ready to launch an offensive to take back Mosul in northern Iraq, the last city still controlled by Islamic State.
Full report at: hindustantimes.com/world-news/31-killed-in-suicide-attack-in-baghdad/story-aGXW436hLEJtEWRDEtQIeM.html
-----------
Aleppo: Chilling photos show how the ancient city has changed since the Syrian conflict started
16 October, 2016
Like day and night, the Umayyad Mosque of Aleppo, built between the 8th and 13th centuries, is one of many historic sites left in charred ruins after heavy fighting All pics: Carlo Ohanian/Olympia
In the wake of the latest wave of deadly air strikes in a string of violence spanning over the past four years, it might be difficult to imagine that not long ago Aleppo was once a city at peace.
Full report at: independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/aleppo-chilling-photos-show-how-the-ancient-city-has-changed-since-the-syrian-conflict-started-a7362796.html
-----------
'Chemical weapons and tunnels' in Mosul as Isis prepares for final assault
Daesh forces have constructed an elaborate tunnel system as they prepare for final stand.
By Matt Thomas
October 15, 2016 15:23 BST
Mosul operation begins
Pro-government forces prepare for the assault on MosulMAHMOUD AL-SAMARRAI/AFP/Getty Images
Islamic State (Isis) fighters in Mosul have prepared an arsenal of chemical weapons hidden in a network of tunnels beneath the city, ahead of an Iraqi army campaign to retake it. Reports emerging from the city in northern Iraq reveal the tunnels include toilets, medical facilities and enough food to weather a sustained siege.
Full report at: ibtimes.co.uk/chemical-weapons-tunnels-mosul-isis-prepares-final-assault-1586560
-----------
Syrian Soldiers Engage in Fierce Clashes with ISIL Terrorists East of Ancient Palmyra
16 October, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Military sources said on Sunday that the Syrian Army troops engaged in heavy fighting with ISIL in the oil-rich regions near Palmyra (Tadmur) in Eastern Homs, killing or wounding dozens of them.
"Huweisis and al-Taloul al-Tabi'eiyeh near al-Sha'er oilfield were the scenes of fierce clashes between the Syrian military forces and ISIL terrorists," the sources said, adding, "ISIL suffered a heavy death toll in the clashes."
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950725000756
-----------
ISIL's Camp, Arms Depot Smashed by Syrian Warplanes in Eastern Homs
16 October, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Syrian fighter jets pounded ISIL's bases in energy-rich regions East of the ancient city of Palmyra (Tadmur), destroying a large depot of arms and ammunition.
Syrian army aircraft bombed ISIL's sites near al-Sha'er oilfield, South of the 3rd station and Muhmiyeh Talileh near Tadmur, destroying a large depot with a large volume of weapons and munitions inside.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950725000648
-----------
Iraqi Army Troops Deploy 15 KM from Mosul, Zero Hour for Operation Approaching
16 October, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iraqi army troops have been deployed 15 kilometers from the city of Mosul in Nineveh province and the country's volunteer forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) are waiting for announcement of the zero hour to attack ISIL's military positions.
"The reconnaissance operation in Mosul ended; we are waiting for the operations to kick off," Hashd al-Shaabi announced in a statement on Sunday.
The Iraqi volunteer forces also reiterated their full preparedness to start Mosul liberation operations.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950725000651
-----------
Saudi Arabia's Key Military Base in Dhahran Destroyed by Yemen's Zalzal-3 Ballistic Missile
16 October, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Military sources disclosed that the Yemeni army has destroyed a strategic airbase of Saudi Arabia in the Southern part of the kingdom with a ballistic missile.
"Saudi Arabia's Savila military base in Dhahran region was struck by a Yemeni Zalzal-3 missile, and sustained heavy loss and casualties," a military source said.
There is still no report on the number of casualties, but similar ballistic missile attacks by Yemen have incurred heavy losses on the Saudi personnel and military equipment in the past.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950725000579
-----------
KCK Member: Kurds to Stand against Turkey's Occupation of Northern Syria
16 October, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Sabri Ok, a senior member of the executive committee of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), underlined that the Kurdish groups will confront Turkey's expansionist policies and prevent its occupation of Northern Syria.
"Kurds are resistant people who have stood and fought against the aggressors to restore their rights and therefore, Turkey is not allowed to interfere in Syria's affairs and make aggression against the country's soil," Ok was quoted as saying by Hawar news agency in an interview with the German Der Spiegel newspaper.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950725000396
-----------
Jund Al-Aqsa's Religious Judge Killed in Syrian Air Raids in Hama
16 October, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Syrian fighter jets pounded a building of Jund al-Aqsa terrorist group's religious court in Souran in Northern Hama, claiming the lives of several militants including the group's top religious judge.
Mohammad al-Latouf and several militants were killed in the Syrian airstrike in Souran.
Local sources announced that the Syrian Army, backed up by the country's warplanes and artillery units, launched a fresh round of offensive to take back Ma'ardes from Jund al-Aqsa, adding that the government forces have made a significant advance against militants near Ma'ardes.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950725000599
-----------
Terrorists' Offensive on Gov't Positions Repulsed by Syrian Army Soldiers in Sweida
16 October, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Syrian Army troops repelled militants' attack on their defense lines near an airport in Western Sweida, inflicting major losses and heavy casualties on the terrorists.
The terrorist groups failed to break through the government strongholds near al-Tha'aleh air port and village due to the strong defense of the Syrian army men.
The terrorist groups' missile units shelled army positions at the airport and near the village of al-Tha'aleh to pave the way for their easier advances, but the Syrian military forces' did not allow them to reach their projected targets.
The militant groups suffered a heavy death toll in their failed attacks.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950725000375
-----------
Dubai’s Islamic Economy Vision came together at a Remarkable GIES 2016
15th October 2016
Nascent Industry Finds a Home in Dubai
Alan Greenspan once described people to people contact as a key pillar to building commerce and creating economic activity. Taking the former Chairman of the Federal Reverse at his words, the gathering of individuals at the Global Islamic Economy Summit 2016 this week in Dubai would have done much to create the relationships and entrepreneurial spirit to take the Islamic Economy and the Islamic Finance industry to their next stages of development.
Full report at: islamicfinance.com/2016/10/dubais-islamic-economy-vision-came-together-remarkable-gies-2016/
-----------
Iraqi PM on ISIS-held cities: 'We will go in soon'
October 15, 2016
"We will liberate the people of Hawija, Riyadh and Rashad," Iraqi Prime Minister says
Friction between Iraq and Turkey threatens cohesion among anti-ISIS forces
(CNN)The countdown to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from ISIS has begun, with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi stating on Friday that "we will go in soon."
In his first visit to nearby Kirkuk province since becoming prime minister, Abadi met with provincial and military leaders and inspected military units.
Speaking to security officials in the northern Iraqi province, Abadi said he was preparing for a large-scale operation to take back multiple cities now controlled by the terrorist group.
Full report at: edition.cnn.com/2016/10/14/middleeast/battle-for-mosul-hawija-iraq/
-----------
Syria and energy complicate Russia-Turkey relations
Oct 15, 2016
The main feature of Turkish-Russian relations is that both parties see each other as an instrument to use in their relations with the West. That is stopping them from a real breakthrough in bilateral relations.
The Syria issue
The violent Syrian conflict has had some serious repercussions on Turkish-Russian relations. Failure of the U.S. and Russia to implement their agreement on Syria, the latest military deployments and coming U.S. elections have become the source of significant tensions in the region.
Full report at: russia-direct.org/opinion/syria-and-energy-complicate-russia-turkey-relations
-----------
Iran: Ceasefire, Separation of Terrorist Groups Main Pivots of Lausanne Talks
16 October, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affair Hossein Jaberi Ansari announced that Tehran and other countries which participated in the Lausanne Saturday meeting on Syria mainly focused on ceasefire and separation of terrorists from the so-called moderate groups.
"The talks were specially focused on the recent ceasefire agreement between the US and Russia and its violation and the main elements which violated it, that is discerning the terrorist groups, specially al-Nusra (currently known as Fatah al-Sham Front) and the ISIL from other Syrian groups," Jaberi Ansari said on Sunday after the Iran, the US, Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey held a meeting on Syria.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950725000535
-----------
Europe
Syrian refugees battle stereotypes in fight to fit in to Western Pennsylvania
Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016
Sabha Al-Ali, 28, practices one of her favorite English phrases, a scrum of kids circling her in their cramped apartment in Pittsburgh's Crafton Heights neighborhood.
She hasn't learned a lot of English yet, but what she knows is important.
“I'm alive. My babies are alive,” she says.
Motab, her 31-year-old husband, stands next to her, taking turns playing with their children: Mohammed, 8; Shadid, 6; Najdah, 4; Ahmed, 3; Hassan, 2; and baby Iman, born in Pittsburgh in February — the only family member who is an American citizen.
They're Sunni refugees from the war-torn Syrian city of Aleppo. They arrived here shortly before Christmas 2015, a handful of the 13,000 who arrived nationwide before the end of September.
Full report at: triblive.com/news/editorspicks/11050841-74/refugees-motab-syrian
-----------
Channel ferries ISIS threat: Armed cops deployed to protect Brits on holiday
15th October 2016
ARMED GUARDS: Gun cops will be stationed on Channel ferries to defend Brits from ISIS
Gun wielding sea marshals are will patrol cross-channel ferries as French and British officials are poised to give the plan the final sign off.
Officer teams are expected to start patrols within weeks and be ready for the buxy summer season next year.
Full report at: dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/553832/Channel-Ferry-ISIS-Terror-Threat-Gun-Cops-Holidaymaker-Brits-Brittany-Police
-----------
Members of Kansas anti-Muslim group arrested after FBI discovered their plot to bomb Somali immigrants
Oct. 15, 2016
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Three members of a Kansas militia group were charged Friday with plotting to bomb an apartment building filled with Somali immigrants in the western Kansas meatpacking town of Garden City.
Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said Curtis Wayne Allen, 49; Patrick Eugene Stein, 47; and Gavin Wayne Wright, 49, are members of a small group that calls itself “the Crusaders.”
Prosecutors said the men don’t yet have attorneys. Publicly listed phone numbers for the men couldn’t immediately be found.
Full report at: theblaze.com/stories/2016/10/15/members-of-kansas-anti-muslim-group-arrested-after-fbi-discovered-their-plot-to-bomb-somali-immigrants/
-----------
New Syria talks to open in Switzerland
AFP | Oct 15, 2016
LAUSANNE: Fresh diplomatic talks to end the Syrian conflict open in Switzerland on Saturday, the first since Washington halted bilateral negotiations with Moscow on a truce agreed earlier this month.
With violence still raging in Aleppo, US Secretary of State John Kerry is due to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and top diplomats from the UN and regional powers in Lausanne.
But even before the talks began, Lavrov appeared to be dampening down hopes of a breakthrough with Russian news agencies on Friday quoting him as saying he had no "special expectations" for the latest diplomatic effort.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/New-Syria-talks-to-open-in-Switzerland/articleshow/54864132.cms
-----------
Berlin bomb plotter called Islamic State - report
Sunday 16 Oct 2016
A Syrian refugee arrested on suspicion of planning a major attack in Berlin reportedly spoke to a member of Islamic State in Syria by telephone about a possible target a day before police discovered explosives in his apartment.
Jaber Albakr was detained on Monday, two days after police discovered about 1.5 kg of explosives in his apartment.
Full report at: newshub.co.nz/world/berlin-bomb-plotter-called-islamic-state---report-2016101607
-----------
Mideast
SAS Hero Kills Isis Fiend with Axe As Jihadi Girls Are Freed In Swoop
16th October 2016
ELITE: A SAS soldier killed an Isis jihadi with an axe during a rescue mission
The elite trooper slayed the jihadi with a blow to the skull after his gun jammed.
He was part of a joint British-US task force which carried out the rescue mission in Syria last month.
The covert operation was launched to free girls being forced to wed members of the Islamic State group.
Those who refused to co-operate were raped and dipped in acid or crucified, claim senior military sources.
Intelligence officials heard of the atrocities – which took place in northern Syria over the summer – from terrified locals.
It is understood pictures and video of the girls being tortured and murdered was handed over.
Full report at: dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/553927/SAS-hero-kills-Isis-axe-Jihadi-girls-freed
-----------
IS attack on Syrian-Turkish border in Idlib leaves 29 dead
Oct 16, 2016, 4:56
It said two Syrian rebels had been killed and 19 wounded in the latest fighting against IS.
A bomb claimed by Islamic State at a Syria-Turkey border crossing killed at least 25 people, majority foreign-backed Syrian rebels, and wounded dozens more on Thursday, witnesses said.
The Atmeh border post is one of several crossings Syrian rebels use to bring in fighters and supplies.
A suicide bomb attack on a refugee camp in Syria has taken at least 20 lives, sources told Turkish media.
Full report at: crcconnection.com/2016/10/16/is-attack-on-syrian-turkish-border-in-idlib-leaves-29-dead.html
-----------
3 killed, 8 wounded after suicide bombings in Turkey
AP | Oct 16, 2016
ISTANBUL: Suicide bombers blew themselves up on Sunday during a Turkish police raid against suspected Islamic State militants near the Syrian border, killing three police officers and wounding eight other people, Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Gaziantep governor Ali Yerlikaya, speaking to the agency, said police received a tip about a group of IS militants hiding in a house in the city's Sahinbey district and launched an operation to apprehend them. The militants blew themselves up when they realized they could not escape, the agency reported.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/3-killed-8-wounded-after-suicide-bombings-in-Turkey/articleshow/54881193.cms
-----------
Iranian shipping line’s global ranking jumps to 19
Sat 15 October 2016
TEHRAN, Oct. 15 (MNA) – The Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) rose to the place of 19th largest owners of container ships in the world, according to the latest report of Clarkson Research Services, which supplies market intelligence to shipping interests all over the world.
According to the latest Container Intelligence Monthly report of Clarkson Research Services, the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) has moved up four places in the world rankings of container ships owners, now standing at 19th.
Full report at: en.mehrnews.com/news/120529/Iranian-shipping-line-s-global-ranking-jumps-to-19
-----------
Turkey-backed Syrian rebels reportedly attack Islamic State's Dabiq
Fighters from the Free Syrian Army fire an anti-aircraft machine gun mounted on a vehicle deploy during fighting against the Islamic State (IS) group jihadists in the northern Syrian village of Yahmoul in the Marj Dabiq area north of the embattled city of Aleppo on October 10, 2016. (AFP)
Sat, 15 Oct 2016
Full report at: dnaindia.com/world/report-turkey-backed-syrian-rebels-attack-islamic-state-s-dabiq-rebel-2264381
-----------
Turkey-backed forces attack Islamic State stronghold in Syria
October 15, 2016
BEIRUT -- Syrian opposition fighters backed by Turkish airstrikes launched an offensive Saturday to try to capture Dabiq from the Islamic State group, which assigns special status to the northern Syrian town in its ideology and propaganda.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack was preceded by intense shelling. It said that Turkey-backed opposition fighters captured three nearby villages, encircling Dabiq and cutting off all supply routes.
Full report at: ctvnews.ca/world/turkey-backed-forces-attack-islamic-state-stronghold-in-syria-1.3116538
-----------
Turkish PM slams foreign media’s coverage of Turkey
October/16/2016
Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım has accused international media outlets of launching a “black propaganda” campaign against Turkey following the July 15 coup attempt, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.
Speaking at a meeting with union leaders in Istanbul on Oct. 16, Yıldırım said, “Turkey is facing a perpetual ‘perception operation’ run by international media outlets.”
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-pm-slams-foreign-medias-coverage-of-turkey--.aspx?pageID=238&nID=105009&NewsCatID=338
-----------
Turkish-backed FSA captures Dabiq, Soran from ISIL
October/16/2016
Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters on Oct. 16 took control of the northern Syrian towns of Dabiq and Soran, located between Azaz and al-Rai, from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), according to FSA commanders.
Ankara-backed FSA fighters were trying to neutralize the bomb set ups that were set up by ISIL militants in the area, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-backed-fsa-captures-dabiq-soran-from-isil-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=105005&NewsCatID=352
-----------
Africa
Islamic State in the Greater Sahara claims second attack in Burkina Faso
BY CALEB WEISS | October 15th, 2016
The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), a fledgling organization in the Sahel which holds allegiance to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi of the Islamic State, has claimed its second attack in Burkina Faso. A Mauritanian news outlet, Al Akhbar, has reported both of the terrorist group’s claims of responsibility.
Al Akhbar reports:
Full report at: longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/10/islamic-state-in-the-greater-sahara-claims-second-attack-in-burkina-faso.php
-----------
Libyan forces advance in Sirte, 14 troops killed, officials say
OCTOBER 16, 2016
SIRTE, Libya - Libyan pro-government forces have advanced into another area in their battle to liberate Sirte from Islamic State in fighting that killed 14 of their troops, military officials and hospital sources said.
After six months of fighting, backed by U.S. air strikes, Libyan forces allied with the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli are close to clearing out the last remnants of the militant group from the former hometown of dead leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Heavy street-to-street fighting in the Ghiza Bahriya area involved tanks and armored vehicles with heavy machine guns, as well as air strikes to retake houses occupied by Islamic State, according to military officials and a Reuters reporter.
Full report at: todayonline.com/world/libyan-forces-advance-sirte-14-troops-killed-officials-say
-----------
3 arrested in alleged bomb plot targeting Somalis in Kansas
POSTED: 10/15/16
WICHITA, Kan.Three members of a Kansas militia group were charged Friday with plotting to bomb an apartment complex that’s home to Somali immigrants in the western Kansas meatpacking town of Garden City, a thwarted attack prosecutors say was planned for the day after the November election.
The arrests were the culmination of an eight-month FBI investigation that took agents “deep into a hidden culture of hatred and violence,” Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.
A complaint unsealed Friday charges Curtis Wayne Allen, 49; Patrick Eugene Stein, 47; and Gavin Wayne Wright, 49, with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction. Their first court appearance is Monday.
Full report at: dailyfreeman.com/article/DF/20161015/NEWS/161019810
-----------
Egypt retaliates against Islamist militants after North Sinai attack
Reuters, Cairo | Updated: Oct 15, 2016
Egyptian jets bombed Islamist militant targets for three hours on Saturday, one day after Islamic State (IS) guerrillas killed 12 soldiers in North Sinai province, the armed forces said in a statement.
IS claimed responsibility on Friday for the attack on a checkpoint 40km (25 miles) from the town of Bir al-Abd. It was the first major attack in the central Sinai area, which had so far escaped the militants’ insurgency.
Full report at: hindustantimes.com/world-news/egypt-retaliates-against-islamist-militants-after-north-sinai-attack/story-DIvyMIurP8Ko68xp3UBrqN.html
-----------
ISIS's last stand: Western-backed fighters advance into Libyan stronghold of extremists already suffering heavy losses in Syria and Iraq
15 October 2016
Western-backed fighters have advanced in their battle to liberate Sirte from Islamic State in a battle that killed 14 of their troops.
After six months of fighting, backed by US air strikes, Libyan forces allied with the UN-backed government in Tripoli are close to clearing out the last remnants of the militant group from the former hometown of deceased leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Heavy street-to-street fighting in the Ghiza Bahriya area involved tanks and armored vehicles with heavy machine guns, as well as airstrikes to retake houses occupied by Islamic State.
Full report at: dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3839462/ISIS-s-stand-Western-backed-fighters-advance-Libyan-stronghold-extremists-suffering-heavy-losses-Syria-Iraq.html#ixzz4NE3HpLdf
-----------
Around 100 said killed as Egypt strikes jihadists in Sina
16 October, 2016
In Egypt, military killed over 100 Islamic state terrorists in a three hour airstrike yesterday in retaliation for an attack at a North Sinai checkpoint that left 12 Egyptian troops dead. Cairo’s Army destroyed the fundamentalists’ armories and outposts in the offensive as well.
In a statement, Cairo’s military said an armed group of terrorist elements attacked a security checkpoint in North Sinai on Friday morning. Egyptian troops immediately engaged the terrirists killing 15 of them.
Egyptian Air Force conducted the strike south of Sheikh Zuweid and near Rafah. Friday’s terror attack took place 25 miles from Bir al-Abd, the first incident in the Central Sinai region, an area that has remained relatively free from jihadist control until now. IS took responsibility for the action that killed 12 Egyptian troops and wounded six.
newsonair.com/news.asp?cat=international&id=IN13262
-----------
US aid worker kidnapped in Niger
16 October, 2016
Niger government confirms abduction of American resident as governor in neighbouring Mali puts out alert for vehicle
Saturday 15 October 2016 17.12 BST Last modified on Saturday 15 October 2016 17.30 BST
Gunmen stormed the house of a long-serving American aid worker in Niger, killing two people before fleeing with the man toward the border with Mali, authorities have said.
It is believed to be the first time a US citizen has been abducted in the vast Sahel region, where al-Qaida and criminal gangs have targeted French nationals and other Europeans for more than a decade, demanding millions of pounds for their release.
Full report at: theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/15/us-aid-worker-kidnapped-in-niger
-----------
South Asia
Bangladesh Set To Hang Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh Leader amidst Tight Security
October 16, 2016
Security was tightened in a Bangladesh southern city Sunday ahead of the expected execution of a senior militant whose group has been linked to the murder of foreign hostages, police said.
Asadul Islam, a leader of the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) who is also known as Arif, is due to hang in Khulna after the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence in August for blasts that killed two lower court judges in 2005.
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1290342/bangladesh-set-to-hang-jmb-leader-amidst-tight-security
-----------
ISIS plans to deploy 7,000 fighters in North of Afghanistan: Dostum
By KHAAMA PRESS - Sat Oct 15 2016
The First Vice President General Abdul Rashid Dostum has said the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group plans to deploy at least 7,000 fighters in northern parts of the country.
Gen. Dostum made the remarks upon his arrival in northern Faryab province to supervise counter-terrorism operations following the fall of Ghormach district last week.
He said the ISIS terrorist group is attempting to deploy foreign militants mainly citizens of Syria, Iraq, Lebannon, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Chechnya.
Full report at: khaama.com/isis-plans-to-deploy-7000-fighters-in-north-of-afghanistan-dostum-02081
-----------
Jundullah terrorist group members arrested in North of Afghanistan
By GHANIZADA - Sun Oct 16 2016
The Afghan intelligence operatives arrested at least four members of Jundullah terrorist group in northeastern Takhar province of Afghanistan.
The National Directorate of Security (NDS) said the four suspects were involved in terrorist activities including roadside bombings in this province.
According to a statement by NDS, the four terrorists were arrested from the vicinity of Dasht-e-Qala district as they were attempting to plant an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
Full report at: khaama.com/jundullah-terrorist-group-members-arrested-in-north-of-afghanistan-02087
-----------
$179 million Emirates housing project to be inaugurated in Kabul
By KHAAMA PRESS - Sun Oct 16 2016
Another major housing project will be inaugurated in Kabul as the construction work has completed with the financial support of United Arab Emirates.
The Emirates Project consist of 111 blocks and 3,330 apartments covering 269 acres of land which has been constructed by Trojan firm.
The construction work of the project was inaugurated in mid-May 2013 in the presence of former Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the head of Abu Dhabi Development Fund.
The Ministry of Urban and Development and Housing was supervising the construction work of the project which completed under the leadership of Minister Syed Sadat Mansoor Naderi.
Full report at: khaama.com/179-million-emirates-housing-project-to-be-inaugurated-in-kabul-02084
-----------
Pakistan
Pak cuts down PIA flights from Karachi to Delhi, Mumbai
Saurabh Sinha | TNN | Oct 16, 2016
NEW DELHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has cut down its flights from Karachi to Delhi and Mumbai. The airline has attributed this to poor traffic in the recent past, which indicates a fall in travel between the two countries post the Uri attack.
A statement issued by PIA on Saturday said: "Reference media queries regarding PIA's flights to India, PIA spokesman has clarified that Lahore-Delhi flights are operating normally. However, due to very poor load during last three to four weeks, few of the Karachi-Delhi and Karachi-Mumbai are being cancelled." The statement added, "Passengers who had reservations on these cancelled flights have either been accommodated on PIA's subsequent flights or rerouted to Pakistan through other airlines. Passengers facing any difficulty in getting reservations are advised to contact PIA offices in New Delhi and Mumbai."
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pak-cuts-down-PIA-flights-from-Karachi-to-Delhi-Mumbai/articleshow/54874928.cms
-----------
North America
Obama Weighing Option to Strike Assad in Syria
OCTOBER 15, 2016
While the media appears fixated on Donald Trump's sexual problems with women, President Obama and his aides sat down yesterday to examine their options in Syria. With relations with Russia almost as bad as they were in the early 1980s, the fact that the administration is weighing whether to bomb President Assad's military forces engaged in a slaughter of civilians in Aleppo has huge consequences for the U.S. - and the future of the human race.
Full report at: pjmedia.com/trending/2016/10/15/obama-weighing-option-to-strike-assad-in-syria/?singlepage=true
-----------
US, Russia, others making renewed diplomatic push on Syria
AP, Lausanne, Switzerland | Updated: Oct 15, 2016
Back where they started, the United States, Russia and others trying to help mediate Syria’s civil war are searching for a diplomatic process that could succeed where last month’s collapsed cease-fire failed.
With the Syrian and Russian governments pressing an offensive against rebel-held parts of the city of Aleppo, no one was predicting a quick breakthrough.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was leading the renewed talks, which began Saturday afternoon. He was joined by a familiar cast that included Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the top envoys from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Qatar, Egypt and Jordan.
Full report at: hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-russia-others-making-renewed-diplomatic-push-on-syria/story-dUpKljpGZNegxJahwECdqN.html
-----------
Barack Obama meets with national security team on Syria, Islamic State
It was unlikely that Barack Obama would order U.S. air strikes on Syrian government targets.
October 15, 2016 3:44 pm
syria, syria strikes, obama syria, obama national security meeting, obama isis, obama islamic state, obama syria islamic state In the meeting Barack Obama and his advisers considered military and other options in Syria . (Source: AP Photo)
President Barack Obama met on Friday with his national security team to discuss the fight against Islamic State and the war in Syria, the White House said. Reuters had reported that in the meeting Obama and his advisers would consider military and other options in Syria as Syrian and Russian aircraft continue to pummel the city of Aleppo and other targets, U.S. officials said.
Full report at: indianexpress.com/article/world/world-news/barack-obama-meets-with-national-security-team-on-syria-islamic-state-3084227/
-----------
Hillary Clinton to gain majority of Muslim votes — CAIR survey
16 October, 2016
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is poised to clinch majority of Muslim votes in the upcoming U.S. presidential election, according to a new survey by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
(Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks at a fundraiser in San Francisco, California, U.S.A., October 13, 2016.
Full report at: christiandaily.com/article/hillary-clinton-to-gain-majority-of-muslim-votes-cair-survey/58144.htm
-----------
Southeast Asia
Indonesia to Launch Quran Writing Event
October 16, 2016
The Ministry of Religious Affairs will launch a Quran page writing event to meet the National "Santri" (Islamic boarding school students) Day on October 22.
(AhlulBayt News Agency) - "Through this program we would like to make Muslims understand Quran better and implement its teachings in their daily life," Religion Minister Lukman Hakim Saifudin said on Wednesday.
Full report at: en.abna24.com/service/east-asia/archive/2016/10/15/785689/story.html
URL:
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Womens in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Womens In Arab, Islamphobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism, Moderate Islam, Moderate Muslims, Progressive Islam, Progressive Muslims, Liberal Islam, Liberal Muslims, Islamic World News, Attack in Munich, Munich Attack, Terror in Munich