Inter-Caste Marriages Are the Way Forward For Reducing Rising Caste and Communal Tensions in the Country
New
Age Islam News Bureau
13
February 2021
Representational Photo
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•
In Iraq, Pope Hopes To Encourage Christians, Build Bridges to Muslims
•
US Will Remove Ansarullah from Terrorist List on Feb. 16: Blinken
•
French Far-Right Leader Le Pen On Trial for Tweeting Islamic State Death Images
•
Taliban Have No Authority to Decide Cases In Pakistan: Supreme Court
•
Houthis Recruited More Than 10,000 Children in Yemen since 2014: Report
•
Haftar Offers Support to Libya’s Peace Process
•
Taliban Battered In Kandahar, Helmand, Uruzgan
India
•
Inter-Caste Marriages Are the Way Forward For Reducing Rising Caste and Communal
Tensions in the Country
•
Hyderabad: Hindu Calligrapher Paints Quranic Verses in Mosques
•
‘Recced his office’: Jaish terrorist reveals Pak’s plan to target NSA Ajit
Doval
•
LeT terrorist involved in killings of 3 BJP workers arrested from Jammu's Samba
•
Jammu and Kashmir police arrest TRF terrorist from Samba
--------
Arab
World
•
In Iraq, Pope Hopes To Encourage Christians, Build Bridges to Muslims
•
Arab Coalition thwarts Houthi attack on Abha airport in Saudi Arabia
•
Bahraini protesters stage rallies nationwide on eve of uprising anniversary
•
99 Intl. Rights Organizations Call for Freeze on Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia,
Uae
•
Yemeni forces launch drone attacks on Saudi military targets
•
MBS Lying about Reforms in Saudi Arabia: Released Activist’s Family
•
Saudi envoy writes to UN about Houthi war crimes
--------
North
America
•
US Will Remove Ansarullah from Terrorist List on Feb. 16: US Secretary of State
Antony Blinken
•
US keeps Houthi leaders under sanctions, issues stern warning
•
US President Biden to call Israel’s Netanyahu, but no time set: White House
•
Biden starts off tough on Turkey, with rocky path ahead
•
Five more charged in Capitol riot allegedly teamed with Kansas City Proud Boys
--------
Europe
•
French Far-Right Leader Le Pen On Trial for Tweeting Islamic State Death Images
•
France, Germany, UK call on Iran to stop all activities that violate nuclear
deal
•
British premier congratulates new Libyan counterpart
•
Turkey’s envoy to UN in Geneva condemns Myanmar coup
•
Violent propaganda an 'enormous challenge' for security agencies amid rising
rightwing threat – report
--------
Pakistan
•
Taliban Have No Authority to Decide Cases In Pakistan: Supreme Court
•
IHC Judge Recuses Himself From Hearing Ex-ISI Chief's ECL Plea Over 'Reasons I
Don't Want To Share'
•
Substantive progress made on FATF items, says FO
•
PM aide calls for building Pak-US ties around economic security
--------
Mideast
•
Houthis Recruited More Than 10,000 Children in Yemen since 2014: Report
•
Spokesman: No Member of Iran’s Consulate Detained in Istanbul
•
Iran’s Speaker Underlines Development of Tehran-Beijing Ties
•
Two killed, 14 wounded in large gas explosion in Iran’s Ardabil: Report
•
State Department says it is not putting its faith in Yemen’s Houthi militia
•
Dozens dead as Houthi offensive in Yemen’s northern Marib escalates
•
Turkey calls on US to end support for PYD/YPG
--------
Africa
•
Haftar Offers Support to Libya’s Peace Process
•
Three killed in car bomb in Somalia’s Mogadishu
•
UN rejects Belgian request to seize Libya frozen assets
•
Suicide car bomb blast wounds 7 in Somali capital
--------
South
Asia
•
Taliban Battered In Kandahar, Helmand, Uruzgan
•
Bangladeshi Man Tried to Travel to IS Stronghold from France, Police Allege
•
Car bomb hits ANP outpost in Kandahar, 12 injured
•
Afghanistan to build $2 billion airport in Taliban-dominated province
•
What Happened When The Taliban Visited Turkmenistan?
•
At least four dead as clashes, blasts intensify across Afghanistan
--------
Southeast
Asia
•
Don’t Send Myanmar Refugees Back To Junta, Says UNHCR
•
Meeting next week to discuss vaccination guidelines during Ramadan, says
religious affairs minister
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/inter-caste-marriages-way-forward/d/124298
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Inter-Caste
Marriages Are The Way Forward For Reducing Rising Caste And Communal Tensions
In The Country
Representational image Shutterstock
-----
Our
Legal Correspondent
New
Delhi | 13.02.21
The
Supreme Court has quashed an FIR against a highly educated inter-caste couple,
saying such marriages are the way forward for reducing rising caste and
communal tensions in the country.
The
court slammed Karnataka police for threatening to implicate the newly weds in
criminal cases. While the girl hails from Karnataka, the boy is from Ghaziabad
in Uttar Pradesh. Karnataka police had travelled all the way to Uttar Pradesh
to threaten the couple, according to the complaint.
“Educated
young boys and girls are choosing their life partners which, in turn, is a
departure from the earlier norms of society where caste and community played a
major role,” Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, who authored the judgment, said.
“Possibly,
this is the way forward where caste and community tensions will reduce by such
inter-marriage but in the meantime these youngsters face threats from the
elders, and the courts have been coming to the aid of these youngsters….
“We
are fortified in our view by earlier judicial pronouncements of this court
elucidating that the consent of the family or the community or the clan is not
necessary once the two adults agree to enter into wedlock… and that their
consent has to be piously given primacy,” Justice Kaul wrote.The bench, which
also had Justice Hrishikesh Roy, passed the recent verdict while allowing the
petition filed by the college teacher couple, Laxmibai Chandaragi and Santosh
Singh Yadav, complaining that although they were adults, Karnataka police had
come to Uttar Pradesh and were harassing the girl to record her statement at
Murgod police station in the southern state’s Belagavi district.
The
cops had registered the FIR on the basis of a missing person’s complaint
registered against the husband by the father of the girl, Basappa
Chandaragi.Despite Laxmibai sending her marriage certificate to the parents on
October 15, 2020, Karnataka police insisted that she record her statement at
Murgod police station, failing which cases of theft of jewellery would be
registered against her husband, who would be arrested and left without a job.
The
apex court noted that while Santosh was an MTech from an NIT in Tiruchirapalli,
Laxmibai had MA and BEd degrees. Santosh worked as an assistant professor at
Jain College of Engineering, Belagavi, and Laxmibai as a lecturer at Karnataka
Lingayat Education Society Pre-University College, Bailhongal, when they met
and fell in love.
Subsequently
they shifted to Uttar Pradesh and got married, following which the girl’s
parents lodged the missing person’s complaint.
Citing
its earlier judgment in the Shafin Jahan Vs Asokan case, 2018, in which the
court had approved the marriage of a Hindu girl with a Muslim youth, Justice
Kaul said: “…The choice of an individual is an inextricable part of dignity,
for dignity cannot be thought of where there is erosion of choice. Such a right
or choice is not expected to succumb to the concept of ‘class honour’ or group
thinking’.”
The
bench added: “…Intimacies of marriage lie within a core zone of privacy, which
is inviolable and even matters of faith would have the least effect on them.”
The
court questioned the manner in which the investigating officer of Karnataka
police had conducted himself by threatening the couple instead of filing a
closure report.
“The
intervention of this court would really not have been required in the given
facts of the case if the IO had conducted himself more responsibly in closing
the complaint, and if he really wanted to record the statement of petitioner
No. 1 (Laxmibai), he should have informed that he would visit her and record
the statement instead of putting her under threat of action against petitioner
No. 2 (Santosh) to come to the police station,” the judgment said.
“The
way forward for the police authorities is to not only counsel the current IOs
but device a training programme to deal with such cases for the benefit of the
police personnel.
“We
expect the police authorities to take action… in the next eight weeks to lay
down some guidelines and training programmes how to handle such socially
sensitive cases,” the bench said.
“The
proceedings in pursuance to the FIR… registered at Murgod police station… are
quashed with the hope that the parents of petitioner No. 1 will have a better
sense to accept the marriage and re-establish social interaction not only with
petitioner No. 1 but even with petitioner No. 2.
“That,
in our view, is the only way forward. Under the garb of caste and community to
alienate the child and the son-in-law will hardly be a desirable social
exercise,” the court added.
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/supreme-court-bins-fir-against-inter-caste-couple/cid/1806553
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In
Iraq, Pope Hopes To Encourage Christians, Build Bridges To Muslims
Feb
12, 2021
Dialogues: Pope Francis greets Cardinal Louis
Sako, the Baghdad-based patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, during a
meeting with Chaldean Catholics at the Church of St. Simon the Tanner in
Tbilisi, Georgia, Sept. 30, 2016. Pope Francis plans to visit Iraq March 5-8,
2021.
-----
By
Dale Gavlak
On
his historic visit to Iraq in March, Pope Francis hopes to encourage his
Christian flock, badly bruised by sectarian conflict and brutal Islamic State
attacks, while building further bridges to Muslims by extending fraternal
peace.The trip’s papal logo reflects this, depicting Pope Francis with Iraq’s
notable Tigris and Euphrates rivers, a palm tree and a dove carrying an olive
branch over the Vatican and Iraqi flags. The motto: “You are all brothers,” is
written in Arabic, Chaldean and Kurdish languages.The first-ever papal visit to
the biblical land of Iraq March 5-8 is significant. For years, the pope has
expressed his concerns publicly for the plight and persecution of Iraq’s
Christians and its mosaic of many religious minorities, including the Yazidis,
who have suffered at the hands of Islamic State militants and have been caught
in the crosshairs of Sunni and Shiite Muslim violence.Tensions persist between
Iraq’s majority Shiite and minority Sunni Muslim communities, with the latter
now feeling disenfranchised following the 2003 downfall of Saddam Hussein, a
Sunni Muslim who marginalized Shiites for 24 years under his minority rule.“I
am the pastor of people who are suffering,” Pope Francis told Catholic News
Service at the Vatican ahead of his visit.Earlier, the pope said he hoped Iraq
could “face the future through the peaceful and shared pursuit of the common
good on the part of all elements of society, including the religious, and not
fall back into hostilities sparked by the simmering conflicts of the regional
powers.”“The pope will come to say, ‘Enough, enough war, enough violence; seek
peace and fraternity and the safeguarding of human dignity,'” said Cardinal
Louis Sako, the Baghdad-based patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church. The
cardinal reportedly has worked for several years to see the pope’s trip to Iraq
come to fruition.Pope Francis “will bring us two things: comfort and hope,
which have been denied to us until now,” the cardinal said.The majority of
Iraq’s Christians belong to the Chaldean Catholic Church. Others worship in the
Syriac Catholic Church, while a modest number of belong to the Latin, Maronite,
Greek, Coptic and Armenian churches. There are also non-Catholic churches like
the Assyrian Church and Protestant denominations.Once numbering about 1.5
million, hundreds of thousands of Christians fled sectarian violence after
Saddam’s ouster as churches in Baghdad were bombed, kidnappings took place, and
other sectarian attacks erupted.They either headed north or left the country
altogether. Christians were driven out of their ancestral homeland in the
Ninevah Plain when Islamic State captured that region in 2014. A record number
of Christians fled due to their atrocities until its liberation in 2017. Now,
Christian numbers in Iraq have dwindled to about 150,000.The uprooted Christian
community, which claims an apostolic origin and still uses Aramaic, the
language Jesus spoke, is desperate to see its plight end.Chaldean Catholic
Archbishop Yousif Mirkis of Kirkuk estimates that between 40%-45% of the
Christians “have returned to the some of their ancestral villages, particularly
Qaraqosh.”There, rebuilding of churches, homes and businesses is taking place
mainly with funding from Catholic and other church institutions as well as the
Hungarian and U.S. governments, rather than from Baghdad.For years, Cardinal
Sako has lobbied the Iraqi government, dominated by majority Shiite Muslim
politicians, to treat Christians and other minorities as equal citizens with
equal rights.He also hopes that Pope Francis’ message of peace and fraternity
in Iraq will cap the pontiff’s interfaith outreach to the Muslim world in
recent years, now by extending a hand to Shiite Muslims.“When the head of the
church speaks to the Muslim world, we Christians are shown appreciation and
respect,” Cardinal Sako said.A meeting for Pope Francis with one of Shiite
Islam’s most authoritative figures, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, is significant in
the papal effort to embrace all of the Islamic world. The meeting has been
confirmed by the Vatican.Iraqi Dominican Father Ameer Jaje, an expert on Shiite
relations, said a hope would be for Ayatollah al-Sistani to sign onto a
document, “On Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together,” which
calls for Christians and Muslims to work together for peace.A highlight of
Francis’ visit to the United Arab Emirates in February 2019 was the signing of
the fraternity document together with Sheikh Ahmad el-Tayeb, grand imam of
al-Azhar University and the top authority in Sunni Islam.Father Jaje told CNS
by phone from Baghdad that “the meeting will certainly take place in Najaf, where
al-Sistani is based.”The city is 100 miles south of Baghdad, a center of Shiite
Islam’s spiritual and political power as well as a pilgrimage site for Shiite
adherents.Long considered a force for stability despite his age of 90,
Ayatollah al-Sistani’s loyalty is toward Iraq, as opposed to some
co-religionists who look to Iran for backing. He supports the separation of
religion and state affairs. In 2017 he also urged all Iraqis, regardless of
their religious affiliation or ethnicity, to fight to get rid of Islamic State
on behalf of their country.Observers believe the pope’s meeting with the
ayatollah could be highly symbolic for Iraqis, but especially Christians, for
whom the encounter could turn a page in their country’s often fraught
interfaith relations.––CNS
http://www.heraldmalaysia.com/news/in-iraq-pope-hopes-to-encourage-christians-build-bridges-to-muslims/57976/1
--------
US
Will Remove Ansarullah from Terrorist List on Feb. 16: US Secretary of State
Antony Blinken
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
----
12
February 2021
The
United States has announced that it will remove designations of Yemen’s popular
Ansarullah movement from the list of foreign terrorist organizations on
February 16.
“This
decision is a recognition of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen,” US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement issued on Friday,
reversing a last-minute designation by former President Donald Trump.
However,
the top US diplomat threatened to impose more sanctions on members of the
resistance group, saying the US would “closely monitor” the movememt's activities
and is “actively identifying” new sanctions targets.
“We
will continue to closely monitor the activities of Ansarallah and its leaders
and are actively identifying additional targets for designation,” he said.
Blinken
claimed that Ansarullah fighters were responsible for attacks on commercial
shipping in the Red Sea and missile strikes on Saudi Arabia.
The
Trump administration had branded the movement as a foreign terrorist
organization, imposing the specially designated global terrorist (SDGT) and
foreign terrorist organization (FTO) designations.
Trump
took the action on his last full day in office despite warnings by other
governments, aid groups and the United Nations that the US sanctions could push
Yemen into a major famine.
Two
sources familiar with the matter said last week the State Department had
formally notified Congress of its plan to delist the Houthi movement.
The
decision came days after the Biden administration announced an end to American
support for the Saudi war on Yemen, including a freeze on arms sales to the
Riyadh regime.
Critics
of the Trump administration action had said that the designation would bring
more pain to millions of starving people in Yemen.
Scott
Paul, Oxfam America’s policy advocacy director said, “This purely
counterproductive designation had caused months of uncertainty as aid
organizations, banks, and importers of critical commodities like food and fuel
were left in limbo.”
On
January 11, nine days before Biden was sworn into office, then-Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo announced President Trump’s intent to designate Yemen’s
Ansarullah movement as terrorist.
The
Trump administration’s last-minute “terrorist” designation appeared to be a
desperate attempt to step up pressure on the popular movement after the Saudi
regime failed to fulfill the objectives of over five years of war on Yemen,
despite all the support it had received from the US and other Western states.
The
popular Ansarullah movement, backed by the Yemeni armed forces and allied
popular groups, has gone from strength to strength against the Saudi-led
invaders, and successfully defended Yemen, leaving Riyadh and its allies bogged
down in the county.
Trump
had long overlooked and defended the Saudi-led coalition’s acts of aggression
in Yemen in favor of lucrative arms sales to the regime in Riyadh.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/02/12/645141/US-will-remove-Houthis-from-terrorist-list-on-Feb--16--Blinken
--------
French
far-right leader Le Pen on trial for tweeting Islamic State death images
By
CLARA WRIGHT and JOSEPH SCHMID
11
February 2021
PARIS,
France (AFP) — French far-right leader Marine Le Pen appeared in court
Wednesday on charges she broke hate-speech laws by tweeting pictures of Islamic
State atrocities, a case she slammed as a politically motivated attempt to
silence her.
The
trial comes as opinion polls show Le Pen will likely face off again against
Emmanuel Macron in next year’s presidential contest after her National Rally
made its strongest showing ever in the 2017 vote.
Le
Pen shared the gruesome images in December 2015, a few weeks after Islamic
State group jihadists killed 130 people in attacks in Paris, in response to a
journalist who drew a comparison between IS and her party.
One
of the pictures showed the body of James Foley, an American journalist beheaded
by the Islamist militants.
Another
showed a man in an orange jumpsuit being run over by a tank, and the third a
Jordanian pilot being burned alive in a cage.
“Daesh
is this!” Le Pen wrote in a caption, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
“I
am obviously the victim of a political trial,” Le Pen told journalists at the
courthouse in Nanterre, a Paris suburb.
“The
media published them, editorialists, newspapers, TV channels, and nobody was
ever prosecuted for doing so — only Marine Le Pen is being prosecuted,” she
said.
‘Horribly
shocking’
In
2018 a judge charged her as well as Gilbert Collard, a National Rally colleague
who also tweeted the pictures, with circulating “violent messages that incite
terrorism or pornography or seriously harm human dignity” and that can be
viewed by a minor.
The
crime is punishable by up to three years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros
($90,000), but the prosecution is seeking only a 5,000 euro fine.
Le
Pen, a lawyer by training, later deleted the picture of Foley after a request
from his family, saying she had been unaware of his identity.
But
on Wednesday she defended their publication, despite acknowledging that “I find
these pictures horribly shocking.”
However,
she said: “It’s the crime that denigrates human dignity, not a picture of it.”
Le
Pen also insisted she was the victim of a political witch hunt — she was
stripped of her parliamentary immunity over the pictures, and angrily rejected
an order to undergo psychiatric tests as part of the inquiry.
A
verdict is expected on May 4.
Since
taking over France’s main far-right party from her father, Le Pen has run twice
for the French presidency, and recent polling shows her closer than ever to
what for her would be the ultimate prize.
That
has rekindled speculation about whether the anti-EU, anti-immigration populist
could finally enter the Elysee Palace.
On
Thursday, she is set to have a prime-time TV debate with Macron’s Interior
Minister Gerald Darmanin, which will be closely watched after critics panned
her debate performance against Macron before the 2017 vote.
Le
Pen has another legal challenge looming, over claims that she and other party
officials improperly spent millions of euros in public funds to pay their
assistants while serving in the EU Parliament.
Investigators
say almost seven million euros ($7.7 million) was diverted from the European
Parliament between 2009 and 2017.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/french-far-right-leader-le-pen-on-trial-for-tweeting-islamic-state-death-images/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1996783_
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Taliban
Have No Authority To Decide Cases In Pakistan: Supreme Court
Nasir
Iqbal
February
13, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Court has held that the Taliban had no legal authority to decide
cases and their decision was not applicable to Pakistan, which was a sovereign
country, the applicable law of which applied to every inch of its territory.
The
judgement was issued by a two-judge SC bench consisting of Justice Qazi Faez
Isa and Justice Maqbool Baqar on a petition filed by Gul Nawaz and others
against the 2019 Peshawar High Court order in a land dispute case.
During
the hearing, the apex court’s attention was drawn to iqrar nama (agreement) — a
‘decision’ issued by Emarat-i-Islami Taliban, Waziristan-wa-Afghanistan
(Taliban).
The
apex court was informed that the petitioners had entered into an agreement on
April 30, 2009 for sale of certain land. They were required to provide evidence
in support of their claim over the land before a trial court judge, but they
failed to do so despite being granted a number of opportunities. Resultantly,
their side was closed and the judge dismissed their suit.
Rejects
as unlawful militant outfit’s ‘agreement’ presented in land dispute case
The
petitioners then challenged the decision in the PHC which also dismissed their
appeal. Consequently, they approached the Supreme Court with a plea that they
were not given sufficient opportunity to lead evidence before closing their
side and dismissing their suit.
The
trial court had in its order on Oct 3, 2012 referred to an application by the
petitioners whereby they had sought the trial court’s permission to prove iqrar
nama through secondary evidence because the original one was stated to be with
the defendant (Rashid Ahmed).
The
Supreme Court order recalled that the petitioners had relied on the iqrar nama,
but later argued that the document was instead a decision.
Leaving
aside the question whether the petitioners could change their stance so
fundamentally, Justice Isa observed, “we have examined the document which was a
‘decision’ by the Emarat-i-Islami Taliban, Waziristan-wa-Afghanistan”.
The
attempt by the petitioners to alternatively categorise the purported decision
as an agreement was also not permissible because it undermined the sovereignty
of Pakistan, Justice Isa observed.
The
judgement said the Taliban had no legal authority to decide cases since they
had infiltrated into Pakistan and by mid-2005 illegally occupied and assumed
control over a part of the territory of Pakistan, including parts of
Waziristan.
“Pakistan
is a sovereign country and the applicable law of Pakistan applies over every
inch of its territory,” the verdict said, adding that every square inch of the
territory of Pakistan was precious and must be kept free and safe.
The
physical possession of any part of the territory of Pakistan taken over by the
Taliban contravened the Constitution and any decision given by the Taliban
would be unconstitutional, unlawful and of no legal effect.
“Subverting
the Constitution and subjugating the people do not confer legitimacy on an
aggressor nor renders an aggressor’s decisions constitutionally legitimate,”
Justice Isa observed.
Thus
the purported agreement was “forbidden, unlawful and opposed to public policy”
in terms of Section 23 of Contract Act, 1872 and, therefore, it was of no legal
effect, the judgment said.
It
observed that the trial court had provided a number of opportunities to the
petitioners to lead evidence, but they repeatedly failed to establish the
subsistence of the agreement between themselves and the respondents.
“Therefore, leave to appeal is declined and consequently this petition is
dismissed,” the SC judgement said.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1607073/taliban-have-no-authority-to-decide-cases-in-pakistan-sc
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Houthis
recruited more than 10,000 children in Yemen since 2014: Report
Ismaeel
Naar
13
February ,2021
The
Houthi militia in Yemen have forcibly recruited 10,300 children in Yemen since
2014, according to a latest report that revealed the Iran-backed militant group
have used schools and educational facilities to lure minors to recruitment.
The
Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor and the SAM for Rights and Liberties
said in a report released on Friday that said that the Houthis use complex
patterns to forcibly recruit children and put them in hostile areas under its
control in Yemen.
“The
group uses an education system that incites violence and teaches the group’s
ideology through special lectures inside the official educational facilities to
fill students with extremist ideas and encourage them to join the fight to
support the group's military actions,” read the report released on February 12
to mark the “International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers” (also known
as Red Hand Day).
The
report said that in the past three years, the Houthis have been running an open
and compulsory campaign to recruit children. Specifically, the Houthis have
opened 52 training camps for thousands of adolescents and children in Saada,
Sanaa, al-Mahwit, Hodeidah, Tihama, Hajjah and Dhamar.
The
Houthis have specifically targeted children 10 years old or above, according to
the report.
The
report released on Friday comes as the United States will officially remove the
Iran-backed Houthi militia and its leaders from its terror lists next week,
according to a statement from Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The
Houthis have been ramping up their terror attacks on Saudi Arabia in the past
week, claiming responsibility for a drone attack on a civilian airplane at
Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport on Thursday and launching bomb-laden drones and a
ballistic missile intercepted by the Arab Coalition.
The
latest reports on child soldiers being recruited by the Houthis revealed that
the Houthis force children into ideological programs first before sending them
to military training camps to attend a one-month course. Houthi child soldiers
are then sent to battlefronts to participate in direct clashes, laying mines
and guarding military points.
“I
was assigned with loading the guns and transporting them with foodstuffs to
high, rugged areas. It was hard and exhausting. I used to get beaten and
reprimanded when I arrived late. I cried a lot during those nights, fearing for
my life and for missing my mother, father and brothers,” said one child, 14 and
identified as H.A. in the report, on his experience fighting for the Houthis in
Nihm.
Child
recruitment is a war crime according to the Rome Statute of the International
Criminal Court.
“What
is more troubling is not only the inclusion of children in military operations
but feeding their simple minds with extremist ideas and filling them with hate
speech and violence, and thus creating future extremists who may not be easily
controlled given the huge number that the group recruits or aims to recruit in
the future,” said Anas Jerjawi, Euro-Med Monitor MENA Regional Director.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/02/13/Terrorism-Houthis-recruited-more-than-10-000-children-in-Yemen-since-2014-Report
--------
Haftar
offers support to Libya’s peace process
February
13, 2021
BENGHAZI:
Libya’s eastern strongman Khalifa Haftar has offered his backing for a peace
process that seeks to end a decade of chaos, after meeting the head of a new
transitional presidential council.
The
military commander met with Mohammed Younes Menfi, a former diplomat who also
comes from eastern Libya, and who was selected last week in a UN-backed process
to head the three-member presidency council.
Haftar
offered “the support of the armed forces for the peace process, to defend
democracy and the peaceful transfer of power,” a statement from his office
read.
The
meeting took place as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesperson Ibrahim
Kalin said Turkish troops stationed in Libya will remain there as long as a
bilateral military agreement between Ankara and Tripoli is active and Libya’s
government requests it.
Libya
has been torn by civil war since a NATO-backed uprising led to the toppling and
killing of Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.
The
country has in recent years been split between a Government of National Accord
(GNA) in Tripoli, and an eastern-based administration, backed by Haftar.
Erdogan
said on Tuesday that Turkey would discuss withdrawing its troops, who Ankara
says are providing military training to GNA if other foreign powers are
withdrawn first.
In
an interview with state broadcaster TRT Haber, Kalin said Turkish companies
would also play an active role in the efforts to rebuild Libya, adding that
Ankara would provide support to the newly elected interim government.
Menfi
landed at Benina airport in the eastern Libyan port city Benghazi from Greece
on Thursday and went straight to meet Haftar at his headquarters at Rajma, some
25 km outside town.
A
new interim executive was chosen on Feb. 5 by the Libyan Political Dialogue
Forum in Switzerland, comprising 75 participants selected by the UN to
represent a broad cross-section of society.
Haftar
reiterated a recent pledge of support for the leaders of this new executive
authority, who were chosen “so that they can reunite the institutions and lead
the country to elections,” Thursday’s statement read.
Haftar’s
spokesman Ahmad Al-Mesmari had on Saturday congratulated Menfi and Abdul Hamid
Dbeibah, who was selected as interim prime minister, alongside “the Libyan
people,” on the outcome of the selection process.
The
prime minister of the outgoing GNA, Fayez Al-Sarraj, has wished the new
executive “success in their mission.”
The
interim authority is mandated to lead Libya through to elections scheduled for
December.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1808366/middle-east
--------
Taliban
battered in Kandahar, Helmand, Uruzgan
13
Feb 2021
The
Ministry of Defense stated Saturday, that at least 18 Taliban fighters were
killed and nine others were wounded in an Afghan national defense and security
forces’ operation.
MoD
in a released statement said, that18 Taliban insurgents were killed and nine
others were wounded in an operation carried out by ANDSF in the Arghandab
district of Kandahar province.
According
to the statement, the Taliban planted 20 mines on the roads to target civilians
and soldiers which the engineering team of the ANDSF later discovered and
defused.
Meanwhile,
the Ministry of Defense tweeted that 14 Taliban were killed and further 2
others were injured in Trinkot district of Uruzgan province on Friday.
According
to the defense officials, some amount of Taliban weapons and ammunition were
also seized and destroyed during the operation.
In
another incident at least 16 Taliban militants were killed after Afghan Air
Force targeted their stronghold in the Nawa district of Helmand province.
The
air raid was conducted on Friday, according to the reports.
MoD
Tweeted, the total numbers of Taliban killed in 24 hours.
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-battered-in-kandahar-helmand-uruzgan-445544/
--------
India
Hyderabad:
Hindu calligrapher paints Quranic verses in mosques
Feb
13th, 2021
Hyderabad
(Telangana) [India], February 13 (ANI): For over two decades, Anil Kumar
Chawhan, a calligrapher from Hyderabad has been painting Quranic verses on the
walls of mosques across the city.
A
Hindu by religion, Chawhan discovered his passion for calligraphy when he
started painting signboards for shops in Urdu. With time, he learnt how to read
and write the language and his work in several mosques has impressed many
people.
Chawhan,
who started with painting signboards, said, "For the last 30 years I have
painted Urdu signboards of many shops in the old city area of Hyderabad."
"Initially,
I couldn't understand Urdu nor was I able to speak it. I used to ask my
customers to write it down so that I could paint the same on the signboards.
That is when I decided to learn Urdu and gradually started understanding,
speaking and writing it," he told ANI.
He
said that his work of painting Quranic verses began when a person who was
impressed by his calligraphic skills requested him to paint the walls of a
mosque.
"A
person offered me the opportunity to paint the walls of 'Masjid-e-Noor' mosque
after he was impressed by my Calligraphic skills. Now it has been over 25 years
and I have painted the walls of several mosques across Hyderabad," Chawhan
added.
When
he started painting Quranic verses on the walls of mosques, many objected to a
Hindu doing so. He then took permission from the Jamia Nizamia University in
Hyderabad to continue his work.
"My
work has been displayed in the library of Jamia Nizamia University, where I
painted verses from the 'Surah Yaseen' chapter of the Quran," he said.
He
further added, "Hindus and Muslims in this country should live in peace.
I'm really happy to be painting Quranic verses on the walls of mosques despite
being a Hindu. I have been working for nearly three decades and have not faced
a single problem." (ANI)
https://www.sify.com/news/hyderabad-hindu-calligrapher-paints-quranic-verses-in-mosques-news-national-vcnfajdafejib.html
--------
‘Recced
his office’: Jaish terrorist reveals Pak’s plan to target NSA Ajit Doval
By
Shishir Gupta
FEB
13, 2021
A
security dragnet has been placed at the office and residence of National
Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval after a disclosure by an arrested
Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist that he conducted reconnaissance at Sardar
Patel Bhawan, and other high-value targets in the Capital on the instructions
of his Pakistan-based handler, according to people familiar with the matter.
Doval,
who has been a target of terror groups operating from Pakistan since the 2016
Uri surgical strikes and the 2019 Balakot attack, is one of India’s most
protected individuals. The possible threat to the NSA has been conveyed to
security agencies and the Union home ministry, said the people cited above who
asked not to be named.
Officials
in Delhi and Srinagar said information about a detailed video recce of Doval’s
office was revealed during interrogation by Jaish operative Hidayat-Ullah
Malik, a Shopian resident who was arrested on February 6.
A
case -- FIR number 15/2021 under Section 18 and 20 UAP Act -- has been
registered against Malik at the Gangyal police station in Jammu. Malik, who is
the chief of a Jaish front group, Lashkar-e-Mustafa, was arrested in Anantnag,
and arms and ammunition were found in his possession.
The
people said that Hidayat told interrogators that, on May 24, 2019, he took an
Indigo flight from Srinagar to New Delhi to record a video of the NSA’s office,
including the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) security detail there,
and passed it on through WhatsApp to his Pakistan-based handler. The handler
was described simply as “Doctor”.
Malik
then returned to Kashmir in a bus. He also admitted to his Jammu & Kashmir
Police interrogators that he conducted reconnaissance of the Samba Sector
border area in the summer of 2019, along with Sameer Ahmad Dar, who was
arrested on January 21, 2020 for his involvement with the 2019 Pulwama terror
attack.
According
to details accessed by HT, Malik provided a Hyundai Santro car for a suicide
attack in May 2020, and confessed that he and three other Jaish terrorists --
Irfan Thokar, Umar Mushtaq and Rayees Mustafa -- looted ₹60 lakh from a J&K Bank
cash van in Shopian on November 2020.
The
Jaish operator also disclosed names, code names, and phone numbers of 10 of his
contacts in Pakistan, including the handler. J&K Police have passed the
details to security agencies. Two of his contacts were later killed in Shopian
and Sopore.
Officials
added that Malik told interrogators extensively about his background – that he
joined the Hizbul Mujahideen on July 31, 2019; worked as an over-ground worker
for the Jaish before that; shifted to Jaish in February 2020; and then raised a
front group in August that year.
NSA
Doval has a running battle with Jaish chief Masood Azhar -- as Joint Director,
Intelligence Bureau, he interrogated Azhar after his arrest in India in 1994,
and also escorted him to Kandahar airport after the IC-814 hijack in 1999.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/recced-his-office-jaish-terrorist-reveals-pak-s-plan-to-target-nsa-ajit-doval-101613180989307.html
--------
LeT
terrorist involved in killings of 3 BJP workers arrested from Jammu's Samba
Feb
13, 2021
Jammu:
The Jammu and Kashmir police have arrested a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist from the
Samba district of Jammu involved in the killing of three Bharatiya Janata Party
workers and one policeman in Kashmir last year, officials said on Saturday.
Inspector
General of Police (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar told IANS that a team of Anantnag
police arrested Zahoor Ahmad Rather, alias Khalid alias Sahil, of the terrorist
outfit LeT (TRF) from Samba in Jammu.
"He
had been hiding in Bari Brahman. He had killed three BJP workers in Vessu,
Kulgam last year and one policeman at Furrah in Kulgam," Kumar said.
"He
received terrorist training in PoK in 2004 and brought five foreign terrorists
with him to India. He surrendered in 2006 but last year again started killing
politicians and policemen."
Police
said he is being brought to Kashmir for questioning.
https://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/terrorist-involved-in-killing-of-3-bjp-workers-arrested-from-jammu/719703
--------
Jammu
and Kashmir police arrest TRF terrorist from Samba
FEB
13, 2021
The
Jammu and Kashmir police claimed to have arrested a terrorist of The Resistance
Force (TRF) from Samba district late Friday.
He
has been identified as Zahoor Ahmad Rather.
"Late
Friday we arrested a terrorist from the Bari Brahmana area. A police team from
Anantnag had come and carried out a joint operation with Samba police,"
said Samba district’s senior superintendent of police (SSP) Rajesh Sharma.
An
FIR had been registered in Anantnag against the accused in a terror case, he
added.
The
accused was allegedly involved in the killing of three BJP workers and a
policeman in Kulgam district of South Kashmir.
He
had allegedly killed one policeman in Furrah, Kulgam and three BJP workers in
Vessu, Kulgam last year.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/jammu-and-kashmir-police-arrest-trf-terrorist-from-samba-101613193647238-amp.html
--------
Arab
World
Arab
Coalition thwarts Houthi attack on Abha airport in Saudi Arabia
13
February ,2021
Tamara
Abueish
The
Arab Coalition intercepted an explosive drone launched by the Iran-backed
Houthis towards the Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia, the coalition’s
spokesperson Colonel Turki al-Maliki said on Saturday.
The
coalition destroyed the improvised explosive device (IED) that was heading
towards the airport, he said.
For
all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
“terrorist attacks” by the Houthis are a “systematic” and “deliberate” attempt
to target civilians, the spokesperson added.
The
latest attempted attack comes after a civilian plane caught fire on Wednesday
when it was hit by a Houthi drone.
The
Iran-backed group took responsibility for the attack shortly after the airport
was hit.
“The
UAV air force targeted the airfields of warplanes at Abha International Airport
- which is used for military purposes to target the Yemeni people - with four
drones,” Yahya Sarie,” Houthi military spokesman said in a tweet after the
attack on Wednesday.
“The
strike was accurate, thanks to God.”
A
US State Department spokesperson told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat on
Thursday that Washington will continue to put pressure on the Iran-backed
Houthi militia in an effort to end the group’s “heinous” attacks in the region.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/02/13/Arab-Coalition-thwarts-Houthi-attack-on-Abha-airport-Spokesperson
--------
Bahraini
protesters stage rallies nationwide on eve of uprising anniversary
13
February 2021
Bahrainis
have staged demonstrations across the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom on the eve of
the tenth anniversary of the popular uprising against the Al Khalifah regime,
and its heavy-handed crackdown on pro-democracy campaigners.
On
Friday night, demonstrators took to the streets west of the capital Manama,
carrying pictures of Bahrain's most prominent cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim,
imprisoned political dissidents as well as those killed at the hands of regime
forces.
They
called for an end to human rights violations and the release of political detainees.
The
pro-democracy protesters urged the Al Khalifah regime to relinquish power and
allow the establishment of a just system representing all strata of the
society.
Elsewhere
in the northern villages of Abu Saiba and Shakhura, groups of young demonstrators
expressed their solidarity with the popular uprising and detained anti-regime
activists through writing graffiti on walls.
They
also wrote the name of Bahrain’s monarch King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al
Khalifah on the streets to be trampled under the feet of protesters and wheels
of passing cars.
Youths
set tires on fire in the village of Eker, situated about 20 kilometers (12
miles) south of the capital, in protest as well.
Bahraini
regime forces have been heavily deployed across the country, including Juffair
district of Manama plus Ma'ameer and Sanabis villages, on the eve of the
anniversary.
Demonstrations
in Bahrain have been held on a regular basis ever since a popular uprising
began in mid-February 2011.
Manama,
however, has gone to great lengths to clamp down on any sign of dissent.
On
March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were
deployed to assist Bahrain in its crackdown.
On
March 5, 2017, Bahrain’s parliament approved the trial of civilians at military
tribunals in a measure blasted by human rights campaigners as being tantamount
to imposition of an undeclared martial law countrywide.
Bahraini
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah ratified the draconian measure on April 3, 2017.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/02/13/645157/Bahraini-protesters-stage-rallies-nationwide-on-eve-of-uprising-anniversary
--------
99
intl. rights organizations call for freeze on arms sales to Saudi Arabia, UAE
13
February 2021
Ninety-nine
international human rights organizations have demanded a freeze on arms sales
to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, an immediate cessation of the war on Yemen, and
lifting of a blockade on the country.
In
a joint statement released on Friday, they said the continuation of the siege
and the Saudi-led onslaught over the past six years has turned Yemen into the
world's worst humanitarian crisis since the end of the World War II, left tens
of thousands of civilians killed and wounded, and resulted in the destruction
of infrastructure and severe shortage of access to necessary food and medicine.
The
statement said almost 80 percent of the Yemeni population, including 12 million
children, is in a desperate and urgent need of humanitarian assistance as a
result of the Saudi-led aggression and siege, stressing the need for the opening
of Sana'a International Airport as well as the port of Hudaydah.
The
US and Italy have recently announced that they would freeze arms sales to Saudi
Arabia and the UAE.
The
rights organizations called on all world countries, particularly Britain and
France, to do the same and suspend all arms deals with the two Persian Gulf
states.
The
statement said the suspension of weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE will
contribute positively to the end of the war and bloodshed.
Saudi
Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched the war on Yemen in March
2015, with the goal of bringing the government of former president, Abd Rabbuh
Mansur Hadi, back to power and crushing the popular Ansarullah movement.
According
to the UN, 80 percent of Yemen’s 30 million people need some form of aid or
protection. About 13.5 million Yemenis currently face acute food insecurity, UN
data shows.
‘US
decision to delist Ansarullah shows Trump’s mistake’
A
member of Yemen's Supreme Political Council says recent remarks by US Secretary
of State Antony Blinken that he will revoke terrorist designations of the
popular Ansarullah movement later this month shows former US president Donald
Trump was wrong to blacklist the group.
“Blinken's
remarks underscore that the former [US] administration was wrong [to blacklist
Ansarullah], and confirmed that enemies and rivals testify to Ansarullah's
legitimate right to defend the homeland and sovereignty of the country,”
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi wrote in a post published on his official Twitter page
late on Friday.
He
said Ansarullah views the recent US decision as a positive step, noting that
Yemen is waiting for new measures aimed at ending Washington’s evil behavior
towards the country.
Blinken
announced in a statement that he was removing Ansarullah from the US list of
foreign terrorist organizations as of next Tuesday, February 16.
The
Trump administration blacklisted the movement on its last full day in office
despite warnings by aid groups, the United Nations and other governments that the
move could push Yemen into a major famine.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/02/13/645151/Nearly-100-intl--rights-organizations-call-for-arms-sales-freeze-on-Saudi-Arabia-UAE
--------
Yemeni
forces launch drone attacks on Saudi military targets
12
February 2021
Yemen’s
army and popular committees have carried out drone attacks on military targets
in Saudi Arabia in retaliation for the kingdom’s aggression against their
country.
The
spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said
three drones of the Qasef-2K type hit strategic military targets at the Abha
International Airport and King Khalid Air Base in southwestern Saudi Arabia at
different times on Friday. The strikes were “accurate,” he said.
Saree
noted that the attacks were conducted in response to the continued Saudi
aggression against Yemen.
King
Khalid Air Base had been targeted in a missile attack launched by the Yemeni
forces on Thursday.
A
day earlier, Yemeni forces had carried out drone strikes on the airfields at the
Abha International Airport.
Saudi
Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched the brutal war against
Yemen in March 2015.
The
war was meant to restore the former Riyadh-backed regime of Abd Rabbuh Mansur
Hadi to power.
According
to independent estimates, the Saudi war has claimed more than 120,000 lives.
The
UN says more than 24 million Yemenis are in dire need of humanitarian aid,
including 10 million suffering from extreme levels of hunger. The world body
refers to the situation in Yemen as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
The
Saudi war has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure,
destroying hospitals, schools, and factories.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/02/12/645135/Yemeni-forces-drone-attacks-Saudi-military-targets
--------
MBS
Lying about Reforms in Saudi Arabia: Released Activist’s Family
Friday,
12 February 2021
The
siblings of a recently-released Saudi women’s rights defender have called for
“real justice” in the case of their sister Loujain al-Hathloul, saying Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman is lying about reforms in the kingdom and oppressing
his people.
Alia
and Lina al-Hathloul made the comments at a press conference on Thursday, a day
after Loujain, 31, was let out of jail following nearly three years of imprisonment
in a case that sparked widespread international condemnations.
The
prominent activist has been placed on probation for three years and banned from
travelling abroad for five years, her family said.
Loujain
had fought for years for women’s rights to drive in Saudi Arabia before being
arrested, along with several other female activists, in 2018, shortly after bin
Salman — better known by his initials MBS — rose to power, and only weeks
before the heir to the Saudi throne lifted the notorious driving ban as part of
his so-called reform campaign.
While
incarcerated, Loujain was subjected to severe torture including electric
shocks, waterboarding, flogging, and sexual assault, according to the activist
herself, her family, and human rights activists.
At
the online presser on Thursday, Loujain’s siblings called on people not to say
she had been “freed.”
“Loujain
is not free. She’s been conditionally released,” said Lina from Brussels.
Both
sisters said Lojain would avoid using social media and speaking to journalists
for fear of violating her probation, but will continue to seek justice for the
torture and sexual assaults she had been subjected to in prison.
“What
we want now is real justice,” said Lina, a driving force behind the
international campaign for her sister’s release, adding that her sister should
be “completely” and “unconditionally” be freed.
“She
is very determined to use all means that exist within the legal framework in
Saudi Arabia in order to exhaust all the possibilities in order to, I would
say, obtain her rights,” Lina said. “It was unjust, and she doesn’t like
injustice.”
‘Saudi
people living in fear under MBS’
Loujain’s
sisters further used the conference to deliver a sharp rebuke to bin Salman,
rejecting his claims of seeking reforms in Saudi Arabia.
“We
really see that women empowerment is a lie in Saudi Arabia, that there are no
real reforms,” Lina said. “People are still oppressed and even more so
now...there is really an atmosphere of fear under MBS,” who is the kingdom’s de
facto ruler.
“When
we talk about other things involving women’s rights, we don’t see any real
improvement. It’s all about whitewashing,” added Lina. “We’ve never had the
state security as it is now, you know, that they can just break into a house,
take a person without a warrant, make them disappear for years.”
Soon
after coming to power, bin Salman tried to sell himself to Saudi Arabia’s
Western allies as a competent young leader seeking to reform certain rules in
the conservative kingdom. He was quick to allow women to drive and changed the
country’s guardianship laws, among other measures.
However,
paradoxically enough, the crown prince launched a heavy-handed crackdown of
dissidents soon after those measures. Many of the activists who had campaign in
support of the same reforms that bin Salman appeared to be championing were
imprisoned on charges ranging from disrupting peace to harming national
security.
‘Situation
in Saudi Arabia tied to what happens in US’
Hathloul’s
release weeks after new US President Joe Biden took office. He has called on
Saudi Arabia to improve its dark human rights record and pledged to take a firm
stance on that issue, in what has largely been seen as a departure from the
stance of his predecessor Donald Trump, who was a staunch supporter of MBS and
acted on several occasions to shield him from being taken to task for his
crimes.
Commenting
on the timing of her sister’s release, Alia explained that “Saudi Arabia’s
situation is tightly connected to what’s going on in the US.”
“It’s
a fact that Loujain was imprisoned during the previous administration [in
2018], and it was really hard to get anything. And it is a fact that she was
released a few days, few weeks, after Biden’s arrival to power… I even would
say, thank you, Mr. president,” she added.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/02/12/645117/Saudi-activist-Loujain-al-Hathloul-MBS-reforms-lie
--------
Saudi
envoy writes to UN about Houthi war crimes
February
13, 2021
NEW
YORK: Saudi Arabia affirmed that it will take all necessary measures to
safeguard its land and maintain the safety of its citizens and residents, in
accordance with its obligations under international law.
This
statement came in a message sent by Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative to
the UN, Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, to the Security Council, after the Iran-backed
Houthi terrorist militia targeted Abha International Airport.
Al-Mouallimi
said: “Based on my government’s instructions, I am writing once again about the
continuation of the Iran-backed Houthi militia’s military hostilities against
Saudi Arabia, in a blatant violation of international law and the relevant
Security Council resolutions.
“Abha
International Airport was targeted on Feb. 10. That attack by the Houthi
terrorist militias set a passenger plane on fire,” he added.
He
stressed that terrorist acts that targets the civilian infrastructure of the
Kingdom and threatens innocent civilian travellers is a war crime, and that the
Houthis must be held accountable in accordance with international humanitarian
law.
He
noted: “The Kingdom is taking all the necessary measures to safeguard its land
and maintain the safety of its citizens and residents in accordance with its
obligations under international law.
“Such
terrorist acts by the Houthis continue to undermine the UN’s efforts to reach a
comprehensive political solution in Yemen and will lead to destabilizing
regional security and disrupting international peace,” he added.
He
called on the Security Council to strongly condemn these acts and take its
responsibility in order for the Iran-backed Houthi militia to stop its threat
to international peace and security, and to hold it accountable.
He
also called on the council to circulate his letter as one of the Security
Council’s official documents.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1808356/saudi-arabia
--------
North
America
US
keeps Houthi leaders under sanctions, issues stern warning
RAY
HANANIA
February
12, 2021
CHICAGO:
Three Houthi leaders are to remain under US sanctions, Secretary of State
Antony Blinken said on Friday.
“Ansarallah
leaders Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, Abd Al-Khaliq Badr Al-Din Al-Houthi, and
Abdullah Yahya Al-Hakim remain sanctioned under E.O. 13611 related to acts that
threaten the peace, security, or stability of Yemen,” Blinken said, referring
to the Houthi militia by its formal name.
Blinken
added in a statement that the US would “closely monitor” Houthi activities and
is “actively identifying” new sanctions targets, especially those responsible
for attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and missile strikes on Saudi
Arabia.
The
US “remains clear-eyed about Ansarallah’s malign actions, and aggression,
including taking control of large areas of Yemen by force, attacking US
partners in the Gulf, kidnapping and torturing citizens of the United States
and many of our allies, diverting humanitarian aid, brutally repressing Yemenis
in areas they control” and the attack on Yemen’s government in Aden at the end
of last year, Blinken said.
The
US designation of the Houthis as a terrorist group will end on Tuesday in hopes
of supporting humanitarian efforts, Blinken announced. “The revocations are
intended to ensure that relevant US policies do not impede assistance to those
already suffering what has been called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis,”
he said.
Earlier,
the new US administration condemned the “reprehensible actions” of the Houthis,
warning that Washington will continue to “keep up the pressure” on the
militia’s leadership.
US
efforts to end the war in Yemen did not signal a change in its attitude toward
the Houthis, State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
“We
will continue to keep up the pressure on the Houthis. If the Houthi leadership
is under any illusion that the intent to revoke this designation suggests that
we are going to let up the pressure on them, they are sorely mistaken,” he
said.
Price
said that the Biden administration continues to support Saudi Arabia. He
condemned the recent Houthi attack on Abha airport and warned against any
attacks on US sites.
“When
the secretary communicated to Congress his intent to remove the designation of
Ansar Allah as a broad movement, we made clear that it has nothing to do with
our view of the Houthis and their reprehensible conduct,” Price said.
“We
spoke forcefully and in no uncertain terms about their attacks on our partner
Saudi Arabia, their kidnapping of American citizens and their malign influence
throughout the region.”
Price
said: “Our goal is to support the diplomatic process, to move that forward
under the auspices of the UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths. Our goal and our
plan is to help our Saudi partners defend themselves. And we intend to take
prudent steps like this to alleviate or at least not worsen the suffering of
the Yemeni civilians who live under Houthi control.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1808196/middle-east
--------
US
President Biden to call Israel’s Netanyahu, but no time set: White House
12
February ,2021
The
White House on Friday denied that US President Joe Biden was intentionally
snubbing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by failing to include him so
far in an early round of phone calls to foreign leaders since taking office on
Jan. 20.
The
lack of direct contact between the Democratic president and the long-serving
right-wing premier has fueled speculation in Israel and among Middle East
experts that the new administration may be signaling its displeasure over the
close ties Netanyahu forged with Biden’s predecessor, former President Donald
Trump.
“He
is looking forward to speaking with Prime Minister Netanyahu,” White House
spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters at a daily briefing when asked when Biden
would call. “I can assure you that will be soon, but I don’t have a specific
time or deadline.”
Asked
if the delay in a Biden courtesy call was meant to disrespect the Israeli
leader. Psaki said: “It is not an intentional dis. Prime Minister Netanyahu is
someone the president has known for some time.” Biden, she said, was “looking
forward to having the conversation.”
Israel
is one of Washington’s closest allies. Trump and his predecessor, Barack Obama,
under whom Biden served as vice president, both spoke to Netanyahu within days
of taking office.
Biden
has already made calls to a number of foreign leaders, including those from
China, Mexico, Britain, India, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea and Russia.
Netanyahu
has himself downplayed the notion that he was being slighted.
While
Netanyahu was almost in lock-step with Trump over Middle East policy, he could
be in for frostier relations with Biden. Biden has long been regarded in Israel
as a friend in Washington but he and Netanyahu have sometimes not seen
eye-to-eye.
Netanyahu
will be challenged if Biden restores US participation in the Iran nuclear deal
that Trump withdrew from, improves Washington’s tattered relations with the
Palestinians as he has promised, and opposes Israeli settlement building on of
occupied land where Palestinians seek statehood.
Netanyahu
used his bond with Trump in recent elections to tout his ability to keep the
United States aligned with his policies. But with Israel’s fourth election in
two years scheduled for March 23, he may not have that political luxury
anymore.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/02/13/US-foreign-policy-US-President-Biden-to-call-Israel-s-Netanyahu-but-no-time-set-White-House
--------
Biden
starts off tough on Turkey, with rocky path ahead
February
12, 2021
WASHINGTON:
Joe Biden has opened his presidency by taking a visibly harder line on Turkey,
with analysts expecting a rocky path ahead between the uneasy allies as their
interests increasingly diverge.
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, like many of the leaders who wooed Biden’s
predecessor Donald Trump, is getting an early cold shoulder from Biden, who
before being elected described the president an autocrat and promised to
empower the opposition.
Biden
has not called Erdogan and the new administration has immediately rebuked
Turkey, urging the release of prominent civil society leader Osman Kavala and
criticizing homophobic rhetoric in a crackdown on student demonstrators.
The
statements are in line with Biden’s vow to put a new priority on democracy
promotion, but the United States and Turkey have plenty of other disputes
likely to exacerbate tensions.
Erdogan
defiantly bought Russia’s advanced S-400 missile system, brushing aside
warnings that it was jeopardizing its role in the NATO alliance, leading Trump
to impose narrow sanctions on the Turkish defense industry in the face of
outrage in the US Congress.
And
a New York court in May will start a trial of Turkey’s state-run Halkbank over
allegedly evading sanctions on Iran, potentially inflicting a heavy economic
blow on Turkey.
“Relations
can improve for the better, but I think people will have to temper their
expectations,” said Steven Cook, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign
Relations.
“Turkey
and the United States have different interests and do not share values. The two
countries can work together on some issues, but there is nothing that binds
them together any longer.”
Gonul
Tol, director of the Turkey program at the Washington-based Middle East
Institute, said that the S-400s posed an especially knotty problem as Erdogan
had cast the purchase in nationalist terms, saying Ankara was asserting
independence.
But
Erdogan, she said, is under pressure over a struggling economy and has an
interest in avoiding more wide-ranging US sanctions if he moves further on the
S-400s.
“I
think he’s realizing that he’s very isolated in the region and that his whole
anti-Western, anti-US rhetoric is not working for him,” Tol said.
After
Biden took office, Turkey proposed a compromise in which it does not fully
operate the S-400s, but the State Department insisted that its ally not
“retain” the multibillion-dollar system that NATO fears will help Russia hone
its ability to shoot down Western jets.
Yet
Tol said that Biden, despite his emphasis on democracy, was also pragmatic. She
pointed to his early stance on Russia in which the administration has been
forthright on concerns but also extended the New START nuclear reduction
treaty.
“I
think there are several camps in the Biden administration and some might say,
let’s see how Turkey behaves on issues critical to the US such as the S-400s,
the Eastern Mediterranean and Nagorno-Karabakh,” she said, referring to
heightened tension between Turkey and fellow NATO ally Greece and Ankara’s
support for Azerbaijan’s offensive to retake land held by Armenia.
“If
there is a sign that they can actually cooperate with Turkey on matters that
are important to national security, then I think we could see a softer approach
overall,” Tol said.
Secretary
of State Antony Blinken in his confirmation hearing pointedly called Turkey
“our so-called strategic partner,” although State Department spokesman Ned
Price has since described Turkey as a “longstanding and valued NATO ally.”
“We
seek cooperation on common priorities and, as with any ally, we engage in
dialogue to address disagreements,” Price told reporters.
He
pointed to shared interest in ending Syria’s civil war. But Syria has been a
persistent source of friction since Biden’s former boss Barack Obama aligned
with Kurdish fighters — linked to separatists inside Turkey — to defeat Daesh.
The
Eurasia Group in an analysis said that both Turkey and the United States had an
interest in improving ties but put a 60 percent probability on talks breaking
down in the second half of 2021, most likely over the S-400s or Syria.
In
an essay, Galip Dalay, a non-resident fellow at the Brookings Doha Center,
expected US-Turkish tensions to fester, saying the two nations had different
views on what resetting the relationship meant.
For
Biden, he wrote, a reset means restoring a US-led liberal international order
in which Turkey reverses its growing ties with Russia and a rising China.
But
for Erdogan, “a reset means that the US would come to terms with the new
geopolitical reality in Turkey’s neighborhood, including Turkey’s role in it.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1808241/middle-east
--------
Five
more charged in Capitol riot allegedly teamed with Kansas City Proud Boys
By
Spencer S. Hsu and Rachel Weiner
Feb.
11, 2021
Five
people worked with Proud Boys from Kansas City and other unnamed individuals to
breach the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, U.S. prosecutors alleged, unsealing charges
Thursday in one of the largest co-defendant cases yet brought in an
investigation in which more than 200 have been charged.
The
defendants, wearing helmets, vests and tactical gear marked with fluorescent
orange tape, “appeared to gesture and communicate to one another” to coordinate
efforts during and after forcing entry to the Capitol, the FBI alleged.
Surveillance
footage showed at least four taking actions to prevent police from deploying
descending metal barriers to seal off underground access to the Capitol, allowing
the invading crowd to surge forward, the FBI said in a 28-page affidavit dated
Wednesday.
The
arrests of William Chrestman, Christopher Kuehne, Louis Enrique Colon, all of
Kansas City, and siblings Felicia and Cory Konold bring the number of those affiliated
with the Proud Boys to nearly 18 among those charged with battling law
enforcement and obstructing the electoral vote confirmation of President
Biden’s victory.
Federal
prosecutors and the FBI have accused self-identified Proud Boys of leading some
of the earliest, most destructive and critical efforts to overrun police lines
and break into the Capitol building. Two have been charged with counts listed
as federal crimes of terrorism, relating to destruction of government property
to intimidate or coerce the government.
Charges
for the Kansas City group were unsealed after all five were taken into custody.
Information about their lawyers was not available, and efforts to contact
relatives were not immediately successful.
The
Proud Boys, a far-right group with a history of violence, was embraced by
former president Donald Trump during the election campaign, and it mobilized to
attend the Jan. 6 events in D.C. Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, who
was arrested two days earlier for allegedly having burned a Black Lives Matter
banner torn down from a historic church during a previous rally in Washington,
has pleaded not guilty and denied that the Proud Boys organized any violence at
the Capitol.
Nevertheless,
the charges unsealed Thursday significantly expand the number of those
allegedly affiliated with a group of dozens of Proud Boys allegedly led by Joe
Biggs, of Miami, and Ethan Nordean, of Seattle, who have been charged
separately.
In
a footnote to a charging affidavit, an FBI agent noted, “Your affiant believes
that there may be more persons involved in this particular conspiracy than the
persons described throughout this affidavit, and the investigation is ongoing.”
The
FBI previously has alleged that Proud Boy Dominic Pezzola, of Rochester, N.Y.,
was one of the first to lead the mob both outside and inside the Capitol. The
FBI has accused him in court filings of removing barricades, stampeding police,
stealing an officer’s riot shield and using it to smash in a Capitol window,
allowing others to rush into the building perilously close to Vice President
Mike Pence as he was being led to safety.
Pezzola
faces charges including counts of obstructing a government proceeding and two
crimes of violence, including destruction of government property to intimidate,
coerce, or retaliate against government action — which by law is a federal
crime of terrorism, prosecutors said Wednesday in securing his detention
pending trial.
Also
charged is Nordean, 30, whose communications the FBI alleged indicate that he
and others were planning in advance to organize a group that would try to
overwhelm police barricades and breach the U.S. Capitol.
Nordean,
also known as Rufio Panman, also was charged with obstruction of the vote
certification and the statutory terrorism charge of aiding and abetting
destruction of property to intimidate or retaliate against the government. U.S.
prosecutors are appealing a magistrate judge’s release order for Nordean issued
Monday.
The
FBI has alleged that Nordean and others appeared motivated in part by what they
perceived to be an insufficient police response to the stabbing of one of their
members who attended a December pro-Trump demonstration in D.C.
The
Kansas City group arrested Thursday interacted with the Nordean-Biggs group, with
appearing to move together and communicate during the riot, the FBI alleged.
All
five in the Kansas City group wore pieces of orange tape on their headgear or
backpacks, the affidavit alleged, and rolls of tape were carried at one point
by Kuehne. Chrestman carried a wooden club or ax handle wrapped in a blue flag,
court documents said.
The
bearded Chrestman, wearing a black cap, hooded sweatshirt and tactical vest,
has similar facial features to Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes, the FBI agent
noted, and has been misidentified as McInnes by some social media sleuths who
noted Chrestman’s appearance in videos of the riot.
Video
footage taken as a crowd presses up against a thin line of Capitol Police on
the west front of the building shows Chrestman shouting, “Whose house is this?”
and the crowd answering, “Our house,” according to charging papers
“Do
you want your house back?” he added, the FBI said, adding, “Take it!”
At
another point, Chrestman allegedly threatened an officer and called on others
in the crowd to stop police from arresting one rioter, “Don’t let them take
him!”
In
a selfie-style video she allegedly posted on social media and which was
recovered by the FBI, Felicia Konold said that evening, “I never could
[unintelligible] have imagined having that much of an influence on the events
that unfolded today. [Laughs] Dude, people were willing to follow.”
In
a Snapchat video on a site the FBI said it traced to Konold, a woman is heard
speaking as a coin is shown that appears to be marked as belonging to the
Kansas City Proud Boys, and the speaker celebrates that she has just been
recruited to a chapter from Kansas City. She says in the video, according to
the FBI, that even though she is not from Kansas City, she is “with them now.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/kansas-city-proud-boys-charged-capitol-riots/2021/02/11/389d47b6-6c73-11eb-9ead-673168d5b874_story.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1996783_
--------
Europe
France,
Germany, UK call on Iran to stop all activities that violate nuclear deal
12
February ,2021
The
‘E3’ group of leading European powers - France, Germany and the United Kingdom
- on Friday condemned Iran’s decision to produce uranium metal, which they said
was in breach of commitments made by Iran to the international community.
The
United Nations’ nuclear watchdog had said earlier this week that Iran had
followed through on its plan to make uranium metal, after Tehran had alarmed
Western nations with its intent to produce the material with which the core of
nuclear weapons can be made.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“We
strongly urge Iran to halt these activities without delay and not to take any
new non-compliant steps on its nuclear programme. In escalating its
non-compliance, Iran is undermining the opportunity for renewed diplomacy to
fully realize the objectives of the JCPoA,” said the E3 in a statement.
“We
reiterate that Iran has no credible civilian justification for these activities,
which are a key step in the development of a nuclear weapon,” the statement by
the three countries said.
It
said that under the nuclear deal, Iran committed not to engage in producing or
acquiring uranium metal for 15 years.
The
nuclear deal aimed to provide a gradual lifting of international sanctions
against Iran in exchange for safeguards Tehran would not seek a nuclear weapon.
But
it has been essentially moribund since the US pulled out, with Tehran stepping
up its nuclear work in violation of the accord as retaliation.
Analysts
have said only a narrow window of opportunity exists this year to bring the
United States back on board.
The
Biden administration is impatient to move fast, while the prospect of a
hardliner winning an Iranian presidential election later this year is also
looming large.
However
it will require the most delicate diplomacy to move forward, with the White
House insisting Iran must move to full compliance before the US can return to
the deal, but Tehran wanting no preconditions.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/02/12/Iran-nuclear-deal-France-Germany-UK-call-on-Iran-to-stop-all-activities-that-violate-nuclear-deal
--------
British
premier congratulates new Libyan counterpart
Rabia
Iclal Turan
12.02.2021
British
Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday held a phone call with his new Libyan
counterpart Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, congratulating him on his appointment as well
as reiterating the UK’s support for the political process in Libya.
“He
[Johnson] offered our full support to his administration as they seek to
implement the October 2020 ceasefire agreement and work to improve public
services and governance,” said a readout by the UK premier’s office.
“They
agreed to remain in close contact in the coming months as the interim
government prepares for national elections later this year,” it added.
Dbeibeh,
for his part, underlined his intention to “bring Libyans together and stabilize
the country,” the readout said.
Last
week, Libya's rival political groups agreed to form an interim unity government
after five days of talks in Switzerland. Mohammad Younes Menfi was elected to
head the Presidency Council of an interim government and Dbeibeh as its prime
minister.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/british-premier-congratulates-new-libyan-counterpart/2143104
--------
Turkey’s
envoy to UN in Geneva condemns Myanmar coup
Peter
Kenny
12.02.2021
GENEVA
The
Turkish ambassador to the UN in Geneva condemned the recent military coup in
Myanmar, saying his country is against any such type of takeover and military
intervention.
Turkish
envoy Sadik Arslan was speaking at a "special session" of the UN
Human Rights Council on "implications of the crisis in Myanmar" on
Friday.
"We
are deeply concerned about and strongly condemn the military takeover that took
place in Myanmar on 1 February 2021. Turkey is against any kind of coup d'etats
and military interventions as a matter of principle," he said.
Arslan
said Turkey expects the immediate release of all detained elected officials,
political personalities, and civilians.
Turkey
is particularly concerned about the fate and political future of the state
counselor and de facto leader of the country, Aung San Suu Kyi.
"We
hope that this grave development will not worsen the plight of Rohingya Muslims
living in Myanmar," said Arslan.
The
envoy said Turkey is ready to support the international community to take a
firm stance against the military coup.
"We
are deeply concerned about the prospects of escalation of the crisis by the
violent suppression of protests following the declaration of martial law,"
said Arslan.
Turkey
would continue to closely monitor developments in Myanmar and encourage the
country to return to the democratic path as soon as possible.
Around
50 countries supported the 29th special session of the UN Human Rights Council
on Myanmar requested by the EU and the UK.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/turkey-s-envoy-to-un-in-geneva-condemns-myanmar-coup/2143097
--------
Violent
propaganda an 'enormous challenge' for security agencies amid rising rightwing
threat – report
Daniel
Hurst
12
Feb 2021
The
use of social media to spread propaganda that glorifies indiscriminate violence
poses an “enormous ongoing challenge” for Australia’s security agencies, amid a
rapid expansion of extreme rightwing material, a new report says.
The
Independent National Security Legislation Monitor’s annual report has provided
an insight into the “evolving” threat of terrorism in Australia, noting that
both Islamist and rightwing extremists have increased their propagandising
efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The
report flagged a forthcoming review of Australia’s espionage and foreign
interference laws and said the independent security monitor was wrestling with
complicated questions of how to investigate concerns about secrecy in national
security-related court cases.
Grant
Donaldson SC, a former solicitor general of Western Australia who was appointed
to the independent monitoring role last year, noted the terrorist threat level
remained at “probable” but the nature of the challenge continued to change.
Donaldson
informed parliament, in the report tabled late on Thursday, that Australian
security agencies continued to pursue a large number of high-priority
investigations, mainly concerning Islamist extremists.
He
said some of the 45 or so Australians who had returned from the Syria or Iraq
conflict zones remained “a significant security risk”, while a number of
terrorism offenders were scheduled for release from Australian prisons over the
next five years.
But
in a sign of the shifting security environment, Donaldson added: “The threat
from extreme rightwing terrorists has increased since the Christchurch attack
and subsequent similar attacks and there remains the possibility of individuals
being radicalised to extreme rightwing ideologies.”
During
the reporting period of 2019-20, the number of jihadist attacks in the west had
declined, while the number of extreme rightwing attacks increased in Europe and
the United States, Donaldson wrote.
He
said the pandemic would continue to have implications for counter-terrorism
efforts, amid “concerns that social isolation caused by lockdowns may lead
vulnerable individuals to engage more with terrorist propaganda”.
“Both
Islamist and rightwing extremists have increased their propagandising efforts
during this period,” the report said.
Donaldson
said the narratives underpinning the terrorist threat to Australia continued to
diversify, with both jihadists and the extreme right weaving the pandemic into
their world view.
“For
the former it is a divine punishment inflicted on its enemies; for the latter
it is a plague spread by its enemies and an opportunity to accelerate societal
collapse,” he wrote.
“Widespread
dissemination, via social media, of propaganda that glorifies indiscriminate
violence poses an enormous ongoing challenge.”
Donaldson
said while there had been a significant decline in the media output of Islamic
State (Isis), it remained prolific, “and the risk of low level terrorist
attacks using crude methods, as well as high impact attacks with significant
causalities, remains”.
Extreme
rightwing propaganda had “also seen a rapid expansion since Christchurch”.
“All
of this propaganda romanticises and encourages violence and some of it provides
practical ‘how to’ advice,” he said, noting that Australia continued to feature
in this material as a target and source of recruits.
“The
proliferation of online platforms has revolutionised radicalisation across
ideologies and will continue to do so as these technologies evolve. This
propaganda will continue to influence the vulnerable.”
Donaldson
said Isis had pioneered the terrorist use of social media and propaganda,
allowing it to “reach into western societies” and to build “self-sustaining”
communities even after setbacks.
“Extreme
rightwing groups and individuals are developing similar networks and linkages,
sharing propaganda across borders and lauding and encouraging violence and
atrocities such as the Christchurch attack,” he said.
The
report adds to recent warnings by Asio and the new head of the intelligence
committee about the increasing threat of the far right, and comes as MPs
prepare to conduct an inquiry into extremist movements.
Guardian
Australia reported on Thursday that the US leader of the Proud Boys had praised
one of the group’s Australian members as “amazing” after he filmed himself
making threats at the workplace of a man who he believed made a negative
comment about him on social media. The Proud Boys, a neo-fascist group, is now
listed as a terrorist organisation in Canada.
The
independent security monitor, a position established by the Rudd government in
2010, reviews the operation, effectiveness and implications of Australia’s
national security and counter-terrorism laws.
Donaldson,
appointed in November after acting in the role since July, said he had “not
seen anything to indicate that the legislation subject to my review has been
used for matters unrelated to counter-terrorism or national security”.
His
predecessor, Dr James Renwick SC, published a report in July calling for the
attorney general to be stripped of the power to approve orders that would force
tech and social media companies to help security services to potentially spy on
the public.
Renwick
also called for changes to citizenship-stripping laws.
In
the latest annual report, Donaldson noted he was due to begin a review of the
Turnbull-era espionage and foreign interference laws in the second half of 2021
– something that would be “an enormous task”.
Donaldson
said his predecessor had initiated a review of laws allowing suppression of
information during court proceedings, as they specifically related to the
so-called Alan Johns matter.
The
pseudonym refers to a mysterious inmate in a Canberra prison who was prosecuted
and jailed in complete secrecy.
If
it became impossible to review just the laws as they applied to the Alan Johns
matter, Donaldson would conduct a broader review of the National Security
(Criminal and Civil Proceedings) Act 2004.
But
he had misgivings about a broader review at the current time, given provisions
of the same law were “currently the subject of intense controversy in
prosecutions before the ACT courts of Bernard Collaery and a former
intelligence officer pseudonymised as ‘Witness K’”.
“I
foreshadow though that, because of the extraordinary nature of the orders made
in the Alan Johns matter, I am likely to review at least certain parts of the
NSI Act and commence this promptly.”
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/feb/12/violent-propaganda-an-enormous-challenge-for-security-agencies-amid-rising-rightwing-threat-report?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1996783_
--------
Pakistan
IHC
judge recuses himself from hearing ex-ISI chief's ECL plea over 'reasons I
don't want to share'
Tahir
Naseer
February
12, 2021
Islamabad
High Court (IHC) Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani on Friday recused himself from
further hearing a petition filed by former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)
director general Asad Durrani seeking removal of his name from the Exit Control
List (ECL).
The
judge did not provide a reason for his decision, saying he had taken it due to
"reasons I don't want to share".
Retired
Lt Gen Durrani found himself in hot water after co-authoring a book, titled The
Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace, with Amarjit Singh Dulat,
the former head of India's Research and Analysis Wing spy agency, in 2018.
After
the book's publication, the Military Intelligence (MI) had written to the
interior ministry to put Durrani’s name on the ECL and the same was done in May
2018. The former spymaster challenged the move in the IHC in 2019.
When
the petition was again taken up for hearing on Friday, Justice Kayani announced
his recusal from the case, which he had been hearing as part of the single-member
bench.
"[I]
know the entire background of the case [and] was in the process of writing the
judgement as well," the judge told the court. "This is unfortunate
but there are some reasons which I don't want to share [publically]."
Justice
Kayani said he was sending the case back to the IHC chief justice so he could
take a decision about forming a new bench to hear the matter.
In
his petition, Gen Durrani claimed that the government had put his name on the
ECL in connection with an inquiry related to a book he co-authored. The inquiry
has since been concluded and he had also been punished accordingly; however,
his name was still on the ECL.
Last
month, the Ministry of Defence had opposed Durrani's request seeking removal of
his name from the no-fly list, saying he had been "interacting with
hostile elements" including Indian intelligence agency RAW since 2008 and
was likely to be involved in future publications against the interests of
Pakistan.
In
its para-wise comments submitted in response to Durrani's petition in the IHC,
the defence ministry said the former ISI chief's name was placed on the ECL for
"his involvement in anti-state activities".
It
said a perusal of the book The Spy Chronicles revealed that it contained
"certain contents concerning [the] national security of Pakistan, being in
contravention of the provisions of the Official Secrets Acts, 1923".
"It
is further highlighted that there are [a] number of such publications on the
way, supported by hostile elements which contain content to create
misperception, confusions, question marks against the top leadership circles at
country level and to target the common people," read the ministry's
response.
It
said Durrani's name could not be removed from the ECL "at this stage"
because inquiries being conducted against him were being finalised. It said the
former ISI chief wanted to travel abroad with the intention of participating in
international conferences, forums and talks which will have "serious
national security implications".
"Moreover,
the petitioner also appeared on social media on October 12 and 13, 2020, and
expressed his views which of course cannot be well received by any patriotic
citizen," the ministry stated.
While
noting that Durrani had remained part of the army for 32 years and served on
important and sensitive positions, the ministry said "it was inappropriate
of his stature to co-author a book that too with [an] ex-Indian RAW chief and
Indian journalist on matters concerning the national security of the
country".
"Hence,
a sufficient cause for placing the petitioner's name on ECL [exists]," it
added.
The
ministry said after Durrani's book was evaluated from a "security
perspective", it was confirmed by the Court of Inquiry that it contained
contents "which were against the interests of Pakistan".
In
the book, the two ex-spymasters have touched upon some thorny issues which have
kept Pakistan-India ties strained for decades and at times pushed them to the
brink of war.
Before
the Court of Inquiry was ordered against Durrani, PML-N supremo and former
prime minister Nawaz Sharif had drawn a parallel between his statement on the
2008 Mumbai attacks case and the contents of The Spy Chronicles. He had also
called for the National Security Council to reconvene on the matter as it had done
in his (Sharif’s) case.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1606965/ihc-judge-recuses-himself-from-hearing-ex-isi-chiefs-ecl-plea-over-reasons-i-dont-want-to-share
--------
Substantive
progress made on FATF items, says FO
Baqir
Sajjad Syed
February
13, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
The Foreign Office on Friday said that Pakistan had made substantive progress
on the remaining items of the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) Action Plan.
“FATF
had assessed Pakistan to have completed 21 of the 27 Action Items under the
current Action Plan. In the remaining six partially addressed items,
significant progress has been made by Pakistan, which is duly acknowledged by
the wider FATF membership,” Foreign Office Spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said
at the weekly media briefing.
Pakistan,
he said, remained committed to completing the implementation of the FATF Action
Plan.
Working
groups start meetings ahead of Feb 22 plenary session
Mr
Chaudhri made these comments as the FATF’s working groups started their
meetings ahead of the upcoming plenary session, which would be held virtually
from Feb 22 to 25. The plenary meeting would decide Pakistan’s case after
assessing the progress made by the country on the action plan given by the
illicit financing watchdog.
Pakistan
has been on the FATF’s ‘grey list’ for deficiencies in its counter-terror
financing and anti-money laundering regimes since 2018.
In
its last meeting held in October last year, the watchdog had decided to retain
Pakistan on the list of ‘jurisdiction under enhanced monitoring’ till the
review in February 2021 when the status of its compliance with recommendations
would be reassessed.
Pakistan
till the last assessment was found to have not adequately acted against the
organisations linked to the terror groups listed by the UN Security Council;
and regarding prosecution and conviction of banned individuals. Similarly, it
was said to have done little to tackle terror financing through smuggling of
narcotics and precious stones.
Pakistan
has lately taken further steps to convince the FATF to normalise its status.
These actions included the prosecution of Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed
and his associates in terror financing cases.
Foreign
Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while briefing the Senate Foreign Affairs
Committee a couple of weeks ago, hoped that the FATF would delist Pakistan from
its grey list at its next plenary meeting.
Mr
Chaudhri, while responding to another question at the briefing, said: “As a
responsible state, Pakistan remains firmly committed to peace in the region and
beyond.”
The
spokesman criticised India for its “hegemonic and expansionist designs” and
“irresponsible actions” that were imperiling regional peace and security.
Noting
that India had troubled relations with its neighbours, he asked Delhi to
undertake “a serious course correction” for the sake of peace and security in
the region.
While
commenting on reports of disengagement between China and India after months of
stand-off at the disputed border, he said: “We hope that the issue will be
resolved as per the agreed understandings and available mechanism.”
Indian
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday informed the parliament that an
agreement had been reached with China on disengagement “on the north and south
banks of the Pangong lake.”
The
standoff had started in April.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1607071/substantive-progress-made-on-fatf-items-says-fo
--------
PM
aide calls for building Pak-US ties around economic security
February
13, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security Dr Moeed Yusuf on
Friday called for building the Pak-US bilateral relationship around economic
security.
He
was speaking at the launch of a report titled ‘Pak-Americana: Ushering in a
New Era of Pakistan-US Relations’ published by Tabadlab, a think tank and
advisory services firm.
This
paradigm shift in ties, he believed, could be achieved through co-investment
and cooperation in connectivity projects.
Dr
Yusuf said: “There are lot of positives to pick up and work with and move
forward.” He noted that Pakistan and the US can cooperate and assist each other
on regional peace, climate change, Covid-19 and pandemics.
Urges
world community to remove artificial barriers like FATF’s grey listing
However,
he categorically cautioned against looking at Pakistan through a third country
lens and keeping India at the centre of all conversations.
Dr
Yusuf also called for getting past the problems that occurred back in time and
created mutual mistrust by talking about the transformed Pakistan and updating
the narrative about the country.
While
talking about trade and investment, he said that Pakistan expects from the
international community to remove the “artificial barriers” like FATF’s grey
listing that are politically motivated.
Pakistan’s
Ambassador at Large for Foreign Investment and former ambassador to the US, Ali
Jahangir Siddiqui, said: “It is increasingly in the interest of both countries
to re-establish a closer bilateral relationship, transitioning from geopolitics
to geo-economics.”
The
report is based on the insights and recommendations given by a group of
Pakistani experts on ties with the US. The group included academics, former
military officers, former diplomats, business people and intellectuals.
The
report prepared essentially for Pakistani policy makers identifies the key
drivers of the relationship, outlines issues of concern and recommends ways for
dealing with them. It suggests that in view of the changing geostrategic
environment in the region, there are opportunities for Pakistani policy makers
to proactively seek and establish a comprehensive and resilient bilateral
relationship with the US. It also recommends the revival of the ministerial
strategic dialogue.
There
are few intriguing recommendations in the report as well like avoiding “blanket
endorsement of all Chinese foreign or domestic policies, especially when doing
so might undermine the principled positions that Pakistan may take on other
issues, particularly its leadership at the UN in countering religious
discrimination, especially against Muslims”.
It
also suggests to “engage in and support intelligence cooperation and
intelligence sharing for counterterrorism with the US partner nations in South
Asia” including India.
Lead
author Syed Muhammad Ali, who is associated with Middle East Institute, said at
the ceremony: “There is lot of room where the convergence of ideas can be built
upon to make this bilateral relationship, which has been so turbulent and
fraught with tensions at time, more robust, more sustainable, more resilient and
less transactional.”
https://www.dawn.com/news/1607075/pm-aide-calls-for-building-pak-us-ties-around-economic-security
--------
Mideast
Spokesman:
No Member of Iran’s Consulate Detained in Istanbul
2021-February-12
“None
of the Iranian diplomats have been arrested in Istanbul,” Khatibzadeh made the
remarks in reaction to an article published in a Turkish media outlet as well
as certain allegations, describing the article "as completely baseless and
based on sheer accusations."
He
underlined that none of the employees of the Iranian Consulate General in
Istanbul have been involved in the activities claimed by this media, and none
of them have been arrested.
The
spokesman added that the person claimed on the media is not an employee of the
Iranian mission and stressed that Iran is in contact with Turkey through
official channels to probe into the issue and clarify its dimensions.
Turkish
Daily Sabah, on its Thursday issue, claimed that early in this week, an Iranian
diplomat of the country’s Consulate General in Istanbul had been detained on
charges of involvement in murdering an Iranian citizen in Turkey in 2019.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991124000101/Spkesman-N-Member-f-Iran%E2%80%99s-Cnslae-Deained-in-Isanbl
--------
Iran’s
Speaker Underlines Development of Tehran-Beijing Ties
2021-February-12
Qalibaf
sent separate congratulatory messages to Chairman of the Standing Committee of
the Chinese National People’s Congress Li Zhanshu and Head of the Consultative
Assembly of the People's Republic of China Wang Yang, congratulating the Lunar
New Year or Spring Festival, and highlighting the need for broadening of mutual
ties and cooperation.
He
expressed gratitude for holding virtual constructive talks in recent days.
The
speaker continued that the Iranian parliament backs any effort for
reinforcement of strategic relations between Beijing and Tehran.
He
wished health, happiness and prosperity for the friendly Chinese government and
people.
In
relevant remarks in October, Iranian Ambassador to China Mohammad
Keshavarzzadeh felicitated Mid-Fall Festival and National Day of the People's
Republic of China, and expressed pleasure that the two countries have
accelerated cooperation in various fields.
He
wrote on his Twitter page that Iran and China have had good diplomatic
relations for several decades, hoping that next year both countries will
celebrate the 50th anniversary of these relations more gloriously.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991124000139/Iran%E2%80%99s-Speaker-Underlines-Develpmen-f-Tehran-Beijing-Ties
--------
Two
killed, 14 wounded in large gas explosion in Iran’s Ardabil: Report
Tamara
Abueish
13
February ,2021
Two
people were killed and 14 others were injured in a gas explosion at a
residential complex in the city of Ardabil, northwest of Iran, the UK-based
Iran International reported on Saturday.
Two
buildings were completely destroyed and several others were damaged in the
explosion, the director of the Ardabil Fire Department, Mahmoud Reza Yaghoubi,
told Iran International.
Two
bodies have been recovered from underneath the rubble so far, the director
said. All those who are suffering from injuries were taken to hospitals in
Ardabil, he added.
No
fire was reportedly seen at the site of the explosion and the cause of the
accident is currently under investigation, according to the report.
Officials
believe the accident was most likely caused by a large leak that caused an
accumulation of gas to explode, Yaghoubi said.
Dozens
of explosions and fires around military, nuclear and industrial facilities have
been reported in Iran since late June.
Some
of the explosions in the past few months were reportedly linked to the
deteriorating infrastructure in the country, while others may have been
security-related such as blasts at sensitive military and nuclear sites.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/02/13/Two-killed-10-wounded-in-gas-explosion-in-Iran-s-Ardabil-Report
--------
State
Department says it is not putting its faith in Yemen’s Houthi militia
12
February ,2021
The
United States is not putting its faith in the Houthi militia despite lifting
the group’s designation as a terrorist organization, the State Department said
Friday.
“I
don’t think we are putting our trust in the Houthi leadership, far from it in
fact,” State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters during a phone
call.
Price’s
comments came hours after the State Department announced that it would revoke
the terrorist designation of the Houthis and its leadership, which was made by
the Trump administration last month.
Asked
by Al Arabiya what gave Washington the confidence such a move would lead to the
Iran-backed group returning to peace talks, Price said the US was putting a
priority on diplomacy, “broadly.”
Price
added that the US would continue to pressure the Houthis and look for
individuals to sanction over their continued attacks against allies in the
region, including Saudi Arabia.
“At
the same time, it is true that we believe there is not a military solution to
the conflict in Yemen,” he said.
Despite
the US announcing its intention to reverse the Trump-era designation of the
Houthis and President Joe Biden’s declaration that the US would no longer
support “offensive operations” in Yemen, the group has continued to attack
Saudi Arabia.
On
Thursday, the Houthis claimed a drone attack on a civilian airplane at Saudi
Arabia’s Abha airport and launched bomb-laden drones intercepted by the Arab
Coalition.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/02/13/US-foreign-policy-State-Department-says-it-is-not-putting-its-faith-in-Yemen-s-Houthi-militia
--------
Dozens
dead as Houthi offensive in Yemen’s northern Marib escalates
12
February ,2021
Fighting
in Yemen’s north has left dozens dead and wounded, a government source said
Friday, as the Houthis battle to seize a strategic oil-rich region of Marib.
Yemen’s
Iran-backed Houthis have resumed an offensive to seize Marib, the government’s
last northern stronghold, with reports of heavy clashes with pro-government
forces, including air strikes pounding a rebel convoy.
“Dozens
of people have been killed and wounded on both sides,” a government source told
AFP, claiming that “most of the deaths were Houthis hit by air strikes.”
The
loss of Marib would be disastrous for the beleaguered leadership.
On
Thursday night, Houthi militants fired a missile into the suburbs of Marib
“killing eight soldiers and wounding many others,” he added.
Military
sources said the Arab Coalition launched several air strikes on Houthi
positions near Marib, including destroying a Houthi convoy of eight vehicles,
killing all.
Marib
lies some 120 kilometers east of the capital Sanaa, which the Houthis have held
– along with much of the north – since 2014.
Residents
in Marib said the city was on alert and that government forces had appealed on
local tribes to support them.
This
month the militia launched a new push for Marib, and also escalated attacks
against Saudi Arabia, drawing condemnation from the international community.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/02/12/Dozens-dead-as-houthi-offensive-in-Yemen-s-northern-Marib-escalates
--------
Turkey
calls on US to end support for PYD/YPG
Hamdi
Celikbas
12.02.2021
Turkey’s
presidential spokesman urged the US on Thursday to end its support for the
PYD/YPG terrorist group.
“The
US should end its support to the PYD/YPG. It should say 'stop' to FETO's
activities there,” said Ibrahim Kalin during an interview with TRT Haber,
Turkey’s state-run news channel.
Noting
that the administration of US President Joe Biden came with many new promises
and made statements that they would take new steps after the Donald Trump era,
Kalin recalled a phone call with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan
last week as the first contact with the new administration.
“We
actually handled all the issues in detail there. So it was a phone call that
lasted about one hour,” Kalin said.
“We
discussed in detail both the controversial issues and the issues with which we
can act together.”
Kalin
said there were three main controversial issues in Turkish-US relations.
“The
S-400 issue and the implementation of CAATSA sanctions in connection with it
and removing Turkey from the F-35 program. Secondly, the support the US has
given to the PYD/YPG since the [former President Barack] Obama era. Third, the
FETO structure still continues its activities against Turkey freely in the US.”
According
to Kalin, these are the three fundamental issues with US administrations that
have strained relations.
“It
started under Obama’s term and continued substantially under Trump.”
Kalin
also said that besides the issues that need to be worked on with the US, there
were also areas where the two countries can act together.
“We
cannot agree on the PYD in Syria, but let me say that we have many common
grounds regarding the future of the [Bashar al-] Assad regime,” he said.
Kalin
noted other areas of common ground such as in Iraq, the fight against terrorism
in the region, the fight against Daesh/ISIS, the Eastern Mediterranean as well
as in Libya.
The
YPG and its political wing, the PYD, are the Syrian offshoots of the PKK, a
designated terror organization in the US and Turkey.
In
its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK has been
responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women, children and
infants.
Turkey
has repeatedly objected to US support for the PKK/PYD as a "reliable
ally" in Syria, which has included supplying arms and equipment.
When
asked about a possible conversation between Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and US President Biden, Kalin said the foreign ministers of the two
counties will probably meet in the coming days.
“After
that, let me say that in the coming weeks, there is no exact date right now,
our president may have a meeting with Biden,” he added.
Kalin
said in December that Ankara was hopeful for improved relations under US
President-elect Joe Biden despite a history of problems that would likely
transition to the incoming administration.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/turkey-calls-on-us-to-end-support-for-pyd-ypg/2142235
--------
Africa
Three
killed in car bomb in Somalia’s Mogadishu
13
February ,2021
At
least three people were killed and eight others wounded after a car bomb
detonated near a security checkpoint along a key road in Mogadishu Saturday,
security official and witnesses said.
“The
police were chasing the hostile vehicle after spotting it a few kilometers away
from where it exploded. Three civilians died according to the information we
have received so far and eight others are wounded,” security official
Abdirahman Mohamed told AFP.
“The
police opened fire on the vehicle and chased it and this has allowed many
people to flee away from road. This has really limited the number of casualties
the blast could have caused,” he added.
Witnesses
said they heard gunfire and saw vehicles and three-wheel tuk-tuks scatter
before the heavy blast occurred.
“I
was at a gym close to where the blast occurred, but thanks to God we have heard
the gunshots before the blast. And this alerted many people including myself
and we fled from the area to take cover before the vehicle reached the area of
the explosion,” Dahir Osman, a witness said.
“The
blast was huge, I was inside a shop and I saw police chasing a vehicle on the
wrong side of the road. It crashed into several vehicles and tuk-tuks before it
exploded close to the checkpoint as police continued opening fire on the
vehicle,” said another witness, Aisha Ahmed.
Mogadishu
is regularly targeted with attacks by the al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab group who
have been waging a long and violent insurgency seeking to unseat the
internationally backed government in Mogadishu.
They
were driven out of Mogadishu in 2011, but still control swathes of territory
from where they plan and launch frequent, deadly strikes against government and
civilian targets.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2021/02/13/Three-killed-in-car-bomb-in-Somalia-s-Mogadishu-
--------
UN
rejects Belgian request to seize Libya frozen assets
Ibrahim
al-Khazin
13.02.2021
The
UN Security Council has rejected Belgium’s request to seize 49 million euros of
Libya’s frozen assets, Libya’s permanent delegate to the UN said Saturday.
Taher
el-Sonni described the UN rejection of the Belgian move as a “major victory”
for Libya.
"This
decision is a warning to any country that tries to manipulate the Libyans'
equities," el-Sonni tweeted.
The
diplomat said the Belgium request was unanimously rejected by the UN Security
Council members, but without giving any further details.
El-Sonni
said that Libya has advised Belgium to withdraw its request as it lacked any
legal basis.
There
was no comment from Brussels on the UN decision.
Last
month, the Belgian government said it would inform UN sanctions committee to
unfreeze some of the Libyan assets in Belgian banks to get dues worth 49
million euros to GSDT, an NGO owned by Belgian Prince Laurent.
GSDT
has sued Tripoli for the asset promised to it by former ruler Muammar Gaddafi,
following an agreement in 2008 between the Libyan government and the foundation
to establish a green project in the oil-rich country.
Since
Gaddafi’s ouster and killing in 2011, the UN sanctions committee has imposed an
arms embargo on Libya, including the freezing of the country’s funds abroad.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/un-rejects-belgian-request-to-seize-libya-frozen-assets/2143669
--------
Suicide
car bomb blast wounds 7 in Somali capital
Mohammed
Dhaysane
13.02.2021
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
At
least seven people were wounded when a suicide car bomb blast targeted a
security checkpoint near the Somali parliament headquarters in the capital
Mogadishu on Saturday, police said.
"A
suicide bomber driving a Toyota Noah [vehicle] drove past a security checkpoint
in the Dabka area, forcing police to open fire. At least seven people were
wounded, eight cars and nine rickshaws were destroyed in the morning bombing in
Mogadishu," Somali police said in a statement.
The
attack targeted a security checkpoint near the Sayidka junction in Mogadishu's
busiest Makka al-Mukarama road.
The
Sayidka junction is located steps away from Somali parliament headquarters and
close to the presidential palace in Mogadishu.
Somali
police have not reported any fatalities in the suicide bombing but local media
said at least five people were killed.
Police
spokesman Sadaq Adan Ali had earlier confirmed the car bomb blast to Anadolu
Agency over the phone following the attack.
"The
police, other security forces, and paramedics reached the scene and the road
leading to the presidential palace were closed," he noted, adding that the
police also launched an investigation.
No
group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack but Somali-based
al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group al-Shabaab carried out recent attacks in the
Horn of African country.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/suicide-car-bomb-blast-wounds-7-in-somali-capital/2143439
--------
South
Asia
Bangladeshi
Man Tried to Travel to IS Stronghold from France, Police Allege
2021-02-12
Counterterrorism
officials in Bangladesh on Friday began formally interrogating a 24-year-old
Bangladeshi man who they claimed was expelled by France for allegedly planning
to join the Islamic State group in the Middle East.
Saif
Rahman, also known as Toton, was arrested at the Hazrat Shahjalal International
Airport in Dhaka after France deported him on Jan. 14, Saiful Islam, a deputy
commissioner of the counterterrorism and transnational crimes (CTTC) unit, told
BenarNews.
“A
court in France issued Saif’s deportation order,” he said, adding that Saif was
detained at a camp in France after his arrest and before being returned to
Bangladesh.
“The
court has granted a two-day remand to interrogate Saif Rahman. The
counter-terrorism officials started interrogating him on Friday,” Iftekharul
Islam, an additional deputy commissioner of CTTC at Dhaka Metropolitan Police,
told BenarNews.
Bangladesh
police said they had recovered documents in French from Saif’s possessions that
allegedly showed he had links to Middle East-based international militant
outfits.
At
the time of his arrest, officers had seized Saif’s laptop and mobile phone and
sent them to forensic investigators.
As
part of the investigation, “we got a two-page paper written in French that was
in his possession. After translating the papers, we had proof of his militant
link,” the CTTC deputy commissioner said.
“The
French documents have proof of Saif Rahman’s involvement with international
militant outfits,” Islam said.
According
to him, the documents show that Saif had been involved with a jihad campaign
since 2019.
“And
in 2020, he attempted to go to IS-concentrated regions of Syria and Iraq, but
the French police arrested him before he headed there,” Islam said.
“The
French police considered Saif’s presence in France a danger for them so they
sent him back. They think youths who fail to visit Syria and Iraq very often
carry out attacks in the places where they have been staying.”
Islam
said Saif has been jailed since his Jan. 14 arrest at the airport, adding a
judge had earlier turned down investigators’ requests for a remand to question
him.
The
French embassy in Dhaka did not immediately respond to several BenarNews
requests for comment.
Family
in France
Police
said Saif grew up in the Dohar sub-district of Dhaka.
Saif
flew to France in February 2015, graduated from an educational institution
there the following year, and then got a part-time job at the university. He is
the only child of parents who also lived in France.
“His
mother returned home after the French police arrested him, but his father is in
France and is employed there,” Islam said.
“We
are looking for Saif’s mother to get information about her son.”
On
Friday, Mostofa Kamal, the officer-in-charge of Dohar police station, told
BenarNews that he and his officers did not know anything about Saif or his
family.
A
counterterrorism analyst noted that Saif could have been radicalized outside
Bangladesh.
“Actually,
Bangladesh should not bear the responsibility for Saif if he had been
radicalized and joined the IS from France,” M. Sakhawat Hossain, a retired
brigadier general and security analyst, told BenarNews.
“The
police in Bangladesh should definitely investigate and take legal action as
France expelled him and sent him back to Bangladesh. We cannot take it
lightly,” he said.
https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/bengali/bd-fr-militant-02122021172501.html
--------
Car
bomb hits ANP outpost in Kandahar, 12 injured
13
Feb 2021
A
military Humvee loaded with explosives, targeted an Afghan security outpost in
southern Kandahar province on Saturday.
Ministry
of Interior, spokesman, Tariq Arian tweeted that at least 12 people were
wounded when the vehicle loaded with explosives targeted police members in the
Kohak area in the Arghandab district of the province.
According
to the officials, the incident happened at around 7:30 a.m today.
This
comes as three civilians, and a policeman was injured when an IED targeted a
ranger type vehicle in Jalalabad city of Nangarhar province on Saturday
morning.
In
another incident, at least four local policemen and their commander were killed
in Chapa Dara district of eastern Kunar, on Friday.
The
incident happened when armed militants attacked their outpost.
Meanwhile,
Two DAESH members were arrested and the other involved in targeted killings was
killed by NDS forces in PD6 of Jalalabad city in Nangarhar province.
https://www.khaama.com/car-bomb-hits-anp-outpost-in-kandahar-7-injured-5556666/
--------
Afghanistan
to build $2 billion airport in Taliban-dominated province
February
12, 2021
KABUL:
The Afghan government is planning to open a new international airport in a
Taliban-dominated eastern province to transform the region into an air travel
hub, the country’s aviation regulator said on Friday.
The
project, estimated to cost $2 billion, was already planned in the 1970s by
then-President Mohammad Daud Khan, whose killing in a coup in 1978 marked the
beginning of Afghanistan’s civil war and foreign invasions that have
consequently destroyed the country’s infrastructure.
To
be constructed in Logar province, some 45 km south of Kabul, the airport is
expected to become operational by 2024, Afghanistan’s Civil Aviation Authority
spokesman Mohammad Naeem Salehi told Arab News on Friday.
“The
airport will transform Afghanistan’s central zone into one of Afghanistan’s
main aerial hubs and will connect it to the regional and world markets,” he
said, adding that the project’s feasibility assessment was recently completed
by an Italian company.
The
new airport will be an alternative to the main international port in the heart
of Kabul, which was built in the 1970s and cannot be expanded.
“The
total cost of the airport will stand at $2 billion and will be covered by the
government of Afghanistan,” Salehi said, adding: “It will be an international
standard airport, used annually by 10 million passengers with a capacity of
100,000 tons of cargo.”
The
airport will be built in the desert of Mohammad Agha district of Logar, near
the Ainak Copper mine, an area where the Taliban have enjoyed a long presence
and where government forces routinely come under attack.
The
province is also the hometown of President Ashraf Ghani.
“We
have enough security forces on the ground in the area for the protection of the
project and in addition to this local people are cooperating on this,” Logar
provincial council chief Hassibullah Stanekzai told Arab News.
“This
is a national project on Afghanistan’s level and the Taliban will never hinder
it,” he said.
While
the Taliban could not be immediately reached for comment, analysts see
challenges for the project to materialize.
“The
building of an airport in Logar is a laudable project, but we have to note that
Logar is a very volatile province,” analyst Tameem Bahiss told Arab News.
“With
the deteriorating security situation in Logar and the corruption in Kabul, this
project will be very challenging,” he said.
Former
government adviser Torek Farhadi praised the project, but said it should not be
a priority for Kabul as “securing access and securing the airport’s perimeter
will be key to convincing international airlines to land there.”
He
added: “In the long run, we hope for peace in Afghanistan so it can be
completed as an international hub. Security right now doesn’t allow for that.”
Farhadi
said that even top government officials cannot travel by car to Logar as the
security situation is so dire.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1808266/world
--------
What
Happened When The Taliban Visited Turkmenistan?
February
11, 2021
Neither
Taliban nor Turkmen officials are giving any details about their talks after a
delegation from the Muslim extremist group arrived in Turkmenistan on February
6.
With
only scant information available about the meetings in the Turkmen capital,
Ashgabat, here is what is known.
The
delegation to Ashgabat was led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and, according to
an unusually prompt statement the same day from the Turkmen Foreign Ministry,
the Taliban came to talk about construction of the
Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural-gas pipeline, the
Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) power line, and further connecting
Afghanistan to Turkmenistan by railway.
Baradar
also led the Taliban delegation to Iran on January 26 and to Pakistan on
December 16, 2o20.
Those
visits were to discuss the stalled Afghan peace talks that began last year in
the Qatari capital, Doha.
The
Turkmen Foreign Ministry statement included a brief statement from Taliban
delegation member Mohammad Suhail Shahin, who said, “Without a doubt, the early
start on the construction of projects such as TAPI, TAP, and a railroad from
Turkmenistan to Afghanistan will contribute to the achievement of peace and
economic development in Afghanistan.”
Shahin
said the Taliban would ensure the “protection of all national projects
implemented in our country” that are done to benefit the Afghan people.
He
added that “we declare our full support for the realization and security of the
TAPI project and other infrastructure projects in our country.”
The
Value Of A Taliban Promise
The
Taliban have made such promises before, including in November 2016 when
spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that the Taliban "not
only support all national projects that are in the interest of the people and
result in the development and prosperity of the nation, but are committed to
protecting them."
In
January and February of that same year, the Taliban cut power lines in northern
Afghanistan that carried electricity from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The
destruction left areas in northern Afghanistan without power and greatly
reduced electricity supplies to Kabul.
After
the Taliban pledge in 2016, Deputy presidential spokesman Shah Hussain
Murtazawi said that in the months before making that promise, the Taliban had
destroyed 302 schools, 41 health clinics, 50 mosque minarets, 5,305 houses,
1,818 shops, a government building, six bridges, 293 overpasses, and 123
kilometers of roads in 11 provinces.
In
May 2020, Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said the Taliban had
destroyed 110 public projects in 14 provinces during the previous six months,
including "three pylons for electricity imported from Tajikistan in the
Baghlan-e Markazi district [and] two pylons for electricity coming from
Uzbekistan in the Dand-e Shahabuddin and Khwaja Alwan neighborhoods of Pul-e
Khumri, Baghlan Province."
Insecurity
Scaring Investment
As
for TAPI, it has been Turkmenistan's desire to build the pipeline for more than
25 years, but security problems in Afghanistan have always made its realization
impossible.
Journalist
Ahmed Rashid is the author of the bestselling book Taliban and is one of the
leading authorities on Afghanistan.
He
told RFE/RL's Gandhara website that “In 1990s when Ashgabat pushed for building
the TAPI pipeline it became impossible because the Taliban began executing
women in the football stadiums.”
Rashid
added that now “It is very unlikely that there ever will be any foreign
investment in Afghanistan if the Taliban are in control of the government and
they do not compromise with the Kabul regime and they do not work out their
modus operandi.”
There
is not only a question of foreign investment, but also of who exactly would be
tasked with construction.
It
is presumed that foreign workers with experience building pipelines along with
the necessary machinery would be brought to construction sites.
But
which companies would send their employees and equipment to areas where
fighting rages or areas under Taliban control, knowing these workers could be
caught up in the fighting or used as human shields?
The
Pipeline
Turkmenistan’s
need for TAPI has never been greater. The country is mired in economic problems
that stem mainly from its inability to find markets for natural gas, its main
export.
Currently,
the only significant exports of Turkmen gas go to China and last year Beijing
significantly reduced the amount of Turkmen gas it imports via the three
pipelines that connect the two countries.
The
TAPI project proposes to carry 33 billion cubic meters (bcm) of Turkmen gas
more than 1,800 kilometers through western Afghanistan, then across the south
through Kandahar to Pakistan, and on to Fazilka in India.
Afghanistan
would receive 5 bcm of that gas, Pakistan and India would both receive 14 bcm
with Afghanistan and Pakistan also collecting transit fees.
Turkmenistan
is desperate for revenue and late last fall started making a new push to get
the TAPI project moving again after Ashgabat finally agreed to cut the price it
planned to charge Pakistan and India for that gas.
Both
India and Pakistan had been demanding that Turkmenistan slash its price for
natural gas, with Pakistan saying it would not start construction of its
section of TAPI until that dispute was resolved.
While
Turkmenistan did agree to reduce the price, talks on the exact reduction
continue and, as recently as September 2020, Pakistan was saying “it would like
to do the TAPI groundbreaking in Pakistan at the earliest after the
finalization of the issues under discussion,” one of those issues being the
price of the gas, which Pakistan insists must be significantly lower than the
price of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
But
even if all parties are convinced of the security guarantees, there are still
several obstacles facing the construction of TAPI.
What
Was Discussed In Ashgabat?
One
of the intriguing elements of the Taliban delegation's visit to Ashgabat was
that they were received in the capital.
Turkmenistan
is an isolated country that grants very few foreigners entry and, since the
coronavirus pandemic started last year, Turkmen authorities have done their
best to seal the country, especially Ashgabat.
For
nearly a year now, foreign flights have been directed through the eastern city
of Turkmenabat.
The
only visit to Ashgabat by a foreign delegation since then -- excluding German
doctors who flew to Turkmenistan twice to check on the president -- has been a
mission from the World Health Organization in July 2020 that Turkmen
authorities hoped would validate their bizarre claim that the country is
completely free of the coronavirus.
So
whatever Turkmen officials wanted to discuss with the Taliban, it was important
enough to bring them to Ashgabat.
TAPI
is certainly important to Turkmenistan, but as noted, the obstacles in building
the pipeline through Afghanistan remain formidable and the current situation
makes construction impossible.
Electricity
Instead Of Gas?
Since
April 2018, Turkmenistan has offered at least three times to host Afghan peace
talks, though there is no mention of such an offer being made in reports from
the February 6 meeting, which is interesting when remembering that Afghan peace
talks were at the top of the agenda when the Taliban recently visited Pakistan
and Iran.
The
Turkmen Foreign Ministry’s statement mentioned nothing about the peace talks
beyond a vague allusion to the “importance of establishing and maintaining
peace and stability in Afghanistan.”
But
perhaps one of the main topics of discussion between the Taliban delegation and
the Turkmen government was not gas, but electricity.
Turkmenistan
is looking to export electricity through Afghanistan to Pakistan after the construction
of a proposed 500 kilovolt TAP, a power-transmission line.
On
January 14, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov and Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani watched the inauguration via video link of the first part of TAP
-- the Karki-Andkhoy-Pul-e Khomri power-transmission project.
Turkmenistan
already exports electricity to areas in northern Afghanistan, some of which are
under Taliban control.
The
Taliban have been charging residents in these areas for the electricity, though
the fees are low. It is, however, unknown how much -- if any -- of that money
goes to paying cash-strapped Turkmenistan.
The
Afghan government usually is responsible for paying these power bills to
Turkmenistan, though it is unclear how much Kabul pays for the electricity
exports used in the Taliban-controlled areas of northern Afghanistan.
But
it is clear that the Taliban uses the Turkmen electricity to further their
cause in northern Afghanistan.
In
late July 2018, Turkmenistan launched its third power line to Afghanistan, a
110-kilovolt transmission line that runs to Qala-e Nau, the capital of Badghis
Province.
In
April 2019, the Taliban cut that power by blowing up pylons in Badghis and
preventing crews from reaching the sites to make repairs.
Then-Badghis
Governor Abdul Ghafur Malikzai said, "[The] Taliban want electricity for
21 villages [under Taliban control in Badghis’s Moqo district] and their demand
has been accepted. But it is not possible in one day."
After
the February 6 Turkmen-Taliban meeting, current Badghis Governor Hesamuddin
Shams told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan, known locally as Azadi, that he
welcomes the Taliban promise not to destroy infrastructure and said they now
“need to act and deliver on it.”
But
Shams said insurgent behavior in his province has not changed and power lines
bringing electricity from Turkmenistan continue to be targeted by extremists.
Shams
also noted that the Taliban are not the only militant group operating in
Badghis Province.
“The
Bala Murghab [district] is a major center of the armed opposition,” Shams said.
“In addition to the Afghan fighters it is home to militants from Uzbekistan
affiliated with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. There are Pakistanis too.”
Also
interesting is the Turkmen authorities’ reluctance to divulge almost any
information about the meeting.
RFE/RL’s
Turkmen Service, known locally as Azatlyk, reports that state media said an
“Afghan delegation” visited and was careful not to name any Turkmen officials
who met with them, though there is at least one photo that clearly shows
Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov sitting at the negotiation table.
The
Afghan government did not comment specifically on the visit, but did tell Azadi
that all groups in Afghanistan should protect the country's infrastructure to
avoid any further suffering by the Afghan people, while also calling on the
Taliban to agree to an immediate cease-fire.
So
whatever the Taliban’s business was in Ashgabat, some or most of it seems to be
something that is only between them and the Turkmen government.
Turkmenistan
has UN-recognized status as a neutral country and that has been especially
useful when dealing with Afghanistan. Turkmenistan tries not to take anyone’s
side in the long-running conflict in that war-ravaged country.
But
for that reason it is unlikely anyone involved in the Afghan conflict views
Turkmenistan as a reliable ally when it comes to achieving stability.
https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-turkmenistan/31098344.html
--------
At
least four dead as clashes, blasts intensify across Afghanistan
13
February ,2021
At
least four Afghan security force members, including a commander, were killed
and seven were critically injured in blasts in eastern and southern provinces
on Saturday, officials said, adding that three civilians were injured in the
east.
No
militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the three attacks, which
come amid an upsurge in violence in Afghanistan as clashes intensify between
government forces and the Taliban.
A
string of near-daily roadside bombings in recent weeks has killed government
officials, judges, journalists and activists.
The
bloodshed comes as US-brokered peace talks in Qatar between the Taliban and
representatives of the Afghan government have staggered in recent months.
President
Joe Biden’s team is reviewing a peace-building deal that the government of his
predecessor Donald Trump sealed with the Taliban in February 2020. The pact
requires all American and allied forces to leave the country by May 1.
The
US has reduced the number of troops in Afghanistan to 2,500 from the 12,000
there when the agreement was signed. But violence remains high, with the US and
Afghan governments largely blaming the Taliban.
On
Saturday, a police spokesman in southern Kandahar province said a blast there
was caused by a Humvee packed with explosives that targeted a police outpost,
injuring seven police personnel.
Afghanistan’s
defense Ministry said “18 Taliban terrorists were killed and 9 others were
wounded” in an operation in Arghandab district of Kandahar province on Friday
night.
An
explosion targeted the police commander in the Chapa Dara district of eastern
Kunar province, killing four local police personnel, including the commander,
said a provincial police spokesman.
A
roadside bomb blast injured three civilians in Jalalabad, the capital of
eastern Nangarhar province.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/02/13/At-least-four-dead-as-clashes-blasts-intensify-across-Afghanistan-
--------
Southeast
Asia
Don’t
send Myanmar refugees back to junta, says UNHCR
February
12, 2021
KUALA
LUMPUR: Malaysia’s plan to send 1,200 Myanmar nationals back to their country
and into the hands of the military, which has staged a coup there, has come
under fire from the United Nations refugee agency and rights groups.
Malaysia
agreed to return them after the Myanmar military, which seized power in a Feb 1
coup, offered to send three navy ships to pick up its citizens held in
Malaysian immigration detention centres, officials and sources told Reuters
this week.
The
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Malaysia should not
deport the refugees.
“The
principle of non-refoulement applies also in Malaysia as part of customary
international law which is binding on all states,” Yante Ismail, a UNHCR
spokesman in Kuala Lumpur, told Reuters in an emailed statement.
Immigration
director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud, confirmed yesterday that 1,200 Myanmar
nationals were to be sent back but did not say if any of them were refugees.
Malaysia
does not formally recognise refugees, and instead classifies people who arrive
without proper documents as illegal migrants.
There
are more than 154,000 asylum seekers from Myanmar.
In
the past, people from Myanmar detained in Malaysia have included members of the
ethnic Chin, Kachin and the Muslim Rohingya communities fleeing conflict and
persecution.
Rights
groups have expressed concern over the safety of Myanmar refugees after the
military coup.
UNHCR
said Malaysian authorities had yet to inform it of the deportation but it was
concerned that a “number” of those in detention may require international
protection, including vulnerable women and children.
The
UNHCR has not been allowed entry into Malaysia’s detention centres since August
2019, preventing it from being able to identify refugees and leaving no way out
for the asylum seekers.
Malaysia
has toughened its stance on immigration during the Covid-19 pandemic, arresting
thousands of undocumented migrants.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2021/02/12/dont-send-myanmar-refugees-back-to-junta-says-unhcr/
--------
Meeting
next week to discuss vaccination guidelines during Ramadan, says religious
affairs minister
12
Feb 2021
SEREMBAN,
Feb 12 — The Special Meeting of the Muzakarah Committee of the National Council
on Islamic Religious Affairs will discuss the guidelines for taking vaccines
during the month of Ramadan for Muslims.
Minister
in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Seri Zulkifli
Mohamad said the guidelines would be announced after an in-depth discussion
with all parties at the meeting to be held on Tuesday or Wednesday.
“(In
the meeting) we will touch on some issues regarding Muslims receiving vaccine
while fasting in the month of Ramadan and those who want to go to Mekah to
perform the Haj,” he told reporters here today.
Meanwhile,
Zulkifli had conveyed his readiness to be among the first to receive the
Covid-19 vaccine.
On
February 4, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the government would
start the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme from the end of this month,
with the government targeting 80 per cent of the country’s population or 26.5
million individuals receiving the vaccines which are to be given free in three
phases.
The
first phase from February to April is for a total of 500,000 frontline
personnel directly involved in the fight against the pandemic. The second phase
from April to August is for high-risk groups of senior citizens, aged 60 and
above, and vulnerable groups with morbidity problems such as heart disease,
obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure as well as the disabled.
The
third phase is for adults, aged 18 and above, from this May to February next
year. — Bernama
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/02/12/meeting-next-week-to-discuss-vaccination-guidelines-during-ramadan-says-rel/1949301
--------
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