Islamic State Supporters Leaflet Central London, Declaring ‘Dawn of a New Era’
New Age Islam News Bureau
14
Aug 2014
Condemnation of Brutal Atrocities by ISIS on Minorities in Iraq, at Hyderabad, India
Europe
• Islamic State Supporters Leaflet Central London, Declaring ‘Dawn of a New Era’
• Iraq crisis: UK steps up role with move to support Kurds, Yazidis against ISIS
• ‘900 French jihadis in Iraq, Syria’
• France to send weapons to Kurds in Iraq
• Germany ready to arm Kurds in fight against Islamic State militants
• UN declares highest level of emergency in Iraq over ISIS advance
• 52 percent of UK voters say Israel violence in Gaza ‘disproportionate’
• Ban Ki-moon: "The so-called 'Islamic State' is a threat to Iraq, Syria and the region,"
• UK govt to block arms exports to Israel if Gaza fighting resumes
South Asia
• 80 Taliban Militants Killed, 69 Others Injured In Afghan Operations: Moi
• Bangladesh Madrasa students outshine general, vocational candidates
• Fear, intimidation aimed at stalling development, says Nasheed
• Foreign investments pose no threat to Islam or sovereignty, insists President Yameen
India
• Kalyan's 'ISIS Jihadis' Are Just Boys Working In Syria, Says NIA Now
• Our Toolkit to Tackle Terror Not Restricted, India Tells Pakistan
• Members of civil society organisations, academics, journalists Condemn Brutal • Atrocities by ISIS on Minorities in Iraq
• Protect Hindus, Sikhs in Muzaffarnagar, VHP tells National Commission for Minorities
• Sharif seeks new ways to promote ties with India
Arab World
• 52 Dead As Jihadists Make Gains in Northern Syria: Monitor
• Iaq Yazidis Say Sunni Muslim Neighbours Enabled Jihadist Attack
• Islamic State militants mass near another town north of Baghdad
• Syria troops retake most of key Damascus suburb: NGO
• Sisi receives offer of fighter jets, helicopters, weapons on Russia visit
• Mubarak claims he would never order an Egyptian's murder
• World Is Watching Iraq, Stepping Up Its Support in Iraqi Crisis
• Exclusive: Islamic State militants grab new weapon
• Outgunned and untested for years, Kurdish Peshmerga struggle
• ISIS fighters allegedly abduct, plan to execute 63 members of single Iraqi family: report
• Mummies in Egypt began long before Age of Pharoahs: study
Pakistan
• Conspiracy under way to spread terrorism in country: Pak President
• Hindu rights body rejects separate electorate proposal
• Two suspected militants killed in Mohmand
• Real ‘Azadi’ march is here in Balochistan: Nawaz
• Never demanded a technocrats setup: Imran
• You left me when time had come to save democracy, Khan tells Javed Hashmi
Mideast
• 13 killed in 'Qaeda bomb' accident: Yemen official
• Iran Bans Vasectomies, Wants More Babies
• Foreign Minister Davutoglu ‘worked all night to stop Iraq coup’
• Turkey Continues To Extend Helping Hand to Yazidis
• Islamic pundit’s remarks anger Turkish atheists
• Israeli soldier spotted drinking in Jerusalem bar wearing a 'Deployed, Destroyed and Enjoyed Gaza 2014' T-shirt
• UN rights body legitimises 'terror groups': Israel PM
• PM Erdogan vows to hand over AKP leadership after consultations
North America
• Obama weighs strategy against Islamic State
'• Far fewer' stranded on Iraq Mountain than thought, US says
• US urges Maliki to respect Iraqi political process
• Report: US halted weapons transfer to Israel during Gaza offensive
• Iraqi religious persecution hits home in U.S.
• US rescue operation for Yazidis on Iraq's Mount Sinjar "less likely"
• NSA bot MonsterMind can wage Cyberwar on its own – Snowden
Southeast Asia
• Malaysian Teen’s Facebook ‘Like’ on Pro-Israel Posting Prompts Sedition Probe
• Police Release 7 Men Found With ISIS Flag
• PAS won’t form unity government with Khalid, Barisan, says leader
Africa
• Jihadists coordinate on Tunisian-Algerian border
• Libya parliament votes to disband militias
• Libya MPs call for foreign intervention to aid civilians
• Kenya: New Bill Wants Gays Stoned in Public
• French Forces in Mali Capture Three Al-Qaeda Suspects
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/islamic-state-supporters-leaflet-central/d/98571
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Europe
Islamic State Supporters Leaflet Central London, Declaring ‘Dawn of A New Era’
Aug 14, 2014
Supporters of the extreme militant group, Islamic State (formerly ISIS), handed out leaflets in central London calling on Muslims to pledge religious allegiance to their cause, witnesses say.
One flyer circulated by the fundamentalists on Monday reportedly urges Muslims to “spread the Khalifah [Caliphate] across the world” by creating a new Islamic State ruled by an Imam under Sharia law.
Asma Al-Kufaishi, a young British-Iraqi student, tweeted pictures of the incident, which occurred near London’s busy Oxford Circus shopping district. The pictures reveal the group displaying posters donning pro-Islamic State black flags.
Al-Kufaishi claims the men who were “promoting ISIS on Oxford Street” were racially abusive when she encountered them Monday. “They don’t know true Islam,” she said.
The leaflets dispensed by the Islamic State supporters argue it’s the responsibility of followers of Islam around the globe to pledge devout allegiance to the “Khaleef” – or head of a new Islamic State.
In the wake of extreme violence, the Islamic State now controls extensive parts of Syria and northern Iraq. Fundamentalist IS militants also recently clashed with forces in Lebanon following their efforts to annex a border town in the state. The militants’ strategy failed, however, as Lebanese authorities regained control over the region.
The director of the Quilliam Foundation, a counter-extremism London think tank, believes the men dispensing IS flyers hailed from Luton in Bedfordshire. They were potentially linked to a UK-based sect of al-Muhajiroun fundamentalists, he claims.
Ghaffar Hussain, whose research at the think tank analyzes extremist trends in western societies, expressed concern over Monday's pro-Islamic State demonstration in London.
“This is a very disturbing development but one that should not come as a surprise, since we are aware that around 500 British nationals have joined up with ISIS already", he said. “We need to have a zero tolerance policy towards ISIS supporters and recruiters in the UK.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesman told RT on Wednesday the force was aware of the incident, but that no arrests had been made at this juncture.
“The Metropolitan Police Service has been made aware, via social media, of leaflets which reports state were being distributed in the Oxford Street area. We are assessing the content of the leaflets to establish whether any criminal offences have been committed,” he said.
The Islamic State’s iconic black flags first were first publicly flown in Europe at demonstrations in The Hague. The Dutch government subsequently declared public displays of the provocative flag illegal. This recent pro-IS demonstration follows a similar parade of extremism early last week in east London where a Jihadi flag was mounted at the entrance of the Wills Crooks estate on Poplar High Street.
http://rt.com/uk/179968-isis-supporters-uk-extremist/
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Iraq crisis: UK steps up role with move to support Kurds, Yazidis against ISIS
Aug 14, 2014
Britain is to transport military supplies from other states to Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State (IS) jihadist militants in northern Iraq and will strengthen its aid mission there, the government announced.
The COBRA (Cabinet Office briefing room A) meeting on Iraq on Tuesday, chaired by Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, agreed to “transport from other contributing states some critical military re-supplies for the Kurdish forces, so that they can provide effective protection from ISIL for the huge number of refugees now in Iraqi Kurdistan, and humanitarian operations,” a spokesperson for Prime Minister David Cameron's office said.
“Urgent planning to get those trapped on the mountainside to safety will continue in the coming days between ourselves and US, the Kurdish authorities and other partners,” the spokesperson said.
The UK is also sending a small number of Chinook helicopters to assist its aid mission. The government insisted that it is still not considering military intervention in Iraq as of now, but will help transport military equipment from other nations to Kurdish forces in Iraq.
A spokesperson called the claims that Jordanian military trucks were transported by Britain into Iraq “speculation.” She also declined to confirm that the Chinook helicopters will be used to airlift refugees of the Yazidi minority trapped on Mount Sinjar.
The UK continues to lead negotiations in New York on a UN Security Council Resolution to discuss options “to tackle the threat posed by ISIL, disrupt the terrorists’ financing flows, and sanction those who are seeking to recruit jihadists to ISIL,” the spokesperson said.
David Cameron spoke to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on the phone on Tuesday. A Number 10 spokesperson confirmed that it was important that the UK and Australia continue to work closely together “to alleviate the humanitarian situation and tackle the wider threat posed by ISIL, including that of foreign fighters.” They also both welcomed the recent appointment of Shiite Haider Al-Abadi as prime minister designate, which could be a first step towards a united Iraqi government.
International Development Secretary Justine Greening said, “As thousands of Iraqi people remain cut off away from their homes, we are focused on getting help to those in need, particularly those trapped on Mount Sinjar.”
Thousands of Yazidis from the minority religious sect were forced to flee up a mountain to escape IS, also known as ISIS and ISIL, fighters. The UN refuge agency put the number of people on the mountain at 20,000-30,000.
There have now been a total of five successful RAF air drops over three nights, including thousands of containers filled with clean water that can also be used to purify dirty water and hundreds of shelter kits to provide shade in temperatures of over 40°C. The UK will continue these aid drops.
On Tuesday, Tornado jets were dispatched for surveillance purposes in northern Iraq. Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said, “Thousands of innocent people suffering in northern Iraq urgently need our help. Tornado aircraft will be able to play a specialist surveillance role to give us a more complete picture of the situation in the crisis area.”
The move comes amid growing pressure on David Cameron from UK politicians to launch military strikes against the extremists.
The PM will chair an emergency COBRA meeting on Iraq on Wednesday, after having returned from holiday in Portugal.
Plea for British military action
In an interview with the Times, the intelligence and security chief of semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, Masrour Barzani, said, “I know for sure from all the information we have gathered that there are a good number of foreign fighters, hundreds if not thousands of foreign fighters.” He argued that British and other foreign jihadists fighting in Iraq will return home to spread violence unless Britain and its allies fight back.
Barzani urged Britain to join the United States in airstrikes against jihadist positions and also supplying weapons and ammunition to Peshmerga fighters, the Kurdish security forces, to bolster their ability to take on the Islamic State.
“We do believe that it is the responsibility for all those countries that are refusing terrorism to come to our aid,” Barzani said. “What we need are airstrikes, expanding the targets and to help us with heavy armament that would give us better capability.”
Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the United States has sent 130 more military advisers to the Kurdish region of northern Iraq. The marines and special operations forces will assess the humanitarian situation and will not be engaged in combat, according to a US defense official.
The US military has been carrying out air strikes against IS fighters, including on a mortar position that reportedly was firing on Kurdish forces trying to defend Yazidis north of Sinjar on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, a helicopter carrying aid from northern Iraq’s Kurdistan to stranded Yazidis in the Sinjar Mountains crashed. The pilot was killed and other passengers were injured, including New York Times journalist Alissa J. Rubin and Yazidi member of Parliament Vian Dakhil, who helped bring attention to the plight of besieged Yazidis in Iraq's parliament.
http://rt.com/uk/179960-iraq-kurds-yazidis-isis/
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‘900 French jihadis in Iraq, Syria’
Aug 14, 2014
France’s Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve on Wednesday said nearly 900 French citizens have gone to Middle East battlegrounds and some have joined the Islamic State group.
Despite efforts to discourage French people from joining militant groups, the figures given by Mr. Cazeneuve show the numbers of French youth leaving continue to grow.
“There are today nearly 900 from France who are part of this phenomenon, either in the theatre of operations in Syria or in Iraq. There are presumably some in Iraq because the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, which recruited them, takes them to all the places where it is engaged in combat,” Mr. Cazeneuve told France Info radio.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/900-french-jihadis-in-iraq-and-syria-frances-interior-minister-bernard-cazeneuve-says/article6313409.ece
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France to send weapons to Kurds in Iraq
Aug 14, 2014
PARIS (AP) — Calling the situation in Iraqi Kurdistan "catastrophic," France said Wednesday it would start supplying arms to the Kurdish forces fighting Sunni extremists from the Islamic State group.
Senior American officials say U.S. intelligence agencies are directly arming the Kurds. On Tuesday, 130 U.S. troops arrived in the Kurdish capital of Irbil on what the Pentagon described as a temporary mission to coordinate plans to help trapped Yazidi civilians on Mount Sinjar.
Any French military strikes would need prior approval from the U.N. Security Council, a standard French position, and would take place only if conditions are right, Fabius said.
A French diplomat close to the situation would not exclude eventual French strikes in an "evolving situation." The diplomat asked not to be named because the person was not authorized to publicly discuss French policy.
France says its arms shipment was coordinated with the Iraqi government.
French authorities have pushed other European Union members to do more to aid Christians and other minorities being targeted by the Islamic State group extremists.
EU foreign ministers will hold an emergency meeting Friday to coordinate their approach to the crisis and to endorse the European arms shipments already announced, the EU said Wednesday.
Cameron cut short his vacation to chair a session of the U.K. emergency security committee.
He declined to say whether the Chinook helicopters being deployed to the region would be used to evacuate displaced people but said detailed plans were being put together to get the besieged minorities off of Mount Sinjar.
The turmoil stems from the quick advance of the IS group and allied Sunni militants across northern and western Iraq in June. The insurgency seized Iraq's second largest city, Mosul, and routed Iraq's beleaguered armed forces. Thousands of people have been killed and more than 1.5 million have been displaced by the violence.
http://news.yahoo.com/france-send-weapons-iraq-103815208.html
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Germany ready to arm Kurds in fight against Islamic State militants
Aug 14, 2014
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany is prepared to bend its restrictive policies on weapons exports and arm Kurdish fighters battling Islamic State militants in northern Iraq, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Wednesday.
The comments to German public broadcaster ZDF are the strongest yet by a senior German official and represent a wholesale shift in Berlin's stance since the beginning of the week. On Monday Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman said Germany was committed to upholding its position of not sending arms to conflict zones.
"We cannot just leave Kurdistan on its own and watch as people are slaughtered there," said Steinmeier, a Social Democrat (SPD) whose party shares power with Merkel's conservatives.
"If necessary, if the current threat level persists, I cannot rule out that we will have to deliver weapons," he added. "Our principles on delivering arms are exactly that, principles. They take into account that we can have extraordinary situations in which a political decision must be made to take a different approach that is in our own security interests."
In excerpts from the interview provided by ZDF, Steinmeier did not go into detail on what kind of arms Germany might supply. He said the German defense ministry planned to deliver non-lethal military equipment, such as protective vests, by the weekend.
Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen, a conservative, has said the Iraqi government would be the recipient of such equipment.
Steinmeier, von der Leyen and President Joachim Gauck drew attention at a security conference in Munich earlier this year by saying that Germany, which has shied away from direct involvement in military conflicts for much of the post-war era due to its Nazi past, should be prepared to pursue a more muscular foreign policy.
Full report at:
http://news.yahoo.com/germany-ready-arm-kurds-fight-against-islamic-state-202414885.html
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UN declares highest level of emergency in Iraq over ISIS advance
Aug 14, 2014
The UN has declared the highest level of emergency in Iraq as the ISIS advance threatens minority groups in the country as the Security Council urged Iraq's new PM to form an inclusive govt to preserve state integrity and ease sectarian tensions.
Haider Al-Abadi, in a UN Security Council statement, is asked “to work swiftly to form such a government as quickly as possible and within the constitutional time-frame” and called on “all political parties and their supporters to remain calm and respect the political process governed by the Constitution.”
Meanwhile, a “Level 3 Emergency” has been declared as the ISIS onslaught across much of the country’s north and west continues, threatening Kurdistan and its oils reserves. Up to 30,000 minority Christian and Yazidi people have fled to Mount Sinjar to seek safe-haven.
“Declaring the crisis in Iraq a ‘Level 3 Emergency’, which represents the highest level of humanitarian crisis, will help trigger more resources and expedite administrative procedures for the response”, said Nickolay Mladenov, the Special Representative for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq.
Full report at:
http://rt.com/news/180160-un-highest-emergency-isis-iraq/
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52 percent of UK voters say Israel violence in Gaza ‘disproportionate’
Aug 14, 2014
A majority of British voters believe that Israel is using disproportionate violence in the Gaza conflict, and 41 percent say their opinion of Israel has dropped, according to a new poll.
The Guardian/ICM poll, which was published Tuesday, found that due to its military operation in Gaza, Israel's standing in the UK has significantly worsened. The poll found that 52 percent of voters believe that Israel acted disproportionately when it launched airstrikes against the Gaza Strip.
By contrast, 19 percent of respondents thought Israel had acted proportionately in retaliating to Hamas rocket fire with air and artillery strikes, while 29 percent did not know.
According to the poll, 41 percent of voters say their opinion of Israel has worsened during the recent conflict and 48 percent still think the same way about Israel. Only 2 percent reported that their opinion of Israel has actually improved.
Full report at:
http://rt.com/uk/179792-israel-poll-gaza-palestine/
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Ban Ki-moon: "The so-called 'Islamic State' is a threat to Iraq, Syria and the region,"
Aug 14, 2014
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned about the dire situation facing civilians in Iraq and Syria as a result of the threat posted by the Islamic State (IS).
"The people of Iraq – all the people of Iraq – need security. Yet the poison of hatred and brutality is spreading. The so-called 'Islamic State' is a threat to Iraq, Syria and the region," Ban said.
Addressing reporters today (12 Aug) in New York, the Secretary-General said that he was "profoundly dismayed" by the "barbaric acts" of the armed group, "including accounts of summary executions, boys forcibly taken from their homes to fight, girls abducted or trafficked as sex slaves."
Ban also welcomed the designation of Haider al-Abbadi as the Iraq's Primer Minister yesterday and encouraged the newly elected leader to form a broad-based government acceptable to all sectors of Iraqi society.
On the Gaza Strip, the UN chief welcomed the recent achievement of a 72-hour ceasefire but underscored the need for the parties to reach a durable truce soon.
Ban pointed out that there are more than 300,000 people still seeking shelter in UNRWA and private schools, as well as in public facilities. He noted that at least 100,000 people have had their homes destroyed or severely damaged.
Full report at:
http://en.cihan.com.tr/news/Ban-The-so-called-Islamic-State-is-a-threat-to-Iraq-Syria-and-the-region-_9014-CHMTUxOTAxNC80
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UK govt to block arms exports to Israel if Gaza fighting resumes
Aug 14, 2014
Twelve licenses for British companies to sell arms to Israel will be suspended if fresh hostilities break out in Gaza, the UK government announced, following a review of licensed exports to Tel Aviv.
The review, released Tuesday, found the vast majority of exports currently licensed for Israel are not for items that could be used by Israeli forces in operations in Gaza in response to attacks by Hamas.
Business Secretary Vince Cable welcomed the current ceasefire in Gaza and expressed hope that this would lead to a peaceful resolution. He said, however, that the government had thus far been able to clarify whether the export criteria were being met.
“In light of that uncertainty we have taken the decision to suspend these existing export licenses in the event of a resumption of significant hostilities,” he said.
“No new licenses of military equipment have been issued for use by the Israeli Defence Force during the review period and as a precautionary measure this approach will continue until hostilities cease,” Cable added.
Full report at:
http://rt.com/uk/180024-israel-arms-licenses-exports/
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South Asia
80 Taliban Militants Killed, 69 Others Injured In Afghan Operations: Moi
Aug 14, 2014
At least 80 Taliban militants including their local commanders were killed following counter-terrorism operations in the past 24 hours.
The Ministry of Interior (MoI), following a statement said Monday that the militants were killed in Nangarhar, Parwan, Takhar, Badakhshan, SAr-e-Pul, Kandahar, Helmand, Nuristan, Kunduz, Kapisa and Paktika provinces.
The statement further added Afghan national army, Afghan national police and Afghan intelligence – national directorate of security (NDS) operatives jointly conducted the operations.
At least 69 Taliban militant were also injured and 4 others were arrested during the operations, MoI said.
According to Ministry of Interior, the majority of the Taliban militants were killed during operations in Paktika province.
The statement by MoI also added that Afghan security forces confiscated various types of weapons, ammunition and explosives during the operations.
Afghan police forces also neutralized four improvised explosive device (IED) during operations in Zabul, Logar and Parwan provinces, MoI said.
The Taliban militants group has not commented regarding the report so far.
http://www.khaama.com/80-taliban-militants-killed-69-others-injured-in-afghan-operations-moi-8430
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Bangladesh Madrasa students outshine general, vocational candidates
Aug 14, 2014
Students appearing in this year’s HSC and equivalent examinations from Madrasa Education Board performed better than the general and vocational students in terms of pass rate.
The pass rate of madrasa students was 94.08 while it was 75.74 for general students.
Madrasa students also outperformed the students taking the exam from Technical Education Board, where 85.02% of the candidates passed.
The number of GPA 5 scored also marked a tiny increase in the madrasa board compared to the previous year’s figure. Last year, 6,009 madrasa students obtained GPA 5 and the figure was 6,025 this year.
Acting chairman of Bangladesh Madrasa Education Board AKM Saifullah said they have gone for more supervision of students in the recent times.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2014/aug/14/madrasa-students-outshine-general-vocational-candidates#sthash.OmJhbblP.dpuf
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Fear, intimidation aimed at stalling development, says Nasheed
By Zaheena Rasheed | August 14th, 2014
Former President Mohamed Nasheed has expressed concern over a regression in democratic gains, and claimed government’s attempts at intimidation and fear is intended to stall development.
Speaking at an August 12 commemoration of the tenth anniversary of Maldives’ first mass pro-democracy protests, Nasheed said August 12, 13 of 2004 was a “day Maldivians stood up against torture and called for what is rightfully theirs.”
“On that day, Maldivians gathered to realise their hopes. That day, Maldivians called for what they are continue to call for today. Housing, education, healthcare, income generation, a dignified life,” he said.
In what would later be referred to as ‘Black Friday’, security forces teargassed and brutalised protestors and cut off all mediums of communication including messaging services and internet. President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom announced a state of emergency and suspended the constitution. Hundreds of protesters were detained for months.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/fear-intimidation-aimed-at-stalling-development-says-nasheed-89610
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Foreign investments pose no threat to Islam or sovereignty, insists President Yameen
Aug 14, 2014
Foreign investments pose no threat to either Islam or Maldivian independence and sovereignty, President Abdulla Yameen said last night, assuring that the creation of special economic zones (SEZs) was no cause for concern.
“It does not mean casinos will be operated in the Maldives, and it does not mean the president would have more power than he should,” Yameen said in a speech at a function held by the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) to celebrate its fourth anniversary.
Yameen insisted that foreign investments would be fully subject to Maldivian law while sovereignty would extend to the SEZs.
The government’s flagship SEZ legislation – which envisions free trade zones with relaxed regulations and tax incentives – has come under fire from the opposition with former President Mohamed Nasheed contending that the zones would be used for criminal enterprises, “irreligious” activities such as gambling, and money laundering.
The opposition leader had dubbed the legislation the ‘Artur Brothers bill’, referring to an infamous pair of Armenians linked with money laundering and drug trafficking who made headlines last year after they were photographed with cabinet ministers.
Nasheed had also argued that the government would have less authority in the SEZs than the authority it exercised in Addu Atoll Gan Island during British occupation.
Corruption
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/foreign-investments-pose-no-threat-to-islam-or-sovereignty-insists-president-yameen-89565
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India
Kalyan's 'ISIS Jihadis' Are Just Boys Working In Syria, Says NIA Now
Nazia Sayed & Divyesh Singh,Mumbai Mirror
Aug 14, 2014
One is working in an oil plant and the other in a hospital in Rakka, the headquarters of the outfit.
At least two of the four Kalyan youngsters said to have joined the ISIS jihad have not taken up arms but are working in an oil refinery and a hospital in the Syrian city of Rakka, where the outfit is headquartered, sources in security agencies have told Mirror.
While central agencies have verified the information, parents of at least one youngster told Mirror their son spoke to them and confirmed that he had not taken up arms on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
Sources from the National Investigative Agency said all four youngsters, who were reported missing during a tour of Iraq on May 29, have been traced while the NIA has verified information that Fahad Shaikh is working in an oil refinery and Saheen Tanki in a hospital, there is no information about Arif Majeed and Aman Tandel.
Shaikh, 24, a mechanical engineer, called his residence a fortnight ago and told his mother he was working in an oil refinery in Rakka. Tanki, 25, an HSC dropout, is working as a medical assistant at a Rakka hospital and helps in the treatment of those injured in combat, central security sources said. The sources said they have intercepted conversations of the two with their families. The two have said they will continue to live in Syria.
"I was away at my clinic when Fahad had called," said Shaikh's father Tanveer, a doctor. "He spoke to his mother and said that he was not fighting for any terrorist organisation. He said he is being paid Rs 52,000 a month for the job at the refinery. It is a huge relief. We immediately informed the local police and agencies. Fahad also spoke about another boy who has joined a hospital."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kalyans-ISIS-Jihadis-are-just-boys-working-in-Syria-says-NIA-now/articleshow/40251985.cms
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Our toolkit to tackle terror not restricted, India tells Pakistan
TNN | Aug 14, 2014
NEW DELHI: Ahead of the foreign secretary-level talks, India and Pakistan find themselves tangled in another round of bitterness with Islamabad on Wednesday describing PM Narendra Modi's remarks that Pakistan was waging a proxy war of terrorism on India as baseless rhetoric and unfortunate.
The government responded by saying that Modi was only articulating India's core concern in relations with Pakistan and warned Islamabad that India's "tool kit" for dealing with the issue of terrorism was not restricted.
"With reference to news reports attributed to Prime Minister Modi repeating the baseless rhetoric against Pakistan regarding terrorism, the spokesperson recalled that Pakistan has consistently condemned terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations," the Pakistan government said in a statement, adding that the Indian accusations made "at the highest political level" were most unfortunate.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Our-toolkit-to-tackle-terror-not-restricted-India-tells-Pakistan/articleshow/40216687.cms
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Members of civil society organisations, academics, journalists Condemn Brutal Atrocities by ISIS on Minorities in Iraq
14 August 2014
Members of civil society organisations, academics, journalists and concerned citizens of Hyderabad demonstrated against the brutalities and atrocities being perpetrated by ISIS (Islamic State in Syria and Iraq) against Christians, Shias, Kurds, Yazidis and other minorities in Iraq.
It is even more reprehensible that these brutalities are being carried out by misusing the name of Islam and for promoting a narrow sectarian ideology. We urge all people the world over to condemn these inhuman actions unequivocally. We specially call upon all the leaders of Islamic faith to come out openly and in large numbers to denounce the ideology of ISIS and expose the satanic character of their actions.
We express our solidarity with all the victims of the atrocities of ISIS and urge United Nations and all countries to initiate appropriate and immediately action to contain ISIS and ensure full and complete protection of minorities and all other citizens of Iraq and Syria.
We also condemn the foreign policy of America that is totally and directly responsible for promoting elements like ISIS and Taliban for its selfish and limited geopolitical and economic interests that is putting the future of the entire world and humanity at grave risk.
COVA Interfaith Forum Henry Martin Institute IFTU POW
PDSU New democracy TRC India Peace Center (Nagpur)
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Protect Hindus, Sikhs in Muzaffarnagar, VHP tells National Commission for Minorities
Aug 14, 2014
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has sought the intervention of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) in ensuring the protection of Hindus and Sikhs in Muzaffarnagar.
A delegation led by Dr. Surendra Jain met Naseem Ahmad, chairperson of the NCM, to flag issues such as the alleged recruitment of the youth to the ISIS and ‘love jihad’.
“It is a clear indication of the fact that a section of the Muslim community wants to force everybody to live on its terms on the lines of the Wahabist and Salafist world views. The roles of the administration have been totally partisan. In order to be seen ahead in the race for appeasement, not only the rioters got a free hand but also frame false cases on innocent Sikh and Hindu leaders. Even now in the matter of assessing the losses to life and property and determining the compensation, discriminatory ways are obvious,” the VHP said.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/protect-hindus-sikhs-in-muzaffarnagar-vhp-tells-ncm/article6314251.ece
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Sharif seeks new ways to promote ties with India
Aug 14, 2014
Kashmir issue is the main source of tension, he says in his Independence Day address
Raking up the Kashmir issue, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday said it is the “main source of tension” in Indo-Pak relations and sought its peaceful resolution to explore new ways to bolster bilateral ties.
“We want peaceful resolution of Kashmir with our full sincerity so that by removing this main source of tension, Pakistan and India could find new ways for promoting their relations,” he said while addressing the Independence Day parade after midnight in Islamabad.
Mr. Sharif’s remarks come close on the heels of a spat between the two countries over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech accusing Pakistan of continuing to engage in a proxy war of terrorism against India.
Pakistan and India have been involved in a war of words, with New Delhi saying terrorism was a “core concern” in bilateral ties and its “tool kit” is not restricted in any manner to combat it effectively.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/sharif-wants-india-pakistan-to-find-new-ways-promote-ties/article6316840.ece
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Arab World
52 dead as jihadists make gains in northern Syria: monitor
Aug 14, 2014
Beirut (AFP) - Jihadists of the Islamic State (IS) group seized a string of villages in northern Syria on Wednesday in fighting that left 52 people dead, a monitoring group said.
The jihadists captured eight villages between second city Aleppo and the Turkish border, buoyed by their successes in neighbouring Iraq, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
They killed at least 40 fighters of rival rebel groups and captured at least 50 more for the loss of 12 of their own men, the Britain-based group said.
IS already controls almost all of the Euphrates valley provinces of Raqa and Deir Ezzor and has been making gains further west at the expense of rival rebel groups which it has been fighting since December.
The rival rebels, many of them from more moderate Islamist groups, have been weakened by the defection late last month of Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, which had made common cause in the battle against IS.
The Observatory said the IS capture of the villages was a strategic prize, because it would open the way for the group to attack the towns of Marea and Azaz.
Full report at:
http://news.yahoo.com/52-dead-jihadists-gains-northern-syria-monitor-235812473.html
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Iraq Yazidis say Sunni Muslim neighbours enabled jihadist attack
Aug 14, 2014
Yazidis fleeing a jihadist onslaught in northern Iraq say neighbours took up arms alongside their attackers, informing on members of the religious minority and helping the militants take over.
"The (non-Iraqi) jihadists were Afghans, Bosnians, Arabs and even Americans and British fighters," said Sabah Hajji Hassan, a 68-year-old Yazidi who managed to flee the bloody offensive by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.
"But the worst killings came from the people living among us, our (Sunni) Muslim neighbours." "The Metwet, Khawata and Kejala tribes - they were all our neighbours. But they joined the IS, took heavy weapons from them, and informed on who was Yazidi and who was not. Our neighbours made the IS takeover possible," the distraught white-bearded Hassan said.
The IS attack on Yazidi villages in the area of Mount Sinjar began nearly two weeks ago, the latest chapter in an offensive that has seen the jihadist group seize large swathes of Iraqi territory, forcing minorities either to convert to Islam, flee or be killed.
The IS onslaught in Iraq, which began in June and has since overrun chunks of five provinces, is the culmination of a more than year-long surge in violence in which hundreds of Iraqis have been killed each month.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/iraq-yazidis-say-sunni-muslim-neighbours-enabled-jihadist-attack.aspx?pageID=238&nID=70412&NewsCatID=352
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Islamic State militants mass near another town north of Baghdad
14 August 2014
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group militants are massing near the Iraqi town of Qara Tappa, 122 km (73 miles) north of Baghdad, security sources and a local official said, in an apparent bid to broaden their front with Kurdish peshmerga fighters, Reuters reported.
The Sunni militants have made a dramatic push through the north to a position near Arbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
The movement around Qara Tappa suggests they are getting more confident and seeking to grab more territory closer to the capital after stalling in that region.
Meanwhile, a local health official said four children have died in clashes between Sunni militants and Iraqi soldiers west of Baghdad, the Associated Press reported.
Hospital director Ahmed Shami says the fighting took place early on Thursday on the northern outskirts of the city of Fallujah, which has been in the hands of the Islamic State group since early January.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/08/14/Four-children-die-in-Iraq-army-clash-with-militants.html
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Syria troops retake most of key Damascus suburb: NGO
Aug 14, 2014
Syrian government forces have retaken most of a key Damascus suburb they have been fighting for months to recapture from rebel forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday.
Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said the army had "control over most of Mleiha, though there are still some clashes".
There was no immediate confirmation from Syrian state media or government officials.
But a military source told AFP that the army was "continuing its operations in Mleiha and realising qualitative successes".
He said troops had "killed a large number of terrorists and are pursuing others in the fields to the north of the area".
Mleiha, which lies southeast of the capital, has been a key flashpoint in the fighting around Damascus.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syria-troops-retake-most-of-key-damascus-suburb-ngo.aspx?pageID=238&nID=70421&NewsCatID=352
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Sisi receives offer of fighter jets, helicopters, weapons on Russia visit
Aug 14, 2014
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi paid his first visit in office to Russia, meeting with President Vladimir Putin, agreeing to increase cooperation, and discussing an arms deal that would include advanced weapons that could be used to fight terrorism emanating from Sinai.
The parties discussed the delivery of Russian arms, including “24 Mikoyan MiG- 29 fighter jets, as well as its Kornet anti-tank missile systems, attack helicopters Kamov Ka-25, Mil Mi-28 and Mi-25,” Russia’s RIA Novosti reported on Tuesday.
“We are also actively developing military technical cooperation. In March, we signed a corresponding protocol. We are supplying arms to Egypt and have agreed to expand this cooperation,” the Russian president said in remarks at a press conference after the talks, the Kremlin website reported.
“We fully share Egypt’s active stance in combating international terrorism, especially in conditions of an unprecedented growth of a terrorist threat in the Middle East,” Putin said.
Egypt signed a $2 billion arms deal with Russia, with financial support from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, a senior official told Al-Masry al-Youm in February.
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/International/Sisi-receives-offer-of-fighter-jets-helicopters-weapons-on-Russia-visit-371057
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Mubarak claims he would never order an Egyptian's murder
Aug 14, 2014
Egypt's former autocrat Hosni Mubarak passionately defended his 30-year rule on Wednesday, dismissing charges of killing hundreds of protesters who rose up against him in 2011.
The 86-year-old appeared in blue prison garb on a gurney as he listed the achievements of his three-decade reign from inside the defendants' cage, his first speech during the trial.
"Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, who is before you today, would never order the killing of protesters or shed the blood of Egyptians. I've spent my life defending Egypt and its sons," the former strongman told the courtroom in a hearing aired live on TV.
Mubarak, his interior minister and six top security aides are being retried over their complicity in the deaths of hundreds of protesters during the 18-day uprising that toppled him in 2011. He was found guilty in 2012 and sentenced to life in prison but the conviction was overturned on appeal due to procedural irregularities, and a retrial began in April 2013.
The judge said a final verdict in the case would be delivered on 27 September.
"I have spent my life fighting my nation's enemies and I would not order the murder of a single Egyptian under any circumstances or for any reason," he added as he read his speech from the cage.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/108370/Egypt/Politics-/Mubarak-claims-he-would-never-order-an-Egyptians-m.aspx
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World Is Watching Iraq, Stepping Up Its Support in Iraqi Crisis
Aug 14, 2014
ISTANBUL – The alarming effect of the slamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) threat in Iraq has led many countries to increase their role in Iraq with a move to aid Kurdish forces in battling militants. Following a dramatic push by ISIS militants through northern Iraq, Western countries like Germany, the U.K. and France are considering intensifying their involvement in Iraq by providing more humanitarian and military aid to eliminate the ISIS threat. As the continuing political vacuum unleashes chaos throughout the country, Iraq has been in dire need of more assistance to stop the militants' slaughter of minorities, mainly Yazidis and Christians.
Kurdish Regional Goverment President Massoud Barzani called on the international community to provide Kurdish forces with weapons to help fight the militants.
After U.S. airstrikes reportedly slowed the ISIS advance across Northern Iraq, the Obama administration sent about 130 additional military personnel to the Kurdish region of Northern Iraq, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Tuesday. The "assessment team members" arrived in the area around Iraqi Kurdistan's capital, Irbil, with the aim of "assess[ing] the scope of the humanitarian mission and develop additional humanitarian assistance options beyond the current airdrop effort in support of displaced Iraqi civilians trapped on Sinjar Mountain," rather than engaging in direct combat on the ground.
Full report at:
http://www.dailysabah.com/mideast/2014/08/14/world-is-watching-iraq-stepping-up-its-support-in-iraqi-crisis
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Exclusive: Islamic State militants grab new weapon
Aug 14, 2014
BAGHDAD/ABU DHABI (Reuters) - After seizing five oil fields and Iraq's biggest dam, Sunni militants bent on creating an Islamic empire in the Middle East now control yet another powerful economic weapon – wheat supplies.
Fighters from the Islamic State have overrun large areas in five of Iraq's most fertile provinces, where the United Nations food agency says around 40 percent of its wheat is grown.
Now they're helping themselves to grain stored in government silos, milling it and distributing the flour on the local market, an Iraqi official told Reuters. The Islamic State has even tried to sell smuggled wheat back to the government to finance a war effort marked by extreme violence and brutality.
International officials are drawing uneasy comparisons with the days of hardship under dictator Saddam Hussein, when Western sanctions led to serious shortages in the 1990s. "Now is the worst time for food insecurity since the sanctions and things are getting worse," said Fadel El-Zubi, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) representative for Iraq.
While Iraq faces no immediate food shortages, the longer term outlook is deeply uncertain.
Hassan Nusayif al-Tamimi, head of an independent nationwide union of farmers' cooperatives, said the militants were intimidating any producers who tried to resist.
Full report at:
http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-islamic-state-militants-seize-wheat-state-silos-123753572.html
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Outgunned and untested for years, Kurdish peshmerga struggle
Aug 14, 2014
DOHUK Iraq (Reuters) - The Kurdish peshmerga fighter ran out of ammunition but saved two bullets to end his own life in case Islamic State militants caught up with him as he fled the front line in northwest Iraq.
After a two-month stand-off along a 1,000-kilometre (630 mile) long front, the Kurds failed their first major test, allowing the Sunni militants who want to redraw the map of the Middle East to grab more towns, oil fields and Iraq's biggest dam.
The peshmerga, literally "those who confront death", had built up a reputation as fearsome warriors, but in the end they proved no match for the better-armed militants who attacked them with suicidal zeal.
"They took us by surprise," said the peshmerga fighter, who asked to remain unnamed because the force had been ordered not to divulge any information about their defeat.
"For every mortar round we fired, they fired 100 back. We didn't know where they were coming from. We lost contact with each other. We didn't have enough weapons. It was chaos," he told Reuters.
Full report at:
http://news.yahoo.com/outgunned-untested-years-kurdish-peshmerga-struggle-171643725.html
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ISIS fighters allegedly abduct, plan to execute 63 members of single Iraqi family: report
Aug 14, 2014
Islamic terrorists who overran northern Iraq have allegedly buried children alive, forced hundreds of women into slavery and abducted 63 members from a single family.
Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria took hold of Sinjar, Iraq, earlier this month and have killed at least 500 religious minorities after the group demanded that residents convert to Islam or die, Reuters reported.
During the sweep of the city, the militant group, better known as ISIS, abducted hundreds of women and children, including almost all of the Haig family, one of its few free members told the Global Post.
Sixty-three relatives, including children as young as 3 years old, were taken. Assad Haig, one of three Haig family members not abducted by the terrorists, said he learned about the capture when he got a call from his mom's phone.
A fighter on the other end told him the militant group planned to execute all 63 family members, Haig explained to the Global Post in an exclusive interview. The family wanted to flee before the fighters came, he said, but with so many young children, the move was impossible.
Full report at:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/islamic-fighters-abduct-63-members-iraqi-family-article-1.1900454
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Mummies in Egypt began long before Age of Pharoahs: study
Aug 14, 2014
The earliest evidence of mummification in Egypt suggests that the practice of wrapping bodies to preserve them after death began around 1,000 years earlier than thought, said a study Wednesday.
The study in the journal PLOS ONE is the first to describe resins and linens used as funeral wrappings dating back as far as 3350 to 4500 BC.
Historians have long believed that the Egyptian practice of mummification began around 2500 BC.
But by applying modern scientific analysis to Egyptian collections that were already in British museums, they found that back then, people were using similar preserving materials in the same proportions as found in later mummies.
"This work demonstrates the huge potential of material in museum collections to allow researchers to unearth new information about the archaeological past," said co-author Thomas Higham of the University of Oxford.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/108406/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/Mummies-in-Egypt-began-long-before-Age-of-Pharoahs.aspx
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Pakistan
Conspiracy under way to spread terrorism in country: Pak President
Aug 14, 2014
ISLAMABAD: At the Independence Day ceremony on Thursday, President Mamnoon Hussain said the country was in a state of war and terrorism was being spread in the country under a conspiracy.
In his special message to the nation in a ceremony held at the President House, Hussain emphasised the importance of harmony in order to resolve the political turmoil prevailing in the country.
Mamnoon said the army was fighting for the stability and security of the country and its efforts were commendable, adding that the nation should provide support to the army in this hour of need.
The president also referred to those displaced due to the military operation in North Waziristan and said the government was working to root out terrorism from the country.
On the occasion of Independence Day, the president said the country was achieved as a result of great sacrifices rendered by martyrs.
The president hoisted the national flag at the ceremony. He was flanked by Prime Minister Nawaz and army chief Raheel Sharif was also present on the occasion.
Earlier, at the Independence Day ceremony in the Parliament House, the prime minister congratulated the nation and said no harm should befall the continuation of democracy in the country.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1125276/conspiracy-under-way-to-spread-terrorism-in-country-mamnoon
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Hindu rights body rejects separate electorate proposal
Aug 14, 2014
KARACHI: The Pakistan Hindu Seva, a welfare organisation which has been working for the rights of the Hindus for the past seven years, on Wednesday spoke out against the demand for a separate electorate for the minority communities made by another Hindu organisation a day earlier.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Karachi Press Club, legal adviser to the PHS Amarnath Motumal, formerly associated with the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), said their organisation “strongly refuses to be a part of any individual campaign that works against the collective welfare of the Hindus in Pakistan.”
He said the most persistent among the problems faced by the minorities in general and the Hindu community in particular was forced conversion of young girls. “As a community elder and lawyer, I have seen how courts are manipulated into giving a judgement that works more for the perpetrators than the victims. It is no exaggeration; the videos are still available online where gun-toting men are seen celebrating outside while a judgement for the case is being announced. These people know they will not be questioned, least of all convicted, for their crimes.”
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1125144/hindu-rights-body-rejects-separate-electorate-proposal
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Two suspected militants killed in Mohmand
Aug 14, 2014
PESHAWAR: Pakistani security forces on Thursday repulsed an attack on the Pak-Afghan border in the Mohmand tribal region, killing two attackers.
Official sources said suspected militants from across the Pak-Afghan border attacked two security check posts in the Isakhel area near the Kaghki Pass.
Security forces repulsed the attack killing two suspected militants whose bodies were taken away by their accomplices.
Mohmand is one of Pakistan’s seven tribal agencies near the Afghan border which are rife with homegrown insurgents and are said to be strongholds of Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives.
Two soldiers injured in Swat's Matta
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1125282/two-suspected-militants-killed-in-mohmand
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Real ‘Azadi’ march is here in Balochistan: Nawaz
Aug 14, 2014
QUETTA: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Thursday that Pakistan can recover from the last 10 years’ deficiency if there is uninterrupted peace in the country.
“The disparities in Pakistan – where one area is less developed than another – will all be covered up. We have a stake in this country, and we will work hard to contribute to its success,” he said.
“The ‘Azadi’ march is (taking place) here in Balochistan. The civil and military leadership is together here celebrating Independence Day. What can be a bigger march than this?” he said.
“This tradition should continue. The people of Pakistan are watching this and getting inspired,” he said.
Addressing Chief Minister Balochistan Abdul Malik Baloch, the premier promised that Balochistan would also be a major part of this journey.
The premier was speaking at the reopening ceremony of the Ziarat residency — the rest house used by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah during his final days. The rest house has been fully reconstructed and restored after militants burnt to ashes in rocket and arson attacks in June last year.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1125288/real-azadi-march-is-here-in-balochistan-nawaz
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Never demanded a technocrats setup: Imran
August 14, 2014
LAHORE - Hailing the LHC decision over the PTI and PAT march, Imran Khan has said that he along with party men will launch a peaceful and constitutional million march towards Islamabad today.
Addressing a press conference at his residence on late Wednesday, PTI chairman said: We want resignation of prime minister and establishment of a caretaker setup which will first hold accountable all the looters, plunderers, murderers and the people who stole the 2013 elections and then form a free and transparent election commission to conduct fresh polls.”
He added: “We never demanded a technocrat setup to replace the incumbent rulers but a caretaker setup comprising non-political people for transparent across the board accountability.”
Full report at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/national/14-Aug-2014/never-demanded-a-technocrats-setup-imran
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You left me when time had come to save democracy, Khan tells Javed Hashmi
Aug 14, 2014
LAHORE- Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan rang up disgruntled party leader Javed Hashmi who went to Multan over differences regarding objectives of the Azadi March.
According to reports, Khan made a phone call to Hashmi and tried to persuade him to join the march from Lahore to Islamabad.
“You left me when time came to save democracy in the country,” Khan complained to Hashmi, who said that he too had joined the PTI to save democracy.
“We will go ahead with our plan to march on Islamabad for the sake of democracy,” insisted Khan.
http://www.nation.com.pk/national/13-Aug-2014/you-left-me-when-time-came-to-save-democracy-in-the-country-khan-complains-to-hashmi
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Mideast
13 killed in 'Qaeda bomb' accident: Yemen official
Aug 14, 2014
ADEN: Ten civilians and three army technicians were killed on Wednesday when a bomb planted near a prison by presumed Al Qaeda militants exploded in south Yemen, a security official said.
The device placed in the Tibn area of Lahij province went off when the soldiers were trying to defuse it, but the area had not been sealed off to keep civilians away, the official added.
“Residents alerted the security services about an explosive device planted near a prison. Army ammunition technical officers were sent to the scene and were trying to defuse it.
“The bomb exploded prematurely, killing the three technicians and 10 civilians, and wounding 13 more including the local police chief,” the official said.
Two hospitals in Lahij and Aden where the dead and wounded were taken confirmed the toll.
The dead civilians were among a crowd that had gathered to watch the army defuse the device and which was not kept at a safe distance by police.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (Aqap) is active in southern Yemen where it often targets members of the security forces, despite a security push in April that ejected Aqap fighters from urban areas.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1125098/13-killed-in-qaeda-bomb-accident-yemen-official
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Iran Bans Vasectomies, Wants More Babies
Aug 14, 2014
Men in Iran wanting to get vasectomies will soon be out of luck now that the country's parliament has approved a ban on surgical, permanent forms of birth control. Violators will be punished as having committed a crime, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported Sunday.
The bill also bans similar procedures for women but includes an exemption for cases in which the surgery “is urgently needed for health,” IRNA reports.
Why pass such legislation? In two words: declining birthrates. IRNA reports that the country’s birthrate is 1.8 children per woman, according to Khalil Ali-Mohammadzadeh of Iran’s Health and Treatment Commission of Women’s Cultural and Social Council. That’s below the 2.1 birthrate needed to replace the population as people die.
Full report at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/08/12/iran-bans-vasectomies-wants-more-babies/
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Foreign Minister Davutoglu ‘worked all night to stop Iraq coup’
Aug 14, 2014
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu worked through the night to avert a coup attempt in Iraq when special forces loyal to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and armoured vehicles were deployed across strategic locations in Baghdad late Aug. 10.
Davutoglu worked until the morning on the night of Turkey’s first presidential elections on Aug. 10. Late on that day, Iraqi police, army and counter-terrorism forces were deployed in unusually high numbers across strategic locations in Baghdad after al-Maliki said he would file a legal complaint against the country’s new president for committing “a clear constitutional violation.”
Al-Maliki, whose coalition won the most seats in April elections, accused President Fuad Masum of neglecting to name a prime minister from the country’s largest parliamentary bloc by the deadline on Aug. 10.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/foreign-minister-davutoglu-worked-all-night-to-stop-iraq-coup.aspx?pageID=238&nID=70395&NewsCatID=510
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Turkey Continues To Extend Helping Hand to Yazidis
Aug 14, 2014
ISTANBUL – Turkey continues to host Yazidis who have fled from attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) in their homelands. President-elect Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Chief Advisor Ibrahim Kalin yesterday announced on his Twitter account, "As of today, around 2,000 Iraqi Yazidis have entered Turkey." Kalin stated that via 103 humanitarian trucks, the Prime Ministry's Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD), the Turkish Coordination and Cooperation Agency (TIKA), municipalities and NGOs delivered aid to Sinjar, Kirkuk, Tal Afar, Irbil, Dohuk and Tall Kayf. It is reported that the Health Ministry delivered 441,539 medications, while AFAD delivered food aid for 41,000 people, tents for 12,500 people, 2,000 kitchen appliances and 1,920 beds. According to official figures, TIKA, together with AFAD, delivered food and hygiene aid for 3,000 families to Tall Kayf and its surrounding area and 450 air conditioners to Khazer Camp. The Turkish Red Crescent also delivered food aid, clothes, beds and tents to needy people in Iraq. Turkey now hosts 2,000 people from Iraq's Yazidi minority who took shelter in southeastern Turkey after fleeing violence in their homeland. Some members of the group that survived a troublesome journey underwent medical examinations in the Turkish province of Sirnak where they are being accommodated.
http://www.dailysabah.com/politics/2014/08/14/turkey-continues-to-extend-helping-hand-to-yazidis
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Islamic pundit’s remarks anger Turkish atheists
Aug 14, 2014
The Atheism Association, a newly founded body bidding to protect the rights of non-believers, has filed a judicial complaint against Nihat Hatipoglu, a religious pundit, for comments during a broadcast, claiming that he was “libelous and provoked people with hatred and hostility via the press.”
A group from the association said in front of an Istanbul court Aug. 13 that Hatipoglu tried to depict atheists as “sons of the devil,” “worshippers of the devil” and “those responsible for all bad things in society,” while he was speaking during a Ramadan program on a TV channel July 14.
The members also filed a complaint about the executives of the private broadcaster.
Lawyer Mehmet Emin Uçbagla said Hatipoglu was bidding to “marginalize” and “humiliate” atheist people.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/islamic-pundits-remarks-anger-turkish-atheists.aspx?pageID=238&nID=70375&NewsCatID=341
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Israeli soldier spotted drinking in Jerusalem bar wearing a 'Deployed, Destroyed and Enjoyed Gaza 2014' T-shirt
Aug 14, 2014
An Israeli soldier has been spotted laughing and drinking in a bar wearing a T-shirt with the slogan 'Deployed, Destroyed, Enjoyed, Gaza 2014' emblazoned on the back.
The man, thought to be an army reservist was pictured wearing the shirt while enjoying a drink and chatting with friends at a bar in Jerusalem in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Pictured from behind, the black shirt has the slogan in white lettering emblazoned across the back of the garment.
And since the photo, snapped by an Associated Press photographer, surfaced today, people have taken to Twitter to express their disgust.
Dara de Brun tweeted: 'You have to question the mentality of someone who wears a t-shirt like this? #ICC4Israel'
Full report at:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2723884/Disgust-Israeli-soldier-spotted-laughing-drinking-Jerusalem-bar-wearing-Deployed-Destroyed-Enjoyed-Gaza-2014T-shirt.html#ixzz3AIqv91G7
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UN rights body legitimises 'terror groups': Israel PM
Aug 14, 2014
Jerusalem (AFP) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out Wednesday at the UN Human Rights Council, accusing it of granting "legitimacy to terror organisations" by investigating Israel for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
"UNHRC gives legitimacy to murderous terror organisations like Hamas and Daash (Islamic State)," he said, accusing the rights body of overlooking "massacres" committed elsewhere in the Middle East in favour of investigating Israel for defending itself against rocket attacks from Gaza.
In response to Netanyahu's comments, a spokesman for the 47-member rights council said the inquiry it launched last month will probe both sides in the Gaza conflict.
"The resolution establishing the Commission of Inquiry clearly states the commission will investigate all violations of international human rights and humanitarian law since the current military operations began in mid-June," Rolando Gomez told AFP.
Full report at:
http://news.yahoo.com/israel-pm-says-un-rights-body-legitimises-terror-153807934.html
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PM Erdogan vows to hand over AKP leadership after consultations
Aug 14, 2014
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to hand over the leadership of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) after consultations, as he prepares to take over the presidency from Abdullah Gül on Aug. 28.
“I have said our party will never become a leadership dictatorship. I have stood behind the collective leadership approach for the past 13 years. We are conducting this process that will reshape our party by consulting all levels,” Erdogan said on Aug. 14 during a speech to the AKP’s provincial heads in Ankara.
“God willing, we will bow to joint wisdom. The devil waits for such moments. We will foil his trap with unity,” he added.
Erdogan’s statement came as the AKP decided to hold an extraordinary convention to elect its new chairman on Aug. 27, after Gül signaled his wish to return to the party. The timing of the convention has been controversial, as it makes it impossible for the outgoing president to join the party as the leader.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/pm-erdogan-vows-to-hand-over-akp-leadership-after-consultations.aspx?pageID=238&nID=70422&NewsCatID=338
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North America
Obama weighs strategy against Islamic State
Aug 14, 2014
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is grappling with how to bridge the gap between its increasingly dire assessment of the threat posed by the Islamic State group and the limited, defensive air campaign it has so far undertaken, which military officials acknowledge will not blunt the group's momentum.
For months, administration officials have been divided about the threat posed by the Islamic State as it seized parts of Syria and advanced on towns in Iraq. Now, amid new intelligence about its growing strength, a consensus is forming that the group presents an unacceptable terrorism risk to the United States and its allies.
At issue is whether President Barack Obama, elected on a platform of ending the Iraq war, will heed calls for a campaign to contain or destroy the Islamic State, an undertaking that could dominate U.S. foreign policy for the remainder of his term.
Full report at:
http://news.yahoo.com/obama-weighs-strategy-against-islamic-state-040838690.html
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'Far fewer' stranded on Iraq mountain than thought, US says
Aug 14, 2014
Dohuk (Iraq) (AFP) - The United States said its troops found "far fewer" Yazidi refugees marooned on a northern Iraqi mountain than expected, making an evacuation mission less likely, after air strikes pummeled besieging Islamic militants.
The UN refugee agency has said tens of thousands of civilians, many of them members of the Yazidi religious minority, remain trapped on Mount Sinjar by jihadists from the so-called Islamic State (IS), which has overrun large swathes of Iraq and Syria in a lightning and brutal offensive.
But the Pentagon said on Wednesday that -- based on a firsthand assessment by a small party of US troops -- the plight of those on the mountain was better than feared, and an evacuation mission "is far less likely".
A US military official said the special forces soldiers had returned safely to base at Arbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region.
Pentagon press secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby said that the troops, which consisted of less than 20 personnel, did not engage in any combat.
Full report at:
http://news.yahoo.com/us-forces-headed-iraq-mountain-kurdish-spokesman-201034780.html
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US urges Maliki to respect Iraqi political process
Aug 14, 2014
The White House urged Iraqi leader Nuri al-Maliki to step aside and allow the man nominated to become his successor as prime minister to form a government.
"He needs to respect that process," US national security spokesman Ben Rhodes told reporters. "This is what the Iraqis themselves have decided to do."
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/108397/World/Region/US-urges-Maliki-to-respect-Iraqi-political-process.aspx
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Report: US halted weapons transfer to Israel during Gaza offensive
Aug 14, 2014
Amid diplomatic tensions between US President Barack Obama's administration and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, the US halted a shipment of air-to-ground missiles to Israel last month during Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
In July, Israel requested "through military-to-military channels a large number of Hellfire missiles", a first batch of which was about to be released to Israel, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Israeli and American officials.
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Report-US-halted-weapons-transfer-to-Israel-during-Gaza-offensive-371062
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Iraqi religious persecution hits home in U.S.
14 August 2014
Iekhan Safar moved from Iraq to a city in the middle of the American heartland for the same reason as hundreds of Yazidis, a Kurdish religious minority: to live near family, far from the dangers they've long faced as a persecuted group.
Lincoln, the capital of the state of Nebraska, has the largest concentration of Yazidis in the United States, and many of them brought their families to America after receiving visas for serving as translators during the first Gulf War.
Now, the city is at the center of a frantic effort to draw attention to the group's plight in northern Iraq, where Yazidis are fleeing from the Islamic State group's militants to escape violence and attempts to convert them to Islam.
Thousands of homeless Yazidi families are packed into a refugee camp on a remote desert Sinjar mountain range near Iraq's northern border, where there is little access to food, water or shelter.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/features/2014/08/14/Iraqi-religious-persecution-hits-home-in-US.html
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US rescue operation for Yazidis on Iraq's Mount Sinjar "less likely"
Aug 14, 2014
The Pentagon has said a possible US mission to rescue Yazidis trapped on Iraq's Mount Sinjar is less likely to take place after special forces assessed that there are fewer civilians trapped than previously feared.
"The Yazidis who remain are in better condition than previously believed and continue to have access to the food and water that we have dropped," the Pentagon said in a statement. Tens of thousands had been reported trapped on the mountain last week.
"Based on this assessment the interagency has determined that an evacuation mission is far less likely," it said, adding that the United States would continue to provide humanitarian assistance as needed.
A team including personnel from the US military and the US Agency for International Development had landed on Iraq's northern Sinjar Mountain early on Wednesday to assess a civilian rescue operation.
Full report at:
http://www.dw.de/us-rescue-operation-for-yazidis-on-iraqs-mount-sinjar-less-likely/a-17853206
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NSA bot MonsterMind can wage Cyberwar on its own – Snowden
Aug 14, 2014
The US National Security Agency owns a “MonsterMind” program designed to prevent foreign cyberattacks and, also, automatically strike back, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden told Wired magazine.
In his latest revelation, Snowden said that the defence software in the works would robotically hunt for the launches of foreign cyber attacks against the US and neutralize them.
MonsterMind - unlike similar schemes that have existed for many years now - would also be capable to fire back at such attacks without any human intervention Snowden said in an extended interview with Wired’s writer James Bamford.
Full report at:
http://rt.com/news/180096-monster-mind-snowden-nsa/
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Southeast Asia
Malaysian Teen’s Facebook ‘Like’ on Pro-Israel Posting Prompts Sedition Probe
Aug 14, 2014
Kuala Lumpur. A Malaysian teenager is being investigated by police for sedition after “liking” a pro-Israel Facebook posting, sparking outrage over perceived growing intolerance in the Muslim-majority country.
The 17-year-old student in the northern state of Penang had “liked” a post that declared “I love Israel” and featured a picture of the Jewish state’s flag, Penang police chief Abdul Rahim Hanafi was quoted as saying on Wednesday by Malaysian media.
Abdul Rahim reportedly said a sedition probe was under way and that the student claimed to have accidentally clicked “like”. Police also are investigating death threats against the student.
Sedition can result in three years in jail in Malaysia. The student, who has been questioned by police, has deactivated his Facebook account. He has not been publicly identified.
Malaysia has no diplomatic relations with Israel. The Jewish state’s policies toward the Palestinians are fiercely criticized by Malaysian Muslims, sentiments that have been inflamed by the ongoing deadly conflict in Gaza.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/international/malaysian-teens-facebook-like-pro-israel-posting-prompts-sedition-probe/
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Police Release 7 Men Found With ISIS Flag
Aug 14, 2014
The release of seven men caught in Cilacap, West Java, carrying symbols and flags of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, has highlighted the apparent lack of applicable laws to prevent the spread of the radical ideology in Indonesia.
Cilacap Police released ISIS Indonesia chairman Chep Hernawan and six other men on Wednesday after they were caught carrying the ISIS symbols and flag on their way home from visiting two terror convicts at the Nusakambangan penitentiary.
Cilacap Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Andry Triaspoetra said the police had no choice but to release the men because they were not authorized to detain them for longer.
“We released them because the police only have the authority to detain them for 24 hours,” Andry said on Wednesday.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/police-release-7-men-found-isis-flag/
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PAS won’t form unity government with Khalid, Barisan, says leader
Aug 14, 2014
PAS will not form a Selangor unity government with Umno under Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, a senior PAS leader said, ahead of the Islamist party’s central committee meeting on Sunday.
He also ruled out any possibility that the crucial weekend meeting would see PAS leaders calling for a unity government, even if its members wished to side with the embattled Selangor menteri besar.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said that even if the meeting decided that PAS should cooperate with Umno, it would involve a lengthy process, including approval from the Shura Council and a special congress or muktamar.
“Khalid cannot form a government with only Umno’s support. Without PAS, he does not have enough assemblymen,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
Barisan Nasional has only 12 state assemblymen in Selangor, while PAS has 15, DAP 15, PKR 13 and Khalid, who is now an independent lawmaker.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/pas-wont-form-unity-government-with-khalid-barisan-says-leader#sthash.yyHp5QOD.dpuf
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Africa
Jihadists coordinate on Tunisian-Algerian border
Aug 14, 2014
ALGIERS, Algeria — Khaled Chaib, also known as Lokman Abu Sakhr, is an Algerian militant fighting Tunisian soldiers in Mount Chambi, located in the Constantine province of eastern Algeria. Algerian security sources who are following the fight against terrorism on the Algerian-Tunisian border told Al-Monitor that armed groups in the two countries seek to coordinate their operations in the area of ??Mount Chambi. This coordination aims to undermine the efforts of both countries to blockade them before they can receive new fighters and military equipment from Libya.
The source, who preferred to remain anonymous given the sensitivity of the subject, said that fighters from various organizations, including Ansar al-Sharia in Tunisia, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Ansar al-Sharia in Libya, are moving across the Tunisian-Libyan border areas to bring arms in and recruit young men to fight in Mount Chambi.
Full report at:
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/08/tunisia-algeria-coordinate-fight-terrorism-border.html#ixzz3AIjoWqLs
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Libya parliament votes to disband militias
Aug 14, 2014
Libya's parliament on Wednesday voted to disband the country's militia brigades and called on the United Nations to protect civilians in an effort to end the worst fighting between armed factions since the 2011 fall of Moammar Qaddafi.
Lawmakers appeared to be seeking to strip the groups of former rebel fighters of the legitimacy they say they were given by the previous parliament and government ministries, and loosen their grip over Libya's fragile democracy.
But with Libya's army still in formation, it was unclear how the new Congress would enforce its decision. Composed of ex-rebels who once fought Qaddafi, the brigades are heavily armed and allied with powerful political factions.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/08/13/Libya-parliament-calls-for-international-intervention-.html
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Libya MPs call for foreign intervention to aid civilians
August 14, 2014
TRIPOLI - A majority of Libyan MPs voted Wednesday to call for foreign intervention to protect civilians amid chaos in the North African country as rival militias engage in fierce clashes, a deputy said. Parliament, meeting in Tobruk in the east, adopted "by 111 of the 124 deputies present a resolution calling on the international community to intervene quickly to protect civilians in Libya, including Tripoli and Benghazi", Abu Bakr Biira told AFP.
"The international community must intervene immediately to ensure that civilians are protected," he added, quoting from the resolution. He did not elaborate on what the parliament expects from such foreign intervention. The parliament, elected on June 25, has been meeting in Tobruk between Benghazi and the border with Egypt, because of the violence plaguing both of Libya's main cities.
Full report at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/international/14-Aug-2014/libya-mps-call-for-foreign-intervention-to-aid-civilians
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Kenya: New Bill Wants Gays Stoned in Public
Aug 14, 2014
A bill seeking to have foreign gay people stoned to death in public in Kenya is now before the National Assembly through a petition by a political party.
The draft bill has proposed that a foreigner who commits a homosexual act be stoned in public, while Kenyan nationals found guilty will be jailed for life.
The draft bill, presented alongside a petition by the party's legal secretary, Edward Onwong'a Nyakeriga, is seeking to criminalise sodomy, with offenders earning life imprisonment.
"There is need to protect children and youth who are vulnerable to sexual abuse and deviation as a result of cultural changes, uncensored information technology, parentless-child developmental settings and increasing attempts by homosexuals to raise children in homosexual relationships through adoption, foster care or otherwise," Nyakeriga says in his petition.
Full report at:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201408120968.html?aa_source=acrdn-f0
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French Forces in Mali Capture Three Al-Qaeda Suspects
Aug 14, 2014
French forces in Mali captured three suspected members of terror group Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, an army spokesman said Wednesday.
"They are being questioned now. If our suspicions are confirmed, they will be transferred to the Malian authorities," French army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Michel Sabatier told dpa.
The insurgents were captured during a special forces operation near the northern town of Timbuktu on Sunday, said Sabatier.
The United Nations mission in Mali, Minusma, confirmed that an AQIM cell was believed to be located west of Timbuktu. It was believed the group included non-Malian nationals, possibly insurgents from Somalia, Chad and Tunisia as well as a man with dual citizenship from Morocco and Spain.
Full report at:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201408141188.html?aa_source=mf-hdlns
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/islamic-state-supporters-leaflet-central/d/98571