Najran Residents Start War on Saudi Arabia after Declaring Secession
New Age Islam News Bureau
18
Jun 2015
Inmates claimed they were illegally singled out as Muslims, Arabs or South Asians for 23-hour-a-day solitary confinement, strip searches, sleep deprivation and other abuses. PHOTO: DoD
Arab World
• Najran Residents Start War on Saudi Arabia after Declaring Secession
• Geneva Meeting May Condemn Al Saud for Genocide in Yemen
• 46 ISIL Terrorists Killed in Iraqi Airstrikes in Anbar Province
• 33 Dead As Syria Army, Rebels’ Trade Fire around Damascus
• ISIS shoots down Iraqi fighter jet in Anbar
• Egypt's judiciary 'offended' by foreign criticism over mass death sentences: Ministry
• Egypt's opposition opens fire on government's election law amendments
• Outrage at mosque attack game
Mideast
• Several Slain As 4 Car Bombs Target 3 Mosques in Sanaa
• Tens of Israeli, Saudi Officers Killed In Yemen Missile Attacks
• 31 die in blasts at Shiite sites in Yemen capital: Medics, security
• IS carries out bomb attacks near Houthis’ stronghold
• Al-Qaeda’s Yemeni Branch Has Killed Two Men Accused of Spying for US
• Israel accuses U.N. children’s envoy of ‘improper conduct’
• Jewish extremists suspected behind fire at Church of Multiplication
North America
• Islamic Prophet Muhammad Billboard Campaign Kicks Off Across The U.S.
• Arabs, Muslims Can Now Sue US Officials over Post-9/11 Jail Treatment
• IS group in ´exploratory phase´ in Afghanistan: Pentagon
• U.S. believes Assad army may narrow offensive
• U.S. rejects ‘false’ claims of abandoning Israel
Europe
• Sexual Frustration and Strict Parents Push UK Muslim Youth to ISIS
• EU Anti-Terror Chief: Very Young Europeans Joining ISIS
• Arbitrary detention and torture widespread in eastern Libya: HRW
• Teaching the Holocaust to Muslim Germans, or Not
• Russian Federal Security Service: ISIL States It Wants to Destabilize Situation in CIS
• U.N. extends Geneva peace talks on Yemen
India
• Yoga Integral Part of Aligarh Muslim University Culture: Vice-Chancellor
• Religious Harmony: Hindus In UP District to Observe Ramzan Fast
• PM Modi Greets Muslim Community on Ramzan
• Love Jihad Controversy: VHP Extends Support to Ezhava Community In Kerala
• J&K: Pakistan flag hoisted in valley to protest killing of civilians
Pakistan
• Rangers’ Chief Asks Ulema to Report Forced Zakat Collection
• Normalisation of Ties between Pakistan, India Vital For Peace: FO
• Death penalty: Seven sent to the gallows ahead of Ramazan
• Law enforcement agencies must work within limits: law minister
• All institutions must respect their constitutional limits: PPP
• Pakistan rendered unprecedented sacrifices in war on terror: CM
• PPP’s strained ties with military
• CM Sindh writes letter to DG Rangers over exceeding powers
South Asia
• 11 Cops, Army-Men Dead In Helmand Taliban Attack: Afghan Officials
• Maldives Supreme Court Renders Human Rights Watchdog Toothless
• Militant attack at senior government official left two killed in Helmand
• Afghan forces to target top militant leaders, CEO Abdullah says
• False Rohingya propaganda probe yields first arrest
• Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Call for Hartal Goes Unheeded
Africa
• Bombs Found At Boko Haram Camp Go Off, Kill 63
• Hundreds of Nigerians Illegally Trafficked to UK
• Security forces foil suicide attack in Somali town: Police
• Three Mauritanians jailed for IS links: Judicial source
• Libya's Tripoli govt welcomes latest UN peace draft
• Cameroon Muslims urged to guard against extremism
• Mali Rebels Doubtful Over New Peace Deal
Southeast Asia
• Leadership by Veto-Wielding Ulema Will Doom New Islamist Party: Zaid Ibrahim
• Return of Hudud bill in Parliament Hadi’s ‘reward’ for killing Pakatan, Kit Siang claims
• Anti-LGBT writer both condemns and defends gays, transgenders
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
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Arab World
Najran Residents Start War on Saudi Arabia after Declaring Secession
Jun 18, 2015
Tribal forces and activists in Saudi Arabia's Najran region formed a military and political opposition movement to the Saudi regime, called "Ahrar al-Najran" after the region declared earlier this week that it has separated from Saudi Arabia and joined Yemen in the war on Riyadh.
Activist and movement member, Abu Bakr Abi Ahmad al-Salami, told FNA on Wednesday that "all tribes of the region are members of the Ahrar al-Najran Movement".
He said the youths and political activists in Najran have demanded the "Yemeni popular forces and revolutionary committees, brothers, and the neighbouring lands to provide military training for the younger generation of this region".
Al-Salami underlined the movement tough stance against the al-Saud regime, saying, "Saudi Arabia wrongfully imagines that it is the only defender of Islam, but they should know that we are the defenders of Islam and the two holy mosques, and we will rush to defend the two mosques (in Mecca and Medina) if necessary."
Al-Salami the movement is worried about developments in Yemen, and declared that "the movement's first battle will take place in those areas controlled by the Saudi occupation army in Southern Najran soon".
Meanwhile, the tribes in Najran said they have targeted the soldiers and pro-Saudi regime militants in different areas in Najran, and added that heavy clashes erupted in some neighbourhoods on Tuesday.
On Monday, Najran tribes declared independence from the Riyadh government, and said they join the Yemeni troops in the fight against the Saudi regime, stressing that Riyadh has betrayed all previous treaties with them.
Najran is one of the several former Yemeni regions that Riyadh annexed to Saudi Arabia through war or bribing the rulers in Sana'a in the last several decades.
On Monday, the tribal people living in the Saudi border city of Najran in a statement voiced opposition to Riyadh's strikes on Yemen and declared war on the Saudi regime.
"The Najran tribes in a statement declared war against the occupying Saudi regime, stressing that the House of Saud represents corruption on the Earth and sheds the bloods of innocent people across the globe in a very routine and normal manner," activist Abdul-Aziz Farid told FNA on Monday.
According to Farid, the statement also added that "the seditionist Saudi regime wants to turn the Najran region into the forefront of war against its brothers and neighbours and has used this region for artillery attacks against Yemen since the second week of the war" on the Yemeni people.
He underlined that the tribes in Najran will rise against the Saudi regime for its aggression against Yemen and will fight against the Saudi forces.
Hours later, the tribal leaders in the border city of Najran said they detached from Saudi Arabia and joined the Yemenis in their war on Saudi Arabia.
Sheikh Fouzi Akram, the leader of Yaam and Walad Abdullah tribes in Najran told FNA on Monday that the city's tribes have immediate plans for separation from the Central government in Riyadh.
"The Saudi army fires mortar shells and missiles at Najran region and then blames the Houthis of Yemen for it," he said, adding that a number of tribes in Southern Najran have already had meetings with the Yemeni army on how to fight back at the Saudi army.
Sheikh Akram underlined that the Yemeni tribes' demands for independence were raised after the Saudi regime's savage aggression against Yemen and the presence of the Saudi military men in Najran.
"All Yemeni tribes are threatened by Saudi Arabia and we are ready for martyrdom for Allah's cause," he added.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940327001382
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Geneva Meeting May Condemn Al Saud for Genocide in Yemen
Jun 18, 2015
A media activist, known for his stances in support of the Saudi-led aggression against Yemen, said the Saudi regime is much likely to be condemned for genocide by the participants of the Yemen peace talks meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.
"The Geneva peace talks can be the start-point for opening cases of massacre, genocide and inhuman crimes against Saudi Arabia and this is very dangerous for the monarchy as it is trying to have dominance over the international bodies in order not to be condemned at an international level; the UN might receive cash from Saudi government but still betray it," Tawfiq Okasha said.
He said that the Americans and the West took Saudi Arabia to the quagmire of war with Yemen and now they have taken it to Geneva, where a dark future is pending for the Riyadh rulers.
Geneva is hosting the UN-brokered peace talks aimed at ending the Saudi aggression against the Arab country.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940327001645
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46 ISIL Terrorists Killed in Iraqi Airstrikes in Anbar Province
Jun 18, 2015
The Iraqi airstrikes on ISIL's positions in the province of Anbar, Western Iraq, left tens of Takfiri terrorists dead and dozens more injured on Wednesday.
A sum of 34 ISIL terrorists, including senior commanders, were killed in the Iraqi fighter jets' bombardments in Western Anbar, the Iraqi state television reported today.
Also, the Iraqi interior ministry in a statement announced that the aerial bombardments of ISIL's positions in the town of Heet near the city of Ramadi killed over 12 terrorists.
On Tuesday, the Iraqi warplanes carried out several strikes against the ISIL positions in Salahuddin province and claimed the lives of more than 30 terrorists.
A senior military source, preferring anonymity, said that at least 30 ISIL terrorists lost their lives after the Iraqi fighter jets pounded the town of al-Shirqat, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) North of the capital, Baghdad.
The source added several high-profile commanders of the Takfiri group were also killed in the strikes.
The ISIL Takfiri terrorists currently control shrinking swathes of Syria and Iraq. They have threatened all communities, including Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians, Ezadi Kurds and others, as they continue their atrocities in Iraq.
Senior Iraqi officials have blamed Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and some Persian Gulf Arab states for the growing terrorism in their country.
The ISIL has links with Saudi intelligence and is believed to be indirectly supported by the Israeli regime.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940327001572
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33 dead as Syria army, rebels trade fire around Damascus
Jun 18, 2015
At least 33 people were killed in the Damascus region as the army bombarded a rebel-held town and the rebels fired rockets into the capital, a monitoring group said Wednesday.
At least 24 people, including five children, were killed by government air strikes and rocket fire on Douma, a rebel-held suburb some 10 kilometres (six miles) northeast of the centre of Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
An AFP photographer saw wounded children being brought into a makeshift medical centre in the town after the Tuesday afternoon bombardment.
A man tried to comfort a weeping boy lying on a stretcher with gauze on his head, while nearby a small girl cried as she waited for treatment, her face spattered with blood.
Later, the rebels fired rockets into the heart of the capital, striking Arnus Garden, a popular evening retreat.
A witness told AFP that two rockets struck the garden between 10:30 pm (1930 GMT) and 11:00 pm, and that he saw dead and wounded people.
The Observatory said nine people were killed. State media said they included five women.
"They gave us a present for Ramadan," a resident said sarcastically, referring to the Muslim fasting month that begins on Thursday.
In northern Syria, the Observatory said four children were among seven civilians killed in renewed rebel rocket fire on government-held areas of second city Aleppo on Tuesday.
The fire came despite UN condemnation of a massive rebel barrage on Monday that killed at least 36 civilians, 14 of them children.
Control of Aleppo is divided between rebels in the east and forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in the west.
In southern Syria, the Observatory said 14 children were among 18 people killed in government air strikes on the rebel-held town of Eastern Ghariyah in Daraa province on Tuesday.
"The children were killed while at a centre for the study of the Koran," the Observatory said.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/133007/World/Region/-dead-as-Syria-army,-rebels-trade-fire-around-Dama.aspx
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ISIS shoots down Iraqi fighter jet in Anbar
18 June 2015
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) said on Thursday it had shot down an Iraqi fighter plane north of the city of Ramadi in Anbar Province, according to Reuters news agency.
It was not immediately possible to independently confirm the claim made on one of the group’s Twitter accounts.
The ISIS Twitter site said the fighter jet had been shot down as it conducted a raid on areas north of Ramadi, the provincial capital of Sunni heartland Anbar.
A member of an anti-ISIS Sunni force called Sahwa (Awakening) said an Iraqi fighter jet, a Russian-made Su-25, was seen in flames as it crashed after being shot down north of Ramadi, according to Reuters.
Iraq’s government relies on a U.S.-led coalition and Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias in its fight against ISIS, which holds a third of the country as well as parts of neighboring Syria.
ISIS militants seized Ramadi last month and the city is a focal point of efforts to slow the group’s advances in Iraq, a major oil producer and OPEC member.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/06/18/ISIS-says-shot-down-Iraqi-fighter-jet.html
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Egypt's judiciary 'offended' by foreign criticism over mass death sentences: Ministry
Jun 18, 2015
Egypt's foreign affairs ministry on Wednesday said it rejected some countries "offending the Egyptian judiciary", following mass death sentences on Tuesday against over 100 defendants including ousted Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi.
The ministry described some countries condemnations of the verdicts as "futile attempts to impose visions and policies that are against the will of the Egyptian people," a foreign affairs ministry statement read.
On Tuesday, a Cairo court sentenced 99 to death including Morsi over a prison break in 2011. Only six of the convicted are in custody, while the others were sentenced in absentia.
Also on Tuesday, the same court issued 16 death sentences against Muslim Brotherhood figures and supporters in a case related to espionage charges with Palestine's Hamas.
Both verdicts can still be appealed.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/133047/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-judiciary-offended-by-foreign-criticism-ove.aspx
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Egypt's opposition opens fire on government's election law amendments
Jun 18, 2015
Recent amendments to three laws necessary to pave the way for Egypt's long-delayed parliamentary elections have drawn fire from the country's mainstream political parties.
In several public statements, different opposition parties complained that the amendments, endorsed by the State Council's Department of Legislation and Fatwas on Monday, fall far short of the electoral reforms they had suggested.
"The amendments go against most of the legislative reforms proposed by opposition parties, not to mention that they made it quite impossible for any political party to gain a majority in parliament," said Anwar El-Sadat, chairman of the liberal Reform and Development Party and a nephew of late president Anwar El-Sadat.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/133035/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-opposition-opens-fire-on-governments-electi.aspx
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Outrage At Mosque Attack Game
Jun 18, 2015
JEDDAH: Several members of the public in Dammam have expressed outrage at a SR10 video game that has players blowing up mosques and other houses of worship.
They have called on the government to ban it. Shop owners said they were not aware of its content. “I know nothing about the content, but it is popular among young gamers,” said one trader. “I was surprised two days ago when one mother, who had bought the game for her son, came into the store and threw it on the floor, demanding to speak with the shop owner and threatening to report the matter to the police.”
One mother said the game shows Muslims of different sects fighting, during which mosques are targeted.
http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/763706
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Mideast
Several slain as 4 car bombs target 3 mosques in Sanaa
Jun 18, 2015
SANAA/GENEVA: Four car bombs hit three mosques and the political headquarters of the Houthi movement in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Wednesday, a security official said, killing and wounding dozens of people.
The blasts came as Saudi-led forces conducted more airstrikes against Houthi military sites across Yemen.
“Four car bombs targeted the political bureau of Houthis, the Hashush mosque in the Jiraf district, the Kibsi mosque in the Zira district and the Qubat Al-Khadra mosque, causing the killing and injury of dozens,” the official told Reuters.
Earlier on Wednesday Houthi fighters in central Yemen blew up the home of a senior politician, Abdel-Aziz Jubari, while he was attending the Geneva talks.
Residents of Dhamar city said the Houthis, who had taken over Jubari’s house in April, dynamited the building early in the morning. Yemeni websites published picture of its collapsed ceiling on top of a pile of rubble.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/news/763651
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Tens of Israeli, Saudi Officers Killed in Yemen Missile Attacks
Jun 18, 2015
Sum 20 Israeli officers and 63 Saudi military men and officials were killed and many others taken captive in a special military operation of Yemen's Ansarullah movement in Amir Khalid airbase in Southern Saudi Arabia, a top security official announced on Wednesday.
"The Ansarullah fighters backed by the Yemeni army hit Amir Khalid airbase in Khamees al-Mushait region in Southern Saudi Arabia with a scud missile and several Najm al-Saqeb (Striking Star) missiles last week, killing over 20 senior Israeli officers and 63 Saudi military men and capturing 35 others," Mehdi Nasser al-Bashi told FNA on Wednesday.
He mentioned that the Israeli officers were agents of the Mossad spy agency and were in the region to help the Saudi army, and said, "At the time of the attack the Israeli officers were working on a plan to attack some regions of Yemen with prohibited Israeli-made weapons."
The Yemeni army targeted Amir Khalid military base in Khamees al-Mushait region by Scud missiles last week.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940327001517
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31 die in blasts at Shiite sites in Yemen capital: Medics, security
Jun 18, 2015
At least 31 people were killed and dozens wounded in five simultaneous blasts at Shiite mosques and a house in the rebel-held Yemeni capital, medics and witnesses said.
Two car bombs targeted mosques, while a third hit the house of the head of the Huthi rebels' politburo, Saleh al-Sammad.
Explosive devices also went off at two other mosques, with all the attacks timed to coincide with Muslim sunset prayers.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/133043/World/Region/-die-in-blasts-at-Shiite-sites-in-Yemen-capital-Me.aspx
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IS carries out bomb attacks near Houthis’ stronghold
Jun 18, 2015
SANAA: Car bombs killed or injured at least 50 people near mosques and the headquarters of Yemen’s dominant Houthi group in Sanaa on Wednesday, in coordinated attacks claimed by Islamic State group (IS).
The four blasts rocked the capital as Saudi-led forces conducted more air strikes against Houthi military bases across Yemen and delegates attending peace talks in Switzerland reported no progress on the second day of a UN-sponsored push for a Ramazan truce.
A security official said at least 50 people were killed or wounded in the attacks on the Hashush mosque, the Kibsi mosque, the al-Qubah al-Khadra mosque and the political bureau of the Ansarullah movement of the Houthis.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1188871/is-carries-out-bomb-attacks-near-houthis-stronghold
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Al-Qaeda’s Yemeni Branch Has Killed Two Men Accused of Spying for US
Jun 18, 2015
SANAA: Al-Qaeda’s Yemeni branch has killed two men accused of spying for the United States and hung their bodies off a bridge.
They were accused of planting tracking chips in vehicles and clothes used by Al-Qaeda leaders, allowing drones to target them, a local official in south-eastern Mukalla said.
Witnesses say Al-Qaeda gunmen in the city read out charges before shooting the two men, one of whom was accused of guiding the US drone that killed Commander Nasr Al-Ansi and a media specialist known as Muhannad Ghalab in April.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/featured/news/763791
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Israel accuses U.N. children’s envoy of ‘improper conduct’
18 June 2015
Israel has accused a senior U.N. official of misconduct in preparing a report that harshly criticized the Israeli army over the 2014 Gaza war while leaving it off a blacklist of states and armed groups that violate children’s rights in conflict.
The U.N. Security Council will hold a public debate on Thursday to discuss the latest United Nations report on children and armed conflict.
In it, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said “the unprecedented and unacceptable scale of the impact on children in 2014 raises grave concerns about Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law ... (and) excessive use of force.”
Full report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/06/18/Israel-accuses-U-N-children-s-rights-envoy-of-improper-conduct-.html
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Jewish extremists suspected behind fire at Church of Multiplication
June 18, 2015
A Catholic church near the Sea of Galilee was heavily damaged by fire on Thursday in a possible arson attack by Jewish extremists.
Israel police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said a fire broke out at the Church of the Multiplication in the middle of the night, causing extensive damage to the inside and outside of the building.
Rosenfeld said police are investigating whether the fire was deliberate and are searching for suspects. A passage from a Jewish prayer, calling for the wiping out of idol worship, was found scrawled in red spray paint on a wall outside the church.
Father Matthias Karl, a German monk from the church, said a souvenir shop, an office for pilgrims and a meeting room were badly damaged, and bibles and prayer books were destroyed in the fire.
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/middle-east-africa/jewish-extremists-suspected-behind-fire-at-church-of-multiplication/#sthash.L5jkbB5h.dpuf
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North America
Islamic Prophet Muhammad Billboard Campaign Kicks Off Across The U.S.
Jun 18, 2015
Billboards are springing up across the U.S. with messages offering a view of the Prophet Mohammad and the Muslim faith as a non-violent religion that preaches love and tolerance, while others carry proselytizing messages inviting non-Muslims to explore the Muslim faith as the answer to life’s questions.
According to Reuters, the billboard campaign is being organized by the group Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA). The group has organized campaigns in the past designed to counter negative perceptions of the Islamic faith.
A previous billboard campaign by the group had attempted to draw attention to the similarities between Christianity and Islam. Both religions consider Jesus a prophet, but unlike Christians, Muslims reject the Christian teaching that Jesus is the son of God, saying that it blasphemous to say that God has a son.
Full report at:
http://www.inquisitr.com/2180525/islamic-prophet-muhammad-billboard-campaign-kicks-off-across-the-u-s/#OfvgtZ5AIr2JfL04.99
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Arabs, Muslims can now sue US officials over post-9/11 jail treatment
Jun 18, 2015
NEW YORK: A divided US appeals court said on Wednesday that the federal government’s top law enforcers can be sued by former inmates who claim their civil rights were violated while jailed after the September 11, 2001, attacks because they were Arab, Muslim or stereotyped that way.
Wednesday’s 2-1 decision by the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals prompted an impassioned dissent that the ruling could make it harder to protect the country against terrorism.
The court revived claims against Bush administration officials including Attorney General John Ashcroft, FBI director Robert Mueller and Immigration and Naturalization Services Commissioner James Ziglar by former inmates at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center.
These inmates claimed they were illegally singled out as Muslims, Arabs or South Asians for 23-hour-a-day solitary confinement, strip searches, sleep deprivation and other abuses.
“There was no legitimate governmental purpose in holding someone in the most restrictive conditions of confinement available simply because he happened to be-or, worse yet, appeared to be-Arab or Muslim,” Circuit Judges Rosemary Pooler and Richard Wesley wrote in an unusual, 109-page joint decision.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/905658/arabs-muslims-can-now-sue-us-officials-over-post-911-jail-treatment/
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IS group in ´exploratory phase´ in Afghanistan: Pentagon
Jun 18, 2015
WASHINGTON: The Islamic State group is in an "initial exploratory phase" in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said in a report to Congress, noting the Taliban retained its resilience in the war-torn country.
IS extremists have never formally acknowledged having a presence in Afghanistan, but fears are growing that the group is making inroads there.
The Afghan government and the US-led international coalition fighting the Taliban are keeping a wary eye on IS, which has grabbed large areas of Syria and Iraq in a brutal offensive involving beheadings and forced religious conversions.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-188402-IS-group-in-%C2%B4exploratory-phase%C2%B4-in-Afghanistan:-Pentagon
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U.S. believes Assad army may narrow offensive
18 June 2015
The United States and its allies are weighing the possibility that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, under growing military pressure, may soon narrow his focus on defense of more limited areas of the country, the top U.S. general said on Wednesday.
Losses in the north, east and south have put Assad under more military strain than at any point in the four-year-old war, which has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced millions, according to United Nations data.
General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Congress that his trip to Israel last week was focused on discussing scenarios involving Assad’s departure or his government’s collapse.
Full report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/06/18/U-S-weighs-Assad-military-cutback-in-Syria.html
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U.S. rejects ‘false’ claims of abandoning Israel
18 June 2015
A top U.S. official denounced “false” assertions by a former Israeli ambassador that the Obama administration has abandoned Israel, a traditional ally of the United States.
In an op-ed piece earlier this week, former Israeli envoy to the United States, Michael Oren, said President Barack Obama had dropped the core principles guiding Israeli-U.S. ties of “no daylight, no surprises.”
Oren, ambassador from 2009 to 2013, acknowledged that Israel blundered in many instances, but added that “while neither leader monopolized mistakes, only one leader made them deliberately.”
Full report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/06/18/U-S-rejects-false-claims-of-abandoning-Israel.html
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Europe
Sexual frustration and strict parents push UK Muslim youth to ISIS
June 18, 2015
LONDON (Web Desk) – Sexual frustration and oppressive parents force young British Muslims to join the Islamic State (ISIS), reveals a British documentary.
The documentary, “Jihad: A British Story”, is work of two-year investigation conducted by an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, Deeya Khan.
In this documentary, Khan investigates the origin of growing Muslim extremism in Europe and explores why some UK Muslims choose to embrace extremism and step into the holy war in Syria and Iraq.
In an interview with Daily Beast, Khan said young Muslims feel frustrated and isolated, and suffer from identity crisis, while the Islamic State gives them a chance to be who they are.
She said the immigrant parents play a major role in alienating their children from the society, as they are uncomfortable with open western sexuality. That, in return, sometimes led the parents to abuse their children or repress their sexual urges.
Full report at:
http://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/world/sexual-frustration-and-strict-parents-push-uk-muslim-kids-to-isis/
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EU anti-terror chief: very young Europeans joining ISIS
18 June 2015
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group is recruiting a growing number of very young men and women from Europe despite battlefield setbacks, EU counter-terror chief Gilles de Kerchove has told AFP.
In an interview, de Kerchove also said there was no intelligence to show that militants were slipping into Europe among flows of migrants, even if he said they were profiting from people smuggling.
Full report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/06/18/EU-anti-terror-chief-very-young-Europeans-joining-ISIS.html
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Arbitary detention and torture widespread in eastern Libya: HRW
Jun 18, 2015
Libya's internationally recognized government and its forces have carried out widespread arbitrary detentions and torture in prisons in the east of the country, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday.
Four years after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya is in turmoil with two rival governments -- the recognised one based in the east and a self-declared administration controlling Tripoli -- fighting on several fronts.
In a report released on Wednesday, the New York-based group said in January and April 2015 it gained rare access to detention facilities in al-Bayda and Benghazi controlled by the Libya Army and Justice and Interior ministries, and interviewed 73 detainees individually without guards present.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/133049/World/Region/Arbitary-detention-and-torture-widespread-in-easte.aspx
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Teaching the Holocaust to Muslim Germans, or Not
June 18, 2015
BERLIN — In Germany’s ever-swirling debate about its past, it is a relatively recent, always delicate question: How do you teach Muslim Germans about the Nazis and the Holocaust?
The topic has bubbled up in recent weeks, after discussion in Bavaria about a proposal for all eighth or ninth graders there to visit a former concentration camp or the newly opened center in Munich documenting Nazi crimes.
In Bavaria today, only pupils in a gymnasium, the top rank of high school, are required to make such visits. As the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camps in Poland approached in January, and as the number of reported anti-Semitic incidents has increased, Josef Schuster, the head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, has suggested that all ninth-grade students make such trips.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/18/world/europe/teaching-the-holocaust-to-muslim-germans-or-not.html?_r=0
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Russian Federal Security Service: ISIL States It Wants to Destabilize Situation in CIS
Jun 18, 2015
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist organization openly states it wants to destabilize the situation in the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States), Russian Federal Security Service Director Alexander Bortnikov said on Wednesday.
"I would like to draw attention to the process of activating and expanding the influence zone of international terrorism. The Islamic States (of Iraq and the Levant) is currently at its core, it creates cells in different regions in the world and openly states that it intends to destabilize the situation in CIS and Central Asia," Bortnikov told the solemn meeting devoted to the 15th anniversary of establishing the CIS Anti-Terrorism Center, Itar-Tass reported.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940327001433
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U.N. extends Geneva peace talks on Yemen
18 June 2015
The United Nations on Wednesday extended stalled Yemen peace talks taking place in Geneva, with both the exiled government and the Iran-backed Yemeni militias accusing each other of trying to sabotage the process, diplomatic sources told Al Arabiya News channel.
The extension comes hours after the end of the initial 48 hours planned for the talks.
The sources said that the Iranian-backed Houthi delegation in Switzerland spoke about a ceasefire that would limit air strikes without mentioning anything about a cessation of hostilities on the ground.
The proposal was rejected by the legitimate government delegation which insisted on a full ceasefire.
Full report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/06/18/U-N-extends-Geneva-peace-talks-on-Yemen-.html
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India
Yoga integral part of Aligarh Muslim University culture: Vice-Chancellor
June 18, 2015
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Vice-Chancellor Zameer Uddin Shah on Thursday said Yoga is deeply ingrained in the university’s culture and that a number of his predecessors encouraged its practice on the campus.
“I have been practising Yoga for the past 40 years and it has helped me tremendously. The practice of Yoga is deeply ingrained in AMU culture and a number of former VCs practised it and also encouraged it on the campus,” Shah said.
He, however, said that no one should be pressurised to practise this “ancient form” of exercise.
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/yoga-integral-part-of-aligarh-muslim-university-culture-vice-chancellor/
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Religious harmony: Hindus in UP district to observe Ramzan fast
PTI | Jun 18, 2015
LUCKNOW: At a time when controversy over performing yoga is on, a group of Hindus in Uttar Pradesh's Mahoba district has decided to observe Roza (fast) with their Muslim neighbours during the holy month of Ramzan starting tomorrow.
"We have decided to observe fast with our Muslim brothers from tomorrow at Udal Chowk crossing in Mahoba. We will be sitting in a group of about 60 persons including at least 25 Hindus and will attend 'Sehri' and 'Iftar' ...," Tara Patkar, coordinator of Bundeli Samaj, said.
Patkar said that the move would serve dual purpose, on one hand it will spread the message of religious harmony and on the other it will boost their campaign for setting up of AIIMS in Mahoba.
"We want policy makers to acknowledge our unity and take a positive decision for setting up of AIIMS in the district as poor health services in this area affect all, irrespective of caste and creed," he said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Religious-harmony-Hindus-in-UP-district-to-observe-Ramzan-fast/articleshow/47718328.cms
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PM Modi greets Muslim community on Ramzan
PTI | Jun 18, 2015
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday greeted the Muslim community on the beginning of Ramzan and said may this holy month enhance the spirit of harmony and togetherness in society.
"My greetings to the Muslim community as the holy month of Ramzan begins. May this Ramzan bring peace and happiness in everyone's lives," the Prime Minister said in his message.
"May this Holy Month also enhance the spirit of harmony and togetherness in society," Modi said in a tweet.
The Prime Minister also extended his greetings in Urdu.
My greetings on Ramzan. pic.twitter.com/bqWtwtaiaK
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 18, 2015
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/PM-Modi-greets-Muslim-community-on-Ramzan/articleshow/47717848.cms
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J&K: Pakistan flag hoisted in valley to protest killing of civilians
June 18, 2015
Some miscreants on Wednesday hoisted a Pakistani flag in Kishtwar town where Muslims observed bandh during the day in protest against the killing of civilians by unidentified gunmen in the Valley.
Sources said that call for bandh was given by local Muslim leaders. However, the bandh was partial as it was confined only to the Muslim community who had closed their business establishments.
Though the bandh passed off peacefully with no incident of violence reported from any place, sources said that a Pakistani flag was seen hoisted in the local play ground. It was immediately removed by local police.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/jk-pakistan-flag-hoisted-in-valley-to-protest-killing-of-civillians/#sthash.mm4sIsqx.dpuf
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Pakistan
Rangers chief asks Ulema to report forced Zakat collection
Jun 18, 2015
KARACHI: Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, chief Major General Bilal Akbar has assured clerics of all-out efforts to maintain peace in the city during Ramazan and sought their support, urging them to report at the Rangers Helpline any illegal activity including forced collection of Zakat and Fitrana, according to a statement issued on Wednesday.
At a meeting held at Rangers Headquarters with a delegation of clerics from different schools of thought, the Rangers DG briefed them about security arrangements made by the paramilitary force in coordination with police for Ramazan.
“The Rangers DG apprised the Ulema about the decrease in targeted killings and other heinous crimes,” said the Rangers statement. “They were also told about the security arrangements made by the Rangers in coordination with police for Ramazan. The Rangers DG urged the Ulema to display exemplary interfaith harmony and solidarity during the holy month.”
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1188805/rangers-chief-asks-ulema-to-report-forced-zakat-collection
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Normalisation of ties between Pakistan, India vital for peace: FO
Jun 18, 2015
ISLAMABAD: Amid ongoing tensions triggered by a verbal duel between politicians from Pakistan and India, the Foreign Office said on Thursday normalisation of ties between the two countries are vital for peace and development in the region.
“Pakistan will welcome any positive step that promote peace and bilateral relations between the two countries,” Foreign Office spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah said, during his weekly press briefing in Islamabad.
“Pakistan on its part is committed to good neighbourly relations with all the regional countries, including India,” the spokesperson added.
However, he upheld there are ‘serious issues’ between the two countries which need to be resolved through dialogue process.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/905749/normalisation-of-ties-between-pakistan-india-vital-for-peace-fo/
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Death penalty: Seven sent to the gallows ahead of Ramazan
Jun 18, 2015
LAHORE / FAISALABAD: Seven murder convicts on death row were hanged in various prisons in the Punjab on Wednesday morning. These executions were held ahead of the start of the month of Ramazan during which there will be a halt on executions.
Three convicts were hanged at the Central Jail in Faisalabad, two at the Central Jail in Sahiwal, and one each at Central Jail in Mianwali and the Gujrat District Jail.
Security was tightened in and around the prisons. Bodies of the deceased were handed over to their families.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/905480/death-penalty-seven-sent-to-the-gallows-ahead-of-ramazan/
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Law enforcement agencies must work within limits: law minister
Jun 18, 2015
LAHORE – Punjab Minister for Law Rana Sanaullah on Thursday called upon the law enforcement agencies to work within their limits.
Talking to journalists outside the Punjab Assembly, Sanaullah said that it was responsibility of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to go after ‘white-collar crime’. He said that law enforcement agencies should take action against terror elements and those who are funding them and rest is upon civil institutions to look into other matters of the state.
The provincial law minister said that the MQM or the PPP cannot be involved directly in extortion collection however some members of the party could be involved. To a question, he said that former president Asif Ali Zardari`s recent remarks against political rivals and military leadership did not play any positive role for political harmony.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/18-Jun-2015/law-enforcement-agencies-must-work-within-limits-law-minister
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All institutions must respect their constitutional limits: PPP
Jun 18, 2015
ISLAMABAD: The Central Executive Committee (CEC) of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Wednesday endorsed the party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s speech that drew severe criticism from PML-N-led central government.
According to the media reports, the CEC has mandated chairman and co-chairman to hold talks with the government and decided to contact the political leadership of the country over the situation emerging after Zardari’s fiery speech. The top leadership of the party including the young chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari attended the meeting. Later talking to the media persons the Senior leader of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Farhatullah Babar has said that the part of PPP leader Asif Zardari’s speech was unnecessarily made the topic of discussion.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/18-Jun-2015/all-institutions-must-respect-their-constitutional-limits-ppp
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Pakistan rendered unprecedented sacrifices in war on terror: CM
Jun 18, 2015
LAHORE: A delegation of Royal College for Defence Studies, Britain led by Maj Gen Simon Porter called on Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday.
Talking to the delegation, the Chief Minister said that Pakistan is facing big challenges like energy crisis, terrorism and extremism. He said that Pakistani nation has rendered great sacrifices in the war against terrorism, which are unprecedented in the history. He said that more than 50 thousand Pakistanis have sacrificed their lives in this war which included officers and jawans of Pak army, police officers and officials, government officers, common citizens and children. Shahbaz Sharif said that the entire nation and political and military leadership has united for eliminating terrorism and extremism.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/punjab/18-Jun-2015/pakistan-rendered-unprecedented-sacrifices-in-war-on-terror-cm
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PPP’s strained ties with military
Jun 18, 2015
If anything has been clear in the murk of Karachi for weeks now, it is that tensions between the military and the PPP have been on the rise.
First, the director general of Rangers in Karachi made an extraordinary set of allegations centring on the multi-billion-rupee nexus between politics and crime in the megacity and then Maj Gen Bilal Akbar’s paramilitary forces raided the Sindh Building Control Authority offices in search of proof of the vast alleged land-related irregularities in the province.
On Tuesday, PPP supremo and former president Asif Zardari launched an astonishing verbal attack against the country’s military leadership, suggesting that the PPP will not suffer in silence whatever it is that Mr Zardari believes the military leadership wants to inflict on his party.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1188781/ppps-strained-ties-with-military
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CM Sindh writes letter to DG Rangers over exceeding powers
Jun 18, 2015
KARACHI: Chief Minister Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah has written a letter to DG Rangers Major General Bilal Akbar over 'exceeding authority' by the paramilitary force in the province, sources said.
According to sources, the copy of the letter has also been dispatched to the federation.
In the letter, CM Qaim Ali Shah has stated that the paramilitary force exercises the powers to counter militancy under Counter Terrorism Act 1973. He added that conducting a raid on the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and Lines Area Development Project (LADP) offices were not the authority of the Sindh Rangers.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-188309-CM-Sindh-writes-letter-to-DG-Rangers-over-exceeding-powers
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South Asia
11 cops, army men dead in Helmand Taliban attack: Afghan officials
Jun 18, 2015
KANDAHAR: Afghan officials say that at least 11 members of the security forces have been killed in a Taliban assault on government buildings in an unstable district in southern Helmand province.
The officials said on Thursday that four soldiers and seven police officers were killed when the insurgents overran Musa Qala ─ which has shifted between government and Taliban control for years.
Saqi Jan, police logistics expert in the district, said four soldiers and four police were killed in the attack, which began late Wednesday night.
Earlier the spokesman for the provincial governor, Omar Zawaq, said three policemen had been killed.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1188978/11-cops-armymen-dead-in-helmand-taliban-attack-afghan-officials
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Maldives Supreme Court renders human rights watchdog toothless
Jun 18, 2015
The Supreme Court has declared a rights assessment submitted to the UN by the human rights watchdog as unlawful, and has issued an 11-point guideline barring the independent body from communicating with foreign organizations without government oversight.
Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed delivered a verdict today, eight months after the apex court charged the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) with treason.
He said the September 2014 report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council was biased, encouraged terrorists and undermined judicial independence in the Maldives.
In the report, the HRCM had said the Supreme Court controlled and influenced the lower courts to the detriment of the Maldivian judiciary.
Days after the report was publicised, the Supreme Court brought charges against the HRCM under controversial suomoto regulations that allow the apex court to prosecute and pass judgment.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/supreme-court-renders-human-rights-watchdog-toothless-99848#sthash.12foEmD7.dpuf
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Militant attack at senior government official left two killed in Helmand
Jun 18 2015
Two body guards of a district governor were killed after unidentified gunmen shot at them in volatile Helmand province last night.
Yousuf, Governor of Girishk District was in the capital city of his district along with his body guards when unidentified gunmen targeted them.
Omar Zwak, spokesman for the provincial governor said that Yousuf survived but two of his body guards lost lives in the attack.
He said the incident took place around 9pm last night and the assailants who were riding on a motorbike escaped from the area.
Zwak further said that security forces have initiated an investigation into the incident.
No group had claimed responsibility for the attack by the time this report was filed but Taliban have claimed responsibility for several attacks on government officials in the past.
http://www.khaama.com/militant-attack-at-senior-government-official-left-two-killed-in-helmand-3510
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Afghan forces to target top militant leaders, CEO Abdullah says
Jun 18, 2015
Chief Executive Officer Dr. Abdullah Abdullah warned on Wednesday that the Afghan national security forces will continue to target senior leaders of the anti-government armed militants.
During a meeting with the commander of the NATO-led Resolute Support (RS) mission, Gen. John Campbell, Abdullah said targeting the top commanders and leaders of the anti-government armed militants will have a positive impact over security situation.
Abdullah also added that the Afghan security forces will continue to boost operations to target the senior militant leaders, according to a statement by the office of the CEO.
He also added that the intelligence sharing among the Afghan security institutions have increased and efforts have been put in place to further improve the intelligence sharing so that the terrorist plots by the militants are thwarted on time.
Abdullah also urged Gen. Campbell to assist Afghan forces in gathering intelligence information and boost the capabilities of the Afghan Air Force.
In the meantime, Gen. Campbell said NATO is engaged in a number of advisory and training programs with the Afghan security forces.
Gen. Campbell also added that the Afghan security forces have thwarted several attack plots by the militants are currently leading military operations across the country.
http://www.khaama.com/afghan-forces-to-target-top-militant-leaders-ceo-abdullah-says-1213
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False Rohingya propaganda probe yields first arrest
Jun 18, 2015
A dozen online news portals and Facebook pages are under surveillance for posting fake photos and information about the persecution of Myanmar’s Rohingya, as police yesterday made their first arrest over the false propaganda campaign.
Police said the authors of the pages are instigating religious sentiments and inciting retaliatory violence by posting false information and urging readers to like and spread the posts.
“Not only are those who post this information guilty under the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act, those who like or share the posts are guilty as well,” Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of the Detective Branch (DB) of police, said yesterday.
The DB chief was giving a media briefing at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Media and Community Centre following the arrest of the author of a news portal publishing spurious information.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/crime/2015/jun/18/false-rohingya-propaganda-probe-yields-first-arrest#sthash.bTjJex5s.dpuf
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Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Call for Hartal Goes Unheeded
Jun 18, 2015
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s countrywide 24-hour Hartal, protesting the death sentence against its leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid for his war crimes, ended peacefully in the city and across the country.
The strike which started at 6am saw no major incidents of violence at any part of the country as it evoked a lukewarm response.
Jamaat called the hartal hours after the International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Jamaat leader Mujahid to death for crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War on Tuesday.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/politics/2015/jun/18/jamaats-call-hartal-goes-unheeded#sthash.BY8qb2Cp.dpuf
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Africa
Bombs found at Boko Haram camp go off, kill 63
Jun 18, 2015
BAUCHI: A large sack of home-made bombs discovered at an abandoned Boko Haram camp exploded, killing 63 people, witnesses said of a toll many times higher than in any recent attack in northeast Nigeria.
The explosives were found by civilian self-defence fighters who carried the bag filled with metal objects to the nearby town of Monguno, said fighters including Haruna Bukar.
A curious crowd gathered to inspect the bag, which is why there were so many victims when it exploded, said Bukar, who witnessed the blast. Many wounded people are being treated in the hospital, he said. “It’s very sad because most of those killed and injured are young men, with a small number of females,” Bukar said.
Nigeria’s homegrown extremists use these kinds of improvised explosive devices in suicide bombings and also to set ablaze homes and buildings of which tens of thousands have been torched.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1188860/bombs-found-at-boko-haram-camp-go-off-kill-63
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Hundreds of Nigerians Illegally Trafficked to UK
Jun 18, 2015
Hundreds of people from Nigeria are being illegally trafficked to the UK, where they face sexual exploitation or being forced into domestic servitude, a report said.
The anti-slavery commissioner, Kevin Hyland, said tackling the flow of people from the African country was one of his main priorities and promised to oversee work bringing together law enforcement agencies in Nigeria and Europe to get to grips with the problem, the guardian reported.
Official figures show that more than 2,000 potential trafficking victims were referred to the authorities in 2014 – 244 of whom were from Nigeria, a 31 percent increase from the previous year.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940327001366
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Security forces foil suicide attack in Somali town: Police
Jun 18, 2015
Security forces foiled an attempted suicide attack by Islamist militants on a political conference in central Somalia on Thursday, killing three gunmen and the driver of a car packed with explosives, police said.
The al Shabaab group, which frequently attacks officials, politicians and lawmakers in its bid to topple the Western-backed government in Mogadishu, claimed responsibility.
Al Shabaab's spokesman for military operations, Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, told Reuters shortly after the attack that its gunmen were still fighting inside. Officials denied this.
"A suicide car bomb rammed into the gate of the hall and three armed men stormed in but, fortunately, AMISOM troops killed them before they could enter," said Major Nur Ahmed, a police officer, referring to the African Union force AMISOM guarding the conference hall in the town of Adado.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/133065/World/International/Security-forces-foil-suicide-attack-in-Somali-town.aspx
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Three Mauritanians jailed for IS links: Judicial source
Jun 18, 2015
Mauritania has jailed three men for between five and 10 years for links with the Islamic State group, a judicial source said on Wednesday.
A court in the capital Nouakchott handed down the sentences late on Tuesday after a trial lasting just one day, the source said on condition of anonymity.
The men, whose ages were not specified, were convicted of "belonging to a terrorist organisation and possession of terrorist propaganda" following their arrest in October last year.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/133050/World/International/Three-Mauritanians-jailed-for-IS-links-Judicial-so.aspx
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Libya's Tripoli govt welcomes latest UN peace draft
Jun 18, 2015
The alliance controlling Libya's capital Tripoli said it welcomed a draft UN agreement aimed at lifting the country out of months of chaos by forming a national unity government.
UN envoy Bernardino Leon's fourth version of a proposed pact between the Fajr Libya Islamist militia-led alliance and Libya's internationally recognised government contained "positive proposals that could lead to a political solution", the Tripoli administration said in a statement.
However, it added that "modifications" needed to be made before it would sign a final version of the deal.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/133033/World/Region/Libyas-Tripoli-govt-welcomes-latest-UN-peace-draft.aspx
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Cameroon Muslims urged to guard against extremism
June 18, 2015
Cameroon's Muslim leaders were invited to the capital Yaounde for a briefing on 'Islamic State' (IS) ideology. IS affiliate Boko Haram is devoting more effort to spreading its extremist message.
Kamerun Nigeria Angst vor Boko Haram in Fotokol
At a meeting that began and ended with prayers, some 300 Cameroonian Muslim clerics gathered for a workshop on how to face up to the ideological threat from the Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram and the IS militant organization.
Cavaye Yegue Djibril, who is both the speaker of Cameroon's national assembly and the traditional and Muslim leader of the town of Mada on the Nigerian border, urged Cameroonians to be vigilant. He also said that "whoever collaborates with the IS or any form of extremism" should be aware of the unity of the Cameroonian people.
Full report at:
http://www.dw.de/cameroon-muslims-urged-to-guard-against-extremism/a-18522333
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Mali Rebels Doubtful Over New Peace Deal
Jun 18, 2015
But now he's a rebel fighter who says he regrets only the 20 years he wasted defending Mali.
Around a campfire in the wilderness and while a lamb is being prepared for roasting, Ag Ehya and a few dozen of his comrades make sure they display their readiness for war in front of our camera. Their leaders have just agreed on a new deal with the government, which is supposed to end the conflict.
But Ag Ehya and his co-fighters don't seem to care about that process.
"Whoever talks of guarantees for ending the conflict only talks nonsense," Ag Ehya says.
"That's a big lie. This war cannot be ended with a stroke of a pen. As long as we're denied territorial separation there will be no end to the war."
Full report at:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201506180809.html
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Southeast Asia
Leadership by Veto-Wielding Ulema Will Doom New Islamist Party: Zaid Ibrahim
Jun 18, 2015
KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 — There is nothing Islamic about political parties operating around the veto power of a group of clergies, a system that new outfit Persatuan Ummah Sejahtera (PasMa) must get rid off if it wants to succeed where PAS has failed, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said today.
The former Umno minister said the practice by PAS, which gives almost absolute power to the murshidul am (spiritual leader) and the syura council, was actually modelled after Iran where the “so-called” Ulema hold sway on important decisions and rule in a least democratic way.
“The party president and central committee members should be the ones with the highest policy-making powers. The party structure must not have a Murshidul Am, or a party theologian à la Harun Din in PAS.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/leadership-by-veto-wielding-ulama-will-doom-new-islamist-party-zaid-ibrahim#sthash.b7Oa8LoS.dpuf
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Return of hudud bill in Parliament Hadi’s ‘reward’ for killing Pakatan, Kit Siang claims
Jun 18, 2015
KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 — The return of Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s private member’s bill on hudud on Parliament’s order paper yesterday is a “reward” for the PAS president’s friendliness to Umno and antagonism to the DAP, Lim Kit Siang claimed today.
The DAP parliamentary leader accused the Barisan Nasional (BN) lynchpin of gifting Abdul Hadi the possibility of enforcing the Islamic penal code in Kelantan, even if it is clear for all to see that Umno will never give its support at the risk of losing 48 BN MPs from Sabah and Sarawak.
“Hadi [is] being rewarded for his change of political posture, where Umno was referred to in very respectful terms while DAP is demonised with rough language at the PAS Muktamar,” Lim said in a statement.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/return-of-hudud-bill-in-parliament-hadis-reward-for-killing-pakatan-kit-sia#sthash.Ro3G19vU.dpuf
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Anti-LGBT writer both condemns and defends gays, transgenders
Jun 18, 2015
KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 — A Muslim author condemning same-sex marriages and homosexual intercourse has in the same breath spoken out against discrimination and physical attacks against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
In Mohd Khairul Anwar Ismail’s book titled “Suami Gay Isteri Mak Nyah: Nafsu Songsang Terlaknat” (Gay Husband, Transgender Wife: Unnatural Desires Damned by God) published yesterday, the lawyer said he wrote about how homosexuality is “unnatural” and “immoral”.
“Religion says it’s wrong, but even if you don’t look at religion, it’s also against morality,” Mohd Khairul told Malay Mail Online in a phone interview today.
“Muslims are said to be homophobic, but no, Islam just prohibits the practice of LGBT. Islam does not allow us to kill or to beat up the LGBTs… even though they’re not normal, it’s not a licence for society to discriminate against them or to hit them,” the legal exco of the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM) added.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/anti-lgbt-writer-both-condemns-and-defends-gays-transgenders
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