News Broadcasting Standards Authority Takes Cognisance of Citizen for Justice and Peace Complaint against India Today’s Communal Sting Operation on Madrasas
New Age Islam News Bureau
24 September 2020
The complaint was filed against a sting operation run
by the channel while drawing links to the Tablighi Jamaat incident which was
largely pegged as being a conspiracy for spread of Covid-19 in India
-----
• Sudarshan TV Violated Programme Code with 'UPSC Jihad',
Centre Tells SC; Show-cause Notice Issued against Channel
• Political Decisions Should Be Taken In Parliament,
Not At Army HQ: Maryam Nawaz
• Hezbollah Has Destroyed Lebanon, Must Disarm: Saudi
Arabia’s King Salman
• Israel, UAE Ambassadors Hold First Ever Arabic
Meeting
• IS Steps up Recruitment in Indonesia, Malaysia,
Philippines
• Dhaka, Riyadh in Dispute over Issuing Passports for
Rohingyas in Saudi Arabia
• Tech & Terrorism: Cryptocurrency Used To Finance
ISIS Terror Activities
India
• News Broadcasting Standards Authority Takes
Cognisance of Citizen for Justice and Peace Complaint against India Today’s
Communal Sting Operation on Madrasas
• Sudarshan TV Violated Programme Code with 'UPSC
Jihad', Centre Tells SC; Show-cause Notice Issued against Channel
• Former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq
Abdullah: Kashmiris Don’t Feel They’re Indian
• Bengal BJP Chief Says Islamic Radicalisation, Naxal Threat
Rising, Asks Amit Shah to Intervene
• Terrorist killed in encounter with security forces
in J-K’s Awantipora
• Terrorists kill BDC chairman in Kashmir
• J&K approves re-allocation of nearly 2,000 posts
for Kashmiri Pandits under PM's package
--------
Pakistan
• Political Decisions Should Be Taken In Parliament,
Not At Army HQ: Maryam Nawaz
• Pakistan army, ISI had secret meeting with
opposition leaders ahead of multi-party conference: Report
• Sikh scriptures entrusted to Gurdwara Sahib
• PML-N leader’s call on COAS kicks up storm
• Opposition to give formal shape to 11-party alliance
--------
Arab world
• Hezbollah Has Destroyed Lebanon, Must Disarm: Saudi
Arabia’s King Salman
• Saudi Arabia: Any nuclear deal with Iran must
preserve non-proliferation
• King Salman Targets Iran during Debut at United
Nations
• Khartoum discusses Arab-Israeli peace and terrorism
list with Washington
• Israel’s continuous overflights in violation of UNSC
resolution, Lebanon’s sovereignty: UNIFIL
• Saudis warn UN of oil spot in shipping lane near
decaying Yemen tanker
• Families of Missing IS Victims Beg for Answers as
New Mass Graves Discovered in Northeast Syria
• Iraqi Security Forces Thwart ISIS Infiltration
Attempt on Border
--------
Mideast
• Israel, UAE Ambassadors Hold First Ever Arabic
Meeting
• Bahrain Crown Prince tells Netanyahu Israel deal
will strengthen regional security
• Turkey’s Relationship with ISIS Proves It's
Deserting Its European Allies
• Prosecutor General: Martyr Soleimani’s Case Closed
Only by Avenging Perpetrators
• IRGC Deputy Commander: US Unable to Extend Arms
Trade Ban on Iran
• Iran’s President: Global Problems Insoluble without
Global Interaction
• Spokesman: Iran Committed to Reinvigorate Syria’s
Air Defence
• NATO hails ‘good progresses in Greece-Turkey
Mediterranean talks
--------
Southeast Asia
• IS Steps up Recruitment in Indonesia, Malaysia,
Philippines
• Malaysia Could Be World Pioneer in Islamic Fintech —
MDEC
• No justice for Rohingya buried in mass graves in
Malaysian jungle
--------
South Asia
• Dhaka, Riyadh in Dispute over Issuing Passports for Rohingyas
in Saudi Arabia
• Afghan Violence 'Too High' Says US As Kabul-Taliban
Talks Falter
• Taliban Military Commission Deputy for Badakhshan
Killed
• United Nations Should Establish A Committee For
Afghan Peace Process: Shavkat Mirziyoyev
• Afghan Parliament Denies Legislative Orders
• Some of freed Taliban have returned to battlefield,
says top Afghan official
--------
North America
• Tech & Terrorism: Cryptocurrency Used To Finance
ISIS Terror Activities
• Pakistan Must Take Sustained and Irreversible Action
against Terrorism: US Lawmakers
• Taliban, Al-Qaida has Not Cut Ties: Trump
Administration
• US envoy hails Pakistan’s role in ending Afghan war
• US vows to maintain Israel’s ‘military edge’ amid
talk of F-35 sale to UAE
• FBI: Man arrested in San Antonio for providing
support to ISIS, discussing possible terror attacks on U.S. soil
• Another country will sign a peace deal with Israel
in ‘next day or two’: US diplomat
• US calls on Houthis to halt attacks on Saudi Arabia
--------
Europe
• Britain Turns Over Evidence to US in Islamic State ‘Beatles’
Case
• Turkey's Erdogan, France's Macron discuss Eastern
Mediterranean tensions
• France's Macron says US maximum pressure on Iran not
working
• Asio Reveals Up To 40% of Its Counter-Terrorism
Cases Involve Far-Right Violent Extremism
• Erdogan discusses E.Med, migration with EU official
--------
Africa
• Eastern Libyan Forces Say They Killed ISIS Leader, Abu
Moaz Al-Iraqi
• Amnesty: Migrants face ‘vicious cycle of cruelty’ in
Libya
• Egypt's Sisi committed to ridding Libya of militia,
regional interference
• Al-Shabab negotiations eyed as path to end fighting
in Somalia
• Extremist violence causes food shortages in north
Mozambique
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/news-broadcasting-standards-authority-takes/d/122935
--------
News Broadcasting Standards Authority Takes Cognisance of Citizen for Justice and Peace Complaint against India Today’s Communal Sting Operation on Madrasas
23 Sep 2020
The complaint was filed against a sting operation run
by the channel while drawing links to the Tablighi Jamaat incident which was
largely pegged as being a conspiracy for spread of Covid-19 in India
-----
CJP has moved the News Broadcasting Standards Authority
(NBSA) seeking action against India Today for running a sting operation on
madrasas when the Covid-19 pandemic had started to make headway in India. The
show titled Madrasa Hotpots: India Today Investigation hosted by Rahul Kanwal,
was aired on India Today TV news channel on April 10, 2020.
After this program was aired, it was summarily panned
and criticised widely on social media for its communal content that appeared to
be aimed at spreading hatred against one particular community. The entire program
was a sting operation conducted in a madrasa where minor children are housed.
However, madrasas serve as hostels for poor, destitute and orphaned children.
This important piece of information was conveniently skipped in the show.
Instead, the show blatantly claimed that these children have been hidden in the
madrasa.
The show also drew a comparison between the much
talked about Tablighi Jamaat case, and stated that despite concerns about the
spread of Covid-19, there are children being crammed up in rooms in madrasas.
The channel seems to have taken this stand in a bid to insinuate that Muslims
are still defying social distancing, thus making them appear to be a greater
enemy than the coronavirus itself.
The complaint states that, “While sting operations are
considered a last resort in the field of journalism, to carry it out in an
institution that houses poor destitute and orphaned children, can only be
deemed deplorable. While such reportage defies all principles of morality,
there are laws as well as standard ethical practices in place which make this
kind of journalism a punishable offence.”
The complaint also draws out how the show stands to
violate the code of ethics and fundamental principles of self-regulation laid
out by the NBSA for its member organisations. It further points out how the
channel becomes liable under the Indian Penal Code for perpetrating hate speech
and for inflammatory and inciteful contents of their show.
The complaint also mentions the Bombay High Court
judgment which said that the Jamaat members were made scapegoats by the
government and “an attempt was made to create a picture that these foreigners
were responsible for spreading Covid-19 virus in India”.
The complaint further states, “We assert that this
show of India Today was a part of this larger conspiracy to subdue the Muslim
community in India by blaming the spread of an entire pandemic basis one
singular incident, which no case been completely established in any court of
law. The clear intention of media houses like India Today was to create and
sell a narrative that suited their agenda, of being anti minority, and to paint
them in such a negative light, that feelings of hatred and animosity are
implanted in other communities against them, and the communal divide further deepens”.
The NBSA has taken cognisance of the complaint on
September 19 and while sending the complaint to India Today, has asked them to
send a response to the same within 7 days.
https://sabrangindia.in/article/cjp-moves-nbsa-against-india-todays-communal-sting-operation-madrasas
--------
Sudarshan TV Violated Programme Code with 'UPSC
Jihad', Centre Tells SC; Show-cause Notice Issued against Channel
September 23, 2020
The Supreme Court had took strong objection to the
content of the programme 'Bindas Bol', observing that “a particular community
cannot be targeted” in the name of investigative journalism and that the
“country cannot survive with such an agenda”.
-----
The Centre told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that it
has issued a showcause notice to Sudarshan News channel for violating the
programme code for its Bindas Bol programme series that alleged Muslims have
conspired to 'infiltrate' the Indian civil services. The channel has been given
time till 28 September to respond to the notice, failing which an ex-parte
decision may be taken by the government, Live Law reported.
The programme themed
UPSC Jihad alleged that Zakat Foundation, an NGO which provides training
to largely Muslims students aspiring for civil services has received funds from
various terror-linked organizations.
The four-page-notice has been issued by the Ministry
of Information and Broadcasting under the Cable Television Networks Regulation
Act, a written submission from the
channel and asking why action should not be taken against it. The next hearing
in the matter is on 5 October.
The notice comes after Supreme Court, in an previous
hearing in the matter, took strong note of alleged inaction of the Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting and the National Broadcasting Association (NBA) in
stopping the broadcast of a programme that potentially 'maligned an entire
community'
A bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud, and
comprising justices Indu Malhotra and KM Joseph is hearing the matter. The
bench observed that if the case wasn’t heard then the all episodes would have
been aired by now. It adjourned the hearing for October 5 saying the Centre
shall file a report regarding the outcome of the decision taken.
The contents of the four episodes which have been
telecast by now, came under scrutiny of the court which flagged many aspects,
saying all investigating journalism was permissible but maligning of entire
community cannot be allowed.
"This is the real issue. Whenever you show them
joining civil services, you show ISIS. You want to say that Muslims joining
civil services is a part of a deep-rooted conspiracy. Can the media be allowed
to target a whole set of communities," the court had said during an
earlier hearing in the case.
Painting all candidates as carrying out an agenda shows
a kind of hatred. This is the element of concern, said the bench.
"Here free speech becomes hatred. You can't brand
every member of the community. You alienate the good members too by divisive
agenda," the court had said during a 21 September hearing.
The apex court, which had already imposed the
pre-telecast ban on episodes of 'UPSC Jehad' on a plea raising grievances
against it on grounds including hate speech, was also irked over the fact that
the channel, in his affidavit, has named one English news Channel for running
two shows on Hindu terror earlier.
“Why have you said about the programmes (of the
English news channel)? Who asked about your opinion about the programmes,” it
had said.
Lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, appearing for
Editor-in-Chief Suresh Chavhanke, had said that his affidavit contained
reference of the English Channel and their programmes on Hindu terror as he was
asked earlier as to why the ''UPSC Jehad'' episodes have “shown Muslim men in
skull caps and wearing greens”.
The bench then said: “Does this mean that every time,
the judges asked questions you will shoot your mouth with your views? If that
is the case then judges will stop asking questions. You are not supposed to
file affidavits on all the questions which judges ask. Judges ask questions to
elicit a better response.”
On being told by the petitioners that the episodes
have violated the programme code under cable TV rules, the top court pondered
over the extent of control and curb which can be imposed by it through its
orders.
On 15 September, the top court had restrained the
channel from telecasting the episodes of Bindas Bol programme till further
orders, saying that "the intent" of the episodes "prima
facie" appeared to "vilify" the Muslim community.
https://www.firstpost.com/india/sudarshan-tv-violated-programme-code-with-upsc-jihad-centre-tells-sc-showcause-notice-issued-against-channel-8844471.html
--------
Political Decisions Should Be Taken In Parliament, Not
At Army HQ: Maryam Nawaz
Sep 23, 2020
Maryam Nawaz
----
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz vice president
Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday said political decisions should be made in Parliament
and not at the army headquarters.
The 46-year-old daughter of former premier Nawaz
Sharif was responding to a question from a reporter about Army Chief Gen Qamar
Bajwa and head of the ISI Lt Gen Faiz Hameed's meeting with key opposition
figures at the army's General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi last week.
Maryam, who was at the Islamabad High Court for a
hearing of an appeal against her conviction in the Avenfield property
reference, was talking to media at the court premises.
Replying to a question on the last week's meeting, she
said, "I heard about the meeting. From what I understand it was called to
discuss Gilgit-Baltistan which is a political issue...These decisions should be
made in parliament, not in GHQ."
Maryam said she was not aware whether her father was
aware of the meeting.
"I don't know whether he was aware or learnt of
it later...But the political leadership should not be called nor should it go
to discuss such issues. Whoever wishes to discuss these issues should come to
the parliament," she said.
The meeting was reportedly held on September 16 before
the All-Party Conference of opposition on Sunday.
The meeting was attended by about 15 opposition
figures, including Sharif's younger brother Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples
Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid told the media that
the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the constitutional status of
Gilgit-Baltistan, but other political issues were also discussed.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/political-decisions-should-be-taken-in-parliament-not-at-army-hq-maryam-nawaz/articleshow/78279939.cms
--------
Hezbollah Has Destroyed Lebanon, Must Disarm: Saudi
Arabia’s King Salman
Joseph Haboush
23 September 2020
Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz at a virtual
cabinet meeting in Neom, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 18, 2020. (SPA)
----
Hezbollah’s hegemony over Lebanon has destroyed the
country’s constitutional, state institutions and the only way to break out of
this is for the Iran-backed group to be disarmed, Saudi Arabia's King Salman
bin Abdulaziz said Wednesday.
King Salman said the catastrophic Aug. 4 Beirut blasts
were a result of the “hegemony of Hezbollah, a terrorist organization
affiliated with Iran.”
For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
He added that Saudi Arabia stands with the Lebanese
people who are experiencing a “humanitarian catastrophe” due to Hezbollah’s
control over the decision-making process in Lebanon “by force of arms.”
This had led to disabling state institutions and the
only way for Lebanon to achieve security, stability and prosperity is for “this
terrorist organization [to] be disarmed,” the Saudi king said.
King Salman also criticized Iran for turning down
chances for peace. He said Tehran “time and again” used its terrorist networks
to intensify its expansionist activities and destabilized several countries in
the region, including Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Lebanon.
“The Kingdom will not hesitate to defend its national
security, nor will it abandon the fraternal people of Yemen until they regain
their complete sovereignty and independence from Iranian hegemony,” King Salman
said.
Arab-Israeli conflict
As for the Arab-Israeli conflict, King Salman voiced
Saudi Arabia’s support for all efforts to advance the peace process. “Peace in
the Middle East is our strategic option,” he said.
A just solution must be reached where the Palestinian
people have their “independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” King
Salman said.
Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia supports the efforts of the
Trump administration to achieve peace in the Middle East and bring the
Palestinians and Israelis back to the negotiation table, King Salman said.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/23/Hezbollah-has-destroyed-Lebanon-must-disarm-Saudi-Arabia-s-King-Salman
--------
Israel, UAE ambassadors hold first ever Arabic meeting
Emily Judd
23 September 2020
For the first time in history, ambassadors of Israel
and the United Arab Emirates held a meeting in Arabic, the native language of
both officials.
Israel’s ambassador to Azerbaijan George Deek and the
acting Emirati ambassador to Azerbaijan met on Tuesday in the capital city of
Baku.
Deek, an Israeli Arab, told Al Arabiya English that
holding the meeting with his Emirati counterpart in the Arabic language
demonstrated “that we are neighbors.”
“The fact that we spoke in Arabic demonstrated that we
are neighbors, part of the same space, and that Israel and the Arab world can,
and will work together, in dialogue and mutual respect, towards promoting a world
that is safer, more prosperous, and more peaceful,” said Deek.
He added that the bilateral meeting was important “as
a symbol of the peace between our countries, as well as for laying the grounds
for Israeli-Emirati cooperation in economic, humanitarian, and cultural
projects in and together with third countries such as Azerbaijan.”
Israeli Arabs, also known as Arab citizens of Israel,
make up nearly 20 percent of Israel’s population and the majority are
Palestinian or of Palestinian heritage.
Deek made history in 2018 when he became the first
Arab Christian to be appointed to the role of ambassador in the country’s
history.
Israel has appointed Arab citizens to ambassador
positions since 1995, when Ali Yahya was selected to represent the country in
Finland.
Earlier this month foreign envoys of the UAE and
Israel held a meeting in Nigeria, marking the first public meeting between
diplomats of the two countries in Africa.
Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria Shimon Ben-Shoshan
received UAE Charge d’Affaires in Nigeria Khalifa Al Mehrizi.
Ben-Shoshan greeted Al Mehrizi with the Arabic
salutation “salaam alaykum,” translated as “peace be upon you” in English.
The two officials were photographed in discussion with
Emirati and Israeli flags on a nearby table.
The meeting on September 6, believed to be the first
time foreign diplomats of the UAE and Israel have convened publicly, came one
week after the historic visit of an Israeli delegation to the UAE capital city
Abu Dhabi.
The two countries officially normalized relations in a
ceremony at the White House on September 15.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/09/23/Israel-UAE-ambassadors-hold-first-ever-Arabic-meeting
--------
IS Steps Up Recruitment in Indonesia, Malaysia,
Philippines
2020-09-23
The Islamic State extremist group is stepping up
recruitment in Muslim-majority Indonesia and Malaysia as well as the
Philippines, amid the distraction of a global pandemic, security analysts in
these countries told BenarNews.
There are signs that Islamic State is trying to
regroup after its territorial defeat in Syria last year through increased
efforts to attract new members in Malaysia, other parts of Southeast Asia, the
Middle East and North Africa, said Mizan Aslam, a counter-terrorism expert at
Universiti Perlis Malaysia.
“ISIS never died,” said Aslam, using another acronym
for IS. “Only we said they died, but they themselves never declared it.
[M]alaysians are still there [in Syria and Iraq]. Thousands of global jihadists
are still there.”
“With all countries focusing on health security and
food security, it has given ISIS room to sneak in. This can become a real
problem for Malaysia in the near future,” he told BenarNews.
According to him, the group is actively recruiting and
indoctrinating supporters through online platforms such as Facebook.
“Recruitment is through social media and not just
Malaysia but in the global community affected by [COVID-19] lockdowns,” Aslam
said, adding, “People are staying home longer and going through social media
non-stop, so the chances of being influenced are there. Islamic State is also
seen to have doubled up their effort in dispersing propaganda materials on
social media.”
In neighboring Indonesia, the world’s most populous
Muslim-majority nation, pro-Islamic State (IS) militants are trying to expand
their ranks and plot attacks, the country’s counterterrorism chief said in
June.
Police in Central Sulawesi province – a hotbed of
extremist activity – told BenarNews in April that Indonesian militants “indeed
see the pandemic as an opportunity.”
Indonesian IS-affiliated groups have sworn a pledge of
alliance to new IS chief Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurashi, whom the U.S.
government calls Amir Muhammad Sa’id ‘Abd-al-Rahman al-Mawla, analysts said.
Meanwhile, a senior Philippine military official told
BenarNews that those involved in planning and carrying out twin attacks by
female suicide bombers that killed at least 15 people and injured more than 70
on southern Jolo Island last month were members of Daulah Islamiya, the local
name for IS, or Philippine groups affiliated with it, including the Abu Sayyaf
Group.
There is evidence of more participation by women in
the recent strike and vastly improved and accurate deployment of suicide
bombers, one analyst said.
The military official said about two dozen pro-IS
groups were active in predominantly Muslim southern areas in Jolo, Basilan and
the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
“They are the two most prominent IS factions,” the
official said, referring to Abu Sayyaf and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom
Fighters (BIFF).
“Though all fall under Daulah Islamiya in some way or
form, perhaps in seeking support, and for multiplying numbers to thwart
military advances on the ground. The Maute group, which made a name in Marawi,
is also on this list,” he said.
He also was referring to a 2017 siege by pro-IS
Filipino and foreign fighters in Marawi that unleased a five-month battle,
which left the southern city in ruins.
US counterterrorism chief’s testimony
The analysis by Aslam and other security experts is in
line with intelligence received by counterterrorism officials in the United
States who say that despite U.S. and coalition efforts, Islamic State and
affiliated groups are still pursuing an aggressive global strategy.
IS’s last bastion in Syria fell in March 2019, and its
then leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed during a raid by U.S. Special
Forces last October.
Since then, the U.S. and its partner countries have
successfully targeted other prominent IS figures, but the group continues to
persevere, Christopher Miller, director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism
Center, said last week.
“Despite these successes, ISIS has repeatedly
demonstrated the ability to rebound from severe losses over the past six years
by relying on a dedicated cadre of veteran mid-level commanders, extensive
clandestine networks, and downturns in CT [counterterrorism] pressure to
persevere,” Miller told a hearing of the U.S. House Homeland Security
Committee.
He said that the terror group in May trumpeted attacks
in Syria and Iraq under new leader al-Mawla even as it promised more such
operations around the world.
Outside of the neighboring Mid-East countries, IS
“continues to prioritize the expansion and reinforcement of its global
enterprise, which now encompasses some 20 branches and networks,” Miller added.
Since last year, these branches had launched five
global campaigns that tout terror attack claims and circulate propaganda
videos, he said.
‘IS threat persists in Indonesia’
In June, Indonesia’s new counterterrorism chief, Boy
Rafli Amar, sought congressional backing for a 65 percent hike in his agency’s
budget, saying it needed more cash and resources as he warned that militants
were looking to increase recruitment during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Radical groups are still actively carrying out
recruitment propaganda both online and offline during the COVID-19 pandemic,”
the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) chief said. “We are seeing today
the rampant abuse of the cyberspace to spread the ideology of terrorism.”
Analysts in the country agree.
The threat from the Islamic State persists in
Indonesia, Sidney Jones, director at the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy
Analysis of Conflict, or IPAC, told BenarNews.
Several pro-IS cells are active in Java, Sumatra and
Sulawesi, as is the pro-IS Eastern Indonesia Mujahideen, or MIT, in the jungles
of Poso, a regency in Central Sulawesi, she said.
MIT staged a series of attacks earlier this year which
were “the direct result of local extremists seeing COVID-19 as an ally in the
war against Islam’s enemies,” IPAC said in a report.
“The arrival of the virus gave the Mujahidin of
Eastern Indonesia (MIT) a new hope that victory was near, and buoyed by the
addition of new recruits, it began a series of attacks.”
The death of al-Baghdadi and the end of the
IS-proclaimed caliphate, IPAC’s Jones said, didn’t lead to a decrease in
support for IS in Indonesia as some had hoped.
“Several of the pro-IS groups in Indonesia have renewed
their bai’at [pledge of allegiance] to al-Quraishi [the new IS leader known
also known as al-Mawla],” Jones said, about MIT and another pro-IS hardline
group, Jamaah Ansharut Daulah.
“They understand that leadership can change in war,
since most belong to groups that have undergone leadership changes themselves.”
Meanwhile, a group to keep an eye on is Jamaah
Ansyaarut Khalifah (JAK), which is active in the Javanese cities of Solo and
Bekasi, and Palembang, a city in southern Sumatra, a senior researcher at the
Center for Radicalism and Deradicalization Studies (PAKAR), told BenarNews.
“This moderate group has hardly ever engaged in
violence or planned attacks but that does not mean they are harmless,” PAKAR’s
Muhammad Taufiqurrohman said.
“They have been focused on da’wah [preaching] and
recruitment, but now they are drawing up plans to send jihadists to the
Philippines. In the long run, JAK is more dangerous because it is organized and
has a wider network.”
Officials at Indonesia’s National Counterterrorism
Agency (BNPT) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to respond to queries
for this report. Meanwhile, calls by BenarNews to Malaysia’s Home Minister, the
Inspector General of Police and the counterterrorism chief went unreturned.
Social media recruitment in Malaysia
In Malaysia, there is no indication that the terror
threat has increased in the country but another analyst agreed that Islamic
State was attempting to recruit more members there via social media.
“The absence of overt activities and arrests do not
mean the IS recruitment drive has stopped. Low-profile recruitment in Malaysia
remains a big headache for our police,” Ahmed El Muhammady, a counterterrorism
specialist at the International Islamic University of Malaysia, told BenarNews.
“There may be no increase in the terror threat but the
attempt to recruit by spreading propaganda on social media during the COVID-19
lockdown is happening. IS planted the seed of its ideology globally via
extensive propaganda via social media, and by doing so, it has a global reach
and therefore a global following,” he said.
Even before the pandemic, it appears that social media
was being used as an IS recruitment tool in Malaysia, police said last year.
Sixteen suspected militants arrested by Malaysian police
in September last year had been actively promoting IS and recruiting new
members via social media, said Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, the then national
police’s counter-terrorism chief.
IS as dangerous as ever
In the Philippines, pro-IS militants have used the
opportunity of a pandemic to bolster their ranks, while security forces have
been sidetracked with other tasks in helping the government battle the highly
contagious and deadly novel coronavirus disease, London-based International
Alert, an NGO that advocates for conflict resolution, said in a report in
April.
However, even before the pandemic hit, reports from
the autonomous Bangsamoro region in the south pointed to the renewed presence
of IS-affiliated groups and a general resurgence of violence perpetrated by
them, Nikki C. de la Rosa, Country Manager of peacebuilding group International
Alert Philippines, told BenarNews.
The Abu Sayyaf-planned twin suicide bombings in Jolo
in August were a harbinger of more such deadly attacks, she warned.
“What is now certain is that this [latest] terrorist
strike is a clear message that ISIS is as active, committed, and dangerous
since it went underground [after the Marawi siege in 2017] and that its force
of suicide bombers has not been depleted,” de la Rosa said about the attacks
that were carried out by two female bombers.
“The attack [in Sulu province] had the hallmarks of
the kind of terrorist assaults waged by ISIS-inspired groups associated with
the Abu Sayyaf Group,” de la Rosa said.
She referred to two similar previous attacks in
January and June last year in the Sulu province, both of which involved two
suicide bombers working in tandem.
“The effective use of asynchronous bombing attacks
that we see happening in Sulu may be a foretaste of even worse things to come,”
de la Rosa said.
What’s more, the ASG appears to have expanded its
operations to radicalizing women, and the involvement of female suicide bombers
is “a cause for concern,” she said.
“Some explanations portray this as evidence of the
increasing radicalization of women and a higher level of capability of local
[violent extremist] groups to prepare, provide logistics, and deploy suicide
bombers.”
While this may be true, de la Rosa cautioned that
women’s involvement shouldn’t be oversimplified.
“The analysis cannot be devoid of the context – or the
role played by poverty, inequality, injustice, and discrimination that is felt
more intensely by women and is central to the thesis of a potentially
significant gender link to violent conflict specifically among poor
female-headed households in Muslim Mindanao.”
https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/indonesian/SEA_ISIS-Threat-09232020163502.html
--------
Dhaka, Riyadh in dispute over issuing passports for
Rohingyas in Saudi Arabia
Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan
September 23rd, 2020
Riyadh puts pressure to issue passports to 54,000
Rohingyas living in that country, threatens to send back Bangladeshis if Dhaka
does not yield
Bangladesh is under renewed pressure from the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia to issue Bangladeshi passports to 54,000 Rohingyas living in
that country for decades.
Riyadh has threatened Dhaka that failure to do so will
result in sending back Bangladeshis from Saudi Arabia, the single largest
source of remittance for Bangladesh.
However, Dhaka says Bangladesh will not bring those
people, who have been living in Saudi Arabia for three or four decades, after
issuing passports or travel documents as they are not citizens of the country.
Bangladeshi diplomats both in Dhaka and Saudi Arabia
agree that it is a troubling and sensitive matter as Saudi Arabia, host to the
largest number of expatriate Bangladeshis, is involved.
Therefore, they said that the government is handling
this issue carefully and a committee, headed by the foreign secretary, is
looking into the issue.
In 1980s and 1990s, the then Saudi king took many
Rohingyas in after being sympathetic, witnessing the distress of the persecuted
community, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told reporters on Wednesday.
Many of them went directly, while some may have gone
through Bangladesh, he said.
“We do not know this fully,” he added.
“Now, they [the Saudis] are saying that there are
54,000 Rohingyas there who have no passports and documents. They are also
saying to us to issue passports for them. We have said we will issue new
passports if they held passports earlier, and if they have the papers related
to passports. If they are not our people, we will not take them,” said the
foreign minister.
When asked how Saudi Arabia can ask Bangladesh to
issue passports for those who are not its citizens, he said: “This is a
problem.”
As his attention was drawn to Saudi threat that
Bangladeshis in that country will be sent back if passports are not issued to
Rohingyas, Dr Momen said: “Some people at junior level are saying that ‘if you
do not take them [the Rohingyas], back we will stop recruiting from your
country and we will take a negative approach towards your 2.2 million people
living here.’
“This has been conveyed to us from junior level. But I
think it will not sustain,” he added.
The minister also said: “Saudi Arabia is in a hurry.
They are saying that they will not host any people without citizenship. They
are telling us to address the issue quickly. They raise this issue frequently.
We are continuing our talks.”
Saudi govt not looking to send back all 54,000
Rohingyas
Later in the day, the foreign minister told Dhaka
Tribune that Saudi Arabia does not want to send back all the 54,000 Rohingyas
to Bangladesh.
Rather, he said that the kingdom just wants to ensure that
these people have citizenship as, under the Saudi laws, the Rohingyas cannot be
citizens of that country.
“We have asked them to provide the details. If we can
be sure that those people went there using Bangladeshi passports, we will look
into it,” said the minister.
2020/09/unnamed-1599980876619.gif
“What they are talking about now is sending back 462
Rohingyas who are in jail. They provided us with the details and we have found
that only a small number of people used Bangladeshi passports,” he added.
When asked if Saudi Arabia asked Bangladesh to take
back all the Rohingyas living in that country, Dr Momen replied in the
negative.
This particular problem not a new one
This particular problem is not a new one, according to
the diplomats.
Saudi Arabia drew the attention of Bangladesh to this
matter informally between 2007 and 2009.
In 2016, the Saudi foreign minister raised the matter
with the then foreign minister of Bangladesh.
Earlier in the year, the Saudi government asked
Bangladesh to take back 42,000 Rohingyas, as Riyadh believed that those
persecuted people travelled to the kingdom with Bangladeshi passports.
Most of the Rohingyas live near Mecca, the holiest
site for the Muslims.
Saudi Arabia wrote to Bangladesh quite a few times to
address the issue, to which Dhaka asked Riyadh to provide the details with
respect to the matter.
Test for Bangladesh-Saudi Arabia relationship
The issue regarding the Rohingyas has all but posed a
challenge for the Dhaka-Riyadh relationship that is considered to be a very
important one, say the diplomats.
In recent years, the ties between the two Muslim
majority countries got closer in many fields, including all-important manpower
and defence.
After a closure for seven years, the kingdom reopened
its labour market for Bangladeshi workers in 2015.
Both the countries signed defence agreement and
Bangladesh, the third largest Muslim populated country in the world, lent its
support to Saudi Arabia in Yemen war. Bangladesh also joined the Saudi
Arabia-led military alliance against terror organization Islamic State.
In January, the then Bangladesh ambassador in Riyadh,
Golam Moshi, conveyed to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that the issue in
relation to Saudi desire to send back the Rohingyas is a big challenge for the
relationship.
He also laid emphasis on formulation of a policy in
this regard.
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/rohingya-crisis/2020/09/23/dhaka-riyadh-in-dispute-over-issuing-passports-for-rohingyas-in-saudi-arabia
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Tech & Terrorism: Cryptocurrency Used To Finance
ISIS Terror Activities
(New York, N.Y.) – A recent investigation by the Wall
Street Journal revealed that ISIS and its affiliates worldwide are using a vast
web of monetary and cryptocurrency assets to finance its terrorist activities.
Despite losing its territory in Iraq and Syria, ISIS reportedly commands a deep
cache of financial resources ranging “into the hundreds of millions of
dollars.” Their enduring financial strength is increasingly stoking fear of a
resurgence and underscores the challenges the United States and its allies face
in dismantling the terror group in entirety.
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal on ISIS’s use of
cryptocurrency, Counter Extremism Project (CEP) Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob
Schindler characterized it as a “massive loophole,” and warned that if
governments do not begin intervening and further regulating cyptocurrencies, it
will be “hard if not impossible to detect with certainty ultimate
beneficiaries.”
In April, CEP and Berlin Risk published the joint study,
Cryptocurrencies as Threats to Public Security and Counter Terrorism: Risk
Analysis and Regulatory Challenges, which highlighted the dangers and risks
associated with terrorist groups utilizing cryptocurrency to finance extremist
activities.
Funds raised by terrorists and their supporters can be
used to purchase material to support terrorist attacks and to provide other
financial support for the group. Operational support also includes the use of
funds to support terrorist groups on an ongoing basis, including personnel
costs as well as funds for general security and communication. Experience has
shown that the amounts of money in the area of terrorist financing are
typically very small and can easily be disregarded by regulators.
There is evidence that terrorist groups and their
supporters have increasingly turned to using cryptocurrency technology. In
June, CEP found that a notorious pro-ISIS website that serves as a depository
for videos, official statements, photo sets, and news propaganda changed its
donation requests from Bitcoin to the Monero cryptocurrency. The site stated
that it was switching to Monero because it offers more privacy and safety
features than Bitcoin. Additionally, last month, in an attempt to stymie the
flow of terrorist financing and money laundering, the U.S. Department of
Justice seized millions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency assets from various
extremist groups, including ISIS.
To read CEP’s joint study with Berlin Risk,
Cryptocurrencies as Threats to Public Security and Counter Terrorism: Risk
Analysis and Regulatory Challenges, please click here.
--------
India
Former
Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah: Kashmiris Don’t Feel
They’re Indian
Sep
24, 2020
NEW
DELHI: Former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday
said in an interview that at this moment people from Kashmir do not feel and do
not want to be Indian and might even want the Chinese coming in.
Responding
to a question in an interview to TV anchor and journalist Karan Thapar on the mood
of people in the Valley, Abdullah said, “To be honest, I wonder whether they
(government) will find someone who will call himself an Indian...You go and
talk to anybody they don’t want to know, not Pakistanis let me be very clear
about it, but they don’t feel Indian and us who have to speak, I wonder whether
we will survive.”
In
the interview to an online news portal, Abdullah said this is the mood because
people in Kashmir “can no longer trust” the government. He said it was easy for
people of the Valley to go with Pakistan during partition, but they “joined
Gandhi’s India and not Modi’s India.”
He
said, “Today China is advancing on the other side, many if you talk to them,
they would rather have Chinese coming in. Whatever one may say, they know what
Chinese have done to Muslims in their region. I am not serious, but I am honest
about it. I am honestly telling you what people don’t want to hear. They would
rather not go to Pakistan because everything is rust.”
Blaming
the Centre, he claimed that if he speaks about India anywhere in the Valley,
there is none to listen. He claimed there are security personnel in every
street carrying AK-47. “Where is the freedom?” he asked.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/kashmiris-dont-feel-theyre-indian-farooq/articleshow/78286995.cms
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Bengal
BJP chief says Islamic radicalisation, Naxal threat rising, asks Amit Shah to
intervene
NEELAM
PANDEY
23
September, 2020
New
Delhi: The West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president, Dilip Ghosh, has
sought union Home Minister Amit Shah’s urgent intervention to “restore law and
order” in the state in the wake of the recent arrest of the six alleged
Al-Qaeda operatives from the state.
In
a letter addressed to Shah and dated 22 September, Ghosh, who is a Lok Sabha MP
from Medinipur constituency, claimed that the Trinamool Congress (TMC)
government is neither capable of nor willing to provide the people of West
Bengal a safe environment that is needed for the state’s progress.
He
has further alleged that the policies followed by the Mamata Banerjee-led
government “have turned West Bengal into a fertile breeding ground for
terrorism”.
“Under
TMC rule, West Bengal has seen the blossoming of the illegal bomb and weapon
making industry, as the ruling party is dependent upon violence to maintain its
position of power,” Ghosh has alleged in the letter, which has been accessed by
ThePrint. “This has once again enabled terrorist activities as the material
needed by them are already easily available in the state… Many madrasas, which
are supposed to be centres of learning, have been turned into factories of
radicalisation by terror outfits. Thus, the TMC has for its petty political
considerations put the security of our nation at great risk.”
Ghosh
has urged Shah to intervene and “establish law and order, free and fair
democracy, security and peace in West Bengal”.
“I
would like to urge you and the Central government to take all necessary steps
to create the conditions required for citizens to exercise their democratic
right to vote fearlessly and thus ensure free and fair elections in West
Bengal,” the letter reads.
Ghosh’s
letter comes barely months before a crucial assembly election early next year.
After losing a string of state elections, the BJP has made West Bengal a
priority, making concerted efforts to pay attention to the upcoming polls that
have the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in a spot.
The
BJP has been making steady inroads in Bengal, where it won 18 of the state’s 42
Lok Sabha seats in 2019, increasing its numbers from a mere two seats in the
2014 elections. The BJP has decided to get an early start in laying the groundwork
for the 2021 assembly elections.
‘Restore
law and order’
In
his letter titled ‘Rising threat to state and national security from terrorist
and Maoist activity in West Bengal and consequent risk to free and fair
elections’, Ghosh has claimed that West Bengal government was endangering the
security of the nation.
“I
would first like to convey my sincere admiration for the stellar work done by
you as the Union Home Minister to keep our country safe and secure,” the letter
states.
“Unfortunately,
this environment of safety, which is crucial to our progress, is under serious
threat in the state of West Bengal. What is even more concerning is that these
threats are not ordinary in nature and have the potential to put the security
of the entire country at risk.”
Ghosh
has also highlighted the recent arrests made by the National Investigation
Agency (NIA) in the state.
“On
the 19th of September 2020, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested 6
Al-Qaeda operatives from the Murshidabad district in West Bengal. Sadly, the
presence of such terrorists in West Bengal is not a one-off occurrence,” he has
alleged. “Over the past few years, there has been a rapid growth in the
activity of notorious terror outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba and
Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh in the state.”
Ghosh
claimed that the TMC was putting the nation’s security under great risk due to
petty
political considerations.
“At
this moment, it is not enough to remark just upon the presence of these
terrorists in the state. It is equally important for us to look into the
factors that have turned West Bengal into fertile breeding ground for
terrorism,” the letter states. “The answer lies in the policies that the ruling
Trinamool Congress (TMC) has followed over the past nine years.”
TMC’s
policy of ‘overt-appeasement’ & a Naxal threat
Ghosh
added that the “policy of overt appeasement by the TMC to retain its vote bank
has enabled radical, Islamic terror outfits to carry on their nefarious
activities with little interference”.
He
also claimed that there is a resurgence of Maoist activities in the Jangalmahal
region, adding that it is another “threat” to the law and order situation in
the state. “The timing of the resurgence of the Maoists puts the role of the
TMC in the spotlight,” the letter states.
Ghosh
also said that Maoist leader Chhatradhar Mahato was not only released by the
TMC government but has also been made a ruling party office-bearer.
“The
unchecked killing of BJP workers by the TMC and the rampant violence
perpetrated by the TMC in the past elections clearly show that the TMC is
likely to use these disruptive forces to ensure free and fair elections are not
possible in West Bengal,” his letter states.
https://theprint.in/politics/bengal-bjp-chief-says-islamic-radicalisation-naxal-threat-rising-asks-amit-shah-to-intervene/508859/
--------
Terrorist
killed in encounter with security forces in J-K’s Awantipora
Edited
by Prashasti Singh
Sep
24, 2020
A
terrorist was killed in an encounter at Maghama area of Tral, Awantipora in
Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday.
Kashmir
Zone Police said that the encounter was underway. “Police and security forces
are on the job. Further details shall follow,” the police said.
Earlier
on September 22, an unidentified terrorist was killed by the security forces in
an encounter in Chrar-i-Sharief area of Budgam. On September 17, three
terrorists were killed in the Batamaloo area of Srinagar during a joint cordon
and search operation by Srinagar Police and CRPF which turned into an
encounter.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/terrorist-killed-in-encounter-with-security-forces-in-j-k-s-awantipora/story-pGdMxW5VM2DyaiRwSn4lON.html
--------
Terrorists
kill BDC chairman in Kashmir
Sep
24, 2020
Suspected
terrorists killed a Block Development Council chairman at Khag in central
Kashmir’s Budgam district on Wednesday evening. Officials said that
unidentified gunmen attacked Bupinder Singh at a time when he was not
accompanied by his personnel security officers (PSO’s).
Singh
later succumbed to his injuries. “Singh left his two PSOs at Khag police
station and left ancestral home alone,” Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar
said.
Condemning
the killing, BJP state spokesperson Altaf Thakur said, “Singh was an
independent chairman and was killed at Khag. Our party condemns the killing.”
Since June five BJP leaders including two sarpanches have been killed in
different parts of Kashmir.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/terrorists-kill-bdc-chairman-in-kashmir/story-70Dzm2JQpqv9OE4JxUiVyO.html
--------
J&K
approves re-allocation of nearly 2,000 posts for Kashmiri Pandits under PM's
package
Sep
23, 2020
SRINAGAR:
The Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Council (AC) on Wednesday approved
re-allocation of nearly 2,000 posts for Kashmiri Pandits who are willing to
settle in the valley under the prime minister's package for the community.
"The
administrative council, which met under the chairmanship of lieutenant governor
Manoj Sinha today, approved the re-allocation of 1,997 number of unfilled
supernumerary posts for recruitment of registered Kashmiri migrants and
non-migrant Kashmiri Pandits, who are willing to serve and settle down in
Kashmir under the Prime Minister's Package," an official spokesman said.
The
administrative council also approved conducting the recruitment only on the
basis of written test or skill test, without viva-voce, for the selection of
suitable candidates through the J&K Services Selection Board within six
months of the referral of posts by the Department of Disaster Management,
Relief, and Rehabilitation and Reconstruction.
"The
re-allocated posts include posts of Sub Inspector Commercial Taxes and
Assistant Compiler in Finance Department (997), Field Assistant, Field
Supervisor (Mushroom) and Assistant Store Keeper in Agriculture, Production
& Farmers Welfare Department (150), and Depot Assistant in Food, Civil
Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department (300), and Class IV in Revenue
Department (550)," the spokesman said.
The
present re-allocation of posts is part of the 3,000 posts that were announced
in 2015.
So
far, only 806 selections have been made and 1,997 posts remained vacant due to
various reasons.
The
decision of re-allocation of the unfilled posts is aimed at accelerating the
recruitment under the PM's package and the benefits of employment to Kashmiri
migrants and non-migrant Kashmiri Pandits, the spokesman said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/jk-approves-re-allocation-of-nearly-2000-posts-for-kashmiri-pandits-under-pms-package/articleshow/78281637.cms
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Pakistan
Pakistan
army, ISI had secret meeting with opposition leaders ahead of multi-party
conference: Report
Sep
22, 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and ISI head Lt Gen Faiz Hameed
held a secret meeting with the key opposition leaders just days before a
multi-party conference and asked them to refrain from dragging the military's
name into their political differences with Prime Minister Imran Khan, a media
report said on Tuesday.
The
Dawn reported that Bajwa and Hameed held the meeting on September 16 in which
about 15 politicians, including Leader of the Opposition in the National
Assembly Shahbaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal
Bhutto Zardari, were present.
According
to the ground rules set for the session, the meeting was not to be publicly
disclosed, the report said.
Railways
minister Sheikh Rashid, while confirming the meeting and its participants, said
it was held to discuss the impending changes in the constitutional status of
Gilgit-Baltistan, a move opposed by India.
However,
the opposition used this opportunity to flag its concerns about other issues,
especially the military's alleged interference in politics and allegations of
persecution of its leaders on the pretext of accountability.
Rashid
was one of the ministers who attended the meeting, the report said.
Political
observers linked the timing of the meeting and its disclosure with the
Opposition's multi-party conference held here on Sunday in which former prime
minister Nawaz Sharif bitterly criticised the Army, saying there was “a state
above the state in the country”.
Criticism
by other Opposition leaders, in comparison to Sharif's remarks, was relatively
subtle. Sharif is currently in London for medical treatment.
Sharif,
70, the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supremo, has been living in London
since November last year after the Lahore High Court granted him permission to
go abroad for four weeks for treatment.
Despite
the meeting with the Army chief, a 26-point declaration issued at the end of
the Opposition meeting later, however, contained assertions about ending
“establishment's interference in politics” and “no role of armed forces and
intelligence agencies” in future elections.
Following
the multi-party conference, the major Opposition parties demanded Prime
Minister Khan's immediate resignation and launched an alliance to hold a
countrywide protest movement to oust his government.
Gen
Bajwa clearly told the participants of the meeting that the Army was not in any
manner linked to the political processes and had no involvement in matters
concerning election reforms and accountability, the report said.
He
said the military only responds to calls for assistance by the elected civilian
government and it would continue doing so irrespective of who is in the office.
He also conveyed that no one would be allowed to create chaos in the country,
it said.
The
allegations of a political witch-hunt in the name of accountability was raised
by the PML-N.
Bajwa
said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chief and election
commissioner were picked up by political leaders represented in Parliament,
therefore they needed to be careful in choosing them.
The
PML-N remained mum about the participation of its leaders in the meeting while
the PPP said it would issue a formal comment on the meeting on Tuesday.
However,
Senator Sherry Rehman told a TV talk show that her party's chairman talked
about the status of Gilgit-Baltistan and its upcoming elections.
Bilawal
stressed on the need for free and fair elections in Gilgit-Baltistan due to the
sensitivities attached to the region, she said.
On
Monday, Gen Bajwa met Prime Minister Khan but the Prime Minister‘s Office did
not issue any statement on the meeting.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistan-army-isi-had-secret-meeting-with-opposition-leaders-ahead-of-multi-party-conference-report/articleshow/78254114.cms
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Sikh
scriptures entrusted to Gurdwara Sahib
Asif
Mehmood
September
24, 2020
LAHORE:
In
a bid to strengthen Muslim-Sikh alliance, Mitr Sanjh Punjab, a local Sufi
association, had recently agreed to transfer 110-year old copies of rare Sikh
manuscripts to the administration of Gurdwara Baba Di Beri in Sialkot.
Following
decision, the ancient Sikhi Saroop, which had remained in the possession of a
Sufi family in Gujrat, has now been safely handed over to Granthi Sardar
Jaskaran of the said Gurudwara.
According
to Mitr Sanjh Punjab head Iftikhar Warraich Kalravi, the two manuscripts of
Guru Granth Sahib had long been in the safekeeping of Pir Syed Munir
Naqshbandi, a revered Sufi elder from Kalra Dewan Singhwala village of Gujarat.
Known
to be an advocate for interfaith harmony, Naqshbandi had offered asylum at his
residence to a few Sikh families trying to escape ethnic violence before
partition.
“Apart
from sheltering the family, he had also salvaged some of their religious
scriptures and kept them from being desecrated. Among them were the two
manuscripts of Guru Granth Sahib. When the Sufi elder passed away in the year
1950, he had left the scriptures in the safekeeping of his children and since
then they have remained with the family,” said Kakravi. Per details, Guru
Granth Sahib is the central religious scripture of Sikhism.
It
is regarded by the religion’s followers as the final, sovereign and eternal
living Guru, following the lineage of the ten human gurus of the religion.
While
the Granth Sahib itself is composed by six Sikh Gurus, it also contains the
poetic teachings of thirteen Hindu Bhakti movement and two Sufi Muslim poets.
Yet however, although the Granth acknowledges and respects scriptures of
Hinduism and Islam, it does not imply any moral reconciliations with either.
Speaking
to The Express Tribune, Kalravi said that Pir Sufi Munir Naqshbandi had always
campaigned for Muslim-Sikh brotherhood, while also campaigning for interfaith
harmony in general.
“He
was known for his kindness and this what led to the revered Sikh manuscripts
coming into his possession. After over 90 years of safekeeping within the Pir’s
family, we have now decided that the manuscripts should now be rightfully
transferred to Gurdwara Sahib. This is a great example of Muslim-Sikh
friendship and will help further strengthen our relationships.”
According
to Granti Sardar Jashkaran Singh of Gurdwara Baba Di Beri in Sialkot, the said
Gurudwara had been left in dismal state for over 70 years.
However,
in 2015, the Evacuee Trust Board and Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Management
Committee restored the building, after which it once again started welcoming
Sikh pilgrims and devotees from near and far.
“We
are grateful to our Muslim brothers for safekeeping the manuscripts of Guru
Granth Sahib for generations, and transferring it the Gurdwara where it’s
currently placed for the followers to bask in its wisdom.”
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2265395/sikh-scriptures-entrusted-to-gurdwara-sahib
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PML-N
leader’s call on COAS kicks up storm
Baqir
Sajjad Syed | Malik Asad
24
Sep 2020
ISLAMABAD:
In a startling revelation that further jolted the anti-establishment image of
the main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Army on
Wednesday disclosed that former Sindh governor Mohammad Zubair had twice
reached out to Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and discussed
political and legal woes of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his
daughter Maryam Nawaz in the past few weeks.
“Mr
Zubair twice met the army chief, once in the last week of August and then on
September 7 in the presence of director general ISI,” revealed military
spokesman Major General Babar Iftikhar in a TV talk show.
Both
meetings, he said, were held on Mr Zubair’s request.
“In
those meetings he (Mr Zubair) talked about Mr Nawaz Sharif and Ms Maryam
Nawaz,” the director-general of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
The
disclosure by the DG ISPR came just hours after PML-N’s senior vice-president
and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told a news conference in Lahore
that none of the party members had held one-on-one meeting with the army chief
in the recent past.
This
is the second time this week that opposition leaders’ secret contacts with the
military leadership were made public. The disclosures follow Mr Nawaz’s
hard-hitting speech at the opposition’s September 20 multiparty conference in
which he had lashed out at the army, saying there was “a state above the state
in the country” and the conference’s communique calling for an end to
“establishment’s interference in politics” and “no role of armed forces and
intelligence agencies” in future elections.
Earlier
on Sept 21, a day after the opposition’s multiparty conference, federal
Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed revealed that major opposition figures,
including Leader of the Opposition Shahbaz Sharif, PML-N’s parliamentary leader
in National Assembly Khawaja Asif and PML-N secretary general Ahsan Iqbal, had
met the COAS and the DG ISI in recent days.
The
interaction was held on military’s invitation for a discussion on the impending
changes in the constitutional status of Gilgit-Baltistan though political
issues and opposition’s concerns also came up for the discussion.
Major
Gen Babar said the COAS during his two meetings with PML-N leader and
ex-governor Mohammad Zubair “made it clear to him that their [Sharifs] legal
issues would be addressed in court, while political matters were to be dealt
with the parliament”.
The
military spokesman added that Mr Zubair was categorically conveyed that the
military should be kept out of political matters.
Also
appearing on television channels afterwards and later through his official
social media account on Twitter, the former governor did confirm his contacts
with the military leadership while claiming that he had gone to discuss
economic issues. However, he admitted, Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam did
come up for discussion.
“Gen
Qamar Bajwa is an old friend and not only that I have met him many times as a
friend but our families have also been meeting cordially over dinners etc. In
my most recent meeting with him economy, politics and, of course, Nawaz Sharif
and Maryam Nawaz, all came under discussion. No relief was ever requested,”
tweeted Mr Zubair.
Talking
to one of the TV channels, Mr Zubair expressed his surprise over the DG ISPR’s
statement. “Such meetings are secret. I don’t understand as to why the army
spokesperson needs to talk on [my meeting with the army chief] it,” he said.
A
senior PML-N parliamentarian, speaking on the background, said he wasn’t
surprised to hear about the party leadership’s “backchannel contacts” with the
military establishment. He said it was pragmatic to have both private and
public channels. The Sharifs, he said, sought the private channel through their
close confidante who flaunted his personal contacts with Gen Bajwa in the
party.
The
Leaguer agreed with the perception that Nawaz Sharif’s scathing remarks about
the army at MPC could be a result of the impression he got from the contacts
that there was no flexibility on the other side. “Therefore, he would have gone
for the second track, the public one,” he maintained.
He
said it was an open secret that the party supremo’s departure for London had
been facilitated.
He
also disclosed that Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman,
too, had met Gen Bajwa around the time of the sit-in in October 2019.
“These
contacts have always been there,” the PML-N leader emphasised.
Maryam
Nawaz
Earlier
during a brief media chat in the day after attending court hearing of her
appeal against her conviction in the Avenfield Apartments reference, PML-N
vice-president Maryam Nawaz said the political decisions should have been made
in the parliament and not in the General Headquarters (GHQ).
In
response to a question related to the recent meeting of the PML-N leaders with
the army chief, she said as per her knowledge, the PML-N leaders had met the
army chief to discuss the issue related to Gilgit-Baltistan.
“I
believe the issue of Gilgit-Baltistan is a political matter and political
decisions should have been taken within the Parliament not in the GHQ,” she
then asserted.
In
response to another question whether the PML-N’s supreme leader and his father
was aware of that meeting, she replied: “I don’t know [if] he was aware of it
or he learnt it [after the meeting took place]. However, it is my persistent
view that political leadership should never be invited or go to discuss these
issues.”
“Anyone
who wants to discuss such issues should come to the parliament,” she said.
In
the Lahore presser, PML-N stalwart Shahid Khaqan Abbasi claimed that neither
Khawaja Asif nor any other party leader held “one-on-one meeting” with the army
chief. He said the parliamentary leaders’ meeting with the army chief on the GB
issue was not “secret” but not for public consumption.
Asked
whether Nawaz Sharif was taken into confidence by Shahbaz Sharif or any other
leader regarding PML-N leaders’ meeting with the COAS, Mr Abbasi said: “It is
not in my knowledge”.
However,
Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid while talking to a private news channel on
Wednesday said the PML-N leaders had two meetings with the COAS in the last two
months.
“Khawaja
Asif and Ahsan Iqbal had one-on-one meetings with the army chief and ISI chief
Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed,” Mr Rashid emphasised.
IHC
hearing
Earlier,
a division bench of the Islamabad High Court comprising Justice Aamer Farooq
and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani heard the appeals of Maryam Nawaz and her
spouse retired Captain Mohammad Safdar against their conviction in the Avenfied
Apartments case.
While
observing that the matter related to the proclamation of former prime minister
Nawaz Sharif in the case had yet to be decided, the court deferred the
proceeding on the appeals till December 9.
When
the court inquired from additional attorney general Tariq Mehmood Khokhar on
progress on execution of arrest warrants of the ex-premier, he replied that the
Royal British Mail had delivered the notice to his son Hassan Nawaz on
September 18.
Mr
Khokhar said a private secretary of the Sharif’s son, Waqar Ahmed, had
contacted an official of Pakistani High Commission in the UK, Dildar Abro, and
informed him about willingness of execution of the arrest warrants.
When
the court asked about the progress on execution of the warrants through County
Court London, Mr Khokhar replied that the response of the British foreign
ministry was awaited.
The
court adjourned the hearing till September 30.
Zulqernain
Tahir from Lahore also contributed to the report
https://www.dawn.com/news/1581333/pml-n-leaders-call-on-coas-kicks-up-storm
--------
Opposition
to give formal shape to 11-party alliance
Amir
Wasim
24
Sep 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Opposition’s Rehbar Committee has decided to give a “formal structural shape”
to the newly-formed alliance of 11 parties which was announced at the Sept 20
multiparty conference (MPC) with the name of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)
by constituting its chapters at the national, provincial and district levels to
launch an organised anti-government campaign.
This
was disclosed by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Secretary General Nayyar Bokhari
during a brief chat with reporters after attending the meeting of the Rehbar
Committee here on Wednesday.
This
was first meeting of the Rehbar Committee after the MPC.
Mr
Bokhari said that the decision to nominate office-bearers of the PDM at all
levels had been left to the top leadership of the parties. He said the members
of the Rehbar Committee would request the party heads to make decisions in this
regard as early as possible.
Mr
Bokhari said the Rehbar Committee had met in the light of the 26-point
declaration announced by the opposition parties at the PPP-hosted MPC in
Islamabad.
The
PPP leader said all decisions taken at the PDM would be implemented and
opposition parties would soon announce a schedule for its countrywide public
meetings. He said the opposition was determined to hold a decisive long march
on Islamabad in January 2021 as announced in the MPC, adding that they were
determined to send this government packing.
After
the MPC, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had welcomed the formation of the
PDM and likened it to the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) and
the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD), the two major opposition
alliances formed under the leadership of Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan to launch
movements against military regimes of Gen Ziaul Haq and Gen Pervez Musharraf.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1581349/opposition-to-give-formal-shape-to-11-party-alliance
--------
Arab world
Saudi
Arabia: Any nuclear deal with Iran must preserve non-proliferation
23
September 2020
Saudi
Arabia said that any nuclear deal with Iran has to preserve non-proliferation and
continue efforts aimed at making the Middle East a zone free of mass
destruction weapons, state news agency SPA reported on Tuesday.
The
agreement "has to address Iran's destabilizing behaviors and its
sponsorship of terrorism in the region to prevent it from any provocative
actions in the future," it said in a statement issued after weekly cabinet
meeting.
In
2015 Iran signed a fragile nuclear deal with world powers but the fate of the
2015 pact has been in doubt since US President Donald Trump pulled the United
States out of it and re-imposed sanctions.
Washington
has threatened to use a provision in the agreement to trigger a return of all
UN sanctions on Iran if the Security Council does not extend an arms embargo on
Iran indefinitely.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/09/23/Saudi-Arabia-Any-nuclear-deal-with-Iran-must-preserve-non-proliferation
--------
King
Salman targets Iran during debut at United Nations
24
Sep 2020
NEW
YORK: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz took aim at Iran during his
debut on Wednesday at the annual United Nations meeting of world leaders,
calling for a comprehensive solution to contain Riyadh’s regional rival and
stop it from getting weapons of mass destruction.
He
said Iran has exploited a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers “to intensify its
expansionist activities, create its terrorist networks, and use terrorism,”
adding that this had produced nothing but “chaos, extremism, and sectarianism.”
“A comprehensive solution and a firm international position are required,” he
told the 193-member General Assembly in a video statement that was pre-recorded
due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The
United States quit the Iran nuclear pact in 2018, with President Donald Trump
dubbing it the “worst deal ever.” Washington has since imposed unilateral
sanctions on Tehran and asserts that all countries also have to reinstate UN
sanctions in an attempt to push the Islamic Republic to negotiate a new deal.
French
President Emmanuel Macron told the UN on Tuesday that Washington’s sanctions
campaign against Iran had failed.
All
the remaining parties to the nuclear deal, including longtime US allies, and 13
of the 15 UN Security Council members say the US claim on UN sanctions is void,
and diplomats say few countries are likely to reimpose the measures.
“Our
experience with the Iranian regime has taught us that partial solutions and
appeasement did not stop its threats to international peace and security,” King
Salman said. Iran’s UN mission did not immediately respond to a request for
comment on the king’s remarks.
Saudi
Arabia and Iran are locked in several proxy wars in the region, including in
Yemen where a Saudi-led coalition has been battling the Tehran-aligned Houthi
movement for more than five years.
Riyadh,
which backs the Trump administration’s efforts to counter Iran, has blamed Iran
for attacks on the kingdom’s oil facilities last year, a charge Tehran denies.
Iran denies arming groups in the Middle East, including the Houthis, and blames
regional tensions on the United States and its Gulf allies.
Trump
made only a passing reference to Iran during his UN address on Tuesday,
focusing instead on attacking China. Gulf Arab states have also been alarmed by
the rising influence of Iran’s ally Hezbollah in Lebanon, withholding financial
support to the government needed to tackle Lebanon’s worst financial crisis in
decades.
King
Salman said a deadly blast in Beirut’s port last month “occurred as a result of
the hegemony of Hezbollah ... over the decision-making process in Lebanon by
force of arms.” Authorities have blamed the blast on a stockpile of ammonium
nitrate stored at the port without safety measures. “This terrorist
organisation must be disarmed,” the king said.
On
attempts to mediate peace between Israel and the Palestinians, the Saudi
monarch said a 2002 Arab Peace Initiative is the basis for a “comprehensive and
just solution” ensuring the Palestinians obtain an independent state with East
Jerusalem as its capital.
“We
support the efforts of the current US administration to achieve peace in the
Middle East by bringing the Palestinians and the Israelis to the negotiation
table to reach a fair and comprehensive agreement,” he said. The king stopped
short of endorsing recent US-brokered agreements by the United Arab Emirates
and Bahrain to establish ties with Israel. Saudi Arabia has quietly acquiesced
to the deals but has signaled it is not ready to take action itself.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1581322/king-salman-targets-iran-during-debut-at-united-nations
--------
Khartoum
discusses Arab-Israeli peace and terrorism list with Washington
23
September 2020
Sudan
and the United States have discussed how Khartoum could advance Arab-Israeli
peace, authorities said on Wednesday, adding the talks also covered the removal
of the former hardline foe of Israel from a US list of terrorism sponsors.
Meeting
in the United Arab Emirates, a Sudanese delegation and US officials held talks
on how peace could stabilize the region and secure a two-state solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian question, the ruling sovereign council said.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
UAE, a leading regional partner of the United States, and Bahrain normalized
ties with Israel this month in deals brokered by Washington, the first Arab
states in a quarter of acentury to break a longstanding taboo.
In
August, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised the issue of Sudan
establishing ties with Israel during a visit. Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla
Hamdok told him at the time he had no mandate to do so.
A
Sudanese team led by General Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, head of the council, flew
to the UAE on Sunday to hold talks with US officials on several issues
including the removal of Sudan from a US list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Sudanese
officials held “serious and frank talks” on the future of Arab-Israeli peace,
which would lead to “stability in the region and preserve the right of the
Palestinian people to establish their state according to the vision of a two-state
solution,” a council statement said after the return of the delegation.
The
two sides also discussed “the role that Sudan is expected to play in achieving
this peace,” it said, without giving any details.
The
council, made up of the military and civilians, has been in charge of Sudan
since the toppling of autocrat Omar al-Bashir last year.
Ties
with Israel are a sensitive issue in Sudan, which was among the hardline Arab
foes of Israel under al-Bashir.
In
February, Burhan met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Uganda, a
meeting condemned by Sudanese protesters.
He
afterwards cast doubt on any rapid normalization of relations, though Israeli
aircraft soon began overflying Sudan.
The
talks also tackled lifting Sudan from the terrorism list, which hinders its
ability to access foreign loans to tackle an economic crisis, the council said,
without giving details.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/23/Khartoum-discusses-Arab-Israeli-peace-and-terrorism-list-with-Washington
--------
Israel’s
continuous overflights in violation of UNSC resolution, Lebanon’s sovereignty:
UNIFIL
22
September 2020
The
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has censured the Israeli
regime's incessant military flights over Beirut and the southern sector of the
Arab country, stating that such practices are in flagrant violation of a UN
Security Council resolution and infringe upon Lebanon’s sovereignty.
In
a statement to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency on Monday, Major
General Stefano Del Col, the head of the UN mission, reported a rise in the
number of Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace in recent days and said he
had asked Tel Aviv to stop such moves.
“The
continuous overflights in the Lebanese airspace constitute a violation of UN
Security Council Resolution 1701 and Lebanese sovereignty, and have previously
been condemned by the Security Council,” he said.
Such
relentless violations, the UN official added, “lead to an escalation of
tensions and can lead to incidents that threaten the cessation of hostilities
between Lebanon and Israel. They also go against our goals and undermine our
efforts to reduce tensions and create a stable security environment in south
Lebanon.”
The
Lebanese army and the Hezbollah resistance movement have, in recent months,
brought down several intruding Israeli spy drones.
Earlier
in the day, the Lebanese army announced in a statement that Israeli military
aircraft had crossed into Lebanon’s skies and flown over different parts of the
Arab country nine times.
The
statement read that the aircraft entered Lebanon’s airspace at around 00:25
a.m. local time on Monday (2125 GMT Sunday) and left at around 20:50 p.m. They
hovered over southern Lebanon, Beirut and its suburbs as well as Baabda and
Aliya districts.
On
September 10, Lebanese military forces intercepted and targeted an Israeli
unmanned aerial vehicle as it was on a reconnaissance mission in the skies over
the southern part of the country.
The
Lebanese army said the drone had been shot down 200 meters away from the Blue
Line, which separates Lebanon from the Israeli-occupied territories.
Israel’s
military, however, alleged that one of its drones had fallen inside Lebanon
during “operational activity” along the frontier.
Lebanon’s
government, the Hezbollah resistance movement and the UNIFIL have repeatedly
condemned Israel’s overflights, saying they are in clear violation of UN
Security Council Resolution 1701 and the country’s sovereignty.
The
resolution, which brokered a ceasefire in the war Israel launched against
Lebanon in 2006, calls on Tel Aviv to respect Beirut’s sovereignty and
territorial integrity.
Tensions
have been running high between Israel and Hezbollah since July 20, when Tel
Aviv killed Hezbollah member Ali Kamel Mohsen in an airstrike in Syria.
The
Israeli military has placed its forces near the Lebanese and Syrian borders on
high alert after Hezbollah promised retaliation.
Israeli
forces shelled the Lebanese village of Habaria in late July to stop an alleged
Hezbollah offensive, but the Lebanese movement dismissed the allegation,
calling it the result of tension and confusion among Israeli forces.
Last
month, a leading US news website said the recent developments have “shed light
on Israel’s impossible situation” along the Lebanese border.
According
to Business Insider, Hezbollah has established a high level of deterrence in
southern Lebanon, where as many as "150,000 rockets and missiles” are
pointed at Israel.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/22/634722/Israel-continuous-overflights-in-violation-of-UNSC-resolution-Lebanon-sovereignty-UN
--------
Saudis
warn UN of oil spot in shipping lane near decaying Yemen tanker
September
24, 2020
NEW
YORK: Saudi Arabia warned the UN Security Council on Wednesday that an “oil
spot” had been seen in a shipping transit area 31 miles (50 km) west of a
decaying tanker that is threatening to spill 1.1 million barrels of crude oil
off the coast of Yemen.
The
Safer tanker has been stranded off Yemen’s Red Sea oil terminal of Ras Issa for
more than five years. The United Nations has warned that the Safer could spill
four times as much oil as the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster off Alaska.
In
a letter to the 15-member body, reviewed by Reuters, Saudi Arabia’s UN
Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi wrote that experts had observed that “a
pipeline attached to the vessel is suspected to have been separated from the
stabilizers holding it to the bottom and is now floating on the surface of the
sea.”
The
United Nations has been waiting for formal authorization from Yemen’s Houthi
movement to send a mission to the Safer tanker to conduct a technical
assessment and whatever initial repairs might be feasible.
The
Security Council and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have both called on
the Houthis to grant access.
Al-Mouallimi
wrote that the tanker “has reached a critical state of degradation, and that
the situation is a serious threat to all Red Sea countries, particularly Yemen
and Saudi Arabia,” adding “this dangerous situation must not be left
unaddressed.”
Yemen
has been mired in conflict since the Iran-allied Houthi group ousted the
government from the capital Sanaa in 2014. A Saudi-led military coalition in
2015 intervened in a bid to restore the government.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1739231/middle-east
--------
Families
of Missing IS Victims Beg for Answers as New Mass Graves Discovered in
Northeast Syria
By
Nisan Ahmado
September
22, 2020
As
local authorities in northeastern Syria announce the discovery of new mass
graves belonging to the victims of Islamic State in Raqqa, families whose loved
ones disappeared during the group’s control over the region hope they might
finally get some answers.
The
First Responders, a rescue and recovery team in northeastern Syria, earlier
this month announced finding a mass grave in the western outskirt of Raqqa’s
Farusiya, raising the number of discovered sites to five this year.
Following
the announcement and the recovery of 16 bodies from the grave, the families of
the victims are calling on authorities to prioritize a speedy identification
process of the remains.
“The
coalition and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) must support The First
Responders team with technical support so they would be able to verify the
identities of the bodies found in mass graves and under the rubble of buildings
that were destroyed during the battle to defeat IS in the city of Raqqa,” said
Ensaf Nasser who has been looking for her husband since IS kidnapped him in
2014.
Nasser’s
husband, Foad Ahmed el-Mohamed, was a local journalist taking pictures of
wounded civilians at Aisha Hospital in Deir el-Zour city when IS militants
broke in and took him away. She has since relentlessly perused threads leading
to the whereabouts of her husband, without much luck.
Nasser
told VOA she has learned that the extremist group accused her husband of
infidelity because he advocated for a secular and democratic state instead of a
caliphate. He was also accused of breaking their strict Sunni codes by marrying
Nasser, who was a follower of Syria’s Druze sect, and naming his son after the
Argentinian Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara.
“I
have knocked at every door and followed every lead through official channels or
personal connections, but I still have no evidence of what happened to him,”
Nasser said.
While
still hoping to find him alive, she added that if he is found dead, she can at
least find closure and honor his memory.
Islamic
State kidnapped thousands of civilians, mainly activists, to hush any opposing
voice as it prepared to impose its control in 2013, Human Rights Watch said in
a report earlier this year. The watchdog said that many victims have vanished
during IS expansion in 2014.
The
Syrian Network for Human Rights has registered 8,648 cases of kidnapped people,
including 319 children and 225 women. Local authorities suspect that many of
the missing have likely been killed by IS and buried in graves across the mostly
desert terrain of eastern Syria.
Raqqa
Civil Council said it has found 28 mass graves since defeating IS’s physical
caliphate in 2019. The sites allegedly contain about 6,300 bodies and belong
mostly to people executed by IS.
Location
and recovery
The
First Responders told VOA they have found some of the graves after receiving
information from local residents about human remains. The team will begin
exhuming the remains following an investigation and verification process.
The
First Responders was established in September 2018 by Raqqa Civil Council to
exhume the mass graves and as an emergency response team. In 2020 alone, the
team found five mass graves and exhumed about 300 bodies.
“Once
a body is found, the team will record the basic information on the date and
location of the recovery, sex, apparent cause of death and any personal
belongings. The recovered human body will be assigned an ID number and
preserved in another location,” said Osama al-Khalaf, a spokesperson for Raqqa
Civil Council.
Al-Khalaf
said that if a body is identified, it will be handed over to its family for a
proper burial. For those not identified, local authorities have dedicated two
graveyards outside Raqqa, he added.
“The
work to exhume and identify the human remains is done by primitive tools like
shovels, and they lack equipment to analyze the bodies’ DNA,” he said.
Local
authorities say they need international support and technical assistance to
properly identify victims and preserve the bodies as evidence of IS crimes.
Families’
pleas
Activists
supporting relatives of the victims say the families are growing weary over
officials’ reluctance to share with them any information on the fate of the
discovered graves. They say families deserve to know if IS prisoners have been
interrogated about the fate of the disappeared, especially as some of the
detained foreign jihadists are repatriated to their countries while others flee
northeast Syria.
Laila
Kiki, executive director of the Syria Campaign and an advocate of the families,
told VOA that local authorities are yet to establish a formal system to
communicate with the victims’ families. She said the authorities needed to make
information-sharing a priority.
“One
of the main demands of our campaign is to create a mechanism of communication
between the families and the authorities on the ground. Currently, there is no
two-way communication between the families and local authorities in
northeastern Syria,” said Kiki, adding that the international community also needed
to step in to help in the process.
"It
is important for the families to get the answers they need. And it is important
for the international community and the U.S.-led coalition to take the demands
of the families seriously and to interrogate IS fighters. IS has impacted every
Syrian family, and we need answers from those involved,” she said.
https://www.voanews.com/extremism-watch/families-missing-victims-beg-answers-new-mass-graves-discovered-northeast-syria?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1549072_
--------
Iraqi
Security Forces Thwart ISIS Infiltration Attempt on Border
22
September, 2020
The
Iraqi National Security Forces thwarted an infiltration attempt of ISIS
terrorists on the western border with Syria, in Nineveh.
The
Security Media Cell issued a statement Monday, announcing that units of the
National Security Agency received intelligence information about possible
infiltrations in various spots. The intelligence teams set several ambushes and
were able to arrest three terrorists, including a Syrian national.
During
interrogation, they admitted to being members of the ISIS terrorist
organization and that they participated in most of the battles against the
Iraqi forces. Based on their confessions, the terrorists were planning to form
new military detachments to carry out terrorist operations.
In
addition, the intelligence agency announced that it arrested 10 terrorists in
Saladin governorate, north of Baghdad.
The
agency said in a statement that through continuous monitoring, its units
arrested 10 wanted terrorists, in accordance with the provisions of Article 4
of the constitution, for their affiliation with ISIS in separate areas of the
governorate.
The
security units also coordinated with Sulaymaniyah security forces and arrested
two terrorists while trying to flee to one of the neighboring countries. The
units also seized a stockpile of ISIS ammunition on Makishifa island containing
anti-tank missiles and missile launchers.
The
recent infiltration attempts come as Iraq begins to legalize its relationship
with the international coalition, in light of the increasing demands of
pro-Iranian factions and its affiliated political forces for the withdrawal of
US forces from the country.
Meanwhile,
Diyala governorate remains one of the areas where ISIS cells, armed forces,
factions, and militias are active given its demographic diversity.
Head
of the parliamentary committee on immigration and displacement, Raad
al-Dahlaki, believes that one of the main reasons behind the instability in the
governorate is that the largest proportion of the Sunni residents had not
returned to their areas.
Dahlaki
indicated that militias prevent the return of the displaced to their homes,
pointing out that the tribal disputes are an excuse for armed groups to gain
control over the area.
The
lawmaker called on the government to form a higher committee for the return of
the displaced.
Security
expert Fadel Abu Ragheef told Asharq Al-Awsat that ISIS has a plan to return to
the forefront regardless of the losses it incurred over the past years until
its defeat in 2017.
Abu
Ragheef added that this organization is trying to take advantage of many
factors in order to continue its operations, including the release of prisoners
in Syria, and infiltration attempts on the Iraqi-Syrian border from Nineveh,
which is still not fully controlled.
He
believes that the terrorist organization will take advantage of anything in its
favor to regain control.
https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2522241/iraqi-security-forces-thwart-isis-infiltration-attempt-border?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1549072_
--------
Mideast
Bahrain
Crown Prince tells Netanyahu Israel deal will strengthen regional security
22
September 2020
Bahrain's
Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu spoke on the phone on Tuesday, a week after their countries signed a
normalization accord.
“During
the call, the Crown Prince stressed the importance of strengthening
international security and peace and continuing efforts in support of peace,
stability and prosperity,” state news agency BNA reported.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
Crown Prince also said that Bahrain signing the normalization deal with Israel
“strengthens the foundations of security, stability and prosperity in region.”
The
two leaders reviewed developments on the regional and international stages and
areas of bilateral cooperation within the framework of the deal signed
September 15 in Washington at the same time as the Israel-UAE normalization
agreement.
Netanyahu
travelled to the US capital for a ceremony to sign the deals along with the
foreign affairs chiefs of the two Gulf countries.
In
Israel, the prime minister's office said in a statement that Netanyahu and
Bahrain’s Crown Prince had “a very friendly discussion.”
“We
talked of the means to rapidly boost the contents of the accord between our two
countries, to transform this peace into an economic, technological, touristic
peace, peace in each of these sectors,” Netanyahu said, according to the
statement.
Bahrain
and the United Arab Emirates became the third and fourth Arab countries to
normalize ties with Israel, following Jordan's 1994 peace treaty with Israel
and Egypt's peace deal in 1979.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/09/22/Bahrain-Crown-Prince-tells-Netanyahu-Israel-deal-will-strengthen-regional-security
--------
Turkey’s
relationship with ISIS proves it's deserting its European allies
By
MORDECHAI KEDAR
SEPTEMBER
22, 2020
With
Turkey’s increasingly divisive and destabilizing influence in the Middle East,
the region’s biggest concern for the West yet could be President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan’s burgeoning Islamist tendencies. In order to understand the Turkish
role in the threat of ISIS, borne from the Muslim Brotherhood, it is necessary
to rewind six years.
2014
marked the year when ISIS became a very real threat to the Middle East; within
one year it had managed to take over a third of Iraq and half of Syria,
employing 200,000 fighters in its control. ISIS quickly became successful in
producing oil and selling it as an important source of income, not to mention
that it was able to ensure a constant supply of weapons, ammunition, vehicles
and advanced communication devices.
The
question is, how was it possible for ISIS to become a functioning state so
quickly? With its increasing connections to Turkey over the years, whether through
its oil industry or housing wanted members of the Muslim Brotherhood, this
“neighborly” relationship is one that is repeatedly examined for consequences
and decisions that Turkey is instrumental in today.
Since
2002, Turkey has been ruled by Erdogan, a vocal supporter of the Muslim
Brotherhood. As a movement that seeks to establish a worldwide Islamic
caliphate that applies Islamic Sharia law, instead of man-made laws, the Muslim
Brotherhood has been linked to many fundamental Islamist organizations,
coinciding with the fact that Erdogan has neglected to launch counterterror
operations to disrupt ISIS’s networks or recruitment activities, since its
inception. Its presence has been most felt in the following areas:
Money
In
2014, it was reported that ISIS had taken over oil fields in Iraq and Syria and
produced large quantities of crude oil to sell, consolidating its grip on oil
supplies in the region. They are thought to have transported the oil to Turkey
in tankers, with Turkey selling the oil to other countries as if it were from
Iraq and Syria, sharing some of the proceeds with ISIS. These oil exports were
stopped in December 2015 following a Russian bombing of these tankers, but not
before ISIS received millions from oil exports through Turkey. It seems
pertinent to mention that Erdogan’s family was also involved in the oil
business with ISIS.
Volunteers
Thousands
of Muslim volunteers who identified with the goals and methods of ISIS went to
the Islamic State from Islamic countries, Europe, America, Africa, Australia
and even Israel. The vast majority of them arrived legally in Turkey, and from
there went on to Syria and Iraq. The Turkish authorities, aware that these
volunteers were passing through Turkey, did nothing to stop it.
In
June 2014, Turkish interior minister Muammar Guler even admitted that Hatay was
a strategic location for the Mujahidin crossing to Syria and that logistical
support for Islamist groups would be increased in this area.
Tactics
It
has been widely reported that Turkey’s Intelligence Agency illegally dispatched
arms to Syrian jihadists. In August 2014, an ISIS commander told The Washington
Post: “Most of the fighters who joined us at the beginning of the war came via
Turkey, as did our equipment and supplies.”
Turkey
also allowed ISIS forces to use its territory to surprise their opponents with
attacks from within Turkey. ISIS forces could have not entered or left Turkey
freely without the consent of the Turkish government. Anti-Assad activists
reported that ISIS was attacking them from inside Turkey, and a senior Egyptian
official indicated in October 2014 that Turkish intelligence was passing
satellite imagery and other data to ISIS.
In
summary, Erdogan’s reluctance to take a step back and denounce ISIS’ methods of
operation has, in part, led to the assumption that Turkey ceased to assist ISIS
primarily because of the pressure exerted on it by Russia, the US and Europe,
instead of an outright rejection of the ideology.
With
the increasing parallels drawn between the Islamist extremism of Turkey and
Iran, and repeated criticism directed at former US president Barack Obama for
being soft on Islamist forces in the region, the US and EU in particular will
have a part to play in deciding what kind of a role they assume in the Middle East.
To
this day, Turkey is seen to be under the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood
doctrine which underpins the continued flourishing of ISIS and shows a lack of
concern for their damaging actions.
With
that said, it is becoming undeniably harder for Erdogan to hide behind his NATO
membership as he draws a foreign policy that has inevitably become less
Western-oriented and more EU- and US-hostile – a far cry from the political
reforms that were once promised for a democratic transition in Turkey. This will
have consequences for the country’s regional and international relations as it
becomes less and less of a reliable security partner, especially if it chooses
to work increasingly with those who fight against the West.
The
writer is a scholar of Arabic culture and a lecturer at Bar-Ilan University.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/turkeys-relationship-with-isis-proves-its-deserting-its-european-allies-643187?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1549072_
--------
Prosecutor
General: Martyr Soleimani’s Case Closed Only by Avenging Perpetrators
Sep
23, 2020
“The
assassination of Lieutenant General Soleimani was one of the heinous crimes of
the United States,” Montazeri said during a virtual meeting on Wednesday, and
stressed, "The case of this terrorist act will be open until all the
culprits are avenged."
“In
1980, the United States provoked Saddam to launch a military attack on Iran in
a bid to defeat the nascent Islamic Republic establishment and disintegrate
Iran,” he said, adding, “however, under the wise leadership of the founder of
the Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini, as well as the sacrifice of the Iranian
youths, this conspiracy was totally defeated.”
Meantime,
IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami had also warned on Saturday that
Iran is resolved to retaliate for the US assassination of former IRGC Quds
Force Commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, and said that all
collaborators in the terrorist act are potential targets.
“Mr.
Trump, do not doubt about our revenge because it is completely destined and
serious,” General Salami said, addressing IRGC commanders and officials in
Tehran on Saturday.
Iran
will take revenge in a fair manner, he added, noting, “This is why we did not
target your soldiers at Ein al Assad.”
“We
will target those who have had a direct or indirect role in the martyrdom of
Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani,” General Salami said.
“Do
you think that we will target a female ambassador in ransom for the blood of
our martyr,” asked Salami, referring to US media allegations that Iran had
plotted to assassinate US ambassador to South Africa in revenge for the
assassination of General Soleimani.
“Americans
should know that we will target anyone who has had a role in the cowardly
assassination of General Soleimani and this is a serious warning,” he said.
“You
are threatening us with an attack 1000-times greater in force, while being
stranded in your internal problems, but when we targeted Ain al Asad, we were
assuming that you would respond and had then made hundreds of missiles ready to
destroy targets in case you would respond,” General Salami said.
He
underlined that the US is given a crushing retaliation if it even damages “one
hair” of an Iranian national.
“These
are serious warnings. We do not engage in a war of words, but we leave
everything to the field of action,” General Salami said.
He
added that today the US has lost its past military power and has been isolated
in the world.
Lieutenant
General Soleimani was assassinated in a US drone strike on Baghdad
International Airport in Iraq on January 3.
The
airstrike also martyred Deputy Commander of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces
(PMF) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. The two were martyred in an American airstrike that
targeted their vehicle on the road to the airport.
Five
Iranian and five Iraqi military men were martyred by the missiles fired by the
US drone at Baghdad International Airport.
On
January 8, the IRGC Aerospace Force started heavy ballistic missile attacks on
US Ein Al-Assad airbase in Southwestern Iraq near the border with Syria and a
US operated airbase in Erbil in retaliation for the US assassination of General
Soleimani.
Ein
Al-Assad is an airbase with a 4km runway at 188m altitude from sea levels, which
is the main and the largest US airbase in Iraq. Early reports said the radar
systems and missile defense shields in Ein Al-Assad failed to operate and
intercept the Iranian missiles. Unofficial reports said the US army's central
radar systems at Ein Al-Assad had been jammed by electronic warfare.
The
second IRGC reprisal attack targeted a US military base near Erbil airport in
Iraqi Kurdistan Region in the second leg of "Martyr Soleimani"
reprisal operation.
Iraq
said the attacks had not taken any toll from its army men stationed at these
two bases. The US army had blocked entrance into Ein Al-Assad to everyone,
including the Iraqi army.
It
was the first direct attack on the US army ever since world war two.
The
IRGC officials said none of the missiles had been intercepted.
Meantime,
Iran announced in late June that it had issued arrest warrants for 36 officials
of the US and other countries who have been involved in the assassination of
the martyred General Soleimani.
"36
individuals who have been involved or ordered the assassination of Hajj Qassem,
including the political and military officials of the US and other governments,
have been identified and arrest warrants have been issued for them by the
judiciary officials and red alerts have also been issued for them via the
Interpol," Prosecutor-General of Tehran Ali Alqasi Mehr said.
He
said that the prosecuted individuals are accused of murder and terrorist
action, adding that US President Donald Trump stands at the top of the list and
will be prosecuted as soon as he stands down presidency after his term ends.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990702001022
--------
IRGC
Deputy Commander: US Unable to Extend Arms Trade Ban on Iran
Sep
23, 2020
“The
US will not succeed to achieve its objective of imposing arms ban against
Iran,” Rear Admiral Fadavi said in an interview with the Arabic-language
al-Mayadeen news channel on Wednesday.
He
also underlined that the White House is destined to fail in forming a coalition
against the Islamic Revolution.
Asked
about the American forces’ deployment in the Persian Gulf, Rear Admiral Fadavi
said that their presence in the region "will make them easier
targets" for the Iranian forces.
“If
the Americans embark on a new folly, they will be faced with a power that may
not be imagined,” he warned.
In
relevant remarks on Monday night, Deputy Commander of Iran's Army for
Coordination Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari underlined that the military
preparedness of the country’s Armed Forces to respond to threats dissuades the
enemies, including the US, from making any aggression for the fear of its high
costs.
“If
today the enemy does not dare to make an aggression against us, it is due to
the fact that the Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) are
standing against the enemy united and like a fist and they enjoy such a high
combat power that if any enemy wants to damage any parts of the country, it
will receive a blow whose harms are higher than its benefits,” Rear Admiral
Sayyari said in an interview with the state TV on Monday night.
He
added that the Iranian Armed Forces are always monitoring the enemy’s moves and
combat power in the region and beyond the region.
Rear
Admiral Sayyari also underlined Iran’s self-sufficiency in production of
different missiles, weapons and military equipment, including tanks,
personnel-carriers, fighter jets, warships and destroyers.
The
high-ranking Iranian military commanders have on different occasions warned of
the country’s harsh response to any threat by enemies, specially the US.
In
April, IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami warned the US forces against
any act of sabotage to threatening move in the Persian Gulf.
“We
tell the Americans that we are fully determined and serious in defending our
national security, water borders, security of the shipping and our defense
forces’ security and will respond to any act of sabotage firmly,” General
Salami said after visiting the IRGC forces stationed on the Iranian islands in
the Persian Gulf.
“We
have ordered our naval units to target any vessel or combat unit of the
terrorist US forces who want to threaten the security of our non-combat ships
or combat vessels,” he added.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990702000881
--------
Iran’s
President: Global Problems Insoluble without Global Interaction
Sep
23, 2020
Rouhani
wrote on his Twitter page on Tuesday that all people in the world are going
through tough times due to the spread of coronavirus outbreak, and added that
this global problem, like other problems, can be solved just by international
cooperation.
He
noted that the steadfast Iranian nation instead of enjoying global cooperation
in the current hard conditions, is grappling with the harshest sanctions in
history imposed in blatant and gross violation of the UN Charter, global
agreements and Security Council Resolution 2231.
Later
and during his address to the 75th UN General Assembly meeting in a
pre-recorded TV message, Rouhani blasted Washington for its hostile policies
against global peace and security, and asked the UN member states to take
collective action against the US warmongering attitude and violation of
international rules and regulations, including UNSC Resolution 2231.
The
Iranian president thanked the UN Security Council member states for fighting
off the United States' law-breaking and illegal demands that he said has ended
up in Washington's isolation.
"They
have sold hundreds of billions of dollars of weapons to their clients turning
our region into a powder keg. Yet, they try in vain to deprive Iran of its
minimum defense requirements, and disregard international law and global
consensus in order to extend arms restrictions against Iran in contravention of
the letter of UNSCR 2231," Rouhani said.
"I
should express our appreciation to the presidents of the Security Council for
the months of August and September 2020, as well as to thirteen of its
members—especially Russia and China—who twice said a decisive and resounding
“NO” to the unlawful US attempt to exploit the Council and its Resolution 2231,"
he said.
"This
is a victory not just for Iran, but for the global community—during the
transitional international order in the post-Western world—that an aspirant of
hegemony is humiliated in such self-created isolation," Rouhani continued.
The
President reiterated that any US administration after the upcoming elections
"will have no choice but to surrender to the resilience of the Iranian
nation".
"And
for the world: Today is the time to say “no” to bullying and arrogance. The era
of dominance and hegemony is long over. Our nations and children deserve a
better and safer world based on the rule of law."
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990702000254
--------
Spokesman:
Iran Committed to Reinvigorate Syria’s Air Defense
Sep
22, 2020
“During
a recent visit to Syria by Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces (Major General
Mohammad Hossein Baqeri), it was decided that the country’s air defense be
strengthened at the demand of the Syrian government and we declared it to the
world too that we have this contract with the Syrian government and we will
certainly reinvigorate Syria’s air defense,” General Shekarchi said.
He
underlined that Iran will help any country which stands against Israel and the
US, meantime, saying that the assistance will not be out of charge given the
economic pressures that the country is tolerating due to the US sanctions.
General
Shekarchi said that Iran has also transferred its defense experiences and
technology to the Yemenis and they are now able to produce missiles, drones and
weapons, but dismissed allegations that the country is supplying missiles to
Yemen.
Early
July, Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein
Baqeri and Syrian Defense Minister General Ali Abdullah Ayyoub inked a
comprehensive agreement to further expand military cooperation.
The
Arabic-language al-Mayadeen news website quoted General Baqeri as saying after
inking the agreement that Iran "will strengthen Syria's air defense
systems in line with the reinvigoration of military cooperation between the two
countries".
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990701000738
--------
NATO
hails ‘good progresses in Greece-Turkey Mediterranean talks
23
September 2020
NATO
said on Wednesday there had been “good progress” in military talks between
Greece and Turkey aimed at avoiding clashes in the eastern Mediterranean, the
scene of a dispute over energy resources.
Alliance
chief Jens Stoltenberg said military officials from the two sides had held half
a dozen meetings at NATO headquarters to try to agree a “deconfliction
mechanism” to prevent accidental air or sea clashes.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/23/NATO-hails-good-progress-in-Greece-Turkey-Mediterranean-talks
--------
Southeast Asia
Malaysia
could be world pioneer in Islamic fintech — MDEC
September
23, 2020
KUALA
LUMPUR (Sept 23): Malaysia could become a world pioneer in Islamic financial
technology (fintech) as the country is already a world leader in the Islamic
finance sector.
Malaysia
Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) chairman Datuk Wira Dr Rais Hussin said
Malaysia is in a strong position to harness various opportunities that Islamic
fintech has to offer.
He
said according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Islamic bank loans
expanded by 8.9% year-on-year (y-o-y) in 2018, compared with the 2.5% that
conventional banks generated.
Bonds
remain relevant amid uncertain times
As
the number of reported Covid-19 cases worldwide breaches the 26 million mark
and deaths total close to 900,000 (at the point of writing), the trade-off
between economic cost and reducing the spread of the pandemic through lockdowns
is starting to weigh on global growth...
"This
highlighted rising demand around the world for syariah-compliant financial
services. Islamic finance is now entrenched in Malaysia, accounting for 32% of
financing to customers.
"Yet,
according to the IMF, Islamic fintech is still in its infancy in Malaysia, with
just a handful of start-ups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Both are
not as agile in accelerating its transformative potential as compared to
countries such as Indonesia," he said in the "Thoughts" column
at www.bernama.com.
Rais
said the growth of Islamic fintech in the country would impact development in
rural areas, especially among ethnic Malays.
"This
will become the backbone of this community as unique financial-inclusion
opportunities will ensure they can catch up and increase their contribution to
Malaysia’s socio-economic development," he said.
In
the column, Rais also noted that on the cusp of the Fourth Industrial
Revolution (IR 4.0), Malaysia is also blessed with the chance of re-engineering
the human experiment using technologies that decentralise authority and
de-emphasise divisions along the lines of colour, creed and country — what the
Japanese have coined as “Society 5.0”.
This
concept is now being adopted here as “Malaysia 5.0”, he said.
"In
describing the next stage of the evolution of societal communities and
socio-economic trends, Society 5.0 is built around the needs of a human-centred
society.
"MDEC
is now poised to take a leading role in catalysing the transition to Malaysia
5.0 as a new narrative of the nation. This includes introducing and using
emerging technologies that are now considered as essential tools in the new
Malaysia 5.0 digital economy," said Rais.
On
the challenges, he noted that many of the micro-SMEs, which consist of 21%
female entrepreneurs or founders of SMEs in the country, are in need of
assistance as they lack business connections and Internet presence, besides
having limited awareness of tools, access to funding and education.
https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/malaysia-could-be-world-pioneer-islamic-fintech-%E2%80%94-mdec
--------
No
justice for Rohingya buried in mass graves in Malaysian jungle
September
23, 2020
They
perished way back in 2015 and were buried in unmarked graves in a jungle by
their traffickers. Yet five years on, the Rohingya victims of rights abuses and
their relatives are still awaiting justice from Malaysia’s government.
That
state of affairs is a blot on Malaysia’s image, say international rights
activists who are calling on authorities to release the findings of a
government-sponsored report on mass graves that were discovered to contain the
remains of Rohingya victims of human trafficking from Myanmar and Bangladesh in
the village of Wang Kelian in the state of Perlis in the northern part of the
country.
“Malaysian
citizens and survivors of trafficking deserve access to the final report,”
Matthew Smith, chief executive of regional rights group Fortify Rights, said in
a newly released statement. “This is a matter of truth, justice and
accountability.”
In
2015, Malaysian authorities discovered 139 graves and 29 small illegal
detention camps for migrants in a jungle near the village, which lies on
Malaysia’s border with Thailand.
The
exhumed remains from the graves are believed to have belonged mostly to
Rohingya migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh, and there were suspicions that
authorities had been aware of the presence of the illegal detention camps and
the graves, which were ascribed to cross-border trafficking syndicates.
A
Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) was set up last year by the Malaysian
government to investigate the matter, but the investigators’ report has yet to
be released, which is a sign that authorities have something to hide, according
to Fortify Rights.
“Eyewitness
testimonies in the report indicate complicity and direct involvement of state
authorities in the transnational trade of Rohingya refugees, including in
Malaysia,” says the rights group, which was founded in Myanmar in 2013 to
“ensure human rights for all,” according to the group’s mission statement.
It
is estimated that between 2012 and 2015 transnational criminal syndicates
trafficked at least 170,000 Rohingya migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh into
Malaysia at a profit of US$50-100 million each year. The graves around Wang
Kelian likely contained migrants who died or were killed en route, according to
rights activists.
Investigators
working on Malaysia’s government-sponsored inquiry called 48 witnesses,
including Rohingya survivors, during 17 days of hearings in Kuala Lumpur last
year. That their findings have not yet been made public means that no justice
can be had for the victims of human trafficking in the country, according to
activists.
“The
RCI was mandated to help bring perpetrators to justice, and that hasn’t
happened,” Smith said. “The government must act. There have been no changes in
policy and not even a formal public reckoning of the crimes committed.”
Malaysia,
a Muslim-majority nation with a robust economy, is a popular destination for
stateless Rohingya migrants and asylum seekers who were driven from their homes
in Myanmar by the Burmese military into neighboring Bangladesh in 2017.
Yet
in recent years Malaysia has become less welcoming to Rohingya migrants, who
face hostility from locals, various forms of discrimination and frequent police
crackdowns on their communities.
Numerous
boats from Bangladesh carrying asylum seekers, including women and children,
have been turned back by Malaysian authorities in violation of international
law. Hundreds of Rohingya asylum seekers are believed to have died at sea this
year alone.
At
the same time, Malaysian authorities have stepped up their crackdowns on
Rohingya and other migrants already in the country, rounding them up in their
hundreds at a time, ostensibly to limit the spread of Covid-19 within migrant
communities.
Not
surprisingly, several rights groups and foreign observers have accused
Malaysian authorities of dragging their feet on releasing the findings of the
government-sponsored inquiry into the mass graves in Wang Kelian as part of an
official cover-up.
“Despite
allegations of official complicity in migrant smuggling and trafficking crimes
in relation to the 2015 discovery of migrant camps and mass graves in Wang
Kelian, containing bodies of suspected Rohingya and Bangladeshi victims of
extortion, torture and other crimes, authorities have not brought charges
against any Malaysian official or private citizen,” the United States’
Department of State has noted in its latest annual Trafficking in Persons
report.
By
refusing to release the inquiry’s findings, Malaysian authorities are in violation
of their international obligation “to seek and obtain all relevant information
concerning the commission of the alleged violation, the fate and whereabouts of
the victim and, where appropriate, the process by which the alleged violation
was officially authorized,” as per the guidelines of the UN special rapporteur
on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of
non-recurrence.
Fortify
Rights insists that Malaysian authorities are beholden to the victims and their
families to account for what really happened in Wang Kelian and who was
responsible.
“The
Malaysian government should fulfil the right to truth of the Wang Kelian
survivors, victims and their relatives under international law and provide them
and the general public with the RCI’s full report,” the group says.
https://www.ucanews.com/news/no-justice-for-rohingya-buried-in-mass-graves-in-malaysian-jungle/89622
--------
South Asia
Afghan
violence 'too high' says US as Kabul-Taliban talks falter
Sep
22, 2020
The
level of violence in Afghanistan is unacceptably high and the United States
expects further setbacks during talks, the Special Representative for
Afghanistan said on Tuesday, as the Afghan government and Taliban remain far
apart on even the most basic issues 10 days into talks meant to end two decades
of war.
"By
any measure, current levels of violence are too high," US Special Envoy
for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad told a House of Representatives hearing.
"We
know that reductions are possible," Mr Khalilzad said.
Despite
the difficulties, the talks are the best hope for peace in years and come as a
result of a February pact between the Taliban and the United States, allowing
US forces to withdraw in exchange for Taliban promises on terrorism.
But
the militant group has refused to agree to a ceasefire and the war is grinding
on. At least 57 members of the security forces have been killed in recent days
in clashes across Afghanistan.
With
all foreign troops due to be gone by May 2021, pressure is building on the
US-backed government in Kabul as it grapples with how to share power with its
implacable foe or contend with a likely Taliban push for military victory.
Since
the spotlight faded from the lavish September 12 opening ceremony in Doha,
attended by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the two sides have only
confirmed that they are diametrically opposed on virtually every issue.
"While
we have reasons to be hopeful, we are under no illusions about the challenges
ahead ... We expect that there will be setbacks and obstacles," Mr
Khalilzad said.
The
United States is expected to reduce troop levels to 4,000 to 5,000 in the
coming months and will look at further reductions based on conditions.
David
Helvey, who is performing the duties of assistant secretary of defence for
Indo-Pacific security affairs, told the subcommittee hearing focusing on
national security the Pentagon was carrying out "prudent planning" to
withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan by May 2021 if conditions were met.
He
added that for now, Defence Secretary Mark Esper had not issued any orders to
go below 4,000 troops.
https://www.thenational.ae/world/asia/afghan-violence-too-high-says-us-as-kabul-taliban-talks-falter-1.1081796?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1549072_
--------
Taliban
Military Commission Deputy for Badakhshan Killed
By
Mohammad Arif Sheva
22
Sep 2020
BADAKHSHAN,
Afghanistan – The Taliban military commission deputy for Badakhshan province is
killed during a battle with Afghan Security Forces, local authorities confirmed.
Sanaullah
Rohani, spokesman for the local police, said the Taliban insurgents Monday
night carried attacks against security posts in Raghistan district of
Badakhshan province.
Afghan
forces in a defense position repulsed the attack, inflicting heavy casualties
to the militants, he added.
According
to Rohani, deputy of the Taliban military commission Mowlawi Attaullah, known
as Ibrahim, was killed during clashes.
Taliban
did not immediately comment on the incident.
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-military-commission-deputy-for-badakhshan-killed-2344/
--------
United
Nations Should Establish A Committee For Afghan Peace Process: Shavkat
Mirziyoyev
By
Mohammad Haroon Alim
24
Sep 2020
Speaking
at the UN General Assembly yesterday, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev
proposed that the organization should set up a special committee for the Afghan
peace process.
Mirziyoyev
told the UN General Assembly that the committee will coordinate peace efforts
in Afghanistan, the committee would also facilitate political reconciliation in
Afghanistan and help the peace process.
Uzbekistan
is a country interested in assisting in the Afghan peace process and has
previously offered to host peace talks between the Afghan government and the
Taliban.
Last
year, Uzbekistan hosted an important conference on peace in Afghanistan.
https://www.khaama.com/united-nations-should-establish-for-afghan-peace-committee-087889/
--------
Afghan
Parliament Denies Legislative Orders
By
Mohammad Haroon Alim
24
Sep 2020
The
House of Representatives rejected the President’s two legislative decrees
amending some of the civil aviation laws and penalties by majority of votes.
WPSO
organization which oversees the plenary sessions of the House of
Representatives stated that the president’s decrees were put to a vote in the
plenary session of the House on Wednesday.
According
to a press release by the Women and Peace Studies organization, the delegates
rejected Presidential Legislative Decree No. 359 and Legislative Decree No.
308, amending some aspects of the Civil Aviation Law and extending Articles 350
of the Criminal Procedure Code.
On
the other hand, members of parliament have expressed concern about the spread
of insecurity and the escalation of violence as inter-Afghan talks began.
They
called the escalation of violence unacceptable in the current situation, and
said that the security situation in Balkh, Herat, Kunduz, Farah and Faryab
provinces is extremely worrying.
This
comes In a time, while peace negotiators are calling for cease fire and the
escalation of the battles recently have taken lives of dozens of Afghan
security forces.
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-parliament-rejects-2-presidential-legislative-decrees-098567/
--------
Some
of freed Taliban have returned to battlefield, says top Afghan official
23
September 2020
A
number of Taliban prisoners who were released by the Afghan government as a
condition for peace talks have taken up arms again, top official Abdullah
Abdullah said Tuesday.
Abdullah,
who chairs Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation and is
overseeing the government’s peace efforts, said discussions with the Taliban in
Qatar so far have been positive.
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However,
he said some -- though not the majority -- of the 5,000 Taliban prisoners
released by the government as a condition for talks had resumed the fight
against Kabul.
“I
do know that some have returned to the battlefield, which is a violation of the
agreement that they had made,” Abdullah said during an online conference with
the US Council on Foreign Relations.
Abdullah
said talks between the two sides had begun in Doha on a positive note, as the
delegations build some familiarity with each other.
Yet
the level of violence inside Afghanistan has not fallen, and he called on the
United States, which launched the peace process with its own deal with the
Taliban, and Pakistan, which maintains ties to the insurgents, to pressure them
to agree to a ceasefire.
“Unfortunately,
so far, the level of violence is very high and to a level that is not
acceptable for the people,” Abdullah said.
“I
repeat my call to the Taliban themselves and also to all partners who have any
leverage over the Taliban to press on that point.”
Abdullah
said he planned to visit Pakistan in the coming days for the first time since
2008.
US
chief negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad said a drawdown of US troops, under the
US-Taliban agreement, would halt at around 4,500 remaining in Afghanistan in
November while Washington assesses whether the insurgents were living up to
their pledges.
“Further
withdrawals will be determined based on conditions on the ground and delivery
by the Taliban on their commitments,” Khalilzad told a hearing of the House
oversight committee.
The
US has slashed troop numbers in Afghanistan by more than half from above
12,000.
Under
President Donald Trump’s promise to end US involvement in wars abroad,
Washington has pledged to withdraw all forces by May 2021, if the Taliban and
the government can achieve a solid peace agreement.
“By
any measure, the current levels of violence are too high. We know that the
reductions are possible,” Khalilzad said, noting short ceasefires were
respected by the Taliban in the past.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/09/23/Some-of-freed-Taliban-have-returned-to-battlefield-says-top-Afghan-official
--------
North America
Pakistan
must take sustained and irreversible action against terrorism: US lawmakers
Sep
23, 2020
WASHINGTON:
Pakistan must take sustained and irreversible action against terrorism, and
needs to demonstrate that it is prepared to live up to international
commitments on weapons of mass destruction, a US diplomat, nominated to be the
next envoy to Pakistan, told lawmakers on Tuesday and hoped that both Islamabad
and New Delhi would take the necessary steps to reduce tensions.
During
his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, William
Todd, who has been nominated by President Donald Trump as the next US ambassador
to Pakistan, told the lawmakers that peace in Afghanistan is in both the
countries' best interests, and effective US-Pakistani cooperation is essential
to achieve that objective.
"In
terms of regional dynamics, although we have a strong relationship with India,
that does not need to come at the expense of Pakistan. I believe that under the
right conditions, we can have a strong relationship with both countries,"
Todd said.
"Our
hope is that both countries will take the necessary steps to reduce tensions
and as President Trump has offered, we are prepared to facilitate dialogue if
both sides request it," he said.
"To
truly reduce regional tensions and rebuild a strong relationship with the
United States, Pakistan must take sustained and irreversible action against
terrorism," Todd asserted.
Senator
Bob Menendez, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he
remains deeply concerned about the prevalence of terrorist groups in Pakistan
and their impact on the region.
"Progress
has been made, but Pakistan must take further action to address this insidious
threat, especially Lashkar-e-Toiba. For too long, this group has been able to
operate in different forms over the years. If Pakistan wants us to take its
counter-terrorism commitments seriously, it must completely eradicate this
group," he said.
"While
we hope for a forward progress with Pakistan, we must be clear-eyed about the
significant challenges in the relationship, including the stubborn presence of
terrorist groups in the country, tensions with India, treatment of religious
minorities and concerns about Pakistan's growing nuclear stockpile,"
Menendez said.
Noting
that Pakistan has suffered terribly itself at the hands of terrorists and has
committed publicly to ensure that terrorists cannot use Pakistani territory to
operate, Todd told the lawmakers that Islamabad has taken important steps
toward fulfilling that commitment, but needs to continue with that work.
"If
confirmed, I will work with Pakistan to advance our shared interest in
eliminating terrorism from its territory and advancing security in the
region," he said.
If
confirmed, Todd told the senators that he will actively engage Pakistan on
these issues as well as strategic stability and non-proliferation, carrying a
clear message on the threat that nuclear weapons pose to the US, the region and
"our allies and partners".
"Pakistan
needs to demonstrate that it is prepared to live up to international
commitments on weapons of mass destruction," Todd said.
Acknowledging
that Pakistan played a critical role in creating the conditions that brought
Afghan leaders and the Taliban to the historic start of the Afghan Peace
Negotiations, he said Islamabad has an even more important role to play in
supporting efforts toward a negotiated political settlement that ends 40 years
of war.
"This
is a moment of opportunity for Pakistan to continue to forge a new and better
role in the region and if confirmed, will be one of my highest
priorities," Todd said.
Menendez
also expressed concerns about the plight of religious minorities in the
country. He called upon the Pakistani authorities to respect the religious
rights of all in the country.
Todd
told the senators that his first goal will be advancing human rights,
particularly freedom of religion and expression. "I was shocked and
heartbroken that US citizen Tahir Naseem was killed in a Pakistani courtroom in
which he was facing an accusation of blasphemy.
"I
grieve with the family of Naseem and if confirmed, will engage Pakistani
authorities on full accountability for the perpetrators. I am also concerned
about the increasing restrictions on the civil society, including the growing
harassment and disappearances of journalists without accountability, which
undermines the exercise of the right of peaceful assembly and freedoms of
expression and association," Todd said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistan-must-take-sustained-and-irreversible-action-against-terrorism-us-lawmakers/articleshow/78267130.cms
--------
Taliban,
Al-Qaida has Not Cut Ties: Trump Administration
By
Mohammad Arif Sheva
24
Sep 2020
The
United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay
Khalilzad indicated Tuesday the Taliban has yet to fully cut ties with
al-Qaida, according to sources, which the Taliban had agreed to do as part of
an agreement with the United States.
The
Taliban have taken some “positive steps, but they have some distance still to
go” to meet the conditions laid out in February’s agreement between the US and
the Taliban, Khalilzad told Congress on Tuesday, as Yahoo News reported.
The
agreement is to ensure the Taliban will not use Afghanistan as a haven for any
security threats against Unites States or its allies, and not cooperate with
any terrorist groups such as al-Qaida.
While
the US Envoy refused to go more in details, when pressure by democrats during a
hearing, critique suggests contact between the Taliban and al-Qaida is
continuing regardless.
As
part of the agreement, President Donald Trump vowed to reduce forces still in
Afghanistan to between 4,000 and 5,000 by this fall, Khalilzad said. But US
will assess Taliban’s commitment to the deal before pushing further to troops’
withdrawal.
“This
is not an agreement based on trust,” he said as quoted by Yahoo News, adding
the Taliban recognize that it would not be in their interest to allow any
terrorists to operate in Afghanistan. “They say they have learned their lesson
from the past and that they would not allow terrorists to use their territory
against us.”
Meanwhile,
David Helvey, the Pentagon officials currently performing the duties of the
assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, said Taliban
do not seem to comply with their side of agreement, adding “we have works to be
done there.”
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-al-qaida-has-not-cut-ties-trump-administration-23423/
--------
US
envoy hails Pakistan’s role in ending Afghan war
24
Sep 2020
WASHINGTON:
Pakistan now has an even more important role in ending the Afghan war than it
did in arranging a peace deal with the Taliban, says William E. Todd,
Washington’s new envoy for Islamabad.
Mr
Todd, who was nominated by President Donald Trump earlier this year, told his
confirmation that Pakistan remained a difficult but essential US partner in
South Asia, and Washington was seeking to reset its ties with Islamabad.
“This
is an important time in the broader US-Pakistan relationship,” he told the
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. “This is a longstanding and important,
but always complicated and sometimes contentious relationship.”
Acknowledging
that the two allies have had differences, Mr Todd added: “Pakistan is an
essential regional partner, and this is an opportune moment in our relationship
to work together on shared goals.”
The
new US envoy said that cooperation between the two countries was also essential
for bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan.
“Peace
in Afghanistan is in both our countries’ best interests, and effective
US-Pakistani cooperation is essential to achieve that objective,” he said.
Ambassador
Todd referred to a speech his boss, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, made in
Islamabad in 2018, telling his hosts how to reset the relationship across a
broad spectrum — economic, business, commercial.
But
to do so, “we need ... to develop a peaceful resolution in Afghanistan that
benefits certainly Afghanistan, but also the United States and Pakistan,” Mr
Pompeo said.
Recently,
several senior US officials acknowledged that Pakistan played a key role in
arranging a peace deal between the US and the Taliban earlier this year.
Washington hopes that this deal will ultimately end the 19-year old war in
Afghanistan and will allow it to withdraw its troops from the war-ravaged
country.
“Today,
our countries recognise that we share a common interest in a durable peace in
Afghanistan,” Ambassador Todd told the Senate panel.
He
too recognised Pakistan’s role in the Afghan peace process, noting that
Islamabad “played a critical role in creating the conditions that brought
Afghan leaders and the Taliban to the historic start of Afghan Peace
negotiations”.
But
now, the Pakistanis “have an even more important role to play in supporting
efforts toward a negotiated political settlement that ends 40 years of war,” he
added. “This is a moment of opportunity for Pakistan to continue to forge a new
and better role in the region.”
Ambassador
Todd said if confirmed it would be one of his highest priorities to encourage
Pakistan to play this role.
“In
terms of regional dynamics, although we have a strong relationship with India,
that does not need to come at the expense of Pakistan “ he said. “I believe
that under the right conditions, we can have a strong relationship with both
countries.”
Ambassador
Todd indicated that Washington’s close ties with both New Delhi and Islamabad
could help reduce tensions in the region. “Our hope is that both countries will
take the necessary steps to reduce tensions, and as President Trump has
offered, we are prepared to facilitate dialogue if both sides request it,” he said.
“To
truly reduce regional tensions, and rebuild a strong relationship with the
United States, Pakistan must take sustained and irreversible action against
terrorism,” Ambassador Todd said.
He
noted that Pakistan too had suffered terribly at the hands of terrorists and
had committed publicly to ensuring that terrorist did not use its territory to
operate.
“Pakistan
has taken important steps toward fulfilling that commitment but needs to
continue that work,” he said.
“I
will work with Pakistan to advance our shared interest in eliminating terrorism
from its territory and advancing security in the region,” he added. “I will
actively engage Pakistan on these issues, as well as strategic stability and
non-proliferation.”
Ambassador
Todd said that he would be carrying a clear message from Washington on the
threat that nuclear weapons posed to the United States, the region, and its
allies and partners.
“Pakistan
needs to demonstrate it is prepared to live up to international commitments on
weapons of mass destruction.”
The
US envoy said that there were three other key priorities that he will focus on
if confirmed.“My first goal will be advancing human rights, particularly
freedom of religion and expression,” he said.
“I
am also concerned about increasing restrictions on civil society, including the
growing harassment and disappearances of journalists without accountability.”
His third priority is to increase bilateral trade and investment with a country
which has the fifth largest population in the world.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1581337/us-envoy-hails-pakistans-role-in-ending-afghan-war
--------
US
vows to maintain Israel’s ‘military edge’ amid talk of F-35 sale to UAE
22
September 2020
US
Defense Secretary Mark Esper pledged Tuesday to help maintain Israel’s military
superiority in the Middle East, amid its concerns over a possible US sale of
F-35 fighters to the United Arab Emirates.
“A
cornerstone of our defense relationship is preserving Israel’s qualitative
military edge in the region,” Esper said as he welcomed Israeli Defense
Minister Benny Gantz to the Pentagon.
For
all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“The
United States is committed to that, and the Department of Defense is committed
to that imperative. We will continue to support the longstanding US policy to
maintain Israel’s security,” said Esper.
The
question of whether the United States will sell the advanced fighters to the
UAE cast a cloud over the White House ceremony last week for the diplomatic
normalization agreements between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain.
President
Donald Trump said at the time that he would have “no problem” selling F-35
warplanes to the United Arab Emirates, despite objections from Tel Aviv.
Israel
has long opposed the sale of F-35s to any US allies in the region including
Jordan and Egypt, both of whom already recognize Israel.
Such
a sale would erode Israel’s military advantage over its neighbors.
Since
the 1960s the US has approached the issue on the principle that Israel should
maintain a “qualitative military edge” (QME), and the concept has been
formalized in legislation from Congress.
But
the UAE, which sits astride the strategic Strain of Hormuz across from Iran,
which is seen by Israel and the United States as a major threat, has sought for
several years the advanced fighters.
At
the Pentagon, Gantz stressed the importance of the US-Israel partnership in the
“unstable” Middle East region, and said the relationship goes beyond “QME.”
“As
I always said, we have no other United States, nor do you have any other
Israel,” he said.
“We
will continue those relations into the future. And we see those relations as a
privilege, but also as a necessity, a continued necessity,” Gantz said.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/23/US-vows-to-maintain-Israel-s-military-edge-amid-talk-of-F-35-sale-to-UAE
--------
FBI:
Man arrested in San Antonio for providing support to ISIS, discussing possible
terror attacks on U.S. soil
September
22, 2020
SAN
ANTONIO – A Gonzales County man arrested by the FBI in San Antonio this week is
accused of providing support to ISIS and discussed carrying out attacks in the
United States and overseas on behalf of the terrorist group, federal court
records reveal.
Jaylyn
Molina, who also refers to himself as “Abdur Rahim,” faces a charge of
conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist
organization, according to an unsealed criminal complaint filed in San Antonio.
Molina
was taken into custody Monday and is scheduled to make an appearance in federal
court in San Antonio early next week, records show.
A
co-defendant, Kristopher Matthews, was taken into custody in Tennessee,
according to a motion to unseal records in the case filed Monday.
What
they are accused of doing
A
14-page criminal complaint states that Matthews, a resident of Elgin, South
Carolina, who refers to himself as “Ali Jibreel,” used an encrypted messaging
application last year to find an ISIS facilitator outside the U.S. to help him
travel to Syria and recruit additional members who support ISIS ideology.
FBI
officials became aware that Molina joined the same encrypted chat around April,
and within weeks, he was using it to post manuals on how to train with an
AK-47, records show.
The
communication from the two men, which included ISIS propaganda videos, was
being tracked by online covert employees, records show.
The
criminal complaint states that the two men also used social media platforms,
some public, to “radicalize and recruit other online users to join ISIS.”
In
a series of social media posts this spring, Molina wrote that America was his
enemy and posted an extremely graphic photo collage of an American citizen
being murdered by ISIS members, the criminal complaint states.
In
May, Molina posted images in the encrypted chat that provided bomb-making
instructions, the criminal complaint states.
That
same month in the same encrypted chat, the two men discussed where attacks on
U.S. soil would take place, at which point Matthews said he preferred hitting
economic centers and government buildings, including CIA headquarters, the FBI
and DEA headquarters, records show.
As
recently as last month, Molina and Matthews told covert employees in the
encrypted chat that they could use a “multi wave attack strategy” to carry out
the attacks.
ISIS,
or the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, is a militant group formed more than
two decades ago that at one point controlled tens of thousands of square miles
of territory in Iraq and Syria.
ISIS
forces had weakened in recent years, before a report published by the Pentagon
in August 2019 stated there had been a “re-surging in Syria” following a
reduction in U.S. forces there.
Court
records indicate that Molina is a resident of Cost, Texas, a small town located
about 70 miles east of San Antonio.
A
spokesperson for the San Antonio Office of the FBI did not respond to a request
for comment Tuesday night.
https://www.ksat.com/news/defenders/2020/09/23/fbi-man-arrested-in-san-antonio-for-providing-support-to-isis-discussing-possible-terror-attacks-on-us-soil/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1549072_
--------
Another
country will sign a peace deal with Israel in ‘next day or two’: US diplomat
Joseph
Haboush
24
Sep 2020
Another
Arab country will sign a peace deal with Israel in the “next day or two,” a
senior US diplomat said Wednesday.
“Our
plan is to bring more countries, which we will have more being announced very
soon … One [country will sign] in the next day or two,” US Ambassador to the
United Nations Kelly Craft told Al Arabiya.
For
all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“I
know others are going to be following,” she added.
The
United Arab Emirates announced in August a deal with Israel to establish
diplomatic ties and normalize relations. Bahrain followed suit and the three
countries signed the Abraham Accords at the White House on Sept. 15.
Morocco,
Oman and Sudan have been reported to be among other countries looking to forge
ties with Tel Aviv amid a flurry of diplomatic efforts by Washington to warm
relations between the Arab region and Israel.
Craft
expressed US hopes that Saudi Arabia would also sign a peace deal with Israel.
“Obviously, we would welcome for Saudi Arabia to be next. But what’s important
is that we focus on the agreement and we do not allow the [Iranian] regime to
exploit the goodwill of Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, or Israel.
“We
want to bring everyone on board in hopes that this will allow the Iranian
citizens to see that people really want peace in the Middle East, and they are
part of this peace,” Craft said.
Iran
Craft
slammed Iran for its disruptive and malign behavior in the region.
Saudi
Arabia’s King Salman told the UN General Assembly earlier Wednesday that his
country had extended a hand to Tehran for peace but was met with more terrorist
activities.
“Any
time anyone extends a hand to Iran, it must be to the Iranian citizens,” Craft
said, adding that countries must be “very careful and cautious” because Iran
exploits other countries.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/23/Another-country-will-sign-a-peace-deal-with-Israel-in-next-day-or-two-US-diplomat
--------
US
calls on Houthis to halt attacks on Saudi Arabia
September
22, 2020
RIYADH:
The US on Tuesday called on Houthi militants in Yemen to stop launching attacks
on Saudi Arabia.
The
State Department said it was “deeply concerned” by the Iran-backed group’s
aggression, including attacks on Marib city.
The
statement comes after the militants have increased drone and missile attacks on
Saudi Arabia in recent weeks and as the UN continues to push for a political
settlement to the conflict.
“The
United States remains deeply concerned by the Houthis’ aggression, supported by
Iranian weapons shipments in violation of UN arms embargoes,” State Department
spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said.
“We
call on the Houthis to immediately cease their cross-border attacks against
Saudi Arabia and halt their attacks on the city of Marib, where nearly a
million Yemenis have sought refuge since the beginning of the war.”
The
strongly-worded warning also called on the Houthis to stop the “disgraceful treatment of journalists,
opposition activists, and Yemeni Jews.”
And
it contained the latest warning over a stricken oil tanker off Yemen’s coast
which experts increasingly fear could explode and spark an environmental
disaster.
“We
call on the Houthis to cease their environmental brinkmanship and allow UN
access to the Safer tanker before there is an oil spill or explosion that would
bring further environmental and humanitarian calamity to Yemen, the Red Sea, and
the region,” Ortagus said.
The
department called on nations that had made aid pledges to Yemen to follow
through and send the money across.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1738606/middle-east
--------
Europe
Britain
turns over evidence to US in Islamic State ‘Beatles’ case
Posted
by: Harshit Sabarwal
Sep
23, 2020
Britain
says it has turned over to US authorities evidence against two members of an
alleged terror cell known as “the Beatles,” ending a drawn out legal battle to
block the handover of the information.
The
evidence against Shafee El Sheikh and Alexanda Kotey was given to US
prosecutors after the High Court of Justice in London refused to allow El
Sheikh’s mother to appeal earlier rulings that paved the way for the move.
Home
Secretary Priti Patel tweeted late Tuesday that “the further evidence to
support the prosecution of Kotey & El Sheikh has now finally been
transferred to the US. I sincerely hope that justice for the victims and their
families will now be served.”
El
Sheikh’s mother had sought to block the evidence transfer for more that two
years, arguing that turning over the information would violate data protection
laws because it could lead to the execution of her son.
US
Attorney General Robert Barr last month promised that the two suspects wouldn’t
face the death penalty if they were tried in American courts.
Kotey
and El Sheikh are alleged to have beheaded 27 people, including three US and
two British hostages, while fighting for the so-called Islamic State group in
Syria. They are believed to have been part of a four-man cell that became known
as “the Beatles” because all four spoke with British accents.
Both
men were raised in London before traveling to Syria to join Islamic State.
British authorities revoked their citizenship because of their actions in
Syria.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/britain-turns-over-evidence-to-us-in-islamic-state-beatles-case/story-DC2i4braGgojMYeSImBLPO.html
--------
Turkey's
Erdogan, France's Macron discuss Eastern Mediterranean tensions
23
September 2020
Turkish
President Tayyip Erdogan and France’s Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday they had
held their first conversation in months following a standoff between the two
NATO allies over mounting tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean.
In
a statement after a call between the two leaders, the Turkish presidency said
Erdogan emphasized the need for using diplomatic opportunities to de-escalate
the situation and achieve sustainable negotiations.
The
French foreign ministry said following the call, which lasted over an hour,
that it hoped a dialogue between Turkey and Greece could continue, and said
Macron had called for a similar approach with Cyprus.
“He
(Macron) urged Turkey to fully respect the sovereignty of European Union member
states as well as international law, and to refrain from any further unilateral
action which could provoke tensions,” the French foreign office said, adding
that Macron and Erdogan had agreed to keep in contact.
Relations
between the EU and Turkey are badly strained on a number of issues, including
exploration for hydrocarbons in the Eastern Mediterranean, where Ankara has
been at loggerheads with EU member states Cyprus and Greece.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/23/Turkey-s-Erdogan-France-s-Macron-discuss-Eastern-Mediterranean-tensions
--------
France's
Macron says US maximum pressure on Iran not working
22
September 2020
The
United States' maximum pressure campaign on Iran has so far failed, France's
president said on Tuesday, and he dismissed US efforts to restore UN sanctions
against Tehran because Washington had left the 2015 nuclear deal.
"The
maximum pressure strategy, which has been under way for several years, has not
at this stage made it possible to end Iran's destabilizing activities or to ensure
that it will not be able to acquire nuclear weapons," Emmanuel Macron said
in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
"This
is why France, along with its German and British partners, will maintain its
demand for the full implementation of the 2015 Vienna Agreement and will not
accept the violations committed by Iran."
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/22/France-s-Macron-says-US-maximum-pressure-on-Iran-not-working
--------
Asio
reveals up to 40% of its counter-terrorism cases involve far-right violent
extremism
Paul
Karp
22
Sep 2020
Far-right
violent extremism constitutes up to 40% of the Australian domestic spy agency’s
counter-terrorism caseload, up from 10-15% before 2016, a senior official has
said.
The
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation’s extraordinary increase in focus
on the far right in Australia was revealed by its deputy director general of
intelligence service delivery, Heather Cook, at a parliamentary inquiry on
Tuesday.
Cook
also warned the Covid-19 pandemic had created both a greater opportunity for
far-right extremists to recruit online and a powerful anti-government message
for those that resent lockdowns to combat the pandemic.
In
the wake of the Christchurch massacre, Asio has been blunt about the risk from
far-right terrorism, labelling it an “enduring threat” that is “real and
growing”.
Asio’s
quantification of its concern at a parliamentary joint committee on intelligence
and security will play into Labor’s critique that the government has not done
enough to combat the threat, failing to proscribe any rightwing extremist
groups.
Cook
told the committee she would not give “specific numbers” of people under investigation
but said “rightwing violent extremism … occupies approximately between 30 and
40% of Asio’s current caseload in counter-terrorism work … an increase from 10
to 15% prior to 2016”.
It’s
previously been reported that rightwing extremists made up a third of Asio’s
domestic investigations.
But
Asio believes that “some of the circumstances of Covid-19 have contributed to
an increase in radicalisation, in particular because of the amount of time
individuals are spending in isolation, working from home, or not in school”,
Cook said on Tuesday.
With
more people working remotely and spending increased time online it is “much
easier to find like-minded individuals” with exposure to “a much wider variety
of chat groups and areas where these views can coalesce”.
“It’s
not dissimilar to the way Isil used propaganda to manipulate social media to
recruit the young and vulnerable,” the deputy director general said. “We are
seeing a similar phenomenon of the extreme rightwing milieu [using technology]
to good effect [to recruit]. We are seeing more individuals that appear to be
attracted to this ideology.”
Cook
said “anti-government sentiment around the world” was a contributing factor,
with some joining groups as part of a backlash against “lockdown and protective
measures to protect populations against Covid”.
“Speculation
about the origins of Covid itself is increasing some … racist views as well,”
she said.
Cook
said violent rightwing extremism covered those individuals who supported
violence to execute their ideological beliefs.
She
said there was a difference between holding offensive beliefs – which people
were entitled to do – and acting on them. “Our concern kicks in where those
beliefs are also supported by a belief violent action is appropriate to support
them.”
Labor’s
deputy chair, Anthony Byrne, described the evidence regarding the extent of
far-right violent extremism as “astonishing” and “very disturbing”, asking for
a further private briefing from Asio. The Liberal chair, Andrew Hastie, agreed
to the request.
The
committee is conducting an inquiry into declared area provisions, which
criminalised travel to the al-Raqqa province in Syria and Mosul district,
Ninewa province in Iraq when they were under the effective control of Isil.
Asio
earlier this year advised that despite its increasing focus on the far right
the principal source of the terrorist threat remained Sunni Islamist extremism.
Earlier
in September, Labor’s shadow home affairs minister, Kristina Keneally, called
on tech companies to “disrupt and deter” people attempting to search for
rightwing extremist content.
In
a speech to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s 2020 counter-terrorism
dialogue, Keneally said Australia should join its Five Eyes allies in
proscribing some far-right groups as terrorist organisations.
Keneally
also targeted the home affairs minister, Peter Dutton, for his handling of
rightwing extremism and noted that some Australian parliamentarians have joined
and promoted rightwing social media platforms.
In
response to Asio warnings about rightwing extremism in February, Dutton
complained that “leftwing terrorism” should also be dealt with, later
clarifying that he applied that label to Islamic terrorism and “anybody in
between”.
“You
can use leftwing to describe everybody from the left to the right,” he told the
ABC in February.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/sep/22/asio-reveals-up-to-40-of-its-counter-terrorism-cases-involve-far-right-violent-extremism?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1549072_
--------
Erdogan
discusses E.Med, migration with EU official
Zafer
Fatih Beyaz
23.09.2020
The
Turkish president on Wednesday held a video conference with the head of the EU
Commission to discuss Turkish-EU relations and regional developments, according
to the country's Communications Directorate.
President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Ursula von der Leyen that maximalist claims by Greece
and the Greek Cypriot administration were at the core of tensions in the
Eastern Mediterranean, with both ignoring the rights of Turkey and the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
Stressing
that Turkey has always called for dialogue since tensions erupted recently in
the Eastern Mediterranean, Erdogan said his country is ready for exploratory
talks with the Greek side and expressed hope that Greece would not miss an
opportunity for diplomacy once again.
He
went on to say that steps towards renewing the 2016 migration deal between
Ankara and the Brussels, as well as updating the customs union between them and
ensuring visa liberalization for Turkish nationals traveling to EU countries
would help improve bilateral ties.
Erdogan
also reiterated his call for fair burden-sharing on the issue of migration,
urging the EU to investigate violations by Greece and the European Border and
Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) that have been pushing back migrant boats.
Greece,
with France's support, has disputed Turkey's energy exploration, trying to box
in Turkish maritime territory based on small islands near the Turkish coast.
Turkey,
the country with the longest coastline on the Mediterranean, has sent
drillships with a military escort to explore for energy on its continental
shelf, saying that Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus have
rights in the region.
To
reduce tensions, Turkey has called for dialogue to ensure fair sharing of the
region's resources.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/erdogan-discusses-emed-migration-with-eu-official/1983399
--------
Africa
Eastern
Libyan Forces Say They Killed ISIS Leader, Abu Moaz Al-Iraqi
23
September 2020
Eastern
Libyan forces said on Wednesday they killed the leader of ISIS group in North
Africa during a raid in the southern desert city of Sebha earlier this month.
The
Libyan National Army (LNA) spokesman Ahmed al-Masmari said Abu Moaz al-Iraqi
was among nine militants killed during the raid but was only identified
afterwards.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
ISIS
in Libya was formed by al Qaeda militants who took advantage of the chaos after
the 2011 uprising against Muammar Gaddafi to seize territory and launch
attacks.
The
group took control of the central coastal city of Sirte in early 2015 and
established a presence in the vast southern desert as well as active affiliates
or cells in major cities.
However,
it was driven from Sirte in late 2016 and its influence since then has been
limited to occasional attacks including one on National Oil Corporation's
headquarters in 2018 and another at the Foreign Ministry in 2019, both in
Tripoli.
Masmari
said Abu Moaz al-Iraqi, also known as Abu Abdullah al-Iraqi, had entered Libya
in 2014 and became the group's leader in 2015 when his predecessor was killed.
ISIS
global threat has reduced in recent years after its self-proclaimed
"caliphate" in Iraq and Syria was militarily defeated and much of its
leadership killed. However, it remains capable of inspiring attacks around the
world, security experts say.
The
LNA controls eastern and much of southern Libya and has for years been in
conflict with the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2020/09/24/Eastern-Libyan-forces-say-they-killed-ISIS-leader
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Amnesty:
Migrants face ‘vicious cycle of cruelty’ in Libya
September
24, 2020
CAIRO:
Amnesty International said Thursday that thousands of Europe-bound migrants who
were intercepted and returned to Libyan shores this year were forcefully
disappeared after being taken out of unofficial detention centers run by
militias allied with the UN-supported government in the capital, Tripoli.
In
its latest report, the group also said that rival authorities in eastern Libya
forcibly expelled several thousand migrants “without due process or the
opportunity to challenge their deportation.”
Libya,
which descended into chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed
longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi, has emerged as a major transit point for
African and Arab migrants fleeing war and poverty to Europe.
Most
migrants make the perilous journey in ill-equipped and unsafe rubber boats. In
recent years, the European Union has partnered with Libya’s coast guard and
other Libyan forces to stop the flow of migrants and thousands have been intercepted
at sea and returned to Libya.
Officials
in Libya’s east and west did not respond to repeated phone calls seeking
comment.
Amnesty
said about 8,500 migrants, including women and children, were intercepted and
brought back to Libya between Jan. 1 and Sep. 14. Since 2016, an estimated
60,000 men, women and children have been captured at sea and taken to Libya
where they disembarked, it said.
“The
EU and its member states continue to implement policies trapping tens of
thousands of men, women and children in a vicious cycle of abuse, showing a
callous disregard for people’s lives and dignity,” said Diana Eltahawy,
Amnesty’s deputy regional director.
Thousands
have been subjected to enforced disappearances in 2020, after being taken to
unofficial detention centers in western Libya, including to the so-called
Tobacco Factory in Tripoli, run by a government-allied militia, Amnesty said.
There,
the migrants and refuges face a “constant risk” of being abducted by militias,
armed groups and traffickers.
They
are “trapped in a vicious cycle of cruelty with little to no hope of finding
safe and legal pathways out,” the report said. “Some are tortured or raped
until their families pay ransoms to secure their release. Others die in custody
as a result of violence, torture, starvation or medical neglect.”
Eltahawy
urged the EU to “completely reconsider” its cooperation with Libyan authorities
and make “any further support conditional on immediate action to stop horrific
abuses against refugees and migrants.”
In
2020, eastern Libya authorities forcibly expelled over 5,000 refugees and
migrants, citing their alleged carrying of “contagious diseases” among reasons
cited for the deportations.
Amnesty
cited an incident, without saying when it happened, in which eastern Libyan
forces blocked a bus from entering the southeastern city of Kufra unless three
Chadian nationals got off. They were ordered to take a COVID-19 test and left
in the desert outside the city, while other passengers, all of them Libyans,
were allowed to enter without further checks or testing.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1739241/middle-east
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Egypt's
Sisi committed to ridding Libya of militia, regional interference
SEPTEMBER
23, 2020
NEW
YORK (Reuters) - Egypt is committed to helping Libyans “rid their country of
armed militias and terrorist organizations, and put an end to the blatant
interference of some regional parties,” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
told the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.
Libya
descended into chaos after the NATO-backed overthrow of leader Muammar Gaddafi
in 2011. Since 2014, it has been split, with an internationally recognized
government controlling the capital, Tripoli, and the northwest, while military
leader Khalifa Haftar in Benghazi rules the east.
Haftar
is supported by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia, while the
government is backed by Turkey.
https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-un-assembly-egypt/egypts-sisi-committed-to-ridding-libya-of-militia-regional-interference-idUKKCN26D2XL?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1549072_
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Al-Shabab
negotiations eyed as path to end fighting in Somalia
By
Ben Wolfgang
September
22, 2020
Unprecedented
diplomacy gave the Trump administration a path out of Afghanistan, and
questions have been raised about whether a similar playbook could work for the
seemingly endless U.S. military mission in Somalia.
Most
analysts and military insiders say the U.S. air campaign against the al Qaeda
affiliate al-Shabab, which has expanded steadily throughout President Trump’s
nearly four years in office, can contain the group but not fully defeat it.
With al-Shabab estimated to control as much as 25% of Somali territory, and
with a central government in Mogadishu ill-equipped to handle the resilient terrorist
group on its own, debate is growing in foreign policy circles about whether the
U.S. should shift its focus to negotiations rather than a war with no end date
and murky metrics for progress.
The
question has grown more urgent with serious setbacks in recent years for al
Qaeda and the Islamic State group. Al-Shabab’s ability to hold its own in the
field is proving an inspiration to jihadi movements in Africa and around the
world.
The
State Department stresses that “reconciliation” among all stakeholders in
Somalia is key to peace in the historically dysfunctional country. Officials in
the administration have routinely conceded that military action alone isn’t the
answer. The administration’s approach, officials said, encourages cooperation
between the federal government in Mogadishu and the country’s five member
states, which wield considerable power and influence outside the capital.
It’s
unclear whether the administration has seriously considered putting its own
diplomatic weight behind negotiations with al-Shabab in the same way it did
with the Taliban in Afghanistan. A U.S.-led deal there has led to a major
drawdown of American forces and brought the Taliban and the Afghan government
together for a face-to-face dialogue last week in Qatar.
Foreign
policy analysts are clearly divided about whether such a tack could work in
Somalia. Some argue that talking to al-Shabab would amount to negotiating with
terrorists and that the group wants to target Americans abroad.
“Al-Shabab’s
leadership sees itself as playing an active role in the global jihad by
pursuing those attack capabilities, unlike the Taliban. That is one key
difference,” said Katherine Zimmerman, a resident fellow at the American
Enterprise Institute who studies terrorist groups in Africa.
“Al-Shabab
will not recognize the Somali government and, like the core al Qaeda in
Afghanistan, might see any peace deal as progress toward installing Islamist
rule,” she said. “Al-Shabab is al Qaeda. Any deal with it would be giving al
Qaeda a safe haven and helping it achieve its objective of transforming how
Muslims live their lives.”
Indeed,
the situations in Somalia and Afghanistan have clear differences. While the
Taliban gave safe haven to al Qaeda in the years leading up to the Sept. 11,
2001, attacks, the insurgent movement has told the U.S. that it will break ties
with extremist terrorist outfits and will not allow them to find refuge in
Afghanistan.
The
Taliban’s top priority always has been regaining political power inside
Afghanistan. Although it has mounted attacks that have killed Americans and
routinely battles Afghan security forces, it has not shown an inclination to
wage war outside the country’s borders.
No
exit
But
there is one key similarity: Like the nearly two decades of war in Afghanistan,
U.S. involvement in Somalia has no apparent exit and seemingly no path to a
definitive victory.
So
far this year, the U.S. has conducted at least 46 airstrikes against al-Shabab
and is on pace to break last year’s record number of 51. Despite the expanding
U.S. military presence, along with efforts to train and advise Somali
government forces, al-Shabab has proved itself capable of carrying out major
attacks, including several this year that have killed or wounded Americans.
The
U.S. air assaults and ground operations by Somali and African Union forces have
not stopped al-Shabab’s ability to carry out those attacks. Some scholars say
the U.S. must fundamentally rethink its approach.
“In
the unlikely event that the federal government or al-Shabab do somehow gain a
significant upper hand militarily, there is no avoiding a negotiated settlement
of some sort with the other’s supporters,” Paul D. Williams, a professor in the
Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University who
studies Somalia extensively, said in a recent piece for the website War on the
Rocks.
“It
would certainly be better for Somali civilians if such negotiation happens
sooner rather than later. The alternative is that they continue to bear the
brunt of this deadly war,” he said. “Moving forward, therefore, Washington
should focus on increasing its diplomatic muscle to encourage these two sets of
negotiations. This is preferable to both the main alternatives: continuing the
business-as-usual approach of the last decade or abruptly disengaging
militarily before the Somali security forces are able to stabilize the
country.”
The
argument for negotiation is bolstered by the lack of public or political
appetite in the U.S. for a ground war in Somalia, which would likely be
necessary to convincingly defeat al-Shabab. In the absence of that, Mr.
Williams said, the U.S. first should press for a lasting deal between the
federal government and its member states.
Then,
he said, the U.S. should back formal peace talks between the Somali government
and al-Shabab.
The
State Department clearly believes that diplomacy is as important to Somalia’s
long-term future as military action, though there are questions about whether
the U.S. would involve itself directly or pressure the Somali government to
more aggressively seek a negotiated peace.
“The
United States has long maintained there is no exclusive military solution to
the challenges al-Shabab poses to security and stability in Somalia,” a State
Department official said in a statement. “We fully support Somali-led efforts
to defeat al-Shabab and other terrorists’ influences using a rights-respecting
comprehensive approach, including through defection; reconciliation;
reintegration; economic development; and improved, effective governance.
“We
continue to focus on the importance of strengthening relations between the
federal government of Somalia and the federal member states, a Somali consensus
on a credible elections model that can be implemented in a timely fashion,
increased efforts to provide livelihoods for communities and to facilitate
significant investment for development as key elements that must be advanced
simultaneously with military actions against al-Shabab for long-term peace,
stability and development in Somalia,” the official said.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/sep/22/al-shabab-negotiations-eyed-way-end-somalia-fighti/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1549072_
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Extremist
violence causes food shortages in north Mozambique
September
22, 2020
By
ANDREW MELDRUM
JOHANNESBURG
(AP) — The escalating extremist insurgency in northern Mozambique has displaced
310,000 people, creating an urgent humanitarian crisis, the World Food Program
said Tuesday.
The
rebels have recently stepped up attacks in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado
province, seizing the strategic port of Mocimboa da Praia, which they have held
for six weeks. Clashes between the extremist fighters, aligned with the Islamic
State group, and government forces have caused massive numbers of local
residents to flee their homes and fields.
The
conflict has killed more than 1,500 people since it began in 2017 and the
increased violence this year has caused widespread upheaval across the area.
“We
are deeply concerned about the unfolding humanitarian situation in Cabo Delgado
where conflict and violence have left people without access to food and
livelihoods,” Antonella D’Aprile, the World Food Program’s representative for
Mozambique, said Tuesday.
“The
growing insecurity and poor infrastructure have meant that reaching out to
people in need has become harder and now with COVID-19 the crisis becomes even
more complex,” she said.
The
threat of hunger has grown in Mozambique’s north as entire communities have
lost access to food and income, warns WFP. Crisis levels of food insecurity are
expected to continue into next year, according to the region’s Famine Early
Warning Network.
Cabo
Delgado province already had Mozambique’s second-highest rate of chronic
malnutrition with more than half of children under 5 chronically malnourished
and any additional shocks could rapidly worsen the situation, especially for
women and children, said WFP.
“The
situation is extremely volatile and dangerous, but we managed to locate large
numbers of the displaced and distribute food to about 200,000 people last
month. We hope to reach close to 300,000 people this month,” Lola Castro, WFP’s
director for southern Africa told The Associated Press. “Families have lost
everything and need food urgently.”
Many
communities have fled to small islands along Mozambique’s Indian Ocean coast
and others have gone to remote inland areas. WFP is working with Mozambique’s
government and other aid agencies to get food and supplies the displaced using
boats and trucks and soon it hopes that airplanes and helicopters will be
available, said Castro.
Such
a large-scale emergency operation was not in the budget and WFP is appealing to
its donors for funds to keep delivering food to the hungry.
“We
need $4.7 million per month to feed the most vulnerable,” said Castro. “We need
the funds to purchase food for distribution.”
Access
and communication have been cut off to the area surrounding the rebel-held port
of Mocimboa da Praia and surrounding towns, including Palma, she said. United
Nations security teams are trying to open communications with the rebels in
order to negotiate access to hungry communities, she said.
Atrocities
have been committed by both the rebels and government forces, according to
human rights groups, but WFP’s workers and operations have not been targeted.
Amnesty
International has released videos in the past month that appear to show
government troops torturing and killing several people in northern Mozambique.
One video showed troops shooting a woman in the back more than 30 times and
another showed a uniformed man killing a civilian by cutting his throat. The
government denied the videos are genuine, Amnesty insisted that its analysis of
the videos shows that government troops carried out the violent abuses.
Although
hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes, there are not massive
camps of displaced people. Instead, many of the displaced have been taken in by
local residents in safer areas, said Castro.
“We
are seeing poor families opening their homes and their meager resources to help
the displaced,” said Castro. “It is quite remarkable how these people, who have
so little themselves, can offer such hospitality. Everybody is sharing what
little food they have. When we see such generosity, it is a responsibility for
us to help them all.”
https://apnews.com/ce45f6f58f34fed91101862124a4a8b2?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1549072_
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