Syrian Military Expert: Al Saud's Strategic Mistake in Yemen Strengthening Iran's Int'l Status
New Age Islam News Bureau
24
May 2015
The Taliban have launched a number of attacks across many parts of Afghanistan since their warm-weather offensive began on April 24. (Source: AP photo)
Arab World
• Syrian Military Expert: Al Saud's Strategic Mistake in Yemen Strengthening Iran's Int'l Status
• Over 40 ISIL Terrorists Killed by Peshmarga Forces in Iraq's Sinjar
• Dozens of Takfiri Terrorists Killed in Army Operations in Dara'a Province
• ISIS Kill 400 People Mostly Women and Children in Syrian City of Palmyra
• Saudi clerics urge calm as village hit by IS seethes
• Saudi interior ministry: ISIS’ strategy is to spread sectarianism
• Rampant jihadists firm up control of Iraq-Syria border
• Saudi king vows to punish those behind suicide attack in Shia mosque
Southeast Asia
• Marina Mahathir: Malaysia Undergoing ‘Arab Colonialism’
• Using religion to shroud power abuse will ‘cause Malaysia’s death,’ Putrajaya told
• 'Mass graves of migrants in Malaysia's forests'
South Asia
• ‘Ansarullah Bangla Team Now Eying Madrasa Students’ To Increase Strength
• At Least 10 Afghan Police Officers Killed In Taliban Assault
• Couple gunned down for alleged adultery in Jawzjan
• ISIS actively recruiting in Afghanistan but not yet operational: Gen. Campbell
• PM Sheikh Hasina: Action against those trying to go abroad illegally
• Rohingya Muslims Found on Boat Rescued by Myanmar Navy
North America
• York County Pastors Call on Christians to Love Muslims, ‘Fear Not’
• Negotiator: Iran Agrees To 'Managed Access' To Nuclear Sites
• Skype exchange: ISIS militant tries to recruit undercover reporter
• IS recruiting but not yet operational in Afghanistan: Nato General
• Democrats call for 'flood' of Muslims to U.S.
India
• Islamic State, Other Terrorist Organizations Recruiting NRIs: NIA
• Not Just Today, Muslims Feeling Alienated Since 1947: Minister
• Indian Muslims Are Nationalists Who Oppose Terror: Home Minister
• Ram Temple to Come Up Within This Tenure of NDA: Sadhvi Prachi
• India to ask Pakistan to seize assets of Dawood Ibrahim, Hafiz Saeed, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi
Africa
• Nigeria Military Says ‘Scores’ Of Islamists Killed, 20 Hostages Rescued
• Female Suicide Bombers In Nigeria: A Boko Haram Tactic?
• Somalia: Militants kill lawmaker in capital, attack 2 towns
• One Egyptian killed in Benghazi shelling
Mideast
• Iranian Troops Sent To Fight ISIS in Iraq Operation
• 3 Dead, 19 Injured In Saudi Attacks in Hudaydeh
• Yemeni Troops Shoot down Saudi Fighter Jet in Sana'a
• Commander: Iranian Ground Force Mulling Reinforcement in Anticipation of Rising Threats
• Fresh air strikes target Houthi militias in Yemen
• Israeli police say Palestinian stabs teens on Jewish holiday
Europe
• German Army Planning To Recruit First Imam for Muslim Soldiers
• British ISIS recruits are taking a ‘new route’ to reach Syria
• Córdoba controversy: Historic Mosque-Cathedral mired in cultural dispute
• Russian Halal Industry 'Unhurt by Economic Crisis'
Pakistan
• Over 100 Suspects Including 25 Afghans Arrested In Peshawar
• Pakistan’s laws don’t protect children enough: UNICEF
• Swat’s archaeological sites: a victim of neglect
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/syrian-military-expert-al-saud/d/103128
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Arab World
Syrian Military Expert: Al Saud's Strategic Mistake in Yemen Strengthening Iran's Int'l Status
May 24, 2015
A Syrian military expert underlined that Saudi Arabia's strategic mistake in Yemen has resulted in excelling Iran's status in the world and paved the way for the collapse of the Al Saud regime.
"By committing a strategic mistake in Yemen, Saudi Arabia has promoted Iran's position in the world and prepared the grounds for its fall more than before," Military Affairs Researcher Ali Maqsud told FNA on Sunday.
He noted that the Saudis' differences with Iran over Yemen have made Tehran a popular country and a loyal friend for the Yemeni nation.
"If the Saudi regime equipped its allies in Yemen with bombs and missiles, the Iranians decided to send humanitarian aid for Yemeni nation," he said, and added, "This difference between Tehran and Riyadh has elevated the Islamic Republic of Iran's status at an international level… ."
In relevant remarks in April, a prominent Russian expert described Riyadh's aggression against Yemen as a strategic mistake, saying that the fall of the Al Saud regime will be an imminent outcome of the Saudi-led airstrikes on Yemen.
"The Yemeni nation and Ansarullah will surely respond to this aggression which will result in destabilizing Al Saud's pillars of power,” Alexander Kniazev, a famous political expert and director of the regional office of the Russia CIS Institute, told FNA.
By the aggression against Yemen, the Saudi rulers want to convey this message to their people that they will brutally suppress any popular uprising in Saudi Arabia, he added.
Kniazev pointed to Washington and its allies' support for the terrorist groups in the region, and said, "I believe that the US and its allies play an important role in most regional crises and if there had not been Washington's support, Riyadh would have never attacked Yemen or ignored that country's sovereignty."
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940303000828
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Over 40 ISIL Terrorists Killed by Pishmarga Forces in Iraq's Sinjar
May 24, 2015
The Iraqi Kurdish Pishmarga Forces repelled the ISIL terrorists' offensives in Sinjar frontline and killed at least 40 fighters, Kurdish military sources confirmed.
Pishmarga Commander at the Sinjar frontline Lieutenant Zamdar Raza Zebari said on Saturday that the ISIL attacked Pishmarga forces from several directions in Sinjar.
“The militants attacked the Pishmarga's positions from a number of neighborhoods, but fortunately our forces were quick to respond to the attacks and killed or wounded tens of the ISIL terrorists,” Zebari said.
Confirmed numbers are as yet unavailable, but Zebari believes than 40 terrorists were killed, with many more wounded.
Earlier this month, Pishmarga forces repelled the ISIL terrorists' attacks and killed at least 15 of them in the Sinjar frontline near the district of Snunie, in Nineveh.
“The ISIL launched an attack on our Sinjar frontline, close to the Snunie district, but we immediately responded to the attack and drove all the terrorists out,” the source said.
“The ISIL left 15 of their militants killed in the battlefront,” the Pishmarga officer revealed.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940303000651
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Dozens of Takfiri Terrorists Killed in Army Operations in Dara'a Province
May 24, 2015
Informed sources in the Southern province of Dara'a confirmed that scores of the Takfiri terrorists were killed or wounded in heavy clashes with the Syrian army in different parts of the province.
The sources told the FNA that the army raided the strongholds of the Takfiri fighters in al-Herak, Jasem, Naheta, al-Karak al-Sharqi, Kafar Shams, and pushed them back from their positions.
The sources said that several fighters were killed or wounded in the government forces' operations.
On Friday, the rmy stormed the terrorist groups' strongholds in two key spots in the Southern Dara'a province, and pushed them back from the battlefronts.
The terrorists' positions in Tal Antar in the Northwestern countryside of Dara'a, were targeted by the army men, who killed tens of fighters and forced them to retreat from the fighting areas.
The sources went on to say that heavy clashes erupted between the army man and the terrorist groups in the Northern countryside of Dara'a city, in the nearby areas of Dael Town, which resulted in the killing or wounding of rebel fighters.
The Syrian Army and government have defended their country against insurgents since 2011 when a huge number of foreign terrorists flocked to the Middle-Eastern country.
In spite of certain western states' military and financial supports for the militants, the Syrian troops have been able to push them back from many areas across the country.
Military estimates show the fall of militancy in Syria is not far.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940303001170
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ISIS Kill 400 People Mostly Women and Children in Syrian City of Palmyra
May 24, 2015
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group militants have killed at least 400 people mostly women and children in the ancient city of Palmyra.
According to the Syrian state television, the mass killing by the ISIS militants was carried out after the city fall to terror group’s control.
An image of an ancient castle in the area was posted with a black flag flying above it was posted online by one of the group’s supporters.
The ancient was reportedly captured by the ISIS militants on Wednesday with the opposition activists saying hundreds of bodies were seen in the streets following the fall of the city, Reuters reported.
The activists also added that those killed by the ISIS militants were believed to be government loyalists.
The ancient Palmyra city is home to renowned Roman-era ruins including well-preserved temples, colonnades and a theatre and is a Unesco world heritage site.
http://www.khaama.com/isis-kill-400-people-mostly-women-and-children-in-syrian-city-9443
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Saudi clerics urge calm as village hit by IS seethes
May 24, 2015
DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s top Sunni cleric on Saturday branded a deadly attack on Shias a bid to sow chaos, after villagers targeted in the bombing vented their anger at what they saw as the Sunni-dominated government’s indifference to their safety.
It was one of the deadliest assaults in recent years in the largest Gulf Arab country, where sectarian tensions have been aggravated by nearly two months of Saudi-led air strikes on Shia Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen.
Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Sheikh told state Al Ekhbariya TV on Saturday: “This totally criminal plot aims to split our ranks and sow chaos in our country but, God be praised, it will not find a way.
The nation and society are united and under a wise leadership.” Sheikh Mohammed Obeidan, a top local Shia cleric, urged followers not to give into their anger and maintain the peace. “We’ll stand before anyone who thinks that our creed is a cause for fear or worry ... mass prayer — in a calm, orderly way with self restraint — is the right way to respond to this corrupt force and hateful darkness,” he told worshippers.
But resentment in al-Qadeeh were running high. A video posted online by local activists showed a policeman standing over the limbs of the bomber inside the stricken mosque and apparently saying “God rest his soul”, only to get screamed at by residents whose white robes were smeared with blood.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1183859/saudi-clerics-urge-calm-as-village-hit-by-is-seethes
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Saudi interior ministry: ISIS’ strategy is to spread sectarianism
24 May 2015
The strategy of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is to spread sectarianism across Saudi Arabia, the kingdom’s interior ministry spokesman said Sunday.
The group also bases its strategy on “splitting the kingdom into five divisions and targeting security personnel,” Maj.-Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said during a press conference that followed a terror attack that hit the country this week.
On Friday, a suicide bomber blew himself up during prayers at a mosque in the eastern village of al-Qadeeh, killing at least 21 and wounding 81 others.
During the conference, Al-Turki also said that an ISIS-allied cell had planned the assassination of five officers. He also mentioned that the cell was formed four months ago.
Speaking about the killing of the head of the facilities security department patrol Majed Ayedh Al-Ghamdi, Al-Turki said that two of those involved in the crime attended a wedding party after the assassination.
In May, masked men opened fire at a patrol car in the south of Riyadh that killed Al-Ghamdi.
The incident was the latest in a series of attacks on security forces in Saudi Arabia.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/05/24/Saudi-interior-ministry-ISIS-strategy-is-to-spread-sectarianism-.html
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Rampant jihadists firm up control of Iraq-Syria border
May 24, 2015
The Islamic State group took full control of a border crossing between Iraq and Syria Sunday, tightening its grip on the heart of its self-proclaimed caliphate.
The move gave IS control of the two main roads between Syria and Iraq's province of Anbar, as the jihadists pressed their most devastating offensive in months.
The latest success came a week after IS captured the Iraqi city of Ramadi and days after it seized the historic Syrian city of Palmyra, two of the group's most significant military victories in almost a year.
The jihadists seized Al-Walid border post early Sunday when Iraqi government forces pulled back to a nearby crossing with Jordan. IS had taken the Syrian side of the crossing on Thursday.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/131049/World/Region/Rampant-jihadists-firm-up-control-of-IraqSyria-bor.aspx
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Saudi king vows to punish those behind suicide attack in Shia mosque
May 24, 2015
Saudi Arabia's King Salman said on Sunday he was “heartbroken” over a suicide bombing at a Shi'ite mosque in the kingdom that killed 21 people, state news agency SPA reported, a conciliatory statement as sectarian strife intensifies in the region.
Salman said anyone linked to the attack, claimed by the self-styled Islamic State(IS), or who sympathises with it, will be brought to justice.
“We were pained by the enormity of the crime of this terrorist aggression which contradicts Islamic and humanitarian values,” the king said in a message to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who is also the interior minister.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1183955/saudi-king-vows-to-punish-those-behind-suicide-attack-in-shia-mosque
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Southeast Asia
Marina Mahathir: Malaysia undergoing ‘Arab colonialism’
May 24, 2015
KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 — Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir has criticised the “Arabisation” of Islam in Malaysia amid the institutionalisation and growing conservatism of the faith here.
The social activist pointed out that that it is very difficult to find traditional “baju Melayu” for women during Hari Raya as Arab attire like kaftans, which are long tunics, became more popular instead over the years.
“This is just Arabisation. Our culture — it’s colonialism, Arab colonialism,” Marina told Malay Mail Online in a recent interview here.
“Kaftans are easy to wear. But what happened to our tradition, culture, everything? It’s lost,” she lamented, pointing out that Malay women below 50 generally do not know how to tie the ‘baju kurung’ skirt so that it falls into pleats and makes it easier to walk in.
The eldest child of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Islam’s biggest problem in Malaysia is the fear of knowledge of the religion itself.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/marina-mahathir-malaysia-undergoing-arab-colonialism#sthash.FopKjGhQ.dpuf
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Using religion to shroud power abuse will ‘cause Malaysia’s death,’ Putrajaya told
May 24, 2015
KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 — The use of religion to distract from the alleged abuses of the government is a dangerous tactic that will destroy multicultural Malaysia, said senior lawyer Philip Koh in a warning to the government.
With Islamism filling the void of communal politics that has increasingly fallen out of favour in Malaysia, Koh urged politicians not to succumb to the temptation to use religion as a means to pit the various communities against one another.
“As we love this country, we try to shape this country, we ask the elite that is in power, please don’t use religion to protect your corrupt use of power; please don’t use religion to manufacture anxiety among Muslims who are decent people, who have lived for the last 60 or hundreds of years in harmony with the minorities.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/using-religion-to-shroud-power-abuse-will-cause-malaysias-death-putrajaya-t#sthash.bz6yPwl6.dpuf
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'Mass graves of migrants in Malaysia's forests'
May 24, 2015
At least 30 mass graves believed to contain the bodies of hundreds of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis, have been found near Malaysia's border with Thailand.
The discovery of migrants' mass graves follows the similar graves in Thailand early in May.
Quoting the Mingguan Malaysia newspaper, South-East Asia correspondent for Fairfax Media Lindsay Murdoch reported that graves were found in mid-May in forests in Padang Besar and Wang Keli
Malaysian police are determining whether the graves were of human trafficking victims, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/asia-pacific/2015/may/24/mass-grave-migrants-found-malaysia#sthash.jLYcHqxP.dpuf
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South Asia
‘Ansarullah Bangla Team Now Eying Madrasa Students’ To Increase Strength
May 24, 2015
Radical Islamist outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team, currently under government’s consideration for banning for suspected links to the killing of secular activists, is now inviting madrasa students and those involved with Islami Chhatra Shibir to increase strength, police say.
Earlier, Ansarullah leaders had recruited many tech savvy students of public and private universities.
Police say they are monitoring the activities of the outfit’s members on different websites and Facebook to trace their location. But no significant progress have been made since the August 2013 arrest of Ansarullah chief Jasim Uddin Rahmani and 31 of his followers.
Seven leaders and activists of the group are now facing trial for the killing of war crimes trial campaigner Ahmed Rajeeb Haider. They all are expelled students of the North South University.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2015/may/24/ansarullah-now-eying-madrasa-students#sthash.3tlK0CT5.dpuf
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At least 10 Afghan police officers killed in Taliban assault
May 24, 2015
KANDAHAR: Taliban insurgents attacked police checkpoints Sunday in volatile southern Afghanistan, killing at least 10 officers in the ongoing assault, authorities said.
Mohammad Ismail Hotaki, the director of Helmand province's Joint Coordination Office, said that Taliban fighters attacked 10 police checkpoints in the province's Sangin district.
Hotaki said Taliban fighters captured three checkpoints and continued to surge forward in their assault. Hotaki said the violence killed at least 10 officers and wounded 16.
Later, Sangin's deputy police chief, Haji Bari, said authorities recovered the corpses of at least 13 slain police officers, while 15 had been wounded.
Such contradictory casualty figures are common amid an ongoing attack. “We are in control of 80 per cent of the checkpoints and are currently fighting with Taliban at two checkpoints,” Bari said. “The Taliban numbers are high and they are attacking with full force. This level of force shows they are in a strong position to fight back.“
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1183937/at-least-10-afghan-police-officers-killed-in-taliban-assault
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Couple gunned down for alleged adultery in Jawzjan
May 24, 2015
25 year-old girl and 32 year-old men have been gunned down over accusations of adultery in northern Jawzjan province.
Colonel Abdul Hafiz, security officer of the police headquarters in Shebeghan, the provincial capital of Jawzjan, says that the dead bodies of the couple were found the governor house of Mardyan district and were handed over to their respective families by the local elders this morning.
He said still it is uncertain whether the couple had really conducted such a crime or not but an investigation is ongoing into the case.
Full report at:
http://www.khaama.com/couple-gunned-down-for-alleged-adultery-3360
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ISIS actively recruiting in Afghanistan but not yet operational: Gen. Campbell
May 24 2015
The commander of the NATO-led Resolute Support (RS) mission Gen. John F Campbell said Saturday that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group is actively recruiting militants in Afghanistan.
Gen. Campbell further added that the terror group is not operational in the country yet and insisted that Afghans largely did not agree with the ideology of the terror group.
According to Gen. Campbell the Taliban fighters based in Afghanistan and Pakistan are attracted by the sophisticated social-media campaign of the terror group.
The remarks by Gen. Campbell comes as the Afghan national security advisor Hanif Atmar said earlier this month that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group is looking to have access to drugs market by starting operations in Afghanistan.
Atmar also warned that the terror group wants to expand its operations not only in Afghanistan but the whole region and wants infiltrate in Central Asian countries.
According to Atmar, the ISIS group is led by a Pakistani militant and the group recognizes no boundaries since they have already declared the regional countries in their map as Khurasan province.
http://www.khaama.com/isis-actively-recruiting-in-afghanistan-but-not-yet-operational-gen-campbell-9441
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PM Sheikh Hasina: Action against those trying to go abroad illegally
May 24, 2015
Those who are trying to leave the country in illegal way will be brought under punishment along with the middlemen involved in human trafficking, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has warned.
The PM made the warning while addressing a meeting of the senior officials of the Labour and Employment Ministry at Bangladesh Secretariat on Sunday morning, reports BSS.
"I think such an unlawful trend may be stopped if the fortune-seekers who are moving from the country in illegal way are punished side by side with the middlemen," she said.
Hasina asked the Labour and Employment Ministry to carry out campaign on stopping the illegal migration and human trafficking.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2015/may/24/pm-bring-them-under-trial-who-want-go-abroad-illegally#sthash.mzMP1Yev.dpuf
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Rohingya Muslims Found on Boat Rescued by Myanmar Navy
May 24, 2015
Alaethakaw Village, Myanmar. At least eight Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar were among some 200 migrants rescued from a trafficking boat by the Myanmar navy on Thursday, according to interviews conducted by Reuters, contradicting official accounts that all onboard were from Bangladesh.
Myanmar portrayed the rescue operation as a proof that thousands of “boat people” were not persecuted Rohingya from Myanmar, denying it discriminates against the minority and resisting pressure to help solve the problem.
Southeast Asia is grappling with a humanitarian crisis involving thousands of people trafficked from Myanmar and Bangladesh into Malaysia and Indonesia. After a crackdown disrupted smuggling routes, many are now trapped at sea on what the United Nations has described as “floating coffins.”
Full report at:
http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/international/rohingya-muslims-found-boat-rescued-myanmar-navy/
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North America
York County pastors call on Christians to love Muslims, ‘fear not’
May 24, 2015
Two dozen Christian pastors in York County have joined together to publicly call on members of their faith to embrace Muslims as their brothers and sisters.
The Rev. Sam McGregor, pastor at Allison Creek Presbyterian Church near Lake Wylie, said he has jump-started the local effort because of recent threats against Muslims in the United States that came to light during the trial of Robert Doggart.
Doggart, a failed congressional candidate from Tennessee, pleaded guilty this month to plotting to kill Muslims who live in a religious community in New York. The FBI uncovered and stopped Doggart’s plan.
Full report at:
http://www.heraldonline.com/news/local/article21978831.html#storylink=cpy
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Negotiator: Iran agrees to 'managed access' to nuclear sites
May 24, 2015
Iran has agreed to grant United Nations inspectors "managed access" to military sites as part of a future deal over its contested nuclear program, a negotiator said Sunday, apparently contradicting earlier comments by the nation's supreme leader.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's comments, carried by state television, came after he and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attended a reportedly stormy closed session of parliament.
"Iran has agreed to grant managed access to military sites," state TV quoted Araghchi as saying Sunday.
Lawmaker Ahmad Shoohani, a member of parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee who attended the closed-door session, said restricted inspections of military sites will be carried out under strict control and specific circumstances.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/131047/World/Region/Negotiator-Iran-agrees-to-managed-access-to-nuclea.aspx
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Skype exchange: ISIS militant tries to recruit undercover reporter
4 May 2015
A supporter of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the militant group’s stronghold of Raqaa has been exposed to recruit through Skype militant hopefuls by a Canadian reporter who posed as a 15-year-old girl on social media.
The Daily Mail identified the ISIS-affiliate as Ahmed Canter adding that a family member said he was an accountant before he left London for Syria to join ISIS.
In an exchange on Skype between Canada’s Global News network reporter – who chose to remain anonymous – Canter instructed what he believed was a potential 15-year-old bride to journey across Europe, to Turkey and into Syria.
“The moment you land in Turkey, I’ll have everything ready,” he reportedly told the journalist.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/features/2015/05/24/ISIS-militant-tried-to-recruit-undercover-reporter-via-Skype.html
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IS recruiting but not yet operational in Afghanistan: Nato General
May 24, 2015
KABUL: The Islamic State group is recruiting fighters in Afghanistan, but they are not yet operational, said the commander of foreign forces in the country on Saturday.
There have been fears of IS making inroads in Afghanistan since United States-led Nato forces ended their combat mission late last year, after 13 years of fighting insurgents.
“There's recruiting going on in Afghanistan, there is recruiting going on in Pakistan. There is money being passed back and forth,” said General John F Campbell, the commander of Nato forces in the country.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1183957/is-recruiting-but-not-yet-operational-in-afghanistan-nato-general
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Democrats call for 'flood' of Muslims to U.S.
May 24, 2015
A group of 14 Democrat senators has written a letter to President Obama urging him to “dramatically increase” the number of Syrian refugees being resettled into American cities and towns.
They say the U.S. needs to take in at least 65,000 Syrians as permanent refugees over the next year-and-a-half.
“While the United States is the largest donor of humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees, we must also dramatically increase the number of Syrian refugees that we accept for resettlement,” says the four-page letter to Obama, copied to Secretary of State John Kerry and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.
Full report at:
http://www.wnd.com/2015/05/democrats-call-for-flood-of-muslims-to-u-s/#OtIqoBdp0vw5e8op.99
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India
Islamic State, other terrorist organizations recruiting NRIs: NIA
Mateen Hafeez,TNN | May 24, 2015
MUMBAI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA), in its chargesheet against suspected Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) member Areeb Majeed, stated that ISIL, in conspiracy with other terrorist organizations, was trying to recruit non-resident Indians (NRIs) to participate in the so-called jihad not only in Iraq and Syria, but also India and other countries.
NIA on May 20 filed an 8,500-page chargesheet against Majeed and mentioned his three Kalyan-based friends Fahad Shaikh, Amaan Tandeel and Shaheem Tanki, as wanted accused. The chargesheet said the four accused entered into a criminal conspiracy with the common objective and intention to join ISIL.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Islamic-State-other-terrorist-organizations-recruiting-NRIs-NIA/articleshow/47401885.cms
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Not just today, Muslims feeling alienated since 1947: Minister
May 24, 2015
Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla has rejected the contention that Muslims are feeling insecure under the BJP-led regime and said the community has felt alienated since Independence because of the policies of successive Congress governments.
“Muslims are alienated because they are economically and educationally backward. Now people are saying these utterances (against Muslims) are making them feel alienated. “It is not that today Muslims are feeling alienated.
“It is not that today Muslims are feeling alienated. Muslims have been feeling alienated since Independence, because they have been relegated to such backward situation,” Heptulla said.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/politics/not-just-today-muslims-feeling-alienated-since-1947-najma-heptulla/
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Indian Muslims are nationalists who oppose terror: Home Minister
May 24, 2015
Contending that terrorism should not be associated with any particular religion, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said Muslims in India are nationalists who have always opposed terrorist elements. He lauded India’s Muslims for not allowing fundamentalist groups like ISIS to influence them.
Responding to questions here after an event, he said terrorism should not be associated with a particular religion. “Muslims in India are nationalists. They have always opposed such (terror) elements. They have opposed and demoralised them,” the Union Home Minister said. He said several countries in the world are facing the menace of terrorism and they should fight unitedly against it.
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/indian-muslims-are-nationalists-who-oppose-terror-rajnath-singh/
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Ram Temple to come up within this tenure of NDA : Sadhvi Prachi
May 24, 2015
JALANDHAR: What can be a fresh headache for top BJP leaders, firebrand leader, Sadhvi Prachi has claimed that in the May 25 meeting of Kendriya Maragdarshak Mandal of VHP at Haridwar, strategy to build Ram temple would be prepared and the temple would be built within the current tenure of the NDA government.
Sadhvi, who was here to attend the national conclave of BJP SC Cell of which she is a member of the national executive, made this claim on Friday after conclusion of BJP SC Morcha national conclave held here even as union Home minister Rajnath Singh had already said just ten days back that it was not possible to bring a law for construction of Ram Temple as the party did not have majority in the Rajya Sabha.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Ram-Temple-to-come-up-within-this-tenure-of-NDA-Sadhvi-Prachi/articleshow/47399622.cms
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India to ask Pakistan to seize assets of Dawood Ibrahim, Hafiz Saeed, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi
May 24, 2015
India is planning to ask Pakistan to seize assets of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and most wanted terrorists Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi as all three are in the UNSC’s al Qaeda sanctions list which makes it incumbent upon Islamabad to freeze their holdings.
The UN Security Council’s al Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee has listed Dawood, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Saeed and Mumbai terror attack key conspirator Lakhvi and put sanctions on them.
“As a UN member state, it is the responsibility of Pakistan to freeze their assets. We are planning to send a formal communication to Pakistan to let us know whether assets of the three terrorists were seized and if not will ask it to freeze them immediately,” a government official said.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/india-to-ask-pakistan-to-seize-assets-of-dawood-ibrahim-hafiz-saeed-zakiur-rehman-lakhvi/
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Africa
Nigeria military says ‘scores’ of Islamists killed, 20 hostages rescued
May 24, 2015
Nigeria’s military on Saturday claimed the killing of scores of Boko Haram insurgents and the rescue of 20 more hostages during an operation in the notorious Sambisa forest, an Islamist stronghold.
“Despite continuous encounter with large number of land mines which still litter the Sambisa forest, troops have forged ahead...as scores of the terrorists died in the assault on their bases on Friday,” a defence ministry statement said.
“A total of 20 women and children were rescued at the end of the Friday operation,” in the forest in the country’s northeast, it added.
One soldier died while 10 others were wounded in the assault on rebel bases, according to the statement.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/africa/2015/05/23/Nigeria-military-says-scores-of-Islamists-killed-20-hostages-rescued.html
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Female suicide bombers in Nigeria: A Boko Haram tactic?
May 24, 2015
A series of suicide attacks executed by females in Nigeria in the past year has suggested a new trend whereby Boko Haram recruits females as suicide bombers to avoid security measures and surveillance focused on men.
Observers of the Islamist group believe that female bombers appear less suspicious, while some think it easier for females to hide weaponry if they wear baggy clothes.
The latest attack came last Saturday when a young female suicide bomber blew herself up in a busy market near a bus station in Damaturu, leaving at least seven people dead.
Earlier in May, four female bombers killed six vigilante militia members and three soldiers near the Giwa military barracks in Maiduguri.
In 2014, Nigerian military spokesperson Onyema Nwachukwu confirmed that Boko Haram had a "female wing" whose main tasks were to spy for the group and to recruit potential wives for men on the frontline.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/130990/World/International/Female-suicide-bombers-in-Nigeria-A-Boko-Haram-tac.aspx
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Somalia: Militants kill lawmaker in capital, attack 2 towns
24 May 2015
A Somali lawmaker was shot and killed by gunmen in the capital Saturday, as dozens of Islamic extremists attacked two towns in southern Somalia, clashing with government troops in fighting that killed 18 militants and soldiers, Somali security officials said.
Suspected militants in a car sprayed bullets at the vehicle carrying two Somali legislators in the capital Mogadishu, Somali police officer Capt. Mohamed Hussein said.
Gunmen stopped their car in front of the lawmakers’ vehicle, blocking them from proceeding as the gunmen fired at them, he said.
Lawmaker Yusuf Dirir died of his wounds at a local hospital, said fellow legislator Ali Muhummed. Lawmaker Abdalla Boss, a former Somali defense minister, escaped unhurt, according to Hussein. The attack took place on Maka Almukarramah Boulevard, which is mostly used by government officials and African Union forces in Mogadishu.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/africa/2015/05/24/Somalia-Militants-kill-lawmaker-in-capital-attack-2-towns.html
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One Egyptian killed in Benghazi shelling
May 24, 2015
An Egyptian was killed on Saturday in shelling in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi, where Islamist militias are fighting forces loyal to the internationally recognised government, Egypt's state news agency MENA reported.
The 30-year-old man died after a shell landed on a shoe shop in the Souk Al-Hout area where he works, a provincial security source told MENA.
Following the 2011 ouster of long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi, various Libyan militias have been fighting the central government in a civil war that has ravaged the country.
Last month, two Egyptians were killed in a similar attack in Benghazi.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/131024/Egypt/Politics-/One-Egyptian-killed-in-Benghazi-shelling.aspx
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Mideast
Iranian troops sent to fight ISIS in Iraq operation
24 May 2015
Iran has reportedly sent troops to Iraq to fight ISIS militants, U.S. defense officials said, according to the Associated Press.
The Islamic Republic, which sent small troops to allow Iraqi forces retake the major oil refinery of Beiji, also sent heavy weapons for Iraqi ground forces, one of the officials said.
Iran has stepped up its efforts in the Beiji Operation in recent days, the two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
U.S. President Barack Obama said his country does not oppose the intervention of Iran in the Iraqi conflict as long as it operates under the control of Iraq’s government.
On Friday, a U.S. military statement said that Iraqi security forces and federal police have made “steady, measured progress” in regaining some parts of Beiji refinery compound.
The statement added that all forces involved in Beiji are “aligned with the government of Iraq” and under the control of Iraqi security forces.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/05/24/Iran-joins-fight-against-ISIS-in-Iraq.html
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3 Dead, 19 Injured in Saudi Attacks in Hudaydeh
May 24, 2015
At least 3 people were killed and 19 others sustained serious injuries after Saudi military aircraft bombed Hudaydeh province on early Sunday.
The kingdom's jets launched several strikes on a factory in the port city of Hudaydeh in Southern Yemen, killing and injuring scores of people.
Saudi Arabia has been bombing Yemen in the last 60 days to bring its ally, fugitive president Mansour Hadi, back to power.
The airstrikes have killed, at least, 3,892 Yemenis, according to FNA's independent tally.
According to a recent report by Freedom House Foundation, most of the victims of the deadly Al Saud campaign are civilians, including a large number of women and children.
Thousands of residential buildings have been destroyed, and hundreds of civil and public facilities were reduced to rubble as a result of the bombardments by Saudi warplanes on the Yemeni cities and towns, the group said.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940303000456
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Yemeni Troops Shoot down Saudi Fighter Jet in Sana'a
May 24, 2015
A Saudi fighter jet was shot down by Yemeni air defense forces in the capital city of Sana'a, a military source announced Sunday.
A senior Yemeni military source, preferring anonymity, said that the Yemeni troops brought down the Saudi F-16 jet in the district of Bani Harith, Northern Sana'a, while it was pounding residential areas as well an air base in Dailami.
Back in March, Yemen's air defense system also hit a Saudi warplane in Hoor region in Ma'areb province in Northeastern part of Sana'a.
Saudi Arabia has been bombing Yemen in the last 60 days to bring its ally, fugitive president Mansour Hadi, back to power.
The airstrikes have killed, at least, 3,889 Yemenis, according to FNA's independent tally.
According to a recent report by Freedom House Foundation, most of the victims of the deadly Al Saud campaign are civilians, including a large number of women and children.
Thousands of residential buildings have been destroyed, and hundreds of civil and public facilities were reduced to rubble as a result of the bombardments by Saudi warplanes on the Yemeni cities and towns, the group said.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940303000227
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Commander: Iranian Ground Force Mulling Reinforcement in Anticipation of Rising Threats
May 24, 2015
Iranian Ground Force Commander Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan warned of terrorist groups' increasing danger against the country, and announced plans to reinvigorate Ground Force units to be prepared for any kind of conditions.
"Today, we are encountering a new form of threats that are different from the past in type, form and size," Pourdastan said, addressing an open session of the parliament in Tehran on Sunday.
Warning that the ISIL terrorist group has found a foothold in neighboring Afghanistan and Pakistan, he said, "The Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Forces should be strengthened so that we can buy tanks, develop our systems and overhaul our helicopters, because today the battle is between the ground troops."
Pourdastan also called on the Iranian parliamentarians to allocate a bigger budget to the Iranian Army's Ground Force.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940303000689
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Fresh air strikes target Houthi militias in Yemen
24 May 2015
Saudi-led warplanes launched a fresh wave of air strikes across Yemen on Saturday targeting Iran-backed militias as fighting raged on the ground in the south of the country, witnesses said.
The air raids pounded arms depots under the control of the Houthi militias in the locality of Ghula, in Omran province north of Sanaa, residents said, according to AFP.
They followed similar bombardments of weapons storage facilities in the capital that sparked deadly explosions, and strikes on the Dhabwa military base, which is currently under rebel control.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/05/24/Fresh-air-strikes-target-Houthi-militias-in-Yemen-.html
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Israeli police say Palestinian stabs teens on Jewish holiday
24 May 2015
Israeli police say a 19-year-old Palestinian man stabbed two Israeli teenagers as they walked to a holy site on a Jewish festival.
Spokeswoman Luba Samri said the Palestinian stabbed the two 17-year-old boys from behind Sunday. Samri says officers later apprehended the suspected attacker and the two boys remain hospitalized.
The assault came on the Jewish Shavuot holiday, when Jews traditionally stay up all night studying religious texts.
The teens were on their way to the Western Wall, a remnant of the biblical Jewish Temple compound and the holiest site where Jews can pray.
Nearby is Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site. Revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, it’s the most sacred site in Judaism. Muslims know it as the “Noble Sanctuary,” and is Islam’s third-holiest site.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/05/24/Israeli-police-say-Palestinian-stabs-teens-on-Jewish-holiday.html
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Europe
German army planning to recruit first imam for Muslim soldiers
May 24, 2015
The German army will recruit its first Muslim imam for the growing number of Muslims in uniform, local media reported on Saturday.
"Islam has become the third largest religion in Germany and we are trying to figure out whether it would be possible for our Muslim soldiers to have their own chaplain," a Bundeswehr spokesman told the Bild newspaper.
The army decided earlier this month to open a new branch for its religious services center in the western city of Koblenz, the daily reported.
Since the 1960s the Catholic and Protestant churches have provided religious instruction for the German army, which currently has around 1,600 Muslim soldiers.
Germany has the second-largest Muslim population in western Europe after France. Among the four million Muslims in the country, three million are of Turkish origin.
http://www.dailysabah.com/europe/2015/05/23/german-army-planning-to-recruit-first-imam-for-muslim-soldiers
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British ISIS recruits are taking a ‘new route’ to reach Syria
24 May 2015
British ISIS recruits have begun switching their routes to Syria, traveling through Italy to Libya to avoid detection, The Guardian reported this week.
The new route, which avoids going through the popular but heavily guarded Turkish border –used to directly reach Syria – reportedly allows the militants to avoid security measures in UK airports.
They are now reported to be crossing the English Channel to France and driving through Italy before sailing over to Libya or Tunisia – all before heading to Syria, according to sources monitoring British jihadist movements.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2015/05/24/British-ISIS-recruits-are-taking-a-new-route-to-reach-Syria.html
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Córdoba controversy: Historic Mosque-Cathedral mired in cultural dispute
May 24, 2015
CÓRDOBA, Spain – Inside Córdoba’s Mosque-Cathedral, a young woman in a Muslim headscarf is taking a hurried selfie in front of the monument’s Catholic altar. Just a few yards away, in the building’s Muslim section, some European tourists are admiring a set of Islamic arches.
It’s a scene that is reminiscent of this southern Spanish city’s celebrated past, the kind of multiculturalism that made it a world-renowned symbol of knowledge and religious coexistence in medieval times.
“This place belongs to Muslims and Christians,” says Muhammad Anggia Muchtar, a Muslim university lecturer from Indonesia who is visiting as part of a two-week trip around Europe.
“Here, people from different religions socialized in harmony and lived in peace,” he says, adding that the Mosque-Cathedral preserves history and that "when you know your history, you know your roots.”
Full report at:
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/5/24/cordoba-mosque-cathedral-controversy.html
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Russian Halal Industry 'Unhurt by Economic Crisis'
May 24, 2015
CAIRO – The halal food industry in Russia has kept on blooming and unaffected by the economic downturn that has hit the country in the wake of sanctions, an industry figure told Anadolu Agency yesterday, May 22.
“Despite the economic crisis, not even a single firm which sells halal products has closed,” Madina Kalimullina, director of the sixth Moscow International Halal Expo, said.
Expressing same tone of satisfaction, Rushan Abbasov, the vice chairman of Russian Mufti Council, also made it clear that the market for halal products and services in Russia has been increasing year by year, and many food companies had earned halal certificates, as reported by the Word Bulletin.
Full report at:
http://www.onislam.net/english/news/europe/486441-russias-halal-industry-intact-despite-economic-.html
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Pakistan
Over 100 suspects including 25 Afghans arrested in Peshawar
May 24, 2015
PESHAWAR: Over 100 suspects including 25 Afghans were arrested on Sunday during search operations carried out by police in various areas of Peshawar, Express News reported.
“Around 25 Afghans, who were illegally residing in the city, were among the 100 arrested,” the police officials said.
Acting on a tip-off, security forces raided Gulberg, Nouthela, Bara Road, Saddar Bazaar and Pashktakhra areas.
A large cache of weapons was also seized from the miscreants and investigation was carried out in this regard.
On May 22, at least four suspected terrorists, who were allegedly involved in the Wagah Border attack in Lahore last year, were also killed in a Karachi raid.
The suspects allegedly belonged to the Omar Khurasani group, who were killed when the Counter Terrorism Department exchanged fire with the militants in Karachi’s Ittehad Town.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/891492/over-100-suspects-including-25-afghans-arrested-in-peshawar/
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Pakistan’s laws don’t protect children enough: UNICEF
May 24, 2015
ISLAMABAD: More than 15 years after Islamabad first committed to eliminating child labour from the country and several laws and policies later, Pakistan has yet to create a national legislative framework that conforms with global standards on the rights of children, according to a report issued by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).
In its first-ever ‘State of Children in Pakistan’ report, the UN agency states that the country’s laws do not conform to its treaty obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Islamabad is a signatory.
Pakistan first created a National Policy and Plan of Action to Combat Child Labour in 2000, but even by its own policy commitments has failed to eliminate child labour in the country. The plan had called for a progressive elimination of all child exploitation by 2010, with the elimination of the worst excesses of child labour to be achieved by 2005. None of those goals were met.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/891401/pakistans-laws-dont-protect-children-enough-unicef/
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Swat’s archaeological sites: a victim of neglect
May 24, 2015
With all its historical splendour and ancient treasures, one of Swat’s most important archaeological sites, the Bir-kot-ghwandai, also known as the Bazira of Alexander the Great, welcomes everyone who enters the valley.
This Indo-Greek urban defensive works, which is the easternmost example of Hellenistic military architecture in Asia, is located west of the modern village of Barikot and the site is marked by a steep hill overlooking the Swat River.
From the north, the hill (acropolis) dominates the ancient town site.
The site has been on lease and under excavation by the Italian Archaeological Mission (MAI) since 1984. According to Dr Luca Maria Oliveri, the director of MAI, the town was founded as a fortified settlement when the Indo-Greek rulers expanded their control over Swat, maintained as a military establishment by the Saka-Parthians, and transformed into a real urban centre in Kushan times.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1183878/swats-archaeological-sites-a-victim-of-neglect
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/syrian-military-expert-al-saud/d/103128