Taliban Warns India against Giving Military Aid to Afghanistan
New Age Islam News Bureau
14
Sept 2016
The Reserve Bank of India seal is pictured on a gate outside its headquarters in Mumbai. The central bank made a proposal in its annual report issued two weeks ago to introduce an Islamic finance regulation framework in the country with the world’s largest Muslim minority of 180mn people.
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• Indonesian Clerics Issue Fatwa against Forest Fires
• ISIS ‘Celebrates Eid’ By Hanging ‘US Spies’ From Meat Hooks and ‘Butchering Them’
• Several Terrorist Commanders Killed in Failed Attacks on Syrian Army Positions
• Austrian Cardinal Tipped To Be the Next Pope Warns Of an 'Islamic Conquest of Europe'
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India
• Taliban Warns India against Giving Military Aid to Afghanistan
• Finally, India Opens Up To Islamic Finance
• India to Discuss ‘Pak-Sponsored Terrorism’ With Russia, US
• SC rejects plea to stop central funds for Kashmiri 'separatists'
• Muslim Leaders Denounce Call for Telangana Liberation Day
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Southeast Asia
• Indonesian Clerics Issue Fatwa against Forest Fires
• Indonesia Captures Top Militant in New Blow to Santoso Group
• Islamic State terrorist trial in Jakarta gives insights into supporter recruitment and Indonesian targets
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Arab World
• ISIS ‘Celebrates Eid’ By Hanging ‘US Spies’ From Meat Hooks and ‘Butchering Them’
• Several Terrorist Commanders Killed in Failed Attacks on Syrian Army Positions
• ISIL Spokesman Gunned Down by Unknown Assailants in Mosul
• Iraqi Forces Take Control of 386 Houses in Anbar Province's Key Regions
• Iraqi Forces Liberate Key Al-Harariyat Region in Salahuddin
• IRGC Navy Commander Asks US to Leave Persian Gulf
• Iran, Russia Further Bolstering Regional Cooperation
• Iranian Parliament Advisor Raps US for Protecting MKO Terrorists
• Syrian Army Fends off Terrorists' Attacks in Northern Ham
• More Injured Terrorists Taken to Israeli Hospitals
• Iran Rejects Talks with US on Syria, Ceasefire
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Europe
• Austrian Cardinal Tipped To Be the Next Pope Warns Of an 'Islamic Conquest of Europe'
• Anti-Muslim Dutch Leader Wilders Says Upset That Turkey Coup Attempt Failed
• Germany arrests three IS suspects with 'links' to Paris attackers
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Mideast
• Erdoğan Says There Is Still A 'Long Way to Go' In Anti-Gülen Fight
• Turks Want Post-Coup Attempt Political Thaw to Continue: Poll
• US ambassador is ‘not a governor of Turkey,’ says Turkish FM
• Diyanet head to Turkey’s religious movements: Refrain from engaging in politics
• Turkish police detain dozens in operation against international betting gang
• Gov’t takes measures on post-coup attempt dismissals
• No military plan for Raqqa yet: Presidential Spokesperson Kalın
• Former Israeli President Shimon Peres in Coma after Suffering Serious Stroke
• Israeli Warplanes Continue to Bomb Syrian Army Positions in Quneitra
• Israeli Hospitals Send Bodies of Wounded Terrorists back to Syria's Quneitra
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South Asia
• ISIS Suspects Who Migrated To Afghanistan Used Foreign Funds: NIA
• Explosion in Kabul leaves one dead and another one wounded
• Gen. Raziq says will not return to Kandahar until Tarinkot city fully cleared
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Africa
• Jewish Board of Deputies Condemns Anti-Muslim Graffiti
• African Union summit makes it a historic day for Somalia
• Islamic State behind Kenya's Mombasa attack by robed women: website
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North America
• How Halal Food Became a $20 Billion Hit in America
• Orlando Islamic community vows to rebuild mosque after fire set
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Pakistan
• UNHCR Policy Change Targets Pakistani Christian Asylum Seekers in Bangkok
• Imposing an arbitrary national language would only divide Pakistan further
• Two dead, 10 others injured in Quetta blast targeting police vehicle
• At least 13 injured as police foil suicide blasts targeting Eid prayers in Shikarpur
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/taliban-warns-india-giving-military/d/108556
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Taliban Warns India against Giving Military Aid to Afghanistan
September 14, 2016
The Afghanistan Taliban has come out in the open to challenge India’s growing military aid to Afghanistan and warned it to stop providing any lethal aid to the already war-torn nation.
The Islamic insurgent group in a statement issued on Sunday said that India is aggravating the plight of Afghanistan by supplying war equipment and aircraft. This aid, according to the Taliban, is used by the Afghan air force to kill the people of the country and cause damage to the infrastructure.
Taliban’s warning comes months after India provided Afghanistan with three Russia-made Mi-25 fighter helicopters to assist fighting insurgents.
Interestingly, the statement by the Taliban comes right ahead of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s visit to New Delhi on 14 September. During this visit, he is expected to seek an increase in India’s military assistance to Afghanistan.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson of Taliban, on Sunday said, “We call on India to stop exporting items of killing and destruction to Afghanistan and to stop efforts of prolonging the lifespan of this corrupt regime with its military aid,” in a statement quoted by The News International.
He also cited the example of the recent violence in northern Kunduz to show how Afghan forces have been using these helicopters to propagate hatred in the country.
Source: thequint.com/world/2016/09/13/taliban-warns-india-ahead-of-afghan-president-ashraf-ghanis-visit-for-giving-military-aid-to-afghanistan
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Indonesian Clerics Issue Fatwa against Forest Fires
14 SEPTEMBER 2016
JAKARTA: Indonesia’s top Islamic clerical body said Wednesday it has issued a fatwa against intentionally starting forest fires in a bid to stop the blazes that cloak Southeast Asia in haze every year. The religious edict by the Indonesian Ulema Council said it was “haram“, or against Islamic law, for Muslims to start fires on purpose in forests or on plantation land. “The Koran states that we are not allowed to harm the environment, and forest burning causes damage not only to the environment but also to people’s health – even neighbouring countries are complaining,” Huzaemah Tahido Yanggo, head of the body’s fatwa council, told AFP. The fires and subsequent smog occur annually to varying degrees in the archipelago’s Sumatra island and the Indonesian part of Borneo during the dry season, and are started to quickly and cheaply clear land for palm oil and pulpwood plantations. The blazes last year were among the worst in memory and cloaked large parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in choking smog for weeks. Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar welcomed the fatwa and said she hoped Islamic preachers would spread news of it to local communities: “The most important follow-up is communicating it to the public.” Fatwas have no legal force and are aimed at encouraging the devout in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country against taking a certain course of action. But it remained unclear whether the latest edict, issued Tuesday, would have any practical effect in the sprawling archipelago of more than 17,000 islands and 255 million inhabitants. The council has previously issued fatwas to protect the environment, including one against the illegal hunting and trade in endangered animals in the biodiverse country, which environmentalists said was the world’s first. The move by the clerics follows efforts by Jakarta to prevent a repeat of last year’s haze disaster. Authorities plan to stop granting new land concessions for palm oil plantations, and have established a new agency to restore millions of hectares of carbon-rich peatlands susceptible to fires. The blazes have not been as serious this year with Singapore so far suffering just one day of serious haze, although it is unclear whether that is due to official efforts or a late rainy season.
Source: nst.com.my/news/2016/09/172987/indonesian-clerics-issue-fatwa-against-forest-fires
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ISIS ‘Celebrates Eid’ By Hanging ‘US Spies’ From Meat Hooks and ‘Butchering Them’
14 Sep 2016
On a day when the world celebrated Eid al-Adha and nations across the globe, including India and Bangladesh that witnessed the tragic Kashmir violence and Dhaka attacks, talked about communal harmony and peace, ISIS released a new execution video in which they hung prisoners upside down from meat hooks and ‘butchered them like sheep’.
In the sickening 12-minute video, men accused of being ‘US spies’ are filmed having their throat cut in a slaughter house in Deir ez-Zor in north-eastern Syria.
The video, named ‘The Making of Illusion’ was released on the first day of the Muslim holy time Eid al-Adha and includes short clips showing actors Simon Pegg and Tom Cruise in the movie Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.
According to reports, the video footage has been used by ISIS to mock foreign intelligence services.
Abu Mohammed, founder of a human rights group, described the video as the ‘worst video ever’ and that humans were ‘butchered like sheep’.
The video shows prisoners hanging upside down by their feet from meat hooks with their throats cut while other awaiting execution are hoisted up in the same position.
The 12-minute video also features images of past ISIS executions as well as recent terror atrocities.
According to Islam, during Eid al-Adha, also known as the ‘Feast of Sacrifice’, livestock is slaughtered and one-third of the meat is distributed to the poor.
Source: indiatvnews.com/news/world-isis-celebrates-eid-by-hanging-us-spies-from-meat-hooks-and-butchering-them-like-sheep-348030
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Several Terrorist Commanders Killed in Failed Attacks on Syrian Army Positions
September 14, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Syrian Army troops beat back attacks of Fatah al-Sham (formerly known as the al-Nusra) Front in Quneitra in Southwestern Syria, killing at least 45 militants, including five commanders.
Commander of Ansar al-Islam Brigade Abu Khalid al-Zo'abi, Commander of al-Forqan Brigade Mohammad al-Omari, Commander of Beit al-Moqadas Group Abu Islamak, Commander of Jund al-Molahem group Abu Mojahed, Top Commander of Fatah al-Sham's affiliated groups Ahmad Mohammad al-Khabi, nom de guerre Abu Qatadeh, were among the terrorist killed in their unsuccessful attacks on the government forces' positions near the Golan Heights and Tal al-Ahmar.
In the meantime, two tanks, a BMP vehicle, machinegun-equipped vehicles, several canons and a missile launch-pad of Fatah al-Sham were also destroyed in the battle.
Meantime on Tuesday, Syrian Army troops repelled Jeish al-Fatah's attacks on their positions in two key regions in Northern Quneitra, inflicting tens of casualties on the militants.
The Syrian army fended off attacks of Jeish al-Fatah in the regions of al-Serriyeh 4 and Tal Ahmar, killing or wounding dozens of terrorists.
In the meantime, Syrian soldiers clashed fiercely with terrorists near the small towns of Saraya Hadher, Toranjeh, al-Amel farms in Quneitra countryside, leaving 36 militants dead including three field commanders.
Also, eight non-Syrian terrorists of Fatah al-Sham were killed and 65 more were wounded in battle with army.
Fatah al-Sham's machineguns, vehicles and mortar launching-pads were also destroyed in the clashes.
Source:en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950624000753
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Austrian Cardinal Tipped To Be the Next Pope Warns Of An 'Islamic Conquest Of Europe'
14 SEPTEMBER 2016
An Austrian cardinal who is one of the frontrunners to be the next pope has warned of an "Islamic conquest of Europe".
According to reports of his speech to mark the 333rd anniversary of the Battle of Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn said: "Will there be an Islamic conquest of Europe? Many Muslims want that and say: Europe is at its end."
“God have mercy on Europe and on thy people, who are in danger of forfeiting our Christian heritage,” the cardinal reportedly prayed.
He claimed that this was already being felt "not only economically, but above all, in human and religious matters".
The speech was made on Sunday at the "Holy Name of Mary" church festival, which marked the 333rd anniversary of the Battle of Vienna in 1683 in which Christian forces defeated the Ottoman Empire army.
Cardinal Schönborn, 71, is a conservative who was a former student of Pope Benedict XVI - and has even been referred to as the former pope's "spritual son".
Last year, the Austrian parliament adopted legislation amending laws on Muslim organisations to ban foreign sources of financing and require imams to be able to speak German.
The law aims to promote what conservative Integration Minister Sebastian Kurz called an "Islam of European character", by muting the influence of foreign Muslim nations and organisations, but giving Austrian Muslims more legal security in practising their faith.
In April this year, the parliament passed a controversial, hardline new law to restrict the right of asylum, allowing authorities to reject most claimants at the border.
The government is now able to declare a "state of emergency" over the migrant crisis and limit any successful asylum claim to three years.
Austria's main political parties on Tuesday proposed holding the country's presidential election re-run on December 4, after it was delayed because of a problem with the glue on postal votes.
The last election result from May was annulled after Austria's highest court in July upheld the narrowly defeated far-right's claims of procedural irregularities.
And in a fresh twist, the government was on Monday forced to postpone October's planned re-run after it emerged that the envelopes for postal votes were not sticky enough, meaning they could easily be reopened.
In the May election, Norbert Hofer of the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) narrowly lost by just 31,000 votes to independent ecologist Alexander Van der Bellen.
If he wins this time, Hofer would become Europe's first far-right head of state since 1945.
The role of Austria's president is largely ceremonial but not entirely. He or she can in theory sack the government - something that Hofer has in the past threatened he would do.
Source: telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/13/austrian-cardinal-tipped-to-be-the-next-pope-warns-of-an-islamic/
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India
Taliban Warns India against Giving Military Aid to Afghanistan
September 14, 2016
The Afghanistan Taliban has come out in the open to challenge India’s growing military aid to Afghanistan and warned it to stop providing any lethal aid to the already war-torn nation.
The Islamic insurgent group in a statement issued on Sunday said that India is aggravating the plight of Afghanistan by supplying war equipment and aircraft. This aid, according to the Taliban, is used by the Afghan air force to kill the people of the country and cause damage to the infrastructure.
Taliban’s warning comes months after India provided Afghanistan with three Russia-made Mi-25 fighter helicopters to assist fighting insurgents.
Interestingly, the statement by the Taliban comes right ahead of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s visit to New Delhi on 14 September. During this visit, he is expected to seek an increase in India’s military assistance to Afghanistan.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson of Taliban, on Sunday said, “We call on India to stop exporting items of killing and destruction to Afghanistan and to stop efforts of prolonging the lifespan of this corrupt regime with its military aid,” in a statement quoted by The News International.
He also cited the example of the recent violence in northern Kunduz to show how Afghan forces have been using these helicopters to propagate hatred in the country.
Source: thequint.com/world/2016/09/13/taliban-warns-india-ahead-of-afghan-president-ashraf-ghanis-visit-for-giving-military-aid-to-afghanistan
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Finally, India Opens Up To Islamic Finance
September 13 2016
After a long and politically motivated period of resistance against the introduction of an Islamic finance regulation framework in India, the country is now finally opening up to join the global Islamic finance club. The Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank, made a proposal in its annual report issued two weeks ago to introduce such a framework. The move came after former governor Raghuram Rajan handed over the reins to economist Urjit Patel who is said to have a more inclusive approach towards the banking sector in India.
“Some sections of Indian society have remained financially excluded for religious reasons that preclude them from using banking products with an element of interest,” the central bank’s proposal says, adding that “towards mainstreaming these excluded sections, it is proposed to explore the modalities of introducing interest-free banking products in the country in consultation with the government.”
Islamic finance has developed slowly in a country with the world’s largest Muslim minority in numbers, namely 180mn people, owing to opposition from officials and politicians from the ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. However, the resistance grew weaker over the past years as India felt the heat of the various crises of the global conventional banking system and also sought ways to tackle widespread financial exclusion of the Muslim population.
In 2015, the central bank recommended to allow Islamic banking windows at conventional banks to offer Shariah-compliant finance vehicles such as murabaha to explore the potential of Islamic finance. It also suggested that Islamic finance could be offered through non-banking channels such as investment funds or lending cooperatives.
Full report at: gulf-times.com/story/512685/Finally-India-opens-up-to-Islamic-finance
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India To Discuss ‘Pak-Sponsored Terrorism’ With Russia, US
Sep 13, 2016
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans to send his Home Minister Rajnath Singh to Russia and the US later this month mainly to discuss Pakistan’s cross-border terrorism and the growing influence of Islamic State (IS) terror outfit in South Asia.
The Modi government has confirmed Singh’s visit to the two countries, saying in a statement that the minister will highlight the issue of Pakistan sponsoring terrorism in India and New Delhi’s efforts to counter activities of Pakistani and IS terrorists in the region. According to the statement, the Indian minister will arrive in Russia on September 18 for a five-day visit. During his stay in Moscow, Singh will also discuss issues related to bilateral anti-terror co-operation with Russian Minister for Internal Affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsev.
The Indian home minister will begin a seven-day US visit on September 26. In Washington, Singh will take part in the Indo-US Homeland Security Dialogue with his American counterpart Jeh Charles Johnson. The Dialogue will give the visiting minister an opportunity to discuss steps taken by India to counter Pakistan-sponsored terrorism with the US official.
Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi on Monday, a senior Home Ministry official said: “In both the bilateral visits to Russia and the US, the home minister will highlight Pakistan’s direct involvement in cross-border terrorism and growing activities of the Middle East terror group in India and its neighbourhood.” According to the official, the home minister will urge his Russian and US counterparts to share intelligence inputs with India and boost bilateral anti-terror co-operation.
Full report at: inserbia.info/today/2016/09/india-to-discuss-pak-sponsored-terrorism-with-russia-us/
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SC rejects plea to stop central funds for Kashmiri 'separatists'
Sep 14, 2016
New Delhi: The Supreme Court+ today not only dismissed a PIL that sought to stop Central funds and security being given to 'separatists' in Kashmir, it also slammed a lawyer for calling Hurriyat leaders 'separatists' and refused to use that term in its order.
"It's a matter of perception. Has the government declared them separatists? The conduct of a man may not be to the liking of others and (so) they call him separatist, but you can't use that term in court," a Supreme Court bench of Justices Dipak Misra and UU Lalit said.
The PIL filed on September 8 said that more than Rs 100 crore is spent - for foreign travel, security and other expenses - on separatists by the government. On top of that, the PIL said, the separatists then misuse the money for anti-India activities+ .
To that, the apex court today said the judiciary cannot examine what funds are given to whom+ , when it comes to managing the situation in a sensitive state like Jammu and Kashmir. It added that any security cover given by a government to a citizen who faces threats, is completely within the domain of the executive.
"Security issues cannot be handled through judicial proceedings and courts must desist (from) entertaining such issues," the bench chastised ML Sharma, a lawyer who filed the plea in his personal capacity.
The court's comments seem like an about-turn from the ones it made on September 8 when it decided on which date to hear the PIL. At the time, the court said it felt the same as the petitioner who filed the PIL to stop funding the so-called separatists+ .Top Comment
As I have said before, Indian judiciary has become reactionary. What SC will call to those people who want to separate from India ? It is the same SC which will jump on government, if, government sto... Read More
"We also share the same feeling. Everybody sitting here feels the same" the country's top court said, according to ANI, to the petitioner ML Sharma.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Cant-use-term-separatist-in-court-Supreme-Court-says-rejecting-plea-to-stop-central-funds-for-Kashmiri-separatists/articleshow/54326883.cms
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Muslim Leaders Denounce Call for Telangana Liberation Day
Sep 14, 2016
Hyderabad: Muslim leaders denounced the Bharatiya Janata Party's call for celebrating Telangana Liberation Day and said that the move was to divide communities and incite communal feelings in the state.
Majlis Bachao Tahreek spokesperson and former Azampura corporator Amjedullah Khan said that the celebrations would evoke hurtful memories of the "Police Action", officially known as Operation Polo, in which thousands of Muslims were killed. "Pandit Sundar Lal Committee, which visited the Marathwada, Bidar and Gulbarga regions during in November and December 1948, not only confirmed the massacre but gave a detailed account of how Muslims were looted, raped and butchered. No government, either at the Centre or State, have ever expressed regret or apologised for the massacre," he said.
The MBT leader also said that several Muslims living along the borders of the erstwhile Nizam's dominions were who lost their loved ones were displaced on account of the Police Action and sought refuge in the city. Many lost their means of livelihood. "It will be inhuman to expect them to "celebrate" the killing of their loved ones," he said.
State Minorities Commission chairman Abid Rasool Khan too spoke against the liberation day and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of trying to "excite" people so as to isolate the minorities. "The Telangana Liberation Day has been a BJP agenda for a long time. They use Razakars to hide the sacrifice of Muslims who have fought for independence and for the Telangana cause. The country is being divided in the name of beef and water and instead of applying balm, they are picking on scabs," he said.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Muslim-leaders-denounce-call-for-liberation-day/articleshow/54320469.cms
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Southeast Asia
Indonesian Clerics Issue Fatwa against Forest Fires
14 SEPTEMBER 2016
JAKARTA: Indonesia’s top Islamic clerical body said Wednesday it has issued a fatwa against intentionally starting forest fires in a bid to stop the blazes that cloak Southeast Asia in haze every year. The religious edict by the Indonesian Ulema Council said it was “haram“, or against Islamic law, for Muslims to start fires on purpose in forests or on plantation land. “The Koran states that we are not allowed to harm the environment, and forest burning causes damage not only to the environment but also to people’s health – even neighbouring countries are complaining,” Huzaemah Tahido Yanggo, head of the body’s fatwa council, told AFP. The fires and subsequent smog occur annually to varying degrees in the archipelago’s Sumatra island and the Indonesian part of Borneo during the dry season, and are started to quickly and cheaply clear land for palm oil and pulpwood plantations. The blazes last year were among the worst in memory and cloaked large parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in choking smog for weeks. Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar welcomed the fatwa and said she hoped Islamic preachers would spread news of it to local communities: “The most important follow-up is communicating it to the public.” Fatwas have no legal force and are aimed at encouraging the devout in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country against taking a certain course of action. But it remained unclear whether the latest edict, issued Tuesday, would have any practical effect in the sprawling archipelago of more than 17,000 islands and 255 million inhabitants. The council has previously issued fatwas to protect the environment, including one against the illegal hunting and trade in endangered animals in the biodiverse country, which environmentalists said was the world’s first. The move by the clerics follows efforts by Jakarta to prevent a repeat of last year’s haze disaster. Authorities plan to stop granting new land concessions for palm oil plantations, and have established a new agency to restore millions of hectares of carbon-rich peatlands susceptible to fires. The blazes have not been as serious this year with Singapore so far suffering just one day of serious haze, although it is unclear whether that is due to official efforts or a late rainy season.
Source: nst.com.my/news/2016/09/172987/indonesian-clerics-issue-fatwa-against-forest-fires
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Indonesia Captures Top Militant in New Blow to Santoso Group
Sep 14, 2016
A senior figure from the East Indonesia Mujahideen militant group has been captured and one of the group's members killed in a joint operation with the military, Indonesian police said.
The capture of Muhammad Basri on Wednesday is another blow to the militant group, based in the jungles of Central Sulawesi province. The group's leader, Santoso, who was Indonesia's most wanted Islamic radical, was killed by security forces in a shootout in July.
Basri was Santoso's deputy and may have assumed leadership of the group's dwindling ranks following Santoso's death. It claims allegiance to the Islamic State group.
The capacity of Indonesia's militant groups to carry out deadly attacks has been significantly weakened by a sustained crackdown following the Bali bombings in 2002 that killed 202 people, mostly foreigners.
But Indonesians who traveled to Syria to fight with IS have directed and funded attacks from abroad, including a suicide bombing and gun attack in Jakarta in January that killed eight people, including four militants.
National Police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar said the man shot dead Wednesday near Poso Pesisir village in Poso district of Sulawesi was Andika Eka Putra.
He said police and military forces are still searching for the remaining 13 members of the East Indonesia Mujahideen group, including Ali Kalora, who is believed to have a key role.
"We are grateful that Basri, our important target after Santoso, was captured alive," said National Police Chief Tito Karnavian. "This arrest will improve security in Poso."
Karnavian said that Basri will be flown to Jakarta for further questioning.
About 2,500 security personnel, including elite army troops, intensified operations this year in Poso, a mountainous district of Central Sulawesi province considered an extremist hotbed, to try and capture Santoso and his followers.
Source: abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/indonesia-captures-top-militant-blow-santoso-group-42075690
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Islamic State terrorist trial in Jakarta gives insights into supporter recruitment and Indonesian targets
14/09/16
Proceedings in the East Jakarta District Court have provided an insight into the recruitment of Islamic State supporters, their bomb-making skills and directions they receive from leaders in Syria.
The court heard how the defendant, 31-year-old Arif Hidayatulloh, cemented his radical views during sermons at mosques in and near the capital Jakarta.
In 2015, at the Al Fatah mosque in Menteng, the affluent suburb where the Australian ambassador lives, he attended twice-weekly, pro-Islamic State sermons where the university graduate and car manufacturing employee became interested in jihad and dying as a martyr.
His lawyer Muamar Kadafi, however, argued to the court that the witnesses in the case were weak.
"The connection between my client is not as solid as accused by the prosecutor, so the prosecutor should not request as high as an eight-year sentence," Mr Kadafi said.
Hidayatulloh is also known as Abu Mus'ab and was arrested on December 23 last year after being pulled over for a traffic offence.
He was later charged with crimes relating to faking a car registration, planning to make a car bomb, assisting Indonesians to travel to Syria and money laundering.
The court heard that along with at least six suspects, he planned to attack foreigners in Indonesia, although locations for the planned attacks were not disclosed.
Other targets included the Governor of Jakarta, who is a Christian, high-ranking police officers and members of the Jewish and Shia communities in Bogor, south of Jakarta.
According to police, the defendant was receiving his orders from Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian Islamic State leader in Syria.
They communicated via the mobile phone app, Telegram.
The court heard Naim would send the defendant and other members of his cell instructions on how to make bombs, by using substances like hydrogen peroxide and ball bearings.
In September last year, Hidayatulloh said he received a message from Naim which stated in part, "let's do an attack soon".
The Jakarta bombings, which police originally linked Naim, occurred in January this year.
The prosecutor in the case cannot be named but told the court the evidence against the defendant was clear.
"He had an evil conspiracy to commit terrorism," the prosecutor told the court.
"Through hiding, using or exporting firearms, ammunition or explosives for the purpose of terrorism."
The court also heard money was allegedly transferred from Syria into accounts in Indonesia by Naim.
Source: abc.net.au/news/2016-09-14/islamic-state-terrorist-trial-in-jakarta/7842654
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Arab World
ISIS ‘Celebrates Eid’ By Hanging ‘US Spies’ From Meat Hooks and ‘Butchering Them’
14 Sep 2016
On a day when the world celebrated Eid al-Adha and nations across the globe, including India and Bangladesh that witnessed the tragic Kashmir violence and Dhaka attacks, talked about communal harmony and peace, ISIS released a new execution video in which they hung prisoners upside down from meat hooks and ‘butchered them like sheep’.
In the sickening 12-minute video, men accused of being ‘US spies’ are filmed having their throat cut in a slaughter house in Deir ez-Zor in north-eastern Syria.
The video, named ‘The Making of Illusion’ was released on the first day of the Muslim holy time Eid al-Adha and includes short clips showing actors Simon Pegg and Tom Cruise in the movie Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.
According to reports, the video footage has been used by ISIS to mock foreign intelligence services.
Abu Mohammed, founder of a human rights group, described the video as the ‘worst video ever’ and that humans were ‘butchered like sheep’.
The video shows prisoners hanging upside down by their feet from meat hooks with their throats cut while other awaiting execution are hoisted up in the same position.
The 12-minute video also features images of past ISIS executions as well as recent terror atrocities.
According to Islam, during Eid al-Adha, also known as the ‘Feast of Sacrifice’, livestock is slaughtered and one-third of the meat is distributed to the poor.
Source: indiatvnews.com/news/world-isis-celebrates-eid-by-hanging-us-spies-from-meat-hooks-and-butchering-them-like-sheep-348030
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Several Terrorist Commanders Killed in Failed Attacks on Syrian Army Positions
September 14, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Syrian Army troops beat back attacks of Fatah al-Sham (formerly known as the al-Nusra) Front in Quneitra in Southwestern Syria, killing at least 45 militants, including five commanders.
Commander of Ansar al-Islam Brigade Abu Khalid al-Zo'abi, Commander of al-Forqan Brigade Mohammad al-Omari, Commander of Beit al-Moqadas Group Abu Islamak, Commander of Jund al-Molahem group Abu Mojahed, Top Commander of Fatah al-Sham's affiliated groups Ahmad Mohammad al-Khabi, nom de guerre Abu Qatadeh, were among the terrorist killed in their unsuccessful attacks on the government forces' positions near the Golan Heights and Tal al-Ahmar.
In the meantime, two tanks, a BMP vehicle, machinegun-equipped vehicles, several canons and a missile launch-pad of Fatah al-Sham were also destroyed in the battle.
Meantime on Tuesday, Syrian Army troops repelled Jeish al-Fatah's attacks on their positions in two key regions in Northern Quneitra, inflicting tens of casualties on the militants.
The Syrian army fended off attacks of Jeish al-Fatah in the regions of al-Serriyeh 4 and Tal Ahmar, killing or wounding dozens of terrorists.
In the meantime, Syrian soldiers clashed fiercely with terrorists near the small towns of Saraya Hadher, Toranjeh, al-Amel farms in Quneitra countryside, leaving 36 militants dead including three field commanders.
Also, eight non-Syrian terrorists of Fatah al-Sham were killed and 65 more were wounded in battle with army.
Fatah al-Sham's machineguns, vehicles and mortar launching-pads were also destroyed in the clashes.
Source: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950624000753
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ISIL Spokesman Gunned Down by Unknown Assailants in Mosul
September 14, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Informed sources announced on Wednesday that the official spokesman of the ISIL terrorist group in Mosul in Northern Nineveh was shot dead by unknown attackers.
"ISIL's Spokesman in Mosul Abu Isaac was driving his car in Central Mosul when a group of three gunmen ambushed him and opened fire on his car, killing Abu Isaac and two of his bodyguards," the sources said.
"Abu Isaac was transferred to the al-Adli hospital in Central Mosul, but he was already dead," they further added.
On Tuesday, the ISIL terrorist group executed over half a dozen Iraqi citizens in Nineveh province by putting them in iron cages and submerging them in water.
"A sum of 8 Iraqi civilians were arrested in al-Douse district in the center of the city of Mosul on charges of spying for the government and Peshmerga forces and were later submerged in iron cages," a local source said.
The ISIL terrorists recorded the scenes as they were killing the 8 as they were caught in iron cages.
Source: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950624000715
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Iraqi Forces Take Control of 386 Houses in Anbar Province's Key Regions
September 14, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iraq's joint military forces seized back tens of houses in two strategic regions of Anbar province.
The Iraqi army and volunteer forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) took control of 386 homes in al-Halabeseh and al-Boutiban regions in Anbar province.
The government forces also seized a sum of 25 hand-made bombs from the ISIL in al-Halabeseh region.
Last Tuesday, the Iraqi government announced that at least 100 ISIL terrorists, including a number of top commanders, were killed in Anbar province as the Iraqi Air Force carried out a number of airstrikes against their positions.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry announced that an F-16 fighter jet, after analyzing field intelligence, conducted 11 airstrikes against the targets in five separate districts of Qa'im, Akashat, Anah, Rawa and Rutbah on Tuesday.
According to the statement, the Iraqi warplane killed a top Saudi commander of the ISIL, originally from Jeddah, who was responsible for the execution of a number of Iraqi people.
The air raids also destroyed a large amount of the terrorists’ ammunition, weapons and explosive devices.
Army troops and volunteer forces have been engaged in joint operations to retake ISIL-held regions in Iraq.
Source: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950624000765
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Iraqi Forces Liberate Key Al-Harariyat Region in Salahuddin
September 14, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iraq's joint military forces in their new round of military operations against the ISIL terrorists in Salahuddin province managed to win back a strategic region.
The Iraqi army and volunteer forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) are now in full control of al-Harariyat region near the city of Beiji.
The Iraqi forces have started fresh military operations against the ISIL terrorists in the Eastern part of Salahuddin province and the surrounding areas of Hamrin mountain.
On Tuesday, the Iraqi Army troops and popular forces repelled ISIL's offensives on government positions in Southeastern Nineveh, claiming the lives of at least 100 terrorists, a provincial official said Tuesday.
"At least 100 ISIL members were killed and many more were wounded in unsuccessful attacks of the Takfiri group on the government positions in al-Qayyara," Provincial Official Saleh al-Jabouri said, adding, "ISIL attacked al-Qayyara from their directions, but were pushed back by the strong defense of the Iraqi army soldiers."
"The Iraqi forces captured four terrorists, killed seven suicide attackers and destroyed their weapons and ammunition and military vehicles in the battlefield," he added.
Reports said earlier on Tuesday that the ISIL terrorist group executed over half a dozen Iraqi citizens in Nineveh province by putting them in iron cages and submerging them in water.
"A sum of 8 Iraqi civilians were arrested in al-Douse district in the center of the city of Mosul on charges of spying for the government and Peshmerga forces and were later submerged in iron cages," a local source said.
The ISIL terrorists recorded the scenes as they were killing the 8 as they were caught in iron cages.
Source: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950624000706
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IRGC Navy Commander Asks US to Leave Persian Gulf
September 14, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi called on the US navy to take back home its forces deployed in the Persian Gulf to prevent any possible confrontation.
"The Americans' presence in the Persian Gulf region is the reason for insecurity and they should terminate it; their presence is the root cause of their unprofessional behavior and they should end this issue honorably to prevent any problem," Fadavi said on Wednesday.
He underlined that the IRGC Navy's measures and its intelligence superiority over the region have prevented the occurrence of any problem and confrontation between the two sides in the Persian Gulf region.
His remarks came one day after Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Second Naval Zone General Ali Razmjou announced that the IRGC Navy has launched a high-speed vessel capable of carrying military helicopters.
"Today, Shahid Nazeri speed vessel which can sail long journeys joined the IRGC Navy," General Razmjou told reporters in the Southern city of Bushehr.
He said that the round-the-clock relentless efforts of the Iranian experts and engineers have paved the way for launching the state-of-the-art vessel with the capability to navigate in roaring waters as well as landing and taking off of the military helicopters which is another achievement for the defense sector.
"The IRGC Navy has always made advancements and made valuable successes and under the current conditions it has made the Islamic Republic of Iran stronger by making use of modern technology and equipment as well as high missile, defense and deterrence power," General Razmjou added.
Shahid Nazeri vessel is capable of conducting operations in tidy waters and carry 100 military personnel and military helicopters.
In May, Rear Admiral Fadavi declared that the IRGC has done all the necessary tests and will soon launch mass-production of modern speedboats that cruise at a speed of 80 knots (148 kilometers) per hour.
"We have been able to increase the speed of our military vessels which are equipped with missiles and torpedoes up to 80 knots and this speed was tested late winter and now we are after mass-producing them," Fadavi said in an interview with the state-run TV.
"This is while the speed more than 35 knots is a dream for the world naval forces and the US vessels can cruise at a maximum speed of 31 knots," he added.
Source: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950624000538
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Iran, Russia Further Bolstering Regional Cooperation
September 14, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari underlined increasing cooperation between Tehran and Moscow on regional issues.
"The positive effects of the two countries' cooperation in the region are becoming more visible day by day and this cooperation is developing and expanding in different aspects," Jaberi Ansari said in a meeting with Director of the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISS) Leonid Reshetnikov in Moscow on Tuesday afternoon.
Reshetnikov, for his part, stressed Iran and Russia's abundant commonalities and their common enemies and rivals, and said, "We are interested in the expansion of research cooperation with Iranian sides."
In relevant remarks in August, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi underlined the strategic ties between Tehran and Moscow, and said both countries share the same views over war on ISIL and terrorism in the region.
"Relations between Iran and Russia are strategic," Qassemi told reporters in a press conference in Tehran.
"Iran and Russia enjoy similar views over campaign against the ISIL and terrorism in the region and security is important to us and we don’t spare any efforts to maintain the country's security," he added.
Also last month, a prominent Russian analyst said that Tehran and Moscow are intensifying efforts to destroy terrorism in the region based on their increasingly strategic relations and cooperation.
"There is no doubt that the relations between Iran and Russia are strategic. This type of ties is naturally long-term and even permanent and pursue multi-dimensional and complicated goals," Alexnader Paranjiov, a professor at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, told FNA.
"One of these complicated goals is suppression and destruction of major terrorist groups and bringing peace and order back to Syria," he added.
Noting that Iran and Russia's second target is settlement of the regional differences and helping the establishment of peace and stability in the region, Paranjiov said that another important goal pursued by both countries is maintaining their national security.
Source: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950624000459
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Iranian Parliament Advisor Raps US for Protecting MKO Terrorists
September 14, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Senior Advisor to the Iranian Parliament Speaker Hossein Amir Abdollahian blasted US Secretary of State John Kerry for being honored by providing security to the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO, also known as the MEK, PMOI and NCR) terrorist group.
"On one hand, the White House speaks of efforts to establish ceasefire in Aleppo in a bid to rescue the terrorists who are under the Syrian army's siege, and on the other hand, it speaks of providing security for the terrorist Monafeqin (hypocrites, as the MKO members are called in Iran)," Amir Abdollahian said on Wednesday in reaction to Kerry's remarks and his boasting about rescuing the MKO terrorists in Iraq.
While people in Syria and Iraq are suffering from the insecurity created by the terrorists, Kerry proudly speaks of providing security to the MKO terrorists, he added.
Amir Abdollahian underlined that a review of the US behavior in the region, specially Syria, proves that the country has not taken any positive steps in fighting the terrorist groups.
Last Friday, the last 280 members of the MKO terrorist group were moved out of Camp Liberty in Iraq to Albania.
After their transferring to Tirana, Kerry said that "their departure concludes a significant American diplomatic initiative that has assured the safety of more than 3,000 MEK (MKO) members whose lives have been under threat".
The MKO, founded in the 1960s, blended elements of Islamism and Stalinism and participated in the overthrow of the US-backed Shah of Iran in 1979. Ahead of the revolution, the MKO conducted attacks and assassinations against both Iranian and western targets.
The group started assassination of the citizens and officials after the revolution in a bid to take control of the newly-established Islamic Republic. It killed several of Iran's new leaders in the early years after the revolution, including the then President, Mohammad Ali Rajayee, Prime Minister, Mohammad Javad Bahonar and the Judiciary Chief, Mohammad Hossein Beheshti who were killed in bomb attacks by the MKO members in 1981.
The group fled to Iraq in 1986, where it was protected by Saddam Hussein and where it helped the Iraqi dictator suppress Shiite and Kurd uprisings in the country.
The terrorist group joined Saddam's army during the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988) and helped Saddam and killed thousands of Iranian civilians and soldiers during the US-backed Iraqi imposed war on Iran.
Since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, the group, which now adheres to a pro-free-market philosophy, has been strongly backed by neo-conservatives in the United States, who argued for the MKO to be taken off the US terror list.
The US formally removed the MKO from its list of terror organizations in early September, one week after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent the US Congress a classified communication about the move. The decision made by Clinton enabled the group to have its assets under the US jurisdiction unfrozen and do business with the American entities, the State Department said in a statement at the time.
In September 2012, the last groups of the MKO terrorists left Camp Ashraf, their main training center in Iraq's Diyala province. They have been transferred to Camp Liberty. Hundreds of the MKO terrorists have now been sent to Europe, where their names were taken off the blacklist even two years before the US.
The MKO has assassinated over 12,000 Iranians in the last 4 decades. The terrorist group had even killed large numbers of Americans and Europeans in several terror attacks before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Some 17,000 Iranians have lost their lives in terror attacks in the 35 years after the Revolution.
Rumors were confirmed earlier this month about the death of MKO ringleader, Massoud Rajavi, as a former top Saudi intelligence official disclosed in a gaffe during an address to his followers.
Rajavi's death was revealed after Turki al-Faisal who was attending the MKO annual gathering in Paris made a gaffe and spoke of the terrorist group's ringleader as the "late Rajavi" twice.
Faced with Faisal's surprising gaffe, Rajavi's wife, Maryam, changed her happy face with a complaining gesture and cued the interpreter to be watchful of translation words and exclude the gaffe from the Persian translation.
Source: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950624000412
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Syrian Army Fends off Terrorists' Attacks in Northern Hama
September 14, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The terrorist groups violated the ceasefire in Syria and stormed government forces' positions in two different regions in Northern Hama.
The Syrian military forces repelled terrorist groups' offensives on their positions Southwest of Taybat al-Imam and in the Northern side of Kowkab, inflicting heavy casualties on them.
A tank, three machinegun-equipped vehicles and two mortar launch-pads of the terrorist groups were destroyed in the failed attacks.
On Monday and before the ceasefire went into effect, the Syrian army and air force pounded the military positions of the terrorist groups in Hama province, inflicting heavy losses on the militants.
The terrorists of Ajnad al-Qoqaz and Jund al-Aqsa came under attack by the Syrian army helicopters in the surrounding areas of the town of Kowkab in the Northern part of Hama province, sustaining heavy losses.
The Syrian army also hit the terrorists who had entered Kowkab town with rockets as the Syrian air force also hit their military positions hard.
Source: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950624000669
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More Injured Terrorists Taken to Israeli Hospitals
September 14, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- For the second time in less than a week, over eighty wounded fighters of Fatah al-Sham (formerly know as the al-Nusra) Front were transferred from Quneitra battlefields to Israeli hospitals in the occupied Golan Heights.
Syrian Army troops repelled Fatah al-Sham's offensives on government positions in Tal al-Ahmar, leaving tens of terrorists dead and over 80 wounded.
The wounded members of Fatah al-Sham were dispatched to Israeli hospitals to be treated there.
Jeish al-Fatah terrorists were backed by the Israeli army's artillery units.
On Sunday, several Israeli ambulances entered Syria's Southern province of Quneitra and transferred those terrorists injured in clashes with Syrian Army troops to their hospitals in the occupied part of the Golan Heights.
"First, Israeli warplanes bombed Syrian government's positions near Quneitra to back the terrorists of Fatah al-Sham (the newly-formed al-Qaeda-linked terrorists group previously known as the al-Nusra Front) who had attacked the Syrian army positions to prevail over the government's position," the Arabic service of RT reported.
"After Fatah al-Sham's attacks were repelled by the Syrian soldiers, seven Israeli ambulances entered the battlefield and transferred a number of wounded terrorists to Israeli hospitals in the occupied Golan Heights," RT added.
Source: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950624000603
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Iran Rejects Talks with US on Syria, Ceasefire
September 14, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi dismissed any talks between the senior Iranian and US officials on the ceasefire in Syria, which took effect on Monday.
"Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and US Secretary of State John Kerry have not discussed the ceasefire in Syria, which was brokered by Russia and the United States," Qassemi said.
He reiterated that Tehran and Washington have not talked and will not talk about the regional issues.
The truce deal was announced on Friday following intensive talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart.
The seven-day ceasefire took effect Monday.
On Sunday, Iran welcomed the Russia-US-mediated ceasefire agreement in Syria, saying, “The Islamic Republic of Iran always welcomes a ceasefire in Syria and the facilitation of the access of all the country's people to humanitarian aid."
The agreement's initial objectives include allowing humanitarian access and joint Moscow-Washington attacks against militant groups, which are not covered by the agreement, including the ISIL and Fatah al-Sham Front (formerly known as al-Nusra Front).
The truce is the second attempt this year by Washington and Moscow to halt the war in Syria which started in March 2011.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. Over the past few months, the terrorists active in the Arab country have suffered major setbacks as the Syrian army has managed to liberate several areas.
Source: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950624000521
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Europe
Austrian cardinal tipped to be the next pope warns of an 'Islamic conquest of Europe'
14 SEPTEMBER 2016
An Austrian cardinal who is one of the frontrunners to be the next pope has warned of an "Islamic conquest of Europe".
According to reports of his speech to mark the 333rd anniversary of the Battle of Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn said: "Will there be an Islamic conquest of Europe? Many Muslims want that and say: Europe is at its end."
“God have mercy on Europe and on thy people, who are in danger of forfeiting our Christian heritage,” the cardinal reportedly prayed.
He claimed that this was already being felt "not only economically, but above all, in human and religious matters".
The speech was made on Sunday at the "Holy Name of Mary" church festival, which marked the 333rd anniversary of the Battle of Vienna in 1683 in which Christian forces defeated the Ottoman Empire army.
Cardinal Schönborn, 71, is a conservative who was a former student of Pope Benedict XVI - and has even been referred to as the former pope's "spritual son".
Last year, the Austrian parliament adopted legislation amending laws on Muslim organisations to ban foreign sources of financing and require imams to be able to speak German.
The law aims to promote what conservative Integration Minister Sebastian Kurz called an "Islam of European character", by muting the influence of foreign Muslim nations and organisations, but giving Austrian Muslims more legal security in practising their faith.
In April this year, the parliament passed a controversial, hardline new law to restrict the right of asylum, allowing authorities to reject most claimants at the border.
The government is now able to declare a "state of emergency" over the migrant crisis and limit any successful asylum claim to three years.
Austria's main political parties on Tuesday proposed holding the country's presidential election re-run on December 4, after it was delayed because of a problem with the glue on postal votes.
The last election result from May was annulled after Austria's highest court in July upheld the narrowly defeated far-right's claims of procedural irregularities.
And in a fresh twist, the government was on Monday forced to postpone October's planned re-run after it emerged that the envelopes for postal votes were not sticky enough, meaning they could easily be reopened.
In the May election, Norbert Hofer of the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) narrowly lost by just 31,000 votes to independent ecologist Alexander Van der Bellen.
If he wins this time, Hofer would become Europe's first far-right head of state since 1945.
The role of Austria's president is largely ceremonial but not entirely. He or she can in theory sack the government - something that Hofer has in the past threatened he would do.
Source: telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/13/austrian-cardinal-tipped-to-be-the-next-pope-warns-of-an-islamic/
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Anti-Muslim Dutch leader Wilders says upset that Turkey coup attempt failed
14 SEPTEMBER 2016
Dutch anti-Muslim leader Geert Wilders said he was upset about the failure of the July 15 coup attempt in Turkey, claiming any military regime is better than President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Speaking in a special session in Parliament on Tuesday, Dutch lawmakers discussed the foiled coup that killed 240 people. The Party for Freedom (PVV) chair Wilders' controversial remarks against the elected government turned the session into a heated argument about democratic values.
Wilders drew immediate reaction from Sybrand van Haersma Buma,the leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal Party, after saying "It was unfortunate that the July 15 coup did not succeed."
Buma said: "This is a place where we represent democracy and Erdoğan is an elected leader whether we like it or not. The coup attempts was made against an elected government, what were you expecting to see if succeeded?"
Wilders said he would love to see a world without Erdoğan and claimed that the real coup was conducted by the Turkish president himself and it was still going on.
"Any military regime is better that Erdoğan as a leader," the Dutch lawmaker said.
Wilders said the first official visit from European countries to Turkey following the September 12, 1980 coup was paid by Christian Democratic Party of the Netherlands and accused Buma of being a "hypocrite".
However, with the exception of Wilders, all other right-wing lawmakers criticized the coup attempt, calling such attempt "unacceptable."
Many European leaders and officials condemned the coup attempt but their focuses quickly shifted to concerns about investigations as a large number of suspects were arrested or suspended from state institutions, receiving reactions from Turkish officials.
Source: dailysabah.com/europe/2016/09/14/anti-muslim-dutch-leader-wilders-says-upset-that-turkey-coup-attempt-failed
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Germany arrests three IS suspects with 'links' to Paris attackers
SEPTEMBER 14, 2016
BERLIN: German police Tuesday arrested three men with forged Syrian passports suspected of being the militant Islamic State's (IS) fighters and labelled a possible “sleeper cell” with links to the Paris attackers.
More than 200 police commandos took part in the pre-dawn raids in northern Germany to detain the men, who were suspected of either plotting an attack or awaiting orders to commit one.
The men were identified only as Mahir al-H., 17, Ibrahim M., 18, and Mohamed A., 26, in a statement issued by federal prosecutors.
They left Syria last October and travelled via Turkey and Greece -- a route used by tens of thousands of refugees and migrants -- and arrived in Germany in mid-November.
Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the three apparently used the same migrant trafficking network as several of the IS gunmen who killed 130 people in Paris in November last year.
“According to what we know so far, the investigation of the (federal criminal office) BKA points to links to the attackers of Paris from November 2015,” de Maiziere told a press conference.
“There is every reason to believe that the same trafficking group used by the Paris attackers also brought the three men who were arrested to Germany,” he said, adding that their forged travel documents came from “the same workshop”.
He said German police had monitored the men for months and tapped their phones, meaning that at no stage was there a risk of an attack.
'Awaiting instructions
Prosecutors said in their statement that Mahir al-H. had joined IS in its de facto capital of Raqqa, Syria by September 2015 and received some weapons and explosives training.
The following month, all three men had pledged to travel to Europe in talks with an IS fighter who was “in charge of missions and attacks” outside of the Syria-Iraq region where the group has its self-proclaimed caliphate.
In Europe, “the three accused were meant to either execute a mission or await further instructions,” the prosecution service said in the statement, adding that no evidence of “concrete orders or instructions” had been found.
The men had received mobile phones and four-figure cash sums in US dollars, as well as the fake passports, from IS, the statement said.
They were detained at three refugee shelters in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein by more than 200 commandos of the federal police, BKA and police forces of several states.
Police also raided several other asylum seeker shelters, Die Welt daily said.
Warrants for their arrest had been issued by a federal judge on September 7, based in part on intelligence provided by Germany's domestic security agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
In July, Germany suffered two bloody attacks claimed by IS, which were carried out by migrants.
German authorities have urged the public not to confuse migrants and “terrorists,” but have acknowledged that more militants may have entered the country among the around one million asylum seekers who arrived last year.
De Maiziere also said “it would be wrong to place refugees under general suspicion”.
“Security forces have repeatedly received tip-offs of individual terrorists or sympathisers among the refugees ... but most of these have turned out not to be true. “
Source: dawn.com/news/1283879/germany-arrests-three-is-suspects-with-links-to-paris-attackers
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Mideast
Erdoğan says there is still a 'long way to go' in anti-Gülen fight
September 14, 2016
The government has covered significant ground in the fight against the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ) but there is still a long way to go, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, vowing further measures against the organization, which is blamed for Turkey’s failed coup attempt of July 15.
“We must make this so-called FETÖ terror organization unable to betray our nation again, along with all of its elements. We are waging this struggle in all our institutions. We have covered significant ground so far but there is still a lot of ground to cover,” Erdoğan said during an Eid al-Adha holiday ceremony in Istanbul on Sept. 13.
The president also claimed that the attempted takeover was not the end of what he called a “great plot,” but only one phase.
“Those who participated in the coup attempt are certainly members of the FETÖ terror organization. But we know that there is a greater plot. July 15 was not the finale of this plot; it was just a phase of it,” Erdoğan said, suggesting that this “plot” extended to other Muslim countries around the world.
Erdoğan also likened the actions of FETÖ to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the country’s eastern and southeastern regions, where 24 trustees were appointed to mayors’ offices to replace the previous mayors removed over alleged PKK links.
“The continuation of [the] Dec. 17-25, 2013, [graft probe] betrayal and the ditch digging actions which the PKK launched in some of our districts in the southeast are the same. The continuation of those actions was [the] July 15 [coup attempt]. Some municipalities directed by the PKK actively took part in the ditch digging actions and the bloody attacks of the terror organization,” Erdoğan said.
He also reiterated that those who were elected mayors but through unlawful acts supported terror would certainly face judicial action.
“Those people who were supporting organizations instead of doing municipal work and using the nation’s facilities and the authority given to them by the public in that direction were actually not mayors. Being elected does not give anyone the right and authority to use facilities in their hands to benefit terror organizations. There is no obstacle in putting the same will forward in other municipalities for both the PKK and FETÖ, especially in metropolitan municipalities,” Erdoğan said, adding the judicial system would prevail over mayors who supported terror organizations instead of providing services and that they would be held accountable for their actions.
Source: hurriyetdailynews.com/erdogan-says-there-is-still-a-long-way-to-go-in-anti-gulen-fight.aspx?pageID=238&nID=103861&NewsCatID=338
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Turks want post-coup attempt political thaw to continue: Poll
September 14, 2016
An overwhelming majority of Turkish citizens support a continuation of the relative thaw in the country’s politics in the aftermath of the failed July 15 coup attempt, according to the results of a new poll.
The survey by polling company Pollmark, conducted with 3,000 people across the country between Aug. 12 and Aug. 18, showed that 90.1 percent of Turks are happy with the warm relations between opposition parties, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and want a reconciliation process between the parties to continue. The supporters of reconciliation were 97 percent among AKP supporters and 84 percent among supporters of opposition parties.
According to the same poll, 88.2 percent of Turks agreed that “the July 15 coup attempt was made by a group within the Turkish military linked to Fethullah Gülen,” the U.S.-based Islamic preacher whose followers are accused of masterminding the coup attempt.
Commenting on the poll results, AKP lawmaker Ertan Aydın, who also owns Pollmark, said Turkish citizens had heralded “the start of a new political era by stopping the coup attempt.”
“It is now essential to build a political code and social contract free of paranoia, in which all sides keep their cards open, no one bluffs anyone else, and everyone can express their thoughts and values in public without fear,” Aydın said.
He added that this could be guaranteed by the preparation of a new constitution with broad participation and agreement.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/turks-want-post-coup-attempt-political-thaw-to-continue-poll.aspx?PageID=238&NID=103859&NewsCatID=338
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US ambassador is ‘not a governor of Turkey,’ says Turkish FM
September 14, 2016
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has slammed the recent statement by the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, saying the U.S. ambassador in Turkey “is not a governor.”
“Some statements, especially coming from our allies, make us sad at a time when we are fighting against terrorism,” Çavuşoğlu said on Sept. 13 in his hometown Antalya.
“No elected official can be untouchable if they are aiding terrorists,” he added.
The U.S. Embassy on Sept. 11 released a statement on its website expressing concern about a government decision to replace 24 mayors in Turkey’s east and southeast with trustees, calling for early local elections as soon as possible.
“First of all, the method of such an interference cannot be accepted,” Çavuşoğlu said in response.
“We voice our concerns about issues in many countries, for example the rising racism inthe U.S. The police have killed countless people in the U.S., but I don’t call my ambassador in Washington and tell him to make a statement. We voice our concerns directly to our American counterparts, this is just politeness,” he added.
The foreign minister also complained that “the Americans feel entitled to say anything.”
“None of you are the bosses of Turkey … If you want to have a strong relationship with Turkey, you will consider Turkey as an equal partner,” Çavuşoğlu said. “It is not a second-class country.”
“Your ambassadors are not governors in Turkey. They should do their jobs properly within the framework of the Vienna Conventions,” he added.
Çavuşoğlu also reiterated Ankara’s official arrest request for U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, who is accused of leading the July 15 failed coup attempt.
“[Gülen] should be extradited to face trial. All those who fled abroad who are linked to the failed coup will have to account for it eventually,” he stated.
Source: hurriyetdailynews.com/us-ambassador-is-not-a-governor-of-turkey-says-turkish-fm.aspx?pageID=238&nID=103860&NewsCatID=510
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Diyanet head to Turkey’s religious movements: Refrain from engaging in politics
September 14, 2016
The head of Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), Mehmet Görmez, has said religious movements should “refrain from engaging in politics.”
“A movement should declare the framework in which it is serving the public and should not go beyond this. For example, if it says it was formed to serve the spirit of society we should not see it get involved in international politics,” Görmez told reporters at the Hajj Administrative Center in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
“We should not see [religious movements] going beyond themselves and directly into the center of politics. We should not see them involved in trade, football or match-fixing, for example. Instead, we should see them serving the spirit of society,” he added, referring to the July 3, 2011 match-fixing probe, which Fenerbahçe chairman Aziz Yıldırım claims was a plot by the U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, believed to have orchestrated the July 15 failed coup attempt.
Saying that a meeting between the Diyanet and various religious civil movements will be held as soon as he returns to Turkey after the Hajj, Görmez noted that the Diyanet held an extraordinary three-day meeting after the failed coup attempt.
“Several mistakes have been made in evaluations after July 15. One of those mistakes was to bring all religious structures and religious movements under suspicion of treason. But we shouldn’t ignore the danger of similar mistakes emerging from other structures,” he said.
“Taking this into consideration, evaluations will be made in meetings with civilian religious structures that contribute to religious life in Turkey. I believe this is necessary,” Görmez added.
“We should take every precaution to prevent ourselves from falling for that mistake ... The solution is competence, merit, science and freedom. The solution is transparency,” he said.
The Diyanet head also said “lessons should be drawn” from the consequences of Muslim religious leaders around the world being divided.
Marking the Eid al-Adha festival, one of the two most important celebrations in the Islamic calendar, Görmez said Muslims should “feel happiness in their hearts.”
“All festivals are a time to bring love to our hearts. We should feel happiness in our hearts,” he added.
Meanwhile, Saudi King Salman said on Sept. 13 that the kingdom strictly rejected “any attempt to play politics with the Hajj.”
“The kingdom categorically refuses the idea that the Hajj serves any political purpose,” Salman said in a brief address to international VIPs attending the pilgrimage.
Source: hurriyetdailynews.com/diyanet-head-to-turkeys-religious-movements-refrain-from-engaging-in-politics-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=103883&NewsCatID=338
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Turkish police detain dozens in operation against international betting gang
September 14, 2016
Turkish police have arrested dozens and detained many others in a large-scale operation against an illegal international betting gang which obtained $1.5 million. A total of 57 people were detained in the operation, as 39 were arrested, daily Habertürk reported on Sept. 14.
The police determined that many of the members of the gang were abroad, including leaders Scott William Masterson and Veysel Şahin. According to five-month-long tracking efforts by the anti-smuggling police, Masterson and Şahin, who lead the gang based in the U.K., Turkey and Turkish Cyprus, were determined to be living in London. Masterson reportedly avoided detention in Turkey by holding meetings in customs-bonded areas.
The police will act to apprehend the fugitive suspects from the gang, including Masterson, who is one of the top managers of a legal betting company worth $400 billion in the U.K., Şahin and Şahin’s guard, Halil Falyalı, according to the report.
The Turkish Justice Ministry was preparing to send a file regarding the suspects abroad to Interpol’s Office of the Secretary General in France in order for a red notice to be issued.
Meanwhile, in the investigation carried out by the police, it was stated that youth in Turkey were becoming increasingly addicted to gambling. Some 2.5 million people bet online in Turkey and the majority of those were between the ages of 15 and 20, according to the investigation. Public service advertisements will be prepared as a precaution to deter people from gambling.
Source: hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-police-detain-dozens-in-operation-against-international-betting-gang.aspx?pageID=238&nID=103884&NewsCatID=509
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Gov’t takes measures on post-coup attempt dismissals
September 14, 2016
The Turkish government has taken measures in the dismissals of public service workers in the post-July 15 coup attempt period “in order to confine [dismissals] to those who were part of the attempt and institutions or persons who acted against national security,” Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli said in a written statement on Sept. 13, in reply to a parliamentary question filed by Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Mehmet Emin Adıyaman.
Measures taken since the July 15 coup attempt aimed “to ensure normalization as soon as possible and manage the process efficiently,” said the deputy prime minister, adding that the relevant institutions were carrying out the process studiously.
Meanwhile, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary administrator Ahmet Gündoğdu said they would reopen 51 organizations closed as part of the investigation into the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ), including institutions and associations, and 13 public servants would be allowed to return to duty.
“We cannot be free of sin if any single person is unfairly dismissed,” he said on Sept. 13 during a visit to main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputies for the occasion of Eid al-Adha.
CHP Secretary-General Kamil Okyay Sındır said opposition parties and the government should work together against the emergence of establishments within the state similar to Gülenists.
He stressed the need for fair trials in coup attempt prosecutions and warned against the “a few bad apples” excuse.
The AKP’s Öznur Çalık underscored that the struggle against members of terrorist organizations, whether they were academics, public servants or journalists who popularized terror, should be conducted within the lines of a democratic state of law.
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) deputy chair Emin Haluk Ayhan expressed pleasure with the security operations and statements by Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım on the issue.
His party was behind efforts to abolish the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and FETÖ, he said. The MHP also lent its support to the state of emergency, but the practices conducted during the state of emergency should not aggrieve people, he added.
While visiting the CHP, the HDP’s Serpil Kemalbay said, “The will of the people of the region is being ignored,” referring to the suspension of 28 mayors from across Turkey over alleged links to the PKK and FETÖ. The replacement of mayors with trustees “once more relives the Sept. 12, [1980] military coup period,” she said, adding that this practice was unacceptable.
“Hundreds of thousands of people cannot be terrorists,” she said, referring to a number of recent dismissals over alleged PKK links. The government was using the July 15 failed coup attempt to “silence the opposition,” she added.
Source: hurriyetdailynews.com/govt-takes-measures-on-post-coup-attempt-dismissals-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=103866&NewsCatID=338
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No military plan for Raqqa yet: Presidential Spokesperson Kalın
September 14, 2016
Turkey does not currently have a military plan for an assault on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadist group’s stronghold of Raqqa in Syria, Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın has said.
“What will Turkey’s answer be if the U.S. says to Turkey: ‘The PYD [the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party] will also enter Raqqa; you come too and let’s fight against ISIL together?’ We exhibited the same attitude before. We supported the cleaning of Manbij from Daesh [ISIL]. We did not join their operations but principally we said that we supported it. We had one stance which was that the PYD would not enter and stay there. The same thing also applies to Raqqa. Currently, we do not have military planning regarding Raqqa,” Kalın said in an interview with daily Habertürk, adding that Ankara was cooperating with the international coalition in the anti-ISIL fight.
However, Kalın noted there would be a broader and more cautious plan for Al Bab, another ISIL stronghold, before Raqqa.
“The method that will be followed in Al Bab and other operations is obvious. There is a certain ISIL concentration there and they have reached a certain number. Therefore, a broader and cautious plan will be realized,” he said, while noting that the date for an operation was not clear yet, as work on operational details has been ongoing.
On his way back from the G-20 Summit in China on Sept. 7, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had stated that Ankara and Washington were discussing military action on Raqqa.
“Raqqa is an important center for Daesh,” Erdoğan said. “[U.S. President Barack] Obama particularly wants to do something together [with us] about Raqqa. We have told him that this is not a problem for us,” he said.
“This is an issue that we have been discussing with the United States. What can be done there will become more concrete after more talks,” Erdoğan said.
Turkey launched a joint military operation with the U.S.-led coalition along its border inside Syria on Aug. 24 to rid the areas close to the border of ISIL and the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which Turkey sees as a terror organization.
Source: hurriyetdailynews.com/no-military-plan-for-raqqa-yet-presidential-spokesperson-kalin.aspx?pageID=238&nID=103857&NewsCatID=352
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Former Israeli President Shimon Peres in Coma after Suffering Serious Stroke
September 14, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Israeli ex-president Shimon Peres suffered a serious stroke and was put into an induced coma by doctors in a hospital near Tel Aviv, and he is currently breathing with the aid of a respirator.
Yitzhak Kreiss, director of the Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv confirmed that Peres has been placed in an induced coma, Today reported.
Peres was rushed to a hospital in Tel Aviv after experiencing chest pains and an abnormal heartbeat and severe bleeding.
Officials at the hospital have described his condition as serious and added that he has been placed in the medically induced coma in the hospital’s intensive care unit.
In January, Peres was taken to hospital over chest pains a week after being treated for a heart attack.
Shimon Peres has held numerous official positions during his seven decades of political life. He has served as the Israeli president (2007-2014) and as the premier and military chief.
Under Peres, nearly 4,000 Palestinian lives were lost during two wars launched by the Israel between 2007 and 2014.
In the second war, which began on July 8, 2014 and ended on August 26, some 11,100 people, including 3,374 children, 2,088 women, and 410 elderly, were also injured.
Source: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950624000923
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Israeli Warplanes Continue to Bomb Syrian Army Positions in Quneitra
September 14, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) announced on Wednesday that Israeli fighter jets have once again bombed the Syrian Army strongholds near the Golan Heights in Southwestern Syria.
"The Israeli army aircraft launched a fresh round of air attacks on the Syrian army's artillery units near the Golan Heights hours after the Syrian Air-Defense Units shot down two Israeli aircraft in the early hours of Tuesday," the IDF spokesperson said.
The IDF Spokesperson also announced on Tuesday that the country's warplanes targeted the strongholds of the Syrian Army troops near the Golan Heights in Southwestern Syrian.
The IDF spokesperson, in a statement, said that the Syrian army's artillery units near the Golan Heights came under attack by the Israeli aircraft.
The General Staff of the Syrian Armed Forces announced also on Tuesday that the county's air-defense units deployed in the Southwest of the country shot down two Israeli aircraft in Quneitra province.
"An Israeli aircraft, which had violated the airspace of the Southwestern parts of Quneitra province, was traced and shot downed by the anti-aircraft missiles of the Syrian Army in the early hours of this morning," the country's General Staff said in statement.
"Meanwhile, an Israeli spy drone was also targeted by the Syrian army fire on the Western side of Sa'asa'a near the Golan Heights," the statement added.
The Israeli military aircraft had violated Syrian territories to back the terrorist groups' offensives on the government forces' positions near the Golan Heights in Quneitra.
Source: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950624000232
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Israeli Hospitals Send Bodies of Wounded Terrorists back to Syria's Quneitra
September 14, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- At least 14 injured fighters of Fatah al-Sham (formerly known as the al-Nusra) Front succumbed to their injuries in Israeli hospitals, sources said, adding that their bodies were handed over to the Takfiri terrorists in Syria's Quneitra.
"At least 14 Fatah al-Sham terrorist, who died in Israeli hospitals in occupied Golan Heights in the last few days, have been sent back to terrorist-held regions in Quneitra in Southwestern Syria," sources said.
Fatah al-Sham received these bodies and transferred them to its own field-hospital in the village of Jabata al-Khashab near Quneitra city.
Reports said earlier today that for the second time in less than a week, over eighty wounded fighters of Fatah al-Sham Front were transferred from Quneitra battlefields to Israeli hospitals in the occupied Golan Heights.
Syrian Army troops repelled Fatah al-Sham's offensives on government positions in Tal al-Ahmar, leaving tens of terrorists dead and over 80 wounded.
The wounded members of Fatah al-Sham were dispatched to Israeli hospitals to be treated there.
Jeish al-Fatah terrorists were backed by the Israeli army's artillery units.
Also on Sunday, several Israeli ambulances entered Syria's Southern province of Quneitra and transferred those terrorists injured in clashes with Syrian Army troops to their hospitals in the Golan Heights.
"First, Israeli warplanes bombed Syrian government's positions near Quneitra to back the terrorists of Fatah al-Sham who had attacked the Syrian army positions to prevail over the government's position," the Arabic service of RT reported.
"After Fatah al-Sham's attacks were repelled by the Syrian soldiers, seven Israeli ambulances entered the battlefield and transferred a number of wounded terrorists to Israeli hospitals in the occupied Golan Heights," RT added.
Source: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950624000893
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South Asia
ISIS suspects who migrated to Afghanistan used foreign funds: NIA
14th September 2016
KOCHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) probing the alleged ISIS link of the persons who went missing from the State in recent months suspect that they migrated using funds received from foreign sources.
While interrogating Bihar-native Yasmin Ahmed, the only accused who has been arrested so far, the NIA got details of a UK-based couple who frequently sent online messages to some of the accused. The missing persons - 13 men, six women and three children - are suspected to have joined the Afghanistan wing of the ISIS. The suspects left India in different batches between mid-May and the first week of July through the Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai airports. First, they travelled to Kuwait, Dubai, Muscat and Abu Dhabi, before moving to Afghanistan via Iran.
“A substantial amount is required to have the visas and travel documents for so many persons processed, and we suspect it was done using foreign funds. We have inspected details of their bank transactions, and the source of fund is currently under investigation,” said an NIA official.
It was found that the UK-based couple had regularly communicated with first accused and Kasargod-native Abdul Rashid. While the whereabouts of the duo is yet to be confirmed, the NIA has initiated steps to identify them. It was found that the converted Muslim couple used to send messages regularly in support of the ISIS, through the Telegram channel, to Abdul Rashid and his first wife Ayesha. “Being the leader of the group, it was Rashid who arranged funds for their exit from India. He had handed over Ayesha’s ATM card to Yasmin, and `1.5 lakh was sent in mid-July for travelling to Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the remaining amount was converted into dollars,” said the official.
Yasmin was intercepted by a police team at the New Delhi airport while she was proceeding to board an Afghanistan-bound flight. The NIA took Yasmin into custody, and interrogated her for three days.
Marriage solemnised over phone
Yasmin Ahmed confessed to the NIA that she got married to Kasargod-native Abdul Rashid through a ceremony that was solemnised over the phone. The couple was planning to live together in Afghanistan. As per her statement, Abdul Rashid married Yasmin on May 3 before leaving the country.
Ashfaque and Yahya, the other Keralites who went missing, were witnesses to the marriage, while Shihas acted as the bride’s guardian.
NIA officials, meanwhile, confirmed that Dr Ijas who left the country along with his wife Rafaela contacted his family members on Sunday to inform that they were blessed with a baby girl. In August, another woman who travelled to Afghanistan had given birth to a baby girl.
Source: newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/ISIS-suspects-who-migrated-to-Afghanistan-used-foreign-funds-NIA/2016/09/14/article3620241.ece
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Explosion in Kabul leaves one dead and another one wounded
Wed Sep 14 2016
An explosion rocked Kabul city earlier today after a magnetic bomb planted in a police vehicle went off in Deh Mazang area of the city.
The security officials confirmed the incident and said one person was wounded in the blast but the eyewitnesses in the area said one person was killed and another one was wounded.
No group including the Taliban insurgents has so far claimed responsibility behind the incident.
This comes as at least 3 people were wounded in a similar incident in Kabul city last Thursday.
The incident on Thursday took place in the vicinity of Taimani area of the city after a magnetic bomb was detonated leaving 3 civilians wounded.
Earlier at least 41 people were killed and over 100 others were wounded close to the Ministry of Defense compound.
The incident last Monday took place after the militants detonated an Improvised Explosive Device near the Ministry of Defense compound.
A suicide bomber targeted the crowd of security personnel and some civilians who had gathered to help the victims of the first explosion.
The Taliban militants group claimed responsibility behind the incident.
Source: khaama.com/explosion-in-kabul-leaves-one-dead-and-another-one-wounded-01880
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Gen. Raziq says will not return to Kandahar until Tarinkot city fully cleared
Tue Sep 13 2016
The provincial police chief of southern Kandahar General Abdul Raziq has said he will not return to Kandahar until Tarinkot city is fully cleared of Taliban insurgents.
Tarinkot city is the provincial capital of southern Uruzgan province which witnessed heavy clashes last week as the Taliban insurgents launched a coordinated to capture its control.
According to reports, sporadic clashes still continue in parts of Tarinkot city despite the local officials said the Taliban insurgents were pushed out of the city.
The growing threats by the Taliban insurgents to capture the city forced Gen. Raziq to visit Tarinkot and join the Afghan forces in the front line to coordinate counter attacks.
Gen. Raziq is one of the prominent security officials of the country and rose to prominence after 2001 when he was serving as the police chief of Spin Boldak district with his activities prompting dread among the Taliban fighters.
He has imposed an uneasy peace in Kandahar province which was the birth place of the Taliban group.
Being a prized target for the Taliban group, Gen. Raziq ordered the Afghan forces earlier in August last year to execute Taliban detainees who are arrested during the military operations.
Gen. Raziq has escaped a number of coordinated attacks planned by Taliban to assassinate him. He was slightly injured following a suicide attack nearly three years ago, while Taliban militants launched coordinated attack on his family home in Spin Boldak district back in July last year.
Source: khaama.com/gen-raziq-says-will-not-return-to-kandahar-until-tarinkot-city-fully-cleared-01879
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Africa
Jewish Board of Deputies condemns anti-Muslim graffiti
14 September, 2016
This came as the board condemned the “anti-Muslim graffiti that was painted on residential houses in Eersterust”‚ east of Pretoria‚ which included the wordS “F*** Muslims”.
The Citizen reported on Tuesday that three houses in the suburb were defaced “on the night when Muslims around the world were celebrating Eid al-Adha”.
“The SAJBD has been consistent and tireless in its work to advocate for education around the dangers of hate speech and hate crimes‚ and calls for legislation to combat such instances of discrimination‚” a statement said.
The board said the decision by Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba to “disallow homophobic and Holocaust-denier Pastor Steven Anderson from visiting South Africa is indicative of government’s recognition of the dangers inherent in hateful language directed against any community in our country”.
“Slogans‚ such as those painted in Eesterust‚ have no place in South Africa and should be condemned in the strongest terms‚” it added.
Source: timeslive.co.za/local/2016/09/14/Jewish-Board-of-Deputies-condemns-anti-Muslim-graffiti
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African Union summit makes it a historic day for Somalia
September 13, 2016
MOGADISHU // Somalia on Tuesday was hosting its first regional summit of African heads of state in 30 years, a source of pride for the country after decades of chaos and deadly attacks by Al Shabab extremists.
Security measures were high as Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Uganda President Yoweri Museveni and Ethiopian prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn arrived. Residents of the Somali capital said celebrations of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha had been severely restricted in recent days.
Sudan President Omar al-Bashir said he would not attend after being invited, Somalia’s foreign minister Abdisalam Omer confirmed on Tuesday. Mr Al-Bashir’s presence would have been in breach of a warrant for his arrest from the International Criminal Court.
Somalia’s government had said leaders also were expected from Djibouti and South Sudan for the summit of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development regional bloc. But a plane carrying Djibouti’s president had to turn back after developing engine problems that prevented it from landing at the airport, Djibouti’s ambassador to Somalia confirmed.
The crisis in South Sudan and Somalia’s upcoming elections were two of the top issues for discussion.
The summit has been seen as the latest sign of confidence in a return to normal life in Somalia, which was plunged into decades of conflict in 1991 when warlords overthrew the regime of dictator Siad Barre.
"The presence of the heads of state in Somalia is a clear dividend of returning stability in the country. It is an endorsement of Somalia’s recovery," said Francisco Caetano Madeira, the African Union’s special representative for Somalia. The United Nations mission in Somalia called the summit a "great achievement."
The country is now preparing for a presidential election in October, another significant step forward.
But home-grown Islamic extremist group Al Shabab continues to strike at the heart of Somalia’s seaside capital, killing scores of people so far this year. In the latest attack, a suicide bomber detonated explosives packed on a lorry near the gate of the presidential palace in Mogadishu late last month, killing at least 12 people.
Several of the countries invited to the summit take part in a 22,000-strong African Union force protecting Somalia, though the force faces funding cuts and troop shortages that experts have warned could further destabilise the country.
http://www.thenational.ae/world/africa/african-union-summit-makes-it-a-historic-day-for-somalia
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Islamic State behind Kenya's Mombasa attack by robed women: website
SEPTEMBER 13, 2016
CAIRO - Islamic State supporters carried out an attack on Kenya's port city of Mombasa in which three robed women tricked their way into a police station, stabbed an officer and set fire to the building, the group's Amaq news agency said on Tuesday.
Militant attacks, mostly claimed by al Shabaab militants from neighboring Somalia, have increased in recent years in Kenya, which has a large Muslim population concentrated mostly along its Indian Ocean coast.
But police said in May they had arrested militants linked to Islamic State, a group which has seized areas of Iraq and Syria and inspired offshoot groups in the Middle East and Africa.
"The perpetrators of the attack on the Kenyan police in the city of Mombasa were supporters of Islamic State. They executed the operation in response to calls to target crusader states," the agency affiliated to Islamic State reported.
Sunday's attack in Mombasa appeared to be the first claimed by the group on Kenyan soil. In the Mombasa assault, the three women were shot dead. Police said they recovered an unexploded suicide vest from one of the attackers.
When suspected Islamic State militants were detained in May, experts said Kenya's focus on dismantling al Shabaab cells may have allowed sympathizers of Islamic State to slip under the radar.
But they said it was not clear whether such sympathizers had formal links to Islamic State in Syria or Iraq, or were simply offering allegiance.
Al Shabaab has said it targets Kenya, a majority Christian nation, for sending its troops into Somalia as part of an African force to battle the Islamist insurgents. It often says it will continue attacks until the Kenyan "crusaders" leave.
Source: todayonline.com/world/islamic-state-behind-kenyas-mombasa-attack-robed-women-website?cid=todayInsideTodaypage
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North America
How Halal Food Became a $20 Billion Hit in America
September 14, 2016
Sometimes, culinary trends move in sync with political ones. Sauerkraut was renamed “liberty cabbage” when the U.S. was at war with Germany, and a more recent falling-out with the French led to the invention of “freedom fries.”
But sometimes they move in mysterious ways. In an election season dominated by Donald Trump, Muslims haven’t always been made to feel welcome in America. Meanwhile sales of halal food, prepared according to Islamic law, are surging -- and not just among the fast-growing U.S. Muslim population: Adventurous millennial foodies are embracing it too.
Shahed Amanullah could only find about 200 places that served halal food in 1998, when he launched a website to help Americans find it. Today, he’s tracking 7,600, and he says halal is making inroads even among people who are wary of Muslims. “Food is a great medium for cultural sharing,” Amanullah said.
There’s a well-trodden path in America’s food culture, leading from ethnic-specialty status to the mainstream. It happened long ago with Italian cuisine, and to some extent with kosher food, which offers a closer parallel to halal. Like the Jewish equivalent, Islamic rules mandate humane treatment of animals as well as other special preparations.
At every level of the U.S. food chain, halal already occupies a small but rapidly expanding niche.
In grocery and convenience stores and similar outlets, research firm Nielsen estimates that sales reached $1.9 billion in the 12 months through August, a 15 percent increase from 2012.
Full report at: bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-14/america-loves-muslim-food-so-much-for-a-clash-of-civilizations
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Orlando Islamic community vows to rebuild mosque after fire set
Sept. 13, 2016
FORT PIERCE, Fla. — The Islamic community says it will repair and reopen the arson-damaged Florida mosque that was occasionally attended by Orlando nightclub gunman Omar Mateen.
Hamaad Rahman, assistant imam of the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce, said the mosque's approximately 100 members are “saddened and scared” by the fire, which was started late Sunday and burned for more than five hours before it was extinguished early Monday. The fire was started on the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the start of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha.
“Our community is bigger than a building. We are stronger than that,” Rahman said Monday. “I feel we will be able to pull together from this, and as time goes by we will be able to rebuild.”
The mosque has been subjected to more threats since June's nightclub shooting than it did in its previous 20 years of existence, Rahman said.
Given the timing of the blaze, investigators believe it may have been a hate crime, St. Lucie County sheriff's spokesman Maj. David Thompson said.
No one was injured. The fire burned a 10-by-10-foot hole in the roof at the back of the mosque's main building and blackened its eaves with soot.
A surveillance video from the mosque showed a man on a Harley-Davidson type motorcycle approaching the building with a bottle of liquid and some papers, then leaving when there was a flash and shaking his hand as though he may have burned it, Thompson said. The first 911 calls were made about 45 minutes later after the fire had spread to the attic. It took about 4 1/2 hours for firefighters to extinguish the blaze. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, he said.
Full report at: chronicle.northcoastnow.com/Nation-World/2016/09/13/Orlando-Islamic-community-vows-to-rebuild-mosque-after-fire-set.html
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Pakistan
UNHCR policy change targets Pakistani Christian asylum seekers in Bangkok
Sep 14, 2016
London: September 13, 2016. (PCP) A process change by the UNHCR based in Bangkok that seems to deliberately target Pakistani Christians who make up the largest body of asylum seekers in Thailand, has caused alarm and consternation amongst the advocacy and humanitarian groups providing aid to them.
The policy has been described as ‘disturbing’ by an on the ground campaigner , who has also stated that the change in policy‘ disproportionately affects Pakistani Christians, since they are the largest refugee population here in Bangkok, and are more likely than most refugees to have their application for refugee status rejected.’
The new policy has drastically reduced the time that refugees have to file a notice of appeal. The deadline for filing appeal documents has been reduced from 90 to 30 days.
To make matters worse the UNHCR has also determined that they will no longer communicate any reasons for refusal in their own language. Previously, the asylum seekers' refusal was read to them in their own language. From now on, asylum seekers will only receive their refusal letter in English.
Together, these new policies place a devastating burden on refugees already dealing with the emotional trauma of a rejection.
The re-persecution of Pak-Christians is no new phenomena.On their arrival at Thailand they soon discover they are unwanted when their travel visa expires and they apply for asylum at the UNHCR. Here they are advised that despite having an official UN asylum registration Thailand's refusal to sign UN conventions on asylum means that their status is illegal. The 1000 or more Pak-Christians in Thailand are being arrested and detained in the brutal Immigration Detention Centres of Bangkok.
Full report at: pakistanchristianpost.com/detail.php?hnewsid=6077
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Imposing an arbitrary national language would only divide Pakistan further
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
For a country seven decades old, Pakistan is dealing with a surprisingly fundamental political and cultural problem: a struggle over what language to use for government.
The Supreme Court has ordered the government to use the constitutionally-mandated national language, Urdu, in place of English in the many contexts where English is currently used. (Ironically, the court’s order was itself written in English.) Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has declared his enthusiasm for the transition to Urdu, and a committee was constituted to monitor its progress.
But is imposed monolingualism a good fit for South Asia – or does it in fact follow a very Eurocentric idea of how a nation-state should work?
This discussion has been rumbling on and off ever since India and Pakistan achieved independence. Both of their post-colonial constitutions required that after 15 years, English should be officially replaced by Urdu and Hindi respectively, but both countries eventually side-stepped the requirement. Pakistan continued to use English without comment alongside Urdu; India declared it a “subsidiary official language”, symbolically inferior to Hindi but nonetheless still recognised.
Today, the problem comes in how narrowly Urdu and Hindi are defined by the bodies tasked with monitoring and developing the official languages.
Pakistan’s National Language Promotion Department (formerly the National Language Authority) and India’s Department of Official Language both have a reputation for filling their respective languages with clunky neologisms. These are used to avoid common English loanwords; Hindi ones are drawn largely from Sanskrit, and Urdu’s largely from Arabic and Persian.
The people who complain about the language policy aren’t necessarily trying to maintain their English-speaking privilege; there really are genuine questions about the character of the official language. If its speakers commonly use words that aren’t recognised by governmental language bodies, is it right to have a two-track system in which there is a governmental variety of a language and very different one that normal people use?
Taking a hard line against English as a colonial language makes little sense decades after independence, especially when it has become the language of international business and when English loanwords have become embedded in people’s everyday usage in other South Asian languages. And looking back over history, this is a very recent argument anyway.
The scorched-earth cultural politics of imposing a national language never took hold in the subcontinent before modern India and Pakistan came into being. Persian was the apex language during Mughal times and well into the era of British colonial rule, but it never overwhelmed the subcontinent’s longstanding linguistic diversity.
Full report at: thenewsminute.com/article/payu-acquires-citrus-pay-130-million-49858
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Two dead, 10 others injured in Quetta blast targeting police vehicle
Sep 14, 2016
QUETTA: At least two police officials were killed and 10 other people were injured in a blast near a police training centre on Quetta's Sariab road on Tuesday as the nation celebrates Eidul Azha.
Militants were targeting a police patrol vehicle in the area, police sources said.
The banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack in an email sent by the group's spokesman Muhammad Khorasani.
The explosion left two security officials dead and 10 others injured, security sources added. Five of the injured are security officials.
Bomb Disposal Squad officials said the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was remotely detonated, and contained two to three kilograms of explosives.
Paramedics reached the site of the attack and rushed the injured to Civil Hospital Quetta for treatment.
Security has been beefed up in the area after the blast. A cordon has also been established around the area to start initial forensic investigation and to control movement.
Sariab road is considered to be one of the sensitive areas of Quetta. Militants have been targeting security forces in the area for almost a decade.
Source: dawn.com/news/1283877/two-dead-10-others-injured-in-quetta-blast-targeting-police-vehicle
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At least 13 injured as police foil suicide blasts targeting Eid prayers in Shikarpur
Sep 14, 2016
SHIKARPUR: At least 13 people, including five cops, were injured as police foiled two separate suicide blasts during Eid prayers in Shikarpur's Khanpur tehsil on Tuesday.
Police sources said four suicide attackers infiltrated Khanpur during Eid prayers.
The banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack in an email sent by the group's spokesman Muhammad Khorasani.
Two of the attackers targeted an Eid prayer ground where one assailant blew himself up, injuring 10 people, two of whom were policemen. The other attacker fled, police sources said.
Two other attackers targeted an imambargah but were stopped by police at the entrance on account of appearing suspicious. One of the attackers blew himself up after he was stopped by guards for a search, whereas the other was arrested, police said.
Police officer Bahardin Kerio said the second attacker, a would-be suicide bomber, was shot and wounded at the scene, after which the officers arrested him.
Three police officers were wounded in the explosion. Kerio said one of the wounded officers was in critical condition.
He added that there were hundreds of worshippers inside the imambargah at the time.
Those injured in the blast have been admitted to hospitals in Shikarpur for treatment.
Initial interrogation of the arrested attacker, Usman, revealed that the would-be bomber was a resident of Swat's Qabal tehsil and had studied in Karachi's Abu Huraira seminary, police sources said.
The sources added that a person named Umer brought the attackers to the imambargah on a motorbike and fled after leaving them there.
Inspector General Police (IGP) Sindh AD Khawaja reached Shikarpur following the incident. The IGP told Dawn that the attackers hailed from Swat but were based in Karachi and possibly had links to a seminary there which are currently being investigated.
Following the incident local leaders in Shikarpur led a protest against the attack. The IGP told protesters the police would investigate the case and requested them to lift the blockade.
Source: dawn.com/news/1283861/at-least-13-injured-as-police-foil-suicide-blasts-targeting-eid-prayers-in-shikarpur
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