TTP Are Anti-Islam And Anti-Pakistan, Says Former Pak Home Minister
New Age Islam News Bureau
7 March
2014
Pakistan
• TTP are anti-Islam and anti-Pakistan, says former Pak Home Minister
• Militant camp in Iraq named after Lal Masjid’s Abdul Rasheed Ghazi
• Pakistan warns military operation against Taliban
• Govt finds TTP statement on capital attack incredible: Khawaja Asif
• PTI is liberal nationalist: General Secretary
Africa
• 20 militants killed after massacre in Nigeria
• French, Mali troops kill 10 suspected Islamist militants
• Mombasa's Musa Mosque at Heart of Kenya's War on Terror
• Somali, Ethiopian troops to flush Al-Shabaab out of S. Somalia
• Nigeria shuts schools to stem Islamist attacks
Arab World
• Bombings, clashes in Iraq kill at least 42
• Saudi lists Muslim Brotherhood as ´terror´ group
• Egypt deports more women activists headed for Gaza
• Syrian warplanes pound key rebel area, a day after at least 17 jihadists killed
• Violence kills eight in Iraq's Fallujah
• Free Syrian Army council rejects deal on commanders
• Iraqi Kurd leader warns Baghdad of 'unexpected' response
• Egypt to revoke citizenship of nearly 14,000 Palestinians affiliated with Hamas
• Terror in Bahrain ‘unacceptable’
South Asia
• Bangladesh a ‘firewall’ against terror: China
• Motorcycle bomb at market kills five in Afghanistan: official
• “They say they have trust in the judiciary because they can influence it”: Nasheed
• Islamic finance has gained confidence in Maldives: Deputy Islamic Minister
• ‘Chinese submarines in Bangladesh to help bring stability in the region’
Europe
• French judges tapped Sarkozy phone calls over Libya
• 'Jihadist plot to take over Birmingham schools'
• If Britain were Syria: charity releases ‘brutally powerful’ ad
• Azerbaijan and Organization of Islamic Cooperation to endorse cooperation plan
• Sexual and reproductive rights under threat worldwide: Amnesty International
• EU reassures Israel over ties despite opposition to West Bank settlements
Southeast Asia
• Anwar found guilty of sodomy, jailed five years
• Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty and Life Sentence for Suspects in Sisca Slaying
Mideast
• Erdogan: YouTube, Facebook could be banned
• Facebook's safe haven for Israeli racists
• Iran says expert nuclear talks with world powers 'useful'
• Security: Qaeda in Yemen executes alleged U.S. informer
• Iran says Israel fabricated Gaza weapons claim
North America
• U.S. government sues Philadelphia schools over beard policy
• Pentagon admits chaplains from Muslim Brotherhood group
• US bill 'dramatically strengthens' Israel alliance
India
• India ticks off Pak for inviting Kashmiri students for study
• ‘Pak-funded’ IM was left to fend for itself
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/ttp-anti-islam-anti-pakistan,/d/56030
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Pakistan
TTP are anti-Islam and anti-Pakistan, says former Pak Home Minister
March 7, 2014
ISLAMABAD: The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were “anti-Islam” and against the country, former interior minister Rehman Malik told media in Islamabad.
“If there are 2000 TTP members and if even 15 of them or 100 of them are anti-Pakistan, then I think they are all against Pakistan,” Malik stated.
He said that while he does not doubt the intentions of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif or Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, he feels that the TTP will continue to support dialogue but not fully commit to ceasefire.
“I’m saying openly that I do not see terror in Pakistan coming to an end,” Malik stated, advising the government to keep strict security measures in place during dialogue with the Taliban.
He also appealed to the government and the media to “stop the glorification of terrorists.”
Bring Fazlullah back
Malik said that the first thing Nawaz should do is meet Afghan President Hamid Karzai and negotiate the return of TTP leader Mullah Fazlullah back into Pakistan.
If Fazlullah is brought back terrorism in the country will be halved, he stated.
Islamabad attack
The interior minister asked what Fizza Malik - one of the victims of the katcheri attack that left 12 dead and 29 injured - had done to deserve death.
Two of the men who attacked the court fled after the incident, he stated, adding that they would launch an attack elsewhere.
“I think Islamabad is not safe until they are caught,” Malik said, appealing to security forces to use all their resources to bring them into custody.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/679995/ttp-are-anti-islam-and-anti-pakistan-says-rehman-malik/
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Militant camp in Iraq named after Lal Masjid’s Abdul Rasheed Ghazi
2014-03-07
KARACHI: An Iraq-based militant group named the Ansar al-Islam has released a video of its new training camp, which is named after the Lal Masjid’s Abdul Rasheed Ghazi. They have also apparently named a subdivision of their group after the Lal Masjid’s controversial cleric. Rasheed Ghazi was killed in 2007 when an operation was conducted against the armed militants holed up inside the Lal Masjid in Islamabad. He was the brother of Abdul Aziz, the khateeb of the Lal Masjid.
The video starts, routinely enough, with a slickly edited training montage showing fighters of the Ansar al-Islam engaged in various exercises and posing for the camera, their faces covered by keffiyehs and pieces of cloth. Then, in a departure from the norm, the video segues into a tribute to Abdul Rasheed. In the beginning, what seems to be a ‘message’ from the late Abdul Rasheed Ghazi is read out, addressed to the “men of the ummah”. While the voice-over is in Arabic, in one speech the speaker seems to be switching between Arabic and another language, most likely Kurdish.
In another part of the video, militants appear to be clad in traditional shalwar-like pants commonly worn by Kurds in Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria. This is in keeping with what is known about the Ansar al-Islam, a hardline militant group that operates in the Kurdish-dominated north of Iraq and aims at setting up a radical Islamist state. It was formerly called Ansar al-Sunnah and its membership is believed to be mostly Kurdish. The video then shows visuals of the Lal Masjid itself, along with the Jamia Hafsa and also visuals of troop deployment prior to the operation itself. The voice-over, which showers praise on the Lal Masjid militants, also condemns the government of Pakistan and the army for conducting the operation.
There is also a quote, attributed to Osama bin Laden, which refers to Ghazi as a hero. The Ansar al-Islam had previously released pictures from this camp, but this is the first known video of the actual camp.
The militants, who appear very well-trained, are shown practising hand-to-hand fighting, drilling hostage-taking scenarios and also demonstrating how to disarm opponents. The terrain seems to be that of a flat, rocky desert, and it is difficult to tell exactly where it may have been shot. At one point in the video the heavily armed militants are shown holding a banner with the organisation’s name: Jamaat Ansar al-Islam’s Mu’askar al-Shaikh Rasheed Ghazi. This loosely translates as: Ansar al-Islam’s Shaikh Rasheed Ghazi force.
Even more interesting is that the video ends with an Urdu jihadi anthem, interspersed with Arabic lines. While foreign militants, mostly of Arabic and Uzbek origin, have been known to operate in Pakistan, this is possibly the first time that a group has actually named itself after a Pakistani militant cleric. There is also anecdotal evidence suggesting that some Pakistani-origin militants may be fighting in Syria. Some reports suggests that Ansar al Islam has also sent fighters to Syria, where they operate under the name of Ansar al-Sham.
The writer is Dawn’s Magazine Editor
https://www.dawn.com/news/1091567/militant-camp-in-iraq-named-after-lal-masjids-abdul-rasheed-ghazi
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Pakistan warns military operation against Taliban
World Bulletin/News Desk
March 7, 2014
Pakistan could launch a full-scale military operation against Pakistani Taliban in the tribal areas near the Afghan border as early as this month, the defence minister said, warning fighters against violating a ceasefire.
Dashing chances of a peace deal with the Pakistani Taliban, gunmen burst into a courtroom in Islamabad on Monday, killing 11 people in a broad daylight attack in the heart of the heavily guarded capital.
The Pakistani Taliban denied any role in the assault and a splinter group accepted responsibility.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Reuters in an interview that the government would not hesitate to bomb militant hideouts or send forces into the tribal areas if the Taliban did not abide by the ceasefire announced last weekend.
"It will not take months now. We'll have to march in the month of March," Asif said, describing the government's response if insurgent attacks continued.
"If there is a ceasefire, it has to be complete. Without that, we just can't afford to have talks with the Taliban."
Asif, long considered a pro-talks politician, is now one of a growing number of members of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's cabinet who believe it is time for tougher military action against Pakistani Taliban strongholds.
Sharif has been under pressure from the United States and hawks within the Pakistani army to send troops into North Waziristan, a tribal region along the Afghan border that is home to a complex web of militant groups.
Since 2007, the military has mounted a number of offensives against militant strongholds in the northwest, largely clearing several areas, including their bastion of South Waziristan.
But North Waziristan has not been tackled, even though Pakistani Taliban members have taken refuge with allied Afghan factions based there that are not fighting the Pakistani state.
In February, Pakistan launched talks with the Taliban to find a negotiated settlement. But hopes of a peace deal have been crushed by a series of attacks and counter-attacks by both sides.
"We won't just take this lying down," the defence minister said. "If we are attacked, the state is attacked, civilians are attacked, military personal are attacked, we will retaliate. We will retaliate in kind."
For a government long considered soft for pursuing peace talks, Asif said there were now very few takers for the argument that the Taliban are truly committed to dialogue.
"The Taliban have not even condemned this so-called splinter group four days after the attack. They are saying, 'We have not violated a ceasefire, these are peripheral groups, they are not under our control,'" Asif said.
"But we cannot believe this."
When asked about reports that talks may be re-launched, this time with Pakistan's powerful military in the driving seat, he said: "The army's input is very valuable. They are the people on the frontlines. They have to execute our decisions."
NIGHTMARE SCENARIO
The Sharif government's insistence on pushing for talks with the Pakistani Taliban is driven to a large extent by the fear that the end of the U.S. combat mission in 2014 could energise a resilient fight straddling the shared frontier.
"If in the post-withdrawal period, the Afghan Taliban become stronger and carve out an area of influence in the south and east of Afghanistan, which is next to our border - that's a scenario we should even avoid thinking of," Asif said.
"Because then the Pakistani Taliban will have a powerhouse behind them, to support them. This option is there and everyone should try to avoid it."
For sceptics, there is another scenario Pakistan wants to avoid at all costs: an unfriendly Afghanistan backed by India. Pakistan and India, nuclear-armed neighbours, have long suspected each other's motives in Afghanistan.
As NATO's presence fades, President Hamid Karzai has turned to India. The countries have signed a wide-ranging strategic partnership and India has pledged billions in development aid.
Pakistan has for years been suspicious of the help, going as far as to say Indian consulates are surveillance posts.
But Asif said Pakistan, and particularly its army which has for decades jealously guarded the right to dictate policy on Afghanistan, had evolved.
"We have evidence that India is meddling in Afghanistan, no doubt," Asif said. "But I'm a believer that if the conditions in the four walls of your own house are stable, nobody from outside will try to enter. We give India the opportunity."
http://www.worldbulletin.net/headlines/130452/pakistan-warns-military-operation-against-taliban
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Govt finds TTP statement on capital attack incredible: Khawaja Asif
2014-03-07
ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said in an interview that government cannot believe the Taliban's argument that splinter groups had launched the recent attack in Islamabad adding that Pakistan could launch a full-scale military operation against Pakistani Taliban insurgents in the tribal areas near the Afghan border as early as this month in case the ceasefire was violated.
Dashing chances of a peace deal with the Pakistani Taliban, gunmen burst into a courtroom in Islamabad on Monday, killing 11 people in a broad daylight attack in the heart of the heavily guarded capital.
The Pakistani Taliban denied any role in the assault and a splinter group accepted responsibility.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Reuters in an interview that the government would not hesitate to bomb militant hideouts or send forces into the tribal areas if the Taliban did not abide by the ceasefire announced last weekend.
“It will not take months now. We'll have to march in the month of March,” Asif said, describing the government's response if insurgent attacks continued.
“If there is a ceasefire, it has to be complete. Without that, we just can't afford to have talks with the Taliban.” Asif, long considered a pro-talks politician, is now one of a growing number of members of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's cabinet who believe it is time for tougher military action against Pakistani Taliban strongholds.
Sharif has been under pressure from the United States and hawks within the Pakistani army to send troops into North Waziristan, a tribal region along the Afghan border that is home to a complex web of al Qaeda-linked militant groups.
Since 2007, the military has mounted a number of offensives against militant strongholds in the northwest, largely clearing several areas, including their bastion of South Waziristan.
But North Waziristan has not been tackled, even though Pakistani Taliban members have taken refuge with allied Afghan factions based there that are not fighting the Pakistani state.
In February, Pakistan launched talks with the Taliban to find a negotiated settlement. But hopes of a peace deal have been crushed by a series of attacks and counter-attacks by both sides.
“We won't just take this lying down,” the defence minister said. “If we are attacked, the state is attacked, civilians are attacked, military personal are attacked, we will retaliate. We will retaliate in kind.”
For a government long considered soft for pursuing peace talks, Asif said there were now very few takers for the argument that the Taliban are truly committed to dialogue.
“The Taliban have not even condemned this so-called splinter group four days after the attack. They are saying, 'We have not violated a ceasefire, these are peripheral groups, they are not under our control,'” Asif said. “But we cannot believe this.”
When asked about reports that talks may be re-launched, this time with Pakistan's powerful military in the driving seat, he said: “The army's input is very valuable. They are the people on the front lines. They have to execute our decisions.”
Nightmare scenario
The Sharif government's insistence on pushing for talks with the Pakistani Taliban is driven to a large extent by the fear that the end of the US combat mission in 2014 could energise a resilient insurgency straddling the shared frontier.
“If in the post-withdrawal period, the Afghan Taliban become stronger and carve out an area of influence in the south and east of Afghanistan, which is next to our border, that's a scenario we should even avoid thinking of,” Asif said. “Because then the Pakistani Taliban will have a powerhouse behind them, to support them. This option is there and everyone should try to avoid it.”
For sceptics, there is another scenario Pakistan wants to avoid at all costs: an unfriendly Afghanistan backed by India.
Pakistan and India, nuclear-armed neighbours, have long suspected each other's motives in Afghanistan.
As Nato's presence fades, President Hamid Karzai has turned to India.
The countries have signed a wide-ranging strategic partnership and India has pledged billions in development aid.
Pakistan has for years been suspicious of the help, going as far as to say Indian consulates are surveillance posts.
But Asif said Pakistan, and particularly its army which has for decades jealously guarded the right to dictate policy on Afghanistan, had evolved.
“We have evidence that India is meddling in Afghanistan, no doubt,” Asif said. “But I'm a believer that if the conditions inthe four walls of your own house are stable, nobody from outsidewill try to enter. We give India the opportunity.”
https://www.dawn.com/news/1091619/govt-finds-ttp-statement-on-capital-attack-incredible-asif
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PTI is liberal nationalist: General Secretary
2014-03-07
LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf is a liberal nationalist party in contrast to the right wing image thrust upon it by some, says PTI general secretary Jehangir Khan Tareen.
“It is an issue of perception management”, Mr Tareen told Dawn in an interview saying a lot of what was being said about PTI’s ideology was unwarranted.
“We’re a liberal, though not in the sense the term is understood in the West, and nationalist political party, but our weak perception and media management presented us as far-rightists.”
Full report at:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1091527/pti-is-liberal-nationalist-tareen
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Africa
20 militants killed after massacre in Nigeria
2014-03-07
ABUJA: Nigeria's military said that it had killed 20 Islamist insurgents in the restive northeast, as schools were shut in the region to prevent further attacks targeting students.
Defence spokesman Chris Olukolade said troops repelled an ambush by Boko Haram militants on Wednesday in Mafa, Borno state, epicentre of the uprising which has killed 500 people this year alone. “Twenty insurgents died in the encounter,” he said in a statement.
There was no independent confirmation of the death toll. Communication with the region has been difficult after the military switched off mobile phone networks to prevent militants from planning attacks.
Boko Haram gunmen were blamed for killing 29 people in the village on Sunday, a day after a twin blast in the state capital Maiduguri killed 35 and an attack on another village nearby claimed 39 lives.
Full report at:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1091593/20-militants-killed-after-massacre-in-nigeria
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French, Mali troops kill 10 suspected Islamist militants
March 06, 2014
PARIS: French and Malian forces have killed about 10 suspected Islamist fighters during an operation in northern Mali's mountainous Adrar des Ifoghas region, French army spokesman Gilles Jaron said on Thursday.
Confirming comments made by French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian earlier on Thursday, armed forces spokesman Gilles Jaron said the militants had been spotted by a drone.
Air units were immediately called in to intervene, he said.
A French-led offensive in January 2013 drove out Islamist militants who had seized control of northern Mali. Small groups of fighters loyal to Islamist groups including the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa and al Qaeda in the Maghreb still operate in the desert region, carrying out periodic attacks.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2014/Mar-06/249496-french-mali-troops-kill-10-suspected-islamist-militants.ashx#ixzz2vKle5QSI
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Mombasa's Musa Mosque at Heart of Kenya's War on Terror
Mar 7, 2014
Branded by Kenyan authorities as an epicentre for the indoctrination and recruitment of Islamic militants, the Musa mosque in Mombasa has become a primary target of the country's escalating war on terror.
But this war is also causing controversy, amid allegations of state-sponsored assassinations, heavy-handed raids and fears that these tactics could be helping and not hindering radical Islam.
In August 2012, the mosque's radical Imam, Aboud Rogo Mohammed, was gunned down, and in October last year his successor, Sheikh Ibrahim Ismail, met the same fate on a road near the steamy port city, again sparking riots.
Full report at:
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/121445-mombasa-s-musa-mosque-at-heart-of-kenya-s-war-on-terror
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Somali, Ethiopian troops to flush Al-Shabaab out of S. Somalia
World Bulletin / News Desk
March 7, 2014
Somali and Ethiopian troops are preparing a major military operation against the militant Al-Shabaab group in Hudur, the provincial capital of the southwestern Bakool region, according to military sources.
"The troops are nearly 30kms from Hudur," a source told Anadolu Agency on Friday, requesting anonymity for not being authorized to speak to the media.
Eyewitnesses in the area told AA they had seen massive Somali and Ethiopian troop buildup, including tanks, marching towards Hudur.
The military operation is described as part of the Somali government's campaign to flush out the group from areas under its control.
Full report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/todays-news/130451/somali-ethiopian-troops-to-flush-al-shabaab-out-of-s-somalia
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Nigeria shuts schools to stem Islamist attacks
March 7, 2014
Nigeria has shut five government colleges in the country's restive northeast in the wake of a deadly series of attacks targeting schools.
A ministry of education statement issued late Wednesday said the affected schools were "located within the high security risk areas of the northeast geo-political zone".
Students of the schools in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, which are worst hit by the Boko Haram insurgency, would be absorbed in other government colleges, it added.
Last week, 43 students were shot and hacked to death when suspected Boko Haram gunmen stormed Federal Government College in Buni Yadi, Yobe state.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/96033/World/International/Nigeria-shuts-schools-to-stem-Islamist-attacks.aspx
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Arab World
Bombings, clashes in Iraq kill at least 42
2014-03-07
BAGHDAD: Bombings targeting shoppers across central Iraq and clashes near the militant-held city of Fallujah killed at least 42 people Thursday, authorities said.
No one claimed responsibility for the string of bombings that began Thursday afternoon, mostly from parked car bombs and one explosive planted in an outdoor market. However, they bore the hallmarks of al Qaeda and other Sunni insurgents, who frequently use car bombs and suicide attacks to target public areas and government buildings in their bid to undermine confidence in the Shiite-led government.
In Baghdad, a car bomb targeting shoppers in the southwestern Amil neighborhood killed seven people and wounded 17, police said.
A bomb at a cafe in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood killed four people and wounded 15, authorities said.
A bomb in a commercial street in central Baghdad killed three people and wounded 13, police said, while an explosion near the Green Zone killed three people and wounded eight.
Another bomb in Baghdad's southeastern suburb of Jisr Diyala killed two civilians and wounded seven, police said.
Full report at:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1091599/bombings-clashes-in-iraq-kill-at-least-42
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Saudi lists Muslim Brotherhood as ´terror´ group
March 07, 2014
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia listed Friday the Muslim Brotherhood of deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi as a terrorist organisation, along with Syria´s two main jihadist groups, according to Al-Arabiya television network.
The jihadists listed are Al-Nusra Front, which is Al-Qaeda´s official Syrian affiliate, and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a group fighting in both Syria and Iraq.
Saudi Arabia gave its citizens fighting abroad a 15-day ultimatum to return to the kingdom or face imprisonment, state television reported.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-140271-Saudi-lists-Muslim-Brotherhood-as-%C2%B4terror%C2%B4-group
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Egypt deports more women activists headed for Gaza
7 March 2014
Egypt deported Friday dozens of women activists, who had flown in to Cairo but been barred from entering the country in their bid to reach the neighboring Gaza Strip, an airport official said.
About 100 women, most of them from Europe and the United States, had hoped to enter the Palestinian enclave through Egypt’s Rafah border crossing to celebrate International Women’s Day on Saturday.
Eleven women were sent back to Istanbul, another 22 to Paris and six to Frankfurt, the official said.
They were among 65 activists deported over the past 24 hours, some from the United States, France, Belgium and Switzerland, the official added.
Northern Irish Nobel Laureate Mairead Maguire and American anti-war activist Medea Benjamin were deported earlier this week.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/2014/03/07/Egypt-deports-more-women-activists-headed-for-Gaza.html
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Syrian warplanes pound key rebel area, a day after at least 17 jihadists killed
March 7, 2014
Syrian warplanes pounded an area near the rebel-held town of Yabrud near the Lebanese border Friday, a day after at least 17 jihadists were killed in fighting there, a monitor said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Islamist fighters were killed during an offensive by loyalist forces backed by Hezbollah, aimed at seizing hills surrounding Yabrud, which is north of Damascus.
Regime aircraft launched six raids on the Al-Aqaba region on Friday, according to the Britain-based watchdog, which relies on reports from activists and medics on the ground.
The Yabrud offensive by Syrian ground forces bolstered by fighters from Lebanon's Shia Hezbollah movement, an ally of President Bashar al-Assad, is aimed at severing a key rebel supply line linked to the town of Arsal in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/96076/World/Region/Syrian-warplanes-pound-key-rebel-area.aspx
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Violence kills eight in Iraq's Fallujah
March 07, 2014
BAGHDAD: Shelling in Iraq's city of Fallujah, held by anti-government fighters for more than two months, and a shooting targeting a local official killed eight people Friday, police and doctors said.
Iraq has been hit by a year-long surge in bloodshed that has reached levels not seen since 2008, driven principally by widespread discontent among its Sunni Arab minority and by the civil war in neighbouring Syria.
Shelling in Fallujah, just a short drive from Baghdad, killed six people and wounded 17, Dr Ahmed Shami told AFP.
The source of the fire, which resident Jassem Mohammed al-Essawi said hit four different areas, was not immediately clear.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Mar-07/249553-violence-kills-seven-in-iraqs-fallujah.ashx#ixzz2vKlYgPgJ
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Free Syrian Army council rejects deal on commanders
World Bulletin / News Desk
March 7, 2014
The Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army announced on Friday that interim defense minister Assad al-Mustafa was staying in his post, reaffirming the sacking of Free Syrian Army chief Salim Idriss.
Colonel Qasim Sadaddin, the council's spokesman, told Anadolu Agency that they had not endorsed a recent agreement between National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces leader Ahmad Jarba and the Free Syrian Army field commanders on removing al-Mustafa.
Full report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/headlines/130442/free-syrian-army-council-rejects-deal-on-commanders
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Iraqi Kurd leader warns Baghdad of 'unexpected' response
World Bulletin / News Desk
March 7, 2014
Massoud Barzani, head of Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), criticized Iraq's Prime Minister, Nouri Al-Maliki, on Thursday over disputes over crude oil exports and federal budget allocations.
"We do not want to threaten anyone, but if Iraqi government keeps on acting as they do, they will receive a response that they never expect," said Barzani, during a ceremony for victims of the 1993 Enfal operation, where former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's forces executed thousands of Kurds.
Iraq's federal government blocked the sale of Kurdish crude oil, which is transferred to Turkey via pipelines, claiming that independent sale of Iraqi oil is against Iraq's constitution. Tensions increased after federal government cut the funding of civil servants working for the Kurdish regional government from the federal budget.
Full report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/headlines/130432/iraqi-kurd-leader-warns-baghdad-of-unexpected-response
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Egypt to revoke citizenship of nearly 14,000 Palestinians affiliated with Hamas
March 7, 2014
Egyptian security services began investigating Palestinians in order to revoke their Egyptian citizenship that was granted during the reign of former president Mohamed Morsi.
Egyptian authorities plan on revoking the citizenship of 13,757 Palestinians that are under investigation, most of whom are affiliated with Hamas, according to security sources quoted in a report on Thursday in the Egyptian newspaper Al-Youm Al-Sabaa.
Security forces say that Hamas members that became Egyptian citizens have taken part in terrorist attacks.
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Sources-Egypt-to-revoke-citizenship-of-nearly-14000-Palestinians-affiliated-with-Hamas-344640
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Terror in Bahrain ‘unacceptable’
March 7, 2014
Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned the fatal bombing in Bahrain that killed three policemen, including an Emirati police officer, branding it a “terrorist act.”
Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal denounced the attack Thursday and called for punishing the perpetrators of the explosion that was primarily aimed at sparking violence in Bahrain and destabilizing the peace and security of the neighboring Gulf states. “The incidents in Bahrain are utterly criminal,” said Prince Saud in a statement published in the local media.
He said the Kingdom considers these incidents “terrorist acts” and that “such criminal actions are not unacceptable to any nation or person who has faith in Islamic and Arab solidarity.”
The GCC and Bahrain have asked Iran to refrain from fomenting violence in Bahrain and the region at large.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/news/536102
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South Asia
Bangladesh a ‘firewall’ against terror: China
HAROON HABIB
March 7, 2014
China on Thursday said that Bangladesh “really matters” to Beijing as it is an “important developing country” with a booming economy.
According to Chinese ambassador Li Jun, China wants to contribute to Bangladesh’s development as the country was contributing to global peace and regional stability.
Mr Li Jun, who met diplomatic correspondents on Thursday, also remarked that Bangladesh’s “improving” ties with its neighbours added to regional stability and its zero-tolerance of terrorism acted as a “firewall” against the spread of terror.
The Chinese envoy also remarked the current world order did not suit developing countries, and “a politically stable and an economically prosperous Bangladesh can play a role conducive to world peace and the establishment of a more just and fair international order.”
Unlike Western countries, he said, China would be “non-interfering in internal affairs” of Bangladesh.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/bangladesh-a-firewall-against-terror-china/article5757687.ece
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Motorcycle bomb at market kills five in Afghanistan: official
2014-03-07
KANDAHAR: An Afghan provincial official says a motorcycle bomb was remotely detonated on Friday in a crowded market in the country's south, killing five people and wounding eight.
Omar Zawaq, the spokesman for the governor of southern Helmand province, says the motorcycle exploded on Friday in the center of the market in Marjah. It's a restive district, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah.
No one immediately took responsibility for the bombing, but the area has a heavy presence of Taliban insurgents.
Marjah was the site of one of the largest US and Afghan offensives in 2010.
However, the Taliban have slowly returned to areas from which they were previously driven out. Local residents say Taliban rule in nearly 80 per cent of the province.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1091622/motorcycle-bomb-at-market-kills-five-in-afghanistan-official
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“They say they have trust in the judiciary because they can influence it”: Nasheed
March 7, 2014
Former President Mohamed Nasheed has responded to President Abdulla Yameen’s declaration of trust in the judiciary by alleging that his confidence arises from the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives’ (PPM) ability to influence the judicial process.
Nasheed stated that both Yameen and his coalition partner Gasim Ibrahim of the Jumhooree Party were expressing utmost trust in an institution that the European Union and the United Nations, as well as Maldivian citizens continued to regard as in need of reform.
“By insisting that they hold such a strong trust in this institution, they are really confessing to the fact that they have undue political influence over this institution.”
They are saying that they have confidence that they can do whatever they want at any particular time through these courts,” Nasheed suggested.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/%E2%80%9Cthey-say-they-have-trust-in-the-judiciary-because-they-can-influence-it%E2%80%9D-nasheed-79160
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Islamic finance has gained confidence in Maldives: Deputy Islamic Minister
March 7, 2014
Islamic finance has gained confidence in the Maldives with increased awareness among the public of its role in eliminating Riba (interest), according to Deputy Islamic Minister Dr Aishath Muneeza.
Writing in the Islamic Finance News website, Dr Muneeza stated that Islamic finance has been “spreading like wildfire” since the introduction of Islamic banking and capital market services in 2011.
“Demand for Islamic finance is evident and has proved that there is inherent demand for Islamic finance as the Maldives is a country with a 100% Muslim population. It is hoped that in the upcoming years the Maldives can be used as a global case study to prove the success of Islamic finance,” she wrote.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/business/islamic-finance-has-gained-confidence-in-maldives-deputy-islamic-minister-dr-muneeza-79176
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‘Chinese submarines in Bangladesh to help bring stability in the region’
March 7, 2014
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jun said procurement of Chinese submarines by Bangladesh would help bring stability in the region.
He made the remark at DCAB Talks, an event organised by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) at the Jatiya Press Club yesterday.
“We help Bangladesh to strengthen its national defence ability in accordance with Bangladesh’s strategy of defence building. And we also believe this kind of cooperation will make its own contribution to the stability of the region’s security,” said Li Jun, responding to a question on India’s annoyance reported over procurement of Chinese submarines.
The Chinese ambassador said it would not go against anybody or make situation complicated.
“What I want to say there is no need for such a worry about that. I think this kind of cooperation will contribute to the regional stability and also to the need of Bangladesh national defence building,” he said.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/law-amp-rights/2014/mar/07/chinese-submarines-bangladesh-help-bring-stability-region#sthash.wrpjX72y.dpuf
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Europe
French judges tapped Sarkozy phone calls over Libya
7 March 2014
French judges tapped the phone calls of former President Nicolas Sarkozy as part of a probe into allegations former Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi helped finance his 2007 election campaign, a French daily reported Friday.
Judicial sources told AFP that a recorded call between Sarkozy and his lawyer Thierry Herzog was the basis for an investigation opened last week into a suspected attempt to influence the outcome of ongoing court proceedings in another corruption case.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/2014/03/07/French-judges-tapped-Sarkozy-phone-calls-over-Libya.html
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'Jihadist plot to take over Birmingham schools'
March 7, 2014
An alleged plot by Islamic fundamentalists to take over Birmingham schools by ousting head teachers and staff through dirty tricks campaigns is being investigated by education chiefs.
The city council and the Birmingham Mail have received documents which purport to show Jihadists are targeting schools and orchestrating false allegations against staff, including non-Muslims, in an operation dubbed Trojan Horse.
Meanwhile, West Midlands Police have reopened a fraud investigation at one school named in the supposed leaked letter – and Ofsted is currently conducting a snap inspection at another.
The documents claim to be leaked written correspondence from one Birmingham fundamentalist to another in Bradford and details plans to roll out Trojan Horse to Bradford as well as Manchester.
Full report at:
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/jihadist-plot-take-over-birmingham-6782881
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If Britain were Syria: charity releases ‘brutally powerful’ ad
March 7, 2014
A family sings happy birthday to a young girl and scenes of her life flit past on screen; playing dress up and sleeping peacefully in a car. Soon enough the mood changes, panic takes hold as Britain descends into a Syria-type conflict and the girl’s life is torn apart.
So goes the new advert by UK-based charity Save the Children. The 90 second video was released in the run-up to the three-year anniversary of the conflict.
According to the United Nations, 10,000 children have died in the Syrian war and 2.3 million people are registered as refugees as a consequence of the fighting.
Cut to the end of the advert and a phrase flashes across the screen: “Just because it isn’t happening here, doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.”
Jack Lundie, director of Brand and Communications at Save the Children, said the video was meant draw in members of the British public who are not familiar with the situation in Syria.
“We hope the video will resonate with members of the public, particularly those who don’t know much about the situation in Syria so they can really understand the plight of innocent Syrian children,” he said.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/media/advertising-and-pr/2014/03/05/If-London-were-Syria-charity-releases-brutally-powerful-ad.html
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Azerbaijan and Organization of Islamic Cooperation to endorse cooperation plan
Mar 7, 2014
Baku, Fineko/abc.az. Azerbaijan and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation are to sign a framework agreement.
The Ministry of Culture & Tourism informs that their minister Abulfas Garayev met with OIC Secretary General Iyad bin Amin Madan.
"During the meeting the minister proposed the signing of a framework agreement between Azerbaijan and the OIC to ensure the development of existing relationships in the sphere of culture and tourism," the Ministry said in a statement.
Following the meeting the sides also made a decision on the development and approval of the Plan of Cooperation between Azerbaijan and the OIC.
http://abc.az/eng/news/main/79875.html
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Sexual and reproductive rights under threat worldwide: Amnesty International
Press Trust of India | London | March 7, 2014
The health and lives of millions of people across the globe are under threat from government failures to guarantee their citizens sexual and reproductive rights, Amnesty International has said.
It is unbelievable that in the twenty-first century some countries are condoning child marriage and marital rape while others are outlawing abortion, sex outside marriage and same-sex sexual activity even punishable by death, said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General while launching a new global campaign ‘My Body My Rights’.
“With My Body My Rights, we want to help the next generation realise and claim their sexual and reproductive rights.”
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/europe/sexual-and-reproductive-rights-under-threat-worldwide-amnesty-international/
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EU reassures Israel over ties despite opposition to West Bank settlements
March 7, 2014
BRUSSELS – Ties with Israeli remain strong in spite of recent European Union measures to clarify and tighten its long standing opposition to West Bank settlements, European Union officials told Israeli journalists in Brussels this week.
Many of them spoke off the record with the journalists, brought to Brussels by the EU so they could better understand its wide range of bi-lateral economic, research and cultural ties with Israel – worth hundreds of millions of euros.
“There is no other country with whom we have a deeper and broader relationship than with Israel,” one official said.
The officials tried to reassure the journalists concerned by its constant criticism of West Bank settlements and its publication last year of settlement guidelines clarifying its position against offering funds and grants to entities located over the pre-1967 lines.
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/EU-reassures-Israel-over-ties-despite-opposition-to-West-Bank-settlements-344636
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Southeast Asia
Anwar found guilty of sodomy, jailed five years
March 7, 2014
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's plan to win the Kajang by-election and become the Selangor menteri besar was scuttled by the Court of Appeal that overturned his acquittal for sodomy, and sentenced him to five years jail.
There was an uproar in the courtroom when the sentence was read out, overturning the High Court's earlier decision to acquit him for sodomy.
It was an unanimous decision.
Judge Datuk Balia Yusof Wahi, who is leading a three-man bench, has yet to pass sentence, which is a jail term of up to 20 years.
The bench delivered their decision in 90 minutes after hearing submissions from both parties yesterday and today.
Anwar’s defence team then sought an adjournment until next week to allow them to prepare for mitigation.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/anwar-found-guilty-of-sodomy
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Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty and Life Sentence for Suspects in Sisca Slaying
March 7, 2014
Bandung. Prosecutors said Thursday they would seek the death penalty and life in prison respectively for a man and his nephew accused of dragging 34-year-old Fransisca Yofie behind a motorcycle by her hair for 500 meters, stabbing her with a machete and leaving her to bleed to death near her home in the West Java capital last year.
“We demand the death penalty for defendant Wawan, also known as Awing,” chief prosecutor Rinaldi Umar said at an indictment hearing at the Bandung District Court on Thursday, according to state-run Antara News Agency.
Prosecutors charged Wawan with violent robbery resulting in death under article 365 of the Criminal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of death.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/prosecutors-seek-death-penalty-and-life-sentence-for-suspects-in-fransisca-yofie-slaying/
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Mideast
Erdogan: YouTube, Facebook could be banned
March 7, 2014
Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that his government could ban social media networks YouTube and Facebook after a raft of online leaks added momentum to a spiraling corruption scandal, Agence France-Presse reported.
Erdogan has already tightened his government’s grip over the Internet, generating criticism at home and abroad about rights in the EU-hopeful country.
“There are new steps we will take in that sphere after March 30... including a ban (on YouTube, Facebook),” Erdogan told private ATV television in an interview late Thursday.
Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has come under mounting pressure since last week, when audio recordings were leaked in which Erdogan and his son allegedly discuss how to hide vast sums of money.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/03/07/Turkey-PM-YouTube-Facebook-could-be-banned-.html
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Facebook's safe haven for Israeli racists
March 07, 2014
Posts rejoicing in the death of Palestinians and calls for the murder of asylum seekers have become a matter of course, but police say their hands are tied.
Somewhat more than 1,000 people are friends on the Hebrew-language Facebook page Nikmat Hayeudim (“Revenge of the Jews”). They receive daily photo updates on attacks against Palestinian property and people and on leftists. “What a picture, a real pleasure,” one of them wrote under a photo showing a person severely beaten around the head, blood running down his face, lying on a hospital bed. “That’s what should be done to all the Arabs,” another post added, and then continued with a coarse stream of invective including cursing Mohammad.
Full report at:
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/.premium-1.578487
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Iran says expert nuclear talks with world powers 'useful'
March 7, 2014
An Iranian negotiator said Friday that expert-level nuclear talks with world powers this week have been "useful," as the two sides pursue a final accord on Tehran's controversial nuclear programme.
"All the involved parties view the sessions as useful," Hamid Baeedinejad, who heads the Iranian delegation of experts, told the official IRNA news agency, adding that the negotiations are "serious and substantive."
Experts from Iran and the so-called P5+1 -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany -- have been holding closed-door technical talks in Vienna since Wednesday.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/96075/World/Region/Iran-says-expert-nuclear-talks-with-world-powers-u.aspx
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Security: Qaeda in Yemen executes alleged U.S. informer
March 7, 2014
Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen executed one of their own Thursday after accusing him of spying for the United States, a security official said.
The man was executed by firing squad and his body was displayed at a football stadium near Shehr in the southeastern Hadramawt province, an Al-Qaeda stronghold, the source said.
Yemen is the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden and the home base of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which Washington views as the global jihadist network’s most dangerous franchise.
When police arrived at the scene, the man was hanging with the Al-Qaeda black and white flag alongside a banner reading: “A U.S. spy in the Arabian Peninsula,” the official said.
A statement was also found in which AQAP threatened to execute “any intruder who infiltrates among Muslims, places chips in their vehicles and their wedding convoys and gets them killed in return for a few dirhams,” according to the source.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/03/06/Security-Qaeda-in-Yemen-executes-alleged-U-S-informer.html
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Iran says Israel fabricated Gaza weapons claim
2014-03-07
JAKARTA: Iran's foreign minister on Friday sharply rejected an Israeli allegation that Tehran tried to ship missiles to the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, calling it a “lie”.
Israel has said it captured a Gaza-bound ship Wednesday carrying dozens of Syrian-made rockets “capable of striking anywhere in Israel”.
The raid coincided with a high-profile US trip by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met with President Barack Obama for discussions on a Middle East peace deal.
“Netanyahu is in Washington... and all of a sudden as a godsend, they capture a ship from Iran with missiles. Just a coincidence?” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said during an official visit to Jakarta.
Full report at:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1091612/iran-says-israel-fabricated-gaza-weapons-claim
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North America
U.S. government sues Philadelphia schools over beard policy
Mar 7, 2014
The U.S. government sued Philadelphia's school district for religious discrimination on Wednesday for demanding that a veteran Muslim police officer trim his beard.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court by the Department of Justice, said the nation's eighth-largest school district passed a grooming policy in 2010 that mandated beards on police and security officers be no longer than one-quarter of an inch (6.35 mm).
The officer in question, Siddiq Abu-Bakr, keeps an untrimmed beard longer than one-quarter of an inch in adherence to his Islamic faith, the suit said.
Grooming policies that conflict with religious practice have
been an issue in institutions in other parts of the country. The Pentagon decided in January to ease rules on beards and turbans in the U.S. Army.
Full report at:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/06/us-usa-philadelphia-beard-lawsuit-idUSBREA2506720140306
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Pentagon admits chaplains from Muslim Brotherhood group
March 7, 2014
The U.S. Army and Air Force has selected two Muslim chaplains from a program run by an Islamic group closely tied to the Muslim Brotherhood that was named by the Justice Department as an unindicted co-conspirator in a scheme to raise money for Hamas.
WND broke the story in 2011 that the controversial Islamic Society of North America, or ISNA, is the official endorsing agency for the U.S. Armed Forces Muslim chaplain program.
WND further reported that year that the Muslim chaplain program was founded by a terror-supporting convict, while the Army’s first Islamic chaplain, who is still serving, has been associated with a charity widely accused of serving as an al-Qaida front.
Full report at:
http://www.news.nom.co/pentagon-admits-chaplains-from-muslim-8273877-news/
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US bill 'dramatically strengthens' Israel alliance
March 7, 2014
The US House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that declares Israel a "major strategic partner" of the United States, reinforcing the broad relationship between the two nations and laying the groundwork for more expansive strategic cooperation.
The bill would expand the delivery of forward-deployed US weapons to Israel, as well as other military technologies, and would commit Congress to further funding of the Iron Dome short-range missile defense system.
Controversially, the bill would also invite Israel into a visa waiver agreement with the US, which has been opposed by members of the intelligence community and the Democratic caucus for multiple years.
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/US-bill-dramatically-strengthens-Israel-alliance-344651
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India
India ticks off Pak for inviting Kashmiri students for study
PTI | Mar 7, 2014
NEW DELHI: Reacting strongly to Pakistan inviting 60 Kashmiri students in Uttar Pradesh who were slapped with sedition, India on Friday said that country should not muddle into affairs of other countries.
"They should look into their own problems before trying to resolve issues in other countries," the spokesperson in the external affairs ministry said.
He was asked about Pakistan inviting 60 Kashmiri students, slapped sedition charges by Uttar Pradesh for cheering the Pakistani cricket team in an Asia Cup tie against India, to its educational institutions.
UP Police had slapped sedition charges against 60 Kashmiri students of Swami Vivekananda Subharti University in Meerut who were suspended for three days from the hostel after they had allegedly supported Pakistan cricket team against India in the Asia Cup match in Dhaka on Sunday last.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/toi-nav/india/India-ticks-off-Pak-for-inviting-Kashmiri-students-for-study/articleshow/31609239.cms
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‘Pak-funded’ IM was left to fend for itself
Muzamil Jaleel | New Delhi | March 7, 2014
The National Investigation Agency has claimed that alleged Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative Yasin Bhatkal and his aides were sponsored by the ISI. However, contents of the supplementary chargesheet filed against Yasin in a Delhi court on February 24 paint the picture of a group struggling for funds, living in cheap rented accommodation, and trying to raise money through extortion and by “selling cartridges”. Some examples:
* Extortion and kidnapping: “During the chat between Assadullah and Shadab on 5th July, Shadaab wanted a passport of Bangladesh — the only problem Shadaab had was shortage of money,” says the chargesheet… “Investigations established Assadullah and Mirza Shadaab Beg planned to set up a new system of extortion of money from persons in Dubai (UAE) to generate funds for terrorist activities.”
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/pak-funded-im-was-left-to-fend-for-itself/2/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/ttp-anti-islam-anti-pakistan,/d/56030