Photo: The conflict in Syria and Iraq has now drawn more volunteer fighters than past Islamist causes in Afghanistan and the former Yugoslavia - and an estimated eight out of 10 enlistees have joined Islamic State. (AP Photo)
Is the UK Government's Anti-Terror Strategy Damaging School Kids?
On The Purported Merger of Christian and Islamic Studies in Nigerian Schools
Christian Groups Launch Online Petition to Stop Islamic Indoctrination in U.S. Schools
Witnesses: ISIL Crucifies Two Young Men in Syrian Raqqa
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India
Islamic State Could Influence Very Few Youths in India
Nearly 60,000 Muslim Under-Trials in Jails across India, Says Government
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Europe
Is the UK Government's Anti-Terror Strategy Damaging School Kids?
Islamic World Could Make Huge Contribution to Ending Hunger
Practicing Muslims Surpass European Christians
Muslim Theology Faculties Develop an ‘Islam for Germany’
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Africa
On The Purported Merger of Christian and Islamic Studies in Nigerian Schools
Curbing the Ballistic Missile Threat: How Africa Can Do Its Part
Western Sahara warning over UN staff expulsion row
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North America
Christian Groups Launch Online Petition to Stop Islamic Indoctrination in U.S. Schools
'ISIS Days Are NUMBERED' Trump Declares WAR on Radical Islam As He Outlines Foreign Policy
Muslim Couple Found Murdered in California Home
US Troops Presence in Syria Illegitimate
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Arab World
Witnesses: ISIL Crucifies Two Young Men in Syrian Raqqa
ISIS Heading For Financial RUIN: Jihadis See Privileges Cut In Austerity Drive
ISIL Oil Trade in Syria Paralyzed, over 200 Oil Facilities Razed
Fresh Syrian Forces Arrive in Aleppo for Decisive Battle
Lebanese Army Kills Top ISIL Commander near Syrian Border
ISIL Attack on Deir Ezzur Airbase Bounces Back on Terrorists
Syria Seizes Large Cache of Terrorists' Weapons, Ammunition in Al-Lajat Plateau
Iranian Speaker: Over 100,000 Terrorists Active in Region
Iranian Leader's Top Aide Blames "Riyadh Group" for Failure of Syria Talks
DM Lauds Iran, Russia Cooperation for Collapse of Terrorism
Iran, Iraq to Stage Joint Drills in Persian Gulf
Islamic State militants make new gains after clashes with rebels northern Syria
Syrian Army Focusing on Liberation of Homs-Deir Ezzur Strategic Roads
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Pakistan
Majority Pakistanis Want Legislation to Be Influenced By Islam, Survey Reveals
Pakistan Court Orders Ruling on Muslim NGO's Illegal Sharia Courts
‘11 Suicide Bombers Enter Pakistan from Afghanistan’
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South Asia
Former Mujahideen Leader Urge Militants to End Slavery, Insisting Taliban Defeated In Operation Omari
6 Militants Killed, 60 Arrested In Afghan Commandos Night Raid In Kunduz
Foreigner female aid worker kidnapped from Kabul-Jalalabad highway
Taliban militants disguised as married couple arrested in north of Afghanistan
Policeman kills his 3 comrades in latest insider attack in Laghman
Haqqani network member killed in Afghan Air Force raid in Zabul
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Mideast
Turkey Planning New Aggression against Syrian Soil
Palestinian Nazi Parallel Enrages Israel
15 detained in connection to Bursa suicide attack
Police officer killed in PKK attack in Turkey’s east
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Southeast Asia
After Hostage Beheading, Is Philippines Facing IS Threat?
The Trouble with Thailand's 'Toughness' on Migrants
Indonesia to host talks on maritime security after kidnappings
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Islamic State Could Influence Very Few Youths in India
Apr 28, 2016
The Islamic State (IS) terror outfit could influence very few youths from India, Minister of State for Home Affairs Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Citing the number of Indian youths arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and state police forces, Chaudhary said: “The NIA and police in some states have registered cases and arrested some active cadres affiliated to IS in the recent past.”
The minister said the NIA has arrested 25 IS cadres while police in different states have so far arrested 24 people.
Chaudhary informed the house that Maharashtra Police arrested four people for their affiliation with IS -- that split from the Al Qaeda in February 2014 and is being headed by Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi while -- followed by Delhi (4), Karnataka (1), Madhya Pradesh (5), Tamil Nadu (3), Telangana (6) and Rajasthan (1).
He said the IS was using various internet-based platforms to propagate its ideology.
“Intelligence and security agencies monitor the cyber space closely to identify potential recruits and keep them under surveillance and take further action, if necessary,” Chaudhary said.
To assess the threat posed by the IS and to devise a national strategy to deal with it, the minister said the home ministry organised two separate meetings with all the central agencies concerned and the state governments on August 1, 2015 and on January 1, 2016, respectively.
“The government has taken all necessary measures including sensitisation of the states to counter the incipient threat posed by the IS.”
hindustantimes.com/india/islamic-state-could-influence-very-few-youths-in-india-government/story-TqPWo6KkDH0dgudGPGLFTL.html
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On the purported merger of Christian and Islamic studies in schools
Apr 28, 2016
Nigeria can be anything but boring. The country often reminds one of the title of one of Dr Anezi Okoro’s novellas - One Week, One Trouble (African University Press, 1972). In that novella, the lead character Wilson Tagbo, a brilliant and determined chap, had gained admission into a secondary school during the colonial days. In his quest to turn the period of his studentship into a journey for self discovery, the young man had several run-ins with the school authorities almost on a weekly basis.
As it was with Anezi Okoro’s One Week, One Trouble, so it is with Nigeria. Every week brings its own simmering discord and contentious issue.
Over the past few weeks matters that dominated the headlines have included the purported $6bn loans and currency swap deal with China, the radicalization of ‘Fulani’ herdsmen as a new terrorist group, the trial of Senate President Saraki by the Code of Conduct Tribunal, agitations for Biafra by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, Boko Haram, Buhari’s foreign trips and the debate on whether the Naira should be devalued or not. The current ‘trouble with Nigeria’ is the reported move by the Ministry of Education to merge the teaching of Christian Religious Studies (CRS) with Islamic Studies (IS) under a new subject to be known as Religion and National Values (RNV).
I use the word ‘purported’ deliberately because, to the best of my knowledge, there is no official confirmation or denial of this story - not even on the website of the Federal Ministry of Education. However given the tendency for this government to either allow the media to go to town with stories and then deny such stories after they have gained currency (as happened with the issue of $6bn loan and currency swap with China) or to stake a position and then do a U-turn (as happened with the issue of Nigeria joining a Saudi-led Islamic coalition against terrorism), anything is possible with this story. It is on this premise that I feel that certain observations on the matter are germane:
One, the idea to ‘merge’ the teaching of CRS with IS actually predates the Buhari regime. It all started with the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Programme, which was introduced in Nigeria in September, 1988. In 2008 the Federal Government through the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) introduced the 9-Year Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) in schools which sought to realign all extant Primary and Junior Secondary School Curricula to meet the key targets of the UBE programme. The structure of the 9-Year Basic Education Curriculum was such that the number of subject offered ranged from ten to sixteen. Between 2008 and now, the country witnessed two major curriculum reform initiatives at the Basic Education level, namely: the 9-Year Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) (September 2008- August 2014); and the Revised 9-Year Basic Education Curriculum (September 2014 -Present). The Revised BEC comprises ten subjects namely English Studies, Mathematics, Basic Science and Technology, Religion and National Values, Cultural and Creative Arts, Business Studies, Nigerian Languages, Pre-vocational Studies, French and Arabic.
Two, it is not clear how the Revised 9-Year Basic Education Curriculum, which theoretically came into force in September 2014 and under which the RNV subject was introduced, has been enforced across the country. It is also not clear whether the current speculation is merely a kite being flown by the government about its desire to more strictly enforce the teaching of RNV or whether it has something else under its sleeve in this matter. At least one blogger has argued that the idea behind the new RNV subject was not to merge the teaching of the two dominant religions in the country but that the new subject has several themes, some of which are compulsory such as social studies, civic education and security education while the themes on CRS and IS will be taught separately. We await further clarification on this.
Three, since religion is a matter of faith and belief, its discussion in a multi-religious, multi-ethnic and low-trust society like ours often risks touching extremely sensitive nerves. It could in fact be hypothesized that any initiative that verges on religion and which is fiercely opposed by both leading Muslims and Christians is already dead on arrival. This appears to be the inevitable fate of RNV - whether it is merely a kite being flown by the government or not. For instance two prominent religious leaders, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, and the Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Alfred Adewale Martins, have condemned any move to merge CRS and IS under any guise. In the same vein, the Muslim Rights Concern, (MURIC) has warned the Federal Government against any merger of the teaching of the two faiths in school. MURIC drew the attention of the government to both the letter and spirit of Section 38 (ii) of the 1999 Constitution which states that “No person attending any place of education shall be required to receive religious instruction …if such instruction …relates to a religion other than his own, or a religion not approved by his parent or guardian.” There are also concerns that RVN could actually contravene the Child’s rights Act of 2003, which preserves the right of the child not to be exposed to any religion contrary to that of his parents or guardians.
Four, those who promote the RNV assume wrongly that allowing students to study about Christianity and Islam will automatically promote religious tolerance. The premise of this logic is erroneous. It is akin to arguing that the colonial anthropologists who pioneered the study of African cultures would be less racist than their counterparts who had never been to Africa. As experience showed, they were often more racist than their fellow citizens who never visited Africa. For instance Joseph Conrad, who wrote the infamous novel The Heart of Darkness (1902), which caricatured African customs, had travelled extensively in India, Singapore, Australia and Africa as a seafarer and had ‘studied’ African cultures. Collapsing the teaching of CRS and IS under RNV is therefore more likely to promote feelings of superiority and intolerance than religious amity. How will for instance ordinary Nigerians in a predominantly Muslim state in the north react to a Christian teaching them about CRS or IS under the RNV? And how will a student in a predominantly Christian state in the southeast or south-south react to a Muslim teaching them about CRS or IS under the RNV? It is difficult not to believe that students will under the RNV be forced to study comparative religions which could be problematic on its own especially in a society like ours, and given the age-group that is targeted. Based on this, I believe that those who fashioned the RNV were either genuinely ignorant of the depth of the religious fault line in the country or were being deliberately mischievous.
Five, the impression one gets is that those who designed the idea of RNV want religion to be taught as an academic subject (secular study of religious beliefs) - rather than as theology (designed to teach morals). If this assumption is correct, it immediately raises the question of how the adherents of one faith will feel when their faith is being critiqued from a secular perspective, especially if the teacher is not someone who shares the same faith as them. Even if the teaching of morals is stretched to be part of the objectives of collapsing the teaching of both CRS and IS under RNV, it raises the question of how this can be done given instances of different moralities preached by the two religions such as on polygamy? One may also want to know why Traditional African Religion is omitted from the RNV.
Six, there is also the question of where we will find teachers with the requisite skills and training to teach both CRS and IS and at the same time teach the other components of RNV such as social studies, Civic Education, Security Education, Consumer Education, Disaster Risk Reduction Education and Peace and Conflict Education? Even if we accept that ‘separate classes should be run for CRS theme and IS theme’ as one blogger argued, where do we get enough adjunct lecturers to teach the two religions across the country? RNV therefore is a poorly conceived programme that should never be allowed to see the light of the day, especially by a government which is already being accused of implementing religious and ethno-regional agenda.
dailytrust.com.ng/news/columns/on-the-purported-merger-of-christian-and-islamic-studies-in-schools/144455.html
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Is the UK Government's Anti-Terror Strategy Damaging School Kids?
Apr 28, 2016
In the summer of 2015, then 16-year old Rahmaan Mohammadi, a student at the Challney High School for Boys near the town of Luton, England, found himself questioned by police on suspicion of "extremist tendencies."
All Rahmaan had done, he repeatedly contested, was participate in pro-Palestinian activism, before being reprimanded by a senior staff member for wearing a "Free Palestine" badge and wristband, and for attempting to raise money for charities getting clean water to children in the Gaza Strip.
The conflict—which Rahmaan claims ended in a staff member asking him and a friend if they were "sure the money's not going to ISIS"—led to two police officers showing up at his house. "They came in and interrogated me for a good forty-five minutes," he says. "Asking questions like, 'What do you think about what's going on in Palestine? What do you think of Israel? What do you think of Syria, President Assad, ISIS?' General Middle East questions."
While Bedfordshire police have said they came to the conclusion that Rahmaan was "not at risk" because of his responses to a range of questions, the teenager insists it was one answer in particular that changed their minds:
"It came down to a simple question in the end: 'What sect of Islam are you?' I replied that I'm a Shi'a Muslim, and what [the officer] said was, 'Oh well, we're only looking for certain types of Muslim.' What he obviously means by that is that if you're a Shi'a, then you obviously aren't gonna be a radical, but if you're Sunni, then you're someone to keep an eye on. I thought that was extremely discriminatory to other sects of Islam."
Rahmaan had been questioned under "Prevent," a key pillar of the government's anti-terrorism strategy, and one that's supposed to root out the kinds of extremist political ideas that encourage young people to join groups opposed to "British values," from the Islamic State (ISIS) to anarchist collectives.
Part of the broader "CONTEST" counter-terrorism strategy, which includes provisions to "Pursue" (detect terrorist plots), "Protect" (strengthen protection against these plots), and "Prepare" (ensure the country can withstand terror attacks), the Prevent strategy is carried out through a complex network of local authorities, grassroots organizations, and dedicated law enforcement bodies. The rules have shifted over time, and since last year, if a teacher or staff member believes that a child is showing signs of extremist behavior, they now have a statutory duty to involve Prevent officers. If the child is deemed at risk, they have to refer them to the Channel de-radicalization program. Failure to do so could put their jobs at risk.
While the other strands of CONTEST are intended to be no-nonsense intelligence-gathering and attack-preventing arms of the state, Prevent is, at least in theory, the carrot to CONTEST's stick.
"It's responding to the reality that young people now are vulnerable to radicalization," says Kalsoom Bashir, co-director of Inspire, a counter-extremist organization that supports the government's efforts. "There are people out there recruiting people for their own terrorist purposes, and this threat is very real."
Whether or not Prevent actually works is another question altogether. Last year, as ISIS saturated the internet with graphic videos of executions and ethnic cleansing, it seemed as though a steady stream of young British Muslims couldn't resist the allure of waging jihad in the war zones of Syria and Iraq.
Prevent was designed to stop this kind of thing from happening in the first place. Devised originally by the Blair government in 2003, the coalition government updated the approach as part of a wider revision of counter-terrorism in 2011.
"When we produced the policy, nobody involved in it had any idea that ISIL would rise in the way that it has," admits Lord Alex Carlile, one of Britain's leading law experts and an independent reviewer of counter-terrorism strategy between 2001 and 2011, from his office in Gray's Inn. "The scale of the problem has increased—the nature of the problem has increased."
Lord Carlile doesn't think this means Prevent should be ended. If anything, he argues, it strengthens its necessity. But one of the many issues with the policy is that its success is impossible to measure: If it's working, nothing happens. It's hard to track how many people don't travel to Syria to join ISIS.
However, it's hard to ignore the impact the policy is having on the people it's meant to be helping. Prevent Watch is a not-for-profit organization that offers support services to the people negatively affected by the strategy, and since being set up in 2014, it claims to have worked on more than 150 cases of Prevent being misused or applied in a discriminatory or heavy-handed way. Speaking to VICE over the phone, Mohammed Khan, the group's project manager, describes a policy that is discriminatory and draconian.
"Our idea is to essentially document what's going on out there and provide a level of support," he says. "That's across the country, and it was very much a reaction to a need in the community, with a view to evidencing the fact that it was broken."
Prevent Watch has compiled several instances where, it argues, Prevent has been misused or applied in a discriminatory way. A recent example, Khan says, is an instance in a school where a four-year-old Muslim boy drew a picture of his father chopping cucumbers. When asked by a teacher what he was drawing, the boy, struggling to say the long word, mispronounced it.
"It came out as 'cook-a-bum'," says Khan. "The teacher then repeats to the child 'cooker bomb?', and the child picks up the word 'bomb'... and then this discussion goes off in a completely left-field direction. It's unreal. The teacher refers the mother, the child, and the siblings to Prevent. And she's actually submitted the forms and submitted them to social services."
Another is the now-notorious "eco-warrior" case, where Hackney mom Ifhat Smith found her son questioned by Prevent officers using the term "eco-terrorist" in a classroom discussion about deforestation.
"He had to follow this adult who he didn't know, and he was taken into a inclusion center, which is effectively where they put misbehaved children," says Smith.
At this point, her son was questioned by two senior staff members and told he was being questioned because of his use of the phrase "terrorist."
Smith complained to the school and was told there was nothing to be concerned about, but that they had been obliged to investigate the case under the Prevent strategy. But the damage has been done, Smith argues, and being "interrogated" has had a marked effect on her child.
"For my son, he's got a mixed array of friends at the school, from different backgrounds and different nationalities," she says. "He felt really, really embedded in that school community; he thought he had a brilliant relationship with all the teachers. He absolutely loved the school, so when that happened, it really shook him to the core. It was the first time he'd felt like another, or not belonging."
Prevent Watch and the eco-warrior case have not been without controversy themselves, facing a tough backlash from right-wing newspapers keen to support the government's policy. In a provocatively titled piece from the end of January, the Daily Telegraph alleged that Ifhat Smith was "a key figure in the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood" and that Prevent Watch was affiliated with groups, such as the controversial CAGE, that have been accused of sympathizing with terrorists.
Prevent Watch strongly contests this, of course, as does Smith, who says that while she's previously done voluntary work with affiliates of Tunisia's moderate Islamist Ennahda Movement as part of a campaign called Islam Is Peace in the aftermath of the 7/7 bombings, she has no official connection to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Much of this coverage is a distraction from the very real issues around the policy, and calls for a major reevaluation of Prevent are growing. In 2015, after the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act added statutory obligations to teachers, 360 leading academics and education professionals signed a joint statement condemning it as discriminatory and authoritarian.
"Prevent will have a chilling effect on open debate, free speech, and political dissent," the report argued. "It will create an environment in which political change can no longer be discussed openly, and will withdraw to unsupervised spaces."
vice.com/en_ca/read/prevent-counter-terrorism-strategy-uk-school-radicalisation
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Christian groups launch online petition to stop Islamic indoctrination in U.S. schools
Apr 28, 2016
The U.S. Department of Education has been accused of promoting the Islamisation of American schools after it posted a blog entry urging educators to protect Muslim children from bullying.
In the post titled "Protecting Our Muslim Youth from Bullying: The Role of the Educator," the department suggested to educators that they create an anti-bias learning environment by "incorporating the experiences, perspective and words of Muslim people into the curriculum through social studies and current events instruction, children's literature, in order to learn about different cultures."
Because of this, Christian groups have launched online petition to "Stop the Education Department From Islamizing Our Children."
The Christian Action Network (CAN) aims "to stop the United States Department of Education (DOE) from pressuring public schools to incorporate Islamic indoctrination into their classrooms."
"Public schools in America should not be a tool for brainwashing children into the tenets, faith, worship, prayer or services of Islam," said Martin Mawyer, president of CAN.
The petition cited that in some schools, students have been asked to memorise the Five Pillars of Islamic Faith, dress as Muslims, say Islamic prayers and design Muslim prayer rugs.
"Even official textbooks haven't masked their obvious intention of indoctrinating children into the Islamic faith," Mawyer said.
In the petition, signatories said they've had "enough of this INDOCTRINATION of our schoolchildren into Islam!"
"I demand that your Department of Education cease using the bullying power of the federal government to introduce even more outrageous Islamic programs, curriculum and lessons into the public schools," it said.
Mawyer vowed to rally supporters to oppose plans by the DOE to "encourage the false portrayal of Islam as peaceful, tolerant and conducive to a free society."
"We will not only use our voices, actions and influence to stop this, but we are also producing a documentary film to further expose the outrageous and illegal Islamic teaching programs already in place in our public schools," he said.
The DOE blog entry said in the wake of the Paris and other terrorist attacks, lack of information among students in public schools about Islam and the tendency to associate Islam with terrorism have led to an increase in incidents targeting the Muslim community.
Schools have not been immune to anti-Muslim sentiments, it said, as there have been physical attacks, verbal threats and social isolation.
Readers posted on the blog, opposing the plan.
"Islam is not merely a religion; it is also a totalitarian, supremacist political ideology. This kind of nonsense is one of many reasons the U.S. Department of Education should be dismantled," wrote Joanne Meegan.
Another said, "Why is the bullying of Muslims any more important than the bullying of other kids. Educators should be stopping ALL bullying. On the other side of the coin, if you want to live in this country, prepare to be treated as good or as bad as any other AMERICAN citizen. Muslims don't deserve ANY special treatment."
christiantoday.com/article/christian.groups.launch.online.petition.to.stop.islamic.indoctrination.in.u.s.schools/84920.htm
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Witnesses: ISIL Crucifies Two Young Men in Syrian Raqqa
April 28, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The ISIL terrorist group publicly crucified two young men in its stronghold city of Raqqa, reports citing eye-witnesses said.
Informed sources reported, citing witnesses in Raqqa, that ISIL terrorists forced the local residents to gather on the square, where the execution of the two accused of cooperating with the anti-ISIL forces was held, and observe the process.
ISIL terrorist group has had to resort to more brutal ways to fuel more fear inside or outside its occupied territories, as government forces have been retaking major cities and slowly pushing the terrorists back to a diminished territories.
Earlier this week, the ISIL terrorist group executed 21 members in the city of Raqqa on charges of fleeing the battlefield.
They were executed on charge of escaping battles against the Syrian government forces across the country," the source said.
Last week, the ISIL terrorist group in Iraq, in a brutal arbitrary execution, locked the groups' defectors in a freezer for a day and killed 45 fellow fighters in a warning to other potential defectors.
The ISIL fighters attempted to flee the battlefield during recent fights. They were executed by being locked in morgue freezers in Mosul for 24 hours, left for a slow, presumably agonizing death.
Their bodies, then, were reportedly stretched out along the sides of the road at city entrances as a warning to other fighters on the consequences waiting for possible defectors.
The city of Raqqa which is considered as self-proclaimed capital of the ISIL group, has been overrun by the group since 2013.
The Syrian army, as well as the Kurdish militias, are currently carrying out offensives to liberate the city and its nearby areas from ISIL.
en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950209000605
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India
Islamic State Could Influence Very Few Youths in India
Apr 28, 2016
The Islamic State (IS) terror outfit could influence very few youths from India, Minister of State for Home Affairs Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Citing the number of Indian youths arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and state police forces, Chaudhary said: “The NIA and police in some states have registered cases and arrested some active cadres affiliated to IS in the recent past.”
The minister said the NIA has arrested 25 IS cadres while police in different states have so far arrested 24 people.
Full report at: hindustantimes.com/india/islamic-state-could-influence-very-few-youths-in-india-government/story-TqPWo6KkDH0dgudGPGLFTL.html
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Nearly 60,000 Muslim undertrials in jails across India, says government
April 27, 2016
As many as 82,190 Muslim prisoners, including 59,550 undertrials, are lodged in different jails across the country according to data available until the end of 2014, Rajya Sabha was told today.
Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said that as per data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), there were 82,190 Muslim prisoners of which 21,550 were convicts, 59,550 were undertrials, 658 detainees and 432 other prisoners by the end of 2014.
"As per the data compiled by the NCRB for 2014, the percentage of convicted Muslim prisoners to the total convicted prisoners was 16.38, while the percentage of Muslim undertrial prisoners to the total undertrial prisoners was 21.05 per cent," he said in his reply to a written question.
Full report at: indiatoday.intoday.in/story/nearly-60-000-muslim-undertrials-in-jails-across-india-says-government/1/652713.html
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Europe
Is the UK Government's Anti-Terror Strategy Damaging School Kids?
Apr 28, 2016
In the summer of 2015, then 16-year old Rahmaan Mohammadi, a student at the Challney High School for Boys near the town of Luton, England, found himself questioned by police on suspicion of "extremist tendencies."
All Rahmaan had done, he repeatedly contested, was participate in pro-Palestinian activism, before being reprimanded by a senior staff member for wearing a "Free Palestine" badge and wristband, and for attempting to raise money for charities getting clean water to children in the Gaza Strip.
The conflict—which Rahmaan claims ended in a staff member asking him and a friend if they were "sure the money's not going to ISIS"—led to two police officers showing up at his house. "They came in and interrogated me for a good forty-five minutes," he says. "Asking questions like, 'What do you think about what's going on in Palestine? What do you think of Israel? What do you think of Syria, President Assad, ISIS?' General Middle East questions."
While Bedfordshire police have said they came to the conclusion that Rahmaan was "not at risk" because of his responses to a range of questions, the teenager insists it was one answer in particular that changed their minds:
Full report at: vice.com/en_ca/read/prevent-counter-terrorism-strategy-uk-school-radicalisation
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Islamic World Could Make Huge Contribution to Ending Hunger
28,04,2016
On April 26-28, the Kazakh capital of Astana hosts the inaugural session of the General Assembly of the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) in parallel to the seventh Conference on Food Security and Agricultural Development in OIC Member States.
"The Islamic world should not stand still on such key issues as the eradication of hunger, the development of agriculture, the provision of food security. The OIC member states could make a huge contribution to the provision of food security, if join their efforts," Nazarbayev said in a welcome address to the participants of the IOFS session, as read out by the country's prime minister, Karim Massimov.
Full report at: sputniknews.com/asia/20160428/1038749753/muslims-contribution-eradication-hunger.html
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Practicing Muslims Surpass European Christians
Apr 28, 2016
STRASBOURG (ChurchMilitant.com) - The number of practicing Muslims in Europe is going to exceed that of practicing Christians "very soon," asserts a Belgian minister.
During a hearing Sunday on last month's Brussels Islamic terrorist attacks, Belgian minister Koen Geens warned the European Union (EU) of the dangers of failing to acknowledge the changes occurring within Europe's population. "That is not because there are too many Muslims," Geens admitted, "it is because Christians are generally less practicing. Europe does not realize this, but this is the reality."
Full report at: churchmilitant.com/news/article/practicing-muslims-surpass-european-christians
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Muslim theology faculties develop an ‘Islam for Germany’
Apr 28, 2016
While Germany’s politicians are loudly debating whether Islam is compatible with democracy, five of its state universities are quietly developing pioneering new Islamic theology faculties to try to ensure that it is.
The five universities — in Muenster, Osnabrueck, Frankfurt, Tubingen and Erlangen-Nuremberg — recently passed their first official evaluations by Muslim and Christian experts and were granted 20 million euros (or $22 million) to continue for another five years.
The programs now have a total of over 1,800 students and plan to grow. The largest program, in Muenster, has 700 students in its three-year bachelor’s program and received more than double that number of applicants this academic year alone.
Their example has been such a success that Berlin decided to introduce Islamic theology at one of its universities, even though it will not get federal funds for it.
The practical approach these faculties have taken towards training Muslim religion teachers, conducting research into Islam and fostering interfaith dialogue contrasts sharply with the increasingly shrill declarations coming from Germany’s far-right, especially the Alternative for Germany party.
Full report at: religionnews.com/2016/04/27/muslim-theology-faculties-develop-an-islam-for-germany/
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Africa
On the purported merger of Christian and Islamic studies in schools
Apr 28, 2016
Nigeria can be anything but boring. The country often reminds one of the title of one of Dr Anezi Okoro’s novellas - One Week, One Trouble (African University Press, 1972). In that novella, the lead character Wilson Tagbo, a brilliant and determined chap, had gained admission into a secondary school during the colonial days. In his quest to turn the period of his studentship into a journey for self discovery, the young man had several run-ins with the school authorities almost on a weekly basis.
As it was with Anezi Okoro’s One Week, One Trouble, so it is with Nigeria. Every week brings its own simmering discord and contentious issue.
Full report at: dailytrust.com.ng/news/columns/on-the-purported-merger-of-christian-and-islamic-studies-in-schools/144455.html
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Curbing the ballistic missile threat: how Africa can do its part
Apr 27, 2016
The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) has successfully partnered with the Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS) to promote the Hague Code of Conduct (HCoC) against Ballistic Missile Proliferation on the African continent.
The Hague Code of Conduct is the only multilateral instrument that deals specifically with the spread of ballistic missiles.
Signed in November 2002, it is only becoming more relevant given the global threat posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles – some of which have the capability to deliver weapons of mass destruction.
The African continent is almost free of ballistic missiles. South Africa used to have a ballistic missile programme in the past, but renounced it in 1993. Egypt is currently considered as the only African state with an active ballistic missile programme, while some capacities may remain in Libya.
Full report at: geeskaafrika.com/curbing-ballistic-missile-threat-africa-can-part/
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Western Sahara warning over UN staff expulsion row
Apr 27, 2016
A conflict in the disputed territory of Western Sahara in north-west Africa may flare up again if the UN's peacekeeping mission is not fully restored, an African Union (AU) envoy has warned.
The UN brokered a truce between Morocco and the indigenous Saharawi people in 1991, ending a 16-year insurgency.
Last month, Morocco expelled 84 UN civilian staff after the UN chief used the term "occupation" about the region.
This has hampered the UN mission, whose mandate is up for renewal this month.
Morocco has threatened to pull out the soldiers it contributes to UN global peacekeeping missions, mainly in Africa, over the row.
Full report at: bbc.com/news/world-africa-36149720
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North America
Christian groups launch online petition to stop Islamic indoctrination in U.S. schools
Apr 28, 2016
The U.S. Department of Education has been accused of promoting the Islamisation of American schools after it posted a blog entry urging educators to protect Muslim children from bullying.
In the post titled "Protecting Our Muslim Youth from Bullying: The Role of the Educator," the department suggested to educators that they create an anti-bias learning environment by "incorporating the experiences, perspective and words of Muslim people into the curriculum through social studies and current events instruction, children's literature, in order to learn about different cultures."
Because of this, Christian groups have launched online petition to "Stop the Education Department From Islamizing Our Children."
The Christian Action Network (CAN) aims "to stop the United States Department of Education (DOE) from pressuring public schools to incorporate Islamic indoctrination into their classrooms."
Full report at: christiantoday.com/article/christian.groups.launch.online.petition.to.stop.islamic.indoctrination.in.u.s.schools/84920.htm
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'ISIS days are NUMBERED' Trump declares WAR on radical Islam as he outlines foreign policy
Wed, Apr 27, 2016
The Republican front-runner said if he became president he would "shake the rust off America's foreign policy" and would rebuild the US military.
He said America's military would be so strong that no-one would ever think of attacking the country again.
The major speech came a day after he scored a cleansweep of victories in five Northeastern US tates that moved him closer to capturing the Republican presidential nomination.
He explained that US military dominance "must be unquestioned by anybody and everybody."
He added that "Islamic State's days are numbered" as he vowed to defend Christianity in the Middle East.
He continued: "We have done nothing to help the Christians in the Middle East. We should be ashamed of ourselves
Full report at: express.co.uk/news/world/665035/Trump-declares-war-radical-Islam-key-foreign-policy-speech-Christianity-Middle-East
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Muslim Couple Found Murdered in California Home
Apr 28, 2016
SAN JOSE - A community is shocked after a bengali couple was found brutally murdered in their home.
The bodies of Golam and Shamima Rabbi were discovered in their home on Sunday. At the brutal crime scene was also a note that said “Sorry, my first kill was clumsy.”
The funerals of the San Jose couple might be delayed, because by California law, the bodies of the parents must be released to their older son.
But since 20-something Haseeb Rabbi is missing, the bodies of his parents cannot be released until May 4 to anyone else, the Evergreen Islamic Center of San Jose wrote on its Facebook page, where the couple frequented.
The couple's 17-year-old son, who attends Evergreen High School, is considered a minor and can’t sign the papers to receive his parents, who were found killed in their Lucas Court home in the Evergreen neighborhood on Sunday afternoon.
Their killer has not yet been found, and sources told NBC Bay Area that chilling messages were scrawled on the floor and wall.
Another rant ended, sources claimed, something to the effect of: "I can’t be like you, telling a lie. I can’t love someone without telling them."
It is unclear where Haseeb Rabbi has been since his parents were found shot to death; Shamima's body was found near the laundry room.
newamericamedia.org/2016/04/muslim-couple-found-murdered-in-california-home.php
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US Troops Presence in Syria Illegitimate
Apr 28, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Russian deputy foreign minister said the Syrian government had not given the United States permission to deploy any troops to the country, therefore the US presence in Syria is illegal.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov, when asked whether the US troops had been deployed in Syria legally told reporters that "of course, this presence is not legitimate".
The remarks by the senior Russian diplomat came as 150 US servicemen arrived Wednesday in Syrian Ramilan airport that is under the control of the Kurdish forces.
Earlier this week, US President Barack Obama said that he would send an extra 250 special operations forces to Syria in the coming weeks to support local militia in the fight against ISIL.
The Deployment has been amounted to a sharp increase in number of American troops in Syria, as since last October, the United Sates has had only 50 US troops deployed in Syria. Washington insists the military presence in Syria is to help local militia in fight against the ISIL.
ISIL is among terrorist groups listed by the UN, and vast but diminishing territories in Syria and neighboring Iraq have been occupied by the terrorist group.
en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950209000323
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Arab World
Witnesses: ISIL Crucifies Two Young Men in Syrian Raqqa
April 28, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The ISIL terrorist group publicly crucified two young men in its stronghold city of Raqqa, reports citing eye-witnesses said.
Informed sources reported, citing witnesses in Raqqa, that ISIL terrorists forced the local residents to gather on the square, where the execution of the two accused of cooperating with the anti-ISIL forces was held, and observe the process.
ISIL terrorist group has had to resort to more brutal ways to fuel more fear inside or outside its occupied territories, as government forces have been retaking major cities and slowly pushing the terrorists back to a diminished territories.
Earlier this week, the ISIL terrorist group executed 21 members in the city of Raqqa on charges of fleeing the battlefield.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950209000605
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ISIS heading for financial RUIN: Jihadis see privileges cut in austerity drive
Tue, Apr 26, 2016
Jihadis continue to be paid monthly wages to keep sex slaves but extremists are facing new cutbacks as the group faces financial collapse.
Arrogant ISIS leaders hellbent on living a life of luxury among squalor have been ordered to stop joyriding the group's dwindling number of vehicles in a bid to save money.
Jihadis also face regular power cuts, bans on medical equipment and electricity rations as part of a new drive to cut costs.
Documents obtained from inside their Syrian territory reveal the cash-strapped group has slashed monthly salaries to just $50 (£34).
The files show militants receive an additional $50 (£34) for each wife, $35 (£24) for each child, $50 for each sex slave, $35 for each child of a sex slave, $50 for each dependent parent, and $35 each for other dependents.
But ISIS has lost a significant proportion of its income after bombing campaigns, and the latest haul of internal ISIS documents shed light on the realities of life under the group's barbaric rule.
Full report at: express.co.uk/news/world/664575/Islamic-State-cost-cutting-drive-electricity-cut-jihadis-joyride
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ISIL Oil Trade in Syria Paralyzed, over 200 Oil Facilities Razed
April 28, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior Russian general said more than 200 oil facilities under the control of the ISIL in Syria and over 2,000 oil trucks have been destroyed by Russian jets since the start of the country's counter-terrorism operations in Syria.
“The Russian air campaign has destroyed over 200 oil extraction, refining and pumping facilities in the territories controlled by terrorist groupings in Syria, as well as more than 2,000 tanker trucks used to deliver the oil products,” Rudskoi said in remarks at Moscow's security conference.
Russia’s primary focus in Syria has been to tackle the terrorist groups wrecking havoc in the region.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950209000465
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Fresh Syrian Forces Arrive in Aleppo for Decisive Battle
April 28, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- A large number of fresh Syrian forces arrived in the province on Thursday as military sources in the Northern province of Aleppo revealed the army's plans to start massive operations against the remaining Takfiri terrorists with 10,000 operating soldiers.
The reinforcement groups arrived in Aleppo battlefield to join the Syrian army and its allies to launch massive operations against the remaining Takfiri terrorists, the sources said.
Relevant reports earlier this month said that the commanders of the Syrian Ground and Air Forces, their allies and the Russian military advisors, in a joint meeting, coordinated the last steps of a large-scale operation in Aleppo to liberate the terrorist-held territories as soon as possible.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950209000602
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Lebanese Army Kills Top ISIL Commander near Syrian Border
April 28, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Lebanese Army carried out an anti-terrorism operation in Jaroud Arsal region on Thursday and killed dozens of militants including a top ISIL commander.
Lebanese security sources said the army targeted the headquarters of ISIL terrorist group near the Syrian border-crossing in the Qalamoun Mountains.
The military operation resulted in the destruction of ISIL headquarters in Jaroud Arsal and the death of top ISIL commander Nayef Al-Sha’alan and his purported closest aid Ahmad Marwat.
In addition to killing several ISIL fighters, the Lebanese Army also arrested several terrorists, including the notorious combatant Mohammad Musli.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950209000684
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ISIL Attack on Deir Ezzur Airbase Bounces Back on Terrorists
April 28, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian government forces repulsed ISIL's offensive on Deir Ezzur airbase, killing and wounding tens of terrorists and seizing their weapons.
The ISIL launched an assault on Deir Ezzur military airport, targeting the Syrian army positions in several fronts with a huge number of Takfiri terrorists.
However, the Syrian army and popular forces thwarted the ISIL offensive and inflicted heavy losses upon the Takfiri terrorists.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950209000554
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Syria Seizes Large Cache of Terrorists' Weapons, Ammunition in Al-Lajat Plateau
April 28, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian army carried out special operations inside the al-Lajat Plateau in Dara'a province, seizing a large supply of weapons and ammunition from the terrorists.
According to a military source, the Syrian soldiers seized grenades, RPGs, rifles and anti-aircraft machineguns from the Takfiri terrorists.
The source also said that the army operations in al-Lajat Plateau killed and wounded tens of militants.
In a relevant development in Dara'a on Wednesday, one of the main command centers of al-Nusra Front in the Southern neighborhoods of Dara'a city came under attack by the Syrian military forces and sustained major damage.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950209000490
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Iranian Speaker: Over 100,000 Terrorists Active in Region
April 28, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani warned of the growing trend of terrorism in the region and the world, and said more than 100,000 terrorists are now present in the regional states.
"Today, we are witnessing a security mess in the regional states and as estimates show, over 100,000 terrorists are in the region which is a soaring growth and indicates that they haven’t been fought really," Larijani said, addressing a forum in Tehran on Thursday.
He also voiced concern about the estimates which show that the ISIL is in possession of $30bln worth of advanced weapons, and said these terrorist streams can immigrate and the westerners are attempting to lead them towards the Central and Southern parts of Asia for financial reasons and to settle the problems that the terrorists have created in Europe.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950209000275
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Iranian Leader's Top Aide Blames "Riyadh Group" for Failure of Syria Talks
April 28, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Supreme Leader's Top Advisor for International Affairs Ali Akbar Velayati underlined that the so-called "Riyadh Group" is responsible for the failure of peace talks on Syria.
Velayati made the remarks in a press conference after meeting with leaders of the Syrian parties and heads of ethnic groups in Tehran on Wednesday.
Enemies should have understood that by strengthening terrorists they cannot topple the Syrian government, he added.
Velayati said that no country has the right to interfere in Syria's domestic affairs and decide for the fate of others.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950209000223
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DM Lauds Iran, Russia Cooperation for Collapse of Terrorism
April 28, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan underlined that Tehran and Moscow's joint cooperation with the regional states has crippled the terrorist groups.
"Highly close cooperation between Iran and Russia has returned stability and security and accelerated collapse of terrorism," General Dehqan said in a meeting with his Russian counterpart General Sergey Shoigu on the sidelines of the 2016 Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS) on Wednesday afternoon.
"We should continue this trend powerfully," he added.
During the meeting, the two high-ranking Generals also reviewed military, defensive and technical cooperation between the two countries.
General Dehqan termed mutual defensive cooperation with Moscow as growing, and said that the two sides have prepared plans and reached agreements in this concern.
Dehqan, heading a military delegation, arrived in Moscow on Tuesday evening at invitation of General Shoigu to attend the MCIS.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950209000170
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Iran, Iraq to Stage Joint Drills in Persian Gulf
Thu Apr 28, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran and Iraq are due to stage joint wargames in the Persian Gulf region and Arvand River in the near future, Iranian Border Guards Commander Brigadier General Qassem Rezayee said.
"We will hold joint maneuvers with Iraqi border guards in the Northern part of the Persian Gulf and Arvand River in the first half of the current Iranian year (started on March 20) in a bid to boost the regional security," General Rezayee said on Wednesday.
Noting that the security of the land borders of the country are at a satisfactory level, he said, "Along the Western borders, including from Khuzestan's Husseynia to Ilam and even near Qasr-e Shirin, the oil-rich regions are ready for investments and we have no security concerns there."
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950209000148
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Islamic State militants make new gains after clashes with rebels northern Syria
April 28, 2016
Subsequent to fierce clashes with Syrian rebel groups, militant fighters of the Islamic State (ISIS) were able to seize control of several areas in the northern province of Aleppo, killing a number of rebels during the fighting, local and military sources reported on Wednesday.
Local activists confirmed that ISIS has been attempting to regain the villages and towns that have recently fallen to the rebels.
Speaking to ARA News in Aleppo, rebel spokesman Saleh al-Zein said that ISIS terrorists carried out Wednesday a major offensive on the villages and towns fell to rebel groups during the past few days in Aleppo suburbs.
Full report at: aranews.net/2016/04/islamic-state-militants-make-new-gains-after-clashes-with-rebels-northern-syria/
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Syrian Army Focusing on Liberation of Homs-Deir Ezzur Strategic Roads
28,04,2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Army and the National Defense Forces (NDF) continued military operations in the countryside of the ancient city of Palmyra (Tadmur) in Homs province, targeting the ISIL positions along three different flanks.
"After pro-government forces targeted the ISIL defense lines at the Mustadura Gas Fields, Northeast of Palmyra, and took back 3 more hilltops en rout to the village of Arak, they targeted the ISIL positions at the Western flanks of Arak village and T-3 Military Base, inflicting heavy losses upon the Takfiri terrorists," a popular forces commander said.
According to battlefield sources, the Syrian Army's operations in Eastern Homs are focused on the two pivots in the Eastern countryside of Palmyra which has two strategic roads leading to Deir Ezzur province.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950209000371
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Pakistan
Majority Pakistanis want legislation to be influenced by Islam, survey reveals
Apr 28, 2016
KARACHI: Around 78 per cent of Pakistan’s population “strictly supports” that the teachings of Holy Quran should influence the country’s laws, a report said.
A research report issued by Pew Research Center on Wednesday titled “Whether Quran should influence laws in countries” posed the question to respondents from 10 countries with significant Muslim populations.
The question was posed in the following words: “Which of the following three statements comes closer to your view: Laws in your country should strictly follow the teachings of the Quran, laws in your country should follow the values and principles of Islam but not strictly follow the teachings of Quran, laws in your country should not be influenced by the teachings of the Quran.”
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1254770/majority-pakistanis-want-legislation-to-be-influenced-by-islam-survey-reveals
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Pakistan court orders ruling on Muslim NGO's illegal sharia courts
Wed, 27 Apr 2016
LAHORE, Pakistan, April 27 (Reuters) - A Pakistani judge directed Punjab province on Wednesday to decide a complaint against an Islamic charity that has been accused of running unauthorised sharia courts in the eastern city of Lahore.
The charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) is listed as a "foreign terrorist organisation" by the United States. Western officials regard it as a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the militant group behind an attack on Mumbai that killed 166 people in 2008.
Pakistani real estate agent Khalid Saeed filed the complaint against JuD, saying it had summoned him in January to appear at one of its courts to resolve a property dispute.
Court documents show the group is accused of holding parallel sharia courts where Islamic law experts decide family, civil and criminal law cases without official supervision.
It is based in Lahore, the capital of Punjab, the country's richest province and power base of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Full report at: news.trust.org/item/20160427110531-uyx0h
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‘11 Suicide Bombers Enter Pakistan from Afghanistan’
Apr 28, 2016
ISLAMABAD: As many as 11 suicide bombers entered Pakistan from Afghanistan for terrorism some 22 days ago, and two of them blew themselves up in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recently, intelligence agency and police sources told Dawn on Wednesday.
According to the sources, the bombers were affiliated with Sajna Group of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.
The information about them and their entry in the country was gathered by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and shared with the authorities concerned, they added.
“They may strike in the Punjab, especially in Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Lahore,” the sources revealed.
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1254922/11-suicide-bombers-enter-pakistan
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South Asia
Former Mujahideen Leader Urge Militants to End Slavery, Insisting Taliban Defeated In Operation Omari
Thu Apr 28 2016
A former prominent Mujahideen leader Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf has called on militant groups to end slavery for the outsiders, reiterating his hard stance against the insurgent groups in the country.
Sayyaf was speaking during a gathering to commemorate the 24th anniversary of Mujahideen’s victory against the former Soviet-backed regime.
The event was organized by Afghanistan Protection and Stability Council, comprising prominent ex-Jihadi leaders and senior former government officials.
Sayyaf said the militant and terrorist groups fighting in the country should not brand their insurgency as Jihad, insisting that killing of children, women, destroying houses and committing other horrific crimes are not a holy war.
He urged the Taliban and other militant groups not to further destroy their homeland and refrain from slavery for the outsiders.
Full report at: khaama.com/sayyaf-urge-militants-to-end-slavery-insisting-taliban-defeated-in-operation-omari-0775
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6 militants killed, 60 arrested in Afghan commandos night raid in Kunduz
Thu Apr 28 2016
At least 6 militants were killed during a night raid conducted by the Afghan commandos in northern Kunduz province of Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said at least 60 suspected militants were also arrested during the operation.
A statement by MoD said the militants were killed as the Afghan commandos were conducting the night raid and came under fire from the militants.
The statement further added that the two key group leaders of the militants identified as Qari Zabiullah and Qari Najibullah were among those killed.
Full report at: khaama.com/6-militants-killed-60-arrested-in-afghan-commandos-night-raid-in-kunduz-0773
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Foreigner female aid worker kidnapped from Kabul-Jalalabad highway
Thu Apr 28 2016
A foreign female aid worker has reportedly been kidnapped by unknown gunmen from Kabul-Jalalabad highway, it has been reported.
According to the local officials in Nangarhar province, they are aware of an incident involving the kidnapping of a woman in the vicinity of this province.
The officials further added that preliminary reports suggest the women working for a Non-Government Organization and was travelling on Kabul-Jalalabad highway when kidnapped.
No group has so far claimed responsibility behind the abduction of the aid worker so far.
Nangarhar is among the relatively volatile provinces in eastern Afghanistan where anti-government armed militant groups are actively operating in a number of its districts.
Full report at: khaama.com/foreign-female-aid-worker-kidnapped-from-kabul-jalalabad-highway-0774
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Taliban militants disguised as married couple arrested in north of Afghanistan
Wed Apr 27 2016
Taliban couple arrested in BaghlanTwo key Taliban group militants were arrested as they were escaping from Dahana-e-Ghori district in northern Baghlan province, disguised as married couple.
According to the local security officials, the two Taliban militants were identified as Mawlavi Jumadin and Qari Juma Khan.
Provincial security chief Gen. Ewaz Mohammad Nazari confirmed that the two militants were involved in insurgency activities and were operating under the leadership of Majeed Akhundzada.
Full report at: khaama.com/taliban-militants-disguised-as-married-couple-arrested-in-north-of-afghanistan-0772
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Policeman kills his 3 comrades in latest insider attack in Laghman
Thu Apr 28 2016
At least 3 policemen lost their lives in the latest insider attack in LaghmanAt least 3 policemen lost their lives in the latest insider attack carried out by one of their comrades in eastern Laghman province of Afghanistan.
According to the local security officials, the incident took place late on Wednesday night in a security post in Mehtarlam city.
Provincial police spokesman Shafiqullah confirmed the incident and said the assailant policeman managed to flee the area following the attack.
Full report at: khaama.com/policeman-kills-his-3-comrades-in-latest-insider-attack-in-laghman-0778
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Haqqani network member killed in Afghan Air Force raid in Zabul
Thu Apr 28 2016
A member of the Haqqani terrorist network as killed in an airstrike conducted by the Afghan Air Force (AAF) in southern Zabul province of Afghanistan.
Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, said the Haqqani network member was identified as Nooruddin who was killed in airstrike on Wednesday.
He said the airstrike was carried in the vicinity of Shahr-e-Safa city of Zabul province.
The anti-government armed militant groups have not commented regarding the report so far which comes as both the Afghan security forces and anti-government armed insurgents have stepped up attacks across the country.
Haqqani network was formed in the late 1970s by Jalaluddin Haqqani. The group is allied with al-Qaida and the Afghan Taliban and cooperates with other terrorist organizations in the region.
The network is accused of staging numerous cross-border attacks from their base in North Waziristan, including the 19-hour siege at the US Embassy in Kabul in September 2011.
It is considered the most lethal insurgent group targeting the NATO-led coalition security forces and Afghan personnel in Afghanistan.
The US Department of State designated the HQN as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on September 7, 2012.
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Mideast
Turkey Planning New Aggression against Syrian Soil
28,04,2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Turkey is planning to launch a new invasion against Syria under the pretext of fighting against the ISIL terrorists, the Arab media reported.
Al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper quoted informed sources as saying that Turkey is due to intrude into the Syrian territories with the US air support.
According to the daily, Ankara wants to enter the Syrian soil through a region 8km in width and 18km in length.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950209000675
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Palestinian Nazi parallel enrages Israel
28,04,2016
Addressing reporters in New York on Wednesday, Riyad Mansour hit back at recent comments by Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon, who had called Palestinian protesters in the occupied lands “terrorists.”
During an April 18 UN Security Council meeting, Danon had accused Palestinians of teaching “hatred” in their schools and said they glorify what he called acts of terror against Israelis amid heightened tensions in the occupied West Bank.
Mansour hit back at Danon and said the Israeli official tries to portray as “terrorists” the Palestinian people “who have legitimate rights to resist occupation in legitimate ways.”
The Palestinian diplomat further likened the regime in Tel Aviv to Nazi Germany and said “all colonizers” throughout the history described “those who resisted them as terrorists.”
The comparison, however, drew an angry reaction from Danon, who said equating Tel Aviv with Nazi Germany was “despicable.”
Full report at: presstv.ir/Detail/2016/04/28/462920/Palestine-Riyad-Mansour-Israel-Nazi--Danny-Danon/
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15 detained in connection to Bursa suicide attack
April/28/2016
A total of 15 suspects have been detained in four different Turkish provinces in relation to the suicide bomb attack that struck the Marmara province of Bursa on April 28. A female suicide bomber detonated herself at around 5:25 p.m. near Ulu Cami, a mosque at the center of the province, on April 27, leaving 23 people wounded.
“There are strong indications of an organization [involved] in the bomb attack in Bursa. There is a connection to an organization and we will make it public when it is certain. 15 people were detained,” Interior Minister Efkan Ala told journalists at an event in Ankara on April 28, while adding that he would make the necessary statements on the attack when he arrived in Bursa later in the day.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/15-detained-in-connection-to-bursa-suicide-attack.aspx?pageID=238&nID=98449&NewsCatID=509
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Police officer killed in PKK attack in Turkey’s east
28,04,2016
One police officer was killed and two others were wounded in an outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) bomb attack in the Varto district on April 27.
PKK militants detonated an explosive placed on the road during the passing of an armored police vehicle. Three police officers were wounded in the attack.
Police officer Coşkun Özcan, who was wounded in the attack, later succumbed to his injuries. The treatment of the other two police officers is continuing.
An air-supported operation has begun to apprehend the PKK militants responsible for the attack.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/police-officer-killed-in-pkk-attack-in-turkeys-east.aspx?pageID=238&nID=98447&NewsCatID=341
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Southeast Asia
After Hostage Beheading, Is Philippines Facing IS Threat?
Apr 28, 2016
MANILA, Philippines — Months before Abu Sayyaf militants beheaded retired Canadian mining executive John Ridsdel in the tropical jungles of the southern Philippines, they showed him pleading for life in a video with three other hostages that demanded a record-high ransom.
The scene was all too familiar in a Southeast Asian nation that has struggled with ransom kidnappings by the Islamic militants for years, except for two things.
In the video that appeared in November, two black flags with Islamic State group symbols were displayed by the heavily-armed Abu Sayyaf fighters in the backdrop of lush foliage. Then after a deadline for ransom lapsed on Monday, they killed the 68-year-old Ridsdel — instead of waiting patiently for the money as the mostly impoverished rural fighters have done in the past.
Full report at: nytimes.com/aponline/2016/04/28/world/asia/ap-as-philippines-new-terror.html
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The Trouble With Thailand's 'Toughness' on Migrants
April 28, 2016
In Bangkok, where a ruling clique of retired generals has spent much of the last two years cracking down on opponents and legislating their own role in Thailand’s political future, the longstanding issue of migrants from other parts of southeast Asia has become yet another opportunity for the current government to demonstrate its firm (to the point of being counterproductive) approach to complex issues. On April 15, the Migrant Offshore Air Station (MOAS) was forced to terminate its mission of rescuing migrants in the area because Thai authorities systematically delayed the release of vital equipment from customs and harassed the group’s ship with navy vessels. These obstacles came despite clearances granted by the Thai Navy, the Ministry of Transportation and even the Prime Minister’s Office.
Going beyond the refusal to help in their own right, this decision to clearly undermine even an outside group’s efforts to assist stranded migrants fits into the junta’s overall strategy for dealing with population flows. In May 2015, Thailand’s ruling officers embarked on a draconian crackdown on organized crime after a mass grave (containing at least 26 suspected victims of human trafficking) was discovered in the jungle along the Thai-Malaysian border. The junta affirmed its commitment to fighting trafficking networks within its borders, with national police deputy commissioner General Aek Angsananont stating: “We will go after the people responsible no matter how powerful they may be.”
Full report at: thediplomat.com/2016/04/the-trouble-with-thailands-toughness-on-migrants/
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Indonesia to host talks on maritime security after kidnappings
Apr 28, 2016
JAKARTA // Indonesia hopes next week to secure an agreement with Malaysia and the Philippines on conducting joint military patrols on the high seas where Abu Sayyaf militants have been on a kidnapping spree, an official said Thursday.
The plight of hostages held by Abu Sayyaf could also be on the agenda when the foreign ministers and military commanders of the three countries meet next Thursday in Jakarta for talks.
Full report at: thenational.ae/world/southeast-asia/indonesia-to-host-talks-on-maritime-security-after-kidnappings
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