Religious
Authorities in Malaysia Denounced Shiite Islam and Asked Mosques To Be
Vigilant Over the Spread of Their ‘Deviant Teachings’
Pro-Iran
Militia In Iraq Announces Formation Of 'Air Force'
Bahraini
Regime Has Begun Summoning Shia Clerics To Supposedly Interrogate Them Ahead Of
Ashura Rituals
Child
Marriage Nullified After Social Media Outrage in Iran
A Saudi
Prince Claims Riyadh Can Destroy Iran In 'Eight Hours' In Case Of War
London
Mosque Officials Failed To Halt ISIS Child Recruiter
Be
It Ganesha Chaturthi or Muharram, These Villagers from a Village on the
Outskirts of Hubballi, Celebrate Both with Pomp
Imran
Khan's Ex-Wife Reham Mocks Him over 'Failed' Kashmir Solidarity Call
How
the Rohingya Are Applying For Bangladesh Passports
Southeast Asia
Religious
Authorities in a Malaysia Denounced Shiite Islam and Asked Mosques To Be
Vigilant Over the Spread of Their ‘Deviant Teachings’
60pc
of Halal Product Manufacturers Are Non-Muslims, Says Mujahid
Selangor
Islamic Religious Department Raids Shia Muslim Event at Gombak, Arrests 23
Decision
not to prosecute Perlis preacher a letdown, says group
Maria
Chin accused of making wild attack on shariah system
Blast
wounds 7 people at public market in southern Philippines
--------
Arab World
Pro-Iran
Militia In Iraq Announces Formation Of 'Air Force'
Bahraini
Regime Has Begun Summoning Shia Clerics To Supposedly Interrogate Them Ahead Of
Ashura Rituals
Iraqi
youth killed by suspected ISIS members in Syrian displacement camp
Iraqi
forces kill 5 IS militants in Salahudin province
Security
Media Cell announce seizing 3 car bombs in Nineveh
Hezbollah
and Israel have stepped back from the brink this time but the trajectory is
deeply troubling
Pompeo
Asks Lebanon to Dismantle Hezbollah’s Missile Factory
Six
suspected militants killed in Egypt
ISIL's
Senior Portuguese Commander Captured in Northern Syria
Any
aggression against Lebanon will be met with legitimate self-defense, President
Aoun says
Saudi
court acquits defendants in deadly Grand Mosque’s crane fall case
--------
Mideast
Child
Marriage Nullified After Social Media Outrage in Iran
A Saudi
Prince Claims Riyadh Can Destroy Iran In 'Eight Hours' In Case Of War
Iran
Executes 38 People In August - Report
Report:
Top US Official in Talks With Houthi Rebels in Bid to End Yemen War Report
Iran
'inching' toward place where talks could be held: Pentagon chief
‘End
charade, dismantle Iran nuclear deal completely,’ says Sen.Ted Cruz
Nuclear
watchdog chief to meet top Iranian officials in Tehran on Sunday
Turkish-US
land patrols in Syria to start on September 8
Iran
takes further step to scale back nuclear commitments
Saudi
air defenses destroy ballistic missile fired fom Yemen: Arab Coalition
Israeli
forces kill two Palestinian teens in Gaza
Saudi
Arabia says UAE-backed separatists in Yemen threaten kingdom
--------
Europe
London
Mosque Officials Failed To Halt ISIS Child Recruiter
Half
of Terror Arrests Are White For First Time Amid Rise In Far-Right Extremist
Threat
Persecuted
Yazidis Find Sanctuary in Australia
EU
Sets Up Tool for Easier Conviction of Jihadist Fighters As Hundreds May Return
Germany
needs to ban Hezbollah, US Ambassador Grenell says
Britain
must repatriate Isis fighters, warns US defence secretary
Britain
will support US in Iran talks if deal can be made: UK Defense minister
Turkish
court sentences opposition figure to nearly 10 years in jail
EU
urges Iran to reverse inconsistency on nuclear deal
--------
India
Be
It Ganesha Chaturthi or Muharram, These Villagers from a Village on the
Outskirts of Hubballi, Celebrate Both with Pomp
Sedition
Case Against, J&K People's Movement Functionary Shehla Rashid For Tweets
About Kashmir Situation
Concerned
Over J&K Detentions… Govt Should Hold Polls at Earliest: US
Kashmir
on agenda during President Kovind’s visit, says Swiss government
Baby
girl among four injured in terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla
Child
among four injured in terrorist attack in J&K's Baramulla
Pakistan
violates ceasefire along LoC in J&K's Poonch
Ayodhya
Case in Supreme Court: How Sunni Waqf Board Has Left Many Confused
J&K:
At least 4 injured, including a child, after militants open fire at civilians
in Sopore
Shehla
Rashid booked for sedition over tweets on Kashmir situation
2001
hate speech case: Gujarat Police arrests SIMI ex-chief in Azamgarh
--------
Pakistan
Imran
Khan's Ex-Wife Reham Mocks Him over 'Failed' Kashmir Solidarity Call
Pakistan:
New Attacks Raise Fears of a Taliban Return
Pak
may introduce two categories for Sikh pilgrims seeking visas to visit
Kartarpur: Media report
US
tells Muslim bodies it backs direct Indo-Pak dialogue
Islamic
Body Concerned About Polio Cases in Pakistan, Afghanistan
6
'IS militants' killed in security operation in Quetta: police
Kashmiri
leader booked for ‘maligning’ Indian army
Govt
to add religious tourism category to e-visa system for Kartarpur visitors
Saudi,
Pakistani officials discuss energy, mining ties in Islamabad
--------
South Asia
How
the Rohingya Are Applying For Bangladesh Passports
Taliban’s
most dangerous shadow governor killed in Badakhshan
Hajj
and Religious Affairs acting minister assaulted in Presidential Palace Mosque
Taliban
kills US service member, others in Kabul bombing as US-Taliban talks resume
Afghan
president postpones US trip to discuss Taliban deal
Sri
Lanka: 293 suspects arrested in connection with Easter Sunday attacks
Bangladesh
Takes Steps to Control Movements of Rohingya
Taliban
commander Sher Lala killed in an airstrike in Kunduz province
Taliban
attack third Afghan provincial capital in a week
US
fighting Afghan war without clear political agenda: Commentator
--------
Africa
South
African Riots over ‘Xenophobia’ Prompt Backlash across Africa
Nigeria:
Islam Frowns at Sexual Harassment, Says Onike
Sudan
invites Jews back to country to enjoy citizenship in new climate
Ghana
President Urges African Countries: Let's Fight Growing Terrorism Threat
Together
US-Backed
Syrian Forces Hand Over 3 Children of IS Fighters to Nigeria
Cameroon
Sends Military to Troubled CAR
Saudi
troops return home as Eager Lion military exercise concludes in Jordan
--------
North America
Trump's
Envoy Clashes with Afghan Government over Proposed Taliban Deal
No,
San Francisco. The NRA is not a ‘domestic terrorist organization.’
Pompeo
Says US To Rally Support For Uighurs At UN
Putin
warned Bush of imminent threat 2 days before 9/11: Ex-CIA analyst
White
House: US will not drop Iran sanctions, Trump tells Macron
US
welcomes Denmark's military assistance in Syria
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/new-age-islam-news-bureau/religious-authorities-in-a-malaysia-denounced-shiite-islam-and-asked-mosques-to-be-vigilant-over-the-spread-of-their-‘deviant-teachings’/d/119685
--------
Religious
Authorities in Malaysia Denounced Shiite Islam and Asked Mosques To Be
Vigilant Over the Spread of Their ‘Deviant Teachings’
September
6, 2019
Religious
authorities in a Malaysian state denounced Shi'ite Islam on Friday and asked
mosques to call in sermons on their congregations to be vigilant over the
spread of the "deviant teachings" of the Shi'ite sect.
The
minority Shi'ite community in Sunni Muslim-majority Malaysia has been subject
to discrimination and persecution by authorities, human rights groups have
said.
State
religious departments have raided the community's places of worship and made
arrests.
The
Selangor Islamic Religious Department, or JAIS as it is known by its
Malay-language acronym, said in a weekly sermon that Muslims should not be
influenced by practices of the Shi'ite sect.
Sermons
in Malaysia are standardised, and Islamic leaders typically deliver their Friday
sermon in mosques based on the weekly sermon issued by the state religious
department.
"I
implore upon the Muslim ummah (community) to always remain vigilant upon the
spread of Shee'ah deviant teachings in this nation," the department said,
according to a copy of the sermon posted on its website.
JAIS
is the Islamic religious authority in Selangor, Malaysia's richest state. It is
funded by the state government.
The
Shi'ite ideology "ensnares its victims" through educational
institutions, children's books, novels, comics, among others, the department
said in the sermon said.
"The
Muslim ummah must become the eyes and the ears for the religious authorities
when stumbling upon activities that are suspicious, disguising under the
pretext of Islam," it said.
The
department described Shi'ite practices as "extremist" and
"nauseating".
Reuters
could not establish if the sermon criticising Shi'ites was delivered at all
mosques in the state. But religious experts said mosques typically follow the
sermon issued by the state religious authority.
Isham
Pawan Ahmad, an associate professor at the International Islamic University
near Kuala Lumpur, said the sermon delivered at a mosque he went to in Selangor
on Friday was similar to the one issued by JAIS.
"This
is the most vehement comment on Shi'ites in Malaysia. It makes them a
target," Isham said.
Shi'ites
are a minority is Malaysia, with some estimating their numbers in only the tens
of thousands.
Shi'ite
community leaders were not immediately available for comment.
In
1996, a Malaysian Islamic body issued a fatwa, an Islamic ruling, recognising
Sunni Islam as the faith of Malaysian Muslims.
Malaysian
Shi'ite Muslims have complained about their inability to worship freely, and
that they may face obstacles in carrying out rituals which are both cultural
and religious, the U.N. special rapporteur in the field of cultural rights said
in a preliminary report in 2017.
https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Islamic-authorities-in-Malaysian-state-denounce-Shiites-in-sermon-600849
--------
Pro-Iran
Militia In Iraq Announces Formation Of 'Air Force'
September
06, 2019
The
Iraqi militia group Hashd al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF),
announced the formation of their own air force on Thursday, September 5.
A
statement by the PMF, a close ally of Iran, circulated through Iraqi news
outlets said PMF's deputy chief Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes ordered the formation of
the air force directorate, appointing Salah Mahdi Hantoush as its caretaker.
The
decision comes a few weeks after a series of suspicious air raids targeted PMF
locations in Baghdad and other provinces of Iraq.
PMF
leadership blames Israeli drones and U.S. forces operating in Iraq.
Israel
has not officially claimed responsibility for the raids, but Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu hinted on Thursday, August 22, that his country's forces had
attacked Iran-backed militias in Iraq.
Echoing
his earlier statements, Netanyahu disclosed, "We're acting in many
theaters against a state (Iran) that seeks to annihilate Israel."
Speaking
to the Israeli Channel 9 network, broadcasting for Jewish-Russian immigrants,
Netanyahu stressed, "I don't grant Iran immunity anywhere," adding,
"Iran is a state, a power that has sworn to annihilate Israel. It's trying
to establish bases against us everywhere; in Iran itself, in Lebanon, in Syria,
in Iraq, in Yemen."
Meanwhile,
unnamed American officials confirmed that Israel has been behind the mysterious
attacks targeting Iran-backed militias in Iraq, according to The New York Times
and the Associated Press.
The
PMF was formed from mainly Shia militias in 2014 as per a decree from Iraq's
top Shi'ite spiritual leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani to counter Islamic
State militants, and later granted recognition as a "national force."
There
are no independent reports on how PMF forces were trained and armed.
Nonetheless, it is generally believed that the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps
(IRGC) Qods Force is behind training and arming the group.
The
outspoken commander of Qods Force, IRGC Brigadier General Qassem Soleimani,
admitted on July 11, 2017, "The commander of PMF has succeeded to gain a
key to all Iranian weaponry depots."
https://en.radiofarda.com/a/pro-iran-militia-in-iraq-announces-formation-of-air-force-pmf/30148745.html
--------
Bahraini
Regime Has Begun Summoning Shia Clerics To Supposedly Interrogate Them Ahead Of
Ashura Rituals
Sep
6, 2019
The
Bahraini regime has begun summoning Shia clerics to supposedly interrogate them
amid the arrival of the lunar month of Muharram, when Shia Muslims commonly
engage in mourning rituals to commemorate the martyrdom of Prophet Mohammad’s
grandson, Imam Hussein.
Bahraini
regime officials have summoned a number of clerics, including Seyed Jaber
al-Shahrakani, Sheikh Mohammad Ali al-Mahfuz, Sheikh Mohammad A’ashur, and
Sheikh Zoheir al-Khal for questioning, local sources disclosed on Friday.
Authorities
have also arrested other preachers, such as Sheikh Menbar al-Ma’atouq and
Sheikh Mohammad al-A’ajimi.
Moreover,
regime forces have further engaged in blocking local residents in some areas
—including the town of al-Mosalla — from putting up customary mourning flags
and placards for the upcoming Ashura processions.
The
development came just over two weeks after hundreds of Bahraini political
prisoners went on hunger strike to protest harsh conditions at the Persian Gulf
country’s notorious Jaw Prison.
Over
400 inmates started an open-ended hunger strike on August 18, joining 196
others who had begun refusing food a short while earlier.
The
Manama regime has been cracking down on pro-democracy demonstrations since
2011. Thousands of anti-regime protesters have held protest rallies in Bahrain
on an almost daily basis since then.
They
are demanding that the Al Khalifah regime relinquish power and allow a just
system representing all Bahrainis to be established. Manama has gone to great
lengths to clamp down on any sign of dissent. On March 14, 2011, troops from
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were deployed to assist Bahrain in
its crackdown.
On
March 5, 2017, Bahrain’s parliament approved the trial of civilians at military
tribunals in a measure blasted by human rights campaigners as being tantamount
to imposition of an undeclared martial law countrywide.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/09/06/605506/Bahrain-Shia-clerics-Muharram
--------
Child
Marriage Nullified After Social Media Outrage In Iran
September
6, 2019
Persian-language
Twitter users were outraged after a video surfaced online of a child marriage
in a small Iranian border town. Shortly after the video appeared, the local
authorities nullified the marriage and pressed charges against the groom and
the father of the girl.
Iranian
journalist Javad Heydarian first posted the video, which quickly went viral.
Many of those who shared it quickly apologized and deleted their posts because
the young girl’s face was not censored. Still, the image of the 11-year-girl
with what can be described as a confused smile sitting next to the 22-year-old
man struck a nerve.
Hassan
Neghin Taji, prosecutor for Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, reportedly
concluded that the girl had a “low awareness” of her predicament and therefore
decided to nullify the marriage.
After
the annulment was announced and charges were filed against the father, the
groom and the officiant, Iran's Vice President of Women and Family Affairs
Masoumeh Ebtekar tweeted, “The response of public opinion and the efforts of
officials have yielded results. Reforming culture along with the laws in
confronting child marriage is a path that must be taken.”
Under
Iranian law, girls under the age of 13 and boys under the age 15 cannot be
married without court approval. Children and women’s rights activists have long
worked to raise the age of marriage to 16 for girls and 18 for boys.
Iranian
Reformist newspapers gave the issue considerable coverage. Ebtekar reported
that while child marriage remains relatively rare in the country, such videos
could “normalize” the practice. Its headline suggested the girl’s smile could
have an “infectious” impact on societal norms. Etemad addressed the controversy
over the video, quoting social media users who called both the wedding and the
publishing of the girl's face online “violations of children’s rights.”
Conservative
Jahan took the opportunity to engage in classic partisan whataboutism. Its
headline called those commenting on the issue “noise-makers on the margins” and
asked why Reformists have not taken issue with the fact that 11 million young
adults in Iran are unmarried and Iran is currently experiencing a decline in
birth rates stemming from economic difficulties and rising attendance by women
in universities. The Iranian authorities have been encouraging young adults to
marry and have children.
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/09/child-marriage-iran-video-social-media-uproar.html?
--------
A
Saudi Prince Claims Riyadh Can Destroy Iran In 'Eight Hours' In Case Of War
Sep
6, 2019
A
Saudi prince has claimed that his country maintains military supremacy over
Iran and would completely destroy the Islamic Republic in a matter of hours if
a war broke out.
"Saudi
Arabia can destroy Iran in eight hours," Saudi prince Abdullah bin Sultan
bin Nasser al-Saud tweeted in Arabic Thursday, posting a quotation from a video
interview with a Saudi analyst.
Originally
aired on Saudi Arabia’s Channel 24 in 2016, the video shows Saudi F-15
warplanes and Iran’s F-4 Phantom jets, saying the kingdom is in possession of
advanced jets and weaponry while those of Iran are all old and outdated.
In
his Thursday tweet, the prince said, “Of course, this is a segment of two
years, before buying and developing air defense systems, naval forces, land,
and air with advanced missiles.”
"What
is hidden is greater. There is no force in the world that can stand up to our
unity, our resolve, our renaissance and thank God.”
Under
King Salman, Saudi Arabia has been following a confrontational approach. Riyadh
severed diplomatic relations with Tehran over angry protests in Iran following
the execution of a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia in January 2016.
The
kingdom has been waging a massive war against Yemen - the most impoverished
country in the Arab world - since 2015, but four years on, it remains stuck in
a "quagmire", the New York Times wrote in July.
Pentagon
officials "have concluded on their own that the war has degenerated into
an unwinnable quagmire and have urged the Saudis for months to try to negotiate
an end to the fighting," the newspaper said.
The
Saudis which started the war in their own "shock and awe" style, with
the alleged "coalition" of nine countries, have seen the tide of the
conflict turn against them.
Yemen's
Houthi fighters and their allies in the army are now using unmanned aerial
vehicles (UAVs) and missiles to offset the coalition’s overwhelming military advantage.
A
hasty withdrawal of Saudi Arabia's closest ally in the war, the United Arab
Emirates, in June has prompted the frustrated Saudis to turn to additional US
support in hopes of achieving a breakthrough, the New York Times said.
Any
US assistance, however, has not come without humiliation.
In
2018, US Senator Lindsey Graham told Fox News that Saudi Arabia's military
"can't fight out of a paper bag" when confronted with Mideast
challenges including Iran.
“Let
me put it this way -- I want to be very blunt with you. If it weren't for the
United States they’d be speaking Farsi in about a week in Saudi Arabia,” he
said.
In
October 2018, Iran extended an offer of cooperation in the face of
“humiliation” by US President Donald Trump, who said Saudi Arabia would fall
within two weeks without protection from the US.
“We
again extend our hand to our neighbors: let's build a 'strong region', and stop
this conceit,” Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted just after
Trump's recount of a phone conversation with King Salman.
Trump,
which has signed a $110 billion arms deal with Saudi leaders, made the remarks
as he urged Riyadh and the rest of the "rich" Arab countries in the
Persian Gulf to cough up cash for American support.
“I
love the King, King Salman. But I said ‘King, we’re protecting you, you might
not be there for two weeks without us. You have to pay for your military,’”
Trump said at a Mississippi rally in undiplomatic remarks, without specifying
when the comments to the monarch had been made.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/09/06/605472/Saudi-UAE-Yemen-prince-war-eight-minutes
--------
London
mosque officials failed to halt ISIS child recruiter
Paul
Peachey
Sep
6, 2019
Five
senior mosque officials have been banned from office after management failures
gave an extremist the opportunity to recruit a ‘children’s army’ of terrorists.
Umar
Haque was jailed for life last year after using his position as a school
administrator to show beheading videos to children as young as 11 as he tried
to groom recruit them into a mini militia.
Haque,
25, worked at an Islamic private school and a mosque in east London, where he
staged training exercises during Islamic studies classes to prepare children
for ISIS-inspired attacks in London.
An
inquiry into the charity that runs Ripple Road mosque in Barking, east London,
found that the trustees failed to carry out proper background checks on Haque
and then obstructed an inquiry by investigators.
Haque
was taken on as an administrator but eventually led classes during his three
years at the mosque - posting students as lookouts while he showed them the
most extreme violence. He told his students that they should follow ISIS
because one day the group would rule Europe.
Some
35 children have required long-term supervision as a result of the attempted
indoctrination by Haque at the school and mosque, according to police. It
emerged that he was working daily with children aged five to 15.
The
grooming only came to light after Haque’s passport was revoked after he attempted
to board a flight to Istanbul, with the apparent aim of joining ISIS. After his
failure to fly to Syria, he turned his attentions to targets in the UK,
including Heathrow Airport and mowing down pedestrians outside the UK
parliament.
“We
are a death squad sent by Allah and his messengers to avenge my brothers’
blood,” he told an accomplice during a conversation secretly recorded by
police.
Michelle
Russell, the director of investigators at the UK’s charity regulator, said it
was the worst case of exposure to terrorist material that it had seen because
of the trustees’ failure to supervise and manage Haque.
They
initially claimed to have references for Haque, had done no due diligence on
his background, and had not signed a contract – despite claims that they had
done.
“In
this case, the children who were in their care, and the people that trusted
them to do so, were let down.
“These
individuals proved themselves to be wholly unsuitable; what happened on their
watch is deeply alarming and troubling, running counter to everything people
expect of charity.”
A
second man, Abuthaher Mamun, 19, helped Haque with his classes and was jailed
for 12 years for his role in the terrorist plot. Charity regulators only found
about Mamun’s role because of the trial and the charity trustees never told
them about the role of Mamun at the school.
“It
is not known why the former trustees failed to disclose this information to the
inquiry,” it said.
The
five trustees from the charity the Essex Islamic Acdemy, which runs the mosque,
have been barred from holding any senior management positions in England and
Wales for ten years. They have not been named.
The
case highlighted the lack of effective scrutiny that allowed extremists to
operate inside UK schools and mosques. The east London private school where
Haque also worked was rated “outstanding” during the height of his activity in
2015.
The
last inspection report in January this year downgraded the school to
“inadequate” after discovering a book in its library that advocated death for
anyone who committed adultery.
https://www.thenational.ae/world/europe/london-mosque-officials-failed-to-halt-isis-child-recruiter-1.907139
--------
Be
It Ganesha Chaturthi or Muharram, These Villagers from a Village on the
Outskirts of Hubballi, Celebrate Both with Pomp
By
Kiran Balannanavar
07th
September 2019
HUBBALLI:
Bidnal, a village on the outskirts of Hubballi, is known for communal harmony,
with people from the Hindu and Muslim communities celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi
and Muharram together for the past 35 years.
The
village has no separate committee for holding these festivals, as the Shri
Ganjanana and the Moharram Utsav Samiti takes care of every aspect of the two
festivals. Both communities are equal in terms of population, and people from
both communities celebrate these festivals with equal devotion.
Basavaraj
Mugad, a resident, told TNIE that for the past 35 years, they have been
installing idols of Lord Ganesha and performing Muharram activities in the same
pandal erected in the centre of the village. “In 1982, 1983 and 1984 both
Ganesh Chaturthi and Muharram fell in the same month. It repeated again in 2018
and this year. Every year, both communities hold events in a grand manner.
Muslim women also come to pray and perform ‘arti.’ This time, the immersion of
the idols also falls on the same day,” he added.
Dhaval
Sab Nadaf, a community leader, said, “There is no difference between a Hindu
and a Muslim. Everyone lives here like brothers and sisters, not only during
the time of festivals. During other functions as well the two communities join
hands. That is the beauty of this village.”
http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/2019/sep/07/be-it-ganesha-chaturthi-or-muharram-these-villagers-celebrate-both-with-pomp-2030200.html
--------
Imran
Khan's ex-wife Reham mocks him over 'failed' Kashmir solidarity call
Sep
7, 2019
Islamabad
[Pakistan], Sep 7 (ANI): Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan ex-wife Reham Khan
mocked and deemed former's so-called 'Kashmir solidarity hour' call as a
'failure'.
Reham
posted a tweet in Urdu on Friday, which read, "Woh jinhonay Kashmiriyon
kay saath izhar-e-yakjaheeti kay liye har Jumma 30 minutes khada hona tha, unn
ki himmat ek he haftey mein jawaab dey gayi. Shayad selected mausam behtar
honay ka intezar kar rahay hain, phir karengey izhar-e-yagjahiti"
The
tweet roughly stated that those who pledged to stand by the Kashmiris for 30
minutes every Friday failed to comply with their promise.
In
the aftermath of the Indian government's move to abrogate Article 370, Khan had
announced that Pakistan would observe Kashmir Hour "every Friday."
While the first week itself was a damp squib, barely drawing people despite
desperate attempts made by the authorities in the country, no sign of the continuation
of the shallow moment was witnessed this Friday.
The
failure of the movement left Pakistan red-faced, as it continues its pursuit of
raking up the Kashmir issue in international forums. The country has found
itself completely isolated on the international front, after being snubbed at
the United Nations Security Council, as well as by countries like Russia,
France, and the US.
India
also repeatedly maintained that its decision on Kashmir is strictly an internal
matter and also advised Pakistan to accept the reality.
Instead
of addressing pressing issues like struggling economy, rising inflation, and
poverty, Pakistanis have been concentrating more on Kashmir, vowing to stand in
"solidarity" with the Kashmiris till the region attains
"freedom".
Apart
from spewing venom against India, Pakistan has not learnt its lessons and
continues its nefarious and diabolic propaganda by openly supporting 'jihad'
against the neighboring country, despite facing massive international pressure
over tackling terrorism. (ANI)
https://in.news.yahoo.com/imran-khans-ex-wife-reham-mocks-him-over-191714985.html
--------
How
the Rohingya are applying for Bangladesh passports
06
Sep 2019
He
submitted the application online with a birth registration certificate and
Bangladeshi National Identity or NID card.
But
his fingerprints matched with those of a Rohingya man in the database of the
Myanmar refugees’ biometric data stored by Bangladesh. That means he is a
Rohingya.
The
incident came to light on Aug 22.
Another
person named Shafiqul Hye was arrested at the Chattogram Divisional Passport
Office on Thursday.
He
also submitted a nationality certificate and NID card to the passport office.
But Shafiqul confessed to his Rohingya identity after the passport officials
doubted him.
This
is how the Rohingya refugees with false certificates are coming to make
passports, according to officials.
They
are obtaining the certificates from the city corporations or union council
offices.
As
a result, it is difficult to identify them in the crowd of passport applicants.
The
fake passport applications can now be detected through cross-match with the
Rohingya database if suspicion arises.
From
April to August, about 100 people have been arrested on suspicion of being
Rohingya at two passport offices at Panchlaish and Mansurabad in Chattogram.
Abu
Saeed, a director of the Chattogram Divisional Passport and Visa Office, told
bdnews24.com that the Rohingya are submitting their birth registration,
national certificates and NID card with their passport applications.
These
papers cannot be called fake because these are certified by real people with
jurisdiction, the official said.
“But
if the applicant's attitude and conversations give rise to suspicion, we hand
them to police after being certain that they are Rohingya,” he said.
According
to papers submitted by Faisal, he took the birth certificate from Lalkhan Bazar
ward under Chattogram City Corporation and the nationality certificate from
Salimpur union council under Sitakunda Upazila.
Faisal
also submitted NIDs of his ‘parents’, identified as Md Nasim and Shamjida
Begum, passport department official Abu Saeed said.
The
Rohingya man had travelled to Bangladesh from Myanmar with his father Sona Mia
and mother Anwara Begum when he was 4 years old. The family had first taken
shelter at a refugee camp at Ukhia in Cox’s Bazar but later moved to
Naikkhyanchharhi in Bandarban.
Shafiqul,
who was detained on Thursday, mentioned Fatikchharhi of Chattogram as his
address in the NID card and nationality certificate.
The
Rohingya man has been residing in the area since 2014 when his family of five,
including his parents and siblings, crossed the border into Bangladesh.
A
Rohingya woman identified as Sumaiya Akter was detained on Aug 22 while she was
applying for a passport in Chattogram.
She
obtained a birth certificate from Pathantooli ward in the port city.
Many
Rohingya are living in Muslim-majority countries allegedly using Bangladeshi
passports.
After
a recent investigation revealed that a Rohingya man, Nazir Ahmed, had been residing
in Saudi Arabia with Bangladeshi passport, police said they suspected a
syndicate was working in Bangladesh to give the refugees Bangladeshi passports
with funds from Rohingya living in Saudi Arabia.
Nazir
was detained at Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka while he was trying to
travel back to Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
Once
arrested in Bangladesh on charges of trafficking in drugs, Nazir has businesses
in the Gulf kingdom as well.
His
detention at the airport followed the arrest of one of his wives, Ramzan Bibi
alias 'Lake', a Rohingya woman, with a fake NID card on her in Chattogram on
Aug 28.
“Field-level
officers must be alert so that no Rohingya can collect birth certificate,
nationality certificate or NID card. It will be difficult for the Rohingya to
apply for Bangladeshi passports if the public representatives check the
applicant information first,” advises Al Amin Mridha, in-charge of the passport
office at Panchlaish.
Abdul
Warish, Deputy Commissioner of Chattogram Metropolitan Police’s Special Branch,
said they were watchful to stop the Rohingya from applying for Bangladeshi
passports.
“Many
Rohingya refugees are able to collect different certificates due to wilful or
inadvertent mistakes of councillors or officials at union councils,” he said.
https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2019/09/06/how-the-rohingya-are-applying-for-bangladesh-passports
--------
Southeast Asia
60pc
of halal product manufacturers are non-Muslims, says Mujahid
06
September 2019
KUALA
LUMPUR, Sept 6 — Data from the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim)
showed that more than 60 per cent of halal product manufacturers were
multinational companies owned by non-Muslims.
Minister
in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mujahid Yusof said this was
because non-Muslim producers realise the importance of halal certification for
their products to be marketed both domestically and internationally.
On
the other hand, many Bumiputera entrepreneurs have yet to apply for halal
certification from us why they have not perplexes me,” he said in his speech at
the 2019 Jakim Halfest held at the Mines International Exhibition Convention
Centre (MIECC) in Seri Kembangan, here today.
Mujahid
said with Jakim halal certification, a product is not only instantly recognised
as using halal ingredients but also was hygienic regardless if it was Muslim or
non-Muslim produced.
As
such, he urged Bumiputera and Muslim producers who have yet to apply for the
Jakim halal certification to immediately do so.
“With
halal certification, Bumiputera companies will be able to compete with
multinationals, not only domestically, but in the foreign markets as well,
giving their products more access and consumer confidence,” he said.
Speaking
to reporters later, Mujahid said Islam never taught its followers to choose
products according to race, but stressed on the importance of them being halal
and hygienic.
“We
have to focus on two important basics — Confidence in Halal Malaysia and Buy
Malaysian Products First... we use halal as our benchmark.
“As
a Muslim, when I travel abroad, I look for halal food. I will ask if the food
is halal or not, regardless of whom I am buying it from,” he said.
Also
present were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who
launched the event, Jakim director-general Datuk Mohamad Nordin Ibrahim,
Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) chairman Datuk Seri Syed
Hussein Al Habshee and National Halal Council Secretariat director Datuk Seri
Sirajuddin Suhaimee. — Bernama
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2019/09/06/60pc-of-halal-product-manufacturers-are-non-muslim-says-mujahid/1788063
--------
Selangor
Islamic Religious Department Raids Shia Muslim Event At Gombak, Arrests 23
September
7, 2019
PETALING
JAYA: Twenty-three people, including women and children, were arrested by
Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) officers at a Shia centre at
Gombak last night.
The
25 officers went to the centre at about 9.45pm and arrested the 23, who
included four boys aged 13 to 17, sources said.
Those
arrested were brought to the Islamic complex at Gombak and were told that they
were being investigated under shariah law for opposing the fatwa on the
practice of Shi’ism, the sources told FMT.
They
were released at 5am after being told that they could be summoned again any
time, the sources added.
Shia,
with a substantial following in Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon and
several parts of Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Pakistan, is the second largest branch
of Islam.
Fatwas
have been issued in most states in Malaysia declaring Shia teachings as
“deviant”, and Islamic authorities have in the past raided private religious
events held by its adherents.
Yesterday,
the minister in charge of Islamic affairs, Mujahid Yusof Rawa, distanced
himself from a Friday sermon prepared by Jais that supposedly attacked Shia
Muslims.
FMT
reported that mosques in Selangor had been instructed to deliver the sermon in
what critics have slammed as a fresh round of hate speech by authorities
targeting religious minorities.
Full
report at:
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2019/09/07/jais-raids-shia-muslim-event-at-gombak-arrests-23/
--------
Decision
not to prosecute Perlis preacher a letdown, says group
Vinodh
Pillai and Nurul Azwa Aris
September
6, 2019
PETALING
JAYA: Hindu activist Arun Dorasamy has urged the Attorney-General’s Chambers to
review its decision not to act against Perlis preacher Muhammad Zamri Vinoth
Kalimuthu, saying it affects the AGC’s integrity.
Describing
the decision as disappointing, Arun said arrangements can be made to replace
the DPP with lawyers, if needed, to prosecute the preacher for allegedly
insulting other religions.
In
a letter to the Hindu Agamam Ani Malaysia group dated July 5, then
Solicitor-General III Hanafiah Zakaria said the investigation paper on Zamri
had been referred to the AGC and it was decided not to pursue the matter.
Arun,
who is the association’s adviser, said his group was shocked with the decision
and also questioned why the letter was only handed to them two months later.
“The
letter was only given to me yesterday during a memorandum handing over event at
the AGC,” he told FMT. “We have reason to believe it was held back until they
(AGC) were pushed to a corner.”
He
said the decision could give the wrong impression on the AGC’s stance on
preaching methods that demean other religions.
Arun
said his group had sent a letter to seek clarification from the AGC. It was
also deciding whether to file a lawsuit against Attorney-General Tommy Thomas,
involve the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the inspector-general of
police, and as a last resort, stage a picket at the AGC.
Meanwhile,
Zamri told FMT he was grateful with the AGC’s decision not to charge him,
saying this proved his innocence.
He
said Hindu groups “which insulted me as if I am insulting their religion”
should retract their statements against him.
Zamri
found himself in the spotlight after he gave a talk last December in which he
was alleged to have referred to a Hindu belief in 330 million gods.
In
a video which went viral, he said he became a Muslim because he could not
accept idol worship, and expressed regret at being unable to convert the rest
of his family and close friends to Islam.
Zamri
was arrested under Section 298A of the Penal Code, which deals with causing
disharmony, disunity or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill will on grounds of
religion, and also misusing internet services, under Section 233 of the
Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
He
said the number of reports lodged against someone did not determine if a person
was guilty or not.
“If
there are one million reports lodged against an individual, he is still
innocent as long as he does not violate any law,” he said.
Full
report at:
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2019/09/06/decision-not-to-prosecute-perlis-preacher-a-letdown-says-group/
--------
Maria
Chin accused of making wild attack on shariah system
Vinodh
Pillai
September
7, 2019
PETALING
JAYA: A lawyer has challenged Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah to explain
her allegation that the shariah legal system discriminates against women.
“If
the MP is talking about shariah enactments or acts, she should tell the public
which are the provisions that are discriminatory,” said Hamid Ismail, who
practises as a criminal and shariah lawyer.
He
said Maria could use her position as an MP to ask Parliament to repeal or amend
the allegedly discriminatory provisions if she could identify them.
He
accused her of making generalised and baseless statements against the shariah
legal system.
“I
think that is very unfair,” he said, adding that she could be perceived as
trying to degrade the system.
Maria
said last Thursday that she was disappointed with the Kuala Lumpur Shariah
Court’s decision to impose a seven-day jail sentence on Emilia Hanafi, the
former wife of Naza World Group chairman SM Faisal SM Nasimuddin.
Emilia
and Faisal divorced in 2016 and she has full custody of their three children.
The court on Wednesday found her guilty of violating its ruling on visitation
rights.
Marina
noted that Emilia had rescheduled a visitation and had asked for a replacement
date. She said the sentencing highlighted “the discrimination in our shariah
legal system against Muslim women that still exists today”.
Faisal
is set to take contempt proceedings against her for allegedly insulting the
shariah court.
Hamid
said the jail sentence should be respected because a shariah court was bound by
provisions of the law when deciding on a case.
He
said that Maria should be helping Emilia to appeal against the sentence if she
was concerned by it.
He
noted that her statement also made reference to cases of divorced fathers who
did not pay for child support. He asked her to explain which shariah provision
she was complaining against.
“I
hope the MP can differentiate between an order of a shariah court and
provisions in shariah enactments or acts,” he said.
According
to another shariah lawyer, Nizam Bashir, some shariah judges believe a high
degree of temperateness in the use of language is required when a person
criticises court judgments.
A
criticism failing to meet this standard could amount to contempt, he said.
Full
report at:
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2019/09/07/maria-chin-accused-of-making-wild-attack-on-shariah-system/
--------
Blast
wounds 7 people at public market in southern Philippines
7
September 2019
An
explosion at a public market in the southern Philippines wounded at least seven
people early on Saturday, the fourth blast in that area in 13 months, the
military said.
There
was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, but a militant group
operating in the mostly Christian city of Isulan in the province of Sultan
Kudarat was among the suspects, military said.
The
latest blast comes at a time of heightened tensions in the volatile southern
Philippines after three incidents in the past year authorities said were
suicide bombings by militants linked to ISIS.
Twitter
users shared a video purportedly showing the explosion when it happened.
REG
@chirofleck
Calling
out DILG and LGU Isulan, this incident has been the 3rd time (if I'm not
mistaken) that your municipality was bombed. Enforce full military presence!
Wake up! #prayforisulan #Isulan
Embedded
video
3
6:17
AM - Sep 7, 2019
Twitter
Ads info and privacy
See
REG's other Tweets
Video
footage showed Saturday's blast occurred in a parking space for motorcycles. A
suspected improvised explosive device was placed beside a parked motorcycle,
Major Arvin Encinas, a regional military spokesman, told reporters.
In
April, a bombing by suspected members of a pro-ISIS militant group injured at
least 18 people in a restaurant in Sultan Kudarat in Mindanao region.
Mindanao
is troubled by banditry and armed rebellions that keep large parts of the
region mired in poverty and instability.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2019/09/07/Blast-wounds-7-people-at-public-market-in-southern-Philippines.html
--------
Arab World
Iraqi
youth killed by suspected ISIS members in Syrian displacement camp
September
05-2019
ERBIL
(Kurdistan 24) – A young Iraqi male living in Syria's al-Hol Camp has died from
injuries sustained while being beaten in his sleep by two alleged Islamic State
members also residing at the massive displacement facility.
"Two
people disguised as women struck him on the head with a sharp object while he
was sleeping in his tent last night," said a media source close to local
officials in charge of the camp.
The
youth, Mohammad Shehadeh Hamada, was critically injured in the initial attack
and then taken to a hospital in the nearby city of Hasakah, where he died
Thursday morning of his wounds.
According
to comments made by officials in the camp administration, Hamada was killed for
not accepting the extremist ideology adopted by the Islamic State, thought to
be shared by a large portion of the camp's inhabitants.
On
Tuesday, the Washington Post reported that a 14-year-old girl at al-Hol Camp
was killed after her neck was broken while being beaten and strangled. Shortly
before the attack, the girl, who had previously lived under Islamic State rule,
had apparently angered other camp residents because "she suggested
dispensing with her black niqab, the face covering worn by ultraconservative
Muslim women."
There
are also other suspected such killings, including the recent death of a
pregnant Indonesian national. The Post wrote that she "was murdered,
medical officials say, apparently after speaking to a Western media
organization. Images of her body suggest she might have been whipped."
The
was built to house 40,000 individuals but currently holds over 72,000, mostly
women and children. Among them are roughly 30,000 Iraqis. It witnessed a sharp
increase in numbers of residents as the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF) launched an offensive to defeat the Islamic State in
its last bastion of Baghouz, which ended in March.
There
is little agreement on what to do with the camp's residents. Many nations,
notably European Union member states, have shown great reluctance to take back
their own nationals now at the camp because of fears that they would pose a
security threat.
The
local self-administration has called on countries to take back their citizens
and said that it is ready to facilitate the transit of women and children to
their home countries.
"The
administration and the Syrian people demand of the states from which these ISIS
fighters belong, more than 50 nationalities in all, to judge them according to
their constitutions," one official told Kurdistan 24 in April.
https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/530eb208-f0c8-45cf-bf1e-9ad9f89ad561
--------
Iraqi
forces kill 5 IS militants in Salahudin province
Sep
5, 2019
BAGHDAD,
Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi forces on Thursday killed five Islamic State (IS)
militants in an operation and an airstrike in the central province of
Salahudin, a military statement and a police source said.
Acting
on intelligence reports, the ninth brigade of the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi
forces, backed by the Iraq army's helicopter gunships, carried out an operation
near the town of al-Dour in southeast of the provincial capital Tikrit, some
170 km north of Baghdad, the Hashd Shaabi said in a statement.
The
Hashd Shaabi force clashed with IS extremist militants and killed three of
them, while a helicopter gunship pounded an IS hideout and killed two more
inside, the statement added.
Mohammed
al-Bazi from Salahudin's provincial police said that Thursday's operation came
hours after the Hashd Shaabi's ninth brigade came under heavy gunfire on
Wednesday evening, while they were conducting a search operation near the town
of al-Dour.
The
heavy gunfire forced the Hashd Shaabi force to call off their evening operation
and withdrew from the scene after two of the brigade's members were wounded and
another went missing, al-Bazi told Xinhua.
Early
on Thursday, a joint force from Hashd Shaabi's ninth brigade and the Iraqi army
cordoned off the area and launched a search campaign looking for the missing
Hashd Shaabi member, al-Bazi added.
The
security situation in Iraq was dramatically improved after Iraqi security
forces fully defeated the extremist IS militants across the country late in
2017.
Full
report at:
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/05/c_138368422.htm
--------
Security
Media Cell announce seizing 3 car bombs in Nineveh
by
Loaa Adel
Sep
5, 2019
Nineveh
(IraqiNews) The security media cell announced on Thursday, seizing three car
bombs in different areas of Nineveh, while pointed out that the car bombs were
detonated on site.
In
a press statement, the Cell reported that based on accurate intelligence
information, joint forces from the 60th Brigade of the 20th Division and
al-Hashd al-Ashaeri, managed to seize three booby-trapped vehicles, southwest
of Lake Sinisla and southeast of Munayef Mount.
“It
was treated and detonated without inflicting any losses,” the cell further
added.
Violence
in the country has surged further with the emergence of Islamic State extremist
militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014.
Full
report at:
https://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/security-media-cell-announce-seizing-3-car-bombs-in-nineveh/
--------
Hezbollah
and Israel have stepped back from the brink this time but the trajectory is
deeply troubling
Elizabeth
Tsurkov
Sep
5, 2019
After
a week of violence between Israel and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, tensions
have simmered down. The situation was quite different last Sunday, when
hundreds of cars packed with terrified civilians fleeing southern Lebanon
created traffic jams as they fled north after a volley of tit-for-tat strikes.
After being hit by a series of drone and airstrikes, which killed two fighters
and damaged its media centre, Hezbollah launched a retaliatory strike from
southern Lebanon against Israeli army targets in the village of Avivim. Israel
responded with artillery strikes on southern Lebanon. Yet despite the prospect
of an all-out war between these two well-armed adversaries increasing in recent
months, the balance of mutual fear and aggression inflicted by both sides has
reduced the immediate likelihood of real conflict.
The
latest escalation followed a wave of attacks attributed to Israel against
Iran’s non-state allies in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Israeli’s increasingly
aggressive posture against the network of Iran-aligned militias is trying to
reverse, or at least stymie, some of the gains made by Tehran and its proxies
in recent years. While the popularity of Iran and Hezbollah suffered from their
involvement in the Syrian war on the side of the Assad regime, Iran’s influence
in the Levant has grown significantly since 2011. International negotiations
with Iran during the Obama administration focused on curbing its nuclear
programme, with its regional ambitions largely going unchecked. The Trump
administration, for all its belligerent statements, has not done much to
counter Iran’s growing clout in the region.
Israel’s
more confrontational approach and the fiery war of words between officials and
Hezbollah raised concerns about the prospect of renewed conflict. Following an
Israeli attack on Hezbollah foreign fighters in Syria, the group’s leader
Hassan Nasrallah made an unusually frenzied speech a fortnight ago, threatening
that from then on, Israel’s drone flights over Lebanese airspace would no
longer be tolerated and that the devices would be shot down by Hezbollah.
Israeli Housing Minister Yoav Galant responded by threatening to “return
Lebanon to the stone age”, echoing previous rhetoric from other Israeli
officials.
The
bellicose exchanges have fuelled fear among Lebanese and Israelis of a repeat
of the trauma of the last war in 2006, which was enormously devastating to
Lebanon, particularly in the south. Most of the 1,000-plus people killed in
Lebanon were civilians. Israel suffered significantly fewer losses. However,
the low public tolerance for casualties and inability to definitively defeat
Hezbollah on the battlefield left Israelis aggrieved and contributed to the
downfall of then prime minister Ehud Olmert, who led Israel into the conflict.
Despite
the recent fiery rhetoric, officials from both Hezbollah and Israel have been
at pains to calm down tensions. In an August 31 speech, Mr Nasrallah walked
back his vow a week earlier to shoot down Israeli drones, which continue to
hover over Lebanon. Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general, Naim Qassem, said the
group would retaliate against an attack from Israel but not aim to start a
wider conflagration. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu banned his
ministers from passing judgment on the exchange of fire after Mr Galant’s
comment.
Other
signs point to efforts on both sides to avoid war. Hezbollah’s retaliation
against the Israeli strikes on its fighters in Syria, in the form of a
cross-border attack against military targets and not civilians, is one such
indication. Israel’s decision to significantly reduce the presence of soldiers
along the border with Lebanon and replace them with mannequins in uniform was
intended primarily as a deterrent and to avoid loss of civilian lives. However,
by using this tactic, which appeared to ensure no soldiers were harmed in the
Hezbollah attack, the Israeli Defence Forces also guaranteed there would be no
pressure on government from the Israeli public to retaliate further. The
Israeli counter-shelling following the Hezbollah attack largely pounded empty fields
near Maroun Al Ras in southern Lebanon, to the bemusement of anchors on
Hezbollah’s TV station.
Both
sides are trying to avoid conflict because they know another war would be
devastating. Hezbollah now holds an arsenal of more than 100,000 rockets and missiles
that could hit any point inside Israel. This means that a strategy employed in
previous conflicts to reduce the number of casualties in Israel, namely mass
flight from the north to the south, would be less effective. In addition,
Hezbollah now has dozens of precision-guided missiles that could hit strategic
targets. Hezbollah fighters have also gained significant combat experience from
the battlefields of Syria.
On
the other side of the balance of power is the IDF, which has vowed that in the
next war with Hezbollah, it would pursue the 2006 “Dahiya doctrine” of
indiscriminate destruction of infrastructure and disproportionate force against
communities thought to be supporting Hezbollah across the country. The IDF’s
chief of staff said under the doctrine, nowhere would be considered safe and
every village and neighbourhood would be treated as a military base.
A
future war could also entangle war-weary Syrians, as Hezbollah and the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps have been increasing their presence and military
recruitment across the country since 2012. Tehran is unlikely to be paying the
salaries of tens of thousands of Syrian fighters to then let them simply sit
out the next war.
More
immediate concerns on both sides are limiting the prospect of war in the
short-term. Hezbollah is still occupied in Syria, where its forces are
stationed across the country, recruiting locals, establishing new bases and
manning frontlines in the southern and western Aleppo countryside.
In
Israel, this month’s election, the second this year, also reduces the
likelihood of war. Israeli officials have long vowed to destroy Hamas and
Hezbollah militarily, and the Israeli public hopes and expects that they would
follow through with that threat in the next conflict. The 2014 ceasefire in
Gaza and 2006 end of hostilities in Lebanon were unpopular in Israel as the
fighting ended before that goal was achieved. Israeli officials, however, know
that destroying both Iranian proxies cannot be achieved without an immense cost
and would most likely entail a bid to occupy Lebanon and Gaza and maintain a
continuous military presence there, amid a hostile population that would
undoubtedly rebel in an insurgency. It is therefore in Israel’s interests to
delay any combat with the two militias.
Warfare
would be damaging to whoever is in power in Israel. It will result in
large-scale destruction while failing to achieve that goal with limited
civilian and military casualties. Mr Netanyahu has no reason to rattle the
cage. He is currently projected to win the election and continue as prime
minister, whether he forms a right-wing government or is forced into a unity
government with his former ally Avigdor Liberman.
All
these factors decrease the likelihood of war in the short and medium term but the
overall trajectory is troubling. Israel and Iran are diametrically opposed to
one another and perceive the actions of their adversary as aggressive, while
regarding their own as defensive. Iran is determined to continue expanding its
influence in the region. Israel, for its part, is resolute in stopping this
expansion. We should expect future skirmishes between the two sides, increasing
the likelihood of unwanted deterioration to an all-out war.
Full
report at:
https://www.thenational.ae/opinion/comment/hezbollah-and-israel-have-stepped-back-from-the-brink-this-time-but-the-trajectory-is-deeply-troubling-1.906894
--------
Pompeo
Asks Lebanon to Dismantle Hezbollah’s Missile Factory
6
September, 2019
Despite
exchanges of reassurances by Hezbollah and the Israeli government that they
were not seeking war, the Israeli army announced the transfer of Patriot
missile batteries to bolster its air defenses and maintained a partial state of
alert. Its former chief of staff, Dan Halutz, said the situation was tense on
the border and could explode at every moment.
The
biggest problem is the intransigence on both sides, according to Halutz, who
led the Israeli army during the Second Lebanon War in 2006. He noted that
Israel would not allow Hezbollah to develop and modernize old Iranian missiles
in its possession, while Hezbollah – backed by Iran - insisted on possessing
deterrent weapons against Israel.
“This
insistence could certainly lead to war, unless one of the parties concedes,
sooner or later,” he warned.
Israeli
sources revealed on Thursday that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sent a
warning letter to Lebanese President Michel Aoun, urging him to dismantle a
second factory set up by Hezbollah in the Bekaa to develop and modernize the
missiles before Israel attacks it.
The
US message was not conveyed by regular diplomatic means through the US Embassy
in Beirut, but was transferred directly to Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran
Bassil, who is known for his close ties to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Pompeo
told Bassil that Israel had intelligence information about a second missile
production plant set up by Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon. “Lebanon should
immediately dismantle the second factory, otherwise Israel will attack and
destroy it in the coming days,” he said, clearly admitting that the US would
support the Israeli attack on Lebanon.
The
sources said that this issue was raised during Netanyahu’s meetings in London
on Thursday with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US Defense Secretary
Mark Esper. They revealed that the Israeli premier was accompanied by the air
force commander, who informed the British and US officials of the Israeli plans
for the coming days in Lebanon.
On
Wednesday evening, the Israeli army announced the deployment of air defense systems
in several centers in northern Israel, including the US-made Patriot system,
the Iron Dome, and others.
Full
report at:
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1889891/pompeo-asks-lebanon-dismantle-hezbollah%E2%80%99s-missile-factory
--------
Six
suspected militants killed in Egypt
September
05, 2019
CAIRO:
Six suspected extremists were killed on Thursday in a shootout with police near
the Bahariya oasis southwest of the Egyptian capital, the interior ministry
said.
Police
carried out a dawn raid against “terrorist elements” in a desert area near
Bahariya, roughly 300 kilometers (190 miles) southwest of Cairo, the ministry
said in a statement.
A
shootout led to the death of six suspects, the ministry said, adding that a
number of hunting rifles and four assault rifles were found at the site.
Militants
have launched several attacks in the vast desert area west of the Nile.
In
November 2018, a Daesh attack killed six Copts and an Anglican after they left
the Saint Samuel monastery west of the Nile in Minya province.
Daesh
carried out another attack nearby in May 2017, killing 29 Coptic pilgrims, many
of them children.
Tourists
have also been killed in attacks, but the violence has mostly targeted police
and soldiers.
Hundreds
of security personnel have died in an escalation of attacks since the military
overthrow of president Muhammad Mursi in 2013.
The
ouster was led by then-army-chief Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who became president
following 2014 polls before securing an official 97 percent of the vote in elections
last year.
Full
report at:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1550186/middle-east
--------
ISIL's
Senior Portuguese Commander Captured in Northern Syria
Sep
06, 2019
Xeber
24 news website reported that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have found and
arrested Niru Sariva who was ISIL's Portuguese commander in the city of Baghouz
in Eastern Deir Ezzur.
It
noted that Sariva was the commander of ISIL's foreign militants battalion and
was in charge of abducting and executing Westerners in Syria.
The
33-year-old Sariva who had been residing in London before joining the ISIL was
also one of the most important elements of the ISIL in exercising the terrorist
group's forced recruitment plans.
In
a relevant development last week, a notorious Belgian member of the ISIL
terrorist group who had executed over 100 people in the city of Raqqa was
captured in the same city on Saturday.
The
Arabic-language website of Russia Today cited Belgian De Morgen newspaper as
reporting that the SDF arrested Anwar Hadoushi nom de guerre Abu Soleiman
al-Belgiki and known as ISIL's executioner was captured in Raqqa.
The
newspaper said 35-year-old Abu Soleiman has decapitated over 100 people in
Raqqa.
Full
report at:
https://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980613000672
--------
Any
aggression against Lebanon will be met with legitimate self-defense, President
Aoun says
Sep
6, 2019
President
Michel Aoun says Lebanon has a legitimate right to fight off any act of
aggression threatening its territorial integrity, warning that the Israeli
regime will bear all the consequences in such a case.
“Any
aggression against Lebanon and the safety of its territories will be met with
legitimate self-defense and Israel will bear all its consequences,” Aoun told
United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis during a meeting at
the Presidential Palace in Baabda on Friday.
Aoun
also emphasized Lebanon’s adherence to UN Security Council Resolution 1701,
which brokered a ceasefire in the war of aggression Israel launched against
Lebanon in the summer 2006.
The
Lebanese president pointed to the recent Israeli drone strikes on Beirut’s
southern suburbs, saying the "rules of engagement" had been violated.
He said the strikes flouted Resolution 1701.
Aoun
later hailed the efforts made by Kubis and the UN secretary general in addition
to “brotherly and friendly countries for extending the mandate of the UNIFIL
(United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) forces operating in South Lebanon
without modification in their tasks.”
The
Lebanese army, he said, is fully carrying out its duties regarding decisions
made by the Beirut government and the Higher Defense Council.
Kubis,
for his part, briefed Aoun on the deliberations concerning the extension of
UNIFIL's term and the positions of the Security Council members, plus the role
that UNIFIL played to maintain stability in the aftermath of recent events on
the border between southern Lebanon and the Israeli occupied territories.
Separately,
the UN official held a meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
Kubis
briefed him on the situation in southern Lebanon in light of recent field
developments.
Berri
stated that Israel is the only party that should be asked about violations of
Resolution 1701, emphasizing that Lebanon stands committed to the deal.
On
Sunday, Hezbollah fired a number of anti-tank missiles at an Israeli army base
and vehicles near the border in response to an Israeli air raid last week that
killed two of its fighters in Syria, as well as an Israeli drone attack on
southern Beirut.
According
to the Lebanese resistance movement, the missiles launched from Lebanon
destroyed an armored personnel carrier in Avivim in northern Israel, killing or
wounding those on board. The Israeli military, however, alleged the attack did
not lead to any casualties. It said it fired 100 shells inside Lebanon in
return.
Israel
denied that the Hezbollah operation had caused casualties, but photos of
Israeli soldiers transporting injured people later spread on social media.
The
Arabic-language al-Manar satellite television station affiliated with Hezbollah
later aired footage of the attack, documenting its operation.
On
August 26, Hezbollah said Israel had sent two drones into Lebanon on a bombing
mission.
According
to the resistance movement, the first drone had fallen on a building housing
Hezbollah’s media office in Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahieh. The second
drone, which appeared to have been sent by Israel to search for the first one,
had crashed in an empty plot nearby after being detonated in the air, it added.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/09/06/605483/Any-aggression-on-Lebanon-will-be-met-with-legitimate-selfdefense-President-Aoun-says
--------
Saudi
court acquits defendants in deadly Grand Mosque’s crane fall case
Sep
6, 2019
A
court in Saudi Arabia has dropped all charges against defendants being
persecuted over a crane collapse onto the Masjid al-Haram (the Grand Mosque) in
Mecca nearly four years ago, where more than a hundred worshippers were killed.
On
Thursday, the Criminal Court in Mecca ordered the dismissal of the case against
construction conglomerate Saudi Binladin Group, asserting that the trawler
crane had been installed in a correct and safe position, and that none of the
defendants were found to be negligent, Arabic-language al-Madina newspaper
reported.
The
court further claimed that the defendants had taken all the necessary
precautions, holding stormy winds solely responsible for the collapse of the
crane.
The
judge alleged that the findings have been corroborated by meteorological
reports, Saudi Arabian national petroleum and natural gas company Saudi Aramco,
a relevant government committee, the public prosecution as well as technical
and engineering reports compiled by specialized international centers.
On
September 11, 2015, at least 111 people lost their lives and 394 others
sustained injuries when a huge crane collapsed into a part of the Grand Mosque
in the lead-up to the annual Hajj pilgrimage. The site was filled with
worshippers for Friday prayers at the time.
General
Suleiman al-Amr, director general of Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense Authority,
told Saudi-owned al-Arabiya television news network at the time that strong
winds and heavy rains had caused the collapse.
Saudi
Binladin Group is run by the Bin Laden family, which has close ties with Saudi
Arabia's ruling family. Known as the second largest construction company in the
world after French firm Vinci Construction, the Jeddah-based conglomerate was
founded in 1931 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Laden, the father of al-Qaeda’s slain
leader Osama bin Laden. In the 1990s, Osama bin Laden was purportedly disowned
by the family.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/09/06/605490/Saudi-court-crane-fall-case
--------
Mideast
Iran
Executes 38 People In August - Report
September
06, 2019
A
Norway-based Iranian human rights organization reports that 38 people were
executed in Iran in August, double the rate in the same period last year.
Iran
Human Rights (IHR) says based on information it has collected 32 of those
executed were convicted of first-degree murder, six were hanged for major
narcotics and drug trafficking convictions.
Two
prisoners were executed on charges of “Moharebeh”, which in Islamic law means
“waging war against God”. The Islamic Republic uses this serious accusation
against those who question the basis of the Islamic political system or the
legitimacy of clerical rule in Iran.
Two
executions took place in public while the rest were carried out in various
prisons around the country.
Official
figures released by the Islamic Republic acknowledge only 13 execution, while
human rights monitors reported an additional 25 cases.
Meanwhile,
IHR reports that a juvenile offender may be executed soon, according to his
family. Mehdi Khazaeian has been convicted of an alleged murder he committed
when he was 16 years old. He is now 20.
The
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Iran has ratified, clearly bans
execution and life imprisonment of juveniles. Iran and China have the highest
rate of executions in the world.
According
to IHR, since the beginning of 2019 at least two Juvenile offenders have been
executed in Iran.
https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-executes-38-people-in-august---report/30149745.html
--------
Report:
Top US Official in Talks With Houthi Rebels in Bid to End Yemen War Report
September
5, 2019
A
senior U.S. diplomatic official reportedly said Thursday the U.S. is
negotiating with the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels an in effort to end the Yemeni
Civil War.
"We
are narrowly focused on trying to end the war in Yemen," David Schenker,
assistant secretary of Near Eastern Affairs, told reporters during a visit to
Saudi Arabia, according to Agence France-Presse. "We are also having talks
to the extent possible with the Houthis to try and find a mutually accepted
negotiated solution to the conflict."
A
U.S. State Department official told VOA Thursday the U.S. is engaged in talks
with "all Yemenis to further U.S. objectives in the country."
The
official said the United States is continuing "to work with our
international partners to bring peace, prosperity and security to a unified
Yemen" and is "focused on supporting a comprehensive political
agreement that will end the conflict and the dire humanitarian situation."
The
Houthis launched an offensive against the Yemeni government in 2015, followed
by a Saudi-led military intervention against the rebels, leading to a more
complex conflict.
Three
months after the beginning of the Saudi military campaign, former U.S.
President Barack Obama's administration held brief talks with Houthi leaders to
convince them to attend U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Geneva.
The
Geneva talks and subsequent rounds of negotiations were unsuccessful, pushing
the impoverished country to the brink of famine.
Full
report at:
https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/report-top-us-official-talks-houthi-rebels-bid-end-yemen-war-report
--------
Iran
'inching' toward place where talks could be held: Pentagon chief
Idrees
Ali
SEPTEMBER
6, 2019
LONDON
(Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Friday that it appeared
Iran was inching toward a place where talks could be held, days after U.S.
President Donald Trump left the door open to a possible meeting with Iranian
President Hassan Rouhani.
Friction
between the two countries has deepened since Trump last year withdrew from a
2015 international accord under which Iran had agreed to rein in its atomic
program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.
Washington
has renewed and intensified its sanctions, slashing Iran’s crude oil sales by
more than 80%.
“It
seems in some ways that Iran is inching toward that place where we could have
talks and hopefully it’ll play out that way,” Esper said at the Royal United
Services Institute think-tank in London.
Asked
at a press conference later what he was basing his comments on, Esper said it
was “in light of some of the comments made by the Iranians in the wake of the
G7.”
He
added: “‘Inching’ is subtle movements and I think that’s a good thing.”
Iran’s
foreign minister visited France briefly for side talks during the G7 summit of
industrialized nations last month, although he did not meet Trump.
There
was no sign of any softening in Iran’s position on Friday, with Revolutionary
Guards chief Hossein Salami saying “Iran will never negotiate with America,
which is our enemy’s (U.S.) main goal and no one will help the enemy to achieve
its goal”, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported.
“ANYTHING’S
POSSIBLE”
However
Rouhani on Sept 3 said that while Iran would never hold bilateral talks with
Washington, it could join multilateral talks between Iran and other parties to
the accord if Washington lifted all the sanctions it reimposed on Iran.
The
following day Rouhani gave European powers two more months to try to save the
multilateral pact.
At
the same time Washington has rebuffed, but not ruled out, a French plan to give
Tehran a $15 billion credit line.
Trump
on Wednesday left open the possibility of a meeting with Rouhani at the
upcoming U.N. General Assembly in New York.
Asked
about the prospect, Trump told White House reporters anything was possible.
“Sure, anything’s possible. They would like to be able to solve their problem,”
he said, referring to inflation in Iran. “We could solve it in 24 hours.”
The
moves have suggested Iran, the United States and European powers may be leaving
the door open for diplomacy to resolve a dispute over Iran’s nuclear work,
which the West has suspected was aimed at developing a nuclear weapon, even as
they largely stuck to entrenched positions.
Iran
denies ever having sought a nuclear bomb.
At
the press conference with Esper, British defense minister Ben Wallace said
Britain will always help the United States along a path to talks with Iran if a
deal can be made, but Iran should be judged by its actions rather than words.
A
senior U.S. defense official said Esper and his French counterpart will discuss
on Saturday how France’s navy could coordinate with Washington to ensure
freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran
said on Friday it had taken a step to further downgrade its commitments to the
2015 deal with the world’s most powerful nations, according to Iranian media,
in retaliation for U.S. sanctions reimposed on Tehran.
“We
continue to believe that we need to be enforcing our sanctions to the maximum
extent possible,” the U.S. official said when asked about Iran’s decision to
start developing centrifuges to speed up its uranium enrichment.
Full
report at:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran-esper/iran-inching-toward-place-where-talks-could-be-held-pentagon-chief-idUSKCN1VR130
--------
‘End
charade, dismantle Iran nuclear deal completely,’ says Sen.Ted Cruz
6
September 2019
Ted
Cruz, Republican Senator from Texas, said that “it’s time to end the charade
and dismantle the Iran nuclear deal completely.”
Senator
Cruz issued the statement on Friday in response to reports that Iran will
expand violation of the Obama-era nuclear deal by building prohibited
centrifuges in which he noted: “Unfortunately, the international community
seems loathe to respond. The deal was built to enable undetected Iranian
cheating while incentivizing Europe to ignore whatever violations were found,
and that’s exactly what happened.”
“The
Nuclear Archives seized by Israel show that the Ayatollahs have always been cheating
by secretly maintaining a warehouse filled with nuclear equipment and
radioactive material. Just this week we learned Iran is refusing to answer the
United Nation’s questions about that warehouse,” he added.
Senator
Cruz said President Trump should order his administration “to stop issuing
civil nuclear waivers, which allow Iran to build up its nuclear program,
including at their Fordow nuclear bunker, which they dug out of the side of a
mountain to build nuclear weapons.”
Senator
Cruz also urged Washington to go to the United Nations and “invoke our
unilateral right to snap back from the deal and re-impose United Nations
sanctions.”
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2019/09/06/-End-charade-dismantle-Iran-nuclear-deal-completely-says-Sen-Ted-Cruz.html
--------
Nuclear
watchdog chief to meet top Iranian officials in Tehran on Sunday
6
September 2019
The
acting chief of the UN nuclear watchdog policing Iran’s nuclear deal with major
powers, Cornel Feruta, will meet senior Iranian officials in Tehran on Sunday,
a spokesman for the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Friday.
“The
visit is part of ongoing interactions between the IAEA and Iran,” the spokesman
said.
The
trip comes before a quarterly meeting of the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of
Governors next week and after an IAEA report suggested Iran’s cooperation with
the agency was less than ideal, saying: “Ongoing interactions between the
Agency and Iran ... require full and timely cooperation by Iran. The Agency
continues to pursue this objective with Iran.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2019/09/06/Nuclear-watchdog-chief-to-meet-top-Iranian-officials-in-Tehran-on-Sunday.html
--------
Turkish-US
land patrols in Syria to start on September 8
6
September 2019
Joint
military land patrols by Turkish and US forces in northeast Syria are planned
to start on September 8, state-owned Anadolu news agency quoted Defense
Minister Hulusi Akar as saying on Friday.
The
two NATO allies are working to establish what Turkey says will be a “safe zone”
along the border in northeast Syria - a region mainly controlled by Kurdish YPG
forces - and have conducted multiple joint helicopter patrols over the area.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2019/09/06/Turkish-US-land-patrols-in-Syria-to-start-on-September-8.html
--------
Iran
takes further step to scale back nuclear commitments
6
September 2019
Iran
said on Friday it had taken a step to further downgrade its commitments to a
2015 nuclear deal with the world’s most powerful nations, according to Iranian
media, in retaliation to US sanctions reimposed on Tehran.
Iran
said on Wednesday it would begin developing centrifuges to speed up the
enrichment of uranium, which can produce fuel for power plants or for atomic
bombs. Tehran denies seeking nuclear weapons.
“Foreign
Minister (Mohammad Javad) Zarif, in a letter to EU (European Union) policy
chief (Federica Mogherini) announced that Iran has lifted all limitations on
its (nuclear) Research and Development (R&D) activities,” Iran’s Students
News Agency ISNA quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi as saying.
Under
the deal, Iran is allowed limited research and development on advanced
centrifuges, which accelerate the production of fissile material that can be
used to make a nuclear bomb. Iran also agreed to limitations on specific
research and development activities for eight years.
President
Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the deal last year, arguing it did
not go far enough, and reimposed sanctions that has slashed Iran’s crude oil
sales by more than 80%.
Iran
has responded by scaling back its nuclear commitments since May and has
threatened to continue removing restraints on its nuclear program unless
European parties to the pact did more to shield Iran’s economy from the US
penalties.
Britain
and France, both parties to the pact, have called on Iran to refrain from any
concrete action that does not comply with the agreement.
State
TV said Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization would unveil on Saturday details of
Tehran’s new step, which President Hassan Rouhani will accelerate Iran’s
nuclear program.
Iran
has said that it still aims to save the agreement and on Wednesday gave Europe
a new 60-day deadline to salvage the pact, reached under former US President
Barack Obama, which curbed Iran’s nuclear work in exchange for the lifting of
most sanctions in 2016.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2019/09/06/Iran-takes-further-step-to-decrease-nuclear-commitments.html
--------
Saudi
air defenses destroy ballistic missile fired fom Yemen: Arab Coalition
6
September 2019
Saudi
air defenses destroyed on Friday a ballistic missile fired by militias from
Yemen towards Najran, according to the Arab Coalition.
“The
Houthi terrorist militia fired a ballistic missile from the Harf Sufyan
district in Amran province which fell inside Saada province,” the Arab
Coalition said in a statement.
The
attack comes the day after a similar Houthi missile attack was intercepted and
destroyed by the Royal Saudi Air Defense on.
Saudi
Arabia rejected on Thursday the recent escalation in Yemen and repeated its
call for dialogue.
In
a statement published by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Kingdom called for
the conflicting parties in Yemen to take part in the ongoing dialogue in Jeddah
immediately.
The
Saudi city of Jeddah is currently hosting indirect talks between Yemen’s
government officials and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) to end
fighting in Aden and other southern provinces.
Tens
of thousands of people have been killed since the Houthi militia captured the
capital Sanaa and much of the country in 2014.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2019/09/06/Saudi-air-defenses-destroy-ballistic-missile-fired-fom-Yemen-Sources.html
--------
Israeli
forces kill two Palestinian teens in Gaza
Sep
6, 2019
At
least two Palestinians have been killed and scores of others injured by Israeli
forces during protests against the occupation of Palestinian territories in the
besieged Gaza Strip.
The
Gazan Health Ministry said that a 17-year-old boy identified as Ali Sami Ali
al-Ashqar was killed in the northern part of Gaza on Friday.
According
to the report, another boy, 14, was killed east of Gaza City. His identity was
not immediately known.
Ashraf
al-Qedra, the spokesman for the ministry, added that Israeli forces injured 76
others, noting that 46 of them were wounded by live ammunition.
Palestinians
have been holding weekly rallies in Gaza since last year to protest the siege
on the enclave and stress the right to return of the Palestinians who have been
externally displaced by Israeli aggression since 1948.
At
least 307 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces ever since the
anti-occupation protest rallies began in the Gaza Strip on March 30, 2018. Over
18,000 Palestinians have also sustained injuries.
In
March, a United Nations (UN) fact-finding mission found that Israeli forces
committed rights violations during their crackdown against the Palestinian
protesters in Gaza that may amount to war crimes.
Gaza
has been under Israeli siege since June 2007, which has caused a decline in
living standards.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/09/06/605500/Israel-two-Palestinians--Gaza
--------
Saudi
Arabia says UAE-backed separatists in Yemen threaten kingdom
Sep
6, 2019
Saudi
Arabia has issued a strongly-worded warning to separatists in southern Yemen,
saying that any “destabilizing” move by the UAE-backed militants in Aden
amounts to a threat to the kingdom’s security.
The
official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Thursday that Riyadh had issued
the stern warning to its allied militants in south of Yemen as a rift in the
Saudi-led coalition waging a war on the impoverished Arab country continues to
deepen.
"The
kingdom stresses that any attempt to destabilize Yemen is a threat to its
security and stability... and will be dealt with decisively," the
statement said.
It
further urged the southern separatists to return all captured facilities to
forces loyal to Saudi-allied ex-Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
“The
Kingdom stresses the necessity of handing over military bases as well as
government and civilian buildings to the legitimate government,” it said.
Riyadh
has called for a summit meeting in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, Saudi
Arabia, to heal the rift.
Hadi's
side has said it would not participate in a summit unless the separatist
Southern Transitional Council hands back Aden.
“We
will not sit with the so-called STC at the table,” the self-proclaimed interior
minister of the former government, Ahmed al-Mayssari, said on Wednesday.
“If
there must be dialogue it should be with the UAE ... it is the main party
behind this conflict between us and the STC is only a political tool in their
hands," he said.
Last
week, Emirati warplanes pounded the positions of pro-Hadi forces in support of
southern separatists, killing and injuring more than 300 troops in Aden and
nearby Abyan province.
Both
the UAE-sponsored separatists and the Saudi-backed pro-Hadi militants serve the
Riyadh-led coalition and have been engaged, since 2015, in a bloody war on
Yemen aimed at reinstating Hadi and crushing the popular Ansarullah movement.
The
former president resigned in 2014 and later fled to the Saudi capital.
Ties
between the two sides have soured over a number of issues, including what the
Yemenis view as Abu Dhabi’s intention to occupy Yemen’s strategic Socotra
Island and gain dominance over the major waterways in the region.
The
coalition has been struggling to defeat the popular Houthi movement since 2015
but has so far failed to do so.
According
to reports, the United States has reached out to the Houthis to work out a way
to the ongoing conflict in the Arab country, where the popular movement has
managed to push back against the deadly aggression for over four years.
David
Schenker, the Assistant US Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs,
confirmed to reporters on Thursday that Washington had contacted the Houthis
for the first time since the beginning of the war.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/09/06/605460/UAE-Saudi-Arabia-Yemen-STC-south-separatists-Aden
--------
Europe
Half
of terror arrests are white for first time amid rise in far-right extremist
threat
Charles
Hymas
5
SEPTEMBER 2019
Almost
half of the suspected terrorists arrested last year were white amid an
increasing threat from right-wing extremism.
Home
Office figures showed the number of white ethnics arrested for terrorist
activity was 118, compared with 92 of those with an Asian ethnic appearance.
The
proportion of whites rose to 45 per cent of all terrorist-related arrests for
the year ending June 2019, up from 38 per cent in the previous year. The
proportion of Asians fell below 35 per cent.
Experts
said some of the white suspects would be Muslim converts though the majority
would be far right extremists with the increased number also reflecting
counter-terror commanders’ growing focus on the threat.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/09/05/half-terror-arrests-white-first-time-amid-rise-far-right-extremist/
--------
Persecuted
Yazidis Find Sanctuary in Australia
By
Phil Mercer
September
6, 2019
WAGGA
WAGGA, Australia — After the horrors of fleeing to Sinjar Mountain in northern
Iraq to escape Islamic State fighters in 2014, several hundred Yazidi refugees
are starting new lives in the Australian outback.
Members
of the minority religious group have been resettled in a handful of regional
centers, like Wagga Wagga, to relieve pressure on refugee services in
Australia’s main cities.
Wagga
Wagga is proud of its country roots. It is a farming and transport hub halfway
between Sydney and Melbourne.
Yazidis
settling in
Several
hundred Yazidis are joining others here who fled persecution in Africa, Myanmar
and Afghanistan.
Layla
explains how she fled to Sinjar Mountain.
“In
Iraq, ISIS kill lots of men and kill the children. Very, very hard story for
Yazidi in Iraq. The ISIS came. We go to the mountain. With my whole family we
lived in [the] mountain. Not eat, not have any water, not eating. After five
days by walk[ing] we go to Kurdistan,” she said.
Layla
came to Australia with her husband and young child. Earlier this year, she was
reunited with relatives she had to leave behind in Iraq.
“After
my family all come to here, now it is easier for me here. I am very happy in
Australia because my whole family [is] here. We [are] all safe in Australia. I
love Australia,” she said.
The
refugees have hope for the future.
“I
am Shahab and I am here about three months. [I] come from Iraq, directly from
Iraq to Australia,” she said.
Shahab
is a former university teacher who spent more than five years in a camp after
fleeing Islamic militants.
“We
are eight people and we live in the one tent, and also the tent was made by
like nylon. So if it is a winter, it was very, very cold. If it is summer it is
very hot," she said. "I want to be a university teacher, a good
university teacher maybe in the future. My sister wants to be a doctor.”
A
new life in the outback
Starting
a new life in the suburbs of an outback city is not easy. Language is a
problem, but there is a healthy dose of neighborly goodwill from Ian Lockwood,
who lives nearby.
“Iraqi
people moved in two doors from me and I went up and introduced myself because I
noticed no people were going there, and I help and do whatever I can,” he said.
“People
do not realize what these people have been through,” he continued. “If you
spent a couple of weeks with them you’d find out. Very, very hard. Harsh.
Because I didn’t realize all this stuff was going on.”
Belinda
Crane is the head of the local Multicultural Council. She says refugees are
mostly welcomed in Wagga Wagga, although there is occasional racism.
“I
sort of say to families, you know, they said, you know, occasionally they might
have someone yell out something to them in the car. But they don’t feel unsafe
about that. They say it is few and far between but they have experienced people
sort of going, you know, go back to where you come from or whatever,” Crane
said.
Helping
relatives back home
Several
thousand refugees have helped to revitalize Wagga, a city of about 70,000
people.
Yazidis
held a rally in Wagga urging Australia to help relatives stuck in camps back
home. Haji Gundor, a 21-year-old refugee, is pleading for justice.
“Yazidi
people had everything; money, food, house, family, so they want to live in Iraq
but they want justice to stop what is happening to them,” Gundor said.
Life
in Australia for Yazidis does come at a cost. For Adlan Osman and her
14-year-old son Aeham, there is guilt that they are safe, while others are not.
Osman
said that Australia is good, but they worry about the people in Iraq a lot. “It
makes it very difficult for us,” she said.
Full
report at:
https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/persecuted-yazidis-find-sanctuary-australia
--------
EU
sets up tool for easier conviction of jihadist fighters as hundreds may return
SEPTEMBER
5, 2019
BRUSSELS
(Reuters) - The European Union has set up a common counter-terrorism register,
hoping to facilitate prosecutions and convictions of suspected militants and
people returning home from fighting with Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, EU
officials said on Thursday.
The
move is partly aimed at addressing concerns about the fate of hundreds of EU
citizens who fought for Islamic State and are now detained in Iraq and Syria.
Many of them could return to Europe and not face trial because of a lack of
evidence against them, a factor that has contributed to unease in several EU
countries over returning fighters.
The
new database will put together information from all the 28 EU countries on
ongoing investigations, prosecutions and convictions of militants, facilitating
cooperation among national prosecutors.
This
is expected to help convict war criminals and other militants, who might otherwise
face trials for a lesser crime or no trial at all because national
investigations have failed to gather enough evidence against them.
Because
of parallel investigations in different EU states, militants could face lighter
punishments if probes are not coordinated as “nobody can be prosecuted for the
same crime twice,” noted Ladislav Hamran, who chairs Eurojust, the EU agency
that will manage the database and is in charge of coordinating judicial
investigations among EU states.
The
new tool could also help prevent new attacks in Europe, as prosecutors will
have access to more information on suspects, Hamran told a news conference.
The
continent was hit by several attacks in recent years, including two major ones
in Paris in November 2015 and in Brussels a few months later which killed
dozens of people.
The
register will gather information on jihadists, political extremists and all
sorts of radical militants. But its immediate use is likely to concern
returning foreign fighters.
The
EU security commissioner Julian King told Reuters that at least 1,300 EU
citizens, of which more than half are children, are held in Syria and Iraq.
National
authorities have for years been reluctant to share information about
prosecutions, although cross-border cooperation has increased after the Paris
attacks, Eurojust data shows.
The
EU anti-terrorist chief, Gilles de Kerchove, said the bloc was also trying to
facilitate trials of suspects directly in Iraq.
The
new register is open only to EU states. Britain is due to leave the bloc on
Oct. 31 and King said that if it left without a withdrawal agreement, it would
not be able to access information in that database.
Full
report at:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-terrorism/eu-sets-up-tool-for-easier-conviction-of-jihadist-fighters-as-hundreds-may-return-idUSKCN1VQ1ZA
--------
Germany
needs to ban Hezbollah, US Ambassador Grenell says
Sep
7, 2019
US
Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell on Friday demanded the German government
ban Hezbollah in its entirety, saying that the Lebanese paramilitary
organization sponsors terrorism and anti-Semitism.
In
an op-ed published in the German daily Die Welt, Grenell called Hezbollah
Iran's "most-violent terrorist representatives," who have
"murdered innocent people" for 37 years. It is not the first time
Grenell has asked Germany to ban the organization.
The
op-ed comes ahead of a scheduled visit by the mayor of Tehran, Pirouz Hanachi,
to the German capital on Friday.
In
2013, the EU banned the military arm of Hezbollah. But in many EU countries,
including Germany, the political section is recognized.
Great
Britain and the Netherlands have banned Hezbollah in its entirety as a
terrorist organization, in line with the United States and Canada. Grenell
emphasized that Hezbollah does not consider itself as being two separate
entities.
"The
EU maintains an artificial differentiation between the military and political
arm of Hezbollah," he said.
Why
recognize Hezbollah?
The
German government has argued that recognizing Hezbollah as a legitimate part of
Lebanon's government is necessary for political engagement with the Middle
Eastern country.
Grenell
has rejected this assertion and said the US, Great Britain and the Netherlands
all have strong ties with Lebanon, despite having banned Hezbollah.
"Lebanon
receives more development aid than any other country in the world. But at the
same time, we remain true to our principles and classify Hezbollah as what it
is: a terror organization."
It
was unclear how Grenell established the value of US development aid since
several countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tanzania, South Sudan,
Ethiopia and Jordan, received more economic aid from the United States than
Lebanon, according to 2017 figures from USAID.
The
German Interior Ministry could ban Hezbollah domestically under similar
measures used to ban foreign entities like the "Islamic State" or Al
Qaeda, said Grenell.
Anti-Semitism
in Germany
Grenell
also argued that the group's tolerated presence in Germany allows it to recruit
new members and solicit donations.
According
to German government figures, there are currently an estimated 1,000 Hezbollah
members in Germany. Groups affiliated with Hezbollah in Berlin are seen as a
leading force behind annual anti-Israel Al-Quds demonstrations.
Read
more: Germany's anti-Semitism debate raises its head at pro-Palestinian march
in Berlin
Full
report at:
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-needs-to-ban-hezbollah-us-ambassador-grenell-says/a-50320893
--------
Britain
must repatriate Isis fighters, warns US defence secretary
6
Sep 2019
Britain
and other European nations that are refusing to repatriate Islamic State
fighters and put them on trial in their country of origin are creating a risk
to regional security, the US defence secretary warned at the start of his visit
to London.
Mark
Esper said there were around 2,000 foreign fighters, many from Europe, held in
north-east Syria, but asking the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces to keep
them in makeshift jails was an increasing risk to the fragile security of the
region.
“It’s
an untenable situation,” Esper said in a briefing on the first day of a two-day
visit to London. “How long can this last? Our view has been they should
repatriated and dealt with appropriately … otherwise that’s a risk to the
region.”
Around
250 to 300 foreign fighters who are still in Syria are estimated to have come
from the UK, but Britain is increasingly unwilling to allow any to return and
stand trial following Isis’s defeat in Syria and Iraq.
Several
have been stripped of their British citizenship, such as Jack Letts, who was
raised in Oxfordshire by British and Canadian parents. He left home to join
Isis five years ago, but has been held a prisoner in Syria for the past two
years.
Esper,
who is due to meet defence secretary Ben Wallace on Friday, said he was
relaying a message from the US administration. “We are asking a lot of the
folks that are holding them, the Kurds,” Esper added.
Two
of the most notorious Isis fighters still being held in north East Syria,
Londoners El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey, are subject of an ongoing
legal battle as to where they will be put on trial for murdering western
hostages in Syria.
Wallace,
in his previous role as security minister, said in 2018 that it was not
possible to try them under UK law, and that they must instead be sent to the
US. However, Washington is refusing to assure the UK that they would not face
the death penalty there.
Elsheikh’s
mother has brought a case to the supreme court asking that they be put on trial
in the UK. Her lawyers argued in front of Britain’s highest court that there
was enough evidence to bring them to the UK for trial.
The
subject is a running sore between the United States, the UK and other European
countries. Last month, president Donald Trump even bizarrely threatened to
release Isis fighters “into the countries from which they came. Which is
Germany and France and other places.”
Concerns
have also been raised by the US that the conditions in which foreign fighters
are held could radicalise them further, with some officials raising the
prospect there could be a repeat of what happened in Iraq a decade ago.
Many
of the men who ended up leading Isis, including its leader, Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi, were detained at Camp Bucca, a US detention facility in Iraq, and
are thought to have met there.
A
total of 850 Britons are estimated to have travelled to join Isis in Syria and
Iraq, joining the self-styled caliphate known for the brutal killing of
hostages. A third of the combatants are estimated to have been killed, while another
third are thought to have independently made it back home in the earlier stages
of the conflict, where they remain under some degree of monitoring.
Esper
is due to give a speech in London on Friday where he is expected to warn that
“the rules-based order is increasingly under challenge from Russia and China”.
Full
report at:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/06/britain-must-repatriate-isis-fighters-warns-us-defence-secretary
--------
Britain
will support US in Iran talks if deal can be made: UK Defense minister
6
September 2019
Britain
will always help the United States along a path to talks with Iran if a deal
can be made, British defense minister Ben Wallace said on Friday, although he
cautioned that Iran should be judged by its actions rather than words.
“Actions
speak louder than words, so I think we’ll take them [Iran] at their actions
rather than their words,” Wallace said at a news conference in London with his
US counterpart Mark Esper, who earlier said Iran was “inching” towards a place
where talks could be held.
“But
if there is a deal to be made, we will of course always help the United States
along that path, because I think peace and stability in that region is the most
important thing,” Wallace added.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2019/09/06/Britain-will-support-US-in-Iran-talks-if-deal-can-be-made-UK-Defense-minister.html
--------
Turkish
court sentences opposition figure to nearly 10 years in jail
6
September 2019
A
Turkish court on Friday sentenced a prominent opposition official to nine years
and eight months in prison over several crimes including insulting the
president and spreading terrorist propaganda, a lawmaker from the main
opposition party said.
The
Republican People's Party (CHP) said Canan Kaftancioglu, the head of its
leadership in Istanbul, would not immediately go to jail pending the appeals
process. The indictment against Kaftancioglu cited several tweets she shared
between 2012 and 2017.
Kaftancioglu
has derided the trial as political. In March the CHP won Ankara and Istanbul
mayors’ offices in local elections in a setback for President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan’s ruling party.
Erdogan
has received backlash from human rights groups who criticize the arrests of
those who oppose him.
In
June Turkey ordered the arrest of 128 military personnel over alleged links to
the network accused by Ankara of orchestrating an attempted coup in 2016.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2019/09/06/Turkish-court-sentences-opposition-figure-to-nearly-10-years-in-jail.html
--------
EU
urges Iran to reverse inconsistency on nuclear deal
Fatih
Hafiz Mehmet
06.09.2019
EU
urged Iran on Friday to reverse inconsistencies with its commitments on the
nuclear deal.
In
a press briefing, EU's Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Spokeswoman Maja
Kocijancic said they consider the recent announcement of Iran regarding
reducing commitments under nuclear deal with "great concern".
EU's
commitment to the nuclear deal depends on full compliance by Iran, she added.
"We
urge Iran to reverse all activities that are inconsistent with its
commitments," Kocijancic stressed.
On
Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that his country would soon
take a third step in reducing its commitments under the nuclear deal.
The
nuclear deal agreed on by Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the U.K., the
U.S. and the EU gave Tehran relief from sanctions in exchange of limiting its
nuclear program.
Full
report at:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/eu-urges-iran-to-reverse-inconsistency-on-nuclear-deal/1574889
--------
India
Sedition
Case Against, J&K People's Movement Functionary Shehla Rashid For Tweets
About Kashmir Situation
Sep
7, 2019
NEW
DELHI: Delhi Police's anti-terror unit has booked Jammu & Kashmir People's
Movement party functionary Shehla Rashid for sedition in connection with her
tweets allegedly spreading fake news about the situation in Kashmir.
The
Indian Army had rebutted her tweets alleging torture of Kashmiris by security
forces. Rashid is set to be questioned in the coming days and faces arrest if
she can't provide evidence backing her claims, a senior police officer said on
Friday.
Police
have invoked Sections 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity between different
groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language), 153
(wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 504 (intentional
insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 505 (statements conducing to
public mischief) of the IPC in the FIR, which was filed on September 3.
Rashid
described the case against her as "frivolous", "politically
motivated" and a "pathetic attempt" to silence her for speaking
out on the clampdown in Kashmir.
Complainant
says Shehla tried to incite violence
The
case was registered on a complaint by a Supreme Court lawyer Alakh Alok
Srivastav, who had submitted a compilation of her tweets and the subsequent
denial by the Army.
Rashid
had courted controversy with her claims that the armed forces
"tortured" civilians and "ransacked" houses in the Valley
after J&K's special status was revoked. In a series of tweets on August 17,
Rashid had alleged that the armed forces entered houses in Kashmir at night and
"ransacked" them.
She
had also alleged that four men were called to an Army camp in Shopian and
"interrogated (tortured)". She had claimed a mic was kept close to
these men so that "the entire area could hear them scream, and be
terrorised".
Later,
Srivastav had filed a complaint with Delhi Police commissioner Amulya Patnaik,
saying the allegations levelled by the former JNU student leader were
"absolutely false and concocted". In his complaint, Srivastav had
said Rashid's allegations were baseless as she had not produced any "voice
recording" of the alleged torture or date and time of the incidents.
He
also accused Rashid of "deliberately spreading fake news with the
intention to incite violence in the country" and maligning the image of
the Indian Army.
Her
action is "prima facie an offence of sedition" since she intended to
"excite disaffection towards the Government of India", Srivastav said
in his complaint.
After
Srivastav's complaint was received, it was handed over to Delhi Police's
special cell for inquiry.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/sedition-case-against-shehla-rashid-for-tweets-about-kashmir-situation/articleshow/71018640.cms
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Concerned
over J&K detentions… govt should hold polls at earliest: US
by
Shubhajit Roy
September
7, 2019
A
month after political leaders were detained and communication restrictions put
in place in Jammu and Kashmir, the United States Friday expressed concern over
the “widespread detentions” and “urged” Indian authorities to “respect human
rights”.
Washington
has also asked Indian authorities to “resume political engagement with local
leaders” and hold “elections at the earliest”. This is the strongest statement
by the Trump administration so far on the Centre’s move to scrap Jammu and
Kashmir’s special status. It comes after US President Donald Trump had said on
August 26 that he had discussed the issue on August 25 over dinner and had said
that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “really feels he has it under control”.
There
was no official statement from New Delhi in response to the US State
Department’s comments.
Responding
to questions, US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said: “We
continue to be very concerned by widespread detentions, including of local
political and business leaders, and the restrictions on the residents of the
region. We are also concerned about reports that Internet and mobile phone
access continues to be blocked in certain regions.”
“We
urge authorities to respect human rights and restore access to services such as
the Internet and mobile networks. We look forward to the Indian government’s
resumption of political engagement with local leaders and the scheduling of
promised elections at the earliest opportunity.”
This
is a clear evolution of the US administration’s position, especially weeks
before the Prime Minister is scheduled to travel to the US for the UN General
Assembly in New York.
Friday’s
comments – released by the US embassy in Delhi – indicate that this approach is
very different from the US position on August 6, when it had said that they
“take note” that the Indian government has described these actions as strictly
an internal matter. They had said that they were concerned about reports of
detentions and urge respect for individual rights and discussion with those in
affected communities.
Last
month, on the sidelines of the G-7 meeting in Biarritz in France, Modi had said
that all issues with Pakistan are bilateral and India doesn’t bother any other
country about them. “India and Pakistan were together before 1947 and I’m
confident that we can discuss our problems and solve them, together,” he said.
Trump
had said: “We spoke last night about Kashmir, the Prime Minister really feels
he has it under control. They speak with Pakistan and I’m sure that they will
be able to do something that will be very good… I have a very good relationship
with both the gentlemen (Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan) and I’m
here. I think they can do it (resolve the issue) themselves.”
Foreign
Secretary Vijay Gokhale had said there was no discussion on J&K at the
meeting between Modi and Trump that followed — their second in 2019, two months
after they last met in Osaka on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Japan.
The
discussions on Kashmir appear to have taken place at a dinner Sunday attended
by the two leaders and hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Hotel
du Palais.
Since
August 5, when the Centre moved to scrap the special status granted to J&K
under Article 370 and bifurcate the state into two Union Territories, the US
administration’s statements have been carefully crafted.
On
August 5, Ortagus said, “We are concerned about reports of detentions and urge
respect for individual rights and discussion with those in affected
communities.” She also called on “all parties to maintain peace and stability
along the Line of Control”. On August 8, the US said that it is “closely
following” the situation and noted the broader implications of these
developments, including the potential for increased instability in the region.
The US said it supported “direct dialogue between India and Pakistan” and
called “for calm and restraint”.
On
August 19, three days after the UNSC informal consultations, Trump spoke with
Modi and conveyed the importance of reducing tension in the region.
On
August 20, US Defence Secretary Mark T Esper spoke to Defence Minister Rajnath
Singh and “appreciated India’s position that the recent developments in J&K
are an internal matter of India”.
Full
report at:
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/concerned-over-jk-detentions-govt-should-hold-polls-at-earliest-us-5974025/
--------
Kashmir
on agenda during President Kovind’s visit, says Swiss government
Sep
07, 2019
President
Ram Nath Kovind will embark on a visit to Iceland, Switzerland and Slovenia
from Monday during which he is expected to brief the top leadership in those
countries on India’s “national concerns”, especially in view of terror
incidents this year, including the Pulwama attack.
Asked
if President Kovind during his talks with the leaders there will also brief
them on Kashmir, ministry of external affairs secretary (west) A Gitesh Sarma
did not give a direct reply and said “when leaders meet, there is a structure
in which regional, international, global, multilateral and issues of national
concern” are discussed.
Ahead
of the presidential visit, the Swiss government in a release said the situation
in Kashmir will be among the issues that will be on the agenda during the
meetings between the top leadership and Kovind.
Briefing
reporters on the nine-day visit, Sarma said, “We always use these opportunities
to brief each other. Just as we have issues, each of these countries have their
own concerns. So this is a very good setting to hear it at the highest level
what our perspective is and what is theirs. So, we will certainly use these
opportunities as we can to acquaint them of our concerns.”
On
J&K, these countries are very sympathetic to India with respect to the
terror incidents earlier in this year, he said and added that they all
understand that we all need to work together.
“This
year also in the context of the Pulwama attack, their sympathies have been with
India. Even though they have themselves not faced such challenges as we
continue to face, they are nevertheless aware that they need to work closely
with india,” he said. There is a very good understanding on most of these issues,
he said.
Full
report at:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/kashmir-on-agenda-during-president-kovind-s-visit-says-swiss-government/story-ynvfy1GY1PuiTWS1g3V15I.html
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Baby
girl among four injured in terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla
Sep
07, 2019
A
baby girl was among four members of a family injured on Saturday when
terrorists attacked a house in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, police said.
“Terrorists
fired and injured four persons including a baby girl ( Usma jan) at #Dangerpora
#Sopore. All injured shifted to the hospital and stated to be stable. Police on
spot and investigation in progress,” Kashmir police tweeted.
The
Valley has been under a security lockdown since August 5, when the government
announced the scrapping of Article 370 and divided that state into two union
territories – Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Though
no major militant violence has been reported since, sporadic incidents have
been taking place in some areas. On August 28, two members of a nomadic
community were killed by terrorists in the higher reaches of Tral in south
Kashmir after they were abducted from their temporary shelter earlier. Abdul
Qadir Kohli from Jammu region’s Rajouri district, and his cousin Manzoor Ahmad
Kohli were abducted on the intervening night of August 18 and 19 from Pulwama
district’s Tral area by terrorists believed to be from the Jaish-e-Mohammed,
police said.
Kashmir
Zone Police
@KashmirPolice
Terrorists
fired and injured four persons including a baby girl ( Usma jan) at #Dangerpora
#Sopore. All injured shifted to the hospital and stated to be stable. Police on
spot and investigation in progress . @JmuKmrPolice @diprjk
273
8:27
AM - Sep 7, 2019
Twitter
Ads info and privacy
195
people are talking about this
While
the bullet-riddled body of Abdul Qadir was found at Litchinag in the higher
reaches of Tral on Monday, the body of Manzoor Kohli, who had set up his
shelter at Sangri Khanmoh, was recovered from Tral’s Lachi Top Behak forest
area on Tuesday, the officials said.
Full
report at:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/four-persons-including-a-baby-injured-as-terrorists-open-fire-in-jammu-and-kashmir-s-sopore/story-kox8dPTG7qfLuAsgLJquPM.html
--------
Child
among four injured in terrorist attack in J&K's Baramulla
Sep
7, 2019
SRINAGAR:
Four members of a family including a baby girl were injured on Saturday when
terrorists attacked a house in north Kashmir's Baramulla district, police said.
"In
a merciless act of terrorism, terrorists fired and injured four persons
including a baby girl, Usma Jan, at Dangerpora village of Sopore," a
police spokesman said.
The
injured have been hospitalised and their condition is stated to be stable, he
said.
"Police
is on the spot and further investigation is in progress," the spokesman
said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/child-among-four-injured-in-terrorist-attack-in-jks-baramulla/articleshow/71020570.cms
--------
Pakistan
violates ceasefire along LoC in J&K's Poonch
Sep
7, 2019
JAMMU:
The Pakistan army on Saturday targeted forward posts and villages in Jammu and
Kashmir's Poonch district with firing from small arms and mortar shelling,
ending nearly a week-long lull along the Line of Control (LoC) , a defence
spokesman said.
The
small arms firing and mortar shelling from across the border started in Krishna
Ghati sector around 7.45 am, the spokesman said.
He
said the Indian Army is retaliating and the cross-border shelling between the
two sides was going on when last reports were received.
However,
there was no report of any casualty on the Indian side in the firing, the
spokesman said.
Full
report at:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pakistan-violates-ceasefire-along-loc-in-jks-poonch/articleshow/71020509.cms
--------
Ayodhya
case in Supreme Court: How Sunni Waqf Board has left many confused
Prabhash
K Dutta
September
6, 2019
There
is a break today from the day-to-day hearing of the Ayodhya title suit in the
Supreme Court as the Sunni Waqf Board had sought time to prepare its arguments
better. The Supreme Court then closes for the weekend and for a "local
holiday" on Monday and Muharram on Tuesday.
This
means that hearing in the Ayodhya case will now resume on Wednesday next week
after a gap of five days.
The
break has come at a time when the counsel for the Sunni Waqf Board and M
Siddiq, one of the original litigants, Rajeev Dhavan has left many confused
about the arguments that he made in the Supreme Court for three days this week.
We try here to break down his arguments under possible subheads.
Namaz
at Babri Masjid
On
Tuesday, Dhavan began his arguments in the Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi title
suit and told the Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi that
the Muslims were not allowed to offer namaz at the mosque by the Hindus since
1934.
When
Justice S Bobde asked Dhavan if any action was taken by the Muslim side over
them being not allowed by the Hindu side to offer prayer, he said the Muslims
had been offering prayer at the mosque on every Friday but not on other days.
Dhavan
said the keys of the mosque were with the Muslims but the police did not let
them offer namaz on other days. He said the mosque was locked after attachment
in 1950 and thereafter police did not let Muslims enter it except on Fridays.
Deity
as claimant
The
same day, Rajeev Dhavan questioned the deity being a claimant in the Ayodhya
title suit. He said the claim of deity as "swayambhoo" (sovereign)
cannot be accepted. He went on to support the claim of the Nirmohi Akhara
"to the extent" it opposes the claim of the deity.
Responding
to Dhavan's arguments, Justice DY Chandrachud asked, "When a place assumes
the character of a juridical person by virtue of birth of a deity or marriage
of a deity, then wouldn't areas abutting the spot where the garlands were
exchanged also become part of it?"
Dhavan
said the juridical person of the deity is limited in nature. The extent of
limit remained undefined.
Shebait
right
On
Wednesday, Dhavan told the Supreme Court that the Sunni Waqf Board agreed to
"shebait" right of the Nirmohi Akhara. Shebait, literally meaning a
devotee, refers to an entity - which could be a person, group or another body -
entrusted with the management of affairs of the deity.
The
stand left the bench a bit perplexed. "You do not dispute their shebaiti
rights," the bench asked Dhavan, who replied saying, "No. I do
not."
The
bench then told Dhavan, "If you accept that Akahara as 'shebiat' then do
you also accept that it was in possession of the outer courtyard." Dhavan
contested saying Akhara's claim as shebait over the area known as Ram Chabutara
may be fine but not as title holder of the land.
The
Supreme Court bench remarked that by accepting Akahara's right as shebait,
"you (the Muslim side) are necessarily giving up your claim over Ram
Chabutara and Sita Rasoi of outer courtyardTherefore, the outer courtyard
cannot be a mosque."
Dhavan
replied saying, "Technically, your lordships can say that some portion may
be given" to the Hindu side.
The
bench reminded Dhavan that the Sunni Waqf Board in its pleadings in the lawsuit
has claimed title over the entire disputed land.
Masjid-Mandir
co-existence
As
the arguments by Dhavan appeared to be adding to the existing confusion in the
Ayodhya title dispute case, the bench asked him if a mosque and other place of
worship coexist under the Quranic law.
Appearing
for the Ram Janmbhoomi Punruddhar Samiti - a Hindu party, senior lawyer PN
Mishra had earlier argued that under mosque and other religious place of
worship cannot co-exist on the same plot under Quranic law.
Dhawan
told the court that "the Quranic law as accepted by Indian law" will
apply. He termed the disputed site of Ayodhya as "a composite site of
worship" and cited the example of the Wailing Wall of Jerusalem to back
his argument.
"Coexistence
is fine, we may coexist. But I claim title of the whole mosque. If someone
wishes to pray there, we have no problem with that, but what we claim is
title," Dhavan told the Supreme Court.
Questioning
witness
On
Thursday, Dhavan questioned credibility of witnesses who supported the claim of
the Nirmohi Akhara in the Allahabad High Court, which ruled to partition the
disputed land among three parties - deity Ram Lalla and the Sunni Waqf Board
being the other two - in 2010.
The
bench saw contradiction in his stand and asked, "[Do] you still maintain
that they (Nirmohi Akhara) have established their shebaiti (management)
rights?"
If
the shebaitship of the Nirmohi Akhara is accepted, then their
evidence/witnesses will also be accepted, the bench remarked.
Belong
and ownership
A
little later, Dhavan extensively dealt with the terms, "belong",
"belonging to" and "ownership" while referring to pleadings
of Nirmohi Akhara. He said the Nirmohi Akhara by using terms -- belong and
belonging to -- has sought ownership of the entire disputed site and idols
there.
He
cited dictionary and judgments to assert that there is a "contrast"
between terms "belonging to" and "ownership". He said they
('belong' and 'belonging to' connote ownership with some flexibility.
At
this point, the bench asked Dhavan as to why he was stressing on these terms if
they were not part of law.
The
bench surmised that if the Nirmohi Akhara says that it is a shebait, which is
the manager and in service of the deity, to whom the land belongs then it may
be construed that the land is owned by the deity and managed by the shebait.
The
Supreme Court remarked that the Nirmohi Akhara's right as shebait does not
exist without the deity and in that case, the shebait has the right to serve
and protect the interest of the deity.
Full
report at:
https://www.indiatoday.in/news-analysis/story/ayodhya-case-in-supreme-court-how-sunni-waqf-board-has-left-many-confused-1596242-2019-09-06
--------
J&K:
At least 4 injured, including a child, after militants open fire at civilians
in Sopore
September
7, 2019
At
least four persons, including a minor, were injured after militants opened fire
at civilians in Dangerpora area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Sopore Saturday. The
Jammu and Kashmir police, in a statement, said, “In a merciless act of
terrorism. Terrorists fired and injured four persons including a baby girl
(Usma Jan) at Dangerpora Sopore. All injured shifted to the hospital and stated
to be stable. Police on spot and investigation in progress.”
In
another incident, Pakistan violated ceasefire in the Krishna Ghati sector of
Poonch district, even as the Indian Army retaliated. Pakistan initiated firing
and mortar shelling at 7:45 am on Saturday.
J&K
Police
✔
@JmuKmrPolice
Merciless
act of terrorism. https://twitter.com/KashmirPolice/status/1170169255720939520
…
Kashmir
Zone Police
@KashmirPolice
Terrorists
fired and injured four persons including a baby girl ( Usma jan) at #Dangerpora
#Sopore. All injured shifted to the hospital and stated to be stable. Police on
spot and investigation in progress . @JmuKmrPolice @diprjk
143
9:09
AM - Sep 7, 2019
Twitter
Ads info and privacy
84
people are talking about this
This
is a developing story. More details are awaited.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/jammu-and-kashmir-ceasefire-violation-pakistan-poonch-sopore-krishna-ghati-injured-dead-militants-5974188/
--------
Shehla
Rashid booked for sedition over tweets on Kashmir situation
September
7, 2019
Activist
Shehla Rashid has been booked under sedition and other criminal charges for
allegedly spreading misinformation about armed forces in Kashmir. The FIR has
been registered on the basis of a complaint by advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava.
On
August 18, Rashid posted a series of tweets, out of which two have been
mentioned by the complainant. The tweets alleged excesses by the forces against
children and youths in the Valley.
In
his complaint, Srivastava has said, “The allegations made by her are false,
baseless and concocted. She has not provided any evidence of the torture…She is
deliberately and intentionally spreading fake news with the intention to incite
violence in the country and create unrest in Jammu and Kashmir.” Srivastava
said, “Shehla has maligned the image of the Indian Army. What I did was not out
of politics.”
Police
said the case has been transferred to the Special Cell. “We have received a
complaint against the accused for spreading misinformation against the Army. We
have registered a case and are probing the matter,” said Manishi Chandra, DCP
(Special Cell). In a statement, Rashid said the FIR is “frivolous”,
“politically motivated” and “an attempt to silence” her.
Full
report at:
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/shehla-rashid-booked-for-sedition-over-tweets-on-kashmir-situation-5973076/
--------
2001
hate speech case: Gujarat Police arrests SIMI ex-chief in Azamgarh
September
7, 2019
A
TEAM of Gujarat Police arrested 49-year-old Dr Shahid Badr Falahi, former
president of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), from his
residence in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh district Thursday, in connection with a
case of alleged hate speech registered against him in Kutch district in 2001.
The
Gujarat police produced Shahid Badr before a local court of Azamgarh that
granted him interim bail and also directed him to appear before a court in
Kutch by September 13. Falahi was released Friday evening after he completed
legal formalities by depositing two sureties as directed by the court.
In
2001, the case against Shahid Badr was lodged at Bhuj police station in Kutch
under IPC sections 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from
discharge of his duty) and 143 (unlawful assembly), said the in-charge of Bhuj
police station M N Chauhan, adding that a local court in 2002 had issued a
warrant against him.
“A
team of Gujarat Police had gone to Azamgarh to arrest Shahid Badr,” said
Chauhan.
Station
House Officer, City Kotwali police station, Anil Singh said the team reached
Azamgarh on Thursday and arrested Shahid Badr from his residence in the
evening. He was brought to the police station and on Friday morning produced
before a local court, added Singh.
Shahid
Badr’s lawyer Abdul Khaliq said, “Gujarat police had sought transit remand of
my client and we objected on ground that charges levelled against Shahid Badr
is a bailable offence. Shahid Badr was not aware about the case and why they
did not execute the court for the past seven years.”
Shahid
Badr, a unani doctor, is a resident of Manchuba locality in Azamgarh and used
to run a clinic in the city.
“Shahid
Badr’s lawyer raised an objection stating that charges on which he was booked
was bailable offence. The court granted him interim bail and asked to deposit
two sureties of Rs 1 lakh each. The court also directed him appear before a
court in Gujrat by August 13. Till then, he would be under the watch of
district police,” said government counsel, Azamgarh, Ved Prakash Verma.
“Shahid
Badr has been asked to report to the police station daily till he has to go to
Gujarat for appearance before a local court in the case,” said Abdul Khaliq.
When
contacted, Shahid Badr Falahi told The Indian Express, “I had gone to Kutch in
2001 to address a meeting. I was not aware that a case was then filed against
me. I got to know about it when police team reached my house Thursday.”
Full
report at:
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/2001-hate-speech-case-gujarat-police-arrests-falahi-simi-ex-chief-azamgarh-5974141/
--------
Pakistan
Pakistan:
New Attacks Raise Fears Of A Taliban Return
September
05, 2019
Monawar
Shah
Recent
bomb attacks in a northwestern Pakistani district have raised fears about the
possible return of the Taliban.
Residents
of Bajaur are worried that two recent fatal bomb attacks might herald the
reappearance of the Taliban, whose violence wreaked havoc in the region
bordering Afghanistan more than a decade ago.
Since
the beginning of the month, two prominent locals have been killed in attacks
using improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which was a signature tactic of the
Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) that controlled large swathes of Bajaur
between 2006 and 2009.
Fazal
Aleem Jan and Malik Gul Dad Khan were killed in IED attacks in different parts
of Bajaur on September 3 and September 1, respectively. Both were members of
the peace committees or anti-Taliban volunteer groups that played a prominent
role in pushing the Taliban out of Bajaur.
Nisar
Baaz, a local activist, says a string of attacks in recent months has worried
residents.
“People
are deeply concerned,” he told Radio Mashaal. “They are looking toward the
security forces who have established pickets and check posts everywhere but
appear unable to stop these attacks.”
Bilal
Yasir, a local journalist, however, says the situation has improved markedly
compared with a decade ago when the insurgency was at its peak.
“The
IED attacks have caused fear among people, prompting tribal leaders to talk to
the security forces,” he told Radio Mashaal. “The situation will hopefully
improve soon.”
On
September 5, Ghulam Muhammad Malik, a senior army commander in the region, told
leaders of Bajaur’s Uthmankhel and Tarkhani Pashtun tribes that the security
forces are determined to keep terrorists out of the district.
“A
handful of anti-state elements are out to disturb the peace once again, but we
would not let them enter the district,” he was quoted as saying by Pakistan’s
English-language daily The News.
In
January 2006, a reported U.S. air strike against Ayman Al-Zawahiri, then
Al-Qaeda’s deputy leader, in a remote Bajaur village brought the region to the
fore as a militant hideout. By 2007, the Taliban had established control in
parts of Bajaur.
A
large military operation that began in August 2008 ultimately ousted the
Taliban by the spring of 2009. Operation Sherdil, however, displaced more than
300,000 Pashtun civilians in Bajaur. Civilians also formed a large part of the
estimated 4,000 casualties in the region.
https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/pakistan-new-attacks-raise-fears-of-a-taliban-return/30148456.html
--------
Pak
may introduce two categories for Sikh pilgrims seeking visas to visit Kartarpur:
Media report
Sep
6, 2019
ISLAMBAD:
Pakistan has decided to categorise Sikh pilgrims, seeking to visit Darbar Sahib
gurdwara in Kartarpur, into devotees from India and from the rest of the world,
a media report said on Friday.
The
Ministry of foreign affairs has decided to add a religious tourism category to
the online visa system for the Sikh pilgrims, applying to visit Kartarpur, the
Dawn newspaper reported.
"The
Ministry of foreign affairs has decided that two separate categories of visa
applications will be entertained by the ministry; one would be for Sikh
pilgrims of Indian origin living elsewhere in the world, while the other would
be for Sikh pilgrims based in India," the report said.
An
amendment in the policy to make room for the proposed steps will be sought by
the foreign ministry from the Cabinet, it said.
However,
all religious tourism visa requests for the Kartarpur pilgrimage will be
processed within seven to 10 working days, the report said.
India
and Pakistan on Wednesday agreed on visa-free travel by Indian pilgrims to
Gurdwara Darbar Sahib using the proposed Kartarpur Corridor but stopped short
of finalising an agreement on the cross-border route.
Earlier,
the two sides had agreed that Pakistan will allow 5,000 Indian pilgrims to visit
the gurdwara every day using the planned corridor, and the numbers could be
more on special occasions.
But
the two neighbours on Wednesday could not finalise the draft agreement on the
corridor, with Pakistan insisting on charging a service fee from Indian
pilgrims and not allowing protocol officials to accompany them.
Pakistan
has suggested a fee of $20 per pilgrim for visiting the gurdwara. India said
the amount was not an issue, but on auspicious occasions, no fee is charged for
visiting any gurdwara in the world.
Full
report at:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pak-may-introduce-two-categories-for-sikh-pilgrims-seeking-visas-to-visit-kartarpur-media-report/articleshow/71010211.cms
--------
US
tells Muslim bodies it backs direct Indo-Pak dialogue
September
07, 2019
A
delegation of US Council of Muslim Organisations (USMCO) that met a senior
State Department official dealing with Pakistan to raise the Kashmir issue has
been told that Washington backs direct talks between New Delhi and Islamabad on
Kashmir.
"The
US continues to support direct dialogue between India and Pakistan on Kashmir
and other issues of concern -- a message stressed in Deputy Assistant Secretary
Massinga's recent meeting with @USCMO leadership," the Acting Assistant
Secretary for South and Central Asia, Alice G. Wells, tweeted on Friday. Erwin
Massinga is in-charge of Pakistan Affairs within the Bureau of South and
Central Asian Affairs.
https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/world-us-tells-muslim-bodies-direct-indo-pak-dialogue-547920
--------
Islamic
body concerned about polio cases in Pakistan, Afghanistan
Amin
Ahmed
September
07, 2019
ISLAMABAD:
The Islamic Advisory Group (IAG) for Polio Eradication, at its meeting in
Cairo, has expressed concern over the persistence of poliovirus circulation in
pockets of missed children in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In
a statement issued at the end of the meeting, the IAG says: “The persistence of
polio cases in the two countries raises our concern for the children of those
countries who have the right to be protected from this crippling disease just
like other children around the world.”
The
group called upon all parents to immunise their children against polio and
other vaccine-preventable diseases for the health of their community as guided
by the teachings of Islam.
The
meeting reaffirmed its commitment to global polio eradication efforts and
reiterated its trust in the safety and effectiveness of the polio vaccine as a
preventative and life-saving tool that protects children.
A senior
official of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Mohammad Al-Austa, announced
during the meeting that the bank had endorsed a new $100 million fund to
support the polio programme in Pakistan, bringing the financial support
provided by the bank and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to $427 million.
The
IAG is an Islamic consortium that was established in 2013 between Al Azhar Al
Sharif, the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA), the Organisation of
Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and IsDB, along with other religious scholars and
technical experts.
The
meeting was hosted by Dr Ahmed El-Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al Azhar Al Sharif, and
co-chaired by Sheikh Dr Saleh Bin Abdullah Bin Humaid, President of the IIFA.
Both reiterated the group’s ongoing support to the Global Polio Eradication
Initiative and discussed progress and challenges faced by polio-endemic and
at-risk countries in 2019.
Secretary
General of the Islamic Research Institute, Dr Nazeer Mohamed Ayyad, said that
polio eradication was one of the critical health issues on which the future of
communities and countries was based. “Its importance is attributed to the fact
that it shows the deep relationship between religion and science. Religious
scholars realised early on the link between Shariah teachings and medicine, as
both aim to serve humanity, fight disease and enhance the well-being of all
people. Taking care of children, protecting them and enhancing their potential
are among the main purposes of Islamic Shariah,” he said.
OIC
Secretary General Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen praised the efforts of governments to
address the continuing emergence of polio cases in endemic countries.
“Despite
the achievements registered by the IAG, it is saddening to note that the
refusal of parents to allow their children to receive the polio vaccine is
still reported in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. I wish to commend the Pakistan
government for launching an emergency polio vaccination campaign to tackle
polio resurgence. I also note with appreciation the efforts of the government
to eradicate polio.”
Grand
Mufti of Egypt Dr Shawky Allam emphasised the importance of solidarity among
Islamic partners for the benefit of humanity.
“This
IAG meeting, the harmony and cooperation between Islamic institutions prove
that we are moving in the right direction to remove the obstacles that hinder
the development of the Islamic nation; enabling it to be an active nation that
contributes to human civilisation in a peaceful, civilised and positive way in
the interest of all human beings, regardless of gender, race or religion,” he
said.
Delivering
a message from Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern
Mediterranean, Dr Rana Hajjeh, Director of Programme Management, said: “We
stand at a historically critical juncture. Only for the second time, humankind
is poised to completely eradicate a disease off the face of the Earth after
smallpox.”
Full
report at:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1503976/islamic-body-concerned-about-polio-cases-in-pakistan-afghanistan
--------
6
'IS militants' killed in security operation in Quetta: police
Syed
Ali Shah
September
04, 2019
At
least six militants were killed by security forces on Wednesday in an
intelligence-based operation in Quetta's Eastern Bypass area.
Balochistan
Inspector General of Police Mohsin Hassan Butt while confirming the development
said that the suspects belonged to the militant Islamic State group.
During
the operation, one official of the Balochistan Constabulary was martyred and
eight others from the Anti-Terrorist Force (ATF) were injured, one of whom is
said to be critical, the police chief said.
According
to a Counter-terrorism Department (CTD) official, intelligence agencies along
with ATF and CTD personnel conducted a raid early in the morning today during
which an exchange of fire between the militants and security officials took
place.
As
a result of the operation that lasted nearly six hours, CTD recovered a large
quantity of weapons and explosives from the militants.
According
to IGP Butt, a female was among the militants killed. He said that their bodies
have been shifted to Civil Hospital Quetta for post-mortem examination.
Another
security official, who declined to be named, said the dead militants were
involved in a series of targeted killings and bomb explosions in Balochistan.
Following
the operation, a large contingent of police and other security personnel was
deployed to the compound where the raid took place.
Full
report at:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1503476/6-is-militants-killed-in-security-operation-in-quetta-police
--------
Kashmiri
leader booked for ‘maligning’ Indian army
Sep
7, 2019
Indian
police registered a First Information Report (FIR) on Friday against Jammu and
Kashmir People’s Movement (JKPM) leader Shehla Rashid for encouraging people to
rise against the Indian Army.
Shehla
Rashid, since early August, has been raising her voice against the atrocities
being committed by the Indian forces in the occupied valley and abrogation of
section 370 by the Indian government.
She
is very active on social media platforms and shares fresh picture, videos and
stories received from Indian occupied Kashmir (IOK).
In
these pieces and visuals, one can clearly see the abuse of human rights and
brutalities being committed by the Indian army in the valley.
As
per her stories, Indian forces are kidnapping men, raiding their houses and
torturing them.
“All
these human rights abuses are being carried out to serve the agenda of the
ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Indian PM Modi,” she said.
The
FIR against Rashid comes when several other Kashmiri leaders, including former
chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehmooba Mufti, are under house arrest.
Srinagar mayor Junaid Mattu is under detention too.
Shehla
Rashid شہلا رشید
✔
@Shehla_Rashid
In
which I highlight the grave humanitarian crisis that we're faced with -
undocumented arrests of thousands of people. I also highlight the need to stop
blaming Pakistan for a homegrown mess. Let's not blame Imran Khan for a mess
created by Modi-Shah-Doval trio. https://twitter.com/tehseenp/status/1168576377160814593
…
Tehseen
Poonawalla
✔
@tehseenp
One
of the most upright journalists @PJkanojia interviews @Shehla_Rashid on the
#KashmirIssue and the problems our #Kashmiri fellow citizens face today
https://youtu.be/Qj7hANiT9hs
2,845
23:19
- 2 Sep 2019
Twitter
Ads information and privacy
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2019/09/06/indian-police-book-occupied-kashmir-leader-for-maligning-indian-army/
--------
Govt
to add religious tourism category to e-visa system for Kartarpur visitors
Sep
7, 2019
ISLAMABAD:
As the government intensifies its efforts to promote the tourism sector, the
Interior Ministry has decided to add a religious tourism category to the online
visa system designed for Sikh pilgrims looking to visit Kartarpur Dera Sahib.
According
to details, a meeting of the ministry decided that two separate categories of
visa applications will be offered by the home ministry on wards – one for Sikh
pilgrims of Indian origin living elsewhere in the world while the other for
dual nationality holder Sikh pilgrims holding a residence permit from another
country along with an Indian passport.
“All
visa requests from both categories for Kartarpur pilgrimages will be processed
within 7 to 10 working days,” the meeting concluded.
The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) will collaborate with the National Database
and Registration Authority (NADRA) to constitute a standard operating procedure
for visitors issued visas under the religious tourism category.
Reportedly,
an amendment in the policy to make room for the aforementioned steps will be
sought from the cabinet next week.
The
development comes as talks between Pakistan and India pertaining to the
purposed Kartarpur Corridor enters finals stage and Pakistan, on Wednesday,
agreed to allow 5,000 Sikh pilgrims from India to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib
Kartarpur on a daily basis.
Earlier,
the government had assured the Sikh community that the Kartarpur corridor on
the Pakistan side will be opened near the 550th birthday of Baba Guru Nanak in
November this year.
Full
report at:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2019/09/06/govt-to-add-religious-tourism-category-to-e-visa-system-for-kartarpur-visitors/
--------
Saudi,
Pakistani officials discuss energy, mining ties in Islamabad
September
06, 2019
ISLAMABAD:
A high-level Saudi delegation held talks with Pakistani officials in Islamabad
to discuss ways of enhancing cooperation between the two countries in various
fields, especially in the fields of refining, mining and renewable energy.
The
Pakistani side was represented in the talks by Minister for Power and Petroleum
Omar Ayub Khan, while the Kingdom's delegation was led by the deputy minister
of energy, industry and mineral resources, Khalid bin Saleh Al-Mudaifer.
Ayub
welcomed the Saudi delegation, stressing that Pakistan attaches great
importance to its relations with the Kingdom.
He
said that Pakistan considers its relations with the Kingdom as long-standing
fraternal relations that are rooted in the depth of history with multiple
economic, political and strategic dimensions and cannot be compared with relations
with any other country.
On
Thursday, Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir and UAE
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin
Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan held talks with Pakistan’s Army Chief Gen. Qamar
Javed Bajwa in Rawalpindi.
Full
report at:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1550576/world
--------
South Asia
Taliban’s
most dangerous shadow governor killed in Badakhshan
06
Sep 2019
The
security forces have killed the most dangerous shadow governor of the Taliban
group in Badakhshan province.
Nasrat
Rahimi, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior confirmed that the security
forces have killed Qari Fasiuddin, the shadow governor of Taliban for
Badakhshan.
Rahimi
further added that Qari Fasiuddin was the most dangerous shadow governor of
Taliban.
The
Taliban group has not commented in this regard so far.
The
security situation in Badakhshan province has deteriorated during the recent
months.
Taliban
militants are active in some remote districts of Badakhshan and often conduct
terrorist related activities.
Meanwhile,
the Afghan forces routinely conduct counter-terrorism operations against the
anti-government armed groups in this province.
The
U.S. forces also conduct regular airstrikes in restive parts of the country to
suppress Taliban and other anti-government militants.
https://www.khaama.com/talibans-most-dangerous-shadow-governor-killed-in-badakhshan-03975/
--------
Hajj
and Religious Affairs acting minister assaulted in Presidential Palace Mosque
07
Sep 2019
The
Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs has confirmed that certain influential
individuals including former lawmaker Mullah Tarakhel have assaulted the acting
minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs.
According
to a statement released by Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs, Mullah
Tarakhel and some other individuals including lawmakers Shah Wazir and Haji
Khan Tarakhel, their brothers and some other members of their family attacked
the acting minister in ARG Presidential Palace mosque on Friday.
The
statement further added that the attack on Mawlavi Abdul Hakim Muneeb is an
assault and desecration of the mosque, the Ministry of Hajj and Religious
Affairs, the religious scholars and the whole system of the government.
Full
report at:
https://www.khaama.com/hajj-and-religious-affairs-acting-minister-assaulted-in-presidential-palace-mosque-03978/
--------
Taliban
kills US service member, others in Kabul bombing as US-Taliban talks resume
Sep
5, 2019
The
Taliban killed 10 civilians and two NATO service members -- including one
American -- in a deadly blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Thursday, even as the
chief U.S. negotiator was returning to Qatar to resume talks with the militant
group.
While
the U.S. is closing in on an agreement with the Taliban, the attack marks the
group's second major bombing this week and the 16th American service member
killed in combat in the country this year. These signs of increased violence
have had the country on edge about what a deal with the militant group will
mean for its future and have raised questions about whether the Taliban can be
trusted to make peace.
The
Taliban and U.S. officials said the increased violence is a negotiating tactic,
with the militants seeking to project strength and use violence as a point of
leverage in the talks. But it has outraged the Afghan public, many of whom are
already skeptical that an agreement with the U.S. will bring an end to the
violence and concerned that it will instead further empower the Taliban.
But
it's because of that death toll, U.S. officials said, that the Trump
administration is doubling down on diplomatic efforts to end the conflict
there, nearly 18 years after U.S. troops arrived to expel al-Qaeda operatives
and toppled the Taliban government.
The
clock seems to be ticking on any U.S.-Taliban deal, with Afghan national
elections still scheduled for Sept. 28.
There
is also growing concern in Congress about what the deal will actually look
like. The chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Eliot Engel,
D-N.Y., wrote another letter to U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad on Thursday
requesting that he testify before Congress about the peace process, but this
time, Engel seemed to threaten to compel Khalilzad's testimony, perhaps with a
subpoena.
"I
do not consider your testimony at this hearing optional," he wrote.
"If this letter is insufficient to secure your attendance, I will consider
other options that would ensure this hearing takes place in a timely
manner."
Khalilzad
presented a draft agreement to the Afghan government of President Ashraf Ghani
on Monday after a ninth round of Taliban negotiations, prompting public
skepticism from Afghan officials. Khalilzad is now back in Doha, Qatar, where
he has been meeting with Taliban leaders, a State Department official told ABC
News, as the two sides seek to close the gaps and finalize an agreement.
The
Taliban took responsibility for the blast Thursday in a busy neighborhood of
diplomatic facilities in Kabul, which in addition to the American, killed a
Romanian soldier, a U.S. official told ABC News. The militant group said they
were targeting a "convoy of foreign invaders," but the majority of
victims were Afghan civilians: Ten were killed and another 42 were wounded,
according to Afghanistan's Interior Minister.
On
Monday, the Taliban also bombed an international compound, killing 16 people
and wounding 119, almost all local civilians who lived in the surrounding
neighborhood, according to the Associated Press.
Nineteen
U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan this year, 16 of them in
combat-related incidents -- the highest number recorded by the Defense
Department since 2014.
For
the U.S., any agreement must include Taliban commitments to eliminate terror
safe havens in Afghanistan for groups like al-Qaeda or the Islamic State; a
nationwide ceasefire and the start of Afghan national peace talks; and a U.S.
withdrawal of the approximately 14,000 troops in the country.
Khalilzad
presented a draft agreement to Ghani and other Afghan leaders this week,
telling local TOLO News that the two sides had an agreement "in
principle" that still required President Donald Trump's sign-off. It would
include the withdrawal of 5,000 U.S. troops from five bases in Afghanistan
within 135 days, Khalilzad said.
But
negotiations have been stuck over the U.S. leaving a counter terrorism force in
the country, according to sources briefed on the talks. Trump and top advisers,
including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have said repeatedly that preventing
future terror attacks on the U.S. homeland is a key priority and hinted that a
residual U.S. military presence is how the U.S. intends to accomplish that. But
to the Taliban, U.S. withdrawal must mean zero.
Afghan
officials are more concerned about what position the agreement will leave the
government, which the Taliban has refused to meet and disparaged as a U.S.
puppet. While U.S. officials say that they are pursuing a nationwide ceasefire
and that any deal will lead to intra-Afghan peace talks, it's unclear whether
the Taliban would follow through on those.
Ghani,
Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and others were shown the draft on Monday,
according to Waheed Omer, an Afghan government spokesperson.
Full
report at:
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/taliban-kill-us-service-member-kabul-bombing-us/story?id=65410471
--------
Afghan
president postpones US trip to discuss Taliban deal
Sep
7, 2019
KABUL,
Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan’s president has postponed a planned visit to
Washington early next week where he was to discuss the U.S.-Taliban talks on
ending America’s longest war, a person familiar with the negotiations said
Friday.
The
development emerged after the U.S. envoy negotiating with the Taliban, Zalmay
Khalilzad, abruptly returned to Qatar for unexpected talks with the insurgents
on the deal that he had described as complete just days ago. The agreement “in
principle” to begin a U.S. troop withdrawal only needed President Donald
Trump’s approval, Khalilzad said Monday.
It
was not immediately clear why President Ashraf Ghani’s visit was postponed. The
person who spoke to The Associated Press was not authorized to talk to
reporters and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Since
Khalilzad’s announcement, two horrific Taliban car bombings in the Afghan
capital, Kabul — one of which killed a U.S. service member — and objections to
the deal from the Afghan government and several former U.S. ambassadors to
Afghanistan have put pressure on Khalilzad as many wonder whether a deal will
truly bring peace.
The
Taliban have explained their surge in deadly attacks — including on the
capitals of northern Kunduz and Baghlan provinces last weekend — as necessary
to give them a stronger negotiating position in talks with the U.S., a stance
that has appalled Afghans and others as scores of civilians are killed.
On
Friday, Khalilzad met with Taliban lead negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar
and the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Gen. Scott Miller, with
Qatar’s foreign minister present, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said in a
tweet late in the evening. Both Thursday’s and Friday’s meetings were
“positive,” he said.
The
Afghan president has been shut out of the U.S.-Taliban negotiations, and during
Khalilzad’s visit to Kabul this week Ghani was shown the agreement but not
allowed to keep it. The Taliban have rejected negotiations with the Afghan
government, seeing it as a puppet of the U.S., though it has expressed
willingness to meet with Afghan officials in their personal capacity.
Ghani’s
government this week raised objections to the deal, echoing the former U.S.
ambassadors’ concerns that a full U.S. troop withdrawal that moves too quickly
and without requiring the Taliban to meet certain conditions, such as reducing
violence, could lead to “total civil war” such as the one that engulfed the country
in the 1990s after a rapid Soviet pullout and before the Taliban swept into
power.
“Afghans
have been bitten by this snake before,” presidential adviser Waheed Omer said
Thursday, recalling past agreements from which the Afghan government has been
sidelined.
The
U.S. hopes its deal with the Taliban will bring the militant group to the table
for intra-Afghan talks to begin ahead of Afghanistan’s presidential election on
Sept. 28 — a vote that Ghani insisted must be held on time and not be swept
aside by any kind of interim government.
Few
details have emerged from the nine rounds of U.S.-Taliban talks over nearly a
year. Khalilzad has said the first 5,000 U.S. troops would withdraw from five
bases in Afghanistan within 135 days of a final deal. Between 14,000 and 13,000
troops are currently in the country.
But
the Taliban, at their strongest since their defeat in 2001 after a U.S.-led
invasion, want all of the approximately 20,000 U.S. and NATO troops out of
Afghanistan as soon as possible.
The
U.S. for its part seeks Taliban guarantees that they will not allow Afghanistan
to become a haven from which extremist groups such as al-Qaida and the local
affiliate of the Islamic State group can launch global attacks.
In
addition, “we want to make sure that we’ve got our resources deployed most
appropriately to deliver security for the American people,” U.S. Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo told News Radio KMAN when asked about the deal. “We think we
can accomplish both of those things,” he added. “We hope that all the elements
of Afghanistan, including the Taliban, want to be part of that, and we’re
working to achieve it.”
But
the violence continued. On Friday the Taliban attacked a third provincial
capital in Afghanistan in less than a week, killing at least two civilians, an
official said.
Full
report at:
https://apnews.com/c04fb9fbd7fb482eae1a1c93a72ccd3b
--------
Sri
Lanka: 293 suspects arrested in connection with Easter Sunday attacks
Sep
6, 2019
COLOMBO:
The Sri Lankan police on Thursday said that 293 suspects have been arrested so
far in connection with the Easter Sunday bombings in the island country in
April.
Giving
out details, police spokesperson Ruwan Gunasekera said that 115 suspects are in
remand custody while 178 others are detained for questioning, Anadolu News
Agency reported. "Moves were also underway to freeze 6 billion Sri Lankan
rupees worth of assets belonging to the suspects," the police spokesman
said.
Gunasekara
said that the Criminal Investigations Department had collected data about these
assets and steps would be taken to freeze them in due course. He informed that
over 100 bank accounts of at least 41 suspects had already been frozen.
Multiple
blasts ripped through Sri Lanka on April 21, when the Christian community was
celebrating Easter Sunday. The explosions rattled churches and high-end hotels
across the country, killing 258 people and injuring over 500.
Full
report at:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/sri-lanka-293-suspects-arrested-in-connection-with-easter-sunday-attacks/articleshow/71005598.cms
--------
Bangladesh
Takes Steps to Control Movements of Rohingya
Sep
7, 2019
Bangladesh
is taking tough measures to contain an increase in violence in Rohingya refugee
camps after the crisis over the mass exodus of the persecuted group from
Myanmar entered its third year.
Describing
the violence in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camps as a security threat, officials
have banned cell phone use and restricted internet access, and are considering
erecting barbed wire around the settlements to regulate the movement of their
1.2 million inhabitants.
In
the absence of any immediate repatriation of refugees back to Myanmar, the
authorities are also giving serious attention to a previously announced plan to
move some of the refugee population to a flood-prone island in the Bay of
Bengal, despite objections from international aid groups.
Officials
are reacting to incidents of violence involving Rohingya and an Aug. 25 rally
that drew thousands of the refugees who marked the second anniversary of
attacks by the Myanmar government that forced them to flee from the Rakhine
state.
“Two
years have elapsed since the Rohingya entered Bangladesh. Allowing the Rohingya
to remain would create security threats in Bangladesh and beyond,” Faruk Khan,
chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on foreign affairs, told
BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
Earlier
this week, a parliamentary defense panel termed the Muslim-minority Rohingya
refugees as a security threat and asked the government to restrict their
movement.
Khan,
a retired military colonel, said the defense panel, of which he is also a
member, had recommended erecting a barbed wire fence around refugee camps in
Ukhia and Teknaf, sub-districts of Cox’s Bazar.
“Many
of the Rohingya have been fleeing the camps. So, we recommended to confine
them,” he said.
The
latest violence in Cox’s Bazar broke out on Aug. 22, when gunmen, suspected to
be Rohingya men, gunned down a youth wing official of the ruling Awami League
party.
The
killing of Omar Faruk near his residence in Teknaf, the southernmost
sub-district of Bangladesh, triggered protests the next day, with participants
blocking the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf highway for three hours, and vandalizing shops
and houses inside a Rohingya camp, local media reported.
In
a follow up operation, police shot and killed two Rohingya suspects in what
they described as a “shootout” near a refugee camp in Teknaf, according to
Pradip Kumar Das, officer-in-charge of Teknaf police station.
Md
Iqbal Hossain, the additional superintendent of police in Cox’s Bazar, said
violence in the area had increased since the influx of hundreds of thousands of
Rohingya fleeing a brutal crackdown, which began in August 2017 in Myanmar’s
Rakhine state.
Many
of the Rohingya have been involved in the smuggling of drugs, especially yaba,
a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine, he said.
“The
personal enmity among the Rohingya is very high. Very often they lock in
internecine conflicts. The Rohingya criminals killed ruling party leader Faruk.
This killing angered the local people about the Rohingya refugees,” he said.
As
part of its crackdown, the government suspended the operation of 41 NGOs
working at the refugee camps and the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory
Commission asked telecom companies to cut back on internet services near the
camps.
Foreign
Minister A.K. Abdul Momen told reporters that some NGOs had been provoking the
Rohingya to not go back to Myanmar.
Several
repatriation attempts by Myanmar and Bangladesh governments have failed. The U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, said that
none of those interviewed among the 3,450 people cleared for repatriation in
the most recent attempt were willing to go back to Myanmar because they were
concerned over their security.
Myanmar
considers Rohingya to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, denies them
citizenship and subjects them to systematic discrimination including a failure
to recognize their ethnicity.
Momen
said the NGOs that were suspended had also played a role in a mammoth protest
rally on Aug. 25. It marked the second anniversary of the Myanmar military
crackdown that included killings, torture, rape and village burning and forced
more than 720,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh.
“The
NGOs provided banners, t-shirts and other logistics to hold the rally. Any NGOs
and agency proved to have campaigned against repatriation would face actions,”
he said.
In
addition, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) chairman
Jahurul Haque told BenarNews the Rohingya were not entitled to mobile phones or
the internet.
“So,
we have asked the companies to stop the sale of SIM cards to the Rohingya and
snap internet service at night,” he said.
Rally
surprise
Bangladesh
officials were also caught by surprise over the turnout at the Aug. 25 Rohingya
rally attended by tens of thousands who made various demands for their return
to Myanmar.
The
intelligence failure has also led to a shakeup in security measures at the
camps.
“The
RRRC (refugee relief and repatriation commissioner) knew about the rally, but
neither the disaster management ministry nor the ministry of foreign affairs
was informed,” Enamur Rahman, state minister for disaster management, told
BenarNews. “The government is embarrassed by the rally.”
The
inter-ministry National Task Force on Rohingya met on Aug. 28 to discuss it and
asked for a review of refugee camp operations in Ukhia and Teknaf.
Refugee
Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Muhammad Abul Kalam and three camp
officers have since been reassigned. The government did not release details of
their new roles.
“The
government can withdraw anyone. This is an ongoing process,” Kalam said on
Thursday, his last day at his office in Cox’s Bazar.
Meanwhile,
the foreign minister said Bangladesh was prepared to move 100,000 Rohingya to
Bhashan Char, a flood-prone island in the Bay of Bengal. The government
constructed housing and infrastructure as well as a retaining wall to protect
it from flooding.
In
an exclusive interview with Deutsche Welle media, Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul
Momen said the move was being considered because the U.N. had not stepped up
efforts to push Myanmar to allow the Rohingya to repatriate.
“They
[U.N. officials] should go to Myanmar, especially to Rakhine state, to create
conditions that could help these refugees to go back to their country. The U.N.
is not doing the job that we expect them to do,” Momen said in the interview.
He
also said Bangladesh officials were hoping that 100,000 Rohingya would relocate
to Bhashan Char voluntarily.
Full
report at:
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/bangladesh-rohingya-09062019174704.html
--------
Taliban
commander Sher Lala killed in an airstrike in Kunduz province
07
Sep 2019
An
airstrike killed a Taliban commander and his comrades in northern Kunduz province
of Afghanistan, the Afghan military said.
The
217th Pamir Corps said in a statement that the security forces conducted the
airstrike in Chawk-e Khanabad on Friday.
The
statement further added that the airstrike killed Taliban commander Sher Lala and
his five comrades.
The
security forces have killed numerous Taliban militants and their commanders in
the outskirts of Kunduz city and other parts of the province over the past few
days.
Full
report at:
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-commander-sher-lala-killed-in-an-airstrike-in-kunduz-province-03977/
--------
Taliban
attack third Afghan provincial capital in a week
6
September 2019
The
Taliban have attacked a third provincial capital in Afghanistan in less than a
week, with an overnight assault on the western city of Farah, a provincial
governor said Friday as a US envoy was back in Qatar for further talks on a
US-Taliban deal to end America's longest war.
Mohammad
Shoaib Sabet told The Associated Press there was no immediate word of
casualties and that airstrikes had been carried out against the militant group.
This
week's spike in violence, including two shattering Taliban car bombings in the
capital, Kabul, comes as US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad says he and the insurgents
have reached a deal “in principle” that would begin a US troop pullout in
exchange for Taliban counterterror guarantees.
Khalilzad
abruptly returned to Qatar, where the Taliban have a political office, from
Kabul for more talks on Thursday evening, even though earlier in the week he
said the deal only needed President Donald Trump's approval to be final.
Objections
to the agreement raised by the Afghan government and several former US
ambassadors to Afghanistan, and the death of a US service member in the latest
Kabul bombing on Thursday, have increased pressure on Khalilzad in recent days.
House
Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel has demanded that the envoy
testify before the House committee about the negotiations, saying that “I do
not consider your testimony at this hearing optional.”
Few
details have emerged from the nine rounds of US-Taliban talks that ended last
weekend. Khalilzad has said the first 5,000 US troops would withdraw from five
bases in Afghanistan within 135 days of a final deal. Between 14,000 and 13,000
troops are currently in the country.
However,
the Taliban want all of the approximately 20,000 US and NATO troops out of
Afghanistan immediately.
The
US for its part seeks Taliban guarantees that they will not allow Afghanistan
to become a haven from which extremist groups such as al-Qaida and the local
affiliate of the Islamic State group can launch global attacks.
The
Taliban have explained their surge in deadly attacks as necessary to give them
a stronger negotiating position in talks with the US, a stance that has
appalled Afghans and others as scores of civilians are killed.
The
Taliban last weekend launched deadly attacks on the capitals of Kunduz and
Baghlan provinces.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2019/09/06/Taliban-attack-third-Afghan-provincial-capital-in-a-week.html
--------
US
fighting Afghan war without clear political agenda: Commentator
Sep
6, 2019
A
former US intelligence officer says the United States is fighting the war in
Afghanistan without a clear political agenda to follow in parallel.
Bob
Ayers said in an interview with Press TV on Thursday that it was easy for the
Americans to start the war but it was “very difficult to get out, especially
when you have not defined what constitutes your military objective.”
“The
Americans seem to pursue the military intervention simply for the sake of
military intervention. They have no political goal that’s clear,” he said.
The
US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to topple a Taliban regime. Eighteen years on,
America is seeking a truce with the group, which was unseated but has since
been waging militancy.
Scott
Rickard, a former American intelligence linguist and the other guest on the
talk show on Press TV, attributed the length of the war in Afghanistan to the
“tremendous” profits the war industry has earned as a result of it.
On
Monday, the US special envoy to the talks with the Taliban, Zalmay Khalilzad,
said Washington and the militants had reached an agreement to end the war in
principle.
But
the Afghan government, which has been deliberately left out of the talks all
along, said it had serious doubts about the draft agreement.
Afghan
President Ashraf Ghani has formerly said only Afghans are to decide their fate
not outside powers. He has said peace is only possible with an agreement
between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
‘The
likely scenario’
Ayers
ruled out the possibility of an enduring settlement without the involvement of
the Afghan government.
Referring
to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s refusal as of yet to approve the Afghan
agreement until President Donald Trump approves it, Ayers said, “Popmeo is not
sure what the president’s position is, and until the president signs the
treaty, Pompeo is not going to stick his neck out.”
“The
position of the American president is variable from day to day,” Ayers said,
describing Trump as “not consistent.”
He
said that the Taliban wanted “total, complete” governance of Afghanistan and
that the militant group wouldn’t sign any deal until that demand was met.
However,
an interim deal could be struck between the US and the Taliban that allows
Washington to save face and withdraw its troops, Ayers said. “That’s probably
the likely scenario.”
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/09/06/605495/US-Afghanistan-war-political-agenda
--------
Africa
South
African Riots Over ‘Xenophobia’ Prompt Backlash Across Africa
By
Julie Turkewitz
Sept.
5, 2019
DAKAR,
Senegal — Pop stars have announced a boycott. Air Tanzania has suspended
flights to Johannesburg. Madagascar and Zambia are refusing to send their
soccer teams. Nigeria has recalled its ambassador and pulled out of a major
economic forum.
South
Africa is facing a backlash after rioters in and around Johannesburg targeted
immigrants from other African countries this week, torching their shops and
leading to at least 10 deaths. Now, angry citizens and governments across the
continent are lashing out at South Africa and its businesses, denouncing what
they call “xenophobia.”
Africans
across the continent once rallied behind South Africans in their struggle to
defeat the apartheid government, which was finally replaced in elections held
25 years ago. Now, some Africans find themselves in the unfamiliar position of
protesting the actions of the same communities in South Africa that they once
stood with in solidarity.
“The
only time we’ve seen this type of cooperation of African countries in terms of
backlash,” said Tunde Leye, a partner at the Nigerian political research firm
SBM Intelligence, “was in terms of support of the anti-apartheid movement.”
The
current level of political solidarity on the continent, he said, was “almost
unprecedented.”
The
riots, and the retaliatory measures, could not come at a more inopportune time
for regional cooperation. This week, African leaders are meeting in Cape Town,
South Africa, to discuss the African Continental Free Trade Area, an agreement
made this year that sets the stage for the creation of the largest free-trade
area in the world. It would join Africa’s more than one billion consumers into
a single market.
The
conflict, while not likely to imperil the free trade agreement, could at least
slow its implementation, which is expected to take years, African analysts
said.
Nigeria’s
government, angry that its citizens have been victimized in the South African
riots, has pulled out of the Cape Town meeting.
Nigeria
is the continent’s largest economy, and South Africa is the second-largest.
Both countries were already reluctant participants in the accord, which is
supposed to help knock down the many barriers to trade among African countries.
Anti-immigrant
sentiment is a longstanding issue in South Africa, where the legacies of
colonialism and apartheid run deep, and a political shift has not delivered
meaningful change to many poor South Africans. Immigrants from countries like
Nigeria, Mozambique, Somalia and Zimbabwe are often regarded by South Africans
as competitors for jobs and social services.
In
South Africa, attacks on foreigners have become common, and they surged
beginning Sunday when rioters stormed neighborhoods in and around Johannesburg,
lighting fires and breaking into shops.
At
least 10 people have died in the riots, President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a
video address on Thursday, in which he also condemned the violence.
“There
can be no excuse for the attacks on the homes and businesses of foreign
nationals,” he said. “Equally, there is no justification for the looting and
destruction of businesses owned by South Africans.”
In
Gauteng, the province that includes Johannesburg, authorities have arrested at
least 423 people, said Colonel Lungelo Dlamini, a police spokesman. On
Thursday, he said that many shops owned by foreigners remained closed and that
more shopping centers in the eastern part of the province “are being targeted.”
Police
seized guns, he said, not just from South Africans, but also from at least two
foreign nationals.
The
rolling backlash has united broad swaths of the continent. Two popular Nigerian
musicians, Burna Boy and Tiwa Savage, said they were boycotting South Africa.
Burna Boy was set to headline the Afropunk festival in Johannesburg in
December, alongside artists like Solange Knowles. Tiwa Savage had an appearance
in South Africa scheduled for mid-September.
On
Tuesday and Wednesday, protesters rushed and sometimes looted South
African-owned businesses in Nigeria and Zambia, including Shoprite
supermarkets. The company closed stores. The South African telecommunications
giant MTN did the same.
On
Thursday, the protests spread to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where
demonstrators outside of the South African Embassy in Kinshasa held signs that
read “Don’t kill our brothers” and “No xenophobia.” In Lubumbashi, they broke
windows at the South African Consulate.
Nigeria
recalled its ambassador to South Africa. South Africa has shuttered its
diplomatic missions in Nigeria, citing threats.
The
clashes cast a cloud over the World Economic Forum in Africa, which began in
Cape Town on Wednesday. Leaders were set to discuss the free trade pact, an
agreement signed by 54 countries that supporters have said could reshape
economic relationships on the continent.
The
accord has the potential to bolster intra-African trade by 52 percent by 2022,
according to the United Nations. Right now, intra-African trade accounts for
just 16 percent of the continent’s trade volume. It can be cheaper to ship
something from Nigeria to Europe, and then to Senegal, rather than directly
from Nigeria to Senegal. This is a major barrier to regional development,
economists say.
Still,
a host of challenges await before the pact is put in place.
African
analysts differed on whether Nigeria’s decision to skip the Cape Town meeting
would have any effect in the long term.
Gilbert
Khadiagala, a Kenyan professor of international relations at the University of
Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, said Nigeria’s move was little more than
“grandstanding,” and that would not impede the trade agreement.
But
Mr. Leye, of SBM Intelligence in Nigeria, said that in his view, Nigeria’s
boycott of the Forum “will have an impact in terms of the pace of
implementation.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/05/world/africa/south-africa-xenophobia-riots.html
--------
Nigeria:
Islam Frowns At Sexual Harassment, Says Onike
5
SEPTEMBER 2019
Lagos
— The Chief Missioner, Nasrullahi-l Fatih Society (NASFAT), Imam Abdul-Azeez
Morufu Onike, has said that religious and faith leaders have a vital role to
play in ending the scourge of rape and sexual harassment, and must also be
above board.
He
spoke at an event organised by the Office of the British Deputy High Commission
in Lagos tagged "#Mee too, What next".
He
stressed the need for Nigerians to be educated on the red signals to look out
for which could lead to rape as well as the position of the religion on sexual
harrasment, gender-based violence.
Onike
emphasized that parts of what have been found out by researchers to be pre-rape
warning are unwanted attention, touching, persistence and verbal threats among
others.
He
lauded the courage of a victim, who was also one of the panelists, who was bold
to speak out by ignoring the cultural inhibitions.
He
said that Islam frowns at sexual harassment and that one of the Islamic legal
maxims is "harm must be eliminated" in line with the saying of
Prophet Muhammad.
He
added that protection of honour and dignity are key objectives of Islam and
Shariah.
Full
report at:
https://allafrica.com/stories/201909060259.html
--------
Sudan
invites Jews back to country to enjoy citizenship in new climate
September
07, 2019
JEDDAH:
Members of Sudan’s Jewish community who had left the country in previous years
were free to return and “enjoy citizenship” like other ethnic groups, Minister
of Religious Affairs Nasr-Eddin Mofarah said on Friday.
Speaking
to Al Arabiya TV, the newly appointed minister said Sudan was welcoming of
diverse ideas, values, cultures and “intellectual persuasions.”
He
even added that the Muslim-majority country was welcoming of other religions,
citing the number of Christians and Jews who still lived in the country and
those who might have left.
“I
urge them (Jews) from this platform to return to Sudan and recover their right
to naturalization and citizenship because Sudan is a civil state where
citizenship is the source of all rights and duties. We also have other
religions and faiths embraced by different people,” he said.
The
announcement came after Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok announced his
Cabinet on Thursday, the first since former President Omar Bashir was ousted in
April.
The
Cabinet includes Asmaa Abdalla, Sudan’s first woman foreign minister, and a
former World Bank economist. Hamdok also picked women to lead the Sports and
Youth Ministry, the High Education Ministry, and the Labor and Social
Development Ministry.
The
new Cabinet has come about as part of a power-sharing agreement between the
military and pro-democracy demonstrators, following pressure from the US and
its Arab allies amid growing concerns the political crisis could ignite a new
civil war.
Mofarah
said Islam had been a peaceful part of Sudanese life for centuries, and had not
been introduced through violence or conflict.
He
also stressed the importance of religious tolerance in the post-Bashir era.
“Religious
tolerance has also been given a significant importance in the Holy Qur’an, in
which Muslims have been urged to accept and respect other religions and live in
peace with them,” Mofarah said.
“This
constitutes a clear call for the Sudanese to live according to the saying ‘you
have your religion and I have mine,’ as long as there is no infighting,
sedition or wars and as long as people interact,” the minister added.
“The
issue of peace, tolerance, loyalty and resilience is one of the indicators that
will allow us to build this nation on new foundations, centered around freedom,
justice, equality and noble moral values,” he said.
Full
report at:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1550846
--------
Ghana
President Urges African Countries: Let's Fight Growing Terrorism Threat
Together
5
SEPTEMBER 2019
President
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stressed the need for countries in Africa to
coordinate their approaches and strategies in the fight against the growing
threat of terrorism and extremism in the region.
He
said the growth of breakaway global terror groups, coupled with the porous
nature of African borders, called for regional and continental approaches to
contain the growing threats of terrorist and extremist activities.
The
President made the call in Accra yesterday when he addressed the opening of a
forum aimed at immortalising the contribution of Kofi Annan, Ghana's iconic
diplomat, to global peace and security.
The
forum, an initiative of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training
Centre (KAIPC), one of the legacies of the former United Nations Secretary
General who passed away last year, attracted top-level political leaders,
diplomats and security experts
The
participants dialogued on the most critical and evolving peace and security
trends on the African continent. The Kofi Annan Peace and Security Forum will
be an annual platform to hatch ideas that will continually champion and ensure
Mr Annan's cause for policies and programmes on peace, security and
development.
This
year's events, on the theme: "Peace operations in the context of violent
extremism in Africa," was attended by some past African heads of state
including John Dramani Mahama of Ghana, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia,
Pierre Buyoya of Burundi, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, Ernest Bai Koroma
of Sierra Leone, Prof. Amos Sawyer of Liberia, as well as Mrs Nane Annan,
legislators, service chiefs and the diplomatic corps.
President
Akufo-Addo said the coordination of activities between the armed forces and
intelligence agencies on the continent "is absolutely essential to
successful battle against terrorism," adding that it was unacceptable that
poor countries spent high proportions of their national budgets on defence and
security matters to the detriment of necessary expenditures on social concerns.
He
indicated that though the sub-region's security management initiatives had
helped to mitigate extremism and instability, there was a need to tackle issues
of endemic poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and bad governance, as well as the
adoption of appropriate technology to achieve peace, security and economic
transformation of West Africa.
He
pointed out that the endemic poverty and widespread disillusionment amongst the
youth in Africa were providing fertile breeding grounds for dangerous migration
across the Sahara desert and the Mediterranean Sea in rickety boats in the hope
of finding a better future in Europe.
Poverty,
he added, had provided an impetus to breed a new generation of terrorists and
violent extremists.
President
Akufo-Addo noted that the two most active terrorist groups in West Africa- the
Al Qaeda and the Boko Haram- had exploited the levels of poverty in the areas
they operated in to recruit and indoctrinate the youth.
Notwithstanding
the growing security challenges in the sub-region, the President said it was
important that the principles of democratic accountability, individual
liberties and human rights and the rule of law were promoted to address the
vulnerability of adopting violence to address issues.
According
to him, when people are covered in the quarters of the rule of law, respect for
individual liberties and human rights and the principles of democratic
accountability, they see their responsibilities and allegiance to the wider
public interest not just of the conveniences of the government but to the
collective good of the country.
President
Akufo-Addo said despite the peace and stability in Ghana, the country was not
immune to terror attacks.
"Over
the years, we have learnt most often through bitter experience that terrorism
and violent extremism are not restricted to particular geographic locations or
jurisdictions as impact of a single terrorist incident one part of the world
resonates throughout the world," he said.
President
Akufo-Addo recalled how in 2015, agents of Islamic State succeeded in
recruiting a few adherents from Ghana's university campuses to join the ranks
of the group's fighters in Libya and Syria, who were later known to have died
in combat.
He
said in aid of the global call to end terror activities, Ghana had signed and
ratified a number of international instruments aimed at the prevention and
suppression of international terrorism.
"Ghana
has adopted the world coordinated interagency approach which encourages the
timely sharing of information and intelligence operational coordination and
join strategy formulation and has proved essential towards ensuring the
efficient execution of the country's counterterrorism policy," President
Akufo-Addo said.
The
United Nation's Special Representative of the Secretary General for West Africa
and Sahel, Dr Ibn Chambas, supported President Akufo-Addo's call for collaboration
in the fight against terrorism on the continent.
He
stressed the need for countries on the continent to remain engaged and
determined in the fight against violent extremism.
Full
report at:
https://allafrica.com/stories/201909050615.html
--------
US-Backed
Syrian Forces Hand Over 3 Children of IS Fighters to Nigeria
By
Sirwan Kajjo
September
5, 2019
WASHINGTON
- Three children born to Nigerian Islamic State (IS) fighters in Syria were
handed over to the Nigerian government, Syrian Kurdish officials said Thursday.
The
orphaned children, aged 4, 6 and 8, were handed over to a Nigerian government
representative in the city of Qamishli in northeast Syria.
“We
have been in talks with Nigerian officials about these cases,” said Abdulkarim
Omar, co-chair of foreign relations in the SDF-led administration in northeast
Syria, who met with a Nigerian official on Thursday.
“They
finally decided to come here and take these parentless children,” he told VOA.
This
is the first time that an African country has taken back children of Africans
who have traveled to Syria to join the terror group, the Kurdish official said.
Omar
declined to give information about the number of Nigerians held in northeast
Syria, but there are many Nigerians in custody who joined the IS terror group
in recent years.
Children
and women only
Musa
Habib Marika, a representative of Nigeria’s government, said his country is
also considering other cases.
“We
have asked for a list of Nigerians who are held in camps and prisons to look
into their cases,” Marika said during a press conference with Kurdish officials
in Qamishli.
But
Omar said that Nigeria and other countries can only repatriate children and
women of IS fighters.
U.S.-backed
Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) declared victory over IS in March
2019 after pushing out the group from its last stronghold in eastern Syria.
SDF
officials say they are holding more than 1,200 IS militants from nearly 50
countries.
There
are also about 20,000 women and 50,000 children of IS fighters who have been
settled in an overcrowded camp in northeast Syria, the same sources said.
Kurdish
officials say they couldn’t bear the responsibility of dealing with IS fighters
alone and that a special international tribunal should be established for crimes
they have committed in Syria.
“We
can’t try these individuals on our own, so the international community needs to
step up its efforts to help us address this international problem,” Kurdish
official Omar said.
He
added that some Western countries have expressed support for establishing such
a court for IS foreign fighters.
IS
in Nigeria
On
Thursday, IS claimed that its fighters killed 10 Nigerian soldiers and injured
several others in an attack on a military base in Borno state. It is the third
attack in the area over the last week.
IS
said in a statement online that fighters from its West Africa Province (ISWAP)
affiliate carried out the attack Wednesday, capturing six military vehicles,
weapons and ammunition.
Nigerian
officials have not yet commented on the attack.
ISWAP
is a splinter of the Boko Haram terrorist group that pledged allegiance to IS
leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2015.
According
the International Crisis Group, ISWAP has 3,500 to 5,000 fighters across
Nigeria. The group has reportedly been engaged in deadly attacks against
Nigerian military personnel and civilians.
While
it is unclear how many Nigerian nationals have joined IS in Syria and Iraq,
experts say their potential return could be a challenge for Nigeria since it
“is in the midst of a major struggle with Boko Haran and ISWAP.”
“The
return of hardened Nigerian fighters, even if they’re fairly small in number,
is going to raise all kinds of important policy questions,” said John Campbell,
a senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council on Foreign Relations
in Washington. He noted that ISWAP drives a degree of prestige among Islamist
radicals in Nigeria for its association with IS.
Full
report at:
https://www.voanews.com/extremism-watch/us-backed-syrian-forces-hand-over-3-children-fighters-nigeria
--------
Cameroon
Sends Military to Troubled CAR
By
Moki Edwin Kindzeka
September
5, 2019
YAOUNDE,
CAMEROON - Cameroon is dispatching more than a thousand troops to help bring
peace to its troubled neighbor, the Central African Republic. The troops are
leaving as analysts say they are already stretched handling such internal
crises as piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, the Boko Haram insurgency and the
separatist crisis that has left at least 3,000
killed in three years.
The
Cameroon military band plays as the first contingent of over 300 peacekeeping
troops leaves for the neighboring Central African Republic on September 4.
Cameroon's defense minister, Joseph Beti Assomo, said they have been well
trained to join the U.N. peacekeeping mission of more than 13,000 troops,
police and civilians to restore peace to the Central African Republic while
respecting the rights and dignity of the people they are protecting.
"Always
determined to fulfill his regional and international commitment as concerns
collective security, the head of state, commander in chief of the armed forces
has provided the Central African Republic with multifaceted support in order to
enable the country to get its institutions which have already been damaged back
on the feet," he said.
Beti
Assomo said Cameroon was deploying 1,300 troops and civilians who, by
protecting the Central African Republic, will also be protecting Cameroon.
Cameroon hosts about 250,000 CAR refugees, and rebels quite often cross over
and hold Cameroonian farmers and cattle ranchers for ransom. They also hide
across the porous border with Cameroon when challenged in the Central African
Republic
The
crisis began in the troubled country in 2013, when a mainly Muslim rebel
movement called the Seleka overthrew President Francois Bozize, a Christian.
That move triggered the rise of a predominantly Christian militia called the
Anti-Balaka. Thousands have been killed and a quarter of the population of 4.5
million have fled their homes.
Counting
on international help
CAR
Ambassador to Cameroon Marcial Beti Marace said his country has been counting
on the international community to help it out of the crisis.
He
said the people and president of CAR are proud to know that they will have
support to bring back badly needed peace and order to their country from
well-trained Cameroonian peacekeepers.
Donatien
Tchega, a visiting lecturer at the University of Yaounde, said the decision to
dispatch Cameroon troops to the neighboring state may seriously undermine
efforts to secure its own territory and the Gulf of Guinea, where there are
regular reports of pirate attacks.
He
said it is not a good decision for Cameroon, which is already facing enormous
challenges fighting Boko Haram terrorists on its northern border with Nigeria,
containing the spillover of the crisis in CAR with sporadic rebel attacks on
its territory, and especially stopping separatists from their fight to create
an English-speaking state, to send over a thousand of its troops to a foreign
country.
He
said the Cameroonian military is overstretched and this decision may also
hamper its effort to fight piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, separatists in the
English-speaking regions, and Boko Haram terrorists.
Full
report at:
https://www.voanews.com/africa/cameroon-sends-military-troubled-car
--------
Saudi
troops return home as Eager Lion military exercise concludes in Jordan
September
06, 2019
AMMAN:
The Eager Lion 2019 military exercise concluded in Amman on Friday in the
presence of the commander of US Central Command, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, and the
heads of delegations participating in the exercise from 30 other countries.
8,000
took part in the exercise at various locations across Jordan.
Personnel
from the Saudi army, navy, air force and air defense partook in activities,
alongside members of the security forces of the US, UK, Italy, France, Germany,
Spain, Belgium, Japan, South Korea, Jordan and Egypt.
Brig.
Gen. Jaafar bin Hadi Al-Qahtani, commander of the Saudi forces, said that the
exercise accomplished many objectives, including developing the participants’
ability to plan and execute joint operations, and exchange experiences between
the Saudi armed forces and their international counterparts.
Saudi
security personnel successfully completed exercises aimed at improving their
skills in combating terror, and received training in fighting in cities,
freeing hostages, planning and responding to electronic warfare, implementing
strategic bombing operations, sniper training and weapons of mass destruction
protection training.
They
also carried out joint operations and training related to international
maritime security, psychological warfare and monitoring and destroying
remote-controlled devices.
Full
report at:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1550566/saudi-arabia
--------
North America
Trump's
envoy clashes with Afghan government over proposed Taliban deal
Sept.
6, 2019
WASHINGTON
— The Afghan government has clashed with President Donald Trump's envoy over a
proposed troop withdrawal deal with the Taliban, just as Washington is
preparing to unveil the agreement, foreign diplomats, Afghan officials and
former U.S. officials said.
Afghan
officials and U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad had tense exchanges in Kabul
over the past few days after the American diplomat briefed President Ashraf
Ghani and his advisers on the proposed deal with the Taliban, a foreign
diplomat and two former U.S. officials said.
Ghani's
government responded to the briefing "badly" and the discussions were
marked by "raging arguments," said one foreign diplomat familiar with
the talks.
The
State Department declined to comment on the discussions in Kabul or on details
of the proposed U.S.-Taliban deal.
The
proposed agreement "in principle" with the Taliban would see the
phased withdrawal of U.S. troops in return for the Taliban agreeing to enter
into peace talks with the Afghan government and pledging not to allow areas
under their control to be used as a launching pad for al Qaeda, Islamic State
or other terrorist groups. Khalilzad said this week that if the agreement is
approved by President Trump, the United States would initially pull out about
5,000 troops in 135 days.
The
Afghan government, which has long been wary of the U.S.-Taliban talks and was
never invited to take part, worries that American troops could be withdrawn
before a peace agreement is firmly in place and that Washington may have made
too many concessions to their adversaries, foreign diplomats and Afghan
officials said.
"The
concerns are very high, not just for the government but also for the people of
Afghanistan, because the people of Afghanistan have been bitten by this snake
before," Waheed Omer, a senior adviser to the Afghan president, told a
press briefing in Kabul on Thursday.
"We
are still not assured of what the agreement's consequences could have for
Afghanistan's future," Omer said. "Our position is that we need more
debate on this agreement."
State
Department officials said that on Thursday Khalilzad flew to the Qatari capital
of Doha, where he has previously held talks with the Taliban. The Taliban
maintain a political office in Qatar.
It
was unclear if Khalilzad would attempt to secure substantial changes to the
deal, which follows nearly a year of unprecedented negotiations between the
Taliban and the United States.
To
reassure the Afghan government, the U.S. is considering a separate joint
statement or declaration that would make clear existing bilateral agreements
between the two countries would remain in effect, according to a foreign
diplomat and a U.S. source familiar with the matter. In addition, the Afghan
government would acknowledge — but not endorse — the U.S.-Taliban deal, the
sources said.
If
the Taliban deal enters into force, the Taliban and the Afghan government would
start peace talks in Oslo later this month.
But
a major sticking point is President Ghani's vow to hold elections as scheduled
on Sept. 28, which some Western governments worry could cause more political
turmoil and leave Afghan negotiators divided as they try to hammer out a peace
accord with the Taliban. Some of Ghani's political rivals also oppose going
ahead with the polls.
The
talks with the Afghan government this week coincided with a series of deadly
attacks, including a suicide bombing in Kabul on Monday and a bombing Thursday
near an Afghan intelligence office that killed 10 civilians and two NATO
service members, a Romanian and an American.
The
Trump administration has offered few details about the Taliban talks and has
rarely explained its approach publicly. Khalilzad, who struck an optimistic
note earlier this week, faces increasing criticism over the negotiations from
both ends of the political spectrum, including from conservative commentators,
former military commanders and diplomats and U.S. lawmakers.
Rep.
Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee,
accused the State Department on Thursday of stonewalling Congress and failing
to keep the public informed about negotiations aimed at ending America's
longest war.
Engel,
in a letter to Khalilzad, demanded the envoy testify before the committee
"so that Congress and the American people will have the long-overdue
opportunity to understand the contours of your negotiations with the Taliban
and the potential risks and opportunities that may result."
Sen.
Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., often an outspoken ally of President Trump, has warned
against a total pullout of U.S. troops and said he plans to push for
legislation that would require the administration to certify that a drawdown of
American forces does not jeopardize U.S. national security.
Skeptics
of the Taliban talks have charged the Trump administration with backing away
from tougher positions over the past several months, including an earlier
insistence on ensuring the Taliban agree to a countrywide ceasefire. Now U.S.
officials say a ceasefire will be worked out between the Afghan government and
the Taliban in the first stage of peace talks, according to foreign diplomats.
There
are currently about 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, advising Afghan forces
and carrying out counter-terrorism operations against al Qaeda and ISIS
militants. The U.S. military has had boots on the ground since 2001, when
American forces toppled the Taliban regime for harboring the al Qaeda
extremists behind the Sept. 11 attacks.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-s-envoy-clashes-afghan-government-over-proposed-taliban-deal-n1050446
--------
No,
San Francisco. The NRA is not a ‘domestic terrorist organization.’
By
Henry Olsen
Sep
5, 2019
Liberals
often wonder where conservatives get the notion that they are hated and
despised. Wonder no more: Just look at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors’
resolution labeling the National Rifle Association a “domestic terrorist
organization.”
Words
matter, and there are few words that stigmatize a person faster than calling
him or her a terrorist. A terrorist by definition is someone who engages in
terrorism, and terrorism is defined as “the systematic use of violence to
create a general climate of fear in a population and thereby to bring about a
particular political objective.” To be a terrorist organization, therefore, the
NRA would have to intentionally encourage and support the use of violent
attacks on U.S. citizens with the intent of creating general fear so as to force
submission to its political agenda.
The
NRA clearly does not do that. It does not advocate, fund or support violence,
nor does it try to create “a climate of fear” to advance its policies. It does
support an expansive view of gun rights, but that is not a terrorist act —
unless political disagreement is now a criminal offense.
But
that is exactly what the resolution says. It contends that any use of a firearm
with the “intent to endanger, directly or indirectly, the safety of one or more
individuals” is “terrorist activity.” In other words, every murderer is a
terrorist if they used a gun, regardless of whether they had any political
motives behind their act. It then states that “the National Rifle Association
through its advocacy has armed those individuals who would and have committed
acts of terrorism.” You can’t get clearer than that: Constitutionally protected
speech supporting the private ownership of guns is an act of terror.
Nor
is the resolution isolated to NRA leadership. While it states that the leadership
“promotes extremist positions, in defiance of the views of a majority of its
membership,” it also states that “any individual or member of an organization”
commits a terrorist act by giving support to a group that this person
“reasonably should know” gives “material support” to any “individual [who] has
committed or plans to commit a terrorist act.” It closes the noose around NRA
members’ necks by stating that the NRA “promote[s] gun ownership and incite[s]
gun owners to acts of violence.” Congratulations, average NRA member: Your $30
one-year membership makes you a terrorist.
This
is McCarthyism, pure and simple. Wisconsin Sen. Joseph McCarthy was rightly
condemned for trying to stigmatize the American left in the 1950s by labeling
it Communist and “un-American.” McCarthy’s witch hunts destroyed the careers of
many people whose only “crime” was supporting a larger federal government and
supporting a different foreign policy toward the Soviet Union. San Francisco’s
policy toward the NRA commits the same sin.
This
can only make our already toxic political atmosphere worse. Liberal democracy
rests on the idea of the “loyal opposition.” In modern democracies, simply
advocating a political position or a change in government is not, as so often
was the case in the past, an act of treason. The First Amendment exists to
provide citizens with a protected zone in which they can engage in heated
political disagreement without fear of government suppression.
The
San Francisco resolution essentially declares that people who back the NRA
cannot be a loyal opposition. It then seeks to reduce NRA support by saying
that the city should try to “limit those entities who do business” with the
city “from doing business with this domestic terrorist organization.” That arguably
sets the power of a government against a set of citizens solely on the basis of
their politics. This is called “viewpoint discrimination” in First Amendment
law and is unconstitutional.
The
city’s rhetorical slander against millions of Americans is just as harmful. We
cannot have a free republic if one large set of citizens views another large
set of citizens as evil and beyond the pale. President Trump is regularly
condemned for his harsh rhetoric that some say stigmatizes Americans on the
basis of their race, gender or political beliefs. This resolution trumps Trump.
Full
report at:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/09/05/no-san-francisco-nra-is-not-domestic-terrorist-organization/?arc404=true
--------
Pompeo
says US to rally support for Uighurs at UN
7
September 2019
The
United States will use this month’s UN General Assembly to rally support for
the Uighurs, whose treatment by China is among “the worst stains on the world,”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday.
Pompeo
said that China’s mass incarceration of the predominantly Muslim ethnicity will
be a priority for the United States at the annual summit of world leaders.
“We’ll
do a number of gatherings where our efforts will be to get other countries to
sign up to help us call out this activity that is taking place,” Pompeo said at
Kansas State University.
“As
I said before, this may end up being one of the worst stains on the world of
this century. It’s of that magnitude,” he said.
“This
is fundamentally not about national security for them, this isn’t about Islamic
extremism in western China. This is about freedom and dignity for individuals,”
he said.
Responding
to a student’s question about progress, Pompeo said that efforts were going
“insufficiently” because the situation had not changed in China’s western
region of Xinjiang.
“Our
tool-set is to identify the challenge and then to rally the world, and we have
done so today with some success but not nearly enough,” Pompeo said.
Rights
groups and experts say more than one million Uighurs and people of other mostly
Muslim ethnic minorities have been rounded up in Xinjiang. China is accused of
forcibly trying to draw them away from Islamic customs and integrate them into
the majority Han culture.
Chinese
officials have described the camps as providing vocational training and said
that “most” people have left, without sharing figures.
With
the exception of Turkey, governments in the Islamic world have been relatively
reticent about criticizing a rising China, to the dismay of activists.
But
US lawmakers and campaigners say that President Donald Trump can also do more,
such as imposing targeted sanctions on Chinese officials involved in the Uighur
incarceration.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2019/09/07/Pompeo-says-US-to-rally-support-for-Uighurs-at-UN-.html
--------
Putin
warned Bush of imminent threat 2 days before 9/11: Ex-CIA analyst
Sep
6, 2019
Russian
President Vladimir Putin had warned his US counterpart George W. Bush about an
imminent terrorist threat two days before the 9/11 attacks took place, a former
CIA analyst has reportedly revealed.
The
warning is mentioned by George Beebee, a senior Bush-era CIA analyst, in his
book titled “The Russia Trap: How Our Shadow War with Russia Could Spiral into
Nuclear Catastrophe,” which was released earlier this week, according to RT.
“Putin
had telephoned President Bush two days before the attacks to warn that Russian
intelligence has detected signs of an incipient terrorist campaign, ‘something
long in preparation,’ coming out of Afghanistan,” reads part of the book.
Although
Moscow’s warning to Washington has been public knowledge for years as top
Russian intelligence officials talked about them shortly after the incident,
Beebee suggested Bush had been warned by Putin personally meaning that it was
not just limited to exchange between the intelligence agencies.
The
September, 11, 2001 attacks, also known as the 9/11 attacks, were a series of
strikes in the US which killed nearly 3,000 people and caused about $10 billion
worth of property and infrastructure damage.
US
officials assert that the attacks were carried out by 19 al-Qaeda terrorists
but many experts have raised questions about the official account.
They
believe that rogue elements within the US government, such as former Vice
President Dick Cheney, orchestrated or at least encouraged the 9/11 attacks in
order to accelerate the US war machine and advance the Zionist agenda.
In
addition to Russia, Britain’s intelligence service and that of the United States
itself had also warned of such an incident, however, it remains a mystery
whether the White House heeded those warnings and did anything to prevent it.
Condoleezza
Rice, then national security adviser and later secretary of state, also hinted
at the mindset of the White House officials at the time in her memoirs.
In
‘No Higher Honor,’ Rice did say that she had ignored an earlier warning from
Putin about Saudi-funded extremists in Pakistan that the Russian president then
said would cause a “major catastrophe.”
Rice
wrote, after dismissing the warning, she “chalked it up to Russian bitterness
toward Pakistan for supporting the Afghan mujahideen” fighters during the
Soviet Union's war in Afghanistan.
A
special review commission on 9/11 has found that disagreements still persist
within the FBI over whether there was a broader conspiracy in the US to carry
out the 2001 attacks.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/09/06/605514/US-Russia-911-attacks-Putin-George-W-Bush
--------
White
House: US will not drop Iran sanctions, Trump tells Macron
Sep
6, 2019
US
President Donald Trump has informed French President Emmanuel Macron that the
United States will not lift economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic of
Iran, according to the White House.
The
two presidents also agreed it was essential to “curb Iran's actions threatening
freedom of navigation and commerce in the Persian Gulf,” the White House
claimed in a statement issued late Thursday.
“President
Trump reiterated that dropping sanctions against Iran is not going to happen at
this time,” the statement said.
Macron
has sought to arrange a meeting between Trump and Iranian President Hassan
Rouhani in order to end the tensions between the US and Iran since Trump’s
withdrawal from the nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
During
a joint press conference with Trump last week, Macron said he hoped a meeting
between the presidents of Iran and the United States would take place "in
the next few weeks."
“I hope
[the meeting between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Trump] could take
place in the next few weeks,” the French president said, adding, "Nothing
is for sure, things are eminently fragile."
However,
the Iranian president dashed Macron’s hopes of a Rouhani-Trump meeting, saying
the United States should lift all sanctions before Iran agrees to talks.
“We
will not witness any positive development unless the United States abandons its
sanctions and corrects the wrong path it has chosen,” Rouhani said on August
27.
This
week, Rouhani said Iran has never had any plan to enter bilateral negotiations
with the US, reiterating that talks will be possible within the framework of
the P5+1 group of world states if Washington agrees to lift all sanctions
against the Islamic Republic.
Rouhani
said enemies imagined that they could bring Iran to its knees in six months by
unleashing an unprecedented campaign of economic pressure and sanctions against
the nation, but their calculations turned out to be wrong.
There
was a plot, 16 months ago, to impose severe sanctions against Iran with the aim
of weakening its economy and making the Islamic Republic surrender in six
months, Rouhani said. That plan, however, failed, he added.
Trump
pulled his country out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in May 2018 and re-imposed
harsh sanctions against the Islamic Republic in defiance of global criticism.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/09/06/605484/Trump-US-will-not-drop-Iran-sanctions
--------
US
welcomes Denmark's military assistance in Syria
Servet
Günerigök
07.09.2019
WASHINGTON
The
U.S. on Friday hailed Denmark's decision to deploy troops in Syria to assist
the global coalition fight against Daesh.
"The
United States welcomes the announcement by the Danish Government to make a
military deployment to Syria in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and to
continue to share the burden and responsibilities of this important
mission," said Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman.
The
statement was made hours after Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen
announced the country would send a 14-member medical team, combat battalion,
warship and four fighter aircraft with support personnel.
"Our
Danish partners will work with the residual U.S. military force in northeast
Syria to support stability and security," said Hoffman.
"We
look forward to working with our Danish ally to continue our shared mission of
achieving ISIS's enduring defeat-in Syria and wherever else the group may
operate," he said, using an alternate name for Daesh.
Full
report at:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-welcomes-denmarks-military-assistance-in-syria/1575223
--------
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