Taliban put forwards new condition to the US for peace talks. Taliban sources have told WION that the group would declare ceasefire only in areas where US troops have left. Watch this video to know more.

Taliban's new condition to the US for peace talks

By Christian Taylor

Al-Qaeda has recruited an estimated 40,000 fighters since September&nbsp;11, 2001, when the Osama bin Laden-led extremist group attacked the United States, according to the not-for-profit Council on Foreign Relations.

Despite a United States-led global “war on terror” that has cost $5.9 trillion, killed an estimated 480,000 to 507,000 people and assassinated bin Laden, al-Qaida has grown and spread since 9/11, expanding from rural Afghanistan into North Africa, East Africa, the Sahel, the Gulf States, the Middle East and Central Asia.

In those places, Al-Qaeda has developed new political influence – in some areas even supplanting the local government.

So how does a religious extremist group with fewer than a hundred members in September 2001 become a transnational terror organisation, even as the world’s biggest military has targeted it for elimination?

According to my dissertation research on the resiliency of Al-Qaeda and the work of other scholars, the US “war on terror” was the catalyst for Al-Qaeda’s growth.

Bin Laden and the ‘war on terror’

Al-Qaeda was founded in Afghanistan in 1988 in response to the Soviet invasion of that country.

For decades, it was a small, weak and uninspiring movement. Bin Laden sought to raise an Islamic coalition of forces to establish a caliphate – an Islamic state governed with strict Islamic law – across the Muslim world. But as late as 1996 he had just 30 fighters willing to die for the cause.

For years, bin Laden tried to merge with such extremist groups as Egypt’s Ibn al-Khattab and the Libyan Islamic Fighting group, hoping to create a global Islamist movement.

These organisations rejected bin Laden’s overtures. These disparate groups lacked a common enemy that could unite them in al-Qaeda’s fight for an Islamic caliphate.

So bin Laden shifted his strategy. He decided to make the United States – a country most Islamic extremist groups see as the enemy of Islam – his main target.

In 1998 Al-Qaeda waged successful attacks on the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. In 2000, it bombed the USS Cole, a military ship refuelling in a Yemen harbour, killing 17 sailors.

Bin Laden hoped the US would respond with a military invasion into Muslim majority territory, triggering a holy war that would put al-Qaida at the forefront of the fight against these unholy invaders.

After Al-Qaeda operatives flew planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, killing 2,977 people, bin Laden got his wish. The United States invaded Afghanistan on October 7, 2001. Eighteen months later, it invaded Iraq.

How Al-Qaeda grew

Islamic groups and individual extremists flocked to bin Laden’s cause after 9/11. Al-Qaeda became the nucleus of a global violent Islamist movement, with affiliates across the Middle East and Africa swearing their allegiance.

At the same time, the war in Afghanistan was decimating Al-Qaeda’s core operations.

Leaders were killed by drone strikes or driven into hiding. The Bush administration claimed killing 75 per cent of Al-Qaeda leadership. Bin Laden and other al-Qaida leaders sought refuge in places like the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan and Yemen – remote areas outside the easy reach of US ground forces.

To evade US detection, Al-Qaeda had to limit communication between its newly decentralised fronts. That meant the group’s global leadership had to have autonomy to operate relatively independently.

Bin Laden expected Al-Qaeda affiliates to adhere to certain core values, strategies and, of course, pursue the objective of establishing an Islamic caliphate.

But newly minted regional al-Qaida leaders – people like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Iraq, Ahmed Abdi Godane in Somalia and Nasir al-Wuhayshi in Yemen – enjoyed enough autonomy to pursue their own agendas in these unstable places.

Al-Qaeda Iraq, al-Shabaab and al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, as their groups came to be known, embedded themselves in the local political scene. They began building credibility, establishing alliances and recruiting fighters.

By 2015, when bin Laden was killed, al-Qaida was a network of regional caliphates. Today its territory spans from Afghanistan and Pakistan to North Africa, the Middle East and beyond.

Manipulation of a sectarian divide

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, headquartered in Yemen, is a case study in how the group now wields its power more locally.

Yemen has been in civil war since 2015, when a Houthi Shiite armed group declared war against the country’s Sunni Muslim government.

Although this conflict appears sectarian in nature, the Yemen scholar Marieke Brandt argues it is largely about political power – namely, the Yemeni government’s longstanding neglect of the Houthi minority, who come from northern Yemen.

Nonetheless, Al-Qaeda – a Sunni terror group – saw political opportunity in Yemen’s civil war.

The group has played up religious divisions in the civil war. Using its Arabic magazine, martyrdom videos, poetry and popular songs, Al-Qaeda has endeared itself to the local Sunni people and Yemen’s powerful Sunni tribal leaders. It has also ingratiated itself to Yemen’s Saudi Arabia-backed government and fought alongside Sunni tribal militias to battle the Houthi incursion.

The strategy has been remarkably effective for Al-Qaeda.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula had hundreds of fighters at its founding in 2009. It now has about 7,000 fighters in Yemen, most of them Sunnis recruited from territory the Houthis have attempted to take over.

It has planted landmines and bombs across Yemen that have killed hundreds, held journalists hostage and, in 2015, orchestrated the massacre at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo newspaper in Paris.

The US government considers Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to be the most sophisticated and threatening branch of Al-Qaeda.

Adapt the tactic, keep the mission

In adapting its methods to Yemeni culture, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has made some missteps.

In 2011, the group attempted to impose extremely strict Islamic rule over two areas it controlled in south Yemen. Al-Qaeda instituted rigid punishments of the sort common in Afghanistan, such as cutting off the hands of a thief and banning the chewed stimulant plant called khat.

These extreme rules got Al-Qaeda run out of town by Sunni tribal militias.

The next time Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula asserted its political power over parts of Yemen left ungoverned in the chaos of civil war, in 2015, it did not rule directly over these territories. Rather, it allowed a local council to govern according to their own norms and customs. And it kept the khat market open.

Al-Qaeda also paid for long-neglected public services like schools, water and electricity – effectively becoming the state.

According to the International Crisis Group, a humanitarian organisation, this softer stance helped garner the acceptance of the local population. That, in turn, ensured al-Qaida could keep using Yemen as a regional headquarters.

A similar shift from global to local has occurred in Al-Qaeda affiliates in Somalia, Iraq and Syria.

Al-Qaeda is no longer a hierarchical organisation taking orders from its famous, charismatic leader, as it was on 9/11.

But it is stronger and more resilient than it was under bin Laden. And the “war on terror” has helped, not hurt it.

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/al-qaida-is-stronger-today-than-it-was-on-9-11-117718">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

By Christian Taylor Al-Qaeda has recruited an estimated 40,000 fighters since September 11, 2001, when the Osama bin Laden-led extremist group attacked the United States, according to the not-for-profit Council on Foreign Relations.

By Christian Taylor Al-Qaeda has recruited an estimated 40,000 fighters since September 11, 2001, when the Osama bin Laden-led extremist group attacked the United States, according to the not-for-profit Council on Foreign Relations. Despite a United States-led global “war on terror” that has cost $5.9 trillion, killed an estimated 480,000 to 507,000 people and assassinated bin Laden, al-Qaida has grown and spread since 9/11, expanding from rural Afghanistan into North Africa, East Africa, the Sahel, the Gulf States, the Middle East and Central Asia. In those places, Al-Qaeda has developed new political influence – in some areas even supplanting the local government. So how does a religious extremist group with fewer than a hundred members in September 2001 become a transnational terror organisation, even as the world’s biggest military has targeted it for elimination? According to my dissertation research on the resiliency of Al-Qaeda and the work of other scholars, the US “war on terror” was the catalyst for Al-Qaeda’s growth. Bin Laden and the ‘war on terror’ Al-Qaeda was founded in Afghanistan in 1988 in response to the Soviet invasion of that country. For decades, it was a small, weak and uninspiring movement. Bin Laden sought to raise an Islamic coalition of forces to establish a caliphate – an Islamic state governed with strict Islamic law – across the Muslim world. But as late as 1996 he had just 30 fighters willing to die for the cause. For years, bin Laden tried to merge with such extremist groups as Egypt’s Ibn al-Khattab and the Libyan Islamic Fighting group, hoping to create a global Islamist movement. These organisations rejected bin Laden’s overtures. These disparate groups lacked a common enemy that could unite them in al-Qaeda’s fight for an Islamic caliphate. So bin Laden shifted his strategy. He decided to make the United States – a country most Islamic extremist groups see as the enemy of Islam – his main target. In 1998 Al-Qaeda waged successful attacks on the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. In 2000, it bombed the USS Cole, a military ship refuelling in a Yemen harbour, killing 17 sailors. Bin Laden hoped the US would respond with a military invasion into Muslim majority territory, triggering a holy war that would put al-Qaida at the forefront of the fight against these unholy invaders. After Al-Qaeda operatives flew planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, killing 2,977 people, bin Laden got his wish. The United States invaded Afghanistan on October 7, 2001. Eighteen months later, it invaded Iraq. How Al-Qaeda grew Islamic groups and individual extremists flocked to bin Laden’s cause after 9/11. Al-Qaeda became the nucleus of a global violent Islamist movement, with affiliates across the Middle East and Africa swearing their allegiance. At the same time, the war in Afghanistan was decimating Al-Qaeda’s core operations. Leaders were killed by drone strikes or driven into hiding. The Bush administration claimed killing 75 per cent of Al-Qaeda leadership. Bin Laden and other al-Qaida leaders sought refuge in places like the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan and Yemen – remote areas outside the easy reach of US ground forces. To evade US detection, Al-Qaeda had to limit communication between its newly decentralised fronts. That meant the group’s global leadership had to have autonomy to operate relatively independently. Bin Laden expected Al-Qaeda affiliates to adhere to certain core values, strategies and, of course, pursue the objective of establishing an Islamic caliphate. But newly minted regional al-Qaida leaders – people like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Iraq, Ahmed Abdi Godane in Somalia and Nasir al-Wuhayshi in Yemen – enjoyed enough autonomy to pursue their own agendas in these unstable places. Al-Qaeda Iraq, al-Shabaab and al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, as their groups came to be known, embedded themselves in the local political scene. They began building credibility, establishing alliances and recruiting fighters. By 2015, when bin Laden was killed, al-Qaida was a network of regional caliphates. Today its territory spans from Afghanistan and Pakistan to North Africa, the Middle East and beyond. Manipulation of a sectarian divide Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, headquartered in Yemen, is a case study in how the group now wields its power more locally. Yemen has been in civil war since 2015, when a Houthi Shiite armed group declared war against the country’s Sunni Muslim government. Although this conflict appears sectarian in nature, the Yemen scholar Marieke Brandt argues it is largely about political power – namely, the Yemeni government’s longstanding neglect of the Houthi minority, who come from northern Yemen. Nonetheless, Al-Qaeda – a Sunni terror group – saw political opportunity in Yemen’s civil war. The group has played up religious divisions in the civil war. Using its Arabic magazine, martyrdom videos, poetry and popular songs, Al-Qaeda has endeared itself to the local Sunni people and Yemen’s powerful Sunni tribal leaders. It has also ingratiated itself to Yemen’s Saudi Arabia-backed government and fought alongside Sunni tribal militias to battle the Houthi incursion. The strategy has been remarkably effective for Al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula had hundreds of fighters at its founding in 2009. It now has about 7,000 fighters in Yemen, most of them Sunnis recruited from territory the Houthis have attempted to take over. It has planted landmines and bombs across Yemen that have killed hundreds, held journalists hostage and, in 2015, orchestrated the massacre at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo newspaper in Paris. The US government considers Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to be the most sophisticated and threatening branch of Al-Qaeda. Adapt the tactic, keep the mission In adapting its methods to Yemeni culture, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has made some missteps. In 2011, the group attempted to impose extremely strict Islamic rule over two areas it controlled in south Yemen. Al-Qaeda instituted rigid punishments of the sort common in Afghanistan, such as cutting off the hands of a thief and banning the chewed stimulant plant called khat. These extreme rules got Al-Qaeda run out of town by Sunni tribal militias. The next time Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula asserted its political power over parts of Yemen left ungoverned in the chaos of civil war, in 2015, it did not rule directly over these territories. Rather, it allowed a local council to govern according to their own norms and customs. And it kept the khat market open. Al-Qaeda also paid for long-neglected public services like schools, water and electricity – effectively becoming the state. According to the International Crisis Group, a humanitarian organisation, this softer stance helped garner the acceptance of the local population. That, in turn, ensured al-Qaida could keep using Yemen as a regional headquarters. A similar shift from global to local has occurred in Al-Qaeda affiliates in Somalia, Iraq and Syria. Al-Qaeda is no longer a hierarchical organisation taking orders from its famous, charismatic leader, as it was on 9/11. But it is stronger and more resilient than it was under bin Laden. And the “war on terror” has helped, not hurt it. (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Al-Qaeda is stronger today than it was on 9/11

Suspected terrorists shot dead a 39-year-old man in Babagund area of Handwara in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district on Monday evening.

This comes days after one of the most wanted terrorists, Zakir Musa was killed in an encounter with security forces in Trial in Pulwama.

Musa was the commander of al Qaeda linked Ansar Ghazwat-ul Hind.

More details are currently awaited.

Suspected terrorists shot dead a 39-year-old man in Babagund area of Handwara in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district on Monday evening. This comes days after one of the most wanted terrorists, Zakir Musa was killed in an encounter with security forces in Trial in Pulwama.

Suspected terrorists shot dead a 39-year-old man in Babagund area of Handwara in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district on Monday evening. This comes days after one of the most wanted terrorists, Zakir Musa was killed in an encounter with security forces in Trial in Pulwama. Musa was the commander of al Qaeda linked Ansar Ghazwat-ul Hind. More details are currently awaited.

J&K: Man shot dead in Kupwara by terrorists

The Kashmir Valley's most wanted militant commander, Zakir Musa, who headed the Al Qaeda affiliate Ansar Gazwatul Hind, was killed on Thursday by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. Watch this video to know more.

Zakir Musa killed in an encounter in South Kashmir

Syrian government aircraft bombed several towns in northwestern Syria on Thursday killing five civilians as troops and militia battled jihadists on the ground, a monitor said.

The new bombardment of the largely jihadist-controlled region of Idlib followed strikes on Tuesday night and Wednesday that killed 23 civilians, 12 of them at a busy market.

In neighbouring Hama province,<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-and-syrian-army-step-up-attacks-on-rebel-held-northwestern-syria-sources-215395"> Syrian troops </a>battled for a third straight day to repel a jihadist counterattack around the town of Kafr Nabuda, leaving 15 combatants dead, 11 of them jihadists, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Syrian government forces retook the town on May 8 but the jihadists retook most of it on Wednesday, the Britain-based monitor said.

More than 100 combatants have been killed in the fighting around Kafr Nabuda since Tuesday.

The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance, which is led by Al-Qaeda's former Syria affiliate, controls much of Idlib as well as adjacent slivers of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia provinces.

The jihadist-dominated region is nominally protected by a buffer zone deal, but the government and its ally Russia have escalated their bombardment in recent weeks, seizing several towns on its southern flank.

The United Nations has warned that an all-out offensive on the Idlib region would lead to a humanitarian catastrophe for its nearly thee million residents.&nbsp;

More than 200,000 people have already been displaced by the upsurge of violence since April 28, the UN has said.

A total of 20 health facilities have been hit by the escalation -- 19 of which remain out of service, it added.&nbsp;

Syrian government aircraft bombed several towns in northwestern Syria on Thursday killing five civilians as troops and militia battled jihadists on the ground, a monitor said.

Syrian government aircraft bombed several towns in northwestern Syria on Thursday killing five civilians as troops and militia battled jihadists on the ground, a monitor said. The new bombardment of the largely jihadist-controlled region of Idlib followed strikes on Tuesday night and Wednesday that killed 23 civilians, 12 of them at a busy market. In neighbouring Hama province, Syrian troops battled for a third straight day to repel a jihadist counterattack around the town of Kafr Nabuda, leaving 15 combatants dead, 11 of them jihadists, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Syrian government forces retook the town on May 8 but the jihadists retook most of it on Wednesday, the Britain-based monitor said. More than 100 combatants have been killed in the fighting around Kafr Nabuda since Tuesday. The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance, which is led by Al-Qaeda's former Syria affiliate, controls much of Idlib as well as adjacent slivers of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia provinces. The jihadist-dominated region is nominally protected by a buffer zone deal, but the government and its ally Russia have escalated their bombardment in recent weeks, seizing several towns on its southern flank. The United Nations has warned that an all-out offensive on the Idlib region would lead to a humanitarian catastrophe for its nearly thee million residents. More than 200,000 people have already been displaced by the upsurge of violence since April 28, the UN has said. A total of 20 health facilities have been hit by the escalation -- 19 of which remain out of service, it added.

Deadly new air strikes as Syria army battles jihadists

"The war in Vietnam was not lost in the field, nor was it lost on the front pages of the New York Times or the college campuses. It was lost in Washington, D.C.”

H R McMaster wrote that statement in his 1997 scathing critique of the Vietnam War, "Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam." He was a major in the Army at that time. Now, he is a retired lieutenant general and former national security advisor to President Donald Trump.

It is indeed ironic that McMaster eventually contributed to what many people thought to be impossible by repeating the mistakes of Vietnam and losing the Afghanistan war—both in the field and in Washington, DC.

The real tragedy is that America’s leaders, in particular, its military leaders, long knew that the war in Afghanistan could not be won having chosen to fight it in a manner that was alien to its nature, thus wasting both treasure and precious lives.

For over seventeen years we have wrongly applied counterinsurgency doctrine to a proxy war waged by Pakistan against the United States and Afghanistan. At the same time, we supplied Pakistan with generous aid packages to bribe them from pursuing a course of action opposed to our own, which they considered in their national interest.

Counterinsurgency was never a winning strategy as long as Pakistan controlled the supply of our troops in landlocked Afghanistan and regulated the operational tempo through its proxy army, the Taliban, which has maintained an extensive recruiting, training and financial support infrastructure inside Pakistan, where it has been immune to attack.

In essence, our leaders, through a combination of incompetence and indifference, allowed the United States to be defeated by Pakistan and paid them to do it.

Pakistan’s objectives for Afghanistan have always been different than those of the United States. Not only has Pakistan not helped the United States in Afghanistan, but from the very beginning through its support of the Taliban, Pakistan has actively worked against our interests and is responsible for the prolongation of the war and the deaths and maiming of thousands of Americans and Afghans.

For example, Jalaluddin Haqqani, then the leader of the Haqqani Network, controlled the Khost region of eastern Afghanistan, which is where most of Osama bin Laden’s training camps and supporters were, was a CIA asset in the 1980s and met with US officials soon after 9/11.

Journalist Steve Coll wrote, “There was always a question about whether Haqqani was really Taliban, because he hadn’t come out of Kandahar; he wasn’t part of the core group. And it was quite reasonable to believe after 9/11 that maybe he could be flipped.”

In early October 2001, Haqqani made a secret trip to Pakistan, where Lt Gen Mahmood Ahmed, a religious hardliner and then director of Pakistan’s notorious intelligence agency, the ISI, advised him to hold out and not defect, promising that he would receive help.

Subsequently, Haqqani decided to stay with the Taliban and the Haqqani Network continues to be a threat and a source of instability in Afghanistan.

The United States was aware of Pakistan’s duplicity early on. Gary Berntsen, one of the first CIA operatives to arrive in Afghanistan, said, “I assumed from the beginning of the conflict that ISI advisers were supporting the Taliban with expertise and material and, no doubt, sending a steady stream of intelligence back to [Pakistan].”

The same pattern of duplicitous behaviour by Pakistan has continued over the last seventeen years.

Late last year, during a Taliban attack on the Afghan provincial capital of Ghazni, large numbers of Pakistani nationals were found among the dead, presumably fighting with the Taliban. The bodies were subsequently returned to Pakistan.

In a recently released video, Al Qaeda emphasises its unity with Taliban and its role within the Taliban insurgency, as the jihadists, including Pakistanis, fight together to resurrect the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

And yet American political leaders and senior military officers have done nothing, preferring to remain puzzled or indifferent as to why we have not won in Afghanistan.

Pakistanis openly brag that they have defeated the United States.

Shortly before his death in 2015, Lt. Gen. Hamid Gul, the former head of Pakistan’s ISI, a committed Islamist and known as the “godfather of the Taliban,” said in an Urdu language television interview:

“One day, history will say that the ISI drove the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan with the help of USA and another sentence will be recorded that says the ISI drove the USA out of Afghanistan with the help of the USA.”

The Pakistani audience roared with laughter and applauded in approval.

The problem of Pakistan as the actual instigator of the Afghan conflict was never adequately addressed and Taliban safe havens in Pakistan remained largely untouched.

The pressure was never applied to Pakistan’s pain points, its moribund economy and financial insolvency and the existential threat of ethnic separatism, in particular among Pakistan’s Baloch and Pashtun populations.

On the ground in Afghanistan, the war effort has been a programme on automatic pilot, where everyone has been constantly reassured that everything was going according to plan and “progress was being made,” a phrase I heard endlessly during my own 2010 tenure at International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Headquarters in Kabul. If the effectiveness of the strategy was ever questioned within the military chain of command, then it had no obvious effect.

Lacking any new ideas or even a recognition of reality, we chose to continue pursuing a proven inappropriate counterinsurgency approach in Afghanistan, which has now forced the United States into direct negotiations with the Taliban, a concession we had previously refused to consider.

Yet, an American withdrawal will only become a humiliating defeat, if the United States is forced into strategic retreat from South Asia because we do not have a plan in place to address the changing regional conditions in a post–US Afghanistan.

The only bargaining chip the United States has in peace negotiations is our presence in Afghanistan, which has been the primary target of the Taliban negotiators, insisting that the United States announce a six-month withdrawal plan.

The American “presence” argument is tenuous at best. The United States should be identifying new forms of leverage to bolster our negotiating position in the short term and, longer term, provide a basis for a new South Asian strategy.

The recently-announced effort to strengthen military ties with India is a step in the right direction.

The United States should also include measures to thwart plans by the China-Pakistan Axis for regional hegemony. Beijing intends to extend its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) throughout South Asia, including Afghanistan, and follow it with the establishment of military facilities, such as Chinese naval bases on the Arabian Sea.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the flagship of BRI. Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan is CPEC’s centre of gravity and the location of a festering independence insurgency. Just recently, the Balochistan Liberation Army made a daring and high-profile attack on the Pearl Continental Hotel in the heart of the Chinese-run port of Gwadar, CPEC’s centrepiece project.

An independent Balochistan could fulfill a number of US strategic interests in the region, for example: providing Afghanistan a friendly neighbor and access to the sea; eliminating a major area of Pakistan’s terrorist infrastructure; placing additional pressure on Iran, which has its own restive Baloch population; and blocking Chinese ambitions for economic and military dominance of South Asia.

The foundations of a new US strategy in South Asia should include burden shifting and, when necessary, strategic disruption of our adversaries. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

"The war in Vietnam was not lost in the field, nor was it lost on the front pages of the New York Times or the college campuses. It was lost in Washington, D.C.” H R McMaster wrote that statement in his 1997 scathing critique of the Vietnam War, "Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam.

"The war in Vietnam was not lost in the field, nor was it lost on the front pages of the New York Times or the college campuses. It was lost in Washington, D.C.” H R McMaster wrote that statement in his 1997 scathing critique of the Vietnam War, "Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam." He was a major in the Army at that time. Now, he is a retired lieutenant general and former national security advisor to President Donald Trump. It is indeed ironic that McMaster eventually contributed to what many people thought to be impossible by repeating the mistakes of Vietnam and losing the Afghanistan war—both in the field and in Washington, DC. The real tragedy is that America’s leaders, in particular, its military leaders, long knew that the war in Afghanistan could not be won having chosen to fight it in a manner that was alien to its nature, thus wasting both treasure and precious lives. For over seventeen years we have wrongly applied counterinsurgency doctrine to a proxy war waged by Pakistan against the United States and Afghanistan. At the same time, we supplied Pakistan with generous aid packages to bribe them from pursuing a course of action opposed to our own, which they considered in their national interest. Counterinsurgency was never a winning strategy as long as Pakistan controlled the supply of our troops in landlocked Afghanistan and regulated the operational tempo through its proxy army, the Taliban, which has maintained an extensive recruiting, training and financial support infrastructure inside Pakistan, where it has been immune to attack. In essence, our leaders, through a combination of incompetence and indifference, allowed the United States to be defeated by Pakistan and paid them to do it. Pakistan’s objectives for Afghanistan have always been different than those of the United States. Not only has Pakistan not helped the United States in Afghanistan, but from the very beginning through its support of the Taliban, Pakistan has actively worked against our interests and is responsible for the prolongation of the war and the deaths and maiming of thousands of Americans and Afghans. For example, Jalaluddin Haqqani, then the leader of the Haqqani Network, controlled the Khost region of eastern Afghanistan, which is where most of Osama bin Laden’s training camps and supporters were, was a CIA asset in the 1980s and met with US officials soon after 9/11. Journalist Steve Coll wrote, “There was always a question about whether Haqqani was really Taliban, because he hadn’t come out of Kandahar; he wasn’t part of the core group. And it was quite reasonable to believe after 9/11 that maybe he could be flipped.” In early October 2001, Haqqani made a secret trip to Pakistan, where Lt Gen Mahmood Ahmed, a religious hardliner and then director of Pakistan’s notorious intelligence agency, the ISI, advised him to hold out and not defect, promising that he would receive help. Subsequently, Haqqani decided to stay with the Taliban and the Haqqani Network continues to be a threat and a source of instability in Afghanistan. The United States was aware of Pakistan’s duplicity early on. Gary Berntsen, one of the first CIA operatives to arrive in Afghanistan, said, “I assumed from the beginning of the conflict that ISI advisers were supporting the Taliban with expertise and material and, no doubt, sending a steady stream of intelligence back to [Pakistan].” The same pattern of duplicitous behaviour by Pakistan has continued over the last seventeen years. Late last year, during a Taliban attack on the Afghan provincial capital of Ghazni, large numbers of Pakistani nationals were found among the dead, presumably fighting with the Taliban. The bodies were subsequently returned to Pakistan. In a recently released video, Al Qaeda emphasises its unity with Taliban and its role within the Taliban insurgency, as the jihadists, including Pakistanis, fight together to resurrect the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. And yet American political leaders and senior military officers have done nothing, preferring to remain puzzled or indifferent as to why we have not won in Afghanistan. Pakistanis openly brag that they have defeated the United States. Shortly before his death in 2015, Lt. Gen. Hamid Gul, the former head of Pakistan’s ISI, a committed Islamist and known as the “godfather of the Taliban,” said in an Urdu language television interview: “One day, history will say that the ISI drove the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan with the help of USA and another sentence will be recorded that says the ISI drove the USA out of Afghanistan with the help of the USA.” The Pakistani audience roared with laughter and applauded in approval. The problem of Pakistan as the actual instigator of the Afghan conflict was never adequately addressed and Taliban safe havens in Pakistan remained largely untouched. The pressure was never applied to Pakistan’s pain points, its moribund economy and financial insolvency and the existential threat of ethnic separatism, in particular among Pakistan’s Baloch and Pashtun populations. On the ground in Afghanistan, the war effort has been a programme on automatic pilot, where everyone has been constantly reassured that everything was going according to plan and “progress was being made,” a phrase I heard endlessly during my own 2010 tenure at International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Headquarters in Kabul. If the effectiveness of the strategy was ever questioned within the military chain of command, then it had no obvious effect. Lacking any new ideas or even a recognition of reality, we chose to continue pursuing a proven inappropriate counterinsurgency approach in Afghanistan, which has now forced the United States into direct negotiations with the Taliban, a concession we had previously refused to consider. Yet, an American withdrawal will only become a humiliating defeat, if the United States is forced into strategic retreat from South Asia because we do not have a plan in place to address the changing regional conditions in a post–US Afghanistan. The only bargaining chip the United States has in peace negotiations is our presence in Afghanistan, which has been the primary target of the Taliban negotiators, insisting that the United States announce a six-month withdrawal plan. The American “presence” argument is tenuous at best. The United States should be identifying new forms of leverage to bolster our negotiating position in the short term and, longer term, provide a basis for a new South Asian strategy. The recently-announced effort to strengthen military ties with India is a step in the right direction. The United States should also include measures to thwart plans by the China-Pakistan Axis for regional hegemony. Beijing intends to extend its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) throughout South Asia, including Afghanistan, and follow it with the establishment of military facilities, such as Chinese naval bases on the Arabian Sea. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the flagship of BRI. Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan is CPEC’s centre of gravity and the location of a festering independence insurgency. Just recently, the Balochistan Liberation Army made a daring and high-profile attack on the Pearl Continental Hotel in the heart of the Chinese-run port of Gwadar, CPEC’s centrepiece project. An independent Balochistan could fulfill a number of US strategic interests in the region, for example: providing Afghanistan a friendly neighbor and access to the sea; eliminating a major area of Pakistan’s terrorist infrastructure; placing additional pressure on Iran, which has its own restive Baloch population; and blocking Chinese ambitions for economic and military dominance of South Asia. The foundations of a new US strategy in South Asia should include burden shifting and, when necessary, strategic disruption of our adversaries. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Pakistan's duplicity caused the United States to lose in Afghanistan

Pakistan has issued an official order to freeze the assets and impose a travel ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar after the United Nations declared him a "global terrorist".

In a notification issued Wednesday, the foreign ministry said, "the Federal Government is pleased to order that the Resolution 2368 (2017) be fully implemented" against Azhar.

The government directed officials to take actions "as appropriate for the implementation of sanctions" against the JeM chief, according to the notification. 
Azhar is also banned from selling or purchasing arms and ammunition.

In a major diplomatic win for India, the United Nations designated Pakistan-based Azhar as a "global terrorist" after China lifted its hold on a proposal by the US, the UK and France to blacklist him.

The US, the UK and France had moved the proposal to designate Azhar as a "global terrorist" in the UN Security Council's 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee in February, just days after the deadly Pulwama terror attack carried out by the JeM in Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan foreign office spokesman Mohammad Faisal on Wednesday said that Pakistan would "immediately enforce the sanctions" imposed on Azhar.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-indias-long-awaited-fight-against-terrorism-begins-with-azhars-listing-215506/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Pakistan has issued an official order to freeze the assets and impose a travel ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar after the United Nations declared him a "global terrorist".

Pakistan has issued an official order to freeze the assets and impose a travel ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar after the United Nations declared him a "global terrorist". In a notification issued Wednesday, the foreign ministry said, "the Federal Government is pleased to order that the Resolution 2368 (2017) be fully implemented" against Azhar. The government directed officials to take actions "as appropriate for the implementation of sanctions" against the JeM chief, according to the notification. Azhar is also banned from selling or purchasing arms and ammunition. In a major diplomatic win for India, the United Nations designated Pakistan-based Azhar as a "global terrorist" after China lifted its hold on a proposal by the US, the UK and France to blacklist him. The US, the UK and France had moved the proposal to designate Azhar as a "global terrorist" in the UN Security Council's 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee in February, just days after the deadly Pulwama terror attack carried out by the JeM in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan foreign office spokesman Mohammad Faisal on Wednesday said that Pakistan would "immediately enforce the sanctions" imposed on Azhar. ×

Pakistan issues orders to freeze Masood Azhar's assets, imposes travel ban

The<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-ally-declares-islamic-state-defeated-caliphate-eliminated-205019"> Islamic State may have lost its self-styled caliphate</a>, but its barbaric back catalogue of grisly execution videos will continue to haunt the global imagination and serve as a template for how to sow terror, analysts say.

At the height of its reign over a vast chunk of Iraq and Syria in 2014-2015, the Sunni jihadist group had a huge digital footprint, flooding social media with slick videos lionising their fighters and showing the gruesome executions of "infidel" soldiers and civilians.

Today, its once-sophisticated propaganda machine, like its proto-state, has been reduced to rubble.

But the images of a Syrian soldier being crushed with a tank, a Jordanian pilot being burned alive in a cage, and countless other IS atrocities, including Western reporters and aid workers being beheaded, will endure.

"It clearly will stick with us, rather like how Al Qaeda stuck with us persistently even after Osama bin Laden was killed," Charlie Winter, senior research fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) at King's College London, told AFP.

Propaganda pioneer

The group was not the first to use gore as a propaganda tool, with al-Qaeda releasing a video of the beheading of US journalist Daniel Pearl in Karachi in 2002 and Mexican drug cartels also regularly sharing decapitation videos.

But IS's Hollywood-style action clips -- and use of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the encrypted service Telegram to reach millions of viewers -- took graphic terror videos&nbsp;into the mainstream.

IS invested "a lot more time, a lot more money, a lot more energy, and a lot more human capital in the production of propaganda than other groups have before it," Winter said.

"It was the pioneer in terms of really upscaling and industrialising the production of propaganda."

Analysts say the group was particularly savvy in its use of social media to cement the radicalisation of thousands of disenfranchised Muslim youths by projecting an image of invincibility on the battlefield.

To expand its audience, it piggybacked on popular hashtags on social media, such as those linked to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and one linked to singer Justin Bieber.

And while the videos and pictures of crucifixions and decapitations dominated international headlines, other IS videos tried to show a softer side of life in the caliphate.

"Most of the videos, and broadly, most of the web content produced by ISIS at the time, were actually utopian content, trying to show that they were trying to build a utopian state, a utopian society," Marc Hecker, foreign policy expert at the French Institute for International Affairs told AFP.

'Frontline selfies'

Foreign fighters were also the forefront of the propaganda drive, snapping grinning selfies of themselves with assault rifles slung across their chests, on what David Thomson, author of a bestselling book of interviews with French jihadists, called their "LOL jihad".

Pointing to the likes of Junaid Hussain, a young British hacker who enlisted and died in Iraq, Raffaello Pantucci, director of international security studies at RUSI, noted, "Their communications people were kids in their twenties operating in a terror group the way they do back home."

"They weren't doing anything exceptional."

Their social media presence made IS propagandists a prime target for international intelligence agencies, with a US airstrike killing IS spokesman Abu Mohamed al-Adnani in northern Syria in August 2016 and another hit taking out its media centre in the Iraqi city of Mosul.

Under pressure from Western governments, Facebook, Twitter also clamped down on jihadist propaganda, establishing filters on violent content that IS and other terror groups struggle to circumvent.

These days IS propagandists mostly use the "dark web" -- a heavily encrypted part of the internet which is almost impossible to regulate, or the Telegram app -- to encourage supporters to launch attacks on their own initiative.

A research note in November from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think-tank, said the group retained a "digital caliphate" to support its insurgency in other countries.

Noting its launch of a new series of weekly videos providing statistics on purported IS activity across the world, author Maxwell B. Markusen noted, "This propaganda effort also may indicate an ongoing effort to over-emphasise its real role on the battlefield, and to recruit new fighters."

Winter described the group's impact on terrorist propaganda as "enormous".&nbsp;

"It has globalised its ideology in a way that was never really feasible before. And that will definitely stand to have an impact in how the global insurgency in terms of jihadists will look for years to come," he said.

The Islamic State may have lost its self-styled caliphate, but its barbaric back catalogue of grisly execution videos will continue to haunt the global imagination and serve as a template for how to sow terror, analysts say.

The Islamic State may have lost its self-styled caliphate, but its barbaric back catalogue of grisly execution videos will continue to haunt the global imagination and serve as a template for how to sow terror, analysts say. At the height of its reign over a vast chunk of Iraq and Syria in 2014-2015, the Sunni jihadist group had a huge digital footprint, flooding social media with slick videos lionising their fighters and showing the gruesome executions of "infidel" soldiers and civilians. Today, its once-sophisticated propaganda machine, like its proto-state, has been reduced to rubble. But the images of a Syrian soldier being crushed with a tank, a Jordanian pilot being burned alive in a cage, and countless other IS atrocities, including Western reporters and aid workers being beheaded, will endure. "It clearly will stick with us, rather like how Al Qaeda stuck with us persistently even after Osama bin Laden was killed," Charlie Winter, senior research fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) at King's College London, told AFP. Propaganda pioneer The group was not the first to use gore as a propaganda tool, with al-Qaeda releasing a video of the beheading of US journalist Daniel Pearl in Karachi in 2002 and Mexican drug cartels also regularly sharing decapitation videos. But IS's Hollywood-style action clips -- and use of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the encrypted service Telegram to reach millions of viewers -- took graphic terror videos into the mainstream. IS invested "a lot more time, a lot more money, a lot more energy, and a lot more human capital in the production of propaganda than other groups have before it," Winter said. "It was the pioneer in terms of really upscaling and industrialising the production of propaganda." Analysts say the group was particularly savvy in its use of social media to cement the radicalisation of thousands of disenfranchised Muslim youths by projecting an image of invincibility on the battlefield. To expand its audience, it piggybacked on popular hashtags on social media, such as those linked to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and one linked to singer Justin Bieber. And while the videos and pictures of crucifixions and decapitations dominated international headlines, other IS videos tried to show a softer side of life in the caliphate. "Most of the videos, and broadly, most of the web content produced by ISIS at the time, were actually utopian content, trying to show that they were trying to build a utopian state, a utopian society," Marc Hecker, foreign policy expert at the French Institute for International Affairs told AFP. 'Frontline selfies' Foreign fighters were also the forefront of the propaganda drive, snapping grinning selfies of themselves with assault rifles slung across their chests, on what David Thomson, author of a bestselling book of interviews with French jihadists, called their "LOL jihad". Pointing to the likes of Junaid Hussain, a young British hacker who enlisted and died in Iraq, Raffaello Pantucci, director of international security studies at RUSI, noted, "Their communications people were kids in their twenties operating in a terror group the way they do back home." "They weren't doing anything exceptional." Their social media presence made IS propagandists a prime target for international intelligence agencies, with a US airstrike killing IS spokesman Abu Mohamed al-Adnani in northern Syria in August 2016 and another hit taking out its media centre in the Iraqi city of Mosul. Under pressure from Western governments, Facebook, Twitter also clamped down on jihadist propaganda, establishing filters on violent content that IS and other terror groups struggle to circumvent. These days IS propagandists mostly use the "dark web" -- a heavily encrypted part of the internet which is almost impossible to regulate, or the Telegram app -- to encourage supporters to launch attacks on their own initiative. A research note in November from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think-tank, said the group retained a "digital caliphate" to support its insurgency in other countries. Noting its launch of a new series of weekly videos providing statistics on purported IS activity across the world, author Maxwell B. Markusen noted, "This propaganda effort also may indicate an ongoing effort to over-emphasise its real role on the battlefield, and to recruit new fighters." Winter described the group's impact on terrorist propaganda as "enormous". "It has globalised its ideology in a way that was never really feasible before. And that will definitely stand to have an impact in how the global insurgency in terms of jihadists will look for years to come," he said.

Islamic State: Pioneers of the 'digital caliphate'

Several rockets were fired on Thursday at a gathering of members of the Shi'ite Muslim Hazara minority in the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing three people&nbsp;and wounding several.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but over the years Hazaras have been repeatedly attacked by Sunni Muslim militant groups such as the Taliban, al Qaeda and Islamic State.

TOLO News, which had a camera crew reporting live from the commemoration, said that at least 10 explosions were heard at the commemoration on the anniversary of a Hazara leader's death.

"Our gathering is under attack. Rockets are being dropped on us from every direction," said Muhammad Mohaqiq, a lawmaker and leader of the main Hazara political party from the stage in comments aired on television.

Hundreds of people including top government officials such as Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah and at least three candidates in a July presidential election were at the commemoration.

People could be seen scattered in all directions as the rockets fell.

At least three people was killed and 16 wounded, said Wahidullah Mayar, a spokesman for the public health ministry

A spokesman for the interior ministry, Nasrat Rahimi, said one suspect had been arrested, while several others had been surrounded by the security forces.

Presidential candidate Mohammad Hanif Atmar was unhurt, but eight of his security guards were wounded. They were in stable condition, said Atmar's spokesman, Qader Shah.

The gathering was for the anniversary of the death of Abdul Ali Mazari, a Hazara leader who died in 1995 after being taken prisoner by the Taliban.

A reporter who was present at the gathering site said ambulances had rushed to the area to help.

"Many people were injured," the reporter told TOLO News.

The attack came a day after a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/at-least-16-killed-in-attack-in-eastern-afghanistan-provincial-spokesman-201513">suicide bomb and gun attack on a construction company</a> in the eastern city of Jalalabad that killed at least 16 people.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for that attack.

Several rockets were fired on Thursday at a gathering of members of the Shi'ite Muslim Hazara minority in the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing three people and wounding several.

Several rockets were fired on Thursday at a gathering of members of the Shi'ite Muslim Hazara minority in the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing three people and wounding several. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but over the years Hazaras have been repeatedly attacked by Sunni Muslim militant groups such as the Taliban, al Qaeda and Islamic State. TOLO News, which had a camera crew reporting live from the commemoration, said that at least 10 explosions were heard at the commemoration on the anniversary of a Hazara leader's death. "Our gathering is under attack. Rockets are being dropped on us from every direction," said Muhammad Mohaqiq, a lawmaker and leader of the main Hazara political party from the stage in comments aired on television. Hundreds of people including top government officials such as Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah and at least three candidates in a July presidential election were at the commemoration. People could be seen scattered in all directions as the rockets fell. At least three people was killed and 16 wounded, said Wahidullah Mayar, a spokesman for the public health ministry A spokesman for the interior ministry, Nasrat Rahimi, said one suspect had been arrested, while several others had been surrounded by the security forces. Presidential candidate Mohammad Hanif Atmar was unhurt, but eight of his security guards were wounded. They were in stable condition, said Atmar's spokesman, Qader Shah. The gathering was for the anniversary of the death of Abdul Ali Mazari, a Hazara leader who died in 1995 after being taken prisoner by the Taliban. A reporter who was present at the gathering site said ambulances had rushed to the area to help. "Many people were injured," the reporter told TOLO News. The attack came a day after a suicide bomb and gun attack on a construction company in the eastern city of Jalalabad that killed at least 16 people. Islamic State claimed responsibility for that attack.

Afghanistan: Blast near major political gathering in Kabul kills three, several wounded

Union Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday suggested that India is capable of carrying out an operation similar to the 2011 US action in Pakistan to eliminate Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

His remarks at an event related to the campaign to clean River Ganga came a day after the Indian Air Force pounded the main terror camp of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-uk-france-ask-un-to-blacklist-jem-leader-masood-azhar-move-is-likely-to-be-opposed-by-china-200140">Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfit </a>in Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

Referring to the US operation in Abbottabad, Jaitley said, "It is said that a week is too long a time in politics. In our country the way people get enthusiastic, if you look at the last 24 hours, one week would appear to be a day.&nbsp;

"The kind of things we see...I remember when the US Navy SEAL had taken Osama bin Laden from Abbottabad, can't we do the same?"

"We could earlier only imagine, desire and get frustrated and disappointed (for failing to conduct such operations). But today, it is possible," he said at the event dedicated to generating funds to clean river Ganga.

The event was organised by the Ministry of Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation at DRDO. Jaitley contributed Rs one lakh in his personal capacity for the programme to clean the river.&nbsp;

The US' special forces had raided Osama's hideaway, a compound in Abbottabad in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa north of Islamabad, killing the dreaded terrorist.&nbsp;

Union Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday suggested that India is capable of carrying out an operation similar to the 2011 US action in Pakistan to eliminate Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

Union Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday suggested that India is capable of carrying out an operation similar to the 2011 US action in Pakistan to eliminate Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. His remarks at an event related to the campaign to clean River Ganga came a day after the Indian Air Force pounded the main terror camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfit in Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Referring to the US operation in Abbottabad, Jaitley said, "It is said that a week is too long a time in politics. In our country the way people get enthusiastic, if you look at the last 24 hours, one week would appear to be a day. "The kind of things we see...I remember when the US Navy SEAL had taken Osama bin Laden from Abbottabad, can't we do the same?" "We could earlier only imagine, desire and get frustrated and disappointed (for failing to conduct such operations). But today, it is possible," he said at the event dedicated to generating funds to clean river Ganga. The event was organised by the Ministry of Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation at DRDO. Jaitley contributed Rs one lakh in his personal capacity for the programme to clean the river. The US' special forces had raided Osama's hideaway, a compound in Abbottabad in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa north of Islamabad, killing the dreaded terrorist.

India too capable of operation similar to US action against Osama in Abbottabad: Arun Jaitley

Armed men killed 37 Fulani civilians on Tuesday in central Mali, where ethnic violence cost hundreds of lives last year, the government said.

Violence between Fulani and rival communities has compounded an already dire security situation in Mali's semi-arid and desert regions, which are used as a base by jihadist groups with ties to al Qaeda and Islamic State.

The government said in a statement that the attackers, who were dressed as traditional Donzo hunters, raided the village of Koulogon in the central Mopti region and that some of the victims were children.

Moulage Guindo, the mayor of Bankass, the nearest town, said the attack occurred around the time of the first call to prayer of the new year and targeted the Fulani part of Koulogon.

He said another part of Koulogon is mostly inhabited by Dogon, an ethnic group to which the Donzos are linked, less than 1 km (half a mile) away.

Mali has been in turmoil since Tuareg rebels and loosely allied Islamists took over its north in 2012, prompting French forces to intervene to push them back the following year.

Islamists have since regained a foothold in the north and centre, tapping into ethnic rivalries to recruit new members. 
&nbsp;

The government said in a statement that the attackers raided the village of Koulogon in the central Mopti region and that some of the victims were children.

Armed men killed 37 Fulani civilians on Tuesday in central Mali, where ethnic violence cost hundreds of lives last year, the government said. Violence between Fulani and rival communities has compounded an already dire security situation in Mali's semi-arid and desert regions, which are used as a base by jihadist groups with ties to al Qaeda and Islamic State. The government said in a statement that the attackers, who were dressed as traditional Donzo hunters, raided the village of Koulogon in the central Mopti region and that some of the victims were children. Moulage Guindo, the mayor of Bankass, the nearest town, said the attack occurred around the time of the first call to prayer of the new year and targeted the Fulani part of Koulogon. He said another part of Koulogon is mostly inhabited by Dogon, an ethnic group to which the Donzos are linked, less than 1 km (half a mile) away. Mali has been in turmoil since Tuareg rebels and loosely allied Islamists took over its north in 2012, prompting French forces to intervene to push them back the following year. Islamists have since regained a foothold in the north and centre, tapping into ethnic rivalries to recruit new members.

Armed men kill 37 civilians in part of Mali hit by ethnic violence

Pakistani authorities on Wednesday claimed to have foiled a terrorist attack at a Christmas ceremony in Punjab province and arrested four<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/al-qaeda-calls-on-bangladeshi-muslims-to-wage-jihad-against-myanmar-army-27571"> al-Qaeda </a>terrorists.

According to the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), it got credible information that four terrorists belonging to al-Qaeda were present near Francis Abad, Sheikhupura road Gujranwala, some 80-km from Lahore.

"They were planning to attack a Christmas function in Gujranwala city on December 25," a CTD spokesman said in a statement on Wednesday.

A CTD team along with police raided their hideout and arrested the four terrorists identified as Muhammad Tua Seen, Muhammad Junaid, Muneer Ahmed and Taaj Muhammad Shah.

"The terrorists have made important disclosures regarding other plans of the al-Qaeda in Pakistan. Raids are being conducted to arrest their accomplices," the spokesman said.

Explosive material and ammunition have been recovered from them. They have been shifted to an undisclosed location for further investigation.

The CTD recently arrested a member of the al-Qaeda from Lahore.&nbsp;

Pakistani authorities on Wednesday claimed to have foiled a terrorist attack at a Christmas ceremony in Punjab province and arrested four al-Qaeda terrorists. According to the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), it got credible information that four terrorists belonging to al-Qaeda were present near Francis Abad, Sheikhupura road Gujranwala, some 80-km from Lahore.

Pakistani authorities on Wednesday claimed to have foiled a terrorist attack at a Christmas ceremony in Punjab province and arrested four al-Qaeda terrorists. According to the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), it got credible information that four terrorists belonging to al-Qaeda were present near Francis Abad, Sheikhupura road Gujranwala, some 80-km from Lahore. "They were planning to attack a Christmas function in Gujranwala city on December 25," a CTD spokesman said in a statement on Wednesday. A CTD team along with police raided their hideout and arrested the four terrorists identified as Muhammad Tua Seen, Muhammad Junaid, Muneer Ahmed and Taaj Muhammad Shah. "The terrorists have made important disclosures regarding other plans of the al-Qaeda in Pakistan. Raids are being conducted to arrest their accomplices," the spokesman said. Explosive material and ammunition have been recovered from them. They have been shifted to an undisclosed location for further investigation. The CTD recently arrested a member of the al-Qaeda from Lahore.

Pakistan claims it foiled al-Qaeda attack at Christmas ceremony

Pakistan, which remains the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/govt-hasnt-extended-ordinance-jud-no-longer-in-banned-list-saeeds-lawyer-tells-pak-court-173541">breeding ground and supporter of global terrorism</a>, is responsible for three times the terror risk to humanity that Syria poses, says a study — "Humanity at Risk - Global Terror Threat Indicant (GTTI)" — by Oxford University and Strategic Foresight Group (SFG).

As per the GTTI, while the Afghan Taliban and the Lashkar-e-Taiyyaba (LeT) pose the maximum threat to international security in future, Pakistan is placed on top of the list of countries with the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/fatf-dissatisfied-over-pakistans-efforts-to-combat-terror-financing-report-172508">highest number of terrorist bases and safe havens</a>.

"If we look at the most dangerous terrorist groups, based on hard facts and statistics, we find that Pakistan hosts or aids the majority of them. Also, there are a significant number of groups based in Afghanistan, which operate with the support of Pakistan," the report says.

The over 80-page report, which has been prepared to discuss the challenges in the next decade, presents an analytical framework and tool to enable policymakers to look into the future.

"The rise of competitive extremism of all shades, misuse of weapons of mass destruction and economic disruptions can undermine human progress or even survival in the period from now until 2030. They are all interlinked with terrorism", the report reveals.

Strategic Foresight Group had analysed almost 200 groups actively involved in committing acts of terror in the first half decade of the twenty-first century. During that period, the groups motivated by their own interpretation of Jihadi ideology accounted for only a fourth of almost 200 groups around the world.

Among these groups, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)/Daesh has attracted much of media space in the last five years. But with swift rise and fall of ISIL/Daesh, the Al-Qaida remains the most resilient network. Until 2011, it was led by Osama bin Laden but now his son, Hamza bin Osama bin Laden has emerged, as what sections of the media describe, as the "new crown prince of terror".

The most significant factor influencing the future of Jihadi groups would be the support they get from states, intelligence agencies and criminal networks.

"The birth of Al-Qaida was in Pakistan and then Pakistan influenced Afghanistan. Osama Bin Laden had a safe haven in a huge compound near the Pakistani military establishment in Abbottabad. The compound was much larger than the surrounding houses of retired Pakistani military officers. The occupants of the compound often bought expensive goods from a neighbourhood shop that most people in the vicinity could not afford. The presence of an important family in the compound was nothing but conspicuous," the report reveals.

The report has also given a comprehensive detail about the global terror outfits operating from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Yemen and many other countries who have linkages with each other.

In Pakistan, the terror groups are based in FATA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Quetta and Kalat (Balochistan), Punjab and Sindh. Enjoying patronage of the law enforcement agencies, they easily plan and plot major attacks and raise funds for their activities.

In a shocking revelation report says: "The Jihadi thought processes have proved to be most resilient for almost 150 years, beginning in what is today Pakistan and parts of Afghanistan. Many extremist movements rose and collapsed. But the Jihadi movement has survived in Pakistan and Afghanistan, now firmly spreading to the Middle East and North and West Africa."

On Friday, Afghanistan's deputy Defence Minister, Hilaluddin Helal, said at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum on defence, that more than 50,000 militants from 21 terrorist organisations are currently operating in Afghanistan and out of these 70 per cent are Pakistanis.

Pakistan, which remains the breeding ground and supporter of global terrorism, is responsible for three times the terror risk to humanity that Syria poses, says a study — "Humanity at Risk - Global Terror Threat Indicant (GTTI)" — by Oxford University and Strategic Foresight Group (SFG).

Pakistan, which remains the breeding ground and supporter of global terrorism, is responsible for three times the terror risk to humanity that Syria poses, says a study — "Humanity at Risk - Global Terror Threat Indicant (GTTI)" — by Oxford University and Strategic Foresight Group (SFG). As per the GTTI, while the Afghan Taliban and the Lashkar-e-Taiyyaba (LeT) pose the maximum threat to international security in future, Pakistan is placed on top of the list of countries with the highest number of terrorist bases and safe havens. "If we look at the most dangerous terrorist groups, based on hard facts and statistics, we find that Pakistan hosts or aids the majority of them. Also, there are a significant number of groups based in Afghanistan, which operate with the support of Pakistan," the report says. The over 80-page report, which has been prepared to discuss the challenges in the next decade, presents an analytical framework and tool to enable policymakers to look into the future. "The rise of competitive extremism of all shades, misuse of weapons of mass destruction and economic disruptions can undermine human progress or even survival in the period from now until 2030. They are all interlinked with terrorism", the report reveals. Strategic Foresight Group had analysed almost 200 groups actively involved in committing acts of terror in the first half decade of the twenty-first century. During that period, the groups motivated by their own interpretation of Jihadi ideology accounted for only a fourth of almost 200 groups around the world. Among these groups, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)/Daesh has attracted much of media space in the last five years. But with swift rise and fall of ISIL/Daesh, the Al-Qaida remains the most resilient network. Until 2011, it was led by Osama bin Laden but now his son, Hamza bin Osama bin Laden has emerged, as what sections of the media describe, as the "new crown prince of terror". The most significant factor influencing the future of Jihadi groups would be the support they get from states, intelligence agencies and criminal networks. "The birth of Al-Qaida was in Pakistan and then Pakistan influenced Afghanistan. Osama Bin Laden had a safe haven in a huge compound near the Pakistani military establishment in Abbottabad. The compound was much larger than the surrounding houses of retired Pakistani military officers. The occupants of the compound often bought expensive goods from a neighbourhood shop that most people in the vicinity could not afford. The presence of an important family in the compound was nothing but conspicuous," the report reveals. The report has also given a comprehensive detail about the global terror outfits operating from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Yemen and many other countries who have linkages with each other. In Pakistan, the terror groups are based in FATA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Quetta and Kalat (Balochistan), Punjab and Sindh. Enjoying patronage of the law enforcement agencies, they easily plan and plot major attacks and raise funds for their activities. In a shocking revelation report says: "The Jihadi thought processes have proved to be most resilient for almost 150 years, beginning in what is today Pakistan and parts of Afghanistan. Many extremist movements rose and collapsed. But the Jihadi movement has survived in Pakistan and Afghanistan, now firmly spreading to the Middle East and North and West Africa." On Friday, Afghanistan's deputy Defence Minister, Hilaluddin Helal, said at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum on defence, that more than 50,000 militants from 21 terrorist organisations are currently operating in Afghanistan and out of these 70 per cent are Pakistanis.

Pakistan three times the terror risk that Syria is: Oxford report

A Financial Action Task Force (FATF) report criticising Saudi Arabia’s anti-money laundering and terrorism finance measures puts the kingdom on the spot 17 years after the 9/11 attacks and casts a shadow over its diplomatic and economic boycott of Qatar on the grounds that the Gulf state supports militants.

In a nod to the kingdom, the international watchdog described as “understandable” the fact the kingdom’s “almost exclusive focus of authorities on domestic (terrorist financing) offences means the authorities are not prioritising disruption of support for threats outside the kingdom.”

The 246-page report contrasted starkly with US President Donald Trump’s assessment expressed in his address to the United Nations general assembly. “Following my trip to Saudi Arabia last year, the Gulf countries opened a new centre to target terrorist financing. They are enforcing new sanctions. They are working with us to identify and track terrorist networks and taking more responsibility for fighting terrorism and extremism in their own region, Trump said.

Trump, by design or default, did not take into account the flow of substantial amounts of Saudi money to militants in the Pakistani province of Balochistan that borders on Iran. Mounting indications suggest that the Islamic republic’s detractors may be moving to stir unrest among Iran’s ethnic minorities in a bid to change the regime in Tehran.

The flow of funds leaves open the possibility that the kingdom’s laxity in cracking down on funds flowing to extremists beyond its frontiers may be deliberate.

To be sure, Saudi Arabia has been strengthening its anti-money laundering and terrorism finance regime ever since the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington in which the perpetrators were primarily Saudi nationals and Al Qaeda attacks in the kingdom itself in 2003 and 2004.

Writing in Forbes, journalist Dominic Dudley noted that the FATF report may not have taken into account new anti-money laundering and terrorism finance-related laws adopted last year by Saudi Arabia. “The new laws were coming in just as the FATF was conducting its research for this report and it is too soon to judge how effective they have been,” Mr. Dudley said.

Even so, it was only with the ascendancy to the throne of King Salman in 2015 and the rise of his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, that the kingdom began to review its more than four-decades-long global funding of intolerant, anti-pluralistic, supremacist, ant-Shiite and anti-Iranian ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim groups and institutions.

While financing has been severely curtailed and funding vehicles like the Muslim World League have been refashioned to propagate moderation and inter-faith dialogue, the kingdom, as in the case of Balochistan, continues to support ultra-conservatives where it serves its geopolitical goals.

In what apparently reflected frustration with the kingdom’s progress in countering money laundering and terrorism, FATF did not mince its words in its report. “Saudi Arabia is not effectively investigating and prosecuting individuals involved in larger scale or professional (money laundering] activity” and is “not effectively confiscating the proceeds of crime,” the report said.

FATF suggested that the problem was the kingdom’s implementation of anti-money laundering and terrorism finance measures rather than its legal infrastructure. &nbsp;“Saudi Arabia has a legal framework that provides it with an adequate basis to investigate and prosecute ML (money laundering) activities… Saudi Arabia is not effectively investigating and prosecuting individuals involved in larger scale or professional ML activity. Investigations are often reactive rather than proactive, and tend to be straightforward and single layered.,” the report said.

The report’s wording left the possibility open that poor implementation was the result of either a lack of political will or the fact that there is widespread criticism of Prince Mohammed’s reforms within the bureaucracy and the kingdom’s religious establishment despite a crackdown on any form of dissent.

That possibility gains currency given the fact that FATF acknowledges that “Saudi Arabia has demonstrated an ability to respond to the dynamic terrorism threat it faces in the country. Saudi Arabian authorities have demonstrated that they have the training, experience and willingness to pursue TF (terrorism finance) investigations in conjunction with and alongside terrorism cases.”

The report noted that Saudi Arabia seldom convicted funders of political violence who were not directly involved in attacks. &nbsp;“This includes TF cases in relation to funds raised in Saudi Arabia for support of individuals affiliated with terrorist entities outside the kingdom, particularly outside the Middle-East region, which remains a risk. Saudi Arabia’s overall strategy for fighting terrorist financing mainly focuses on using law enforcement measures to disrupt terrorist threats directed at the kingdom and its immediate vicinity,” the report said.

FATF’s criticism is embarrassing for a country that ever since the 9/11 attacks has been attempting to shed its image of having fuelled militancy, position itself as a leader in the struggle against militancy and extremism, and project itself as a 21st century knowledge hub by liberalizing its strict social and cultural norms, including the recent lifting of the ban on women’s driving.

It is also awkward because the report puts Saudi Arabia in the position of the pot calling the kettle black when it comes to the 15-month-old Saudi-United Arab Emirates-led boycott of Qatar because it allegedly funds and supports militancy. Saudi Arabia’s failure to garner widespread international support for its boycott or force Qatar to concede heightens the awkwardness.

That is even more the case given that Saudi Arabia together with the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt is demanding among other things that Qatar “consent to monthly compliance audits in the first year after agreeing to the demands, followed by quarterly audits in the second year, and annual audits in the following 10 years” – something the kingdom would be unlikely to accept if hypothetically asked in the wake of the FATF report to submit to a similar regime.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

A Financial Action Task Force (FATF) report criticising Saudi Arabia’s anti-money laundering and terrorism finance measures puts the kingdom on the spot 17 years after the 9/11 attacks and casts a shadow over its diplomatic and economic boycott of Qatar on the grounds that the Gulf state supports militants.

A Financial Action Task Force (FATF) report criticising Saudi Arabia’s anti-money laundering and terrorism finance measures puts the kingdom on the spot 17 years after the 9/11 attacks and casts a shadow over its diplomatic and economic boycott of Qatar on the grounds that the Gulf state supports militants. In a nod to the kingdom, the international watchdog described as “understandable” the fact the kingdom’s “almost exclusive focus of authorities on domestic (terrorist financing) offences means the authorities are not prioritising disruption of support for threats outside the kingdom.” The 246-page report contrasted starkly with US President Donald Trump’s assessment expressed in his address to the United Nations general assembly. “Following my trip to Saudi Arabia last year, the Gulf countries opened a new centre to target terrorist financing. They are enforcing new sanctions. They are working with us to identify and track terrorist networks and taking more responsibility for fighting terrorism and extremism in their own region, Trump said. Trump, by design or default, did not take into account the flow of substantial amounts of Saudi money to militants in the Pakistani province of Balochistan that borders on Iran. Mounting indications suggest that the Islamic republic’s detractors may be moving to stir unrest among Iran’s ethnic minorities in a bid to change the regime in Tehran. The flow of funds leaves open the possibility that the kingdom’s laxity in cracking down on funds flowing to extremists beyond its frontiers may be deliberate. To be sure, Saudi Arabia has been strengthening its anti-money laundering and terrorism finance regime ever since the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington in which the perpetrators were primarily Saudi nationals and Al Qaeda attacks in the kingdom itself in 2003 and 2004. Writing in Forbes, journalist Dominic Dudley noted that the FATF report may not have taken into account new anti-money laundering and terrorism finance-related laws adopted last year by Saudi Arabia. “The new laws were coming in just as the FATF was conducting its research for this report and it is too soon to judge how effective they have been,” Mr. Dudley said. Even so, it was only with the ascendancy to the throne of King Salman in 2015 and the rise of his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, that the kingdom began to review its more than four-decades-long global funding of intolerant, anti-pluralistic, supremacist, ant-Shiite and anti-Iranian ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim groups and institutions. While financing has been severely curtailed and funding vehicles like the Muslim World League have been refashioned to propagate moderation and inter-faith dialogue, the kingdom, as in the case of Balochistan, continues to support ultra-conservatives where it serves its geopolitical goals. In what apparently reflected frustration with the kingdom’s progress in countering money laundering and terrorism, FATF did not mince its words in its report. “Saudi Arabia is not effectively investigating and prosecuting individuals involved in larger scale or professional (money laundering] activity” and is “not effectively confiscating the proceeds of crime,” the report said. FATF suggested that the problem was the kingdom’s implementation of anti-money laundering and terrorism finance measures rather than its legal infrastructure. “Saudi Arabia has a legal framework that provides it with an adequate basis to investigate and prosecute ML (money laundering) activities… Saudi Arabia is not effectively investigating and prosecuting individuals involved in larger scale or professional ML activity. Investigations are often reactive rather than proactive, and tend to be straightforward and single layered.,” the report said. The report’s wording left the possibility open that poor implementation was the result of either a lack of political will or the fact that there is widespread criticism of Prince Mohammed’s reforms within the bureaucracy and the kingdom’s religious establishment despite a crackdown on any form of dissent. That possibility gains currency given the fact that FATF acknowledges that “Saudi Arabia has demonstrated an ability to respond to the dynamic terrorism threat it faces in the country. Saudi Arabian authorities have demonstrated that they have the training, experience and willingness to pursue TF (terrorism finance) investigations in conjunction with and alongside terrorism cases.” The report noted that Saudi Arabia seldom convicted funders of political violence who were not directly involved in attacks. “This includes TF cases in relation to funds raised in Saudi Arabia for support of individuals affiliated with terrorist entities outside the kingdom, particularly outside the Middle-East region, which remains a risk. Saudi Arabia’s overall strategy for fighting terrorist financing mainly focuses on using law enforcement measures to disrupt terrorist threats directed at the kingdom and its immediate vicinity,” the report said. FATF’s criticism is embarrassing for a country that ever since the 9/11 attacks has been attempting to shed its image of having fuelled militancy, position itself as a leader in the struggle against militancy and extremism, and project itself as a 21st century knowledge hub by liberalizing its strict social and cultural norms, including the recent lifting of the ban on women’s driving. It is also awkward because the report puts Saudi Arabia in the position of the pot calling the kettle black when it comes to the 15-month-old Saudi-United Arab Emirates-led boycott of Qatar because it allegedly funds and supports militancy. Saudi Arabia’s failure to garner widespread international support for its boycott or force Qatar to concede heightens the awkwardness. That is even more the case given that Saudi Arabia together with the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt is demanding among other things that Qatar “consent to monthly compliance audits in the first year after agreeing to the demands, followed by quarterly audits in the second year, and annual audits in the following 10 years” – something the kingdom would be unlikely to accept if hypothetically asked in the wake of the FATF report to submit to a similar regime. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Saudi Arabia put on the spot for lax anti-terrorism measures

At least seven people lost their lives in car bomb attack in Benghazi, Libya news agency AFP reported on Friday.

Twenty people were also injured and were rushed to the nearest hospital.

A car exploded on a road near Tibesti hotel in Benghazi on late Thursday which was&nbspcrowded more than usual as people were taking a stroll after their fasting in the month of Ramazan.

According to reports, eight cars parked on the street were also destroyed along with some shops on the road.

Benghazi, Libya's second-largest city, is controlled by the Libyan National Army (LNA), the dominant force in eastern Libya led by commander Khalifa Haftar.

The LNA was battling Islamists, including some linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda, as well as other opponents until late last year in the Mediterranean port city.

Security has improved since then, but two mosque bombings earlier this year killed at least 35 people.

Haftar launched his military campaign in Benghazi in May 2014 in response to bombings and assassinations blamed on Islamist militants, part of anarchy that ensued after a NATO-backed uprising ended Muammar Gaddafi's rule in 2011.

In the past few months, there have been occasional, smaller- scale bombings apparently targeting LNA allies or supporters, but attacks in the city center are rare.

(With inputs from Reuters)

A car exploded on a road near Tibesti hotel in Benghazi on late Thursday which was crowded more than usual as people were taking a stroll after their fasting in the month of Ramazan

At least seven people lost their lives in car bomb attack in Benghazi, Libya news agency AFP reported on Friday. Twenty people were also injured and were rushed to the nearest hospital. A car exploded on a road near Tibesti hotel in Benghazi on late Thursday which was&nbspcrowded more than usual as people were taking a stroll after their fasting in the month of Ramazan. According to reports, eight cars parked on the street were also destroyed along with some shops on the road. Benghazi, Libya's second-largest city, is controlled by the Libyan National Army (LNA), the dominant force in eastern Libya led by commander Khalifa Haftar. The LNA was battling Islamists, including some linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda, as well as other opponents until late last year in the Mediterranean port city. Security has improved since then, but two mosque bombings earlier this year killed at least 35 people. Haftar launched his military campaign in Benghazi in May 2014 in response to bombings and assassinations blamed on Islamist militants, part of anarchy that ensued after a NATO-backed uprising ended Muammar Gaddafi's rule in 2011. In the past few months, there have been occasional, smaller- scale bombings apparently targeting LNA allies or supporters, but attacks in the city center are rare. (With inputs from Reuters)

7 dead, 20 injured in Benghazi attack

An internal CIA review in 2011 cleared US&nbspPresident Donald Trump's choice to head the agency, Gina Haspel, of wrongdoing in the destruction of videotapes depicting the harsh interrogation of an al Qaeda suspect, according to a memorandum that the CIA declassified and released on Friday.

The spy agency released the memo in response to demands by US&nbsplawmakers for more details on Haspel's career and as part of its effort to bolster her nomination. Haspel's bid to be the first woman CIA director faces scrutiny on Capitol Hill due to her involvement in a discontinued interrogation programme that many regarded as using torture.

"I have found no fault with the performance of Ms&nbspHaspel," Michael Morell, then the CIA's deputy director, wrote in the December 2011 memo.

"I have concluded that she acted appropriately in her role" as chief of staff to Jose Rodriguez, the head of CIA spy operations, Morell wrote.

At issue was a decision that Rodriguez has said he made in November 2005 to destroy videotapes showing the waterboarding of CIA detainee Abu Zubaydah who US&nbspofficials believed at the time - incorrectly - was a top-level al Qaeda operative.

Waterboarding is a form of simulated drowning. Zubaydah`s role in al Qaeda was later found to have been overstated.

CIA officials have long said that Haspel drafted a cable from Rodriguez ordering agency officers in the field to destroy the tapes, and that she believed Rodriguez was going to clear it first with the agency`s director at the time, Porter Goss.

At the time the cable was sent, Haspel worked in CIA headquarters outside Washington, DC&nbspPublished accounts have said she was chief in 2002 of a base in Thailand where detainees were interrogated, but arrived there after Zubaydah's waterboarding.

The memo appears to support the CIA version of events.

Haspel "drafted the cable on the direct orders of Mr&nbspRodriguez she did not release that cable. It was not her decision to destroy the tapes it was Mr Rodriguez's," Morell wrote.

Rodriguez has said he ordered the tapes destroyed out of fear that, if leaked, they could put CIA officers at risk.

In a statement earlier this week, Rodriguez said he took full responsibility for destroying the tapes.

"I was under the impression that the chain of command did not think it was illegal to destroy the tapes but that no one wanted to make the decision at the time," Rodriguez said.

Haspel, who is now the agency's No&nbsp2 official, is due to appear at a May 9 hearing on her confirmation before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Haspel has the backing of the committee's Republican chairman, Richard Burr, but several Democrats have expressed concern about the nomination.

"It’s completely unacceptable for the CIA to declassify only material that’s favourable to Gina Haspel, while at the same time stonewalling our efforts to declassify all documents related to her involvement in the torture programme," Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein said in a statement. "Senators and the public need to know more about her record."

Rachel Cohen, a spokeswoman for Senator Mark Warner, the panel`s ranking Democrat, said release of the memo was "a good step, but it was only one step. Senator Warner will continue to press the CIA to declassify additional documents and material regarding Ms. Haspel’s background."

An internal CIA review in 2011 cleared US President Donald Trump's choice to head the agency, Gina Haspel, of wrongdoing in the destruction of videotapes depicting the harsh interrogation of an al Qaeda suspect

An internal CIA review in 2011 cleared US&nbspPresident Donald Trump's choice to head the agency, Gina Haspel, of wrongdoing in the destruction of videotapes depicting the harsh interrogation of an al Qaeda suspect, according to a memorandum that the CIA declassified and released on Friday. The spy agency released the memo in response to demands by US&nbsplawmakers for more details on Haspel's career and as part of its effort to bolster her nomination. Haspel's bid to be the first woman CIA director faces scrutiny on Capitol Hill due to her involvement in a discontinued interrogation programme that many regarded as using torture. "I have found no fault with the performance of Ms&nbspHaspel," Michael Morell, then the CIA's deputy director, wrote in the December 2011 memo. "I have concluded that she acted appropriately in her role" as chief of staff to Jose Rodriguez, the head of CIA spy operations, Morell wrote. At issue was a decision that Rodriguez has said he made in November 2005 to destroy videotapes showing the waterboarding of CIA detainee Abu Zubaydah who US&nbspofficials believed at the time - incorrectly - was a top-level al Qaeda operative. Waterboarding is a form of simulated drowning. Zubaydah`s role in al Qaeda was later found to have been overstated. CIA officials have long said that Haspel drafted a cable from Rodriguez ordering agency officers in the field to destroy the tapes, and that she believed Rodriguez was going to clear it first with the agency`s director at the time, Porter Goss. At the time the cable was sent, Haspel worked in CIA headquarters outside Washington, DC&nbspPublished accounts have said she was chief in 2002 of a base in Thailand where detainees were interrogated, but arrived there after Zubaydah's waterboarding. The memo appears to support the CIA version of events. Haspel "drafted the cable on the direct orders of Mr&nbspRodriguez she did not release that cable. It was not her decision to destroy the tapes it was Mr Rodriguez's," Morell wrote. Rodriguez has said he ordered the tapes destroyed out of fear that, if leaked, they could put CIA officers at risk. In a statement earlier this week, Rodriguez said he took full responsibility for destroying the tapes. "I was under the impression that the chain of command did not think it was illegal to destroy the tapes but that no one wanted to make the decision at the time," Rodriguez said. Haspel, who is now the agency's No&nbsp2 official, is due to appear at a May 9 hearing on her confirmation before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Haspel has the backing of the committee's Republican chairman, Richard Burr, but several Democrats have expressed concern about the nomination. "It’s completely unacceptable for the CIA to declassify only material that’s favourable to Gina Haspel, while at the same time stonewalling our efforts to declassify all documents related to her involvement in the torture programme," Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein said in a statement. "Senators and the public need to know more about her record." Rachel Cohen, a spokeswoman for Senator Mark Warner, the panel`s ranking Democrat, said release of the memo was "a good step, but it was only one step. Senator Warner will continue to press the CIA to declassify additional documents and material regarding Ms. Haspel’s background."

Internal review cleared Trump's CIA pick in videotape destruction

Pakistan's military on Wednesday claimed that the terrorist organisation, the Al-Qaeda has been "dismantled".

Pakistan military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor said the Al-Qaeda threat would have reached India had Pakistan not dismantled the terrorist organisation.

"If Pakistan had not dismantled Al Qaeda, this (terror) threat would have reached India," Major General Asif Ghafoor said.

Major General Ghafoor also claimed that the border cooperation between India and Pakistan had improved.

"Pakistan-India border cooperation has improved ever since Army chief's visit to Tehran," he said.

He expressed pride over the nation's Intelligence agencies to help bust seven major terror networks.

"Intelligence agencies in Pakistan are first in a line of defence. They have identified the threats. Seven major terror networks have been busted" Major General Ghafoor said.

The terrorist groups named by him were TTS Lahore, TTP Swabi chapter, TTS Dir Chapter, Ansur Ur Sharia Karachi , JuA Kurram Chapter and Inteqam E while. Major General Ghafoor said he would interact with the members of these groups post their detention.

Stating that Pakistan was a part of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC), the Pakistan army spokesperson said that the country will not be a part of any terror activity.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Pakistan military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor said the Al-Qaeda threat would have reached India had Pakistan not 'dismantled' the terrorist organisation

Pakistan's military on Wednesday claimed that the terrorist organisation, the Al-Qaeda has been "dismantled". Pakistan military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor said the Al-Qaeda threat would have reached India had Pakistan not dismantled the terrorist organisation. "If Pakistan had not dismantled Al Qaeda, this (terror) threat would have reached India," Major General Asif Ghafoor said. Major General Ghafoor also claimed that the border cooperation between India and Pakistan had improved. "Pakistan-India border cooperation has improved ever since Army chief's visit to Tehran," he said. He expressed pride over the nation's Intelligence agencies to help bust seven major terror networks. "Intelligence agencies in Pakistan are first in a line of defence. They have identified the threats. Seven major terror networks have been busted" Major General Ghafoor said. The terrorist groups named by him were TTS Lahore, TTP Swabi chapter, TTS Dir Chapter, Ansur Ur Sharia Karachi , JuA Kurram Chapter and Inteqam E while. Major General Ghafoor said he would interact with the members of these groups post their detention. Stating that Pakistan was a part of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC), the Pakistan army spokesperson said that the country will not be a part of any terror activity.

Al-Qaeda has been 'dismantled', claims Pakistan military

An American citizen, who received training in the tribal areas of Pakistan, was sentenced to 45 years of imprisonment today for conspiring to kill US nationals and providing support to al Qaeda.

Muhanad Mahmoud al Farekh, a 32-year-old American citizen, travelled overseas, joined al Qaeda, and conspired to kill Americans, including through an attack using explosive devices on a US military installation in Afghanistan in 2009, Assistant Attorney General for the National Security John C Demers.

As proven at trial, in March 2007, Farekh and two co-conspirators, all of whom were students at the University of Manitoba, departed Canada for Pakistan with the intention of fighting against American forces overseas.

&quot;With the sentence handed down today, al Qaeda terrorist Muhanad Mahmoud Al Farekh is being held accountable for his crimes,&quot; said Demers.

Before travelling overseas, Farekh and his co-conspirators watched video recordings encouraging violent jihad, listened to jihadist lectures by now-deceased al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula leader Anwar al-Awlaqi, and came to embrace a violent, extremist view of Islam, he said.

Farekh and his co-conspirators travelled to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan, an area in the northern part of Pakistan that borders Afghanistan and is home to al Qaeda&#39;s base of operations, where they joined and received training from al Qaeda.

Taking advantage of his familiarity with the West, Farekh became a member of, and ultimately ascended to, a leadership role within al-Qaeda&#39;s external operations group, which specialized in planning and executing attacks against the US and its Western allies.

In January 2009, Farekh helped to build a vehicle-borne, improvised explosive device (VBIED) that was used in an attack on Forward Operating Base Chapman (FOB Chapman), a US military installation that served as the base for the US Provincial Reconstruction Team in Khost, Afghanistan.

On January 19, 2009, two explosives-laden vehicles approached the fence line of FOB Chapman. At the gate, the first vehicle, a pickup-sized truck, exploded after its operator detonated the VBIED.

The second vehicle, a truck that was carrying approximately 7,500 pounds of explosives, became stuck in the blast crater caused by the first explosion.

The driver abandoned his vehicle without detonating the VBIED, and was shot and killed by local security personnel. The initial detonation of the first vehicle injured one US serviceman and numerous Afghan nationals.

Forensic technicians recovered 18 latent fingerprints that were determined to be a match to Farekh from adhesive packing tape used to bind together the explosive materials of the second, undetonated VBIED.

&quot;Farekh, a citizen of this country, turned his back on America by joining al Qaeda and trying to kill American soldiers in a bomb attack on a US military base in Afghanistan,&quot; stated United States Attorney Richard Donoghue.

&quot;This case demonstrates that we will do everything in our power to ensure that those who seek to harm our country and our armed forces will be brought to justice,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

Farekh and his co-conspirators travelled to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan, an area in the northern part of Pakistan that borders Afghanistan

An American citizen, who received training in the tribal areas of Pakistan, was sentenced to 45 years of imprisonment today for conspiring to kill US nationals and providing support to al Qaeda. Muhanad Mahmoud al Farekh, a 32-year-old American citizen, travelled overseas, joined al Qaeda, and conspired to kill Americans, including through an attack using explosive devices on a US military installation in Afghanistan in 2009, Assistant Attorney General for the National Security John C Demers. As proven at trial, in March 2007, Farekh and two co-conspirators, all of whom were students at the University of Manitoba, departed Canada for Pakistan with the intention of fighting against American forces overseas. "With the sentence handed down today, al Qaeda terrorist Muhanad Mahmoud Al Farekh is being held accountable for his crimes," said Demers. Before travelling overseas, Farekh and his co-conspirators watched video recordings encouraging violent jihad, listened to jihadist lectures by now-deceased al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula leader Anwar al-Awlaqi, and came to embrace a violent, extremist view of Islam, he said. Farekh and his co-conspirators travelled to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan, an area in the northern part of Pakistan that borders Afghanistan and is home to al Qaeda's base of operations, where they joined and received training from al Qaeda. Taking advantage of his familiarity with the West, Farekh became a member of, and ultimately ascended to, a leadership role within al-Qaeda's external operations group, which specialized in planning and executing attacks against the US and its Western allies. In January 2009, Farekh helped to build a vehicle-borne, improvised explosive device (VBIED) that was used in an attack on Forward Operating Base Chapman (FOB Chapman), a US military installation that served as the base for the US Provincial Reconstruction Team in Khost, Afghanistan. On January 19, 2009, two explosives-laden vehicles approached the fence line of FOB Chapman. At the gate, the first vehicle, a pickup-sized truck, exploded after its operator detonated the VBIED. The second vehicle, a truck that was carrying approximately 7,500 pounds of explosives, became stuck in the blast crater caused by the first explosion. The driver abandoned his vehicle without detonating the VBIED, and was shot and killed by local security personnel. The initial detonation of the first vehicle injured one US serviceman and numerous Afghan nationals. Forensic technicians recovered 18 latent fingerprints that were determined to be a match to Farekh from adhesive packing tape used to bind together the explosive materials of the second, undetonated VBIED. "Farekh, a citizen of this country, turned his back on America by joining al Qaeda and trying to kill American soldiers in a bomb attack on a US military base in Afghanistan," stated United States Attorney Richard Donoghue. "This case demonstrates that we will do everything in our power to ensure that those who seek to harm our country and our armed forces will be brought to justice," he said.

32-year-old American citizen sentenced to 45 years for supporting al Qaeda

Literature newly released by Muhammad Miqdaad, a Bangladeshi Al-Qaeda fighter in the subcontinent, calls on the Muslims of Bangladesh to wage &quot;jihad&quot; against the Myanmar establishment to liberate Arakan (what is today the Rakhine state of Myanmar) for the Rohingya population.

The literature -- titled &quot;Adopt the Call of Allah; Say &ldquo;No&rdquo; to Jahiliyyah!&quot; -- was released by Al-Qaeda&#39;s As-Sahab Media on the messaging app Telegram.

Miqdaad, the author of the literature, argues that the &quot;devil and his companions&quot; have divided the identity of Muslims as one nation by segregating them by region and locality.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Due to the unrestrained cruelty &mdash; genocide, rape, and other war crimes &mdash; committed upon Arakanese Muslims, Jihad against the Burmese Army has become an individual obligation on every capable Muslim of Bangladesh,&#39; literature newly released by Al-Qaeda says</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Due to the unrestrained cruelty ? genocide, rape, and other war crimes ? committed upon Arakanese Muslims, Jihad against the Burmese Army has become an individual obligation on every capable Muslim of Bangladesh,' literature newly released by Al-Qaeda says" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

Released on December 16, the literature dates back to September, Miqdaad writes: &quot;Specially, recently when I see the genocide, and the oppression on Arakanese Muslims&hellip; the demolishment of their dwellings&hellip; the assaults on their women&hellip; and then their attempts to enter Bangladesh or Malaysia for asylum&hellip; and then at the same time, the Bangladeshi and Malaysian Muslims&rsquo; adoption of the identity of Jahiliyyah while forgetting their real identity&hellip; thus rejecting and abandoning their own people by identifying them as Rohingya or Burmese.&quot;

The literature argues that Arakan is not part of Myanmar and was a blueprint of the &quot;kuffar&quot; (infidels) to &quot;annihilate the Muslims&quot;.

The nine-page piece of literature pulls references from Quranic verses and provides a brief history of the region, making its arguments methodically.

Also read -- <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/rohingya-exodus-hide-run-pay-and-stay-alive-891" target="_blank">Rohingya exodus: Hide, run, pay and stay alive</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/i-am-a-rohingya-and-rohingyas-are-not-terrorist-rohingya-activist-tun-khin-speaks-to-wion-19965" target="_blank">&#39;I am a Rohingya. And Rohingyas are not terrorist&#39;: Rohingya activist Tun Khin speaks to WION</a>

The literature further states: &quot;Due to the unrestrained cruelty &mdash; genocide, rape, and other war crimes &mdash; committed upon Arakanese Muslims, Jihad against the Burmese Army has become an individual obligation on every capable Muslim of Bangladesh.&quot;

Bangladesh currently houses nearly a million Rohingya refugees, including a fresh influx of 655,000 members of the community who have sought refuge in Bangladesh&#39;s Southern Cox&#39;s Bazar since September this year. The fresh influx occurred following a crackdown by the Myanmar Army on the Rohingya population in Myanmar&#39;s northern Rakhine state.&nbsp;

Security analysts say the Rohingya&#39;s vulnerable condition makes them ripe for exploitation by extremist outfits across the region.

Recent reports in the Indian media have also revealed that members of the Rohingya community, as well as jihadists from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, have been training on making and using improvised explosive devices in Mae Sot in Thailand.

The ongoing Rohingya crisis in Rakhine erupted after the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, an insurgent group, killed 30 members of the Myanmar security forces on August 25.

On its Twitter page, ARSA has denied any allegiance to global terrorist organisations but the latest literature from Al-Qaeda indicates the jihadist organisation is harping on the Rohingya crisis to legitimise its own cause.

Al Qaeda has called for the liberation of Arakan (what is today the Rakhine state of Myanmar)

Literature newly released by Muhammad Miqdaad, a Bangladeshi Al-Qaeda fighter in the subcontinent, calls on the Muslims of Bangladesh to wage "jihad" against the Myanmar establishment to liberate Arakan (what is today the Rakhine state of Myanmar) for the Rohingya population. The literature -- titled "Adopt the Call of Allah; Say “No” to Jahiliyyah!" -- was released by Al-Qaeda's As-Sahab Media on the messaging app Telegram. Miqdaad, the author of the literature, argues that the "devil and his companions" have divided the identity of Muslims as one nation by segregating them by region and locality. Due to the unrestrained cruelty — genocide, rape, and other war crimes — committed upon Arakanese Muslims, Jihad against the Burmese Army has become an individual obligation on every capable Muslim of Bangladesh,' literature newly released by Al-Qaeda says × Released on December 16, the literature dates back to September, Miqdaad writes: "Specially, recently when I see the genocide, and the oppression on Arakanese Muslims… the demolishment of their dwellings… the assaults on their women… and then their attempts to enter Bangladesh or Malaysia for asylum… and then at the same time, the Bangladeshi and Malaysian Muslims’ adoption of the identity of Jahiliyyah while forgetting their real identity… thus rejecting and abandoning their own people by identifying them as Rohingya or Burmese." The literature argues that Arakan is not part of Myanmar and was a blueprint of the "kuffar" (infidels) to "annihilate the Muslims". The nine-page piece of literature pulls references from Quranic verses and provides a brief history of the region, making its arguments methodically. Also read -- Rohingya exodus: Hide, run, pay and stay alive 'I am a Rohingya. And Rohingyas are not terrorist': Rohingya activist Tun Khin speaks to WION The literature further states: "Due to the unrestrained cruelty — genocide, rape, and other war crimes — committed upon Arakanese Muslims, Jihad against the Burmese Army has become an individual obligation on every capable Muslim of Bangladesh." Bangladesh currently houses nearly a million Rohingya refugees, including a fresh influx of 655,000 members of the community who have sought refuge in Bangladesh's Southern Cox's Bazar since September this year. The fresh influx occurred following a crackdown by the Myanmar Army on the Rohingya population in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state. Security analysts say the Rohingya's vulnerable condition makes them ripe for exploitation by extremist outfits across the region. Recent reports in the Indian media have also revealed that members of the Rohingya community, as well as jihadists from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, have been training on making and using improvised explosive devices in Mae Sot in Thailand. The ongoing Rohingya crisis in Rakhine erupted after the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, an insurgent group, killed 30 members of the Myanmar security forces on August 25. On its Twitter page, ARSA has denied any allegiance to global terrorist organisations but the latest literature from Al-Qaeda indicates the jihadist organisation is harping on the Rohingya crisis to legitimise its own cause.

Al-Qaeda calls on Bangladeshi Muslims to wage jihad against Myanmar Army

Al Qaeda Kashmir <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-bank-staff-guards-foil-terrorists-robbery-attempt-in-jammu-and-kashmir-25842">unit chief Zakir Musa and his associates </a>looted a bank in Jammu and Kashmir, reports said on Monday.&nbsp;

Around Rs 1 lakh were looted by Musa and two of his associates at the Noorpora branch of J&amp;K Bank limited in Tral area - after firing shots in the air, reports said

The incident took place on Monday afternoon. Thorough search operations are on after the robbery, as per reports.&nbsp;

Earlier, Al Qaeda had announced that they have appointed Zakir Musa as the chief of its Kashmir unit, called Ansar Ghazwatul Hind, making him the most wanted commander in the Valley.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Around Rs. 1 lakh were looted by Musa and two of his associates at the Noorpora branch of J&K Bank limited in Tral area - after firing shots in the air, reports said

Al Qaeda Kashmir unit chief Zakir Musa and his associates looted a bank in Jammu and Kashmir, reports said on Monday. Around Rs 1 lakh were looted by Musa and two of his associates at the Noorpora branch of J&K Bank limited in Tral area - after firing shots in the air, reports said The incident took place on Monday afternoon. Thorough search operations are on after the robbery, as per reports. Earlier, Al Qaeda had announced that they have appointed Zakir Musa as the chief of its Kashmir unit, called Ansar Ghazwatul Hind, making him the most wanted commander in the Valley.

Al Qaeda Kashmir chief Zakir Musa loots J&K bank: Report

A drone strike has killed seven suspected members of Al-Qaeda in southern Yemen, a security official said on Sunday.

The United States is the only force known to operate armed drones over Yemen.

&quot;A drone likely to be American&quot; killed all seven overnight as they were aboard three vehicles on the road from the southern province of Shabwa to the central province of Bayda, the official said.

Washington considers the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to be the radical group&#39;s most dangerous branch.

A long-running drone war against AQAP has intensified since US President Donald Trump took office in January.

AQAP has flourished in the chaos of the country&#39;s civil war, which pits the Saudi-backed government against the Huthi rebels.

More than 8,700 people have been killed in the conflict since a Saudi-led military coalition intervened on the government&#39;s side in March 2015.

Al-Qaeda&#39;s jihadist rivals, the Islamic State group, have also carried out several deadly attacks in the country.

Last month, the United States said it had killed dozens of Islamic State fighters at training camps in Bayda.

The United States is the only force known to operate armed drones over Yemen

A drone strike has killed seven suspected members of Al-Qaeda in southern Yemen, a security official said on Sunday. The United States is the only force known to operate armed drones over Yemen. "A drone likely to be American" killed all seven overnight as they were aboard three vehicles on the road from the southern province of Shabwa to the central province of Bayda, the official said. Washington considers the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to be the radical group's most dangerous branch. A long-running drone war against AQAP has intensified since US President Donald Trump took office in January. AQAP has flourished in the chaos of the country's civil war, which pits the Saudi-backed government against the Huthi rebels. More than 8,700 people have been killed in the conflict since a Saudi-led military coalition intervened on the government's side in March 2015. Al-Qaeda's jihadist rivals, the Islamic State group, have also carried out several deadly attacks in the country. Last month, the United States said it had killed dozens of Islamic State fighters at training camps in Bayda.

Drone kills 7 Qaeda suspects in Yemen

Bangladesh police said on Saturday they had arrested an Islamist militant wanted in connection with the 2015 killing of a US&nbsp;blogger critical of religious extremism.

Deputy police commissioner Masudur Rahman said the man, identified as Arafat Rahman, 24, a member of al Qaeda-inspired militant group Ansar Ullah Bangla Team, was suspected of taking part in the killing of writer Avijit Roy.

Roy, a US&nbsp;citizen of Bangladeshi origin, was hacked to death by machete-wielding assailants in February 2015 while returning home with his wife from a Dhaka book fair. Roy&#39;s widow, Rafida Ahmed, was seriously injured.

Police official Rahman said the detainee, who was identified after analysing CCTV footage, was arrested by the counter-terrorism police unit on the outskirts of the capital, Dhaka, on Friday night.

&quot;In the primary interrogation, he confessed his involvement in the killing of four other secular activists,&quot; he told Reuters.

It was not possible to contact the detainee to comment as he was in police custody.

Muslim-majority Bangladesh of 160 million people has had a string of deadly attacks targeting bloggers, foreigners and religious minorities.

The most serious recent attack came in July 2016, when gunmen stormed a cafe in the diplomatic quarter of Dhaka and killed 22 people, most of them foreigners.

Police say the Ansar Ullah Bangla Team militant group is behind the murders of more than a dozen secular bloggers and gay rights activists. They believe a sacked army major, who is still at large, was the leader of the group and masterminded the killings.

Al Qaeda and Islamic State have also claimed responsibility for a series of killings over the past few years, including that of Roy.

The government has denied the presence of such groups, blaming domestic militants instead. But security experts say the scale and sophistication of the cafe attack suggested links to a wider network.

Police and army commandos have killed more than 60 suspected militants and arrested hundreds since the cafe attack.

The man, identified as Arafat Rahman, a member of al Qaeda-inspired militant group Ansar Ullah Bangla Team, was suspected of taking part in the killing of writer Avijit Roy said Deputy police commissioner Masudur Rahman

Bangladesh police said on Saturday they had arrested an Islamist militant wanted in connection with the 2015 killing of a US blogger critical of religious extremism. Deputy police commissioner Masudur Rahman said the man, identified as Arafat Rahman, 24, a member of al Qaeda-inspired militant group Ansar Ullah Bangla Team, was suspected of taking part in the killing of writer Avijit Roy. Roy, a US citizen of Bangladeshi origin, was hacked to death by machete-wielding assailants in February 2015 while returning home with his wife from a Dhaka book fair. Roy's widow, Rafida Ahmed, was seriously injured. Police official Rahman said the detainee, who was identified after analysing CCTV footage, was arrested by the counter-terrorism police unit on the outskirts of the capital, Dhaka, on Friday night. "In the primary interrogation, he confessed his involvement in the killing of four other secular activists," he told Reuters. It was not possible to contact the detainee to comment as he was in police custody. Muslim-majority Bangladesh of 160 million people has had a string of deadly attacks targeting bloggers, foreigners and religious minorities. The most serious recent attack came in July 2016, when gunmen stormed a cafe in the diplomatic quarter of Dhaka and killed 22 people, most of them foreigners. Police say the Ansar Ullah Bangla Team militant group is behind the murders of more than a dozen secular bloggers and gay rights activists. They believe a sacked army major, who is still at large, was the leader of the group and masterminded the killings. Al Qaeda and Islamic State have also claimed responsibility for a series of killings over the past few years, including that of Roy. The government has denied the presence of such groups, blaming domestic militants instead. But security experts say the scale and sophistication of the cafe attack suggested links to a wider network. Police and army commandos have killed more than 60 suspected militants and arrested hundreds since the cafe attack.

Bangladesh arrests militant suspect in US blogger murder

Terrorist networks like the ISIS and Al Qaeda may soon begin instructing recruits on how to create killer viruses just like bomb-making lessons, a senior European Union (EU) security expert has warned.

Gilles de Kerchove, the EU&#39;s counter-terrorism co- ordinator, said that terror networks based in the Middle East like Al Qaeda and Islamic State (ISIS), could begin using the internet to instruct on the use of biological agents.

&quot;If we don&#39;t address the grievances which led to the creation of Daesh (ISIS), Sunni grievances against sectarian Shia policies, and state violence from [Syrian President] Assad, we are likely to see the resurgence of something that could be Daesh 2.0,&quot; Kerchove told a conference organised by the UK-based think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London this week.

Tracing that the first edition of &#39;Inspire&#39;, Al Qaeda&#39;s online propaganda magazine, had an article on &quot;how to make a bomb in your mum&#39;s kitchen&quot;, he said: &quot;What if anyone will have a similar article on how to process a virus in your mum&#39;s kitchen?&quot;

&quot;Unfortunately, it&#39;s probably easier than before for a lone actor to perpetrate an attack with catastrophic consequences.&quot; Kerchove also warned that terrorists could tap into networks of cyber criminals to develop or buy the expertise to launch a devastating cyber-attack.

Patrick McGuinness, the UK&#39;s Deputy National Security Adviser and one of British Prime Minister Theresa May&#39;s senior-most security advisers, agreed that all terrorists needed was the &quot;internet and a mindset&quot; to perpetrate global atrocities and it was important to defeat them online.

&quot;The frontline [against ISIS] is now online...Until there is not a presence online, until ISIS cannot occupy space online freely, we will not be safe,&quot; he said.

He said the speed at which people are &quot;brought to violence&quot; was now &quot;almost too fast to catch&#39;&#39; without the most extraordinary intrusive surveillance techniques which are not going to be sustainable or acceptable in a Western democracy.

The UK&#39;s security minister, Ben Wallace, told the conference a total of eight planned attacks had been thwarted since the ISIS-inspired attack on the UK Parliament building in Westminster in March this year, bringing the total to 21 since 2013.

&quot;Nearly 600 investigative leads are ongoing, covering about 3,000 people and approximately another 20,000 people who we have at some stage had concern about,&quot; he told RUSI&#39;s Westminster Counter-terrorism Conference.

&quot;It is not a spike in the threat, but a shift that we are now facing, and that is something we all have to deal with,&quot; he added. 
Wallace said a new counter-terrorism strategy is set to be unveiled by the UK government in the New Year, to keep &quot;one step ahead of the terrorists&quot;.&nbsp;

Gilles de Kerchove, the EU's counter-terrorism co- ordinator, said that terror networks like Al Qaeda and Islamic State (ISIS), could begin using the internet to instruct on the use of biological agents

Terrorist networks like the ISIS and Al Qaeda may soon begin instructing recruits on how to create killer viruses just like bomb-making lessons, a senior European Union (EU) security expert has warned. Gilles de Kerchove, the EU's counter-terrorism co- ordinator, said that terror networks based in the Middle East like Al Qaeda and Islamic State (ISIS), could begin using the internet to instruct on the use of biological agents. "If we don't address the grievances which led to the creation of Daesh (ISIS), Sunni grievances against sectarian Shia policies, and state violence from [Syrian President] Assad, we are likely to see the resurgence of something that could be Daesh 2.0," Kerchove told a conference organised by the UK-based think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London this week. Tracing that the first edition of 'Inspire', Al Qaeda's online propaganda magazine, had an article on "how to make a bomb in your mum's kitchen", he said: "What if anyone will have a similar article on how to process a virus in your mum's kitchen?" "Unfortunately, it's probably easier than before for a lone actor to perpetrate an attack with catastrophic consequences." Kerchove also warned that terrorists could tap into networks of cyber criminals to develop or buy the expertise to launch a devastating cyber-attack. Patrick McGuinness, the UK's Deputy National Security Adviser and one of British Prime Minister Theresa May's senior-most security advisers, agreed that all terrorists needed was the "internet and a mindset" to perpetrate global atrocities and it was important to defeat them online. "The frontline [against ISIS] is now online...Until there is not a presence online, until ISIS cannot occupy space online freely, we will not be safe," he said. He said the speed at which people are "brought to violence" was now "almost too fast to catch'' without the most extraordinary intrusive surveillance techniques which are not going to be sustainable or acceptable in a Western democracy. The UK's security minister, Ben Wallace, told the conference a total of eight planned attacks had been thwarted since the ISIS-inspired attack on the UK Parliament building in Westminster in March this year, bringing the total to 21 since 2013. "Nearly 600 investigative leads are ongoing, covering about 3,000 people and approximately another 20,000 people who we have at some stage had concern about," he told RUSI's Westminster Counter-terrorism Conference. "It is not a spike in the threat, but a shift that we are now facing, and that is something we all have to deal with," he added. Wallace said a new counter-terrorism strategy is set to be unveiled by the UK government in the New Year, to keep "one step ahead of the terrorists".

EU expert warns against terrorists using killer virus

An unmarried couple were stoned to death in public in northeast Mali by &quot;Islamists&quot;, local officials told AFP on Wednesday, the first such incident since jihadist groups were driven out of the region.

Jihadists seized key northern cities in Mali in March 2012, and though they were driven out by a French-led military intervention in 2013, Islamist groups continue to make their presence felt with frequent attacks on domestic and foreign forces.

&quot;The Islamists dug two holes where they put the man and the woman who lived maritally without being married,&quot; said a local official. &quot;They were stoned to death.&quot;

The stoning happened in Taghlit on Tuesday, close to Aguelhok in the Kidal region, and the same source told AFP that members of the public were invited to take part.

&quot;Four people threw stones at them until they died,&quot; they said.

Another local official said the Islamists had accused the unmarried couple of violating &quot;Islamic law&quot;, which requires punishment by stoning.

During their brief control of key towns in the vast north, jihadist groups imposed a version of Sharia law which forced women to wear veils and set whipping and stoning as punishment for transgressions.

In July 2012, the Al-Qaeda-linked Ansar Dine group stoned a couple in public in Aguelhok who they accused of having children outside marriage.

The stoning comes on the eve of an expected visit to Mali by French President Emmanuel Macron, who is due to meet French troops stationed there on Thursday or Friday.

The Malian Association for the Defence of Human Rights (AMDH) described the stoning as &quot;cowardly murder&quot;.

&quot;This is barbaric. The people who did this should be arrested and put on trial,&quot; said Oumar Diakite, an AMDH official.

UN rapid intervention force

A 2015 peace deal signed by Tuareg-led rebels, the government and pro-Bamako militias aimed to quell separatist uprisings in the north and isolate jihadist groups.

But its implementation has been piecemeal and the jihadists, who did not sign up to the accord, continue to mount attacks on civilians and the army, as well as French and UN forces.

The new UN peacekeeping chief said a rapid intervention force of Senegalese troops would soon be deployed in central Mali, which has seen an increase in attacks and communal violence since 2015.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, on his first visit to Mali since becoming under-secretary general for UN peacekeeping operations, said the UN mission lacked capacity.

&quot;We are hopeful that, soon, a number of reinforcements will arrive, which will make up for these shortcomings,&quot; he said.

The UN mission, known by its acronym MINUSMA, has been stationed in the west African country since 2013 and is considered the world body&#39;s most dangerous active peacekeeping deployment.

The opposition Parena party meanwhile noted that 309 people had been killed since the beginning of the year by armed groups, describing &quot;alarm at the deterioration of the security situation&quot; two years after the signing of the peace deal.

(AFP)&nbsp;

Officials said the couple was killed by 'Islamists'

An unmarried couple were stoned to death in public in northeast Mali by "Islamists", local officials told AFP on Wednesday, the first such incident since jihadist groups were driven out of the region. Jihadists seized key northern cities in Mali in March 2012, and though they were driven out by a French-led military intervention in 2013, Islamist groups continue to make their presence felt with frequent attacks on domestic and foreign forces. "The Islamists dug two holes where they put the man and the woman who lived maritally without being married," said a local official. "They were stoned to death." The stoning happened in Taghlit on Tuesday, close to Aguelhok in the Kidal region, and the same source told AFP that members of the public were invited to take part. "Four people threw stones at them until they died," they said. Another local official said the Islamists had accused the unmarried couple of violating "Islamic law", which requires punishment by stoning. During their brief control of key towns in the vast north, jihadist groups imposed a version of Sharia law which forced women to wear veils and set whipping and stoning as punishment for transgressions. In July 2012, the Al-Qaeda-linked Ansar Dine group stoned a couple in public in Aguelhok who they accused of having children outside marriage. The stoning comes on the eve of an expected visit to Mali by French President Emmanuel Macron, who is due to meet French troops stationed there on Thursday or Friday. The Malian Association for the Defence of Human Rights (AMDH) described the stoning as "cowardly murder". "This is barbaric. The people who did this should be arrested and put on trial," said Oumar Diakite, an AMDH official. UN rapid intervention force A 2015 peace deal signed by Tuareg-led rebels, the government and pro-Bamako militias aimed to quell separatist uprisings in the north and isolate jihadist groups. But its implementation has been piecemeal and the jihadists, who did not sign up to the accord, continue to mount attacks on civilians and the army, as well as French and UN forces. The new UN peacekeeping chief said a rapid intervention force of Senegalese troops would soon be deployed in central Mali, which has seen an increase in attacks and communal violence since 2015. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, on his first visit to Mali since becoming under-secretary general for UN peacekeeping operations, said the UN mission lacked capacity. "We are hopeful that, soon, a number of reinforcements will arrive, which will make up for these shortcomings," he said. The UN mission, known by its acronym MINUSMA, has been stationed in the west African country since 2013 and is considered the world body's most dangerous active peacekeeping deployment. The opposition Parena party meanwhile noted that 309 people had been killed since the beginning of the year by armed groups, describing "alarm at the deterioration of the security situation" two years after the signing of the peace deal. (AFP)

Mali: Unmarried couple living together stoned to death

Police in Bangladesh shot down five members of a family they suspect was affiliated with the Neo Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh in Rajshahi in the northern part of the country, Sumit Chowdhury, Assistant Superintendent of Rajshahi Police confirmed to WION. A firefighter was killed during the overnight raid and five members of the police were also injured.

Police said the five suspects belonged to the same family. They primarily suspected the son of the family Al-Amin&#39;s affiliation with neo-JMB.

Police and specialised units of the law enforcing agencies in Bangladesh have been carrying out countrywide anti-terrorist raids since March, which have killed several suspects of neo-JMB, a local terrorist outfit affiliated with the Islamic State.

A Sylhet house planted with IED led Bangladesh Army to wage a five-day operation taking out four members. The police suspected the members were part of the neo-JMB.&nbsp;

Human rights organisations point out that information about the counter-terrorist operations are largely one-sided with only the police providing their narratives. &quot;Whatever information we are getting are from the police,&quot; said Nur Khan, executive director of Ain O Salish Kendra, a Bangladeshi human rights organisation. There is no way to independently authenticate the information.

Eight suspects including four children were killed in an anti-terrorist operation in Sylhet codenamed &quot;Operation Hitback&quot; on March 30. &quot;The objective of the operations appears to be elimination even if that is at the cost of lives,&quot; Khan told WION, adding many women and children are becoming victims of these operations.&nbsp;

&quot;Our law enforcement agencies should be more careful, so that there are less casualties and suspects can be captured alive. That would provide an opportunity to reap benefits of de-radicalisation. When they die in the raids, acquiring further information becomes limited,&quot; Khan told WION. &nbsp;

Rights groups including the Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly raised concerns about enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Bangladesh previously.

The anti-terror drives happen following a deadly cafe attack in Dhaka, that was claimed by the Islamic State in July last year, which killed at least 20 civilians.&nbsp;

(WION)

Police and specialised units of the law enforcing agencies in Bangladesh have been carrying out countrywide anti-terrorist raids since March, which have killed several suspects of neo-JMB

Police in Bangladesh shot down five members of a family they suspect was affiliated with the Neo Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh in Rajshahi in the northern part of the country, Sumit Chowdhury, Assistant Superintendent of Rajshahi Police confirmed to WION. A firefighter was killed during the overnight raid and five members of the police were also injured. Police said the five suspects belonged to the same family. They primarily suspected the son of the family Al-Amin's affiliation with neo-JMB. Police and specialised units of the law enforcing agencies in Bangladesh have been carrying out countrywide anti-terrorist raids since March, which have killed several suspects of neo-JMB, a local terrorist outfit affiliated with the Islamic State. A Sylhet house planted with IED led Bangladesh Army to wage a five-day operation taking out four members. The police suspected the members were part of the neo-JMB. Human rights organisations point out that information about the counter-terrorist operations are largely one-sided with only the police providing their narratives. "Whatever information we are getting are from the police," said Nur Khan, executive director of Ain O Salish Kendra, a Bangladeshi human rights organisation. There is no way to independently authenticate the information. Eight suspects including four children were killed in an anti-terrorist operation in Sylhet codenamed "Operation Hitback" on March 30. "The objective of the operations appears to be elimination even if that is at the cost of lives," Khan told WION, adding many women and children are becoming victims of these operations. "Our law enforcement agencies should be more careful, so that there are less casualties and suspects can be captured alive. That would provide an opportunity to reap benefits of de-radicalisation. When they die in the raids, acquiring further information becomes limited," Khan told WION. Rights groups including the Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly raised concerns about enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Bangladesh previously. The anti-terror drives happen following a deadly cafe attack in Dhaka, that was claimed by the Islamic State in July last year, which killed at least 20 civilians. (WION)

Bangladesh: 5 members of a family suspected of links with Neo JMB killed in police raid

A draft of President Donald Trump&#39;s new counterterrorism strategy demands that US allies shoulder more of the burden in combating Islamist militants, while acknowledging that the threat of terrorism will never be totally eliminated.

The 11-page draft, seen on Friday by Reuters, said the United States should avoid costly, &quot;open-ended&quot; military commitments.

&quot;We need to intensify operations against global jihadist groups while also reducing the costs of American &#39;blood and treasure&#39; in pursuit of our counterterrorism goals,&quot; states the document, which is expected to be released in coming months.

&quot;We will seek to avoid costly, large-scale US military interventions to achieve counterterrorism objectives and will increasingly look to partners to share the responsibility for countering terrorist groups,&quot; it says.

However, it acknowledges that terrorism &quot;cannot be defeated with any sort of finality&quot;.

Michael Anton, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said, &quot;As part of its overall approach, the administration is taking a fresh look at the entire US national security strategy, to include the counterterrorism mission - which is especially important since no such strategy has been produced publicly since 2011.&quot;

The process is aimed at ensuring &quot;the new strategy is directed against the pre-eminent terrorist threats to our nation, our citizens, our interests overseas and allies,&quot; Anton said. &quot;Moreover, this new strategy will highlight achievable and realistic goals, and guiding principles.&quot;

Combating Islamic extremism was a major issue for Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. The draft strategy paper, which officials said was still being fine-tuned at the White House, describes the threat from Islamic militant groups in stark tones.

It remains to be seen how Trump can square his goal of avoiding military interventions with ongoing conflicts involving US troops in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen and elsewhere.

Rather than scale back US commitments, he has so far largely adhered to former Obama administration plans to intensify military operations against militant groups and granted the Pentagon greater authority to strike them in places like Yemen and Somalia.

Trump may soon reverse years of Obama-ordered drawdowns in Afghanistan. His administration is now considering boosting by 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers the 8,400-strong US contingent helping Afghan forces fight a resurgent Taliban, current and former US officials say.

A senior administration official noted that only a small number of troops have been added to US forces in Iraq and Syria under Trump, at the discretion of his military commanders.

&quot;If you do see additions elsewhere, they will be in keeping with this (draft) strategy,&quot; said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The increased pace of US military operations has seen a recent spate of American casualties. The latest came in Somalia, where a Navy SEAL died and two others were wounded in an attack by al Shabaab militants, US officials said on Friday.

Since President Barack Obama released the last US counterterrorism strategy in 2011 before the emergence of Islamic State, the threat has &quot;diversified in size, scope and complexity from what we faced just a few years ago,&quot; the draft strategy said.

In addition to Islamic State, the United States and its allies are endangered by a reconstituted al Qaeda, groups such as the Haqqani network and Hezbollah, as well as from homegrown extremists radicalized online, it said.

Bruce Hoffman, director of Georgetown University&#39;s Center for Security Studies and who reviewed the document at Reuters&#39; request, said the draft strategy &quot;paints - and I think accurately - a more dire picture&quot; of the threat than the Obama document, which sounded a &quot;triumphalist&quot; tone following al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden&#39;s death in a 2011 US raid in Pakistan.

Missing Phrase

The senior administration official said the document describing an overarching counterterrorism approach is separate from a detailed strategy to defeat Islamic State that Trump also has ordered.

The draft strategy seen by Reuters appears to flow from Trump&#39;s &quot;America First&quot; foreign policy calling for foreign aid cuts and more burden-sharing by allies and alliances such as NATO.

It does not include a signature phrase from Trump&#39;s 2016 campaign, &quot;radical Islamic terrorism.&quot; Instead, it says that jihadist groups &quot;have merged under a global jihadist ideology that seeks to establish a transnational Islamic caliphate that fosters conflict on a global scale.&quot;

The draft&#39;s first guiding principle is that the United States &quot;will always act to disrupt, prevent and respond to terrorist attacks against our nation, our citizens, our interests overseas and our allies. This includes taking direct and unilateral action, if necessary.&quot;

The administration would boost US homeland security by working with allies and partners to eliminate terrorist leaders, &quot;ideologues, technical experts, financiers, external operators and battlefield commanders.&quot;

The draft also calls for denying militants physical and online sanctuaries in which to plan and launch attacks and &quot;degrade their efforts to develop and deploy&quot; chemical and biological weapons.

Yet it provides few details on how the United States, which has led global counterterrorism efforts since the September 11, 2001, attacks, can achieve those goals by passing more of the burden to other countries, many of which lack the requisite military and intelligence capabilities.

The draft makes little mention of promoting human rights, development, good governance and other &quot;soft power&quot; tools that Washington has embraced in the past to help foreign governments reduce grievances that feed extremism.

In contrast, the Obama counterterrorism strategy made &quot;respecting human rights, fostering good governance, respecting privacy and civil liberties, committing to security and transparency and upholding the rule of law&quot; the foremost of its guiding principles.

&quot;Soft power has a role to play, but not to the exclusion of kinetics,&quot; or military action, said Hoffman. He called the draft &quot;a very sober depiction of the threat and what is needed now and in the immediate future to counter it.&quot;

(Reuters)

The 11-page draft, seen on Friday by Reuters, said the United States should avoid costly, 'open-ended' military commitments

A draft of President Donald Trump's new counterterrorism strategy demands that US allies shoulder more of the burden in combating Islamist militants, while acknowledging that the threat of terrorism will never be totally eliminated. The 11-page draft, seen on Friday by Reuters, said the United States should avoid costly, "open-ended" military commitments. "We need to intensify operations against global jihadist groups while also reducing the costs of American 'blood and treasure' in pursuit of our counterterrorism goals," states the document, which is expected to be released in coming months. "We will seek to avoid costly, large-scale US military interventions to achieve counterterrorism objectives and will increasingly look to partners to share the responsibility for countering terrorist groups," it says. However, it acknowledges that terrorism "cannot be defeated with any sort of finality". Michael Anton, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said, "As part of its overall approach, the administration is taking a fresh look at the entire US national security strategy, to include the counterterrorism mission - which is especially important since no such strategy has been produced publicly since 2011." The process is aimed at ensuring "the new strategy is directed against the pre-eminent terrorist threats to our nation, our citizens, our interests overseas and allies," Anton said. "Moreover, this new strategy will highlight achievable and realistic goals, and guiding principles." Combating Islamic extremism was a major issue for Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. The draft strategy paper, which officials said was still being fine-tuned at the White House, describes the threat from Islamic militant groups in stark tones. It remains to be seen how Trump can square his goal of avoiding military interventions with ongoing conflicts involving US troops in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen and elsewhere. Rather than scale back US commitments, he has so far largely adhered to former Obama administration plans to intensify military operations against militant groups and granted the Pentagon greater authority to strike them in places like Yemen and Somalia. Trump may soon reverse years of Obama-ordered drawdowns in Afghanistan. His administration is now considering boosting by 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers the 8,400-strong US contingent helping Afghan forces fight a resurgent Taliban, current and former US officials say. A senior administration official noted that only a small number of troops have been added to US forces in Iraq and Syria under Trump, at the discretion of his military commanders. "If you do see additions elsewhere, they will be in keeping with this (draft) strategy," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The increased pace of US military operations has seen a recent spate of American casualties. The latest came in Somalia, where a Navy SEAL died and two others were wounded in an attack by al Shabaab militants, US officials said on Friday. Since President Barack Obama released the last US counterterrorism strategy in 2011 before the emergence of Islamic State, the threat has "diversified in size, scope and complexity from what we faced just a few years ago," the draft strategy said. In addition to Islamic State, the United States and its allies are endangered by a reconstituted al Qaeda, groups such as the Haqqani network and Hezbollah, as well as from homegrown extremists radicalized online, it said. Bruce Hoffman, director of Georgetown University's Center for Security Studies and who reviewed the document at Reuters' request, said the draft strategy "paints - and I think accurately - a more dire picture" of the threat than the Obama document, which sounded a "triumphalist" tone following al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's death in a 2011 US raid in Pakistan. Missing Phrase The senior administration official said the document describing an overarching counterterrorism approach is separate from a detailed strategy to defeat Islamic State that Trump also has ordered. The draft strategy seen by Reuters appears to flow from Trump's "America First" foreign policy calling for foreign aid cuts and more burden-sharing by allies and alliances such as NATO. It does not include a signature phrase from Trump's 2016 campaign, "radical Islamic terrorism." Instead, it says that jihadist groups "have merged under a global jihadist ideology that seeks to establish a transnational Islamic caliphate that fosters conflict on a global scale." The draft's first guiding principle is that the United States "will always act to disrupt, prevent and respond to terrorist attacks against our nation, our citizens, our interests overseas and our allies. This includes taking direct and unilateral action, if necessary." The administration would boost US homeland security by working with allies and partners to eliminate terrorist leaders, "ideologues, technical experts, financiers, external operators and battlefield commanders." The draft also calls for denying militants physical and online sanctuaries in which to plan and launch attacks and "degrade their efforts to develop and deploy" chemical and biological weapons. Yet it provides few details on how the United States, which has led global counterterrorism efforts since the September 11, 2001, attacks, can achieve those goals by passing more of the burden to other countries, many of which lack the requisite military and intelligence capabilities. The draft makes little mention of promoting human rights, development, good governance and other "soft power" tools that Washington has embraced in the past to help foreign governments reduce grievances that feed extremism. In contrast, the Obama counterterrorism strategy made "respecting human rights, fostering good governance, respecting privacy and civil liberties, committing to security and transparency and upholding the rule of law" the foremost of its guiding principles. "Soft power has a role to play, but not to the exclusion of kinetics," or military action, said Hoffman. He called the draft "a very sober depiction of the threat and what is needed now and in the immediate future to counter it." (Reuters)

Trump's new counter-terrorism strategy urges allies to do more to combat terrorism

Yemen&#39;s Al-Qaeda has detained two militants accused of being US informants in a district targeted by multiple air raids over the past week, a tribal leader said Wednesday.&nbsp;

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) arrested two of its operatives in Mawjan district in the southern Abyan province on accusations they were &quot;spying for the United States&quot;, a tribal leader there said on condition of anonymity.&nbsp;

Abyan has been the target of US air strikes as well as an AQAP attack on the army over the past week.&nbsp;

Washington&#39;s drone war on AQAP has resumed pace since President Donald Trump took office in January.&nbsp;

The US is thought to have launched at least 40 air strikes by warplanes and drones against AQAP since last week, targeting the southern provinces of Abyan and Shabwa as well as Baida, slightly to the north.&nbsp;

More than two years of civil war between government forces and Shiite rebels who control the capital have created a power vacuum in Yemen, one which AQAP has exploited to consolidate its presence in the south and east.

Washington regards AQAP as the jihadist network&#39;s most dangerous and says it has been plotting attacks on the West in recent months.

(AFP)

The US is thought to have launched at least 40 attacks by warplanes or drones since last week,

Yemen's Al-Qaeda has detained two militants accused of being US informants in a district targeted by multiple air raids over the past week, a tribal leader said Wednesday. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) arrested two of its operatives in Mawjan district in the southern Abyan province on accusations they were "spying for the United States", a tribal leader there said on condition of anonymity. Abyan has been the target of US air strikes as well as an AQAP attack on the army over the past week. Washington's drone war on AQAP has resumed pace since President Donald Trump took office in January. The US is thought to have launched at least 40 air strikes by warplanes and drones against AQAP since last week, targeting the southern provinces of Abyan and Shabwa as well as Baida, slightly to the north. More than two years of civil war between government forces and Shiite rebels who control the capital have created a power vacuum in Yemen, one which AQAP has exploited to consolidate its presence in the south and east. Washington regards AQAP as the jihadist network's most dangerous and says it has been plotting attacks on the West in recent months. (AFP)

Yemen's Al-Qaeda detains 2 militants for 'spying for US'

The United States carried out another wave of strikes against al Qaeda in Yemen overnight, residents and US&nbsp;officials said on Friday, in the latest sign of increasing US&nbsp;military focus on a group whose strength has grown during Yemen&#39;s civil war.

A day after US&nbsp;forces initiated a campaign of air strikes in Yemen, estimated in the mid-twenties, the Pentagon confirmed several more strikes in Shabwah, Abyan and Al Bayda provinces on Friday. That would bring the two-day total to more than 30 strikes.

Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis did not rule out further strikes.

&quot;I don&#39;t want to telegraph future operations, but this is part of a plan to go after this very real threat and ensure they are defeated, and denied the opportunity to plan and carry out terrorist attacks from ungoverned spaces in Yemen,&quot; Davis told a Pentagon news briefing.

Residents reported a US&nbsp;assault in Wadi Yashbum village in the southern Shabwah province and said some of the strikes hit civilian homes, wounding an unknown number of civilians.

About three hours later, residents in the Jabal Mugan area of neighbouring Abyan province also reported air strikes.

Residents also cited ground battles involving American soldiers and al Qaeda militants but the Pentagon formally denied any US&nbsp;raids or combat on the ground.

&quot;I know there have been reports of firefights, raids. There have not been any that US&nbsp;forces have been involved in, not since the one you know about,&quot; Davis said.

The United States carried out a raid in late January in Yemen against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) by US&nbsp;commandos, an operation in which 14 militants and a Navy SEAL died, as well as civilians.

The White House and other senior US&nbsp;officials have said the mission yielded valuable intelligence but critics questioned its value and effectiveness.

Davis noted that al Qaeda, even more than Islamic State, had US&nbsp;blood on its hands.

In 2000, al Qaeda bombers steered a boat full of explosives into the side of the USS Cole, a US&nbsp;Navy destroyer, while it refuelled in the Yemeni port of Aden, killing 17 US&nbsp;sailors and wounding about three dozen others.

AQAP has been a persistent concern to the US&nbsp;government since an attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day 2009 that was traced back to the militant group.

It has exploited a civil war in which the Iran-aligned Houthi movement is fighting the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, which is backed by US-aligned Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies.

The war has killed more than 10,000 people and put millions of people, including half a million children under age 5, on the brink of starvation, UN&nbsp;officials say.

The Saudi-led coalition, which benefits from US&nbsp;military assistance, has focused most of its firepower against the Houthis and allied forces loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, but has also targeted some AQAP strongholds.

(Reuters)

Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis has not ruled out them carrying out further strikes

The United States carried out another wave of strikes against al Qaeda in Yemen overnight, residents and US officials said on Friday, in the latest sign of increasing US military focus on a group whose strength has grown during Yemen's civil war. A day after US forces initiated a campaign of air strikes in Yemen, estimated in the mid-twenties, the Pentagon confirmed several more strikes in Shabwah, Abyan and Al Bayda provinces on Friday. That would bring the two-day total to more than 30 strikes. Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis did not rule out further strikes. "I don't want to telegraph future operations, but this is part of a plan to go after this very real threat and ensure they are defeated, and denied the opportunity to plan and carry out terrorist attacks from ungoverned spaces in Yemen," Davis told a Pentagon news briefing. Residents reported a US assault in Wadi Yashbum village in the southern Shabwah province and said some of the strikes hit civilian homes, wounding an unknown number of civilians. About three hours later, residents in the Jabal Mugan area of neighbouring Abyan province also reported air strikes. Residents also cited ground battles involving American soldiers and al Qaeda militants but the Pentagon formally denied any US raids or combat on the ground. "I know there have been reports of firefights, raids. There have not been any that US forces have been involved in, not since the one you know about," Davis said. The United States carried out a raid in late January in Yemen against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) by US commandos, an operation in which 14 militants and a Navy SEAL died, as well as civilians. The White House and other senior US officials have said the mission yielded valuable intelligence but critics questioned its value and effectiveness. Davis noted that al Qaeda, even more than Islamic State, had US blood on its hands. In 2000, al Qaeda bombers steered a boat full of explosives into the side of the USS Cole, a US Navy destroyer, while it refuelled in the Yemeni port of Aden, killing 17 US sailors and wounding about three dozen others. AQAP has been a persistent concern to the US government since an attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day 2009 that was traced back to the militant group. It has exploited a civil war in which the Iran-aligned Houthi movement is fighting the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, which is backed by US-aligned Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies. The war has killed more than 10,000 people and put millions of people, including half a million children under age 5, on the brink of starvation, UN officials say. The Saudi-led coalition, which benefits from US military assistance, has focused most of its firepower against the Houthis and allied forces loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, but has also targeted some AQAP strongholds. (Reuters)

US renews attacks on Al Qaeda in Yemen

The US military said Wednesday that it had killed eleven Al-Qaeda operatives, including a veteran leader and suicide bombing pioneer, in a bombing raid in Syria.

The Pentagon said Abu Hani al-Masri, the Qaeda veteran, was one of those killed in the precision airstrikes near Idlib carried out on February 3-4.

Al-Masri was an early official in al-Qaeda, overseeing the group&#39;s training camps in Afghanistan in the 1980s and 1990s as he worked with Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden and current leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

There &quot;he recruited, indoctrinated, trained and equipped thousands of terrorists who subsequently spread throughout the region and the world,&quot; the Pentagon said in a statement.

They said he also helped found Egyptian Islamic Jihad &quot;he first Sunni group to use suicide bombers in their terror attacks.&quot;

&quot;These strikes disrupt al-Qaeda`s ability to plot and direct external attacks targeting the US and our interests worldwide,&quot; said Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis.

The US has mostly focused its attacks in Syria on the Islamic State group. But in recent months, US forces have also launched several attacks against its al-Qaeda rivals.

Idlib province is largely occupied by the former Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, Fateh al-Sham, which has been allied to several Syrian rebel groups fighting the government.

(AFP)

Abu Hani al-Masri, an ally of Osama bin Laden,?was among the 11 Al Qaeda operatives killed in airstrikes near Idlib

The US military said Wednesday that it had killed eleven Al-Qaeda operatives, including a veteran leader and suicide bombing pioneer, in a bombing raid in Syria. The Pentagon said Abu Hani al-Masri, the Qaeda veteran, was one of those killed in the precision airstrikes near Idlib carried out on February 3-4. Al-Masri was an early official in al-Qaeda, overseeing the group's training camps in Afghanistan in the 1980s and 1990s as he worked with Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden and current leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. There "he recruited, indoctrinated, trained and equipped thousands of terrorists who subsequently spread throughout the region and the world," the Pentagon said in a statement. They said he also helped found Egyptian Islamic Jihad "he first Sunni group to use suicide bombers in their terror attacks." "These strikes disrupt al-Qaeda`s ability to plot and direct external attacks targeting the US and our interests worldwide," said Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis. The US has mostly focused its attacks in Syria on the Islamic State group. But in recent months, US forces have also launched several attacks against its al-Qaeda rivals. Idlib province is largely occupied by the former Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, Fateh al-Sham, which has been allied to several Syrian rebel groups fighting the government. (AFP)

US forces kill Al Qaeda veteran in Syria: Pentagon

A US&nbsp;air strike on Thursday targeting an al Qaeda training camp in Syria killed more than 100 militants, a US&nbsp;defense official said on Friday.

The strike took place just a day before the end of President Barack Obama&#39;s presidency and a day after more than 80 Islamic State militants were killed in US&nbsp;air strikes in Libya.

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the air strike was primarily carried out by a B-52 bomber and dropped 14 munitions.

The official added that the strike against the camp took place in Idlib province, west of Aleppo, and there was a high level of confidence that there were no civilian casualties.

A US-led coalition has been carrying out air strikes and supporting local forces in Syria to oust Islamic State militants. However, there is concern that the defeat of Islamic State could open the door for al Qaeda to take territory in ungoverned parts of the country.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Friday that an air strike killed more than 40 members of the jihadist group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham in northwestern Syria. It was not immediately clear if this strike was the same one the defense official was referring to.

(Reuters)

The official said the air strike was primarily carried out by a B-52 bomber and dropped 14 munitions

A US air strike on Thursday targeting an al Qaeda training camp in Syria killed more than 100 militants, a US defense official said on Friday. The strike took place just a day before the end of President Barack Obama's presidency and a day after more than 80 Islamic State militants were killed in US air strikes in Libya. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the air strike was primarily carried out by a B-52 bomber and dropped 14 munitions. The official added that the strike against the camp took place in Idlib province, west of Aleppo, and there was a high level of confidence that there were no civilian casualties. A US-led coalition has been carrying out air strikes and supporting local forces in Syria to oust Islamic State militants. However, there is concern that the defeat of Islamic State could open the door for al Qaeda to take territory in ungoverned parts of the country. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Friday that an air strike killed more than 40 members of the jihadist group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham in northwestern Syria. It was not immediately clear if this strike was the same one the defense official was referring to. (Reuters)

US air strike in Syria kills more than 100 al Qaeda members: Defense official

Twelve soldiers were killed in northern Burkina Faso when &quot;40 heavily armed individuals&quot; attacked a military post near the border with Mali, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said Friday.

The attack took place at around 5 am about 30 km (19 miles) from the Malian border.

The assailants have not been identified yet, the army said.&nbsp;

&quot;This attack demonstrates that the fight against terrorism will be without respite and also underscores the necessary decisions that must be taken to give confidence and vitality to our army,&quot; Kabore said.

The soldiers who were killed belonged to the army&#39;s special anti-terrorist group. In an earlier statement, the army had said that ten soldiers and one gendarme had died, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

&quot;A detachment of our army&#39;s anti-terrorist force suffered a murderous attack which claimed the lives of 12 of our valiant soldiers and left some wounded,&quot; President Kabore said in a public address.&nbsp;

&quot;I strongly condemn this horrible attack which shows the cruelty of these perpetrators,&quot; added Kabore.

He did not mention the number of soldiers injured.&nbsp;

High commissioner of Soum province, Mohamed Dah, told AFP two more men were missing.&nbsp;

&quot;They were heavily armed with Kalashnikovs and rocket-launchers. They opened fire at the depots, the tents and set fire to some of the vehicles,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

It was &quot;the biggest jihadist attack ever perpetrated&quot; against the army he added.&nbsp;

At least five attackers were killed and their bodies were removed by their commrades, Dah claimed.

Since a major attack in January by Al Qaeda-linked fighters on a hotel in the capital, Ouagadougou, in which 29 people were killed, attacks have increased.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

 
&nbsp;

About 40 gunmen armed with Kalashnikovs and rocket-launchers attacked the military post near the Mali border

Twelve soldiers were killed in northern Burkina Faso when "40 heavily armed individuals" attacked a military post near the border with Mali, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said Friday. The attack took place at around 5 am about 30 km (19 miles) from the Malian border. The assailants have not been identified yet, the army said. "This attack demonstrates that the fight against terrorism will be without respite and also underscores the necessary decisions that must be taken to give confidence and vitality to our army," Kabore said. The soldiers who were killed belonged to the army's special anti-terrorist group. In an earlier statement, the army had said that ten soldiers and one gendarme had died, Reuters reported. "A detachment of our army's anti-terrorist force suffered a murderous attack which claimed the lives of 12 of our valiant soldiers and left some wounded," President Kabore said in a public address. "I strongly condemn this horrible attack which shows the cruelty of these perpetrators," added Kabore. He did not mention the number of soldiers injured. High commissioner of Soum province, Mohamed Dah, told AFP two more men were missing. "They were heavily armed with Kalashnikovs and rocket-launchers. They opened fire at the depots, the tents and set fire to some of the vehicles," he said. It was "the biggest jihadist attack ever perpetrated" against the army he added. At least five attackers were killed and their bodies were removed by their commrades, Dah claimed. Since a major attack in January by Al Qaeda-linked fighters on a hotel in the capital, Ouagadougou, in which 29 people were killed, attacks have increased. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Twelve soldiers killed in attack on Burkina Faso army post

al-qaeda-1

Al Qaeda, News on Al Qaeda, stories on Al Qaeda, articles on Al Qaeda, Al Qaeda stories at Wion, Al Qaeda news, Al Qaeda latest news

al qaeda-1