Terror outfit Taliban has dubbed the reports of Al-Qaeda&#39;s top leader&#39;s death a &#39;propaganda.&#39;

Taliban&#39;s spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid issued a statement terming the killing of the militants in a US-Afghan joint operation in three Afghan provinces Zabul, Ghazni, and Paktia propaganda.

&quot;No foreign or local militants were killed during the operations in the three provinces as claimed by the security institutions,&quot; reported Khaama Press, citing Mujahid as saying in a statement.

It was earlier reported that 80 militants, including terror outfit Al-Qaeda&#39;s top leader, have been killed in the joint operation on Monday.

Khaama Press had reported that Afghan&#39;s Intelligence agency, National Directorate of Security (NDS) identified the gunned down senior Al-Qaeda leader as Omar Khetab, who was also famous as Omar Mansoor.

Taliban's spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid issued a statement terming the killing of the militants in a US-Afghan joint operation in three Afghan provinces Zabul, Ghazni, and Paktia propaganda

Terror outfit Taliban has dubbed the reports of Al-Qaeda's top leader's death a 'propaganda.' Taliban's spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid issued a statement terming the killing of the militants in a US-Afghan joint operation in three Afghan provinces Zabul, Ghazni, and Paktia propaganda. "No foreign or local militants were killed during the operations in the three provinces as claimed by the security institutions," reported Khaama Press, citing Mujahid as saying in a statement. It was earlier reported that 80 militants, including terror outfit Al-Qaeda's top leader, have been killed in the joint operation on Monday. Khaama Press had reported that Afghan's Intelligence agency, National Directorate of Security (NDS) identified the gunned down senior Al-Qaeda leader as Omar Khetab, who was also famous as Omar Mansoor.

Taliban dubs death of top Al-Qaeda leader a 'propaganda'

An Al Qaeda&nbsp;leader, as well as over 80 other militants, have been killed in a joint operation by Afghan and US officials in Afghanistan, reports say.

The leader, Omar Khetab, famously known as&nbsp;Omar Mansoon was gunned down during the attack, Afghan&#39;s Intelligence agency National Directorate of Security (NDS) was reported saying.&nbsp;

As per reports, the death of famous Al&nbsp;Qaeda leader Qari Yasin, who was earlier killed in a US counter-terrorism airstrike, was the man being the 2009 bus attack carrying the Sri Lankan team in Lahore - comes in the backdrop of United States Department of Defense underscoring in a statement, issued in March.&nbsp;

The attack had caused the death of six Pakistani police forces, two civilians and also caused injury to six members of the cricket team.

Previously, Qari Noor Aqa, Taliban&#39;s military commission chief as well as seven other representatives were killed by the Afghan security and in central Maidan Wardak province of Afghanistan.

The leader, Omar Khetab, famously known ass Omar Mansoon was gunned down during the attack

An Al Qaeda leader, as well as over 80 other militants, have been killed in a joint operation by Afghan and US officials in Afghanistan, reports say. The leader, Omar Khetab, famously known as Omar Mansoon was gunned down during the attack, Afghan's Intelligence agency National Directorate of Security (NDS) was reported saying. As per reports, the death of famous Al Qaeda leader Qari Yasin, who was earlier killed in a US counter-terrorism airstrike, was the man being the 2009 bus attack carrying the Sri Lankan team in Lahore - comes in the backdrop of United States Department of Defense underscoring in a statement, issued in March. The attack had caused the death of six Pakistani police forces, two civilians and also caused injury to six members of the cricket team. Previously, Qari Noor Aqa, Taliban's military commission chief as well as seven other representatives were killed by the Afghan security and in central Maidan Wardak province of Afghanistan.

Top al Qaeda leader Omar Mansoon killed in US-Afghan joint operation

As many as 512 died in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/somalia-bomb-attack-death-toll-rises-to-over-300-22496">an October truck bombing in the Somali capital Mogadishu</a>, an emergency committee investigating the terrorist atrocity has found.

An earlier death toll of 358 already made the October 14 bombing the deadliest terrorist attack in Somalia&#39;s history. No group claimed responsibility, but the Al-Qaeda-aligned Shabaab militant group has been blamed.

&quot;The overall number of people we have recorded involved in the casualty are 869 persons: 512 are dead, 295 wounded and about 70 others are not yet confirmed if they were dead and or missing,&quot; Abdulahi Mohamed Shirwac, chairman of the Somali Emergency Operation Centre told AFP Saturday.

The 11-member board was established to look into the October 14 bombing. The government has not commented on the report, which it received this week.

The Shabaab has been fighting to overthrow successive internationally-backed governments in Mogadishu since 2007 and frequently deploys car and truck bombs against military, government and civilian targets.

The huge October explosion levelled buildings in the capital&#39;s busy Kilometre 5 neighbourhood.&nbsp;

Since then the United States -- which supports Somalia&#39;s fledgeling army as well as carrying out its own operations against the Shabaab and a separate self-proclaimed Islamic State group in the north of the country -- has increased the frequency of air strikes targeting jihadist leaders.

An earlier death toll of 358 already made the October 14 bombing the deadliest terrorist attack in Somalia's history. No group claimed responsibility, but the Al-Qaeda-aligned Shabaab militant group has been blamed

As many as 512 died in an October truck bombing in the Somali capital Mogadishu, an emergency committee investigating the terrorist atrocity has found. An earlier death toll of 358 already made the October 14 bombing the deadliest terrorist attack in Somalia's history. No group claimed responsibility, but the Al-Qaeda-aligned Shabaab militant group has been blamed. "The overall number of people we have recorded involved in the casualty are 869 persons: 512 are dead, 295 wounded and about 70 others are not yet confirmed if they were dead and or missing," Abdulahi Mohamed Shirwac, chairman of the Somali Emergency Operation Centre told AFP Saturday. The 11-member board was established to look into the October 14 bombing. The government has not commented on the report, which it received this week. The Shabaab has been fighting to overthrow successive internationally-backed governments in Mogadishu since 2007 and frequently deploys car and truck bombs against military, government and civilian targets. The huge October explosion levelled buildings in the capital's busy Kilometre 5 neighbourhood. Since then the United States -- which supports Somalia's fledgeling army as well as carrying out its own operations against the Shabaab and a separate self-proclaimed Islamic State group in the north of the country -- has increased the frequency of air strikes targeting jihadist leaders.

Report says 512 died in deadliest Somalia bombing

Can China be a trusted ally in the global war against terrorism? The question assumes significance as China continues&nbsp;giving steadfast protection to the chief of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad Masood Azhar. The country has gone so far as to prevent&nbsp;the United Nations Security Council from declaring Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.

India has accused the JeM and its top leader, Masood Azhar, of masterminding several attacks, including a deadly assault on an Indian air base in January last year. Six Indian soldiers, as well as five gunmen who stormed the Pathankot airbase, were killed.

China&rsquo;s opposition to proscribing Azhar is perplexing given that Jaish-e-Mohammad has already been blacklisted by the 15-nation Security Council of which China is one of the five permanent members. If China is party to the decision to outlaw JeM, then its decision not to let its leader bracket in the same category is beyond any logic.

It is high time the United Nations reconsider its original charter which gives veto power to five permanent members under which any one permanent nation can prevent the adoption of any substantive resolution. The rule of the majority of the five permanent members should follow. Otherwise, the international community will always be found wanting in its fight against terrorism due to double standards by some countries.

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This is the second time in as many years that China has blocked a combined bid by the United States, France and the United Kingdom to declare Azhar a global terrorist saying &ldquo;there is no consensus&rdquo; in the 1267 Committee of the UN Security Council. &nbsp;Where is the question of consensus if one country (read China) continues with its unwavering support for a dreaded terrorist like Azhar just only to please its ally Pakistan? Evidently, China is the lone wolf in the Security Council.

Last year also, it was the odd nation out in the 15-member Security Council to thwart India&rsquo;s bid to place Azhar on the 1267 sanctions list that would have entailed his travel ban and freezing of assets. India&rsquo;s application had the approval of all the other 14 members of the Security Council. Needless to say, China is misusing its veto power.

China&rsquo;s support for Azhar, therefore, raises suspicion about its commitment to fight terrorism. Barely a few months ago, it was a signatory to the Xiamen Declaration which had called upon the international community to establish a &quot;genuinely broad&quot; international counter-terrorism coalition. Not only that, it was also a party to a decision of the five-member BRICS nations summit which called for decisive action against militant groups based in Pakistan terming them as a security concern in the region.

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<h5>Both Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad are anti-India groups based in Pakistan and have routinely carried out militant attacks in Kashmir and elsewhere in the country.</h5>
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The groups named in the declaration included Taliban, (Islamic State), Al-Qaeda and its affiliates, including Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e Mohammad, TTP and Hizb ut-Tahrir. Both Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad are anti-India groups based in Pakistan and have routinely carried out militant attacks in Kashmir and elsewhere in the country.

India has accused LeT of carrying out the deadly terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008 in which at least 166 people were killed. JeM is also accused of masterminding the audacious attack on Indian Parliament in 2001. Masood Azhar is undoubtedly the prized asset for Pakistan. Not only has he meticulously planned several terrorist attacks against India, he has succeeded in creating an army of jihadis who are ready to lay down their lives at his command.

His importance lies in the fact that&nbsp;Pakistan government along with its army and notorious Inter-Services Intelligence had made several attempts to get him released from a jail after he was arrested in Kashmir in 1994. Five years later, the Indian government was forced to release him and two others - Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar and Omar Sheikh -&nbsp;in exchange for the safe release of passengers of the Indian Airlines flight -814 which was hijacked and taken to Kandahar in Afghanistan.

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<h5>If Azhar is declared a global terrorist, the government of Pakistan will be forced to arrest him and seize his assets.</h5>
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If Azhar is declared a global terrorist, the government of Pakistan will be forced to arrest him and seize his assets. This is something the government does not want for two main reasons. Azhar has in the past threatened the government of violence if it made any such misadventure. Secondly, he enjoys the support of the Pakistani army.

Therefore, the Pakistani establishment is cagey while taking any action against him, because it does not have the spine to challenge its own army. China, too, understands the predicament of its all-weather ally. &nbsp;Therefore, it has been repeatedly blocking any attempt to outlaw Azhar even at the expense of its own image. For, China has in the past made several statements that there should be no double standards on counter-terrorism. China&rsquo;s action belies its alleged commitment against terrorism.

It should be understood that China has its own compulsions as far as protecting Azhar is concerned. It is more to do with returning favours to Pakistan. Pakistan has in the past come to the rescue of China in the powerful Organisation of Islamic Cooperation which was critical of the latter&rsquo;s repression of the Muslim Uighur community in Xinjiang province.

In the last two years, hundreds have died in unrest in Xinjiang. Activists have accused China of curtailing commercial as well as cultural activities of Uighur. In fact, a 2013 report of the Amnesty International was highly critical of China&rsquo;s handling of the situation in Xinjiang. It said authorities criminalised &ldquo;what they labelled &lsquo;illegal religious&rsquo; and &lsquo;separatist&rsquo; activities&rdquo; and clamped down on &ldquo;peaceful expressions of cultural identity.&rdquo;

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<h5>China does not want to walk along with the rest of the world in the fight against terrorism.</h5>
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As far as terrorism is concerned, China&rsquo;s definition is completely at variant with the world. While the world recognises the exiled Dalai Lama as the Tibetan spiritual leader, China considers him as a &ldquo;dangerous separatist&rdquo;. The Nobel Peace Prize recipient, who fled into exile in India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, has repeatedly said that he is simply seeking genuine autonomy for his homeland.

China is accused of turning a blind eye to more than 150 Tibetans who have publicly immolated themselves over the years. Beijing is miffed with New Delhi for allowing Dalai Lama live in India. And that is also one of the reasons why it has been stonewalling New Delhi&rsquo;s attempts to sanction Azhar to get even with it.

It is amply clear that China does not want to walk along with the rest of the world in the fight against terrorism. It chooses to define terrorists according to its own understanding as has been the case with Pakistan. It is high time China realises the perils of differentiating between terrorists. Otherwise, it risks global isolation.

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

China risks global isolation if it does not realises the perils of differentiating between the terrorists

Can China be a trusted ally in the global war against terrorism? The question assumes significance as China continues giving steadfast protection to the chief of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad Masood Azhar. The country has gone so far as to prevent the United Nations Security Council from declaring Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. India has accused the JeM and its top leader, Masood Azhar, of masterminding several attacks, including a deadly assault on an Indian air base in January last year. Six Indian soldiers, as well as five gunmen who stormed the Pathankot airbase, were killed. China’s opposition to proscribing Azhar is perplexing given that Jaish-e-Mohammad has already been blacklisted by the 15-nation Security Council of which China is one of the five permanent members. If China is party to the decision to outlaw JeM, then its decision not to let its leader bracket in the same category is beyond any logic. It is high time the United Nations reconsider its original charter which gives veto power to five permanent members under which any one permanent nation can prevent the adoption of any substantive resolution. The rule of the majority of the five permanent members should follow. Otherwise, the international community will always be found wanting in its fight against terrorism due to double standards by some countries. China is the lone wolf in the Security Council. × This is the second time in as many years that China has blocked a combined bid by the United States, France and the United Kingdom to declare Azhar a global terrorist saying “there is no consensus” in the 1267 Committee of the UN Security Council. Where is the question of consensus if one country (read China) continues with its unwavering support for a dreaded terrorist like Azhar just only to please its ally Pakistan? Evidently, China is the lone wolf in the Security Council. Last year also, it was the odd nation out in the 15-member Security Council to thwart India’s bid to place Azhar on the 1267 sanctions list that would have entailed his travel ban and freezing of assets. India’s application had the approval of all the other 14 members of the Security Council. Needless to say, China is misusing its veto power. China’s support for Azhar, therefore, raises suspicion about its commitment to fight terrorism. Barely a few months ago, it was a signatory to the Xiamen Declaration which had called upon the international community to establish a "genuinely broad" international counter-terrorism coalition. Not only that, it was also a party to a decision of the five-member BRICS nations summit which called for decisive action against militant groups based in Pakistan terming them as a security concern in the region. Both Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad are anti-India groups based in Pakistan and have routinely carried out militant attacks in Kashmir and elsewhere in the country. × The groups named in the declaration included Taliban, (Islamic State), Al-Qaeda and its affiliates, including Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e Mohammad, TTP and Hizb ut-Tahrir. Both Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad are anti-India groups based in Pakistan and have routinely carried out militant attacks in Kashmir and elsewhere in the country. India has accused LeT of carrying out the deadly terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008 in which at least 166 people were killed. JeM is also accused of masterminding the audacious attack on Indian Parliament in 2001. Masood Azhar is undoubtedly the prized asset for Pakistan. Not only has he meticulously planned several terrorist attacks against India, he has succeeded in creating an army of jihadis who are ready to lay down their lives at his command. His importance lies in the fact that Pakistan government along with its army and notorious Inter-Services Intelligence had made several attempts to get him released from a jail after he was arrested in Kashmir in 1994. Five years later, the Indian government was forced to release him and two others - Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar and Omar Sheikh - in exchange for the safe release of passengers of the Indian Airlines flight -814 which was hijacked and taken to Kandahar in Afghanistan. If Azhar is declared a global terrorist, the government of Pakistan will be forced to arrest him and seize his assets. × If Azhar is declared a global terrorist, the government of Pakistan will be forced to arrest him and seize his assets. This is something the government does not want for two main reasons. Azhar has in the past threatened the government of violence if it made any such misadventure. Secondly, he enjoys the support of the Pakistani army. Therefore, the Pakistani establishment is cagey while taking any action against him, because it does not have the spine to challenge its own army. China, too, understands the predicament of its all-weather ally. Therefore, it has been repeatedly blocking any attempt to outlaw Azhar even at the expense of its own image. For, China has in the past made several statements that there should be no double standards on counter-terrorism. China’s action belies its alleged commitment against terrorism. It should be understood that China has its own compulsions as far as protecting Azhar is concerned. It is more to do with returning favours to Pakistan. Pakistan has in the past come to the rescue of China in the powerful Organisation of Islamic Cooperation which was critical of the latter’s repression of the Muslim Uighur community in Xinjiang province. In the last two years, hundreds have died in unrest in Xinjiang. Activists have accused China of curtailing commercial as well as cultural activities of Uighur. In fact, a 2013 report of the Amnesty International was highly critical of China’s handling of the situation in Xinjiang. It said authorities criminalised “what they labelled ‘illegal religious’ and ‘separatist’ activities” and clamped down on “peaceful expressions of cultural identity.” China does not want to walk along with the rest of the world in the fight against terrorism. × As far as terrorism is concerned, China’s definition is completely at variant with the world. While the world recognises the exiled Dalai Lama as the Tibetan spiritual leader, China considers him as a “dangerous separatist”. The Nobel Peace Prize recipient, who fled into exile in India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, has repeatedly said that he is simply seeking genuine autonomy for his homeland. China is accused of turning a blind eye to more than 150 Tibetans who have publicly immolated themselves over the years. Beijing is miffed with New Delhi for allowing Dalai Lama live in India. And that is also one of the reasons why it has been stonewalling New Delhi’s attempts to sanction Azhar to get even with it. It is amply clear that China does not want to walk along with the rest of the world in the fight against terrorism. It chooses to define terrorists according to its own understanding as has been the case with Pakistan. It is high time China realises the perils of differentiating between terrorists. Otherwise, it risks global isolation. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: China drags its feet on fight against terror

China has asserted that there is no contradiction in its policy to block India&#39;s bid to designate Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN, saying the BRICS declaration was against terror groups and not individuals, Pakistani media today reported.

A veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, China has repeatedly blocked India&#39;s move to impose a ban on the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief under the Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the Council.

The latest technical hold by China came on November 2 when it blocked another proposal by the US, France and the UK to list Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN. Beijing had blocked such a move in February this year.

Speaking to a delegation of Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors in Beijing this week, Counselor and Asia Division Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Chen Feng said vetoing a resolution against Azhar after the BRICS declaration against terror outfits did not reflect a contradiction in China&#39;s policy as BRICS members have not entered into any such agreement.

The Chinese move was not in contradiction with Chinese policy in the context of BRICS declaration against terrorism, Chen was quoted as saying by the Express Tribune.

Chen clarified that the BRICS summit discussed only banned organisations and not individuals, Pakistan Today reported.

The BRICS nations - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - at a summit in China in September named, for the first time, Pakistan-based groups like the Lashkar-e- Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Haqqani network in a joint declaration condemning terror.

In early November, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said: &quot;we raised a technical hold so as to allow more time for the committee and its members to deliberate on this matter. But there is still an absence of consensus on this matter.&quot;

Defending the repeated technical holds, Hua said China&#39;s actions are meant to ensure and safeguard the authority and effectiveness of the 1267 Committee of the UN Security Council.

China in the past has also asked India to discuss the issue directly with Pakistan to reach an understanding on Azhar&#39;s listing.

In the last two years, China has stonewalled efforts by India to declare Azhar as a global terrorist.

The senior Chinese Foreign Ministry official also briefed the Pakistani editors about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), an ambitious project that is opposed by India as it is passing through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Chen said Beijing was trying to convince India that the multibillion-dollar project is based on economic cooperation and that its main aim is to promote peace and prosperity in the region.

&quot;The CPEC is neither a way to achieve political aims nor to be used in regional conflicts. The basic aim of the economic plan is to expand the mutual relations. China wants to engage other countries in the economic corridor too,&quot; Chen said.

He said China had time and again clarified it to India that it had no hegemonic designs in the region.

&quot;We rather view CPEC as a way of forming equal relationships with regional countries and to promote friendship and neighborhood in the region,&quot; he added.

Feng clarified that China was not a party in the Kashmir dispute.

&quot;India&#39;s accusation of Chinese occupation on any part of Kashmir is baseless. We have denied such claims in the past as well. Kashmir is a bone of contention between India and Pakistan, peaceful solution of which is the only way to regional peace and prosperity,&quot; he was quoted as saying.

The latest technical hold by China came on November 2 when it blocked another proposal by the US, France and the UK to list Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN.

China has asserted that there is no contradiction in its policy to block India's bid to designate Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN, saying the BRICS declaration was against terror groups and not individuals, Pakistani media today reported. A veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, China has repeatedly blocked India's move to impose a ban on the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief under the Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the Council. The latest technical hold by China came on November 2 when it blocked another proposal by the US, France and the UK to list Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN. Beijing had blocked such a move in February this year. Speaking to a delegation of Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors in Beijing this week, Counselor and Asia Division Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Chen Feng said vetoing a resolution against Azhar after the BRICS declaration against terror outfits did not reflect a contradiction in China's policy as BRICS members have not entered into any such agreement. The Chinese move was not in contradiction with Chinese policy in the context of BRICS declaration against terrorism, Chen was quoted as saying by the Express Tribune. Chen clarified that the BRICS summit discussed only banned organisations and not individuals, Pakistan Today reported. The BRICS nations - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - at a summit in China in September named, for the first time, Pakistan-based groups like the Lashkar-e- Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Haqqani network in a joint declaration condemning terror. In early November, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said: "we raised a technical hold so as to allow more time for the committee and its members to deliberate on this matter. But there is still an absence of consensus on this matter." Defending the repeated technical holds, Hua said China's actions are meant to ensure and safeguard the authority and effectiveness of the 1267 Committee of the UN Security Council. China in the past has also asked India to discuss the issue directly with Pakistan to reach an understanding on Azhar's listing. In the last two years, China has stonewalled efforts by India to declare Azhar as a global terrorist. The senior Chinese Foreign Ministry official also briefed the Pakistani editors about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), an ambitious project that is opposed by India as it is passing through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Chen said Beijing was trying to convince India that the multibillion-dollar project is based on economic cooperation and that its main aim is to promote peace and prosperity in the region. "The CPEC is neither a way to achieve political aims nor to be used in regional conflicts. The basic aim of the economic plan is to expand the mutual relations. China wants to engage other countries in the economic corridor too," Chen said. He said China had time and again clarified it to India that it had no hegemonic designs in the region. "We rather view CPEC as a way of forming equal relationships with regional countries and to promote friendship and neighborhood in the region," he added. Feng clarified that China was not a party in the Kashmir dispute. "India's accusation of Chinese occupation on any part of Kashmir is baseless. We have denied such claims in the past as well. Kashmir is a bone of contention between India and Pakistan, peaceful solution of which is the only way to regional peace and prosperity," he was quoted as saying.

No contradiction in blocking resolution on Masood Azhar: China

A Delhi court has sought the response of Tihar Jail authorities on a sexual harassment complaint of a British national inside the prison where he is lodged for allegedly recruiting youths for al-Qaeda to carry out terror activities.

27-year-old Shamiun Rahman, a British national of Bangladeshi origin, was arrested in September for his alleged involvement in recruiting Rohingya Muslims for the terror outfit and train them to fight against the Myanmarese army.

In his application moved before Additional Sessions Judge Siddharth Sharma, he alleged that he was sexually harassed by Tihar Jail security personnel and inhuman behaviour was meted out to him by the prison authorities.

The court directed the jail authorities to file response on the application moved by advocate M S Khan by November 8.

The accused alleged that he was forced to live in inhuman conditions inside the jail and it lacks basic facilities such as proper food, drinking water, sanitation and medical aid.

The Special Cell of Delhi police had alleged that the process of radicalisation of Rahman alias Raju Bhai began in a jail in London where he was lodged on charges of rash driving.

During this period, he stayed at various madrassas in Kishanganj (Bihar), Hazaribagh (Jharkhand), NCR and other places.He had plans to set up base in Mizoram or Manipur to train radicalised youth.

An FIR was filed by the special cell after his arrest under various provisions relating to the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act, and Passport Act.

27-year-old Shamiun Rahman, a British national of Bangladeshi origin, was arrested in September for his alleged involvement in recruiting Rohingya Muslims for the terror outfit and train them to fight against the Myanmarese army

A Delhi court has sought the response of Tihar Jail authorities on a sexual harassment complaint of a British national inside the prison where he is lodged for allegedly recruiting youths for al-Qaeda to carry out terror activities. 27-year-old Shamiun Rahman, a British national of Bangladeshi origin, was arrested in September for his alleged involvement in recruiting Rohingya Muslims for the terror outfit and train them to fight against the Myanmarese army. In his application moved before Additional Sessions Judge Siddharth Sharma, he alleged that he was sexually harassed by Tihar Jail security personnel and inhuman behaviour was meted out to him by the prison authorities. The court directed the jail authorities to file response on the application moved by advocate M S Khan by November 8. The accused alleged that he was forced to live in inhuman conditions inside the jail and it lacks basic facilities such as proper food, drinking water, sanitation and medical aid. The Special Cell of Delhi police had alleged that the process of radicalisation of Rahman alias Raju Bhai began in a jail in London where he was lodged on charges of rash driving. During this period, he stayed at various madrassas in Kishanganj (Bihar), Hazaribagh (Jharkhand), NCR and other places.He had plans to set up base in Mizoram or Manipur to train radicalised youth. An FIR was filed by the special cell after his arrest under various provisions relating to the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act, and Passport Act.

Al-Qaeda suspect alleges sexual harassment in Tihar Jail

Four Yemeni soldiers and five assailants were killed in an Al-Qaeda <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-led-coalition-deliberately-planned-strike-on-yemen-funeral-un-7726" target="_blank">attack on a military base in the southern province of Abyan</a> on Monday, a security source said.

A car rigged with explosives carrying five Al-Qaeda militants pulled up to a military base in the district of Mudiya in Abyan, the source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Four men wearing explosive belts ran out of the car towards the base, but were all shot dead before they could blow themselves up, the source said.

The vehicle then exploded outside the base, killing the driver and four soldiers from a UAE-backed contingent in the Yemeni army. Nine soldiers were also wounded.

Yemen&#39;s southern provinces, including Abyan, have seen a long-running US drone war against Al-Qaeda&#39;s Yemeni branch.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has flourished in the chaos of Yemen&#39;s civil war pitting the Saudi-backed government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi against Shiite Huthi rebels.

The United States, the only government to operate drones over the impoverished country, considers AQAP to be the radical group&#39;s most dangerous branch and backs the UAE-trained contingent in southern Yemen.

The United Arab Emirates is a key component of a Saudi-led military coalition that intervened in the war to support Hadi&#39;s government in 2015.

More than 8,600 people have since been killed in Yemen, according to the World Health Organization.

In an al-Qaeda attack on a military base has killed four Yemeni soldiers and five assailants

Four Yemeni soldiers and five assailants were killed in an Al-Qaeda attack on a military base in the southern province of Abyan on Monday, a security source said. A car rigged with explosives carrying five Al-Qaeda militants pulled up to a military base in the district of Mudiya in Abyan, the source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. Four men wearing explosive belts ran out of the car towards the base, but were all shot dead before they could blow themselves up, the source said. The vehicle then exploded outside the base, killing the driver and four soldiers from a UAE-backed contingent in the Yemeni army. Nine soldiers were also wounded. Yemen's southern provinces, including Abyan, have seen a long-running US drone war against Al-Qaeda's Yemeni branch. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has flourished in the chaos of Yemen's civil war pitting the Saudi-backed government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi against Shiite Huthi rebels. The United States, the only government to operate drones over the impoverished country, considers AQAP to be the radical group's most dangerous branch and backs the UAE-trained contingent in southern Yemen. The United Arab Emirates is a key component of a Saudi-led military coalition that intervened in the war to support Hadi's government in 2015. More than 8,600 people have since been killed in Yemen, according to the World Health Organization.

9 killed in Qaeda attack on south Yemen military base

A<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/air-strike-kills-19-civilians-near-syrias-deir-ezzor-city-syrian-army-reinforcements-arrives-20096" target="_blank"> drone strike </a>targeting a car killed three suspected al-Qaida members, including a leader in the southern Yemen province of Abyan, local officials said Friday.

They said the apparent US strike was carried out late Thursday in the Summa area of the province, with the leader&#39;s body left &quot;incinerated&quot; and his two bodyguards also killed.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/omar-khalid-khorasani-anti-india-terrorist-former-pak-taliban-operative-killed-in-us-drone-strike-22657" target="_blank">Also Read: Omar Khalid Khorasani, anti-India terrorist, former Pak Taliban operative killed in US drone strike</a>

A similar drone strike on Sunday in Marib province, east of the Yemeni capital Sanaa, killed five suspected al-Qaida militants.

The United States, the only government to operate drones over the impoverished country, considers the Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to be the radical group&#39;s most dangerous branch.

AQAP has flourished in the chaos of Yemen&#39;s civil war, which pits the Saudi-backed government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi against Shiite rebels.

The local officials said that the apparent US strike was carried out late Thursday in the Summa area of the province killing three suspected al-Qaida members

A drone strike targeting a car killed three suspected al-Qaida members, including a leader in the southern Yemen province of Abyan, local officials said Friday. They said the apparent US strike was carried out late Thursday in the Summa area of the province, with the leader's body left "incinerated" and his two bodyguards also killed. Also Read: Omar Khalid Khorasani, anti-India terrorist, former Pak Taliban operative killed in US drone strike A similar drone strike on Sunday in Marib province, east of the Yemeni capital Sanaa, killed five suspected al-Qaida militants. The United States, the only government to operate drones over the impoverished country, considers the Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to be the radical group's most dangerous branch. AQAP has flourished in the chaos of Yemen's civil war, which pits the Saudi-backed government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi against Shiite rebels.

Drone strike kills 3 al-Qaida suspects in Yemen

A group of men sit&nbsp;in a small hut made of clay and mud in one of the city&#39;s many informal refugee camps. The hut is pretty crowded, someone stares curiously at what is going on and others keep sewing typical Afghan clothes. Children tiptoe to steal a glimpse of the inside and quickly disappear&nbsp;when an elder spots them. It goes without saying that the camp has no running water and no sewage system. It is hot and flies are all over the place.

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<h5>We came here because your countries bombed our land</h5>
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&ldquo;We came here because your countries bombed our land,&rdquo; says the man that the small venue elected&nbsp;spokesperson. They all come from Helmand, the famous Taliban heartland in the south of Afghanistan. &ldquo;We live here since ten years,&rdquo; he says.&nbsp;Ten years. This is what often happens when you run away from war: You know when you leave, but you do not know when and if you will ever go back.

&ldquo;Of course we dream to go back to our land, but we also need security to do so,&rdquo; he says. Afghanistan is one of those places where war has never been short. US troops, sixteen years back, invaded the country, chasing the ghost of Al-Qaeda, and that very same war is still going on and disrupting lives.

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Afghanistan is one of those places where war has never been short (Others)
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One of the things war does is impose&nbsp;its violence on you. It doesn&rsquo;t matter if you were living your usual life, sowing&nbsp;seeds or grazing sheep. Violence does not ask your permission to destroy your life, it just does it. Suddenly, one day, while you are living your usual countryside life, some random armed group pops&nbsp;up and starts&nbsp;imposing its rules on you, and you accept it. You do so out of fear, out of a quick pro&nbsp;and con&nbsp;evaluation: &quot;I am a peaceful man, I want to mind my business, is refusing&nbsp;worth dying over?&quot; &nbsp;

It is easy for those who are not there&nbsp;to say&nbsp;&quot;revolt, fight back&quot;. Revolting against an armed power exercising its monopoly of violence on you, is one of those things which seems kind of easy when you are not the one doing it.

This is a war though, and it does not seek permission. You won&rsquo;t get away just abiding by someone&rsquo;s law, especially if that someone has enemies. One day&nbsp;your rulers&rsquo; enemy&nbsp;attacks. Jet fighters fly where you were used to seeing birds, and in&nbsp;seconds&nbsp;there is nothing left of your life except you. Your house, your fields, the small dusty roads of the village--all gone. There is nothing left, maybe some of your sheep, if you are lucky.&nbsp;

You look around, you visualise your small village in the countryside. Where pomegranates used to be as sweet as sugar, there are now piles of smoking rubbles. You try to make sense of the tragedy, you cry and you call to god, whatever god you believe in.&nbsp;No matter how hard you try, the reality is that war does not ask your permission to destroy your life. It just does it and it sucks.

Suddenly, you realise that along with other survivors you do not know what to do.

&quot;Maybe it is over. It was just a one-off attack,&quot;&nbsp;you speculate. You spend all the night with the elders&nbsp;discussing what to do, but there is no solution. Then, that armed group comes back at dawn and you realise all at once that what happened was not a one-off tragedy. The others, whoever they are, will bomb again in an endless cycle of destruction. It&rsquo;s done, war invaded your space, and it does not matter if you just wanted to keep looking after your sheep and your crop.

You do not get to decide.

Your conservation instinct often prevails: &ldquo;A&nbsp;wretched life is anyway better than a cruel death,&rdquo; you think. With these words in your mind, your private personal odyssey begins. You leave everything behind and you go.&nbsp;

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No hopes from the government (Others)
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Where do you go? You try to reach a city, the biggest city. &lsquo;&ldquo;The government will help us,&rdquo; you think. You have a few chances in front of you: You can try to reach a refugee camp and live in a tent. You can become a beggar on the street of a city, knocking at fancy cars&rsquo; windows for&nbsp;coins. You can also live in an informal refugee camp on the city&#39;s outskirts. You can also end up in the hands of organised crime; Criminal networks build their empires exploiting people like you. Whatever you do, the outcome is pretty much the same: Your wait begins, because you did not leave your house by&nbsp;choice.&nbsp;

It does not matter how good you are at adapting, the melancholy of your previous life will not abandon you. The desire to go back, one day, where the pomegranates were as sweet as sugar,&nbsp;will always accompany you.

&ldquo;Some of us sell pomegranates to make a living here, but these are small, not good,&rdquo; says the village council&rsquo;s spokesperson.

This is not one peson&#39;s particular&nbsp;story,&nbsp;but the story of millions of people at the same time. According to the most recent UN survey, 65.5 million people are currently displaced worldwide. It is a record in human history, but nothing we should be proud of; 25.5 million of them are refugees, 40.3 million are internally displaced people and 2.8 million are asylum seekers.&nbsp;

In Afghanistan, in the first five and a half months of 2017, as many as 136,000 people have been displaced and 2,200 civilians got killed or injured during the ongoing conflict. Year by year, it is not getting any better. &ldquo;In 2010 in this hospital we were able to do also civilian traumas below fourteen. Now it is not an option anymore,&rdquo; says Giorgia Novello, medical coordinator for the Emergency hospital in Kabul. &ldquo;In all our projects, the number of war wounded has increased.&rdquo;

The men in the hut kept discussing politics and society&rsquo;s problem. They sit in a circle, exactly as they would have done in their villages if only the war would not have forced them to leave.

65.5 million people are currently displaced from their home worldwide, a record in human history

A group of men sit in a small hut made of clay and mud in one of the city's many informal refugee camps. The hut is pretty crowded, someone stares curiously at what is going on and others keep sewing typical Afghan clothes. Children tiptoe to steal a glimpse of the inside and quickly disappear when an elder spots them. It goes without saying that the camp has no running water and no sewage system. It is hot and flies are all over the place. We came here because your countries bombed our land × “We came here because your countries bombed our land,” says the man that the small venue elected spokesperson. They all come from Helmand, the famous Taliban heartland in the south of Afghanistan. “We live here since ten years,” he says. Ten years. This is what often happens when you run away from war: You know when you leave, but you do not know when and if you will ever go back. “Of course we dream to go back to our land, but we also need security to do so,” he says. Afghanistan is one of those places where war has never been short. US troops, sixteen years back, invaded the country, chasing the ghost of Al-Qaeda, and that very same war is still going on and disrupting lives. Afghanistan is one of those places where war has never been short (Others) × One of the things war does is impose its violence on you. It doesn’t matter if you were living your usual life, sowing seeds or grazing sheep. Violence does not ask your permission to destroy your life, it just does it. Suddenly, one day, while you are living your usual countryside life, some random armed group pops up and starts imposing its rules on you, and you accept it. You do so out of fear, out of a quick pro and con evaluation: "I am a peaceful man, I want to mind my business, is refusing worth dying over?" It is easy for those who are not there to say "revolt, fight back". Revolting against an armed power exercising its monopoly of violence on you, is one of those things which seems kind of easy when you are not the one doing it. This is a war though, and it does not seek permission. You won’t get away just abiding by someone’s law, especially if that someone has enemies. One day your rulers’ enemy attacks. Jet fighters fly where you were used to seeing birds, and in seconds there is nothing left of your life except you. Your house, your fields, the small dusty roads of the village--all gone. There is nothing left, maybe some of your sheep, if you are lucky. You look around, you visualise your small village in the countryside. Where pomegranates used to be as sweet as sugar, there are now piles of smoking rubbles. You try to make sense of the tragedy, you cry and you call to god, whatever god you believe in. No matter how hard you try, the reality is that war does not ask your permission to destroy your life. It just does it and it sucks. Suddenly, you realise that along with other survivors you do not know what to do. "Maybe it is over. It was just a one-off attack," you speculate. You spend all the night with the elders discussing what to do, but there is no solution. Then, that armed group comes back at dawn and you realise all at once that what happened was not a one-off tragedy. The others, whoever they are, will bomb again in an endless cycle of destruction. It’s done, war invaded your space, and it does not matter if you just wanted to keep looking after your sheep and your crop. You do not get to decide. Your conservation instinct often prevails: “A wretched life is anyway better than a cruel death,” you think. With these words in your mind, your private personal odyssey begins. You leave everything behind and you go. No hopes from the government (Others) × Where do you go? You try to reach a city, the biggest city. ‘“The government will help us,” you think. You have a few chances in front of you: You can try to reach a refugee camp and live in a tent. You can become a beggar on the street of a city, knocking at fancy cars’ windows for coins. You can also live in an informal refugee camp on the city's outskirts. You can also end up in the hands of organised crime; Criminal networks build their empires exploiting people like you. Whatever you do, the outcome is pretty much the same: Your wait begins, because you did not leave your house by choice. It does not matter how good you are at adapting, the melancholy of your previous life will not abandon you. The desire to go back, one day, where the pomegranates were as sweet as sugar, will always accompany you. “Some of us sell pomegranates to make a living here, but these are small, not good,” says the village council’s spokesperson. This is not one peson's particular story, but the story of millions of people at the same time. According to the most recent UN survey, 65.5 million people are currently displaced worldwide. It is a record in human history, but nothing we should be proud of; 25.5 million of them are refugees, 40.3 million are internally displaced people and 2.8 million are asylum seekers. In Afghanistan, in the first five and a half months of 2017, as many as 136,000 people have been displaced and 2,200 civilians got killed or injured during the ongoing conflict. Year by year, it is not getting any better. “In 2010 in this hospital we were able to do also civilian traumas below fourteen. Now it is not an option anymore,” says Giorgia Novello, medical coordinator for the Emergency hospital in Kabul. “In all our projects, the number of war wounded has increased.” The men in the hut kept discussing politics and society’s problem. They sit in a circle, exactly as they would have done in their villages if only the war would not have forced them to leave.

All refugees desire to go back home, one day

Six years ago, in these days, a US Navy SEAL team entered a compound in Abbottabad and killed Osama bin Laden, the sheik of terror. It was the end of an evil legend, and a military action destined to become a movie and to find its place on many bookshelves. &nbsp;

Many thought it was also the beginning of the end for al-Qaeda, the slow death of a snake whose head had finally been chopped off.&nbsp;Wrong assumption.&nbsp;

Undeniably, the loss of such an iconic figure had hit al-Qaeda hard, it weakened an already weak organisation which was on its back foot and struggling to find new funds and ways of action. His immediate successor Ayman al-Zawahiri did not - and still does not - match his predecessor&#39;s military and strategic stature.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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<h5>By the time of his killing, Osama bin Laden was probably not the organisation&#39;s pillar anymore.</h5>
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&nbsp;

By the time of his killing, Osama bin Laden was probably not the organisation&#39;s pillar anymore. He was chased, isolated and incapable of giving a new ideological lifeline to the organisation he had created years back. Osama&#39;s killing was more of a symbolic move, an act of revenge which well served the propaganda purposes of the then US president Barack Obama.&nbsp;

Al-Zawahiri struggled to win the fighters&#39; hearts and minds. Several intelligence reports claimed that at the time of his appointment, Zawahiri was not unanimously loved, especially from al-Qaeda&#39;s regional branches in the Arabic peninsula.&nbsp;

The birth of the Islamic State and its military successes - something that bin Laden never achieved &ndash; posed a major challenge to al-Qaeda&#39;s leadership in Sunni terrorism. The IS conquered land, cities, oil fields, making the long-awaited dream of a caliphate seemingly closer than ever than ever. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph, refused to pledge allegiance to al-Qaeda and chose the path of independence. The IS victories and propaganda attracted many fighters from all over the world. Al-Qaeda lost the first place, but did not disappear. &nbsp;

The Syrian conflict turned out to be a blessing for bin Laden&#39;s brainchild; the organisation had the chance to renew its energies through its regional branch, the former Jabhat al Nusra front, now known as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham. Thousands of Syrian and foreign fighters from all over the world&nbsp;- even from the Maldives - answered al-Qaeda&#39;s call for jihad and moved to Syria to swell al Nusra&#39;s ranks, making it a major player in the diversified anti-Assad galaxy. A player, which six years after the beginning of the Syrian war is still significantly on the ground. In April 2016, al Nusra&#39;s leader announced their decision to severe their ties with al-Qaeda, but this was probably a strategy to whitewash their reputation and partially overcome mistrust among the local population.

&nbsp;

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<h5>The Syrian conflict turned out to be a blessing for bin Laden&#39;s brainchild; the organisation had the chance to renew its energies through its regional branch</h5>
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&nbsp;

Even if they are two separate entities, the IS and al Qaeda - or their regional affiliates - are not two competing organisations on the ideological and religious level. They are a product of more than two decades of Sunni extremism, terribly wrong US foreign policy choices and considerable Saudi funds.&nbsp;

Al-Qaeda&nbsp;today&nbsp;might not be as strong as it was under bin Laden, but six years after his killing&nbsp; the&nbsp;organisation&nbsp;is still alive and kicking. This&nbsp;marks&nbsp;yet another&nbsp;abysmal&nbsp;failure of the so called &#39;war on terror&#39;, which has killed more people than the terrorism it&nbsp;was&nbsp;meant to fight.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Al Qaeda&nbsp;plays a significant role in many parts of the world. Other than in the &#39;traditional&#39; Afghanistan/Pakistan region, &nbsp;Al Qaeda has a presence in Libya, Syria, Yemen and, most importantly, it has recently united under its banner the main &nbsp;local&nbsp;terrorist&nbsp;organisations&nbsp;active in northwest Africa.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In March 2017,&nbsp;the Sahel G5 summit decided to form an international anti-terror force focusing on Africa and comprising the armies of Mali, Chad,&nbsp;Burkina Faso,&nbsp;Niger&nbsp;and&nbsp;Mauritania.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The&nbsp;main&nbsp;terrorist&nbsp;organisations&nbsp;active in the&nbsp;Sahel&nbsp;area, for instance, Al&nbsp;Qaeda&nbsp;in the Islamic&nbsp; Maghreb,&nbsp;Ansar&nbsp;Eddine,&nbsp;Katiba&nbsp;Macina&nbsp;and&nbsp;al-Mourabitoun have released a video in which they&nbsp;pledged&nbsp;allegiance to al-Qaeda&nbsp;and informed to have now united under its banners.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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<h5>As long as Islamist terrorism continues to be treated mainly as a military problem, it will be very difficult to eradicate it.</h5>
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&nbsp;

As long as Islamist terrorism continues to be treated mainly as a military problem, it will be very difficult to eradicate it.&nbsp;The battle lies in schools, madrasas, mosques, parliaments and among&nbsp;societies.&nbsp;Sunni extremism derives ideological lifeline from&nbsp;islamophobia and racist policies.&nbsp;The more the narrative of a &#39;clash of&nbsp;civilisations&#39;&nbsp;is part of the world public discourse, the less the military efforts will turn out to be effective.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Jihadi terrorist&nbsp;organisations have proved to&nbsp;survive their leaders, showing&nbsp;a remarkable capability to reinvent themselves and&nbsp;to quickly adapt to evolving contexts and to differentiate their terrains of action.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Men, money, territories are not their pillars.&nbsp;It is the&nbsp;solid theological approach to governance as well as&nbsp;the capability to give to their followers a scope and a code of life based on&nbsp;war&nbsp;which keep Jihadi organisations&nbsp;alive.

&nbsp;

Osama's killing was more of a symbolic move, an act of revenge which well served the propaganda purposes of the then US president Barack Obama

Six years ago, in these days, a US Navy SEAL team entered a compound in Abbottabad and killed Osama bin Laden, the sheik of terror. It was the end of an evil legend, and a military action destined to become a movie and to find its place on many bookshelves. Many thought it was also the beginning of the end for al-Qaeda, the slow death of a snake whose head had finally been chopped off. Wrong assumption. Undeniably, the loss of such an iconic figure had hit al-Qaeda hard, it weakened an already weak organisation which was on its back foot and struggling to find new funds and ways of action. His immediate successor Ayman al-Zawahiri did not - and still does not - match his predecessor's military and strategic stature. By the time of his killing, Osama bin Laden was probably not the organisation's pillar anymore. × By the time of his killing, Osama bin Laden was probably not the organisation's pillar anymore. He was chased, isolated and incapable of giving a new ideological lifeline to the organisation he had created years back. Osama's killing was more of a symbolic move, an act of revenge which well served the propaganda purposes of the then US president Barack Obama. Al-Zawahiri struggled to win the fighters' hearts and minds. Several intelligence reports claimed that at the time of his appointment, Zawahiri was not unanimously loved, especially from al-Qaeda's regional branches in the Arabic peninsula. The birth of the Islamic State and its military successes - something that bin Laden never achieved – posed a major challenge to al-Qaeda's leadership in Sunni terrorism. The IS conquered land, cities, oil fields, making the long-awaited dream of a caliphate seemingly closer than ever than ever. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph, refused to pledge allegiance to al-Qaeda and chose the path of independence. The IS victories and propaganda attracted many fighters from all over the world. Al-Qaeda lost the first place, but did not disappear. The Syrian conflict turned out to be a blessing for bin Laden's brainchild; the organisation had the chance to renew its energies through its regional branch, the former Jabhat al Nusra front, now known as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham. Thousands of Syrian and foreign fighters from all over the world - even from the Maldives - answered al-Qaeda's call for jihad and moved to Syria to swell al Nusra's ranks, making it a major player in the diversified anti-Assad galaxy. A player, which six years after the beginning of the Syrian war is still significantly on the ground. In April 2016, al Nusra's leader announced their decision to severe their ties with al-Qaeda, but this was probably a strategy to whitewash their reputation and partially overcome mistrust among the local population. The Syrian conflict turned out to be a blessing for bin Laden's brainchild; the organisation had the chance to renew its energies through its regional branch × Even if they are two separate entities, the IS and al Qaeda - or their regional affiliates - are not two competing organisations on the ideological and religious level. They are a product of more than two decades of Sunni extremism, terribly wrong US foreign policy choices and considerable Saudi funds. Al-Qaeda today might not be as strong as it was under bin Laden, but six years after his killing the organisation is still alive and kicking. This marks yet another abysmal failure of the so called 'war on terror', which has killed more people than the terrorism it was meant to fight. Al Qaeda plays a significant role in many parts of the world. Other than in the 'traditional' Afghanistan/Pakistan region, Al Qaeda has a presence in Libya, Syria, Yemen and, most importantly, it has recently united under its banner the main local terrorist organisations active in northwest Africa. In March 2017, the Sahel G5 summit decided to form an international anti-terror force focusing on Africa and comprising the armies of Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania. The main terrorist organisations active in the Sahel area, for instance, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Ansar Eddine, Katiba Macina and al-Mourabitoun have released a video in which they pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda and informed to have now united under its banners. As long as Islamist terrorism continues to be treated mainly as a military problem, it will be very difficult to eradicate it. × As long as Islamist terrorism continues to be treated mainly as a military problem, it will be very difficult to eradicate it. The battle lies in schools, madrasas, mosques, parliaments and among societies. Sunni extremism derives ideological lifeline from islamophobia and racist policies. The more the narrative of a 'clash of civilisations' is part of the world public discourse, the less the military efforts will turn out to be effective. Jihadi terrorist organisations have proved to survive their leaders, showing a remarkable capability to reinvent themselves and to quickly adapt to evolving contexts and to differentiate their terrains of action. Men, money, territories are not their pillars. It is the solid theological approach to governance as well as the capability to give to their followers a scope and a code of life based on war which keep Jihadi organisations alive.

Islamic terrorism did not end with the killing of Osama bin Laden

Somalia&#39;s al-Shabaab militants beheaded four men for allegedly spying for the country&#39;s Western-backed government, the United States and Kenya, Somalian residents said.&nbsp;

The group confirmed the executions, which took place on Sunday when the men were found guilty by an al-Shabaab court in lower Jubba region&#39;s Jamame&nbsp;District.

Jubba&#39;s al-Shabaab governor, Mohamed Abu Abdalla told Reuters,&quot;The court ruled on their cases and four of the men were executed publicly in Jamame District according to the Sharia this (Sunday) afternoon.&quot;

&quot;The four men admitted they were spies.&quot;

In areas under its control, al-Shabaab has carried out executions, floggings and amputations after summary trials in cases ranging from espionage to theft.

The militant group has been fighting for years to drive out African Union peacekeepers, topple the central government and impose its own harsh interpretation of Sharia (Islamic law) in the&nbsp;country.

(Reuters)

The men were found guilty by an al-Shabaab court in lower Jubba region's Jamame?District for allegedly spying for the government

Somalia's al-Shabaab militants beheaded four men for allegedly spying for the country's Western-backed government, the United States and Kenya, Somalian residents said. The group confirmed the executions, which took place on Sunday when the men were found guilty by an al-Shabaab court in lower Jubba region's Jamame District. Jubba's al-Shabaab governor, Mohamed Abu Abdalla told Reuters,"The court ruled on their cases and four of the men were executed publicly in Jamame District according to the Sharia this (Sunday) afternoon." "The four men admitted they were spies." In areas under its control, al-Shabaab has carried out executions, floggings and amputations after summary trials in cases ranging from espionage to theft. The militant group has been fighting for years to drive out African Union peacekeepers, topple the central government and impose its own harsh interpretation of Sharia (Islamic law) in the country. (Reuters)

Somalia's al-Shabaab beheads four men accused of spying

Al-Qaeda is gaining ground in Yemen and could benefit from military actions like the deadly raid by elite US forces ordered by President Donald Trump, the International Crisis Group warned Thursday.

&quot;The Yemeni branch of Al-Qaeda is stronger than it has ever been,&quot; ICG said in a report documenting the spread of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

&quot;The first military actions by the Trump administration in Yemen bode poorly for the prospect of smartly and effectively countering AQAP,&quot; read the report, released after Sunday&#39;s US air raid in central Yemen.

While Washington has said at least 14 suspected jihadists and one US Navy SEAL were killed in the strike, ICG said the death toll included &quot;many civilians, including at least 10 women and children&quot;.

The think-tank warned that strikes like the January 29 raid on Baida province could increase fear of or even hostility towards the United States among civilians, providing fertile ground for recruitment by AQAP.&nbsp;

&quot;The use of US soldiers, high civilian casualties and disregard for local tribal and political dynamics... plays into AQAP&#39;s narrative of defending Muslims against the West and could increase anti-US sentiment and with it AQAP&#39;s pool of recruits,&quot; said the Brussels-based ICG.&nbsp;

With its key role in regional politics, Trump&#39;s White House also stands to impact efforts to find a political solution to Yemen&#39;s conflict which has killed more than 7,400 people since March 2015, according to the World Health Organisation.&nbsp;

&quot;These efforts will be imperilled if states interested in fighting AQAP and Yemen&#39;s nascent Islamic State (IS) branch, such as the US, take military actions that ignore the local context... or fail to restrain partners who tolerate or even encourage AQAP/IS activities,&quot; added the 35-page report.&nbsp;

Saudi Arabia, which intervened militarily two years ago in Yemen to support the government, is a key regional ally of the United States, which regards AQAP as Al-Qaeda&#39;s most dangerous branch.&nbsp;

The oil-rich Gulf monarchy has been spared Trump&#39;s travel ban imposed last Friday targeting nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen.&nbsp;

Women, children &#39;among dead&#39;

Washington is also facing questions on whether an eight-year-old American girl was killed in the raid.

Local sources say the girl was the daughter of senior Al-Qaeda cleric and US citizen Anwar al-Awlaqi, killed in a 2011 US drone strike.

Under Trump&#39;s predecessor Barack Obama, the US dramatically increased its use of drone strikes against suspected jihadists in Yemen.

The Pentagon said Monday that &quot;a lot of female combatants&quot; were caught up in Sunday&#39;s battle. Women were among the fatalities, it said, declining to specify whether children were also killed.

The death toll was still being evaluated, it said.

On the ground, a Yemeni provincial official gave a toll of 41 suspected militants and 16 civilians killed, eight of them women and eight children.

The US raid was said to have targeted the houses of three tribal chiefs linked to Al-Qaeda.

The provincial official said Apache helicopters also hit a school, a mosque and a medical facility which were all used by Al-Qaeda militants.

AQAP said in a statement that 30 people died in the raid -- &quot;only women and children... with some tribal leaders who have no connections&quot; to the group.

The conflict in Yemen escalated two years ago when a Saudi-led Arab coalition launched air raids against Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels, who had taken over the capital and seized swathes of the country&#39;s centre and north.

The war has allowed both AQAP and IS jihadists to gain ground in the impoverished nation.

The United Nations estimates over three million people have been displaced since fighting between the Huthis and pro-government forces broke out in 2014. &nbsp;

The Arab world&#39;s poorest country now faces a major humanitarian crisis, with one and a half million children suffering severe malnutrition.&nbsp;

 
(AFP)

The think-tank warned that strikes like the January 29 raid could increase fear of or even hostility towards the US?among civilians

Al-Qaeda is gaining ground in Yemen and could benefit from military actions like the deadly raid by elite US forces ordered by President Donald Trump, the International Crisis Group warned Thursday. "The Yemeni branch of Al-Qaeda is stronger than it has ever been," ICG said in a report documenting the spread of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). "The first military actions by the Trump administration in Yemen bode poorly for the prospect of smartly and effectively countering AQAP," read the report, released after Sunday's US air raid in central Yemen. While Washington has said at least 14 suspected jihadists and one US Navy SEAL were killed in the strike, ICG said the death toll included "many civilians, including at least 10 women and children". The think-tank warned that strikes like the January 29 raid on Baida province could increase fear of or even hostility towards the United States among civilians, providing fertile ground for recruitment by AQAP. "The use of US soldiers, high civilian casualties and disregard for local tribal and political dynamics... plays into AQAP's narrative of defending Muslims against the West and could increase anti-US sentiment and with it AQAP's pool of recruits," said the Brussels-based ICG. With its key role in regional politics, Trump's White House also stands to impact efforts to find a political solution to Yemen's conflict which has killed more than 7,400 people since March 2015, according to the World Health Organisation. "These efforts will be imperilled if states interested in fighting AQAP and Yemen's nascent Islamic State (IS) branch, such as the US, take military actions that ignore the local context... or fail to restrain partners who tolerate or even encourage AQAP/IS activities," added the 35-page report. Saudi Arabia, which intervened militarily two years ago in Yemen to support the government, is a key regional ally of the United States, which regards AQAP as Al-Qaeda's most dangerous branch. The oil-rich Gulf monarchy has been spared Trump's travel ban imposed last Friday targeting nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. Women, children 'among dead' Washington is also facing questions on whether an eight-year-old American girl was killed in the raid. Local sources say the girl was the daughter of senior Al-Qaeda cleric and US citizen Anwar al-Awlaqi, killed in a 2011 US drone strike. Under Trump's predecessor Barack Obama, the US dramatically increased its use of drone strikes against suspected jihadists in Yemen. The Pentagon said Monday that "a lot of female combatants" were caught up in Sunday's battle. Women were among the fatalities, it said, declining to specify whether children were also killed. The death toll was still being evaluated, it said. On the ground, a Yemeni provincial official gave a toll of 41 suspected militants and 16 civilians killed, eight of them women and eight children. The US raid was said to have targeted the houses of three tribal chiefs linked to Al-Qaeda. The provincial official said Apache helicopters also hit a school, a mosque and a medical facility which were all used by Al-Qaeda militants. AQAP said in a statement that 30 people died in the raid -- "only women and children... with some tribal leaders who have no connections" to the group. The conflict in Yemen escalated two years ago when a Saudi-led Arab coalition launched air raids against Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels, who had taken over the capital and seized swathes of the country's centre and north. The war has allowed both AQAP and IS jihadists to gain ground in the impoverished nation. The United Nations estimates over three million people have been displaced since fighting between the Huthis and pro-government forces broke out in 2014. The Arab world's poorest country now faces a major humanitarian crisis, with one and a half million children suffering severe malnutrition. (AFP)

Al-Qaeda can gain from Trump strikes on Yemen: ICG

A US raid in Yemen at dawn on Sunday killed 41 Al-Qaeda suspects, including three prominent figures, 16 civilians, a provincial official said.

The military operation was the first attributed to the United States against jihadists in Yemen since President Donald Trump took office on January 20.

Seven women and three children were among those killed in the raid on Yakla district in the central province of Baida, said the official, who did not want to be named, and tribal sources.

Earlier, tribal and sources in the region said the raid targeted the houses of three tribal chiefs linked to Al-Qaeda, adding that a number of civilians were also killed.

But the provincial official said Apache helicopters targeted also a school, mosque and a medical facility used by Al-Qaeda militants.

Under Trump&#39;s predecessor Barack Obama, the United States stepped up its use of drone strikes against suspected jihadists in Yemen, as well as other countries including Afghanistan.

The United States considers the extremist group&#39;s Yemen-based franchise, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, to be its most dangerous.

But although it only sporadically reports on a long-running bombing campaign against AQAP, it is the only force known to be operating drones over Yemen.

On January 14, the Pentagon announced the killing a senior Al-Qaeda operative in Baida the week before in an air strike.

Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State jihadist group have exploited a power vacuum created by the two-year-old conflict in Yemen between the government and Shiite Huthi rebels, especially in the country&#39;s south and southeast.

(AFP)

The military operation was the first attributed to the United States against jihadists in Yemen since Trump took office on January 20

A US raid in Yemen at dawn on Sunday killed 41 Al-Qaeda suspects, including three prominent figures, 16 civilians, a provincial official said. The military operation was the first attributed to the United States against jihadists in Yemen since President Donald Trump took office on January 20. Seven women and three children were among those killed in the raid on Yakla district in the central province of Baida, said the official, who did not want to be named, and tribal sources. Earlier, tribal and sources in the region said the raid targeted the houses of three tribal chiefs linked to Al-Qaeda, adding that a number of civilians were also killed. But the provincial official said Apache helicopters targeted also a school, mosque and a medical facility used by Al-Qaeda militants. Under Trump's predecessor Barack Obama, the United States stepped up its use of drone strikes against suspected jihadists in Yemen, as well as other countries including Afghanistan. The United States considers the extremist group's Yemen-based franchise, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, to be its most dangerous. But although it only sporadically reports on a long-running bombing campaign against AQAP, it is the only force known to be operating drones over Yemen. On January 14, the Pentagon announced the killing a senior Al-Qaeda operative in Baida the week before in an air strike. Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State jihadist group have exploited a power vacuum created by the two-year-old conflict in Yemen between the government and Shiite Huthi rebels, especially in the country's south and southeast. (AFP)

US raid on Yemen kills 41 Al-Qaeda suspects, 16 civilians: Official

An air strike in Syria today killed at least 25 members of former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front including senior figures, a monitor said.

Unidentified aircraft hit one of the group&#39;s most important bases in Syria, in the northwestern province of Idlib, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

Among the dead were leading members of the group, formerly known as Al-Nusra Front, who were holding a meeting there, he said, without identifying them.

Fateh al-Sham used its Telegram account to accuse the US-led coalition of carrying out the raid.

&quot;More than 20 martyrs after the Crusader coalition targeted a central base in the north Idlib countryside,&quot; it said.

An AFP correspondent said several strikes had hit the town including one on a Fateh al-Sham checkpoint. He saw ambulances rushing to the area.

The strike came four days into a fragile ceasefire between Syria&#39;s regime and major rebel groups brokered by Russia and Turkey.

Moscow and Damascus say the truce does not cover Fateh al-Sham or the Islamic State group, labelled by the UN Security Council as &quot;terrorist&quot; organisations.

Rebel groups say that Idlib is covered by the agreement.

In November, the Pentagon said a US drone strike killed a senior Al-Qaeda leader in the same area.&nbsp;

(AFP)

The former Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham used its Telegram account to accuse the US-led coalition of carrying out the raid

An air strike in Syria today killed at least 25 members of former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front including senior figures, a monitor said. Unidentified aircraft hit one of the group's most important bases in Syria, in the northwestern province of Idlib, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. Among the dead were leading members of the group, formerly known as Al-Nusra Front, who were holding a meeting there, he said, without identifying them. Fateh al-Sham used its Telegram account to accuse the US-led coalition of carrying out the raid. "More than 20 martyrs after the Crusader coalition targeted a central base in the north Idlib countryside," it said. An AFP correspondent said several strikes had hit the town including one on a Fateh al-Sham checkpoint. He saw ambulances rushing to the area. The strike came four days into a fragile ceasefire between Syria's regime and major rebel groups brokered by Russia and Turkey. Moscow and Damascus say the truce does not cover Fateh al-Sham or the Islamic State group, labelled by the UN Security Council as "terrorist" organisations. Rebel groups say that Idlib is covered by the agreement. In November, the Pentagon said a US drone strike killed a senior Al-Qaeda leader in the same area. (AFP)

Syria: 25 killed in attack, including former Qaeda affiliates

Three suspected Al-Qaeda operatives were arrested on Monday by India&rsquo;s National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Madurai in India&rsquo;s southern state of Tamil Nadu.

The three were allegedly planning to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with 22 top leaders of India, police said.

Those arrested were identified as M Khareem, Asif Sultan Mohammed and Abbas Ali, PTI reported.

While Khareem was arrested from Usmannagar, Asif Sultan Mohammed was picked up from GR Nagar and Abbas Ali from Ismailpuram, police said.

Police said NIA raided several places on specific information that suspected Al-Qaeda activists were operating from South Tamil Nadu in and around Madurai. &ldquo;Explosive materials and arms have been seized from them,&rdquo; police said.

NIA is searching for two other suspected Al-Qaeda operatives, Hakeem and Dawood Sulaiman.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Police said the three allegedly planned to attack 22 top leaders of India

Three suspected Al-Qaeda operatives were arrested on Monday by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Madurai in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu. The three were allegedly planning to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with 22 top leaders of India, police said. Those arrested were identified as M Khareem, Asif Sultan Mohammed and Abbas Ali, PTI reported. While Khareem was arrested from Usmannagar, Asif Sultan Mohammed was picked up from GR Nagar and Abbas Ali from Ismailpuram, police said. Police said NIA raided several places on specific information that suspected Al-Qaeda activists were operating from South Tamil Nadu in and around Madurai. “Explosive materials and arms have been seized from them,” police said. NIA is searching for two other suspected Al-Qaeda operatives, Hakeem and Dawood Sulaiman. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Three suspected Al-Qaeda operatives planning to kill 22 top leaders including Indian PM Narendra Modi arrested

Yemeni troops loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi&#39;s government killed at least 30 suspected al Qaeda militants in a raid backed by a Saudi-led military coalition in the southeast of the country.&nbsp;

The 24-hour operation that ended Wednesday had struck an Al-Qaeda hideout west of the port city of Mukalla, the Yemeni military said. Several others were captured by the army.

Four Yemeni troops were also killed and 12 were wounded in the fighting, it added.

The army accused the jihadists of &quot;planning terrorist attacks&quot; in the country, already torn apart by the 19-month long conflict between Iran-backed rebels and government forces supported by the coalition troops.&nbsp;

A security official told AFP on Tuesday that troops launched a &quot;preemptive operation&quot; against the extremists, who continued to pose a threat to Mukalla.

Mukalla was the most populous Yemeni city under Al-Qaeda control until government troops and coalition special forces recaptured it in April, ending a year of jihadist rule.

But the jihadists regrouped in the surrounding mountains from where they have carried out a series of deadly revenge attacks.

(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

The troops launched a 'preemptive operation' against the extremists, who continue to pose a threat to Mukalla

Yemeni troops loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's government killed at least 30 suspected al Qaeda militants in a raid backed by a Saudi-led military coalition in the southeast of the country. The 24-hour operation that ended Wednesday had struck an Al-Qaeda hideout west of the port city of Mukalla, the Yemeni military said. Several others were captured by the army. Four Yemeni troops were also killed and 12 were wounded in the fighting, it added. The army accused the jihadists of "planning terrorist attacks" in the country, already torn apart by the 19-month long conflict between Iran-backed rebels and government forces supported by the coalition troops. A security official told AFP on Tuesday that troops launched a "preemptive operation" against the extremists, who continued to pose a threat to Mukalla. Mukalla was the most populous Yemeni city under Al-Qaeda control until government troops and coalition special forces recaptured it in April, ending a year of jihadist rule. But the jihadists regrouped in the surrounding mountains from where they have carried out a series of deadly revenge attacks. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Yemen army kills 30 Al-Qaeda suspects in port city of Mukalla

Eight al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorists, who were plotting to target atomic installations and offices of intelligence agencies, were killed by Pakistani security forces in the country&#39;s relatively peaceful Punjab province, officials said today.

&nbsp;

Punjab police&#39;s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) said their officials were working on the&nbsp;intelligence input that the terrorists&nbsp;were planning to attack a Shia procession near Multan district, about 350 kilometres from Lahore.

&nbsp;

CTD officials and other security agencies conducted combing operations in Shujaabad area of the district.

&nbsp;

During these operations, the CTD team learnt that the terrorists&nbsp;belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and al-Qaeda had moved to Dera Ghazi Khan.

&nbsp;

&quot;Yesterday, when a CTD team raided the suspects&#39; hideout in Dera Ghazi Khan the terrorists opened fire and hurled hand-grenades. The CTD team retaliated in self-defence. When the firing stopped, eight terrorists were found dead,&quot; it said.

&nbsp;

Three terrorists&nbsp;managed to escape, officials said.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the official sources said the terrorists had stored a &quot;good amount of ammunition&quot; including Kalashnikovs, hand grenades and explosives at their hideout in Tonmi Road of DG Khan.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(PTI)&nbsp;

The terrorists were plotting to target atomic installations and offices of intelligence agencies, Punjab police said

Eight al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorists, who were plotting to target atomic installations and offices of intelligence agencies, were killed by Pakistani security forces in the country's relatively peaceful Punjab province, officials said today. Punjab police's Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) said their officials were working on the intelligence input that the terrorists were planning to attack a Shia procession near Multan district, about 350 kilometres from Lahore. CTD officials and other security agencies conducted combing operations in Shujaabad area of the district. During these operations, the CTD team learnt that the terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and al-Qaeda had moved to Dera Ghazi Khan. "Yesterday, when a CTD team raided the suspects' hideout in Dera Ghazi Khan the terrorists opened fire and hurled hand-grenades. The CTD team retaliated in self-defence. When the firing stopped, eight terrorists were found dead," it said. Three terrorists managed to escape, officials said. Meanwhile, the official sources said the terrorists had stored a "good amount of ammunition" including Kalashnikovs, hand grenades and explosives at their hideout in Tonmi Road of DG Khan. (PTI)

Eight terrorists killed in Pakistan's Punjab: Officials

While 9/11 failed to bring America to its knees as Al-Qaeda hoped, it ushered in an era of instability, especially in the Middle East, that Islamic extremists have skilfully exploited, analysts say. 
 
By reacting with a doctrine of &quot;Shock and Awe&quot; and invading Iraq in 2003, the US committed a series of missteps that indirectly helped foment jihadism, say critics. 
 
Founded in the 1980s, Al-Qaeda was gravely weakened after being expelled from Afghanistan in 2001 by the US-led invasion of the country that had harboured the terror group&#39;s leader Osama bin Laden. 
 
But the occupation of Iraq offered them a new opportunity, underlining how jihadist groups have resisted attempts to vanquish them and have now expanded into franchises in the Middle East, Asia, the West and parts of Africa. 
 
&quot;September 11 was the culmination of several years of planning by Al-Qaeda of &#39;the big one&#39;,&quot; Didier Le Bret, who recently resigned as France&#39;s national intelligence coordinator to run in next year&#39;s parliamentary election, told AFP. 
 
&quot;Above all it marked the start of a realisation (by the Americans) of their vulnerability on home soil. And that is something they cannot bear.&quot; 
 
He said the invasion illustrated the dangers of acting first and worrying about the consequences afterwards. 
 
Among the consequences was the damage done to America&#39;s reputation by the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, the camp opened by George W Bush at a US base in Cuba to hold &quot;enemy combattants&quot; captured around the world. 
 
For Le Bret, the conflict in Iraq was &quot;an unfinished war, built on a lie&quot; that ended up destabilising the whole region. 
 
Jean-Pierre Filiu, professor of Middle East studies at Sciences-Po University in Paris, said it also squandered support for the US among its allies. 
 
&quot;The US enjoyed unprecedented international solidarity in its campaign against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda (in Afghanistan),&quot; he said. &quot;But after that campaign, which was crowned with success within a few weeks, the Neoconversatives imposed a strategy of a &#39;global war on terror&#39; which reignited global jihad.&quot; 
 
Tai chi terror tactics 
 
The US presence in Iraq made it a magnet for jihadists, with Al-Qaeda in Iraq becoming a major force in the post-war insurgency that later morphed into the Islamic State (IS) group. 
 
IS extremists, seeing power vacuums created through weak governance in Iraq and a civil war in Syria, grabbed territory in both countries after declaring their &quot;caliphate&quot; for Muslims in 2014. 
 
Spurred by social media and the forces of globalisation, they have since encouraged Muslims to take up arms against the West which they see as an ideological enemy. 
 
While conducting a campaign of mass murder and terror in territories under their control, they have spread their tentacles worldwide, inspiring or carrying out attacks in France, Germany, the United States, Turkey or Bangladesh. 
 
&quot;Daesh, or the so-called Islamic State, was born out of the alliance of two totalitarianisms, that of Al-Qaeda and the ousted regime of Saddam Hussein,&quot; Filiu said. 
 
&quot;Instead of taking the measure of this new threat, Barack Obama was for a long time in denial, allowing the emergence of a &#39;terror caliphate&#39; that has spread around the world,&quot; he argued. 
 
Obama&#39;s reticence to commit the US to a new battle in the Middle East reflected the caution of a nation scarred by Iraq, where thousands of US troops and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians died during the post-invasion insurgency.&nbsp; 
 
Bin Laden&#39;s son said 9/11 was aimed at setting up a grand showdown with America in Afghanistan where the Soviet army had been defeated by US-backed mujahideen. 
 
&quot;I was surprised the Americans took the bait&quot;, Omar bin Laden, one of 11 sons, told Rolling Stone magazine in 2010, a year before his father&#39;s death at the hands of US special forces. 
 
By forcing Washington out of its isolationism and luring it into Iraq, bin Laden was using what historian Yuval Noah Harari calls the &quot;tai-chi masters method.&quot; 
 
&quot;The terrorists hope that even though they can barely dent the enemy&#39;s material, power, fear and confusion will cause the enemy to misuse its strength,&quot; the author of Sapiens, a history of humanity, wrote in The Guardian newspaper last year. 
 
&quot;Terrorists calculate that when the enraged enemy uses its massive power against them, it will raise a much more violent military and political storm than the terrorists themselves could ever create.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

By reacting with the doctrine and invading Iraq in 2003, the US committed a series of missteps that indirectly helped foment jihadism

While 9/11 failed to bring America to its knees as Al-Qaeda hoped, it ushered in an era of instability, especially in the Middle East, that Islamic extremists have skilfully exploited, analysts say. By reacting with a doctrine of "Shock and Awe" and invading Iraq in 2003, the US committed a series of missteps that indirectly helped foment jihadism, say critics. Founded in the 1980s, Al-Qaeda was gravely weakened after being expelled from Afghanistan in 2001 by the US-led invasion of the country that had harboured the terror group's leader Osama bin Laden. But the occupation of Iraq offered them a new opportunity, underlining how jihadist groups have resisted attempts to vanquish them and have now expanded into franchises in the Middle East, Asia, the West and parts of Africa. "September 11 was the culmination of several years of planning by Al-Qaeda of 'the big one'," Didier Le Bret, who recently resigned as France's national intelligence coordinator to run in next year's parliamentary election, told AFP. "Above all it marked the start of a realisation (by the Americans) of their vulnerability on home soil. And that is something they cannot bear." He said the invasion illustrated the dangers of acting first and worrying about the consequences afterwards. Among the consequences was the damage done to America's reputation by the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, the camp opened by George W Bush at a US base in Cuba to hold "enemy combattants" captured around the world. For Le Bret, the conflict in Iraq was "an unfinished war, built on a lie" that ended up destabilising the whole region. Jean-Pierre Filiu, professor of Middle East studies at Sciences-Po University in Paris, said it also squandered support for the US among its allies. "The US enjoyed unprecedented international solidarity in its campaign against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda (in Afghanistan)," he said. "But after that campaign, which was crowned with success within a few weeks, the Neoconversatives imposed a strategy of a 'global war on terror' which reignited global jihad." Tai chi terror tactics The US presence in Iraq made it a magnet for jihadists, with Al-Qaeda in Iraq becoming a major force in the post-war insurgency that later morphed into the Islamic State (IS) group. IS extremists, seeing power vacuums created through weak governance in Iraq and a civil war in Syria, grabbed territory in both countries after declaring their "caliphate" for Muslims in 2014. Spurred by social media and the forces of globalisation, they have since encouraged Muslims to take up arms against the West which they see as an ideological enemy. While conducting a campaign of mass murder and terror in territories under their control, they have spread their tentacles worldwide, inspiring or carrying out attacks in France, Germany, the United States, Turkey or Bangladesh. "Daesh, or the so-called Islamic State, was born out of the alliance of two totalitarianisms, that of Al-Qaeda and the ousted regime of Saddam Hussein," Filiu said. "Instead of taking the measure of this new threat, Barack Obama was for a long time in denial, allowing the emergence of a 'terror caliphate' that has spread around the world," he argued. Obama's reticence to commit the US to a new battle in the Middle East reflected the caution of a nation scarred by Iraq, where thousands of US troops and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians died during the post-invasion insurgency. Bin Laden's son said 9/11 was aimed at setting up a grand showdown with America in Afghanistan where the Soviet army had been defeated by US-backed mujahideen. "I was surprised the Americans took the bait", Omar bin Laden, one of 11 sons, told Rolling Stone magazine in 2010, a year before his father's death at the hands of US special forces. By forcing Washington out of its isolationism and luring it into Iraq, bin Laden was using what historian Yuval Noah Harari calls the "tai-chi masters method." "The terrorists hope that even though they can barely dent the enemy's material, power, fear and confusion will cause the enemy to misuse its strength," the author of Sapiens, a history of humanity, wrote in The Guardian newspaper last year. "Terrorists calculate that when the enraged enemy uses its massive power against them, it will raise a much more violent military and political storm than the terrorists themselves could ever create." (AFP)

'Shock and awe' response to 9/11 helped jihad's spread: Analysts

US President Barack Obama on Sunday urged Americans on the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks to embrace the nation&#39;s diversity and not to allow &quot;terrorists&quot; to divide the country. 
 
Extremist organisations like Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group &quot;know that they will never be able to defeat a nation as great and as strong as America,&quot; Obama said at a memorial service at the Pentagon, one of the sites attacked on September 11, 2001. 
 
&quot;So instead they try to terrorise, in the hopes that they can stoke enough fear that we turn on each other,&quot; said Obama, who observed a moment of silence on Sunday at the Oval Office in honor of the nearly 3,000 people killed that day. 
 
&quot;And that&#39;s why it is so important today that we reaffirm our character as a nation (...) Our diversity, our patchwork heritage, is not a weakness. It is still and always will be one of our greatest strengths,&quot; he added. 
 
&quot;This is the America that was attacked that September morning. This is the America that we must remain true to.&quot; 
 
In an indirect reference to the controversial anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant campaign rhetoric of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, Obama recalled that Americans were &quot;a people drawn from every corner of the world, every color, every religion, every background.&quot; 
 
Obama, who is a Democrat, has repeatedly criticised Trump&#39;s statements, including the billionaire&#39;s proposal in the wake of last December&#39;s mass shooting attack in San Bernardino, California to ban Muslims from entering the United States. 
 
In the 15 years since the Al-Qaeda suicide plane strikes on the Pentagon, New York&#39;s World Trade Center, and in Pennsylvania, &quot;the threat has evolved,&quot; the president said. 
 
&quot;With our stronger defenses, terrorists often attempt attacks on a smaller but still deadly scale,&quot; he added, recalling the Boston marathon bombings, the nightclub massacre in Orlando in June and the carnage in San Bernardino. 
 
(AFP)

Al-Qaeda and Islamic State 'know that they will never be able to defeat a nation as great and as strong as America,' he said

US President Barack Obama on Sunday urged Americans on the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks to embrace the nation's diversity and not to allow "terrorists" to divide the country. Extremist organisations like Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group "know that they will never be able to defeat a nation as great and as strong as America," Obama said at a memorial service at the Pentagon, one of the sites attacked on September 11, 2001. "So instead they try to terrorise, in the hopes that they can stoke enough fear that we turn on each other," said Obama, who observed a moment of silence on Sunday at the Oval Office in honor of the nearly 3,000 people killed that day. "And that's why it is so important today that we reaffirm our character as a nation (...) Our diversity, our patchwork heritage, is not a weakness. It is still and always will be one of our greatest strengths," he added. "This is the America that was attacked that September morning. This is the America that we must remain true to." In an indirect reference to the controversial anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant campaign rhetoric of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, Obama recalled that Americans were "a people drawn from every corner of the world, every color, every religion, every background." Obama, who is a Democrat, has repeatedly criticised Trump's statements, including the billionaire's proposal in the wake of last December's mass shooting attack in San Bernardino, California to ban Muslims from entering the United States. In the 15 years since the Al-Qaeda suicide plane strikes on the Pentagon, New York's World Trade Center, and in Pennsylvania, "the threat has evolved," the president said. "With our stronger defenses, terrorists often attempt attacks on a smaller but still deadly scale," he added, recalling the Boston marathon bombings, the nightclub massacre in Orlando in June and the carnage in San Bernardino. (AFP)

Obama on 9/11: Diversity one of America's 'greatest strengths'

With Xinjiang tightening anti-terror law banning instigation of people to cross border to undergo terror training Pakistan army chief General Raheel Sharif has assured China of cracking down on militant outfits blamed for attacks in the volatile province. 
 
Pakistan will firmly crackdown on terrorist forces like the &quot;East Turkestan Islamic Movement&quot; (ETIM) and protect the security of &quot;China-Pakistan Economic Corridor&quot;, (CEPC) state-run China Military Online quoted him as saying during his meeting with China&#39;s top military official Fang Fenghui in Urumqi, provincial capital of Xinjiang on Tuesday. 
 
Fang is the member of China&#39;s Central Military Commission (CMC), the highest military body and Chief of the Joint Staff Department of the CMC. 
 
Sharif was in Urumqi to attend the Quadrilateral Cooperation and Coordination Mechanism in Counter Terrorism by Afghanistan-China-Pakistan-Tajikistan Armed Forces. 
 
His assurance of firm crackdown followed China-Pakistan border police recently launching first joint patrols of the disputed Pakistan Controlled Kashmir (POK) border amid reports that 114 Uyghurs Muslims from Xinjiang joined Islamic State in Syria. 
 
Xinjiang, the home for Uyghurs who resented the increasing settlements of Hans from other provinces has witnessed violent attacks in recent years. 
 
China blamed ETIM, a separatist outfit linked to al-Qaeda for the attacks. Under pressure from China, Pakistan army has conducted military operations against ETIM training bases in the tribal areas bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent months. 
 
Xinjiang recently adopted new anti-terrorism rules stipulating reassessment of risk levels of prisoners before release and solitary confinement and education for ring leaders. 
 
The new rules stipulated that recruiting, training or transporting terror-related personnel will be regarded as carrying out terror activities, as will as organising or instigating others to illegally cross into another country to participate in terror activities or terror training, state-run Global Times reported. 
 
The Quadrilateral Cooperation and Coordination Mechanism formed by China significantly includes Afghanistan which also shares borders with Xinjiang.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)

Under Chinese pressure, Pakistan army has lately conducted operations against al-Qaeda linked ETIM's training bases

With Xinjiang tightening anti-terror law banning instigation of people to cross border to undergo terror training Pakistan army chief General Raheel Sharif has assured China of cracking down on militant outfits blamed for attacks in the volatile province. Pakistan will firmly crackdown on terrorist forces like the "East Turkestan Islamic Movement" (ETIM) and protect the security of "China-Pakistan Economic Corridor", (CEPC) state-run China Military Online quoted him as saying during his meeting with China's top military official Fang Fenghui in Urumqi, provincial capital of Xinjiang on Tuesday. Fang is the member of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), the highest military body and Chief of the Joint Staff Department of the CMC. Sharif was in Urumqi to attend the Quadrilateral Cooperation and Coordination Mechanism in Counter Terrorism by Afghanistan-China-Pakistan-Tajikistan Armed Forces. His assurance of firm crackdown followed China-Pakistan border police recently launching first joint patrols of the disputed Pakistan Controlled Kashmir (POK) border amid reports that 114 Uyghurs Muslims from Xinjiang joined Islamic State in Syria. Xinjiang, the home for Uyghurs who resented the increasing settlements of Hans from other provinces has witnessed violent attacks in recent years. China blamed ETIM, a separatist outfit linked to al-Qaeda for the attacks. Under pressure from China, Pakistan army has conducted military operations against ETIM training bases in the tribal areas bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent months. Xinjiang recently adopted new anti-terrorism rules stipulating reassessment of risk levels of prisoners before release and solitary confinement and education for ring leaders. The new rules stipulated that recruiting, training or transporting terror-related personnel will be regarded as carrying out terror activities, as will as organising or instigating others to illegally cross into another country to participate in terror activities or terror training, state-run Global Times reported. The Quadrilateral Cooperation and Coordination Mechanism formed by China significantly includes Afghanistan which also shares borders with Xinjiang. (PTI)

Pakistan army chief promises China firm crackdown on Uyghur militants

Lawmakers in Mali agreed on Saturday to extend a 10-day state of emergency in the violence-wracked country by another eight months, officials said.&nbsp; 
 
In an extraordinary session of the National Assembly in Bamako, the 99 MPs present unanimously voted to maintain the state of emergency, a parliamentary source said. The extension will last until March 29, 2017, public broadcaster ORTM said. 
 
The government had declared a state of emergency on July 21, a day after an attack at an army base in central Nampala left 17 soldiers dead and 35 wounded. The state of emergency gives the security services greater powers and puts restrictions on public gatherings. 
 
Two groups -- the Islamist organisation Ansar Dine and a newly formed ethnic group -- both claimed to have carried out the raid on the military camp in Nampala, which the government described as a &quot;coordinated terrorist attack&quot;. Several security sources in the region said they doubted the veracity of the claim of responsibility from the National Alliance for the Protection of Peul Identity and Restoration of Justice (ANSIPRJ). 
 
The ethnic group was only founded last month following inter-communal clashes in the area and lacked the means to mount an attack, they said. Last week&#39;s attack was the latest in a series of assaults on security forces in Mali. A previous state of emergency in place since April had only been lifted the week before. 
 
Ansar Dine is a mainly Tuareg group that controlled areas of Mali&#39;s northern desert together with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and a third local group in early 2012. Although the Islamists were largely ousted by an ongoing French-led military operation launched in January 2013, sporadic assaults from desert hideouts are common. Attacks have notably become more frequent in the country&#39;s centre, close to its borders with Burkina Faso and Niger, both from criminal and jihadist elements. 
 
In one high-profile attack last November, claimed by AQIM, jihadists stormed the capital&#39;s Radisson Blu hotel, killing 20 civilians, including 14 foreigners. 
 
(AFP)

The government had declared emergency on July 21, a day after an attack at an army base in central Nampala left 17 soldiers dead

Lawmakers in Mali agreed on Saturday to extend a 10-day state of emergency in the violence-wracked country by another eight months, officials said. In an extraordinary session of the National Assembly in Bamako, the 99 MPs present unanimously voted to maintain the state of emergency, a parliamentary source said. The extension will last until March 29, 2017, public broadcaster ORTM said. The government had declared a state of emergency on July 21, a day after an attack at an army base in central Nampala left 17 soldiers dead and 35 wounded. The state of emergency gives the security services greater powers and puts restrictions on public gatherings. Two groups -- the Islamist organisation Ansar Dine and a newly formed ethnic group -- both claimed to have carried out the raid on the military camp in Nampala, which the government described as a "coordinated terrorist attack". Several security sources in the region said they doubted the veracity of the claim of responsibility from the National Alliance for the Protection of Peul Identity and Restoration of Justice (ANSIPRJ). The ethnic group was only founded last month following inter-communal clashes in the area and lacked the means to mount an attack, they said. Last week's attack was the latest in a series of assaults on security forces in Mali. A previous state of emergency in place since April had only been lifted the week before. Ansar Dine is a mainly Tuareg group that controlled areas of Mali's northern desert together with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and a third local group in early 2012. Although the Islamists were largely ousted by an ongoing French-led military operation launched in January 2013, sporadic assaults from desert hideouts are common. Attacks have notably become more frequent in the country's centre, close to its borders with Burkina Faso and Niger, both from criminal and jihadist elements. In one high-profile attack last November, claimed by AQIM, jihadists stormed the capital's Radisson Blu hotel, killing 20 civilians, including 14 foreigners. (AFP)

Mali extends emergency by 8 months

Al-Qaeda prepared the ground for a break with its Syrian affiliate, Al-Nusra Front, today following several days of online chatter over a break-up between the jihadist groups.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We direct the leadership of Al-Nusra Front to go ahead with what preserves the good of Islam and the Muslims, and protects the jihad of the Syrian people,&quot; Ahmed Hassan Abu al-Khayr said in an audio message released online by Al-Nusra.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We urge them to take the appropriate steps towards this matter,&quot; said Abu al-Khayr, who was identified as a deputy of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.&nbsp; 
 
Jihadist sympathisers and observers have been speculating online about a possible split between Al-Nusra and the network founded by Osama bin Laden to which it pledged allegiance in 2013.&nbsp; 
 
Analysts say Al-Nusra aims to rebrand and defend itself as it comes under increased pressure after Moscow and Washington agreed to step up joint efforts against the group.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Whatever Nusra does, its ultimate objective is to further embed itself into Syria&#39;s revolution and secure its long-term future&quot; as a legitimate rebel group, analyst Charles Lister tweeted.&nbsp; 
 
Al-Nusra first emerged in January 2012 -- 10 months after Syria&#39;s conflict began with anti-government protests that were brutally repressed by President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s regime.&nbsp; 
 
It is Syria&#39;s preeminent jihadist group, along with its key rival, the Islamic State group. But unlike IS, which opposes all those who fail to swear allegiance, Al-Nusra has worked alongside an array of rebel groups fighting Assad&#39;s regime and has popular support.&nbsp; 
 
Al-Nusra is a key member of the al-Qaeda network, alongside North Africa&#39;s al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), based in Yemen. But it has been eclipsed in recent years by IS.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Analysts say Al-Nusra aims to rebrand itself after Moscow and Washington agreed to step up joint efforts against the group

Al-Qaeda prepared the ground for a break with its Syrian affiliate, Al-Nusra Front, today following several days of online chatter over a break-up between the jihadist groups. "We direct the leadership of Al-Nusra Front to go ahead with what preserves the good of Islam and the Muslims, and protects the jihad of the Syrian people," Ahmed Hassan Abu al-Khayr said in an audio message released online by Al-Nusra. "We urge them to take the appropriate steps towards this matter," said Abu al-Khayr, who was identified as a deputy of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. Jihadist sympathisers and observers have been speculating online about a possible split between Al-Nusra and the network founded by Osama bin Laden to which it pledged allegiance in 2013. Analysts say Al-Nusra aims to rebrand and defend itself as it comes under increased pressure after Moscow and Washington agreed to step up joint efforts against the group. "Whatever Nusra does, its ultimate objective is to further embed itself into Syria's revolution and secure its long-term future" as a legitimate rebel group, analyst Charles Lister tweeted. Al-Nusra first emerged in January 2012 -- 10 months after Syria's conflict began with anti-government protests that were brutally repressed by President Bashar al-Assad's regime. It is Syria's preeminent jihadist group, along with its key rival, the Islamic State group. But unlike IS, which opposes all those who fail to swear allegiance, Al-Nusra has worked alongside an array of rebel groups fighting Assad's regime and has popular support. Al-Nusra is a key member of the al-Qaeda network, alongside North Africa's al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), based in Yemen. But it has been eclipsed in recent years by IS. (AFP)

Al-Qaeda prepares ground for split up with Syrian affiliate

Bangladesh&#39;s elite security force said today it had arrested four members, including the top regional head, of the homegrown Islamist extremist group blamed for an attack on a Dhaka cafe in which 20 hostages were murdered. 
 
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) officers stormed a flat in an apartment building in the industrial town of Tongi, just north of the capital Dhaka, and arrested four members of the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). 
 
&quot;Among them was Mahmudul Hasan, the southern regional head of the JMB. He is a top militant trainer,&quot; RAB spokesman Mufti Mahmud Khan told reporters. 
 
Police recovered hand-made bombs and bomb-making materials from the house, indicating the militants &quot;were planning to carry out an act of sabotage,&quot; he said. 
 
Bangladesh&#39;s government has blamed JMB for the July 1 attack on an upscale cafe in Dhaka&#39;s Gulshan neighbourhood in which 20 hostages, including 18 foreigners, were shot and slaughtered. 
 
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the Gulshan attack, releasing photos of the carnage and of the five men who carried out the deadly assault. 
 
Bangladeshi authorities rejected the claim, saying international jihadist networks have no presence in the world&#39;s third largest Muslim majority nation. 
 
But national police chief Shahidul Hoque said recently that authorities were investigating whether the Gulshan attackers had any international connections. 
 
RAB spokesman Khan said officers were probing whether Hasan and the three other detained JMB operatives, including a medical student, had played a role in the Gulshan attack. 
 
&quot;They will be questioned,&quot; he said. 
 
Hasan-trained militants were responsible for the murder of a police constable and deadly bomb attack at the nation&#39;s most respected Shiite shrine in Dhaka late last year, he added. 
 
Bangladesh has been reeling from a deadly wave of attacks in the last three years. 
 
The government and police say homegrown extremists are responsible for the deaths of some 80 secular activists, foreigners and religious minorities since 2013. 
 
Both IS and a branch of al-Qaeda have claimed responsibility for many of the attacks. 
 
Critics say Hasina&#39;s administration is in denial about the nature of the threat posed by Islamist extremists and accuse her of trying to exploit the attacks to demonise her domestic political opponents. 
 
Last month, authorities launched a crackdown on local jihadists, arresting more than 11,000 people, but critics allege the arrests were arbitrary or designed to silence opposition. 
 
(AFP)

Hand-made bombs were recovered from the house of the militants of the homegrown Islamist group Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh

Bangladesh's elite security force said today it had arrested four members, including the top regional head, of the homegrown Islamist extremist group blamed for an attack on a Dhaka cafe in which 20 hostages were murdered. Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) officers stormed a flat in an apartment building in the industrial town of Tongi, just north of the capital Dhaka, and arrested four members of the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). "Among them was Mahmudul Hasan, the southern regional head of the JMB. He is a top militant trainer," RAB spokesman Mufti Mahmud Khan told reporters. Police recovered hand-made bombs and bomb-making materials from the house, indicating the militants "were planning to carry out an act of sabotage," he said. Bangladesh's government has blamed JMB for the July 1 attack on an upscale cafe in Dhaka's Gulshan neighbourhood in which 20 hostages, including 18 foreigners, were shot and slaughtered. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the Gulshan attack, releasing photos of the carnage and of the five men who carried out the deadly assault. Bangladeshi authorities rejected the claim, saying international jihadist networks have no presence in the world's third largest Muslim majority nation. But national police chief Shahidul Hoque said recently that authorities were investigating whether the Gulshan attackers had any international connections. RAB spokesman Khan said officers were probing whether Hasan and the three other detained JMB operatives, including a medical student, had played a role in the Gulshan attack. "They will be questioned," he said. Hasan-trained militants were responsible for the murder of a police constable and deadly bomb attack at the nation's most respected Shiite shrine in Dhaka late last year, he added. Bangladesh has been reeling from a deadly wave of attacks in the last three years. The government and police say homegrown extremists are responsible for the deaths of some 80 secular activists, foreigners and religious minorities since 2013. Both IS and a branch of al-Qaeda have claimed responsibility for many of the attacks. Critics say Hasina's administration is in denial about the nature of the threat posed by Islamist extremists and accuse her of trying to exploit the attacks to demonise her domestic political opponents. Last month, authorities launched a crackdown on local jihadists, arresting more than 11,000 people, but critics allege the arrests were arbitrary or designed to silence opposition. (AFP)

Bangladesh security forces arrest 4 Islamist extremists for alleged involvement in Dhaka attack

Al-Qaeda&#39;s Syrian affiliate Al-Nusra Front has executed 14 captured men it accused of fighting for President Bashar al-Assad, in retaliation for a regime advance near Damascus. 
 
A video distributed via the group&#39;s social media accounts showed 14 men, many with injuries including black eyes, stating their names as they lined up in pairs in front of the group&#39;s black flag. 
 
&quot;Implementation of the death sentence against a group of... regime prisoners because of their attack on Harira village in Wadi Barada,&quot; text on the video read. 
 
The footage showed the men being shot in the head simultaneously as they knelt in front of Al-Nusra fighters.&nbsp;Wadi Barada is an area in the Qalamun region of Syria&#39;s Damascus province and is mostly controlled by an array of opposition groups, including Al-Nusra. 
 
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said that Al-Nusra had threatened to execute prisoners if government forces entered Harira.&nbsp;The threats came in an earlier video in which one of the captured men warned that the group would kill 14 captives if the government attacked. 
 
Al-Nusra is the local affiliate of Al-Qaeda and has regularly carried out executions of government forces. 
 
In September 2015, it executed at least 56 regime fighters at a military airport in Idlib province in the northwest of the country.&nbsp;More than 280,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011. 
 
(AFP0

A video distributed via the group's social media accounts showed 14 men, many with injuries including black eyes, stating their names

Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate Al-Nusra Front has executed 14 captured men it accused of fighting for President Bashar al-Assad, in retaliation for a regime advance near Damascus. A video distributed via the group's social media accounts showed 14 men, many with injuries including black eyes, stating their names as they lined up in pairs in front of the group's black flag. "Implementation of the death sentence against a group of... regime prisoners because of their attack on Harira village in Wadi Barada," text on the video read. The footage showed the men being shot in the head simultaneously as they knelt in front of Al-Nusra fighters. Wadi Barada is an area in the Qalamun region of Syria's Damascus province and is mostly controlled by an array of opposition groups, including Al-Nusra. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said that Al-Nusra had threatened to execute prisoners if government forces entered Harira. The threats came in an earlier video in which one of the captured men warned that the group would kill 14 captives if the government attacked. Al-Nusra is the local affiliate of Al-Qaeda and has regularly carried out executions of government forces. In September 2015, it executed at least 56 regime fighters at a military airport in Idlib province in the northwest of the country. More than 280,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011. (AFP0

Al-Qaeda executes 14 pro-Assad fighters

Six people were killed including two public officials today after a bomb hit a car in Pakistans restive north-west province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said, adding the intended target of the attack was not in the vehicle. An improvised explosive device planted along a roadside detonated after the vehicle carrying seven people passed by in the north-western town of Upper Dir. 
 
&quot;The bomb in fact targeted Malik Mutabar Khan, the pro-government elder and peace committee head, who was not present in the car at the time of the explosion,&quot; Yar Muhammad, a local police official said. &quot;Six other people including two local councillors were killed in the explosion.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
One of the passengers in the vehicle sustained critical injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital. &quot;It was just by chance that Malik Mutabar Khan got out of the vehicle at a nearby place before the explosion,&quot; Muhammad added. District police officer Athar Waheed also confirmed the incident but put the death toll at seven. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but the Taliban have often targeted pro-government tribal elders in the north-western province.&nbsp; 
 
Pakistan, which has been battling Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked fighters in the restive tribal belt for over a decade, launched an offensive to clear their strongholds in North Waziristan, bordering Afghanistan, in 2014. 
 
The army announced in May this year it had cleared the last militant stronghold in North Waziristans Shawal valley, in the final phase of the mission. 
 
The operation was intensified after the Taliban massacred more than 150 people, the majority of them children, at a school in the northwestern city of Peshawar in December 2014. 
 
(AFP)

According to a local police officer, the bomb targeted Malik Mutabar Khan, the pro-government elder and peace committee head

Six people were killed including two public officials today after a bomb hit a car in Pakistans restive north-west province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said, adding the intended target of the attack was not in the vehicle. An improvised explosive device planted along a roadside detonated after the vehicle carrying seven people passed by in the north-western town of Upper Dir. "The bomb in fact targeted Malik Mutabar Khan, the pro-government elder and peace committee head, who was not present in the car at the time of the explosion," Yar Muhammad, a local police official said. "Six other people including two local councillors were killed in the explosion." One of the passengers in the vehicle sustained critical injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital. "It was just by chance that Malik Mutabar Khan got out of the vehicle at a nearby place before the explosion," Muhammad added. District police officer Athar Waheed also confirmed the incident but put the death toll at seven. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but the Taliban have often targeted pro-government tribal elders in the north-western province. Pakistan, which has been battling Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked fighters in the restive tribal belt for over a decade, launched an offensive to clear their strongholds in North Waziristan, bordering Afghanistan, in 2014. The army announced in May this year it had cleared the last militant stronghold in North Waziristans Shawal valley, in the final phase of the mission. The operation was intensified after the Taliban massacred more than 150 people, the majority of them children, at a school in the northwestern city of Peshawar in December 2014. (AFP)

Bomb kills six in north-west Pakistan: police

The US&nbsp;Congress on Friday released a long-classified section of the official report on the September&nbsp;11 attacks that discussed potential links between some of the hijackers and Saudi Arabia but said the links were not independently verified.

The 28 pages of the report on the 2002 investigation focus on potential Saudi links to the 2001 aircraft attacks on the United States, in which nearly 3000 people died.

They were issued by the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee after years of wrangling in Washington between Congress and different administrations, Republicans and Democrats, and urging by families of those killed.

The release of the previously classified pages is unlikely to end the controversy over the role of Saudi Arabia, an important US&nbsp;partner in the Middle East. Many US&nbsp;officials who opposed their release had worried they would damage diplomatic relations.

Fifteen of the 19 September 11 hijackers were Saudi citizens.

&quot;According to various FBI documents and CIA memorandum, some of the September 11 hijackers, while in the United States, apparently had contacts with individuals who may be connected to the Saudi Government,&quot; the report said, giving a catalogue of alleged links.

They included reported contacts between Saudis in California and a statement that a man who was reportedly a Saudi Interior Ministry official stayed at the same Virginia hotel as one hijacker in September 2001.

Another section said that Omar al-Bayoumi, said to be a Saudi intelligence officer, met with two hijackers at a public place after they arrived in San Diego. It said, citing FBI files, that his salary rose to $3700 a month from $465 two months after two of the hijackers arrived in California.

One page described how two of the hijackers asked flight attendants technical questions during a trip in 1999 from Phoenix to Washington to attend a party at the Saudi embassy. One tried twice to enter the cockpit. The plane made an emergency landing and the FBI investigated, but did not prosecute. 
&nbsp;

Controversy will continue

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said its agreement to the release is not an indication that the intelligence community agrees with the pages&#39; accuracy or concurs with the information it contains.

The office also on Friday released a declassified summary of an assessment of whether Riyadh may have supported Al-Qaeda before and after the attacks, saying the Saudi government and many of its agencies had been infiltrated and exploited by individuals associated with or sympathetic to Osama bin Laden&#39;s militant network.

Several members of Congress said they were pleased the pages had finally been released. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the intelligence panel, said he hoped the release would quiet rumours.

&quot;The Intelligence Community and the 9/11 Commission, which followed the Joint Inquiry that produced these so-called 28 pages, investigated the questions they raised and was never able to find sufficient evidence to support them,&quot; he said.

Legislation that would allow families of September&nbsp;11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia has been passed by the US&nbsp;Senate and is making its way through the House, despite President Barack Obama&#39;s threat to veto the measure.

A September&nbsp;11 families group made clear the pages&#39; release would not stop their push for the legislation. &quot;Congress has to stand up for the interests of the thousands of innocent Americans who lost loved ones on 9/11,&quot; the &quot;9/11 Families&quot; organisation said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia&#39;s ambassador to the United States, Abdullah al-Saud, said the country welcomed the release.

&quot;We hope the release of these pages will clear up, once and for all, any lingering questions or suspicions about Saudi Arabia&#39;s actions, intentions, or long-term friendship with the United States,&quot; he said.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters before the pages were released that they would show no evidence of Saudi complicity.

The Obama administration sent a declassified version of the 28 pages, with many lines and sentences blacked out to protect intelligence sources and methods, to Congress on Friday morning. The House intelligence panel released it a few hours later.

(Reuters)

A declassified summary of an assessment of whether Riyadh may have supported Al-Qaeda before and after the attacks was also released

The US Congress on Friday released a long-classified section of the official report on the September 11 attacks that discussed potential links between some of the hijackers and Saudi Arabia but said the links were not independently verified. The 28 pages of the report on the 2002 investigation focus on potential Saudi links to the 2001 aircraft attacks on the United States, in which nearly 3000 people died. They were issued by the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee after years of wrangling in Washington between Congress and different administrations, Republicans and Democrats, and urging by families of those killed. The release of the previously classified pages is unlikely to end the controversy over the role of Saudi Arabia, an important US partner in the Middle East. Many US officials who opposed their release had worried they would damage diplomatic relations. Fifteen of the 19 September 11 hijackers were Saudi citizens. "According to various FBI documents and CIA memorandum, some of the September 11 hijackers, while in the United States, apparently had contacts with individuals who may be connected to the Saudi Government," the report said, giving a catalogue of alleged links. They included reported contacts between Saudis in California and a statement that a man who was reportedly a Saudi Interior Ministry official stayed at the same Virginia hotel as one hijacker in September 2001. Another section said that Omar al-Bayoumi, said to be a Saudi intelligence officer, met with two hijackers at a public place after they arrived in San Diego. It said, citing FBI files, that his salary rose to $3700 a month from $465 two months after two of the hijackers arrived in California. One page described how two of the hijackers asked flight attendants technical questions during a trip in 1999 from Phoenix to Washington to attend a party at the Saudi embassy. One tried twice to enter the cockpit. The plane made an emergency landing and the FBI investigated, but did not prosecute. Controversy will continue The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said its agreement to the release is not an indication that the intelligence community agrees with the pages' accuracy or concurs with the information it contains. The office also on Friday released a declassified summary of an assessment of whether Riyadh may have supported Al-Qaeda before and after the attacks, saying the Saudi government and many of its agencies had been infiltrated and exploited by individuals associated with or sympathetic to Osama bin Laden's militant network. Several members of Congress said they were pleased the pages had finally been released. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the intelligence panel, said he hoped the release would quiet rumours. "The Intelligence Community and the 9/11 Commission, which followed the Joint Inquiry that produced these so-called 28 pages, investigated the questions they raised and was never able to find sufficient evidence to support them," he said. Legislation that would allow families of September 11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia has been passed by the US Senate and is making its way through the House, despite President Barack Obama's threat to veto the measure. A September 11 families group made clear the pages' release would not stop their push for the legislation. "Congress has to stand up for the interests of the thousands of innocent Americans who lost loved ones on 9/11," the "9/11 Families" organisation said in a statement. Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, Abdullah al-Saud, said the country welcomed the release. "We hope the release of these pages will clear up, once and for all, any lingering questions or suspicions about Saudi Arabia's actions, intentions, or long-term friendship with the United States," he said. White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters before the pages were released that they would show no evidence of Saudi complicity. The Obama administration sent a declassified version of the 28 pages, with many lines and sentences blacked out to protect intelligence sources and methods, to Congress on Friday morning. The House intelligence panel released it a few hours later. (Reuters)

Pages of US 9/11 report detailing possible Saudi ties made public

An Australian court today convicted Sydney man Hamdi Al Qudsi of recruiting seven young men to travel overseas and fight alongside Islamic State and al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria, a spokeswoman for the court said. 
 
Al Qudsi, 42, was found guilty by the New South Wales state Supreme Court in Sydney of aiding the men to fight with extremist groups in 2013, the spokeswoman told Reuters. 
 
&quot;The charges were give money/goods to promote/support foreign hostile acts,&quot; she said. Each of the seven charges carries a 10 year prison sentence. Al Qudsi is yet to be sentenced. 
 
Prosecutors alleged that Al Qudsi made arrangements for the men to travel to Syria in 2013 for the purpose of fighting alongside groups listed by the Australian government as terrorist organisations. 
 
Under tough new security powers passed in 2014, Australians face up to a decade in prison for overseas travel to areas declared off limits, which includes the province of Raqqa in Syria, a key strategic hub for Islamic State militants. 
 
A copy of the indictment provided to Reuters lists seven men that Al Qudsi recruited to fight in Syria. Two of those men - Tyler Casey and Caner Temel - were killed in Syria, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported. 
 
Two other men listed in the indictment, Muhammed Abdul-Karim Musleh and Mehmet Biber, have since returned, the ABC said. 
 
About 100 people have left Australia for Syria to fight alongside organisations such as Islamic State, Australia&#39;s Immigration Minister said earlier this year. 
 
Australia, a staunch US ally, has been on heightened alert for attacks by home-grown radicals since 2014 and authorities say they have thwarted a number of plots. 
 
There have been several &quot;lone wolf&quot; assaults, including a 2014 cafe siege in Sydney that left two hostages and the gunman dead. Also in 2014, police shot dead a Melbourne teenager after he stabbed two counter-terrorism officers. 
 
In 2015, a 15-year-old boy fired on an accountant at a police headquarters in a Sydney suburb and was then killed in a gunfight with police. 
 
(Reuters)

Hamdi Al Qudsi made arrangements for seven young men to travel to Syria in 2013 to fight with IS, and gets 10 years in jail for each recruit

An Australian court today convicted Sydney man Hamdi Al Qudsi of recruiting seven young men to travel overseas and fight alongside Islamic State and al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria, a spokeswoman for the court said. Al Qudsi, 42, was found guilty by the New South Wales state Supreme Court in Sydney of aiding the men to fight with extremist groups in 2013, the spokeswoman told Reuters. "The charges were give money/goods to promote/support foreign hostile acts," she said. Each of the seven charges carries a 10 year prison sentence. Al Qudsi is yet to be sentenced. Prosecutors alleged that Al Qudsi made arrangements for the men to travel to Syria in 2013 for the purpose of fighting alongside groups listed by the Australian government as terrorist organisations. Under tough new security powers passed in 2014, Australians face up to a decade in prison for overseas travel to areas declared off limits, which includes the province of Raqqa in Syria, a key strategic hub for Islamic State militants. A copy of the indictment provided to Reuters lists seven men that Al Qudsi recruited to fight in Syria. Two of those men - Tyler Casey and Caner Temel - were killed in Syria, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported. Two other men listed in the indictment, Muhammed Abdul-Karim Musleh and Mehmet Biber, have since returned, the ABC said. About 100 people have left Australia for Syria to fight alongside organisations such as Islamic State, Australia's Immigration Minister said earlier this year. Australia, a staunch US ally, has been on heightened alert for attacks by home-grown radicals since 2014 and authorities say they have thwarted a number of plots. There have been several "lone wolf" assaults, including a 2014 cafe siege in Sydney that left two hostages and the gunman dead. Also in 2014, police shot dead a Melbourne teenager after he stabbed two counter-terrorism officers. In 2015, a 15-year-old boy fired on an accountant at a police headquarters in a Sydney suburb and was then killed in a gunfight with police. (Reuters)

Australian convicted of recruiting foreign fighters for Islamic State

The son of slain al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has threatened revenge against the United States for assassinating his father, according to an audio message posted online. 
 
Hamza bin Laden promised to continue the global militant group&#39;s fight against the United States and its allies in the 21-minute speech entitled &quot;We Are All Osama,&quot; according to the SITE Intelligence Group. 
 
&quot;We will continue striking you and targeting you in your country and abroad in response to your oppression of the people of Palestine, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, and the rest of the Muslim lands that did not survive your oppression,&quot; Hamza said. 
 
&quot;As for the revenge by the Islamic nation for Sheikh Osama, may Allah have mercy on him, it is not revenge for Osama the person but it is revenge for those who defended Islam.&quot; 
 
Osama bin Laden was killed at his Pakistani hideout by US commandos in 2011 in a major blow to the militant group which carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks. 
 
Documents recovered from bin Laden&#39;s compound and published by the United States last year alleged that his aides tried to reunite the militant leader with Hamza, who had been held under house arrest in Iran.&nbsp; 
 
Hamza, now in his mid-twenties, was at his father&#39;s side in Afghanistan before the 9/11 attacks and spent time with him in Pakistan after the US-led invasion pushed much of al Qaeda&#39;s senior leadership there, according to the Brookings Institution. 
 
Introduced by the organisation&#39;s new chief Ayman al-Zawahiri in an audio message last year, Hamza provides a younger voice for the group whose ageing leaders have struggled to inspire militants around the world galvanised by Islamic State. 
 
&quot;Hamza provides a new face for al Qaeda, one that directly connects to the group&#39;s founder. He is an articulate and dangerous enemy,&quot; according to Bruce Riedel of Brookings. 
 
(Reuters)

Hamza bin Laden promises to continue al-Qaeda's fight against America and its allies in a 21-minute audio message posted online

The son of slain al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has threatened revenge against the United States for assassinating his father, according to an audio message posted online. Hamza bin Laden promised to continue the global militant group's fight against the United States and its allies in the 21-minute speech entitled "We Are All Osama," according to the SITE Intelligence Group. "We will continue striking you and targeting you in your country and abroad in response to your oppression of the people of Palestine, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, and the rest of the Muslim lands that did not survive your oppression," Hamza said. "As for the revenge by the Islamic nation for Sheikh Osama, may Allah have mercy on him, it is not revenge for Osama the person but it is revenge for those who defended Islam." Osama bin Laden was killed at his Pakistani hideout by US commandos in 2011 in a major blow to the militant group which carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks. Documents recovered from bin Laden's compound and published by the United States last year alleged that his aides tried to reunite the militant leader with Hamza, who had been held under house arrest in Iran. Hamza, now in his mid-twenties, was at his father's side in Afghanistan before the 9/11 attacks and spent time with him in Pakistan after the US-led invasion pushed much of al Qaeda's senior leadership there, according to the Brookings Institution. Introduced by the organisation's new chief Ayman al-Zawahiri in an audio message last year, Hamza provides a younger voice for the group whose ageing leaders have struggled to inspire militants around the world galvanised by Islamic State. "Hamza provides a new face for al Qaeda, one that directly connects to the group's founder. He is an articulate and dangerous enemy," according to Bruce Riedel of Brookings. (Reuters)

Osama's son threatens revenge against US for father's assassination

At least 29 Syrian rebels were killed in clashes with regime troops overnight during a failed bid to reopen the opposition`s key supply route into Aleppo city, a monitor said today. 
 
The fighters from the Faylaq al-Sham Islamist faction and al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front were killed trying to reopen the Castello Road, which regime forces effectively severed on Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said. 
 
The road was the only remaining supply route into the opposition-held east of Aleppo city, which has been divided between government and rebel control since mid-2012. 
 
Government forces effectively severed the route on Thursday when they seized a hilltop within firing range of the Castello Road. 
 
The Observatory said there were deaths among government forces in the overnight fighting, but had no immediate toll. 
 
&quot;The attack has ended and the road remains completely closed,&quot; said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman. 
 
(AFP)

Fighters from Faylaq al-Sham Islamist faction and al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front were killed during a failed bid to reopen Castello Road

At least 29 Syrian rebels were killed in clashes with regime troops overnight during a failed bid to reopen the opposition`s key supply route into Aleppo city, a monitor said today. The fighters from the Faylaq al-Sham Islamist faction and al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front were killed trying to reopen the Castello Road, which regime forces effectively severed on Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said. The road was the only remaining supply route into the opposition-held east of Aleppo city, which has been divided between government and rebel control since mid-2012. Government forces effectively severed the route on Thursday when they seized a hilltop within firing range of the Castello Road. The Observatory said there were deaths among government forces in the overnight fighting, but had no immediate toll. "The attack has ended and the road remains completely closed," said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman. (AFP)

29 Syria rebels killed in fighting for key Aleppo road

French President Francois Hollande called on Saturday for international action against an Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, warning that the recent losses sustained by the Islamic State group could embolden other jihadist groups. 
 
&quot;Daesh (the Arabic acronym for Islamic State) is in retreat, that is beyond dispute,&quot; Hollande said after a meeting with the leaders of the United States, Germany, Britain, Italy and Ukraine on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Warsaw. 
 
But, Hollande added, &quot;we must also avoid a situation whereby as Daesh becomes weaker, other groups become stronger.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Hollande singled out Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front as particularly standing to benefit from the US-led military campaign against its arch-rival the Islamic State group. 
 
Faced with a barrage of airstrikes and ground offensives by local forces, IS has lost territory in both Syria and Iraq in recent months. 
 
&quot;We must coordinate among ourselves to continue actions against Daesh but also take effective action against Al-Nusra,&quot; Hollande said, directing his appeal at Russia and the US. 
 
On Wednesday, US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed in a telephone call to &quot;intensify&quot; military coordination between their two countries in Syria. 
 
Russia had in May proposed joint air strikes with the US against jihadist targets in Syria - a suggestion that was rebuffed by Washington. 
 
The White House reported that the two leaders, in their call this week, &quot;confirmed their commitment to defeating ISIL (IS) and the Al-Nusra Front&quot;. 
 
The two groups are excluded from a broader truce brokered by Moscow and Washington in February.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

'We must also avoid a situation whereby as IS becomes weaker, other groups become stronger,' says the French President

French President Francois Hollande called on Saturday for international action against an Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, warning that the recent losses sustained by the Islamic State group could embolden other jihadist groups. "Daesh (the Arabic acronym for Islamic State) is in retreat, that is beyond dispute," Hollande said after a meeting with the leaders of the United States, Germany, Britain, Italy and Ukraine on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Warsaw. But, Hollande added, "we must also avoid a situation whereby as Daesh becomes weaker, other groups become stronger." Hollande singled out Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front as particularly standing to benefit from the US-led military campaign against its arch-rival the Islamic State group. Faced with a barrage of airstrikes and ground offensives by local forces, IS has lost territory in both Syria and Iraq in recent months. "We must coordinate among ourselves to continue actions against Daesh but also take effective action against Al-Nusra," Hollande said, directing his appeal at Russia and the US. On Wednesday, US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed in a telephone call to "intensify" military coordination between their two countries in Syria. Russia had in May proposed joint air strikes with the US against jihadist targets in Syria - a suggestion that was rebuffed by Washington. The White House reported that the two leaders, in their call this week, "confirmed their commitment to defeating ISIL (IS) and the Al-Nusra Front". The two groups are excluded from a broader truce brokered by Moscow and Washington in February. (AFP)

Hollande calls for military action against Syrian Qaeda affiliate

Early in June, a man walked into the Dhaka premises of the Ramakrishna Mission, a Hindu centre for spirituality and learning in the Bangladesh capital, and delivered a handwritten note warning of an attack by Islamic State. 
 
Days later, armed policemen were sitting inside the mission&#39;s compound among orange-robed monks, the gates outside were closed and fewer people than normal showed up at a medical clinic it runs for the neighbourhood. 
 
&quot;We are monks, we will live and die here, but people with families are worried,&quot; Swami Shivananda, a priest managing the administration of the mission, said of the country&#39;s Hindu community, which accounts for 10 per cent of the population. 
 
Islamic State and al Qaeda have claimed responsibility for the killings of more than 30 people since early last year, in an escalation of militant violence targeting liberals, atheists, foreigners, gays and religious minorities. 
 
They have shocked the largely moderate Muslim country of 160 million people and heightened fears that Bangladesh, once hailed as the next Asian tiger economy with its huge garment industry, could lose out to more stable competitors in the region. 
 
Unlike some security experts, Bangladesh authorities say the two international jihadi movements are not directly involved in the murders, many of which were carried out with machetes. 
 
But, as the police at the Hindu mission attest, the danger is real, and counter-terrorism officials warn it could get worse with one local militant group adopting al Qaeda&#39;s methods and calling on the expertise of a former army major implicated in a failed 2011 coup. 
 
Deadly rivalry&nbsp; 
 
Security officials say two local militant groups, Ansar-al-Islam and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, are behind the killings. 
 
Of the two, Ansar, which pledges allegiance to al Qaeda, has emerged as the most organised and dangerous, they say, while Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen is seen as a looser organisation that claims it represents Islamic State but has no proven links to it. 
 
&quot;By now we have a clear idea of the organisational structure, command and control and methods of operations of Ansar-al-Islam,&quot; Monirul Islam, chief of Bangladesh&#39;s counter-terrorism police, told Reuters in a recent interview. 
 
&quot;They follow the ideology of al Qaeda, their operational leaders are mostly educated men, (from a) middle class background. They declare their allegiance to al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and, through it, to Ayman al-Zawahri,&quot; he said, referring to al Qaeda&#39;s global leader. 
 
According to Thomas Joscelyn, senior editor at The Long War Journal that tracks jihadi groups worldwide, there was evidence of more direct links between Bangladesh and al Qaeda, and he warned the Islamist militant threat had been underestimated. 
 
&quot;We now have competition between al Qaeda and the Islamic State in Bangladesh, which means that the jihadist pool is deep enough for both organizations to operate in the country.&quot; 
 
In May, 2015, AQIS leader Asim Umar claimed responsibility for the murder of Avijit Roy, a US citizen and blogger hacked to death in Bangladesh that February. US officials said at the time they were unable to confirm the claim. 
 
Initially, Ansar struck bloggers and publishers critical of radical Islam, then university teachers, including one who asked a woman student to remove her veil in class. 
 
In April, it said it murdered two gay rights activists, saying they were promoting anti-Islamic activities, police said. 
 
Mysterious ex-officer 
 
Also worrying for authorities is the apparent rise within Ansar&#39;s ranks of former army Major Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque, who went into hiding after the military accused him of involvement in a plot to overthrow the government in 2011. 
 
&quot;We have a suspicion that the ex-major is one of their leaders,&quot; said counter-terrorism chief Islam. &quot;He is in hiding. We know his capability. If he is involved, it is a strength for Ansar-al-Islam.&quot; 
 
Zia, as intelligence agencies call him, was from the engineer corps and trained in special operations. 
 
His would be the first known case of a Bangladesh military officer switching sides to join a militant group, although it has happened elsewhere. 
 
A military spokesman said Zia had been dismissed from service five years ago, but added that he was not in a position to speak about Zia&#39;s activities since then. 
 
Zia&#39;s involvement with Ansar was first mentioned by the head of its predecessor group following his capture in 2013, two police officials said. 
 
Zia was helping in the training of the fighters, motivating them to carry out jihad against &quot;anti-Islam&quot; forces and also taught bomb-making skills, one official briefed on the interrogation report said. 
 
Reuters could not independently verify the police claims. 
 
At the same time, Islamic State has said it was behind the killings of Hindus, Buddhists and members of minority Muslim sects, which have accelerated in recent weeks. 
 
Security officials tie those deaths to Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, a home grown group inspired by Islamic State&#39;s vision of a caliphate. 
 
Police official Islam said authorities had found computer evidence that Bangladesh-origin foreign fighters, some in Syria, were claiming attacks on behalf of Islamic State as soon as they occurred. 
 
But he said there was no evidence of operational ties with the Middle East-based movement. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

They follow the ideology of al Qaeda and their operational leaders are mostly educated men from the middle class

Early in June, a man walked into the Dhaka premises of the Ramakrishna Mission, a Hindu centre for spirituality and learning in the Bangladesh capital, and delivered a handwritten note warning of an attack by Islamic State. Days later, armed policemen were sitting inside the mission's compound among orange-robed monks, the gates outside were closed and fewer people than normal showed up at a medical clinic it runs for the neighbourhood. "We are monks, we will live and die here, but people with families are worried," Swami Shivananda, a priest managing the administration of the mission, said of the country's Hindu community, which accounts for 10 per cent of the population. Islamic State and al Qaeda have claimed responsibility for the killings of more than 30 people since early last year, in an escalation of militant violence targeting liberals, atheists, foreigners, gays and religious minorities. They have shocked the largely moderate Muslim country of 160 million people and heightened fears that Bangladesh, once hailed as the next Asian tiger economy with its huge garment industry, could lose out to more stable competitors in the region. Unlike some security experts, Bangladesh authorities say the two international jihadi movements are not directly involved in the murders, many of which were carried out with machetes. But, as the police at the Hindu mission attest, the danger is real, and counter-terrorism officials warn it could get worse with one local militant group adopting al Qaeda's methods and calling on the expertise of a former army major implicated in a failed 2011 coup. Deadly rivalry Security officials say two local militant groups, Ansar-al-Islam and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, are behind the killings. Of the two, Ansar, which pledges allegiance to al Qaeda, has emerged as the most organised and dangerous, they say, while Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen is seen as a looser organisation that claims it represents Islamic State but has no proven links to it. "By now we have a clear idea of the organisational structure, command and control and methods of operations of Ansar-al-Islam," Monirul Islam, chief of Bangladesh's counter-terrorism police, told Reuters in a recent interview. "They follow the ideology of al Qaeda, their operational leaders are mostly educated men, (from a) middle class background. They declare their allegiance to al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and, through it, to Ayman al-Zawahri," he said, referring to al Qaeda's global leader. According to Thomas Joscelyn, senior editor at The Long War Journal that tracks jihadi groups worldwide, there was evidence of more direct links between Bangladesh and al Qaeda, and he warned the Islamist militant threat had been underestimated. "We now have competition between al Qaeda and the Islamic State in Bangladesh, which means that the jihadist pool is deep enough for both organizations to operate in the country." In May, 2015, AQIS leader Asim Umar claimed responsibility for the murder of Avijit Roy, a US citizen and blogger hacked to death in Bangladesh that February. US officials said at the time they were unable to confirm the claim. Initially, Ansar struck bloggers and publishers critical of radical Islam, then university teachers, including one who asked a woman student to remove her veil in class. In April, it said it murdered two gay rights activists, saying they were promoting anti-Islamic activities, police said. Mysterious ex-officer Also worrying for authorities is the apparent rise within Ansar's ranks of former army Major Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque, who went into hiding after the military accused him of involvement in a plot to overthrow the government in 2011. "We have a suspicion that the ex-major is one of their leaders," said counter-terrorism chief Islam. "He is in hiding. We know his capability. If he is involved, it is a strength for Ansar-al-Islam." Zia, as intelligence agencies call him, was from the engineer corps and trained in special operations. His would be the first known case of a Bangladesh military officer switching sides to join a militant group, although it has happened elsewhere. A military spokesman said Zia had been dismissed from service five years ago, but added that he was not in a position to speak about Zia's activities since then. Zia's involvement with Ansar was first mentioned by the head of its predecessor group following his capture in 2013, two police officials said. Zia was helping in the training of the fighters, motivating them to carry out jihad against "anti-Islam" forces and also taught bomb-making skills, one official briefed on the interrogation report said. Reuters could not independently verify the police claims. At the same time, Islamic State has said it was behind the killings of Hindus, Buddhists and members of minority Muslim sects, which have accelerated in recent weeks. Security officials tie those deaths to Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, a home grown group inspired by Islamic State's vision of a caliphate. Police official Islam said authorities had found computer evidence that Bangladesh-origin foreign fighters, some in Syria, were claiming attacks on behalf of Islamic State as soon as they occurred. But he said there was no evidence of operational ties with the Middle East-based movement. (Reuters)

Home-grown militants and former army officer behind attacks on Bangladeshi minorities, say police

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