After a strategic break meant to&nbsp;relieve troops after&nbsp;two months of intense&nbsp;urban guerrilla warfare, Iraqi forces launched a new wave of attacks to retake Mosul, the last stronghold&nbsp;and the de facto capital city of&nbsp;the Islamic State in Iraq.&nbsp;

The Iraqi army is now conducting a multi-axis advance, and according to the US Department of Defense two new fronts have been opened to increase pressure on the terrorists still fighting in the city.&nbsp;

Pentagon sources told CNN they have no reason to think that&nbsp;IS leader Abu Bakhr al-Baghdadi is dead.&nbsp;The reward for information leading to his capture is now at $25 million.

&nbsp;

Humanitarian challenges

The major challenge in the Mosul offensive is the presence of many civilians within the city. There are no official figures on the current situation, but before the offensive begun the population was believed to be close to one million.&nbsp;

When wars are fought in highly and densely populated cities, citizens are forcibly and heavily involved in the conflict: A&nbsp;mortar can fall on their house any moment, a flying bullet can hit them, a car bomb or a rudimentary explosive device can explode in front of them without notice. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that 3,125 civilians have been injured in Mosul since the army entered the city in early&nbsp;November. That&#39;s a rate of about&nbsp;approximately 50 persons per day.&nbsp;

As the Iraqi army advances, more and more citizens decide to&nbsp;leave their home. The new round of attacks caused an increase in the number of people fleeing with as many as 13,000&nbsp;running away in the first days. &nbsp;

Since&nbsp;the offensive started on October 17, the <a href="http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Situation%20Report_14_Mosul%20final.pdf">United Nation says</a>&nbsp;that as many as 125,569 civilians have abandoned their home. The majority of them&nbsp;now live&nbsp;in the many refugee camps in northern Iraq, where a severe winter hits hard. The region sees temperatures which easily drop below zero during the night.&nbsp;

Some Iraqis who fled war&nbsp;are slowly deciding to go back as soon as their neighbourhoods&nbsp;are declared safe. The OCHA says that as many 14,000 people have currently returned.

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A fundamental part of the Mosul offensive is dictated&nbsp;by the five bridges that cross&nbsp;the Tigris river,&nbsp;connecting the eastern and the western parts of the city. The bridges are&nbsp;the only way terrorists have to move between the two sides and partially escape isolation. All major roads from and to the city are in fact cut off by troops, so&nbsp;the only possibility for them to fight is to move within Mosul and organise as many ambushes as possible. Between December 26&nbsp;and 27, at the request of the Iraqi army, US-led coalition forces disabled three bridges.&nbsp;

While this is militarily significant, it is also&nbsp;concerning for all those&nbsp;living&nbsp;in&nbsp;western Mosul, now suffering complete isolation. No humanitarian agency has access to the area.&nbsp;

OCHA reports that due to scarcity of food, prices are skyrocketing and many &quot;water boreholes in the eastern part of the city are drying up or turning brackish from overuse&quot;.&nbsp;

The Mosul humanitarian emergency adds a problem to a country already devastated by more than ten years of conflict, from the US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein to the current fight against the Islamic State.

In 2016 alone,&nbsp;war has left 6,878 Iraqis dead, according to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq.

That&#39;s nearly one life per hour.

While the Iraqi army is achieving moderate gains against IS, no matter how well they fight, destruction and death is inevitable.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(WION) 
&nbsp;

Some Iraqis who fled?are slowly deciding to go back to their neighbourhoods, but in 2016 war has left 6,878 Iraqis dead

After a strategic break meant to relieve troops after two months of intense urban guerrilla warfare, Iraqi forces launched a new wave of attacks to retake Mosul, the last stronghold and the de facto capital city of the Islamic State in Iraq. The Iraqi army is now conducting a multi-axis advance, and according to the US Department of Defense two new fronts have been opened to increase pressure on the terrorists still fighting in the city. Pentagon sources told CNN they have no reason to think that IS leader Abu Bakhr al-Baghdadi is dead. The reward for information leading to his capture is now at $25 million. Humanitarian challenges The major challenge in the Mosul offensive is the presence of many civilians within the city. There are no official figures on the current situation, but before the offensive begun the population was believed to be close to one million. When wars are fought in highly and densely populated cities, citizens are forcibly and heavily involved in the conflict: A mortar can fall on their house any moment, a flying bullet can hit them, a car bomb or a rudimentary explosive device can explode in front of them without notice. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that 3,125 civilians have been injured in Mosul since the army entered the city in early November. That's a rate of about approximately 50 persons per day. As the Iraqi army advances, more and more citizens decide to leave their home. The new round of attacks caused an increase in the number of people fleeing with as many as 13,000 running away in the first days. Since the offensive started on October 17, the United Nation says that as many as 125,569 civilians have abandoned their home. The majority of them now live in the many refugee camps in northern Iraq, where a severe winter hits hard. The region sees temperatures which easily drop below zero during the night. Some Iraqis who fled war are slowly deciding to go back as soon as their neighbourhoods are declared safe. The OCHA says that as many 14,000 people have currently returned. When wars are fought in highly and densely populated cities, citizens are forcibly and heavily involved in the conflict: A mortar can fall on their house any moment, a flying bullet can hit them, a car bomb or a rudimentary explosive device can explode in front of them without notice. × A fundamental part of the Mosul offensive is dictated by the five bridges that cross the Tigris river, connecting the eastern and the western parts of the city. The bridges are the only way terrorists have to move between the two sides and partially escape isolation. All major roads from and to the city are in fact cut off by troops, so the only possibility for them to fight is to move within Mosul and organise as many ambushes as possible. Between December 26 and 27, at the request of the Iraqi army, US-led coalition forces disabled three bridges. While this is militarily significant, it is also concerning for all those living in western Mosul, now suffering complete isolation. No humanitarian agency has access to the area. OCHA reports that due to scarcity of food, prices are skyrocketing and many "water boreholes in the eastern part of the city are drying up or turning brackish from overuse". The Mosul humanitarian emergency adds a problem to a country already devastated by more than ten years of conflict, from the US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein to the current fight against the Islamic State. In 2016 alone, war has left 6,878 Iraqis dead, according to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq. That's nearly one life per hour. While the Iraqi army is achieving moderate gains against IS, no matter how well they fight, destruction and death is inevitable. (WION)

Mosul's humanitarian crisis continues as Iraqi forces fight IS

At least 29 civilians including eight children were killed on Thursday in Turkish air strikes on an Islamic State group bastion in northern Syria, a monitoring group said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes were carried out on the flashpoint town of Al-Bab, which Turkish forces have been seeking to capture for weeks in the biggest test of a four-month incursion into Syria.

The raids came a day after 14 Turkish soldiers were killed by jihadists around Al-Bab, in the country`s biggest loss of the campaign so far.

Turkish troops entered Syria on August 24 in support of pro-Ankara Syrian rebels, with the aim of ousting IS jihadists as well as Kurdish militia from the border area.

Turkish forces regularly carry our air strikes in support of the ground operation in Syria but officials insist the utmost is done to avoid any civilian casualties.

Defence Minister Fikri Isik told parliament on Thursday that 1,005 IS jihadists and 299 fighters affiliated to the Kurdish People`s Protection Units (YPG) had been killed so far in the Syria operation, but made no mention of any civilian casualties.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim vowed Thursday to press on with the fight, saying: &quot;Turkey is in the midst of a great struggle,our fight against terror continues both in our country and outside our borders.&quot;

The army has suffered increasing casualties in the fight for Al-Bab, 25 kilometres (15 miles) from the border -- with some three dozen soldiers believed to have been killed so far.

&nbsp;

(AFP)

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes were carried out on the flashpoint town of Al-Bab

At least 29 civilians including eight children were killed on Thursday in Turkish air strikes on an Islamic State group bastion in northern Syria, a monitoring group said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes were carried out on the flashpoint town of Al-Bab, which Turkish forces have been seeking to capture for weeks in the biggest test of a four-month incursion into Syria. The raids came a day after 14 Turkish soldiers were killed by jihadists around Al-Bab, in the country`s biggest loss of the campaign so far. Turkish troops entered Syria on August 24 in support of pro-Ankara Syrian rebels, with the aim of ousting IS jihadists as well as Kurdish militia from the border area. Turkish forces regularly carry our air strikes in support of the ground operation in Syria but officials insist the utmost is done to avoid any civilian casualties. Defence Minister Fikri Isik told parliament on Thursday that 1,005 IS jihadists and 299 fighters affiliated to the Kurdish People`s Protection Units (YPG) had been killed so far in the Syria operation, but made no mention of any civilian casualties. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim vowed Thursday to press on with the fight, saying: "Turkey is in the midst of a great struggle,our fight against terror continues both in our country and outside our borders." The army has suffered increasing casualties in the fight for Al-Bab, 25 kilometres (15 miles) from the border -- with some three dozen soldiers believed to have been killed so far. (AFP)

Turkish strikes on IS bastion in northern Syria kills 29 civilians: Monitor

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the Berlin truck attack that killed 12 and almost 50 wounded.

The militant group&#39;s Amaq news agency said &quot;A soldier of the Islamic State carried out the Berlin operation in response to appeals to target citizens of coalition countries.&quot;

The&nbsp;agency did not name the attacker.&nbsp;

Interior minister Thomas de Maiziere was wary of the claim and said that several possible leads were being followed before arriving to conclusion.&nbsp;

&quot;We just heard about the supposed claim of responsibility by this so-called Islamic State that is in fact a gang of terrorists,&quot; de Maiziere told ARD broadcaster.

&quot;There are several leads that investigators are following now,&quot; the minister added.

The claim came after German prosecutors released a Pakistani asylum seeker, who was the main suspect, citing lack of evidence.

He was arrested late Monday after he was reportedly seen jumping out of the truck and fleeing.

The prosecuters office said, &quot;The forensic tests carried out so far did not provide evidence of the accused&#39;s presence during the crimes in the cab of the lorry&quot;.

They believe the perpetrator was still out large.&nbsp;

De Maiziere had earlier told broadcaster ZDF &quot;We can&#39;t rule out that the perpetrator is on the run&quot;, and that he was confident there would be &quot;progress&quot; in the investigation.&nbsp;

He assured &quot;nobody will rest until the perpetrator or the perpetrators are caught&quot;.

Monday&#39;s attack was similar to the one carried out in Nice in July, when a truck mowed down people celebrating Bastille Day, killing 86. The Islamic State had claimed responsibilty for the attack.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Islamic State's Amaq news agency said an IS soldier carried out the attack to target 'nationals of the coalition countries'

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the Berlin truck attack that killed 12 and almost 50 wounded. The militant group's Amaq news agency said "A soldier of the Islamic State carried out the Berlin operation in response to appeals to target citizens of coalition countries." The agency did not name the attacker. Interior minister Thomas de Maiziere was wary of the claim and said that several possible leads were being followed before arriving to conclusion. "We just heard about the supposed claim of responsibility by this so-called Islamic State that is in fact a gang of terrorists," de Maiziere told ARD broadcaster. "There are several leads that investigators are following now," the minister added. The claim came after German prosecutors released a Pakistani asylum seeker, who was the main suspect, citing lack of evidence. He was arrested late Monday after he was reportedly seen jumping out of the truck and fleeing. The prosecuters office said, "The forensic tests carried out so far did not provide evidence of the accused's presence during the crimes in the cab of the lorry". They believe the perpetrator was still out large. De Maiziere had earlier told broadcaster ZDF "We can't rule out that the perpetrator is on the run", and that he was confident there would be "progress" in the investigation. He assured "nobody will rest until the perpetrator or the perpetrators are caught". Monday's attack was similar to the one carried out in Nice in July, when a truck mowed down people celebrating Bastille Day, killing 86. The Islamic State had claimed responsibilty for the attack. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Berlin attack: IS claims responsibility, suspect still on loose

Libyan forces backed by US airstrikes finished clearing the last Islamic State hold-out in Sirte on Tuesday after a six-month battle for the militant group&#39;s former North African stronghold.

The forces gained full control over a final patch of ground in Sirte&#39;s Ghiza Bahriya district after fierce clashes.

Several dozen women and children who had been holed up with the militants were able to leave the ruined buildings where they had made their last stand. &nbsp;

As celebrations erupted among the Libyan forces, which are dominated by brigades from the city of Misrata, a spokesman said the military campaign would continue until the wider area was secured. Fighters fired in the air chanting &quot;Free Libya&quot; and &quot;The blood of the martyrs was not for nothing&quot;

The loss of Sirte is a major blow for Islamic State, leaving the group without any territory in Libya, though it retains an active presence in parts of the North African country.

The jihadist group took over Sirte in early 2015, turning it into their most important base outside the Middle East and moving large numbers of foreign fighters into the city.

It imposed its ultra-hardline rule on residents, and extended its control along about 250 km (155 miles) of Libya&#39;s Mediterranean coastline.

Spokesman Rida Issa said although forces had &quot;secured all the buildings and the streets&quot; in Ghiza Bahriya, this did not mean the end of the Misrata-led operation. &quot;We still need to secure the area around Sirte,&quot; he said.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said: &quot;This is very good news. The defeat of Daesh (Islamic State) is a very strong act, but it can only be seen as a step ... the militias that have freed Sirte deserve to be congratulated.&quot;

Libyan and Western officials say some Islamic State fighters escaped from Sirte before the battle or in its early stages. They fear an insurgent campaign from outside the city and there have been attacks in outlying areas.

Bombers, Snipers and Mines

The Misrata-led forces counter-attacked in May after jihadists moved along the coast towards their city. The brigades, nominally aligned with a UN-backed government in Tripoli, advanced rapidly towards the centre of Sirte before suicide bombers, snipers and mines largely halted their progress. &nbsp;

More than 700 of their fighters have been killed and more than 3,200 wounded in the gruelling campaign. On Tuesday, a further three men were killed and about 50 wounded, said Mohamed Lajnef, an official at Sirte&#39;s field hospital.

He said 21 women and 31 children had been released in Ghiza Bahriya. Dozens of other women and children, some of them migrants from sub-Saharan Africa held captive by Islamic State, had escaped or had been released from militant-held ground in recent days.

Since August 1, the United States has carried out at least 495 airstrikes against Islamic State in Sirte.

Five years after the revolution that toppled Muammar Gaddafi Libya remains in turmoil.&nbsp;

The UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) that arrived in Tripoli in March and supported the campaign in Sirte has made little progress in ending the chaos.

Sirte lies in a strategic position about halfway along Libya&#39;s coastline, near some of the country&#39;s major oil fields and terminals. Close to Gaddafi&#39;s birthplace, it is the city where he was shot and killed after ruling Libya for 42 years.

Almost all of Sirte&#39;s estimated population of 80,000 fled the city since Islamic State took over.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Reuters)

The loss of Sirte is a major blow for Islamic State, leaving the group without any territory in Libya

Libyan forces backed by US airstrikes finished clearing the last Islamic State hold-out in Sirte on Tuesday after a six-month battle for the militant group's former North African stronghold. The forces gained full control over a final patch of ground in Sirte's Ghiza Bahriya district after fierce clashes. Several dozen women and children who had been holed up with the militants were able to leave the ruined buildings where they had made their last stand. As celebrations erupted among the Libyan forces, which are dominated by brigades from the city of Misrata, a spokesman said the military campaign would continue until the wider area was secured. Fighters fired in the air chanting "Free Libya" and "The blood of the martyrs was not for nothing" The loss of Sirte is a major blow for Islamic State, leaving the group without any territory in Libya, though it retains an active presence in parts of the North African country. The jihadist group took over Sirte in early 2015, turning it into their most important base outside the Middle East and moving large numbers of foreign fighters into the city. It imposed its ultra-hardline rule on residents, and extended its control along about 250 km (155 miles) of Libya's Mediterranean coastline. Spokesman Rida Issa said although forces had "secured all the buildings and the streets" in Ghiza Bahriya, this did not mean the end of the Misrata-led operation. "We still need to secure the area around Sirte," he said. French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said: "This is very good news. The defeat of Daesh (Islamic State) is a very strong act, but it can only be seen as a step ... the militias that have freed Sirte deserve to be congratulated." Libyan and Western officials say some Islamic State fighters escaped from Sirte before the battle or in its early stages. They fear an insurgent campaign from outside the city and there have been attacks in outlying areas. Bombers, Snipers and Mines The Misrata-led forces counter-attacked in May after jihadists moved along the coast towards their city. The brigades, nominally aligned with a UN-backed government in Tripoli, advanced rapidly towards the centre of Sirte before suicide bombers, snipers and mines largely halted their progress. More than 700 of their fighters have been killed and more than 3,200 wounded in the gruelling campaign. On Tuesday, a further three men were killed and about 50 wounded, said Mohamed Lajnef, an official at Sirte's field hospital. He said 21 women and 31 children had been released in Ghiza Bahriya. Dozens of other women and children, some of them migrants from sub-Saharan Africa held captive by Islamic State, had escaped or had been released from militant-held ground in recent days. Since August 1, the United States has carried out at least 495 airstrikes against Islamic State in Sirte. Five years after the revolution that toppled Muammar Gaddafi Libya remains in turmoil. The UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) that arrived in Tripoli in March and supported the campaign in Sirte has made little progress in ending the chaos. Sirte lies in a strategic position about halfway along Libya's coastline, near some of the country's major oil fields and terminals. Close to Gaddafi's birthplace, it is the city where he was shot and killed after ruling Libya for 42 years. Almost all of Sirte's estimated population of 80,000 fled the city since Islamic State took over. (Reuters)

Islamic state 'ousted' from Libyan stronghold of Sirte

Islamic State 'ousted' from Libyan stronghold of Sirte

Iraqi Shi&#39;ite militias said on Wednesday they had driven Islamic State fighters from an air base west of Mosul, a victory which would threaten the Sunni group&#39;s supply route from Syria to its last major stronghold in Iraq.

 
&quot;The airport of Tal Afar has been liberated,&quot; Yusif al-Kallabi, a spokesman for Popular Mobilisation, a coalition of mainly Iranian-backed militias, told Iraqi state TV.&nbsp;

 
The capture of the base, if confirmed, could be a significant development in the campaign to recapture Mosul, Islamic State&#39;s de facto capital since its forces swept through Iraq in 2014 and set up a self-declared caliphate in a swathe of Syria and northern Iraq.

 
Tal Afar lies about 60 km (38 miles) west of Mosul on the main road to Syria. Its seizure could also alarm Turkey, which is wary of Iraqi Shi&#39;ite involvement in the civil war in Syria.

 
&quot;Tal Afar will be the starting block for the liberation of all the area...to the Syrian border and beyond the Syria border,&quot; said Hadi al-Amiri, head of Badr Organisation, Popular Mobilisation&#39;s largest component, in a video clip.

 
While the Shi&#39;ite coalition is fighting Islamic State west of Mosul, regular army and police units are trying to advance from the other sides, backed by Kurdish Peshmerga fighters deployed in the north and the east.

 
Iraqi counter-terrorism forces breached Islamic State defences in east Mosul two weeks ago but have faced resistance from the militants, who have fought back with suicide car bombs, snipers and waves of counter-attacks.

 
The campaign that began on Oct. 17 with air and ground support from a U.S.-led coalition is the biggest military operation in Iraq in more than a decade of turmoil unleashed by the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

 
Popular Mobilisation, known locally by its Arabic name Hashid Shaabi, has said it plans to use Tal Afar base to take the battle against Islamic State into Syria, fighting on the side of President Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Iran.

 
Although it officially reports to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, it is mainly trained and equipped by Iran.

 
Popular Mobilisation&#39;s advance towards Tal Afar, which had a mixed population of mainly Shi`ite and Sunni Turkmen before Islamic State captured it in 2014, has raised the prospect of sectarian strife and alarmed neighbouring Turkey.

 
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said last month that Turkey was reinforcing its troops on the border with Iraq and would respond if the militias &quot;cause terror&quot; in Tal Afar.

 
Iraq&#39;s Abadi has sought to calm fears that the operation to recapture Tal Afar would ignite sectarian tension or escalate problems with Turkey, saying the attacking force that would enter the town will reflect its religious and ethnic make-up.

 
The Nineveh region surrounding Mosul is a mosaic of ethnic and religious communities - Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, Yazidis, Christians, Sunnis, Shi&#39;tes - though Sunni Arabs comprise the overwhelming majority.

 
Kurds may keep territory 
The autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) suggested on Wednesday it would try to expand the area it rules in northern Iraq to include surrounding villages and towns captured by Kurdish fighters from Islamic State.

 
Kurdish Peshmerga forces &quot;will not retreat from areas retaken&quot; from Islamic State militants in Iraq, Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani said, according to Rudaw TV station.

 
Barzani&#39;s comment could rile the central government in Baghdad, which opposes his plans to expand the autonomous area, even though the two sides have been fighting together against Islamic State in Mosul.&nbsp;

 
The collapse of the Iraqi army two years ago in the face of Islamic State allowed the KRG to extend its rule over the oil-rich region of Kirkuk.

 
The government forces have been fighting in a dozen of the roughly 60 neighbourhoods on the eastern part of Mosul, which is divided by the Tigris River. They have yet to enter from the northern and the southern sides.

 
Iraqi officials say the militants have used the city&#39;s more than one million remaining residents as human shields, firing from rooftops of inhabited houses and using a network of tunnels to launch ambushes in the midst of residential areas.

 
While the presence of civilians has slowed the advance, Iraqi officials say some of their operations have been assisted by information provided by residents about Islamic State military positions.

 
Trying to stop the flow of any information out of Mosul, the militants have cracked down on communications, banning the use of mobile phones and also confiscating satellite dishes to prevent people from seeing the progress made by Iraqi forces.

 
The group has also killed civilians suspected of helping the attacking forces, sometime putting their bodies on display around the city.

 
Iraqi military estimates put the number of Islamic State fighters in the city at 5,000 to 6,000. Facing them is a 100,000-strong coalition of Iraqi government forces, Kurdish fighters and Shi&#39;ite paramilitary units.

 
Iraqi authorities have not published a casualty toll for the campaign overall - either for security forces, civilians or Islamic State fighters. The warring sides claim to have inflicted hundreds of casualties in enemy ranks.

 
Nearly 57,000 people have been displaced because of the fighting from villages and towns around the city to government-held areas, according to U.N. estimates.

 
The figure does not include the tens of thousands of people rounded up in villages around Mosul and forced to accompany Islamic State fighters to cover their retreat towards the city.

&nbsp;

(Reuters)

The ousting of IS fighters from an air base west of Mosul has given Iraqi militia a chance to threaten the crucial supply route

Iraqi Shi'ite militias said on Wednesday they had driven Islamic State fighters from an air base west of Mosul, a victory which would threaten the Sunni group's supply route from Syria to its last major stronghold in Iraq. "The airport of Tal Afar has been liberated," Yusif al-Kallabi, a spokesman for Popular Mobilisation, a coalition of mainly Iranian-backed militias, told Iraqi state TV. The capture of the base, if confirmed, could be a significant development in the campaign to recapture Mosul, Islamic State's de facto capital since its forces swept through Iraq in 2014 and set up a self-declared caliphate in a swathe of Syria and northern Iraq. Tal Afar lies about 60 km (38 miles) west of Mosul on the main road to Syria. Its seizure could also alarm Turkey, which is wary of Iraqi Shi'ite involvement in the civil war in Syria. "Tal Afar will be the starting block for the liberation of all the area...to the Syrian border and beyond the Syria border," said Hadi al-Amiri, head of Badr Organisation, Popular Mobilisation's largest component, in a video clip. While the Shi'ite coalition is fighting Islamic State west of Mosul, regular army and police units are trying to advance from the other sides, backed by Kurdish Peshmerga fighters deployed in the north and the east. Iraqi counter-terrorism forces breached Islamic State defences in east Mosul two weeks ago but have faced resistance from the militants, who have fought back with suicide car bombs, snipers and waves of counter-attacks. The campaign that began on Oct. 17 with air and ground support from a U.S.-led coalition is the biggest military operation in Iraq in more than a decade of turmoil unleashed by the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Popular Mobilisation, known locally by its Arabic name Hashid Shaabi, has said it plans to use Tal Afar base to take the battle against Islamic State into Syria, fighting on the side of President Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Iran. Although it officially reports to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, it is mainly trained and equipped by Iran. Popular Mobilisation's advance towards Tal Afar, which had a mixed population of mainly Shi`ite and Sunni Turkmen before Islamic State captured it in 2014, has raised the prospect of sectarian strife and alarmed neighbouring Turkey. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said last month that Turkey was reinforcing its troops on the border with Iraq and would respond if the militias "cause terror" in Tal Afar. Iraq's Abadi has sought to calm fears that the operation to recapture Tal Afar would ignite sectarian tension or escalate problems with Turkey, saying the attacking force that would enter the town will reflect its religious and ethnic make-up. The Nineveh region surrounding Mosul is a mosaic of ethnic and religious communities - Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, Yazidis, Christians, Sunnis, Shi'tes - though Sunni Arabs comprise the overwhelming majority. Kurds may keep territory The autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) suggested on Wednesday it would try to expand the area it rules in northern Iraq to include surrounding villages and towns captured by Kurdish fighters from Islamic State. Kurdish Peshmerga forces "will not retreat from areas retaken" from Islamic State militants in Iraq, Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani said, according to Rudaw TV station. Barzani's comment could rile the central government in Baghdad, which opposes his plans to expand the autonomous area, even though the two sides have been fighting together against Islamic State in Mosul. The collapse of the Iraqi army two years ago in the face of Islamic State allowed the KRG to extend its rule over the oil-rich region of Kirkuk. The government forces have been fighting in a dozen of the roughly 60 neighbourhoods on the eastern part of Mosul, which is divided by the Tigris River. They have yet to enter from the northern and the southern sides. Iraqi officials say the militants have used the city's more than one million remaining residents as human shields, firing from rooftops of inhabited houses and using a network of tunnels to launch ambushes in the midst of residential areas. While the presence of civilians has slowed the advance, Iraqi officials say some of their operations have been assisted by information provided by residents about Islamic State military positions. Trying to stop the flow of any information out of Mosul, the militants have cracked down on communications, banning the use of mobile phones and also confiscating satellite dishes to prevent people from seeing the progress made by Iraqi forces. The group has also killed civilians suspected of helping the attacking forces, sometime putting their bodies on display around the city. Iraqi military estimates put the number of Islamic State fighters in the city at 5,000 to 6,000. Facing them is a 100,000-strong coalition of Iraqi government forces, Kurdish fighters and Shi'ite paramilitary units. Iraqi authorities have not published a casualty toll for the campaign overall - either for security forces, civilians or Islamic State fighters. The warring sides claim to have inflicted hundreds of casualties in enemy ranks. Nearly 57,000 people have been displaced because of the fighting from villages and towns around the city to government-held areas, according to U.N. estimates. The figure does not include the tens of thousands of people rounded up in villages around Mosul and forced to accompany Islamic State fighters to cover their retreat towards the city. (Reuters)

Iraqi militia threatens Islamic State''s supply route to Syria

&ldquo;Sir, you have been there&hellip;to my town? How is the situation?&rdquo; asks the barber.

He comes from Qaraqosh, the main Christian city in northern Iraq which the Islamic State (IS)&nbsp;recently lost after two years of occupation.

It is not&nbsp;easy to answer&mdash; the city is almost completely destroyed, houses have been vandalised, shops have been torched and churches have been used as shooting camps and Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) factories.

&ldquo;I am afraid to tell you that the situation is very bad. It will take time for you to go back.&rdquo;

He smiles, interprets this reporter&rsquo;s concern and says: &ldquo;No problem sir, you don&rsquo;t have to be sad. Houses, streets, we can build everything again. The important thing is that we are alive. Now, come! It is time to shave your beard, I know you journalists never have time.&rdquo;&nbsp;

The barber, just like many other refugees, lives in Ainkawa, a Christian enclave in the city of Erbil. He requested anonymity, specifying that he would love to be called just &ldquo;the barber&rdquo;, the Barber of Qaraqosh.

Before the Islamic State came in August 2014, Qaraqosh was&nbsp;lively. But when IS came, fifty thousand people had to flee. They knew the terrorist organisation would show them no mercy. Except for some elders and those very ill, everyone left. Destinies of those who stuck on remain unknown.

The Barber of Qaraqosh is a&nbsp;talkative man. As he shaves my beard&nbsp;he describes his city, the barber shop he had with his brother and his&nbsp;many memories&nbsp;of the town.&nbsp;

&ldquo;You know sir, if you go there, where the main street crosses the hospital, my shop is there. You can see my face on the board (of the shop),&rdquo; he says.&nbsp;

With a glint in his eye, he talks about returning to his hometown.&nbsp;&quot;No problem, we have waited for two years sir, there is no problem in waiting some more months.&rdquo;

There was no point in extinguishing the slivers of hope he harbours, but it was difficult to imagine the town described to me by the Barber.

 
Flattened town

Today, Qaraqosh is a ghost town. The abandoned buildings bear the scars of the heavy battles that&nbsp;raged&nbsp;for the last few years. Houses have been&nbsp;destroyed by air strikes, some have been damaged from the inside and some razed to the ground.

Islamic State fighters ensured the town was ravaged. They&nbsp;burned&nbsp;and destroyed&nbsp;everything they could lay their hands on: refrigerators, furnitures, sofas, shops, cars...&nbsp;

All the houses we visited were completely vandalised. Their idea was to leave behind a trail of enduring destruction.&nbsp;

Father Patros, who was a priest in one of the churches in Qaraqosh, showed us the house where he lived. The walls remained intact, but the interior of the house was destroyed. The boundary wall was partially broken too so as to create a passage between the priest&#39;s home and the next and allow IS personnel to move quickly when counter-attacking.&nbsp;

The other thing one observes is that many buildings in the town have bordering basements. Islamic State brought down the walls dividing them and connected the basements, to allow them to move around underground without being seen.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

IS vestige removed, but fears persist

There are no more IS jihadists in Qaraqosh. The last instance of violence was reported on November 3. The city is now under the control of the Nineveh Protection Units (Assyrian Christian militia) whose soldiers are mainly from this area. But tensions continue to run high.&nbsp;

During our visit, we were at one point asked to hide behind a wall, for the soldier heard a suspicious noise. It is not unusual for snipers to remain hidden for days and then carry out surprise attacks.&nbsp;

It will take months before civilians are allowed to return to their homes.&nbsp;

IS scattered the city with IEDs&nbsp;and it will take a while before they are removed. Every single object could be an active bomb. The objects could explode by simply moving them.&nbsp;

We spotted a phone placed on a wall, in a very conspicuous&nbsp;position, too perfectly placed with its receiver on and an IS propaganda pamphlet embedded underneath it. It is impossible to know&nbsp;if it is an IED, but the anomalous place and the pamphlet seem&nbsp;like an invitation&nbsp;to raise the receiver, thereby&nbsp;triggering a bomb.

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It is impossible to know&nbsp;if it is an IED, but the anomalous place and the pamphlet seem&nbsp;like an invitation&nbsp;to raise the receiver, thereby&nbsp;triggering a bomb. (WION)
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Many devices have already been detonated, but many could still be placed inside the houses. The danger of random explosions could persist for months;&nbsp;Qaraqosh is not a small village and it is virtually impossible to check every single corner. Driving back to the NPU base in the town, we come across a rudimentary armoured vehicle which IS meant to launch against the troops entering the city. The car was gunned down by light artillery, but it still contains all the explosives and&nbsp;could blast at anytime.

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We come across a rudimentary armoured vehicle which IS meant to launch against the troops entering the city. The car was gunned down by light artillery, but it still contains all the explosives and&nbsp;could blast at anytime. (WION)
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Buildings and infrastructure&nbsp;are not the only things that&nbsp;got destroyed in these two years under&nbsp;Islamic State control. &ldquo;Father Patros do you think it will ever be possible to rebuild the social fabric of the city, to live together with the muslim population in peace?&rdquo;

&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know. I am a Christian priest and I must be tolerant, I must put all my effort. Many of us though know that people from the nearby villages helped the Islamic State, and it will be very difficult to go back to normality.&rdquo;

This is one of the many situations the invasion of the Islamic State worsened in an already divided and potentially sectarian society. It brought suspicion&nbsp;among the people, and mistrust toward whoever did not flee, who are&nbsp;believed to have supported the terrorist organisation. Suspicion is an enemy of coexistence, and rebuilding a peaceful&nbsp;society where the many souls of Iraq will live together will&nbsp;probably&nbsp;be the most difficult problem to solve&nbsp;after IS&#39;&nbsp;defeat.

(WION)

Qaraqosh is a ghost town; its abandoned buildings bear the scars of heavy battles that?have raged?here for the past few years

“Sir, you have been there…to my town? How is the situation?” asks the barber. He comes from Qaraqosh, the main Christian city in northern Iraq which the Islamic State (IS) recently lost after two years of occupation. It is not easy to answer— the city is almost completely destroyed, houses have been vandalised, shops have been torched and churches have been used as shooting camps and Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) factories. “I am afraid to tell you that the situation is very bad. It will take time for you to go back.” He smiles, interprets this reporter’s concern and says: “No problem sir, you don’t have to be sad. Houses, streets, we can build everything again. The important thing is that we are alive. Now, come! It is time to shave your beard, I know you journalists never have time.” The barber, just like many other refugees, lives in Ainkawa, a Christian enclave in the city of Erbil. He requested anonymity, specifying that he would love to be called just “the barber”, the Barber of Qaraqosh. Before the Islamic State came in August 2014, Qaraqosh was lively. But when IS came, fifty thousand people had to flee. They knew the terrorist organisation would show them no mercy. Except for some elders and those very ill, everyone left. Destinies of those who stuck on remain unknown. The Barber of Qaraqosh is a talkative man. As he shaves my beard he describes his city, the barber shop he had with his brother and his many memories of the town. “You know sir, if you go there, where the main street crosses the hospital, my shop is there. You can see my face on the board (of the shop),” he says. With a glint in his eye, he talks about returning to his hometown. "No problem, we have waited for two years sir, there is no problem in waiting some more months.” There was no point in extinguishing the slivers of hope he harbours, but it was difficult to imagine the town described to me by the Barber. Flattened town Today, Qaraqosh is a ghost town. The abandoned buildings bear the scars of the heavy battles that raged for the last few years. Houses have been destroyed by air strikes, some have been damaged from the inside and some razed to the ground. Islamic State fighters ensured the town was ravaged. They burned and destroyed everything they could lay their hands on: refrigerators, furnitures, sofas, shops, cars... All the houses we visited were completely vandalised. Their idea was to leave behind a trail of enduring destruction. Father Patros, who was a priest in one of the churches in Qaraqosh, showed us the house where he lived. The walls remained intact, but the interior of the house was destroyed. The boundary wall was partially broken too so as to create a passage between the priest's home and the next and allow IS personnel to move quickly when counter-attacking. The other thing one observes is that many buildings in the town have bordering basements. Islamic State brought down the walls dividing them and connected the basements, to allow them to move around underground without being seen. IS vestige removed, but fears persist There are no more IS jihadists in Qaraqosh. The last instance of violence was reported on November 3. The city is now under the control of the Nineveh Protection Units (Assyrian Christian militia) whose soldiers are mainly from this area. But tensions continue to run high. During our visit, we were at one point asked to hide behind a wall, for the soldier heard a suspicious noise. It is not unusual for snipers to remain hidden for days and then carry out surprise attacks. It will take months before civilians are allowed to return to their homes. IS scattered the city with IEDs and it will take a while before they are removed. Every single object could be an active bomb. The objects could explode by simply moving them. We spotted a phone placed on a wall, in a very conspicuous position, too perfectly placed with its receiver on and an IS propaganda pamphlet embedded underneath it. It is impossible to know if it is an IED, but the anomalous place and the pamphlet seem like an invitation to raise the receiver, thereby triggering a bomb. It is impossible to know if it is an IED, but the anomalous place and the pamphlet seem like an invitation to raise the receiver, thereby triggering a bomb. (WION) × Many devices have already been detonated, but many could still be placed inside the houses. The danger of random explosions could persist for months; Qaraqosh is not a small village and it is virtually impossible to check every single corner. Driving back to the NPU base in the town, we come across a rudimentary armoured vehicle which IS meant to launch against the troops entering the city. The car was gunned down by light artillery, but it still contains all the explosives and could blast at anytime. We come across a rudimentary armoured vehicle which IS meant to launch against the troops entering the city. The car was gunned down by light artillery, but it still contains all the explosives and could blast at anytime. (WION) × Buildings and infrastructure are not the only things that got destroyed in these two years under Islamic State control. “Father Patros do you think it will ever be possible to rebuild the social fabric of the city, to live together with the muslim population in peace?” “I don’t know. I am a Christian priest and I must be tolerant, I must put all my effort. Many of us though know that people from the nearby villages helped the Islamic State, and it will be very difficult to go back to normality.” This is one of the many situations the invasion of the Islamic State worsened in an already divided and potentially sectarian society. It brought suspicion among the people, and mistrust toward whoever did not flee, who are believed to have supported the terrorist organisation. Suspicion is an enemy of coexistence, and rebuilding a peaceful society where the many souls of Iraq will live together will probably be the most difficult problem to solve after IS' defeat. (WION)

Iraq's ravaged town of Qaraqosh embodies IS' appetite for destruction

Challenging online jihadist propaganda with counterarguments or shutting down extremist websites and social media accounts have little impact, and distract from the real threat, according to experts.

 
As the Islamic State group (IS) spread across parts of Iraq and Syria, it ramped up its outreach to youths.

 
Videos shared online depicting executions and others touting the creation of a caliphate became powerful recruiting tools, drawing hundreds of Western youths to the Middle East to join IS.

 
Experts who met this week in Quebec City to find ways to combat this threat agreed that IS has used online propaganda to extend the conflict zone like no other.

 
Western governments over the past two years have launched various initiatives to try to counter IS messaging.

 
&quot;We&#39;re doing counterpropaganda. The political fight begins with words. Our counterarguments count on youth being critical thinkers,&quot; Juliette Meadel, French Secretary of State for victims, told AFP.

 
Days after the Charlie Hebdo attacks in 2015, the French government launched a website (stop-djihadisme.gouv.fr) and a few months later accounts on Facebook and Twitter.

 
The initiative aimed &quot;to present arguments against extremism for youth who may be drawn to jihadist sites,&quot; said Meadel.

 
The American, British and Canadian governments have taken similar measures, and with the help of major Internet firms such as Twitter took down some 235,000 extremist accounts in the first six months.

&nbsp;Legitimation

 
But instead of quashing extremism, this only emboldened them.

 
&quot;Censorship doesnt work,&quot; said Google&#39;s global head of international relations, Ross LaJeunesse. &quot;You don&#39;t really change someone&#39;s heart and mind by just taking down what they said (in an online post). What you do is that you drive that underground.&quot;

 
&quot;Instead we want to engage... and change their mind,&quot; he said.

 
In fact, &quot;suspending Twitter accounts was seen as a legitimation, even as Shahada (the profession of Islamic faith), or martyrdom in Islam,&quot; said Amarnath Amarasingam, a fellow at George Washington University&#39;s Program on Extremism.

 
The researcher spends his days dissecting IS communications on the Telegram secure messaging network favored by jihadists. He follows 80 discussion groups and sees between 50 to 150 messages posted by extremists each day, and the flow is incessant.

 
&quot;You can&#39;t just focus on the way media are being used and forget about the Iraq invasion in 2003, about Shia-Sunni conflicts and others complex issues,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

 
It&#39;s useless to try to gain ground on the ideological front by countering jihadist propaganda, which is run &quot;by kids who grew up in the West and have perfectly mastered these online communication tools,&quot; he said.

 
Heading up a UNESCO initiative to compile any and all research on the subject, Toulouse University professor Seraphin Alava adds: &quot;There is no evidence of a direct link between radicalization of youth and online propaganda.&quot;

 
We must accept that &quot;some young people see a role for themselves in the world that IS offers,&quot; said Oslo University researcher Cristina Archetti.

 
&quot;It&#39;s unrealistic to think that you can de-radicalize (youth) with messages on the Internet. You have to address the real issues those youths face,&quot; said Amarasingam.

 
&quot;If we want to rid the Internet of jihadist propaganda, we must act in real life,&quot; agreed Meadel.

 
It is therefore necessary to focus on &quot;education, supporting early childhood, promoting integration and inclusion, and provide job opportunities,&quot; she said.

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

They say Islamic State has used online propaganda to extend the conflict zone like no other

Challenging online jihadist propaganda with counterarguments or shutting down extremist websites and social media accounts have little impact, and distract from the real threat, according to experts. As the Islamic State group (IS) spread across parts of Iraq and Syria, it ramped up its outreach to youths. Videos shared online depicting executions and others touting the creation of a caliphate became powerful recruiting tools, drawing hundreds of Western youths to the Middle East to join IS. Experts who met this week in Quebec City to find ways to combat this threat agreed that IS has used online propaganda to extend the conflict zone like no other. Western governments over the past two years have launched various initiatives to try to counter IS messaging. "We're doing counterpropaganda. The political fight begins with words. Our counterarguments count on youth being critical thinkers," Juliette Meadel, French Secretary of State for victims, told AFP. Days after the Charlie Hebdo attacks in 2015, the French government launched a website (stop-djihadisme.gouv.fr) and a few months later accounts on Facebook and Twitter. The initiative aimed "to present arguments against extremism for youth who may be drawn to jihadist sites," said Meadel. The American, British and Canadian governments have taken similar measures, and with the help of major Internet firms such as Twitter took down some 235,000 extremist accounts in the first six months. Legitimation But instead of quashing extremism, this only emboldened them. "Censorship doesnt work," said Google's global head of international relations, Ross LaJeunesse. "You don't really change someone's heart and mind by just taking down what they said (in an online post). What you do is that you drive that underground." "Instead we want to engage... and change their mind," he said. In fact, "suspending Twitter accounts was seen as a legitimation, even as Shahada (the profession of Islamic faith), or martyrdom in Islam," said Amarnath Amarasingam, a fellow at George Washington University's Program on Extremism. The researcher spends his days dissecting IS communications on the Telegram secure messaging network favored by jihadists. He follows 80 discussion groups and sees between 50 to 150 messages posted by extremists each day, and the flow is incessant. "You can't just focus on the way media are being used and forget about the Iraq invasion in 2003, about Shia-Sunni conflicts and others complex issues," he said. It's useless to try to gain ground on the ideological front by countering jihadist propaganda, which is run "by kids who grew up in the West and have perfectly mastered these online communication tools," he said. Heading up a UNESCO initiative to compile any and all research on the subject, Toulouse University professor Seraphin Alava adds: "There is no evidence of a direct link between radicalization of youth and online propaganda." We must accept that "some young people see a role for themselves in the world that IS offers," said Oslo University researcher Cristina Archetti. "It's unrealistic to think that you can de-radicalize (youth) with messages on the Internet. You have to address the real issues those youths face," said Amarasingam. "If we want to rid the Internet of jihadist propaganda, we must act in real life," agreed Meadel. It is therefore necessary to focus on "education, supporting early childhood, promoting integration and inclusion, and provide job opportunities," she said. (AFP)

Challenging jihadist propaganda online eggs on extremists: Experts

Singapore&#39;s senior minister for defence and foreign affairs, Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, visited his Bangladeshi counterpart Shahriar Alam in Dhaka this week to discuss counter-terrorism efforts between the two countries among other bilateral issues.

Singapore has deported at least 37 Bangladeshi workers after the country&#39;s internal security department found incriminating materials linking them to jihadist ideologies.

Last May, the security department detained eight Bangladeshis suspected of being members of &quot;Islamic State in Bangladesh&quot;.&nbsp;

Singaporean investigators said members of the terror outfit intend to join Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. &quot;However, as they felt that it would be difficult for them to make their way to Syria, they focused their plans instead on returning to Bangladesh to overthrow the democratically-elected government through the use of force, establish an Islamic State in Bangladesh and bring it under ISIS&#39; self-declared caliphate,&quot; says a press release issued by the Singapore&#39;s ministry of home affairs.

Bangladeshi authorities however, said they have not found link of the group with any of the existing terror outfits in the country.

&quot;We didn&#39;t get any connection with those who were deported from Singapore with the killers in our country,&quot; Monirul Islam, chief of Bangladesh&#39;s Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime told WION.

He continued, &quot;They were workers in Singapore. They have been working there for a long time. Some of them have stayed there for three to eight years. Before going to Singapore they were not radicals. We think it was someone from Singapore who played a key role in radicalising these people. &quot;

Investigators told WION that members of Neo Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh have been waging attacks in the country by pledging their allegiance to Islamic State while another group Ansar Al Islam with affiliation to Al Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) has been carrying out attacks in the home soil.

At least 30 people, including atheist bloggers, academicians, clerics of Hindu, Buddhist and Christian faiths, an LGBT activist&nbsp;and&nbsp;and policemen have been killed in machete attacks across Bangladesh since 2013.

Last July, Bangladesh experienced the deadliest terror attack in which 20 civilians including 17 foreign nationals were killed at an upmarket restaurant in Dhaka. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

(WION) 
&nbsp;

Singapore has deported at least 37 Bangladeshi workers after finding incriminating materials linking them to jihadist ideologies

Singapore's senior minister for defence and foreign affairs, Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, visited his Bangladeshi counterpart Shahriar Alam in Dhaka this week to discuss counter-terrorism efforts between the two countries among other bilateral issues. Singapore has deported at least 37 Bangladeshi workers after the country's internal security department found incriminating materials linking them to jihadist ideologies. Last May, the security department detained eight Bangladeshis suspected of being members of "Islamic State in Bangladesh". Singaporean investigators said members of the terror outfit intend to join Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. "However, as they felt that it would be difficult for them to make their way to Syria, they focused their plans instead on returning to Bangladesh to overthrow the democratically-elected government through the use of force, establish an Islamic State in Bangladesh and bring it under ISIS' self-declared caliphate," says a press release issued by the Singapore's ministry of home affairs. Bangladeshi authorities however, said they have not found link of the group with any of the existing terror outfits in the country. "We didn't get any connection with those who were deported from Singapore with the killers in our country," Monirul Islam, chief of Bangladesh's Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime told WION. He continued, "They were workers in Singapore. They have been working there for a long time. Some of them have stayed there for three to eight years. Before going to Singapore they were not radicals. We think it was someone from Singapore who played a key role in radicalising these people. " Investigators told WION that members of Neo Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh have been waging attacks in the country by pledging their allegiance to Islamic State while another group Ansar Al Islam with affiliation to Al Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) has been carrying out attacks in the home soil. At least 30 people, including atheist bloggers, academicians, clerics of Hindu, Buddhist and Christian faiths, an LGBT activist and and policemen have been killed in machete attacks across Bangladesh since 2013. Last July, Bangladesh experienced the deadliest terror attack in which 20 civilians including 17 foreign nationals were killed at an upmarket restaurant in Dhaka. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. (WION)

Singapore and Bangladesh officials discuss counter-terrorism efforts in Dhaka meeting

After taking over the Syrian town of Manbij in early 2014, ISIS began imposing its own harsh version of Islamic law. In particular, they began shutting down schools, denying thousands of children a chance at formal education.

However, over the past two years, as the jihadist group has suffered losses. Following that, out of 390 schools in Manbij and the neighbouring villages, 192 schools have reopened.&nbsp;

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SWq8Ez71HJw?list=PLmWa9ZZLlCjt0Jlg7kN3JBNX4LH1sRsGh" width="970"></iframe>

Unfortunately, a number of schools in the region continue to remain closed, with ISIS still controlling those areas.

78,000 kids were left without formal education after ISIS closed down hundreds of schools in 2014

After taking over the Syrian town of Manbij in early 2014, ISIS began imposing its own harsh version of Islamic law. In particular, they began shutting down schools, denying thousands of children a chance at formal education. However, over the past two years, as the jihadist group has suffered losses. Following that, out of 390 schools in Manbij and the neighbouring villages, 192 schools have reopened. Unfortunately, a number of schools in the region continue to remain closed, with ISIS still controlling those areas.

Video: Syrian children return to school after two long years

While travelling to Qayyarah, a two-hour-drive from Mosul, WION had the chance to interview Iraqi Army Major General Najim al-Jabouri soon after he met Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad. He is the commander of the Nineveh Operations, an offensive that aims to liberate south of Mosul. He is in-charge of the Mosul offensive and currently leads approximately 25,000 men.

WION: How are you preparing for the Mosul operation? 

General al-Jabouri: Our troops are ready to attack Islamic State in Mosul and retake the city. The coalition forces gave us good training, equipped us with modern equipment. We are just waiting for the prime minister&nbsp;to give us the order to attack. We are confident about the battle since we have liberated many cities, important cities in Nineveh (governorate), including Qayyara a few weeks ago. Right now, we are now coordinating with the Peshmerga (Kurdish military forces). Some brigades have already moved to the station areas near Mosul.

WION: How long will the battle last? And do you expect a large presence of IS&nbsp;fighters?

al-Jabouri:&nbsp;I think&nbsp;IS&nbsp;is not as strong as it was two months ago or six months ago. They have lost many good fighters. Many of them were killed, many of them got injured and many of them escaped.

IS is different from Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda believed in a cause but the majority of IS jihadists are like the mafia &mdash;&nbsp;they look for money, they look for women, they look for power.

A few months ago when we began the battle in Qayyarah, we faced strong fighters. The foreigners were especially strong. But the group has weakened. Now, we hardly lose our men even during intense gunfights. The last battle in Qayyarah, four or five days ago, we killed 66 people of theirs and lost not even a single one of ours. Also, we hardly face any foreign fighters anymore.

The local fighters are not that good because they are only interested in earning money. Such attitude is destroying the moral of IS.

The loss in Qayyarah was also financially damaging for IS. They are losing $1 million every day since they lost out in Qayyarah. When they were here, they stole oil and sold about a hundred trucks of it every day.

WION: How important will local support be&nbsp;in your battle for Mosul? 

al-Jabouri:&nbsp;Their (residents of Mosul) support&nbsp;is very vital. Even the strongest security force&nbsp;will be unable to defeat IS if they don&#39;t get support from the locals.

If the locals did not give IS a safe haven, it would have been impossible for them to grow in strength.

In my view, people were unhappy with the security forces in Iraq. This was one of the main reasons for IS to thrive in the area. We worked very hard to change this relationship, we built many bridges between us and the people. You are free to go&nbsp;to Qayyarah and to other villages and ask the people about us. Now, locals support us whenever we fight the IS. This will build the future of this area and Iraq.

WION: Will Shia militia organisation Hal Al-Hashd Al-Sha&#39;abi have any role during the Mosul Operation?

al-Jabouri:&nbsp;Maybe we will need their support. Only the commander-in-chief (the Iraqi prime minister) can decide on such matters. But they will not enter the city if we need them. They will have to go to the desert to cut off IS&#39; supplies. But the battle will be mainly fought by the Iraqi army, the Iraqi counter-terrorism forces and the police. The Peshmerga will help us as well.

WION: What do you make of Turkey&#39;s role? 

al-Jabouri:&nbsp;About the Turkish &hellip; I am a military commander, these are issues concerning the central (Iraqi) government and Turkey, but as an Iraqi &hellip; we don&rsquo;t need boots on the ground here. We don&#39;t even need the coalition forces. We depend on them for training, for advice&nbsp;and for launch air strikes on IS&nbsp;positions. If Turkey is part of the coalition forces, it works for me. If they do what the coalition forces&nbsp;say, I don&#39;t think there would be a problem. But we do not need anybody to act independently.

WION: Are you afraid that after Mosul, IS&nbsp;will launch suicide attacks across Iraq?

al-Jabouri:&nbsp;They do not have the capability to do such things.

WION: Do you plan to liberate Hawija before Mosul?

al-Jabouri:&nbsp;Hawija is not under my command, but I think the government is thinking about it. Mosul is the head of a snake, the last castle for the IS. But I think if we had retaken Mosul earlier, even before Ramani and before every other area, we would have wiped out Daesh (Islamic State) much earlier.&nbsp;

WION: So you think the strategy was wrong?

al-Jabouri:&nbsp;No, this is my view. I think the head of the snake is Mosul because it is a big city, it has good foundation, many factories and&nbsp;many resources. IS in Iraq and even in Syria rely on resources coming from Mosul.

WION: If IS&nbsp;fighters manage to escape Iraq and enter Syria, will the Iraqi army follow them and help Syrian forces fight them?&nbsp;

al-Jabouri:&nbsp;If my commander-in-chief gives me an order, I will follow them in Syria, in Nigeria, everywhere.&nbsp;

(WION)

Possibly the most important military person in West Asia, who is leading 25,000 men, spoke to WION about the fight against Islamic State

While travelling to Qayyarah, a two-hour-drive from Mosul, WION had the chance to interview Iraqi Army Major General Najim al-Jabouri soon after he met Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad. He is the commander of the Nineveh Operations, an offensive that aims to liberate south of Mosul. He is in-charge of the Mosul offensive and currently leads approximately 25,000 men. WION: How are you preparing for the Mosul operation? General al-Jabouri: Our troops are ready to attack Islamic State in Mosul and retake the city. The coalition forces gave us good training, equipped us with modern equipment. We are just waiting for the prime minister to give us the order to attack. We are confident about the battle since we have liberated many cities, important cities in Nineveh (governorate), including Qayyara a few weeks ago. Right now, we are now coordinating with the Peshmerga (Kurdish military forces). Some brigades have already moved to the station areas near Mosul. WION: How long will the battle last? And do you expect a large presence of IS fighters? al-Jabouri: I think IS is not as strong as it was two months ago or six months ago. They have lost many good fighters. Many of them were killed, many of them got injured and many of them escaped. IS is different from Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda believed in a cause but the majority of IS jihadists are like the mafia — they look for money, they look for women, they look for power. A few months ago when we began the battle in Qayyarah, we faced strong fighters. The foreigners were especially strong. But the group has weakened. Now, we hardly lose our men even during intense gunfights. The last battle in Qayyarah, four or five days ago, we killed 66 people of theirs and lost not even a single one of ours. Also, we hardly face any foreign fighters anymore. The local fighters are not that good because they are only interested in earning money. Such attitude is destroying the moral of IS. The loss in Qayyarah was also financially damaging for IS. They are losing $1 million every day since they lost out in Qayyarah. When they were here, they stole oil and sold about a hundred trucks of it every day. WION: How important will local support be in your battle for Mosul? al-Jabouri: Their (residents of Mosul) support is very vital. Even the strongest security force will be unable to defeat IS if they don't get support from the locals. If the locals did not give IS a safe haven, it would have been impossible for them to grow in strength. In my view, people were unhappy with the security forces in Iraq. This was one of the main reasons for IS to thrive in the area. We worked very hard to change this relationship, we built many bridges between us and the people. You are free to go to Qayyarah and to other villages and ask the people about us. Now, locals support us whenever we fight the IS. This will build the future of this area and Iraq. WION: Will Shia militia organisation Hal Al-Hashd Al-Sha'abi have any role during the Mosul Operation? al-Jabouri: Maybe we will need their support. Only the commander-in-chief (the Iraqi prime minister) can decide on such matters. But they will not enter the city if we need them. They will have to go to the desert to cut off IS' supplies. But the battle will be mainly fought by the Iraqi army, the Iraqi counter-terrorism forces and the police. The Peshmerga will help us as well. WION: What do you make of Turkey's role? al-Jabouri: About the Turkish … I am a military commander, these are issues concerning the central (Iraqi) government and Turkey, but as an Iraqi … we don’t need boots on the ground here. We don't even need the coalition forces. We depend on them for training, for advice and for launch air strikes on IS positions. If Turkey is part of the coalition forces, it works for me. If they do what the coalition forces say, I don't think there would be a problem. But we do not need anybody to act independently. WION: Are you afraid that after Mosul, IS will launch suicide attacks across Iraq? al-Jabouri: They do not have the capability to do such things. WION: Do you plan to liberate Hawija before Mosul? al-Jabouri: Hawija is not under my command, but I think the government is thinking about it. Mosul is the head of a snake, the last castle for the IS. But I think if we had retaken Mosul earlier, even before Ramani and before every other area, we would have wiped out Daesh (Islamic State) much earlier. WION: So you think the strategy was wrong? al-Jabouri: No, this is my view. I think the head of the snake is Mosul because it is a big city, it has good foundation, many factories and many resources. IS in Iraq and even in Syria rely on resources coming from Mosul. WION: If IS fighters manage to escape Iraq and enter Syria, will the Iraqi army follow them and help Syrian forces fight them? al-Jabouri: If my commander-in-chief gives me an order, I will follow them in Syria, in Nigeria, everywhere. (WION)

Iraqi army poised to retake 'Islamic State's last castle of Mosul', Major General Najim al-Jabouri tells WION

The outfit is rewarding its warriors by exploiting the exodus of Europe-bound African migrants -- captured women are turned into sex slaves

Enslaved in Libya: One woman's extraordinary escape from Islamic State

A three-member team of investigators from Bangladesh arrived in&nbsp;the eastern Indian state of West Bengal on Monday evening to 
interrogate arrested ISIS suspect Musa and probe him over his&nbsp;Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) links.&nbsp; 
 
The members are from Bangladesh&rsquo;s anti-terror agency &ndash; Rapid&nbsp;Action Battalion (RAB), who are not only going to interrogate Musa on not&nbsp;his links with terror outfit JMB but also to explore his role in Dhaka&rsquo;s Gulshan attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery. 
 
Acting on a tip-off from India&rsquo;s central security and intelligence&nbsp;agencies, CID West Bengal had arrested&nbsp;Musa alias Md Masiuddin from the Burdwan railway station in West&nbsp;Bengal on board a train when he was about to travel to Birbhum&nbsp;district in July this year.&nbsp; 
 
One improvised gun and a 13-inch dagger, besides fake currency&nbsp;notes of Afghanistan and Syria were seized from his possession.&nbsp; 
 
His arrest came soon after the terror attacks in Bangladesh&rsquo;s&nbsp;Dhaka. 
 
He came under the scanner after his e-mails and calls were traced&nbsp;to Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Syria. Officials in the&nbsp;investigating agency highlighted that he had been in touch with several&nbsp;ISIS operatives in Syria through the social networking sites like&nbsp;Facebook and Twitter. Initial investigations had revealed that he had&nbsp;also been in touch with several JMB operatives in Bangladesh. 
 
Soon, the case was taken up by National Investigation Agency (NIA)&nbsp;and Musa was taken into custody. 
 
In March 2015, Musa had met a JMB leader from Bangladesh, Abu&nbsp;Suleiman in India&rsquo;s eastern state of West Bengal during his&nbsp;sister&rsquo;s wedding. 
 
Musa had been in touch with Suleiman over Facebook, but Suleiman&nbsp;had expressed his wish to meet Musa in person. Later, Musa invited&nbsp;him to attend his sister&rsquo;s wedding held in Bengal.

After the meeting, Musa had agreed to work with Suleiman on the&nbsp;issue of Islamic State and the spread of jihad in India.&nbsp;Suleiman had even asked Musa to chose non-Muslim targets,&nbsp;especially US-nationals and behead them. 
 
Meanwhile, Suleiman is on the run as the Indian and&nbsp;Bangladeshi governments continue their search for him. 
 
(DNA)

The members from Bangladesh?s anti-terror agency will also explore Musa's links with terror outfit JMB

A three-member team of investigators from Bangladesh arrived in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal on Monday evening to interrogate arrested ISIS suspect Musa and probe him over his Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) links. The members are from Bangladesh’s anti-terror agency – Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), who are not only going to interrogate Musa on not his links with terror outfit JMB but also to explore his role in Dhaka’s Gulshan attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery. Acting on a tip-off from India’s central security and intelligence agencies, CID West Bengal had arrested Musa alias Md Masiuddin from the Burdwan railway station in West Bengal on board a train when he was about to travel to Birbhum district in July this year. One improvised gun and a 13-inch dagger, besides fake currency notes of Afghanistan and Syria were seized from his possession. His arrest came soon after the terror attacks in Bangladesh’s Dhaka. He came under the scanner after his e-mails and calls were traced to Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Syria. Officials in the investigating agency highlighted that he had been in touch with several ISIS operatives in Syria through the social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Initial investigations had revealed that he had also been in touch with several JMB operatives in Bangladesh. Soon, the case was taken up by National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Musa was taken into custody. In March 2015, Musa had met a JMB leader from Bangladesh, Abu Suleiman in India’s eastern state of West Bengal during his sister’s wedding. Musa had been in touch with Suleiman over Facebook, but Suleiman had expressed his wish to meet Musa in person. Later, Musa invited him to attend his sister’s wedding held in Bengal. After the meeting, Musa had agreed to work with Suleiman on the issue of Islamic State and the spread of jihad in India. Suleiman had even asked Musa to chose non-Muslim targets, especially US-nationals and behead them. Meanwhile, Suleiman is on the run as the Indian and Bangladeshi governments continue their search for him. (DNA)

Bangladeshi investigators arrive in India to interrogate
ISIS suspect Musa over Dhaka attack

Islamic State group fighters seized around 2,000 civilians to use as &quot;human shields&quot; on Friday as they fled their stronghold of Manbij in northern Syria, US-backed forces and a monitor said. 
 
The Arab-Kurdish alliance known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) expelled most of the IS fighters from the town last week, but a small number remained. 
 
&quot;While withdrawing from a district of Manbij, Daesh (IS) jihadists abducted around 2,000 civilians from Al-Sirb neighbourhood,&quot; said Sherfan Darwish, spokesman for the Manbij Military Council, a key component of the SDF. 
 
&quot;They used these civilians as human shields as they withdrew to Jarabulus, thus preventing us from targeting them,&quot; he added.&nbsp;Al-Sirb is a district in northern Manbij on the way to the IS-held border town of Jarabulus in Aleppo province near the border with Turkey. 
 
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on sources on the ground to cover the conflict, also reported that IS had abducted around 2,000 civilians as they fled Manbij.&nbsp;It said the civilians were placed in hundreds of cars that then headed for Jarabulus. 
 
Darwish said the civilians who were taken were residents of Al-Sirb and other districts, including a central neighbourhood known as the &quot;security quarter&quot; in the centre of Manbij. 
 
It was not immediately clear how many jihadists fled from the town, but reports last week after the SDF forces took Manbij said that dozens of IS fighters were holed up in the &quot;security quarter&quot;.&nbsp;Darwish said that around 2,500 other civilians &quot;held captive by the jihadists were saved&quot; by the SDF. 
 
The US-backed forces were meanwhile combing Al-Sirb on Friday for jihadists who could still be in the neighbourhood, he added.&nbsp;With air support from the US-led coalition, the SDF began its assault on Manbij on May 31, surging into the town itself three weeks later. 
 
But their offensive was slowed by a massive jihadist fightback using suicide attackers and car bombs, before a major push last week saw the SDF seize 90 per cent of the town. 
 
Tens of thousands of people lived in Manbij before the assault started in May.&nbsp;The United Nations has said that more than 78,000 people have been displaced since then. 
 
Manbij had served as a key transit point along IS&#39;s supply route from the Turkish border to Raqa, the de facto capital of its self-styled Islamic &quot;caliphate&quot;.&nbsp;The Britain-based Observatory says that the battle for Manbij has claimed the lives of at 437 civilians, including 105 children, and killed 299 SDF fighters and 1,019 jihadists. 
 
(AFP)

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the civilians were placed in hundreds of cars that then headed for Jarabulus

Islamic State group fighters seized around 2,000 civilians to use as "human shields" on Friday as they fled their stronghold of Manbij in northern Syria, US-backed forces and a monitor said. The Arab-Kurdish alliance known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) expelled most of the IS fighters from the town last week, but a small number remained. "While withdrawing from a district of Manbij, Daesh (IS) jihadists abducted around 2,000 civilians from Al-Sirb neighbourhood," said Sherfan Darwish, spokesman for the Manbij Military Council, a key component of the SDF. "They used these civilians as human shields as they withdrew to Jarabulus, thus preventing us from targeting them," he added. Al-Sirb is a district in northern Manbij on the way to the IS-held border town of Jarabulus in Aleppo province near the border with Turkey. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on sources on the ground to cover the conflict, also reported that IS had abducted around 2,000 civilians as they fled Manbij. It said the civilians were placed in hundreds of cars that then headed for Jarabulus. Darwish said the civilians who were taken were residents of Al-Sirb and other districts, including a central neighbourhood known as the "security quarter" in the centre of Manbij. It was not immediately clear how many jihadists fled from the town, but reports last week after the SDF forces took Manbij said that dozens of IS fighters were holed up in the "security quarter". Darwish said that around 2,500 other civilians "held captive by the jihadists were saved" by the SDF. The US-backed forces were meanwhile combing Al-Sirb on Friday for jihadists who could still be in the neighbourhood, he added. With air support from the US-led coalition, the SDF began its assault on Manbij on May 31, surging into the town itself three weeks later. But their offensive was slowed by a massive jihadist fightback using suicide attackers and car bombs, before a major push last week saw the SDF seize 90 per cent of the town. Tens of thousands of people lived in Manbij before the assault started in May. The United Nations has said that more than 78,000 people have been displaced since then. Manbij had served as a key transit point along IS's supply route from the Turkish border to Raqa, the de facto capital of its self-styled Islamic "caliphate". The Britain-based Observatory says that the battle for Manbij has claimed the lives of at 437 civilians, including 105 children, and killed 299 SDF fighters and 1,019 jihadists. (AFP)

Islamic State abducts around 2,000 civilians to use as 'human shields'

A Kuwaiti national identified as Abdulla Hadi Abdul Rehman Al-Enezi (32) has been arrested in Kuwait for his suspected links to the Islamic States (IS) terror outfit and for recruiting youth from Kalyan in Maharashtra&#39;s Thane district in India. 
 
According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India, Enezi&#39;s arrest is the first arrest overseas on information provided by Indian agencies. The NIA had earlier sent a mutual legal assistance request to Kuwait in the Areeb Majeed-IS case in respect of transfer of $1000 by a Kuwaiti national to the arrested Kalyan youth, Majeed, and his three associates, while they were staying in Iraq in May 2014. 
 
Majeeb had sought help from Afghan national and alleged IS handler Abdul Rehman Dalauti after his money dried up in Iraq on his way to Syria.&nbsp;Dalauti then provided Majeeb with Enezi&#39;s phone number and told him to talk to Enezi for help. The Kuwaiti authorities have informed that Enezi, a Kuwaiti national, indeed sent $1000 to Majeed through Western Union. 
 
Enezi has also confessed to having supported terrorist organisations and having been involved in financing of terrorism after his return from Pakistan in 2013. The Kuwaiti authorities have registered a case against him and arrested him on these charges. Accused Areeb Majeed and others used the money to facilitate their travel to Syria. 
 
Kuwait shared the information on Abdullah with India after Indian agencies provided them with information about the Kalyan youth arrested for joining IS. Letter rogatory (requests from courts in one country to the courts of another country requesting the performance of an act which) for inquiry into his social sites, bank transactions, emails, phone networks used in foreign countries was sent to many countries along with America, Iraq, Kuwait, Hong Kong, Afghanistan, Turkey, China. 
 
America, Turkey, Kuwait and Luxembourg also provided with details about the ISIS module. Presently, Majeeb is in an Indian jail after he was arrested in November 2014. He returned back from Iraq after spending six months with ISIS and realised no holy war is being waged by them. 
 
He was booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) on charges of conspiring to commit a terrorist act and being a member of a banned foreign terror outfit, and under the stringent Section 125 of the IPC for &quot;waging war against the nation&quot;. One of his associates was reportedly killed in Syria. 
 
(ANI)&nbsp;

Rehman Al-Enezi has 'confessed' to having supported terrorist organisations and being involved in financing of terrorism

A Kuwaiti national identified as Abdulla Hadi Abdul Rehman Al-Enezi (32) has been arrested in Kuwait for his suspected links to the Islamic States (IS) terror outfit and for recruiting youth from Kalyan in Maharashtra's Thane district in India. According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India, Enezi's arrest is the first arrest overseas on information provided by Indian agencies. The NIA had earlier sent a mutual legal assistance request to Kuwait in the Areeb Majeed-IS case in respect of transfer of $1000 by a Kuwaiti national to the arrested Kalyan youth, Majeed, and his three associates, while they were staying in Iraq in May 2014. Majeeb had sought help from Afghan national and alleged IS handler Abdul Rehman Dalauti after his money dried up in Iraq on his way to Syria. Dalauti then provided Majeeb with Enezi's phone number and told him to talk to Enezi for help. The Kuwaiti authorities have informed that Enezi, a Kuwaiti national, indeed sent $1000 to Majeed through Western Union. Enezi has also confessed to having supported terrorist organisations and having been involved in financing of terrorism after his return from Pakistan in 2013. The Kuwaiti authorities have registered a case against him and arrested him on these charges. Accused Areeb Majeed and others used the money to facilitate their travel to Syria. Kuwait shared the information on Abdullah with India after Indian agencies provided them with information about the Kalyan youth arrested for joining IS. Letter rogatory (requests from courts in one country to the courts of another country requesting the performance of an act which) for inquiry into his social sites, bank transactions, emails, phone networks used in foreign countries was sent to many countries along with America, Iraq, Kuwait, Hong Kong, Afghanistan, Turkey, China. America, Turkey, Kuwait and Luxembourg also provided with details about the ISIS module. Presently, Majeeb is in an Indian jail after he was arrested in November 2014. He returned back from Iraq after spending six months with ISIS and realised no holy war is being waged by them. He was booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) on charges of conspiring to commit a terrorist act and being a member of a banned foreign terror outfit, and under the stringent Section 125 of the IPC for "waging war against the nation". One of his associates was reportedly killed in Syria. (ANI)

Suspected IS recruiter of Indian youth arrested in Kuwait

Europe is at major risk of &quot;lone wolf&quot; terror attacks, its policing agency said today, with the latest incidents showing &quot;how difficult it is to detect and disrupt suspects&quot;. 
 
Recent incidents including Monday&#39;s attack on a German train and last week&#39;s carnage in Nice which left 84 people dead &quot;remain a favoured tactic by the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda,&quot; Europol said in a statement. 
 
&quot;Both groups have repeatedly called on Muslims living in western countries to perpetrate lone actor attacks in their countries of residence,&quot; it said. 
 
In the latest incident, the Islamic State group on Tuesday released a video purportedly featuring a 17-year-old migrant who went on an axe rampage on a train at Wuerzburg in southern Germany, injuring five people, two critically. 
 
&quot;Although IS has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, none seem to have been planned, logistically supported or executed directly by IS,&quot; Europol said, 
 
Despite the attackers&#39; pledges of allegiance to the IS group, &quot;their actual involvement cannot be established,&quot; Europol said. 
 
The Hague-based policing organisation also released its 2015 &quot;EU Terrorism and Trend Report&quot; saying 151 people died and more than 350 others were injured in terror attacks last year in the 28-member bloc. 
 
The 55-page report only looked at 2015 and did not take into account the Nice attack or the attacks on the Brussels airport and metro stations in March in which 32 people died. 
 
&quot;In 2015 the EU (European Union) experienced a massive number of casualties caused by terrorist attacks,&quot; Europol chief Rob Wainwright said. 
 
&quot;The carefully planned attacks demonstrate the elevated threat to the EU from a fanatical minority based in the Middle East, combined with a network of people born and raised in the EU,&quot; he said. 
 
These people are &quot;often radicalised within a short space of time, (and) proven willing to act as facilitators and active accomplices in terrorism,&quot; Wainwright said. 
 
A significant number of all foreign terrorist travellers in Syria and Iraq are now female, the report said, and women have also &quot;proven to be very successful in facilitating and recruiting while still in the EU&quot;. 
 
These women are trained in the use of weapons though are probably not currently taking part in active combat, Europol added. 
 
&quot;Their roles may change in the future, which may have an effect on the nature and impact&quot; of Islamic State group operations in Europe, the policing agency warned. 
 
Last year, 687 suspects were arrested, of whom 198 were convicted of jihadist activities. 
 
Europol warned: &quot;It is a highly challenging task for the security services and law enforcement to prevent every terrorist attack by keeping track of the ever-increasing numbers of people suspected of being, in one way, or another sympathetic to IS ideology.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

The Islamic State group yesterday released a video purportedly featuring a 17-year-old migrant who went on an axe rampage on a train

Europe is at major risk of "lone wolf" terror attacks, its policing agency said today, with the latest incidents showing "how difficult it is to detect and disrupt suspects". Recent incidents including Monday's attack on a German train and last week's carnage in Nice which left 84 people dead "remain a favoured tactic by the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda," Europol said in a statement. "Both groups have repeatedly called on Muslims living in western countries to perpetrate lone actor attacks in their countries of residence," it said. In the latest incident, the Islamic State group on Tuesday released a video purportedly featuring a 17-year-old migrant who went on an axe rampage on a train at Wuerzburg in southern Germany, injuring five people, two critically. "Although IS has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, none seem to have been planned, logistically supported or executed directly by IS," Europol said, Despite the attackers' pledges of allegiance to the IS group, "their actual involvement cannot be established," Europol said. The Hague-based policing organisation also released its 2015 "EU Terrorism and Trend Report" saying 151 people died and more than 350 others were injured in terror attacks last year in the 28-member bloc. The 55-page report only looked at 2015 and did not take into account the Nice attack or the attacks on the Brussels airport and metro stations in March in which 32 people died. "In 2015 the EU (European Union) experienced a massive number of casualties caused by terrorist attacks," Europol chief Rob Wainwright said. "The carefully planned attacks demonstrate the elevated threat to the EU from a fanatical minority based in the Middle East, combined with a network of people born and raised in the EU," he said. These people are "often radicalised within a short space of time, (and) proven willing to act as facilitators and active accomplices in terrorism," Wainwright said. A significant number of all foreign terrorist travellers in Syria and Iraq are now female, the report said, and women have also "proven to be very successful in facilitating and recruiting while still in the EU". These women are trained in the use of weapons though are probably not currently taking part in active combat, Europol added. "Their roles may change in the future, which may have an effect on the nature and impact" of Islamic State group operations in Europe, the policing agency warned. Last year, 687 suspects were arrested, of whom 198 were convicted of jihadist activities. Europol warned: "It is a highly challenging task for the security services and law enforcement to prevent every terrorist attack by keeping track of the ever-increasing numbers of people suspected of being, in one way, or another sympathetic to IS ideology." (AFP)

Europol warns it is difficult to predict lone wolf attacks

&nbsp;A Kosovo court sent five people to prison for terms ranging from four to 13 years on terrorism charges for planning to pledge loyalty to the Islamic State and post a video of the event on the internet. 
 
&quot;Their aim was to read the oath of the terrorist organisation Islamic State and publish it on the internet to show the presence of IS in Kosovo,&quot; a judge said while reading the verdict in a Pristina court. 
 
He said an automatic rifle, masks, gloves and an IS flag were found when police arrested the defendants by an artificial lake near the capital last year. 
 
The defendants were initially suspected of contaminating the water in Lake Badovc, which supplies half of Pristina with drinking water, but those charges were dropped after authorities found the water was clean. 
 
Police say around 300 Kosovars have joined Islamic State and more than 50 have been killed. More than 100 people in Kosovo have been arrested or are under investigation for recruiting for Islamic State or fighting in Syria and Iraq.&nbsp;Authorities say that so far this year no one has gone to join Islamic State in Syria or Iraq. 
 
(Reuters)

Automatic rifle, masks, gloves and an IS flag were found when police arrested the defendants by an artificial lake near Pristina in 2015

A Kosovo court sent five people to prison for terms ranging from four to 13 years on terrorism charges for planning to pledge loyalty to the Islamic State and post a video of the event on the internet. "Their aim was to read the oath of the terrorist organisation Islamic State and publish it on the internet to show the presence of IS in Kosovo," a judge said while reading the verdict in a Pristina court. He said an automatic rifle, masks, gloves and an IS flag were found when police arrested the defendants by an artificial lake near the capital last year. The defendants were initially suspected of contaminating the water in Lake Badovc, which supplies half of Pristina with drinking water, but those charges were dropped after authorities found the water was clean. Police say around 300 Kosovars have joined Islamic State and more than 50 have been killed. More than 100 people in Kosovo have been arrested or are under investigation for recruiting for Islamic State or fighting in Syria and Iraq. Authorities say that so far this year no one has gone to join Islamic State in Syria or Iraq. (Reuters)

Kosovo arrests five for planning to pledge loyalty to IS

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) today arrested two key members of the Hyderabad IS module which they had unearthed last month in India. 
 
&quot;Yasir Niamatullah, chief of Hyderabad module, and Athaullah Rehman, a motivator who raised funds, have been arrested by NIA from here,&quot; sources in Telangana Intelligence Department told PTI. 
 
&quot;They are being produced in court today,&quot; they said. 
 
The NIA on June 29 had arrested five Hyderabad-based persons on charges of their involvement in the terror module suspected to be linked to ISIS and conspiring to carry out bomb attacks. 
 
On July 1, they were remanded in police custody for 12 days. 
 
The five - Mohammed Ibrahim Yazdani alias Ibbu, Habeeb Mohammed alias Sir, Mohammed Ilyas Yazdani, Abdullah Bin Ahmed Al Amoodi and Muzaffar Hussain Rizwan - were arrested following a series of searches conducted at 10 locations in Old City area in southern Hyderabad city, with the assistance of Hyderabad Police. 
 
In its remand report submitted to the court earlier, the agency had said that the five accused had acquired weapons and explosive material to carry out violent terrorist attacks and were in touch with ISIS. 
 
Following its prior investigation, on June 22 the NIA had lodged an FIR for &quot;criminal conspiracy to wage war against the Government of India&quot; by collecting weapons and explosive materials by targeting public places, religious sites and sensitive government buildings in various parts of India. 
 
According to the agency, the gang was preparing improvised explosive devices for carrying out blasts, and was being guided by an online handler, suspected to be based in Iraq/Syria. 
 
Along with the explosive materials, the NIA had recovered two semi-automatic pistols with ammunition, an air gun with telescopic sight and shooting practice target boards, a large number of digital gadgets including six laptops, about 40 mobile phones, 32 SIM cards, and a large number of hard disks, memory cards, pen drives and tabs during its search. 
 
(PTI)

Yasir Niamatullah, chief of Hyderabad module, and Athaullah Rehman are being produced in court today

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) today arrested two key members of the Hyderabad IS module which they had unearthed last month in India. "Yasir Niamatullah, chief of Hyderabad module, and Athaullah Rehman, a motivator who raised funds, have been arrested by NIA from here," sources in Telangana Intelligence Department told PTI. "They are being produced in court today," they said. The NIA on June 29 had arrested five Hyderabad-based persons on charges of their involvement in the terror module suspected to be linked to ISIS and conspiring to carry out bomb attacks. On July 1, they were remanded in police custody for 12 days. The five - Mohammed Ibrahim Yazdani alias Ibbu, Habeeb Mohammed alias Sir, Mohammed Ilyas Yazdani, Abdullah Bin Ahmed Al Amoodi and Muzaffar Hussain Rizwan - were arrested following a series of searches conducted at 10 locations in Old City area in southern Hyderabad city, with the assistance of Hyderabad Police. In its remand report submitted to the court earlier, the agency had said that the five accused had acquired weapons and explosive material to carry out violent terrorist attacks and were in touch with ISIS. Following its prior investigation, on June 22 the NIA had lodged an FIR for "criminal conspiracy to wage war against the Government of India" by collecting weapons and explosive materials by targeting public places, religious sites and sensitive government buildings in various parts of India. According to the agency, the gang was preparing improvised explosive devices for carrying out blasts, and was being guided by an online handler, suspected to be based in Iraq/Syria. Along with the explosive materials, the NIA had recovered two semi-automatic pistols with ammunition, an air gun with telescopic sight and shooting practice target boards, a large number of digital gadgets including six laptops, about 40 mobile phones, 32 SIM cards, and a large number of hard disks, memory cards, pen drives and tabs during its search. (PTI)

Indian sleuths arrest two key members of IS module from Hyderabad

Bangladeshi police hunted for six members of a domestic Islamist group they suspect helped gunmen attack a Dhaka cafe, as officials began questioning families of the militants for clues as to what turned them into killers on Tuesday. 
 
Gunmen stormed the restaurant in Dhaka&#39;s diplomatic zone late on Friday and killed 20 people, most of them foreigners from Italy, Japan, India and the United States, in an assault claimed by Islamic State. 
 
It was one of the deadliest militant attacks in Bangladesh, where Islamic State and al Qaeda have claimed a series of killings of liberals and members of religious minorities in the past year. The government has dismissed those claims, as it did the Islamic State claim of responsibility for Friday&#39;s attack. 
 
6 members of JMB have been shown as accused&nbsp; 
 
Police believe that Jama&#39;atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), an outlawed domestic group that has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, played a significant role in organising the band of privileged, educated young men who carried out the attack. 
 
&quot;Six members of JMB have been shown as accused in the case. We are trying to arrest them because they could be the mastermind,&quot; Saiful Islam, a senior police officer involved in the investigation, told Reuters. 
 
The JMB has been accused of involvement in many of the killings over the past year and Islam said police were interrogating more than 130 of its members already in custody in the hope of gleaning clues. 
 
&quot;We don&#39;t know who is the mastermind behind the attack. We just know that these boys were guided to launch an attack on the restaurant,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;There is no evidence of foreign links,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
Police killed six of the attackers when they regained control of the restaurant, 12 hours after the attack began. Two other suspects are in hospital. 
 
Attack marked a major escalation in the scale and brutality of violence&nbsp; 
 
The police on Tuesday also registered a case against five of the six dead attackers, Islam said, which they need to do to begin formal investigations which includes questioning of their families. 
 
The five named in the case filing were Nibras Islam, Rohan Imtiaz, Meer Saameh Mubasheer, Khairul Islam and Shafiqul Islam. It was not immediately clear why the sixth man had not been named in the police report. 
 
The attack marked a major escalation in the scale and brutality of violence aimed at forcing strict Islamic rule in Bangladesh, whose 160 million people are mostly Muslim. 
 
It has shocked the country, as have details emerging about the well-to-do lives of some of the gunmen, five of whom appeared in photographs posted on an Islamic State website, clutching guns and grinning in front of a black flag. 
 
At least three of the gunmen were from wealthy, liberal families who had attended elite Dhaka schools, in contrast to the traditional Bangladeshi militant&#39;s path from poverty and a madrassa education to violence. 
 
Three of the attackers had been missing since the beginning of the year, police have said, and little is known about where they went. 
 
Two had attended a private university in Malaysia, one of whom, Nibras Islam, was not particularly religious, according to a student who played football with him at a private college in Dhaka between 2009 and 2011. 
 
&quot;We are in touch with investigators in Malaysia and they are sharing all the information but as of now we have not found any links with international militant groups,&quot; Islam said. 
 
One of the dead gunmen was from a poor family and had studied at a madrassa and another hailed from a lower-middle class background, said another senior police official who declined to be identified. 
 
Police said on Saturday five of the attackers were known to authorities and they had previously tried to arrest them. But police have since said little about when and how the men came to be radicalised. 
 
(Reuters)

Police believe the Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh, an outlawed domestic group, played a significant role in organising the attack

Bangladeshi police hunted for six members of a domestic Islamist group they suspect helped gunmen attack a Dhaka cafe, as officials began questioning families of the militants for clues as to what turned them into killers on Tuesday. Gunmen stormed the restaurant in Dhaka's diplomatic zone late on Friday and killed 20 people, most of them foreigners from Italy, Japan, India and the United States, in an assault claimed by Islamic State. It was one of the deadliest militant attacks in Bangladesh, where Islamic State and al Qaeda have claimed a series of killings of liberals and members of religious minorities in the past year. The government has dismissed those claims, as it did the Islamic State claim of responsibility for Friday's attack. 6 members of JMB have been shown as accused Police believe that Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), an outlawed domestic group that has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, played a significant role in organising the band of privileged, educated young men who carried out the attack. "Six members of JMB have been shown as accused in the case. We are trying to arrest them because they could be the mastermind," Saiful Islam, a senior police officer involved in the investigation, told Reuters. The JMB has been accused of involvement in many of the killings over the past year and Islam said police were interrogating more than 130 of its members already in custody in the hope of gleaning clues. "We don't know who is the mastermind behind the attack. We just know that these boys were guided to launch an attack on the restaurant," he said. "There is no evidence of foreign links," he added. Police killed six of the attackers when they regained control of the restaurant, 12 hours after the attack began. Two other suspects are in hospital. Attack marked a major escalation in the scale and brutality of violence The police on Tuesday also registered a case against five of the six dead attackers, Islam said, which they need to do to begin formal investigations which includes questioning of their families. The five named in the case filing were Nibras Islam, Rohan Imtiaz, Meer Saameh Mubasheer, Khairul Islam and Shafiqul Islam. It was not immediately clear why the sixth man had not been named in the police report. The attack marked a major escalation in the scale and brutality of violence aimed at forcing strict Islamic rule in Bangladesh, whose 160 million people are mostly Muslim. It has shocked the country, as have details emerging about the well-to-do lives of some of the gunmen, five of whom appeared in photographs posted on an Islamic State website, clutching guns and grinning in front of a black flag. At least three of the gunmen were from wealthy, liberal families who had attended elite Dhaka schools, in contrast to the traditional Bangladeshi militant's path from poverty and a madrassa education to violence. Three of the attackers had been missing since the beginning of the year, police have said, and little is known about where they went. Two had attended a private university in Malaysia, one of whom, Nibras Islam, was not particularly religious, according to a student who played football with him at a private college in Dhaka between 2009 and 2011. "We are in touch with investigators in Malaysia and they are sharing all the information but as of now we have not found any links with international militant groups," Islam said. One of the dead gunmen was from a poor family and had studied at a madrassa and another hailed from a lower-middle class background, said another senior police official who declined to be identified. Police said on Saturday five of the attackers were known to authorities and they had previously tried to arrest them. But police have since said little about when and how the men came to be radicalised. (Reuters)

Bangladesh police look for 6 possible accomplices of Dhaka attackers

A slaughter of foreign hostages has put Bangladesh firmly on the frontline of the global war on terror, despite government efforts to portray a campaign of attacks as the work of domestic opponents, according to analysts. 
 
Several dozen people have been killed by jihadists in Bangladesh in the last two years, the victims including mainly local atheist bloggers, Hindus, gay activists and liberal academics. 
 
But while those attacks generated few column inches beyond Bangladesh, this weekend&#39;s hostage siege in a Dhaka cafe led news bulletins around the world, attracting the kind of attention its perpetrators had long been craving. 
 
Analysts said the choice of venue, target, timing and method of killing were all designed to maximise publicity for jihadists who were well aware of the outrage that greeted recent massacres in Orlando and Paris. 
 
Eighteen of the 20 civilians who were killed in the Holey Artisan Bakery were foreigners. Nearly all were hacked to death with machetes, even though the hostage-takers had plenty of firearms. 
 
The attack was even more shocking as it came on the final weekend of Ramadan, with survivors describing how the hostage-takers made clear their targets were non-Muslims, separating locals from the foreigners. 
 
Around 90 per cent of Bangladesh&#39;s 160 million people are Muslims, but the state is officially secular. 
 
&quot;By hacking people to death... they wanted to show the world that they can go to any extent for jihad,&quot; said K G Suresh, a senior fellow at New Delhi&#39;s Vivekananda International Foundation think-tank. 
 
&quot;Once they attack a restaurant popular with foreigners on a Friday night their message is clear who they want to go after. By sparing Muslims, they wanted to send out the message that they are only against Westerners.&quot; 
 
According to the monitoring group SITE, the Islamic State organisation claimed responsibility for the attack which it said had targetted &quot;citizens of crusader states&quot;. 
 
But Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina&#39;s secular government has long insisted neither IS nor Al-Qaeda have gained a foothold in Bangladesh despite both groups claiming many previous attacks. 
 
That line was reiterated by Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, who told AFP that six gunmen killed at the end of the siege were members of Jamaeytul Mujahdeen Bangladesh, a domestic group which has been banned for a decade. 
 
He denied any link with IS, but analysts said that stretched credibility. 
 
Taj Hashmi, a Bangladeshi who teaches security studies at the Austin Peay State University in the US, said there could be &quot;no ambiguity&quot; that the attack was the work of IS. 
 
&quot;Bangladesh must admit that international Islamist networks are actively engaged in killing people in the country and they are not through yet,&quot; said Hashmi. 
 
Mubashar Hasan, an expert on political Islam at Dhaka&#39;s Liberal Arts University, said the attack was not merely a local difficulty but was the latest in a line that stretched back to the bombings in New York and Washington on September 11, 2001. 
 
&quot;This is Bangladesh&#39;s 9/11. Bangladesh has now entered into the global war on terror,&quot; Hasan told AFP. 
 
Critics have said the violence stems from the government&#39;s refusal to allow its opponents to operate freely in the political mainstream. 
 
&#39;Lack of democracy&#39; 
 
Bangladesh&#39;s main Islamist party has been banned and most of its leaders have been arrested or else executed after recent trials over their role in the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. 
 
Opposition leader Khaleda Zia is facing a string of court cases for her role in violent anti-government protests. 
 
Zia&#39;s party boycotted the 2014 general election after Hasina refused to allow it to be overseen by a neutral caretaker government as in the past, and Hasan said growing extremism was an inevitable consequence. 
 
&quot;A dysfunctional state and lack of democracy made it fertile ground for terrorism,&quot; said Hasan. 
 
The columnist Zafar Sohban urged the government to end &quot;its state of denial&quot;. 
 
&quot;It cannot continue to bury its head in the sand about the clear and convincing evidence of transnational links to domestic terror groups and operations,&quot; he wrote in the Dhaka Tribune. 
 
Subhash Agrawal of the Delhi-based India Focus political risk consultancy, said the recent arrests of thousands of Bangladeshis that the government says was organised to eradicate extremism had been counter-productive. 
 
&quot;She has been focusing on her political opponents and going after Begum Khaleda Zia&#39;s people while turning a blind eye to the alarming political and social polarisation in her country,&quot; Agrawal told AFP. 
 
&quot;Arresting so many people is simply stupid.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's secular government has long insisted that neither IS or Al-Qaeda have gained a foothold in Bangladesh

A slaughter of foreign hostages has put Bangladesh firmly on the frontline of the global war on terror, despite government efforts to portray a campaign of attacks as the work of domestic opponents, according to analysts. Several dozen people have been killed by jihadists in Bangladesh in the last two years, the victims including mainly local atheist bloggers, Hindus, gay activists and liberal academics. But while those attacks generated few column inches beyond Bangladesh, this weekend's hostage siege in a Dhaka cafe led news bulletins around the world, attracting the kind of attention its perpetrators had long been craving. Analysts said the choice of venue, target, timing and method of killing were all designed to maximise publicity for jihadists who were well aware of the outrage that greeted recent massacres in Orlando and Paris. Eighteen of the 20 civilians who were killed in the Holey Artisan Bakery were foreigners. Nearly all were hacked to death with machetes, even though the hostage-takers had plenty of firearms. The attack was even more shocking as it came on the final weekend of Ramadan, with survivors describing how the hostage-takers made clear their targets were non-Muslims, separating locals from the foreigners. Around 90 per cent of Bangladesh's 160 million people are Muslims, but the state is officially secular. "By hacking people to death... they wanted to show the world that they can go to any extent for jihad," said K G Suresh, a senior fellow at New Delhi's Vivekananda International Foundation think-tank. "Once they attack a restaurant popular with foreigners on a Friday night their message is clear who they want to go after. By sparing Muslims, they wanted to send out the message that they are only against Westerners." According to the monitoring group SITE, the Islamic State organisation claimed responsibility for the attack which it said had targetted "citizens of crusader states". But Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's secular government has long insisted neither IS nor Al-Qaeda have gained a foothold in Bangladesh despite both groups claiming many previous attacks. That line was reiterated by Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, who told AFP that six gunmen killed at the end of the siege were members of Jamaeytul Mujahdeen Bangladesh, a domestic group which has been banned for a decade. He denied any link with IS, but analysts said that stretched credibility. Taj Hashmi, a Bangladeshi who teaches security studies at the Austin Peay State University in the US, said there could be "no ambiguity" that the attack was the work of IS. "Bangladesh must admit that international Islamist networks are actively engaged in killing people in the country and they are not through yet," said Hashmi. Mubashar Hasan, an expert on political Islam at Dhaka's Liberal Arts University, said the attack was not merely a local difficulty but was the latest in a line that stretched back to the bombings in New York and Washington on September 11, 2001. "This is Bangladesh's 9/11. Bangladesh has now entered into the global war on terror," Hasan told AFP. Critics have said the violence stems from the government's refusal to allow its opponents to operate freely in the political mainstream. 'Lack of democracy' Bangladesh's main Islamist party has been banned and most of its leaders have been arrested or else executed after recent trials over their role in the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. Opposition leader Khaleda Zia is facing a string of court cases for her role in violent anti-government protests. Zia's party boycotted the 2014 general election after Hasina refused to allow it to be overseen by a neutral caretaker government as in the past, and Hasan said growing extremism was an inevitable consequence. "A dysfunctional state and lack of democracy made it fertile ground for terrorism," said Hasan. The columnist Zafar Sohban urged the government to end "its state of denial". "It cannot continue to bury its head in the sand about the clear and convincing evidence of transnational links to domestic terror groups and operations," he wrote in the Dhaka Tribune. Subhash Agrawal of the Delhi-based India Focus political risk consultancy, said the recent arrests of thousands of Bangladeshis that the government says was organised to eradicate extremism had been counter-productive. "She has been focusing on her political opponents and going after Begum Khaleda Zia's people while turning a blind eye to the alarming political and social polarisation in her country," Agrawal told AFP. "Arresting so many people is simply stupid." (AFP)

Bangladesh 'in denial' over jihadist attacks: analysts

In the aftermath of the Islamic State attack on a Bangladesh restaurant that left 20 dead, Democratic White House hopeful Hillary Clinton has asserted that the US stands firmly with its allies in the fight to defeat the terror group. 
 
She said her &quot;thoughts and prayers&quot; were with the people of Bangladesh, and stressed that the terror group&#39;s &quot;campaign of fear, hatred and violence&quot; would not succeed. 
 
&quot;The terrorist assault on a bakery and restaurant in Dhaka is a reminder that an attack halfway around the world is still an attack on all of us, in the everyday places we hold dear,&quot; Clinton said in a statement. 
 
The victims in Dhaka came from all over-- Italy, Japan, India and Bangladesh, she said, adding that at least three, including an American citizen, attended college in the United States. 
 
&quot;Today, we say with one voice: this campaign of fear and hatred and violence will not succeed. We will not retreat,&quot; Clinton said. 
 
&quot;We will not turn our backs on each other. The United States stands firmly with our friends and allies in the fight to defeat ISIS and radical jihadism around the world. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and the people of Bangladesh,&quot; she said. 
 
Mourning the loss of life in the attack, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said the United States is ready to help Bangladesh. 
 
&quot;With heavy hearts, we pray for the victims, survivors, and the loved ones affected by this horrific assault. With determined spirits, we will continue to stand firm against these vicious acts wherever they occur,&quot; she said. 
 
&quot;We must continue to confront terrorists with strength, unity, and a comprehensive strategy. Extremists fuelled by hatred can never extinguish the light of international cooperation and the beacon of hope aflame in communities around the world,&quot; Pelosi said. 
 
(PTI)

Dhaka is a reminder that an attack halfway around the world is still an attack on all of us, she said

In the aftermath of the Islamic State attack on a Bangladesh restaurant that left 20 dead, Democratic White House hopeful Hillary Clinton has asserted that the US stands firmly with its allies in the fight to defeat the terror group. She said her "thoughts and prayers" were with the people of Bangladesh, and stressed that the terror group's "campaign of fear, hatred and violence" would not succeed. "The terrorist assault on a bakery and restaurant in Dhaka is a reminder that an attack halfway around the world is still an attack on all of us, in the everyday places we hold dear," Clinton said in a statement. The victims in Dhaka came from all over-- Italy, Japan, India and Bangladesh, she said, adding that at least three, including an American citizen, attended college in the United States. "Today, we say with one voice: this campaign of fear and hatred and violence will not succeed. We will not retreat," Clinton said. "We will not turn our backs on each other. The United States stands firmly with our friends and allies in the fight to defeat ISIS and radical jihadism around the world. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and the people of Bangladesh," she said. Mourning the loss of life in the attack, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said the United States is ready to help Bangladesh. "With heavy hearts, we pray for the victims, survivors, and the loved ones affected by this horrific assault. With determined spirits, we will continue to stand firm against these vicious acts wherever they occur," she said. "We must continue to confront terrorists with strength, unity, and a comprehensive strategy. Extremists fuelled by hatred can never extinguish the light of international cooperation and the beacon of hope aflame in communities around the world," Pelosi said. (PTI)

IS campaign of fear and violence will not succeed: Hillary Clinton

Gunmen stormed a restaurant popular with expatriates in the diplomatic quarter of the Bangladeshi capital on Friday night and took about 20 people hostage, including several foreigners, in an attack claimed by Islamic State. 
 
The Islamist militant group said more than 20 people had been killed, although police have so far only confirmed the deaths of two policemen. 
 
In the latest flare-up of Islamist militant violence to hit the South Asian nation, police said eight to nine gunmen attacked the Holey Artisan restaurant in the upscale Gulshan area of Dhaka. 
 
The assailants, believed to be carrying assault rifles and grenades, exchanged sporadic fire with police outside, hours after the attack began around 9 pm local time. 
 
Two police officials died in the attack and WION can confirm that 30 security personnel were&nbsp;injured. A duty officer at the Rapid Action Battalion&#39;s control room in Dhaka said the gun battles had stopped and the hostages were unharmed. 
 
&quot;We are discussing ways to rescue the people, including foreigners, who are inside the cafe,&quot; police official Mohammad Habibur Rahman said. &quot;Our priority is to rescue them peacefully without the loss of any life&quot;. 
 
Earlier, Benjir Ahmed, the chief of Bangladesh&#39;s special police force, said police were preparing to launch an operation to rescue those being held captive. Ahmed said the attackers had hurled bombs at police. 
 
Television footage showed a number of police being led away from the site with blood on their faces and clothes. Heavily armed officers could be seen milling outside. 
 
A resident near the scene of the attack told Reuters he could hear sporadic gunfire nearly three hours after the attack began. 
 
&quot;It is chaos out there. The streets are blocked. There are dozens of police commandos,&quot; said Tarique Mir. 
 
Bangladesh has seen an increase in militant violence in the last year-and-a-half, with a series of deadly attacks targeting atheists, gays, liberals, foreigners and members of religious minorities in the mostly Muslim country of 160 million people. 
 
They have tended to be assaults on individuals, often using machetes, and the raid on the restaurant was a rare instance of a more coordinated operation. 
 
Both Islamic State and al Qaeda have claimed responsibility for many of the killings, although local authorities say there are no operational links between Bangladeshi militants and international jihadi networks. 
 
Militants killed two foreigners last year, leading several Western firms involved in the country&#39;s $25 billion garment sector to temporarily halt visits to Dhaka. 
 
The US State Department said all Americans working at the US mission there had been accounted for. A spokesman said in Washington the situation was &quot;very fluid, very live&quot;. 
 
President Barack Obama has also been briefed about the attack, the White House said. 
 
The German embassy in Dhaka is trying to determine if any German citizens were affected by the attack, a spokesman for the German foreign ministry said late Friday. 
 
(Reuters and WION)

Assailants believed to be carrying assault rifles and grenades, exchanged sporadic fire with police after attack began

Gunmen stormed a restaurant popular with expatriates in the diplomatic quarter of the Bangladeshi capital on Friday night and took about 20 people hostage, including several foreigners, in an attack claimed by Islamic State. The Islamist militant group said more than 20 people had been killed, although police have so far only confirmed the deaths of two policemen. In the latest flare-up of Islamist militant violence to hit the South Asian nation, police said eight to nine gunmen attacked the Holey Artisan restaurant in the upscale Gulshan area of Dhaka. The assailants, believed to be carrying assault rifles and grenades, exchanged sporadic fire with police outside, hours after the attack began around 9 pm local time. Two police officials died in the attack and WION can confirm that 30 security personnel were injured. A duty officer at the Rapid Action Battalion's control room in Dhaka said the gun battles had stopped and the hostages were unharmed. "We are discussing ways to rescue the people, including foreigners, who are inside the cafe," police official Mohammad Habibur Rahman said. "Our priority is to rescue them peacefully without the loss of any life". Earlier, Benjir Ahmed, the chief of Bangladesh's special police force, said police were preparing to launch an operation to rescue those being held captive. Ahmed said the attackers had hurled bombs at police. Television footage showed a number of police being led away from the site with blood on their faces and clothes. Heavily armed officers could be seen milling outside. A resident near the scene of the attack told Reuters he could hear sporadic gunfire nearly three hours after the attack began. "It is chaos out there. The streets are blocked. There are dozens of police commandos," said Tarique Mir. Bangladesh has seen an increase in militant violence in the last year-and-a-half, with a series of deadly attacks targeting atheists, gays, liberals, foreigners and members of religious minorities in the mostly Muslim country of 160 million people. They have tended to be assaults on individuals, often using machetes, and the raid on the restaurant was a rare instance of a more coordinated operation. Both Islamic State and al Qaeda have claimed responsibility for many of the killings, although local authorities say there are no operational links between Bangladeshi militants and international jihadi networks. Militants killed two foreigners last year, leading several Western firms involved in the country's $25 billion garment sector to temporarily halt visits to Dhaka. The US State Department said all Americans working at the US mission there had been accounted for. A spokesman said in Washington the situation was "very fluid, very live". President Barack Obama has also been briefed about the attack, the White House said. The German embassy in Dhaka is trying to determine if any German citizens were affected by the attack, a spokesman for the German foreign ministry said late Friday. (Reuters and WION)

Gunmen take over upscale Dhaka restaurant, Islamic State claims responsibility for attack

The US State Department said on Friday it had accounted for all diplomatic staff at its mission in Bangladesh&#39;s capital Dhaka following an attack by gunmen on a restaurant in the city&#39;s diplomatic quarter. 
 
Spokesman John Kirby, however, could not confirm whether private US citizens were caught up in a &quot;hostage situation&quot;. 
 
It was too early to say who was behind the attack or the motivation of the attackers. 
 
&quot;We have accounted for all Americans working for the chief of mission authority&quot; in Dhaka, Kirby told a press briefing. He said the situation was &quot;very fluid, very live&quot;. 
 
Later he added: &quot;We&#39;re still accounting for private Americans&quot;. 
 
Benjir Ahmed, the chief of Bangladesh&#39;s special police, said several foreigners were among a number of people taken hostage in the restaurant, which is located in a suburb frequented by foreigners and diplomats. 
 
Eight to nine gunmen attacked the restaurant in the Gulshan area of the capital. 
 
The attack comes a day after the State Department designated al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, known as AQIS, as a foreign terrorist organisation. The move would freeze any known assets the organisation, or its leader, Asum Umar, may have in the United States. 
 
The State Department said the organisation had claimed responsibility for the murders of activists and bloggers in Bangladesh, including Xulhaz Mannan, a gay rights activist employed by the US embassy in Dhaka. 
&nbsp; 
(Reuters)

Spokesman John Kirby however could not confirm whether private US citizens were caught up in a 'hostage situation'

The US State Department said on Friday it had accounted for all diplomatic staff at its mission in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka following an attack by gunmen on a restaurant in the city's diplomatic quarter. Spokesman John Kirby, however, could not confirm whether private US citizens were caught up in a "hostage situation". It was too early to say who was behind the attack or the motivation of the attackers. "We have accounted for all Americans working for the chief of mission authority" in Dhaka, Kirby told a press briefing. He said the situation was "very fluid, very live". Later he added: "We're still accounting for private Americans". Benjir Ahmed, the chief of Bangladesh's special police, said several foreigners were among a number of people taken hostage in the restaurant, which is located in a suburb frequented by foreigners and diplomats. Eight to nine gunmen attacked the restaurant in the Gulshan area of the capital. The attack comes a day after the State Department designated al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, known as AQIS, as a foreign terrorist organisation. The move would freeze any known assets the organisation, or its leader, Asum Umar, may have in the United States. The State Department said the organisation had claimed responsibility for the murders of activists and bloggers in Bangladesh, including Xulhaz Mannan, a gay rights activist employed by the US embassy in Dhaka. (Reuters)

All US diplomatic staff accounted for in Dhaka, says State Department

A Tunisian was flown home for trial on Saturday after his arrest in Turkey for allegedly joining the Islamic State group, prosecutors said, days after his father was killed in an airport attack while searching for him.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Anouar Bayoudh arrived in Tunis at 00:30 AM (2330 GMT Friday) with his girlfriend. They were taken to the investigation unit for terrorist crimes at the National Guard,&quot; prosecution spokesman Sofiene Sliti said. 
 
Bayoudh was to appear before a magistrate later on Saturday and both he and his girlfriend were to be charged with &quot;joining a terrorist organisation and involvement in terrorist crimes&quot;, Sliti said. 
 
The 26-year-old has no idea that his father Fathi was buried on Friday after he was among the 44 people killed in a gun and bomb attack at Istanbul`s Ataturk airport earlier this week, the spokesman added. 
 
The military doctor had been in Turkey looking for Anouar, after he and his wife learned late last year that their son had joined IS in Iraq and then in Syria, like thousands of other young Tunisians. 
 
But Anouar had a change of heart after he realised the jihadists were &quot;monsters&quot;, his mother has told AFP. 
 
The young man turned himself in to the rebel Free Syrian Army after realising that he no longer wanted to be part of IS, and was detained in Turkey.&nbsp; 
 
His father was waiting for his wife at the Istanbul airport on Tuesday when the attackers struck, after months of back-and-forth to Turkey to try to find his son. 
 
There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack, but authorities say evidence points to IS. 
 
Tunisia has also been the victim of attacks claimed by IS, and it is thought that thousands of Tunisians have travelled to neighbouring Libya, Iraq or Syria to join IS or its jihadist rival Al-Qaeda. 
 
(AFP)

His mother says Anouar had a change of heart after he realised the jihadists were 'monsters'

A Tunisian was flown home for trial on Saturday after his arrest in Turkey for allegedly joining the Islamic State group, prosecutors said, days after his father was killed in an airport attack while searching for him. "Anouar Bayoudh arrived in Tunis at 00:30 AM (2330 GMT Friday) with his girlfriend. They were taken to the investigation unit for terrorist crimes at the National Guard," prosecution spokesman Sofiene Sliti said. Bayoudh was to appear before a magistrate later on Saturday and both he and his girlfriend were to be charged with "joining a terrorist organisation and involvement in terrorist crimes", Sliti said. The 26-year-old has no idea that his father Fathi was buried on Friday after he was among the 44 people killed in a gun and bomb attack at Istanbul`s Ataturk airport earlier this week, the spokesman added. The military doctor had been in Turkey looking for Anouar, after he and his wife learned late last year that their son had joined IS in Iraq and then in Syria, like thousands of other young Tunisians. But Anouar had a change of heart after he realised the jihadists were "monsters", his mother has told AFP. The young man turned himself in to the rebel Free Syrian Army after realising that he no longer wanted to be part of IS, and was detained in Turkey. His father was waiting for his wife at the Istanbul airport on Tuesday when the attackers struck, after months of back-and-forth to Turkey to try to find his son. There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack, but authorities say evidence points to IS. Tunisia has also been the victim of attacks claimed by IS, and it is thought that thousands of Tunisians have travelled to neighbouring Libya, Iraq or Syria to join IS or its jihadist rival Al-Qaeda. (AFP)

Tunisia to try son of Istanbul attack victim over joining IS

The suicide assault on Istanbul&#39;s &nbsp;Ataturk airport bears the &quot;hallmark&quot; of an Islamic State group attack, CIA director John Brennan said on Wednesday. 
 
No group has claimed responsibility for Tuesday&#39;s attack, which killed 41 people and wounded 239 more. 
 
&quot;The despicable attacks in Istanbul International airport yesterday that killed dozens and injured many more certainly bears the hallmark of ISIL&#39;s depravity,&quot; Brennan said, using an acronym for the IS group. 
 
Witnesses described scenes of terror and panic as the attackers began shooting indiscriminately and then blew themselves up at the entrance to Ataturk airport, one of Europe&#39;s &nbsp;busiest hubs. 
 
The attack followed coordinated IS group suicide bombings in March at the international airport and a metro station in Brussels that left 32 people dead. 
 
The IS group typically does not claim responsibility for attacks in Turkey in order to send messages to the government without alienating potential future recruits in the country, Brennan said. 
 
The IS group may well be planning a similar attack in the United States, America&#39;s &nbsp;top spy added. 
 
&quot;If anyone believes that the US homeland is hermetically sealed... I would guard against that,&quot; he said.&nbsp; 
 
Earlier this month, a gunman killed 49 people at a Florida gay nightclub in the deadliest terror attack on US soil since September 11, 2001. 
 
The shooter, US-born Omar Mateen, pledged allegiance to the IS group while carrying out the attack. 
 
Speaking in Washington at the council on foreign relations think-tank, Brennan opened his remarks by saying the intelligence-sharing partnership between Britain and the United States would not be affected by the United Kingdom&#39;s decision to leave the European Union. 
 
&quot;The bonds of friendship and cooperation between (US and UK spy) services are only destined to grow stronger in the years ahead,&quot; Brennan said. 
 
Still, he noted, Britain&#39;s momentous decision may pose the greatest challenge the European bloc has ever faced. 
 
(AFP)

The group typically does not claim responsibility for attacks in Turkey so as not to alienate potential future recruits, he added

The suicide assault on Istanbul's Ataturk airport bears the "hallmark" of an Islamic State group attack, CIA director John Brennan said on Wednesday. No group has claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack, which killed 41 people and wounded 239 more. "The despicable attacks in Istanbul International airport yesterday that killed dozens and injured many more certainly bears the hallmark of ISIL's depravity," Brennan said, using an acronym for the IS group. Witnesses described scenes of terror and panic as the attackers began shooting indiscriminately and then blew themselves up at the entrance to Ataturk airport, one of Europe's busiest hubs. The attack followed coordinated IS group suicide bombings in March at the international airport and a metro station in Brussels that left 32 people dead. The IS group typically does not claim responsibility for attacks in Turkey in order to send messages to the government without alienating potential future recruits in the country, Brennan said. The IS group may well be planning a similar attack in the United States, America's top spy added. "If anyone believes that the US homeland is hermetically sealed... I would guard against that," he said. Earlier this month, a gunman killed 49 people at a Florida gay nightclub in the deadliest terror attack on US soil since September 11, 2001. The shooter, US-born Omar Mateen, pledged allegiance to the IS group while carrying out the attack. Speaking in Washington at the council on foreign relations think-tank, Brennan opened his remarks by saying the intelligence-sharing partnership between Britain and the United States would not be affected by the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union. "The bonds of friendship and cooperation between (US and UK spy) services are only destined to grow stronger in the years ahead," Brennan said. Still, he noted, Britain's momentous decision may pose the greatest challenge the European bloc has ever faced. (AFP)

Istanbul airport attack bears IS 'hallmark', says CIA director

US-led coalition aircraft waged a series of deadly strikes against Islamic State Wednesday around the city of Fallujah, US officials told Reuters, with one citing a preliminary estimate of at least 250 suspected fighters killed and at least 40 vehicles destroyed. 
 
If the figures are confirmed, the strikes would be among the most deadly ever against the jihadist group. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the operation and noted preliminary estimates can change. 
 
The strikes, which the officials said took place south of the city, where civilians have also been displaced, are just the latest battlefield setback suffered by Islamic State in its self-proclaimed &quot;caliphate&quot; of Iraq and Syria. 
 
The group&#39;s territorial losses are not diminishing concerns about its intent and ability to strike abroad though. Turkey pointed the finger at Islamic State today for a triple suicide bombing and gun attack that killed 41 people at Istanbul&#39;s main airport. 
 
CIA chief John&nbsp;Brennan told a forum in Washington the attack bore the hallmarks of Islamic State &quot;depravity&quot; and acknowledged there was a long road ahead battling the group, particularly its ability to incite attacks. 
 
&quot;We&rsquo;ve made, I think, some significant progress, along with our coalition partners, in Syria and Iraq, where most of the ISIS members are resident right now,&quot; Brennan said. 
 
&quot;But ISIS&#39; ability to continue to propagate its narrative, as well as to incite and carry out these attacks -- I think we still have a ways to go before we&rsquo;re able to say that we have made some significant progress against them.&quot; 
 
On the battlefield, the US-led campaign against IS has moved up a gear in recent weeks, with the government declaring victory over Islamic State in Fallujah. 
 
An alliance of militias have also launched a major offensive against the militant group in the city of Manbij in northern Syria. 
 
Still, in a reminder of the back-and-forth nature of the war, US-backed Syrian rebels were pushed back from the outskirts of an Islamic State-held town on the border with Iraq and a nearby air base today after the jihadists mounted a counter- attack, two rebel sources said. 
 
(Reuters)

If the figures are confirmed, the airstrikes would be among the most deadly ever against the jihadist group

US-led coalition aircraft waged a series of deadly strikes against Islamic State Wednesday around the city of Fallujah, US officials told Reuters, with one citing a preliminary estimate of at least 250 suspected fighters killed and at least 40 vehicles destroyed. If the figures are confirmed, the strikes would be among the most deadly ever against the jihadist group. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the operation and noted preliminary estimates can change. The strikes, which the officials said took place south of the city, where civilians have also been displaced, are just the latest battlefield setback suffered by Islamic State in its self-proclaimed "caliphate" of Iraq and Syria. The group's territorial losses are not diminishing concerns about its intent and ability to strike abroad though. Turkey pointed the finger at Islamic State today for a triple suicide bombing and gun attack that killed 41 people at Istanbul's main airport. CIA chief John Brennan told a forum in Washington the attack bore the hallmarks of Islamic State "depravity" and acknowledged there was a long road ahead battling the group, particularly its ability to incite attacks. "We’ve made, I think, some significant progress, along with our coalition partners, in Syria and Iraq, where most of the ISIS members are resident right now," Brennan said. "But ISIS' ability to continue to propagate its narrative, as well as to incite and carry out these attacks -- I think we still have a ways to go before we’re able to say that we have made some significant progress against them." On the battlefield, the US-led campaign against IS has moved up a gear in recent weeks, with the government declaring victory over Islamic State in Fallujah. An alliance of militias have also launched a major offensive against the militant group in the city of Manbij in northern Syria. Still, in a reminder of the back-and-forth nature of the war, US-backed Syrian rebels were pushed back from the outskirts of an Islamic State-held town on the border with Iraq and a nearby air base today after the jihadists mounted a counter- attack, two rebel sources said. (Reuters)

US-led coalition hits IS around Fallujah, 250 fighters suspected killed

US-backed Syrian rebel forces were fighting street battles with Islamic State militants after entering their strategic stronghold along the border with Iraq, a rebel commander said today. 
 
A rebel commander confirmed the rapid advances by the New Syria Army alliance of Arab rebel groups who had announced on Tuesday they had begun an attack to &quot;liberate&quot; the town along the Euphrates river in the oil rich Deir Zor province of Syria. 
 
&quot;The clashes are in the town itself but the situation has not been decided yet,&quot; said the rebel commander from Asala wa-al-Tanmiya Front, a main group within the New Syria Army, told Reuters, asking not to be named. 
 
(Reuters)

New Syria Army alliance of Arab rebel groups engaged in a fight with IS after entering their strategic stronghold along the Euphrates river

US-backed Syrian rebel forces were fighting street battles with Islamic State militants after entering their strategic stronghold along the border with Iraq, a rebel commander said today. A rebel commander confirmed the rapid advances by the New Syria Army alliance of Arab rebel groups who had announced on Tuesday they had begun an attack to "liberate" the town along the Euphrates river in the oil rich Deir Zor province of Syria. "The clashes are in the town itself but the situation has not been decided yet," said the rebel commander from Asala wa-al-Tanmiya Front, a main group within the New Syria Army, told Reuters, asking not to be named. (Reuters)

US-backed Syrian rebel commander says clash on with IS fighters in border town

Six Jordanian border guards were killed by a suicide bomber who drove a car at a high speed across the border from Syria and rammed it into a military post on Tuesday, security officials said. 
 
The explosives-laden vehicle blew up a few hundred metres from a camp for Syrian refugees in a remote, desolate area where the borders of Iraq, Syria and Jordan meet, a Jordanian army statement said. 
 
The southeastern desert area is close to where Islamic State militants are known to operate, according to a security source who requested anonymity. The source said the attack appeared to be a well-planned military operation. No group has claimed responsibility. 
 
The army said a number of other vehicles used in the attack at around 5:30 am (0230 GMT) were destroyed and that 14 other people were wounded. The suicide bomber drove out from behind a berm and dodged gunfire to reach the military post, it added. 
 
It was the first such assault targeting Jordan from Syria since Syria&#39;s descent into conflict in 2011, and followed an attack on June 6 on a security office near the Jordanian capital Amman in which five people, including three Jordanian intelligence officers, were killed. 
 
The incidents have jolted the Arab kingdom, which has been relatively unscathed by the instability that has swept the Arab world since 2011, including the expansion of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. 
 
In a rare move, the Jordanian army&#39;s chief of staff declared the northern and northeastern border strip with Syria a closed military zone, an order that went into effect immediately. 
 
&quot;Any vehicle and personnel movement within these areas that move without prior coordination will be treated as enemy targets and dealt with firmly and without leniency,&quot; the army statement said. 
 
International relief workers said the Jordanian authorities had also suspended all humanitarian aid to the area and that this could put the lives of refugees at risk. 
 
UN agencies responsible for the well-being of thousands of refugees did not comment on the drastic move which Western aid workers said penalized thousands of refugees, almost half of them women and children who have been stranded on the border strip for months. 
 
Jordan&#39;s foreign minister Nasser Joudeh confirmed deliveries of aid to the border areas had been halted until a safer area was found. 
 
He told state media the incident vindicated Amman&#39;s previous security warnings about the presence of hardline extremists within the camp. 
 
&quot;There is a large concentration of people along this border and a big infiltration of elements from Daesh terrorists who are present heavily,&quot; Joudeh said, using the Arabic derogatory term for Islamic State. 
 
Jordan&#39;s King Abdullah said the perpetrators would not go unpunished and that his security forces would deal with &quot;an iron fist&quot; with any group that sought to harm the country&#39;s security or borders, a palace statement said. 
 
Jordan is a staunch ally of the United States and is taking part in the US-led campaign against Islamic State in Syria, where the jihadist group still controls large areas of territory including much of the east. 
 
Jordan has kept tight control of its frontier with Syria since the outbreak of the war in its neighbour. 
 
Washington condemned the deadly attack as a &quot;cowardly terrorist act&quot; and said it would continue &quot;unwavering support&quot; for the Jordanian army, a statement from the US embassy said. 
 
Since the Syria conflict began, Washington has spent tens of millions of dollars to help Amman set up an elaborate surveillance system known as the Border Security Programme to stem infiltration by militants from Syria and Iraq. 
 
The Rakban crossing targeted on Tuesday is a military zone far from any inhabited area, and includes a three-kilometre (two-mile) stretch of berms built a decade ago to combat smuggling. The border is heavily guarded by patrols and drones. 
 
US Patriot missiles are stationed in the kingdom, however, and the US army has hundreds of trainers in the country. 
 
It is the only area where Jordan still receives Syrian refugees, some 50,000 of whom are stranded in Rakban refugee camp in a de facto no-man&#39;s land some 330 kilometres (200 miles) northeast of Amman. 
 
REFUGEES STRAIN KINGDOM 
 
The camp&#39;s population has grown from several thousand to over 50,000 people since last year as the fighting in Syria intensified, relief workers say. 
 
Jordan has been a big beneficiary of foreign aid because of its efforts to help refugees, but has drawn criticism from Western allies and aid agencies over the humanitarian situation at Rakban where conditions have caused several deaths among refugeees lacking sufficient medical care, diplomats say. 
 
Earlier waves of Syrian refugees had an easier time, with some walking just a few hundred metres to cross into Jordan. Jordan sealed those border crossings in 2013. 
 
The United Nations refugee agency said late last year Jordan should accept the new wave of refugees -- their numbers have risen, aid officials say, since Russia started air strikes last September -- and move them to established camps closer to Amman. 
 
Jordan, which has already accepted more than 600,000 UN-registered Syrian refugees, is resisting. It says IS militants may have infiltrated their ranks as most of them come from Islamic State-held areas in central and eastern Syria, and has allowed only a trickle of refugees, mostly women and children, in recent months. 
 
(Reuters)

The incidents have jolted the Arab kingdom, which has been relatively unscathed by the instability that has swept the Arab world since 2011

Six Jordanian border guards were killed by a suicide bomber who drove a car at a high speed across the border from Syria and rammed it into a military post on Tuesday, security officials said. The explosives-laden vehicle blew up a few hundred metres from a camp for Syrian refugees in a remote, desolate area where the borders of Iraq, Syria and Jordan meet, a Jordanian army statement said. The southeastern desert area is close to where Islamic State militants are known to operate, according to a security source who requested anonymity. The source said the attack appeared to be a well-planned military operation. No group has claimed responsibility. The army said a number of other vehicles used in the attack at around 5:30 am (0230 GMT) were destroyed and that 14 other people were wounded. The suicide bomber drove out from behind a berm and dodged gunfire to reach the military post, it added. It was the first such assault targeting Jordan from Syria since Syria's descent into conflict in 2011, and followed an attack on June 6 on a security office near the Jordanian capital Amman in which five people, including three Jordanian intelligence officers, were killed. The incidents have jolted the Arab kingdom, which has been relatively unscathed by the instability that has swept the Arab world since 2011, including the expansion of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. In a rare move, the Jordanian army's chief of staff declared the northern and northeastern border strip with Syria a closed military zone, an order that went into effect immediately. "Any vehicle and personnel movement within these areas that move without prior coordination will be treated as enemy targets and dealt with firmly and without leniency," the army statement said. International relief workers said the Jordanian authorities had also suspended all humanitarian aid to the area and that this could put the lives of refugees at risk. UN agencies responsible for the well-being of thousands of refugees did not comment on the drastic move which Western aid workers said penalized thousands of refugees, almost half of them women and children who have been stranded on the border strip for months. Jordan's foreign minister Nasser Joudeh confirmed deliveries of aid to the border areas had been halted until a safer area was found. He told state media the incident vindicated Amman's previous security warnings about the presence of hardline extremists within the camp. "There is a large concentration of people along this border and a big infiltration of elements from Daesh terrorists who are present heavily," Joudeh said, using the Arabic derogatory term for Islamic State. Jordan's King Abdullah said the perpetrators would not go unpunished and that his security forces would deal with "an iron fist" with any group that sought to harm the country's security or borders, a palace statement said. Jordan is a staunch ally of the United States and is taking part in the US-led campaign against Islamic State in Syria, where the jihadist group still controls large areas of territory including much of the east. Jordan has kept tight control of its frontier with Syria since the outbreak of the war in its neighbour. Washington condemned the deadly attack as a "cowardly terrorist act" and said it would continue "unwavering support" for the Jordanian army, a statement from the US embassy said. Since the Syria conflict began, Washington has spent tens of millions of dollars to help Amman set up an elaborate surveillance system known as the Border Security Programme to stem infiltration by militants from Syria and Iraq. The Rakban crossing targeted on Tuesday is a military zone far from any inhabited area, and includes a three-kilometre (two-mile) stretch of berms built a decade ago to combat smuggling. The border is heavily guarded by patrols and drones. US Patriot missiles are stationed in the kingdom, however, and the US army has hundreds of trainers in the country. It is the only area where Jordan still receives Syrian refugees, some 50,000 of whom are stranded in Rakban refugee camp in a de facto no-man's land some 330 kilometres (200 miles) northeast of Amman. REFUGEES STRAIN KINGDOM The camp's population has grown from several thousand to over 50,000 people since last year as the fighting in Syria intensified, relief workers say. Jordan has been a big beneficiary of foreign aid because of its efforts to help refugees, but has drawn criticism from Western allies and aid agencies over the humanitarian situation at Rakban where conditions have caused several deaths among refugeees lacking sufficient medical care, diplomats say. Earlier waves of Syrian refugees had an easier time, with some walking just a few hundred metres to cross into Jordan. Jordan sealed those border crossings in 2013. The United Nations refugee agency said late last year Jordan should accept the new wave of refugees -- their numbers have risen, aid officials say, since Russia started air strikes last September -- and move them to established camps closer to Amman. Jordan, which has already accepted more than 600,000 UN-registered Syrian refugees, is resisting. It says IS militants may have infiltrated their ranks as most of them come from Islamic State-held areas in central and eastern Syria, and has allowed only a trickle of refugees, mostly women and children, in recent months. (Reuters)

Islamic State suicide attacker kills 6 Jordanian troops, injures 14 others at Syria border

Attacks on hospitals since Syria&#39;s war broke out five years ago have left more than 700 doctors and medical workers dead, many of them in air strikes, UN investigators said Tuesday. 
 
The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria also condemned horrific violations by Jihadists and voiced concern that Al-Qaeda-affiliated militants may have recruited hundreds of children into their ranks. 
 
Commission chief Paulo Pinheiro told the UN Human Rights Council that widespread, targeted aerial attacks on hospitals and clinics across Syria &quot;have resulted in scores of civilian deaths, including much-needed medical workers.&quot; 
 
&quot;More than 700 doctors and medical personnel have been killed in attacks on hospitals since the beginning of the conflict,&quot; he said. 
 
Pinheiro, who was presenting the commission`s latest report to the council, said attacks on medical facilities and the deaths of so many medical professionals had made access to health care in the violence-wracked country extremely difficult -- and in some areas completely impossible.&quot;As civilian casualties mount, the number of medical facilities and staff decreases, limiting even further access to medical care,&quot; he said. 
 
Pinheiro also denounced frequent attacks on other infrastructure essential to civilian life, such as markets, schools and bakeries. 
 
&quot;With each attack, terrorised survivors are left more vulnerable,&quot; he said, adding that &quot;schools, hospitals, mosques, water stations ... are all being turned into rubble.&quot; 
 
Since March 2011, Syria&#39;s brutal conflict has left more than 280,000 people dead and forced half the population to flee their homes. 
 
War broke out after President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s regime unleashed a brutal crackdown against protesters demanding political change in 
Arab Spring-inspired protests. 
 
It has since become a multi-front war between regime forces, jihadists and other groups with the civilian population caught in the crossfire. 
 
Pinheiro said the commission was investigating allegations that the Al-Nusra Front &quot;and other Al-Qaeda-affiliated groups have recruited hundreds of children under 15 in Idlib&quot; in northwestern Syria. 
 
The brutality of Syria&#39;s conflict is preventing millions of children from attending school, and activists have warned this is helping fuel jihadist recruitment drives. 
 
Pinheiro also condemned violations committed by the Islamic State group. 
 
In a report published last week, the commission warned that IS jihadists were continuing to commit genocide against the Yazidi minority in Iraq and Syria. 
 
In 2014, IS jihadists massacred members of the Kurdish-speaking minority mainly based around Sinjar mountain in northern Iraq, forcing tens of thousands to flee, and captured thousands of girls and women.&quot;As we speak, Yazidi women and girls are still sexually enslaved, subjected to brutal rapes and beatings. They are bought and sold in markets, passed from fighter to fighter like chattel, their dignity being ripped from them with each passing day,&quot; Pinheiro said Tuesday. 
 
&quot;Boys are taken from their mother`s care and forced into ISIS training camps once they reach the age of seven,&quot; he said, using another acronym for IS as he called on the international community to act &quot;to stop the genocide.&quot; 
 
Vian Dakhil, a Yazidi member of the Iraqi parliament, also appealed for action. 
 
&quot;We need the (UN) Security Council to bring this ... to the International Criminal Court&quot; in the Hague, she told reporters on the sidelines of the Human Rights Council. 
 
Dakhil said 3,200 Yazidi women and girls are still being held by IS, while around 1,000 boys under the age of 10 are being brainwashed and prepared for battle by the jihadists. 
 
&quot;This is still happening,&quot; she said. &quot;We need help.&quot; 
 
Around 400,000 Yazidis are still living in camps in northern Iraq, Dakhil said, adding that they still feared returning to Sinjar to rebuild their communities, since some of their Sunni Muslim neighbours had helped IS in its attacks. 
 
&quot;We need to rebuild peace ... and trust,&quot; she said. 
 
(AFP)

Commission of Inquiry also said that Al-Qaeda affiliated militants may have recruited hundreds of children

Attacks on hospitals since Syria's war broke out five years ago have left more than 700 doctors and medical workers dead, many of them in air strikes, UN investigators said Tuesday. The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria also condemned horrific violations by Jihadists and voiced concern that Al-Qaeda-affiliated militants may have recruited hundreds of children into their ranks. Commission chief Paulo Pinheiro told the UN Human Rights Council that widespread, targeted aerial attacks on hospitals and clinics across Syria "have resulted in scores of civilian deaths, including much-needed medical workers." "More than 700 doctors and medical personnel have been killed in attacks on hospitals since the beginning of the conflict," he said. Pinheiro, who was presenting the commission`s latest report to the council, said attacks on medical facilities and the deaths of so many medical professionals had made access to health care in the violence-wracked country extremely difficult -- and in some areas completely impossible."As civilian casualties mount, the number of medical facilities and staff decreases, limiting even further access to medical care," he said. Pinheiro also denounced frequent attacks on other infrastructure essential to civilian life, such as markets, schools and bakeries. "With each attack, terrorised survivors are left more vulnerable," he said, adding that "schools, hospitals, mosques, water stations ... are all being turned into rubble." Since March 2011, Syria's brutal conflict has left more than 280,000 people dead and forced half the population to flee their homes. War broke out after President Bashar al-Assad's regime unleashed a brutal crackdown against protesters demanding political change in Arab Spring-inspired protests. It has since become a multi-front war between regime forces, jihadists and other groups with the civilian population caught in the crossfire. Pinheiro said the commission was investigating allegations that the Al-Nusra Front "and other Al-Qaeda-affiliated groups have recruited hundreds of children under 15 in Idlib" in northwestern Syria. The brutality of Syria's conflict is preventing millions of children from attending school, and activists have warned this is helping fuel jihadist recruitment drives. Pinheiro also condemned violations committed by the Islamic State group. In a report published last week, the commission warned that IS jihadists were continuing to commit genocide against the Yazidi minority in Iraq and Syria. In 2014, IS jihadists massacred members of the Kurdish-speaking minority mainly based around Sinjar mountain in northern Iraq, forcing tens of thousands to flee, and captured thousands of girls and women."As we speak, Yazidi women and girls are still sexually enslaved, subjected to brutal rapes and beatings. They are bought and sold in markets, passed from fighter to fighter like chattel, their dignity being ripped from them with each passing day," Pinheiro said Tuesday. "Boys are taken from their mother`s care and forced into ISIS training camps once they reach the age of seven," he said, using another acronym for IS as he called on the international community to act "to stop the genocide." Vian Dakhil, a Yazidi member of the Iraqi parliament, also appealed for action. "We need the (UN) Security Council to bring this ... to the International Criminal Court" in the Hague, she told reporters on the sidelines of the Human Rights Council. Dakhil said 3,200 Yazidi women and girls are still being held by IS, while around 1,000 boys under the age of 10 are being brainwashed and prepared for battle by the jihadists. "This is still happening," she said. "We need help." Around 400,000 Yazidis are still living in camps in northern Iraq, Dakhil said, adding that they still feared returning to Sinjar to rebuild their communities, since some of their Sunni Muslim neighbours had helped IS in its attacks. "We need to rebuild peace ... and trust," she said. (AFP)

700 medical workers dead since Syria war began: UN investigators

Islamic State jihadists are still committing genocide against the Yazidi minority in Iraq and Syria, United Nations rights investigators said today. 
 
&quot;Genocide has occurred and is ongoing,&quot; Paulo Pinheiro, head of the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) for Syria said. 
 
&quot;ISIS has subjected every Yazidi woman, child or man that it has captured to the most horrific of atrocities,&quot; he added, using another acronym for the jihadist group. 
 
The Yazidis are neither Muslims nor Arabs and follow a unique faith despised by IS. 
 
The Kurdish-speaking minority is mostly based around Sinjar mountain in northern Iraq. 
 
In 2014, IS jihadists massacred Yazidis in Sinjar, forcing tens of thousands of them to flee, and capturing thousands of girls and women as spoils of war. 
 
The UN warned last year that the group appeared to be committing genocide against the Yazidis, but the COI&#39;s report &quot;They came to destroy: ISIS Crimes against the Yazidis&quot;, published today, was more conclusive. 
 
Based partly on interviews with survivors, the report found that IS &quot;sought to erase the Yazidis through killings, sexual slavery, enslavement, torture and inhuman and degrading treatment.&quot; 
 
The group was holding Yazidis in conditions &quot;that bring about a slow death,&quot; and was transferring Yazidi children from their families to live with IS fighters, &quot;cutting them off from beliefs and practices of their own religious community,&quot; the report said. 
 
It showed that men and boys over 12 were separated from their families, and those who refused to convert to Islam were killed, while thousands of women and girls, some as young as nine, were sold in slave markets. 
 
The report said some 3,200 Yazidi women and children were currently being held by IS, mainly in Syria, where the females were used as sex slaves and the young boys were being indoctrinated and trained as fighters. 
(AFP) 
 
&nbsp;

A UN Commission of Inquiry report has said that girls were sold in slave markets, and men who refused to convert to Islam were killed

Islamic State jihadists are still committing genocide against the Yazidi minority in Iraq and Syria, United Nations rights investigators said today. "Genocide has occurred and is ongoing," Paulo Pinheiro, head of the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) for Syria said. "ISIS has subjected every Yazidi woman, child or man that it has captured to the most horrific of atrocities," he added, using another acronym for the jihadist group. The Yazidis are neither Muslims nor Arabs and follow a unique faith despised by IS. The Kurdish-speaking minority is mostly based around Sinjar mountain in northern Iraq. In 2014, IS jihadists massacred Yazidis in Sinjar, forcing tens of thousands of them to flee, and capturing thousands of girls and women as spoils of war. The UN warned last year that the group appeared to be committing genocide against the Yazidis, but the COI's report "They came to destroy: ISIS Crimes against the Yazidis", published today, was more conclusive. Based partly on interviews with survivors, the report found that IS "sought to erase the Yazidis through killings, sexual slavery, enslavement, torture and inhuman and degrading treatment." The group was holding Yazidis in conditions "that bring about a slow death," and was transferring Yazidi children from their families to live with IS fighters, "cutting them off from beliefs and practices of their own religious community," the report said. It showed that men and boys over 12 were separated from their families, and those who refused to convert to Islam were killed, while thousands of women and girls, some as young as nine, were sold in slave markets. The report said some 3,200 Yazidi women and children were currently being held by IS, mainly in Syria, where the females were used as sex slaves and the young boys were being indoctrinated and trained as fighters. (AFP)

Islamic State still committing genocide against Yazidis: UN

Islamic State still committing genocide against Yazidis in Syria, Iraq: UN

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