Islamic State <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/gunmen-storm-kabul-tv-station-in-ongoing-attack-employee-23653">has claimed has responsibility for the attack </a>on the TV station in Afghanistan&#39;s capital Kabul.

At least one person <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/suicide-bombers-gunmen-attack-afghan-police-training-centre-officials-22527">was killed in the attack after gunmen stormed </a>the station. The terrorists had fired rocket-propelled grenades at the guards, AFP reported.&nbsp;

The terrorist organization&#39;s news agency Amaq said it was behind the attack.

&quot;I saw three attackers on security cameras entering the TV station building. They first shot the guard and then entered the building. They started throwing grenades and firing,&quot; Shamshad TV reporter Faisal Zaland, who escaped through a back door, told AFP.

&quot;Many of my colleagues are still in the building,&quot; he added.

Interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish had said as many as three attackers were involved in the assault.

Taliban had denied involvement in the attack on Twitter.

The attack came to an end after Afghan security forces rescued the staff inside.

At least one person was killed in the attack after gunmen stormed the TV station in Kabul

Islamic State has claimed has responsibility for the attack on the TV station in Afghanistan's capital Kabul. At least one person was killed in the attack after gunmen stormed the station. The terrorists had fired rocket-propelled grenades at the guards, AFP reported. The terrorist organization's news agency Amaq said it was behind the attack. "I saw three attackers on security cameras entering the TV station building. They first shot the guard and then entered the building. They started throwing grenades and firing," Shamshad TV reporter Faisal Zaland, who escaped through a back door, told AFP. "Many of my colleagues are still in the building," he added. Interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish had said as many as three attackers were involved in the assault. Taliban had denied involvement in the attack on Twitter. The attack came to an end after Afghan security forces rescued the staff inside.

Kabul: Islamic State claims responsibility for attack on TV station

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the truck attack in New York City that killed eight people on Tuesday, news reports said Friday.

Reuters reported Islamic State as saying in its weekly Al-Naba newspaper that &quot;the attacker is one of the caliphate soldiers&quot;.

Reuters added that Islamic State did not provide any evidence to support its claim.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-renews-call-for-death-penalty-for-new-york-truck-attack-suspect-23411" target="_blank">Also read:&nbsp;Trump reiterates call for death penalty for New York truck attack suspect</a>

Islamic State said in its weekly Al-Naba newspaper that 'the attacker is one of the caliphate soldiers'

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the truck attack in New York City that killed eight people on Tuesday, news reports said Friday. Reuters reported Islamic State as saying in its weekly Al-Naba newspaper that "the attacker is one of the caliphate soldiers". Reuters added that Islamic State did not provide any evidence to support its claim. Also read: Trump reiterates call for death penalty for New York truck attack suspect

Islamic State claims responsibility for New York truck attack, gives no evidence

Kerala police said today that at least six&nbsp;men from Kannur have joined the Islamic State in Syria.

The men were active workers of Popular Front of India(PFI), a fundamentalist organization formed in Kerala which allegedly has links with several Islamic terrorist groups and is also involved in ransom and kidnapping.

Last year, the home ministry had informed Parliament that as many as 68 alleged IS supporters and sympathisers were arrested either by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) or the state security agencies.

While informing the Parliament about the arrests, the home ministry had said while some persons have been reported missing from some parts of Kerala and are suspected to have joined terrorist outfits like the IS, their links with IS have not yet been established conclusively. The Kerala police, though, had registered as many as nine cases in this connection.

At least six men were picked up by security agency from Kerala last year.

The men were active workers of Popular Front of India, police said.

Kerala police said today that at least six men from Kannur have joined the Islamic State in Syria. The men were active workers of Popular Front of India(PFI), a fundamentalist organization formed in Kerala which allegedly has links with several Islamic terrorist groups and is also involved in ransom and kidnapping. Last year, the home ministry had informed Parliament that as many as 68 alleged IS supporters and sympathisers were arrested either by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) or the state security agencies. While informing the Parliament about the arrests, the home ministry had said while some persons have been reported missing from some parts of Kerala and are suspected to have joined terrorist outfits like the IS, their links with IS have not yet been established conclusively. The Kerala police, though, had registered as many as nine cases in this connection. At least six men were picked up by security agency from Kerala last year.

6 men from Kerala have joined Islamic State in Syria: Police

The recent attack on a bike path in lower Manhattan once again compels us to ask: Why do people pledge allegiance to the Islamic State?

Sayfullo Saipov, the suspect in the attack, isn&rsquo;t a devout Muslim. He cursed and came late to prayers, according to acquaintances who talked to The New York Times. So why would he want to be a martyr?

As a professor of modern Middle Eastern history, I have spent the majority of my professional life studying the region, its culture, society and politics. In recent years, I have researched and written about IS and its terrorist activities. While other experts and I have long looked at how radicalisation occurs, some new ideas are emerging.

Of lone wolves, flaming bananas and machismo

Like this recent attack in New York, many IS attacks around the globe are carried out by individuals the media have dubbed &ldquo;lone wolves&rdquo; &ndash; that is, freelancers who act without the direct knowledge of the IS leadership. To avoid glamorising them, the RAND Corporation prefers the term &ldquo;flaming bananas.&rdquo;

There are two theories as to why these individuals pledge allegiance to the group. The first is that they get &quot;radicalised&quot;.

Radicalisation refers to a step-by-step process whereby individuals become increasingly susceptible to jihadi ideas. First, they cut themselves off from social networks such as family, which provide them with support and a conventional value system. They then immerse themselves in a radical religious counterculture. They might do this on their own, or a jihadi recruiter might bring them into the fold. Either way, the result is the same.

Some observers claim IS propaganda plays a key role in recruitment. Rather than presenting a religious rationale for the group&rsquo;s actions, IS propaganda tends to focus on the violence the group perpetrates. IS has even released a video game based on Grand Theft Auto 5 in which, rather than stealing cars and battling the police, the player destroys advancing personnel carriers and shoots enemy soldiers.

Perhaps, then, the radicalisation model is wrong or not universally applicable. Perhaps there&rsquo;s something other than religious zealotry at play.

Consider the widely reported story of two would-be jihadists who, before they left Birmingham, U.K., for Syria, ordered &ldquo;Islam for Dummies&rdquo; and &ldquo;The Koran for Dummies&rdquo; to fill the gaps in their knowledge.

Newspaper stories time and again puzzle over the problem of how it happens that individuals who go on to join IS were found in bars, even gay bars, or had western girlfriends and smoked and drank almost up to the time they committed some act of violence for the group. The most common explanation is that their dissolute lifestyle was a cover.

After the driver of a truck ran down and killed 84 people in Nice, France, for example, the French interior minister was at a loss to explain how someone who drank during Ramadan &ndash; which had ended a week and a half before &ndash; could have radicalised so quickly.

A number of experts have argued that the radicalisation model should be replaced by, or supplemented with, a different model.

Rather than joining a radically different religious counterculture, individuals are attracted to IS, these experts argue because its actions reaffirm the cultural values of those who are marginalised, or those who exhibit what psychiatrists call &ldquo;anti-social personality disorders.&rdquo;

Could it be that IS volunteers are drawn to a value system that asserts an aggressive machismo, disparages steady work and sustains the impulse for immediate gratification? Could it be that they are attracted to a culture that promotes redemption through violence, loyalty, patriarchal values, thrill-seeking to the point of martyrdom and the diminution of women to objects of pleasure?

In this reading, IS more closely resembles the sort of street gang with which many of its Western and Westernised enlistees are familiar than its more austere competitor, al-Qaida.

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-draws-lone-wolves-to-the-islamic-state-86746" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.

Terrorists are drawn IS value system that asserts an aggressive machismo

The recent attack on a bike path in lower Manhattan once again compels us to ask: Why do people pledge allegiance to the Islamic State? Sayfullo Saipov, the suspect in the attack, isn’t a devout Muslim. He cursed and came late to prayers, according to acquaintances who talked to The New York Times. So why would he want to be a martyr? As a professor of modern Middle Eastern history, I have spent the majority of my professional life studying the region, its culture, society and politics. In recent years, I have researched and written about IS and its terrorist activities. While other experts and I have long looked at how radicalisation occurs, some new ideas are emerging. Of lone wolves, flaming bananas and machismo Like this recent attack in New York, many IS attacks around the globe are carried out by individuals the media have dubbed “lone wolves” – that is, freelancers who act without the direct knowledge of the IS leadership. To avoid glamorising them, the RAND Corporation prefers the term “flaming bananas.” There are two theories as to why these individuals pledge allegiance to the group. The first is that they get "radicalised". Radicalisation refers to a step-by-step process whereby individuals become increasingly susceptible to jihadi ideas. First, they cut themselves off from social networks such as family, which provide them with support and a conventional value system. They then immerse themselves in a radical religious counterculture. They might do this on their own, or a jihadi recruiter might bring them into the fold. Either way, the result is the same. Some observers claim IS propaganda plays a key role in recruitment. Rather than presenting a religious rationale for the group’s actions, IS propaganda tends to focus on the violence the group perpetrates. IS has even released a video game based on Grand Theft Auto 5 in which, rather than stealing cars and battling the police, the player destroys advancing personnel carriers and shoots enemy soldiers. Perhaps, then, the radicalisation model is wrong or not universally applicable. Perhaps there’s something other than religious zealotry at play. Consider the widely reported story of two would-be jihadists who, before they left Birmingham, U.K., for Syria, ordered “Islam for Dummies” and “The Koran for Dummies” to fill the gaps in their knowledge. Newspaper stories time and again puzzle over the problem of how it happens that individuals who go on to join IS were found in bars, even gay bars, or had western girlfriends and smoked and drank almost up to the time they committed some act of violence for the group. The most common explanation is that their dissolute lifestyle was a cover. After the driver of a truck ran down and killed 84 people in Nice, France, for example, the French interior minister was at a loss to explain how someone who drank during Ramadan – which had ended a week and a half before – could have radicalised so quickly. A number of experts have argued that the radicalisation model should be replaced by, or supplemented with, a different model. Rather than joining a radically different religious counterculture, individuals are attracted to IS, these experts argue because its actions reaffirm the cultural values of those who are marginalised, or those who exhibit what psychiatrists call “anti-social personality disorders.” Could it be that IS volunteers are drawn to a value system that asserts an aggressive machismo, disparages steady work and sustains the impulse for immediate gratification? Could it be that they are attracted to a culture that promotes redemption through violence, loyalty, patriarchal values, thrill-seeking to the point of martyrdom and the diminution of women to objects of pleasure? In this reading, IS more closely resembles the sort of street gang with which many of its Western and Westernised enlistees are familiar than its more austere competitor, al-Qaida. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

What draws 'lone wolves' to the Islamic State

The Uzbek immigrant behind New York&#39;s worst attack in 16 years confessed to acting in the name of the Islamic State group and &quot;felt good&quot; about the killings, having planned an assault for a year, investigators said Wednesday.

The shocking details emerged as federal prosecutors filed terrorism charges against Sayfullo Saipov, who subsequently appeared in court in a wheelchair -- he had been shot in the abdomen by police -- 24 hours after mowing down pedestrians and cyclists, and colliding with a school bus.

US President Donald Trump vowed an immediate crackdown on the visa program that he said allowed the 29-year-old to immigrate in 2010, saying he would &quot;certainly consider&quot; sending the suspect to the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay.

The attack killed eight people, five of them childhood friends from Argentina celebrating 30 years since their high school graduation, a 31-year-old Belgian mother, and two US men, from New York and neighboring New Jersey.

Of 12 wounded, four remained in critical condition following the deadliest attack in America&#39;s financial capital since the Al-Qaeda hijackings on September 11, 2001.

Saipov first started planning an attack a year ago, before settling two months ago on using a truck to kill as many people as possible during Halloween celebrations, according to a federal terrorism complaint.

Prosecutors unveiled the charges, saying he had waived his rights and confessed to being inspired by IS propaganda, after yelling &quot;Allahu Akbar&quot; (&quot;God is Greatest&quot; in Arabic) upon exiting a rented pickup truck in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday.

&quot;Saipov committed this attack in support of ISIS,&quot; US acting Manhattan attorney Joon Kim announced.

Saipov appeared in a wheelchair before a US magistrate in Manhattan federal court, where the charges were formally read.

He was not required to enter a plea and was afterward sent to a federal detention facility, most likely in New York, a spokesman for the US Attorney&#39;s office told AFP.

&#39;Hang him&#39;&nbsp;

He was found in possession of multiple knives in a black bag, a Florida driving license and two cell phones that contained thousands of IS propaganda images and dozens of IS propaganda videos, Kim said.

The files depicted &quot;among other things, ISIS fighters killing prisoners by running over them with a tank, beheading them, and shooting them in the face,&quot; Kim added.

Saipov first started planning an attack a year ago, before settling two months ago on using a truck to kill as many people as possible during Halloween celebrations, according to a federal terrorism complaint.

The Uzbek immigrant behind New York's worst attack in 16 years confessed to acting in the name of the Islamic State group and "felt good" about the killings, having planned an assault for a year, investigators said Wednesday. The shocking details emerged as federal prosecutors filed terrorism charges against Sayfullo Saipov, who subsequently appeared in court in a wheelchair -- he had been shot in the abdomen by police -- 24 hours after mowing down pedestrians and cyclists, and colliding with a school bus. US President Donald Trump vowed an immediate crackdown on the visa program that he said allowed the 29-year-old to immigrate in 2010, saying he would "certainly consider" sending the suspect to the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay. The attack killed eight people, five of them childhood friends from Argentina celebrating 30 years since their high school graduation, a 31-year-old Belgian mother, and two US men, from New York and neighboring New Jersey. Of 12 wounded, four remained in critical condition following the deadliest attack in America's financial capital since the Al-Qaeda hijackings on September 11, 2001. Saipov first started planning an attack a year ago, before settling two months ago on using a truck to kill as many people as possible during Halloween celebrations, according to a federal terrorism complaint. Prosecutors unveiled the charges, saying he had waived his rights and confessed to being inspired by IS propaganda, after yelling "Allahu Akbar" ("God is Greatest" in Arabic) upon exiting a rented pickup truck in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday. "Saipov committed this attack in support of ISIS," US acting Manhattan attorney Joon Kim announced. Saipov appeared in a wheelchair before a US magistrate in Manhattan federal court, where the charges were formally read. He was not required to enter a plea and was afterward sent to a federal detention facility, most likely in New York, a spokesman for the US Attorney's office told AFP. 'Hang him' He was found in possession of multiple knives in a black bag, a Florida driving license and two cell phones that contained thousands of IS propaganda images and dozens of IS propaganda videos, Kim said. The files depicted "among other things, ISIS fighters killing prisoners by running over them with a tank, beheading them, and shooting them in the face," Kim added.

New York suspect confesses IS inspired, 'felt good' after attack

Pakistan on Monday confirmed the death of two Chinese nationals who were kidnapped in the southwestern city of Quetta, the foreign office said, months after the Islamic State group claimed it had killed them.

The pair, a man and a woman, were abducted in May this year from the city, capital of restive Balochistan province, which is at the heart of a multi-million dollar investment by Beijing in Pakistan but is also wracked by militancy.

They were dragged into a car by three unknown men, witnesses said, adding that another Chinese woman managed to escape.

In June the Islamic State group claimed it had killed them, but there had been no confirmation of their deaths from Pakistani or Chinese authorities.

&quot;The DNA reports have confirmed that the two persons killed in Balochistan in June 2017 were the same two Chinese nationals, who were kidnapped from Quetta in May, 2017,&quot; Pakistan&#39;s foreign office said in a statement.

It did not give further detail on when or how their bodies were recovered. In September some local media reports suggested the bodies of two Chinese people had been found in Balochistan.

Authorities originally said the pair were studying Urdu at a local language centre, but Pakistan&#39;s interior ministry later said they had been preaching in Quetta. It did not specify what kind of preachers they were.

Hundreds of Chinese nationals started to pour into Pakistan after Beijing ramped up investment in its South Asian neighbour as part of a plan to link its far-western Xinjiang region to Gwadar port in Balochistan with a series of infrastructure, power and transport upgrades.

The corridor is one of the largest projects in Beijing&#39;s &quot;One Belt One Road&quot; initiative, comprising a network of road and sea routes involving 65 countries.

Pakistan has been battling Islamist and nationalist insurgencies in mineral-rich Balochistan since 2004, with hundreds of soldiers and militants killed in the fighting.

The IS group has been making inroads in the country through alliances with local militant outfits, although its presence is generally downplayed by the government.

Pakistan on Monday confirmed the death of two Chinese nationals who were kidnapped in the southwestern city of Quetta, the foreign office said, months after the Islamic State group claimed it had killed them.

Pakistan on Monday confirmed the death of two Chinese nationals who were kidnapped in the southwestern city of Quetta, the foreign office said, months after the Islamic State group claimed it had killed them. The pair, a man and a woman, were abducted in May this year from the city, capital of restive Balochistan province, which is at the heart of a multi-million dollar investment by Beijing in Pakistan but is also wracked by militancy. They were dragged into a car by three unknown men, witnesses said, adding that another Chinese woman managed to escape. In June the Islamic State group claimed it had killed them, but there had been no confirmation of their deaths from Pakistani or Chinese authorities. "The DNA reports have confirmed that the two persons killed in Balochistan in June 2017 were the same two Chinese nationals, who were kidnapped from Quetta in May, 2017," Pakistan's foreign office said in a statement. It did not give further detail on when or how their bodies were recovered. In September some local media reports suggested the bodies of two Chinese people had been found in Balochistan. Authorities originally said the pair were studying Urdu at a local language centre, but Pakistan's interior ministry later said they had been preaching in Quetta. It did not specify what kind of preachers they were. Hundreds of Chinese nationals started to pour into Pakistan after Beijing ramped up investment in its South Asian neighbour as part of a plan to link its far-western Xinjiang region to Gwadar port in Balochistan with a series of infrastructure, power and transport upgrades. The corridor is one of the largest projects in Beijing's "One Belt One Road" initiative, comprising a network of road and sea routes involving 65 countries. Pakistan has been battling Islamist and nationalist insurgencies in mineral-rich Balochistan since 2004, with hundreds of soldiers and militants killed in the fighting. The IS group has been making inroads in the country through alliances with local militant outfits, although its presence is generally downplayed by the government.

Pakistan confirms killing of two Chinese 'kidnapped by IS'

A suicide bomber killed at least three people on Saturday at the funeral of an anti-jihadist Sunni fighter in Iraq, security and medical sources said.

The bomber struck as condolences were being given at the funeral of the fighter from tribal paramilitaries battling the Islamic State group.

He detonated an explosive belt outside a mosque in Al-Mashahada some 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Baghdad, the security source said.

The military command in the capital said the attack killed a guard and two civilians, while a medical source said that another 12 people were wounded.

Despite being under increasing pressure in both Syria and Iraq, IS cells remain active north of Baghdad.

The jihadist group has carried out bloody attacks both in the capital and across the country.

The bomber struck as condolences were being given at the funeral of the fighter from tribal paramilitaries battling the Islamic State group

A suicide bomber killed at least three people on Saturday at the funeral of an anti-jihadist Sunni fighter in Iraq, security and medical sources said. The bomber struck as condolences were being given at the funeral of the fighter from tribal paramilitaries battling the Islamic State group. He detonated an explosive belt outside a mosque in Al-Mashahada some 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Baghdad, the security source said. The military command in the capital said the attack killed a guard and two civilians, while a medical source said that another 12 people were wounded. Despite being under increasing pressure in both Syria and Iraq, IS cells remain active north of Baghdad. The jihadist group has carried out bloody attacks both in the capital and across the country.

Suicide bomber kills 3 at Iraq funeral

Two more persons suspected of having links to<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/kerala-youth-who-joined-islamic-state-reportedly-killed-in-afghanistan-18448" target="_blank"> the terror group Islamic State were arrested today,</a> police said.

With today&#39;s arrest, the number of persons apprehended in this connection so far rose to five.

Thalassery natives Hamza aka Taliban Hamza and Manaf were picked up this morning, Kannur district Deputy Superintendent of Police PP Sadananandan said.

&quot;Hamza, who has strong connections with the terror outfit&#39;s high command, was behind the recruitment of youths from the state for IS...He had worked in&nbsp;Gulf countries for more than 20 years,&quot; he said.

About six months ago, Manaf was prevented by authorities at Mangalore airport from leaving the country, the official said.

All the five suspects were put under surveillance for the last months, he said.

The accused have been charged under sections 38 and 39 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

They will be produced before the Thalassery Sessions court later in the day, he added.

Three men hailing from Chakkarakkal and Valappattinam in the district were arrested yesterday, police said.

The National Investigation Agency has been probing cases of disappearance of at least 21 people who had left Kerala under mysterious circumstances over a period of time and are suspected to have joined the ISIS.

Among them, 17 were from Kasaragod and four from Palakkad. They include four women and three children.&nbsp;

Thalassery residents Hamza aka Taliban Hamza and Manaf, police said, were arrested this morning

Two more persons suspected of having links to the terror group Islamic State were arrested today, police said. With today's arrest, the number of persons apprehended in this connection so far rose to five. Thalassery natives Hamza aka Taliban Hamza and Manaf were picked up this morning, Kannur district Deputy Superintendent of Police PP Sadananandan said. "Hamza, who has strong connections with the terror outfit's high command, was behind the recruitment of youths from the state for IS...He had worked in Gulf countries for more than 20 years," he said. About six months ago, Manaf was prevented by authorities at Mangalore airport from leaving the country, the official said. All the five suspects were put under surveillance for the last months, he said. The accused have been charged under sections 38 and 39 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. They will be produced before the Thalassery Sessions court later in the day, he added. Three men hailing from Chakkarakkal and Valappattinam in the district were arrested yesterday, police said. The National Investigation Agency has been probing cases of disappearance of at least 21 people who had left Kerala under mysterious circumstances over a period of time and are suspected to have joined the ISIS. Among them, 17 were from Kasaragod and four from Palakkad. They include four women and three children.

Kerala: Two more with suspected links to Islamic State arrested, total now 5

A pro-Islamic State(IS) organization <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/islamic-state-claims-responsibilty-for-deadly-marseille-attack-20899">has released a chilling image of football star Lionel Messi behind bars</a> with blood-soaked eyes threatening to unleash violence in the next football World Cup to be held in Russia in 2018.&nbsp;

The poster <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/islamic-state-group-claims-london-attack-20273">released by the Wafa media foundation said:</a> &ldquo;You are fighting a state that does not have failure in its dictionary,&rdquo; ending with the message &quot;just terrorism&quot;, which is the famous American shoe company Nike&#39;s tagline &quot;just do it&quot;.

The Messi poster was tweeted by SITE intelligence group, a company which tracks terror activities online.

The last time the IS openly attacked a sporting event was at the Stade de France football stadium in 2015 during a friendly match between France and Germany. Four explosions were reported resulting in the death of at least four people.

The attack at the football stadium in France was carried out by two suicide&nbsp;bombers with reports indicating a third attacker may also have been involved. It was the worst terror attack to have taken place at&nbsp;a sporting event in Europe. 
&nbsp;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Pro-IS Media Group Uses FC Barcelona Star Lionel Messi on Poster Threatening 2018 FIFA World Cup <a href="https://t.co/omvIYv2VaO">https://t.co/omvIYv2VaO</a>
&mdash; SITE Intel Group (@siteintelgroup) <a href="https://twitter.com/siteintelgroup/status/922869037918507008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The Messi poster was tweeted by SITE intelligence group, a company which tracks terror activities online.

A pro-Islamic State(IS) organization has released a chilling image of football star Lionel Messi behind bars with blood-soaked eyes threatening to unleash violence in the next football World Cup to be held in Russia in 2018. The poster released by the Wafa media foundation said: “You are fighting a state that does not have failure in its dictionary,” ending with the message "just terrorism", which is the famous American shoe company Nike's tagline "just do it". The Messi poster was tweeted by SITE intelligence group, a company which tracks terror activities online. The last time the IS openly attacked a sporting event was at the Stade de France football stadium in 2015 during a friendly match between France and Germany. Four explosions were reported resulting in the death of at least four people. The attack at the football stadium in France was carried out by two suicide bombers with reports indicating a third attacker may also have been involved. It was the worst terror attack to have taken place at a sporting event in Europe. Pro-IS Media Group Uses FC Barcelona Star Lionel Messi on Poster Threatening 2018 FIFA World Cup https://t.co/omvIYv2VaO — SITE Intel Group (@siteintelgroup) October 24, 2017 ×

Pro-IS group releases Messi poster, threatens football World Cup in Russia

A five-month battle against Islamic State supporters in the southern Philippines that claimed more than 1,000 lives has ended, the nation&#39;s defence secretary said today.

&quot;We now announce the termination of all combat operations in Marawi,&quot; Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told reporters on the sidelines of a regional security meeting in Clark, a northern Philippine city.

Lorenzana said there were no more militants, known locally as coming from the Maute group, providing resistance following an intense final battle after which 42 bodies were recovered.

&quot;Those are the last group of stragglers of Mautes and they were caught in one building and so there was a firefight so they were finished,&quot; he said

&quot;All terrorists, fighting troops. All hostages have been recovered.&quot;

Hundreds of gunmen who had pledged allegiance to IS rampaged through Marawi, the Islamic capital of the mainly Catholic Philippines, on May 23, then took over parts of the city using civilians as human shields.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and security analysts said the militants were trying to establish a Southeast Asian caliphate in Marawi.

The ensuing US-backed military campaign to evict the militants claimed more than 1,000 lives, displaced 400,000 residents and left large parts of Marawi in ruins.

Duterte travelled to Marawi on Tuesday last week and declared the city had been &quot;liberated&quot;, shortly after the Southeast Asian leader for IS, a Filipino militant named Isnilon Hapilon, was shot dead there.

However, the continued fighting raised questions over whether the city was indeed free of the militants.

US Defence Secretary James Mattis today praised the Philippines for its success in Marawi.

&quot;One of the first things I&#39;m going to do when I get there is to commend the Philippine military for liberating Marawi from the terrorists,&quot; Mattis told reporters on board a flight to the Philippines to attend the security meeting in Clark.

&quot;It was a very tough fight as you know in southern Mindanao (the local region). And I think the Philippine military sends a very strong message to the terrorists.&quot;

Hapilon, who was on the US government&#39;s list of most- wanted terrorists, was killed along with one of the group&#39;s other leaders, Omarkhayam Maute, according to the military.

Hapilon and Maute, along with hundreds of other militants, had been able to defy near-daily bombing raids that left much of the city in ruins by sheltering in basements and travelling through tunnels, according to the military.

The impoverished southern Philippines, home to many of the nation&#39;s Muslim minority, has for decades endured conflict.

The nation&#39;s biggest Muslim rebel group is in talks with the government to end a rebellion that began in the 1970s and has claimed more than 120,00 lives.

&nbsp;

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&nbsp;

The US-backed military campaign to evict the militants claimed more than 1,000 lives, displaced 400,000 residents and left large parts of Marawi in ruins

A five-month battle against Islamic State supporters in the southern Philippines that claimed more than 1,000 lives has ended, the nation's defence secretary said today. "We now announce the termination of all combat operations in Marawi," Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told reporters on the sidelines of a regional security meeting in Clark, a northern Philippine city. Lorenzana said there were no more militants, known locally as coming from the Maute group, providing resistance following an intense final battle after which 42 bodies were recovered. "Those are the last group of stragglers of Mautes and they were caught in one building and so there was a firefight so they were finished," he said "All terrorists, fighting troops. All hostages have been recovered." Hundreds of gunmen who had pledged allegiance to IS rampaged through Marawi, the Islamic capital of the mainly Catholic Philippines, on May 23, then took over parts of the city using civilians as human shields. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and security analysts said the militants were trying to establish a Southeast Asian caliphate in Marawi. The ensuing US-backed military campaign to evict the militants claimed more than 1,000 lives, displaced 400,000 residents and left large parts of Marawi in ruins. Duterte travelled to Marawi on Tuesday last week and declared the city had been "liberated", shortly after the Southeast Asian leader for IS, a Filipino militant named Isnilon Hapilon, was shot dead there. However, the continued fighting raised questions over whether the city was indeed free of the militants. US Defence Secretary James Mattis today praised the Philippines for its success in Marawi. "One of the first things I'm going to do when I get there is to commend the Philippine military for liberating Marawi from the terrorists," Mattis told reporters on board a flight to the Philippines to attend the security meeting in Clark. "It was a very tough fight as you know in southern Mindanao (the local region). And I think the Philippine military sends a very strong message to the terrorists." Hapilon, who was on the US government's list of most- wanted terrorists, was killed along with one of the group's other leaders, Omarkhayam Maute, according to the military. Hapilon and Maute, along with hundreds of other militants, had been able to defy near-daily bombing raids that left much of the city in ruins by sheltering in basements and travelling through tunnels, according to the military. The impoverished southern Philippines, home to many of the nation's Muslim minority, has for decades endured conflict. The nation's biggest Muslim rebel group is in talks with the government to end a rebellion that began in the 1970s and has claimed more than 120,00 lives.

Five-month battle with IS ends in Philippine city: Defence secretary

US-backed militias raised a flag inside Raqqa stadium on Tuesday, a Reuters witness said, as<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-aided-syrian-forces-make-advances-in-is-held-raqqa-16660" target="_blank"> a four-month battle to take Islamic State&#39;s Syrian capital came to an end.</a>

The fighting was over but the alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias was clearing the stadium of mines and any remaining hiding militants, said Rojda Felat, commander of the Raqqa campaign for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

A war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Islamic State was now completely cleared from the city.

The fall of Raqqa city, where Islamic State staged euphoric parades after its string of lightning victories in 2014, is a potent symbol of the jihadist movement&#39;s collapsing fortunes. From the city, the group planned attacks abroad.

The SDF, backed by a US-led international alliance, has been fighting Islamic State inside Raqqa since June.

Another Reuters witness said militia fighters celebrated in the streets, chanting slogans from their vehicles.

A group of militia fighters and commanders clasped their arms around each other, smiling, in a battle-scarred landscape of rubble and ruined buildings at a public square.

The flag in the stadium and others waved in the city streets bore the yellow background and red emblem of the Kurdish YPG, the strongest militia in the SDF.

&quot;We do still know there are still IEDs and booby traps in and amongst the areas that ISIS once held, so the SDF will continue to clear deliberately through areas,&quot; said Colonel Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for the coalition.

In a sign that the four-month battle for Raqqa had been in its last stages, Dillon said there were no coalition airstrikes there on Monday.

Islamic State has lost swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq this year, including its most prized possession, Mosul, and in Syria, it has been forced back into a strip of the Euphrates valley and surrounding desert.

The SDF, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, took the National Hospital in fierce fighting overnight and early on Tuesday, said spokesman Mostafa Bali in a statement.

&quot;During these clashes, the National Hospital was liberated and cleared from the Daesh mercenaries, and 22 of these foreign mercenaries were killed there,&quot; said Bali, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

An SDF field commander who gave his name as Ager Ozalp said three militiamen had been killed on Monday by mines that have become an Islamic State trademark in its urban battles.

Another field commander, who gave his name as Abjal al-Syriani, said SDF fighters had found burned weapons and documents in the stadium.

The stadium and hospital became the last major positions held by Islamic State after the departure of some of its fighters on Sunday, leaving only foreign jihadists to mount a last stand.

The SDF has been supported by a US-led international coalition with air strikes and special forces on the ground since it started the battle for Raqqa city in early June.

The final SDF assault began on Sunday after a group of Syrian jihadists quit the city under a deal with tribal elders, leaving only a hardcore of up to 300 fighters to defend the last positions.

Raqqa was the first big city Islamic State captured in early 2014 before its rapid series of victories in Iraq and Syria brought millions of people under the rule of its self-declared caliphate, which passed laws and issued passports and money.

It used the city as a planning and operations centre for its warfare in the Middle East and its string of attacks overseas, and for a time imprisoned Western hostages there before killing them in slickly produced films distributed online.

The SDF advance since Sunday also brought it control over a central city roundabout, where Islamic State once displayed the severed heads of its enemies, and which became one of its last lines of defence as the battle progressed.

US-backed militias raised a flag inside Raqqa stadium on Tuesday as a four-month battle to take Islamic State's Syrian capital came to an end

US-backed militias raised a flag inside Raqqa stadium on Tuesday, a Reuters witness said, as a four-month battle to take Islamic State's Syrian capital came to an end. The fighting was over but the alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias was clearing the stadium of mines and any remaining hiding militants, said Rojda Felat, commander of the Raqqa campaign for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). A war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Islamic State was now completely cleared from the city. The fall of Raqqa city, where Islamic State staged euphoric parades after its string of lightning victories in 2014, is a potent symbol of the jihadist movement's collapsing fortunes. From the city, the group planned attacks abroad. The SDF, backed by a US-led international alliance, has been fighting Islamic State inside Raqqa since June. Another Reuters witness said militia fighters celebrated in the streets, chanting slogans from their vehicles. A group of militia fighters and commanders clasped their arms around each other, smiling, in a battle-scarred landscape of rubble and ruined buildings at a public square. The flag in the stadium and others waved in the city streets bore the yellow background and red emblem of the Kurdish YPG, the strongest militia in the SDF. "We do still know there are still IEDs and booby traps in and amongst the areas that ISIS once held, so the SDF will continue to clear deliberately through areas," said Colonel Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for the coalition. In a sign that the four-month battle for Raqqa had been in its last stages, Dillon said there were no coalition airstrikes there on Monday. Islamic State has lost swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq this year, including its most prized possession, Mosul, and in Syria, it has been forced back into a strip of the Euphrates valley and surrounding desert. The SDF, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, took the National Hospital in fierce fighting overnight and early on Tuesday, said spokesman Mostafa Bali in a statement. "During these clashes, the National Hospital was liberated and cleared from the Daesh mercenaries, and 22 of these foreign mercenaries were killed there," said Bali, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State. An SDF field commander who gave his name as Ager Ozalp said three militiamen had been killed on Monday by mines that have become an Islamic State trademark in its urban battles. Another field commander, who gave his name as Abjal al-Syriani, said SDF fighters had found burned weapons and documents in the stadium. The stadium and hospital became the last major positions held by Islamic State after the departure of some of its fighters on Sunday, leaving only foreign jihadists to mount a last stand. The SDF has been supported by a US-led international coalition with air strikes and special forces on the ground since it started the battle for Raqqa city in early June. The final SDF assault began on Sunday after a group of Syrian jihadists quit the city under a deal with tribal elders, leaving only a hardcore of up to 300 fighters to defend the last positions. Raqqa was the first big city Islamic State captured in early 2014 before its rapid series of victories in Iraq and Syria brought millions of people under the rule of its self-declared caliphate, which passed laws and issued passports and money. It used the city as a planning and operations centre for its warfare in the Middle East and its string of attacks overseas, and for a time imprisoned Western hostages there before killing them in slickly produced films distributed online. The SDF advance since Sunday also brought it control over a central city roundabout, where Islamic State once displayed the severed heads of its enemies, and which became one of its last lines of defence as the battle progressed.

Islamic State completely cleared in Raqqa: Monitor

Philippine troops Sunday bombed militants loyal to the Islamic State group who have held out for over four months in a southern city and the military said the conflict would be over &quot;very soon&quot;.

The army previously set a target of Sunday to end the fighting in Marawi, which it said has killed more than 1,000 people. Troops have missed previous deadlines to flush out the militants whom authorities said intended to establish a local IS caliphate.

On Sunday FA-50 fighter jets flew over Marawi as soldiers fought the militants house-to-house in an area which has now shrunk to about five acres (two hectares), a military spokesman said.&nbsp;

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&quot;We are hoping that we will end this Marawi siege very soon,&quot; Colonel Romeo Brawner, deputy commander of the task force battling the militants, told reporters.&nbsp;

Pro-IS gunmen occupied parts of Marawi, the Islamic capital of the mainly Catholic Philippines, on May 23.

Since then 822 militants, 162 government forces and 47 civilians have been killed, Brawner said.&nbsp;

The insurgents have withstood a relentless US-backed bombing campaign and intense ground battles with troops that have left large parts of Marawi resembling devastated cities in war-torn Syria and Iraq.

Military commanders last week set a target of October 15 to end the fighting and President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday said the battle was &quot;almost over&quot;.&nbsp;

Twenty soldiers were wounded on Saturday in a sign troops were pushing hard to end the battle, Brawner said.&nbsp;

He said 40 militants remained in the conflict area including leaders Isnilon Hapilon, who is on America&#39;s list of most wanted terrorists with a $5 million bounty, and Omarkhayam Maute, whose group had pledged allegiance to IS.&nbsp;

There were also 100 civilians in the zone including hostages and families of the militants, he added.&nbsp;

&quot;Women and children are now forced to fight together with the Maute-ISIS fighters. These are desperate measures the Maute-ISIS are doing. This is their last defensive stand,&quot; Brawner said, using another acronym for IS.&nbsp;

Duterte on Thursday warned against celebrating the eventual liberation of Marawi, citing the deaths and devastation there. &nbsp;

&quot;When we leave Marawi, we go quietly. We do not want to show any kind of celebration or happiness,&quot; he said.

Militants loyal to Islamic State have held out in Marawi for over four months

Philippine troops Sunday bombed militants loyal to the Islamic State group who have held out for over four months in a southern city and the military said the conflict would be over "very soon". The army previously set a target of Sunday to end the fighting in Marawi, which it said has killed more than 1,000 people. Troops have missed previous deadlines to flush out the militants whom authorities said intended to establish a local IS caliphate. On Sunday FA-50 fighter jets flew over Marawi as soldiers fought the militants house-to-house in an area which has now shrunk to about five acres (two hectares), a military spokesman said. FA-50 fighter jets flew over Marawi on Sunday as soldiers fought the militants house-to-house in an area which has now shrunk to about five acres, a military spokesman said × "We are hoping that we will end this Marawi siege very soon," Colonel Romeo Brawner, deputy commander of the task force battling the militants, told reporters. Pro-IS gunmen occupied parts of Marawi, the Islamic capital of the mainly Catholic Philippines, on May 23. Since then 822 militants, 162 government forces and 47 civilians have been killed, Brawner said. The insurgents have withstood a relentless US-backed bombing campaign and intense ground battles with troops that have left large parts of Marawi resembling devastated cities in war-torn Syria and Iraq. Military commanders last week set a target of October 15 to end the fighting and President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday said the battle was "almost over". Twenty soldiers were wounded on Saturday in a sign troops were pushing hard to end the battle, Brawner said. He said 40 militants remained in the conflict area including leaders Isnilon Hapilon, who is on America's list of most wanted terrorists with a $5 million bounty, and Omarkhayam Maute, whose group had pledged allegiance to IS. There were also 100 civilians in the zone including hostages and families of the militants, he added. "Women and children are now forced to fight together with the Maute-ISIS fighters. These are desperate measures the Maute-ISIS are doing. This is their last defensive stand," Brawner said, using another acronym for IS. Duterte on Thursday warned against celebrating the eventual liberation of Marawi, citing the deaths and devastation there. "When we leave Marawi, we go quietly. We do not want to show any kind of celebration or happiness," he said.

Army says battle for Philippine city to end soon, 1,000 dead

Dozens of Islamic State group fighters have surrendered over the past day in their one-time bastion Raqqa, the US-led coalition backing the offensive on the Syrian city said Saturday.

&quot;Within the past 24 hours, approximately 100 ISIS terrorists have surrendered in Raqqa, and were removed from the city,&quot; the coalition said in an emailed statement to AFP.&nbsp;

&quot;Foreign fighters are not being allowed to leave Raqqa,&quot; it said.&nbsp;

Earlier on Saturday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said all Syrian IS jihadists -- numbering around 200 fighters -- had left their former stronghold with their families.

&quot;All Syrian fighters from the Islamic State group left Raqa over the past five days,&quot; said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman, saying they headed to unknown destinations.&nbsp;

A Raqa official told AFP that Syrian IS members had surrendered overnight to the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) battling to take full control of the city, without specifying how many.

&quot;They sent a message to the Raqa Civil Council and to the tribal mediators,&quot; the official said.&nbsp;

&quot;Those that surrendered are local, not foreigners -- the foreigners have not handed themselves in yet,&quot; he said.

Members of the council -- a provisional administration for the city set up by the SDF -- had been working with tribal leaders throughout the week to try to secure safe passage for civilians.&nbsp;

Hundreds of civilians have managed to flee the battle-ravaged city, which once served as the de facto Syrian capital of the jihadist group.&nbsp;

According to Abdel Rahman, up to 150 foreign jihadists remain in the city and negotiations on their fate are still ongoing.

&quot;The foreign fighters are asking to leave in one group towards areas under IS control in Deir Ezzor province,&quot; in eastern Syria, he said.&nbsp;

But a spokesman for the Kurdish People&#39;s Protection Units (YPG), which spearhead the SDF, denied on Saturday that any discussions were taking place for the surrender of the city.

&quot;We completely deny any negotiations or deal for the exit of Daesh. Until this very moment, we are fighting Daesh,&quot; Nuri Mahmoud told AFP, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

Backed by US-led coalition air strikes, the SDF&#39;s Arab and Kurdish fighters have recaptured around 90 percent of Raqa from IS.

 
&nbsp;

Dozens of Islamic State group fighters have surrendered over the past day in their one-time bastion Raqqa, the US-led coalition said

Dozens of Islamic State group fighters have surrendered over the past day in their one-time bastion Raqqa, the US-led coalition backing the offensive on the Syrian city said Saturday. "Within the past 24 hours, approximately 100 ISIS terrorists have surrendered in Raqqa, and were removed from the city," the coalition said in an emailed statement to AFP. "Foreign fighters are not being allowed to leave Raqqa," it said. Earlier on Saturday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said all Syrian IS jihadists -- numbering around 200 fighters -- had left their former stronghold with their families. "All Syrian fighters from the Islamic State group left Raqa over the past five days," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman, saying they headed to unknown destinations. A Raqa official told AFP that Syrian IS members had surrendered overnight to the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) battling to take full control of the city, without specifying how many. "They sent a message to the Raqa Civil Council and to the tribal mediators," the official said. "Those that surrendered are local, not foreigners -- the foreigners have not handed themselves in yet," he said. Members of the council -- a provisional administration for the city set up by the SDF -- had been working with tribal leaders throughout the week to try to secure safe passage for civilians. Hundreds of civilians have managed to flee the battle-ravaged city, which once served as the de facto Syrian capital of the jihadist group. According to Abdel Rahman, up to 150 foreign jihadists remain in the city and negotiations on their fate are still ongoing. "The foreign fighters are asking to leave in one group towards areas under IS control in Deir Ezzor province," in eastern Syria, he said. But a spokesman for the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which spearhead the SDF, denied on Saturday that any discussions were taking place for the surrender of the city. "We completely deny any negotiations or deal for the exit of Daesh. Until this very moment, we are fighting Daesh," Nuri Mahmoud told AFP, using the Arabic acronym for IS. Backed by US-led coalition air strikes, the SDF's Arab and Kurdish fighters have recaptured around 90 percent of Raqa from IS.

IS driven out of Raqqa, 100 fighters surrender in 24 hours

Egypt has extended for a third time a nationwide state of emergency for three months, starting tomorrow, according to a presidential decree released today.

The emergency was first declared in April by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for three months after the attacks on two Churches in Tanta and Alexandria killed 46 people.

The attacks were claimed by the Islamic State.

It was extended in July for a further three months.

President Sisi renewed it for a third term starting tomorrow, local media reported.

According to the decision, the armed forces and police authorities are assigned to take necessary measures to combat terror risks, maintain security across the country, and protect public and private properties, the reports said.

The state of emergency allows authorities to make arrests without warrants and search people&#39;s homes.

Egypt has witnessed terrorist attacks since the January 2011 revolution that toppled President Hosni Mubarak.

The attacks, targeting police, military personnel and minorities, increased after the ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in 2013 by the military following massive protests against his rule. 
Hundreds of police and army personnel have been killed since then.

The emergency was first declared in April by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for three months after the attacks on two Churches in Tanta and Alexandria killed 46 people

Egypt has extended for a third time a nationwide state of emergency for three months, starting tomorrow, according to a presidential decree released today. The emergency was first declared in April by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for three months after the attacks on two Churches in Tanta and Alexandria killed 46 people. The attacks were claimed by the Islamic State. It was extended in July for a further three months. President Sisi renewed it for a third term starting tomorrow, local media reported. According to the decision, the armed forces and police authorities are assigned to take necessary measures to combat terror risks, maintain security across the country, and protect public and private properties, the reports said. The state of emergency allows authorities to make arrests without warrants and search people's homes. Egypt has witnessed terrorist attacks since the January 2011 revolution that toppled President Hosni Mubarak. The attacks, targeting police, military personnel and minorities, increased after the ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in 2013 by the military following massive protests against his rule. Hundreds of police and army personnel have been killed since then.

Egypt extends state of emergency for another three months

Three suicide bombers blew themselves up near the main police headquarters building in<a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/turkey-deploys-tanks-near-syria-border-5823" target="_blank"> Syria</a>&#39;s capital Damascus on Wednesday, killing at least two people and leaving 10 wounded, the interior ministry said.

Two of the suicide bombers detonated their explosives in front of the police headquarters on Khaled Bin al-Walid street in central Damascus, the interior ministry said in a statement carried by state media.

&quot;The terrorist suicide attackers tried to storm the police command headquarters... The guards opened fire on them, forcing them to blow themselves up before they entered the building and achieved their goals,&quot; it added.

Police surrounded the third attacker behind the building who also blew himself up, the statement said.

The interior ministry said one person had been killed and six injured in the attack.

It was the second time this month that suicide attackers targeted the police in Syria&#39;s capital after at least 17 people were killed in an October 2 attack on a police station in the southern district of Midan.

That attack was claimed by the Islamic State group, which said three of its fighters armed with guns, grenades, and explosives had targeted the station.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday&#39;s attack.

More than 330,000 people have been killed in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/syrias-government-detention-centre-survivor-recalls-torture-beating-12251" target="_blank">Syria since the country&#39;s conflict began in March 2011</a>, with anti-government protests.

The interior ministry said one person had been killed and six injured in the attack

Three suicide bombers blew themselves up near the main police headquarters building in Syria's capital Damascus on Wednesday, killing at least two people and leaving 10 wounded, the interior ministry said. Two of the suicide bombers detonated their explosives in front of the police headquarters on Khaled Bin al-Walid street in central Damascus, the interior ministry said in a statement carried by state media. "The terrorist suicide attackers tried to storm the police command headquarters... The guards opened fire on them, forcing them to blow themselves up before they entered the building and achieved their goals," it added. Police surrounded the third attacker behind the building who also blew himself up, the statement said. The interior ministry said one person had been killed and six injured in the attack. It was the second time this month that suicide attackers targeted the police in Syria's capital after at least 17 people were killed in an October 2 attack on a police station in the southern district of Midan. That attack was claimed by the Islamic State group, which said three of its fighters armed with guns, grenades, and explosives had targeted the station. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday's attack. More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria since the country's conflict began in March 2011, with anti-government protests.

Triple suicide attack near Damascus police HQ: Ministry

French lawmakers will vote Tuesday on a tough new counter-terrorism law designed to end the country&#39;s two-year state of emergency, though critics say it will expand police powers at a cost to civil liberties.

The vote follows a string of attacks in France since 2015 and comes just two days after more bloodshed, in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/france-two-dead-after-knife-attack-at-marseille-train-station-20880" target="_blank">the southern port city of Marseille when a suspected Islamist knifeman killed two women</a>.

While Interior Minister Gerard Collomb has defended the bill as a &quot;lasting response to a lasting threat&quot;, it has come under fire from the French left and human rights groups.

&quot;What makes us angry is that it&#39;s a state of emergency that would become permanent and roll back our freedoms,&quot; Christine Lazerges, the head of the National Consultative Committee on Human Rights, a state body, said last week.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/islamic-state-claims-responsibilty-for-deadly-marseille-attack-20899" target="_blank">The law, designed to replace the state of emergency that France has been under since attacks in Paris in November 2015</a>, would come into force on November 1 if approved by both houses of parliament.

The lower house will vote Tuesday on the bill, which would give authorities the power to place people under house arrest, order house searches and ban public gatherings without the prior approval of a judge.

The state of emergency was meant to be temporary but has been extended six times in order to protect major sporting and cultural events, as well as this year&#39;s presidential and general elections.

The vote comes after a knifeman stabbed two women to death on Sunday at the main train station in Marseille shouting &quot;Allahu Akbar&quot; (&quot;God is greatest&quot;). He was shot and killed by soldiers.&nbsp;

The stabbings bring to 241 the number of people killed in jihadist attacks in France since January 2015, while Collomb said last month that 12 planned attacks had been foiled so far this year.

In an environment of widespread fear about Islamist violence, extensions of the state of emergency have met with little public opposition, and surveys suggest most French people back the changes.

About 57 percent of respondents to a recent&nbsp;Fiducial/Odoxa poll said they were in favour of the bill, with 89 percent saying it would improve security -- even though 62 percent said it would undermine their freedoms.

Critics of the new law have been limited largely to leftist politicians and human rights groups, though UN experts also raised objections in a letter to the French government last week.

&quot;Gradually our public freedoms...are being eroded,&quot; said lawmaker Alexis Corbiere of the hard-left France Unbowed party last week.

But some lawmakers from the rightwing Republicans party as well as Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front, have said the bill does not go far enough.

Macron, whose centrist party has a comfortable parliamentary majority, has promised that the legislation, which was approved by the Senate in July, will be reviewed in 2020.

French lawmakers will vote on a tough new counter-terrorism law designed to end the country's two-year state of emergency

French lawmakers will vote Tuesday on a tough new counter-terrorism law designed to end the country's two-year state of emergency, though critics say it will expand police powers at a cost to civil liberties. The vote follows a string of attacks in France since 2015 and comes just two days after more bloodshed, in the southern port city of Marseille when a suspected Islamist knifeman killed two women. While Interior Minister Gerard Collomb has defended the bill as a "lasting response to a lasting threat", it has come under fire from the French left and human rights groups. "What makes us angry is that it's a state of emergency that would become permanent and roll back our freedoms," Christine Lazerges, the head of the National Consultative Committee on Human Rights, a state body, said last week. The law, designed to replace the state of emergency that France has been under since attacks in Paris in November 2015, would come into force on November 1 if approved by both houses of parliament. The lower house will vote Tuesday on the bill, which would give authorities the power to place people under house arrest, order house searches and ban public gatherings without the prior approval of a judge. The state of emergency was meant to be temporary but has been extended six times in order to protect major sporting and cultural events, as well as this year's presidential and general elections. The vote comes after a knifeman stabbed two women to death on Sunday at the main train station in Marseille shouting "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest"). He was shot and killed by soldiers. The stabbings bring to 241 the number of people killed in jihadist attacks in France since January 2015, while Collomb said last month that 12 planned attacks had been foiled so far this year. In an environment of widespread fear about Islamist violence, extensions of the state of emergency have met with little public opposition, and surveys suggest most French people back the changes. About 57 percent of respondents to a recent Fiducial/Odoxa poll said they were in favour of the bill, with 89 percent saying it would improve security -- even though 62 percent said it would undermine their freedoms. Critics of the new law have been limited largely to leftist politicians and human rights groups, though UN experts also raised objections in a letter to the French government last week. "Gradually our public freedoms...are being eroded," said lawmaker Alexis Corbiere of the hard-left France Unbowed party last week. But some lawmakers from the rightwing Republicans party as well as Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front, have said the bill does not go far enough. Macron, whose centrist party has a comfortable parliamentary majority, has promised that the legislation, which was approved by the Senate in July, will be reviewed in 2020.

French MPs set to vote on tough anti-terror law

Indian priest Tom Uzhunnalil who was captured by the ISIS met with Prime MInister Narendra Modi today.&nbsp;

He spoke with the media after meeting with the prime minister.&nbsp;

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WATCH Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil, who was recently rescued from captivity in Yemen addresses the media in Delhi <a href="https://t.co/gijqttwKZx">https://t.co/gijqttwKZx</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/913361828712869888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 28, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&quot;I have prayed for those who kept me (captive). They gave me food &amp; didn&#39;t harm me physically,&quot; Father Tom Uzhunnalil said.&nbsp;

&quot;God has a mission for all of us and my mission has to be present for the old and the dying,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

Uzhunnalil also spoke of his meeting with Modi, saying the prime minister was happy that he was now free. And that Modi told him to look after his health.&nbsp;

&quot;He was happy that I am freed. He said take care of your health now,&quot; Uzhunnalil said of his meeting with Modi.&nbsp;

He also said the ISIS &nbsp;had asked him who would help him -- the government or the church?&nbsp;

Uzhunnalil added that he did not know what they did after that.&nbsp;

Uzhunnalil is a Vatican priest from Kerala.&nbsp;

He was abducted in March when ISIS terrorists barged into a care home for the elderly set up by Mother Teresa&rsquo;s Missionaries of Charity in Yemen&rsquo;s Aden.&nbsp;

The terrorists shot dead a number of people including four nuns, one of whom was from India.&nbsp;

Father Tom Uzhunnalil met with Prime MInister Narendra Modi on Thursday, who told him to look after his health

Indian priest Tom Uzhunnalil who was captured by the ISIS met with Prime MInister Narendra Modi today. He spoke with the media after meeting with the prime minister. WATCH Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil, who was recently rescued from captivity in Yemen addresses the media in Delhi https://t.co/gijqttwKZx — ANI (@ANI) September 28, 2017 × "I have prayed for those who kept me (captive). They gave me food & didn't harm me physically," Father Tom Uzhunnalil said. "God has a mission for all of us and my mission has to be present for the old and the dying," he added. Uzhunnalil also spoke of his meeting with Modi, saying the prime minister was happy that he was now free. And that Modi told him to look after his health. "He was happy that I am freed. He said take care of your health now," Uzhunnalil said of his meeting with Modi. He also said the ISIS had asked him who would help him -- the government or the church? Uzhunnalil added that he did not know what they did after that. Uzhunnalil is a Vatican priest from Kerala. He was abducted in March when ISIS terrorists barged into a care home for the elderly set up by Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in Yemen’s Aden. The terrorists shot dead a number of people including four nuns, one of whom was from India.

WATCH: I prayed for them, says Indian priest captured by ISIS

Father Tom Uzhunnalil, an Indian priest from Kerala who was <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/indian-priest-kidnapped-by-is-in-yemen-rescued-tweets-sushma-swaraj-4966">rescued from the captivity of the Islamic State earlier this month</a> and was in Vatican City, reached Indian capital New Delhi met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.

His demeanour, as he posed for pictures with government officials was in stark contrast to his worn out and frail photograph tweeted by Sushma Swaraj two weeks back from a video appeal for help in May.

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Delhi: Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was rescued from ISIS captivity meets PM Modi <a href="https://t.co/aKleRHsn9H">pic.twitter.com/aKleRHsn9H</a>
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Delhi: Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was rescued from ISIS captivity meets External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj <a href="https://t.co/tkM0y6MB7V">pic.twitter.com/tkM0y6MB7V</a>
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Father Tom was kidnapped from Yemen last year. (Twitter)
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Soon afrer his arrival in New Delhi, the Indian priest thanked the almighty for his rescue from Yemen over a year after he was abducted by IS.

&quot;I am very happy, I thank the almighty for making this day possible. All people who have worked in their own ways, I am grateful,&quot; Father Uzhunnalil told the press after his arrival in New Delhi. 
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Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was rescued from ISIS captivity arrives in Delhi <a href="https://t.co/CUpjbbyUI3">pic.twitter.com/CUpjbbyUI3</a>
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&nbsp;Father Tom Uzhunnalil was rescued from an undisclosed location in Yemen, will also address a press conference at 4:30 pm which will be followed by a mass in New Delhi&#39;s Gol Dak Khana church at 6:30 pm.

&nbsp;The Catholic priest will then fly to Bengaluru to spend a few days with the Salesians Congregation, to which he belongs, the Catholic Church said.

The priest was abducted in March 2016 from the coastal city of Aden after the IS attacked an old people&#39;s home run by The Missionaries of Charity. Sixteen people including four Indian nuns were killed in the attack by gunmen posing as relatives of one of the residents at the home.

He will reach Kerala&#39;s city of Cochin on October 1 and then head for his hometown Ramapuram in Kottayam district where a grand welcome has been planned for him.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/video-kidnapped-indian-priest-in-yemen-pleads-for-help-15381">In a video appeal in May</a>, Father Tom had requested his family to make efforts for his rescue, saying that his health was &quot;deteriorating rapidly&quot; and that he required hospitalisation as early as possible.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced on September 12 that he had been released and had reached the Vatican.

India&#39;s external affairs ministry, however, did not give any details of the priest&rsquo;s release.&nbsp;

The Omani government said the priest was recovering in Muscat after being rescued &quot;with Omani help&quot;, a media report said citing an official statement. 
&nbsp;

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced on September 12 that he had been released and had reached the Vatican

Father Tom Uzhunnalil, an Indian priest from Kerala who was rescued from the captivity of the Islamic State earlier this month and was in Vatican City, reached Indian capital New Delhi met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. His demeanour, as he posed for pictures with government officials was in stark contrast to his worn out and frail photograph tweeted by Sushma Swaraj two weeks back from a video appeal for help in May. Delhi: Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was rescued from ISIS captivity meets PM Modi pic.twitter.com/aKleRHsn9H — ANI (@ANI) September 28, 2017 × Delhi: Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was rescued from ISIS captivity meets External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj pic.twitter.com/tkM0y6MB7V — ANI (@ANI) September 28, 2017 × Father Tom was kidnapped from Yemen last year. (Twitter) × Soon afrer his arrival in New Delhi, the Indian priest thanked the almighty for his rescue from Yemen over a year after he was abducted by IS. "I am very happy, I thank the almighty for making this day possible. All people who have worked in their own ways, I am grateful," Father Uzhunnalil told the press after his arrival in New Delhi. Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was rescued from ISIS captivity arrives in Delhi pic.twitter.com/CUpjbbyUI3 — ANI (@ANI) September 28, 2017 × Father Tom Uzhunnalil was rescued from an undisclosed location in Yemen, will also address a press conference at 4:30 pm which will be followed by a mass in New Delhi's Gol Dak Khana church at 6:30 pm. The Catholic priest will then fly to Bengaluru to spend a few days with the Salesians Congregation, to which he belongs, the Catholic Church said. The priest was abducted in March 2016 from the coastal city of Aden after the IS attacked an old people's home run by The Missionaries of Charity. Sixteen people including four Indian nuns were killed in the attack by gunmen posing as relatives of one of the residents at the home. He will reach Kerala's city of Cochin on October 1 and then head for his hometown Ramapuram in Kottayam district where a grand welcome has been planned for him. In a video appeal in May, Father Tom had requested his family to make efforts for his rescue, saying that his health was "deteriorating rapidly" and that he required hospitalisation as early as possible. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced on September 12 that he had been released and had reached the Vatican. India's external affairs ministry, however, did not give any details of the priest’s release. The Omani government said the priest was recovering in Muscat after being rescued "with Omani help", a media report said citing an official statement.

Indian priest rescued from IS captivity arrives in India, meets PM Modi

Britain downgraded its terrorism threat level to severe from critical on Sunday, after police made a second arrest in their investigations over the bombing of a London Underground train.

&quot;The Joint Terrorist Analysis Centre, which reviews the threat level that the UK is under, have decided to lower that level from critical to severe,&quot; Home Secretary Amber Rudd said in a televised statement.

Police said earlier Sunday that a 21-year-old man, who has not been identified, was detained late Saturday in Hounslow, on the western rim of the capital. 
 
A search was underway on Sunday in Stanwell, a few miles (kilometres) west of Hounslow, in connection with the arrest, police said. 
 
Officers had arrested earlier Saturday an 18-year-old man over Friday`s &quot;bucket bomb&quot; attack at the Parsons Green Underground station, which injured 30 people, and said they were hunting for more suspects. 
 
Rudd said the police were trying to find out how the man was &quot;radicalised&quot;. 
 
The bomb went off in a packed carriage and although the device is thought to have malfunctioned, it still caused a large explosion followed by what witnesses said was a fireball.&nbsp; 
 
It was Britain&#39;s fifth terror attack in six months, a series that has claimed 35 lives. 
 
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for Friday&#39;s explosion. 
 
The first arrest on Saturday took place at the Dover ferry terminal, a main link to Europe. A &quot;number of items&quot; were recovered during the operation and the man is now in custody in London, officers said. 
 
Police also raided a home in Sunbury, a town west of London on Saturday. Local residents quoted in British media said the owners of the house were elderly foster parents.Britain&#39;s terror threat, which was raised to critical on Friday evening, was brought back down to severe on Sunday. 
 
&quot;Severe still means that an attack is highly likely so I would urge everybody to continue to be vigilant but not alarmed,&quot; Rudd said. 
 
Soldiers who had been deployed to guard key sites across the country in order to free up police officers on the streets &quot;will return to their original positions&quot; during the next few days, Rudd said. 
 
The critical warning had last been used after the deadly suicide bombing at a pop concert in the northwestern city of Manchester in May, for which IS also claimed responsibility. 
 
But Rudd voiced doubt over the IS claim that it was behind Friday&#39;s bombing. 
 
&quot;It is inevitable that so-called Islamic State or Daesh will try to claim responsibility but we have no evidence to suggest that yet,&quot; she told the BBC. 
 
Rudd had earlier dismissed as &quot;pure speculation&quot; US President Donald Trump&#39;s claim, made Friday on Twitter, that a &quot;loser terrorist&quot; behind the attack was known to Scotland Yard. 
 
The tweet had already drawn a terse rebuke from Prime Minister Theresa May, who said: &quot;I never think it`s helpful for anybody to speculate on what is an ongoing investigation.&quot; 
 
In another security scare on Sunday, a London-bound British Airways flight was evacuated at Paris`s Charles de Gaulle airport after a false bomb alert. 
 
The improvised device at Parsons Green, a quiet and well-off residential district, failed to detonate fully. 
 
But the blast inflicted flash burns on passengers, and prompted dozens of others to flee in panic.Twitter user @Rrigs posted pictures of a white bucket smouldering on the train and described how a &quot;fireball flew down carriage and we just jumped out open door&quot;. 
 
The bucket, which was inside a frozen food bag, looked like the type used by builders, and there appeared to be cables coming from it. 
 
Louis Hather, 21, had been travelling to work and was three carriages down from where the explosion took place. 
 
&quot;I could smell the burning. Like when you burn plastic,&quot; he told AFP. 
 
He was trampled on as panicking passengers stampeded out of the station, leaving him with a badly cut and bruised leg. 
 
The bomb`s remnants were examined by forensic scientists but no further details were released. 
 
Several victims were taken to hospital, though health authorities said none were in a life-threatening condition.

Britain downgraded its terrorism threat level to severe from critical on Sunday, after police made a second arrest in their investigations over the bombing of a London Underground train

Britain downgraded its terrorism threat level to severe from critical on Sunday, after police made a second arrest in their investigations over the bombing of a London Underground train. "The Joint Terrorist Analysis Centre, which reviews the threat level that the UK is under, have decided to lower that level from critical to severe," Home Secretary Amber Rudd said in a televised statement. Police said earlier Sunday that a 21-year-old man, who has not been identified, was detained late Saturday in Hounslow, on the western rim of the capital. A search was underway on Sunday in Stanwell, a few miles (kilometres) west of Hounslow, in connection with the arrest, police said. Officers had arrested earlier Saturday an 18-year-old man over Friday`s "bucket bomb" attack at the Parsons Green Underground station, which injured 30 people, and said they were hunting for more suspects. Rudd said the police were trying to find out how the man was "radicalised". The bomb went off in a packed carriage and although the device is thought to have malfunctioned, it still caused a large explosion followed by what witnesses said was a fireball. It was Britain's fifth terror attack in six months, a series that has claimed 35 lives. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for Friday's explosion. The first arrest on Saturday took place at the Dover ferry terminal, a main link to Europe. A "number of items" were recovered during the operation and the man is now in custody in London, officers said. Police also raided a home in Sunbury, a town west of London on Saturday. Local residents quoted in British media said the owners of the house were elderly foster parents.Britain's terror threat, which was raised to critical on Friday evening, was brought back down to severe on Sunday. "Severe still means that an attack is highly likely so I would urge everybody to continue to be vigilant but not alarmed," Rudd said. Soldiers who had been deployed to guard key sites across the country in order to free up police officers on the streets "will return to their original positions" during the next few days, Rudd said. The critical warning had last been used after the deadly suicide bombing at a pop concert in the northwestern city of Manchester in May, for which IS also claimed responsibility. But Rudd voiced doubt over the IS claim that it was behind Friday's bombing. "It is inevitable that so-called Islamic State or Daesh will try to claim responsibility but we have no evidence to suggest that yet," she told the BBC. Rudd had earlier dismissed as "pure speculation" US President Donald Trump's claim, made Friday on Twitter, that a "loser terrorist" behind the attack was known to Scotland Yard. The tweet had already drawn a terse rebuke from Prime Minister Theresa May, who said: "I never think it`s helpful for anybody to speculate on what is an ongoing investigation." In another security scare on Sunday, a London-bound British Airways flight was evacuated at Paris`s Charles de Gaulle airport after a false bomb alert. The improvised device at Parsons Green, a quiet and well-off residential district, failed to detonate fully. But the blast inflicted flash burns on passengers, and prompted dozens of others to flee in panic.Twitter user @Rrigs posted pictures of a white bucket smouldering on the train and described how a "fireball flew down carriage and we just jumped out open door". The bucket, which was inside a frozen food bag, looked like the type used by builders, and there appeared to be cables coming from it. Louis Hather, 21, had been travelling to work and was three carriages down from where the explosion took place. "I could smell the burning. Like when you burn plastic," he told AFP. He was trampled on as panicking passengers stampeded out of the station, leaving him with a badly cut and bruised leg. The bomb`s remnants were examined by forensic scientists but no further details were released. Several victims were taken to hospital, though health authorities said none were in a life-threatening condition.

Britain lowers threat level after second arrest over London attack

Iraqi authorities are holding 1,400 foreign wives and children of suspected Islamic State fighters in a camp after government forces expelled the jihadist group from one of its last remaining strongholds in Iraq, security and aid officials said.

Many of them say they are from Russia, Turkey and Central Asia, but there are also some from European countries, the officials said. They have mostly arrived at the camp south of Mosul since Aug 30.

An Iraqi intelligence officer said that they were in the process of verifying their nationalities with their home countries, since many of the women no longer had their original documents.

It is the largest group of foreigners linked to Islamic State to be held by Iraqi forces since they started expelling the militants from Mosul and other areas in northern Iraq last year, an aid official said. Thousands of foreigners have been fighting for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

A senior security officer said the authorities were trying to find a safe place to house the families while negotiating with embassies for their return home. They are not allowed to leave the camp.

Reuters reporters saw hundreds of the women and children sitting on mattresses crawling with bugs in tents in what aid workers called a &quot;militarized site&quot;. Turkish, French and Russian were among the languages spoken.

&quot;I want to go back (to France) but don&#39;t know how,&quot; said a French-speaking veiled woman of Chechen origin who said she had lived in Paris before.

She said she did not know what had happened to her husband, who had brought her to Iraq when he joined Islamic State.

The security officer said the women and children had mostly surrendered to the Kurdish Peshmerga near the northern city of Tal Afar, along with their husbands. The Kurds handed the women and children over to Iraqi forces, but kept the men - all presumed to be fighters - in their custody.

Many of the families had fled to Tal Afar after Iraqi troops pushed Islamic State out of Mosul on Aug 30.

Iraqi forces retook Tal Afar, a city of predominantly ethnic Turkmen that has produced some of Islamic State&#39;s most senior commanders, last month. Most of its pre-war population of 200,000 have fled.

Tension

Aid workers and the authorities are worried about tensions between Iraqis, who lost their homes and are also living in the camp, and the new arrivals.

Many Iraqis want revenge for the harsh treatment they received under the extremists&#39; interpretation of Sunni Islam they imposed in Mosul and the other areas they seized in 2014.

&quot;The families are being kept to one side (of the camp) for their own safety,&quot; an Iraqi military intelligence officer said.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), which is supporting the 541 women and their children, said Iraq &quot;must swiftly move to clarify its future plans for these individuals&quot;.

&quot;Like all those fleeing conflict, it is imperative that these individuals are able to access protection, assistance, and information,&quot; NRC said in a statement. &quot;They are in de-facto detention.&quot;

Western officials are worried about radicalized fighters and their relatives coming home after the collapse of Islamic State&#39;s &quot;caliphate&quot;.

French officials have indicated a preference for citizens found to be affiliated with IS to be prosecuted in Iraq.

&quot;The general philosophy is that adults should go on trial in Iraq,&quot; a French diplomatic source told Reuters last month, of those found to have been fighters. &quot;We think children would benefit from judicial and social services in France.&quot;

Tricked

The women in the camp were cooking noodles or lying on mattresses with their babies in the hot tents. Many were still wearing the black abayas and face-veils, which was mandatory in areas the militants controlled.

&quot;My mother doesn&#39;t even know where I am,&quot; said a 27-year-old French woman of Algerian descent who said she had been tricked by her husband to come with him via Turkey into Syria and then Iraq when he joined Islamic State last year.

&quot;I had just given birth to this little girl three months before,&quot; she said holding the infant and asking not to be named.

&quot;He said &#39;let&#39;s go for a week&#39;s holiday in Turkey.&#39; He had already bought the plane tickets and the hotel.&quot;

After four months in Mosul, she ran away from her husband to Tal Afar in February. She was hoping to make it back to France but he found her and would not let her leave.

She tearily recounted how her five-year-old son was killed in June by a rocket while playing in the streets.

&quot;I don&#39;t understand why he did this to us,&quot; she said of her husband, who she said was killed fighting in Mosul. &quot;Dead or alive - I couldn&#39;t care less about him.&quot;

She and a few other families had walked for days to surrender at a Kurdish Peshmerga checkpoint beyond al-Ayadiyah, a town near Tal Afar where the militants took their last stand.

&quot;We were getting bombed, shelled and shot at,&quot; she said.

Kurdish officials said dozens of fighters surrendered after the fall of Tal Afar but gave no details. One Tal Afar resident said he had seen between 70 and 80 fighters fleeing the town in the final days of the battle.

Many of them say they are from Russia, Turkey and Central Asia, but there are also some from European countries, the officials said

Iraqi authorities are holding 1,400 foreign wives and children of suspected Islamic State fighters in a camp after government forces expelled the jihadist group from one of its last remaining strongholds in Iraq, security and aid officials said. Many of them say they are from Russia, Turkey and Central Asia, but there are also some from European countries, the officials said. They have mostly arrived at the camp south of Mosul since Aug 30. An Iraqi intelligence officer said that they were in the process of verifying their nationalities with their home countries, since many of the women no longer had their original documents. It is the largest group of foreigners linked to Islamic State to be held by Iraqi forces since they started expelling the militants from Mosul and other areas in northern Iraq last year, an aid official said. Thousands of foreigners have been fighting for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. A senior security officer said the authorities were trying to find a safe place to house the families while negotiating with embassies for their return home. They are not allowed to leave the camp. Reuters reporters saw hundreds of the women and children sitting on mattresses crawling with bugs in tents in what aid workers called a "militarized site". Turkish, French and Russian were among the languages spoken. "I want to go back (to France) but don't know how," said a French-speaking veiled woman of Chechen origin who said she had lived in Paris before. She said she did not know what had happened to her husband, who had brought her to Iraq when he joined Islamic State. The security officer said the women and children had mostly surrendered to the Kurdish Peshmerga near the northern city of Tal Afar, along with their husbands. The Kurds handed the women and children over to Iraqi forces, but kept the men - all presumed to be fighters - in their custody. Many of the families had fled to Tal Afar after Iraqi troops pushed Islamic State out of Mosul on Aug 30. Iraqi forces retook Tal Afar, a city of predominantly ethnic Turkmen that has produced some of Islamic State's most senior commanders, last month. Most of its pre-war population of 200,000 have fled. Tension Aid workers and the authorities are worried about tensions between Iraqis, who lost their homes and are also living in the camp, and the new arrivals. Many Iraqis want revenge for the harsh treatment they received under the extremists' interpretation of Sunni Islam they imposed in Mosul and the other areas they seized in 2014. "The families are being kept to one side (of the camp) for their own safety," an Iraqi military intelligence officer said. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), which is supporting the 541 women and their children, said Iraq "must swiftly move to clarify its future plans for these individuals". "Like all those fleeing conflict, it is imperative that these individuals are able to access protection, assistance, and information," NRC said in a statement. "They are in de-facto detention." Western officials are worried about radicalized fighters and their relatives coming home after the collapse of Islamic State's "caliphate". French officials have indicated a preference for citizens found to be affiliated with IS to be prosecuted in Iraq. "The general philosophy is that adults should go on trial in Iraq," a French diplomatic source told Reuters last month, of those found to have been fighters. "We think children would benefit from judicial and social services in France." Tricked The women in the camp were cooking noodles or lying on mattresses with their babies in the hot tents. Many were still wearing the black abayas and face-veils, which was mandatory in areas the militants controlled. "My mother doesn't even know where I am," said a 27-year-old French woman of Algerian descent who said she had been tricked by her husband to come with him via Turkey into Syria and then Iraq when he joined Islamic State last year. "I had just given birth to this little girl three months before," she said holding the infant and asking not to be named. "He said 'let's go for a week's holiday in Turkey.' He had already bought the plane tickets and the hotel." After four months in Mosul, she ran away from her husband to Tal Afar in February. She was hoping to make it back to France but he found her and would not let her leave. She tearily recounted how her five-year-old son was killed in June by a rocket while playing in the streets. "I don't understand why he did this to us," she said of her husband, who she said was killed fighting in Mosul. "Dead or alive - I couldn't care less about him." She and a few other families had walked for days to surrender at a Kurdish Peshmerga checkpoint beyond al-Ayadiyah, a town near Tal Afar where the militants took their last stand. "We were getting bombed, shelled and shot at," she said. Kurdish officials said dozens of fighters surrendered after the fall of Tal Afar but gave no details. One Tal Afar resident said he had seen between 70 and 80 fighters fleeing the town in the final days of the battle.

1,400 wives, children of Islamic State militants held by Iraqi forces

Iraqi forces, in their final push against Islamic State in the north-western district of Tal Afar, have been locked in an intense fighting in the nearby town of al-Ayadiya.

&ldquo;We have to finish the battle before Eid, whatever it takes,&rdquo; said Army Lieutenant Colonel Adnan al-Saidi.

Additional troops have been sent to the area to flush out the remaining Islamic State terrorists.

As the Iraqi troops recaptured most of Tal Afar, the Islamic State terrorists fled to the nearby town of al-Ayadiya.

Some of the Iraqi forces personnel admitted that the fighting in al-Ayadiya was more intense than the battle for Mosul.

Mosul, which was the de facto capital of ISIS in Iraq, was retaken in July after months of fighting.

(With inputs from Reuters)

The battle is being described as one of the fiercest so far

Iraqi forces, in their final push against Islamic State in the north-western district of Tal Afar, have been locked in an intense fighting in the nearby town of al-Ayadiya. “We have to finish the battle before Eid, whatever it takes,” said Army Lieutenant Colonel Adnan al-Saidi. Additional troops have been sent to the area to flush out the remaining Islamic State terrorists. As the Iraqi troops recaptured most of Tal Afar, the Islamic State terrorists fled to the nearby town of al-Ayadiya. Some of the Iraqi forces personnel admitted that the fighting in al-Ayadiya was more intense than the battle for Mosul. Mosul, which was the de facto capital of ISIS in Iraq, was retaken in July after months of fighting. (With inputs from Reuters)

Iraqi forces locked in intense fighting with Islamic State terrorists in al-Ayadiya

At least 42 civilians were killed Monday in a barrage of US-led air strikes on Islamic State group territory in the Syrian city of Raqqa, a monitor said.

Nineteen children and 12 women were among those killed in the raids, which hit several neighbourhoods in the northern city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP on Tuesday.&nbsp;

The toll marked the second consecutive day of ferocious bombardment on Raqqa, more than half of which has been captured by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces battling IS.

The latest figures for Monday&#39;s raids take to 167 the number of civilians killed in coalition strikes since August 14, after the Observatory said at least 27 were killed on Sunday.

&quot;The tolls are high because the air strikes are hitting neighbourhoods in the city centre that are densely packed with civilians,&quot; said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.

&quot;There are buildings full of civilians that are trying to get away from the front lines.

&quot;Coalition air strikes are targeting any building where any kind of Daesh movements are being detected,&quot; he told AFP, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

The United Nations estimates there are up to 25,000 civilians trapped inside the city, with food and fuel supplies short and prohibitively expensive.

The UN&#39;s humanitarian pointman for Syria, Jan Egeland, has said IS-held territory in Raqa city is now &quot;the worst place&quot; in the war-torn country.

More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria&#39;s conflict, which began with anti-government protests in 2011 but has since mushroomed into all-out war drawing in world powers.&nbsp;

The US-led coalition, which operates in both Syria and neighbouring Iraq, says it takes all possible measures to avoid civilian casualties.

In August, it acknowledged the deaths of 624 civilians in its strikes in Syria and Iraq since 2014, but rights groups say the number is much higher.

Nineteen children and 12 women were among those killed in the strikes on Monday

At least 42 civilians were killed Monday in a barrage of US-led air strikes on Islamic State group territory in the Syrian city of Raqqa, a monitor said. Nineteen children and 12 women were among those killed in the raids, which hit several neighbourhoods in the northern city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP on Tuesday. The toll marked the second consecutive day of ferocious bombardment on Raqqa, more than half of which has been captured by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces battling IS. The latest figures for Monday's raids take to 167 the number of civilians killed in coalition strikes since August 14, after the Observatory said at least 27 were killed on Sunday. "The tolls are high because the air strikes are hitting neighbourhoods in the city centre that are densely packed with civilians," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman. "There are buildings full of civilians that are trying to get away from the front lines. "Coalition air strikes are targeting any building where any kind of Daesh movements are being detected," he told AFP, using an Arabic acronym for IS. The United Nations estimates there are up to 25,000 civilians trapped inside the city, with food and fuel supplies short and prohibitively expensive. The UN's humanitarian pointman for Syria, Jan Egeland, has said IS-held territory in Raqa city is now "the worst place" in the war-torn country. More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria's conflict, which began with anti-government protests in 2011 but has since mushroomed into all-out war drawing in world powers. The US-led coalition, which operates in both Syria and neighbouring Iraq, says it takes all possible measures to avoid civilian casualties. In August, it acknowledged the deaths of 624 civilians in its strikes in Syria and Iraq since 2014, but rights groups say the number is much higher.

42 civilians killed in US-led strikes on Raqqa: Monitor

&nbsp;Iraqi security forces launched on Sunday an offensive to take back the city of Tal Afar, their next objective in the US.-backed campaign to defeat Islamic State militants, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said.

&quot;You either surrender, or die,&quot; Abadi said in a televised speech announcing the offensive, addressing the militants.

A longtime stronghold of hardline Sunni insurgents, Tal Afar, 50 miles (80 km) west of Mosul, was cut off from the rest of the Islamic State-held territory in June.

The city is surrounded by Iraqi government troops and Shi&#39;ite volunteers in the south, and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in the north.

About 2,000 battle-hardened militants remain in the city, according to US and Iraqi military commanders.

They are expected to put up a tough fight, even though intelligence from inside the city indicates they have been exhausted by months of combat, aerial bombardments, and by the lack of fresh supplies.

Hours before Abadi&#39;s announcement, the Iraqi air force dropped leaflets over the city telling the population to take their precautions. &quot;Prepare yourself, the battle is imminent and the victory is coming, God willing,&quot; they read.

Islamic State&#39;s self-proclaimed &quot;caliphate&quot; effectively collapsed last month, when U.S.-backed Iraqi forces completed the takeover of the militants&#39; capital in Iraq, Mosul, after a nine-month campaign.

But parts of Iraq and Syria remain under its control, including Tal Afar, a city with a pre-war population of about 200,000.

Tal Afar experienced cycles of sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shi&#39;ites after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, and has produced some of Islamic State&#39;s most senior commanders.

Waves of civilians have fled the city and surrounding villages under cover of darkness over the past weeks, although several thousand are estimated to remain, threatened with death by the militants who have held a tight grip there since 2014.

Residents who left Tal Afar last week told Reuters the militants looked exhausted.

&quot;(Fighters) have been using tunnels to move from place to place to avoid air strikes,&quot; said 60-year-old Haj Mahmoud, a retired teacher. &quot;Their faces looked desperate and broken.&quot;

The main forces taking part in the offensive are the Iraqi army, Federal Police and the elite U.S.-trained Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), Iraqi commanders told Reuters.

Shi&#39;ite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), some of which are trained and armed by Iran, said they will also take part in the battle. Their involvement is likely to worry Turkey, which claims an affinity with the area&#39;s predominantly ethnic Turkmen population.

The U.S.-led coalition said over the past days it had carried out dozens of air strikes on Tal Afar, targeting weapons depots and command centers, in preparation for the ground assault.

&quot;Intelligence gathered shows clearly that the remaining fighters are mainly foreign and Arab nationals with their families and that means they will fight until the last breath,&quot;

Colonel Kareem al-Lami, from the Iraqi army&#39;s 9th Division, told Reuters earlier this week.

But Lami said Tal Afar&#39;s open terrain and wide streets will allow tanks and armored vehicles easy passage. Only one part of Tal Afar, Sarai, is comparable to Mosul&#39;s Old City, where Iraqi troops were forced to advance on foot through narrow streets moving house-to-house in a battle that resulted in the near total destruction of the historic district.

The United Nation&#39;s International Organization for Migration (IOM), estimates that about 10,000 to 40,000 people are left in Tal Afar and surrounding villages. Aid groups say they are not expecting a huge civilian exodus as most the city&#39;s former residents have already left.

About 2,000 battle-hardened militants remain in the city, according to US and Iraqi military commanders

Iraqi security forces launched on Sunday an offensive to take back the city of Tal Afar, their next objective in the US.-backed campaign to defeat Islamic State militants, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said. "You either surrender, or die," Abadi said in a televised speech announcing the offensive, addressing the militants. A longtime stronghold of hardline Sunni insurgents, Tal Afar, 50 miles (80 km) west of Mosul, was cut off from the rest of the Islamic State-held territory in June. The city is surrounded by Iraqi government troops and Shi'ite volunteers in the south, and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in the north. About 2,000 battle-hardened militants remain in the city, according to US and Iraqi military commanders. They are expected to put up a tough fight, even though intelligence from inside the city indicates they have been exhausted by months of combat, aerial bombardments, and by the lack of fresh supplies. Hours before Abadi's announcement, the Iraqi air force dropped leaflets over the city telling the population to take their precautions. "Prepare yourself, the battle is imminent and the victory is coming, God willing," they read. Islamic State's self-proclaimed "caliphate" effectively collapsed last month, when U.S.-backed Iraqi forces completed the takeover of the militants' capital in Iraq, Mosul, after a nine-month campaign. But parts of Iraq and Syria remain under its control, including Tal Afar, a city with a pre-war population of about 200,000. Tal Afar experienced cycles of sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shi'ites after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, and has produced some of Islamic State's most senior commanders. Waves of civilians have fled the city and surrounding villages under cover of darkness over the past weeks, although several thousand are estimated to remain, threatened with death by the militants who have held a tight grip there since 2014. Residents who left Tal Afar last week told Reuters the militants looked exhausted. "(Fighters) have been using tunnels to move from place to place to avoid air strikes," said 60-year-old Haj Mahmoud, a retired teacher. "Their faces looked desperate and broken." The main forces taking part in the offensive are the Iraqi army, Federal Police and the elite U.S.-trained Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), Iraqi commanders told Reuters. Shi'ite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), some of which are trained and armed by Iran, said they will also take part in the battle. Their involvement is likely to worry Turkey, which claims an affinity with the area's predominantly ethnic Turkmen population. The U.S.-led coalition said over the past days it had carried out dozens of air strikes on Tal Afar, targeting weapons depots and command centers, in preparation for the ground assault. "Intelligence gathered shows clearly that the remaining fighters are mainly foreign and Arab nationals with their families and that means they will fight until the last breath," Colonel Kareem al-Lami, from the Iraqi army's 9th Division, told Reuters earlier this week. But Lami said Tal Afar's open terrain and wide streets will allow tanks and armored vehicles easy passage. Only one part of Tal Afar, Sarai, is comparable to Mosul's Old City, where Iraqi troops were forced to advance on foot through narrow streets moving house-to-house in a battle that resulted in the near total destruction of the historic district. The United Nation's International Organization for Migration (IOM), estimates that about 10,000 to 40,000 people are left in Tal Afar and surrounding villages. Aid groups say they are not expecting a huge civilian exodus as most the city's former residents have already left.

Iraq launches offensive to take back Tal Afar from Islamic State

The fight to oust the Islamic State jihadist group from its Syrian stronghold Raqa has displaced thousands of civilians, but some have decided to stay on the frontlines despite the dangers.

Although the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have captured over half of Raqa city since they first entered it in June, the battle remains grinding and fierce.

In Al-Sabahiya district of western Raqa, 40-year-old Anud was watching as plumes of black smoke rise from the battlefield just streets away.

She fled to the neighbourhood with her husband and seven children two weeks ago after their home in the city centre was destroyed.

Her face covered in a black-and-white scarf, Anud told that the abandoned home they were living in belonged to her brother, who had fled to a camp.&nbsp;

&quot;We couldn&#39;t pay 50,000 pounds ($100) to rent a home, so we came and opened up my brother&#39;s house in this dangerous area,&quot; she said.

&quot;We cleaned it and removed five mines that were inside the rooms.&quot; &nbsp;&nbsp;

The house is completely empty, its blue ceramic tiled floor bare and the walls unadorned except for black graffiti. &nbsp;

Al-Sabahiya was one of the first neighbourhoods captured by the SDF, but it remains dangerous.

&quot;We don&#39;t let the children leave the house because we&#39;re afraid mines might explode underneath them,&quot; Anud said.

The family&#39;s belongings are still stacked in the white lorry parked outside, ready in case they have to flee at a moment&#39;s notice.

&quot;We&#39;re living on the edge. We don&#39;t know how we will die,&quot; she sighed. &quot;God protect us. May Raqa be liberated so that we can return to our homes in peace.&quot;&nbsp;

As Anud gestured, her 11-year-old son Ahmed listened in silence.&nbsp;

Ahmed stopped speaking after the trauma of seeing his home destroyed, his father wounded, and his neighbours displaced in fierce bombardment of his district.

Outside, a pair of scrawny young boys pushed a wheelbarrow full of jerry cans to a nearby canal to draw some water.&nbsp;

Much of Al-Sabahiya has been destroyed by fighting, and civilians desperately rummage through the rubble looking for salvageable items.&nbsp;

It is Abu Ghanem&#39;s native neighbourhood, but the fighting in Raqa has displaced his family several times. &nbsp;

&quot;Back and forth, back and forth, sometimes we can go back to our houses, sometimes we go and sit in the open,&quot; the man in his sixties said.

He said his family can&#39;t afford to leave the city and rent a home elsewhere.

&quot;Sometimes there&#39;s no bread, sometimes there&#39;s no flour, sometimes there&#39;s nothing to eat,&quot; he said.

He sat cross-legged on a blue wicker mat inside his simple home, dragging on a cigarette as relatives lit a small camping stove to begin cooking.&nbsp;

Air strikes and bombardment still regularly shake the walls of his house, whose glass windows had long since shattered.

&quot;In the middle of the night, the children wake up and ask for bread because they are hungry,&quot; Abu Ghanem said.

&quot;We&#39;re living on the front line in the middle of fear and terror.&quot;

His wife, Umm Ghanem, would rather leave the area.

&quot;Should we stay here to die?&quot; she asked angrily of her husband. &quot;We don&#39;t know when a mine could explode. We&#39;re holding our lives in our hands.&quot; 
 
When Fatima Ahmed&#39;s family fled their home in the western Al-Romaniya district, they initially headed to a camp for the displaced, like thousands of other civilians from Raqa.

But she said it was impossible to survive at the camp without money to buy basic necessities, so they headed back to Al-Sabahiya.

&quot;We&#39;re staying here, what can we do? We don&#39;t have the money to leave,&quot; she said, dressed in a black robe.&nbsp;

Conditions in the camps for the displaced scattered across Raqa province are harsh, according to UN agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross.&nbsp;

Food and clean water are difficult to access, displaced families struggle in the blistering heat, and even the most basic medicine is often unavailable.&nbsp;

That leaves Raqa natives like Fatima torn between being unable to afford life in the camp and trying to keep their families safe.

&quot;There are a lot of mines here... We spend all day standing over the children like guards to make sure they don&#39;t get hurt,&quot; she said.

&quot;We don&#39;t have anything -- no water, no electricity. We take water from an irrigation canal nearby and it&#39;s dirty.&quot;&nbsp;

The home they are squatting in is near a position held by an SDF unit, which sometimes provides them with bread, sugar, and other food to survive.

Al-Sabahiya lies adjacent to their home district of Al-Romaniya, but in battle-torn Raqa, it feels worlds away. &nbsp;

&quot;We hope that the situation and the danger will end and we can go back to our homes because we&#39;re fed up with death and fear,&quot; she said.

Although the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have captured over half of Raqa city since they first entered it in June, the battle remains grinding and fierce

The fight to oust the Islamic State jihadist group from its Syrian stronghold Raqa has displaced thousands of civilians, but some have decided to stay on the frontlines despite the dangers. Although the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have captured over half of Raqa city since they first entered it in June, the battle remains grinding and fierce. In Al-Sabahiya district of western Raqa, 40-year-old Anud was watching as plumes of black smoke rise from the battlefield just streets away. She fled to the neighbourhood with her husband and seven children two weeks ago after their home in the city centre was destroyed. Her face covered in a black-and-white scarf, Anud told that the abandoned home they were living in belonged to her brother, who had fled to a camp. "We couldn't pay 50,000 pounds ($100) to rent a home, so we came and opened up my brother's house in this dangerous area," she said. "We cleaned it and removed five mines that were inside the rooms." The house is completely empty, its blue ceramic tiled floor bare and the walls unadorned except for black graffiti. Al-Sabahiya was one of the first neighbourhoods captured by the SDF, but it remains dangerous. "We don't let the children leave the house because we're afraid mines might explode underneath them," Anud said. The family's belongings are still stacked in the white lorry parked outside, ready in case they have to flee at a moment's notice. "We're living on the edge. We don't know how we will die," she sighed. "God protect us. May Raqa be liberated so that we can return to our homes in peace." As Anud gestured, her 11-year-old son Ahmed listened in silence. Ahmed stopped speaking after the trauma of seeing his home destroyed, his father wounded, and his neighbours displaced in fierce bombardment of his district. Outside, a pair of scrawny young boys pushed a wheelbarrow full of jerry cans to a nearby canal to draw some water. Much of Al-Sabahiya has been destroyed by fighting, and civilians desperately rummage through the rubble looking for salvageable items. It is Abu Ghanem's native neighbourhood, but the fighting in Raqa has displaced his family several times. "Back and forth, back and forth, sometimes we can go back to our houses, sometimes we go and sit in the open," the man in his sixties said. He said his family can't afford to leave the city and rent a home elsewhere. "Sometimes there's no bread, sometimes there's no flour, sometimes there's nothing to eat," he said. He sat cross-legged on a blue wicker mat inside his simple home, dragging on a cigarette as relatives lit a small camping stove to begin cooking. Air strikes and bombardment still regularly shake the walls of his house, whose glass windows had long since shattered. "In the middle of the night, the children wake up and ask for bread because they are hungry," Abu Ghanem said. "We're living on the front line in the middle of fear and terror." His wife, Umm Ghanem, would rather leave the area. "Should we stay here to die?" she asked angrily of her husband. "We don't know when a mine could explode. We're holding our lives in our hands." When Fatima Ahmed's family fled their home in the western Al-Romaniya district, they initially headed to a camp for the displaced, like thousands of other civilians from Raqa. But she said it was impossible to survive at the camp without money to buy basic necessities, so they headed back to Al-Sabahiya. "We're staying here, what can we do? We don't have the money to leave," she said, dressed in a black robe. Conditions in the camps for the displaced scattered across Raqa province are harsh, according to UN agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Food and clean water are difficult to access, displaced families struggle in the blistering heat, and even the most basic medicine is often unavailable. That leaves Raqa natives like Fatima torn between being unable to afford life in the camp and trying to keep their families safe. "There are a lot of mines here... We spend all day standing over the children like guards to make sure they don't get hurt," she said. "We don't have anything -- no water, no electricity. We take water from an irrigation canal nearby and it's dirty." The home they are squatting in is near a position held by an SDF unit, which sometimes provides them with bread, sugar, and other food to survive. Al-Sabahiya lies adjacent to their home district of Al-Romaniya, but in battle-torn Raqa, it feels worlds away. "We hope that the situation and the danger will end and we can go back to our homes because we're fed up with death and fear," she said.

Civilians brave dangers to wait out IS exit from Syria's Raqa

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/islamic-state-releases-video-threatening-new-attacks-in-iran-18795">Islamic State fighter</a> from Australia Khaled Sharrouf from Australia is likely dead in a coalition air strike in Raqqa, reports said.

Reports said Khaled Sharrouf and his sons two sons - Abdullah, 12, and Zarqawi, 11 were killed while driving near Raqqa in an air strike on August 11th.

Australia today said there was a &quot;high probability&quot; that IS fighter Khaled Sharrouf was dead. &quot;Nobody will mourn his passing... I can assure you of that,&quot; Australia&#39;s Immigration Minister Peter Dutton told Channel Nine.

The Australian newspaper and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation&nbsp;both citing unnamed government sources, reported the death of Sharrouf and his sons.

&quot;There&#39;s a high level of confidence, but this guy&#39;s been like a cat with nine lives,&quot; Peter Dutton&nbsp;said.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Sharrouf was earlier believed to have been killed in 2015 in a drone strike in Syria but later reports said he was alive. He is believed to have joined IS in Syria in 2013.

&nbsp;ABC reported photos of Sharrouf&rsquo;s dead body and his sons had been seen by Australia&rsquo;s extremist community.

The Australian newspaper and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation?both citing unnamed government sources, reported the death of Sharrouf and his sons.

Islamic State fighter from Australia Khaled Sharrouf from Australia is likely dead in a coalition air strike in Raqqa, reports said. Reports said Khaled Sharrouf and his sons two sons - Abdullah, 12, and Zarqawi, 11 were killed while driving near Raqqa in an air strike on August 11th. Australia today said there was a "high probability" that IS fighter Khaled Sharrouf was dead. "Nobody will mourn his passing... I can assure you of that," Australia's Immigration Minister Peter Dutton told Channel Nine. The Australian newspaper and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation both citing unnamed government sources, reported the death of Sharrouf and his sons. "There's a high level of confidence, but this guy's been like a cat with nine lives," Peter Dutton said. Sharrouf was earlier believed to have been killed in 2015 in a drone strike in Syria but later reports said he was alive. He is believed to have joined IS in Syria in 2013. ABC reported photos of Sharrouf’s dead body and his sons had been seen by Australia’s extremist community.

Islamic State fighter from Australia Khaled Sharrouf likely dead: Report

Afghan police have discovered a mass grave containing the bodies of at least 36 victims of a recent militant attack on a village, officials said on Wednesday.

One grave in the northern province of Sar-e Pul held 28 bodies and another contained eight, said provincial government spokesman Zabihullah Amani.

&quot;Most of the victims were beheaded,&quot; he said, noting that all were men, except for three boys between the ages of eight and 15.

A third mass grave had been located but it was in an area under Taliban control, and security forces were searching for possible graves, Amani added.

On Wednesday, residents held funerals for several victims of the raid.

At least 62 people have been confirmed dead in the attack on Mirza Olang village last week, with the number expected to rise, according to the Sar-e Pul governor&#39;s office.

The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission said a preliminary investigation suggested that militants from the Taliban and Islamic State, who are normally bitter rivals, acted together.

That has been denied by the Taliban, who said they had carried out the attack alone and did not kill any civilians.

Islamic State issued a statement on Monday claiming it had led the attack and killed about 54 Shi&#39;ite Muslims, a minority group in Afghanistan that has often come under attack from Islamic State.

Villagers who escaped from Mirza Olang told reporters they saw fighters carrying both the white banner of the Taliban and the black banner of Islamic State.

In a region where bands of fighters often switch between different militant groups, it can be difficult to establish allegiances with any certainty.

The mass grave contains the bodies of at least 36 victims of a recent militant attack on a village

Afghan police have discovered a mass grave containing the bodies of at least 36 victims of a recent militant attack on a village, officials said on Wednesday. One grave in the northern province of Sar-e Pul held 28 bodies and another contained eight, said provincial government spokesman Zabihullah Amani. "Most of the victims were beheaded," he said, noting that all were men, except for three boys between the ages of eight and 15. A third mass grave had been located but it was in an area under Taliban control, and security forces were searching for possible graves, Amani added. On Wednesday, residents held funerals for several victims of the raid. At least 62 people have been confirmed dead in the attack on Mirza Olang village last week, with the number expected to rise, according to the Sar-e Pul governor's office. The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission said a preliminary investigation suggested that militants from the Taliban and Islamic State, who are normally bitter rivals, acted together. That has been denied by the Taliban, who said they had carried out the attack alone and did not kill any civilians. Islamic State issued a statement on Monday claiming it had led the attack and killed about 54 Shi'ite Muslims, a minority group in Afghanistan that has often come under attack from Islamic State. Villagers who escaped from Mirza Olang told reporters they saw fighters carrying both the white banner of the Taliban and the black banner of Islamic State. In a region where bands of fighters often switch between different militant groups, it can be difficult to establish allegiances with any certainty.

Afghanistan police discover mass graves of recent militant attack

Israel said on Sunday it planned to close the offices of Al-Jazeera in the Jewish state, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Arab satellite news broadcaster of incitement.

Netanyahu had said on July 27 that he wanted Al-Jazeera expelled amid tensions over a sensitive Jerusalem holy site.

&quot;Al-Jazeera has become the main tool of Daesh (the Islamic State group), Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran,&quot; Communications Minister Ayoob Kara, a member of the Druze community from Netanyahu&#39;s Likud party, told a news conference.

He accused the Qatar-based broadcaster of &quot;inciting violence which has provoked losses among the best of our sons&quot;, referring to two Druze policemen who were killed in a July 14 attack near the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in east Jerusalem.

Netanyahu tweeted his congratulations to Kara &quot;who on my instructions took concrete steps to end Al-Jazeera&#39;s incitement&quot; in Israel.

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??? ???? ?? ?? ??????? ???? ???, ?????? ???????? ??? ???? ????? ????? ?????? ??? ????? ?? ?????? ????? ?? ??-?????? ??????.
&mdash; Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) <a href="https://twitter.com/netanyahu/status/894201675392614400">August 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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An official at Al-Jazeera in Doha said the channel &quot;deplores this action from a state that is called the only democratic state in the Middle East and considers what it has done is dangerous&quot;.

The official, who declined to be named, said the broadcaster &quot;will follow up the subject through appropriate legal and judicial procedures&quot;.

Israel&#39;s communications ministry said &quot;nearly all countries in the region including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, have concluded that Al-Jazeera incites terrorism and religious extremism.&quot;

It said it had become &quot;ridiculous that the channel continued to broadcast from Israel&quot;.

Credentials to be revoked&nbsp;

Regional kingpin Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt broke ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of fostering extremism and later issuing 13 demands, including Al-Jazeera&#39;s closure.

The Al-Jazeera official said Sunday he was &quot;surprised&quot; at Israel&#39;s justification, and defended the channel&#39;s coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, calling it &quot;professional and objective&quot;.&nbsp;

The Israeli ministry said it would also demand the revocation of the credentials of journalists working for the channel and cut its cable and satellite connections.

The closure of Al-Jazeera&#39;s offices would come under the remit of security officials.

Israeli authorities would also seek to limit access by the Jewish state&#39;s Arab citizens to the station&#39;s broadcasts in Arabic, the communications ministry statement said without elaborating.&nbsp;

Arab Israelis, the descendants of Palestinians who stayed after the state of Israel was created in 1948, make up 17.5 percent of the country&#39;s population.

&quot;The Al-Jazeera channel continues to incite violence around the Temple Mount,&quot; Netanyahu wrote in a Facebook post, referring to the Haram al-Sharif compound in Jerusalem, known to Jews as the Temple Mount.

Protests erupted at the contentious site after Israel last month installed new security measures including metal detectors, following the shooting dead of the two Israeli policemen by attackers who emerged from the compound.

&quot;I have appealed to law enforcement agencies several times to close the Al-Jazeera office in Jerusalem,&quot; Netanyahu said on July 27 in calling for the channel&#39;s expulsion.

&quot;If this is not possible because of legal interpretation, I am going to seek to have the necessary legislation adopted to expel Al-Jazeera from Israel.&quot;

Accused of bias&nbsp;

Israel has regularly accused the broadcaster of bias in its coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Netanyahu heads what is seen as the most right-wing government in Israeli history.

He has frequently criticised the news media, accusing outlets of seeking to undermine his government.

The latest trouble at the holy site in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed, followed the July 14 attack.

Palestinians refused to enter the site for nearly two weeks over the new security measures imposed after <a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/jerusalem-attack-in-pictures-361#photo-22045" target="_blank">three Israeli Arabs shot dead the policemen nearby</a>.

That triggered protests which left six Palestinians dead. A Palestinian also broke into a home in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank and stabbed four Israelis, killing three of them.

The crisis ended when the Israeli authorities removed the newly installed security measures, including the metal detectors.

Palestinians, who had viewed the new security measures as an attempt by Israel to assert further control over the compound which houses the revered Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, then ended their boycott of the site.

The Al-Aqsa compound has frequently been a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Under a decades-old agreement, only Muslims are allowed to pray inside the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, although anyone can visit, including Jews.

The move comes after Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the broadcaster of incitement

Israel said on Sunday it planned to close the offices of Al-Jazeera in the Jewish state, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Arab satellite news broadcaster of incitement. Netanyahu had said on July 27 that he wanted Al-Jazeera expelled amid tensions over a sensitive Jerusalem holy site. "Al-Jazeera has become the main tool of Daesh (the Islamic State group), Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran," Communications Minister Ayoob Kara, a member of the Druze community from Netanyahu's Likud party, told a news conference. He accused the Qatar-based broadcaster of "inciting violence which has provoked losses among the best of our sons", referring to two Druze policemen who were killed in a July 14 attack near the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in east Jerusalem. Netanyahu tweeted his congratulations to Kara "who on my instructions took concrete steps to end Al-Jazeera's incitement" in Israel. ??? ???? ?? ?? ??????? ???? ???, ?????? ???????? ??? ???? ????? ????? ?????? ??? ????? ?? ?????? ????? ?? ??-?????? ??????. — Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) August 6, 2017 × An official at Al-Jazeera in Doha said the channel "deplores this action from a state that is called the only democratic state in the Middle East and considers what it has done is dangerous". The official, who declined to be named, said the broadcaster "will follow up the subject through appropriate legal and judicial procedures". Israel's communications ministry said "nearly all countries in the region including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, have concluded that Al-Jazeera incites terrorism and religious extremism." It said it had become "ridiculous that the channel continued to broadcast from Israel". Credentials to be revoked Regional kingpin Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt broke ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of fostering extremism and later issuing 13 demands, including Al-Jazeera's closure. The Al-Jazeera official said Sunday he was "surprised" at Israel's justification, and defended the channel's coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, calling it "professional and objective". The Israeli ministry said it would also demand the revocation of the credentials of journalists working for the channel and cut its cable and satellite connections. The closure of Al-Jazeera's offices would come under the remit of security officials. Israeli authorities would also seek to limit access by the Jewish state's Arab citizens to the station's broadcasts in Arabic, the communications ministry statement said without elaborating. Arab Israelis, the descendants of Palestinians who stayed after the state of Israel was created in 1948, make up 17.5 percent of the country's population. "The Al-Jazeera channel continues to incite violence around the Temple Mount," Netanyahu wrote in a Facebook post, referring to the Haram al-Sharif compound in Jerusalem, known to Jews as the Temple Mount. Protests erupted at the contentious site after Israel last month installed new security measures including metal detectors, following the shooting dead of the two Israeli policemen by attackers who emerged from the compound. "I have appealed to law enforcement agencies several times to close the Al-Jazeera office in Jerusalem," Netanyahu said on July 27 in calling for the channel's expulsion. "If this is not possible because of legal interpretation, I am going to seek to have the necessary legislation adopted to expel Al-Jazeera from Israel." Accused of bias Israel has regularly accused the broadcaster of bias in its coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu heads what is seen as the most right-wing government in Israeli history. He has frequently criticised the news media, accusing outlets of seeking to undermine his government. The latest trouble at the holy site in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed, followed the July 14 attack. Palestinians refused to enter the site for nearly two weeks over the new security measures imposed after three Israeli Arabs shot dead the policemen nearby. That triggered protests which left six Palestinians dead. A Palestinian also broke into a home in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank and stabbed four Israelis, killing three of them. The crisis ended when the Israeli authorities removed the newly installed security measures, including the metal detectors. Palestinians, who had viewed the new security measures as an attempt by Israel to assert further control over the compound which houses the revered Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, then ended their boycott of the site. The Al-Aqsa compound has frequently been a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Under a decades-old agreement, only Muslims are allowed to pray inside the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, although anyone can visit, including Jews.

Israel plans to shut down Al Jazeera

&nbsp;Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a Shi&#39;ite mosque in Afghanistan that killed and wounded dozens of people on Tuesday, the group&#39;s official agency AMAQ said on Wednesday.

&quot;About 50 Shi&#39;ites were killed and 80 wounded in an attack by Islamic State militants yesterday on a husseiniya in the city of Herat in western Afghanistan,&quot; AMAQ said.

Officials on Tuesday said the attack had killed more than 29 people and wounded at least 64.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/preview/article/18474">Suicide bomber, gunman kill at least 29 in Herat Shiite mosque</a>

Officials on Tuesday said the attack had killed more than 29 people and wounded at least 64

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a Shi'ite mosque in Afghanistan that killed and wounded dozens of people on Tuesday, the group's official agency AMAQ said on Wednesday. "About 50 Shi'ites were killed and 80 wounded in an attack by Islamic State militants yesterday on a husseiniya in the city of Herat in western Afghanistan," AMAQ said. Officials on Tuesday said the attack had killed more than 29 people and wounded at least 64. Also read: Suicide bomber, gunman kill at least 29 in Herat Shiite mosque

Islamic State claims responsibility for Afghanistan mosque attack: AMAQ

A 23-year-old man from Kerala, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/kerala-breeding-ground-for-radicalised-youth-11200">who had left home to join the Islamic State last year</a>, has been killed, according to a message sent out to his family.&nbsp;

ANI identifies the youth as Marwan Ismail from&nbsp;Trikaripur.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/exclusive-islamic-state-of-mind-in-gods-own-country-11199">Also read: Islamic State of mind in God&#39;s own country</a>

The one-line message that his family received said&nbsp;Marwan was &quot;martyred&quot; in a drone attack, ANI reported.

His family said he had left home to join the IS in 2016 as part of a group with 21 members.&nbsp;

He was suspected to be living in the&nbsp;Nangarhar province.&nbsp;

23-year-old Marwan Ismail's family received a message saying that he was 'martyred' in a drone attack

A 23-year-old man from Kerala, who had left home to join the Islamic State last year, has been killed, according to a message sent out to his family. ANI identifies the youth as Marwan Ismail from Trikaripur. Also read: Islamic State of mind in God's own country The one-line message that his family received said Marwan was "martyred" in a drone attack, ANI reported. His family said he had left home to join the IS in 2016 as part of a group with 21 members. He was suspected to be living in the Nangarhar province.

Another Kerala youth who joined IS killed in Afghanistan

Islamic State militants began reinventing themselves months before US-backed Iraqi forces ended their three-year reign of terror in Mosul, putting aside the dream of a modern-day caliphate and preparing the ground for a different fight.

Intelligence and local officials said that, a few months ago, they noticed a growing stream of commanders and fighters flowing out of the city to the Hamrin mountains in northeast Iraq which offer hideouts and access to four Iraqi provinces.

Some were intercepted but many evaded security forces and began setting up bases for their new operations.

What comes next may be a more complex and daunting challenge for Iraqi security forces once they finish celebrating a hard-won victory in Mosul, the militants&#39; biggest stronghold.

Intelligence and security officials are bracing for the kind of devastating insurgency al Qaeda waged following the 2003 US-led invasion, pushing Iraq into a sectarian civil war which peaked in 2006-2007.

&quot;They are digging in. They have easy access to the capital,&quot; Lahur Talabany, a top Kurdish counter-terrorism official, told Reuters. As part of the US-led coalition, he is at the forefront of efforts to eliminate Islamic State.

&quot;I believe we have tougher days coming.&rdquo;

Some Iraqi Islamic State fighters have roots dating back to al Qaeda&#39;s campaign of car and suicide bombs that exploded by the dozens each day and succeeded in fueling a sectarian bloodbath in Iraq, a major oil producer and key US&nbsp;ally.

When a US-funded tribal initiative crushed al-Qaeda, the hardcore regrouped in the desert between Iraq and Syria. They reappeared with a new jihadist brand that took the world by surprise: Islamic State.

Shortly after its lighting sweep through Mosul, the group outdid al Qaeda&#39;s brutality, carrying out mass beheadings and executions as it imposed its ultra-hardline ideology.

Unlike al-Qaeda, it seized a third of Iraqi territory, gaining knowledge of land that could come in handy as it hits back at Iraqi security forces.

&nbsp;

SADDAM&#39;S INTELLIGENCE AGENTS

Former Iraq intelligence officers who served under Saddam Hussein joined forces with Islamic State in an alliance of convenience. These shrewd military strategists from his Baath Party are expected to be the new generation of Islamic State leaders, Talabany and other security officials said.

Instead of trying to create a caliphate, a concept which attracted recruits from disaffected fellow Sunni Muslims, Islamic State leaders will focus on far less predictable guerrilla warfare, Iraqi and Kurdish security officials said.

Iraqi forces have come a long way since they collapsed in the face of the Islamic State advance in 2014, throwing down their weapons and removing their military uniforms in panic.

They fought for nearly nine months to seize Mosul, with steady help from US-led airstrikes that flattened entire neighbourhoods.

The key question is whether an army that is far more comfortable with conventional warfare can take on an insurgency with sleeper cells and small units of militants who pop out of deserts and mountains, carry out attacks and melt away.

&ldquo;They&rsquo;ll try to hide with the population. Their cells will get smaller &ndash; instead of companies and platoons, they&rsquo;ll go to squads and cells, much smaller elements hiding in the population,&quot; Lieutenant-General Steve Townsend, commander of the US-led coalition, told reporters.

&ldquo;Our Iraqi security force partners will have to engage in counter-insurgency style operations at some point and we&rsquo;re already making efforts now to start shaping their training towards that next ISIS tactic.&quot;

History suggests training may not be enough. The United States spent $25 billion on the Iraqi military during the American occupation that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003 and triggered an insurgency that included al Qaeda.

That did not prepare the army for the long-haired Islamic State militants who sped into Mosul in pickup trucks with weapons stolen from retreating Iraqi troops. Iraqi forces can certainly point to successes in Mosul and the cities of Falluja and Ramadi in Anbar province, once held by Islamic State.

But local officials say the cities remain vulnerable to attacks from the vast desert nearby mastered by militants.

&quot;Security operations will be useless unless security forces control the desert,&quot; said Anbar official Emad Dulaimi, adding that the desert had become a safe haven for Islamic State. &quot;It is not present as an organization in cities but it carries out attacks by individuals. Car bombs. Suicide bombers. People fear Islamic State will come back. There are attacks every day.&quot;

Tareq Youssef al-Asal, leader of a tribal force, shares those concerns and complains of what he says is a lack of a coordination among numerous local security forces.

&quot;In the end these leaderships have no experience fighting in the desert,&quot; he said.

Some ordinary citizens still do not feel safe despite the Iraqi army&#39;s improved performance.

Anbar resident Ahmed al-Issawy does not plan on re-opening his restaurant anytime soon. He is afraid it will be destroyed the same way it was in clashes between security forces and Islamic State in 2014. &quot;I am afraid there could be an attack at any second,&quot; he said.

Islamic State has not wasted any time in implementing its new strategy despite a major loss in Mosul.

About 30 militants armed with machine guns and mortars crossed the Tigris river in wooden boats, attacked the village of Imam Gharbi, some 70 kilometres&nbsp;(44 miles) south of Mosul in early July and then pulled out, according to security officials.

&quot;The notion of a caliphate is gone. The dream is gone. They will revert back to their old tactics of hit and run attacks,&quot; said senior Kurdish official and former Iraqi foreign minister Hoshiyar Zebari. &quot;The hardcore will keep fighting.&quot;

Instead of trying to create a caliphate, Islamic State leaders will focus on far less predictable guerrilla warfare

Islamic State militants began reinventing themselves months before US-backed Iraqi forces ended their three-year reign of terror in Mosul, putting aside the dream of a modern-day caliphate and preparing the ground for a different fight. Intelligence and local officials said that, a few months ago, they noticed a growing stream of commanders and fighters flowing out of the city to the Hamrin mountains in northeast Iraq which offer hideouts and access to four Iraqi provinces. Some were intercepted but many evaded security forces and began setting up bases for their new operations. What comes next may be a more complex and daunting challenge for Iraqi security forces once they finish celebrating a hard-won victory in Mosul, the militants' biggest stronghold. Intelligence and security officials are bracing for the kind of devastating insurgency al Qaeda waged following the 2003 US-led invasion, pushing Iraq into a sectarian civil war which peaked in 2006-2007. "They are digging in. They have easy access to the capital," Lahur Talabany, a top Kurdish counter-terrorism official, told Reuters. As part of the US-led coalition, he is at the forefront of efforts to eliminate Islamic State. "I believe we have tougher days coming.” Some Iraqi Islamic State fighters have roots dating back to al Qaeda's campaign of car and suicide bombs that exploded by the dozens each day and succeeded in fueling a sectarian bloodbath in Iraq, a major oil producer and key US ally. When a US-funded tribal initiative crushed al-Qaeda, the hardcore regrouped in the desert between Iraq and Syria. They reappeared with a new jihadist brand that took the world by surprise: Islamic State. Shortly after its lighting sweep through Mosul, the group outdid al Qaeda's brutality, carrying out mass beheadings and executions as it imposed its ultra-hardline ideology. Unlike al-Qaeda, it seized a third of Iraqi territory, gaining knowledge of land that could come in handy as it hits back at Iraqi security forces. SADDAM'S INTELLIGENCE AGENTS Former Iraq intelligence officers who served under Saddam Hussein joined forces with Islamic State in an alliance of convenience. These shrewd military strategists from his Baath Party are expected to be the new generation of Islamic State leaders, Talabany and other security officials said. Instead of trying to create a caliphate, a concept which attracted recruits from disaffected fellow Sunni Muslims, Islamic State leaders will focus on far less predictable guerrilla warfare, Iraqi and Kurdish security officials said. Iraqi forces have come a long way since they collapsed in the face of the Islamic State advance in 2014, throwing down their weapons and removing their military uniforms in panic. They fought for nearly nine months to seize Mosul, with steady help from US-led airstrikes that flattened entire neighbourhoods. The key question is whether an army that is far more comfortable with conventional warfare can take on an insurgency with sleeper cells and small units of militants who pop out of deserts and mountains, carry out attacks and melt away. “They’ll try to hide with the population. Their cells will get smaller – instead of companies and platoons, they’ll go to squads and cells, much smaller elements hiding in the population," Lieutenant-General Steve Townsend, commander of the US-led coalition, told reporters. “Our Iraqi security force partners will have to engage in counter-insurgency style operations at some point and we’re already making efforts now to start shaping their training towards that next ISIS tactic." History suggests training may not be enough. The United States spent $25 billion on the Iraqi military during the American occupation that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003 and triggered an insurgency that included al Qaeda. That did not prepare the army for the long-haired Islamic State militants who sped into Mosul in pickup trucks with weapons stolen from retreating Iraqi troops. Iraqi forces can certainly point to successes in Mosul and the cities of Falluja and Ramadi in Anbar province, once held by Islamic State. But local officials say the cities remain vulnerable to attacks from the vast desert nearby mastered by militants. "Security operations will be useless unless security forces control the desert," said Anbar official Emad Dulaimi, adding that the desert had become a safe haven for Islamic State. "It is not present as an organization in cities but it carries out attacks by individuals. Car bombs. Suicide bombers. People fear Islamic State will come back. There are attacks every day." Tareq Youssef al-Asal, leader of a tribal force, shares those concerns and complains of what he says is a lack of a coordination among numerous local security forces. "In the end these leaderships have no experience fighting in the desert," he said. Some ordinary citizens still do not feel safe despite the Iraqi army's improved performance. Anbar resident Ahmed al-Issawy does not plan on re-opening his restaurant anytime soon. He is afraid it will be destroyed the same way it was in clashes between security forces and Islamic State in 2014. "I am afraid there could be an attack at any second," he said. Islamic State has not wasted any time in implementing its new strategy despite a major loss in Mosul. About 30 militants armed with machine guns and mortars crossed the Tigris river in wooden boats, attacked the village of Imam Gharbi, some 70 kilometres (44 miles) south of Mosul in early July and then pulled out, according to security officials. "The notion of a caliphate is gone. The dream is gone. They will revert back to their old tactics of hit and run attacks," said senior Kurdish official and former Iraqi foreign minister Hoshiyar Zebari. "The hardcore will keep fighting."

After Mosul, Islamic State digs in for guerrilla warfare

The <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/islamic-state-supporters-create-kashmir-group-to-step-up-presence-in-india-give-instructions-on-nice-like-attack/story-5DMUzpbw8ge7EB1pIlKJYO.html" target="_blank">Hindustan Times </a>reports that Islamic State has created a group dedicated to getting a toehold in India by focusing on Jammu and Kashmir that has written Hindi instructions on how to carry out attacks with large trucks, such as the ones in Nice, France and Germany&#39;s capital Berlin last year.&nbsp;

This comes as IS is being squeezed out of Mosul, in Iraq.

The IS group--Ansarul Halifah Jammu Kashmir--operates an active channel on Telegram, an&nbsp;encrypted messaging service it uses to spread&nbsp;Islamic State propoganda,&nbsp;and manuals for weapon-making and carrying out attacks.

In the last few weeks, the channel featured a call to J &amp; K police to openly defy their officers and use their weapons against the &quot;enemy of Muslims and Islam&quot;, the Hindustan Times said.&nbsp;

Indian security officials maintain that the Islamic State has no real presence in Kashmir, and point out that so far IS has not claimed responsibility for an attack anywhere inside India.

A senior research fellow at London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue, Amarnath Amarasingam, and a leading expert in tracking the Islamic State characterised IS involvement in India, saying the group&nbsp;&quot;definitely has an interest in South Asia, and is trying to plant a stronger hold there.

&quot;Whether it happens is another matter. The interest in Kashmir is very old amongst jihadists, just like their interest in Palestine is old. For them, anywhere they see Muslims suffering is a potential theatre of jihad, a place to send help and fight back.&quot;

Indian security officials maintain IS has no real presence in Kashmir, and say the group has never committed an attack inside India

The Hindustan Times reports that Islamic State has created a group dedicated to getting a toehold in India by focusing on Jammu and Kashmir that has written Hindi instructions on how to carry out attacks with large trucks, such as the ones in Nice, France and Germany's capital Berlin last year. This comes as IS is being squeezed out of Mosul, in Iraq. The IS group--Ansarul Halifah Jammu Kashmir--operates an active channel on Telegram, an encrypted messaging service it uses to spread Islamic State propoganda, and manuals for weapon-making and carrying out attacks. In the last few weeks, the channel featured a call to J & K police to openly defy their officers and use their weapons against the "enemy of Muslims and Islam", the Hindustan Times said. Indian security officials maintain that the Islamic State has no real presence in Kashmir, and point out that so far IS has not claimed responsibility for an attack anywhere inside India. A senior research fellow at London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue, Amarnath Amarasingam, and a leading expert in tracking the Islamic State characterised IS involvement in India, saying the group "definitely has an interest in South Asia, and is trying to plant a stronger hold there. "Whether it happens is another matter. The interest in Kashmir is very old amongst jihadists, just like their interest in Palestine is old. For them, anywhere they see Muslims suffering is a potential theatre of jihad, a place to send help and fight back."

Islamic State Kashmir group gives Hindi instructions on carrying out Nice-style truck attacks

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