Pakistan&#39;s military has launched a major operation in its volatile tribal areas to stop the Islamic State making inroads into areas bordering Afghanistan, the military&#39;s spokesman said on Sunday.

Pakistan has long denied Islamic State has a foothold inside the nuclear-armed nation despite a series of attacks claimed by the group over the past two years, including a bombing in the northern town of Parachinar last month that killed 75.

Military spokesman Lieutenant General Asif Ghafoor said Islamic State - also known as Daesh - was growing in strength inside Afghanistan, prompting Pakistan to launch an operation in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

&quot;This operation was necessary because Daesh is getting established there and we have to stop the influence of Daesh spreading into Pakistani territory through the Rajgal valley,&quot; Ghafoor said, referring to a valley surrounded by mountains reaching up to 14,000 feet.

He said that the &quot;Khyber 4&quot; operation, which would include the Pakistan air force, would focus on the border areas inside the Khyber Agency area, which is part of FATA.

Ghafoor said across the Khyber border there are safe havens for multiple &quot;terrorist&quot; organisations that are linked to recent attacks in Pakistan, including the Parachinar assault.

Northwestern Pakistan&#39;s ethnic Pashtun lands are awash with weapons and the area remains the most volatile region in the country despite the military&#39;s success in driving out many al Qaeda and Pakistani Taliban militants.

Fighting had subsided in FATA in recent years and many internally displaced people have been sent back to villages reduced to rubble due to military operations against the Islamists over the past 15 years.

&quot;Once this operation is completed, we will first secure the international border on our side and eliminate the hideouts of various terrorist groups,&quot; Ghafoor added.

The Islamic State has had more success in neighbouring Afghanistan, where it controls small chunks of land, but has also faced tough resistance from the US-backed government in Kabul and local Afghan Taliban militants.

Pakistan is seeking support from Afghanistan to control the border but Ghafoor made it clear that it will not allow &quot;foreign boots on the ground&quot; in its territory.

Pakistan&#39;s military began building a fence along the 2,611 kilometre border with Afghanistan in May as part of its security programme.

Pakistan's military has launched a major operation in its volatile tribal areas to stop the IS making inroads into areas bordering Afghanistan

Pakistan's military has launched a major operation in its volatile tribal areas to stop the Islamic State making inroads into areas bordering Afghanistan, the military's spokesman said on Sunday. Pakistan has long denied Islamic State has a foothold inside the nuclear-armed nation despite a series of attacks claimed by the group over the past two years, including a bombing in the northern town of Parachinar last month that killed 75. Military spokesman Lieutenant General Asif Ghafoor said Islamic State - also known as Daesh - was growing in strength inside Afghanistan, prompting Pakistan to launch an operation in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). "This operation was necessary because Daesh is getting established there and we have to stop the influence of Daesh spreading into Pakistani territory through the Rajgal valley," Ghafoor said, referring to a valley surrounded by mountains reaching up to 14,000 feet. He said that the "Khyber 4" operation, which would include the Pakistan air force, would focus on the border areas inside the Khyber Agency area, which is part of FATA. Ghafoor said across the Khyber border there are safe havens for multiple "terrorist" organisations that are linked to recent attacks in Pakistan, including the Parachinar assault. Northwestern Pakistan's ethnic Pashtun lands are awash with weapons and the area remains the most volatile region in the country despite the military's success in driving out many al Qaeda and Pakistani Taliban militants. Fighting had subsided in FATA in recent years and many internally displaced people have been sent back to villages reduced to rubble due to military operations against the Islamists over the past 15 years. "Once this operation is completed, we will first secure the international border on our side and eliminate the hideouts of various terrorist groups," Ghafoor added. The Islamic State has had more success in neighbouring Afghanistan, where it controls small chunks of land, but has also faced tough resistance from the US-backed government in Kabul and local Afghan Taliban militants. Pakistan is seeking support from Afghanistan to control the border but Ghafoor made it clear that it will not allow "foreign boots on the ground" in its territory. Pakistan's military began building a fence along the 2,611 kilometre border with Afghanistan in May as part of its security programme.

Pakistan launches military operation against Islamic State in tribal areas

The head of Islamic State in Afghanistan, Abu Sayed, was killed in a strike on the group&#39;s headquarters in Kunar province earlier this week, the Pentagon said on Friday.

Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement that other members of the Islamic State group were also killed in the strike on Tuesday.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters, &quot;The significance is you kill a leader of one of these groups and it sets them back ... it is obviously a victory on our side in terms of setting them back, it is the right direction.&quot;&nbsp;

Sayed is the third Islamic State leader in Afghanistan to be killed since July 2016.&nbsp;

Former leader Abdul Hasib was killed in a joint U.S. and Afghan operation on April 27 in the eastern province of Nangarhar. Hasib&#39;s predecessor Hafiz Saeed Khan died in a US drone strike in 2016.&nbsp;

Afghan troops, backed by US warplanes and special forces, have been battling militants linked to Islamic State in eastern Afghanistan for years.

The local affiliate of Islamic State, sometimes known as Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) after an old name for the region that includes Afghanistan, has been active since 2015, fighting the Taliban and Afghan and US&nbsp;forces.

General John Nicholson, the top US. commander in Afghanistan, has vowed to defeat Islamic State there this year. 
&nbsp;

The head of Islamic State in Afghanistan, Abu Sayed, was killed in a strike on the group`s headquarters in Kunar province earlier this week

The head of Islamic State in Afghanistan, Abu Sayed, was killed in a strike on the group's headquarters in Kunar province earlier this week, the Pentagon said on Friday. Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement that other members of the Islamic State group were also killed in the strike on Tuesday. US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters, "The significance is you kill a leader of one of these groups and it sets them back ... it is obviously a victory on our side in terms of setting them back, it is the right direction." Sayed is the third Islamic State leader in Afghanistan to be killed since July 2016. Former leader Abdul Hasib was killed in a joint U.S. and Afghan operation on April 27 in the eastern province of Nangarhar. Hasib's predecessor Hafiz Saeed Khan died in a US drone strike in 2016. Afghan troops, backed by US warplanes and special forces, have been battling militants linked to Islamic State in eastern Afghanistan for years. The local affiliate of Islamic State, sometimes known as Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) after an old name for the region that includes Afghanistan, has been active since 2015, fighting the Taliban and Afghan and US forces. General John Nicholson, the top US. commander in Afghanistan, has vowed to defeat Islamic State there this year.

Head of Islamic State in Afghanistan killed - Pentagon

A US&nbsp;Army soldier who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and is now stationed in Hawaii has been arrested on charges of providing material support to Islamic State (IS) extremists, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Monday.

Ikaika Kang, 34, an active-duty soldier assigned to the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, had been under investigation by the Army and FBI for more than a year and was taken into custody on Saturday, according to an FBI statement provided to Reuters.

According to a criminal complaint filed in US&nbsp;District Court in Honolulu, Kang has sworn allegiance to Islamic State, the militant group that seized large swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq for a self-proclaimed caliphate.

He also is accused of attempting to provide military documents and training to the group, the FBI said in its statement.

Federal authorities believe that Kang, who was assigned to the Army&#39;s Schofield Barracks on the island of Oahu, was a &quot;lone actor&quot; who had no known associations with anyone who might pose a threat to Hawaii, the FBI said.

He was slated to make an initial court appearance on Monday afternoon.

A US Army soldier who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan has been arrested for providing support to the Islamic State

A US Army soldier who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and is now stationed in Hawaii has been arrested on charges of providing material support to Islamic State (IS) extremists, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Monday. Ikaika Kang, 34, an active-duty soldier assigned to the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, had been under investigation by the Army and FBI for more than a year and was taken into custody on Saturday, according to an FBI statement provided to Reuters. According to a criminal complaint filed in US District Court in Honolulu, Kang has sworn allegiance to Islamic State, the militant group that seized large swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq for a self-proclaimed caliphate. He also is accused of attempting to provide military documents and training to the group, the FBI said in its statement. Federal authorities believe that Kang, who was assigned to the Army's Schofield Barracks on the island of Oahu, was a "lone actor" who had no known associations with anyone who might pose a threat to Hawaii, the FBI said. He was slated to make an initial court appearance on Monday afternoon.

US Army soldier arrested in Hawaii on terrorism charges

The Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told Reuters.

&quot;(We have) confirmed information from leaders, including one of the first rank, in the Islamic State in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zor,&quot; the director of the British-based war monitoring group Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters. 
&nbsp; 
The news of Baghdadi&#39;s death has been floating for quite some time. In June, the Russian defence ministry had said that the Islamic State leader was killed in one of its air strikes.

The Syrian Observatory, which keeps a track of the ongoing war in Syria, said that Islamic State sources in the Syrian town of Deir al-Zor confirmed that Baghdadi has been killed.

The news of his death has not been verified by Islamic State&#39;s official news agency Amaq. &nbsp;&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

In June, the Russian defence ministry had said that the Islamic State leader was killed in one of its air strikes

The Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told Reuters. "(We have) confirmed information from leaders, including one of the first rank, in the Islamic State in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zor," the director of the British-based war monitoring group Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters. The news of Baghdadi's death has been floating for quite some time. In June, the Russian defence ministry had said that the Islamic State leader was killed in one of its air strikes. The Syrian Observatory, which keeps a track of the ongoing war in Syria, said that Islamic State sources in the Syrian town of Deir al-Zor confirmed that Baghdadi has been killed. The news of his death has not been verified by Islamic State's official news agency Amaq.

Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi dead: Syrian Observatory

Iraq will announce imminently a final victory in the nearly nine-month offensive to retake Mosul from jihadists, a US general said Saturday, as celebrations broke out among police forces in the city.

The defeat would be the biggest yet for the Islamic State group three years since it seized Mosul in a lightning offensive, swept across much of the country&#39;s Sunni Arab heartland and proclaimed a &quot;caliphate&quot; straddling Iraq and Syria.

The Iraqi forces launched their campaign to recapture Mosul in October, and since then IS has gone from holding the entire city to being trapped between security forces and the Tigris River on its western side.

Backed by a ferocious aerial bombing campaign by a US-led international coalition, the offensive has turned much of the city to rubble and forced tens of thousands of people to flee.

Diehard jihadists have been putting up fierce resistance in recent days, but their efforts to keep the Iraqi troops at bay look to be coming to an end.

&quot;An announcement is imminent,&quot; Brigadier General Robert Sofge told AFP by phone.

&quot;I don&#39;t want to speculate if it&#39;s today or tomorrow but I think it&#39;s going to be very soon,&quot; he added.

The jihadists that remain in Mosul are fighting to the death in a tiny area of just two blocks of the Old City next to the Tigris, Sofge said, and those that remain are &quot;desperate&quot;.

&#39;Fleeing with shaven beards&#39;

The general said some jihadists were trying to blend in with fleeing civilians by shaving their beards and changing their clothes, others were playing dead then detonating explosive vests as Iraqi forces close in.

Women had blown themselves up amid throngs of displaced civilians.

&quot;They are doing as much damage as they can during these final moves,&quot; Sofge said.&nbsp;

Iraq&#39;s Counter-Terrorism Service, which has spearheaded the assault, said the jihadists now only held a band of territory 100-150 metres (yards) deep and 300 metres wide.

&quot;The end of the battle is near, I would say two days, but it could go on,&quot; said CTS commander Abdel Ghani al-Assadi.

The battle for Mosul first began on October 17, 2016 and the fight grew tougher when Iraqi forces entered the warren of narrow alleys in the densely populated Old City.&nbsp;

Slowing the advance toward the final holdouts, IS fighters have placed booby traps and bombs in structures they occupied.&nbsp;

&quot;The enemy has strung IEDs (improvised explosive devices) all over the place, in every place, in every closet, in one case under a crib,&quot; said Sofge.&nbsp;

A final victory in Mosul would mark an epic milestone for the Iraqi security forces, who had crumbled in the face of an IS onslaught across Iraq in 2014.

&#39;Celebration and pride&#39;

&quot;They deserve every bit of a celebration and pride and sense of accomplishment that a military force can feel,&quot; Sofge said, offering a &quot;congratulations in advance in a great battle.&quot;

&quot;This fight in Mosul is not like anything modern militaries have done in our life time. You have to go back to World War II to find anything that&#39;s even close.&quot;

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared on Twitter late last month that &quot;we are seeing the end of the fake (IS) state&quot;.

That claim came after Iraqi forces retook what remained of Mosul&#39;s Great Mosque of al-Nuri and the adjacent Al-Hadba (&quot;The Hunchback&quot;) minaret.

IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared himself &quot;caliph&quot; at the mosque in his only public appearance in 2014.

But IS blew the two landmarks up on June 22, in what Abadi said was &quot;an official declaration of defeat&quot;.

In Mosul on Saturday, jubilant interior ministry forces -- whose mission has been declared over -- were seen flashing V-for-victory signs and posing for selfies in front of each other holding up IS&#39;s notorious black flag upside down.

But others were not celebrating as the fighting continued, and distraught women and children emerged covered in dust and clutching what few belongings they could carry.

An AFP team saw more than 60 women and children in tears having lost loved ones in the crossfire, coalition bombing, jihadist shelling and sniper fire.

Hungry and haggard, they said they had spent months being held as human shields by the jihadists.

One group of jihadists tried to escape across the Tigris from west Mosul but were killed by the Iraqi forces, a senior commander said on Saturday.

&quot;Some of them tried to cross to.... the far bank (of the river), but we have forces there,&quot; said Staff Lieutenant General Abdulghani al-Assadi, a senior commander in Iraq&#39;s elite Counter-Terrorism Service.

The jihadists wanted to go back, but security forces &quot;fired on them and killed them,&quot; he said, without specifying how many died.

Iraq&#39;s Joint Operations Command said 35 IS members were killed and six captured when they tried to escape &quot;the advance of our forces&quot; in Mosul&#39;s Old City.

The recapture of Mosul will not however mark the end of the threat posed by IS, which holds territory elsewhere in Iraq and is able to carry out frequent bombings in government-held areas.

Jihadists have been putting up fierce resistance in recent days, but their efforts to keep the Iraqi troops at bay look to be coming to an end

Iraq will announce imminently a final victory in the nearly nine-month offensive to retake Mosul from jihadists, a US general said Saturday, as celebrations broke out among police forces in the city. The defeat would be the biggest yet for the Islamic State group three years since it seized Mosul in a lightning offensive, swept across much of the country's Sunni Arab heartland and proclaimed a "caliphate" straddling Iraq and Syria. The Iraqi forces launched their campaign to recapture Mosul in October, and since then IS has gone from holding the entire city to being trapped between security forces and the Tigris River on its western side. Backed by a ferocious aerial bombing campaign by a US-led international coalition, the offensive has turned much of the city to rubble and forced tens of thousands of people to flee. Diehard jihadists have been putting up fierce resistance in recent days, but their efforts to keep the Iraqi troops at bay look to be coming to an end. "An announcement is imminent," Brigadier General Robert Sofge told AFP by phone. "I don't want to speculate if it's today or tomorrow but I think it's going to be very soon," he added. The jihadists that remain in Mosul are fighting to the death in a tiny area of just two blocks of the Old City next to the Tigris, Sofge said, and those that remain are "desperate". 'Fleeing with shaven beards' The general said some jihadists were trying to blend in with fleeing civilians by shaving their beards and changing their clothes, others were playing dead then detonating explosive vests as Iraqi forces close in. Women had blown themselves up amid throngs of displaced civilians. "They are doing as much damage as they can during these final moves," Sofge said. Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Service, which has spearheaded the assault, said the jihadists now only held a band of territory 100-150 metres (yards) deep and 300 metres wide. "The end of the battle is near, I would say two days, but it could go on," said CTS commander Abdel Ghani al-Assadi. The battle for Mosul first began on October 17, 2016 and the fight grew tougher when Iraqi forces entered the warren of narrow alleys in the densely populated Old City. Slowing the advance toward the final holdouts, IS fighters have placed booby traps and bombs in structures they occupied. "The enemy has strung IEDs (improvised explosive devices) all over the place, in every place, in every closet, in one case under a crib," said Sofge. A final victory in Mosul would mark an epic milestone for the Iraqi security forces, who had crumbled in the face of an IS onslaught across Iraq in 2014. 'Celebration and pride' "They deserve every bit of a celebration and pride and sense of accomplishment that a military force can feel," Sofge said, offering a "congratulations in advance in a great battle." "This fight in Mosul is not like anything modern militaries have done in our life time. You have to go back to World War II to find anything that's even close." Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared on Twitter late last month that "we are seeing the end of the fake (IS) state". That claim came after Iraqi forces retook what remained of Mosul's Great Mosque of al-Nuri and the adjacent Al-Hadba ("The Hunchback") minaret. IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared himself "caliph" at the mosque in his only public appearance in 2014. But IS blew the two landmarks up on June 22, in what Abadi said was "an official declaration of defeat". In Mosul on Saturday, jubilant interior ministry forces -- whose mission has been declared over -- were seen flashing V-for-victory signs and posing for selfies in front of each other holding up IS's notorious black flag upside down. But others were not celebrating as the fighting continued, and distraught women and children emerged covered in dust and clutching what few belongings they could carry. An AFP team saw more than 60 women and children in tears having lost loved ones in the crossfire, coalition bombing, jihadist shelling and sniper fire. Hungry and haggard, they said they had spent months being held as human shields by the jihadists. One group of jihadists tried to escape across the Tigris from west Mosul but were killed by the Iraqi forces, a senior commander said on Saturday. "Some of them tried to cross to.... the far bank (of the river), but we have forces there," said Staff Lieutenant General Abdulghani al-Assadi, a senior commander in Iraq's elite Counter-Terrorism Service. The jihadists wanted to go back, but security forces "fired on them and killed them," he said, without specifying how many died. Iraq's Joint Operations Command said 35 IS members were killed and six captured when they tried to escape "the advance of our forces" in Mosul's Old City. The recapture of Mosul will not however mark the end of the threat posed by IS, which holds territory elsewhere in Iraq and is able to carry out frequent bombings in government-held areas.

Mosul victory imminent: US general

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory in the &quot;liberated&quot; city of Mosul on Sunday, his office said, in the biggest defeat yet for the Islamic State group.

Abadi &quot;arrives in the liberated city of Mosul and congratulates the heroic fighters and the Iraqi people on the achievement of the major victory,&quot; his office said in a statement.

The announcement comes after a gruelling nearly nine-month battle to retake the northern city from the jihadists after three years under their rule.

A photo on Abadi&#39;s official Twitter account showed him dressed in a black military uniform and cap as he arrived in Mosul to announce the recapture of the city.

The fighting did not seem to be completely over yet, with gunfire still audible in Mosul and air strikes hitting the city around the time the premier&#39;s office released the statement.

The declared victory in Mosul marks an epic milestone for the Iraqi security forces, who had crumbled in the face of an IS onslaught across Iraq in 2014.

IS swept across much of Iraq&#39;s Sunni Arab heartland in a lightning offensive that year, proclaiming a self-styled &quot;caliphate&quot; straddling Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

But the jihadist group, which is facing twin offensives backed by a US-led coalition in both countries, has since lost large parts of the territory it once controlled.

The Iraqi forces launched their campaign to recapture Mosul in October, seizing its eastern side in January and launching the battle for its western part the next month.

But the fight grew tougher when Iraqi forces entered the densely populated Old City on the western bank of the Tigris River that divides the city.

In recent days, security forces have killed jihadists trying to escape their dwindling foothold in Mosul, as Iraqi units fought to retake the last two IS-held areas near the Tigris.

Earlier Sunday Iraq&#39;s Joint Operations Command had said it killed &quot;30 terrorists&quot; trying to escape across the river.

Even in the final days of the battle, thousands of civilians remained trapped inside the Old City and those who fled arrived grief-stricken after losing relatives in jihadist sniper fire and bombardments.

Around 915,000 residents have fled Mosul since the start of the battle for the city in October, the United Nations said this week.

Iraqi forces are backed by air strikes and advisers of the US-led coalition fighting IS in Iraq and Syria since 2014.

Abadi declared on Twitter late last month that &quot;we are seeing the end of the fake (IS) state&quot;.

The recapture of Mosul will not however mark the end of the threat posed by IS, which holds territory elsewhere in Iraq and is able to carry out frequent bombings in government-held areas.

In Syria, a US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance is fighting to oust the jihadist group from the northern city of Raqa after penetrating its heavily fortified historic centre.

The declared victory in Mosul marks an epic milestone for the Iraqi security forces, who had crumbled in the face of an IS onslaught across Iraq in 2014

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory in the "liberated" city of Mosul on Sunday, his office said, in the biggest defeat yet for the Islamic State group. Abadi "arrives in the liberated city of Mosul and congratulates the heroic fighters and the Iraqi people on the achievement of the major victory," his office said in a statement. The announcement comes after a gruelling nearly nine-month battle to retake the northern city from the jihadists after three years under their rule. A photo on Abadi's official Twitter account showed him dressed in a black military uniform and cap as he arrived in Mosul to announce the recapture of the city. The fighting did not seem to be completely over yet, with gunfire still audible in Mosul and air strikes hitting the city around the time the premier's office released the statement. The declared victory in Mosul marks an epic milestone for the Iraqi security forces, who had crumbled in the face of an IS onslaught across Iraq in 2014. IS swept across much of Iraq's Sunni Arab heartland in a lightning offensive that year, proclaiming a self-styled "caliphate" straddling Iraq and neighbouring Syria. But the jihadist group, which is facing twin offensives backed by a US-led coalition in both countries, has since lost large parts of the territory it once controlled. The Iraqi forces launched their campaign to recapture Mosul in October, seizing its eastern side in January and launching the battle for its western part the next month. But the fight grew tougher when Iraqi forces entered the densely populated Old City on the western bank of the Tigris River that divides the city. In recent days, security forces have killed jihadists trying to escape their dwindling foothold in Mosul, as Iraqi units fought to retake the last two IS-held areas near the Tigris. Earlier Sunday Iraq's Joint Operations Command had said it killed "30 terrorists" trying to escape across the river. Even in the final days of the battle, thousands of civilians remained trapped inside the Old City and those who fled arrived grief-stricken after losing relatives in jihadist sniper fire and bombardments. Around 915,000 residents have fled Mosul since the start of the battle for the city in October, the United Nations said this week. Iraqi forces are backed by air strikes and advisers of the US-led coalition fighting IS in Iraq and Syria since 2014. Abadi declared on Twitter late last month that "we are seeing the end of the fake (IS) state". The recapture of Mosul will not however mark the end of the threat posed by IS, which holds territory elsewhere in Iraq and is able to carry out frequent bombings in government-held areas. In Syria, a US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance is fighting to oust the jihadist group from the northern city of Raqa after penetrating its heavily fortified historic centre.

Iraq PM declares victory over Islamic State in 'liberated' Mosul

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the car bomb attacks in Egypt&#39;s Sinai that killed at least 23 soldiers in the deadliest attack in the turbulent region in two years.

The IS issued an online statement saying it carried out the coordinated attack.&nbsp;

At least 23 soldiers were killed and 26 injured when two car bombs hit two checkpoints just south of Rafah, Reuters cited security sources as saying.

The two cars blew up as they passed through two checkpoints outside of a military compound, on the border with the Gaza Strip, the security sources said.&nbsp;

Security sources described Friday&#39;s attack as a coordinated strike, with car bombs blowing apart checkpoints as gunmen in four-wheel drive vehicles shot down soldiers running for cover.

Militants in armoured vehicles meanwhile fired rocket-propelled grenades at a military site just beyond the checkpoint, the sources said.

The attack is the most severe in Sinai since at least July 2015, when Islamic State militants assaulted simultaneously a slew of checkpoints and military sites around North Sinai. At least 17 soldiers were killed, according to an official tally.

(With inputs from Reuters)

At least 23 soldiers were killed and 26 injured when two car bombs hit two checkpoints just south of Rafah, according to security sources

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the car bomb attacks in Egypt's Sinai that killed at least 23 soldiers in the deadliest attack in the turbulent region in two years. The IS issued an online statement saying it carried out the coordinated attack. At least 23 soldiers were killed and 26 injured when two car bombs hit two checkpoints just south of Rafah, Reuters cited security sources as saying. The two cars blew up as they passed through two checkpoints outside of a military compound, on the border with the Gaza Strip, the security sources said. Security sources described Friday's attack as a coordinated strike, with car bombs blowing apart checkpoints as gunmen in four-wheel drive vehicles shot down soldiers running for cover. Militants in armoured vehicles meanwhile fired rocket-propelled grenades at a military site just beyond the checkpoint, the sources said. The attack is the most severe in Sinai since at least July 2015, when Islamic State militants assaulted simultaneously a slew of checkpoints and military sites around North Sinai. At least 17 soldiers were killed, according to an official tally. (With inputs from Reuters)

Islamic State claims car bomb attacks in Egypt's Sinai that killed 23 soldiers

In a move that signals that the ongoing diplomatic standoff involving Qatar and other Arab states will only worsen, the four Arab states led by Saudi Arabia pledged new political, economic and legal steps against Qatar declaring the earlier set of 13 demands as void.

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE met in Cairo and discussed the new set of measures against Doha. They said that Qatar&#39;s refusal to comply with the initial set of 13 demands is proof that the gas-rich nation has links with terror groups.

However, the anti-Qatar coalition led by Saudi Arabia did not elaborate as to when the new measures will come into force.&nbsp;

The four Aarb states condemned Doha&#39;s response as &quot;negative&quot; and lacking in content, Reuters reported.

The United States has expressed concern that the ongoing dispute between Qatar and the Arab states could drag for months or possibly even intensify.&nbsp;

Speaking about the rift between Qatar on one side and Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt on the other, state department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said, &quot;We remain very concerned about that ongoing situation between Qatar and GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries.&quot;

&quot;We&#39;ve become increasingly concerned that that dispute is at an impasse at this point. We believe that this could potentially drag on for weeks. It could drag on for months. It could possibly even intensify,&quot; she added.&nbsp;

According to a report, US secretary of state Rex Tillerson is planning to visit Kuwait which is acting as a mediator in the dispute. US defence secretary Jim Mattis had a phone conversation with his Qatari counterpart stressing the &quot;importance of de-escalating tensions&quot;, Reuters quoted the Pentagon as saying. &nbsp;

Mattis also reaffirmed America&#39;s startegic security partnership with Qatar. Qatar is one of the important allies of US in the fight against the Islamic State as it hosts the largest US air force base in the entire region from where anti-IS raids are launched. &nbsp;

The rift started last month in June when the four Arab states broke diplomatic ties with the gas-rch nation, which is also a close US-ally in West Asia, alleging that it has links with terror groups. 
&nbsp;

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE met in Cairo and discussed the new set of measures against Doha

In a move that signals that the ongoing diplomatic standoff involving Qatar and other Arab states will only worsen, the four Arab states led by Saudi Arabia pledged new political, economic and legal steps against Qatar declaring the earlier set of 13 demands as void. The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE met in Cairo and discussed the new set of measures against Doha. They said that Qatar's refusal to comply with the initial set of 13 demands is proof that the gas-rich nation has links with terror groups. However, the anti-Qatar coalition led by Saudi Arabia did not elaborate as to when the new measures will come into force. The four Aarb states condemned Doha's response as "negative" and lacking in content, Reuters reported. The United States has expressed concern that the ongoing dispute between Qatar and the Arab states could drag for months or possibly even intensify. Speaking about the rift between Qatar on one side and Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt on the other, state department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said, "We remain very concerned about that ongoing situation between Qatar and GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries." "We've become increasingly concerned that that dispute is at an impasse at this point. We believe that this could potentially drag on for weeks. It could drag on for months. It could possibly even intensify," she added. According to a report, US secretary of state Rex Tillerson is planning to visit Kuwait which is acting as a mediator in the dispute. US defence secretary Jim Mattis had a phone conversation with his Qatari counterpart stressing the "importance of de-escalating tensions", Reuters quoted the Pentagon as saying. Mattis also reaffirmed America's startegic security partnership with Qatar. Qatar is one of the important allies of US in the fight against the Islamic State as it hosts the largest US air force base in the entire region from where anti-IS raids are launched. The rift started last month in June when the four Arab states broke diplomatic ties with the gas-rch nation, which is also a close US-ally in West Asia, alleging that it has links with terror groups.

US fears rift involving Qatar & Arab states could intensify

Terrorists affiliated with the&nbsp;<a href="http://aninews.in/keysearch/keyword-search/islamic-state-of-iraq-and-syria.html">Islamic State of Iraq and Syria</a>&nbsp;(ISIS) terrorist group&#39;s offshoot in&nbsp;<a href="http://aninews.in/keysearch/keyword-search/afghanistan.html">Afghanistan</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://aninews.in/keysearch/keyword-search/isis-khurasan.html">ISIS Khurasan</a>, have beheaded 10 Taliban fighters in the northern&nbsp;<a href="http://aninews.in/keysearch/keyword-search/jawzjan.html">Jawzjan</a>&nbsp;province.

IS fighters and Taliban militants have been engaged in intense fighting over the past several weeks for consolidating their positions in parts of Darzab district, but&nbsp;<a href="http://aninews.in/keysearch/keyword-search/islamic-state.html">Islamic State</a>&nbsp;fighters captured Aqbalaq village in Darzab district and arrested 10 Taliban fighters and beheaded them, Xinhua reported.

Neither Taliban nor ISIS has made a comment on the report.

Darzab district and parts of Jowzjan province which is 390 km north of Kabul, have been the scene of&nbsp;<a href="http://aninews.in/keysearch/keyword-search/taliban.html">Taliban</a>&nbsp;and IS activities over the past more than one year.

In another incident, as many as fourteen militants ISIS militants have been killed in eastern&nbsp;<a href="http://aninews.in/keysearch/keyword-search/nangarhar.html">Nangarhar</a>&nbsp;province.

The 201st Silab Corps of the&nbsp;<a href="http://aninews.in/keysearch/keyword-search/afghan-national-army.html">Afghan National Army</a>&nbsp;confirmed that fourteen&nbsp;<a href="http://aninews.in/keysearch/keyword-search/isis.html">ISIS</a>&nbsp;militants were killed mysteriously in Khogyani district.

IS and Taliban have been engaged in intense fighting over the past several weeks for consolidating their positions in parts of Darzab district

Terrorists affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group's offshoot in Afghanistan, ISIS Khurasan, have beheaded 10 Taliban fighters in the northern Jawzjan province. IS fighters and Taliban militants have been engaged in intense fighting over the past several weeks for consolidating their positions in parts of Darzab district, but Islamic State fighters captured Aqbalaq village in Darzab district and arrested 10 Taliban fighters and beheaded them, Xinhua reported. Neither Taliban nor ISIS has made a comment on the report. Darzab district and parts of Jowzjan province which is 390 km north of Kabul, have been the scene of Taliban and IS activities over the past more than one year. In another incident, as many as fourteen militants ISIS militants have been killed in eastern Nangarhar province. The 201st Silab Corps of the Afghan National Army confirmed that fourteen ISIS militants were killed mysteriously in Khogyani district.

Ten Taliban fighters beheaded by Islamic State in Afghanistan

&nbsp;Islamic State group jihadists recaptured an eastern district of their Syrian bastion Raqqa today, a monitor said, rolling back the advance of US-backed fighters.

&quot;IS fully retook Al-Senaa, which was the most important neighbourhood taken by the Syrian Democratic Forces,&quot; said Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

&quot;IS fighters attacked the SDF with suicide bombers and (weaponised) drones, and also used tunnels,&quot; he told AFP.

The densely built-up neighbourhood was the closest that the SDF and allied Arab fighters known as the Elite Forces had come to the city centre.

Yesterday, dozens of jihadists disguised in SDF uniforms launched an attack on Al-Senaa from the city centre, carrying out three suicide car bomb attacks and overrunning six SDF positions.

By today, the SDF and its allies withdrew from Al-Senaa to the adjacent neighbourhood of Al-Meshleb.

&quot;They are now reinforcing their defensive positions in Al-Meshleb,&quot; Abdel Rahman said.

An IS statement published on social media early Friday said its fighters had been locked in &quot;hours-long&quot; clashes with the SDF in Al-Senaa and Al-Meshleb.

The SDF broke into Raqqa on June 6 after spending months chipping away at jihadist territory around the city.

With the loss of Al-Senaa, the SDF is left in control of Al-Meshleb and two districts in the west of the city.

Yesterday, the SDF cut off the last escape route for IS from Raqqa, trapping the besieged jihadists inside their de facto Syrian capital.

Around 2,500 jihadists are fighting inside Raqqa, according to British Major General Rupert Jones, a deputy commander of the US-led coalition backing the SDF.

The United Nations estimates some 100,000 civilians remain in the city, with the jihadists accused of using them as human shields.

Raqqa became infamous as the scene of some of the worst IS atrocities, including public beheadings, and is thought to have been a hub for planning attacks overseas.

'IS fully retook Al-Senaa, which was the most important neighborhood taken by the Syrian Democratic Forces,' said Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights

Islamic State group jihadists recaptured an eastern district of their Syrian bastion Raqqa today, a monitor said, rolling back the advance of US-backed fighters. "IS fully retook Al-Senaa, which was the most important neighbourhood taken by the Syrian Democratic Forces," said Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "IS fighters attacked the SDF with suicide bombers and (weaponised) drones, and also used tunnels," he told AFP. The densely built-up neighbourhood was the closest that the SDF and allied Arab fighters known as the Elite Forces had come to the city centre. Yesterday, dozens of jihadists disguised in SDF uniforms launched an attack on Al-Senaa from the city centre, carrying out three suicide car bomb attacks and overrunning six SDF positions. By today, the SDF and its allies withdrew from Al-Senaa to the adjacent neighbourhood of Al-Meshleb. "They are now reinforcing their defensive positions in Al-Meshleb," Abdel Rahman said. An IS statement published on social media early Friday said its fighters had been locked in "hours-long" clashes with the SDF in Al-Senaa and Al-Meshleb. The SDF broke into Raqqa on June 6 after spending months chipping away at jihadist territory around the city. With the loss of Al-Senaa, the SDF is left in control of Al-Meshleb and two districts in the west of the city. Yesterday, the SDF cut off the last escape route for IS from Raqqa, trapping the besieged jihadists inside their de facto Syrian capital. Around 2,500 jihadists are fighting inside Raqqa, according to British Major General Rupert Jones, a deputy commander of the US-led coalition backing the SDF. The United Nations estimates some 100,000 civilians remain in the city, with the jihadists accused of using them as human shields. Raqqa became infamous as the scene of some of the worst IS atrocities, including public beheadings, and is thought to have been a hub for planning attacks overseas.

IS retakes Raqqa district from US-backed forces: Monitor

The United States announced Wednesday it would implement tough new security rules for all airlines flying into the country, but held off from a threatened expansion of its carry-on laptop ban.

Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly said evolving terror threats made it imperative to raise overall security standards, rather than take a piecemeal approach on personal electronics.

&quot;Make no mistake: our enemies are constantly working to find new methods for disguising explosives, recruiting insiders, and hijacking aircraft,&quot; Kelly said.

&quot;We cannot play international whack-a-mole with each new threat. Instead, we must put in place new measures across the board to keep the traveling public safe and make it harder for terrorists to succeed.&quot;

The move put off for the moment an extension of the ban on laptops and other carry-on personal electronics to flights from Europe, something that had been under discussion for months.

The laptop ban was instituted in March for eight North African and Middle East countries based on intelligence that the Islamic State group was working to build a bomb into a tablet or laptop computer.

For the same reason, Britain also banned similar-sized electronics from being carried into cabins on direct flights from six countries.

In a speech at a conference of the Center for a New American Security, Kelly said the terror threat to airlines has not diminished.

&quot;In fact, I am concerned that we are seeing renewed interest on the part of terrorist groups to go after the aviation sector -- from bombing aircraft to attacking airports on the ground, as we saw in Brussels and Istanbul.&quot;

He said airlines and airports around the world would have to implement a mix of new technological and physical screening methods for passengers and their devices.

2,000 daily flights in focus&nbsp;

Homeland Security officials said the agency would issue directives to about 180 air carriers in 105 countries, including US carriers, that fly into the United States.

Collectively they operate about 2,000 US-bound flights each day carrying some 325,000 passengers.

Kelly also said the United States would push harder for foreign airports to accept &quot;preclearance&quot; immigration operations manned by US Customs and Border Patrol officials to process US-bound passengers before they board their flights.

Such operations have already been established in 15 locations in six countries, including Canada, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates.

But it raises sensitive sovereignty issues to have US law enforcement officials operate inside another country.

US officials remained vague about the specific requirements of the new program.

Airlines will be pressed to adopt a mix of new measures, including installing new screening technology, making more use of chemical sniffer dogs, and other unspecified steps.

But the precise requirements in each case would depend on individual airlines, the airports they fly from, and their current levels of security. Some will have to make only minor improvements, they said.

Asked about timeframes, officials would only say that they would give adequate time for the airlines to adapt.

&quot;We are raising the bar globally&quot; for security standards, said one senior official who declined to be identified.

They also said they expect nearly all carriers to be able to meet the new standards.

Those that cannot or will not, they said, would be forced to reject all passenger electronics, either in the cabin or hold of the aircraft, or may even find themselves unable to fly to the United States.

(AFP)

Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly said evolving terror threats made it imperative to raise overall security standards

The United States announced Wednesday it would implement tough new security rules for all airlines flying into the country, but held off from a threatened expansion of its carry-on laptop ban. Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly said evolving terror threats made it imperative to raise overall security standards, rather than take a piecemeal approach on personal electronics. "Make no mistake: our enemies are constantly working to find new methods for disguising explosives, recruiting insiders, and hijacking aircraft," Kelly said. "We cannot play international whack-a-mole with each new threat. Instead, we must put in place new measures across the board to keep the traveling public safe and make it harder for terrorists to succeed." The move put off for the moment an extension of the ban on laptops and other carry-on personal electronics to flights from Europe, something that had been under discussion for months. The laptop ban was instituted in March for eight North African and Middle East countries based on intelligence that the Islamic State group was working to build a bomb into a tablet or laptop computer. For the same reason, Britain also banned similar-sized electronics from being carried into cabins on direct flights from six countries. In a speech at a conference of the Center for a New American Security, Kelly said the terror threat to airlines has not diminished. "In fact, I am concerned that we are seeing renewed interest on the part of terrorist groups to go after the aviation sector -- from bombing aircraft to attacking airports on the ground, as we saw in Brussels and Istanbul." He said airlines and airports around the world would have to implement a mix of new technological and physical screening methods for passengers and their devices. 2,000 daily flights in focus Homeland Security officials said the agency would issue directives to about 180 air carriers in 105 countries, including US carriers, that fly into the United States. Collectively they operate about 2,000 US-bound flights each day carrying some 325,000 passengers. Kelly also said the United States would push harder for foreign airports to accept "preclearance" immigration operations manned by US Customs and Border Patrol officials to process US-bound passengers before they board their flights. Such operations have already been established in 15 locations in six countries, including Canada, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates. But it raises sensitive sovereignty issues to have US law enforcement officials operate inside another country. US officials remained vague about the specific requirements of the new program. Airlines will be pressed to adopt a mix of new measures, including installing new screening technology, making more use of chemical sniffer dogs, and other unspecified steps. But the precise requirements in each case would depend on individual airlines, the airports they fly from, and their current levels of security. Some will have to make only minor improvements, they said. Asked about timeframes, officials would only say that they would give adequate time for the airlines to adapt. "We are raising the bar globally" for security standards, said one senior official who declined to be identified. They also said they expect nearly all carriers to be able to meet the new standards. Those that cannot or will not, they said, would be forced to reject all passenger electronics, either in the cabin or hold of the aircraft, or may even find themselves unable to fly to the United States. (AFP)

US to implement tough new security rules for all airlines flying into the country

57 are dead after a US-led airstrike targeted a jail run by the&nbsp;Islamic State (IS), AFP reports, citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The prisoners are people who have been jailed&nbsp;by the IS, not IS members who have been imprisoned.

&quot;The strikes hit an IS jail in Mayadeen at dawn on Monday, killing 44 prisoners and 15 jihadists,&quot; Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

Mayadeen lies in the Euphrates Valley some 45 kilometres (28 miles) southeast of the provincial capital of Deir Ezzor.

Earlier today US General Jim Mattis said that America did not want to enter the Syrian civil war, a comment made in response to President Trump&#39;s vague threat that if Syria&#39;s Assad used chemical weapons against his population, Assad would &quot;pay a heavy price&quot;.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

42 prisoners and 15 jihadists have been killed, according to Syrian Observatory for Human Rights chief Rami Abdel Rahman

57 are dead after a US-led airstrike targeted a jail run by the Islamic State (IS), AFP reports, citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The prisoners are people who have been jailed by the IS, not IS members who have been imprisoned. "The strikes hit an IS jail in Mayadeen at dawn on Monday, killing 44 prisoners and 15 jihadists," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. Mayadeen lies in the Euphrates Valley some 45 kilometres (28 miles) southeast of the provincial capital of Deir Ezzor. Earlier today US General Jim Mattis said that America did not want to enter the Syrian civil war, a comment made in response to President Trump's vague threat that if Syria's Assad used chemical weapons against his population, Assad would "pay a heavy price".

57 dead in US-led airstrike on Islamic State prison: Monitor

Six foreign pilgrims were hurt on Friday in Saudi Arabia when a suicide bomber targeting Islam&#39;s holiest site of Mecca blew himself up, the Interior Ministry said.

The incident happened around the Grand Mosque, where hundreds of thousands of worshippers gathered for early afternoon prayers on the last Friday of this year&#39;s Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month.

Ministry spokesman General Mansour al-Turki told Saudi television that police &quot;foiled the terrorist plan that targeted the security of the Grand Mosque, pilgrims and worshippers.&quot;

In dawn raids on Mecca and the Red Sea city of Jeddah officers arrested five suspects, including a woman, before surrounding the bomber&#39;s location around the Grand Mosque.

&quot;Unfortunately he started shooting towards security personnel once he noticed their presence in the area, which led to an exchange of fire before he blew himself up,&quot; Turki said.

The blast partially collapsed the building where he had taken refuge, injuring the six pilgrims, Turki said.

He added that four had already been released from hospital, and five security men were also slightly hurt.

Since late 2014 Saudi Arabia has faced periodic bombings and shootings claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.

Purported images from the scene that circulated on social media showed an alley filled with bricks and other debris apparently from a blast.

Video showed what appeared to be a bearded man&#39;s head lying among rubble from a collapsed structure.

Counter-terrorism capabilities&nbsp;

Near the end of Ramadan last year in the Saudi city of Medina four security officers died in an explosion close to Islam&#39;s second holiest site, the Prophet&#39;s Mosque.

It was one of three suicide blasts around the kingdom on the same day, in which a total of seven people were believed killed. The others occurred in Jeddah and in the Gulf city of Qatif.

The US Central Intelligence Agency said those attacks bore the hallmarks of IS.

Most of the targets in Saudi Arabia have been the Shiite minority and security forces, killing dozens of people.

IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has called for attacks against the kingdom, a member of the US-led coalition battling the group in Syria and Iraq.

Since July last year police have arrested around 40 people, including Saudis and Pakistanis, for alleged extremist links.

Saudi Arabia&#39;s counter-terrorism capabilities -- which for years were led by Prince Mohammed bin Nayef -- are well-regarded internationally.

On Wednesday Prince Mohammed was ousted from his posts of crown prince and interior minister, replaced as heir to the throne by King Salman&#39;s son Mohammed bin Salman.

Friday&#39;s counter-terrorist operation was the first to take place under the new interior minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef, who is in his early 30s.

Prince Abdulaziz is the nephew of the deposed minister.

(AFP)

In dawn raids on Mecca and the Red Sea city of Jeddah officers arrested five suspects, including a woman, before surrounding the bomber's location around the Grand Mosque

Six foreign pilgrims were hurt on Friday in Saudi Arabia when a suicide bomber targeting Islam's holiest site of Mecca blew himself up, the Interior Ministry said. The incident happened around the Grand Mosque, where hundreds of thousands of worshippers gathered for early afternoon prayers on the last Friday of this year's Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month. Ministry spokesman General Mansour al-Turki told Saudi television that police "foiled the terrorist plan that targeted the security of the Grand Mosque, pilgrims and worshippers." In dawn raids on Mecca and the Red Sea city of Jeddah officers arrested five suspects, including a woman, before surrounding the bomber's location around the Grand Mosque. "Unfortunately he started shooting towards security personnel once he noticed their presence in the area, which led to an exchange of fire before he blew himself up," Turki said. The blast partially collapsed the building where he had taken refuge, injuring the six pilgrims, Turki said. He added that four had already been released from hospital, and five security men were also slightly hurt. Since late 2014 Saudi Arabia has faced periodic bombings and shootings claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group. Purported images from the scene that circulated on social media showed an alley filled with bricks and other debris apparently from a blast. Video showed what appeared to be a bearded man's head lying among rubble from a collapsed structure. Counter-terrorism capabilities Near the end of Ramadan last year in the Saudi city of Medina four security officers died in an explosion close to Islam's second holiest site, the Prophet's Mosque. It was one of three suicide blasts around the kingdom on the same day, in which a total of seven people were believed killed. The others occurred in Jeddah and in the Gulf city of Qatif. The US Central Intelligence Agency said those attacks bore the hallmarks of IS. Most of the targets in Saudi Arabia have been the Shiite minority and security forces, killing dozens of people. IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has called for attacks against the kingdom, a member of the US-led coalition battling the group in Syria and Iraq. Since July last year police have arrested around 40 people, including Saudis and Pakistanis, for alleged extremist links. Saudi Arabia's counter-terrorism capabilities -- which for years were led by Prince Mohammed bin Nayef -- are well-regarded internationally. On Wednesday Prince Mohammed was ousted from his posts of crown prince and interior minister, replaced as heir to the throne by King Salman's son Mohammed bin Salman. Friday's counter-terrorist operation was the first to take place under the new interior minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef, who is in his early 30s. Prince Abdulaziz is the nephew of the deposed minister. (AFP)

Six hurt as suicide bomber targeting Grand Mosque in Mecca blows himself up

Coalition forces have killed a key Islamic State financier in an airstrike in Syria&#39;s Abu Kamal on June 16, according to a statement issued by the Joint Task Force.&nbsp;

Fawaz Muhammad Jubayr al-Rawi, a Syria native, owned the Hanifa Currency Exchange in Abu Kamal which he used to move millions of dollars for the terror organisation.

The United States Department of Treasury had imposed sanctions on Hanifa Currency Exchange&#39;s branch in Abu Kamal in 2016.&nbsp;

The US Department of Treasury designated al-Rawi for providing financial and material support to Islamic State. Al-Rawi pledged loyalty to Islamic State in 2014. His network was used by the terror organisation to conduct weapons deals.

Coalition forces have been targeting Islamic State&#39;s financial network which has severely impaired the terror orgainstaion&#39;s ability to move reources and export terrorism.&nbsp;

&quot;The Coalition&#39;s efforts to disrupt and attack ISIS&#39;s financial networks have restricted the terror group&#39;s ability to move resources and export terrorism,&quot; the statement released by Combined Joint Task Force said.

A number of al-Rawi&#39;s close associates have been killed including Samir Idris, a key fianancial facilitator for the Islamic State, who was killed on June 7, 2017 in Syria. 
&nbsp;

Fawaz Muhammad Jubayr al-Rawi, a Syria native, owned the Hanifa Currency Exchange in Abu Kamal which he used to move millions of dollars for the terror organisation

Coalition forces have killed a key Islamic State financier in an airstrike in Syria's Abu Kamal on June 16, according to a statement issued by the Joint Task Force. Fawaz Muhammad Jubayr al-Rawi, a Syria native, owned the Hanifa Currency Exchange in Abu Kamal which he used to move millions of dollars for the terror organisation. The United States Department of Treasury had imposed sanctions on Hanifa Currency Exchange's branch in Abu Kamal in 2016. The US Department of Treasury designated al-Rawi for providing financial and material support to Islamic State. Al-Rawi pledged loyalty to Islamic State in 2014. His network was used by the terror organisation to conduct weapons deals. Coalition forces have been targeting Islamic State's financial network which has severely impaired the terror orgainstaion's ability to move reources and export terrorism. "The Coalition's efforts to disrupt and attack ISIS's financial networks have restricted the terror group's ability to move resources and export terrorism," the statement released by Combined Joint Task Force said. A number of al-Rawi's close associates have been killed including Samir Idris, a key fianancial facilitator for the Islamic State, who was killed on June 7, 2017 in Syria.

Key Islamic State financier killed in coalition air strike in Syria

Australia Thursday lifted a suspension on military air missions over Syria imposed after the shooting down of a Syrian jet by US forces.

Canberra temporarily halted flights on Tuesday after a spike in tensions between the US and Russia, which warned it would track coalition aircraft in Syria as potential &quot;targets&quot;.

Moscow also halted a military hotline with Washington over the incident, intended to prevent confrontations in Syria&#39;s crowded air space.

Australia defence ministry said in a statement the suspension was &quot;a precautionary measure to allow the coalition to assess the operational risk&quot;.

&quot;The suspension has since been lifted,&quot; it added.

The United States moved quickly to contain an escalation of the situation after the jet was downed on Sunday evening when regime forces targeted the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Arab and Kurdish fighters battling IS.

A top US general said the country would work to relaunch the &quot;deconfliction&quot; hotline established in 2015, after Russia said Washington had failed to use the line -- a vital incident-prevention tool -- before targeting the plane near Raqa.

Australia is part of the coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq and in late 2015 extended air operations into Syria, with a total of 780 defence personnel based in the Middle East.

The staunch US ally in September said it would widen the scope of targets in the air war against IS by allowing its pilots to strike jihadist support and logistics resources in Iraq and Syria.

Australia&#39;s Air Task Group consists of 300 personnel, six F/A-18 Hornets, an E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft, and a KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker and Transport plane.

(AFP)

Canberra temporarily halted flights on Tuesday after a spike in tensions between the US and Russia

Australia Thursday lifted a suspension on military air missions over Syria imposed after the shooting down of a Syrian jet by US forces. Canberra temporarily halted flights on Tuesday after a spike in tensions between the US and Russia, which warned it would track coalition aircraft in Syria as potential "targets". Moscow also halted a military hotline with Washington over the incident, intended to prevent confrontations in Syria's crowded air space. Australia defence ministry said in a statement the suspension was "a precautionary measure to allow the coalition to assess the operational risk". "The suspension has since been lifted," it added. The United States moved quickly to contain an escalation of the situation after the jet was downed on Sunday evening when regime forces targeted the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Arab and Kurdish fighters battling IS. A top US general said the country would work to relaunch the "deconfliction" hotline established in 2015, after Russia said Washington had failed to use the line -- a vital incident-prevention tool -- before targeting the plane near Raqa. Australia is part of the coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq and in late 2015 extended air operations into Syria, with a total of 780 defence personnel based in the Middle East. The staunch US ally in September said it would widen the scope of targets in the air war against IS by allowing its pilots to strike jihadist support and logistics resources in Iraq and Syria. Australia's Air Task Group consists of 300 personnel, six F/A-18 Hornets, an E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft, and a KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker and Transport plane. (AFP)

Australia's military resumes air operations over Syria

As many as 300 gunmen have storm a school in the southern Philippines&nbsp;in a village close to&nbsp;Pigcawayan town, according to police, reports <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-militants-idUSKBN19C062" target="_blank">Reuters</a><a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/gunmen-storm-pigcawayan-town-occupy-school-police-170621014437983.html" target="_blank">.</a>&nbsp;

A gun battle with security forces is taking place between suspected members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) group and security forces, according to Chief Inspector Realan Mamon.

Reuters reports that several students are being held hostage, but the <a href="http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/907357/residents-trapped-as-biff-men-attack-north-cotabato-village">mayor </a>was unable to confirm that earlier, and stated that the gunmen attacked the school before class was scheduled to start.

The IS-linked militants are being led by one &quot;Commander Agila&quot;, in&nbsp;the village of&nbsp;Barangay Malagakit, reports the Philippines daily,&nbsp;<a href="http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/907357/residents-trapped-as-biff-men-attack-north-cotabato-village" target="_blank">Inquirer</a>.&nbsp;

The mayor is still seeking information about possible casualties. He confirmed that civilians were trapped.

President Duterte declared a state of emergency on Mindanao island last month, as Islamic State-linked fighters were embroiled in a siege on Marawi City, now in its fifth week.

They are on the same island, but there is as much as 190 kilometres separating Pigcawayan from&nbsp;Marawi city.&nbsp;An Al Jazeera reporter speculated that&nbsp;the state of martial law across the region may be a type of link.

This story will be updated as new reports come in.

Several students are feared to have been held hostage, though the gunmen attacked before class was scheduled to start

As many as 300 gunmen have storm a school in the southern Philippines in a village close to Pigcawayan town, according to police, reports Reuters. A gun battle with security forces is taking place between suspected members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) group and security forces, according to Chief Inspector Realan Mamon. Reuters reports that several students are being held hostage, but the mayor was unable to confirm that earlier, and stated that the gunmen attacked the school before class was scheduled to start. The IS-linked militants are being led by one "Commander Agila", in the village of Barangay Malagakit, reports the Philippines daily, Inquirer. The mayor is still seeking information about possible casualties. He confirmed that civilians were trapped. President Duterte declared a state of emergency on Mindanao island last month, as Islamic State-linked fighters were embroiled in a siege on Marawi City, now in its fifth week. They are on the same island, but there is as much as 190 kilometres separating Pigcawayan from Marawi city. An Al Jazeera reporter speculated that the state of martial law across the region may be a type of link. This story will be updated as new reports come in.

300 Islamic State-linked militants storm Philippines school, civilians trapped

Spy agencies reportedly suspect that an Islamic State (IS) terrorist of Indian nationality has died in the Philippines, reports the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-4614364/Has-Indian-ISIS-fighter-killed-Philippines.html" target="_blank">Daily Mail.</a>

It is thought that he died while fighting in the city of Marawi. Officials are trying to confirm the&nbsp;information they received.

&quot;There are inputs that one person by the name of Mushtaq, who left India to join the terror group was part of the ISIS group which carried out the assault on the Filippino city and we are in the process of verifying the input,&quot; said a senior intelligence officer to Mail Today.

Marawi has been under siege for weeks by IS militants.

If Mushtaq is in fact an Indian, he would be the first Indian fighting for Islamic State in South East Asia, which has attracted Islamic terrorists across the region as of late.&nbsp;But Indians have been noticeably reluctant to join the Islamic State, said&nbsp;the official cited by the Daily Mail, who added that spy agencies are worried about isolated youths being recruited, and radicalised over the internet to become &quot;lone wolves&quot;.

&nbsp;

If the IS member killed in Marawi was in fact Indian, he'd be the first Indian fighting for IS in South East Asia

Spy agencies reportedly suspect that an Islamic State (IS) terrorist of Indian nationality has died in the Philippines, reports the Daily Mail. It is thought that he died while fighting in the city of Marawi. Officials are trying to confirm the information they received. "There are inputs that one person by the name of Mushtaq, who left India to join the terror group was part of the ISIS group which carried out the assault on the Filippino city and we are in the process of verifying the input," said a senior intelligence officer to Mail Today. Marawi has been under siege for weeks by IS militants. If Mushtaq is in fact an Indian, he would be the first Indian fighting for Islamic State in South East Asia, which has attracted Islamic terrorists across the region as of late. But Indians have been noticeably reluctant to join the Islamic State, said the official cited by the Daily Mail, who added that spy agencies are worried about isolated youths being recruited, and radicalised over the internet to become "lone wolves".

Did an Indian die in the Philippines fighting for Islamic State?

Iraqi forces started storming the Islamic State-held Old City of Mosul on Sunday, according to a released&nbsp;military statement. Mosul used to be the Islamic State (IS) capital in Iraq, but now the historic district is the last still under the militants&nbsp;control.

It is quintessential guerilla warfare here,&nbsp;fought in a densely-populated labyrinth&nbsp;of narrow alleyways.&nbsp;Combat&nbsp;is often conducted house by house.

About 100,000 civilians remain trapped here, stuck&nbsp;with little food, water and medicine. Hospital access is&nbsp;limited, too, according to the United Nations.

&quot;This is the last chapter&quot; in the offensive to take Mosul, said Lieutenant General Abdul Ghani al-Asadi, the commander of the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) elite units.

The US-backed Iraqi offensive to capture Mosul entered its ninth month on Saturday. As part of a diabolical tactic to keep civilians in as human shields,&nbsp;IS&nbsp;snipers&nbsp;shoot&nbsp;at families trying to escape&nbsp;on foot or by boat across the Tigris River, the UN&nbsp;said on Friday.

Iraqi government forces regained eastern Mosul this&nbsp;January, then a month later began the offensive on the western side that includes the Old City.

The fall of Mosul would, in effect, mark the end of the Iraqi half of the &quot;caliphate&quot; that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared in a speech from an historic mosque in the Old City three years ago, covering parts of Iraq and Syria.

Here is a look back at WION&#39;s report from the end of 2016, at an earlier stage in&nbsp;the fight to take&nbsp;Mosul back from the IS.

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The pentagon has admitted to carrying out another airstrike that killed more than 200 civilians including women and children. The Iraqi vice president has called it a humanitarian disaster (APTN,WION)
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(With inputs from Reuters)

'This is the last chapter' in the offensive to take Mosul, said Lieutenant General Abdul Ghani al-Asadi

Iraqi forces started storming the Islamic State-held Old City of Mosul on Sunday, according to a released military statement. Mosul used to be the Islamic State (IS) capital in Iraq, but now the historic district is the last still under the militants control. It is quintessential guerilla warfare here, fought in a densely-populated labyrinth of narrow alleyways. Combat is often conducted house by house. About 100,000 civilians remain trapped here, stuck with little food, water and medicine. Hospital access is limited, too, according to the United Nations. "This is the last chapter" in the offensive to take Mosul, said Lieutenant General Abdul Ghani al-Asadi, the commander of the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) elite units. The US-backed Iraqi offensive to capture Mosul entered its ninth month on Saturday. As part of a diabolical tactic to keep civilians in as human shields, IS snipers shoot at families trying to escape on foot or by boat across the Tigris River, the UN said on Friday. Iraqi government forces regained eastern Mosul this January, then a month later began the offensive on the western side that includes the Old City. The fall of Mosul would, in effect, mark the end of the Iraqi half of the "caliphate" that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared in a speech from an historic mosque in the Old City three years ago, covering parts of Iraq and Syria. Here is a look back at WION's report from the end of 2016, at an earlier stage in the fight to take Mosul back from the IS. The pentagon has admitted to carrying out another airstrike that killed more than 200 civilians including women and children. The Iraqi vice president has called it a humanitarian disaster (APTN,WION) × (With inputs from Reuters)

Iraq forces start storming Mosul's Old City held by IS

Palestinian militant factions denied on Saturday a claim by Islamic State that three Palestinian men who carried out a fatal shooting and stabbing attack in Jerusalem were members of the militant group.

Islamic State took responsibility for the attack on Friday, in which one Israeli police officer was killed and another wounded, according to the group&#39;s Amaq news agency.

Israeli security officials did not respond immediately to requests for comment on what the SITE intelligence monitoring group described as the first time Islamic State had claimed responsibility for an attack in Israeli-controlled territory, nor on the attackers&#39; affiliation.

However, a senior official from Hamas, the Islamic group that rules the Gaza Strip, and the People&#39;s Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said the three attackers, who were all shot dead at the scene, were their own members.

&quot;The three hero martyrs who executed the Jerusalem operation have no connection to Daesh (Islamic State), they are affiliated with the PFLP and Hamas,&quot; Hamas&#39; Izzat El-Reshiq wrote on Twitter.

The PFLP published a separate statement in which it identified two of the three attackers as members. &quot;The media office of the PFLP armed wing mourns two of its hero comrades, two freed prisoners,&quot; it said.

Israeli police said on Friday all the assailants were from Palestinian cities in the occupied West Bank. Two of the attackers, both from Ramallah, were between the ages of 18 and 19 and the third was a 30-year-old from Hebron, police spokeswoman Luba Simri said.

The assaults took place simultaneously in two areas near the Damascus gate of Jerusalem&#39;s walled old city.

Two Palestinians were shot dead after opening fire at and trying to stab a group of Israeli police officers at one scene, police said. At the other, a Palestinian fatally stabbed a border policewoman before being shot dead by police.

A wave of Palestinian street attacks began in October 2015 but has since slowed. Israel blames the violence on incitement by the Palestinian leadership.

The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank, denies that and says assailants have acted out of desperation over Israeli occupation of land sought by Palestinians for a state.

U.S.-brokered peace talks between the sides broke down in 2014. Palestinians want to establish an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War.

Islamic State claimed responsibility first after which Hamas said the three attackers had been their men

Palestinian militant factions denied on Saturday a claim by Islamic State that three Palestinian men who carried out a fatal shooting and stabbing attack in Jerusalem were members of the militant group. Islamic State took responsibility for the attack on Friday, in which one Israeli police officer was killed and another wounded, according to the group's Amaq news agency. Israeli security officials did not respond immediately to requests for comment on what the SITE intelligence monitoring group described as the first time Islamic State had claimed responsibility for an attack in Israeli-controlled territory, nor on the attackers' affiliation. However, a senior official from Hamas, the Islamic group that rules the Gaza Strip, and the People's Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said the three attackers, who were all shot dead at the scene, were their own members. "The three hero martyrs who executed the Jerusalem operation have no connection to Daesh (Islamic State), they are affiliated with the PFLP and Hamas," Hamas' Izzat El-Reshiq wrote on Twitter. The PFLP published a separate statement in which it identified two of the three attackers as members. "The media office of the PFLP armed wing mourns two of its hero comrades, two freed prisoners," it said. Israeli police said on Friday all the assailants were from Palestinian cities in the occupied West Bank. Two of the attackers, both from Ramallah, were between the ages of 18 and 19 and the third was a 30-year-old from Hebron, police spokeswoman Luba Simri said. The assaults took place simultaneously in two areas near the Damascus gate of Jerusalem's walled old city. Two Palestinians were shot dead after opening fire at and trying to stab a group of Israeli police officers at one scene, police said. At the other, a Palestinian fatally stabbed a border policewoman before being shot dead by police. A wave of Palestinian street attacks began in October 2015 but has since slowed. Israel blames the violence on incitement by the Palestinian leadership. The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank, denies that and says assailants have acted out of desperation over Israeli occupation of land sought by Palestinians for a state. U.S.-brokered peace talks between the sides broke down in 2014. Palestinians want to establish an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War.

Israeli policewoman stabbing: Islamic State, Hamas fight to claim responsibility

The fugitive chief recruiter for the Islamic State in the Indian subcontinent Mohammed Shafi Armar was today named a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US, becoming the first Indian leader of the dreaded terror outfit against whom America has slammed sanctions.

The US State Treasury Department, while updating its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT), has included in it Armar, a native of Bhatkal in Karnataka, clearing the way for sanctions against him.

An Interpol Red Corner notice is also pending against the 30-year-old Armar, who has many aliases like Chhote Maula, Anjan Bhai and Yousuf al-Hindi.

Armars name has now been added to the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Treasury Department which enforces economic sanctions programmes, primarily against countries and groups of individuals, such as terrorists and narcotics traffickers.

The sanctions can be either comprehensive or selective, using the blocking of assets and trade restrictions to accomplish foreign policy and national security goals of the US.

This is for the first time that the US has slammed sanctions against an Islamic State (IS) leader in India.

&quot;Mohammed Shafi Armar is a leader and head recruiter in India for the Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group, IS,&nbsp;the State Department said.

&quot;He has cultivated a group of dozens of IS&nbsp;sympathisers who are involved in terrorist activities across India, such as plotting attacks, procuring weapons, and identifying locations for terrorist training camps,&quot; said the statement.

Armar was said to have left for Pakistan along with his elder brother after crackdown on Indian Mujahideen cadres.

After a fight with Bhatkal brothers, including Riyaz, the founder of IM, in Pakistan, Armar is believed to have created Ansar ul Tawhid, which later pledged its allegiance to the IS.

There have been many reports of him having been dead in a drone attack or crackdown by the allied forces. However, every time intelligence agencies began giving credence to such reports, his name or voice cropped up in intercepts.

Tech savvy, Armar has been operating on Facebook and other personal messenger services to contact, brainwash and recruit youths from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

His links to the IS&nbsp;were also the highlight of the interrogation of Yasin Bhatkal, who was arrested near the Nepal border in 2013.

Armar first came on the radar of investigation agencies when the NIA was probing suspected Islamic State cadres in Ratlam of Madhya Pradesh.

During the interrogation of alleged IS operatives, it emerged that Armar was motivating and radicalising Muslim youths in India. He was said to have been recruiting youths for the Jund ul Khalifa-e-Hind through online radicalisation.

The NIA had charge-sheeted him along with five others for allegedly conspiring to carry out terror strikes in the national capital and also during ardh kumbh in Haridwar.

The National Investigation Agency had told a special court that these accused were planning to assemble Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) using extracts from &quot;match sticks&quot;.

The United Arab Emirates had deported three Indians who were allegedly working for Armar.

It emerged during the interrogation of IM suspects that he was a self-proclaimed ally of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, chief of the IS.

Two other IS&nbsp;leaders in Europe and the Middle East, Oussama Ahmad Atar and Mohammed Isa Yousif Saqar Al Binali were also listed as Specially Designated Global Terrorists by the US.

Oussama is a senior leader of IS&nbsp;external operations efforts and has established a network to carry out attacks in Europe.

&quot;He was a leading coordinator of the November 2015 Paris attacks and March 2016 attacks in Brussels,&nbsp;the State Department said.

The Belgian-Moroccan national was responsible for recruiting, training, and sending at least some of the individuals to Paris to launch the November 2015 attacks, which killed and injured hundreds, including Americans, it said.

He also recruited and mentored two of the bombers involved in the March 2016 Brussels attacks that killed 32 and left many more wounded.

Mohammed Binali is a senior member of IS&nbsp;who departed Bahrain to join the terrorist group in 2014 and has since appeared in multiple ISIS propaganda videos calling on Bahrainis, specifically members of Bahrain&#39;s security forces, to join IS, it said.&nbsp;

Shafi Armar: Factfile

Mohammad Shafi Armar, 30, is believed to be Islamic State&#39;s key recruiter in India.

Armar was born in Bhatkal, a coastal town in India&#39;s southern Karnataka state. Armar is the second among three children of a family.

Riyaz Bhatkal&nbsp;roped in Armar and his older brother Sultan. Bhatkal called the Armar brothers to Pakistan. It was decided there that they would go to Oman and lure recruits from Indian subcontinent to join Islamic State.

Sultan later died in March 2015 while fighting for IS in Syria, opening the doors for Shafi to helm the IS recruitment agency called Jund ul Khalifa-e-Hind

Tech savvy Armar took to Facebook and other personal messenger online services to recruit youth&nbsp;from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Armar is believed to have recruited&nbsp;at least 30 men for IS in India, as per intelligence agencies, and at least 20 more from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.&nbsp;

Shafi&#39;s whereabouts remain unknown. In the past five years, he has been tracked in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Oman.

The US State Department&nbsp;on Thursday&nbsp;added three key IS operatives to its &#39;Specially Designated Global Terrorist&#39; list. Shafi was one of them.

&nbsp;

Armar, who has reportedly recruited around 30 Indians for IS, is the first Indian leader of the dreaded terror outfit against whom America has slammed sanctions

The fugitive chief recruiter for the Islamic State in the Indian subcontinent Mohammed Shafi Armar was today named a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US, becoming the first Indian leader of the dreaded terror outfit against whom America has slammed sanctions. The US State Treasury Department, while updating its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT), has included in it Armar, a native of Bhatkal in Karnataka, clearing the way for sanctions against him. An Interpol Red Corner notice is also pending against the 30-year-old Armar, who has many aliases like Chhote Maula, Anjan Bhai and Yousuf al-Hindi. Armars name has now been added to the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Treasury Department which enforces economic sanctions programmes, primarily against countries and groups of individuals, such as terrorists and narcotics traffickers. The sanctions can be either comprehensive or selective, using the blocking of assets and trade restrictions to accomplish foreign policy and national security goals of the US. This is for the first time that the US has slammed sanctions against an Islamic State (IS) leader in India. "Mohammed Shafi Armar is a leader and head recruiter in India for the Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group, IS, the State Department said. "He has cultivated a group of dozens of IS sympathisers who are involved in terrorist activities across India, such as plotting attacks, procuring weapons, and identifying locations for terrorist training camps," said the statement. Armar was said to have left for Pakistan along with his elder brother after crackdown on Indian Mujahideen cadres. After a fight with Bhatkal brothers, including Riyaz, the founder of IM, in Pakistan, Armar is believed to have created Ansar ul Tawhid, which later pledged its allegiance to the IS. There have been many reports of him having been dead in a drone attack or crackdown by the allied forces. However, every time intelligence agencies began giving credence to such reports, his name or voice cropped up in intercepts. Tech savvy, Armar has been operating on Facebook and other personal messenger services to contact, brainwash and recruit youths from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. His links to the IS were also the highlight of the interrogation of Yasin Bhatkal, who was arrested near the Nepal border in 2013. Armar first came on the radar of investigation agencies when the NIA was probing suspected Islamic State cadres in Ratlam of Madhya Pradesh. During the interrogation of alleged IS operatives, it emerged that Armar was motivating and radicalising Muslim youths in India. He was said to have been recruiting youths for the Jund ul Khalifa-e-Hind through online radicalisation. The NIA had charge-sheeted him along with five others for allegedly conspiring to carry out terror strikes in the national capital and also during ardh kumbh in Haridwar. The National Investigation Agency had told a special court that these accused were planning to assemble Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) using extracts from "match sticks". The United Arab Emirates had deported three Indians who were allegedly working for Armar. It emerged during the interrogation of IM suspects that he was a self-proclaimed ally of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, chief of the IS. Two other IS leaders in Europe and the Middle East, Oussama Ahmad Atar and Mohammed Isa Yousif Saqar Al Binali were also listed as Specially Designated Global Terrorists by the US. Oussama is a senior leader of IS external operations efforts and has established a network to carry out attacks in Europe. "He was a leading coordinator of the November 2015 Paris attacks and March 2016 attacks in Brussels, the State Department said. The Belgian-Moroccan national was responsible for recruiting, training, and sending at least some of the individuals to Paris to launch the November 2015 attacks, which killed and injured hundreds, including Americans, it said. He also recruited and mentored two of the bombers involved in the March 2016 Brussels attacks that killed 32 and left many more wounded. Mohammed Binali is a senior member of IS who departed Bahrain to join the terrorist group in 2014 and has since appeared in multiple ISIS propaganda videos calling on Bahrainis, specifically members of Bahrain's security forces, to join IS, it said. Shafi Armar: Factfile Mohammad Shafi Armar, 30, is believed to be Islamic State's key recruiter in India. Armar was born in Bhatkal, a coastal town in India's southern Karnataka state. Armar is the second among three children of a family. Riyaz Bhatkal roped in Armar and his older brother Sultan. Bhatkal called the Armar brothers to Pakistan. It was decided there that they would go to Oman and lure recruits from Indian subcontinent to join Islamic State. Sultan later died in March 2015 while fighting for IS in Syria, opening the doors for Shafi to helm the IS recruitment agency called Jund ul Khalifa-e-Hind Tech savvy Armar took to Facebook and other personal messenger online services to recruit youth from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Armar is believed to have recruited at least 30 men for IS in India, as per intelligence agencies, and at least 20 more from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Shafi's whereabouts remain unknown. In the past five years, he has been tracked in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Oman. The US State Department on Thursday added three key IS operatives to its 'Specially Designated Global Terrorist' list. Shafi was one of them.

Shafi Armar, IS' India recruiter, on US global terrorist list

By Agnisheik Chatterji

The US administration&#39;s decision to open the possibility of redeploying thousands of soldiers in Afghanistan is a welcome one, but its success hinges on several factors.

US President Donald Trump Tuesday decided to empower the Pentagon to decide on the troop levels in Afghanistan, in his bid to &quot;win&quot; the stalemate in the war-torn country.

Not very long back -- even till 2015 -- the US was talking about an exit strategy from Afghanistan. They were looking to withdraw their troops by 2017. From 100,000 American soldiers in 2011, the US government has whittled down its presence to 8,400 troops, who are primarily engaged in non-combative roles.&nbsp;

But a rash of events turned that plan on its head. The pivot is primarily down to Washington&#39;s scrambled policy in the region that is bedevilled by a resurgent Taliban, a dormant Al Qaeda and a growing Islamic State.

There has been an increasing concern in the Pentagon about the Afghan security forces&#39; inability to withstand the annual Spring Offensive launched by the Taliban.&nbsp;

The fact that the US administration has spent close to $71 billion on training the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), coupled with an annual $23 billion expenditure on the reconstruction of the ravaged country, stakes in the Afghanistan war remain ambitiously high.&nbsp;

Despite spending billions of dollars in training the local forces, the Afghan government controls roughly 59.7&nbsp;per cent of districts in 2017, down from 72 per cent in November 2015. This is down to a resilient Taliban chipping away at the fraying stalemate in the country and failure of the US in ably training the security personnel.

The recent attack on American soldiers has also pressured the US government to get their act together in the country. Five soldiers have been killed since April to underscore the turmoil swirling in the tough terrains of the South Asian nation.

When Senator John McCain questioned the government&#39;s will to act on the Afghanistan conundrum, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis admitted that they were still &quot;not winning&quot; the longest war in Afghanistan.

&quot;We are not winning in Afghanistan right now,&quot; Mattis said during Tuesday&#39;s congressional hearing, adding: &quot;And we will correct this as soon as possible.&quot;

Light-footprint approach&nbsp;

The US army has long wanted reinforcement of troops to combat the stasis that has gripped the ANSF too. About 35 per cent of the personnel do&nbsp;not re-enlist every year, according to the report submitted by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).

Mattis defined &quot;winning&quot; in Afghanistan as a situation where the Afghan government, with international help, drives the insurgency down to a level that local security forces can handle it.&nbsp;

Although additional troops on the ground might lessen violence and the Taliban juggernaut in the short- to medium-term, duration of their stay would be imperative for any positive outcome.

The Americans can&#39;t just expect to arrest the level of violence and make a hasty retreat by leaving behind a few soldiers in non-combative role. That is because it is unreasonable to train the local security agencies in three, four years and then leave them to fight the extremists. The local forces would need air and logistical support to thwart future battles.

An untimely &quot;right-sizing&quot; of US troops would thereby diminish or negate important capabilities in countering terrorist threats, financing and overseeing contracts.&nbsp;

US&#39; presence in Korea is a point in case where decades of military deployment has yielded a semblance of stability in the region.

As mentioned before, 35 per cent of personnel don&#39;t re-enlist, meaning that full recruitment to cover the gap would ultimately result in dilution of quality. Also, there have been several concerns about the ability of middle- to senior-level Afghan commanders&#39; ability to lead troops in combat.

So the decision to introduce more US military presence would be good news in the region, but the burgeoning costs of the war is fraught with peril and also fiscally unsustainable.

Negotiations remain a pipe dream

In 2011, the US had all the cards in their negotiation with the Taliban. The US had about 100,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and the Taliban were in the doldrums. But even then, the two parties failed to forge a peace plan as Taliban continued playing hardball.

So if the current administration hopes to push the years-long war into a negotiated settlement by reining in the Taliban, their plan is more likely to fall off the cliff.

Today&#39;s Taliban is a different beast. The group has splintered in the aftermath of their leader Akhtar Mohammad Mansour&#39;s death in 2016. Negotiating with a multi-headed group will be a nightmare for the White House.

The political infighting in the country is another factor that has precipitated Taliban&#39;s gains. Uncertainty in the corridors of power in Kabul and local governments have handed the Taliban a fertile ground to re-ignite their support among the masses.&nbsp;

The SIGAR 2017 report says: &quot;The National Unity Government grappled with political challenges ranging from defiance from Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum, a former warlord whose bodyguards are charged with sodomising a political opponent, to resolving conflicts with the parliament over a path to promised parliamentary elections and Afghanistan&rsquo;s 2019 presidential contest.&quot;&nbsp;

If the US has to be successful in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table, they have to upgrade the quality of polity in the country.

The US has to rectify its operational problems too, which has largely been marred by corruption.

Several Afghan security forces leaders have been prosecuted on corruption charges. There has also been widespread misuse of the funds sent by the US in the last few years, especially after they scaled down their presence.

The US will have to crack down on financial irregularities as well to sustain their project in the long run.&nbsp;

&#39;McMaster&#39;s War&#39;

The Trump administration&#39;s renewed policy in Afghanistan has been largely forged by national security advisor Lt Gen HR McMaster. So much so that certain sections of the White House have dubbed the fresh Afghan blueprint as &quot;McMaster&#39;s War&quot;.

The shift in decision-making from the White House to the Pentagon has been credited to McMaster.

He has been an endorser of Sun Tzu&#39;s &quot;The Art of War&quot; tenet which advocates winning the hearts and minds of the populace to help defeat the insurgency.

But the task of micro-managing the local population remains an uphill task as the Afghans would be wary, and weary, of yet another bout of foreign presence in their country.&nbsp;

US troops have been viewed by the locals with deep hostility due to the bloody quagmire they have endured for 16 years and wanton shootings perpetrated by US soldiers.&nbsp;

As Abraham Lincoln said in his 1858 &ldquo;A House Divided&rdquo; speech, &ldquo;If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could then better judge what to do, and how to do it&quot;.

Therefore, it remains vital for the US administration to adopt a multi-pronged strategy -- not just miltarily -- to consolidate any gains they make in the country.

(WION)

The task of micro-managing the local population remains an uphill task as the Afghans would be wary, and weary, of yet another bout of foreign presence in their country.

By Agnisheik Chatterji The US administration's decision to open the possibility of redeploying thousands of soldiers in Afghanistan is a welcome one, but its success hinges on several factors. US President Donald Trump Tuesday decided to empower the Pentagon to decide on the troop levels in Afghanistan, in his bid to "win" the stalemate in the war-torn country. Not very long back -- even till 2015 -- the US was talking about an exit strategy from Afghanistan. They were looking to withdraw their troops by 2017. From 100,000 American soldiers in 2011, the US government has whittled down its presence to 8,400 troops, who are primarily engaged in non-combative roles. But a rash of events turned that plan on its head. The pivot is primarily down to Washington's scrambled policy in the region that is bedevilled by a resurgent Taliban, a dormant Al Qaeda and a growing Islamic State. There has been an increasing concern in the Pentagon about the Afghan security forces' inability to withstand the annual Spring Offensive launched by the Taliban. The fact that the US administration has spent close to $71 billion on training the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), coupled with an annual $23 billion expenditure on the reconstruction of the ravaged country, stakes in the Afghanistan war remain ambitiously high. Despite spending billions of dollars in training the local forces, the Afghan government controls roughly 59.7 per cent of districts in 2017, down from 72 per cent in November 2015. This is down to a resilient Taliban chipping away at the fraying stalemate in the country and failure of the US in ably training the security personnel. The recent attack on American soldiers has also pressured the US government to get their act together in the country. Five soldiers have been killed since April to underscore the turmoil swirling in the tough terrains of the South Asian nation. When Senator John McCain questioned the government's will to act on the Afghanistan conundrum, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis admitted that they were still "not winning" the longest war in Afghanistan. "We are not winning in Afghanistan right now," Mattis said during Tuesday's congressional hearing, adding: "And we will correct this as soon as possible." Light-footprint approach The US army has long wanted reinforcement of troops to combat the stasis that has gripped the ANSF too. About 35 per cent of the personnel do not re-enlist every year, according to the report submitted by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). Mattis defined "winning" in Afghanistan as a situation where the Afghan government, with international help, drives the insurgency down to a level that local security forces can handle it. Although additional troops on the ground might lessen violence and the Taliban juggernaut in the short- to medium-term, duration of their stay would be imperative for any positive outcome. The Americans can't just expect to arrest the level of violence and make a hasty retreat by leaving behind a few soldiers in non-combative role. That is because it is unreasonable to train the local security agencies in three, four years and then leave them to fight the extremists. The local forces would need air and logistical support to thwart future battles. An untimely "right-sizing" of US troops would thereby diminish or negate important capabilities in countering terrorist threats, financing and overseeing contracts. US' presence in Korea is a point in case where decades of military deployment has yielded a semblance of stability in the region. As mentioned before, 35 per cent of personnel don't re-enlist, meaning that full recruitment to cover the gap would ultimately result in dilution of quality. Also, there have been several concerns about the ability of middle- to senior-level Afghan commanders' ability to lead troops in combat. So the decision to introduce more US military presence would be good news in the region, but the burgeoning costs of the war is fraught with peril and also fiscally unsustainable. Negotiations remain a pipe dream In 2011, the US had all the cards in their negotiation with the Taliban. The US had about 100,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and the Taliban were in the doldrums. But even then, the two parties failed to forge a peace plan as Taliban continued playing hardball. So if the current administration hopes to push the years-long war into a negotiated settlement by reining in the Taliban, their plan is more likely to fall off the cliff. Today's Taliban is a different beast. The group has splintered in the aftermath of their leader Akhtar Mohammad Mansour's death in 2016. Negotiating with a multi-headed group will be a nightmare for the White House. The political infighting in the country is another factor that has precipitated Taliban's gains. Uncertainty in the corridors of power in Kabul and local governments have handed the Taliban a fertile ground to re-ignite their support among the masses. The SIGAR 2017 report says: "The National Unity Government grappled with political challenges ranging from defiance from Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum, a former warlord whose bodyguards are charged with sodomising a political opponent, to resolving conflicts with the parliament over a path to promised parliamentary elections and Afghanistan’s 2019 presidential contest." If the US has to be successful in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table, they have to upgrade the quality of polity in the country. The US has to rectify its operational problems too, which has largely been marred by corruption. Several Afghan security forces leaders have been prosecuted on corruption charges. There has also been widespread misuse of the funds sent by the US in the last few years, especially after they scaled down their presence. The US will have to crack down on financial irregularities as well to sustain their project in the long run. 'McMaster's War' The Trump administration's renewed policy in Afghanistan has been largely forged by national security advisor Lt Gen HR McMaster. So much so that certain sections of the White House have dubbed the fresh Afghan blueprint as "McMaster's War". The shift in decision-making from the White House to the Pentagon has been credited to McMaster. He has been an endorser of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" tenet which advocates winning the hearts and minds of the populace to help defeat the insurgency. But the task of micro-managing the local population remains an uphill task as the Afghans would be wary, and weary, of yet another bout of foreign presence in their country. US troops have been viewed by the locals with deep hostility due to the bloody quagmire they have endured for 16 years and wanton shootings perpetrated by US soldiers. As Abraham Lincoln said in his 1858 “A House Divided” speech, “If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could then better judge what to do, and how to do it". Therefore, it remains vital for the US administration to adopt a multi-pronged strategy -- not just miltarily -- to consolidate any gains they make in the country. (WION)

US plan to win Afghan stalemate is zero-sum game

Islamic State (IS) have captured territory around Tora Bora,&nbsp;Osama bin Laden&#39;s former stronghold located in Afghanistan&#39;s eastern Nangarhar province, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/14/isis-afghanistan-taliban-tora-bora-osama-bin-laden" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> reports Afghan officials as saying.&nbsp;

If IS can capture the giant cave complex, where bin Laden formerly stayed, from the Afghan Taliban, it would be a large victory for the militants.

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The IS militant group captured parts of the remote mountainous area of Tora Bora region on Tuesday night from the Taliban. WION&#39;s Daniel Pagani reports from Kabul (WION)
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This comes one day after Trump&#39;s defense chief, General Jim &quot;Mad Dog&quot; Mattis, described the situation in Afghanistan in blunt and negative terms: &quot;We are not winning.&quot; Trump will now allow the Pentagon to set troop levels in Afghanistan, and a contingent of a few thousand American soldiers are expected to arrive.

Attacks in the mountain range began late Tuesday night, according to a spokesman in Nangarhar, Attahullah Khgyani, cited by The Guardian. There have been unspecified casualties on both sides.

They also cite Hazrat Ali, a Nangarharian lawmaker, as saying that 12 Taliban fighters were killed in the clash. &quot;Based on our information from local people, hundreds of Isis fighters attacked Taliban militants in Tora Bora.&quot;

So far there has been no official comment from IS or the Taliban.

Islamic States&#39; attack near Tora Bora&nbsp;comes two months after the US dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb in the world, known as the MOAB or Mother Of All Bombs, on a cave complex in eastern Afghanistan, <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/bomb-video-afghanistan-pentagon-footage-moab-twitter-us-department-of-defence-a7683731.html" target="_blank">reportedly </a>killing at least 36 IS militants.

&nbsp;

Capturing the giant cave complex currently under the Afghan Taliban's control would be a major victory for IS

Islamic State (IS) have captured territory around Tora Bora, Osama bin Laden's former stronghold located in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, The Guardian reports Afghan officials as saying. If IS can capture the giant cave complex, where bin Laden formerly stayed, from the Afghan Taliban, it would be a large victory for the militants. The IS militant group captured parts of the remote mountainous area of Tora Bora region on Tuesday night from the Taliban. WION's Daniel Pagani reports from Kabul (WION) × This comes one day after Trump's defense chief, General Jim "Mad Dog" Mattis, described the situation in Afghanistan in blunt and negative terms: "We are not winning." Trump will now allow the Pentagon to set troop levels in Afghanistan, and a contingent of a few thousand American soldiers are expected to arrive. Attacks in the mountain range began late Tuesday night, according to a spokesman in Nangarhar, Attahullah Khgyani, cited by The Guardian. There have been unspecified casualties on both sides. They also cite Hazrat Ali, a Nangarharian lawmaker, as saying that 12 Taliban fighters were killed in the clash. "Based on our information from local people, hundreds of Isis fighters attacked Taliban militants in Tora Bora." So far there has been no official comment from IS or the Taliban. Islamic States' attack near Tora Bora comes two months after the US dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb in the world, known as the MOAB or Mother Of All Bombs, on a cave complex in eastern Afghanistan, reportedly killing at least 36 IS militants.

Islamic State captures territory around Tora Bora, near bin Laden's former stronghold

&nbsp;Islamic State militants have become increasingly desperate in the face of heavy air strikes on their Syrian bastion Raqqa,&nbsp;passing themselves off as civilians to escape detection and killing anyone who tries to flee, witnesses said.

At a camp for the displaced in the village of Ain Issa north of the city,&nbsp;people who arrived on Wednesday also said the air strikes supporting an assault by US-backed forces had inflicted widespread destruction as the battle intensified.

United Nations war crimes investigators said the air campaign had killed at least 300 civilians in the city, captured by Islamic State in 2014 in the chaos of Syria&#39;s civil war.

The escapees said the air strikes had flattened rows of apartment blocks along a main road but many of them had already been abandoned by residents fleeing Islamic State&rsquo;s reign of terror and the assault on the town, which began last week.

&quot;The coalition strikes destroyed a four-story apartment building. I saw 10 people trapped underneath,&quot; said Abu Hamoud. &quot;They used phosphorus.&quot;

Human Rights Watch expressed concern on Wednesday about the use of incendiary white phosphorous weapons by the US-led coalition, saying it endangers civilians when used in populated areas.

The coalition is backing the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group of Kurdish and Arab militias who have been closing in on Raqqa in northern Syria for months in preparation for the assault to recapture the city.

Hassan Kirfou,&nbsp;said an airstrike hit the mosque where he works just a few hours after he closed it for the night, and two other mosques were hit.

&ldquo;I saw three dead teenagers on top of each other outside the Nour mosque,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know why they shot these areas. As far as I know there were only a few Daesh (Islamic State) snipers left there.&rdquo;

Much of the damage from air strikes was inflicted on Seif al-Dawla street, one of the main arteries of the town. &ldquo;My uncle and two cousins were killed. Their house was destroyed,&rdquo; Kirfou said.

The pressure on Islamic State, which is on the brink of losing the other centre of&nbsp;its self-proclaimed caliphate, the Iraqi city of Mosul, is taking a heavy toll on the group,&nbsp;people who arrived at Ain Issa in the last few days said.

&ldquo;They have started using microphones to tell people: &#39;Don&rsquo;t go to the infidels, stay with Islam&#39;,&rdquo; said Abdul Razak Crais, standing near rows of white tents as people lined up for food.

&ldquo;They poured gasoline on the cars of anyone who tried to escape then lit a match and burned the vehicles. I saw them haul people out of their cars and shoot them with AK-47s.&quot;

The coalition estimates that 3,000-4,000 Islamic State fighters are holed up in Raqqa, the administrative headquarters of Islamic State, which has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks on civilians across the globe.

Residents who fled say they have been laying landmines on streets, booby trapping houses and digging tunnels in preparation for battle.

&ldquo;They take over people&rsquo;s houses and create big holes in their walls so they can move back and forth during fighting,&rdquo; said Thaier Ibrahim.

Others at the camp said militants were hiding weapons and riding cars with civilians to avoid air strikes.

About 10,000 civilians have fled to the SDF-run Ain Issa camp about 60 km (40 miles) north of Raqqa with hundreds more arriving each day, Medecins Sans Frontieres has said.

Conditions have deteriorated because of the gruelling summer heat. But people like Mohamed Nahaf took the risk of getting shot to escape Islamic State and a battle for the city that could take months.

&ldquo;They cut off all roads. We had to pay a smuggler $200 to get us out,&rdquo; he said.

The coalition is backing the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group of Kurdish and Arab militias who have been closing in on Raqqa in northern Syria for months in preparation for the assault to recapture the city

Islamic State militants have become increasingly desperate in the face of heavy air strikes on their Syrian bastion Raqqa, passing themselves off as civilians to escape detection and killing anyone who tries to flee, witnesses said. At a camp for the displaced in the village of Ain Issa north of the city, people who arrived on Wednesday also said the air strikes supporting an assault by US-backed forces had inflicted widespread destruction as the battle intensified. United Nations war crimes investigators said the air campaign had killed at least 300 civilians in the city, captured by Islamic State in 2014 in the chaos of Syria's civil war. The escapees said the air strikes had flattened rows of apartment blocks along a main road but many of them had already been abandoned by residents fleeing Islamic State’s reign of terror and the assault on the town, which began last week. "The coalition strikes destroyed a four-story apartment building. I saw 10 people trapped underneath," said Abu Hamoud. "They used phosphorus." Human Rights Watch expressed concern on Wednesday about the use of incendiary white phosphorous weapons by the US-led coalition, saying it endangers civilians when used in populated areas. The coalition is backing the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group of Kurdish and Arab militias who have been closing in on Raqqa in northern Syria for months in preparation for the assault to recapture the city. Hassan Kirfou, said an airstrike hit the mosque where he works just a few hours after he closed it for the night, and two other mosques were hit. “I saw three dead teenagers on top of each other outside the Nour mosque,” he said. “I don’t know why they shot these areas. As far as I know there were only a few Daesh (Islamic State) snipers left there.” Much of the damage from air strikes was inflicted on Seif al-Dawla street, one of the main arteries of the town. “My uncle and two cousins were killed. Their house was destroyed,” Kirfou said. The pressure on Islamic State, which is on the brink of losing the other centre of its self-proclaimed caliphate, the Iraqi city of Mosul, is taking a heavy toll on the group, people who arrived at Ain Issa in the last few days said. “They have started using microphones to tell people: 'Don’t go to the infidels, stay with Islam',” said Abdul Razak Crais, standing near rows of white tents as people lined up for food. “They poured gasoline on the cars of anyone who tried to escape then lit a match and burned the vehicles. I saw them haul people out of their cars and shoot them with AK-47s." The coalition estimates that 3,000-4,000 Islamic State fighters are holed up in Raqqa, the administrative headquarters of Islamic State, which has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks on civilians across the globe. Residents who fled say they have been laying landmines on streets, booby trapping houses and digging tunnels in preparation for battle. “They take over people’s houses and create big holes in their walls so they can move back and forth during fighting,” said Thaier Ibrahim. Others at the camp said militants were hiding weapons and riding cars with civilians to avoid air strikes. About 10,000 civilians have fled to the SDF-run Ain Issa camp about 60 km (40 miles) north of Raqqa with hundreds more arriving each day, Medecins Sans Frontieres has said. Conditions have deteriorated because of the gruelling summer heat. But people like Mohamed Nahaf took the risk of getting shot to escape Islamic State and a battle for the city that could take months. “They cut off all roads. We had to pay a smuggler $200 to get us out,” he said.

Air strikes kill civilians as Raqqa battle intensifies, Syrians say militants shoot escapees

US-backed Syrian militias advanced further into Islamic State&#39;s Syrian stronghold of Raqqa from the east on Monday, reaching the walls of the Old City, a war monitor and a militia spokesman said on Monday.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group of Kurdish and Arab militias supported by a US-led coalition, began to attack Raqqa last Tuesday with the aim of taking it from Islamic State militants, after a months-long campaign to cut it off.&nbsp;

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the SDF took the al-Sanaa industrial neighbourhood on Monday as part of their push into the eastern half of the city, and had reached the walls of the Old City neighbourhood.

SDF media officer Ahmad Mohammed said the SDF had reached the walls but there were still fierce clashes in al-Sanaa and the district had not yet been totally secured.

The Old City, east of central Raqqa, is a neighbourhood of modern housing bordered on two sides by fortified city walls built in the eighth century by the Abbasid Islamic Caliphate which at one point used Raqqa as its capital.

Residents said on Monday the Old City area was being shelled intensely.

The US-led coalition estimates that Raqqa, which Islamic State seized from Syrian rebels in 2014 during their lightning advance in Syria and Iraq, is defended by 3,000 to 4,000 jihadists.

It has been a hub both for Islamic State`s military leaders and its bureaucrats, and has been used to plot attacks in countries around the world.

The SDF also advanced from north of the city on Monday, taking a sugar factory complex northeast of Raqqa. A video said to show SDF officers within the complex shows heavy damage to the factory.

Since the offensive began the SDF, supported by heavy coalition air strikes, have taken territory to the west, east and north of the city.&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;

The SDF took the al-Sanaa industrial neighbourhood on Monday as part of their push into the eastern half of the city

US-backed Syrian militias advanced further into Islamic State's Syrian stronghold of Raqqa from the east on Monday, reaching the walls of the Old City, a war monitor and a militia spokesman said on Monday. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group of Kurdish and Arab militias supported by a US-led coalition, began to attack Raqqa last Tuesday with the aim of taking it from Islamic State militants, after a months-long campaign to cut it off. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the SDF took the al-Sanaa industrial neighbourhood on Monday as part of their push into the eastern half of the city, and had reached the walls of the Old City neighbourhood. SDF media officer Ahmad Mohammed said the SDF had reached the walls but there were still fierce clashes in al-Sanaa and the district had not yet been totally secured. The Old City, east of central Raqqa, is a neighbourhood of modern housing bordered on two sides by fortified city walls built in the eighth century by the Abbasid Islamic Caliphate which at one point used Raqqa as its capital. Residents said on Monday the Old City area was being shelled intensely. The US-led coalition estimates that Raqqa, which Islamic State seized from Syrian rebels in 2014 during their lightning advance in Syria and Iraq, is defended by 3,000 to 4,000 jihadists. It has been a hub both for Islamic State`s military leaders and its bureaucrats, and has been used to plot attacks in countries around the world. The SDF also advanced from north of the city on Monday, taking a sugar factory complex northeast of Raqqa. A video said to show SDF officers within the complex shows heavy damage to the factory. Since the offensive began the SDF, supported by heavy coalition air strikes, have taken territory to the west, east and north of the city.

US-backed Syrian fighters reach old city walls in Islamic State-held Raqqa

Iran said Thursday that five of its nationals who killed 17 people in twin attacks in Tehran were Islamic State members who had been to the group&#39;s strongholds in Iraq and Syria. Wednesday&#39;s <a href="http://Iran twin attacks: 13 killed, Iran Guards claim US, Saudi 'involved'">attacks on Tehran&#39;s parliament complex and the shrine of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini</a>, which also wounded more than 50 people, were the first claimed by IS in Iran.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/attackers-raid-iran-parliament-twelve-killed-3635">Also see:&nbsp;Attackers raid Iran parliament, twelve killed</a>

&quot;The five known terrorists... after joining the Daesh (IS) terrorist group, left the country and participated in crimes carried out by this terrorist group in Mosul and Raqa,&quot; the intelligence ministry said in a statement. It suggested there were only five attackers rather than the six originally reported.

An official said previously that those who attacked the parliament complex had been dressed as women. The ministry released their photographs and first names.

It said they were part of a network that entered Iran in July-August 2016 under the leadership of &quot;high-ranking Daesh commander&quot; Abu Aisha intending to carry out &quot;terrorist operations in religious cities&quot;.

Abu Aisha was killed and the network forced to flee the country, the statement said. It was unclear when the five men returned to Iran ahead of Wednesday&#39;s attacks. IS on Thursday released a video of the five attackers before the assault, via its Amaq propaganda agency.&nbsp;

&quot;Allah permitting, this is the first brigade that was established (in Iran) but it will not be the last,&quot; one said in the video message, as the group sat masked in a circle with their weapons. The jihadist group had earlier released footage of the attackers from inside the building, also via Amaq -- a rare claim of responsibility while an assault was still going on.

&nbsp;

The evil they promote

Following the attacks, US President Donald Trump said the United States would &quot;grieve and pray&quot; for the victims, but added: &quot;We underscore that states that sponsor terrorism risk falling victim to the evil they promote.&quot;

The statement was condemned by foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who tweeted: &quot;Repugnant WH (White House) statement... as Iranians counter terror backed by US clients.&quot;

Trump was also criticised on social media by Iranians, who recalled their government&#39;s offers of support and the candlelight vigils held in Iran after the attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States.

&quot;Iranians lit candles for you on 9/11. You kick them while they&#39;re down. Classy,&quot; tweeted Ali Ghezelbash, an Iranian business analyst.

The US president has long accused Iran of backing terrorism and has threatened to tear up a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers.&nbsp;

Even as Washington expressed its condolences on Wednesday, the US Senate advanced legislation to impose new sanctions on Iran, partly for what the bill described as the regime&#39;s &#39;support for acts of international terrorism&#39;. Iran&#39;s elite Revolutionary Guards have pointed the finger at regional rival Saudi Arabia -- a close US ally -- which Tehran accuses of funding extremism and groups including IS.

IS has threatened to step up recruitment within Iran, releasing its first Persian-language video in March in which it threatened to &quot;conquer Iran and restore it to the Sunni Muslim nation as it was before.&quot; The Sunni jihadists of IS consider Shiite Iranians to be apostates, and Tehran is deeply involved in fighting the group in both Syria and Iraq.

&nbsp;

Khomeini shrugs off attacks&nbsp;

The attackers were armed with rifles and pistols and at least two blew themselves up with suicide vests, Iranian media reported. Police said a further five people were arrested around Khomeini&#39;s shrine on suspicion of involvement.

In the midst of the unfolding attacks, the intelligence ministry said a third team had been stopped before the attacks started, but no further details have since been given. Sunni Gulf Arab states are in the midst of a major diplomatic crisis after Saudi Arabia and its allies cut ties with Qatar on Monday over claims it supports extremism and has fewer tensions with Iran.

Iranian leaders sought to play down the attacks, with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei saying: &quot;These firecrackers that happened today will not have the slightest effect on the will of the people.&quot;

(AFP)

Iran said the five nationals involved in the twin attacks in Tehran were Islamic State members who had been to the group's strongholds in Iraq and Syria

Iran said Thursday that five of its nationals who killed 17 people in twin attacks in Tehran were Islamic State members who had been to the group's strongholds in Iraq and Syria. Wednesday's attacks on Tehran's parliament complex and the shrine of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which also wounded more than 50 people, were the first claimed by IS in Iran. Also see: Attackers raid Iran parliament, twelve killed "The five known terrorists... after joining the Daesh (IS) terrorist group, left the country and participated in crimes carried out by this terrorist group in Mosul and Raqa," the intelligence ministry said in a statement. It suggested there were only five attackers rather than the six originally reported. An official said previously that those who attacked the parliament complex had been dressed as women. The ministry released their photographs and first names. It said they were part of a network that entered Iran in July-August 2016 under the leadership of "high-ranking Daesh commander" Abu Aisha intending to carry out "terrorist operations in religious cities". Abu Aisha was killed and the network forced to flee the country, the statement said. It was unclear when the five men returned to Iran ahead of Wednesday's attacks. IS on Thursday released a video of the five attackers before the assault, via its Amaq propaganda agency. "Allah permitting, this is the first brigade that was established (in Iran) but it will not be the last," one said in the video message, as the group sat masked in a circle with their weapons. The jihadist group had earlier released footage of the attackers from inside the building, also via Amaq -- a rare claim of responsibility while an assault was still going on. The evil they promote Following the attacks, US President Donald Trump said the United States would "grieve and pray" for the victims, but added: "We underscore that states that sponsor terrorism risk falling victim to the evil they promote." The statement was condemned by foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who tweeted: "Repugnant WH (White House) statement... as Iranians counter terror backed by US clients." Trump was also criticised on social media by Iranians, who recalled their government's offers of support and the candlelight vigils held in Iran after the attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States. "Iranians lit candles for you on 9/11. You kick them while they're down. Classy," tweeted Ali Ghezelbash, an Iranian business analyst. The US president has long accused Iran of backing terrorism and has threatened to tear up a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers. Even as Washington expressed its condolences on Wednesday, the US Senate advanced legislation to impose new sanctions on Iran, partly for what the bill described as the regime's 'support for acts of international terrorism'. Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have pointed the finger at regional rival Saudi Arabia -- a close US ally -- which Tehran accuses of funding extremism and groups including IS. IS has threatened to step up recruitment within Iran, releasing its first Persian-language video in March in which it threatened to "conquer Iran and restore it to the Sunni Muslim nation as it was before." The Sunni jihadists of IS consider Shiite Iranians to be apostates, and Tehran is deeply involved in fighting the group in both Syria and Iraq. Khomeini shrugs off attacks The attackers were armed with rifles and pistols and at least two blew themselves up with suicide vests, Iranian media reported. Police said a further five people were arrested around Khomeini's shrine on suspicion of involvement. In the midst of the unfolding attacks, the intelligence ministry said a third team had been stopped before the attacks started, but no further details have since been given. Sunni Gulf Arab states are in the midst of a major diplomatic crisis after Saudi Arabia and its allies cut ties with Qatar on Monday over claims it supports extremism and has fewer tensions with Iran. Iranian leaders sought to play down the attacks, with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei saying: "These firecrackers that happened today will not have the slightest effect on the will of the people." (AFP)

Iran says Teheran attackers had been in Iraq, Syria for IS

The Islamic State group on Thursday claimed the killing of two Chinese citizens who were kidnapped last month by armed gunmen in southwestern Pakistan&#39;s restive Balochistan province. The jihadist group made the claim in a brief Arabic message carried by the group&#39;s Amaq news agency. There was no immediate confirmation from Chinese or Pakistan officials.

Hours earlier, Pakistan&#39;s army issued a statement saying its forces conducted an operation against the IS group earlier this month, killing up to 15 militants from the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Al-Almi who were in communication with IS about establishing a base in Balochistan.

The two Chinese workers were abducted in Quetta, where the pair had been studying Urdu at a language centre, according to a Chinese envoy in the country. China&#39;s foreign ministry said it was working to &quot;verify relevant information through various channels, including working with Pakistani authorities&quot;.

&quot;We have taken note of relevant reports and we express our grave concern. We have been trying to rescue the two kidnapped hostages over the past days,&quot; the official Xinhua news agency quoted spokeswoman Hua Chunying as saying.

Beijing is ramping up investment in its South Asian neighbour as part of a plan unveiled in 2015 that will link its far-western Xinjiang region to Gwadar port in Balochistan with a series of infrastructure, power and transport upgrades.

Pakistan has been battling Islamist and nationalist insurgencies in mineral-rich Balochistan since 2004, with hundreds of soldiers and militants killed in the fighting. Bordering Iran and Afghanistan, it is the largest of Pakistan&#39;s four provinces, but the roughly seven million inhabitants have long complained they do not receive a fair share of its gas and mineral wealth.

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.

(AFP)

There was no immediate confirmation from Chinese or Pakistan officials

The Islamic State group on Thursday claimed the killing of two Chinese citizens who were kidnapped last month by armed gunmen in southwestern Pakistan's restive Balochistan province. The jihadist group made the claim in a brief Arabic message carried by the group's Amaq news agency. There was no immediate confirmation from Chinese or Pakistan officials. Hours earlier, Pakistan's army issued a statement saying its forces conducted an operation against the IS group earlier this month, killing up to 15 militants from the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Al-Almi who were in communication with IS about establishing a base in Balochistan. The two Chinese workers were abducted in Quetta, where the pair had been studying Urdu at a language centre, according to a Chinese envoy in the country. China's foreign ministry said it was working to "verify relevant information through various channels, including working with Pakistani authorities". "We have taken note of relevant reports and we express our grave concern. We have been trying to rescue the two kidnapped hostages over the past days," the official Xinhua news agency quoted spokeswoman Hua Chunying as saying. Beijing is ramping up investment in its South Asian neighbour as part of a plan unveiled in 2015 that will link its far-western Xinjiang region to Gwadar port in Balochistan with a series of infrastructure, power and transport upgrades. Pakistan has been battling Islamist and nationalist insurgencies in mineral-rich Balochistan since 2004, with hundreds of soldiers and militants killed in the fighting. Bordering Iran and Afghanistan, it is the largest of Pakistan's four provinces, but the roughly seven million inhabitants have long complained they do not receive a fair share of its gas and mineral wealth. 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. (AFP)

Islamic State claims killing two Chinese citizens kidnapped in southwest Pakistan

Pakistan&#39;s military has killed 12 Islamic State-linked militants in a raid on their cave hideout in Baluchistan province, the army said on Thursday, cutting off Islamic State&#39;s bid to establish a foothold in the resource-rich province.

Islamic State, which controls some territory in neighbouring Afghanistan, has struggled to establish a presence in Pakistan but it has claimed several major attacks, including one on the deputy chairman of the Senate last month in Baluchistan in which 25 people were killed.

The military said the raid near the town of Mastung, 50 kilometres&nbsp;(30 miles) south of the provincial capital, Quetta, targeted militants from the banned Lashkar-e-Jangvi Al Alami (LeJ-AL) group, which has carried out attacks with Islamic State.

&quot;(LeJ-AL) was reportedly making efforts for communication with ISIS and intended to facilitate establishment of ISIS foothold,&quot; the military&#39;s media wing said in a statement.

The military also said the suicide bomber who last month killed 25 people in the attack on the deputy chairman of the Senate had been based in the cave hideout. Islamic State claimed that attack.

&quot;The suicide bomber...was also sent by this group from same hideout,&quot; the military said.

The military said the operation to clear the militants&#39; hideout started on June 1 and finished two days later.

&quot;Terrorists who were hiding in caves offered stiff resistance,&quot; the military said, adding that five members of the security forces had been wounded.

Troops destroyed a bomb-making facility in the cave and recovered a cache of arms and explosives, including six rocket launchers, it said.

A spokesman for the LeJ-AL said last month his group had split with Islamic State due to &quot;policy changes&quot;.

The spokesman, Ali Bin Sufyan, did not elaborate on the differences but condemned the May 12 bomb attack on the convoy of Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, which happened near Mastung.

Separatist guerrillas in Baluchistan are also fighting the central government over what they see as the unfair exploitation of their province&#39;s significant gas and mineral deposits.

(Reuters)

The military also said the suicide bomber who last month killed 25 people in the attack on the Senate's deputy chairman used the cave as a hideout

Pakistan's military has killed 12 Islamic State-linked militants in a raid on their cave hideout in Baluchistan province, the army said on Thursday, cutting off Islamic State's bid to establish a foothold in the resource-rich province. Islamic State, which controls some territory in neighbouring Afghanistan, has struggled to establish a presence in Pakistan but it has claimed several major attacks, including one on the deputy chairman of the Senate last month in Baluchistan in which 25 people were killed. The military said the raid near the town of Mastung, 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of the provincial capital, Quetta, targeted militants from the banned Lashkar-e-Jangvi Al Alami (LeJ-AL) group, which has carried out attacks with Islamic State. "(LeJ-AL) was reportedly making efforts for communication with ISIS and intended to facilitate establishment of ISIS foothold," the military's media wing said in a statement. The military also said the suicide bomber who last month killed 25 people in the attack on the deputy chairman of the Senate had been based in the cave hideout. Islamic State claimed that attack. "The suicide bomber...was also sent by this group from same hideout," the military said. The military said the operation to clear the militants' hideout started on June 1 and finished two days later. "Terrorists who were hiding in caves offered stiff resistance," the military said, adding that five members of the security forces had been wounded. Troops destroyed a bomb-making facility in the cave and recovered a cache of arms and explosives, including six rocket launchers, it said. A spokesman for the LeJ-AL said last month his group had split with Islamic State due to "policy changes". The spokesman, Ali Bin Sufyan, did not elaborate on the differences but condemned the May 12 bomb attack on the convoy of Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, which happened near Mastung. Separatist guerrillas in Baluchistan are also fighting the central government over what they see as the unfair exploitation of their province's significant gas and mineral deposits. (Reuters)

Pakistan says raid on cave hideout that kills 12 Islamic State-linked militants stops IS 'foothold'

Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain must be tougher in stamping out Islamist extremism after attackers killed at least seven people by ramming a van into pedestrians on London Bridge and stabbing revellers in nearby bars.

After the third militant attack in Britain in less than three months, May said Thursday&#39;s national election would go ahead. But she proposed regulating cyberspace and said Britain had been far too tolerant of extremism.

&quot;It is time to say enough is enough,&quot; the Conservative leader said outside her Downing Street office, where British flags flew at half-staff.

&quot;We cannot and must not pretend that things can continue as they are,&quot; May said, adding that Britain was under attack from a new breed of crude copycat militants.

Islamic State, which is losing territory in Syria and Iraq to an offensive backed by a US-led coalition, said its militants were responsible for the attack, the group&#39;s media agency Amaq said in a statement monitored in Cairo.

One French national and one Canadian were among those killed. At least 48 people were injured in the attack. Australia said one of its citizens was among the injured.

Police shot dead the three male assailants in the Borough Market area near London Bridge within eight minutes of receiving the first emergency call shortly after 10 pm. (2100 GMT).

Mark Rowley, head of counter-terrorism police, said eight officers had fired about 50 bullets to stop the attackers, who appeared to be suicide bombers because they were wearing what turned out to be fake suicide vests.

&quot;The situation these officers were confronted with was critical: a matter of life and death,&quot; Rowley said. &quot;I am humbled by the bravery of an officer who will rush towards a potential suicide bomber thinking only of protecting others.&quot;

A member of the public received non-critical gunshot wounds. Police did not release the names of the attackers.

London police arrested 12 people in the Barking district of east London in connection with the attack and raids were continuing there, the force said. A Reuters photographer saw another raid take place in nearby East Ham.

Less than two weeks ago, a suicide bomber killed 22 children and adults at a concert by US&nbsp;singer Ariana Grande in Manchester in northern England. In March, in an attack similar to Saturday&#39;s, five people died after a man drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in central London and stabbed a policeman.

May said the series of attacks were not connected in terms of planning and execution but were inspired by what she called a &quot;single, evil ideology of Islamist extremism&quot; that represented a perversion of Islam and of the truth.

She said this ideology had to be confronted both abroad and at home, adding that the internet and big internet companies provided the space for such extremism to breed.

Facebook said it wanted to make its social media platform a &quot;hostile environment&quot; for terrorists. Twitter also said it was working to tackle the spread of militant propaganda.

After the Manchester attack, Britain raised its threat level to &quot;critical&quot; - meaning an attack is expected imminently - but downgraded it back to &quot;severe&quot;, which means an attack is highly likely, on May 27.

Harrowing scenes

Witnesses described harrowing scenes as the attackers&#39; white van veered on and off the bridge sidewalk, hitting people along the way, and the three men then ran into an area packed with bars and restaurants, stabbing people indiscriminately.

Accounts emerged of people trying to barricade themselves in a pub while others tried throwing tables and other objects to fend off the attackers.

One eyewitness said the attackers screamed &quot;this is for Allah&quot; as they stabbed people.

England&#39;s health authority said on Sunday afternoon that 36 of those injured remained in hospital, of whom 21 were in a critical condition.

May made a private visit to staff and patients at King&#39;s College Hospital, where some of the injured were being treated, a spokeswoman said.

The government announced that a nationwide minute of silence would be held at 1000 GMT on Tuesday to pay respect to the victims of the attack and flags would remain at half-mast on government buildings until Tuesday evening.

A Reuters photographer saw four women being removed from an apartment block in Barking, shielding their faces as they stepped into police vans.

Islamic State militants had sent out a call on instant messaging service Telegram early on Saturday urging its followers to carry out attacks with trucks, knives and guns against &quot;Crusaders&quot; during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Islamist militants have carried out scores of deadly attacks in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the United States over the past two years.

&quot;We believe we are experiencing a new trend in the threat we face as terrorism breeds terrorism,&quot; May said.

&quot;Perpetrators are inspired to attack not only on the basis of carefully constructed plots ... and not even as lone attackers radicalised online but by copying one another and often using the crudest of means of attack.&quot;

&quot;Tolerance of extremism&quot;

May, who served as Britain&#39;s interior minister from 2010 to 2016, said there was too much tolerance of extremism in Britain.

&quot;While we have made significant progress in recent years, there is - to be frank - far too much tolerance of extremism in our country,&quot; she said, urging Britons to be more robust in stamping it out in the public sector and in wider society.

Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Britain needed to have difficult conversations with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states about the funding of Islamist extremism.

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump, taking to Twitter on Sunday, urged the world to stop being &quot;politically correct&quot; in order to ensure public security against terrorism.

Most of the main political parties suspended election campaigning on Sunday, but May said this would resume on Monday. The anti-European Union UK Independence Party said it would not suspend its campaign because disrupting democracy was what the extremists wanted.

London Bridge is a transport hub and nearby Borough Market is a fashionable warren of alleyways leavened with bars and restaurants that is always bustling on a Saturday night.

The area remained cordoned off and patrolled by armed police and counter-terrorism officers on Sunday, with train stations closed. Forensic investigators could be seen working on the bridge, where buses and taxis stood abandoned.

At several points outside the cordon, people laid flowers and messages of grief and solidarity.

Ariana Grande and other music stars were giving a benefit concert at Manchester&#39;s Old Trafford cricket ground on Sunday evening to raise funds for victims of the concert bombing and their families.

&quot;Today&#39;s One Love Manchester benefit concert will not only continue but will do so with greater purpose,&quot; Grande&#39;s manager, Scooter Braun, said on Twitter after the London attack.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the official threat level in Britain remained at severe, meaning a militant attack is highly likely. It had been raised to critical after the Manchester attack, then lowered again days later.

&quot;One of the things we can do is show that we aren&#39;t going to be cowed is by voting on Thursday and making sure that we understand the importance of our democracy, our civil liberties and our human rights,&quot; Khan said.

In tweets, Trump offered help to Britain but also levelled apparent criticism of Khan for saying there was no need to be alarmed. Khan had earlier said Londoners would see an increased police presence on the streets of the city and people should not be alarmed by that.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin were among those who sent messages of condolence and made statements of solidarity.

The Manchester bombing on May 22 was the deadliest attack in Britain since July 2005, when four British Muslim suicide bombers killed 52 people in coordinated assaults on London&#39;s transport network.

(Reuters)

After the third militant attack in Britain in less than three months, May said Thursday's national election would go ahead

Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain must be tougher in stamping out Islamist extremism after attackers killed at least seven people by ramming a van into pedestrians on London Bridge and stabbing revellers in nearby bars. After the third militant attack in Britain in less than three months, May said Thursday's national election would go ahead. But she proposed regulating cyberspace and said Britain had been far too tolerant of extremism. "It is time to say enough is enough," the Conservative leader said outside her Downing Street office, where British flags flew at half-staff. "We cannot and must not pretend that things can continue as they are," May said, adding that Britain was under attack from a new breed of crude copycat militants. Islamic State, which is losing territory in Syria and Iraq to an offensive backed by a US-led coalition, said its militants were responsible for the attack, the group's media agency Amaq said in a statement monitored in Cairo. One French national and one Canadian were among those killed. At least 48 people were injured in the attack. Australia said one of its citizens was among the injured. Police shot dead the three male assailants in the Borough Market area near London Bridge within eight minutes of receiving the first emergency call shortly after 10 pm. (2100 GMT). Mark Rowley, head of counter-terrorism police, said eight officers had fired about 50 bullets to stop the attackers, who appeared to be suicide bombers because they were wearing what turned out to be fake suicide vests. "The situation these officers were confronted with was critical: a matter of life and death," Rowley said. "I am humbled by the bravery of an officer who will rush towards a potential suicide bomber thinking only of protecting others." A member of the public received non-critical gunshot wounds. Police did not release the names of the attackers. London police arrested 12 people in the Barking district of east London in connection with the attack and raids were continuing there, the force said. A Reuters photographer saw another raid take place in nearby East Ham. Less than two weeks ago, a suicide bomber killed 22 children and adults at a concert by US singer Ariana Grande in Manchester in northern England. In March, in an attack similar to Saturday's, five people died after a man drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in central London and stabbed a policeman. May said the series of attacks were not connected in terms of planning and execution but were inspired by what she called a "single, evil ideology of Islamist extremism" that represented a perversion of Islam and of the truth. She said this ideology had to be confronted both abroad and at home, adding that the internet and big internet companies provided the space for such extremism to breed. Facebook said it wanted to make its social media platform a "hostile environment" for terrorists. Twitter also said it was working to tackle the spread of militant propaganda. After the Manchester attack, Britain raised its threat level to "critical" - meaning an attack is expected imminently - but downgraded it back to "severe", which means an attack is highly likely, on May 27. Harrowing scenes Witnesses described harrowing scenes as the attackers' white van veered on and off the bridge sidewalk, hitting people along the way, and the three men then ran into an area packed with bars and restaurants, stabbing people indiscriminately. Accounts emerged of people trying to barricade themselves in a pub while others tried throwing tables and other objects to fend off the attackers. One eyewitness said the attackers screamed "this is for Allah" as they stabbed people. England's health authority said on Sunday afternoon that 36 of those injured remained in hospital, of whom 21 were in a critical condition. May made a private visit to staff and patients at King's College Hospital, where some of the injured were being treated, a spokeswoman said. The government announced that a nationwide minute of silence would be held at 1000 GMT on Tuesday to pay respect to the victims of the attack and flags would remain at half-mast on government buildings until Tuesday evening. A Reuters photographer saw four women being removed from an apartment block in Barking, shielding their faces as they stepped into police vans. Islamic State militants had sent out a call on instant messaging service Telegram early on Saturday urging its followers to carry out attacks with trucks, knives and guns against "Crusaders" during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Islamist militants have carried out scores of deadly attacks in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the United States over the past two years. "We believe we are experiencing a new trend in the threat we face as terrorism breeds terrorism," May said. "Perpetrators are inspired to attack not only on the basis of carefully constructed plots ... and not even as lone attackers radicalised online but by copying one another and often using the crudest of means of attack." "Tolerance of extremism" May, who served as Britain's interior minister from 2010 to 2016, said there was too much tolerance of extremism in Britain. "While we have made significant progress in recent years, there is - to be frank - far too much tolerance of extremism in our country," she said, urging Britons to be more robust in stamping it out in the public sector and in wider society. Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Britain needed to have difficult conversations with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states about the funding of Islamist extremism. US President Donald Trump, taking to Twitter on Sunday, urged the world to stop being "politically correct" in order to ensure public security against terrorism. Most of the main political parties suspended election campaigning on Sunday, but May said this would resume on Monday. The anti-European Union UK Independence Party said it would not suspend its campaign because disrupting democracy was what the extremists wanted. London Bridge is a transport hub and nearby Borough Market is a fashionable warren of alleyways leavened with bars and restaurants that is always bustling on a Saturday night. The area remained cordoned off and patrolled by armed police and counter-terrorism officers on Sunday, with train stations closed. Forensic investigators could be seen working on the bridge, where buses and taxis stood abandoned. At several points outside the cordon, people laid flowers and messages of grief and solidarity. Ariana Grande and other music stars were giving a benefit concert at Manchester's Old Trafford cricket ground on Sunday evening to raise funds for victims of the concert bombing and their families. "Today's One Love Manchester benefit concert will not only continue but will do so with greater purpose," Grande's manager, Scooter Braun, said on Twitter after the London attack. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the official threat level in Britain remained at severe, meaning a militant attack is highly likely. It had been raised to critical after the Manchester attack, then lowered again days later. "One of the things we can do is show that we aren't going to be cowed is by voting on Thursday and making sure that we understand the importance of our democracy, our civil liberties and our human rights," Khan said. In tweets, Trump offered help to Britain but also levelled apparent criticism of Khan for saying there was no need to be alarmed. Khan had earlier said Londoners would see an increased police presence on the streets of the city and people should not be alarmed by that. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin were among those who sent messages of condolence and made statements of solidarity. The Manchester bombing on May 22 was the deadliest attack in Britain since July 2005, when four British Muslim suicide bombers killed 52 people in coordinated assaults on London's transport network. (Reuters)

'Enough is enough' PM May says after London Bridge attack

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Sunday for an attack by knife-wielding men who mowed down and stabbed revellers in London, killing seven people before being shot dead in a barrage of police gunfire.

Saturday night&#39;s rampage at a popular nightlife hub around London Bridge by three men wearing fake suicide vests was the third deadly terror attack in Britain in less than three months and came only days before a general election.

&quot;A detachment of fighters from Islamic State carried out London attacks yesterday,&quot; said the Aamaq news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic &nbsp;State group.

British Prime Minister Theresa May blamed &quot;evil&quot; Islamist ideology and vowed to crackdown on extremist content online worldwide, as police detained 11 people following two raids in east London.

National campaigning for Thursday&#39;s vote was suspended for the day out of respect for the victims, who included 48 people treated in hospital for injuries.

Of those, 21 are still in a critical condition.

One Canadian national and one Frenchman were among the fatalities and seven French citizens were among the injured.

No details have been released about the perpetrators, who were shot dead within minutes by police.

Eight officers fired an &quot;unprecedented&quot; 50 rounds at the three attackers, according to Mark Rowley, head of national counter-terrorism policing, who said that a member of the public also suffered a gunshot wound.

Detectives were still investigating whether the assailants acted alone, and Rowley said their identities would be released &quot;as soon as operationally possible&quot;.

Police launched raids in the ethnically diverse London suburb of Barking in the hours after the rampage, arresting seven women and five men aged between 19 and 60 at two properties.

A 55-year-old man was later released.

Attackers copying one another: Theresa May 
 
May said the attack was driven by the same &quot;evil ideology of Islamist extremism&quot; behind last week&#39;s Manchester suicide bombing that left 22 people dead, and the Westminster attack in March, which killed five.

&quot;The recent attacks are not connected but we believe we are experiencing a new trend in the threat we face,&quot; she said after chairing an emergency ministerial meeting.

She warned that perpetrators are inspired to attack &quot;by copying one another&quot;.

The assailants ran people over on London Bridge before lunging seemingly at random at the crowds gathered around Borough Market, which is full of restaurants and bars.

Gerard Vowls, 47, said he saw a woman repeatedly stabbed, and threw chairs, glasses and bottles at the attackers in a bid to stop them.

&quot;They kept coming to try to stab me... they were stabbing everyone. Evil, evil people,&quot; he told The Guardian newspaper.&nbsp;

Another witness called Eric told the BBC he had seen three men get out of the van and thought they were going to help tend those who had been run over.

Instead they &quot;started kicking them, punching them and took out knives. It was a rampage really,&quot; he said, adding that he heard a shout of: &quot;This is for Allah&quot;.

An Australian was among those hospitalised, while a Spaniard escaped with light injuries.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is due to visit Britain on Monday to speak to the injured French nationals, after President Emmanuel Macron said France was &quot;more than ever at Britain&#39;s side&quot;.

Among those stabbed was a London Transport Police officer, who was one of the first responders on the scene and received injuries to his face.

A vigil for the victims will take place at nearby Tower Bridge on Monday evening.

&#39;Praying for London&#39; 
 
Britain was already on high alert following the recent attack on a concert by US pop star Ariana Grande in Manchester, northwest England, in which seven children were among the dead.

Grande, who headlined a benefit concert in Manchester on Sunday, alongside stars including Pharrell Williams and Justin Bieber, tweeted that she was &quot;Praying for London&quot;.

&quot;A lot of people suffered and I had some second thoughts coming, especially with what happened last night in London,&quot; ticket holder Abdullah Mala, 34, told AFP. &quot;But we got to move on&quot;.

The national threat level was raised to maximum after the Manchester attack and troops were deployed at key public sites, but reduced to its second highest level last weekend.

Prime Minister May, who served as interior minister for six years before taking office after the Brexit vote last summer, said Britain&#39;s response to the terror threat must change.

&quot;We cannot and must not pretend that things can continue as they are,&quot; she said, adding there was &quot;far too much tolerance of extremism in our country.&quot;

The ruling Conservatives and the main opposition Labour party suspended national campaign events for the day, but May insisted the election would go ahead as planned on Thursday.

Saturday&#39;s rampage is the latest in a string of attacks to hit Europe, including in Paris, Berlin and Saint Petersburg, and the French, German and Russian leaders sent messages of support.

US President Donald Trump offered his help, tweeting &quot;WE ARE WITH YOU. GOD BLESS!&quot; -- and highlighting his thwarted ban on travellers from six mainly Muslim countries. 
 
(AFP)

The IS-affiliated Amaq news agency said a 'security detachment' from the Islamic State carried out the attacks in London on Saturday

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Sunday for an attack by knife-wielding men who mowed down and stabbed revellers in London, killing seven people before being shot dead in a barrage of police gunfire. Saturday night's rampage at a popular nightlife hub around London Bridge by three men wearing fake suicide vests was the third deadly terror attack in Britain in less than three months and came only days before a general election. "A detachment of fighters from Islamic State carried out London attacks yesterday," said the Aamaq news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic State group. British Prime Minister Theresa May blamed "evil" Islamist ideology and vowed to crackdown on extremist content online worldwide, as police detained 11 people following two raids in east London. National campaigning for Thursday's vote was suspended for the day out of respect for the victims, who included 48 people treated in hospital for injuries. Of those, 21 are still in a critical condition. One Canadian national and one Frenchman were among the fatalities and seven French citizens were among the injured. No details have been released about the perpetrators, who were shot dead within minutes by police. Eight officers fired an "unprecedented" 50 rounds at the three attackers, according to Mark Rowley, head of national counter-terrorism policing, who said that a member of the public also suffered a gunshot wound. Detectives were still investigating whether the assailants acted alone, and Rowley said their identities would be released "as soon as operationally possible". Police launched raids in the ethnically diverse London suburb of Barking in the hours after the rampage, arresting seven women and five men aged between 19 and 60 at two properties. A 55-year-old man was later released. Attackers copying one another: Theresa May May said the attack was driven by the same "evil ideology of Islamist extremism" behind last week's Manchester suicide bombing that left 22 people dead, and the Westminster attack in March, which killed five. "The recent attacks are not connected but we believe we are experiencing a new trend in the threat we face," she said after chairing an emergency ministerial meeting. She warned that perpetrators are inspired to attack "by copying one another". The assailants ran people over on London Bridge before lunging seemingly at random at the crowds gathered around Borough Market, which is full of restaurants and bars. Gerard Vowls, 47, said he saw a woman repeatedly stabbed, and threw chairs, glasses and bottles at the attackers in a bid to stop them. "They kept coming to try to stab me... they were stabbing everyone. Evil, evil people," he told The Guardian newspaper. Another witness called Eric told the BBC he had seen three men get out of the van and thought they were going to help tend those who had been run over. Instead they "started kicking them, punching them and took out knives. It was a rampage really," he said, adding that he heard a shout of: "This is for Allah". An Australian was among those hospitalised, while a Spaniard escaped with light injuries. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is due to visit Britain on Monday to speak to the injured French nationals, after President Emmanuel Macron said France was "more than ever at Britain's side". Among those stabbed was a London Transport Police officer, who was one of the first responders on the scene and received injuries to his face. A vigil for the victims will take place at nearby Tower Bridge on Monday evening. 'Praying for London' Britain was already on high alert following the recent attack on a concert by US pop star Ariana Grande in Manchester, northwest England, in which seven children were among the dead. Grande, who headlined a benefit concert in Manchester on Sunday, alongside stars including Pharrell Williams and Justin Bieber, tweeted that she was "Praying for London". "A lot of people suffered and I had some second thoughts coming, especially with what happened last night in London," ticket holder Abdullah Mala, 34, told AFP. "But we got to move on". The national threat level was raised to maximum after the Manchester attack and troops were deployed at key public sites, but reduced to its second highest level last weekend. Prime Minister May, who served as interior minister for six years before taking office after the Brexit vote last summer, said Britain's response to the terror threat must change. "We cannot and must not pretend that things can continue as they are," she said, adding there was "far too much tolerance of extremism in our country." The ruling Conservatives and the main opposition Labour party suspended national campaign events for the day, but May insisted the election would go ahead as planned on Thursday. Saturday's rampage is the latest in a string of attacks to hit Europe, including in Paris, Berlin and Saint Petersburg, and the French, German and Russian leaders sent messages of support. US President Donald Trump offered his help, tweeting "WE ARE WITH YOU. GOD BLESS!" -- and highlighting his thwarted ban on travellers from six mainly Muslim countries. (AFP)

Islamic State claims responsibility for London attack

There are about 1,200 Islamic State (IS) group operatives in the Philippines, including foreigners of whom 40 are from Indonesia, the Indonesian defence minister told an international security forum Sunday.

Speaking in Singapore amid a bloody standoff between Philippine troops and militants fighting under the IS flag in Marawi city, Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu called the militants &quot;killing machines&quot; and urged full-scale regional cooperation against them.

&quot;I was advised last night, 1,200 ISIS in the Philippines, around 40 from Indonesia,&quot; Ryacudu told the Shangri-La Dialogue, using another name for the IS group.&nbsp;

The threat of heightened terrorism, including the impending return of hundreds of Southeast Asian fighters who fought with IS in Syria and Iraq, has been a hot-button issue at the three-day Singapore summit also attended by US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

Hundreds of Islamist gunmen rampaged through Marawi, a largely Muslim city of 200,000 in the south of the mainly Catholic Philippines, on May 23 after government forces attempted to arrest their leader, Isnilon Hapilon.&nbsp;

Up to 50 gunmen are still controlling the city centre nearly two weeks &nbsp;after the start of fighting that has killed 177 people including 120 militants.

&quot;How can we tackle these foreign fighters? We have to be comprehensive,&quot; said Ryacudu, a retired general.

&quot;We have to find... complete ways but we must exercise caution, they are killing machines. Their aim is to kill other people so that&#39;s why it&#39;s our responsibility that we have common understanding, consensus and common proceedings on how to fight these foreign fighters.&quot;

Philippine Defense Undersecretary Ricardo David, speaking at the same forum, said the 1,200 figure for total IS fighters in the Philippines mentioned by Indonesia was new to him.

&quot;I really don&#39;t know, my figure is about 250-400, a lot less,&quot; he told reporters.&nbsp;

But David said there were 40 foreign IS fighters among those who seized parts of Marawi, eight of whom have been killed by government forces.

Earlier, Philippine officials said the slain foreign fighters were from Malaysia, Indonesia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Chechnya.

&quot;Our intelligence estimates that there are about 40 foreigners that fought in the Marawi incident,&quot; David said.

The Philippine official added that the foreign fighters used &quot;back channels&quot; in the Sulu and Celebes Seas near the borders of the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia to enter the southern island of Mindanao and link up with local terror groups.

&quot;That&#39;s why they were able to muster the operations in the area of Marawi,&quot; David said.

(AFP)

The statement by the Indonesian defence minister comes amid a bloody standoff between Philippine troops and militants fighting under the IS flag in Marawi city

There are about 1,200 Islamic State (IS) group operatives in the Philippines, including foreigners of whom 40 are from Indonesia, the Indonesian defence minister told an international security forum Sunday. Speaking in Singapore amid a bloody standoff between Philippine troops and militants fighting under the IS flag in Marawi city, Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu called the militants "killing machines" and urged full-scale regional cooperation against them. "I was advised last night, 1,200 ISIS in the Philippines, around 40 from Indonesia," Ryacudu told the Shangri-La Dialogue, using another name for the IS group. The threat of heightened terrorism, including the impending return of hundreds of Southeast Asian fighters who fought with IS in Syria and Iraq, has been a hot-button issue at the three-day Singapore summit also attended by US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Hundreds of Islamist gunmen rampaged through Marawi, a largely Muslim city of 200,000 in the south of the mainly Catholic Philippines, on May 23 after government forces attempted to arrest their leader, Isnilon Hapilon. Up to 50 gunmen are still controlling the city centre nearly two weeks after the start of fighting that has killed 177 people including 120 militants. "How can we tackle these foreign fighters? We have to be comprehensive," said Ryacudu, a retired general. "We have to find... complete ways but we must exercise caution, they are killing machines. Their aim is to kill other people so that's why it's our responsibility that we have common understanding, consensus and common proceedings on how to fight these foreign fighters." Philippine Defense Undersecretary Ricardo David, speaking at the same forum, said the 1,200 figure for total IS fighters in the Philippines mentioned by Indonesia was new to him. "I really don't know, my figure is about 250-400, a lot less," he told reporters. But David said there were 40 foreign IS fighters among those who seized parts of Marawi, eight of whom have been killed by government forces. Earlier, Philippine officials said the slain foreign fighters were from Malaysia, Indonesia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Chechnya. "Our intelligence estimates that there are about 40 foreigners that fought in the Marawi incident," David said. The Philippine official added that the foreign fighters used "back channels" in the Sulu and Celebes Seas near the borders of the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia to enter the southern island of Mindanao and link up with local terror groups. "That's why they were able to muster the operations in the area of Marawi," David said. (AFP)

Indonesian defence minister says 1,200 IS operatives in Philippines

Terror outfit ISIS had not been able to set foot in India despite the presence of the world&#39;s second largest Muslim population, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today.

Barring two terror attacks in Punjab in 2015-16, the security situation in the country had by and large remained under control, the minister said at a press conference on three years of the Modi government.

More than 90 sympathisers of ISIS had been arrested due to better coordination between state and central security agencies.

Five terrorists of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) group were given capital punishment as part of the government&#39;s focused efforts to check terrorism, Singh said.

&quot;The home ministry has a major responsibility to provide security to the country. I can say that we have together by and large provided security to the country.

&quot;India is the second largest country as far as Muslim population in the world is concerned. I can say with full responsibility that despite such a large population (of Muslims), the ISIS has not been able to set foot,&quot; he said.

The ISIS and the Ansar-ul-Ummah, frontal organisation of the Pakistan-based Harkat-ul-Mujahideen group, have been included in the list of banned terrorist organisations in order to check terrorism.

&quot;There is improvement in the security situation in the country. We have been successful in countering the challenges posed by the ISIS,&quot; the home minister said.

Comparing the previous UPA regime with the NDA tenure, he said a total of 239 militants were neutralised from 2011 to 2013. &quot;This number has gone up to 369 during 2014-17.&quot;

He said there had been 45 per cent reduction in infiltration attempts from Pakistan since the surgical strike by the Army in September 2016, compared to the corresponding six months in the previous year.

&quot;We will end Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and ensure peace,&quot; the home minister said. 
Singh mentioned special initiatives being taken by the NDA government to provide skill and job opportunities to youths in Kashmir.

In the three years of the UPA regime (2011-14), he said, over 1,900 youths were provided skill training and jobs were offered to 1,591. In 2014-17, as many as 20,355 were given training and 30,175 were given job offers.

The remuneration given to Special Police Officers (SPOs) had been doubled to Rs 6,000 from Rs 3,000 per month, the home minister said. Besides, 10,000 new posts of SPOs were approved in addition to the existing 25,000.

Five new Indian Reserve battalions had been approved for Jammu and Kashmir. &quot;We have approved 63 projects under PM package worth Rs 80,000 crore for J-K,&quot; he said.

Mentioning anti-Naxal measures being taken by the government, Singh said there had been 25 per cent reduction in Naxal attacks in 2014-17 as compared to 2011-14.

He said three years of NDA government had seen a 42 per cent reduction in deaths in Naxal attacks as compared to last three years of the UPA government.

The home minister said major development had been done in Naxal-affected states, including Chhattisgarh, which has completely destroyed (&#39;Kamar tod di hai&#39;) the support system for Naxal activities.

Over 2,000 mobile towers were installed and work for the installation of another 2,882 towers was in progress. Besides, 358 new bank branches and 752 ATMs were opened whereas approval had been given for opening 1,789 post offices in Naxal-affected areas, he said.

&quot;This development has never happened at such a fast pace,&quot; the home minister said, adding that an air strip in Chhattisgarh&#39;s Jadgdalpur area would be made completely functional this year.

(PTI)

Barring two terror attacks in Punjab in 2015-16, the security situation in the country had by and large remained under control, the minister said

Terror outfit ISIS had not been able to set foot in India despite the presence of the world's second largest Muslim population, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today. Barring two terror attacks in Punjab in 2015-16, the security situation in the country had by and large remained under control, the minister said at a press conference on three years of the Modi government. More than 90 sympathisers of ISIS had been arrested due to better coordination between state and central security agencies. Five terrorists of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) group were given capital punishment as part of the government's focused efforts to check terrorism, Singh said. "The home ministry has a major responsibility to provide security to the country. I can say that we have together by and large provided security to the country. "India is the second largest country as far as Muslim population in the world is concerned. I can say with full responsibility that despite such a large population (of Muslims), the ISIS has not been able to set foot," he said. The ISIS and the Ansar-ul-Ummah, frontal organisation of the Pakistan-based Harkat-ul-Mujahideen group, have been included in the list of banned terrorist organisations in order to check terrorism. "There is improvement in the security situation in the country. We have been successful in countering the challenges posed by the ISIS," the home minister said. Comparing the previous UPA regime with the NDA tenure, he said a total of 239 militants were neutralised from 2011 to 2013. "This number has gone up to 369 during 2014-17." He said there had been 45 per cent reduction in infiltration attempts from Pakistan since the surgical strike by the Army in September 2016, compared to the corresponding six months in the previous year. "We will end Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and ensure peace," the home minister said. Singh mentioned special initiatives being taken by the NDA government to provide skill and job opportunities to youths in Kashmir. In the three years of the UPA regime (2011-14), he said, over 1,900 youths were provided skill training and jobs were offered to 1,591. In 2014-17, as many as 20,355 were given training and 30,175 were given job offers. The remuneration given to Special Police Officers (SPOs) had been doubled to Rs 6,000 from Rs 3,000 per month, the home minister said. Besides, 10,000 new posts of SPOs were approved in addition to the existing 25,000. Five new Indian Reserve battalions had been approved for Jammu and Kashmir. "We have approved 63 projects under PM package worth Rs 80,000 crore for J-K," he said. Mentioning anti-Naxal measures being taken by the government, Singh said there had been 25 per cent reduction in Naxal attacks in 2014-17 as compared to 2011-14. He said three years of NDA government had seen a 42 per cent reduction in deaths in Naxal attacks as compared to last three years of the UPA government. The home minister said major development had been done in Naxal-affected states, including Chhattisgarh, which has completely destroyed ('Kamar tod di hai') the support system for Naxal activities. Over 2,000 mobile towers were installed and work for the installation of another 2,882 towers was in progress. Besides, 358 new bank branches and 752 ATMs were opened whereas approval had been given for opening 1,789 post offices in Naxal-affected areas, he said. "This development has never happened at such a fast pace," the home minister said, adding that an air strip in Chhattisgarh's Jadgdalpur area would be made completely functional this year. (PTI)

Islamic State failed in India despite second largest Muslim population: Rajnath Singh

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